Every year West Hartford has a weekend-long community celebration.  This year's event will take place next weekend on June 2 and 3.  You can enjoy a multitude of vendors selling arts and crafts, games and rides for kids, a 5K race, and some great food.  The celebration takes place in West Hartford Center along Main Street.Celebrate West Hartford is held rain or shine.  Make plans to stop by for a few hours to check out the sites and the progress of Blue Back Square.  Here's a link to the official website if you'd like more info. 05/22/2007

According to an article today in the Hartford Courant, the West Hartford Taxpayers Association (WHTA) is about 400 signatures away from forcing a referendum on the recently adopted town budget.While I understand the concern that property taxes will rise by approximately 6.6% for all West Hartford homeowners, I don't believe cutting the budget is the way to go.  West Hartford draws and retains residents because of the perception of excellent services and the public school system it offers.  Every weekend I see evidence of this when people from Bloomfield, New Britain, Newington, etc. flood open houses.  The reason they are looking to move?  "I want my kids to go to the West Hartford schools."  If the WHTA is successful in collecting the necessary signatures, their recommendation will be ... 05/09/2007

If you are considering a move to West Hartford, CT in the near future, you should know about their property records database.  Their online database is a model for other towns in the state, providing instant access and detailed information for anyone seeking information about real property in town.Some features: free online access no login required search by property address detailed property information including sales history, photo, permits, and building sketch interactive map, allowing you to select neighboring properties without knowing address comparable sales info by address and also shows you location on map in relation to property you're comparing you can even pick a place of interest, say a golf course, and view properties near that location Some towns offer limited informatio... 04/30/2007

From the Hartford Courant on April 12, 2007...West Hartford town officials announced an electronics recycling day on Saturday, May 5.  Residents who have old household electronic equipment they want to dispose of can recycle the items at no charge.Recycling will take place at the town's public works facility at 25 Brixton St. from 9:00am to noon.Residents can recycle the following items: computers, monitors, printers, cell phones, televisions, video-cassette recorders, copiers, fax machines, radios, stereos, and rechargeable nickel-cadium batteries.No commercial electronics will be accepted.  Proof of residency will be required.If you would like more information, visit the vendor's website at www.WeRecycle.com  04/12/2007

Last week I talked about property taxes in West Hartford making housing unaffordable for some folks.  This week it seems that we might want to look at affordable housing in CT in general.  The Courant ran an interesting article a few days ago...A Home They Can Buy...Here's a link to the official HOMEConnecticut site if you'd like to learn more...HOMEConnecticutPersonally, when I moved here 3 years ago, I was surprised at how affordable housing actually was compared to other areas where I previously lived; Vermont, Boston and the DC area.  However, I also live in Hartford, a town that often gets overlooked during home... 04/09/2007

I realized the other day that I get to see how Blue Back is progressing every day, simply because I work in the Center.  Some West Hartford residents might not visit quite that often, or you may just be curious if you're from an adjacent town.  Here's a quick visual update of the progress on Blue Back Square.  HealthTrax is scheduled to open late May.  The Heritage condos are planning for late 2007 occupancy for some units.  Here are some recent pics of the construction...                         04/07/2007

This past Thursday evening I attended the Town Council budget hearing at town hall. The hot topic was the recent property revaluation and new mill rate. It was well attended, I would say over 60 people showed up, even though it was Holy Thursday and Passover. By my observation, the majority of people were long time West Hartford residents, living in the town anywhere from 25-50 years. Several of the residents that spoke were from multi-generational families of WH. You could sense their great pride for the town, however there was an overwhelming sense of disgust due to the potentially huge increases most are facing with their new tax bills. Many of the attendees were either retired or nearing retirement. It's not clear to them how they will be able to continue living in WH on fixed incom... 04/07/2007

 2006 AVERAGE LIST PRICE      $486,0002005 AVEARGE SALE PRICE      $359,0002006 AVERAGE SALE PRICE      $357,000% INCR/DECR     -0.6% NUMBER OF UNITS SOLD2005   6592006   630% INCR/DECR   -4.4% JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 2006 VS JANUARY - SEPTEMBER 2005 01/13/2007

West Hartford, CT is a classic New England town with something for everyone in your family to enjoy. From the shopping and dining district in The Center to the beautiful rose gardens of Elizabeth Park and everywhere in between, charm and hospitality are evident. Only a few minutes away from Hartford the state capital of Connecticut and a few hours from Boston, MA and New York City this is a great town to live and work.Our town is constantly evolving with the newest addition under way and scheduled to be completed by 2007, Blue Back Square and new Shopping, dining, office and residential living complex.  Just one more reason that West Hartford is one of the most sought out areas.Want more information on West Hartford, CT?  Contact me and I will be happy to get you the information you may... 11/13/2006