Marlene's Eastern CT Home Blog

A 2009 CT resource for home sellers that need to dump hazardous waste

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:45:21 -0500

There can be a lot of packing and sorting when moving out of your home. Most likely, home movers will come across a stack of unwanted bottles, cans and hazardous materials that you may want to throw away in the trash, yet doing so would be hazardous to the environment.

The schedule below is when and where you can easily and safely dispose of these environmentally hazardous materials, whether you are moving or doing your spring cleaning.

The 2009 Hazardous Waste Collection in Southeastern CT will take place on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations:

Stonington April 18 - Stonington Highway Department on Alpha Avenue.
Waterford May 9 - Public Works Complex at 1000 Hartford Road/Route 85
Colchester June 6 - Johnston Middle School on Norwich Avenue
Norwich June 20 - Norwich Public Works Garage at 50 Clinton Avenue
Groton July 18 - Groton Transfer Station on Flanders Road
Montville August 22 - Tyl Middle School on Chesterfield Road off of Route 163
North Stonington September 12 - Public Works Highway Garage at 11 Wyassup Road
Griswold October 17 - Griswold Highway Garage on Route 138 (east of Route 395)
Ledyard November 7 - Dow Chemical Parking Lot on Route 12

For more information, contact the Southeastern CT Regional Resource Recovery Authority, 741 Flanders Road, Mystic CT (860) 536-6765. Call this telephone number to find out exactly what will be accepted at these collections or call the number for the town you live in at this web site: www.crra.org.

~~~

Marlene is a licensed Realtor for the Dan Sperduto Home Selling Team of Eastern CT. Please feel free to contact Marlene to find out more about the UNIQUE and successful marketing systems used by this award winning team of Realtors. To find real estate listings including homes for sale, search for properties from our agency AND from the MLS at dansperduto.com.

ERA REALTY PROs

(860)884-6169 direct

Anticipation...It has been worth the wait

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:08:30 -0600

The anticipated airing of the story about the Girard Family's newly built home in Voluntown, CT will finally show TONIGHT. From December 4 - 11, 2008, eastern Connecticut had a lot going on with thousands of volunteers working to get this new home built with Ty, Paige, Michael, Ed and the rest of ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition crew.

At 8 p.m. (EST) this evening, I encourage everyone out there to get into some comfy clothing, grab some snacks and kick back to watch this heartfelt story about this very deserving family. You will also see how the community that I come from has come together in masses to reach out to this family in need, by helping to get this home built.

For more information, here are a few resources about this show:

Snowflakes... and the Girard Family's New Home

The Girard Family of Voluntown, CT gets a new home from EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION!! and the story airs tonight - Feburary 8th, 2009

~~~

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About the Author:

Marlene is a licensed Realtor for the Dan Sperduto Home Selling Team of Eastern CT. Please feel free to contact Marlene to find out more about the UNIQUE and successful marketing systems used by this award winning team of Realtors. To find real estate listings including homes for sale, search for properties from our agency AND from the MLS at www.dansperduto.com.

ERA REALTY PROs

(860)884-6169 direct

I have a question! Hey you lenders out there.....

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:21:30 -0600

There is a thorn in my side and I have been on a mission to get the correct answer to something.

I will start by saying that I live in Connecticut. I was the seller's agent (the listing agent) and my (builder) clients closed on a new construction home at the end of 2008. The buyers got a VA loan. In the beginning of the loan process the buyers were told by their lender to get a termite inspection of which they did and there was no evidence of termites or termite damage. The buyers paid about $100 for this inspection.

A week before the closing date we were all told that the seller must have a termite treatment done at the seller's expense. The pest control company estimated that this would cost about $1,300.

The lender went back and forth about this and a day later I was told that termite treatment did not need to be done.

However, I got the final call and was told that:

YES, even here in Connecticut, a termite treatment needs to be done to satisfy VA loan requirements according to this loan company's underwriter.

Since the home closed in December and the ground was frozen it was not possible to do a termite treatment according to the pest control company, (which makes sense). To solve this, the $1,300 for the termite treatment would need to go in an escrow account and in springtime a termite treatment would need to be done to satisfy the loan requirements and this is exactly what was done. (So that money is still sitting there in the escrow account).

I must point out that $1,300 was a big expense that was sprung on my seller/builder at the last minute.

Here is the question:

Is it true that a VA loan requirement of a new construction home must have a termite treatment in Connecticut for the VA loan to go through?

I've been asking around and have gotten mixed answers. I just want the right answer. I know there are some VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE lenders out there and I want get to the bottom of this. Thank you for your time.

Be ‘in the know' when purchasing a vacant-foreclosed home this winter

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:44:07 -0600

It's winter and it's cold! There are many houses on the market that are vacant, particularly homes that are in foreclosure, AND possibly, the utilities are turned off. Also, the plumbing systems are winterized in these homes. Rejoice in this because if they were not, then there would be a big mess of frozen pipes and damage to these homes.

