NEGOTIATING OFFERS ON YOUR NEW CANAAN CONNECTICUT HOME Getting an offer is not the end of the sales process, it's really the beginning.  Up until this point everything has simply been paving the way for the right buyer to make an offer on your home.  An offer includes more than the price, it includes the terms of the sale, which can sometimes be more important than the price.  For example, if someone offers full list price, but makes the sale contingent upon the sale of their own home, this offer is less desirable than a slightly lower offer with no contingencies.  You need to look at the offer as a whole, not just at one or two aspects.  Sometimes getting the right price causes sellers to overlook problems that could arise from the close dates or mortgage contingency dates.  They are s... 03/31/2012

SHOWING YOUR NEW CANAAN CONNECTICUT HOME After you have set the price, staged your New Canaan Connecticut home, and agreed upon a marketing plan with your listing agent, the next step is to make your home easy to see and to show off your home in its best possible light.  EASY TO SHOW These are important words to busy buyer agents.  When your home is "easy to show" buyer agents may include your home in their schedule even if it isn't quite what their buyers say they want.  This is good because buyers sometimes fall in love with a home outside their stated criteria.  "Easy to show" means that the sellers are very accomodating in terms of showing times and are forgiving if the agent runs a bit ahead or behind in their schedule.  The more restrictions you put on showings in terms of times, ... 03/18/2012

MARKETING YOUR NEW CANAAN CONNECTICUT HOME Print advertising is dead.  Well, almost!  Newspaper circulation is down and newspapers are shutting their doors across the U.S.  In tracking my Return on Investment (ROI) in advertising, I have seen print advertising decrease in effectiveness and Internet marketing increase.  MARKETING VS. ADVERTISING Let's talk a bit about the difference between marketing and advertising.  Advertising is when you pay the media to announce details of your product or service, such as when your agent takes an ad out in The Real Estate Book, a publication that is distributed at grocery stores, gas stations, and other public places.  Marketing involves all other methods to bring attention to your home and encourage its sale.  Open Houses are one form of marketing,... 03/13/2012

STAGING YOUR NEW CANAAN HOME You've seen HGTV. You know that staged homes sell faster and for more money, staging works, but it requires an outlay of money that you may not have. If you can't afford a stager, you can still apply some of the basic principles of staging to help your home sell faster. First thing you'll want to do is to walk through your house room by room with your listing agent. Your agent may not be able to give you the design advice of a stager, but he/she can give you advice about which room colors might cause a problem (e.g., a bright purple dining room) or furniture pieces that should be moved or rearranged. Don't make the mistake of painting the entire interior off-white on the premise that buyers can choose their own colors. Well-chosen wall and trim colors can ma... 03/04/2012

PRICING YOUR NEW CANAAN CT HOME TO SELL This is the second article in a six-part series about Selling Your New Canaan CT Home in a Buyer's Market.  In the first article we described the characteristics of a buyer's market.  We will now talk about pricing your home to sell in today's buyer's market. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU The most important thing to understand about pricing a home to sell is that the market determines the price.  The market doesn't care how much you paid for the home or how much money you put into upgrades or repairs.  Your home will sell for the price that buyers will pay for comparable homes.  If you price your home too high, even if a buyer comes along who is willing to pay above market value for your home, the mortgage company will whittle the offer down to the market va... 02/28/2012

1. INTRODUCTION   This is the first installment of a six-part series on Selling Your New Canaan Connecticut Home in a Buyer's Market.   What is a Buyer's Market?   A buyer's market is one in which there are more sellers than buyers. Nationwide we are in a real estate buyer's market, which means according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) that there is more than six month's worth of inventory (homes for sale). However, if you look at different locations, neighborhoods, price ranges, and even home styles, some niche markets are doing better than others. Low interest rates and FHA low down payment mortgages have encouraged sales at the low end, downsizers are spurring sales in the mid-range, and at the high end, there are buying niches, such as luxury, waterfront and water view... 02/22/2012

  NEW CANAAN Market Trends Report January 2012   The New Canaan, Connecticut real estate market is not showing signs of picking up yet. The slowdown earlier in the year can be attributed in part to the power outages that accompanied Tropical Storm Irene and the freak October snowstorm. However, the 3 month comparison shows that both the number of sale and prices prices continue to trend downward.  The amount of inventory that the market can absorb was down significantly August through October, likely due to Tropical Storm Irene and the October snow storm, which kept buyers away.   We use the 12 month absorption rate instead of the 3 or 6 month rate to determine inventory absorption, which means that it would take about 12-13 months to sell every home currently on the market in New Cana... 02/18/2012

