Home Insurance Ratings & Reviews Websites.When shopping for Home Insurance there are many articles and websites that can help pick out what would fit best your needs.  In this article I will share a few of the best links to help you through this daunting task. Be forewarned that this process can take easily over a week in getting quotes and comparisons.A good first place to start is to review the annual Home Insurance rating articles put out by: J.D. Power every September which you can view on line. Consumer Report every March which you can view at the library or on line for a fee. To read more about these reports go to Home Insurance Companies Ratings. Another good site to check is A.M. Best Consumer Insurance Center that rates the financial strength of the insurance company. You can s... 05/28/2015

School Ratings & Reviews Websites. There are many good websites to help you find out school rankings, size of class, enrollment, student to teacher ratios, test scoring and more. Take a look and pick out the one the best fits your needs:-1. The National Center for Education is a government run site mandated by Congress to collect, collate, analyze and report statistics on the American education system.2. School Digger provides an exclusive ranking system of statewide public schools from best to worst. This site is simple and easy to use.3.  Education.com provides ratings on the schools and also has a ‘Just Ask Q&A’ section is very helpful.4. Greatschools.org has number ranking 1 through 10. 5. k12.niche.com gives grades to different schools and programs. 6. For your specific state visit... 04/06/2015

One of my very first clients in the Organizing Business was a very organized lady in Darien. She called me up around 10am. She needed a personal organizer to get her kitchen organized that same afternoon. I was the 5th person she had called from a list of professional organizers on FindMyOrganizer. Everyone else was busy, so I got the job! I had googled the address to get a preliminary idea of what kind of a residence the job site would be, and knew that it was a large home recently purchased by the couple I would work with. When I arrived, I noticed a hub of activity. 2-3 contractors were hurriedly carrying things between the two flanking pavilions. My client met me with a friendly smile and led me to the opened boxes that were scattered around in the spacious quasi open kitchen. She e... 03/17/2015

Increase Energy Efficiency #1 in Housing Satisfaction Gap. The Demand Institute’s survey of over 10,000 households reveals what Americans have to what they want in their current living situations called the ‘Housing Satisfaction Gap’. Survey participants ranked the importance of 52 different home and community characteristics along with evaluated their current home on the same 52 characteristics. The report found the top ten largest Housing Satisfaction Gaps are: Increase Energy Efficiency ~ Satisfaction Gap 36%. 90% of households have taken some measure in the past five years to consume less energy.            Renovation Ready ~ Satisfaction Gap 26%. More than 78% of households say their home requires repairs. Updated Kitchen & Finishes ~ Satisfaction Gap 24%. With households eating mo... 03/10/2015

Real Estate Advice & Information ~ FAQ’s Answered. Frequently Asked Questions about real estate by Buyers, Sellers, Builders, Landlords and Tenants answered here in over 100 articles at DMK Real Estate Blog .   Just click on the title link to go that specific article. Fairfield County Real Estate Year End 2014 ~ Sales Price are UP.  2015 Cost vs. Value Report by Remodeling Magazine.  Improve Your Credit Score Can Save You Thousands $$$. Home Selling Tips & Advice.  Steps to Buying a Home.  FHA Mortgage Limits in your State ~ 2015. Selling Your Home Should You Improve or Not?  How Do Buyers Value Realtors® Services.  FSBO vs Realtor®, Which One Will Get You More Money?  Enjoy Outdoor Space at Your Ct Home ~ Tips.  Pre-Qualification vs. Preapproval Mortgage Letter.  FHA Condo Approvals – ... 02/02/2015

Fairfield County Real Estate Year End Report 2014. Jan 30th, 2015. The residential real estate market in southwestern Fairfield County for single family homes saw and average sale price increase year over year 2014 to 2013 with Greenwich and New Canaan leading the way with 19.8% and 16.2% increases. On the other hand Year over Year average Sales Units have dropped in 2014 from around  4% (Darien, Greenwich, Norwalk) up to 17% (Westport) depending on town.        To Read More About Lower Fairfield County Real Estate Market:- Greenwich Real Estate Market Up 19% Year End 2014.  Stamford, Ct. Real Estate Market Prices UP for 2014.  Darien Real Estate Market Report 2014.  Norwalk, Ct Real Estate Report Year End 2014.  Westport, Ct Real Estate Market Update 2014.  Wilton, Ct. Real Estate Mark... 01/29/2015