You've been looking and have fallen in love with one of these ‘vacant-foreclosed-winterized-utilities turned off' homes so you have put in an offer AND it has been accepted. How sweet it is.

With your offer you've wisely decided to get the home inspected. This is an expense that you need to remember to budget for. It is important to be sure that all of the home's systems are up and running prior to the home inspection appointment. Make sure that:

The electricity is on
Oil is in oil tank and oil lines are bled(if applicable)
Gas lines are on/tanks filled (if applicable)

And

The plumbing system is de-winterized and re-winterized after the inspection

Also, it is important to find out: Will any of this be at your expense? OR at the owners/bank‘s expense?

To de-winterize AND to re-winterize
To purchase oil for tank IF it is empty
To get the utilities turned on like gas and electric

If so, then budget for this too.

Knowing these things before-hand will help with the process of purchasing of a home in foreclosure... in the winter.

Good luck and have fun shopping!

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Norwich, CT: As your luck might have it... We've got some motivated sellers in Cherry Hill!

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:24:41 -0600

CHERRY HILL of Norwich, CT... A very desirable place to live!

Adjusted Price: Now offered at $259,000. The sellers are motivated! We are proud to be offering this wonderful home in the Cherry Hill section of Norwich, CT. There is really a lot here for this price!

This well cared for ranch-style home with attached 2-car garage is located in Norwich's desirable Cherry Hill. There is almost 2300 square feet of finished living space in this terrific home. The large living room features a fabulous picture window and fireplace - that is the center piece of the room. The modern kitchen with skylight and tile flooring boasts a breakfast bar, and a built in desk. Off on one side of the kitchen is a den which could be used as an office - since it has a separate entrance. Off the other side of the kitchen is a fantastic formal dining room. This house is tastefully decorated and has neutral-colored berber carpeting throughout, however, hardwood flooring lies beneath it. There are 3 spacious bedrooms in this fabulous home, all with ample closet space.

Click here to view the virtual of this home!

On the main floor there are 2 spacious full baths and in the finished lower level, the current owners have thoughtfully added a half bath. The recently remodeled lower level also has a large and tastefully decorated family room - which is a great place for family and friends to gather for celebrations. Imagine watching sporting events or your favorite movie in this room while using the built in 7 speaker home theater surround sound system that is only a year old. From the lower level , there is a convenient walkout sliding door that leads to the patio and spacious backyard. The rear of the yard features stone walls for boundaries and is lightly wooded. There is over half of an acre of land with this property. Not included in the square footage is a second kitchen on the lower level.

You can be sure to feel safe in this home with the ADT security system - which has 22 monitored contact points and a motion sensor in the basement that can differentiate between a person and a household pet. The location of this home is off the beaten path yet is conveniently located near Route 395 and area amenities. With this home the owner has thoughtfully included a 1 year home warranty for buyer piece of mind. What more could you ask for!

Click here for more of our listings!

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

So you have vacant property for sale? Is it accessible?

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:38:34 -0600

One of the wonders of living in New England is that we enjoy each season to the fullest. Right now we are experiencing the typical snowy time of the year.

Showing a home to buyers during this wondrous snowy time is best when a few extra steps are taken to clear that snow for access to the property. Driveways, walkways and steps need to be cleared so buyers can safely enter and view your home for sale.

If you can not remove the snow, try hiring someone to take care of snow removal. It is a smart idea to stay on top of this to be assured that all requests for showings from buyers can happen. Not only will this help to allow safe access to the home, it also may detour vandals from lurking - for it shows that the home is being watched over and maintained from the exterior.

In the summer months, mowing the lawn and maintaining the yard is done. It only makes sense to do the same during the winter months by maintaining the exterior with snow removal.

Don't worry, the snow will melt and it will warm up again soon here in New England.

Enjoy it while you can!

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Image courtesy of Freefoto.com

Meetup - Have you heard of it?

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:59:49 -0600

The Internet is a wonderful thing. It really had taken 'connecting with others' to a whole new world. (I would never have connected or reconnected with so many people if it wasn't for blogging and places like Twitter and Facebook).

If you are looking to connect in the same ways as Twitter and Facebook AND wish to add the dimension of connecting in person, as in meetings and get togethers, try Meetup - "Use the Internet to get off the Internet."

Meetup's motto is: "Maybe it's time for a little less face-to-screen and a little more face-to-face." So if this is what you are looking for: Getting together in person to be social OR to belong to a supportive networking group that actually meets - then this place just may be for you. This is really is a nice an easy way to find people with common goals.

Meetup has information about groups that meet all around the world. Once you log onto this site, all you have to do is type in the the topic or interest you are looking for, the country you are from and if you live in the U.S. for example - type in the zip code of where you live. A search will be conducted within 25, 50, etc., or more miles of the zip code. Up will come all of the groups that meet on that topic in your area. If per chance there is not a group that suits your liking, start your own.

