Realtor Association Economist Takes Stock of Nations Real Estate. Greenwich Time has a great article on a presentation done by Dr. Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, said that in Greenwich, year-to-date home sales are up 2 percent from 2010, more than double from 2009. Nation wide it's "trying to recover. The decline appears to be pretty much done, but the question is the strength of the recovery," Yun said. "We have a constantly rising population, yet home sales activity is currently at about 1998 levels, so there's much lower home sales in relation to population. But population in itself does not create housing demand." To read the rest to the Greenwich Time article click here. Data is saying worse is over, delinquent mortgages have topped off, smart money i... 07/01/2011

NAR’s Chief Economist Speaks in Greenwich, Connecticut. June 29, 2011 ~ Greenwich, Ct. Lawrence Yun, Ph.D., Chief Economist at National Association of Realtors gave presentation at Belle Haven Country Club in Greenwich on “Housing Market and Economic Outlook”.  Data is saying worse is over, delinquent mortgages have topped off, smart money investors are looking at real estate and pending home sales are up from last year.   With the United States adding about 3 million people a year to its population there will be a point when housing does not meet demand. Housing and economics go hand in hand and with banks not lending as much as in the past to new construction there could be a pent up demand accumulating. Existing Homes make up 95% of the market while new homes are making up 5%, buildi... 06/29/2011

Shakespeare on the Sound, 2011 ~ Part 2. If you missed Shakespeare on the Sound 2011 production last week in Rowayton, Connecticut of “Much Ado About Nothing” don’t worry. The show will continue next week at Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut from July 5th to 10th starting at 7:30 pm. This update version of Shakespeare’s comedy well be liked by all, bring a blanket to the park, some snacks and enjoy an evening of fun. Click here to read the New York Times review and a bit more on the play of Much Ado About Nothing. Park opens at 4:oo pm each night for placing of chairs and blankets, reserved seating is available for a charge of $50 in advance, free admission but donations are gratefully accepted, suggested donation of $20 per person.  Come enjoy this 16 years of outdoor theater with... 06/28/2011

Recently I posted this comment to my Blog: A Magnificent Waterfront Estate in Greenwich Connecticut  One of the great joys of our business is touring the homes for sale.  Whether a modest starter home or  an amazing estates, some of our market areas run the complete gambit. This week I was privileged to tour a truly amazing waterfront estate in Greenwich Ct that is being marketed by Sotheby's.  Originally the site of the Roebling's summer house, the estate even comes complete with a 175 foot suspension bridge which echoes the more famous one in Brooklyn.  Offered at $42,500,000 I thought some of you might enjoy looking at it: http://grw.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1325381979&s=GRW&t=GRW This home which had been featured in Architectural Digest was a unique in many respects.  I am ... 06/24/2011

It's back! Dunellen Hall, one of the "Great Estates of Greenwich" and former home of Harry and Leona Helmsley is back on the market. Originally for sale at $125,000,000 in May of 2008, the estate went through several brokers and numerous price reductions before selling in October of 2010 for $35,000,000. Now it has returned to the market with a price tag of $42,900,000. Or the additional $7.9 the next buyer gets to customize the new kitchen and baths. Yet as fascinating as this 40 acre estate is, the new price would seem aggressive. You can view it here:   http://grw.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1210019061&s=GRW&t=GRW Some previous owners of this fabled dwelling have come to sad ends or endured significant loss and travail.  One wonders if these owners will be joining the list. Tim... 06/21/2011

One of our many services is color consultation. The home seller of this house called us for a home staging consultation in Greenwich. While they decided to only virtually stage a couple of rooms of the property, we have consulted them on home improvements and updates to better showcase the home and make it move-in ready for buyers. The house, located directly on the water has now a much improved curb appeal, just by changing the exterior color. The aesthetics is now higher end.   Before:   After:               06/18/2011

Greenwich, Connecticut Housing Data May 2011. Single family housing sales in Greenwich, Connecticut for May 2011 were 55, up 37.5% compared to May 2010 of 40.  Over a 3 month period unit sales for May, 2011 were 142 compared to 113 for May 2010, a 25.7% increase. Along with increase unit sales the median sales price for a 3 months period ending May 2011 was up 11.2% to $1,862,500 and the average sales price for the same period is $2,441,589 (see chart below). Inventory of 822 in May, 2011 was up 9.7% from 749 in April and up 12.8% from 729 in May, 2010.       William Raveis Website, Raveis.com, has a great tool for owners, sellers & buyers called ‘Local Housing Data’.  On this page it will give you all the local up to date data & statistic for the town you are interested in.   Median Pr... 06/14/2011

