Hooray! The tax credit has been extended to April 30, 2010! Great news to those who were holding off. A cool addition came along with the extension...and it includes homeowners. Homeowners who have been living in there home 5 out of the past 8 years will qualify for a $6,500 tax credit up to April 30, 2010.  Below I have broken it down..   $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Info A tax credit of up to $8,000 is available for first-time home buyers purchasing on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010.You must have a contract written up, agreed upon, signed, and excepted by both parties on or before April 30, 2010. The home MUST close BY June 30, 2010. This will give you plenty of time to obtain a mortgage, negotiate through home inspection issues, and close on yo... 12/21/2009

"Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind." Mary Ellen Chase.  What better way to get the children in the Christmas state of mind that a visit to Santa at the Enfield Square Mall?  Santa will be arriving at the Enfield Square Mall (Target entrance) on November 21st at noon on a bright red fire truck.  From November 21st until Decmeber 24th kids of all ages can visit Santa in the Center Court of the mall.  Have pictures taken with Santa.  Tell him what you want for Christmas, maybe it is your two front teeth, maybe you need to lobby with him to not get coal this year, or you want to ask for what might be the hottest, hard to get gift this year the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster.  Who knew? Not to leave out the four legged members of the family, Thursday December 10th from 4:00 - 7... 11/20/2009

Enfield FHA Mortgage Loans - Top 5 Questions About FHA Mortgage Loans FHA Mortgage Loans are now one of the hottest loans available and considered as one the best ways to fix the  housing crisis currently in the US. Started during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Federal Housing Administration since then secured loans for millions of Americans who want to own a home. What makes an FHA mortgage loan so great?  Here are answers for 5 common questions about Enfield FHA mortgage loans: 1. What are its prime benefits? The ability to purchase a home with less than a 20% down payment along with guidelines which are understanding of first time buyers and those who have had issues in their past.  Because the loan is guaranteed by the government lenders are more willing to accept the greate... 10/28/2009

Many people ask, can I sell my house on my own and save real estate commissions? The answer of course is yes. But I think that many people do not understand the process and you really need to in order to sell your own home. In this blog I will try and explain the process as clearly as I can and, in the end, I am pretty sure you will see a professional realtor in a different light.First, you must have an idea of how much money you think your house is worth. Everyone will almost always overestimate their home's value and never get anyone to make a serious offer. There are many ways to find out what your house is really worth on the open market. Google "what is my house worth" and several sites will pop up. Also you can ask a Realtor to do a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). Most Realtors... 08/30/2009

Great Advice to Pass on to Your Daughters1. Don't imagine you can change a man - unless he's in diapers.2. What do you do if your boyfriend walks-out? You shut the door.3. If they put a man on the moon - they should be able to put them all up there.4. Never let your man's mind wander - it's too little to be out alone.5. Go for younger men. You might as well - they never mature anyway.6. Men are all the same - they just have different faces, so that you can tell them apart.7. Definition of a bachelor; a man who has missed the opportunity to make some woman miserable.8. Women don't make fools of men - most of them are the do-it-yourself types.9. Best way to get a man to do something, is to suggest they are too old for it.10. Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.11. If you want... 08/05/2009

  Thought I might share my press release...I still think it is a dream!   Kristina Zack of Prudential Connecticut Realty Nominated for Realtor Magazine's "30 Under 30 List" for 2009   Enfield, CT - Kristina Zack of Prudential Connecticut Realty's Enfield office has been named one of the 50 finalists in REALTOR® Magazine's 2009 "30 Under 30" list, announced Candace Adams, President of the company.   "Kristina is one of the hardest working young agents we ever have," Ms. Adams said. "Her sales volume is up 500% from 2007 to 2008. Not only is she always available for her clients, but she's also active on Twitter, Facebook, Active Rain and her own blog, answering questions and getting information to everyone who requests it. We are very proud of her being nominated."   Ms. Zack, who says sh... 04/08/2009