Yesterday, I had a really fun and fulfilling appointment.  I had a super nice customer in New Canaan CT and she googled her question: Should I refinish my hardwood floors or replace them? And, up came my blog.  So, first, this article answered her question...she explained to me that the other pages that came up didn't help, but my blog post was informative and easy to read.  Second, she was thrilled that I lived in her neighborhood.  She was thrilled to be able to meet with The Flooring Girl.  She then continued to read the bio on my site.  In there, it mentions that I went to Dartmouth College, and well that was super cool to her because as it turns out, both her kids went to Dartmouth, too.   So, I went over to her lovely home in New Canaan, and yes, I could indeed save her a lot of m... 02/17/2012

New Canaan, 06840 Real Estate Year End Report 2011. January 23, 2012. The New Canaan single family housing market ended the year with 191 homes sold, same as 2010. The year to date median sold price was up 9.31% from 2010 at $1,585,000 with the average sold home price for 2011 at $1,841,793 which is $150,691 more than 2010.* Currently on the market are 168 single family homes for sale with 13 pending sales and one closed sale so far for 2012. There are currently 37 Condominiums for sale in New Canaan as well.*                 New Canaan, Connecticut, 06840 has a population of 19,738 (2010 census) and is one of the wealthiest communities in the United States. With a Metro North Branch a train ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan is approximately 60 minutes. The total area of New C... 01/23/2012

Community Helps Family in Need. Imagine waking up one morning with no ID, money, cell phone, computer or belonging’s except those on your back. Well that is exactly what happened to the Lee family in New Canaan, Connecticut on Sunday morning January 15th, 2012 when a fire totally destroyed their home of 15 years and everything inside of it. Luckily everyone made it out safe along with the two family dogs.  As you can imagine it has been overwhelming for the Lee family to deal with the tragedy but owner Daniel B. Lee says “we just have to take it one day at a time”. The community of New Canaan has come out in full force to help the Lee Family. Mr. Lee said it has really made a difference to them and has given the family something positive to focus on. The local bank of New Canaan has sta... 01/23/2012

Connecticut Fish Burger Delicious Recipe. For a New Year’s resolution we thought that we would try a new recipe once every week or two. We came across this easy to do and delicious fish burger recipe and liked it so much we want to share it. Fish Burger. Pick out your favorite seafood to use in this burger, we usually use Tuna, Sword or Salmon depending on availability and freshness. Recommend using your local seafood specialist fishmonger ours is at FishTales in New Canaan, Ct. today we will use fresh salmon. Ingredients 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 pound salmon, finely diced 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper 2 scallions, finely sliced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup... 01/09/2012

My First AR Post ~ Green LEED Home in New Canaan, Ct. Starting off 2012 with a bang here on my blog and I wanted to see what my first blog was on back in May 2010, here it is a Platinum certified LEED home in New Canaan, Ct.     I was lucky enough to be able to go on the home tour organized by PACE-Clean Energy over the weekend of the Kantor Home in New Canaan, Ct. which is seeking the USGBC LEED for Homes rating of Platinum.  Until the permeable driveway and all the plantings/landscaping is done the certification is on hold, but they have already been awarded the Emerald Certification from the National Green Build Standard with a score of over 800 points. The craftsman-style house is over 4,000 square feet situated on almost 5 acres was built by BPC Green Builders.  The siding of the h... 01/07/2012

Fairfield County, Connecticut makes America’s Richest Zip Codes 2011. In Fairfield County, Connecticut four towns made Bloomberg Businessweek’s 50 richest area’s in the U.S. The company Gadberry Group put together the report by looking at all the zip codes in the US with more than 100 households and ranked them by average income and net worth of households. The four zip codes in Fairfield County that made the top 50 are: Darien, 06820 which came in at 36 Riverside, Greenwich, 06878 came in at 27 Weston, 06883 came in at 26 New Canaan, 06840 came in at 19. The number one spot went to Palm Beach, Florida.   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 ... 12/19/2011

