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I get it..Your Aunt Jenny, Cousin Uma or Brother Sam just received their real estate license and you feel compelled to utilize their services in order to keep the peace within your family tree which happens to be shaped like a wreath.  STOP BEING A PLEASER as it is you who will be adversely affected by the negative outcome of utilizing an agent who is not at the top of his/her game.  Next Step…

You just located a Superstar Agent or team of agents but they are located over 30 miles away from you.

15 Years ago I would have recommended that you utilize the services of a location specific agent as they really had their finger on the pulse of print advertising. Today print advertising is simply a tool for agents to market themselves in an attempt…

4176 Views, 2 Comments

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Being a real estate professional may be one of the toughest careers you can choose as your initial results are not directly correlated to your hard work but rather to the choices that you make.  I liken this profession to that of a gardener who initially works alone. 

Your first goal is to find a piece of ground that is rich in nutrients and near a sustainable water source.

Your second goal is find a few healthy seeds to start your garden.  Each customer that you are blessed to come in contact with is like a seed whose species is yet to be determined.  You must take extremely good care of each and every seed to make sure that they have a chance to mature and potentially bear fruit…… Not ever knowing if any of your seeds will make it to…

3550 Views, 1 Comments

These are the words that I continuously hear from consumers in the open market in regard to the real estate profession. Instead of pushing back and getting defensive I have chosen to look at the commonality of this mindset and find shared ground and ask “Why?”

Could it be that 80% of the agents in the marketplace turn over every 4 years?

Or that 94% of the work is done by 6% of the agents?

The 94% will handle only a handful or transactions and make many mistakes due to a lack of experience at the expense of the consumer. Everyone knows someone with a real estate license and feels that the license makes them all equal. Not True. Buying and Selling Real Estate is a huge investment and should not be entrusted to a novice. Long gone are the days of…

2210 Views, 2 Comments

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Public Act 11-6

I am writing in an attempt to clear up any confusion about the current conveyance taxes in the state of CT.  There has been some confusion since the laws changed.

When you sell property in the state of CT you are taxed on both the Municipal and the State Level.

On the Municipal level you will be taxed at a base rate of .25% of the sales price plus up to an additional .25% in 18 “Targeted Investment” municipalities.  Towns that are eligible for the additional .25% are Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Bristol, East Hartford, Groton, Hamden, Hartford, Meriden, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, Southington, Stamford, Waterbury, and Windham.  Unfortunately all of these towns have elected to embrace the .25%…

58304 Views, 1 Comments