    Disposing of electronic waste the wrong way can impact our enviroment immensely. The amount of mercury contained in one computer can contaminate 20 water acres of a lake! Environmental responsibility is important to us and as a celebration of Earth Day we want to help you, & help the earth. In honor of Earth Day, we will be offering an e-waste disposal event.   All you need to do is load up your unwanted computers,printers, monitors, T.V's, Computer Mouses,modems,cellphones, batteries and other components you no longer use,bring them to our event and we will take care of the rest. We have teamed up with a certified e-waste agent to ensure that your potentially hazardous waste is disposed of the right way. All items will be hauled out of your car, so no need to even get out of your c... 04/08/2009

  You are probably already aware of the rise in home foreclosures that has occurred in recent months. After all, it has been in the news almost daily for several months now. But what you may not know is that many of the properties that get foreclosed upon end up being sold at real estate auctions and SOMETIMES less than market value. What this means to you, as a home buyer, is that you can often save a lot of money by purchasing a home at auction only if it is worth your while, you have the cash in hand & you are handy. I have been getting this question A LOT in the last few months. For folks who are not fimliar with it, might benefit from some advice. This isn't for everyone. With that in mind, I would like to offer you 21 important points about this topic. There are some of the thing... 03/04/2009

I know everyone has seen enough about the tax credit, but a lender I know developed this great comparision chart between the old and the new. I love charts that are easy to read!  :) February 2009 FEATURE CREDIT AS CREATED JULY 2008 APPLIES TO ALL QUALIFIED PURCHASES ON OR AFTER APRIL 9, 2008 REVISED CREDIT - EFFECTIVE FOR PURCHASES ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2009 AND BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2009 Amount of Credit Lesser of 10 percent of cost of home or $7500 Maximum credit amount increased to $8000 Eligible Property Any single family residence (including condos, co-ops, townhouses) that will be used as a principal residence. No change All principal residences eligible. Refundable Yes. Reduces (or can eliminate) income tax liability for the year of purchase. Any unused amount of tax credit refund... 02/27/2009

  A question I got on the internet I thought I would share.. Our home has been on the market since July 7, 2008, we have had 5 buyers come through, it is now Jan. 09, do we quit trying or what else can we do, we are building a home that will be ready in about two months, we really want to sell, and according to stats, it is not priced too high, is this just the market now? It doesn't matter what the statistics say.  It doesn't matter what you think your place is worth.  It doesn't matter what the most skillful appraiser concludes your market value is.  It doesn't matter what price your agent recommends.  It doesn't really matter what kind of market it is right now either.In the end, only one thing matters......  The value of your house is determined by the buying public, and they've ha... 01/12/2009

  When preparing your home for sale, you are going to do lots of things to make it more appealing to potential buyers. You are going to clean up the yard, apply a fresh coat of paint where needed, get rid of all clutter in and around the house, have the kitchen and all bathrooms at their sparkling best, get the rugs cleaned, clean all windows, etc. Why not spend the relatively few dollars and also have a home inspection? Find out the hidden problems with your home and correct them in advance. If you don't, you can be assured that the buyer's inspector will find them. When the buyer's inspector finds a problem, it can throw a monkey wrench into the works. And cost you extra dollars! The buyer will ask you to fix the problems found by their inspector - or no deal. If you do not want to f... 01/06/2009

  Over the last several years a lot of buyers have bought homes, intending to live in them for many years, then something happened - maybe good, maybe bad, but regardless - they don't have a choice. Some owners have to move. When most homeowners move, they sell their house. Usually, that's not a problem. For some people nowadays, it is a problem. Because of the easy financing, rampant speculation, flipping, and sometimes fraud, home values skyrocketed most everywhere. That came to an end recently and values plummeted in some areas. Even when values are stable, sometimes there just isn't enough money in the property to pay off the mortgage, then pay all the selling costs and moving costs. What happens then? Default, sometimes bankruptcy, and maybe even foreclosure. Or a short sale. A sho... 01/06/2009

  The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start. First, get everything off the counters. Everything! Even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage. You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough room for their "stuff." If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage spa... 01/06/2009

