Peggy Chirico ~ Hartford & Tolland County Real Estate Blog

Price Reduced on Beautiful Split-Level Home in Bloomfield CT

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:34:12 -0700

7 Boxwood Circle, Bloomfield CT ~ $239,900

This beautiful three-bedroom, two-bath split-level home in Bloomfield has just been reduced to $239,900! If you are looking for a home in Bloomfield CT, you must check out this home. It's located in a desireable neighborhood on a cul-de-sac on .79 acres. The backyard abuts town-owned land so you can enjoy the peacefulness and greenery from your deck. If you would like more information about this property or would like to see it for yourself, please contact me at 860-748-8900.

Some of the features of this home are:

Three Bedrooms
Two Baths
1658 sq. ft
Hardwood Floors on Main Level
Cathedral Ceilings on Main Level
Eat-in Kitchen
Sliders to Deck
Fireplaced Family Room in Lower Level
Two-Car Garage
Custom Shed with Hay Loft

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

If you are buying or selling a home in Hartford County or Tolland County, please call me, email me, or visit my website. I would be happy to help you with your home search or provide a market analysis for your home.

Find your dream home now!

Advantages of Home Ownership

Wed, 09 May 2012 07:52:02 -0700

Advantages of Home Ownership

One of the most over-looked advantages of homeownership is that yardwork is a great workout! If you are a homeowner who does all the yardwork in the spring, you certainly don't need a gym membership!

After working all day on Sunday and Monday (feeling quite sore the day after), I realized that I don't need to do a treadmill or weight machine this week.

Pulling weeds - great for arms and back.
Picking up sticks - works the hamstrings.
Raking maple seedlings out of the lawn - super workout for core, shoulders, and arms.
Splitting hostas and daylilies - great arm, back, and chest exercise.
Trying to finish it all before the rain - a true aerobic workout.

We are expecting rain over the next few days, so I have a respite from yardwork, but I will be gearing up for my marathon of weeding and mulching this weekend when the rain stops.

So when you are evaluating the advantages of home-ownership, be sure to include the free health benefits of a great workout without the price of a gym membership--priceless!

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

My Fine Feathered Friends!

Sat, 19 May 2012 18:02:07 -0700

About a week ago, I posted a picture of three bird eggs that I found in a nest in the Christmas wreath that I left up too long. I was surprised to see the nest and the eggs.

The only reason that I saw the nest was that every time I opened my front door, a bird would fly out of it. When I went to see where the bird was coming from, I saw the nest. I hated that I had disturbed the bird so often by my frequent coming and going, so I started leaving my house through another door. After all, the bird was just trying to do its job. Did I really have to make it so difficult?

Today, I decided to check on the progress because the bird was still flying out of the nest every time I went to get the mail. I was hoping the eggs were still there, but they weren't there because they had hatched.

I snuck up to the nest with my cell phone so I could get a picture. It's not very clear but there are definitely baby birds there. In a few days, I hope to get a better picture before they leave the nest.

Ah, spring! Isn't it wonderful?

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Baby Boomer Series ~ Thinking Ahead

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:21:53 -0700

In the Baby Boomer Series, I address the issues facing people who are in the throes of making decisions about their later years. A recent post described two women, now in their later years, who made very different decisions.

One of those decisions is where you want to spend your retirement years. Some people will choose to remain exactly where they are; some will opt for other locations or other living arrangements. Another post will explore prime locations for retirees, but before you even make that decision, it is wise to consider a few criteria.

Do you want to live in an age-restricted community?

Some people want to be around people of all ages so they opt for a neighborhood or a non-age-restricted complex, thinking that the sound of children’s voices will be always welcome. But it’s important to remember that even age-restricted communities have children visiting, and often under joyful circumstances (vacations). In addition, an active adult community may offer the activities, social interaction, and support that will be positive factors in older adulthood.

Do you want to be responsible for exterior maintenance?

Whether you pay a monthly fee to the community, you hire someone to do it, or you complete the work on your own, exterior maintenance must be done. Some people think they can handle it themselves, so why pay someone to do it. But as we age, it becomes a chore that we might not want to do ourselves. Do you want someone to worry about it or do you want to arrange for your own maintenance people?