The possibilities are endless on who you can meet, socialize, network and build relationships with.

Here are just some of the groups that I found in my area on Meetup:

...And there are SO many more... Have fun checking out Meetup.com!

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

I've got questions! Why aren't they showing up?

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:55:05 -0600

Is it the weather?? Is it indecisiveness??

Are agents not qualifying the buyers before scheduling showings??

In the past month I have had a good stream of calls from other agents to request showings on my listings. I am glad about this. This tells me that my teams marketing efforts are effective and our pricing is on target. After a date and time is scheduled for a showing, I have gotten calls - last minute to cancel the showings OR no one shows up for the showings. This has been happening for about 50% of the time. Is this happening to you?

Who knows, this may just be a fluke. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season could have been part of it. This is over now yet another instance of this happened again today!

The problem I have is that my clients clean their house and make it look wonderfully presentable to have a 'no show' or last minute cancellation. Sometimes they get angry, sometimes not.

What is your take on this???

Ahh yes, one more thing.

FEEDBACK. Why don't agents who show houses give feedback?!? I know many do, however, many, many don't.

Tell me what you think!

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Balancing High Hopes With the Real Deal

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:27:32 -0600

It is great to have high hopes for 2009. Having a positive attitude about what this new year has to bring will make our goals of success a reality. Networking with positive people will help keep our attitudes positive. The abundance of education to help us grow and learn about the real estate industry is readily available to take advantage of. Books, blogs, training seminars and such can keep us on top of our market. Thank goodness that there are these resources available to help keep the motivation high. There is so much available to make us the best that we can be. It's all good.

It is also wise to have realistic expectations about what the real estate market will be like for the upcoming year. It has been said that these times may be compared to the times of the 'great depression.' It has been said that there will be many more foreclosures coming. It is evident that short-sales are on the rise. It is true that mortgage companies have become more strict with lending. No one can deny that it is a buyer's market. It is a fact that there is an abundance of inventory available which is driving the prices of homes down. It is what it is.

Right now, the key is to balancing these two concepts and educating our clients with them. For example, putting our best foot forward by:

Communicating to selling clients the real deal about how to price their homes wisely to successfully sell their homes, is paramount.
Doing things like a pricing analysis, on homes that buyer clients are interested in putting an offer on, is more important then ever.

The bottom line is: Properly pricing homes to follow the current real estate market is going to be what it takes to get these high hopes and realistic expectaions turn into a reality.

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Here is a Holiday Greeting Card to All of You...

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:12:30 -0600

Click on the envelope to open your card:

I sincerely wish you all a very happy holiday, no matter what you celebrate at this time of year. I truly hope that 2009 brings wonderful things your way! God bless you!!!

Respectfully,

~~~

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About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Personalize those last minutes gifts

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:39:53 -0600

Who doesn't love getting a beautifully wrapped present???? Someone actually took the time to wrap a present for YOU:

With a box
And wrapping paper
Using scissors and tape
While carefully selecting a matching bow
And has attached a gift tag with YOUR name on it.

How sweet it is! But let's face it, there isn't a whole lot of time left to buy this present if you plan to do this for someone this Christmas.

At this point in the game, the answer to this is:

GIFT CARDS!!!!

Yeah, I know, this is not the most personal present to give. Again, there are only a few days left to get gifts AND the shelves at the stores are picked over and the crowds are unbearable with last minute procrastinators in a panic, loafing around in the stores.

So here is my advise:

Go directly to Walmart, Walgreens or CVS what ever store in your area has that 'wall' of gift cards to every place imaginable. Select your choice of gift cards for each recipient. Then walk over to the wrapping paper and pick out the nicest paper you see and don't forget the boxes, bows and gift tags too.

Now, go over to the candy aisle and grab a few bags of individually wrapped chocolates. The good ones though, don't be cheap on your chocolates. (I like Hershey Kisses or Lindt Chocolates).

You'll be in and out of the store in 15 minutes!

The next step is to go home and put on some Christmas carols and WRAP THOSE GIFT CARDS!!! And add a handful of chocolates into the boxes. Wrapping these so called 'impersonal' gift cards will make the present more personal this way. It will show that you actually took the time and put some thought in to the presentation of your gift.... And who can resist a few chocolates.

Now GO! DO IT! Let me know how this works out for you!!!

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Deep thoughts.... And a kick in the pants

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:05:33 -0600

Ponder on this... Have you ever looked back at a situation and had a gut feeling about it but didn't act on that feeling? You knew something just wasn't right but instead you ignored what you thought & intrusted another person's direction who claims to knows more about the topic??

Why do we do this?

Then we look back in retrospect to realize that gosh... Why didn't we listen to that gut feeling?? It could be the smallest thing but in the end may have changed how things came about. Doubting oneself to come to find out that we should not have is a hard lesson to learn. There is that saying... You know the one... The one about going to the "School of Hard Knocks."

Go with your gut and trust yourself and you will surely become an individual who will succeed.

