Our latest edition of News from the Ridge is now available.  It contains articles about getting ready for college, the upcoming Merrimack River Eagle Festival, and results of the National Association of Realtors 2011 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.  There is also a calendar of local events and a “Then & Now” look at the Tannery.

You can read the whole newsletter and find an archive of past issues here.

We’re very excited about our new website and all the cool tools that it contains. So, we thought we’d have a sort of Open House of our own and point out some of the features of the site, so you can take full advantage of all it has to offer. We’d like to be your resource for real estate in the Newburyport and Amesbury area.

There is a Property Quicksearch on every page of our website, allowing you to narrow down your home search by price, location, number of bedrooms and many other ways. If you’d like to get more specific, use the link to More Search Options to reach a page dedicated to helping you find just what you’re looking for.

On our home page in the Featured Listings section, we showcase the newest Stone Ridge Properties listings. The three most recent are shown, but you can see up to 25 listings by using the arrows to advance to either side. Or, you can see all of our listings by visiting the Our Listings page. From either of these locations you are just a click away from details and information on our Single Listing Pages.

When you view a property’s Single Listing Page, you have many options. At the top of every listing you’ll see a menu bar with several possible actions.  You can easily Print the listing, or Save it as one of your favorites if you’ve registered on our site. The Visit button opens a window so that you can email the listing agent directly to set up a showing. The Share button creates a second menu that allows you to post the listing information on several social media sites, including facebook and twitter. If you’d like more information, the Question button pulls up a simple contact form so that one of our agents can reach you and get you more information about any of the properties currently for sale in this area.

Additionally, each Single Listing page includes a Google map showing the location of the property, and a Mortgage Calculator to help you determine how much home you can afford.

We know how important it is to find the right Realtor to represent you in any real estate transaction. The Our Agents page lists all of our agents in both our Newburyport and Amesbury offices. From here you’ll be able to see short bios for the agents, see their current or their sold listings, visit their individual websites and contact them directly.

The Our Area section of our website is intended to be a resource to you during your property search. We’ve included some photos and basic information about each of the cities and towns we serve. You’ll find population data, average home cost, and current tax rates. There are links to municipal websites, school websites, and to the Massachusetts Citizen Information Service Helpful Telephone Numbers list as well. Each of these pages also acts as a property search, when you scroll down you’ll see all the current listings in that city or town.

There is so much to keep in mind when you’re looking to buy a home, or when you’ve decided to sell your house. Find tips and ideas on our Resources pages. We have helpful explanations for Buyers and Sellers, as well as a great list of reminders for Moving Day.  You’ll find links to checklists and calendars, and to the Post Office’s online change- of-address form.

If you’re curious to know more about Stone Ridge Properties, Inc. or the Stone Ridge Properties Charitable Foundation, please visit the About Us page. You’ll find information about the history of our company and our involvement with several local community service organizations, as well as a library of our quarterly newsletter, News from the Ridge. Several satisfied clients and local business have left testimonials about our services and successes.

We hope you’ll be another one of Stone Ridge Properties’ satisfied real estate clients. To contact us and begin your search for the perfect home, or to reach one of our agents for a Market Analysis of your property, use our Contact page, or find contact info for both of our offices at the bottom of each page of the website.

Newburyport at Christmas

There is no doubt that Newburyport is a beautiful place to be in the summer; the river is alive with boats of all types, State Street shops and restaurants bustle with activity, and Plum Island affords beach goers plenty of sun and fun.

But long after the boats have been hauled out, the beach towels are put away, and even the leaves have been raked, this fair city literally sparkles with Holiday spirit.

The Holiday Season begins when Santa comes to town on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and of course, in true New England fashion, he comes by boat.  A parade follows, and then the lighting of the giant tree in Market Square confirms that the Holiday Season has officially begun.

Shops and restaurants decorate their storefronts, local business sponsor greens for the city’s lampposts, and homes throughout the area show off their festive finery.

Stone Ridge Properties is proud to sponsor the annual Custom House Maritime Museum Holiday House Tour again this year.  This year’s self-guided tour will feature ten homes throughout the Greater Newburyport area, including homes from the 18^th, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries!

Custom House Maritime Museum Holiday House Tour

We hope you’ll support the Custom House Museum and come visit these homes that have been decorated and inspired by the season.

Don’t forget to take the kids by Santa’s Workshop on Inn Street to meet Santa and get a picture taken.  And Invitation Nights are a great time to get some Holiday shopping done; many downtown business are open late, feature special pricing or offer refreshments on the first two Friday’s of December.

We’re willing to bet that making it to just one of these events will happy your holidays and remind you yet again, why this really is a great place to live.

If you are interested in buying a new home, view latest Newburyport Real Estate Listings