Franklin, Massachusetts, Realtors say the area's beautiful rivers and easy rail to Boston make it an ideal suburban industrial community.

"The Town of Franklin is a suburban industrial community on the watershed between the Charles and the Blackstone Rivers, 22 miles southwest of Boston," says Realtor Winston Ho . "The town is served by two commuter rail stops, easy access to major highways and a great public school system, making it a desirable place to live with easy commute to Boston or Providence RI."

Ho suggests, "Despite low interest rates, the buyer pool in the region for the first half of 2005 seems to be smaller than in past few years. As a result, the inventory of available homes are up, especially at the higher price ranges tempering the appreciation rate. Sellers who have priced their homes aggressively based on double-digit appreciation of the past few years have had to drop their prices to more moderate levels. The market is shifting from a seller's market to a more balanced market."

Says Realtor Betty McCall Vernaglia , "Franklin is 26 miles southeast of Worcester; 28 miles southwest of Boston; 26 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island; and 196 miles from New York City. It's bordered by Bellingham on the west, Medway on the north, Norfolk on the east, and Wrentham to the south and east."

"The Town of Franklin is a suburban industrial community on the watershed between the Charles and the Blackstone Rivers," she explains. "It offers commuter rail service to Boston, plus routes 495 and 140 which provide easy access to routes 95 and the Mass. Turnpike. With its beautiful town common and historic homes, Franklin has all the charm and character of a dynamic New England town. Franklin houses the Red Brick School -the oldest school in the country -- plus Dean College for students wishing to pursue a higher education at home."

"A bedroom community that has experienced tremendous growth," agrees Realtor Dave Miles , "Franklin is a bedroom community that has experienced tremendous growth. It has a very good school system and with great highway access and the train it is a great location."

He advises, "The slowing of the pace of price appreciation is actually a great sign of being able to sustain the market and not have it top out. Home sales hit a new record in June and I am seeing multiple offers on homes again. While we are not seeing most homes being sold in the first two days on the market many are still moving quickly. The pace of sales is running at record levels. There are plenty of buyers in the marketplace although there are more homes for the buyers to choose from. The number of days a home is on the market has increased with the additional inventory."