Dylan MacLean, Realtor at Foster-Healey Real Estate

Dylan MacLean, Realtor at Foster-Healey Real Estate Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dylan MacLean, Realtor at Foster-Healey Real Estate, Estate agent, 50 Central Street, Leominster, MA.

Central MA Realtor & NH
Real life homeownership
Costs, projects, and smart decisions

📍 Leominster | Fitchburg | Gardner
🏢 Foster-Healey Real Estate, Inc.
📲 978.270.9713

Three years ago this month, I bought my first family home with a rate over 7%. Almost 8, actually.I bought the rate down...
09/18/2026

Three years ago this month, I bought my first family home with a rate over 7%. Almost 8, actually.

I bought the rate down, put a lot of work into that house, and a little over a year later rates dropped enough to refinance. I pulled out equity, redid the kitchen, kept improving, and eventually sold. The rate was a season. The house is what built the equity.

I'm sharing that because this was a heavy week for buyers. On Wednesday the Fed raised rates for the first time since 2023 and signaled another increase could come before the year is out. The 30 year fixed average jumped to 6.95%, the highest since January of last year. I get why people pause when they see that headline.

Here's what the headline misses. NAR reported Thursday that contract signings actually ticked up in August while rates were climbing. The buyers who need to move are still moving, and they have more to choose from than they've had in years. Rates came down before, and I believe they will again. My advice is to buy the home you can afford at today's payment and treat any future refinance as the bonus, not the plan.

Locally, the fall market is holding strong. 93 open houses across Leominster, Fitchburg, Gardner, and Lunenburg this weekend, right behind last week's 96. The number that tells the real story, though, is price changes. There were almost as many single family price changes this week as new listings. That's what the second weekend of fall looks like. Sellers who listed after Labor Day now have two weekends of feedback, and most want to be under agreement before the holidays, so they're adjusting now instead of waiting until November. Turnkey homes priced right are still moving. Dated homes and multifamilies are the ones sitting, and that's where buyers have real room to negotiate.

Which brings me to my newest listing.

35 Newtonville Ave, Fitchburg | $449,900
Open House Saturday 9/19, 10:30 to 12:30

Four bedrooms, a new kitchen, hardwood floors, a fireplace, a one car garage, and a fenced backyard with a patio ready for fall nights. The part I want buyers paying attention to is geothermal heat paired with a transferable solar lease. Everyone is talking about the rate right now. I want you thinking about the whole monthly cost, and energy is a real part of that.

If you're buying, come see Newtonville on Saturday, or call me and I'll show you what your actual payment looks like at today's rates. If you're selling, this market rewards homes priced right from day one, and I'll give you the honest number.

Real insight. Honest advice. And a clear plan for what's next.

Dylan MacLean, Foster-Healey Real Estate, 978.270.9713

09/18/2026

Need Real Insight Honest Advice & A clear plan for what’s next? Call or Text 978.270.9713

Smiling from ear to ear as I read this wonderful recommendation.
09/16/2026

Smiling from ear to ear as I read this wonderful recommendation.

The fall market did not tiptoe in this week. It kicked the door open.96 open houses across Leominster, Fitchburg, Gardne...
09/11/2026

The fall market did not tiptoe in this week. It kicked the door open.

96 open houses across Leominster, Fitchburg, Gardner, and Lunenburg this weekend, more than double last week's holiday count and the busiest weekend I have tracked all year. Every town is up. Leominster is leading the region for the first time since spring with 40 open, most of them single family. Fitchburg is right behind at 33. Lunenburg doubled. And 22 new single family listings came on this week compared to 12 over Labor Day. Sellers who waited out August are all showing up at once, and that is exactly what the week after Labor Day is supposed to look like.

Here is the bigger picture behind it. Rates did not cooperate this week. August inflation came in a little hot at 0.4% for the month, and the 30 year fixed moved up again to 6.76%. With both jobs and inflation running stronger than expected, the Fed meets next week and everyone is waiting on that read. The honest takeaway is that the case for lower rates got more complicated, not simpler.

