02.25.10 IDLE SUMPS CAN FAIL WHEN NEEDED
Continuing along the home maintenance topic, if you have a sump pump and it has not operated for a year or longer, I would suggest that it be tested at the earliest convenience.
02.18.10 SIGNS OF/FOR HOME PROBLEMS
House maintenance is often overlooked until small problems become big ones.
02.11.10 MID-WINTER REMINDERS
Winter is not over and recent service issues with some homes prompt me to review some suggestions, to avoid big issues later.
01.28.10 HEAVY RAINS EXPOSE PROBLEMS
The Sunday and Monday rains that hit our NW corner this past week caused problems in several homes around the area.
01.14.10 OPPORTUNITIES BRING ACTION
The news this week has focused on the pending massive bonuses about to be revealed and issued by Wall Street and the banks.
1.07.10 BRRRRR! IT'S COLD
Real cold weather finally hit our NW corner and wood stoves, wood furnaces, plus all other heating systems are now working overtime to keep everyone comfortable.
12.24 - 12.31 2009 A YEAR GONE - A YEAR TO COME
Well, what a year! Not good for the most part, but survivable for some of us.
12.17.09 A MARKET BOOST?
Low interest rates should be stimulating a (great) desire to buy.
12.10.09 ENCOURAGING SIGNS?
Looking has certainly increased. Offers are being made, in some cases, and deals are occurring, here and there.
12.03.09 WOOD BORING BEETLES - FIREWOOD ALERT
AUDUBON SHARON is having a workshop on SATURDAY DECEMBER 5th between 10AM and 1PM on the Asian Longhorned Beetle.
11.26.09 SMOKY VALLEYS ARE BACK
With the onset of Winter, cold temperatures are back, and so are our smoky valleys.
11.19.09 NEWS OF NOTE, OR, JUST NEWS
The 10 digit dialing system went into effect last weekend. You now have to start your local dialing with the 860 area code. So much for progress!
11.05.09 FIREPLACES AND WOOD STOVES
Both put out heat; one also can take considerable heat out of a home.
10.29.09 WARM AIR FURNACE SERVICING
This is another of my occasional columns into house mechanics and service-tip suggestions.
10.15.09 MORTGAGE RATES - EXCELLENT
I received some specific mortgage rate information last week and reprint some of it here for readers to ponder.
10.08.09 OTHER THOUGHTS
The colors are starting to come to our surrounding Litchfield-NW CT corner hills and the Berkshires.
10.01.09 SHORT SUBJECTS
Mortgage rates are at historic lows currently.
09.24.09 FALL CHANGEOVER
Okay. Summer's over. Leaves are falling, trees are changing color, and it is time to put your home into its Winter mode.
09.17.09 ENDANGERED PRODUCTS
Europe is phasing out the incandescent light bulb and the 100 watt bulb is apparently the first bulb to be taken off the market in the future.
09.03.09 TECHNOLOGY
The Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck ended over the weekend and, for fair lovers, it offers an extraordinary array of booths that should satisfy anyone on almost any level. For a technologist such as myself, it did not disappoint.
08.27.09 IT IS MUSTY INSIDE!!
Keeping ahead of the mildew is probably the greatest task you may face.
08.06.09 BUGS: WHAT CAN BE DONE?
There have been numerous discussions about bug infestations around our NW corner.
07.30.09 BRIGHTER PREDICTIONS? - AT LEAST ONE
Hot on the heels of last week's column's opening line, predictions of a 'brightening' real estate market, at least in nearby NY, made local news headlines, Friday of last week.
07.23.09 SPOTTY ACTIVITY CONTINUES
It would appear that we still are in for a LONG wait for any major resurgence, both in activity and prices.
07.9.09 JULY ALREADY!!!
July seems to have arrived early! Here it is!
07.2.09 OIL CONTRACTS
July seems to have arrived early! Here it is! So have some pre-purchase oil contracts from our area suppliers.
6.22.09 MEET PETER HOUGHTON
Along with Carol Staats, he too brings a high level of energy and competence, to handle all aspects of real estate that I offer clients of my office.
6.18.09 MEET CAROL STAATS
Carol brings "high energy" and enthusiasm for this business, and is a great addition, as a knowledgeable professional, to my "high energy", full time operation.
06.11.09 SALES STATISTICS-LITCHFIELD COUNTY
Following up on last week's State statistics, here are single family home statistics for "our" Litchfield County area.
05.28.09 OIL CONTRACTS - 2009/2010
Lo and behold, a 2009/2010 fuel oil program arrived in my mail last week.
05.21.09 BARGAINS EVERY WHERE?
Watching the price reductions come across my computer almost daily, there is no question that there is a window of BUYING opportunity opening up throughout most sectors of residential real estate listings throughout our NW corner and nearby NY and Mass areas.
05.14.09 LOOKING, BUT NOT BUYING, YET
Some major discounting has begun at the higher price levels, but the jury is out as to whether or not this will result in sales of homes in this category.
04.09.09 STIMULUS PRICING HITS REAL ESTATE
Well, it has happened. (Public) pricing is adjusting significantly around the NW corner and into Mass and NY.
