Real Estate in Central CT

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Some useful websites
2007-12-28 20:42:00
It is amazing to see the world we live in change each day. With that we get new sites and changes to old ones.First off we have Google maps, yes everyone knows about Google. But do you know about the street level feature? You can actually view areas from the tops of cars. Okay, suburbia may not be available but if you are looking to buy a house in or rent an apartment in New York, you can check out the neighborhood without leaving your current house!The second is Everyscape.com this is a new company but it has some pretty cool technology and could be better than google maps.The last one that I USE(there are a lot more than the ones I'm mentioning) is maps.live.com. Finally Microsoft has found some competition to Google. What I like most about maps.live is the Bird's Eye view. Check out the neighborhood before you see the house. You can see in the surrounding houses backyards and how many jalopies they have in the back!!
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A great interview for your home inspector!
2007-12-19 21:38:00
10 Questions to Ask a Home Inspector 1. What are your qualifications? Are you a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors or National Associaton of Home Inspectors?2. Do you have a current license? Inspectors are not required to be licensed in every state.3. How many inspections of properties such as this do you do each year?4. Do you have a list of past clients I can contact?5. Do you carry professional errors and omission insurance? May I have a copy of the policy?6. Do you provide any guarantees of your work?7. What specifically will the inspection cover?8. What type of report will I receive after the inspection?9. How long will the inspection take and how long will it take to receive the report?10. How much will the inspection cost?Portions adapted from Real Estate Checklists and Systems and used with permission. www.realestatechecklists.com
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I'm Back!!
2007-10-02 20:35:00
It's been a long time but I took the summer off to spend extra time with my children so once again I will be adding blogs about two times a week. I would like to touch on the sub-prime market and how that's affected us!!
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Sometimes Real Estate is where you don't want to be
2007-06-13 17:02:00
Ok, we have all heard it Location, Location, Location. But this photograph says it all. I am not a fan of being eaten by another animal, although some wouldn't mind getting close to these animals. Just remember to always check around the house or property you are buying. Now Olive pythons are native to Australia so in the United States it would be difficult to meet up with one. There are all kinds of dangerous animals in the U.S. from Black Widow Spiders to Rattlesnakes. Oh don't forget the two-legged danger. Yes, I'm talking about the human race. The best place to find out about the crime in your area is to check the local police department or just ask the neighbors.Publish Post
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How Brokers go Bad!!!
2007-05-19 19:25:00
Feds probe real estate agents Money magazine investigation shows Justice Dept. looking into anticompetitive practices.April 22, 2005: 5:27 PM EDT By Jon Birger, Money Magazine NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Did you pay your real estate broker too much? The U.S. Department of Justice may be set to turn Tulsa, Okla. into a test-case for ending the stranglehold 6 percent commissions have over the real estate brokerage business. MONEY has learned that Justice's Antitrust Division is gathering information on the bully tactics that full-commission brokers in Tulsa allegedly use against their discount rivals to discourage commission-cutting. The probe follows other recent efforts to spur competition in the real estate industry. According to a copy of a Justice Department subpoena obtained by MONEY, federal investigators are seeking information on "possible anticompetitive conduct in the provision of real estate services in the Tulsa area" as well as "documents related to refusal to cooperate on r...
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A case of non-disclosure
2007-04-13 19:34:00
As Realtors we are informed weekly of current issues in Real Estate by our local board. I want to relay you a case that just passed before a judge. The buyers of the property looked through the disclosures, no water or seepage in the basement. Their inspector found no defects. The buyers believed what they read in the MLS as true, mint condition and like new. The "like new" was in reference to the repairs the sellers had made. It was freshly painted and there had been repairs to the basement within the six months prior.After the buyers moved in they found the basement to be wet. They pulled the carpets back and lo and behold there had been repairs to rotting wood. They found mold and rot in a room that the inspector was unable to test due to storage.The buyers filed suit against the sellers and real estate agents alleging they new about the defects and hid them with the "like new" reference.The sellers said they knew nothing, and the inspection didn't uncover anything.The ...
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The Foreclosure Process
2007-04-08 07:05:00
You open the Sunday paper and in the back you see the foreclosure listings. How did they get there? What does it mean to you the buyer? There are 4 steps from this process courtesy of www.Realtytrac.com1. The owner of the houses fixes his debt2. The owner sells the property.3. The bank sells the house at auction(The Sunday paper option)4. The bank takes control and sells it. REO properties(Real Estate owned by the lender)Well as a buyer you may have a few options, you can purchase the property directly during pre-foreclosure when the bank has issued a lis pendens. This may allow the seller to reclaim some equity in the property.Auctions are risky. You must have a large cash deposit. You may be responsible for evicting the tenants. The property also may not be free and clear(you may have to pay back taxes, sewer liens, mechanic liens, etc.) You may get a good buy but it is at a higher risk.REO homes are free and clear the bank owns them. There will be a clean title. The pri...
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To Stage or Not to Stage
2007-04-02 02:00:00
OK....I said that this new post would be about foreclosures. But I read a very interesting article titled "Five Reasons You Should Never Sell a Vacant Home" by Jill Mendoza. I will give you the 5 summarizing each one and give you my experiences selling vacant properties.1. People like to buy "homes". Its amazing what decorations and furniture could do to a home. Its like walking into a store with nothing on the shelves. You quickly see what they don't have and are quick to get out.2. Having furniture in the house makes a big difference to buyers. They have an easier time judging if their stuff can fit.3. Buyers tend to notice the negative. This is so true. They see the marks on the wall. The scratches on the floor. The carpets that need replacing!4. Buyers just have a hard time imagining how it would look with their stuff in it. Its so much easier with the sellers belongings in the home. Even though they might not like your old couch, they just may envision their...
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First Time Buyers
2007-03-03 00:56:00
As a first time buyer there are alot of choices out there for you. What type of property should you purchase? How much can I afford? Where do I start?All good questions to ask yourself before you start. The type of property to buy truly depends on your situation. Do you want to mow your lawn every week? Do you want to be responsible for your repairs to your house? Do you want to shovel 3 feet of snow? If you answered why not then a house may be where you are heading. If you answered no then a condo would probably suit your needs.How much can you afford. Well there are some great websites to figure that out like BankRate.com. I find that site invaluable. It has everything that you would want from calculators to a comprehensive list of Mortgage companies. Just remember that when you are purchasing that everything depends on your credit. So pay your bills on time and the next time you are at a Red Sox game or at your favorite mall remember each time you open a credit card that may effe...
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