Mold Guidance Provided by the Connecticut Department of Public Health for Homeowners. Here is a great piece of information to pass along to homeowners from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, CT DPH, a four page booklet for “Mold Guidance for Real Estate, Banking, And Insurance Communities”. This guide provides useful information on what to do if you suspect mold in your home. It covers four general scenarios: Houses with no known problems Houses with suspected problems Houses with known problems Houses that have had mold abatement performed Mold needs water and food to grow, so the first thing to do is to stop the source of water, the second is to remove damaged organic material such as wet sheetrock and porous wet materials. Third is to clean up the clutter and non moldy item... 05/21/2012

WOW!    That Phone Rang FAST, ActiveRain! I wrote  a blog post about a condo community in Norwalk on the waterfront.   There are a lot of homes for sale all over Norwalk, but these seemed particularly nice, so I decided to blog about it.    CHARLES COVE WATERFRONT CONDOS, NORWALK, CT 06850   Approximately 3 hours later, the phone rang with a lady asking if there were any units in Charles Cove that had bedrooms on the first floor.   I would guess that blogging is well worth the effort - there is no other way she would have found me and called about that condo.   AMAZING!!!! WOW!    That Phone Rang FAST, ActiveRain! 05/19/2012

Lower Home Prices & Mortgage Rates = Opportunity in Norwalk, Ct. May 2012. May 10th, 2012. With rental rates rising nationwide owning a home seems more affordable now especially with mortgage rates yet again hitting a record low along with declining home prices. In Norwalk, Connecticut the median sold price year to date compared to last year is down 2.95% at a median sold price of $395,000. Along with that the numbers of homes sold are down 15.5% year to date compared to last year in Norwalk, Ct. but new listings during the same period are up 92.78%. Currently on the Greater Fairfield County CMLS there are 451 single family homes for sale ranging in price from $108,000 through to $4,650,000 which is 5,000 square foot home on a 0.17 acre peninsula with a sandy beach, dock and mooring.   ... 05/10/2012

CANNON BROOK LUXURY CONDOS, NORWALK, CT 06850   Cannon Brook Condominiums in Norwalk, CT  is a complex of 13 luxurious cluster homes. These homes have 2,168 square feet of open living space with 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths. They are colonial in style. These homes at Cannon Brook have been beautifully designed. The flagstone walkways to the front door open to foyers with gorgeous hard wood floors. In fact all of the living areas have hard wood floors.  The living rooms have marble mantled wood burning fireplaces and are connected to the dining area with large windows. The family room also has a beautiful fireplace and sliding doors to the large all weather deck and woodland views.   The eat in kitchen is loaded with white wooden cabinets, top of the line appliances and corian counter tops. ... 04/24/2012

  NORWALK Market Trends Report March 2012     The Norwalk, Connecticut real estate market has started to pick up in the past three months.  Although Days on Market is still increasing and the List to Sales Price ratio is declining, the increase in List Price and Sales Price are positive signs of movement towards a more balanced market. The amount of inventory that the market can absorb continues to decline. We use the 12 month absorption rate instead of the 3 or 6 month rate to determine inventory absorption, which means that it would take about 13-14 months to sell every home currently on the market in Norwalk. It is still a strong Buyers Market in Norwalk. With low interest rates and an improving economy, we hope our next report will show the results of increased buyer activity. Thin... 04/22/2012

Are Prices Really Rising in Norwalk?    Are prices rising or falling in Fairfield County?  Let's just take a look at Norwalk CT.  If we look at the Average Sales Prices of Homes For Sale in Norwalk from 2002-2012 we see that the market has begun to make a bit of a recovery despite a dip this quarter from last year.  But is looking just at the Average Sales Price deceptive?   In the first quarter of 2012 there have been 113 homes sold in Norwalk. The average sold price is $467,380. However if you look closely you will see that 8 of those homes that were sold were over $1M. How much does that skew the average sales price? As it turns out - quite a bit!   The average sales price of homes UNDER $1M in Norwalk is $346,524. Those 8 homes brought the average up over $100,000. In fact in the fi... 04/19/2012