~~~

Here is to the year 2009...

And to the confidence of knowing when to listen to your gut feeling.

~~~

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About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Snowflakes...

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:15:00 -0600

If there was a night, this was the night. If there was a room, this was the room.

I had the opportunity to volunteer last night at the EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION building project for the deserving Girard Family of Voluntown, CT. It was the BIG push to get this project done. At first I washed windows, and did a few odd tasks. I went upstairs to find my friend and poked into the bedroom of Hannah Girard, age 7. I heard the sweet words come out of the mouth of one of the people on the design team. He said he needed a group of volunteers to decorate this bedroom and I was ready, willing and able. Then this design team member just let us to go to work.

This task could only bring out the inner child in the wonderful and cooperative group of volunteers that I had the opportunity to work with. There was no time to waste... We worked together and got the job done. We unwrapped and steamed every piece of bedding that was used to go on this child's new bed. We all thoughtfully contemplated about how the bedding would displayed. The layering of the the many colorful sheets, blankets, pillows and comforter were done with such thought and pride... At one point there were 6 people making this bed with the hope that it looked as if professional designers did the job. Our collaberative efforts were like a well oiled machine.

We cooperatively hung all of the new clothing in the beautifully designed closet for this special little girl. We propped and arranged the array of the new toys and books that the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project provided. We displayed beautiful new jewelry, that all little girls wish for, in a lovely new jewelry box. We put furniture together, and painstakingly placed stuffed animals, lamps and flower arrangements throughout this room...

With hope that our efforts would bring joy to this child's heart and soul when she 1st walks into her new bedroom at the MOVE THAT BUS reveal that takes place this afternoon.

We walked away with a great sense of teamwork and pride. We did not even find out what each other's names are ... For that was not our focus. What we did do was to promise to look out for each other at the big celebration this evening that wraps this special event in Eastern CT.

Although I don't know what your names are yet ladies, you are all very special to me. WE DONE GOOD!

By the way, the theme for this little girls room is: Snowflakes!

~~~

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ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

For more info:

The Girard Family of Voluntown, CT gets a new home from EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION!!

~~~

Please Welcome to the AR Blog Scene... My Broker!

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:41:58 -0600

I would hear...

"Marlene, what are you doing?" and I would reply, "Writing a post in my blog, Dan."

Then I would hear...

"Hmmm... Teach me more about this!"

I am happy to tell you that:

Dan Sperduto, Broker of ERA REALTY PROs and Team Leader of the Dan Sperduto Home Selling Team has joined ActiveRain. Please give Dan a warm welcome to this fine community. I trust he will learn more then he could ever realize here at AR.

Go ahead... Read his 1st blog post and support his efforts.

Thanks!

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

~~~

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Selling Your Home in A Buyer's Market

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:06:06 -0600

"It's a buyer's market." How many times have you heard that phrase. It is true though. Here is some very 'on point' advice from a pro, my friend Bill Gassett.

(A licensed Realtor for the Dan Sperduto Home Selling Team of Eastern Connecticut. Please feel free to contact Marlene to find out more about the UNIQUE and successful marketing systems used by this award winning team of Realtors).

Via Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate:

There are many who have thought about selling their home but have not due to the decline in market values over the last few years. This is understandable UNLESS you are going to be buying another home under the same market conditions!

Sure market values have dipped quite a bit here in Metrowest Massachusetts. The value of homes in many towns has dropped by 20% or more since the peak in 2005. The $600,000 home you bought in 2005 may now have a value around $500,000. The point is if your are staying local it does not really matter. Why? Simple... you will be buying under the same market forces that you did while selling your home.

Here is a simple example. You bought your home for $600,000 and using a round figure of 20% it has dropped in value to $480,000. You have lost $120,000...ouch! Not really because if you are moving up in the market what used to be an $800,000 home is now worth $640,000.

If values had remained flat you would be going from a home valued at $600,000 up to a home worth $800,000. A difference of $200,000. In the present buyers market scenario the difference is $480,000 to $640,000 or a spread of $180,000. If you are moving up you saved yourself $20,000.

What if you are moving down? Lets turn the example around. You owned an $800,000 home that is now worth $640,000. It is too large for your needs and has become expensive to heat, maintain and pay taxes on. You desire something more manageable. Well guess what the house that you planned on buying three years ago for $600,000 is now only going to cost you $480,000. So what has happened is you have lost $40,000 in buying power. A 20% loss on 800k = $160,000. A 20% loss on $600,000 = $120,000. $160,000 - $120,000 = $40,000

So moving down isn't ideal but a loss of $40,000 is certainly much different than taking a paper loss of $160,000 especially if it is going to make your payments and cost to maintain the home much more reasonable.

