Dealing With the Elderly Requires More Than Just Patience   I just completed a transaction that gave me more of an education into dealing with the elderly than I thought was possible. I know I can be patient, but with people that have been in their home for years, and have age, patience is just not all that’s needed. People do not see the areas of a home that could be issues to a prospective buyer. After living in a home for so many years, they become so accustomed to their surroundings that there is never an issue with being updated. I cannot count the number of times I heard this client talk about how beautiful she thought her pine paneling was, and yet when a prospective buyer came through the door all they saw was the work needed to clean it up. Price reductions with the elderly are... 05/01/2012

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for March 2012       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 139 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 1,875 square ft, 3-bedroom colonial needing re-hab listed at $99,900 to a 4,482 square ft, 4-bedroom conlonial listed at $1,500,000.       The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $467,917. The average days on market for these homes is 99 days. For the month of March, there were 37 homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.    There are currently 17 homes under contract in Cheshire CT. No homes went under contract in the month of March. The average list price for the homes under contract is $410,076 with average days on market of 108 days.       In March, 6 homes closed in Cheshire CT. They ranged fr... 04/08/2012

The Time is Right to Buy a Home in Cheshire CT     We have had a very mild winter here in Cheshire CT, and very few people are very happy about that. The economy and the market have created the 'perfect storm' for real estate, so there has never been a better time to buy.   The Spring Market is here, and the activity levels are starting to reflect the enthusiasm for home buyers anxious to get their dream home purchased.   The market is being energized for many reasons:   Interest rates are at an all time low and have been that way for some time. Inventory is stable and prices have stabilized at homes are priced near the pre-boom prices of the early 2000 time. Sellers have been busy making their homes as attractive as possible for buyers looking to own a home in Cheshire CT.The prices ar... 03/07/2012

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for February 2012       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 119 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 1,446 square ft, 14bedroom ranch listed at $115,000 to a 5600 square ft, 4-bedroom contemporary ranch estate listed at $1,690,000.       The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $456,543. The average days on market for these homes is 115 days. For the month of February, there were 32 additional homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.     There are currently 13 homes under contract in Cheshire CT. No homes went under contract in the month of February. The average list price for the homes under contract is $456,145 with average days on market of 130 days.     In February, 11 homes closed in Chesh... 03/05/2012

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for January 2012       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 109 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 770 square ft, 1-bedroom bungalow listed at $137,500 to a 5100 square ft, 4-bedroom contemporary ranch estate listed at $1,700,000.       The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $474,309. The average days on market for these homes is 138 days. For the month of January, there were 25 additional homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.      There are currently 14 homes under contract in Cheshire CT, with four (4) having gone under contract in the month of January. The average list price for the homes under contract is $415,116 with average days on market of 96 days.       In January, 7 homes close... 02/15/2012

2011 Year End Real Estate Market Update for Cheshire CT     For the year 2011, the market sales or absorption rate in Cheshire CT was 16 sales per month. Market absorption trends show the rate that properties are selling compared with inventory which enables us to see if it is a sellers’ or buyers’ market. 6 months worth of inventory is considered a balanced market.  Under 6 months is a sellers’ market and anything over 6 months is a buyers’ market. The average value for the homes sold in Cheshire CT for the year was $386,969 with an average days on market of 101.  The current inventory of homes is equivalent to a 13 month inventory. The list price ratio to sales price ratio was 96%, which indicates sellers putting the homes on the market near to fair market value, or finally getting t... 01/14/2012

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for December 2011       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 108 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 770 square ft, 1-bedroom bungalow listed at $137,500 to a 5100 square ft, 4-bedroom contemporary ranch estate listed at $1,700,000.       The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $480,147. The average days on market for these homes is 159 days. For the month of December, there were 16 additional homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.     There are currently 15 homes under contract in Cheshire CT, with four (4) having gone under contract in the month of December. The average list price for the homes under contract is $398,319 with average days on market of 129 days.       In December, 8 homes c... 01/13/2012

