Choosing Your Home Away from Home

by Maribeth Lynch

Choosing Your “Home Away from Home” – Great Cars for Your Family

Maribeth Lynch, Thrive Real Estate Specialists

It’s your second home. Your mobile office. Your errand-running transport. It’s where you hole up during interminable soccer practices or while you’re waiting to pick up your kids in the carpool line.

Anyone with a busy family knows how much time is spent in the car and on the go. Our cars are often filled with everything from groceries to dry cleaning to sports equipment to our kids and all of their friends. So what makes a great family-friendly car that meets all of your needs?

Obviously, the answer to that question is going to depend on your priorities and lifestyle. A few considerations:

• Safety. No one wants to drive around in a car with a poor safety record or a history of worrisome mechanical issues. Fortunately, vehicle safety performance statistics are easily accessible online.

• Affordability. It’s important to find a car with payments that fit comfortably within your budget. When you’re making a calculation about how much car you can afford, don’t forget to keep in mind expenses for auto insurance, routine maintenance, registration, and annual inspections.

• Gas Mileage. Particularly if you have a long commute or plan to use your car for road trips and vacations, you’ll want a car that isn’t a gas-guzzler. Think about your needs. Do you do a lot of in-town driving? Short trips? A regular commute into the city? A vehicle’s gas mileage is also something you can research online. For information about gas mileage, emissions, and safety, visit the Department of Energy’s fuel economy website for an impartial comparison of different vehicles.

• Amenities. There’s a wide range of options to choose from when it comes to buying a car, from rear view cameras to heated seats to built-in child boosters. You might consider an entertainment system or Wi-Fi hotpot to make lengthy trips more bearable or productive. Every year, car manufacturers make more and more high-tech features available.

Another question to ask yourself is what type of car best suits your lifestyle. Minivan? Sedan? SUV? What type of car best meets your needs in terms of passenger comfort and cargo space?

This year, U.S. News and World Report ranked the best cars for families in 21 categories, with the Nissan Murano taking top honors in the two-row SUV class and best three-row SUV going to the Toyota Highlander. The Honda Odyssey ranked as the best minivan, while the best compact SUV was the Honda CR-V. For smaller families, the Volkswagen Golf was the leader in the compact category. Best midsize car was the Hyundai Sonata – it’s worth noting that the Sonata’s BlueLink system allows remote monitoring of the vehicle’s performance via smartphone, ideal for parents of teen drivers. You can find this year’s complete list of best family cars on the U.S. News and World Report website.

A lot of people find the car buying experience less than enjoyable, so it’s smart to do your research up front. I’ve found that information is available online about everything from the most popular car colors to the most commonly stolen cars to the most-researched vehicles. Consumer Reports is a great resource when buying a new car. Just as when you buy a new house, it’s a good idea to check your facts before you buy a new car.

Would you like to know more? Visit https://thriverealtors.com/ for more information!

“Anthony’s advice and assurances during these times helped us achieve another record-breaking year, states Maribeth Lynch, Founder of Thrive Real Estate and Lamacchia Realty REALTOR®.

“When the opportunity to merge with Lamacchia arose, the timing was perfect. We knew both our clients and agents would benefit from this partnership, allowing everyone to THRIVE. Having gotten to know the leadership team at Lamacchia has made our decision to merge with them an easy one. Our values are very much aligned, and we know that offering their robust marketing and training will benefit both our clients as well as our beloved agents.”

Along with Maribeth and Rick, five REALTORS® will join Lamacchia Realty, including Briana Willander, Ashley Davidson, Whitney Andrews, Mike Andrews, and Tracey Calo. REALTORS® of Thrive are like-minded professionals who work in unison and pride themselves on local knowledge and creative problem-solving, all for the benefit of clients.
As the broker-owner of Thrive Real Estate Specialists, Maribeth has been and will continue to be devoted to serving both her clients and her community with integrity, sincerity, and a can-do attitude. Her firm welcomes opportunities to give back and be charitable in meaningful ways and Maribeth believes in the importance of service. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women selected her as a 2022 recipient of The Commonwealth Heroes Award, and she was a 2021 recipient of the Gratitude Project Award from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®.

“We are so happy to have Maribeth, Rick, and the rest of the Thrive group joining forces with the company, states Jackie Louh, Chief Operating Officer, Lamacchia Realty. “Maribeth is a well-known and respected Broker in Worcester County, and we are honored that she chose Lamacchia. We are excited to grow even more in that area and Maribeth is the perfect person to help us do just that!”

Maribeth along with the REALTORS® at Thrive Real Estate has been involved with many organizations over the years, most recently: REALTOR® Association of Central Mass- Committee Chairman, Broker/Owner Task Force, REALTOR® Association of Central Massachusetts- Board of Directors 2025, Shrewsbury Zoning Board of Appeals, Chairman, Shrewsbury Town Center Association, Founding Member, Shrewsbury Yuletide/Light the Commons, Committee Member, among many more. In addition to being involved, they also advertise and support the College of the Holy Cross where Thrive is prominently displayed on scoreboards and other places.

Lamacchia Realty’s already very aggressive marketing campaign in the region will dramatically boost the company’s market reach and help add more top-rated REALTORS® to the Shrewsbury office. The marketing plan features billboards on Route 9 and other major roadways, social media posts, postcards, newspaper ads, and much more.

All home buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords, REALTORS®, and other brokerages in the area should know that it is business as usual at the company. There will be no interruptions in service to any clients anywhere. In the weeks to come Lamacchia’s management team and staff will work with Maribeth, Rick, and all the REALTORS® at Thrive who are now Lamacchia Realtors to slowly implement Lamacchia’s suite of lead products, services, training, technology, and more.

This marks Lamacchia Realty’s ninth acquisition in Massachusetts in the past year with the prior acquisitions in Pittsfield with Home Sweet Home Real Estate, Dalton with Berkshire Dream Home, Easton with Briarwood Real Estate, Auburn with Emerson Realtors, Springfield with Sears Real Estate, Falmouth with Foley Real Estate, Fall River with Right Choice Real Estate, and Seekonk with Keystone Property Group. Lamacchia Realty is excited to bring on even more REALTORS® in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts markets in the weeks and months to come.

As a full-service, value-based brokerage, Lamacchia Realty’s mission is to empower its staff, REALTORS®, and clients to achieve success. The company provides unmatched training, systems, and technology, equipping employees with the tools they need to thrive and grow in their roles. Lamacchia Realty takes great pride in its strong culture of support, which has contributed to an impressively high retention rate. Culture is at the heart of the company, with every staff member and agent playing an integral role in maintaining and enhancing it, helping them continue to grow!