Had to take some outside photos of a condo for a listing, and wanted to share the flowers at the base of the steps. Then a visitor stopped by, but it probably isn't interested in the condo. It's always great to be able to smell the flowers, and maybe pick up a bit of a snack at the same time? 08/27/2009

We are all set on the day for the inspection and analysis of the septic system. The department head lays out the criteria for the bedrooms and square footage and discussed the current system. When originally built the system was to code. Over the years the codes had changed so that new systems had decidedly different requirements. Because of the date of the house, the inspector requested some new percolation test holes be dug, so that seepage and dissipation of water could be determined. This was an area of concern because many soils in our area have high clay content which minimizes the dissipation of water and requires extensive extensive digging and over-sized trenches to get an effective leech field. The holes were dug, the pails of water were poured, fingers were crossed and the st... 08/20/2009

  Meriden\Woodtick-Waterbury, CT Real Estate: Quarterly Market Report August 1, 2009   The grid below gives the type of house, sizes, sales prices and days on market for the homes that have sold in the Meriden\Woodtick, Waterbury CT area over the last 90 days.   Address Style #Bd #Bth SqFt L/Price S/Price C/Date DOM 78 ALEXANDER AVE   CAPE   3 1.0 1203 134,900 130,000 07/10/2009   44 51 BAGLEY TER SPLIT   3 1.1 1474 160,000 150,000 05/20/2009   16 78 BETH LN   RANCH 3 1.1 936 112,900 113,500 06/02/2009   64 239 CAPITOL AVE   RANCH 3 1.0 1020 110,000 106,000 06/18/2009   33 26 CELIA DRIVE   CAPE   3 1.0 1100 135,900 133,500 06/22/2009   25 744 FROST RD   CAPE   2 1.5 1035 39,900 34,000 07/17/2009   99 83 JOSEPH ST   CAPE   4 2.0 1428 99,000 90,500 05/07/2009   32 16 OLIVER AVE   RANCH 3 ... 08/18/2009

Bunker Hill-Waterbury, CT Real Estate: Quarterly Market Report August 1, 2009   The grid below gives the type of house, sizes, sales prices and days on market for the homes that have sold in the Bunker Hill, Waterbury CT area over the last 90 days.   Address Style #Bd #Bth SqFt L/Price S/Price C/Date DOM   95 ARDSLEY RD   RAISE 3 2.0 1676 144,900 147,000 05/20/2009   56 51 AURORA STREET   COL   3 2.0 1608 178,000 170,000 06/04/2009   29 20 BRENDAN ST   RANCH 2 1.0 1045 134,900 125,000 07/30/2009   67 405 BUNKER HILL AVE   SPLIT   3 3.0 2159 176,900 177,000 06/12/2009   8 76 CLEMATIS AVE   COL   3 2.1 1836 189,900 185,000 07/04/2009   477 16 DELAWARE AVE   COL   3 1.0 1318 81,000 79,250 06/24/2009   27 170 FOREST RIDGE RD   RANCH 2 1.0 1160 204,900 178,000 05/29/2009   90 197 HERITAGE D... 08/18/2009

Bucks Hill-Waterbury, CT Real Estate: Quarterly Market Report August 1, 2009   The grid below gives the type of house, sizes, sales prices and days on market for the homes that have sold in the Bucks Hill, Waterbury CT area over the last 90 days.   Address Style #Bd #Bth SqFt L/Price S/Price C/Date DOM 216 CHESTNUT HILL AVE   CAPE   3 2.0 1400 109,500 109,000 06/12/2009   1 117 CHIPPER RD   CAPE   3 1.5 1718 139,900 139,000 06/26/2009   5 49 HIDDEN POND DR RAISE 3 2.1 1236 200,000 197,000 06/23/2009   32 41 MADERA DRIVE   RAISE 3 1.0 1276 159,900 149,900 07/16/2009   111 3214 NORTH MAIN STREET   CAPE   4 1.1 1421 62,895 63,000 07/21/2009   24       Bucks Hill-Waterbury, CT Market Statistics: Average Listing Price: $134,439 Average Sale Price: $131,580 Average Days on Market (DOM): 42  ... 08/17/2009

East Mountain-Waterbury, CT Real Estate: Quarterly Market Report August 1, 2009   The grid below gives the type of house, sizes, sales prices and days on market for the homes that have sold in the East Mountain, Waterbury, CT area over the last 90 days.   Address Style #Bd #Bth SqFt L/Price S/Price C/Date DOM 99 BRACEWOOD RD   RAISE 3 2.0 1400 194,900 193,000 05/21/2009   14 33 GARASSINO PLACE   RANCH 3 1.0 1428 149,900 149,000 07/30/2009   73 219 HARWOOD RD   RAISE 3 2.0 1872 209,900 200,000 05/20/2009   284 149 HARWOOD ROAD   SPLIT   3 1.1 1194 206,000 185,000 07/15/2009   73 1031 PEARL LAKE RD   COL   3 2.1 2000 199,900 205,000 06/16/2009   22 61 PURDY RD   RANCH 3 1.0 1144 143,000 143,000 07/14/2009   14 80 ROCKLEDGE DR   CAPE   4 1.0 1163 159,900 147,500 06/12/2009   128 80 SPLIT ... 08/17/2009

