Armstrong Field Group with Aluxety Real Estate

10/14/2026

The luxury listing advantage starts before the first photo. ✨

Before your home meets the market, walk through it as a buyer would. Small repairs, edited personal items, and thoughtfully highlighted architectural details help the home’s story come through.

Buyers should be able to picture the lifestyle—not a list of projects waiting for them.

Tip: Make a pre-listing punch list and complete it before photography. It creates a more polished first impression from the very beginning.

Thinking about your next move? Explore our seller guidance.
https://armstrongfield.com/d8r5v9z5

Get your free copy Jim Armstrong's popular book - Selling Your Massachusetts Home. Updated for 2026!

10/13/2026

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲? 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘀 active OR inactive 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

I talk with a lot of licensees who have stepped back from sales because of a new career, a growing family, retirement or a move out of state. Most assume their license has no value if they're not working deals.

That's not quite right. According to the Massachusetts Board of Registration's FAQ on Mass.gov, even an inactive salesperson or broker may receive a referral fee from an active broker for people they refer who buy or sell through that broker.

Here's what a good referral relationship looks like:
• You keep doing what you do now
• When someone in your circle mentions a move, you make an introduction
• A trusted team handles the transaction and keeps you posted
• You're compensated through the brokerage when the referral closes
• If you ever want to return to active practice, you'll need 12 hours of CE per two-year license term, which you can complete online

As a broker, licensing instructor and leader of the Armstrong Field Group at Aluxety Real Estate, I built our referral program for people in exactly this spot.

If you hold a Massachusetts license and want it working quietly in the background, send me a message. I'm happy to walk you through it confidentially.

10/13/2026

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝟳.𝟰𝟬%.

That's the highest 30-year average since late 2022, per Freddie Mac. On a $600,000 loan, it's about $440 more a month than a year ago.

But the local numbers tell a more interesting story than the headlines:

📍 Newburyport: median $936,380, and 43.5% of homes sold over asking
📍 Gloucester: median $699,537, with about 1 in 3 listings taking a price cut
📍 Middleton: median up 8.9% to $938,030, but bidding wars have cooled sharply

I also break down 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟳 on the November 3 ballot, the "starter home" question, and what it could mean for lots and zoning in our towns.

👉 Read the full October market update:
https://armstrongfield.com/blog/north-shore-real-estate-market-update-october-2026

Have a question about your town? Call or text me at 978-394-6736.

10/12/2026

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.

Salem is a coastal city about 30 minutes from Boston's North Station by commuter rail, with housing that runs from Federal-era homes in the McIntire Historic District to condos near the waterfront.

𝗜𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲:
• Neighborhoods, from Chestnut Street to Salem Willows and South Salem
• Commuting by train, ferry and highway
• Historic district rules for exterior changes
• Lead paint requirements for homes built before 1978
• How residents handle October

https://armstrongfield.com/d8r5uud1

10/10/2026

First-time buyer guide to Peabody, MA: current prices, payment math, MassHousing down payment assistance, the MA buying process and offer strategy. https://armstrongfield.com/d8r5t924

10/09/2026

Meet Nora, my AI assistant. To talk with her, go to my website, armstrongfield.com. Just try to stump her! FYI - as an AI she doesn't hold a real estate license, so she can't answer any questions about a specific property.

10/09/2026

Search for 55+ and active adult communities in Massachusetts. What to review before you buy a home in an adult community on the North Shore. https://armstrongfield.com/d8r5ullr

10/08/2026

Fall 2026 seller guide for Beverly, MA: current rates and inventory, pricing strategy, prep tips, smoke certificate rules and estimating net proceeds. https://armstrongfield.com/d8r5tjle

10/08/2026

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Fifty years of data says no.

U.S. home sales in 2025 were the lowest since 1995. That sounds alarming until you see the full picture, so I charted every year from 1976 to 2025 alongside mortgage rates.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀:
📉 1982: Sales hit bottom as mortgage rates averaged over 16%
📈 2005: The all-time peak, with 8.36 million homes sold
🔒 2021–2023: Rates jumped from 2.96% to 6.81%, and many owners stayed put
🏡 2025: Rates averaged 6.59%, below the 50-year average

In 2026, the slowdown is about low inventory and affordability, not a wave of foreclosures like 2008. That's a very different market for buyers and sellers.

👉 Read the full breakdown at the link in the first comment below 👇👇👇

Thinking about buying or selling on the North Shore? I'm happy to walk you through what's happening in your town.

Jim Armstrong | Armstrong Field Group | Aluxety Real Estate
📞 978-394-6736

Armstrong Field Group at Aluxety - Helping North Shore home buyers and sellers since 1944. Search real estate & homes for sale in Salem, Beverly, and the North Shore of Massachusetts

10/08/2026

🔨 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁?

Most homes have at least one small job that keeps getting postponed:
🚪 The door that sticks every time it rains
🚰 The faucet with the slow drip
🎨 The peeling trim you meant to paint in June
🍂 The gutters you’re pretending are still clean
🪟 The window that refuses to open—or close
🧰 The mystery project that still requires “one more trip” to the hardware store

As fall settles onto the North Shore, this is a good weekend to tackle one manageable project before colder weather arrives and every outdoor job becomes considerably less appealing.

No judgment here. I own a home too—and some repairs apparently need several months of careful consideration before I’m emotionally prepared to begin. 😄

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳?
Name it in the comments—and perhaps public accountability will finally get both of us moving.