How to Avoid Risk in Real Estate & In General

IS “UPSTREAM” THE BEGINNING OF STANDARDIZATION IN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY?When UPSTREAM was first announced, it was met with not only great scepticism in the real estate community, but also with a good deal of suspicion and outright hostility. Part of it is not understanding what is behind UPSTR...

TENNIS COURTS AROUND CONNECTICUT If you’re an avid tennis player, you know it’s either a daily or week-end pursuit to set up a tennis game. Unlike in Florida, where some players have NEVER played indoors, in Connecticut in the winter we have to contend with indoor facilities.  During late spring,...

STANDARD in Real Estate Contracts Does Not Mean Mandatory How often are we told: “ It’s “standard” to have this wording in a real estate contract, so we just have to go with it”. Well, standard does not mean mandatory, unless a particular clause is a legal requirement in your area. Otherwise, eve...

The Beauty of a Fountain in Miami, Floridaand another reason why I love Miami! These flowers were just too pretty not to share. They are from a charming fountain at the Kampong in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. I wish I knew the names of each of these flowers. Perhaps someone does?        The Kam...

Were the Summer Months of 2016 Good for Real Estate in New Fairfield CT? During the summer months of July and August 2016 a total of 33 single family homes  changed hands in New Fairfield, CT as per the local Multiple Listing Service.  The average sale price was $373K and the median $340K. For th...

HAVE YOU UBER’D YET? What is UBER? I have, for the first time earlier this year and multiple times since then. Each experience was different. First, what is UBER?  UBER is a transportation, taxi-type service that was founded in 2009 in San Francisco, California. Since then, UBER has expanded into...

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE IT A GOOD BEACH DAY IN MIAMI, FLORIDA?First, as any realtor would tell you - location. Have to pick the right spot. Then, it’s food and water, as in ocean temperatures.  For us that beach spot in Miami is usually Haulover Beach in northern Miami Beach, for a number of go...

NEW FAIRFIELD DAY SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH 2016    When:On Saturday, September 17th 2016, New Fairfield will hold its fourth New Fairfield Day. The event starts at 11:00am and continues until 2:00pm. Rain day is Sunday, September 18th. At this point, the forecast is for hot, rather than wet weathe...

The High Line in New York City When I lived in Manhattan some years ago, there was always much talk about what to do with the West Side Line of the old Central Railroad, which had been abandoned since around 1980. At long last, in 1999, some local residents formed a group they called Friends of t...

Buyers - Beware of Time Is of the Essence Clauses in Your Purchase Contracts In a previous post we discussed Time is of the Essence concept, where it was introduced into a real estate contract by the buyers and was agreeable to the sellers. From the realtors' feedback to that blog, I was surprise...