SHOWING YOUR GREENS FARMS CONNECTICUT HOME After you have set the price, staged your Greens Farms Connecticut home, and agreed upon a marketing plan with your listing agent, the next step is to make your home easy to see and to show off your home in its best possible light.  EASY TO SHOW These are important words to busy buyer agents.  When your home is "easy to show" buyer agents may include your home in their schedule even if it isn't quite what their buyers say they want.  This is good because buyers sometimes fall in love with a home outside their stated criteria.  "Easy to show" means that the sellers are very accomodating in terms of showing times and are forgiving if the agent runs a bit ahead or behind in their schedule.  The more restrictions you put on showings in terms of tim... 03/18/2012

MARKETING YOUR WESTPORT CONNECTICUT HOME Print advertising is dead.  Well, almost!  Newspaper circulation is down and newspapers are shutting their doors across the U.S.  In tracking my Return on Investment (ROI) in advertising, I have seen print advertising decrease in effectiveness and Internet marketing increase.  MARKETING VS. ADVERTISING Let's talk a bit about the difference between marketing and advertising.  Advertising is when you pay the media to announce details of your product or service, such as when your agent takes an ad out in The Real Estate Book, a publication that is distributed at grocery stores, gas stations, and other public places.  Marketing involves all other methods to bring attention to your home and encourage its sale.  Open Houses are one form of marketing, p... 03/13/2012

MARKETING YOUR GREENS FARMS CONNECTICUT HOME Print advertising is dead.  Well, almost!  Newspaper circulation is down and newspapers are shutting their doors across the U.S.  In tracking my Return on Investment (ROI) in advertising, I have seen print advertising decrease in effectiveness and Internet marketing increase.  MARKETING VS. ADVERTISING Let's talk a bit about the difference between marketing and advertising.  Advertising is when you pay the media to announce details of your product or service, such as when your agent takes an ad out in The Real Estate Book, a publication that is distributed at grocery stores, gas stations, and other public places.  Marketing involves all other methods to bring attention to your home and encourage its sale.  Open Houses are one form of marketin... 03/13/2012

STAGING YOUR WESTPORT HOME You've seen HGTV. You know that staged homes sell faster and for more money, staging works, but it requires an outlay of money that you may not have. If you can't afford a stager, you can still apply some of the basic principles of staging to help your home sell faster. First thing you'll want to do is to walk through your house room by room with your listing agent. Your agent may not be able to give you the design advice of a stager, but he/she can give you advice about which room colors might cause a problem (e.g., a bright purple dining room) or furniture pieces that should be moved or rearranged. Don't make the mistake of painting the entire interior off-white on the premise that buyers can choose their own colors. Well-chosen wall and trim colors can make... 03/04/2012

STAGING YOUR GREENS FARMS HOME You've seen HGTV. You know that staged homes sell faster and for more money, staging works, but it requires an outlay of money that you may not have. If you can't afford a stager, you can still apply some of the basic principles of staging to help your home sell faster. First thing you'll want to do is to walk through your house room by room with your listing agent. Your agent may not be able to give you the design advice of a stager, but he/she can give you advice about which room colors might cause a problem (e.g., a bright purple dining room) or furniture pieces that should be moved or rearranged. Don't make the mistake of painting the entire interior off-white on the premise that buyers can choose their own colors. Well-chosen wall and trim colors can ... 03/04/2012

PRICING YOUR WESTPORT HOME TO SELL This is the second article in a six-part series about Selling Your  Westport CT Home in a Buyer's Market.  In the first article we described the characteristics of a buyer's market.  We will now talk about pricing your home to sell in today's buyer's market. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU The most important thing to understand about pricing a home to sell is that the market determines the price.  The market doesn't care how much you paid for the home or how much money you put into upgrades or repairs.  Your home will sell for the price that buyers will pay for comparable homes.  If you price your home too high, even if a buyer comes along who is willing to pay above market value for your home, the mortgage company will whittle the offer down to the market value du... 02/28/2012

  As you can see from the graph, Westport CT has been slightly quicker to gain momentum this year.   We had a few tough months last fall with severe storms, but that has not affected the sales totals for the first two months of this year.   It will be very interesting to see if the trends are to bring those numbers up even more as we move into the spring market.   02/28/2012