When a client asks my advice this is the kind of information I ask them to look at when considering what is the best move for them. You would run this same kind of analysis if you were going to relocate to another area where the values of homes could be a lot different.

The X factor as of this writing is the historically low interest rates. This is a compelling reason to make a move now before they move up at some point.

If you come to the conclusion that selling your home is the right move there are three very important keys to success you need to pay attention to in a challenging Real Estate market.

Pricing your home properly

This is the single most important thing you can do to ensure you achieve your goal in a timely fashion. Your Realtor should be going over in detail the most recent comparable properties that have sold. The sales date becomes extremely important when the market is still in a downward slope. Pay close attention to when the sale took place. A home that sold even a few months ago may not sell for the same amount of money today.

It is always best to use the most recent sales. When none are available a good Real Estate agent should be able to factor in an appropriate price adjustment based upon the difference in time when the comparable property sold.

Be careful to be realistic when you are looking at the data. Sellers are notorious for viewing their homes differently because of emotional attachment. Look at your home through the eyes of a buyer.

The fact that you used heavy duty nails on the deck you built is not going to bring you $5000 more than the neighbors similar home down the Street.

Picking a good Realtor

When the market was booming and all you had to do was put a sign in the yard and add the home to MLS, picking a good Realtor was less critical. Not so in today's Real Estate environment where there are far few buyers in the market.

One of the critical components to picking a Realtor should be their ability to create a wide net to attract buyers. Over 85% of all buyers today find their home from an online search. You want an agent that can give you a dominant online presence. Your home should be displayed on all the sites that garner the highest amount of Real Estate traffic.

Some of the better Realtors will be using blogging and video as a means of creating interest. Search engines love blogs because they are not "static". A blog can be updated with fresh content daily if desired. Video not only enhances the presentation of your home but it can usually be found very easily online.

You should be looking for a Realtor that not only has a website but one that can be found in the search engines for terms specific to Real Estate in your market.

A good method of checking on the agents marketing skills is to "Google" their name. There should be pages and pages of results with an agent that knows how to market your home well online. If you don't see much I would really start to question the agents ability to attract the most buyers.

The premise is this: If an agent does not know how to market themselves how could you possibly expect them to do a good job marketing your home?

Marketing of course is very important but you should also look at the agents track record. References, market share, and an agents list price to sale price ratio are all worth consideration. Here are some excellent questions to ask Realtors you are interviewing.

Be careful of the agent who tries to "buy" your listing with an over inflated list price. What you will be stuck with is a Realtor with poor skills and a home that doesn't have a prayer of selling. This is why the agents list price to sale price ratio becomes important. It should also be pointed out that the ratio should be from the original list price.

Make your home presentable

Is staging your home with a staging company a must? I do not believe it is. Does it help you sell your home in a timely fashion? Absolutely! At the very minimum you should make sure your home is presentable. It should be neat and tidy. Having a clean and organized home that is visually appealing is important. There should be no ungodly smells present.

Getting rid of clutter and organizing closets are usually activities that will help generate a sale. Curb appeal is also important. Your yard and landscaping should be well maintained. Walk ways should be kept clear and your entry way should be spotless. 1st impressions go a long way in selling a home.

These are the basics. A professional staging company can really make your home stand out in a good way.

In the article top ten mistakes to avoid when selling your Massachusetts home there are seven other pitfalls to watch out for as well.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The above information on selling your home in a buyers market was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #4 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2007. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 22+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street.

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business.

For Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Metrowest Mass Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Douglas, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

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Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 22 years.

The Christmas Tree Challenge! Give me your best shot.....

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:53:03 -0600

First, let me preface this post by saying

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS!

Okay cheerful people of the holiday season.... Many of you have your holiday tree up and bedazzled with your beautiful decorations by now.

I WANT TO SEE THEM!

I know that if you are into the whole decorating thing, you take pride in your holiday decorating creations and MANY of you will take a few pictures of your holiday tree.

I also know that putting up a tree can be a painful experience. (But it is worth it in the end).

Like when that stump just won't fit into the tree stand.
Or when you can't quite get the tree to stand up straight.
How about when you are trimming the bottom branches and you cut just one too many off and your tree looks like it belongs to Charlie Brown.
Oh... and when only half the strand of lights work.

Anyway...

Here is my 2008 holiday tree picture.

Now upload your holiday tree picture in the comments below. Give me your BEST SHOT! I don't care if the tree is real, fake, silver, gold, white, or blue. I want to see them all!!!!

If you don't have a tree...Take a picture of your wreath on the front door or your poinsettia plant. Show me how you decorate.

If Christmas is not your thing, show me what is?? Hanukkah? Kwanzaa? Something else?? Got lights??? Are they twinkling gleefully outside your home? Show me pictures of them!

Let's have some fun showing off our pictures! In this world of electronic communication, it is easy to share. I may not be able to drive by your home to see the lights that are carefully displayed or I may not be able to attend your holiday party to see your tree (or more importantly... you), BUT I am here and I want to admire your decorations so UPLOAD THEM NOW!