But NAR's August report landed yesterday with the number that matters more locally. National inventory is now at 4.9 months of supply, the highest in over a decade, and Lawrence Yun said plainly that it is giving buyers better opportunities to negotiate. Sales dipped 2% for the month, yet demand is holding up because wages are still growing and jobs are still being added. Translation: fewer bidding wars, more homes to choose from, and real leverage for buyers who are ready to act.

What that looks like on the ground here is simple. The sharp, move in ready single families are still going fast, especially in Leominster and Lunenburg. The homes that have been sitting, and Fitchburg's multi-families in particular, are where the negotiating room lives. If you are buying, this is the most selection you have had all year. If you are selling, the buyers are back and they are touring, but they are comparing, so pricing and presentation have to be right from day one.

My listing at 27 Elm Street in Leominster is available for private showings this weekend. Waterfront backyard, solar, sunroom, garage, and two bonus rooms. Call or text me and I will get you in.

Whether you are buying or selling this fall, call or text me and let's build the plan.

Real insight. Honest advice. And a clear plan for what's next.

Dylan MacLean, Foster-Healey Real Estate, 978.270.9713

🏠 NO LAST MONTH'S RENT. SIGN BY OCTOBER 1.Brand new construction in Westminster, and for the next three weeks you move i...
09/10/2026

🏠 NO LAST MONTH'S RENT. SIGN BY OCTOBER 1.

Brand new construction in Westminster, and for the next three weeks you move in with first month and security only. That's up to $2,800 back in your pocket.

📍 150 State Road E, Westminster MA
🚆 5 minutes to Wachusett Station, direct Route 2 access
🛏️ Two bedrooms, one bath, 891 to 1,101 sq ft
💰 $2,300 to $2,800/mo

What's inside:
✔️ Black granite, solid wood soft-close cabinetry
✔️ LG ThinQ WiFi smart appliances with Bosch dishwasher
✔️ Walk-in showers with built-in seat
✔️ Whole-home air exchanger and high efficiency gas heat with central air
✔️ In-unit LG washer and dryer in Building 2
✔️ EV charging at select units
✔️ Wheelchair accessible ground floor units available
✔️ Two assigned parking spaces per unit

8 units left. 4, 5, and 8 are leased and 10 is reserved. They're moving.

🗓️ OPEN HOUSE: TUESDAY, SEPT 15 | 4:30 to 5:30 PM
Walk in, tour the units, apply on the spot. Bring your ID.

Can't make Tuesday? Message me or call and I'll get you the application link.

📞 978.270.9713
📧 [email protected]
Dylan MacLean | Foster-Healey Real Estate Inc | NCMAR Top Producer 2019 to 2025

I spent $50 on 12 light bulbs. They'll pay for themselves before Halloween.I was painting this weekend and kept noticing...
09/09/2026

I spent $50 on 12 light bulbs. They'll pay for themselves before Halloween.

I was painting this weekend and kept noticing heat coming off the ceiling light. Reached up to check it and burned my fingers on the dome. Turns out it had two 72-watt halogens in it, the old "100W equivalent" style, and the next fixture over had a 53-watt halogen. Bright light, but most of that energy comes off as heat, not light.

Here's the part that got me. These bulbs were discontinued in the US a few years ago, so they've been sitting in those fixtures for years. We just bought this house, and it never crossed my mind to check the bulbs. I went through the inspection, the roof, the furnace, the water heater. Never once thought about what was screwed into the ceiling.

Swapped all three for 6-watt LED filament bulbs. Same fixtures, barely warm to the touch.

The math:
• 3 halogens = 197 watts
• 3 LEDs = 18 watts
• About 90% less electricity for the same job

Labor Day weekend is here, and the open house calendar shows it.46 open houses across Leominster, Fitchburg, Gardner, an...
09/04/2026

Labor Day weekend is here, and the open house calendar shows it.

46 open houses across Leominster, Fitchburg, Gardner, and Lunenburg this weekend, down from 87 last week. New single family listings dropped to 12 from 23. That is not the market cooling. That is sellers and agents doing what they do every holiday weekend, holding their listings back until the crowds come home. The homes that ARE open this weekend belong to motivated sellers, and the buyers walking through them are the serious ones who skipped the cookout. Less competition on both sides. That is an edge if you know how to use it.