COTTONWOOD CHASE SINGLE FAMILY CONDOS, NORWALK, CT 06850   Cottonwood Chase, Norwalk CT 06850 Cottonwood Chase in Norwalk is a 5 unit planned community of single family condos. These homes are really top of the line and conveniently located right on the Norwalk/Westport town lines. There are five homes situated on 5.4 acres of land which back up to a conservation area. There is plenty of room between units and a plethora of open space to enjoy. Units have four bedrooms and 2 ½ baths. They were built with the discriminating home owner in mind! Homes at Cottonwood Chase, Norwalk CT 06850  The list of amenities for these units seems never ending. There are gorgeous hard wood floors in the living areas, and wall to wall carpeting and high ceilings in the bedrooms. The kitchens have granite... 04/19/2012

  27 FERRIS TOWNHOUSE CONDOS, NORWALK, CT 06850     In 2008, the 27 Ferris Townhouse Condos were built to the highest standards with many special touches and finishes. The 6 townhouses which make up the complex have 2,900+/- square feet of open and sunny space. Four bedrooms and three and one half baths give you plenty of room for you furniture and storage.   The living space features custom hard wood floors, a mantled fireplace, crown moldings and extra-large windows.  For convenience there is a half bath located next to the front entrance, and all weather deck located through sliders off the dining room.   The updated eat in kitchen features a granite counter, custom built cherry wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances and a built in micro wave oven. The second floor bedrooms all ha... 04/19/2012

CHARLES COVE WATERFRONT CONDOS, NORWALK, CT 06850          Charles Cove Waterfront Condos are located in colorful Norwalk.  This is a gated 50 unit waterfront condominium community.  They offer three or two bedroom units with 2,000+ square feet. The complex was constructed in 2004 and is steps to the dock which can hold a 54 foot boat,     The living space is an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings and hard wood floors throughout.  The eat in kitchen has granite countertop and lead to the waterfront deck. The baths are up to date with dual sink vanity, sauna and/or oversized shower. The bright bedrooms are finished with plush wall to wall carpets.  The loft which can either be a second bedroom or office comes with skylights and wall to wall carpeting.       The homes are heated with el... 04/19/2012

We're celebrating Springtime in Norwalk CT! If you look at the current state of the real estate market, there is much to celebrate... Sales - in the month of March there were 35 sales.  The least expensive home a 3 bedroom with 1.5 bathrooms was sold for $189,900 in East Norwalk. The most expensive home in Rowayton sold for $2,000,000! Currently there are 419 single family homes available for sale - ranging from $105,000 for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom home an waterfront estate on Belle Island listed at $4,650,000.  Any takers?  This is the right time to buy as the prices are low and the interest rates are even lower!  Historically, fortunes were made in real estate in markets just like the one we are currently in....the biggest opportunity is in the price range of $399,999 and below! And 73... 04/12/2012

Easy Living at Linden Heights Condominiums in Norwalk, CT 06850     Linden Heights ColonialCondos, Norwalk, CT 06850 are located in Norwalk Connecticut. They are part of Fairfield County, Connecticut, the “Gold Coast” of Connecticut. Linden Heights Colonial Condos were built in 1998. There are 33 units at Linden Heights that range from 2,364 square feet to 3,100 square feet. Each colonial designed home comes with a two car attached garage, gas head and central air conditioning. Maintenance of the outside is included in your common charges so this is truly maintenance free living! Pets are also welcome at Linden Heights.       When you enter your condominium at Linden Heights you will be impressed. The living room has a vaulted ceiling, hardwood floors and is open to the dining room. Th... 04/11/2012

