As we begin the new year, the crystal balls have come out and there have been a wide range of predictions for how the housing market will perform in 2012. I have read that this year we will see a minor recovery, that pent up demand will drive a major recovery, that prices will fall through the first half of the year but pick up, starting in June, that prices won't begin to rebound until 2013, and so on. You get the picture.  While overall forecasts may be useful in determining the state of the economic recovery, they are not really relevant for the home buyer or seller. The numbers that should be important to them are the statistics for their local market. According to NAR, 2007 existing home sales posted the largest drop in 25 years, while in Westport, this segment showed a 6% gain. Th... 01/24/2012

Westport CT 06880 2011 Market Report of Real Estate Sales Westport Ct 06880 Market Report The real estate market for 2011 in Westport CT 06880 was  affected by the weather.    We had very bad snow storms in December through March, and the sales reflected this through June.   Then, in the early fall, we had a vicious hurricane with massive power outages and trees down everywhere followed by another equally vicious high wind wet huge snowstorm just before Halloween, which also descimated trees and power.    The sales were amazingly strong compared to the surrounding towns.   2011 recap Total home sales for the month: 360 Average days on the market: 106 Low value: $ 215,000 High value: $ 6,300,000 Average sold price: $ 1,220,798 Median price: $ 982,500 Average list price: $ 1,307,045 Pendi... 01/22/2012

One method for assessing the activity of the housing market is by calculating the absorption rate. The rate is determined by dividing the current number of active listings by the average number of homes selling each month. The resulting figure shows the number of months it would take to sell the existing inventory of active listings. A normal or balanced market would have a five to six month supply of homes. A seller's market, reflecting a limited number of homes for sale, would have a one to four month supply. A supply time of seven months or more would indicate a buyer's market.  Supply Time           Market Description1 to 4 months           Seller's Market5 to 6 months           Normal Market7 months or more     Buyer's Market Using the preceding twelve months as a determinant for c... 01/16/2012

The Westport housing market ended on a ho-hum note. On an annual basis, single-family home sales were off two percent (2%) compared with 2010. While unit sales remained comfortably ahead of 2008 and 2009, they were well off the highs posted in the previous decade. Prices continued to soften. The median sold price of a single-family home, for 2011, was $1,085,625.  This represented a five percent (5%) decline from the 2010 median sold price of $1,145,000. The bulk of the sales were for homes selling between one and two million dollars. This segment represented forty percent (40%) of total units sold, for both years. However, the shape of the market changed at the extreme ends. Only half as many homes sold for $4 million or more, in 2011, compared with a year ago (7 vs. 14.) At the same t... 01/13/2012

    Westport CT 06880 Market Report - November 2011- 4 Yr. Comparison Westport CT is a beautiful town, with a large variety of activities available to their community:  Playhouse concerts and shows, open air concerts in the summer, sailing, tennis, golf, paddle tennis, art shows galore, farmer's markets, garden shows, horse shows, etc.   This market report will help give a feel for how the market in Westport CT 06880 has changed (or not) over the last four years in the month of November.    This year, we had some wicked storms in August (Hurricane Irene) and in October (monstrous snow storm with high winds) leaving a lot of damage in their wake.  This must have had an effect on the sales at the time.   Those sales would be closing in November and December.       November 2011 recap for ... 12/16/2011

Westport CT Real Estate Market Report October 2011         25 Westport homes have been sold in the past month:           6 homes sold under $500,000 
                               6 homes sold for between $500,000-$1M
                               6 homes sold for under $1M - $1.5M           4 homes sold for under $1.5M - $2M           3 homes sold for under $2M and over   The real estate market for October in Westport CT 06880 has been fairly steady in its sales for the past four years, with the biggest changes seen in the under $1M range.   October 2011 recap: Total home sales for the month: 25 Average Days on the Market: 124 Low value of $285,000 for a ranch. High value of $4,800,000 for a split-level contemporary. Average sold price of $1,231,100. Median price of $1,030,000. Avera... 11/27/2011

It's not nice to fool blame Mother Nature Last week, a rare, late October snowstorm blanketed much of the northeast.  Connecticut was among the hardest hit states. At the peak, over 800,000 Connecticut customers were without power.  Many Westporters (myself included) dodged the bullet, as the town suffered a relatively small, 22% outage, far less than most of the surrounding communites. Those who lost power, however, were without it for most of the week and earlier today, there were still over 100 Westport homes where power had not yet been restored.  The storm wreaked havoc, affecting public transportation, causing school closings, and messing up sports scheduling.  But, my beef was with Mother Nature disrupting Halloween and I decided to write a post about it.  I had just gotten past ... 11/04/2011