04.02.09 PREPPING YOUR HOME FOR SALE/SHOWING
Periodically it seems appropriate to review this topic. Every agent has "pet" suggestions to offer an owner when prepping a house for sale, or a showing.
03.26.09 A DIVERSION - TWO NW CORNER CARS FOR THE TIMES
Periodically it seems appropriate to depart from a topic on real estate, so here is some talk about two, comfortable and practical, hybrid cars.
03.19.09 MORTGAGE RATES - MY THOUGHTS
It is my opinion that current mortgage rates, while certainly good, are not great as far as really stimulating the real estate economy.
03.12.09 CHANGES - ALL GOOD
As we go from the frozen Winter season to a drier Spring season...
03.05.09 MARCH TIDBITS
A week ago, we were "teased" by a "helping" of spring-like temperatures; Monday we were shocked back into the reality that Winter still is here.
02.26.09 CURRENT BUYER'S MORTGAGE GUIDE
As we head towards March, I thought it would be good to remind potential home buyers what it may take to get a loan.
02.19.09 BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS
As Winter "wears" on, there are a few of events that have occurred around here recently and it seems appropriate to mention some of them, only partly straying from the "world of real estate" as it exists in the NW corner.
02.12.09 FREEZE-UP PREVENTION: AN UPDATE
The appropriate devices today are systems that actually call out when a problem occurs in a house.
02.05.09 THE TELEFREEZE: OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY
The problem lies with the telephone company services' packages that, in most cases includes call waiting...
01.29.09 MID SEASON SERVICE ADVICE
This Winter season is turning out to be like the old fashioned Winters of old.
01.15.09 SALES AND VALUES - A LOOK AHEAD
In 2009, SELLERS and AGENTS hopefully await for a turnaround in the real estate business.
01.08.09 A CONTROVERSIAL REVALUATION IDEA!
Although this idea is probably too radical to be embraced by these Towns, I suspect that readers owning property in these towns could see much to support in this idea.
12.18.08 UPDATES - VARIOUS TOPICS
Judging from this writer's own experience, there are indeed many critters in the home this time of year.
12.11.08 WINTER CRITTERS IN THE HOUSE
Judging from client complaints, house smells, chewing sounds, and dark "splotches" in ceiling corners or behind window curtains, mice, moles, chipmunks, and lady bugs are running, or flying, amok in homes this winter.
12.04.08 FINANCING AND SERVICE ISSUES
It never ceases to amaze me how these (some) operators in the lending world will keep popping up with a new program to keep you in debt.
11.20.08 REVISITING MOLD
Older homes with (porous) stone foundations and dirt/earth floors, or even cement floors, are particularly vulnerable to dampness and odors associated with this condition.
10.30.08 SMOKEY VALLEYS - WOOD FIRED FURNACES
As the weather has cooled the night, and early morning air has become aromatized with the smell of wood smoke, noted most in the valleys around the area.
10.23.08 ON HOLD-BUYERS
As buyers sit "on hold", potential deals are waiting in the wings.
10.6.08 UNCERTAIN TIMES
The last couple of weeks have wreaked havoc for the real estate markets, nationally and locally.
10.02.08 CRAZINESS CONTINUES, BUT...
...all the talk about limited credit availability that might otherwise hamper real estate purchases really is not much of a problem around here, as far as I have seen.
09.25.08 WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
Interest rates should remain very affordable which will help, but unless long term operational/travel costs come down, and stay down, only real estate purchased as a primary home is likely to dominate a key part of our market.
09.18.08 WILL THE MARKET BREAK OUT?
The Feds bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack on the 8th was interesting news from a number of fronts...
09.11.08 SEPTEMBER NEWS BITS
The annual Antiques in a Cow Pasture is held this weekend just Northeast of Salisbury’s Village, along Route 44.
09.4.08 FALL - ON ITS WAY
No sooner has the Labor Day weekend passed us by, thoughts turn to the Fall.
08.28.08 THE MARKET LIES, WAITING
As we get through the Labor Day weekend and move into Fall, there are many listings on the market around our NW corner and into the Berkshires of Massachusetts, and over the line into Dutchess and Columbia Counties of NY.
08.21.08 HEATING OIL - UPDATE AUGUST
This is probably one of the hardest topics to give an accurate forecast on, however oil has been dropping rather precipitously since I last wrote on the subject.
08.14.08 GREEN BUILDING - (Part II)
Don't measure it in terms of payback; think of it as helping the planet well into the future.
08.07.08 GREEN BUILDING-WHAT IS IT? (Part I)
Primarily, it is the construction of homes using materials least dependent on non-renewable components, much of those petroleum based.
07.17.08 IS CURRENT PRICING, CORRECT PRICING?
The ever changing real estate market has not been kind to many sellers over the past several months and weeks.
06.05.08 NOTES FOR THE MONTH
Costs are going up for home operation at all levels; it will be interesting to see what heating oil, propane, and electric pricing will be for this coming heating season.
05.07.08 REALITY PRICING
There is some evidence that pricing on new listings is coming into line with (my) current thinking on values as the real estate market stumbles into the summer.