COTTONWOOD CHASE LUXURY  CONDOMINIUMS, NORWALK, CT 06850   Cottonwood Chase in Norwalk is a 5 unit planned community of LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS. These homes are very exclusive and conveniently located right on the Norwalk/Westport town lines. There are five homes situated on 5.4 acres of land which back up to a conservation area. There is plenty of room between units and a plethora of open space to enjoy. Units have four bedrooms and 2 ½ baths. They were built with the discriminating home owner in mind!     The list of amenities at Cottonwood Chase seems never ending. There are gorgeous hard wood floors in the living areas, and wall to wall carpeting and high ceilings in the bedrooms. The kitchens have granite counter tops, center islands, custom cabinets, top rated appliances and beautiful... 04/10/2012

Village Creek - South Norwalk's Best Kept Secret! Village Creek is not only one of South Norwalk’s best kept secrets because of the beautiful land, private beach and marina and modern houses – but it is also one of CT’s – and the United States – best kept secrets because it is riddled with history! The community was built specifically to encourage racial and religious equality. While the idea is nice, it doesn’t sound too impressive today until you realize that Village Creek was built in 1949 when the United States was teeming with racial and religious discrimination! The founders (three of whom still live there - Roger Wilcox, Emily and Phil Oppenheimer ) – not only carefully planned and built their community, but they also faced discrimination themselves. The FHA in Hartford CT refuse... 04/05/2012

NEGOTIATING OFFERS ON YOUR ROWAYTON CONNECTICUT HOME Getting an offer is not the end of the sales process, it's really the beginning.  Up until this point everything has simply been paving the way for the right buyer to make an offer on your home.  An offer includes more than the price, it includes the terms of the sale, which can sometimes be more important than the price.  For example, if someone offers full list price, but makes the sale contingent upon the sale of their own home, this offer is less desirable than a slightly lower offer with no contingencies.  You need to look at the offer as a whole, not just at one or two aspects.  Sometimes getting the right price causes sellers to overlook problems that could arise from the close dates or mortgage contingency dates.  They are so ... 03/31/2012

NEGOTIATING OFFERS ON YOUR NORWALK CONNECTICUT HOME Getting an offer is not the end of the sales process, it's really the beginning.  Up until this point everything has simply been paving the way for the right buyer to make an offer on your home.  An offer includes more than the price, it includes the terms of the sale, which can sometimes be more important than the price.  For example, if someone offers full list price, but makes the sale contingent upon the sale of their own home, this offer is less desirable than a slightly lower offer with no contingencies.  You need to look at the offer as a whole, not just at one or two aspects.  Sometimes getting the right price causes sellers to overlook problems that could arise from the close dates or mortgage contingency dates.  They are so o... 03/31/2012

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

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

Free Energy Star Webinars for Homes. “Selling ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes under Version 3” is a free Webinars for Real Estate agents, builders, home owners and anyone interested in the EPA’s Energy Star program for homes. On Thursday March 22, 2012 learn the basics of what makes a home ENERGY STAR 2012 version 3 and how to qualify. Learn how to tell your customers the specification of an Energy Star home and how to implement tried and true sales strategies. This session is a great crash course for new sales staff and is beneficial for ENERGY STAR veterans as well. To learn about this Webinar and others click here. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through ener... 03/15/2012

MARKETING YOUR ROWAYTON 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

Village Creek – an Historical and Architectural Wonder in South Norwalk This past year Village Creek in South Norwalk was named to the Connecticut and National Registries of Historic Places. This exceptional honor happened not just because of the wonderful history surrounding Village Creek, but also because of the beautiful architecture and design of the community. Village Creek was not only created to ensure racial and religious equality in the midst of the 1950’s in America, but it was created to highlight the new modern Post World War II era in America. Many of the homes are inspired by the contemporary style of  Frank Llyod Wright (in fact Edgar Tafel, Wright’s student, was one of the architects). To live in Village Creek one must join the Village Creek Home Owner’s Association and ... 03/08/2012