Condominiums For Sale New Canaan, Connecticut Market Report. Currently there are 38 condominium units for sale in New Canaan, Connecticut which range from one to four bedrooms and asking price from $250,000 up to the high end units of $1,895,000. The average days on the market for these units are 209 with the average price of $787,582 *. Year to date* through to October 50 units have sold in New Canaan with 5 units pending as of today, Nov 28, 2011. These homes are priced from $175,000 for a 1 bedroom/1 bath, 518 sq. ft. up to a 5 bedroom, 5  ½ bath, 4,700 square foot unit $3 million. That compares to the same time last year of 33 unit sales and an average price increase of 26.1%. For single family homes in New Canaan the year to date (through October 2011) average sales price was $1,85... 11/28/2011

Are you looking for flooring for your home in New Canaan CT 06840? We know there are many choices..and sometimes the process can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking for hardwood floors, tile, carpet, laminate flooring, or if you just want to refinish your hardwood floors, Floor Coverings International can help make the process fun and simple. We are a shop at home service. Our tagline is "We bring the store your door." This is important because first, you can see the colors in your lighting and color coordinate with paint color, cabinets and furniture. Second, it allows us to provide a true estimate for you. And, third, of course it is more convenient this way. We provide guidance - Which is the best type of flooring for your environment and your budget? We'll help explain the pro... 11/09/2011

  October 10th, 2011   Market housing data for single family homes in New Canaan, Connecticut.   For the month of September New Canaan had a 22% increase in sales compared to September 2010 but along with that came a 7.2% decrease in median sales price of $1,530,450 and an inventory of 257 which compares to 261 in 2010.   3rd quarter results saw an increase in median sales price of 10.3% to $1,658,000 with a total of 63 unit sales compared to 80 sold units in 3rd quarter 2010.   Year to Date sales in New Canaan are 160 with an average sales price of $1,876,175 and median sales price of $1,592,500 both up from YTD 2010 (Sept) of 7.3% and 8.9% respectively.             William Raveis Website, Raveis.com, has a great tool for owners, sellers & buyers called ‘Local Housing Data’.  On this p... 10/10/2011

Yesterday,I went to meet w/ a customer who is opening an upscale barber shop in the pretigious downtown New Canaan CT.  Nice customer and we are installing some unfinished hardwood flooring and it's going to look great.  I helped him select a stain color - we went with Ebony for a stylish and upscale look.  It looks GREAT. We were then talking about the paint that would be done later in the week.  He asked me what I thought of the current paint color (because they going to put a 2nd coat on).  He asked if I liked it, and since he asked, with no uncertainty, I shaked my head and just said "No, definitely not."  It was just wrong - boring and out of date...did nothing for the place and certainly was at odds with the equity he is trying to achieve. He then asked what he should put in there... 09/07/2011

School Calendar for New Canaan CT 06840 2011-2012 The school calendar is out and ready for all of the parents in New Canaan CT  to start planning their year!   It is the family Bible when planning vacations and events for the family.   New Canaan businesses also rely on knowing when to trigger their "back to school" advertising, and when to be aware of school vacations because of their employees.   School Calendar for New Canaan CT 06840 2011-2012 08/17/2011

Homes For Sale in New Canaan CT 06840 With a Pool in August 2011We have had a very hot July here in New Canaan CT 06840 this year, and many buyers are looking for homes for sale with a pool.    There are many homes in Weston with a pool, so here is the help in locating them. Homes for Sale Under $1M in New Canaan CT 06840 with Pool   These links are for the homes for sale in Weston CT with pools as of the date August 4, 2011.   Obviously, this is time sensitive information.  In two months, some of these homes will be sold or withdrawn from the market, and others may be newly listed.   Homes For Sale $1M to $2M in New Canaan CT 06840 with Pool And, last, but not least, the homes we love the most: Homes For Sale Over $2M in New Canaan CT 06840 With a Pool in August 2011 Homes For Sale in ... 08/05/2011

  A Road to Real Estate Recovery ~ The Inman 2011 Innovator’s of the Year Leaders.   The Inman Innovator Awards honor real estate companies, technologies, services and individuals who have pushed the real estate industry forward by improving the real estate process for both the clients and the professionals. All of these improvements and advancements will help the real estate industry perform better and allow home buyers and sellers meet expectations. If you are a real estate professional or are looking to buy or sell a home you should check out the following companies.   The Innovator Award Categories are:                     Winners: 2011 Innovator of the Year.                                                    Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff 2011 People’s Choice Innovator Award.          ... 08/03/2011