1. INTRODUCTION   This is the first installment of a six-part series on Selling Your Greens Farms Connecticut Home in a Buyer's Market.   What is a Buyer's Market?   A buyer's market is one in which there are more sellers than buyers. Nationwide we are in a real estate buyer's market, which means according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) that there is more than six month's worth of inventory (homes for sale). However, if you look at different locations, neighborhoods, price ranges, and even home styles, some niche markets are doing better than others. Low interest rates and FHA low down payment mortgages have encouraged sales at the low end, downsizers are spurring sales in the mid-range, and at the high end, there are buying niches, such as luxury, waterfront and water vi... 02/22/2012

1. INTRODUCTION   This is the first installment of a six-part series on Selling Your Westport Connecticut Home in a Buyer's Market.   What is a Buyer's Market?   A buyer's market is one in which there are more sellers than buyers. Nationwide we are in a real estate buyer's market, which means according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) that there is more than six month's worth of inventory (homes for sale). However, if you look at different locations, neighborhoods, price ranges, and even home styles, some niche markets are doing better than others. Low interest rates and FHA low down payment mortgages have encouraged sales at the low end, downsizers are spurring sales in the mid-range, and at the high end, there are buying niches, such as luxury, waterfront and water view h... 02/22/2012

  WESTPORT Market Trends Report January 2012     The Westport, Connecticut real estate market is still declining. The slowdown earlier in the year can be attributed in part to the power outages and flooding that accompanied Tropical Storm Irene and the freak October snowstorm that caused power outages. However, the 3 month comparison shows that despite the mild winter both the number of sales and market prices have continued to decline.  The amount of inventory that the market can absorb is down as well.   We look at the absorption rate over a 12 month period (see chart above), which means that it would take about 10-11 months to sell every home currently on the market in Westport. Although it is still a Buyers Market in Westport, it is in line with many other Fairfield County towns. W... 02/18/2012

  GREENS FARMS Market Trends Report January 2012       The Greens Farms, Connecticut real estate market is showing signs of picking up. The slowdown earlier in the year can be attributed in part to the season and the freak October snow storm and accompanying power outages. However, the 3 month comparison shows that while sales haven't increased, prices are on the rise. The amount of inventory that the market can absorb was down a bit August through October, likely due to Tropical Storm Irene and the October snow storm, which kept buyers away.  Sales normally slow down over the winter, so we use the 12 month absorption rate instead of the 3 or 6 month rate, which means that it would take about 11 months to sell every home currently on the market. Although it is still a Buyers Market in ... 02/18/2012

Westport CT, Average Sold Price vs Average List Price and Total Sales 2005-2011   2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Ave Sold Price $1,374,881 $1,531,916 $1,610,415 $1,653,769 $1,352,172 $1,383,157 $1,261,535 Ave List Price $1,427,113 $1,601,093 $1,675,347 $1,760,832 $1,472,260 $1,483,225 $1,345,051 Total Sold 517 433 450 287 273 379 379  As you can see from the chart above, the real estate sales for Westport CT did fall off for the years of 2008 through 2012.  The saving grace for yearly sales for 2010 was the buyers' credits that were being given in the first half of the year.                                                                                 January sales this year were very strong, unlike the rest of the county, which suffered with lower sales due to the damage from the... 02/15/2012

How can a baker and a realtor fight cancer? Cookies for a Cure of course! Check out the video to learn more about how Andre Kreft of Savor Cookies and Doris Ghitelman of William Raveis Real Estate raised $3200 towards breast cancer research one bag of Pinkki at a time! Doris and myself have been R Group partners for 4 years. We met at a Floyd Wickman Master Sales Society event and have talked every other Wednesday ever since. We talk about business, we talk about life, we laugh, we cry. We keep each other on track and offer wisdom, both bad and good. It's like we've known each other all of our lives, although we've only physically been in each other's presence 4 times in our lives. That's what happens when Floyd Wickman is in the house. Throw in this dynamo named Doris and good things h... 02/14/2012

Luxury at Edgewater Commons in Westport CT 06880 Edgewater Commons is the ultimate Nantucket style condominium complex.   Located in cosmopolitan  Westport, Connecticut, Edgewater Commons brings a sophisticated life style. The location can't be beat. The comples is close to famous Compo Beach,  and has quick access to the Freeway to take you to New York or the Connecticut shoreline. The railroad station is also close by.   It's a fast hour trip to New York City,  the Theatre, world famous restaurants and Madison Square Garden ( home to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers). Edgewater Commons was built in 1985. These wonderful townhouses have 25 stylish condo units and several four bedroom single family homes in the complex. Units are 1,500 square feet. The units include 2.5 to 3.5 s... 02/08/2012

