July Contracts: Plugging Along

Contracts negotiated on single-family homes this July fell from the previous month’s total as buyers took their traditional summer break. Transactions for the year continue to track the 2009 data reasonably well, though at a slightly lower activity level. Buyers have a nice opportunity in the market right now. Inventory is at a slightly elevated level, providing a good selection. Competition from other buyers is relatively low, so immediate bids are usually not needed for

January Single-Family Contracts Rise

The number of Hartford County single-family homes that went under contract in January 2011 was 12% higher than the January 2010 total. Clearly, the month of snow had less of an impact on buyers than we had previously thought (January Listings Down 24% Year-Over-Year). Here’s the breakdown of how the individual towns fared. As always, individual towns within the County performed very differently. Avon and Manchester are the first towns that jump out since both

Property Taxes and Revaluations

We’re sensing some confusion over the future direction of property taxes among some of our buyer clients and homeowner friends. We don’t know pretend to know exactly what will happen, but have a theory we thought we should share: You’ll notice that property values (assessments) do not figure into the property tax calculation. Even though your home, or the home you hope to buy, may have fallen in value since the last revaluation, you should

October 2010 Market Statistics

Here’s a quick look at how the Hartford County real estate markets performed last month. Closings in October reflect deals negotiated during the summer and fall depending on the amount of time between the contract date and the closing date. The data comes from the Connecticut Multiple Listing Service (CTMLS), which is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Some Observations There was a wide range in the percent change in number of transactions for this October

Leaf Pickup in Greater Hartford

Our lawn is covered with leaves. We don’t really want to rake, but it needs to be done. And it needs to be done in time for the leaf truck to come through and vacuum them all away. Collection protocol varies by municipality. The three main techniques are sucking leaves off the curb with a giant vacuum, picking up bagged leaves at the curb, or letting residents drop off their leaves at the local transfer