730 Farmington Ave #102, West Hartford

730 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

Here’s a wonderful opportunity to own a condo in the quiet Stonebridge Estates, close to West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square.

This one bedroom, one bathroom ranch-style unit features thoughtful upgrades and an efficient floor plan. Oak hardwood floors and crown molding throughout bring classic elements to the modern living style.

A formal entry foyer leads to the heart of the space. The kitchen has granite counters, tiled backsplash, stainless steel appliances, abundant work space and an oversized breakfast bar. It is open to the living room, so relaxing and entertaining is easy. French doors lead to a private patio for outside enjoyment.

A spacious master bedroom is tucked down the hall and has generous double closets. A nicely appointed full bathroom offers storage and a separate laundry room.

Ten foot ceilings add light and volume throughout. The unit has a deeded covered parking space, plenty of closets, gas heat, central air, and a shared rooftop patio, which is accessed via the building’s elevator.

730 Farmington #102 is offered at $220,000. If you’d like to see this home, please have your agent arrange a showing or call Amy at 860-655-2125 to schedule a visit. More details and a photo tour are available.

33 Charter Oak Place #5, Hartford

33 Charter Oak Place, Hartford

Steps to all that Downtown has to offer, yet located on a quiet residential street, in a one of a kind building, this two bedroom, one bathroom penthouse unit is a special find!

Completely remodeled with hardwood flooring and fresh paint throughout, there is truly nothing to do but move in. The living area is a large open room with cathedral ceilings that is anchored by the exposed brick of the chimney, and the associated wood stove, and lit by a Palladian window and multiple skylights. The space includes the main seating area, a dining area, and an updated kitchen with stone counters and stainless appliances. It is a comfortable room to relax, and a terrific layout for entertaining.

The master bedroom, which features two oversized closets, is at the end of a hall that also includes a laundry closet, an updated full bath, and a second bedroom with private balcony with views of the Colt Armory dome.

You’ll have your own dedicated garage with auto-door opener, a shared rear deck, secure storage space in the basement, and a lovely front porch and yard to enjoy. The unit features central air conditioning, as well as gas heat and hot water.

33 Charter Oak Place #5 is offered at $255,000. If you’d like to see this home, please have your agent arrange a showing or call Amy at 860-655-2125 to schedule a visit. More details and a photo tour are available.

August Contracts: Typical End of Summer

2018-09-07 Hartford County Single Family Contracts in August 2018

Hartford County finished August with 779 single-family contracts, slightly behind the August 2017 total of 785 deals. It continues to be a strong year for the county, with the total deal count only off last year’s total by about 3.4%.

Real estate markets took the traditional late summer step back in August. The pool of buyers trying to time the school year cycle typically phase out of the market at about this time of the year. Since it usually takes 45 – 60 days for a deal to close, putting a home under contract in August is unlikely to result in a move-in date before early September … after the school year has begun.

From now through March, buyers and sellers are folks who choosing to move for reasons that not related to schools. Downsizing continues to be a big trend in the region as the population ages. Work relocations are common because the Hartford area is a commercial hub. We are still seeing people buying their first home as they take advantage of the stable economy and the attractive mortgage interest rates.

Town-by-town performance is always interesting to track, and at this time of the year the numbers tend to settle because there is a meaningful amount of data. Focusing on the year-to-date column below, East Hartford and Manchester are the two municipalities showing the largest drop in the number of deals. Both are trailing 2017 by 104 contracts as of the end of August.

In East Hartford, the City had a very slow run in June and July. Those two months accounted for 57 deals of underperformance, which is more than half of the total for the year. Inventory levels are on the low side, at 2.8 months overall, but are no longer so low that buyers don’t have any homes to consider purchasing.

Manchester’s underperformance is actually more about last year than this year. The number of monthly deals this year has followed normal seasonal patterns, though it has been slightly below each corresponding month from last year. The main difference in the overall total was caused by surprisingly high deal counts in January, March, and April 2017. This year has been more of a typical year for Manchester.

Suffield has shown the largest increase in deals over 2017, with 29 more contracts leading to 25.7% more activity. As a smaller town, Suffield’s monthly data is more erratic than the East Hartford or Manchester. Consistent monthly deal counts during the summer of 2018 created the surplus deals after a hit-or-miss summer in 2017.

There could still be some surprises between now and the end of the year. Whether there are or not, 2018 is very likely to be another strong year for the local real estate markets.

2018-09-07 Hartford County Single Family Contracts in August 2018 by Town

198 Kenyon Street, Hartford’s West End

198 Kenyon St, Hartford

Don’t miss this great opportunity to own a classic West End colonial, close to Elizabeth Park.

The first floor has all of the formal entertaining space that you’d expect, as well as some bonus rooms. The living room has a wood burning fireplace and opens to the dining room with traditional built-in hutch. A large kitchen awaits your design ideas and features an original butler’s pantry. There is a heated sunroom off the dining room, which leads to the backyard. An enclosed porch off the kitchen functions as a mudroom or 3-season space. A small powder room completes the level.

Upstairs, the second floor has an oversized master bedroom with en-suite bathroom. There are two additional bedrooms, one with a sleeping porch, and a remodeled full bathroom.

The third floor features three more bedrooms, a full bathroom, and attic storage space.

There is hardwood flooring throughout, original moldings and high ceilings, gas heat and hot water, as well as a 2-car detached garage.

198 Kenyon Street is 6 bedrooms, 3.1 bathroom, 3,037 sqft, and is available for $289,000. For more information, or to schedule a private tour, please contact Amy Bergquist at 860-655-2125 or AmyB@AmyB-RE.com. More details and a photo tour are available.

Introducting MeetingInfo.org

MeetingInfo.org

I’m excited to share a project that has been in the works for a while. It’s ready to take the next step, and needs your help.

MeetingInfo.org is a web service that organizes information about public meetings. It’s designed to help meeting organizers connect with their constituents by publishing their meeting information online.

As a quick example, the site is perfect for municipalities, with their dozens of Councils, Boards, and Committees. The City of Hartford has been using it to document some of their meetings online for a while now.

It’s even better for small community organizations that depend on public participation. The West End Civic Association uses it for their Board of Directors and their Planning & Zoning Committee meetings.

We’re interested in expanding the site’s reach in the Hartford area – this is where we need your help.

Are you part of an organization (as an employee or volunteer) that hosts meetings for the public? Publish on MeetingInfo.org to make your community efforts more visible and accessible.

Do you run a website that has a community focus? Copy-paste a little code and you can help promote meetings in the community by displaying an up-to-date list to your readers. Here are three examples of how it looks on different sites: Greater Hartford Real Estate Blog, HartfordCitizen.com, stand-alone page.

Interested in what’s happening in Hartford? Create a (free) account on the site and follow the various groups that interest you. You’ll receive automated alerts when those groups schedule meetings and publish documents.

Publishing service subscriptions are currently being offered for free to all Hartford organizations, and for a very reasonable fee to everyone else. Visit the site or email info@meetinginfo.org to learn more.

Communities need participation to keep them moving in the right direction. More awareness of public meetings is always better. Help spread the word about the MeetingInfo.org platform!