Westport CT 06880- January Sales 4 Year Comparison 2009-2012       Westport CT 06880 Market Report January 2012 recap of Sales Total home sales: 26 Average days on the market: 113 Low value: $435,000 High value: $3,968,795 Average sold price: $ 1,153,761                                                                                          Median price: $ 912,500 Average list price: $ 1,229,030 Pending Sales: 18 I do find it interesting that Westport's sales are not at all lagging after the vicious fall weather we had this year.    The power outages and huge snow damage in the end of October into the beginning of November caused buyers to stay away, and sellers to pull their homes off the market in all of the surrounding towns.   This should be a huge spring market for Westport! Stay ... 02/05/2012

 LANSDOWNE, a Splendid Gated Condo Community in Westport CT 06880     Built in 1985 and 1986, LANSDOWNE is a gated community of top-of-the-line condominiums in idyllic Westport, Connecticut. It is surrounded by beautifully maintained grounds, a sylvan pool, tennis courts, paddle tennis and a community clubhouse.          These stunning homes range in size from 1,875 +/- square feet to over 2,400 square feet of open indoor living space. Many of these spacious and sunny units have eat-in kitchens with stainless steel appliances, granite topped counters.       Units at Lansdowne offer first and second floor master bedrooms complete with their own bathrooms. Another bonus is fireplaces in the living room and even in some kitchens!       These unique homes have lots of closet and storage spa... 01/29/2012

Live a Blissful Life at TERRA NOVA – A Luxury Community in Westport, CT 06880   Terra Nova is a luxury gated townhouse community located close to the vibrant downtown area of Westport, Connecticut.    Built in 2004-2006, there are 54 well-constructed colonial inspired units.  Each townhouse has two or three bedrooms, with two and one half spacious bathrooms.   The master suites are the ultimate in luxury with marble master baths!   Each home in Terra Nova is impressively sized, running from 2,300 sq ft +/- to 3,300 sq ft +/.   They include fully finished basements.  Some units even have extra finished lower levels with fireplaces and family rooms.  Other amenities include hardwood floors, fireplaces, and beautifully landscaped grounds.   No raking leaves or cutting grass here!     The b... 01/29/2012

 REGENTS PARK , The Height of Luxury in Westport CT 06880  Regents Park, the ultimate luxury gated community in Westport, Connecticut, is located in the up-scale, Greens Farms area of Westport, Connecticut.     Regents Park was built to the highest standards in 1985. You instantly know you are in the height of luxury at when you enter their stunning 2 story foyers. The deluxe two bedroom units here have 2.5 baths and are typically 1700 - 2000 square feet, while the three bedroom units have 3.5 baths and 2200 square feet.  Regents Park homes are well appointed with top of the line, large gourmet eat in kitchens, with granite counter tops and stainless appliances.   Many of these units in Regents Park have, hardwood floors throughout.  To add to the ease of living, there are wood burning ... 01/29/2012

Find Luxury at HARVEST COMMONS - A Gated Condo Community in Westport, CT 06880  One of Westport Connecticut’s finest luxury gated condo communities, Harvest Commons is nestled close to this beautiful New England town.     Built in 1982—1983, Harvest Commons has 82 units. Some units are spacious one story ranch style and others are sunny two stories with vaulted ceilings and private courtyards.      Homes at Harvest Commons have 2 large bedrooms and stylish 2 and one half baths. Extras include walk-in closets , eat-in kitchens with cherry cabinets,  central air conditioning, clean gas heat and  big attached  two car garages. At Harvest Commons you can choose either easy one floor living in a sun drenched open plan ranch style or two story units with finished basements and lots of vaulted... 01/26/2012

Luxury RIVERSIDE GREEN Condo Community in WESTPORT CT 06880    Riverside Green Community is located in the ultimate seaside New England town of Westport, Connecticut. The town of Westport was settled in 1639 and incorporated in 1835.     This is a stunning community of one and two bedroom luxury homes with amazing water views. These sophisticated homes were built in 2005.    The architecture is colonial inspired, and units range in space from 891 square feet to 1,291 square feet.    All units have extra storage space, high ceilings, reserved parking, central air conditioning and clean gas heat. There are 15 units that come with one or two bedrooms, and 1.5 to 2.5 baths.    Extra bonuses include hardwood floors, fireplaces and those water views!    The kitchens in these premier condomini... 01/26/2012