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

Simsbury River Oaks

In West Hartford, the prospect of the Blue Back Square development drew a lot of attention from town residents concerned about a variety of issues; traffic, Big Box expansion, the death of other retail centers in town, etc. In the end, the lure of more tax revenue, additional upscale housing, and a revitalization of a blighted area of town won out. As we all know, Blue Back is well under way and over the next

Keep a House File

I know being organized is a challenge for some, but when it comes to your home, it’s very important to keep detailed records. When you purchase a house or condo, you’ll be hit with a flurry of paperwork. The Purchase and Sale agreement, various disclosures, inclusions/exclusions forms, your home inspection, the insurance policy, and mounds and mounds of mortgage documentation. Keep all of this. DO NOT throw it away. It will only serve to help