This summer was filled with days of family adventures outdoors. Our family took advantage of the warm, sunny days by exploring New England. The memories from our time in New Hampshire this summer will last us forever. 

Although the kids are back in school and Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, the beautiful weather in the Metrowest Boston area will stick around for a while! Enjoy the sunny days, crisp nights, and spectacular autumn colors this fall by continuing to spend time outdoors with your family. These are our favorite local spots to continue family fun adventures over the next couple of months. 

We are bound to still get some incredibly hot days this September. For those humid days when you need to cool off, splash around in Cochituate State Park (43 Commonwealth Road) in Natick. This state park is perfect for the water enthusiast…..with swimming, boating, windsurfing, and fishing available on the three large lakes. 

Bake a delicious homemade pie from the apples you pick yourself at Belkin Lookout Farm (89 Pleasant Street South, South Natick). Along with spending time picking apples and pumpkins, you and your family can make a whole day of it at the farm with all of the available activities. Your children will love the play area with farm animals, face painting, hay maze, train rides, and so much more. Try some hard apple cider in the tap room while enjoying a freshly baked apple cider doughnut. The farm is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Practice your putt at Golf on the Village Green  (315 Worcester Street) in Natick. You and your family will enjoy a game of mini golf while being reminded of our area’s history. The park is themed after the Freedom Trail. After finishing up your game, grab a delicious ice cream treat. The park is open daily. 

Go for a hike at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (280 Eliot Street) in Natick. You and your family can explore 9 miles of trails that will take you over broadwalks and past waterfalls. There are lots of awesome activities planned for the new season including fall foliage canoe rides, wildlife watching activities, and walks through wildflowers. The sanctuary is closed on Mondays.​

Marvel at stunning flowers and plants at The Gardens at Elm Bank (900 Washington Street) in Wellesley . This is the perfect spot for an afternoon picnic with your family. Your children will love exploring the gardens specifically themed for them. There are also several activities offered throughout the week at the gardens. Elm Bank is open Tuesdays through Sundays. 

Local High Schools listed in TOP 25 High Schools in Massachusetts!

One of the MANY reasons people love living in Massachusetts are the outstanding public schools offered across the state, particularly in the Greater Boston area. The List of Top Schools in Massachusetts has officially been recorded, and two schools in our local community made the list! Congrats to Needham High School ranking #11 and Wellesley High School ranking #21!! School rankings are determined by both student-teacher ratio and college readiness, both critical elements to the MassCore program of studies which readies students for the workforce.

Located in Needham MA is Needham High School, which has approximately 1,400 students. Needham HS offers excellent academics and a wide range of co-curricular activities, including and interscholastic athletic program and 50 clubs. 85% of Needham High School students are involved in at least one activity! To see available homes that feed into this top notch school please click here.

Wellesley High School, in Wellesley MA, has a student population of right around 1,500. Wellesley HS offers 60 extracurricular activities in service, academic, student government, and performing arts programs, and over 80% of students participate in at least one program! Click here to see available homes that feed into Wellesley.

And don’t forget that one of the OLDEST high school football rivalries in the county is the Needham Rockets vs the Wellesley Raiders. Come on out this Thanksgiving to cheer on your favorite team!

If you're interested in Buying, Selling or Investing in the Wellesley and Metrowest Communities, give Team Lynch a call or visit our website at: http://www.teamlynchrealestate.com/

It’s everyone’s favorite day of the year...TAX DAY!!!

Ehh, not so much….

For all of you stressing over this  day, Marketwatch has some great advice. File an extension!! In an article posted by the news source, there are 7 excellent reasons why many people should consider an extension. And contrary to popular belief, filling an extension doesn't automatically raise red flags at the IRS. So if you need the time, or have any one of the following situations present, do yourself a favor and file an extension and give yourself until October 15, 2016 to file.

7 Excellent Reasons to File a Tax Extension:

1.)   You have a balance due and need more time to save up money to cover it. Give yourself that extra 6 months.

