Shelton CT Real Estate Market Report - April 2012   Shelton CT Single family home sales for the month of April 2012 were recorded as the highest number of sales in the last year and were up 67% over March 2012 AND the same period last year (April 2011).     Compared to  April 2011, listing and sales prices both decreased 24% and the median went down 7%.  A much higher than usual cluster of low sales brought the averages down considerably.      .   80% of sales fell below $300K.  Shelton consistently fluctuates between the $200K-300K and $300-400K ranges.  April had a strong number of sales in the lower range.   Moving forward there are 27 homes under deposit and 40 sales pending.   May sales should be showing strong numbers of units sold as well with buyers realizing this might be THE t... 05/05/2012

Remembering My Dear Friend Karen Reilly On Wednesday morning, April 25,  I received a phone call that saddened me to the core.  I learned my dear friend and RealtyQuest associate, Karen Reilly, had passed away after a 15 year battle with breast cancer.  Karen’s indomitable strength and courage was like no other cancer victim I have ever seen. For as long as I have known her, she struggled with her illness with recurrences, remissions, and probably every clinical treatment in the book.  At no time did anyone ever see that suffering. Rather what we saw was a vibrant, gracious, and oh so  funny Karen…. a wonderful, warm, giving human being who cared for and about others.   She never wanted to be defined by her illness; rather it was just the opposite. She was always the life of any party a... 05/03/2012

BIG, The Musical, will be hitting the Shelton High School auditorium stage May 3 through May 5 with a cast of 48 high school students who have rehearsed their hearts out the last seven weeks.   Presented by Shelton High School’s Drama Club,  “BIG, The Musical,” is based on the 1988 hit film starring Tom Hanks.  It was made into a Broadway musical in 1996.    BIG portrays the story of the 12-year old boy who wishes he was 'big' after being told he was too short to get onto a carnival ride. He wanted to impress a girl and requested his BIG wish from a carnival fortune machine.  When he awoke the following day, he was a grown man.   Come experience a little bit of Broadway with expertly designed sets, great singing and dancing, and fantastic music.    Click here for BIG The Musical tickets... 05/02/2012

  SHELTON Market Trends Report March 2012   The Shelton, Connecticut real estate market has continued to show signs of picking up within the past 3 months. The 3 month comparison shows that sale prices are on the rise. The amount of inventory that the market can absorb has decreased over the past 3 and 6 months. We use the 12 month absorption rate (see chart abover) to determine inventory absorption, which means that it would take about 12 months to sell every home currently on the market in Shelton. Although it is still a Buyers Market in Shelton, the absorption rate is in line with many other Fairfield County towns. The amount of green on the chart is a good sign and has more positive indicators than many other towns in Fairfield County. If you are thinking of buying or selling in Sh... 04/22/2012

  Shelton CT Clean Sweep – Earth Day Event   Attention all civic groups, businesses and individuals in Shelton CT.  It’s time for the 5th annual Shelton Clean Sweep and Earth Day event, April 22-29.    Make a difference by organizing your group or neighborhood and get busy cleaning up litter in a public area.  You can choose the place, date and time.  It can be a street, park, public waterway, hiking ground, recreation area, or even school grounds. Shelton also has about 1900 acres of open space on several hundred parcels. For a listing of parcels by street and for a detailed open space map, visit Conservation Commission's Open Space Properties    Register here for the  2012 Shelton Clean Sweep     The sweep runs the entire week of April 22 -29, kicking off on Earth Day, Sunday April 22... 04/19/2012

  Interest-Free Loans for Home Improvements in Shelton CT The State of Connecticut has awarded the City of Shelton, CT a $300,000 grant to provide interest-free loans to low and moderate income property owners to make improvements to their property. Eligible repairs include the following: Roof replacements Septic repairs or replacements Energy efficient upgrades Remediation of lead Remediation of asbestos Code compliance improvements Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) modifications General home improvements The loans will be at 0% interest and are not due and payable until change of title. If you are interested in applying for an interest-free loan in Shelton CT, please contact: Lisa Low Lisa Low & Associates  203-888-5624 OR Charlene Defilippo Community Development  Director City of... 04/12/2012

  Valley Business Expo & Chamber of Commerce  Open House April 11 in Shelton CT   The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce will be holding the 2012 Valley Business Expo & Chamber Open House on Wednesday, April 11, from 3:00 – 6:30 p.m. at the Chamber’s new office location at 10 Progress Drive, Shelton.    Named “Destination:Progress” the event will showcase the products and services of more than 50 greater Valley businesses.   There will be free samples from local restaurants, bakeries, and caterers.  Local businesses will also offer free health screenings and wellness information.  The Valley Business Expo & Chamber Open House will begin with a keynote speech entitled ‘Destination:Networking” by Bill Kinney, author of Why Don't Doctors Cold Call, a guide to business networking.   The eve... 04/05/2012

