I have learned a secret for changing the light bulbs in those huge chandeliers that hang over the grand stairway of big houses. All you have to do is install a winch directly above the fixture and wire the light with a plug. You can then disconnect the electrical and gently lower it down to a comfortable level to replace the bulbs, or to clean it. Here is an example of such a system from
I always enjoy seeing this home as I drive by – the accents give it a little something extra. It would still be a very handsome home without the details, being a brick structure from 1923 (according to the town). The accents give it a slight Victorian vibe that I usually don’t see done in this area. There are other homes out there with accent bricks, you just have to be on the lookout for
In June of 2013 the City established a Task Force “for the purpose of examining and analyzing Hartford’s property tax system, and making recommendations for State legislation to rectify imbalances resulting from the system.” We follow the City’s property tax system closely, and the Task Force’s recently released final report makes this a good opportunity to quickly review Hartford’s current tax situation, analyze the recommendations of the Task Force and share our thoughts. Hartford’s property
Last week we published some charts showing the direction of the overall single-family market in Hartford County for 2013. The quick summary was that sales activity has been increasing nicely for two years, but median prices have been stuck in a protracted valley. The data tells a variety of different stories when we zoom in to the individual towns. Before we get there though, a quick disclaimer. It’s difficult to take too strong a position
Most of the year we avoid looking at prices when we analyze market statistics. Considering only a month’s (or even quarter’s) worth of data is risky because the sample size is too small, while making a more sophisticated model to account for the small sample size is beyond our abilities. However we are comfortable looking at a full year of data, and now that the calendar has turned over to 2014 we can look back