Stratford CT Single Family Market Report and Real Estate - February 2012 Stratford CT February 2012 single family home sales were UP 40% as compared to February 2011 sales. List and selling price averages remained flat at under 1% each following the trend from the previous month.  The median was down 12% and days on the market went up 16%.     To sweeten things up a little further, there are 27 houses under deposit and a whopping 69 houses pending (under contract).  That should ensure another great month of sales moving forward into March.  Stratford is definitely on the move -- in the right direction.     Which houses sold in Stratford CT in February 2012 and where was the highest concentration?   Stratford CT February 2012 Property Transfers(as recorded in the Greater Fairfield County... 03/11/2012

St. Patricks Day Irish Night at the Perry House ~ Stratford CT  The historic Perry House in Stratford CT will be the venue for St. Patrick’s Day Irish Night on Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The Perry House is located at 1128 West Broad Street, Stratford, CT.Sponsored by the Stratford Executive Park, enjoy specialty Irish drinks, freshly carved corned beef sandwiches prepared by The Executive Chef, and live music provided by Shannon McMahon.Built circa 1690,  the Perry House, called the “Doorway to Stratford”,  is a portal to  welcoming residents and visitors, teaching history, and being an active participant in the life of the Stratford community. The house survived many changes through its 300+ years and was saved from demolition in 1997. The Perry House Foundation wa... 03/09/2012

STAGING YOUR STRATFORD 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 mak... 03/04/2012

PRICING YOUR STRATFORD CT HOME TO SELL This is the second article in a six-part series about Selling Your Stratford 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 valu... 02/28/2012

1. INTRODUCTION    This is the first installment of a six-part series on Selling Your Stratford 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... 02/21/2012

  STRATFORD Market Trends Report January 2012   The Stratford, Connecticut real estate market is still trending down. The numbers in the chart above show that both the number of sales and sale prices have been declining.  The amount of inventory that the market can absorb is down significantly.   We use the 12 month absorption rate (as shown in the chart above)to determine inventory absorption, which means that it would take about 8-9 months to sell every home currently on the market in Stratford.   This is better than most towns in Fairfield County. Although it is still a Buyers Market in Stratford, it is actually better than many other Fairfield County towns. With low interest rates and an improving economy, we are expecting a good Spring market. Let's hope the weather stays mild and... 02/18/2012

Stratford CT Single Family Market Report and Real Estate- January 2012 Stratford CT January 2012 single family home sales had a slow start as compared to January 2011 sales.     On the bright side,  there are 25 houses under deposit and a healthy 58 homes under contract.  Some closings in January may likely have been delayed due to the holidays to explain the lower numbers. February should pick up as evidenced by the contingent and pending sales. Also promising is that the average list and selling prices both decreased only 3% from January 2011 indicative of a market that is stabilizing and hopefully through its correction. The median sales price was flat at a <1% decrease.     Which houses sold in Stratford CT in January 2012 and where was the highest concentration?   Stratford CT Janu... 02/16/2012

Stratford CT Single Family Market Report and Real Estate- December 2011 Stratford CT December 2011 single family home sales ended up the year 12% higher than the previous month and overall fairly steady the last four months.     A year-to-year comparison shows list and sales prices decreased 6% and 5% respectively.  The median was down 18% and days on the market stayed flat at 2%.  Nice to see the supply of homes is statistically creeping into a SELLER'S market.  However, keep in mind that some sellers have postponed listing their homes around the holidays and are waiting until spring to list or relist.  Those doing so should rethink that strategy as inventory will be lower now than in the spring thus reducing competition if the home is listed NOW.   Which houses sold in Stratford CT in... 01/20/2012

Senior Move Management: Celebrating Atria Stratford's 12th AnniversaryOn Thursday, May 12, Atria Stratford celebrated its twelfth anniversary with music and a buffet that included serving stations in several rooms. This beautiful senior residence has an amazing staff of people who are unfailingly courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable.   During the event, tours were lead by Suzanne Malerba, the Community Sales Director, who showed us both public and private spaces. There is a theater, a craft room, and several places to eat, read and relax on the ground floor. The decor and furnishings are like those in a beautiful hotel, but the feeling is warmer and more inclusive, because the staff greet residents by name and ask questions that clearly show a relationship with each person.   In addit... 05/16/2011

$575,000  Stunning and Spacious Colonial   354 Herbert St., Milford, CT 06461 14 Photos 4 Bed, 4.0 Bath3161 SF Tour # 2387385   Your perfect home awaits you. This home offers 4 bedrooms, 2/2 baths, gorgeous hardwood flrs, living rm, family rm, fml d/r, huge kitchen, and fin LL with winecellar. Entertain with ease in this home and private yard. For more information, please contact: Stacy Pfannkuch William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance Stratford, CT203-378-8200203-386-0937 Fax Information supplied by sellers. Deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. 02/04/2011

  With all the crazy weather happening across the north east, I read this and have heard some terrible stories about dangerous walkways and driveways. Worst off, I have heard about some serious water damage to homes currently on the market. Freezing Rain.  4 Feet of Snow.  Hail the size of golf balls.  With this trifecta of winter weather conditions, I have been driving slowly, dodging 4 foot icicles when showing houses and aappreciating the sand that the sellers have left out for me to use on their slippery walk ways.  However, one thing that I didn't think so much of, but have heard alot about this year is ruined sheetrock inside the house...how can that be?  I thought that this was the best description of the problem and some solutions..   Did You Know...?    Ice Dams Happen! (But th... 01/20/2011

