Have you ever worked with someone so GOOD that you wanted to tell everyone about your experience?

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How often have you agreed to a monthly service agreement, insurance policy, or TV package only to find rates rapidly creeping up and the value of service declining?    Many of us utilize automatic payment programs that make it nearly impossible to spot these changes for years while the built-in escalation clauses leave us feeling violated and taken advantage of.

Wouldn’t life be a little sweeter if your service provider had YOUR best interest in mind and notified you of rate hikes while offering money saving alternatives?

A few weeks ago, I received a call from Debbie Kane of Sava insurance Group in Waterford CT. Debbie, had performed a yearly…

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To start, I must say that I am not a tax professional or an attorney. In fact, I have no desire to be involved in either of these professions (though I respect them) and urge you to seek counsel from someone other than a real estate professional writing a blog post.

First of all, it is not a sales tax nor does it impose any transfer tax or recordation tax. It is called a “Medicare Tax” because the money received will be allocated to the Medicare Trust Fund, which is part of the Social Security System. This tax will not affect everyone and in fact will impact a very small percentage of people selling.

People are confused for good reason.  The actual legislation will make your head spin…take a look.

SEC. 1411. IMPOSITION OF TAX.
(a) IN…

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With Hurricane Sandy closely in our rear view mirror we are left with continued clean up caused by record breaking winds and a storm surge that changed the landscape of many coastal communities. As a real estate professional focusing on the Waterfront Communities in the region, I must pause and think of the short and long term affects that this storm will have on the market.

The short term is ear marked by the clean-up of downed trees, submerged roads, newly created sand dunes, and catastrophic structural damage to homes located in low- lying areas not fortified by seawalls.  It is rumored that FEMA may in fact redraw the maps that have defined the communities since 1938. Time will tell.

Lending has slowed dramatically as banks want to make…

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In processing a borrower’s paperwork, it can seem like we fail our way towards the closing and then ask our customers: “How was the trip?” But in reality we should be guiding the customer towards the closing based upon our expertise…for many borrowers in the marketplace this is not happening. We should be saying, “This is the route you must follow to get where you need to go.”

There may be roadblocks and obstacles along the way and at times the journey to home ownership can be bumpy, but the Loan Officer should view their job as that of a guide…one who helps the borrower reach their ultimate destination.

Think of a good tour guide or a concierge you may have encountered while traveling. Not only is the guide familiar with the area to be…

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(Written by Bob Ruth)

Each time I first sit down with a potential client, we discuss qualifying for a mortgage, and the 3 main aspects we use to determine whether a borrower can get financing: ability to repay the loan, willingness to repay the loan, and the collateral value of a house which is determined using an appraisal. Each of these is weighted equally and all 3 aspects determine the suitability of a borrower to obtain the financing to buy a property. This is essentially the foundation for buying a home. 

You may be able to qualify for the payments and the house is sufficient collateral for the loan, but if you don't have good credit you may not be able to get the mortgage. This is also true if the appraisal is ok and your credit is good,…

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The successful sale of your home is directly correlated to PRICING, MARKETING, and ACCESSIBILITY. 

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Many owners require that their Agent present the property to prospective buyers in person.  What these owners do not realize is that this actually decreases their chances of sale.  After many years of research we have found that the average buyer does the following…

  •   Takes 15-20 minutes to look at each home for the first time.
  •   Looks at 23 homes prior to writing an offer.
  •   Looks at the home of their choice twice before writing an offer.
  •   Prefers to look at your home with only one agent

Buyers and Buyer’s Agents do not want the listing agent to be present during their first viewing of a property as it makes them feel…

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Would it be better to sell this home now, or rent it out and sell later?  Making an informed decision can impact your financial well being for decades to come.  Often times moving goes hand in hand with selling a home…..but not always.  In some cases people know that they will only be leaving for a few years while they pursue a degree, project for work, or perhaps a sabbatical.  Sometimes the wannabe seller has no choice but to rent as the value of the home is less than the mortgage and they do not have enough cash to cover the difference at closing. Maybe the market is on the verge of an uptick which will cause the value of the property to surge.  

Regardless of the reason, it is extremely important to understand the financial ramifications of…

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If you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen, or finishing your basement, you probably want to get your investment back when you sell your home. But when it comes to payback value of home improvements, some are definitely more profitable than others. As a general rule, kitchen and bathroom projects usually get a nice return on investment, typically 90% or more. Things like adding rooms or finishing basements tend to pay back the least. Finishing a basement usually returns less than 50%, so it’s not a project likely to show profit at selling time.


There are a number of factors that go into determining how well a project will pay back. Payback value depends a lot on the current market conditions in your area. If the market is hot and homes are…

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Over the past decade, as pricing began to inflate artificially, we were lead to believe that the real estate market was lined with gold. All of the fundamentals no longer seemed to matter. Values of commercial properties were no longer correlated to income but to projected future appreciation. Residential properties were experiencing a similar scenario where you could not lose. People were anticipating that the market would forever increase and the Market Value of their properties would do nothing but compound.

Some of the fundamentals ignored were as follows:

Competition: If a certain type of property is introduced to an area and begins to sell at higher than normal prices then this will cause other properties of similar caliber to be built in hopes…

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Which waterfront community will you choose?

Seaport Real Estate Group actively tracks over sixty waterfront communities along the Connecticut Shoreline from the seaports of Stonington to the beaches in Branford. Each of these communities offer unique attributes, amenities and property types that cater to the lifestyles of its residents. For more information about Waterfront Communities & Shoreline Properties for sale in southeastern Connecticut please visit Seaport Real Estate Groups Shoreline Guide.

Find the Perfect Home at the Right Price 

When buying a home it is important to determine exactly what you want and need in order to make smart decisions. But, a waterfront home is not just any home. Special considerations need to be taken to ensure…

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