On June 9th, the Four Corners Sewer/Water Advisory Committee will be holding an informational meeting to get community input on for the proposed improvements for the Four Corners area (Route 195 & Route 44) to resolve long-term water and sewer environmental issues. The public Q&A session begins at 7 PM at the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building.

Complete details are available on the Mansfield town website.

Accomplished Real Estate Team Attend, Present at Summit for North America’s Real Estate Trend-Setters

CKG International Summit 2009 was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

STORRS MANSFIELD, CT (May 2009) – Tom and Elaine Burns recently returned from the 2009 CKG International Summit held in Toronto, Canada where the top producing agents and brokers across North America converged to share cutting-edge marketing strategies for the evolving residential real estate industry.

CKG International, an internationally recognized company specializing in working with the world’s most successful agents, recently held a ground breaking conference for the most elite REALTORS® in the industry. Tom and Elaine Burns, and all other attendees, have met the rigorous standards required of CKG’s Mastery Program and places The Burns Real Estate Group among real estate’s premier professionals. Qualification to this exclusive group is based on their track record, sales volume and a constant and never ending commitment to their clients. (more…)

Will CT Property Taxes Go Down?

Everyone asks me this question, so I thought it would be a good time to discuss it as there seems to be lot of confusion  - the short answer is, unfortunately, no. Lower CT property values do not mean your property taxes will go down.   The value of your home does not determine the budget for the Ct city or town you live in – and the money for the budget needs to be raised no matter what our homes are valued or assessed at.

CT Tax Assessments 

This is the way it works: The  tax assessor of each and every Connecticut town and city is required to list the value of all properties by Oct. 1st of every year. This is called the GRAND list – not sure what is so grand about it, but that is what it is called.  Every year all the new construction is added to the list,  increased home values when additions and improvements are made to are added in, as well as land development, etc.  Even without doing property revaluations, in a busy, upswing economy, this all adds up to a bigger GRAND list.  (more…)

You have a contract on your CT home and are ready to sell, now let’s make sure you get what’s coming to you!

The real estate market surrounding the UConn area is really getting into Spring mode and has been heating up (yes, pun intended)!  Meanwhile, once you have your home under deposit, you’re wondering what happens when the all important bank appraiser comes through and determines the value, right?  Do not fear, we have the answers! Here are the top 7 ways to get the most out of your home appraisal…

1. Make Your Home Presentable - Yes, Even for the Home Appraisal

I know, you have been “on” for way too long – you are tired of showings and do not want to get ready for anything else. PLUS you are trying to pack. Lucky you, now you have to get ready to move and pretend you are not………You don’t have to be able to eat off the floors, but seriously… clean the dishes in the sink, and fold the laundry. I know you would never WANT to show your house this way, but, sometimes life gets hectic and leaving things arond the house will not make a great impression. (more…)

Why Living in Storrs - and Pretty Much Anywhere in Connecticut - is Waaayyy Better…and Other News

I love where I live, I admit it. Really, compared to most other places in the country, the changing seasons are beautiful, the people are great, and we all know our mascots are better.  Do you know anyone with a better mascot that the UConn Huskie?!  And of course, real estate in my beloved Connecticut and the home of the Huskies, Storrs Mansfield, is a lot more fun than anywhere else. (more…)

Green Roofs – More than just an adjective and not new to Connecticut

I’ve been researching some new ‘green’ topics and since we recently sold a home in Storrs Mansfield, CT with a ”real” green roof. I thought it would be good to get a bit more info on this environmentally friendly to put a roof over your head!                   This really IS a Green Roof ->

Apparently I’m new to the parade in thinking about this green roof trend, because there is all sorts of info out there regarding this process.  Who knew?  I guess if you think about it has probably been a sensible way to make a roof for hundreds of years – I mean, they didn’t always have asphalt roofing shingles……. (more…)