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Newtown, CT Real Estate News

By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Halloween in Newtown, CT  It's here - it's October!!  October is a pretty exciting time in Newtown, CT.  Why?  Halloween!  Newtown, CT is a really large town with many of the home lots being larger than 1 acre and many have looooonnnnng driveways.  Large properties and long driveways means that trick or treating in Newtown could be a very spread out event for children (& their parents, too).   There is one place in town where homes are closer together - in the Borough. So, in Newtown, trick or treating is primarily held on Main Street.  Literally, thousands of people are out on Main Street for Halloween.  We posted a blog about it a couple of years ago. Main Street is the place to be for Halloween in Newtown, CT.  We'll be there - two homes south of the Inn at Newtown - at this home: Ha...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Overview of the Newtown, CT Real Estate Market 2012  At 60+ square miles, Newtown, CT is the largest town in Fairfield and is located in the Northeast corner of Fairfield County. For those making the New York City commute, Newtown is the end of the line.  It's a great location for commuting to Westchester County. Although Newtown is located in Fairfield County, it has a different feel than lower Fairfield County or Down County as we call it here.  Newtown is more rural than lower Fairfield County with many homes on 2 or more acres of land.  Our pace of life is a little slower and people tend to know one another.  The price range in homes in Newtown runs the gamut with prices running from under $100,000 all the way up into the multi-millions.  It's more affordable to live in Newtown than...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Wanna Sell During the Spring Market?  Call a Realtor NOW!  Early on in our blogging career, we blogged about New Year's Resolutions and the Spring Market.   That was way back in December 2008.  It was a simple post that talked about the discrepancy of when buyers and sellers think the Spring Real Estate Market starts.  Buyers feel it begins January 2nd and sellers feel it starts when the calendar says Spring.  There is a disconnect there and it's to a seller's advantage to have their house on the market during the early Spring Market - less competition. If you own a house and would like to take advantage of the Spring Market, when should you call a Realtor?  You should call a Realtor to come look at your house in September, October or November.  You might be asking yourself, why so earl...
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By Lisa McDonald Real Estate Agent, Fairfield & Litchfield County REALTOR®
(The Brokerage of New England)
Neighborhood: Highland Estates in Newtown, CTHighland Estates neighborhood is conveniently located off Castle Hill Road near the center of town just above Historic Main Street. An in-town neighborhood in the Taunton area and Borough Tax District.   Built between 1999 - 2003, consisting of several models with comfortable and open layouts (including but not limited to: the Belmont, Hawthorne, Winchester and the Astor).  These custom built Colonial style homes feature 3000-5000 sqft of luxury living, 4-5 bedrooms, 2-3 bay garage on 1+ acre lots.  Fronted by neatly kept lawns and tasteful landscaping. It's obvious that homeowners in Highland Estates take pride in their neighborhood.  Price range between $550,000 to $750,000. Schools: Highland Estates in Newtown, CTChildren who live in Highl...
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By Lisa McDonald Real Estate Agent, Fairfield & Litchfield County REALTOR®
(The Brokerage of New England)
Neighborhood: High Meadow Farm, Newtown High Meadow Farm neighborhood is conveniently set off Poverty Hollow Road in hilltop setting adjacent to horse trails and Redding line.  Surrounded by Million Dollar homes in private cul-de-sac with Million Dollar Southwestern views. These beautiful Colonial style homes offer 4000-8000 sqft of luxury living, 4-6 bedrooms, 2-4 bay garage on 5-9 acre lots (horse potential).   Price range between $600,000 to $1M+. Schools: High Meadow Farm, NewtownChildren who live in High Meadow Farm attend schools in the Newtown School District, including Head O'Meadow Elementary School located at 94 Boggs Hill, Reed Intermediate School located at 3 Trades Lane and Newtown High School located at 12 Berkshire Road.  Taxes: High Meadow Farm, Newtown Taxes on a home ...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Ice Cream in Newtown, CT - Updated May 2012  So last night, we were out with friends at Peachwave in Newtown.  It's the third time we've been to Peachwave and it's always packed there.  Peachwave, if you don't know it's a place to buy frozen yogurt.  It's a "do it yourself" place:  grab your cup, add your frozen yogurt and then your toppings.  Continue down the line to the scale & then pay for the tasty concoction you've made.  There's plenty of seating, but parking is a little limited.  Where is Peachwave?  It's located on Route 25 near the new Walgreens. So, why all this Peachwave talk in this post?  It made us think about a blog we posted early on in our blogging career (way back in June 2009):  Ice Cream in Newtown, CT.  The information in this post is outdated now as for one, Cold ...