04.24.08 SHORT TOPICS
The sudden, steep, cost increases at the gas pumps and heating oil billings are going to change a lot of ideas about home ownership, as well as costs of year round rentals.
04/10/08 FOR SALE or LEASE TO BUY
To me, it potentially invites only (lots of) potential trouble for an owner.
04.03.08 THE FORECLOSURE MESS
This problem is one that fortunately has not hit this area in any big way, however it has spawned a new business that seems to make money out of other peoples' woes.
03.27.08 GLIMMERS OF HOPE?
Monday's news on the real estate front brought a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) that real estate sales were up after 6 straight months of decline.
03.20.08 ARE THERE BARGAINS?
In summary, the market in the NW corner is very uneven and only the experienced, principals, and long standing LOCAL real estate agents really know how to maneuver through it, not to mention explain it properly to those who need to know.
02.28.08 BUILDING INSPECTIONS REVISITED
While some complaints might be legitimate, it is my opinion that most inspections, when criticized by the “client”, are mostly due to a misunderstanding as to what they are supposed to accomplish.
02.21.08 PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS
There has been a lot of talk, much of it grumbling, about high heating costs this season.
02.14.08 RIGHTS TO SUN LIGHT!
NPR had a news story this week about a property owner who won a decision that will require an abutting property owner to cut down at least 2 trees that had grown up and blocked sunlight from reach photovoltaic solar panels on the complainant’s property.
02.07.08 WAITING TO BUY
However many real buyers there are currently out there, those who are actively out looking to buy now are indeed making some intelligent decisions.
01.31.08 GETTING AREA INFORMATION IN NORTHWEST CORNER
Aside from news about real estate, there is often a lot going on in our NW CT corner and there are four main venues through which this information is available.
01.25.08 ECONOMICS & NW CT REAL ESTATE
Believe it or not, owning property around this part of the country, although not quite like gold, will be a good, long term investment in my opinion.
01.17.08 WORKING IN THE CURRENT MARKET
Believe it or not, while slow, it just is not that bad around here, in my opinion.
01.03.08 FINAL COMMENTS FOR THE YEAR
As the old year ends and the new one rolls in, here is some trivia to leave you with, concerning mostly current real estate activity in Connecticut.
12.20.2007 LOOKING BACK-AND FORWARD
Prior to early-mid 2007, we, and much of the rest of the country, were engaged in terrific activity in the real estate business.
12.13.2007 SOME BASIC MOLD INFORMATION
With cold, damp weather here for the Winter, and your homes closed up to keep out the cold, here are some things which you may wish to know about mold.
12.04.07 NEWS BITS
There is nothing like attending a high quality real estate meeting to confirm that all is not horrible in this business
11.29.07 NW CORNER MARKET-DEFINITELY BETTER
I am happy to report that the market around here definitely has improved since the middle of October
11.22.07 STATE OF THE MARKET - A BETTER OUTLOOK?
Recent sales, although fewer in number, show transaction prices to be holding up fairly well against asking prices.
11.08.07 OUTDOOR FURNACES EQUAL AIR POLLUTION
Should these units proliferate in our area significant pollution may occur, and respiratory issues could arise.
10.18.07 LOWERED PRICING-SMALL CONSOLATION IN NW CT REAL ESTATE MARKET!
There have been numerous price adjustments, that is reductions, on properties throughout the NW corner over the past months, and they continue almost weekly, but that is proving to be of little consolation for sellers.
10.20.07 Northwestern Connecticut
A scene from the town of Salisbury in Northwestern Connecticut
10.04.07 Salisbury CT Real Estate
THE TOWN OF SALISBURY, incorporated in October of 1741, is located in the very Northwest corner of the State of Connecticut.
9.27.07 A BEAUTIFUL FALL...
...is in "progress" all around our area. Color is beginning to infiltrate the trees, both in the valleys where there is water, and in some of the hills.
9.13.07 THE BUZZ HAS STARTED!
The oldest Grist Mill in Western Massachusetts is being transformed into a stunning, unique residence
9.06.07 QUIET, QUIET, QUIET!
Let's hope this is a premature headline! There is a lot of Brokers’ concern with the market as this is written.
8.30.07 40,000+ JOBS - GONE
The fallout from the turmoil in the financial services industry has resulted in the loss of over 40,000 jobs at mortgage lending institutions since the start of the year (25,000 this month alone), according to one news report I heard last week.
8.23.07 DECISION TIME?
The turmoil in the financial markets continues although the Fed is trying to calm some aspects of it with money injections and interest rate moderation.
8.3.07 WHERE ARE THE BUYERS?
Although "penned" over two weeks ago, prior to my disappearing for a couple of weeks off myself, it is possible that the market it still looking for (a lot of) buyers. Before leaving (me that is), we had just come through a very rocky stock market week with ups and downs steeper than most roller coaster rides!
8.2.07 UNKNOWN REGULATION
A little known, and even less often followed or enforced, Connecticut regulation is one that requires water softeners, especially in new construction, be hooked up to drain their discharge into a completely separate dry well or other similar depository, outside of the main septic system.
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