FOR SALE, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1648 sq. ft PRICE REDUCTION from $595,000 to $549,900 in GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT.   View Larger Map David Popoff is a license Realtor in Connecticut with William Raveis office in Darien. A life time resident of Fairfield County he has worked throughout lower Fairfield County for over 30 year. He grew up in Rowayton and now resides in Darien, Ct since 2004. • Member of the Connecticut Association of Realtors, CAR. • Member of the National Association of Realtors, NAR. • David Popoff is an accredited LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) Homes and USGBC member of the Connecticut chapter (CTGBC). • Associate member and an accredited Certified Green Professional (CGP) of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the local chapter HBRA-Fairfield County... 06/08/2011

Preparing for the LEED GA exam from USGBC.  The exam is ever changing with different questions but here are the basics that I used to pass the LEED Green Associates (LEED GA) exam in 2010.  1. Take a “LEED Green Associate Core Concepts” class, live presentation at a local community college. There is a great one in Connecticut, click on highlighted text above to go to link.The course I took in Connecticut was based on two publications:-~ Green Building and LEED Core Concepts by USGBC~ LEED 2009 for NEW Construction and Major Renovations~ Click here to see current LEED Green Associate Collateral material offered by the Connecticut Community College’s...   2. Download and print the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook. Every month it changes a little so get the most current one and read... 06/07/2011

Are you looking for tile flooring and installation for your home in Greenwich CT? Whether it’s a kitchen floor, bathroom floors and walls, an entry way or mudroom, or even a Kitchen tile backsplash,we can help you at Floor Coverings International. We understand that it can be challenging to find the right type of tile for your floors, walls and backsplashes. What’s the right type of tile – ceramic, porcelain, tumbled natural stone, marble or granite? What’s the best style and color? What types are easiest to clean. Many customers seemed to get overwhelmed when they visit a tile store. Well here’s where we can help. Floor Coverings International makes it simple by “bringing the store to your door.” That way, you can see the samples in your own lighting and color coordinate with your cab... 06/05/2011

Find Sustainable Real Estate Agents At NAR Green.     I recently attended a seminar relating to “Building & Selling High Performance Green Homes” which was mostly attended by builders. One of the main complaints by the builders was that the real estate agents are not knowledgeable and trained to sell these types of homes. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) offers a three day course along with tests to earn a designation of NAR Green.  The NAR’s Green designation provides agent’s cutting edge green real estate education and membership to the Green Resource Council. Currently NAR’s Green Resource Council is offering savings of nearly $100 off of two main educational programs, NAR’s Green Core Course and Residential Elective for a limited time. A lot of people today are greenwashin... 05/24/2011

Open House, Sunday May15th, 2011 In Greenwich, Ct. Yes come on by, I and over 50 other Open House to be viewed available in Greenwich, Connecticut this Sunday May 15th, 2011. The majority of them start at 1:00 pm and go to 3:00 or 4:00 pm. If you like to view the open house list go to Raveis.com Open House. My open house will be at 35 Almira Drive just off of Weaver street, minutes from I-95, Merritt Parkway, downtown Greenwich and the train station. The original house was built in 1930's with a family room addition put on in 1993. 1,648 square feet on 0.13 acres this house is listed for $595,000. For more details go to website link click here.     David Popoff is a license Realtor in Connecticut with William Raveis office in Darien.   A life time resident of Fairfield County he has wor... 05/14/2011

     Recently a collegue asked me to help her with a CMA for a new listing.  She couldn't find active comparables or recent sales with which to work.       I suggested several alternative methods for her to use.     I was stunned therefore to see the new listing on the MLS with an amazing list price.  Turns out that the owners had purchased the house new within the last several years and have now listed the property much higher!  So who didn't get the memo - the agent, owners or both?  Here is Fairfield County Connecticut our sales volume is up, inventory is shrinking in certain price ranges BUT prices are not rapidly rising.  At best, they have stabilized and have very modest gains.      What is true about this market is that we have buyers.  We have buyers looking and hunting for valu... 05/01/2011

Are you looking for laminate flooring for your home in Greenwich CT? We know it can be challenging to figure out which flooring is right for your space and whether a laminate floor is right for you. Which wood species and color will look best? Which ones work with your budget? Who should you have install the laminate floors? What is a floating floor? Well here's where we can help. We make finding laminate flooring simple. We "bring the store to your door." That way, you can see the samples in your own lighting - the way it will look in real life. We'll help you color coordinate with your paint and furniture colors. We'll explain what a floating floor is and, we'll help you figure out whether laminate flooring makes sense for you and your budget. If you want, we can even show you hardwoo... 04/27/2011