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By Lisa McDonald Real Estate Agent, Fairfield & Litchfield County REALTOR®
(The Brokerage of New England)
Greenleaf Farms - A beautiful equestrian community sited on 300 acres of rolling hills, complete with horse farm offering 75 stalls, indoor riding ring and 43 acres of paddocks.   Considered one of the most picturesque equestrian communities in Southwest Newtown, Greenleaf Farms is within walking distance of Red Gate Farms Equestrian Center and Collis P. Huntington State Park, giving you access to over 800 acres of some of the most beautiful hiking and bike trails, cross country skiing, scenic ponds and horse trails in Fairfield County. Homes at Greenleaf Farms range from $600,000 to $900,000.  Offering 4+ bedroom homes with 5000+ sq.ft. of luxury living, 3+ bay garage, on 3+ acre manicured lots. An upscale coveted community catering to both horse lovers and horse owners alike. Greenle...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Handmade Rooster or a Fish  As you drive around Newtown, CT, you'll see the town's symbol in many places:  On top of a church spire, on some of the town's street signs and on other signs around town.  What, you may ask, is Newtown's symbol?  It is a rooster! We have a friend whose high school son is hand making rooster silhouettes and selling them to make money for a trip this summer after he graduates from high school. The roosters are painted with exterior grade paint and available in 3 colors:  maroon, green and black.  If you'd like a custom color, he's open to it.  Large roosters are $30.00/each, medium sized roosters are $25.00.  He's working on a smaller size and also has fish silhouettes now available for sale. These roosters would look great hanging on the side of a barn, shed,...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Dogs, Horses and Fish - Oh My!  Last weekend, the weather was unseasonably warm.  Riley, the Real Estate Dog, and Richelle went for a walk here in Newtown.  One of their favorite places to go is over behind the Governor's Horse Guard which is part of the old Fairfield Hills complex.  There is a poorly paved road that goes down the hill past where the new Newtown Dog Pound is being built.  It leads to 2 large fields - one has a path around its perimeter with side bordered by Deep Brook which is a Class 1 Wild Trout Stream.  It's a very scenic walk and to be out walking there last weekend was a real treat. Richelle took a few photos:     So, what is a Class 1 Wild Trout Stream anyway?  Class 1 means that there is abundant wild trout and that it's not stocked.  There are a few restrictions...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Newtown, CT Beautiful Baby Photo Contest Giavanna Dentice, 8 months, was the first baby entered in this year's Beautiful Baby Photo Contest. She is held by her mom, Mary Dentice, in front of the Voting Booth with her entry photo in the #1 slot.  This contest is an annual fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), a non-profit that builds handicap housing for severely disabled young military personnel at no charge to the soldier. Contestants are being soughtnow for this friendly competition, which begins at the Sandy Hook Firehouse's Lobsterfest on June 8th & 9th, and then travels to Stop & Shop, Sand Hill Plaza for 2 weeks.  The child need not live in Newtown.  The child whose photo raises the most amount of money for HFOT gets their photo published in the Newtown Bee, a Family Fun pri...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Newtown, CT Tax Assessor's Office  As Realtors, we venture into the Newtown, CT Tax Asessor's Office often.    They are located in the Fairfield Hills complex at 4 Primrose Lane, Newtown, which is centrally located. The Newtown, CT Tax Assessor's Office is a scary place to many, but not to us!  We find that Chris, Penny, Andrea and Mindy are all nice people and always ready to help us.  So, you may be asking yourself, why are the Wards at the Newtown, CT Tax Asessor's Office so often?  The following is just a few reasons: We stop by to pick up a field card for properties we are going to list for sale.  We typically pick up a field card before we go to speak with a potential seller for the first time. We also pick up copies of the GIS map for properties.  Although the GIS map is not exac...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
How is Buying a Home Like Running a Marathon?  Let us count the ways!  It's amazing how two such diverse activities can follow a similiar cycle of emotions.  Here's how we see it: When you first start your home search or your marathon, you experience a sense of excitement Next, you're working toward your goal (finding the right home or finishing your race) - setting your pace Somewhere along the way, you start to feel restless Then you begin to doubt that your goal is achievable Your mindset changes and hope begins to shine through again Finally, success is in sight Lastly, you cross the finish line - new home purchased or marathon finished. It sounds kind of corny and perhaps, it is.  But think about it.  This cycle of emotions holds true for most goals we work towards.  They don't nec...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Recap of Short Sales in Newtown, CT for 2011  Over the course of 2011, we posted several blog entries about the status of short sales in Newtown, CT.  With the advent of the New Year, we thought a recap of this segment of this local real estate market would be in order. In the table below, we have provided both 2011 and 2010 short sale information for a comparison.   2010 2011 Sold Throughout the Year 25 14 Pending Sale At Year End  4 5 Actively Listed at Year End  17 25 It's interesting to see that the number of sold short sales decreased in 2011 and the number of actively listed short sales increased.  The numbers pretty much flip flopped.  We attribute this change to buyers being less willing to wait an indefinate period of time for banks to approve the short sale.  Depending on the ...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Comparison of the Newtown, CT Real Estate Market:  2000 to 2011  People ask us all the time, "How is the market doing".  Many people still believe that the real estate market in our town is in a free fall and some believe that their home has not lost any value at all. We decided to do a comparison of the average sale price, days on market and number of single family homes sold for each year from 2000 to 2011.  All information was pulled from the Greater Fairfield County Multiple Listing Service (GFC MLS).  Here is what we found: Year Average Sale Price Days on Market # of Homes Sold 2000  $            362,616.00 108 481 2001  $            371,666.00 89 448 2002  $            437,898.00 91 517 2003  $            468,523.00 93 505 2004  $            528,425.00 89 503 2005  $            55...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Food Donations to Local Food Pantries  It's been a while since we've posted a blog.  Business has been good and the holiday season has kept us busy.  We do have a recent event that we feel is blog-worthy. On Tuesday, December 26, 2011, Bob received a phone call from the Big Y, a local supermarket here in Newtown.  In the past, we have blogged about the F.A.I.T.H. Food Pantry and Newtown's Victory Garden, which provides fresh grown produce to the food pantries.  With the help of Google, the Big Y found us! Seems that they had some left over bakery goods to donate to the local food pantries.  The F.A.I.T.H. Food Pantry is closed this week and Newtown Social Services was closed on the 26th.  After learning what the Big Y had to donate, Bob told them to "bring it all to our office" and boy,...
