Working Waterfront Report — Marina Operations & Management

The Hidden Revenue Streams Most Marina Operators Are Missing

Transient dock at a marina at sunset

Most marina owners can recite their slip rates from memory. Fewer can tell you, without pulling out a calculator, what percentage of their gross revenue comes from anything other than slips and fuel. That gap is where a lot of value quietly leaks out of an otherwise well-run marina.

Slip fees and fuel margins are the visible economics of a marina, and the numbers everyone benchmarks against. But in property after property, the ancillary lines are where the real upside sits. They’re also the lines most operators under-manage simply because they’re not the first thing anyone looks at.

Here’s where that upside tends to…

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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…

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Rhode Island · Renovation Limits

Rhode Island’s 50% Rule Applies to Every Building in the State

Not just homes on the water. It’s written into state law, it runs on a fixed twelve-month clock, and it has three tiers — not one line.

Seaport Advisory  ·  Southern Rhode Island & Southeastern Connecticut Rhode Island's three tiers: restore in kind under 25%, official's discretion 25-50%, new code over 50%

Most people first hear about the 50% rule in a flood context — renovate a house past a certain point and the whole structure has to be brought up to current flood standards. That version is real, and it comes from the federal flood insurance program.

Rhode Island has its own, and it is broader. It sits in the state building code rather than in a local flood ordinance, which means it reaches a farmhouse in Hopkinton the same…

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Connecticut · Flood Zone Renovations

The 50% Rule Isn’t One Rule. That’s Why So Many Renovations Go Sideways.

Three separate rules share the same number. Almost nobody separates them — and in Connecticut, the one that decides your project is written by your town, not the state.

Seaport Advisory  ·  Southeastern Connecticut & Southern Rhode Island Three rules share the 50% number: federal substantial improvement, RI building code, local zoning nonconformity

A few days ago a group of us got into it over the 50% rule — the one that says you can only renovate a house in a flood zone so far before the whole building has to come up to current code. Everyone in the room knew the rule. Everyone in the room had a different version of it.

That’s not a knowledge problem. It’s that three separate rules share the same number, and almost nobody…

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Rhode Island Property Tax · 2026 blog-header-taylor-swift-tax

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 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…

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A street of Connecticut homes drawn in elevation, one marked on its centerline - divorce and the marital home Seaport Divorce & Real Estate Series

Issue #1: Divorce and the Marital Home

The House Between Two Futures

A thoughtful guide for homeowners across Mystic, Stonington, Groton, Waterford, East Lyme, Ledyard, New London, and the surrounding Southeastern Connecticut communities.

Discretion • Neutrality • Local Expertise • Defensible Guidance

For most couples navigating divorce, the marital home is not just another asset. It is often the single largest financial item on the balance sheet, while also carrying deep emotional meaning tied to memory, family routine, stability, and identity.

That dual nature — financial and emotional — is exactly why the marital home deserves a structured, advisory approach…

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Series: When the Market Changes: Lessons From Real Estate Cycles

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Over the past several years, the real estate industry has experienced one of the most unusual markets in modern history.

From 2020 through much of 2023, many areas across Connecticut and Rhode Island saw:

  • Record-low inventory
  • Multiple-offer situations as the norm
  • Rapid appreciation
  • Buyers competing aggressively
  • Sellers controlling negotiations

For many in the industry—especially newer agents—this became their baseline understanding of real estate.

But there is an important truth that often gets overlooked:

The pandemic-era market was the exception, not the rule.

A Surge of New Agents in an Unusual Market

During this period, real estate…

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The 10-Year Treasury Hits 4.8%: What This Means for Real Estate

As the 10-year Treasury yield reaches 4.8%, the ripple effects are being felt across the real estate market, impacting buyers, sellers, and investors. Here are my thoughts on what this shift means and how we can respond to this evolving environment.

Higher Treasury Yields and Borrowing Costs

Treasury yields often set the tone for other interest rates, including mortgages. As yields rise, borrowing becomes more expensive, directly affecting affordability for homebuyers.

For homebuyers, these higher mortgage rates can significantly alter the landscape. Monthly payments increase, forcing many to either reconsider their budgets or put off purchasing altogether. This reduced…

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Connecticut's real estate taxes can vary greatly depending on the municipality and districts within them.  The graphic above illustrates the base rates for each town. Additional rates are applied to specific locations where services are provided.  These services can include public water, sewer, trash removal,  police services, or a firehouse.  A town or district with a lower Mill rate may not offer these services.  Your real estate agent will be able to help you to determine the services offered and their importance to you when purchasing real estate. The average property tax rate in CT for 2024 is $28.93, with the highest being Hartford at $68.95 and the lowest being Salisbury at $11. 

2024 Mill Rates CT

How to Calculate Connecticut Property Taxes

The…

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