Shelton CT Real Estate Market Report - March 2012     March 2012 sales of single family homes in Shelton CT were down considerably from March 2011.  The yearly sales chart below shows March 2011 with the highest number of sales in the last year.      A comparison of March 2012 sales to the two previous months shows sales steady.  There's good news, though.....read on.....   Compared to the same period last year, listing and sales prices both INCREASED 38% and 36% respectively.  The median was up 15%.      .   73% of sales fell below $400K with the hot spot for sales being between $300K-$400K.  Shelton consistently fluctuates between the $200K-300K and $300-400K ranges. Moving forward  there is OPTIMISTIC news with houses under deposit and pending (under contract) sales. There are 27 hom... 04/04/2012

Shelton CT Single Family Market Report - February 2012 - Shelton CT Real Estate February 2012 sales of single family homes in Shelton CT registered a 14% increase in sales from January 2012 and a 7% increase from February 2011.  Compared to the same period last year, listing and sales prices both decreased 13% and 11% respectively.  February 2012 had less higher-end sales than February 2011 bringing the averages down. The median remained flat at less than 1% and days on the market went DOWN a significant 25%.  Houses priced well and marketed extensively are bringing the buyers in.     82% of sales fell below $400K with the hot spot for sales being between $200K-$300K.  Even with the decrease in list and selling prices, the median of $277,500 was on par with the previous month. Moving fo... 04/04/2012

NEGOTIATING OFFERS ON YOUR SHELTON CONNECTICUT HOME Getting an offer is not the end of the sales process, it's really the beginning.  Up until this point everything has simply been paving the way for the right buyer to make an offer on your home.  An offer includes more than the price, it includes the terms of the sale, which can sometimes be more important than the price.  For example, if someone offers full list price, but makes the sale contingent upon the sale of their own home, this offer is less desirable than a slightly lower offer with no contingencies.  You need to look at the offer as a whole, not just at one or two aspects.  Sometimes getting the right price causes sellers to overlook problems that could arise from the close dates or mortgage contingency dates.  They are so o... 03/31/2012

  Shelton CT Intermediate School Hosts West Point Jazz Knights FREE Concert April 5   The Shelton CT intermediate School Band Program will be hosting a FREE concert featuring the West Point Military Academy Band’s JAZZ KNIGHTS on Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium.   The Jazz Knights, an 18-piece big band ensemble, plays popular music, big band tunes, and original arrangements.    The band is composed of a group of active duty  U.S. Army soldiers, is one of four bands in the U.S. Army and is one of the best military jazz ensembles in the country.  The members are selected through a very competitive audition process and are graduates of some of the country’s finest music schools.   The event was coordinated by Shelton Intermediate School Band Director, Mark Bilotta, who... 03/29/2012

  Free Federal Income Tax Preparation Sites in Shelton and Derby CT       Time is running out!  The CT Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program offers FREE tax help for low-to moderate-income (under $50,000) people who cannot prepare their own 2011 tax returns.  Additionally, under the same income guidelines, you could qualify for CT’s new Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which can be worth up to $1,700.       These are the documents you need to bring to the tax preparation site to prepare your 2011 federal income tax return:   Valid photo id Social security cards or Individual Taxpayer ID numbers for anyone included on the return Documentation of all income from work, pensions, social security, including W-2, 1099-R forms, etc. Documentation for education expenses Total paid for c... 03/25/2012

SHOWING YOUR SHELTON CONNECTICUT HOME After you have set the price, staged your Shelton Connecticut home, and agreed upon a marketing plan with your listing agent, the next step is to make your home easy to see and to show off your home in its best possible light.  EASY TO SHOW These are important words to busy buyer agents.  When your home is "easy to show" buyer agents may include your home in their schedule even if it isn't quite what their buyers say they want.  This is good because buyers sometimes fall in love with a home outside their stated criteria.  "Easy to show" means that the sellers are very accomodating in terms of showing times and are forgiving if the agent runs a bit ahead or behind in their schedule.  The more restrictions you put on showings in terms of times, days, ... 03/18/2012

