Town Meeting Minute Issue #12: The Rules Are Starting to Move in Southeastern Connecticut

Posted by Tim Bray on July 12th, 2026

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Town Meeting Minute • Issue #12

The Rules Are Starting to Move

Over the past two weeks, Southeastern Connecticut towns have moved from planning language into real regulatory consequences: Groton approved a major open-space development framework, Waterford rejected a large housing rezoning request, Stonington advanced its POCD review, East Lyme continued housing-growth implementation, Norwich processed incremental infill, and Ledyard studied whether its land-use governance structure needs to change.

Real estate value is often shaped before a property ever hits the market. It changes when a text amendment passes, when a rezoning fails, when a subdivision hearing is scheduled, when a POCD moves to public review, or when a town…

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Rhode Island’s “Taylor Swift Tax”: What Coastal Homeowners Need to Know

Posted by Tim Bray on July 8th, 2026

Rhode Island Property Tax · 2026

It’s nicknamed for a pop star’s Watch Hill mansion, but Rhode Island’s new second-home tax reaches far beyond the ultra-wealthy — all the way to century-old family cottages on the shoreline. If you own, or are buying, a coastal property in Rhode Island, here’s what you need to understand.

What is the “Taylor Swift Tax”?

Officially, it’s Rhode Island’s Non-Owner Occupied Property Tax (R.I. General Law § 44-72). It picked up the nickname because Taylor Swift owns a roughly $28-million oceanfront estate in Westerly’s Watch Hill — but the law itself has nothing to do with celebrities. It’s a new state-level surcharge, separate from and on top of the property tax you already pay your city or town.

The…

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2026 Rhode Island Property Tax & Mill Rate Report

Posted by Tim Bray on July 8th, 2026

2026 Property Tax Report · Rhode Island

The list price tells you what a home costs to buy. It says nothing about what it costs to own — and in Rhode Island, that second number swings hard from one town to the next. The same home can cost three times as much to hold depending on which side of a town line it sits on.

$4.79 Lowest rate (Little Compton)

$21.52 Highest rate (Foster)

$12.70 Statewide median

39 Cities & 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 Rhode Island, that answer comes from your town’s tax rate — the dollars…

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Community Calendar: June 28 – July 12 Events Across New London County & South County RI

Posted by Tim Bray on June 28th, 2026

Seaport Real Estate Services | Community Calendar

Community Calendar: June 28 - July 12, 2026

A detailed shoreline guide to upcoming events across New London County, Connecticut and South County Rhode Island, including Independence Day traditions, fireworks, farmers markets, beach concerts, family programming, food events, theater, arts, and local summer gatherings.

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Your Two-Week Guide to Shoreline Summer Events

Welcome to the next Seaport Real Estate Services Community Calendar, covering the heart of early summer from Sunday, June 28 through Sunday, July 12, 2026.

This issue leans into the energy of Independence Day week while keeping the broader community calendar intact. You will find parades, fireworks, town concerts,…

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Town Meeting Minute • Issue #11: Infrastructure, Infill, and the Repricing of Land

Posted by Tim Bray on June 22nd, 2026

Town Meeting Minute • Issue #11

Housing Pressure Moves From Policy to Parcels

Across Southeastern Connecticut, local boards are moving from discussion to action — studying rezoning requests, updating subdivision rules, reviewing utility costs, and implementing state housing mandates that could reshape land values and development feasibility.

Real estate value does not usually change all at once. It changes first in meeting packets, public hearing notices, water-rate studies, subdivision regulations, zoning referrals, and long-range planning documents. By the time a shovel hits the ground, the value shift may have already started.

Top Story

Waterford’s 140 Waterford Parkway South rezoning request places a large industrial…

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Community Calendar: Summer Events Across New London County & South County RI

Posted by Tim Bray on June 8th, 2026

Seaport Real Estate Services | Community Calendarr

Community Calendar: New London County & Washington County

A publication-style guide to upcoming events across Southeastern Connecticut and South County Rhode Island — including festivals, concerts, farmers markets, theater, arts, food, family fun, and coastal community gatherings.

Explore New London County Explore Washington County

Issue Focus

Summer events, local traditions, markets, music, arts, food, and family fun.

Coverage Area

New London County, Connecticut and Washington County, Rhode Island.

Community Resource

Built to include as many verified local events as possible.

Submit an Event

Email info@seaportre.com

…

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Town Meeting Minute — Issue #10: The Next Wave of Density Is Hiding in the Details

Posted by Tim Bray on May 10th, 2026

Town Meeting Minute • Issue #10

The Next Wave of Density Is Hiding in the Details

This week, the biggest real estate story may not be a sale, a new listing, or a single development approval. It may be the quiet zoning changes that determine what can be built next.

What We’re Watching Over the Next Two Weeks

Across Groton, Waterford, Old Lyme, Stonington, and coastal Rhode Island, local boards are reviewing text amendments, planning updates, special permits, and zoning changes that could influence land values, housing supply, commercial corridors, and future development patterns.

Top Story

Groton’s proposed Open Space Common Interest Community text amendment.

Key Date

May 12, 2026 — multiple…

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Changing Markets – Issue #9 The Brokerage Divide Has Begun Big Ships Turn Slowly.

Posted by Tim Bray on May 8th, 2026

Changing Markets · Issue #9

The Brokerage Divide Has Begun

Big Ships Turn Slowly.

Many agents are making long-term career decisions at the exact moment the real estate industry is becoming faster, leaner, more technology-driven, and less forgiving.

82% of real estate agents currently use AI according to RPR’s 2026 survey. 32% of REALTORS® had not yet actively adopted AI tools in NAR’s 2025 survey. 58% of REALTORS® using AI reported using ChatGPT as their primary tool. $4.4T in potential annual economic impact may be created by generative AI according to McKinsey. The Career Decision Nobody Is Talking About

Agents are not just switching brokerages. They may be choosing how flexible their future…

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Seaport Multifamily Brief – Issue #5: From Blueprint to Reality

Posted by Tim Bray on April 30th, 2026

Seaport Multifamily Brief | Issue #5

From Blueprint to Reality

New construction, hotel conversions, and data-backed underwriting are showing us exactly how Coastal Connecticut and Southern Rhode Island are responding to the housing shortage.

Powered by CoStar Data, Apartments.com Market Intelligence, and Seaport Due Diligence The Market Is Moving

The Housing Conversation Has Shifted from Theory to Execution.

For the last several years, everyone has talked about the shortage of housing. But the more important question is no longer whether demand exists. It is whether supply can be created quickly enough, intelligently enough, and in the right locations.

In this issue of the Seaport Multifamily Brief, we highlight…

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Town Meeting Minute – Issue #9: The Towns Are Choosing What Gets Built Next

Posted by Tim Bray on April 26th, 2026

Town Meeting Minute | Issue #9

The Towns Are Choosing What Gets Built Next

Across Southeastern Connecticut and Southern Rhode Island, recent town meetings show a clear pattern: future supply is not simply being built. It is being filtered through zoning, infrastructure, public feedback, political priorities, and local appetite for change.

Seaport Perspective: Demand is not the biggest question anymore. The question is which towns are willing to let supply respond. SupplyWhat new inventory may actually reach the market? AffordabilityDoes the action create attainable options? EconomyDoes it expand tax base, jobs, or investment? SpeedHow quickly could the impact be felt? SignalWhat does this tell us about future…

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