The Rhode Island Association of Realtors released their third quarter statistics last week, and to no surprise, distressed home sales are driving the market. More than 1 in 4 single-family houses sold in the third quarter were foreclosures or short sales. More than half of all the distressed sales were in Pawtucket, Providence, Cranston and Warwick, with double-digit price declines in these communities.

Foreclosures and short-sales drove down the median prices 18% from last year to $230,000, excluding these distressed sales, the statewide median price of houses sold during the third quarter was $268,500.

Read the Full article posted by Sally Lapides on Real Estate Insight.

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Our favorite time of year is fast approaching - the second week of December, which is Distribution Week for Adopt-A-Family, Inc. in Woonsocket.

For some of us, it’s an annual reunion with a couple hundred of our dearest friends; some we’ve known for 20 years and only see for one action-packed week in December.

Now in its 26th year of operation, Adopt-A-Family is a non-profit Rhode Island corporation whose mission is to provide Christmas gifts of toys, games & clothes for needy children in Woonsocket. Sandy Soares, an agent in our Cumberland office, has worked for Adopt-A-Family as Program Coordinator for many years and has been part of the organization since 1990.

Since 1992, 24,692 children have been provided for through the organization’s efforts in a city where 35% of the children live below the poverty level. In 2007 alone, they provided for 2,220 children…enough kids to fill 100 classrooms!

At the time of this writing, the organization has donors for 660 families but they are still looking for donors for an additional 350 families in need. Certainly this year has been a difficult one and many charitable organizations are seeing a big drop-off in contributions.

If you would like to help a family who might be right in your own backyard, contact Sandy Soares at 401.766.2291 ssoares@residentialproperties.com or adoptafamily@cox.net. The last date to “adopt” is December 1.

Photos by: Al Belisle

Many Rhode Islanders are nervous in anticipation of the high cost of heating their homes this winter. As the topic of alternative energy in nearly everyone’s discussions, it was a perfect time for the University of Rhode Island to host the 2008 Rhode Island Energy Expo. The expo is designed to offer innovative and practical strategies to help individuals and businesses deal with rising energy costs.

The Expo was held on Sunday, Nov. 16th at the Ryan Center on the University’s Kingston Campus.

The Energy Expo showcased dozens of local companies exhibiting products and services that provide greater energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fuels for use in homes, businesses and communities. The event also featured educational

workshops and demonstrations, educational activities for kids, music and food.

Some of the topics covered were:

* How can I keep heating costs down this winter?
* How can I reduce my electric bill?
* Is renewable energy right for me?
* How can I lower my transportation costs?
* What can my community do to be greener?

Many of the workshops centered around such topics as:

“Solar, Wind, Hydro: Are They Right For Me?”

“Geothermal & Biomass: Rhode Island’s Hidden Resources for Home Efficiency;” “Saving Money and Protecting the Planet: Energy Efficiency and Conservation in the Home or Business;”

Also, classes covering alternative fuels, green building, and green design were offered.

It was the Expo’s hope that the attendees will leave with all the information they need to reduce their energy costs and “go green.”

Affordability was among the factors taken into account in this ranking for 2009.  Cranston and Warwick were runners-up for the state.

Click here to read BusinessWeek’s review of Pawtucket and the other featured cities and towns across the nation.

Click here to read the full article and view a video clip.

Amidst major highway construction, there is finally a sign that improvements are coming along as well.

On Saturday, October 21st, the Fox Point Neighborhood celebrated the opening of the pedestrian bridge, which spans across the highway, and connects the neighborhood to the newly revitalized India Point Park.

Big Nazo Puppets were among the performers at the inaugural event. Attendees were welcomed to a tent filled with local vendors including Malachi’s coffee shop and the Community Boating Center, which is located at the park.

To read the Providence Journal’s coverage of the event, click here.