I'll be waiting with Christmas carols playing in the background and I'll be enjoying a cup of eggnog...

CHEERS!

Can you tell.... I LOVE this time of year!!!

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

~~~

About the Author:

Marlene is a licensed Realtor for the Dan Sperduto Home Selling Team of Eastern CT. Please feel free to contact Marlene to find out more about the UNIQUE and successful marketing systems used by this award winning team of Realtors. To find real estate listings including homes for sale, search for properties from our agency AND from the MLS at www.dansperduto.com.

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Copyright © Marlene Pellegrini, All Rights Reserved.

YouTube "Watch in High Quality" - Embed High Quality Videos Into Your Blogs

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:00:26 -0600

You do not know how HAPPY I am to have found this information out. I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.

Via Tim Maitski "Secret Agent Guy":

I almost gave up on YouTube because everytime I uploaded nice looking video, YouTube just degraded the resolution and it really looked bad. I just accepted that as a fact of life and it moved me along to open up a Mixpo account.

YouTube has changed. They now actually store a "high quality" version of many videos even though they usually still serve up the normal low quality version. They actually also have a "HD" version of videos, depending on the resolution of the video that is uploaded to YouTube originally.

There are several ways to get YouTube to play the "high quality" versions of videos.

If you are on the YouTube site watching videos, some videos will show down on the bottom right corner under the video "Watch in High Quality". Just click on that and it will play the video in high quality.

You also can go to your account settings and there's a place to make it a default to play "high quality" when available.

You can also add some stuff at the end of the YouTube url. Just add "&fmt=18". For example, if the YouTube url is  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY just add that little extra at the end to give you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&fmt=18

The trick that got me really excited and jumping for joy was finding out how to embed a "high quality" YouTube video into a blog or web page so your videos look really nice for your viewers and they don't have to worry about clicking links or adding something to the url.

Take a look at these three versions of the same video. The first is the "normal quality" that will normally be the version that YouTube serves up to viewers. The next one is the "high quality" version and the third is the "HD" version.   The HD version doesn't work well on my computer. It might need a very fast connection to take advantage of it.

Normal

High Quality

High Definition

If you just copy and paste the embed code from the YouTube page for that video, it's only going to play the "normal quality" version. The trick is that you have to add some extra code in two spots to the embed code. Don't worry, it's not too tough to do.  In the YouTube embed code, you need to add and append &ap=%2526fmt%3D18 to the end of the video clip's url specified in "param value" and "embed src"

So for the above example, the normal embed code is:

To get the high quality version you need to add &ap=%2526fmt%3D18 at the end of the two urls in the code to get:

I know I lost most people here but take the time to understand this little trick so your YouTube videos won't dissappoint you. Here's the site where I found how to do this. They might explain it a little better than I did. To embed the HD version, you do the same thing but the last two digits are 22 instead of 18 for the extra code that you add in those two spot in the embed code. But I think the HD is a little bit of overkill for most.

Play around with it and let me know if you have success.

My next post will show you a trick to stop those "related videos" from showing up at the end of your embedded YouTube video.

The Girard Family of Voluntown, CT gets a new home from EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION!!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:41:06 -0600

Finally, the name of the family can be revealed to the public. No more secrets!

Girard Family photo

Carol (mom) and children - Adam age 17, Jacqueline age 15, Lucas age 11, and Hannah age 7

The Girard family of Voluntown, CT have had some devastating things happen to them in the past few years. It all began when Thom Girard lost his job at Pfizer of Groton, CT. The family had fallen behind in their mortgage payments since he lost his job. Then their home at 100 Preston City Road (Route 165) in Voluntown caught on fire in August of 2007. Since they were homeless due to the fire, the family had to live in a camper parked in their backyard through the cold winter months and into the summer of 2008.

Since the mortgate payments on the house were behind the mortgage company kept the insurance check from the fire so Thom, Carol and their family were unable to fix the burned house and foreclosure was ahead.

The most devastating part of the Girard's story is on a hot day in June of this year, some of the family members went for a swim at Green Falls Pond in the CT's Pachaug State Forest. Thom Girard age 45, and son Marc Girard age 18 both drowned that day. Carol Girard and her other children have lost their dear loved ones to this terrible swimming accident and are still homeless.

The people of Voluntown and the surrounding Eastern CT area have rallied to help this family. Over this past summer, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in Griswold, CT made a video application for the Girard Family and submitted it to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Well it worked! Ty Pennington is here!

He'll be screaming in his very familiar raspy voice to get this house built.

The old & burned house will be demolished. I drove by the site this morning and saw an "official" crew wearing black jumpsuits with the logo "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on their chests.

There were backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks and CT state police lurking.

If you plan to travel out that way in the next week or so, please note that a section of Route 165 in Voluntown will be closed off while the new home is built. There will be detours at Route 201 to Route 138 in Griswold, CT.

Here is more about the house:

The new house will be built in 106 hours from start to finish.
This house will be energy efficient or 'green.'
The house will be over 3,000 square feet, it will have 5 bedrooms.

And:

There will be a shuttle bus to the site so people take a ride in and be observers of the building process. A canned food donation to the United Way is payment to take this shuttle.
There will also be a blood drive and a toy drive on site.

Also:

The MOVE THAT BUS reveal will be December 11th (if everything stays on schedule).
The show will air on ABC on February 8th, 2009.

UPDATE

The family will be going to Disney World while this new home is built.
ALL Spectators and Non-Trades Volunteers MUST park at LOT 10 ON THE FOXWOODS RESORT AND CASINO property in Ledyard to catch a Shuttle to the build location.

Here is another post I wrote earlier today about this:

TODAY'S THE DAY... EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION IS BUILDING A HOME FOR A VERY LUCKY FAMILY in Eastern CT!

Stay Tuned for more about this event...

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

