Life and Real Estate in the Greater Hartford Area

  Today I have the luxury of sitting in the comfort of the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Manchester CT while the rest of the world is dark around me.  No, I don't have a room but they are letting me charge my phone and use the wireless network.  The small things we are grateful for!   I am current...

I don't ever remember Halloween being cancelled, but this year it will be in many parts of Connecticut. We had a major snow storm on October. 29, 2011 that left 800,000 people without power. It was more devastating than Hurricane Irene. The weight of the snow on leaves that hadn't yet fallen from...

We got smacked yesterday with one of the worst snowstorms ever. The. leaves had not yet fallen off the trees so the heavy snow weighed down the trees and brought huge limbs crashing to the ground. Power lines are down everywhere, and we expect toi be without power for days, if not longer. For tho...

Leaf Collection Schedule in Manchester CT   Although we had our first snowfall yesterday, it's not time to think about winter yet!  We still have leaves to rake up!  Many of mine are still on the tree, so I am glad that leaf collection won't begin for a few more days.  Manchester divides its leaf...

Spice Is Nice!   It's that time of year again when our spice usage goes way up!    It seems to start with chili season.  The cooler weather inspires us to create a little heat in our food, such as steamy, spicy, full-flavored chili, complete with chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and garlic po...

Manchester CT 2011 Revaluation Process   The Town of Manchester CT is in the process of conducting a "full, measure and list" revaluation of property for its 2012 assessment.  The town's assessor's office has been conducting revaluation workshops to educate the public about what is involved and w...

South Windsor Condo Report for September 2011   During September 2011, there were 9 closed condo sales with a median price of $152,000.  During September 2010, there were also 9 closed sales, but the median price was $136,500.  So that's a nice rally in median price.  Here are the units by comple...

Advice for Sellers:  The One Question You Must Ask Your REALTOR®   If you are thinking about putting your home on the market (or maybe you already have your home on the market), there is one question you must ask your REALTOR® or any agents that you are interviewing for the job:   What do you thi...

Bloomfield CT Market Report for September 2011   The housing market in Bloomfield CT saw a downturn in closed sales both from the previous months and from the same time last year, but it saw an increase in median price.  In September 2011, there were 8 closed sales with a median price of $228,950...