Summer 2011 Market Update If you can qualify, now is an exceptional time to buy a home in Cheshire. Low rates with falling home prices makes a home purchase a great value! Call now for more information at 203-910-2638 Average Home Price $400,000 - View Graph Trend Average Price Compared to Last YearUp 0-5% Average Time on Market More than 120 days Best Selling Price Range$300,000 - $349,000 Worst Selling Price Range$1,000,000+ Prices As % of Asking Price 90-95% Existing Home Prices for the past 90 days are?No Change Market Trend Increasing Buyers' or Sellers' Market More sellers than buyers Buyer Activity for the past 90 days in Cheshire isDecreasing Seller Activity for the past 90 days in Cheshire is?Decreasing Multiple Offers?No Multiple Offers CommentaryThe homes in Cheshire that are... 12/17/2011

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for November 2011       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 115 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 770 square ft, 1-bedroom bungalow listed at $147,500 to a 5100 square ft, 4-bedroom contemporary ranch estate listed at $1,700,000.       The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $446,447. The average days on market for these homes is 168 days. For the month of November, there were 13 additional homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.      There are currently 14 homes under contract in Cheshire CT, with seven (7) having gone under contract in the month of November. The average list price for the homes under contract is $448,607 with average days on market of 103 days.     In November, 13 homes ... 12/12/2011

Is Your CT Condominium FHA Approved? I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to FHA approvals for condominiums, but as many sellers are finding out, it can be extremely important in helping to sell.  Also, if you want to refinance your condominium, it can be critical that the complex is approved.  Complexes in Connecticut have been falling off the approved list all during 2011--the first wave coming in late May, and then again in July.  For some reason, the loss this approval came as a complete surprise to some complexes!  Finally, as we come to the end of 2011, complexes are beginning to come back on the approved list, so I am going to start a series that gives updates on the status of complexes in Connecticut.  In November alone, the following complexes in Connecticut have b... 11/18/2011

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for October 2011       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 138 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 770 square ft, 1-bedroom bungalow listed at $147,500 to a 5100 square ft, 4-bedroom contemporary ranch estate listed at $1,700,000.     The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $462,454. The average days on market for these homes is 161 days. For the month of October, there were 20 new homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.      In addition, there are currently 13 homes under contract in Cheshire CT, with two (2) having gone under contract in the month of October. The average list price for the homes under contract is $565,023 with average days on market of 92 days.       In October, 16 homes c... 11/07/2011

Understanding Equal Opportunity in Housing   Recently, on a listing, one of the sellers made the comment that they had to be selective when selling their home to not offend their neighbors. This was so wrong on so many levels, that I just had to stop and explain the legal rights and obligations when buying or selling real estate. I started to explain that their first obligations were to themselves and not their friends and neighbors. If we priced the home at a fair market value for conditions, and we were fortunate to get an interested and qualified buyer, nothing else was important. Whether or not the neighbors liked the new owners was not relevant, especially as they definitely would not be as concerned with them if their own homes were being sold. The Legal Aspects: The Civil Rights ... 11/03/2011

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for September 2011       Currently in Cheshire CT there are 147 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 770 square ft, 1-bedroom bungalow listed at $147,500 to a 5100 square ft, 4 bedroom contemporary ranch estate listed at $1,700,000.     The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $457,582. The average days on market for these homes is 155 days. For the month of September, there were 18 new homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.      In addition, there are currently 15 homes under contract in Cheshire CT, with four (4) having gone under contract in the month of September. The average list price for the homes under contract is $454,313 an average days on market of 90 days.       In September, 15 ... 10/27/2011

This is the November 2011 Cheshire Connecticut Real Estate market report.   The Residential Real Estate market is actually UP in Cheshire CT, one of the only towns taht can say ths in New Haven County. The average asking price for a residential home in Cheshire CT for September is up 4% over August, and up 3% over six months ago. Looking back at the last 2 years, the average asking price is up 3% over one year ago and up 4% over two years ago.       If you have any specific questions on the Real Estate market contact us direct.  10/20/2011