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By Lisa McDonald Real Estate Agent, Fairfield & Litchfield County REALTOR®
(The Brokerage of New England)
Sandy Hook, CT (December 2011) - Situated in Walnut Tree Village, an age restricted community (55 and older) located conveniently near I84/Exit 10.  This beautiful 2 bedroom condo comes complete with:   * Open & entertaining floor plan* 1,850 sq.ft. of living space* 2 bedrooms & 2 full baths* Hardwood floors* Fireplace* Central Air* Garage* Club house       Welcome home to Walnut Tree Village and Congratulations on the purchase of your new home!  Sandy Hook is a great place to live.   Looking to buy, sell or relocate to Fairfield County?  Call a Fairfield County representative today! Lisa Brown at REMAX Unlimited Real Estate is here to help you every step of the way.  Call 203-733-1613 or email lisaandyou@gmail.com.   Walnut Tree Village home sold by Lisa Brown, REMAX Unlimited Real Es...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Real Estate Sales October 2011 - Newtown, CT  October 2011 was a busy month for real estate sales in Newtown, CT - 16 homes sold!  In the table below, we've given you some basic information on each sale. Street # Street Name Street Type Bedrooms Full Baths Half Baths # of Rooms List Price Sale Price Market Time 3 GOODYEAR RD 2 2 0 7 $205,000 $194,000 78 11 SOUTH MAIN ST 2 1 1 6 $224,000 $190,000 87 4 PARTRIDGE LN 3 1 1 7 $229,000 $209,400 47 8 ROOSEVELT DR 3 2 1 6 $234,900 $231,000 46 104 WATERVIEW DR 4 3 0 10 $259,900 $225,000 78 9 FIELDSTONE DR 3 1 0 5 $269,000 $255,000 109 15 WILLS RD 4 1 1 8 $319,900 $307,000 205 26 BENTAGRASS LN 4 2 1 8 $419,900 $395,000 131 3 LOVELLS LN 4 2 0 7 $423,900 $417,000 124 7 SUSAN LN 4 2 1 10 $479,900 $450,000 155 1 CHARLIES CIR 4 3 1 9 $599,000 $570,000...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
The Newtown Forest Assocation - Newtown, CT  As you drive around Newtown, CT, you will occasionally notice signs like this one:   The Newtown Forest Association is the oldest private land trust organization in the State of Connecticut. Since its inception in 1923, The Newtown Forest Association has been dedicated to securing the benefits derived from open space lands for the residents of Newtown and their posterity. These open space lands which include, but are not limited to, forest and agricultural land, wildlife and nature preserves and watersheds.  Today, The Newtown Forest Association holds more than 1,000 acres located in all sections of Newtown in the land trust. From time to time, The Newtown Forest Association sponsors hikes on the trails of the different properties in their tr...
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Cart Us Around and Take Us Shopping!  Next time you visit the Big Y in Newtown, look at the advertisement on your shopping cart.  Check the inside and check the outside.  You should see an image that looks like this: Yep, that's us - Bob & Richelle Ward - looking right at you from your shopping cart.  While you cart us around and take us shopping, remember who we are (Bob & Richelle Ward) and what we do (sell houses).  If you have a real estate need, give us a call at 203 470-9818 - as the ad says, "We'll get you moving".
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By Bob and Richelle Ward, Realtors, Moving you HomeWARD
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Newtown, CT Parks and Recreation Programs- Fall 2011  Newtown Parks and Recreation is out with the new schedule of programs for Fall 2011.  There is quite an array of programs available - sports, computer classes, tennis lessons and dog training are just a sampling.  We thought some of the most interesting were in the Speciality Programs Section and they include: Secret Agent Lab 1: Spy Academy Robotics Soccer Guitar Lessons Knitting, Cooking, Babysitting Wilderness Living Skills Ballroom and Salsa Dancing When you see the new Newtown Parks and Recreation Programs - Fall 2011 flyer, check it out and sign up for a class or two.  The flyers are generally distributed through the schools and as an insert in The Newtown Bee.  You can also stop by Park and Recreation to pick up a flyer and r...
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