Do you want easy access to social activities?

Some people are solitary sorts while others want to be surrounded by people of like interests. If you don't take your own personality into account when you make your decisions, you may feel frustrated or depressed by trying to fit into a situation that doesn't suit you. If you are not a social person, you wouldn't want to pay a premium for living in a highly social environment. If you enjoy constant companionship, you will feel isolated in a more remote location.

Do you have easy access to health care and other services?

You may not have a problem driving distances to various appointments now, but that may change as the years go on. When deciding about where you will spend your retirement years, consider whether you will have easy access to health care, shopping, and other services. If you can't get to your appointments yourself, how easy will it be to arrange to get there?

Do you want to be close to family?

Some people stay where they are because of family, while others move to be closer to family. If you can't be close to family, are you in a place where it is easy for them to visit? Many people choose to live in warmer climates where family likes to visit for vacations. If the location is along a route that people travel to or through, it will be easier to have frequent company.

Of course, there are many other questions to be asked and answered before making a decision about where to spend your retirement years, but much thought should go into what type of environment suits you best. Well-thought out decisions will not only make life more enjoyable now but will also make life less stressful in later years.

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Manchester CT Market Report for April 2012

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:35:15 -0700

Manchester CT Market Report for April 2012

Real estate activity was clicking along in Manchester CT during April 2012, with 27 closed sales. While this was down somewhat from March 2012 (32 closed sales), it was up from the previous April (23 closed sales).

On a positive note, however, were median and average price which increased over the prior month as well as over the same period last year. This April, the median price was $160,000 and the average price was $192,070, compared to a median price of $147,400 and an average price of $175,000 in March 2012 and a median price of $155,000 and an average price of $164,313 in April 2011.

Also improving were the median and average days on market, with a median of 32 and an average of 71 days this April compared to a median of 52 and an average of 79 last April.

Here is a recap of the statistics:

Summary April 2012 April 2011 Closed Sales 27 23 Median Price $160,000 $155,000 Average Price $192,070 $164,313 Median LP/SP Ratio 96.5% 96.8% Average LP/SP Ratio 94.97% 96.8% Median DOM 32 52 Average DOM 71 79

In looking at pending sales, there are currently 47 homes under contract and 61 homes under deposit, so the coming months should show good activity as well.

If you are looking for a home in Manchester CT, there are currently 254 homes on the market with a median price of $183,400. Manchester offers plenty of opportunity for first-time homebuyers as well as buyers looking to move up or downsize. If you are interested in finding out whether your dream home is available, please give me a call.

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Is the Condo Market Heating Up in South Windsor CT?

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:42:11 -0700

Is the Condo Market Heating Up in South Windsor CT?

I keep track of what sells in all areas I serve, and I have been noticing that there were quite a few recent condo sales in South Windsor CT compared to prior activity. I haven't reported on condo sales in a while because the numbers were so low.

But April 2012 showed great activity, recording 8 closed sales. Here are the closed sales for April 2012:

207 Misty Meadow Lane, 1B/1BA, sold for $69,000
64 Cinnamon Springs, 2B/1BA, sold for $93,500
1201 Sunfield Drive, 2B/1BA, sold for $105,000
134 Candlewood Drive, 2B/2BA, sold for $106,000
905 Twin Circle Drive, 2B/2BA, sold for $108,000
301 Mill Pond Drive, 2B/1.1BA, sold for $147,000
1 Arrowwood Circle, 3B/2.1BA, sold for $180,000
59 Riverview Drive, 2B/2BA, sold for $323,500

To put it into perspective, I compared condo sales in each of the months this year and in the same four months last year. Here is a recap showing closed sales and average price:

Month 2012 2011 January 4 2 February 4 3 March 3 3 April 8 3

Month 2012 2011 January $117,163 $130,000 February $145,350 $139,667 March $131,667 $158,333 April $141,500 $158,333

As you can see, condo sales in South Windsor have been plugging along and then along comes April with 8 closed sales. In addition, there are 8 homes under contract and 13 homes under deposit. I would say that the condo market in South Windsor CT is heating up.

