What a Home Actually Costs to Own in CT & RI: 208 Towns Compared

Posted by Tim Bray on August 2nd, 2026

2026 Property Tax Report · Connecticut

The list price tells you what a home costs to buy. It says nothing about what it costs to own — and in 2026, that second number is where Connecticut buyers get surprised. The same home, one town line apart, can carry a tax bill that differs by well over a thousand dollars a month.

10.85 Lowest rate
(Washington) 68.95 Highest rate
(Hartford) 28.39 Statewide
median 169 Towns in
this report

The number most buyers never check

Everyone shopping for a home watches the price. Far fewer ask the question that actually sets the monthly payment: what’s the property tax? In Connecticut, the answer comes from the town’s mill rate — the dollars…

164 Views, 0 Comments

Changing Markets – Issue #5: The Affordability Illusion

Posted by Tim Bray on March 25th, 2026

Changing Markets – Issue #5: The Affordability Illusion

Affordability hasn’t disappeared — it’s been redefined.

If a buyer can make the monthly payment, does that mean the home is truly affordable?

That is the story many people want to believe.

In today’s market, buyers are constantly being told to focus on the monthly number. Lower the rate. Use a buydown. Stretch a little further. Find a way to make the payment work.

But affordability is not defined by whether a buyer can make the payment today. It is defined by whether that payment is sustainable over time, while still leaving enough room to handle the realities of ownership and the pressures of everyday life.

The Gap No One Wants to Look At

Over the past several years, home…

106 Views, 1 Comments

Are Zillow Estimates More Accurate than a Realtor?

Posted by Tim Bray on January 22nd, 2023

Both Zillow and realtors can provide valuable information for buyers and sellers in the real estate market. However, the reliability and accuracy of the information provided by each may vary.

Zillow is a popular website that provides real estate information, including home value estimates (Zestimates) and property listings. Zillow's data is crowdsourced, meaning it relies on users to provide information, which can lead to inaccuracies. Zillow's Zestimate algorithm may not take into account certain factors that would affect a home's value such as the condition of the property, updates and renovation, location, and market conditions. Zillow Zestimate is considered a starting point to get a rough idea of a home's value, but it's not a substitute for…

6098 Views, 0 Comments