Minds in Motion Coming to Prospect CT   A special day of learning and discovery for gifted children will be held on Saturday, March 31 from 1-4 PM at Long River Middle School in Prospect CT. Sponsored by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted, Minds in Motion will feature presentations by representatives of some of the educational centers and cultural centers here in the state. Minds in Motion is an enrichment and education event for students K-8, as well as their parents and teachers, and features hands-on, fast-paced, high-interest workshops for gifted and high-ability children plus keynote addresses and workshops for adults free of charge. This session presenters are from The Discovery Museum, Seven Angels Theatre, Flanders Nature Center, and the Connecticut Science Center, as we... 03/29/2012

Why Are You Questioning My Client’s Lender?   I have seen a trend with some REO listing agents to require a specific lender pre-qualify a prospective buyer as a pre-requisite to submitting and offer on their listing. This goes beyond a requirement that the pre-qualification be with anyone at a bank, but pointed at a single loan officer. I can understand a bank wanting to ensure that they do not waste time with an offer before making a commitment to accept the contract, but when it is pointed at an individual lender that is not connected with the bank that holds title to the property is this not steering? There is usually a disclaimer that the buyer can still chose to get their mortgage with the lender of their choice, and maybe even a waiver of some fees if the buyer uses that lender, b... 03/27/2012

Time to Register for Kindergarten in Prospect CT for the 2012-2013 School Year   If you have children that will be starting kindergarten in the fall, it’s now time to get them registered. From now through April 22, residents are being asked to get their school aged children enrolled.    All enrollments will be taken at the Algonquin School at 30 Coer Rd in Prospect. Forms are available on the Prospect School System, Region 16, Web site. All other grades must be registered by June 1.   While this may seem early, it isn’t, as the school board must know if they will be properly staffed in the fall and properly budgeted.   If you would like to have your children registered in the Prospect CT school system, but don’t live in town, I would be more than happy to assist you in buying your littl... 03/20/2012

  Open House 25 Juggernaut Road Prospect CT 06712 – Sunday, March 18, 2012 2-4 p.m.     Come and join William James Walton, Sr. of Weichert, Realtors® - Briotti Group  on March 18, 2012 from 2 to 4 p.m. for a personal tour of this beautiful ranch home on 25 Juggernaut Road.   Features of this home, being offered for $250,000, include   Hardwood flooring Large living room with sliding doors to deck, cathedral ceilings and skylight Eat-in Kitchen 3 bedrooms, two full bathrooms Finished lower level 1 car attached garage with walk-up storage space       Call William James Walton, Sr. at (203) 558-7463 to arrange a private showing, or visit him Sunday at the Open House.       Directions: Summit to Juggernaut   03/15/2012

Sometimes you just have to Shake your Head . . . . Monday Humor It takes all kinds of people to make life work, some are leaders, some are followers, and some are just ...... I was sent an email with some photos of signs, these just make your head nod and wonder:   Must be because they don't see very much?                     Very considerate to not want anything to pop out unexpectedly.                   With a special appearance by the Walker Brothers, Red and Black                       At least they can't say you weren't warned!                   Awwwww, now you went and done it, somebody is going to get mad.                 No secret here as to what they thought was the bigger problem. I guess the bridge being out wasn't as important (small print)            Sometimes you just have... 03/11/2012

  Prospect CT Youth Service Sponsors Youth Dances       Friday March 9 is a day of fun and dancing for students   Community School and Long River School    at the Grange Hall on the Town green       From 3:15 PM to 5 PM, it’s the 4th and 5th Grade Party   And from   From 6 PM to 8 PM, it’s the 6th  to 8th Grade Party       Music provided by GPS    Matt Greggis & Justin Priebe   The DJ’s for both parties.       Admission is $5.00 along with permission slips.   Refreshments will be available (for a small fee)   There will be dance contests, and more   Permission slips and additional information at the Youth Services web page       Prospect CT Youth Service Sponsors Youth Dances 03/05/2012

Lebanese Farina Cake    A Follow Up to a Holiday Blog Back in December, I had a blog post that offered up some of the items I was being forced to eat in order to keep peace at home. One of the pastries got me some side emails. I had been after my wife for some time to allow me to post the sacred family recipe that had been handed down for at least a few years from one family member to another. I pass it along to my ActiveRain audience Lebanese Farina Cake1 stick unsalted margarine or butter½ cup sugar2 cups cream of wheat or farina½ tsp cinnamondash of nutmeg1 tsp vanilla1 cup milk2 heaping tsp baking powder1 lb ricotta cheesewhole almonds for decoration In a large bowl, melt margarine (microwave), add sugar and mix well. Add cream of wheat and mix until crumbly. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, v... 03/04/2012

