Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Lexington Bicentennial Band Winter Concert


The Lexington Bicentennial Band’s  winter concert will be on Sunday January 31st 2016 at 3pm in the Lexington High School auditorium.

The selections which will be played are:
  • The Footlifer
  • Festive Dance from Faust
  • Sheltering Sky
  • Selections from Les Miserables
  • As a Wind From the North
  • Symphonic Dance No. 3
  • A Somerset rhapsody
  • Songs of Old Kentucky
  • Swing’s the Thing
  • The Klaxon


The Lexington Bicentennial Band's History
The LBB was formed in 1974 to prepare for the 200th anniversary of the Battle on the Green (April 19, 1775), and has been performing ever since!

The Conductors
The music director of the Lexington Bicentennial Band is Jeff Leonard, an accomplished teacher, performer, arranger, and conductor. Al Dentino is the assistant conductor for the summer concerts.


 For more information please visit: http://www.lexbicband.org

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Etiquette Classes At Lexington Montessori School

Etiquette Classes at Lexington Montessori School!

Mind Your Manners {grades 2-4} is an 8-week long etiquette program that covers topics such as improving social and communication skills, projecting confidence, combating shyness, strengthening self-esteem and leadership skills, navigating friendships, resolving conflict, understanding social cues, basic manners and table manners, and much more. Classes are limited to approximately 8 students, and are customized based on the results from a social skill assessment that is required from each student prior to the first class.

8-week course

Mondays, 1/25 - 3/28
3:30pm to 4:30pm
Fee: $395

Lexington Montessori School
130 Pleasant Street
Lexington, MA 02421

To enroll visit www.theetiquetteacademy.org or call 617.608.3920 or Contact: Madora Curtin   617-608-3920   admin@theetiquetteacademy.org


Wednesday, January 13, 2016

What You Should Know About Fire Insurance

Fire caused by nature, or a natural pest like squirrels chewing through wires, or even a pack of teenage boys carefully ignoring warning labels on fireworks, is never pleasant. It takes on a life of own and can be extremely dangerous to life and property. Fire is considered in the insurance industry as a "peril." With the extensive menu of insurance options available to homeowners and renters, make sure that your policy covers fire damage as a peril or you might have trouble getting the company to pay the claim.
Also note that in addition to your living quarters, fire insurance policies can cover buildings other than your main dwelling. If you have an "other structures" clause, you can have fire insurance coverage for buildings such as garages, barns, pool houses, or storage facilities.
Help Yourself and Your Policy
These simple installations might help you qualify for a discount as well as protect you from severe loss:
  • smoke detectors
  • carbon monoxide detectors
  • a sprinkler system
  • heat detectors
  • fire escapes
  • fire extinguishers
  • storage of flammable substances outside the home
A simple way to help protect your valuables is to have appraisals (in a fireproof safe, or off-site) for high-ticket items like jewelry or artwork. If you don't have an itemized list, you could receive a much lower payout for the insurance company's standard value of such belongings. Insurance companies will only pay so much, and often have caps or limits, on replacement values for luxury items.
Keep paying your insurance premiums even after a fire. Although this seems counter intuitive, paying to keep coverage current will cover anything related to the incident, including pets. So, if you're staying somewhere else while the property is being repaired or rebuilt, your insurance will cover any incidentals while in transition, for example, a kennel for Max. You can even use the policy to cover the place where you are staying for liability purposes.
Included in "incidentals" is temporary housing and essentials. If clothing and necessary items like toothbrushes were destroyed, you can get an advance from your insurance company to cover those types of expenses. Keep every receipt for your, and their records.
Replace or Cashout

Actual cash value (ACV) can differ significantly from replacement value. Actual Cash Value is related to market value, the amount a buyer would have paid  for the property had the home not been destroyed.
Replacement value is probably the best route to take, vs. ACV, as it makes the property as it was before. ACV is subject to the fair market value of the home, which is based on comparables in the area. There could be a considerable gap between fair market and the value of replacing all the home's contents.

Friday, January 8, 2016

What’s In/Out for Lexington Homes This Year

Lexington Home Improvements with High ROI
Are you thinking about remodeling or upgrading your Lexington home this year? Do you want to sell your Lexington home later in the year and hope to increase the value of it? As your Lexington real estate agent, I am here to fill you in on what’s in and what’s out in home décor, and which home projects will give you the best return on investment when you sell!

First off, if you want to upgrade your home and score a significant return on investment from it, here are the home projects that are your best bet, according to RISMedia:
  • Replace your front door with a steel door. This yields a ROI of 101.8 percent!
  • Replace your fireplace with a new fireplace. This yields a ROI of 91 percent.
  • Remodel your kitchen. This yields a ROI of 85 percent.
  • Turn an attic into a bedroom. This yields a ROI of 83 percent.
  • Replace the siding on your home’s exterior. This yields a ROI of 80.7 percent.
  • Replace your home’s windows. This yields a ROI of 77 percent.
  • Add an upscale garage to your home. This yields a ROI of 54.7 percent.
  • Remodel your home office. This yields a ROI of 50 percent.
  • Add a sunroom to your home. This yields a ROI of 48.5 percent.
  • Remodel your home office. This yields a ROI of 50 percent.
  • Add a master suite to your home. This yields a ROI of 40 percent.
For more details on these renovations, additions and ROI factors, check out the RISMedia infographic. When choosing a home project, make sure it is one that you want and one that will give you ROI once you’re ready to sell.

If you want to update the home décor inside your Lexington home, here’s what Realtor Magazine says in in for 2016:
  • Black metal, normally just seen on outdoor furniture, is coming inside as simple hardware, bathroom fixtures and flatware, and being blended into glass and wood.
  • Curvy home décor, such as rounded tables and other curvy furnishings add a new aesthetic value and soften hard materials, like marble.
  • Old-world style, such as brocades, tapestries, Georgian and Empire antiques, fringe, cording and tassels. Homeowners are incorporating these into their modern décor, blending the two.
  • Scandinavian flat weaves, which add a geometric composition and sophistication to a room with otherwise neutral décor. They can be used in modern or traditional spaces.
The Realtor Magazine article says that what’s out in home décor is rosy metallic, the industrial look, and sisal and jute fiber rugs.

Have fun updating or remodeling your Lexington home this year! When ready to sell your Lexington home, or when ready to buy a Lexington home, contact me. As your Lexington real estate agent, I am here and ready to help you with one or both of those 2016 real estate goals!

Theresa D'Antuono