Connecticut's first Community Group Rewards Competition is quickly coming to an end! On October 31st the participating towns tally up the points and three groups in your town will win $1,000, $500 or $250 in energy-related prizes.  Even more exciting – one community group across the 14 participating Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge towns will win a $5,000 grand prize! As a resident of the 14 participating towns, you can be part of a grassroot energy efficiency program tailored to Connecticut’s energy reality. The Challenge is for each one of us to reduce our energy use by 20% in 2013!!! Take action by attending a workshop, signing up for a free lighting retrofit, completing a Home Energy Solutions assessment and performing viable energy upgrades. The Challenge is a non-profit init... 10/24/2011

  Westport, Ct. October 24, 2011 FOOD DAY.   Food Day is on October 24 and here in Westport, Connecticut the Whole Foods Market is sponsoring a drive called “Double the Good” where they will match the donations that will be free of artificial sweeteners, additives and preservatives. National Food Day on October 24, 2011 will bring awareness to what we eat and where it comes from by promoting healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable and humane way.  The goals of Food Day are: To reduce diet related diseases Promote safe and healthy foods Support sustainable farms Expand access to food and alleviate hunger Protect environment & animals by reforms Curb junk food marketing to kids Support fair conditions for food and farm workers   In the state of Connecticut there are 8 Whole Foo... 10/18/2011

Westport CT 06880 Market Report - September 2011 The real estate market in Westport CT 06880 has been fairly steady in its sales for the past two years.  As of today, the month of September has had 26 home sales, from a low value of $215,000 for a condominium up to a value of $5,875,000 for a colonial single family home.  This gives us an average sold price of $1,126,384 and a median price of $808,000.   The average list price was $1,149,221, so theactual purchase price was an average of 2% off of the list price.     Westport CT's real estate market is, obviously from this graph, a pretty steady market place.   Year over year, for the same time period, not much change in the pattern of sales in numbers and values.   Westport CT 06880 Market Report - September 2011 09/30/2011

Hurricane Irene’s Connecticut Homemade Tomato Sauce.  Part 2/2. What better to do during a hurricane than to put together a home cooked meal. This recipe of homemade gravy, tomato meat sauce, comes from my neighbor growing up in Rowayton, Ct. The family would make homemade pizza, pasta, sauces and more all the time and growing up I had the pleasure of eating over often.   Recipe.      1 ½ - 2 chopped peppers (green, red or yellow up to you) 1 1/2 onion chopped 4 garlic cloves minced/crushed ¼ cup chopped fresh basil 1 teaspoon oregano 1 cup red wine 2 can chopped tomatoes (14 oz.) 2 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz.) 3 cans peeled Italian tomatoes (35 oz.) 1 cans tomato paste (6 oz.) 2 thin cut pork chops with bone Salt & pepper Extra virgin olive oil     Parmesan cheese rind *optional   Hurr... 08/27/2011

School Calendar for Westport CT 06880 2011-2012 The school calendar is out and ready for all of the parents to start planning their year!   It is the family "Bible" when planning vacations and events for the family.   I also used to rely heavily on it when planning the school year for my preschool.     I even published it in MY school year booklet! School Calendar for Westport CT 06880 2011-2012 08/16/2011

{EAV_BLOG_VER:c5902e4f9d316056} Adding to the charm of Westport. CT are the stately trees that line our roads and grace our yards.  Along with the beauty of wooded properties, however, comes the potential disruption and danger caused by falling trees.  The most common occurrences happen during major storms, when fallen limbs routinely cause power outages.  Three times, early this summer, trees fell on motorists on the Merritt Parkway, in Stamford, Westport and Fairfield, in one instance resulting in a fatality. Of course, trees can also fall on fair weather days, especially if they are diseased or damaged.  So, we were less than thrilled to notice a tall tree, in our front  yard, leaning at a precipitous angle.  On further inspection, we found that the trunk of the tree was split open. ... 08/09/2011

