Anna Tolstoy's (annaglebova) Blog

Tornado in Massachusetts today! it was not only a tornado watch, it was a tornado warning. Closer to Westerns / Central Mass, Stirbridge, Springfield area - there were flipped cars and broken trees. Here in Boston Metro West area we only had a heavy thunderstorm, with lots of lightening, and heav...

Home search in Massachusetts: Would you buy a house with a swimming pool? If you are a buyer, now on a market for a home here in MA, you have come across these listings: a house with a swimming pool. Is this a good deal or not? If you always wanted a pool, or were planning to put one in, it will ...

Save gas, save money, save planet, save on your gym membership - get on a bike! I wish roads were designed in a more bicycle friendly way. There is seldom a separate bike path, and some roads here in Boston Metro West are really narrow, at times a car can hardly pass a bicyclist (I'm thinking Old...

Do not paint your porch white, it will get dingy looking in a couple of years here in Massachusetts. Rain, snow, sun, then rain again, ice melting and building up and melting again - it all takes its toll, especially since we are talking about horizontal surfaces. Now, a house painted white is  a...

Where to live in MA with good schools? That is one of the most frequent questions people ask themselves or their agents when starting the search process for their new home. And rightfully so. If you have children, or are planning to have them in the near future qualty of schools becomes a focal p...

Why are you so mad?  And why can't I google YOU? I recently got a call from a company that was selling google placement and websites to real estate agents. Actually, I started getting these calls only a couple of months ago, and I link this fact to my online presence through ActiveRain. Which is ...

Best Bakery in Boston - Canto 6 Cafe in JP If you've never been there - you are seriously missing on best sandwiches, croissants, baguettes and pastry you can get in Boston. If you've ever stepped in this place just once - you know what I'm talking about. Canto 6 is a small bakery tucked in on a ...

Walnut Hill playground in Natick, MA In the heart of Walnut Hill in Natick, MA, next to Walnut Hill school of Arts there's a beautiful playground, a local gem for kids and parents. In between Bacon, street, Walnut Street and Belvedere street, a magical triangle appears - that's the playground, th...

Let's walk a day in someone else's shoes.  Apparently, this is originally a Native American Proverb, that went something like "you have to walk in someone's moccasins for a week to really understand that person." I met with some people today and we were talking about real estate for a while. Some...

Too much on your plate? Here is a little tweak that helps me! First, I'm not talking about weight loss or dieting, but rather being overwhelmed by all the tasks that one has to accomplish during a given day. What do we tend to do? Some of us have lists in notebooks, or mobile devices, others rely...