If Your Connecticut Home Has an Underground Oil Tank

What You Should Know About Residential Underground Home Heating Oil Tanks
 

Whether you are buying or selling you may have questions regarding Underground Storage Tanks (UST).  If not leaking, there is no Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulation requiring the removal of UST, however most buyers will require the seller to remove prior to closing.

Questions: Through the DEP’s website the homeowner can find a list of frequently asked questions regarding removal of UST and proper abandonment. Additionally, homeowners should always contact their Town to determine the local regulations or ordinances.

Removal:  Removal of a UST must be done by a licensed contractor. A homeowner can check the status of a contractor's registration with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) prior to entering into a contract for a tank removal through the DCP's web site at: www.ct.gov/dcp

Moreover, the contractor must follow specific requirements for removal. The specific requirements can be found at the Department of Consumer Protection

Oil Spill: In the event of a leak or spill the homeowner should contact the CT DEP at the emergency response and spill prevention

 

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a law firm devoted to real estate closings.

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  To learn more about Only Closings and how they can help you quickly close a property transaction, call them at 203-563-9677 or visit them online at www.OnlyClosings.com

*The content within the "Tip-of-the-Week" is strictly for informational purposes and not intended to be interpreted and/or used as legal advice. Only Closings and OnlyClosings.com is a service provided by Tamara L. Peterson Attorney at Law LLC.

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Why You Should Consider Buying the Worst House on the Street.

It just sounds funny- but consider how much money you can save on your purchase by  buying a home so discounted from its appearance that even after repairs or minor remodeling, that you come out with additional built-in equity?

Just as there are reasons why you shouldn't buy the best house on the street (without serious consideration), there are plenty of reasons that you should consider buying the worst house on the street.

Those sellers aren't getting many showings. As a matter of fact, homes with less than great curb appeal don't get shown as often even in a sellers market, and that can only be amplified in today's market.

There are a number of buyers that won't even look at a house if it doesn't have curb appeal. And just so you know,  the definition of curb appeal can be quite broad. Most commonly, it is the landscaping, and/or the initial reaction of driving up to the home for the first time and not getting that warm and fuzzy feeling. Maybe there is a an addition that doesn't appear to "fit" the property, or is downright ugly.

I remember one house in Fairfield that was... mmmm... let's say "unattractive", (and that's an understatement). It had all the features that my client wanted, but .. as I said, it was unattractive. I had to almost drag the wife in to look at. It was brick, stone, and three different colors of vinyl siding that highlighted a dormer addition on the second floor.. Yuccch!  But the house was absolutely stunning inside. Once we figured out what it would take financially to change the outside appearance and how inexpensive it was to implement, my clients bought it. They changed the siding to one color, and it transformed the house entirely to a beauty.

So maybe it's even the color of the house, maybe the home just looks kind of plain and unadorned, or maybe it looks a bit run-down.

No matter which of these factors play into a home's less than desirable curb appeal, there's one thing that they should all have in common. The price of the home reflects it (or it should).

There is something that nobody thinks of when they look at these types of homes. Some homeowners are more concerned with the inside than they are the outside. The inside of that home can be absolutely beautiful  and you would never know it if you judged that house from the outside alone. (Just like my clients were judging that house that they ended up buying)  Maybe you have seen a house that looked immaculate on the outside, and was just a wreck inside. Same principle, just reversed.

For example,  we all know people who love to tinker in the garage or basement, and you might be able to eat off the floor in those areas of the house- but the rest of the home? maybe a tad  on the messy side? Everyone has different priorities- just like what is clean to one person would be considered filthy to another, and we all have our individual tastes, too.

Remember, just as you pay premium pricing for pristine condition, you'll get the opportunity for a greater discount with a home that just needs inexpensive  cosmetics to dress it up. My very cute and very petite grandmother had a little saying that used to crack me up- "A little powder... a little paint.... makes you look like what you ain't".   Well, the same goes for real estate.

So think of that home with less than great curb appeal as a very good investment opportunity. How much would it cost to  fix that less than attractive front of the home? Would the cost of the improvement be worth it if you were to buy that home? If the house isn't priced accordingly,  is it possible to negotiate with the seller to a price that would make it worth your while? All things to consider when you are buying your next home. Be open in your search.. and don't count out that less than attractive house just yet.

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Why You Should NEVER Own the Best House on the Street.

Owning the best, biggest and/or nicest  home on your street  may be a real source of pride for many people, but it not the wisest decision from an investment standpoint.

