Great Idea! Let's Commit Mortgage Fraud!

I had an agent, “Pat,” contact me this week about one of my listings. Pat’s clients were interested in the house and considering putting in an offer. Pat proceed to ask me how “creative” my clients were. Being left-handed, I’m always open to creativity, so I asked for an explanation of what they had in mind. Pat gave me some details about how the contract would be structured and then mentioned that the buyers would

Phew! M-O-B Doesn't Have to Move…

Looks like Max’s Oyster Bar was able to escape a huge rent increase and will be sticking around West Hartford Center after all. Facing a 50% increase in their rental expense after missing a rental agreement deadline, M-O-B averted eviction when a court ruling went in their favor last Friday. So, grab a bowl of New England Clam chowder and some mussels on the half shell and celebrate… As an aside, this story highlights the

All Things Martha…

Ah, Martha. I’ll admit it, I subscibe to Martha Stewart’s Living magazine. When my latest issue came today, I salivated over the hydrangeas on the cover, silently cursing my own for not producing one single “snowball” this year. But my brown thumb is a blog post for another day… As a Realtor, I’m often consulting Martha-media for ideas. How do we stage a room more appropriately? What cosmetic changes can be done cheaply, but help

What's the Deal with Rising Mortgage Rates?

Mortgage rates continue to be in the news and are weighing on the minds of some homebuyers. Earlier in the month we looked at the dollar impact of higher rates (http://www.amybergquist.com/blog/2007/06/14/rising-mortgage-interest-rates/). The final result was that the changes we’ve seen over the course of this year (6.25% to 6.75% on a 30 year fixed) have resulted in monthly payments increasing by about $33 for every $100,000 borrowed. Since that post, rates have stabilized and even

How Do I Calculate My West Hartford Property Taxes?

Now that the West Hartford budget has been amended and the mill rate has been set at 38.63, many are wondering how they will calculate their property taxes. One thing to keep in mind is that they will be based on a 5 year phase in if your assessment from 2005 to 2006 increased by more than 25%. Let’s do a quick example and hopefully this will help… Let’s say your 2005 property assessment was