I was going to blog about Prudential Connecticut Realty's Third Quarter Real Estate Report.  The report is broken out into two sections: Single Family Homes and Condominiums.  Under each section is every town along with a year over year comparison of the Days on Market, Median Sales Price, # of homes sold and the percentage change for each.  It's a really informative report which you can view by clicking here. I thought it would be fun to look at the Greater Fairfield County Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for the town of Newtown as of today.  The MLS changes contunually so this is a snapshot is time.  Here goes: As of this moment, there are 272 actively listed homes for sale in Newtown whose prices range from $49,900 for a mobile home to $1,999,000 for a Deck-Style home on 19.19 acres.... 11/20/2008

December 5th to December 7th is a BIG weekend in Newtown!  This year, Newtown's Holiday Festival will be held from Friday, December 5th to Sunday, December 7th!  The Holiday Festival is an annual event that is the main fundraiser for Newtown Youth and Family Services (a joining of the Family Counseling Center and Newtown Youth Services).  This is the Festival's 23rd year and there are many events over the weekend.  Some of them include:  a Festival of Trees (in the library) that are auctioned off, a Victorian Tea, performances of the Nutcracker and an original holiday play, an artisan's shop, children's activities including crafts and a gingerbread house contest (all at the town hall).  On December 5th, Newtown's Christmas tree will be lit during a ceremony attended by many town residen... 11/18/2008

At 60 square miles, Newtown, CT is the largest town in Fairfield County.  The town is spread out over a large area and so are the kids!  Over the years, Main Street has become the central place to celebrate Halloween and for trick or treaters.  This year, 3,000 trick or treaters were anticipated. Many of the homes on Main Street are highly decorated for Halloween.  There are lights, pumpkins, spiders and other assorted scary things all along Main Street.  I think one the best decoration is at 74 Main Street (pictured above).  The spider crawls along it's web all day and there is usually a crowd out front watching.  It's rumored that 2008 is the last year of the spider             This year, Bob and I spent Halloween at a friend's house on Main Street.  Like last year, our friend's husb... 11/05/2008

Absorption Rate - What is it & is it important? The real estate market is made up of many parts or pieces - like a puzzle. To see the whole picture, you need to look at all the separate pieces. One of the pieces is called an absorption rate. Absorption rates have been around for a long time, but over the past few years was infrequently look at.  \I thought I'd write a short entry on my blog to explain what this is and why it's important.What is an absorption rate? This is a hypothetical estimate of the number of months it would take to sell the inventory of houses on the market. An absorption rate can be by town, county, state or even a neighborhood. Obviously, inventory is replenished, so it would not happen in the real world. The absorption rate is based on sales and current deposit l... 11/03/2008

This is my backyard in Newtown, CT.  Coming from Long Island, I find it fascinating!  It's an odd shaped yard with wetlands at the end of it (it's a little swampy, but confined to the reeds).  Beyond the reeds is open space that can never be built on.  I think it's 20 acres, my husband thinks it's 50 acres.  Some day, I'll go to Town Hall to find out. My backyard has a life all its own.  When my dog, Riley (the real estate dog), is outside, I see him in the backyard.  He runs around and checks things out.  What they are, I don't know, but he's very busy checking them out. We have two feral cats that hang out in our yard.  They look the same, but one is bigger than the other.  Sometimes, they just sit in the yard - other times, they are stalking prey.  They are usually in our yard toget... 10/27/2008

Are you looking to buy or sell in Northern Fairfield County Connecticut?  If you are,  I am a skilled Realtor that was born and raised in the Danbury/Newtown area who has the "inside scoop" you need to have for a positive real estate experience By sharing my knowledge with you, you will have all the local entertainment, sporting activities and social events that will help enhance your living experience. Having been a resident of Newtown for over 12 years and raising my family here, I know the importance of great education and am familiar with the local schools.   It is important to work with someone who knows the system and who can go beyond the house finding process. Do you like to bargain hunt?  I can tell you where you to go.  Do you like to go antiquing?  I know the places to go.  D... 10/07/2008

Are you thinking of moving to Newtown, CT and would like to know more about the different sections of town?  In this blog entry, we'll give you a brief desciption of each section.  Here we go: The Borough - is basically the center of town in Newtown near the flagpole.  Homes in the Borough pay an extra tax (the Borough Tax) and many residents have public water and sewers. Dodgingtown - is located along Route 302 and borders Bethel.  It is rumoured that Dodgingtown received its name way because the Bethel tax collector would come to collect taxes and the residents would say they were a part of Newtown.  When the Newtown tax collector came to collect the taxes, the residents would say that they were a part of Bethel.  Essentially, they were dodging the tax collector. Hattertown - is locat... 10/05/2008

Newtown, like many other small towns in America, holds a Labor Day Parade every year and town residents turn out in droves.  Newtown's parade is a big event and many of the town's residents are a part of it.   I have been both a spectator and a participant in Newtown' Labor Day Parade. As a spectator, I lined up on Main Street (one of the streets along the parade route) with the thousands of other town residents.  The excitement of waiting for the parade to begin is almost intoxicating.  Everyone is meandering toward their parade positions while happily greeting friends and neighbors along the way.  As you hear the parade coming down Main Street, the excitement continues to build.  All of a sudden, the first group is before you and it's followed by the next group and then the next.  An... 10/02/2008

Like in many other towns across the US, real estate values in Newtown, CT have been declining over the past year.  Many residents in town know this, but don't know by how much.  The rate of decline has been roughly 1% per month.  So as of August, home values in Newtown had declined approximately 8% since January 2008. When Realtors evaluate real estate market conditions, there are different factors that we take into consideration.  These factors include:  Median Sale Price, Median List Price, number of units sold, number of days on the market and the Sale Price to List Price Ratio.  I'll do my best to explain each of these items to you.  Many people confuse the words "median" and "average".  These are different mathmatical computations and the results can vary greatly.  An average is d... 09/21/2008

Short Sale is a term that we hear quite often these days. What does it mean? It's quite simple. A short sale is when there is not enough money in the transaction to satisfy all the obligations of the seller. These obligations can include the payoff of any and all mortgages, any loans collateralized by the property, transfer taxes, legal fees, real estate commissions and any outstanding property taxes or liens against the property. A short sale is often a better alternative for the bank and the seller to avoid the foreclosure process. Should you purchase a short sale?  Yes!  A home that is a short sale is just as good a home to purchase as one that is not a short sale.  After negotiating with the seller, the transaction will require the bank's approval.  The time it takes for the bank to... 09/15/2008