Homes For Sale in Westport CT 06880 With a Pool in August 2011We have had a very hot July here in Westport CT 06880 this year, and many buyers are looking for homes for sale with a pool.    There are many homes in Westport with a pool, so here is the help in locating them. Homes For Sale Under $1M in Westport CT 06880 with Pool   These links are for the homes for sale in Westport 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 Westport CT 06880 with Pool And, last, but not least, the homes we love the most: Homes For Sale Over $2M in Westport CT 06880 With a Pool in August 2011 Homes For Sale in Westpo... 08/05/2011

  Block Island RoadTrip. Block Island part of Rhode Island is a great day, weekend or weekly vacation spot to visit and easily to get to from most New England states. From my home state of Connecticut you can take the high speed ferry out of New London, Ct. The ride is just over an hour with easy on an off of I-95. Reservations recommended, dogs are allowed on the ferry but must be crated, we got a wonderful fold up soft crate that was easy to transport and not expensive. Growing up dogs  were always allowed on the beach, Block Island beach is one of the few New England beaches that still allow dogs. We had so much fun at the beach and made many many new friends that weekend. Everyone wanted to play frisbee with woof woof Cali.                       David Popoff is a license Realtor in ... 08/05/2011

Saugatuck Shores in Westport, CT 06880   If you ever want to bring your blood pressure down to the lowest it has ever been, go drive around Saugatuck Shores area in Westport, CT.      As you meander up and down the narrow, but beautifully landscaped roads, you will find yourself relaxing and forgetting the time and your schedule.        As you pass bikers, joggers, and walkers in the Saugatuck Shores area, you will find yourself apologizing silently for intruding on their perfect world.    You forget all about the world of New York City, Stamford, and the rest of the world of corporate wheeling and dealing.    Here it is a quiet, calm, beautiful place with beautiful vistas across the deep blue sea, and all of the boats with their white masts and dark hulls docked nearby.        The stre... 07/31/2011

  Summer OutDoor Concerts Around Fairfield County, Ct. 2011. With longer days, beautiful weather folks tend to think of outdoor activities and events. There are plenty of outdoor concerts to attend around Fairfield County, Connecticut this year with most of them free. Here is a list of a few of my favorite ones along with links. Rowayton’s Bayley Beach Summer Music Festival shows from June 26th to September 4th. http://www.rowaytonct.com/summermusic2011.html                                                 Stamford’s Alive @ 5 downtown summer concerts from June 23rd to August 4th. http://www.stamford-downtown.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=128 Westport’s Under the Stars Concerts at Levitt Pavilion. 57 nights of entertainment from June 26 to August 28 http://levittpavilion.... 07/21/2011

ActiveRain PhotoBloggerContest ~ Man’s Best Friend.       The minute I became aware of ActiveRain’s Photo Blogger’s Contest I knew what picture I was going to submit, Man’s Best Friend and my buddy Cali. Her official name is Red Dog Ranch California but we usually just call her Cali. She is a five year old Vizsla that we have raised since she was ten weeks old. When we go on vacation we always take her along with us, she has been swimming at Martha’s Vineyard, hiking in Vermont, apple picking in Connecticut, sightseeing in New York City, been to the Saratoga horse races, visited North Carolina & Virginia just to mention a few road trips. Growing up in Connecticut along the waterfront I learned how to swim while still in diapers. So naturally I introduced my puppy to water. As a puppy sh... 05/14/2011

Westport CT - Boating Season 2011...Finally Arrives!! As weeks of cool weather persisted, it felt like spring would never take hold.  However, if recent activity at Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club, in Westport, is any indication, boating season 2011 has finally arrived in Connecticut. Waiting to be uncovered Painting the bottom   Varnishing the teak  Polishing the fiberglass Ready to go Copyright © 2011 Marilyn Katz, WestportCTProperties, All Rights Reserved... Westport CT - Boating Season 2011...Finally Arrives!! 05/13/2011

LUXURY CONDOS IN REGENTS PARK in WESTPORT CT Regents Park, located in the up- scale, Greens Farm area of  vibrant Westport, Connecticut ,is a luxury secure gated community. Built in 1985, units have two or three spacious bedrooms with two and one half or three and one half baths. As befits this type of upscale community, there is a beautiful pool, tennis court and clubhouse. Homes are from 2,200+ to 2,700+/-sunny square feet with sky lights ,central air conditioning, two car attached garages, clean gas heat, and full basements with plenty of storage space. To add to the ease of living ,there are fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, and plenty of closets. As a Westport resident, you have access to beautiful Compo Beach, hiking trails, a golf course open to residents, The famous Westport Playhou... 05/10/2011