Although here in Hartford we’re generally more concerned about the local real estate markets, the national picture is of interest because of its impact on the overall economy. We believe that housing markets need to broadly stabilize before homeowners (consumers) feel comfortable with their personal financial situations and the banks/investors that hold the mortgages feel comfortable with their balance sheets. In other words, finding a bottom in the housing market is an important first step
I had some downtime last night, so I decided to look through the MLS to see how the multi family markets are holding up in the current environment. Although multi family properties can be found throughout the region, they make up a small fraction of the overall residential market in most towns. I started by identifying the towns in which they represent a meaningful portion of the housing stock, which makes the data more interesting
People generally understand that real estate is local. The markets are driven by regional economies, which ultimately depend on the number and type of jobs in the area. Therefore local data is more relevant than national data in most real estate decisions. Local data is gathered, analyzed and published by diverse groups and individuals that range from specialty firms to local bloggers. Because every home is unique and towns have wide ranges of home types,
The Courant had an interesting article this morning about a family in Farmington that recently tried to sell their home as a short sale. They had an offer on their home and waited for 3 months for their bank to respond to the offer and authorize the short sale. The bank did not respond. The buyer eventually got tired of waiting and walked away. The house is currently in the process of being foreclosed upon.
Last evening I attended a seminar on residential solar systems presented by Alteris Renewables, a firm that specializes in integration and installation of renewable energy systems. This particular talk was focused on photovoltaic solar systems and the associated Connecticut state assistance program. The earth receives huge amounts of energy every year in the form of sunlight. Photovoltaic solar systems are able to capture some of that energy and convert it directly into electricity. Homeowners can