Finally got an appointment with the building inspector, and he met me at the house. We reviewed the permits and he looked at his notes to find than there had been one inspection for new electrics, which would have been the worst case scenario had nothing been done, because sheet rock could have been removed for the job to be done. We obtained the final approval on the building permits, paid the fees, and were told that the town's assessor would be calling to make an appointment to re-measure the addition to the house once the septic system had been addresssed. So now it was off to the sanitary district. I requested the file on my listing and went through the documents. No permit application was in the file, and the addition had been to add a new bedroom and full bath, where the original... 08/17/2009

I'm sorry but you have the wrong number, but I'm happy you called is something I've said twice this week to people that called my phone number by mistake. Each caller was looking for Schmidt's & Serafines, a Waterbury, Ct hardware store that I featured on Aug 5 as one of my neighborhood business in Bob Stewart's challenge. In the original post, I had erroneously left out the phone number for the store. Obviously somebody seeking info on the store online called the only number that was originally posted, which was my phone number. Thanks AR for presenting this challenge which gave the store some online presence, probably better than we could have expected. The results are equally as good for my other, career real estate because I do get calls from my posts and this will generate business... 08/16/2009

Tracing the Building Permits In Part 1 the house had an addition added that still had open issues with the town;s records. The quest was to find records of the building permits having been pulled and that all necessary inspections had been completed, and maybe just a clerical error was the cause for the confusion. I first went to the assessors office to get a full field card from the files. Then to the town clerks office to get a copy of the property map. No clues here so the building inspector's office was next. It should be noted that any work to be done on a home after initial construction requires a permit from the building inspector. This is not just a method of getting a permit fee, but more importantly, it's the mechanism that assures the homeowner and any subsequent owners that ... 08/15/2009

EAST MOUNTAIN-WATERBURY CT NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE View East Mountain - Waterbury, CT in a larger map     The East Mountain neighborhood of Waterbury, CT occupies a small area in the southeastern corner of the city. Anyone traveling to Prospect, or to New Haven, would pass through the East Mountain area via Route 69, also known as Prospect Road, which cuts the East Mountain neighborhood into two parts, with the larger portion of the East Mountain area lying to the west of Route 69.   The   East Mountain community in Waterbury, CT is an all residential community, consisting of a collection of colonial, cape, and assorted ranch style houses. There are a few multi-family dwellings located at the foot of the East Mountain area. There are no condominiums anywhere in the East Mountain neighborh... 08/14/2009

  EAST MOUNTAIN PARK - Waterbury CT     The East Mountain Neighborhood Association recently completed renovations to the East Mountain Park , located on East Mountain Road adjacent to the East Mountain Golf Course. The East Mountain Park boasts two baseball diamonds for baseball and softball games, a basketball court, sprinkler, large playground area with swings, and a walkway round the park. The view of the East Mountain Reservoir is spectacular from the walkway.       Residents of the city from the neighborhood, as well as from near and far, come together here to enjoy a nice day with family and friends, to play a game of hoops, and to take a stroll around the park.   I had the opportunity to bring my 20 month old son to the East Mountain Park last week, and while he loved being on t... 08/14/2009

Initial Call and Presentation We all get charged with the call from a homeowner asking for assistance in selling their home. This particular home gave me that lift not just because it was an opportunity to get the listing, but it was in an area that is very desirable. I have gotten permission from the owner to relate the experience, but with the condition that the home be anonymous. As with all of my first meetings, I went into the system to gather as much information about the listing and the appropriate comps. I pulled the field card from the online source and collected my presentation materials. At the appointed hour, I met with the owners, briefly discussed my approach to selling their home, along with the obligatory personal history. I requested a tour of the home so that I could b... 08/13/2009

TONY’S Men’s Shop – Waterbury’s Fashion Center For Men   You know, there really aren’t too many places that a man can find good quality clothing these days. It seems as if all of the clothing specialty places are all for the women…but all is not lost, because there is Tony’s Men’s Shop.   I remember very well the first day I had set foot into Tony’s Men’s Shop, back in 1996. I had just returned home from college, and I was in need of a decent shirt and tie. The owner, Tony Nunes, was very helpful as he guided me around the store, making suggestions and telling me about the great sales he had going on at the time. I settled on a cobalt blue shirt and a nice eclectic tie – I still have them today, some thirteen years later.   It was not the last time that I visited Tony’s Men’s Shop. Ove... 08/11/2009