Darien Real Estate Market Report 2014. 1/28/2015 Darien, Connecticut single family home report for 2014 shows that the average sold home price was at $1,654,814 which is up 0.4% when compared to 2013. Year-to-Date home sales for 2014 came in at 277 units down from 288 units in 2013. For 2014 in Darien the average square footage for sold single family homes was at 3,310 with average days on the market of 114 with sales to list price of 98%. In 2014 seventy-two out of the 277 of the homes sold were under one million dollars. Currently on the Darien MLS there are 91 single family homes listed for sale with 13 of them under one million dollars and 26 between $1 - $2 million. Darien, Ct. Jan 2014 - Dec 2014     Darien, Connecticut is a residential community of approximately 20,000 residents ... 01/27/2015

2015 Cost vs. Value Report by Remodeling Magazine. The 2015 edition of Cost vs. Value Report by Remodeling Magazine is out and it compares the changes in job costs against Realtors’ perceptions of what those improvements will bring to a home’s resale price. The report compares the average cost of 36 popular remodeling projects against the value of those projects at resale in 102 US markets. The remodeling projects are broken up into two categories: Midrange projects such as new entry door, siding replacement, deck addition and backup generator. Upscale projects such as bathroom addition, major kitchen remodel, master suite addition. The report shows National results as well as nine regional results with further breakdown to individual municipal areas. The nine regional areas are: East N... 01/13/2015

Home Selling Tips & Advice. Find the right Realtor® for you. ~ The most important step in selling a home is deciding who to hire as your Realtor®. Not all licensed real estate agents are Realtors®. A Realtor® is a member of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) who subscribes to a strict Code of Ethics and are required to take a certain number of continuing educational courses. Along with that NAR provides advanced educational and professional requirements to  Realtors who can earn specialty designations from NAR such as Seller Representative Specialist (SRS), Short Sale & Foreclosure, Resort Property Specialist just to mention a few. When you pick your seller’s representative Realtor® look at their: Experience and Credentials References Knowledge Services Provided Personality Com... 01/05/2015

Pay Back on Green Home Improvements.According to studies green homes will sell for more money and will sell up to 1/3 fewer days than standard homes.(1)  A new study involving large sample of homes sold in California between 2007 and early 2012 has documented that, holding all other variables constant, a green certification label on a house adds an average 9% to its selling value. (2)The return or payback on the added cost of the green investments can be anywhere from under a year up to ten years but then the return on investment (ROI) can far outperforms CDs, saving accounts and sometimes even the stock market. For example installing a new high efficiency, variable speed, furnace/boiler will cost an average of $1,145 above that of a standard boiler/furnace but will give you about $300 ... 11/19/2014

How Do Buyers Value Realtors® Services. The 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers is a 132 report compiled by the National Association of Realtors®. The report supplies information from the consumer level on real estate trends, demographics, housing characteristics and the consumer experience. Below is a chart on what buyers said are the benefits that real estate professionals provide.       For Buyers and Sellers interested in more information about real estate in Fairfield County contact DMK Real Estate in Darien, Ct.     10/23/2014

Darien, Ct Real Estate Market 3rd Quarter Statistics. 2014 Year-To-Date Darien, Connecticut real estate market has seen 1.3% sales price increase from 2013 at an average sales price of $1,613,494 (January 1st to September 30th). 220 homes have sold YTD in Darien down 6% from YTD 2013 at an average of 97.7% selling price/listing price. Currently on the Darien MLS there are 136 single family homes listed for sale with the average listing price being at $2,015,767.                                       Darien, Connecticut is a residential community of approximately 20,000 residents that spans approximately 14.9 square miles along Long Island Sound. Darien is only 38 miles from New York City, making for an efficient commute by car or Metro North Commuter Railway of 55 minutes to Grand Centr... 10/13/2014

FSBO vs Realtor®, Which One Will Get You More Money? FSBO guru Colby Sambrotto founder of the largest website for home owner sales (ForSalebyOwner.com) used a Realtor® after unsuccessfully trying to sell his own home for six months.  According to the WSJ article the local real estate agent was successful in marketing the property and ended up with multiple offers and closed $150,000 above the original asking price. According to the 2013 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report the statistics show that 2013 FSBO’s accounted for 9% of home sales which has steadily been decreasing from a high of 14% in 2003. The report shows that the typical FSBO home sold for $184,000 compared to $230,000 for agent assisted home sales.  For the home seller that is an ave... 10/03/2014

Alignable.com ~ A New Social Network for LOCAL Business. Alignable.com works a lot like Nextdoor.com (for homeowners) were local businesses can give referrals, announcements, tips and advice to each other. You can pick the radius of your social neighborhood from 1 to 5 miles from your location. Once created it is easy to connect your Alignable account with your business Facebook page and website thus giving you additional SEO juice. Alignable.com advocates the use of local business in neighborhoods across the country to check out your neighborhood click the link below. The social network is free and all you have to do is go and join by clicking here.      09/24/2014

