Ever wonder how you can own a home in Greenwich Connecticut? Have you heard that you can get a good deal on a short sale and/or foreclosure in Greenwich CT, but did not know how to proceed? Well wonder no more...on Saturday, July 7, 2012 I am teaming up with Attorney James Maye, Fairfield County Real Estate and Jennifer Moye, Senior Loan Officer of Chase Bank to conduct a free seminar and discuss the Steps in Homeownership.  Attorney Maye will discuss the legalities of the purchase, Ms. Moye will discuss the financing options and I will cover the options and inventory available. Beginning at 10am through noon, you will be able to ask questions and get answers on how to become a homeowner. Click here for more information Please RSVP as we want to have enough handouts and refreshments. Ho... 06/22/2012

"So how is the Greenwich CT real estate market going?  Is it turning around?" These questions I am asked on an almost daily basis. So allow me to share the most recent statistics with you... In the month of May, 48 single family homes were sold.... The lease expensive home that sold in May was a renovated 2 bedroom/ 1 bathroom 1,041 square foot home, which sold for $445,000.  The most expensive was a waterfront property in the Shorehaven community  on 2 acres.  This Mead Point Tudor beauty which has 5 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms sold for $13,950,000. Currently there are 79 homes under contract and pending the closing. Here's the breakout: While those homes are "taken", there are still 652 homes from which to choose.  The least expensive home that will make you a Greenwich resident is loc... 06/06/2012

Fact Or Fiction, Realtor’s Check Before! Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8% sales tax on it to help pay for the ObamaCare bill?  I recently received this from a seasoned real estate agent in a mass mailing, is it fact or fiction. As Realtor’s we have an obligation to pass along creditable information. Have you seen this e-mail, take a look below, what do you think is it fact or fiction?   Subject: Fw: Home Sales Tax-effective Jan. 1, 2013   Say this isn't so!!!!!!!!!! When does your home become part of your health care? After 2012!    Your vote counts big time in 2012, make sure you and all your friends and family know about this !       HOME SALES TAX       I thought you might find this interesting, -- maybe even SICKENING!         The National Asso... 05/30/2012

Lower Home Prices & Mortgage Rates = Opportunity in Greenwich, 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 Greenwich, Connecticut the median sold price year to date compared to last year is down 29.49% at a median sold price of $1,375,000. Along with that the number of homes sold are down 59.33% year to date compared to last year in Greenwich, Ct. Currently on the Greenwich MLS there are 631 single family homes for sale ranging in price from $379,000 through to $26,000,000 which is a 14,966 square foot Palladian style villa situated on 10+ acres.           If you would like to sign up for the WPSIR real estate e-mail newsletter ... 05/10/2012

WSJ ~ American’s Garbage Costing Communities Big $$$. Wall Street Journal, Grappling With a Garbage Glut, April 14th, 2012. American’s need to pay attention to their trash, the cost of disposing of all this to American communities is huge.  On average a community spends more money on waste management than on fire protection, parks and recreation, libraries or schoolbooks, according to U.S. Census data on municipal budgets. Los Angeles has constructed a garbage mountain 500 feet high. New York City carts out 12,000 tons of trash a day. The average American tosses out 4.4 pounds of trash per day with the USA population at around 313,000,000+ and growing that is a lot of trash. In Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Denmark all send less than 4% of their trash to landfills. Recyc... 04/19/2012

 Welcome to the Spring Real Estate market in Greenwich CT.  As the flowers bloom, the market is picking up. We had 38 sales in the month of March - the least priced property was a cute 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom home in the Glenville area which sold for $435,000. The most expensive home was a waterfront property in Old Greenwich with 8 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, which sold for $9,250,000.    The inventory is growing, like the tulips and this is a great market to farm and invest in. 569 homes are currently avaialble on the market - priced from $379,000 a Byram home having 2 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Or if you need more space, you can purchase a villa and the additional 8 acres of equestrian property located North of the Merritt Parkway.  This home designed by architect Robert Lamb has 8... 04/13/2012

Greenwich, Connecticut Real Estate Market Report 1st Quarter 2012. April 9th, 2012. As of today in Greenwich, Connecticut there are 574 single family homes listed for sale on the Greenwich MLS with prices starting at $349,000 for a 1,007 square foot ranch on 0.17 acres and going up to $26,000,000 for a 14,966 square foot home on 10.05 acres.  There are another 170 listings on the Greenwich MLS that include condominiums, co-ops and lots. The William Pitt Sotheby’s Market Trend report for the 1st Quarter of 2012 shows the Greenwich single family real estate market has adjusted downwards from the same time last year with the number of homes sold down 37.11% and median sold price down 29.49% year to date.   *The statistics presented are compiled on figures and data generated by GREENWICH ML... 04/09/2012

