Bernardston's Three Disclosed Sales Span Wide Range, From $18K to $355K

BERNARDSTON -- Fifteen deeds were recorded at the Franklin County Registry of Deeds for Bernardston properties between June 12 and July 11, 2026, but only three of those instruments carried disclosed consideration amounts, offering a narrow view into the town's market conditions during the period.

MARKET OVERVIEW Among the three transactions with disclosed prices, the range ran from $17,978 to $355,000, with a median sale price of $243,750. With 12 of 15 recorded instruments — 80 percent — carrying no disclosed consideration, the figures reflect only a partial picture of activity. Deed records routinely omit sale prices on institutional conveyances, trust transfers, and certain lender-related instruments, all of which appear prominently in this period's data. The volume of 15 recorded instruments over 30 days represents a moderately active recording pace for a small Franklin County community, though the number of standard open-market transactions in that count cannot be determined from deed data alone.

TOP SALES The highest disclosed price in the period was $355,000, recorded June 12 for property at 283 Martindale Road. The grantors were Richard J. Donati and Robyn Lori Bernstein Donati, identified in the deed as trustees; the grantee was Greenfield Savings Bank. A second instrument recorded the same day by the same trustees on the same Martindale Road address carried no disclosed consideration and listed no grantee in the available deed data; the relationship between the two instruments is not determinable from deed records alone.

The second-highest disclosed transaction, at $243,750, was recorded June 17 at 87 Cross St. The grantors were Wendolyn J. Abramson, acting by attorney, and Brenda M. Wozniakewicz; the grantee was Shirley A. Lilly.

The third disclosed sale, recorded June 26 at 51 Bald Mountain Road, carried a consideration of $17,978. The grantor listed in the deed is Dodge Dakota; the grantee was the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The consideration amount and the identity of the federal grantee are consistent with a government acquisition following a foreclosure proceeding, though the deed data does not specify the nature of the transfer.

NEIGHBORHOOD BREAKDOWN Bald Mountain Road saw the highest concentration of recorded transfers this period, with four instruments at addresses 51, 116, 269, and 296. Only the 51 Bald Mountain Road deed disclosed a price. Hillcrest Drive recorded two transfers — at 44 Hillcrest Dr. and 99 Hillcrest Dr. — both with undisclosed prices. The remaining transfers were each on separate streets: South Street, Hartwell Street, Gill Road, Harwood Drive, Merrifield Road, Cross Street, and Martindale Road.

MARKET NOTES A defining feature of this dataset is the prevalence of institutional grantors. Freedom Credit Union, Franklin First Federal Credit Union, Rocket Mortgage LLC, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., Midland Credit Management Inc., and Greenfield Cooperative Bank each appear as a seller in one or more transactions during the period. Transfers in which a lender, mortgage servicer, or debt buyer is the grantor may reflect foreclosure-related conveyances, real-estate-owned sales, or lien-release actions rather than standard open-market transactions; deed data alone does not distinguish among these.

Two instruments recorded June 30 appear related to the same owner. One, with no street address listed, shows Louis C. Beaulieu and Anne M. Beaulieu as grantors and Louis C. Beaulieu TR and Anne M. TR as grantees — a pattern consistent with individuals transferring property into a trust. A same-date instrument at 99 Hillcrest Drive lists the Beaulieu trustees as seller, with no grantee shown in the deed data. The two entries together suggest an estate planning transfer; no consideration was disclosed on either instrument.

Recorded Deeds

Source: Registry of Deeds. Sale amounts shown as recorded; transfers without a disclosed consideration are noted as such.

Jun 8 - Jun 14

Jun 15 - Jun 21

Jun 22 - Jun 28

Jun 29 - Jul 5

Jul 6 - Jul 12

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.