                                                                      "While many buyers have taken advantage of low down payment FHA- backed loans, REALTORS in Regions such as, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Connecticut, reported that a majority of buyers, roughly 49%, put down more then 6% for their purchase". *                                                                * This information is from The National Association Of Realtors-It is good to see in Connecticut, about half of the buyers put down more than 6%!!       By:  Karin Stocknoff December 21, 2010 12/21/2010

    I received this from my coach at The Mike Ferry Organization last year and I loved to share it with my sellers...even my buyers can get a great "feel" for the flow of business during the holiday season and end of year:                                                                                                                                                    11 Reasons to List During the Holidays    1.People who look for a home during the Holidays are more serious buyers!    2.Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays and less competition means more money for you!    3.Since the supply of listings will dramatically increase in January, there will be less demand for your particular home!  Less demand means less money for you!                            ... 12/08/2010

    Q: How can a home buyer go through the entire home-purchase process: make a satisfactory offer; have a satisfactory inspection; receive a motgage committment and attend a closing, but not wind up with a home?   A: By not knowing that there are closing costs that are due... at the closing.   To prevent all of the work and none of the payoff, as well as having a furious client, it is so important to tell your clients what to expect from the process... beginning to end...   The following is a list of cost that I found on an attorney's web site of what to expect at closing:   Attorney fee.. $700.00 Title Search and Review.. $150.00 Courier Fee.. $ 36.00 Recording Fee.. $190.00 Title Insurance(Owner Policy).. $1050.00 Homeowners Insurance (Unless Condo).. $900.00 Year must be paid ahead ... 11/29/2010

                                                                      VERY IMPORTANT CONDO INFO   I wanted to give you some information regarding the condo market that will definitely affect us all next year.  As of Dec 7,2010 many of the condos that you have been used to being able to get 3.5% down payments, with 50% owner occupancy ratios and a little lee way on the appraisals and credit will be expiring.  They MUST get their FHA certification.            NOW.....Here is the situation.....All FHA approved condos prior to 1/1/2000 will NOT be eligible for recertification.  They will have to go through the full approval process.           All FHA approved condos after 1/1/2000 are eligible for re certification.  The only people that can send certification paperwork to HUD are lenders, h... 11/17/2010

                                                                        I just read one of the most startling articles that I have read in a long time! 77% of agents treat real estate as a part time job.  Taking your fiduciary duties of care, obedience, accountability, loyalty and disclosure to your client as a hobby, or something that you do when you have the time for it is shocking!! One of the first questions that you should ask any agent that you are going to hire is, time "Is this your full time occupation?" Can you imagine if your surgeon was moonlighting as a bartender? How about if your lawyer, working on your big case, spent most of his day as a carpenter? Not that any of those professions carry any less importance, but if someone is being hired to work on your behalf, you shou... 11/09/2010

   I love meeting new people! Especially when they want to buy a home from me.  It's hard when you meet with someone and they are eager to get out and start looking at homes only to have me slow them down to make sure we have everything in order.                                                               Probably the most important thing I can do with and for my client is ask 'what can you afford monthly' ? This is WAY different then what the mortgage broker told them they can afford to purchase.  Most people speak to a mortgage broker who provides them with a price range to purchase in.  While this may be accurate, I find in most cases, the buyer has never heard how that number will translate on a monthly basis.  Slow them down, just a bit, enough to let them hear the monthly paymen... 11/05/2010

  Costco is my happy place. Truly, shopping there is one of my favorite things to do.  The wide aisles, all the fresh delicious food, and then the abundance of things you didn't know you couldn't live without.. like that inflatable canoe? How have I make it this far without one? Can the Costco model apply to other industries.. offering quality products in bulk at a discounted price?  Take Real Estate, for instance.  This one agent I know thinks that listing as many homes as he can at a cut commission is the way to go.  However, unlike Costco he does not offer a great product.  There is virtually no service entailed. It seems to me that the old model of "you get what you pay for" applies here.  If you have an agent willing to discount a price, there are also services (like knowing the ma... 11/02/2010

  Columbus Day...Canadian Thanksgiving Day...National Boss' Day...UN Day and Halloween...October is full of fun days!  I received a flyer from a local Inspection Company* that October is National Energy Awareness Month and the following are some effective ways they referenced to save energy:   (I am only noting those that I thought would offer the best payback and are relatively easy...those like, "Cover your pots when cooking to reduce the amount of heat needed and cooking time" did not make this list)   •Have your heating system cleaned and tuned yearly for best efficiency •Do not block heating or cooling vents with a bed, carpet, couch, dresser or other pieces of solid furniture •Take short showers or baths •Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes •Turn down the thermostats when y... 10/28/2010

      While recently negotiating a property for my buyers, the sellers were not budging on their price.  When they finally did give us a counter offer, my buyers took a day to decide that they would accept it.  We in the buyer's camp were so happy, they found a great house to buy~call the moving company.  Right?  Well, not until the seller called back and increased his counter to almost asking price.  Cue sound of screeching brakes.  What?  We agreed on terms and now the seller increases their offer?  Who are these people?   Well, I found out who these people "are" when they signed in as visitors to my open house.  While discussing the high points of the house and the status of the neighboring lot that will be developed upon, he was very friendly and kind.  She, on the other hand seemed... 10/25/2010