Greenwich Real Estate Mid-March Market Report 2012. March 19th, 2012. Currently in Greenwich, Connecticut the Greenwich MLS has 711 listings with 552 of them being single family homes. Prices range from a one bedroom, one bathroom co-op listed at $269,000 up to a 14,966 square foot home on 10.05 acres listed at $26,000,000. From March 1st to today there have been 89 new listings on the Greenwich MLS. Year to Date there have been 80 sold units recorded on the Greenwich MLS. Below is a copy of the William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty Market Report for Greenwich, Ct for the month of February.       *Listing and sales information comes from various sources and may not always be accurate. No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy of this information. You should verify a... 03/19/2012

Real Estate Green Classes in Connecticut, April 2012. For members of the National Association of Realtors, NAR and the Connecticut Association of Realtors, CAR are  offering the new and improved NAR GREEN Designation education classes on April 2, 4 & 9 at Bridgeport, Connecticut. The NAR's Green Designation Courses meet the minimum requirements set forth by the Real Estate Commission and are each approved for 6 hours of CE elective credit for Salespeople and Brokers. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.    To find NAR Green Designees in your area, please enter your state, zip code, or the last name of the designee CLICK HERE TO GO.    Earn Some Green & Save Some Green  NAR has completely re-vamped their GREEN Designation program which is now broken down into three classes: GREEN 100, GREEN ... 03/16/2012

March 12, 2012 –First Nations Initiative 501C3 (FNI) has announced Cecil Walker as CEO of Turtle Clan Global (TCG)Mr. Cecil Walker has been appointed as CEO of Turtle Clan Global by First Nations Initiative 501c3. Both companies, located on Kahnawake (pronounced [GahnaˈWaːGe] Mohawk Reservation in Quebec, have additional offices in the United States. Cecil Walker: Established Operational Excellence   “Mr. Walker is skilled at translating conceptual models into specific strategies; financing, then planning & executing multi-faceted design and construction campaigns.” said Lesley Burton-Dallas, Founder FNI and TCG. “Mr. Walker has a proven ability for establishing operational excellence within culturally diverse environments worldwide.” Mr. Walker owns CW Construction, Inc., a Prairie Ban... 03/14/2012

Local Green Building Tours Educate Public in Connecticut.   The United States Green Building Council is a National and Global group with local chapter to help educate the public, real estate agents, builders, architects, homeowners and more. One way is through tours of existing ‘green’ buildings where one can actually touch, see, experience the space as well as to see the actual numbers in costs & savings. Green building is not just about less maintenance, saving energy and resources but also about a healthier and more comfortable lifestyle at home and in the workplace. To find your local chapter and educational tours click here to go to USGBC website. The Connecticut chapter, CTGBC, of the U.S. Green Building Council and has organized two tours to learn more about sustainable residenti... 02/23/2012

First and foremost, I want to thank all of my clients for helping make 2011 a great year.  I closed on 20 houses (13 sales, 7 rentals) in 2011, which was is my best year so far and owe it all to my wonderful clients.  I enjoyed working with everyone and appreciate the business. I also want to thank the many people who referred business to me.  The referral business is a huge part of my pipeline and I am grateful for every lead sent to me. Looking back on 2011, I am pleased to say that the Greenwich Real Estate market held up well.  I am not going to sugarcoat it and tell you that it was a banner year and that I only see signs of the market improving from here on out.  When viewed from a macro-level, 2011 was still a very slow year.  We did not see the level of transactions that we had a... 02/15/2012

Websites To Find Green Professionals. Websites to help you find a local green professionals who specializes in green building techniques, materials, designs and lifestyles. 1. The National Assoc. of Home Builders (NAHB) has a Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation for builders. Here is a link to find local CGP’s in your region.  http://www.nahb.org/directory.aspx?sectionID=1434&directoryID=1415 2. The National Assoc. of Realtor’s also has a Green designation for real estate agents by state and towns. http://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/find_an_nar_green_designee.cfm 3. U.S. Green Building Council has LEED AP Homes designation for architects, builders, consultants. https://ssl12.cyzap.net/gbcicertonline/onlinedirectory/ 4. Energy Star program for homes by the US government has a ... 02/13/2012