2.)   Made charitable donations over $250 to one or more charities and don’t have the proper receipts (which must include the name of the charity, address, taxpayer ID number, and a statement that you did not receive any benefits or items of value for your donation) to submit with your taxes? The IRS is very strict on submitting the required documentation so an extension would give you an extra 6 months to get everything in order.

3.)   Have you recently moved homes? Or are you planning to move within the next few months? If yes, it benefits you to submit an extension because the IRS may need to follow up with you on your taxes and they send all correspondence to the address you have on file.

4.)   If you are waiting for K-1 forms from partnership entities, S-Corps, estates, or trusts you should file an extension.

5.)   Sometimes rushing through your personal or business bookkeeping can cause sloppy or incorrect taxes. Don’t rush and do it right. File an extension to give you that extra time.

6.)   Have a large balance this year? Making contributions to your 2015 retirement plan can help reduce that balance. File an extension if you would like to benefit from this. You have until October 15th to open or add to your retirement fund.

7.)   And finally…. You still have questions regarding your taxes that you have not had answered. Give yourself some time to get everything settled.

Best of luck this tax season!

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Please join us in CONGRATULATING JON LYNCH on his newest achievement....the Coldwell Banker PRESIDENTIAL ELITE AWARD. On Saturday, March 26, 2016, Jon was presented with this  award, given only to the Top 1% of all Coldwell Banker Sales Associates based on sales production. Presidents Elite winners are the "Best of the Best" real estate professionals out of 3400 Coldwell Banker offices; both nationally and internationally, and over 85,000 sales associates!

Jon joins his mother Dyanne in this distinctive class of top ranked sales associates who have reached President's Elite status.  If you deserve the best and are looking to Buy, Sell or Invest in Real Estate in Wellesley or the Metrowest suburbs of Boston, MA; then, you need to partner with the proven, successful Real Estate Team of Team Lynch Real Estate. Recognized in the top 1% of all Coldwell Banker Professionals.

It’s hard to believe 13 years have past since that tragic day. Once again, our thoughts and prayers turn to all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 13 years ago. But how can we participate to commemorate this anniversary and why is it so important 13 years later? When we choose to commemorate this anniversary, we’re playing an important role in memorializing those who lost their lives, honoring the first responders and remembering the unifying spirit that emerged afterward. Performing acts of kindness and service in our community, in memory of the victims, is one way we can participate on this day, so that the events, sacrifices and people are never forgotten. Things have never been quite the same in the United States of America, since that tragic day. So as you go through your day, remember the victims you know, those you don’t and that we still live in the land of the free and home of brave. So today, cherish your freedom, family and friends as you remember.

FINALLY...IT BEGINS!

Finally, NFL preseason football is over. Bad, generic football with too many whistles is a poor substitute while we wait for the real season to start. The regular season started Thursday for Seattle and Green Bay fans, and now the regular season is here for us.  Almost.

Our Patriots to open tomorrow against the Dolphins. But if you just can’t stand the wait, here’s my top 10 list of things you can do to pass time until kick off.

1. Watch college football, today. Some of these kids will be on our team soon enough.
2. Watch the last preseason game again. (I know you recorded it.) WATCH the game this time. Cheer when we score. Throw stuff at the TV on bad plays and bad calls. Pretend it’s a real game.
3. Imagine what it would be like to watch a real football game, with game plans, and players who can actually make a difference tomorrow.
4. Laundry. According to mom, you can never have too much clean underwear.
5. Decorate the house for tomorrow’s game. Get out the colored lights, decorations and jerseys.
6. Pray that key players, critical to our playoff run, don’t decide to play a little pickup basketball this weekend and blow a knee or ankle.
7. Celebrate that we live here and aren’t Texan or Viking fans.
8. Bet friends on which second-stringers will become the next WWE Heavyweight Champion, after football.
9. Tailgate. Tailgating isn’t just for game day anymore! Fire up a new grill & try a new drink recipe. Opening day starts tomorrow and gives you a license to have an epic party.
10. Thank the heavens above that the regular season is only a day away.