Saving the West End Trees

In my neighborhood of the West End of Hartford, we take trees seriously. Gigantic trees loom over many of the houses, providing shade in the summer, beauty in the fall, and homes for animals and birds throughout the year. Here’s a look at just a few of these beauties as I step out my side door… Sometimes the trees are cut down, usually for a variety of reasons; they get diseased, a storm damages them,

Greater Hartford Real Estate Market Statistics- July 2008

The lazy days of summer are here. But at the Greater Hartford Real Estate Blog, we’re not lazy, we’re market focused! So just what the heck happened out there in July? Let’s look at the lastest real estate statistics, straight from the CT Multiple Listing Service… My takeaways… 1. If you’re a buyer and looking for a deal, you might want to concentrate on the markets with their inventory numbers highlighted yellow. Those are all

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit- Part 1

As part of its major housing legislation, H.R. 3221, Congress created a tax credit to provide an incentive for first-time homebuyers. The $7,500 credit will be available for the purchase of a principal residence on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009. This first blog post will address common questions. A second post will follow with my thoughts on the tax credit… The Basics Who qualifies for the new tax credit? Only

I Want to Fire My Agent

Occassionally I’ll get a phone call or email from a seller that is not happy with the real estate agent currently representing them. They ask if I can help them because they want to fire their agent. This is very touchy ground because real estate agents are not allowed to interfere with the relationships between other agents and their clients. The advice I always give is this: if you are not happy with your current