Five Questions With: Jean Clarke

JEAN CLARKE is a Realtor with Re/Max River’s Edge. / COURTESY RE/MAX RIVER'S EDGE
JEAN CLARKE is a Realtor with Re/Max River’s Edge. / COURTESY RE/MAX RIVER'S EDGE

Jean Clarke is a Realtor with Re/Max River’s Edge, who specializes in East Providence, Pawtucket and other towns near and over the Massachusetts line. A real estate agent since 1986, she spoke to Providence Business News about trends on the eastern side of Providence.

PBN: For buyers in the East Providence area, and surrounding towns, what is available this month?

CLARKE: What’s going on now is there’s only 105 active listings, and 18 of those are already under contract. That’s all of East Providence. We’ve had 20 new listings that have come on since the first of the year. This seems to me to be a little slower. I do have prospective sellers who are talking about getting their homes on in the spring, but the spring really begins at the end of February and March. What we’ve had come on the market recently are houses that could be considered in the high $300s. But we do have modest homes, as well, in really pretty neighborhoods. We have reasonable ranches with two to three bedrooms and one or two bathrooms. What’s really driving the market right now is the condition of the properties. Buyers are really picky. They really would like the kitchens updated and the bathrooms looking good. And they love hardwood floors.

PBN: Both Rehoboth and Seekonk have quite a few new subdivisions. Are buyers moving in there primarily interested in new houses?

CLARKE: What we see in Rehoboth is the buyers love it because they have a beautiful piece of property. You have to have at least an acre-and-a-half to build a house in Rehoboth. There are new subdivisions, and they all have to be an acre-and-a-half. Most of the stuff that sells is newer construction.

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PBN: Describe the different sub-markets of East Providence. It has several distinct neighborhoods.

CLARKE: I think East Providence offers something in every section. It’s very sectionalized, but it’s come together because of “townie” pride. You have Kent Heights, which has beautiful houses. That’s a popular neighborhood. Everyone does really have pride in ownership. Even if it’s an older house, they’re very well built. The other sections are the center of the city, from Taunton Avenue all the way to Waterman Avenue. There are some grand houses, Victorians. It’s very neat. They’re lovely homes. We have the Riverside neighborhood. We have neighborhoods like Meadowcrest that were built after the war, and have lots of ranches. Something that’s also considered Riverside is the neighborhood (near Bay View Academy). Off Bullock’s Point Avenue, to the right, all those roads take you down to the bay. It’s a bit modest in there. But since the 1980s, that has had a total turnaround.

PBN: How long have you been a Realtor and what attracted you to this career?

CLARKE: I received my real estate license in 1986, but I’m also a registered nurse. I worked for 20 years at Women & Infants [Hospital]. I was really a full-time Realtor but worked part-time as a nurse because my hours were flexible. I have to say, I think [the appeal of real estate is] having the relationships with the buyers and the sellers. It’s like still being a nurse. And also, you do have flexibility to set your own times. And you’re out and about. I don’t like being stuck in a building.

PBN: What advice do you give sellers who are entering this market after not having sold a property for years? Do you have sellers who have almost culture shock?

CLARKE: Most of them have a good idea, but it all depends on their age. When we go to preview a house that maybe needs some work, you have to be gentle in the beginning. We talk about decluttering. And I always have to mention that buyers don’t like wallpaper. Young couples can’t imagine what’s underneath the wall, especially with the age of the house. Recently I had a house in Pawtucket, in Pinecrest. They had been there 40 years. You ask what was under the carpeting and they couldn’t remember. There were hardwoods. We took a picture of that and showed the buyers.

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