If you are looking for a condo in South Windsor CT, there are currently 44 units available, ranging from a 1B/1BA 825 sq. ft. unit at Mill River Meadows for $79,900 to a 3B/2BA 1833 sq. ft. new ranch at Strawberry Fields for $359,900. Please give me a call if you want to see what is available.

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

I Guess I Can't Take Down My Christmas Wreath NOW!

Sun, 06 May 2012 11:48:29 -0700

I admit it. I still have my Christmas wreath up. In all fairness, it doesn't look like a Christmas wreath--there is no red bow, just a few pine cones. But still, I should have taken it down a while ago.

But today I was doing yardwork, sprucing up the yard for spring (I do some things at the right time!), and I noticed that a little bird flew out of my wreath. A closer look showed me this:

I guess I can't take down my Christmas wreath NOW!

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Signs of Spring

Fri, 04 May 2012 18:38:12 -0700

Today was a cloudy dreary day, but we needed the rain so I didn't mind. Around mid-afternoon, the sun came out and the day warmed up. The grass looked greener than ever, and the plants seemed to grow considerably.

I decided to check out my garden for signs of spring, and sure enough, there were glorious sights. My irises are not yet in full bloom, but by tomorrow they will be.

And my Cranesbill geraniums, which aren't due to pop with color for a few weeks yet are showing a few early flowers.

With some sunshine and warmer temperatures tomorrow, all the flowers and plants should get another boost. It's nice to take a break every now and then to see the signs of spring.

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Stamp Out Hunger on May 12, 2012

Wed, 02 May 2012 05:54:47 -0700

The largest food drive in the country is being held on May 12, 2012 when the National Association of Letter Carriers will be collecting food across the country for donation to local food banks through its Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

This is the 20th year that Stamp Out Hunger has been held! Food drive organizers are asking that people donate non-perishable food items, such as canned goods, rice, pasta, cereal, and anything that does not require refrigeration. Please do not donate food items in glass jars or anything beyond its expiration date.

You can leave your donation in bags near your mail box before the usual mail delivery on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Help Stamp Out Hunger!

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

East Hartford CT Market Report for March 2012

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:23:16 -0700

East Hartford CT Market Report for March 2012

Closed sales in East Hartford in March 2012 were up significantly over March 2011. This March, there were 39 closed sales, compared to 27 closed sales in March 2011.

Median and average prices were down significantly from the same period last year. The median price this March was $124,000 compared to $149,000 last March, while the average price this $118,538 this March compared to $141,599 last March.

In addition to closed sales, there are currently 37 homes under contract and 48 under deposit, so we should expect that April's closed sales will remain strong.

Here is a recap to key statistics:

Summary March 2012 March 2011 Closed Sales 39 27 Median Price $124,000 $149,000 Average Price $118,538 $141,599 Median LP/SP Ratio 96.2% 96.1% Average LP/SP Ratio 93.08% 95.09% Median DOM 87 93 Average DOM 103 95

If you are looking for a home in East Hartford, there are 208 homes on the market, ranging in price from $12,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath 400 sq. ft. mobile home to $299,900 for a new three-bedroom, 2.1 bath, 1800 sq. ft. colonial. The median price of all homes on the market is $149,450.

Please give me a call if you would like help with your search.

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Baby Boomer Series ~ Sorting Old Photographs

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:13:14 -0700

If you are a baby boomer, you probably have mountains of memories in the form of old photographs. If you are like me, you not only printed every picture you ever took, but you also got doubles of them because they were free! After all, you never knew who might want a set of your vacation photos. Newsflash--no one!

Yesterday, I decided that I would tackle all of the boxes of photos that I had accumulated (they never even made it into an album) as well as all the albums that I made and that I acquired from well-meaning relatives. I don't want to take boxes of photos if I decide to move, yet I don't want to lose the great ones that tell my family's history.

This is not an easy task, so here are a few suggestions that worked for me.