Property Tax Mill Rates for Fairfield County, Connecticut ~ 2014.UPDATE ~ 2015 Property Tax Mill Rates for Connecticut & Fairfield County.In Fairfield County and the rest of Connecticut the property assessment is equal to 70% of the fair market value of the property as established by the municipal Assessor. The property tax rate is expressed in mills or thousandths of a dollar. A tax rate (mill rate) of 11.74 mills is equivalent to $11.74 of taxes per $1,000 of assessed value.Each town sets its own mill rate; some municipalities have different mill rates for different districts within that town. Assessment dates for property on the Grand List must be assessed by October 1st of the preceding year. So for property taxes due July 1st, 2014 and January 1, 2015 are determined from assessment... 09/08/2014

SoNo Baking Company Now Open Darien, Ct. Family own company SoNo Baking Company & Café is now open in its new location at 49 Tokeneke Rd, Darien, Ct. This is the third location now with the original one being at 101 Water Street, Norwalk as well as at 1680 Post Road East, Westport. The Darien location opened August 26, 2014 and is open seven days a week 7am to 7pm. At the Darien location you can find a selection of: Artisan Breads. French Style Pastries. Quiche of the Day. Full Lunch Menu:                      Soups & Salads. Panini. Baguette Sandwiches. Huge selection of Desserts: Tarts Pastries Pies & Cakes. When in make sure to introduce yourself to John Barricelli the owner and his friendly staff. John is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and opened the first SoNo Baki... 08/28/2014

Middlesex Commons condos on Hale Lane, Darien, Connecticut 06820 Middlesex Commons, located in the chic town of Darien, Connecticut, is a 60 unit condominium complex. Built in 1987, the two bedrooms and two and one half bathroom homes have 1,460 square feet of living space. Middlesex Commons offers a heated pool, manicured lawns and gardens, as well as public transportation, which will take you to town and shopping. The large tiled foyer gives you access to the open floor plan of living room, dining area and kitchen. The living room, with vaulted ceilings, has floor to ceiling windows, hardwood floors and a fireplace. Sliders open up to the beautiful private patio with specimen plantings. Baseboard and crown moldings flow throughout the living areas. Your spacious eat-in kitchen feature... 08/24/2014

Pine Brook Condos on Pine Brook Lane in Darien, Connecticut 06820 Located in the beautiful town of Darien, Connecticut is the well maintained complex Pine Brook Condominiums. Set in a private neighborhood, the grounds are beautifully landscaped making it a delight to drive through each day. Built in 1987, the 20 units are offered with one or two bedroom configurations ranging from 797 square feet to 1,278 square feet. A marble entry hall greets you when you walk into the unit and leads you onto the rest of the bright and airy lower floor. The detailed moldings and hardwood floor continue throughout the townhouse. The eat-in kitchen is bright and sunny with modern appliances. The spacious open dining-living area features a 9 foot + ceilings and fireplace creating a great atmosphere. Upst... 08/24/2014

Wee Burn Commons in Darien, CT 06820 1,340 square feet of luxury space in Wee Burn Commons in Darien, CT, encompass five rooms, with two bedrooms and two and one half baths. Built in 1926, Wee Burn Commons is a group of classic Mediterranean villas near the Wee Burn Country Club, one of the most beautiful country clubs in Connecticut.  Your pets are welcome at Wee Burn Commons and extra storage space is available in the unfinished basement. Your condominium home is designed with details such as archways between rooms, thick stucco walls and nine+ foot ceilings. The first floor master bedroom, with beautifully finished hardwood floors, is light and bright with a full bathroom included in the suite. A second bedroom is on the first floor as well and has its own bathroom. The living room w... 08/15/2014

Villager Pond condos on Pond Lane/Norman Lane in Darien, Connecticut 06820 Villager Pond Condominiums is set in a private neighborhood in Darien, CT. With 37 units offered, you can choose from 1, 2, 3, or 4 bedroom layouts ranging from 900 to 1,500 square feet. All units include a one car garage as well as one assigned spot. Villager Pond units have a spacious open floor plans, most with beautiful hardwood flooring throughout. Some kitchen units are renovated, with granite islands and countertops as well as professional appliances. The open living and dining space have large bay windows that overlook the perennial gardens and sliders that lead out onto the deck.  The master bedrooms have cathedral ceilings and California closets. The community features a private pool with bathroom and c... 08/15/2014