Bat Adventures: Who is the Bat Man?

This post continues our story about bats in the attic… It’s time for the bats to go, but how does that actually happen? Who do I call to help me get them out? We keep a list of contractors and other service providers so that we have someone to recommend to our clients in any occasion. But there is nobody on the list for wildlife removal – somehow I don’t think the bug exterminators are

Bat Adventures: Unwelcome Guests

It’s time for our house guests to go. Not the relatives who are down for a visit, but the bats that have moved into our home. Last week was the final straw – we found evidence of them in the actual living area for the very first time. Previously, they had respected our space and kept their mess and activity confined to the attic area. We first discovered the bats a couple years after we

July Contracts: Plugging Along

Contracts negotiated on single-family homes this July fell from the previous month’s total as buyers took their traditional summer break. Transactions for the year continue to track the 2009 data reasonably well, though at a slightly lower activity level. Buyers have a nice opportunity in the market right now. Inventory is at a slightly elevated level, providing a good selection. Competition from other buyers is relatively low, so immediate bids are usually not needed for

Property Taxes in the City of Hartford

One of the most difficult conversations that I have as a real estate agent is explaining the property tax system in the City of Hartford. Most of the time the subject comes up as I’m touring around with a buyer and trying to cover various home buying subjects as we drive from one property to the next. My client will casually ask about taxes, expecting an answer along the lines of “They’re low/high compared to

Office Tower Conversions

Today’s question … what would it take to make a former office tower an interesting/hip/cool place to live? While walking through Downtown Hartford I was once again thinking about how interesting a neighborhood it is becoming. There has been a noticeable change since I moved to town in 2004, with the highlight being numerous projects filling previously underutilized sites with housing. There are plenty of underutilized sites that remain – many of them are office