Sort the photographs

Sort the photos into two piles: scenery and people. I ended up throwing away most of the scenery photos because they weren't that great to begin with, they were beginning to fade anyway, and National Geographic has better pictures of the beach in San Juan anyway, if I ever need it.
Sort the people pictures into three piles: the professional photos, the super shots of family and friends, the ones that are too dark and of poor quality (if you can't see facial features clearly put them in this pile). Keep just one copy of the professionally-taken photos and put the others in a bag for family members to look at and decide if they want any. Throw out the pile with the photos where you can't recognize who is in the picture.
Sort the super shots of family and friends into piles. Eliminate duplicates and keep a sample of events (do you really need every race your child ever ran or every game they ever played?). Make sure you have at least some pictures of everyone in the family.

Scan the photographs

Once you have whittled down the collection, decide how you are going to store and save the best of the photographs. The best way is to scan your pictures into digital format so they can be preserved with integrity. When I looked at the album I compiled of a trip to England in 1975, all the pictures were now sepia-toned because they weren't stored well.

For some of the best of my family's photos like my grandparents' wedding picture, I scanned those myself on my scanner. I could then do some simple editing and they will now be safeguarded.

But for the mountains of candid shots, it will be easier and faster to send them out to a scanning service. For a fee, you can ship your photos in a box, they will scan and return a digital copy as well as the original photos. For a premium, you can also have them scanned, restored, and sharpened. Then you can share them easily with other members of your family.

Make a collage or two

Instead of having 8x10 or larger framed pictures all over your house, which you will have to pare down anyway, consider a few framed collages of key events. These will still let you look at cherished photos, yet they can be easily moved and displayed as you wish.

Share your photos

Once you have scanned your photos, you are free to toss out the real thing. You can easily share the scanned pictures with your family. If they want a paper copy, they can easily print out the few pictures. I offered the boxes of photos to my family before I threw them out, but of course no one took me up on my offer. They have lived most of their lives in the era of digital photography and have easy access to their memories. The few pictures they want from the pre-digital era will be scanned and ready for them.

Sorting though old pictures will eventually have to be done. Don't put it off another day. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, and I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted. It's just one more step toward being able to pack up and move out, if I choose to do so.

South Windsor CT Market Report for March 2012

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:01:53 -0700

South Windsor CT Market Report for March 2012

The South Windsor CT real estate market showed improvement in the number of closed sales over the same period last year and over the previous month. In March 2012, there were 13 closed sales, compared to just 8 the previous March and 9 in February 2012.

Median and average price improved over February 2012, with the median price in March 2012 of $230,000 (compared to $215,000 in February) and the average price in March 2012 of $259,590 (compared to $242,256 in February).

In comparing the same month last year, median price was down slightly ($230,000 this March vs. $237,250 last March) but the average price was up slightly ($259,590 this March vs. $253,825 last March).

The lowest priced sold home was a two-bedroom, one-bath mobile home for $14,000 and the lowest non-mobile home was a three-bedroom, one-bath ranch with 1008 sq. ft. for $108,000. The highest-priced home sold was a three-bedroom, 3.1-bath 2700 sq. ft. ranch which sold for asking price of $579,666 (new construction).

Here is a recap:

Summary March 2012 March 2011 Closed Sales 13 8 Median Price $230,000 $237,250 Average Price $259,590 $253,825 Median LP/SP Ratio 96.7% 97.4% Average LP/SP Ratio 96.63% 97.93% Median DOM 24 109 Average DOM 65 112

If you are looking for a home in South Windsor CT, there are just 99 homes currently on the market with a median price of $274,900. Check out some of the listings below and give me a call if you see any that might be your dream home!

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Manchester CT Market Report for March 2012

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:02:02 -0700

Manchester CT Market Report for March 2012

Closed sales in Manchester CT were up in March 2012 over January 2012 and February 2012 as well as over the same month last year. There were 32 closed sales in March 2012 compared with 26 closed sales in March 2011; 32 closed sales is also a significant increase over February 2012 which showed just 18 (so almost double the number of the previous month) and over January 2012 which showed 20 closed sales.

While the increase in closed sales is a good sign of market recovery, the median and average prices of homes in Manchester CT were lower than in January and February as well as in the same period last year. This March, the median sales price was $147,500 and the average sales price was $172,709, which is down significantly from March 2010, which showed a median sales price of $175,000 and an average sales price of $194,354.