Soo..what am I going to offer? When you prepare an offer to purchase a home, you already know the seller's asking price. But what price are you going to offer and how do you come up with that figure? Determining your offer price is a three-step process. First, you look at recent sales of similar properties to come up with a price range. Then, you analyze additional data, such as the condition of the home, improvements made to the property, current market conditions, and the circumstances of the seller. This will help you settle on a price you think would be fair to pay for the home. Finally, depending on your negotiating style, you adjust your "fair" price and come up with what you want to put in your offer. The first step in determining the price you are willing to offer is to look at ... 12/22/2008

  A high credit score is one of the most important elements to the first time home buyer...or any home buyer these days. Home buyers with high credit scores are able to get the lowest interest rates on home mortgages. ( If you are holding out for that 4.5% interest rate you keep hearing about, a high credit score will be a MUST) As a first time home buyer, it is doubly important to have a high credit score. Here are the basic tactics for getting a high credit score. - Always pay your bills on time. - Keep your credit card balances at zero, or at least very low.- Make more than the minimum monthly payments. - Negotiate to remove negative items from your credit report.- Borrow great credit from a relative or close friend which is known as Co-Borrowing. I would only recommend this as a las... 12/18/2008

  Renters!! Here are six very strong reasons why you should move out of your rental and buy your first home. Still in the homestead or living with friends? If you do not yet own a house of your own and are currently renting, here are 6 very, very compelling reasons why you should buy your first home. 1. Enjoyment. The primary reason you should purchase a home is for the enjoyment it will bring you and your family. You should buy a home that you will love living in! Undoubtedly, the first house you buy will not be the home you live in the rest of your life. As your your income grows, you will likely expand your housing needs and desires. You will likely sell your first home and trade up to a larger, nicer one. However, your primary focus when choosing your first home is to buy a house th... 12/18/2008

  Enfield Youth Services will host Winter Transitions on Wednesday December 17 from 6-8pm @ St Patrick Church in Enfield. There will be crafts, cookies, cocoa, and holiday stories. Performances by Dan Kane Youth Singers at 7pm. The event is FREE! Bring the family or yourself! For more info call 253-5619 See you there!  :) 12/16/2008

Sooo...this morning a get an emergency call from an client of mine who happens to be located in Torrington. We needed to sit down and discuss some paperwork ASAP.  It was about 9:30am, I was working from home & as I spoke with her I looked out the window to see the clouds clearing & to find just rain on the ground. Temp was about 43F. I ran out the door and off I go. I normally go Rt 20 through Granby up Rt 219 to Rt 318 to Rt 44 to get to Torrington. As I drove and approached 219, I could not help but to see the tops of the trees from afar crystallized in ice. I said to myself " Wow, that is a pretty picture!" "Good thing the tree tops got the ice & we are all fortunate to just get rain." Well...to my wonderful surprise, after 2 mins on 219, suddenly the road turned into a winter wonde... 12/12/2008

  Boy, don't we all wish we had the answers! Everyday we hear more and more doom and gloom. Before I left the office today, I read an alert on line that 35,000 folks are being laid off between Jan 09 through the next three years from Bank of America. BUT, as I read & experienced, we must hit bottom before we can climb again....and I believe we are just about at thatbottoming out point. I am not sitting here looking at statistics, but its the feeling & knowledge working with people & being out in the field. Its like( the economy)  being involved in something you really dread, say working a really long work shift. You know its coming, since outside of work, you feel free to do what you want, then when you get to work, its painful, long & tedious. It never feels as though the work day wil... 12/11/2008

Recent stats I russled up for Enfield, Ct....  -178 Homes for Sale -193 Homes Sold in the last 6 months ( Since June 10, 2008) -Median Sales Price- $185,000 -$224,397 is the Average Listing Price in Enfield -Average Price per square foot= $118.00 -45 Current Lis Pendens (Recording a lis pendens against a piece of property alerts a potential purchaser or lender that the property's title is in question example-potential foreclosure, divorce litigation)   I will update weekly to bi-weekly...stay tuned! 12/10/2008