~~~

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

~~~

Girard Family photo courtesy of the Aaron Flaum Multimedia/Online Editor Norwich Bulletin. Permission to post this photo in this blog has been granted.

TODAY'S THE DAY... EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION IS BUILDING A HOME FOR A VERY LUCKY FAMILY in Eastern CT!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:49:04 -0600

It's December 4th, 2008...

Ty Pennington will pull up in the bus and yell (if he hasn't already),

"GOOD MORNING ?????? FAMILY!"

I got up early this morning and went online to read the latest article in The Day paper and still... no "official" reveal of the name of the family. I read the Norwich Bulletin and again no reveal of the name of the family yet. I know this all must be protocol, but come on....

HOW DO YOU HIDE THIS KIND OF INFORMATION?? IT IS SUCH A HUGE EVENT!

There are so many people involved!

I drove through the town last night where this house is going to be built and one of its major roads is closed off and there are detours around the location.

A 'volunteer coordinator' called me the other night to confirm my volunteer time slot on Sunday, December 7th. I asked her when the name of he family will be revealed and she said it would be today, December 4th at NOON.

I will follow protocol and post more information at NOON today.

UPDATE: The Girard Family of Voluntown is the family...Click here for my latest post about this exciting event.

Here is some interesting info:

My husband Rob Pellegrini, who works for The Granite Group - a plumbing and heating supply company, has been coordinating the products donated for the heating system. (The Granite Group is one of the many sponsors of this project). He has been stressing because one of the major parts to the heating system has not arrived yet. He may need to send one of his company trucks on a long trip to NY to pick it up if it is not here TODAY. Rob will take part in helping with the installation of the heating system which will be done on Sunday, December 7th and it needs to be completed and running in 7 hours.
Did you know that this house will be energy efficient or 'green'?? All of that in 106 hours of building.
There will be a shuttle bus to the site so people take a ride in and be observers of the building process. A canned food donation to the United Way is payment to take this shuttle.
There will also be a blood drive and a toy drive onsite.
The house will have 5 bedrooms.
Demolition of the old house will begin Saturday!
The MOVE THAT BUS reveal will be December 11th (if everything stays on schedule).
The show will air on ABC on February 8th, 2009.

Stay Tuned...

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

~~~

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Update: The Girard Family of Voluntown, CT gets a new home from EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION!! Hooray!

Another Wordless Wednesday... At the Zoo.

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:34:02 -0600

*******************************************************************About the Author: Marlene is a licensed Realtor for the Dan Sperduto Home Selling Team of Eastern CT. Please feel free to contact Marlene to find out more about the UNIQUE and successful marketing systems used by this award winning team of Realtors. To find real estate listings including homes for sale, search for properties from our agency AND from the MLS at www.dansperduto.com. ERA REALTY PROs 170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121 106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121 Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011 Copyright © 2008 By Marlene Pellegrini, All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:13:12 -0600

A Cool Picture!

Via Sharon Young (Ivy League Mortgage Philadelphia, Pa):

Tagged with a Christmas MEME!

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:06:21 -0600

My friend Valerie Osterhoudt has tagged me with a Christmas MEME-The one gift you would like to have.

For this MEME, we have to share what we WANT for Christmas. It is obvious that we all want HAPPINESS for Christmas... For this though, we must tell of a tangible object. This MEME is asking us to reveal what we WANT. It can not be money. I have to tell you what Valerie shared in her post about what she WANTS. Are you sitting down??... Valerie wants a COFFEE MUG because hers broke. I have got to say... She's easy to buy for.

I am going to be a bit more extravagant... I am going BIG!! (Why Not???)

Here it goes...

