Greater Hartford Real Estate Blog

Last week the results for the Connecticut Mastery Test were released to the public.  The Courant has put together a nice page for quickly seeing data, while the official results website allows users to generate detailed reports.

As expected, there has been a flurry of commentary on the results for different towns.  The West Hartford results are being debated on West Hartford Forums, Talk of West Hartford, and The West Hartford Blog.  I’m sure that there are other places also.

Rather that rehashing what has already been said, let’s keep the focus on real estate and take a look at the relationship between test scores and home prices.  Will buying a home in a town with higher median home prices provide access to better performing schools (based on CMT results)?

 

The above graph shows test scores for each town (average performance of eighth graders) as a function of the town’s median home prices (second quarter of 2008).  It is interesting to note that test scores and median home price seems to be correlated.  I’m sure there are other factors that influence the relationship. Anyone up for running a regression analysis…

There are two fun outdoor events going on this weekend that you might want to check out.

Celebrate West Hartford is a free outdoor festival where you can shop at craft booths, enjoy rides and games, sample some delicious food from local eateries, and participate in a 5K road race. The event runs Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 12-6 in the West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square area.

Farmington Antiques Weekend is also taking place this Saturday and Sunday. Whether a browser or a buyer, you’ll have a good time looking at the wares of over 400 vendors. Saturday’s $10 admission is good for both days. The show runs from 8-5 on Saturday. If you only want to visit on Sunday, admission is $7 and hours are 10-5. The event is held at the Farmington Polo Grounds at 152 Town Farm Road.

I’m taking a much needed day off tomorrow and will be hitting up the antique show in the morning and volunteering at the West Hartford Dog Park booth at Celebrate West Hartford in the afternoon. Hope to see you there and don’t forget to wear your sunscreen! Also, this would be a great opportunity for weekend plans with friends…

Here’s the latest Farmington Valley real estate market report. The data provided is for single family homes, listed in the Multiple Listing Service. The info presented here is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed…

There are 142 homes available for sale in Avon and 46 under contract waiting to close. High end buyers have their choice of properties. Average days on market is 41 days.

There are 135 homes available for sale in Farmington and 43 under contract waiting to close. Farmington experienced the same number of sold homes in April of 2008 as it did in April of 2007, 15 houses. Average days on market is 83 days.

On a side note, 50 Cent’s house has been on the market for a year. No price reductions yet. I wonder if he really wants to move? After all, the Valley is a lovely place.

On another side note, it took me awhile to find a “family friendly” 50 Cent video. I try to keep my blog PG.

There are 140 houses available for sale in Simsbury, with an additional 59 under contract waiting to close. Average days on market is 54 days. If you’re looking for a home in the $400K-$500K range in Simsbury, you have lots of choices. 21% of the houses for sale are listed between $398K-$500K.

There are 103 houses available for sale in Canton, with an additional 16 under contract waiting to close. Average days on market is 95 days. The various price ranges are fairly balanced. If you’re looking for a $1,500K+ home, you might want to try Avon, it has more choices available.