Here is what is happening nationally. The August jobs report came in strong, 162,000 jobs added, nearly three times what was expected, with unemployment holding at 4.1%. Good news for the economy, but it pushed Treasury yields up and made the path to lower mortgage rates a little less straightforward. Freddie Mac has the 30 year at 6.71% this week, up from 6.66%. NAR's Lawrence Yun put it plainly: the highest rates of the year landed in the middle of summer, homes are sitting longer, and fewer buyers are bidding over asking. He also said stronger job growth should bring more buyers back, especially once rates settle. Add any relief at the gas pump on top of that and household budgets start to breathe a little.

What that means locally: buyers have more leverage right now than they have had in a while. Sellers with a turnkey home still get attention. Sellers with a dated one need a sharper price and a better plan.

My listing at 27 Elm Street in Leominster is still available. No open house this weekend, but I am doing private showings by appointment. Waterfront backyard, solar, sunroom, and a quiet setting. Call or text and I will get you in.

Also worth a Saturday stop: 26 Cushing Lane in Lunenburg, my colleague Taylor Healey's listing, just came down to $699,900. Colonial on a quiet dead end road with a vaulted fireplaced family room, screened room, and two car garage. Open Saturday 12 to 2. That is a lot of house under $700K.

Next weekend is the traditional kickoff of the fall market. If you are thinking about selling, the window to list into that wave is right now. If you are buying, let's build your plan before the inventory hits.

Dylan MacLean, Foster-Healey Real Estate, 978.270.9713
Real insight. Honest advice. And a clear plan for what's next.

I’ll take a recommendation like this anytime!
09/03/2026

I’ll take a recommendation like this anytime!

I stepped back from posting for a couple weeks, still working with clients the whole time, just not out here with the nu...
08/28/2026

I stepped back from posting for a couple weeks, still working with clients the whole time, just not out here with the numbers. Catching back up on the data now, and there's a real story in it.

Open houses across Leominster, Fitchburg, Gardner, and Lunenburg climbed to 87 this week, up from 83 the last time I logged the region in early August. New single family listings ticked up too, 23 versus 22. Small moves on paper, but the shape underneath is worth a closer look.

Fitchburg is still the busiest market in the four towns by a wide margin, holding its open house count steady at the top. What changed is new single family inventory there, which slowed down sharply compared to early August. Buyers are still touring Fitchburg hard. Sellers just aren't restocking at the same pace. That is a normal late summer pattern, plenty of families wait until after the first week of school settles in before they list.

Gardner and Lunenburg both quietly picked up new single family listings, each roughly doubling what they had a few weeks back. Leominster grew across the board, more open houses and more fresh inventory than early August.

One thing worth flagging across all four towns, condo and multi-family listings are sitting on a lot of inventory that isn't converting into open house traffic. Buyers are being selective about what they actually walk through, not chasing every listing on the board. That is what a market looks like when people are being deliberate instead of frantic.

Nationally, mortgage rates barely moved. Freddie Mac has the 30-year fixed at 6.66%, essentially flat from 6.65% the week before. Behind that calm number, the picture is more mixed. July inflation came in at 3.7%, still well above the Fed's target, while jobless claims fell to 203,000, a sign layoffs remain low even after last month's weak jobs report. That leaves the Fed weighing two different risks at once, and this week's Jackson Hole gathering is drawing attention for exactly that reason, with Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's remarks being watched closely for hints on where policy heads into September.

On the sales side, NAR reported existing home sales dipped 1.7% in July, but Chief Economist Lawrence Yun called the market stable, not frozen, pointing out sales are still up 2.4% year to date. The median home price set a new record at $434,100.

Labor Day is a week and a half out, and that tends to mark the last real push before the fall market settles into its own rhythm. If you have been sitting on the fence about touring or listing, this is a good window to move before the pace shifts.

I'm hosting an open house this Saturday, August 29th, from 10:30 to 12 at 27 Elm Street in Leominster. Worth a stop if you're out touring this weekend.

Real insight. Honest advice. And a clear plan for what's next.

Dylan MacLean | Realtor
Foster-Healey Real Estate
978.270.9713

Address

50 Central Street
Leominster, MA
01453

Telephone

+19782709713

Website

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