  Prospect CT Real Estate Sales Report for February 2012       Currently in Prospect CT there are 67 active residential listings for sale, with 12 new listings being added in February. The homes for sale in Prospect CT range from an 840 square ft, 2-bedroom mobile home, listed at $20,000 to a 3,086 square ft, 4-bedroom colonial listed at $579,900. The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Prospect CT is $296,090. The average days on market for these homes are 173 days.       There are 11 homes under contract in Prospect CT. The average list price for these homes is $268,382 with an average day on market of 110 days.        There were 3 home sales recorded in Prospect CT in February. They were a ranged from a 1,952 Sq ft 3-bedroom cape, which sold for $235,000; ... 03/03/2012

The Time is Right to Buy a Home in Prospect CT   We haven't had a typical winter here in Prospect CT, and very few people are complaining. Because of the 'perfect storm' for real estate, there has probably never been a better time to buy.   Interest rates are at an all time low and have been that way for some time. Inventory is stable and prices have stabilized at homes are priced near the pre-boom prices of the early 2000 time.   Sellers have been busy making their homes as attractive as possible for buyers looking to own a home in Prospect CT. The prices are right and sellers are motivated.   With home ownership come many benefits. It is the American dream that provides financial benefits as well as security and shelter for families:   Homeowners become an integral part of the communi... 03/03/2012

 My Toes are Warm, but my Ears are Cold The saying is March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a lamb. Well, with the February we have had with temps already in the 60’s we should have been expecting today to be May 1, not March 1. But, that’s not the reality. Weather forecasters were calling for almost 6” of snow in some areas, but the temps warmed and we had mostly rain after a few inches of snow had fallen. As I was driving out the driveway this afternoon, I just had to stop and take a couple of photos. I swear I could hear the daffodils shivering.   Spring won’t be here for a few more weeks, I hope these guys don’t go into thermal shock before they get enough warmth to warm their toes and noses.  My Toes are Warm, but my Ears are Cold   03/01/2012

Happy Leap Day! February 29, 2012   Today is Leap Day. It only comes every 4 years and even then it’s not truly accurate. Leap Day was created thousands of years ago to allow for the spring and fall equinox to occur on the same days. The only creatures in the world, maybe the universe that require precise time are humans. All other creatures adapt normally. Leap Day was established as a way of catching up with the extra fraction of time needed by the Earth to orbit the Sun, which takes slightly less than 365 ¼ days. By adding a day every 4 years to the shortest month, February, the balance is maintained. For a person born on Leap Day, aging is slow at least by calendar. In a Leap Year, it is considered by some, proper for a woman to seek a man out and propose. For some cultures, if a ma... 02/28/2012

I Stole some time from my Clients with no Regrets   I am a 7 day a week real estate agent, although some weeks it feels longer than that. I have always felt that this business requires us to work when other people are not, which means evenings, weekends, and even some Holidays. This past Sunday was an exception as there was a special person that just needed my attention. Grandson Raphael turned 3 years old, and although he is not the only grandchild, he does have a special place within Papa Ed. The gathering was small, maybe 20 people, and there were some little ones as well, but at that age having a room full of peers isn’t as important as having fun, which he did.                                   My clients will understand, and they know I’ll give them the best I can, starting Monday... 02/26/2012

Your Bank Doesn’t Want to Foreclose on Your Central Connecticut Home   I received a phone call this week from a Central Connecticut home owner that is having problems in meeting their mortgage payments. They had talked to their lender and after some exchanges were advised to seek out a professional in their area that specializes in short sales, and try to get the home sold. This is definitely an indication of a lender encouraging their mortgagees to get their home sold and not allow it to go into a foreclosure. A non performing asset or foreclosure on a bank’s inventory is not a positive. It mandates that they not only have that money losing profitability, but also they must put aside additional funds in an escrow account until that asset has been resolved.  When a bank has thousands up... 02/26/2012