Bally's Fitness Center, Middlebury, Ct  is the area's oldest and largest facility to trim that body or maintain the shape you are in. Located at 930 Straits Turnpike, just over the Waterbury line in Middlebury, Ct, Bally's Fitness Center offers something for people of all ages. Had a few too many specialty subs from Amalfi's, or too many pizza's from Pizza Castle, Bally's Fitness Center offers weight circuit, or cardiovascular training, with a number of options for you. Their air-conditioned facility comes equipped with "brand new" treadmills, ellipticals, stairmasters and more. The weight room has numerous machines and free weights designed to give you a total body workout. Had one too many pieces of pie from Lyman Orchards, or spent too much time sipping the wines from Gouveia's Viney... 08/11/2009

FRANKIE’S – A Waterbury Tradition   I remember when I was a young boy back in the late 70’s, riding with my parents to the Frankie’s on Lakewood Road. It was always a treat going to Frankie’s on a Friday night, to have a deliciously extra-long hot dog on a toasted bun, with mouth-watering steak fries all crispy and golden brown.   Every now and again, we would stop by the Frankie’s on Watertown Avenue on the way to a game at Municipal Stadium or coming from the annual fireworks display during the summer. There was nothing like the hot dogs served at Frankie’s, not then, and not now.   At that time, when we stopped by the Frankie’s on Watertown Avenue, I had no idea that we were partaking of a tradition that predated even my parents.   The original Frankie’s hot dog stand on Watertown A... 08/10/2009

MAR-VIC CLEANERS AND TAILORS Mar-Vic Cleaners has been the cleaners of choice for my family as long as I can remember. Every suit I ever had, every dress that my mother, sisters, and grandmothers wore, when it was time for them to be dry-cleaned, they would head downtown to Mar-Vic Cleaners. No matter what type of stain they may have gotten on them, they always came back from Mar-Vic Cleaners looking like new, well pressed and not a spot remaining. One day, when I was a young man, I discovered the need for some tailoring services. A pair of pants for a suit needed to be professionally taken in and hemmed. I did not know that Mar-Vic Cleaners also had tailoring services. When I brought the pants in to be cleaned one day, I mentioned the looseness around the waist and the unraveling cuff,... 08/08/2009

WATERBURY, CT REAL ESTATE – MARKET UPDATE AUGUST 2009 Let's see what happened in the Waterbury, CT real estate market in terms of active listings: Active Listings 509 New Listings 17 Average List Price $166,897 Median List Price $159,900 Average Sq. Ft. 1576 Median Sq. Ft. 1882 There are 509 active listings, and 17 homes for sale that just joined the Waterbury, CT real estate market in the last month.   Here's the breakdown of the prices of homes for sale in Waterbury, CT   as of August 1, 2009: List Price Houses % < 100,000 73 14 100,001-150,000 157 31 150,001-200,000 165 32 200,001-250,000 75 15 250,001-300,000 20 4 >300,001 21 4   You can search for homes for sale in Waterbury, CT by visiting William’s Places !   Here's a look at what's recently sold in Waterbury, CT : Closed Listin... 08/08/2009

MERIDEN-WOODTICK WATERBURY, CT REAL ESTATE – MARKET UPDATE AUGUST 2009   Here’s a look at what’s been happening in the Meriden-Woodtick section of Waterbury’s East End real estate market : Active Listings 33 New Listings 2 Average List Price $161,203 Median List Price $159,900 Average Sq. Ft. 1307 Median Sq. Ft. 1312   There are 33 active listings, and two newly listed homes for sale in the Meriden-Woodtick section of Waterbury CT’s East End community in the last month. The average size of the homes for sale in the Meriden-Woodtick neighborhood has remained the same in comparison to similar neighborhoods relative to the prices being asked for them. Here's a breakdown of the prices of homes for sale in the Meriden-Woodtick Waterbury, CT neighborhood: List Price Houses % < 100,000 3 9 10... 08/08/2009

Dippy's Ice Cream , in Waterbury, CT is the place to go where everyone comes out with a smile. We all love ice cream, or as Homer Simpson so often says,  OOhhh, Ice creammmmm! Feeling a little down?  Want something of a pick-me-up? Who doesn't feel better after an ice cream?   Dippy's Ice Cream is a family operated store, having served ice cream since 1976.  Paul Depaolo, the owner makes all the ice cream fresh at the store, with 35 flavors of hard and of course soft ice cream.  Need a special treat for a special occasion? get a great Dippy's  ice cream cake and watch how quickly it disappears. No worries about the frosting, and that special crunchy filling?, there are many a use for Oreo cookies.  Any shape, any size Dippy's Ice Cream in Waterbury, Ct makes them all.   As is often hear... 08/07/2009

Schmidt's & Serafines, Inc located at 464 Chase Ave in Waterbury, Ct has been a family owned and operated hardware store since 1924. Two friends started the business and eventually the family merger was completed when sons married into the Serafine's family. The store is currently run by Jeff and Charlie Schmidt.   As in the old fashioned general stores, every morning some of the inventory is placed on display outside of the store, just in case somebody may have forgotten what gets sold inside. When you do go inside, you will be overwhelmed with the diverse amount of items available, and the courteous nature of the staff. Need a special part for a repair around the house and not sure what to do? Bring it in and be pleasantly surprised at how well you will be treated. If you walk in and ... 08/05/2009