I want 2 round-trip airline tickets to Italy!
Along with the confirmation form for prepaid hotel reservations - double occupancy, for two weeks
and prepaid vouchers for guided tours throughout this beautiful country...
Oh, while I am at it... it must include tickets for 3 meals a day for two... to the very best Italian restaurants, pastry & gelato shops and cappuccino cafes.

I can only dream!!! Why not... Dreaming is fun! Now I need to tag 5 more people to do this MEME.

I tag:

The Pinellas Peach on Active Rain Julia & Matt Fishel, Licensed Real Estate Consultants - Palm Harbor, FL

WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE BLOG YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE - Williamsburg, VA

Mortgage Knowledge at its BEST!!!! (Jeff Belonger) Jeff Belonger -- The FHA Expert.com -- FHA Loans -- FHA mortgages -- Mortgages - Cherry Hill, NJ

Jim & Maria's Blog Jim & Maria Hart ~ Charleston, SC Real Estate - Charleston, SC

A Consumer's View Linda Scanlan - Burleson, TX

Have fun with your MEME... And have a very happy & healthy holiday season!

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

~~~

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

ABC's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Coming to Eastern CT (Part 3)... A Little More About It.

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:07:50 -0600

If you haven't been following my blog in the last week, I have been bursting at the seams to be able to share the secret happenings behind the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and its scheduled project for my neck of the woods.

What I can share with you today is that:

My real estate board, the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors® (ECAR), is donating $10,000 to this 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' project. I am so pleased about this generous donation that my board is making. Just knowing that I have paid my board dues and a portion of it will be going to a very worthy cause for a family who really deserves this money, makes me very, very happy.
My friend Mark Provost, owner of MRP Plumbing will be a volunteer working on the completion of the plumbing on the project.
My friend Ron Spicer, owner of Spicer Sheetmetal & Contracting will be a volunteer working on the completion of the heating/cooling systems & duct work on the project.
My husband Rob Pellegrini, who is the branch manager of The Granite Group - a plumbing and heating supply company - has been coordinating the donated products and supplies for the heating system for this project. Rob will also be a volunteer, assisting with the installation of the plumbing and heating systems of the project.
I was just contacted TODAY and it was confirmed that I will be one of the volunteers working at the site on Sunday, December 7th.

The announcement of the deserving family who will be benefiting from this project is going to be next Thursday, December 4th. A tremendously large volunteer crew will be working from Friday, December 5th through Thursday, December 11th - NON STOP... 24 hours a day... To complete this home. This means in all weather conditions... And it has been very cold here in Eastern CT.

The 'MOVE THAT BUS' reveal is planned for December 11th, if everything stays on schedule!

For update about this exciting event:

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email... For the REVEAL OF THE WHOLE STORY - that is only one week away.
Or, subcribe to my blog and check back as I will continue to post about the whole event.

PLEASE STAY TUNED................

In the mean time, visit the official web site for this project, which is www.extremehomebybruno.com. Here you will see other sponsors for this project.

Here are the links to my previous posts:

Extreme Makeover - Home Edition is coming to Connecticut... My SECRET is out... Well, part of it!

I HAVE A SECRET... And I Am Splitting At The Seams To Tell Someone!

~~~

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

The Mayflower - As It Relates to Special People Living Today

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:54:44 -0600

Did you know that there are many descendants of the Mayflower living today, but very few people know it?

Here are some of the people who have had their genealogy/blood lineage traced back to the passengers who sailed on that historic journey almost 400 years ago:

Alec Baldwin
Dick Van Dyke
Sarah Palin
Hugh Hefner
Richard Gere
Clint Eastwood
George Bush
Barbara Bush

Then there are people who have died such as:

Humphrey Bogart and
Marilyn Monroe

My mother-in-law has traced the the blood lineage of her ancestors and has also discovered that she too is a descendant of the Mayflower... Which makes my husband and children descendants as well. Their blood lineage is traced to the passenger named William Bradford.

My children even belong to an organization called The Mayflower Society.

For more information about others who are descendants of the Mayflower visit www.mayflowerhistory.com.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

~~~

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011

Hear Ye Hear Ye... Let's Get This Holiday Started Right!

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:14:53 -0600

The lighting up of City Hall of downtown Norwich, CT will take place on Friday, November 28, 2008. Santa will be there! This is a wonderful event to start off the holiday season. It also includes some old-fashioned holiday caroling. It all begins at 5 p.m.

The annual Winterfest parade will take place on Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 1 p.m. sharp. This parade will start at the Chelsea Parade Grounds and will proceed through to downtown Norwich.

Hope to see you there at both events!!!!

For more information about events that will take place in the city of Norwich, CT please visit:

The Norwich Calendar of Events

~~~

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG by Email

About the Author:

ERA REALTY PROs

170 Flanders Road ~ Niantic, CT 06357 ~ (860) 886-7000 x121

106 Westcott Road ~ Danielson, CT 06239 ~ (860) 779-1943 x121

Direct (860) 884-6169 ~ Fax (860) 691-5011