What a Difference a Day Makes in Prospect CT......24 Little Hours   We have had virtually no winter at all, here in Prospect CT. A fluke storm on Halloween which, wasn’t really winter, gave us all the dread that we were in for a season that would have made last year seem mild. But it hadn’t happened. We have had record mild temps, with very little snow. In fact just a day ago our golf course opened all holes, and I played hooky, actually golf, and plans were being made to get out for a quick go around this weekend, after I had attended to my real estate clients here in Prospect CT. When I woke up this morning and tried to head out to get the newspaper, I was surprised that we had a visit over the night. I know back in early February, that groundhog predicted another 6 weeks of winter, b... 02/23/2012

 PROSPECT CT-REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT - FEBRUARY 2012     Prospect CT-Real Estate Market Report - February 2012 Average sales prices dropped slightly in Prospect in comparison to last month, but continued to remain significantly above last year’s prices. Consistent inventory and volume of sales over the last several months still leaves buyers with the upper hand in Prospect CT. Sellers, if you want buyers to act on your home, then you must make sure that your home prices are in line with current market values, based on its location and condition.   There are 57 single family Prospect CT homes for sale, with an average listing price of $307,423, and 199 days on market, ranging from a 672 sq. ft. 2 bedroom ranch being offered for $20,000 to a 5305 sq. ft. 4 bedroom colonial being offered... 02/22/2012

A Milestone of Significance, My Journey on ActiveRain  None of us may know what we will be getting into when we first start a task. We have our ideas and hopes for what it may do for us, but there are always potentials for something to go awry. Such was the case for me 4 years ago to the day, when I wrote my first blog on ActiveRain. I had little clue as to how it would be perceived, and whether it would even be read. It probably was so poorly presented that it never even got a tickle from a Google spider. What it did for me, however, was start a journey that has become more than I could have envisioned, and hopefully is still evolving.   Today is my 4 year anniversary on ActiveRain, or at least the 4th anniversary of my first blog post. My join date was Feb 19. I can remember thinking ... 02/22/2012

Happy Valentine’s Day 2011   It’s Valentine’s Day and the most important thing to remember is to recognize that special someone in your life. It’s expected that this year men will spend, on average $185 on their special Valentine, a large portion of which is the cost for that special dinner. Women, on the other hand, will spend an average of $80 dollars on their special person. The wise person in me will make no further comment on that statistic. Happy Valentine’s Day   02/13/2012

 Prospect CT Real Estate Sales Report for January 2012     Currently in Prospect CT there are 60 active residential listings for sale, with 12 new listings being added in January. The homes for sale in Prospect CT range from an 840 square ft, 2-bedroom mobile home, listed at $20,000 to a 3,086 square ft, 4-bedroom colonial listed at $579,900. The average list price of the homes currently available for sale in Prospect CT is $303,250. The average days on market for these homes are 183 days.       There are 11 homes under contract in Prospect CT. The average list price for these homes is $266,875 with an average day on market of 103 days.   There were 5 home sales recorded in Prospect CT in January. They ranged from a 2,600 Sq ft 3-bedroom colonial, which sold for $377,000 to a 864 sq ft ... 02/13/2012

  14 Pinecrest Dr, Prospect CT   MLS# N315547, Listed at $155,000       It’s the best real estate value in Prospect CT, already priced well below value.  A home that will provide an instant equity to the home buyer that will provide the TLC needed.             Almost ½ acre of privacyA 7 year old roof architectural roofOne year old hot water heater1 year old well tankUpgraded electrics.   This is a home that has served a family for almost 50 years and awaits the new owners.  A taste of rustic retreat with wood paneled walls, which give one a feeling of cozy warmth. Yes, it has a few little items that need attention, and that’s why the price is low, so the new owner can do it their way.   Ideal for an empty nester of a downsizing couple looking to add their input.   Come take a look, rea... 02/11/2012

Some Mortgage Relief for Connecticut Home Owners is Coming There may be some relief for home-owners in Connecticut that were victims of the robo-signing scandal. A $25 Billion dollar settlement with the 5 largest mortgaging servicing banks will see almost $200 million dollars find its way into Connecticut. The 5 banks identified in this settlement are Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Ally Bank  formerly GMAC  and JPMorgan Chase. Of importance in this settlement is the reality that banks should be easier to deal and communicate with for borrowers. The frustrations of getting passed along form one bank employee to another with the The settlement has the potential to help many Connecticut home owners who have mortgages with these banks to recover and get bank from the potential of fore... 02/10/2012