I don’t understand why some realtors always sell the same story.  “This is a great time to sell.” “This is a great time to buy.” It makes no sense to me how someone could be pushing the same line for the past 5 years, as if the market hasn’t changed at all.  Mary Meeker (during the internet bubble) comes to mind… as does a broken record.   If we were selling an item that we, or our company, possessed (like a car, clothing, computer, whatever) I might be able understand how the message could always stay the same.  The intrinsic difference here is that we aren’t really selling anything.  We are advising our clients on HOW to best buy or sell something.  We are paid on the transaction, not the increase or decrease in value.  If values go up in a town, but transactions decrease then guess w... 04/14/2011

Greenwich, Ct. Home Data Report 1st Quarter 2011. Greenwich has a population of about 62,368 (2009) with an estimated median household income of $120,064 (2009) in an area of 67.2 square miles, 47.8 land and 19.4 water. Greenwich has a large number of parks and playgrounds, four town beaches, a town golf course and ice rink. Click here to go to town website to see all services.  http://www.greenwichct.org/ParksAndRec/prFacilitiesIndex.asp   1st quarter of 2011 market housing data for single family homes in Greenwich, Connecticut. Unit Sales total are 94 up from 2010 of 93. Median Sale Price are up 46.7% from $1,337,500 in 2010 to $1,962,500.(2011) Inventory is at 634 up from from 2010 of 597. (1st qt data)   As of April 13, 2011 according the Greenwich Multiple Listing Service (GMLS) fo... 04/13/2011

Energy Conscious Home Show & Forum, Greenwich, Ct. www.GreenGreenwich.com                 The Energy Conscious Home is a locally sponsored Home Show & Forum that will take place on April 2nd, 2011 at the Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut from 10 am to 3 pm. The all day event will consist of a number of booths with displays from Home Energy vendors and other Eco~Environmental Non-Profits organization along with a full day forum of notable speaker.  Steven Winters, AIA of Steven Winters Associates, Inc. based out of Norwalk, Ct. is the keynote speaker on Sustainability and Green. Some the other lectures will be delivered by local sustainable conscious architects John Rountree, Rainer Schrom, Kristine D’Elisa, Steven Hall and Bob Wall from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. To ... 03/29/2011

 Green Building 101 Energy Conscious Home Show & Forum Greenwich, Connecticut  March 2nd, 2011 www.GreenGreenwich.com   “Green Building” is getting a lot of hype lately, but what exactly is it? Green is a term used in today’s society to reflect on ways to save energy, resources and live a healthier life in a cleaner environment. It includes such practices as Recycling, Reusing and Reducing. These practices can be used in home building, home renovations, personal habits, lifestyles, land improvement and management. The costs of these green features can range from zero to hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars but over the life cycle of the product you will save money, time, and reduce the effect on the environment. For Greenwich’s “Energy Conscious Home Show & Forum” here are 12 hel... 03/28/2011

From my blog at GreenwichCT.com Saturday, March 26, 2011, at noon, with a raindate of Sunday, March 27, at 1:30pm A longtime Greenwich tradition, participants in this spring celebration are encouraged to bring kites of all shapes and sizes, made of paper, plastic or fabric – in fact, anything that will fly. Each flyer will receive a certificate to McDonalds, and be eligible for a drawing for gift certificates from Smart Kids’ Toys. It all happens at Greenwich Point. The Festival is sponsored by the Greenwich Arts Council and the Town of Greenwich Department of Parks and Recreation in partnership with McDonalds and the educational toy store Smart Kids. Participants are encouraged to bring kites of all shapes and sizes, made of paper, plastic or fabric. 03/25/2011

from my blog at GreenwichCT.com Where: Green Moon, 219 E Putnam Ave, Cos Cob, CT 06807 Date: March 24, 2011 Time: 6:00pm–8:00pm Jump start Spring with a fun shopping party at Green Moon’s latest fabulous location in Greenwich! The first 25 ladies will receive a complimentary gift bag filled with fantasic goodies from all our sponsors. Join the raffle for a chance to win gifts valued over $2000. All proceeds from the raffle ticket sales benefit FCA-Family & Children’s Agency, a non-profit organization that meets the needs of more than 10,000 individuals-including children, adults, and families. Come join us for a great evening of charity, fun and shopping! Features: Free, Open to All Website: http://ninapomeroy.com Phone: 2036138978 Email: info@ninapomeroy.com   03/23/2011