Westfield Satellite Office Moving Back to Westfield City Hall

Due to the completion of the renovations to the Westfield City Hall, our satellite office will be returning to 59 Court Street as of Friday, December 13th.  Please note that the Westfield office will be open for normal business on Monday, December 9th at the Westwood Office Building, but closed on Wednesday, December 11th.  We are excited to move back to the City Hall and appreciate your patience throughout this process.  Should any issues arise that affect our opening on Friday, December 13th, we will put notice on this website.  Thank you once again!

The Registry of Deeds Honors National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

On October 29th, Register Ashe and staff each wore pink in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The Registry of Deeds is proud to do their part in raising awareness of this disease, which hits close to home for so many.

Westfield State University Visits the Registry of Deeds

Today, Outreach Representative Rachel Patterson and Outreach Specialist Jose Lopez-Figueroa conducted an informational presentation for our employees about opportunities available through Westfield State University's Graduate & Continuing Education Department.

Register Ashe addresses Registry and Hall of Justice employees who were interested in learning about the educational opportunites available to them through Westfield State University.

Westfield State University's Outreach Representative Rachel Patterson and Outreach Specialist Jose Lopez-Figueroa present information to the crowd about WSU's Graduate and Continuing Education Department.

Sending a big thank you to Rachel and Jose for reaching out to our office and providing such helpful knowledge to some of our employees who are interested in furthering their education. Register Ashe supports the personal enrichment of his employees and was delighted with WSU's visit.

Register Ashe Releases Real Estate Figures for Hampden County

Today, Register Ashe held a press conference relative to real estate transactions within Hampden County. His semi-annual Release and Forecast for Fiscal Year 2013 conveyed statistical information, such as revenue collected and documents recorded by the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. The Register also gave his projections for the state of the economy, specifically the condition of the housing market, for Fiscal Year 2014. 

 Click here to read the complete Release and Forecast...

**TEMPORARY SOLUTION FOUND**

Please note that a temporary solution has been found and our public search should be working for both PUBLIC SEARCH and PUBLIC SEARCH VERSION 2. Since we had to create a new IP address in order for this to work, any shortcuts you may have will not work. Our temporary IP address is: http://50.198.98.11/

Please visit our website and access the public search from there. Should you have any issues, please try to refresh your page first before contacting our office.

We again thank you for your patience!

Executive Director Janis Santos Celebrates Her 40 Years with Head Start

Register Ashe joined in honoring Executive Director Janis Santos for her 40th anniversary with the Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start program. The evening paid tribute to her remarkable dedication to our area children by providing them with countless opportunities. Congratulations, Janis on this wonderful achievement!



Westfield Update

The Westfield Office will tentatively re-open on the 4th floor of the WESTWOOD building, located at 94 N Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085, on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

We apologize for any inconvenience and the Registry will continue to post updates as we become aware of them.

Housing Market in Hampden County Continues to Recover. Home Sale Prices Up by 11% - Foreclosures Down by 72%

The average home sale price in Hampden County increased from $142,320 in the first quarter of 2012 to $158,390 in the first quarter of 2013, an 11% increase. Foreclosures decreased by 72% from 248 in the first quarter of 2012 to 69 in the first quarter of 2013. The number of deeds recorded in the County during the same period went from 1,943 to 1,975, a 2% increase.


Register Ashe stated: “The 2013 first quarter numbers are positive and indicative of an improving economy. The March 2013 average home sale price increases over the prior year were most encouraging in the cities of Springfield from $93,927 to $107,178, Holyoke from $133,400 to $150,754 and Chicopee from $142,753 to $150,065”.


Register Ashe also stated: “Rising home prices, strong job growth and new construction is propelling the economy forward; however, the automatic reduction of spending by the federal government (sequestration) may have a negative impact on an improving economy”.

National Record Service Once Again Aggressively Soliciting Area Homeowners

National Record Service, Inc., is offering to provide homeowners with a copy of their property deed for a processing fee of $59.50. This company is also charging $20.00 for each additional certified copy of these deeds.  Considering that this company is ordering certified copies from our office for an average of $1.00 to $3.00 each, National Record Service, Inc. is profiting approximately 96% at the expense of the homeowner. By creating a sense of urgency to have these documents on hand, homeowners are being maneuvered into needlessly paying these exorbitant fees.

Register Ashe would like to remind the public that all documents available on our website can be printed from one's home or office at no cost.  Certified copies, however, are available from our office for a fee of $1.00 per page.  The Register urges any homeowner in Hampden County who receives this or any offer like this to contact the Registry of Deeds before making said purchase.

FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

REGISTER OF DEEDS, DONALD E. ASHE



Early Courthouse and Registry Closing

*** DUE TO THE IMPENDING WEATHER, BOTH OUR SPRINGFIELD AND WESTFIELD OFFICES WILL BE CLOSING AT 12:00 PM ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THAT THIS MAY CAUSE AND HOPE THAT YOU REMAIN SAFE THROUGHOUT THE STORM. ***

Register's Forecast Calendar Year 2012

 













Home sale prices are increasing, foreclosures are decreasing, and interest rates remain at near record lows. It is a good time to purchase a home and during 2012 many a potential buyer in Hampden County did just that.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 3.34 percent and in November, 2012, the 30-year rate set a record low at 3.31 percent. Nationally, the current share of non-distressed home sales is at its highest level since August 2008, which shows a real improvement in the housing market. While low interest rates are encouraging more home buying, tighter lending requirements and the lack of good paying jobs are still keeping many potential buyers out of the market. 

click here to read the entire forecast