   Entertainers Showcase ~ St. Joseph School Shelton CT Do you have a special talent that you would like to showcase to an audience and get your 15 minutes of fame?The St.Joseph School Shelton CT Entertainers Showcase may be the place for you. The event is a fundraiser where local entertainers can promote themselves and share their talent.All types of family entertainers will be accepted including magicians, clowns, face painters and other specialty entertainers. Entertainers will be provided with 15 minutes of fame stage time to display their talents.The entertainers booth fee is set at $50.The event will be held Saturday April 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at:St Joseph School430 Coram AvenueShelton, CT 06484Directions A bounce house for the kids will be available, and “Storm” from the Bridgepo... 03/18/2012

MARKETING YOUR SHELTON CONNECTICUT HOME Print advertising is dead.  Well, almost!  Newspaper circulation is down and newspapers are shutting their doors across the U.S.  In tracking my Return on Investment (ROI) in advertising, I have seen print advertising decrease in effectiveness and Internet marketing increase.  MARKETING VS. ADVERTISING Let's talk a bit about the difference between marketing and advertising.  Advertising is when you pay the media to announce details of your product or service, such as when your agent takes an ad out in The Real Estate Book, a publication that is distributed at grocery stores, gas stations, and other public places.  Marketing involves all other methods to bring attention to your home and encourage its sale.  Open Houses are one form of marketing, po... 03/13/2012

  Shelton CT Friday Night Fish Fry Dinners Are Cooking!   Whether you are observing the Lent Friday fasting rule, enjoy having a good fish dinner, or maybe just don’t want to prepare a Friday night meal for the family after a busy week, you should definitely consider a Shelton CT Friday fish fry dinner at St. Joseph’s School or the First United Methodist Church.   St. Joseph School’s 6th annual Lenten fish fry  takes place every Friday during Lent (except Good Friday) from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the church hall at 430 Coram Avenue Shelton.  You can eat in or take out.   The menu includes not only fish dinners, but also shrimp dinners, seafood wraps, clam strip dinners, shrimp cocktail, macaroni and cheese, clam chowder, grilled cheese, mozzarella sticks, fries, baked potatoes, onion rings... 03/06/2012

STAGING YOUR SHELTON HOME You've seen HGTV. You know that staged homes sell faster and for more money, staging works, but it requires an outlay of money that you may not have. If you can't afford a stager, you can still apply some of the basic principles of staging to help your home sell faster. First thing you'll want to do is to walk through your house room by room with your listing agent. Your agent may not be able to give you the design advice of a stager, but he/she can give you advice about which room colors might cause a problem (e.g., a bright purple dining room) or furniture pieces that should be moved or rearranged. Don't make the mistake of painting the entire interior off-white on the premise that buyers can choose their own colors. Well-chosen wall and trim colors can make ... 03/04/2012

PRICING YOUR SHELTON CT HOME TO SELL This is the second article in a six-part series about Selling Your Shelton CT Home in a Buyer's Market.  In the first article we described the characteristics of a buyer's market.  We will now talk about pricing your home to sell in today's buyer's market. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU The most important thing to understand about pricing a home to sell is that the market determines the price.  The market doesn't care how much you paid for the home or how much money you put into upgrades or repairs.  Your home will sell for the price that buyers will pay for comparable homes.  If you price your home too high, even if a buyer comes along who is willing to pay above market value for your home, the mortgage company will whittle the offer down to the market value du... 02/28/2012

  Dr. Seuss Celebration at Written Words Bookstore Shelton CT   I started reading to my son before he was even born. I would read articles and books aloud hoping somehow we were connecting. Did a lot of singing too, but that’s a whole other story.    Then when he was born, I continued to read daily to him. I'd read him anything....the newspaper, recipes, and of course, lots of children's books.  Even before he could talk, I could tell he was understanding a lot of what I was reading. If I mentioned, turning out the light, he would point to the light when I read about it. If I read about someone going to sleep and closing his eyes, he would do the same.    He could read the alphabet at 19 months, read some words at 2 and started reading himself when he was about 3.  He went into nursery ... 02/24/2012

1. INTRODUCTION   This is the first installment of a six-part series on Selling Your Shelton Connecticut Home in a Buyer's Market.   What is a Buyer's Market?   A buyer's market is one in which there are more sellers than buyers. Nationwide we are in a real estate buyer's market, which means according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) that there is more than six month's worth of inventory (homes for sale). However, if you look at different locations, neighborhoods, price ranges, and even home styles, some niche markets are doing better than others. Low interest rates and FHA low down payment mortgages have encouraged sales at the low end, downsizers are spurring sales in the mid-range, and at the high end, there are buying niches, such as luxury, waterfront and water view ho... 02/22/2012