Can a wine label really help you sell your home?  We sell homes in the  Tolland County, Windham County or Hartford County Connecticut area and one thing I would NOT recommend is to put out a bottle of wine with a name like (OOPS), Frogs Piss or Senile Farms – the buyers touring your home may think you are trying to tell them something……

Sell That Connecticut Charm & Elegance

When you are staging your Connecticut home for sale, leaving out a great looking bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses is a nice touch.  Remember, you are selling not only your home, you are selling a lifestyle and anything you can do to convey how much they will enjoy living there is important. We call it “emotionally moving in” when buyers get attached to a house and start thinking about what it will be like to have this be “their” home. (more…)

So, you have moved out of the Mansfield Storrs, CT area and have been renting your home to these very nice tenants.  Life has been good with them! They take good care of your charming home, and they even want to purchase it from you!  Sounds great, right? 

Reality hits, and you discover that they are not qualified to purchase the house. So even though they WANT to buy it, and love the CT lifestyle they have while living in your greater Hartford, CT area home, they simply cannot afford to buy it. (more…)

As greater Hartford area real estate agents, Tom and I deal with home inspection issues on a daily basis. When we navigate and negotiate through this complex part of a Connecticut real estate transaction, I often wonder why home buyers and sellers get so bogged down in this process. 

Real Estate is Emotional

I think the answer is pretty simple – real estate is typically an emotional process.  Remember, we’re dealing with homes (definition: the place in which one’s domestic affections are centered; emotional attachment)  not houses (definition: residence for human beings; no emotional attachment). This is the part of the negotiation where the home seller may be leaving a long loved residence and a buyer may be excited (and yet nervous) about the decision they have made to purchase “this” home.   (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…)

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…)

First time homebuyers, Sam & Sarah, moments after their walk-through surprise.

The “walk-through” is the final preview of the home just before a closing – it gives the buyer an opportunity to check out the property before signing all the documents to make the house their very own.  We have attended hundreds of walk-throughs over the years and except for a few surprises in regards to the condition of the home, they are typically pretty uneventful.  The seller is cleared out of the house, the buyer is rushing around trying to get the final bank check and everyone is pretty tired at this point.

This walk-through was different!  Our client, Sam, called us the day before and said he was going to propose to Sarah at the house just before the closing.

He gave her a beautiful ring and she said yes!  We were lucky enough to take a picture of them coming out of the house, excited and ready to go to their closing together.   It was a joy for us to help them find their first home and we look forward to helping them over the years as they change and grow as a family.

At the Burns Real Estate Group, we specialize in helping first time home buyer’s find their very first home – this is an amazing time to be buying real estate and there are many opportunities and programs for first time home buyers.  The perception that no one is buying real estate or getting mortgages right now is simply not true.  Banks are giving great mortgages, people are buying and selling homes every day and the opportunities are fabulous! Please give us call today at (860) 429-2853 to see how we can be of help to you!