What does it mean that median and average prices are down? It means that more people purchased homes in the lower price ranges. There are plenty of bargains to be had and buyers are taking advantage of lower home prices and very low mortgage interest rates. The median and average sales prices do not necessarily mean that individual houses lost significant value; in fact, the Town of Manchester reported a 5% decline in assessment levels rather than a precipitous drop in value, which is what the statistics might seem to indicate.

Here is a recap of March 2012 vs. March 2011:

Summary March 2012 March 2011 Closed Sales 32 26 Median Price $147,500 $175,000 Average Price $172,709 $194,354 Median LP/SP Ratio 97.4% 96.25% Average LP/SP Ratio 96% 95.31% Median DOM 81 76 Average DOM 99 90

If you are looking for a home in Manchester, you will find a great selection at great prices. There are currently 262 homes on the market, ranging from a three-bedroom, one-bath colonial with 1235 sq. ft. on Oak Street to a 4000 sq. ft. contemporary with four bedrooms and 3.1 baths for $759,000 on Castle Hill Road. The median price is $184,900. Take a look at some of the listings below and give me a call if you see something you are interested in! .

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Happy Earth Day!

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:59:36 -0700

Today is Earth Day! I remember the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, thinking it was a great way to let all of our inner tree-huggers do something good for the environment.

There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day, but why give it just one day? Here are a few of my favorite suggestions for how to celebrate Earth Day, each day of the year:

Give up plastic water bottles
Drive less; bike and walk more
Recycle everything you can
Eat locally-produced food and eat less processed foods
Let your lawn and gardens grow naturally without chemicals
Bring your own bags to the store (Target is giving away 1.5 million free bags today!)
Eat less meat

How are you going to honor Mother Earth today?

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Shred Day ~ April 14, 2012 ~ Courtesy of Rockville Bank

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:58:16 -0700

Shred Day ~ April 14, 2012 ~ Courtesy of Rockville Bank

Are you tired of putting your papers through your itty-bitty shredder? Then box them up and come to Rockville Bank in South Windsor, CT for Shred Day on April 14, 2012!

Each household can bring up to two boxes (10x12x16) of papers to Rockville Bank, 1635 Ellington Road, South Windsor, CT between the hours of 9:00a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and your important papers will be shredded, courtesy of InfoShred. You don't even have to remove staples or paperclips; just remove the papers from binders and notebooks. How easy is that?

Having just completed my taxes, I have mountains of papers from prior years that can now be shredded. And rather that risk identity theft by putting these papers in the trash, it is wise to shred them. Here are some documents that you should definitely shred:

Medical Records
Financial Records
Credit Card Statements
Canceled Checks
Insurance Forms
Old Tax Returns
Any other personal documents that contain Social Security numbers or account numbers

Shred Day ~ April 14, 2012 ~ Courtesy of Rockville Bank

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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
peggychirico@gmail.com

860-748-8900

Find your dream home now!

Peggy Chirico ~ Hartford & Tolland County Real Estate Blog

Price Reduced on Beautiful Split-Level Home in Bloomfield CT

Advantages of Home Ownership

My Fine Feathered Friends!

Baby Boomer Series ~ Thinking Ahead

Do you want to live in an age-restricted community?

Do you want to be responsible for exterior maintenance?

Do you want easy access to social activities?

Do you have easy access to health care and other services?

Do you want to be close to family?

Manchester CT Market Report for April 2012

Is the Condo Market Heating Up in South Windsor CT?

I Guess I Can't Take Down My Christmas Wreath NOW!

Signs of Spring

Stamp Out Hunger on May 12, 2012

East Hartford CT Market Report for March 2012

Baby Boomer Series ~ Sorting Old Photographs

Sort the photographs

Scan the photographs

Make a collage or two

Share your photos

Other posts in the Baby Boomer Series:

South Windsor CT Market Report for March 2012

Manchester CT Market Report for March 2012

Happy Earth Day!

Shred Day ~ April 14, 2012 ~ Courtesy of Rockville Bank