Mums the Word, at Least for This time of Year . . . Sunday Photos Many of the flowers of summer are getting into their final colors as it won't be very long before the temps start to drop and kill them off. It is the time of year for the Mums to come out, Chrysanthemums, that is. Living in the Cheshire CT area affords us colors that most people may see, just not in as large an amount. Cheshire CT is home to some every large bedding farms, and their sprays of colors are always a delight to pass. In this field, the workers were already loading the Mums into carts to be sold to area outlets. This place was not selling any the day I went by, but I did find some at another farm. I got mine into the garden, along with a rather large Mum that grew out of a plant I had put in a couple of years ... 10/02/2011

Applying Common Sense to a Low Ball Offer   Sooner or later we have to face the situation of dealing with an offer that is much too low, or having a seller feel offended at an offer you present through their agent. This has happened to me, from each side, within the past 2 weeks. On behalf of a client, I presented an offer that was a touch low, but circumstances fully justified our value. The seller was insulted, and refused to even consider a counter offer. Two weeks later, however, after dropping their price an additional $10,000, the other agent sent me an email asking if my clients were still interested in the property. We ended up agreeing on a deal, $7,000 higher than my client's original offer. On the flip side, I was sent an offer to present to my client that is significantly be... 09/26/2011

Cheshire CT Real Estate Sales Report for August 2011   Currently in Cheshire CT there are 153 active residential listings for sale. They range from a 770 square ft, 1-bedroom bungalow listed at $147,500 to a 5600 square ft, 4 bedroom colonial estate listed at $1,770,000. The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Cheshire CT is $461,695. The average days on market for these homes is 146 days. For the month of August, there were 18 new homes listed for sale in Cheshire CT.   In addition, there are currently 14 homes under contract in Cheshire CT, with four (4) having gone under contract in the month of August. The average list price for the homes under contract is $475,907 an average days on market of 227 days. In August, 25 homes closed in Cheshire CT. They rang... 09/20/2011

Connecticut Quilt Shop Hop 2011 No, I am not a quilter, but I certainly appreciate quilts!  This is imperative as I am married to an avid quilter.  September 8 starts the 10 day run of the Connecticut Quilt Shop Hop for 2011, so I am afraid I will see little of my wife for the next few days. The following 16 Connecticut quilt stores will be participating in the Connecticut Quilt Shop Hop: Dot's Quilt Shop in Prospect (where my wife spends a great deal of time) Yankee Cloth in Wallingford Yankee Quilter in Oxford Colchester Mill Fabrics in Colchester Fabric Tree in Danbury Lisa's Clover Hill Quilts in Berlin Quilter's Corner in New Milford Quilter's Cove in Durham Quilter's Dream in Willimantic (my wife loves to make this drive in the fall when the trees are at their peak) Quilting by th... 09/07/2011

Good Night Irene! As the rain falls steadily, I thought I would share the sign that I saw in Prospect CT this morning--very well done on what I would imagine was relatively short notice! Once the storm is over, if your bird feeders have not fallen victim to the storm, be sure they are well supplied for our hungry winged friends.  I filled mine up this morning with a special blend that kept our feeders busy all day.  Now let's just hope that we can say Good Night Irene soon!   08/27/2011

Will they Call off the FIRST Day of School? There are many children looking forward to the first day of school, and for Cheshire, CT, that day is supposed to be Monday, August 29, 2011.  However, with Irene on her way, that plan may change!  I went to check the website for Cheshire Public Schools to see if they made any mention of the hurricane only to find that it was not working.  I called the high school to see if they had changed their web address.  The best answer that I could get was that it was being updated.  So for those of you who are wondering if the first day of school will be held as planned in Cheshire, CT, here is the Connecticut Weather website which usually keeps us updated on school closings.  As I am writing this blog, there are already six communities posting cancell... 08/26/2011