Happy New Year! The first month of the year has been completed and here's where we stand..... SOLD Single Family Properties: 28 Properties sold in the month of January. The least expensive property sold for $345,000, it was listed at $399,900. The most expensive property sold for $13,000,000 after it was listed for $13,900,000. Active Properties: Currently there are 481 properties available for sale in Greenwich.  Ranging from $385,000 through $39,600,000. The average days on market is 225 days.   Properties pending sale while under a fully executed contract: 32 are nearing the change of owner's hands. The listing prices begin at $479,000 through $6,495,000 - fingers crossed the sellers will sell and the buyers will be in their new home shortly.     If you are thinking of listing your G... 02/06/2012

Mold Allergies and Asthma   Mold. It grows on bathroom walls, it makes basements smell bad, and it ruins perfectly good loaves of bread. And if you're allergic to it, there's a good chance that mold will add to your misery. The spores from common molds function much like the pollen from ragweed. If you inhale the spores, you could get a case of allergic rhinitis, otherwise known as hay fever -- an unpleasant combination of runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, itching, congestion and coughing. And if you have asthma, the spores may trigger attacks. More than 80 types of mold have been associated with lung, nose, and throat problems, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). (What's causing your allergies? Take this test and find out.) It's possible that ... 02/05/2012

2011 Year End Housing Data for Greenwich, Connecticut. January 19th, 2012. In Greenwich, Connecticut today there are 467 single family homes listed for sale on the Greenwich MLS with prices starting at $350,000 and going up to $39,600,000 Year to date for 2012 15 homes have sold in Greenwich, with another 66 homes with offers in place. In 2011 524 single family homes sold between the prices of $280,000 up to $39,500,000. The median sales price was $1,655,000 down $86,500 from 2010.       MARKET BREAKDOWN The average Days on the Market to sold, DOM for 2011 was 172 up 2 days from 2010.                     Greenwich, Connecticut is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is a 38+ minute Metro North train (express) ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The t... 01/19/2012

Happy New Year Greenwich, Connecticut!  An area known for the lifestyles of the wealthy, Greenwich, among other things,  is a small bedroom community of Manhattan.  The commuter trains into the city can be "standing room" only on many days as business commuters text, email and read the WSJ on their approx 41 minute commute into New York City. While the US has experienced a down turned economy, Greenwich Connecticut's single family housing market was not excluded in the pain. For the month of December, year over year single family houses sales experienced a double digit decrease from 44 houses sold in December 2010 to a total of 30 houses sold in December 2011. The largest number of sales occurred in the $1-2million range. As the number of transactions decreased, the market continues to ... 01/11/2012

What Were Your Top 10 ActiveRain Posts of 2011? To become a better blogger and to increase my presence on the web and in my community I always am checking my statistic page on ActiveRain to see what posts get the most views, clicks and comments. Here is a list of my top 10 ActiveRain posts of 2011. Last year I posted “What were your 10 Best ActiveRain Posts in 2010” and all top 10 were hyper local posts. For 2011 in my top 10 there were: 5 hyper local posts 2 ‘green’ sustainable posts 2 posts about ActiveRain 1 post on Mortgage Rates   Being part of ActiveRain is to share your knowledge and experience so we all can improve, achieve better business and become the go to person in our region. Share your experience on ActiveRain and in the comment section please post a link to your top 10 f... 01/01/2012

The Future of Lighting.    CBS Sunday Morning did a great story on the history of lighting from Edison’s 1879 invention 'light in a bottle' up to the new LED’s bulbs that will be the future of lighting. The new LED’s use about 9 watts of electricity versus the standard filament bulb that use 60 watts. With somewhere around 4.7 billion sockets in the U.S. this would save a huge amount on electricity consumption by the nation. To see the whole story “Let there be LEDs” click here. To see how “Just 1 LED Bulb will Save Over $100” click here.   David Popoff is a Connecticut license real estate agent in lower Fairfield County. He has lived and worked in the area for over 30 years and now reside in Darien since 2004. Member of the Multiple Listing Service, MLS. Darien  Greenwich  Greater Fair... 12/19/2011

For those of you who don't know, North Mianus CT is actually part of Old Greenwich, CT and Riverside, CT, which is all part of Greenwich, CT. This might sound confusing, so if you want more of an explanation take a look at my blog post on the communities within Greenwich.  GREENWICH COMMUNITIES EXPLAINED  North Mianus houses some great real estate in Greenwich, CT. The area was built up and re-defined post World War II. You will see a lot of split level homes because of the time period. As demand increases and money comes in many of these homes have been upgraded over years. Still a great entry point into Greenwich, CT real estate, North Mianus is only getting more and more valuable. For more information please feel free to take a look at some of my posts on the area: Post on North Mia... 12/13/2011