It is important to remember to keep your home's value in line the others on your street, and in your immediate neighborhood, and not to over-build or over-improve your home. If you have outgrown your home, or want features in your home that are not generally found on your street, or in your neighborhood, it may be time to consider a move.

We have a few sayings in the real estate business- two that specifically pertain to owning the nicest home on the street.

One that you have heard over and over and over again is  "Location, Location, Location". It's kind of trite and worn out at this point, but it holds true. The location of your home has everything to do with resale. Why is it that the same home on the other side of town is worth so much more money, or so much less? It's because of the location.  The location issue also holds true for what side of the street you are on. Let's suppose that the thruway backs up to the street that you live on.  It only backs up to one side of the street, right?  Would you rather live on the side of the street that directly abuts the thruway, or the other side of the street that does not, given the choice?

Another saying we have in the real estate business is that "The Biggest and Best Come Down to Meet the Rest". Some examples of that  can be found just about anywhere, and they are probably on your street, too. There is most always one house that seems to stand out from the others. Now its one thing to have a very well manicured property and well maintained home, but its quite another scenario when one home sticks out as being VERY big on a street with small houses.  If that big home was on a street with other big homes, it would be worth more money. But because it's on a street with much smaller homes, it is devalued.  The owner will not be able to recoup the money invested when he/she wants to sell.

I recently went to price a home for a very nice couple. There were over 50 houses on the street, and is a case in point. The town assessed the property at almost TWICE that of the average home on the street. When I conducted the evaluation, it was apparent that even though they had made wonderful improvements to the property, that if we were to price it for those improvements made, that they would be competing in the marketplace with homes in a much more desirable area of town. Their home would not sell if priced as such. There is a certain expectation of buyers with regards to pricing and areas, and the home's pricing would exceed those parameters. That is also not to mention that when the bank sends an appraiser out to the property,  that the appraiser will catch that as well, and the buyer will not be able to obtain a loan based upon the appraisal.

When shopping for a home, keep this in mind. As a note, there is always the other side of the coin, which I do have to mention. If you want to buy the nicest home on the street, you should be getting a very good discount on it based upon other like homes in town.  The reason that you buy the home is most likely the reason that your buyer will buy the home when you go to sell it. That is, that you will get more for your money.

If you already own the nicest home on the street, and are thinking about selling it, remember that although you may not get all of the money back from the cost of the improvements, that you did enjoy those improvements while you lived at the house. It has to be worth something, even if it's not money in your pocket.

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The Best Places to Live in Connecticut- Fairfield County

All you have to do is mention that you live in Fairfield County Connecticut to most anyone in the country, and they have probably heard of it- they may even recognize a few towns here, too- and that kind of notoriety can only come with what all Fairfield County residents know, but may not be able to explain very quickly. It's just that certain "je ne sais quoi" that maybe comes from having a consistently fine reputation for its wealth, property values, the public school systems, and its close proximity to New York City.

While you can do some searching online and find out information about the individual towns in the county, it's not that easy to get an  overview of the County itself, which I found quite interesting, so we have put together some information for you to fill that void.

A little demographics and history:

Fairfield County is located at the southwestern part of the state of Connecticut,  and one of eight counties with a land area of approximately 626 square miles, Although it is the most populous county in Connecticut, it is fourth in the size of its land mass. (Litchfield is the largest county, and Middlesex is the smallest)   There is roughly about 211 square miles of water area within the county which does not include Long Island Sound. Cost of living index is at 142.8 as of January 2011.

One of the original four counties settled  during colonial times in 1666, Fairfield County is the wealthiest county in Connecticut and sometimes referred to as "Beverly Hills East" or "The Gold Coast". While Connecticut still refers to counties, there is no countywide government. Each municipality manages itself. In 1960, the state abolished county government, and  it is used mostly now for geographical reasons, with the exception of the organization of its judicial and state marshal systems.

This southwestern portion of Connecticut is comprised of  twenty three towns, which include Bethel, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Danbury, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Shelton, Sherman, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton. Check out each town's Facebook Fan Pages, too. We have a dedicated page on our website with all links to all that we service.

There are so many great places to explore in Fairfield County, they would be too numerous to list. A few highlights include the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium and IMAX Theater, The PT Barnum Museum. The Beardsley Zoo and The Arena at Harbor Yard located- the latter all located in Bridgeport,  The Audubon Centers in Greenwich and Fairfield are popular, and there area as many historical sites as you could possibly imagine. VisitFairfieldCountyCT.com has a comprehensive list of attractions broken down by Art & Antiques, Points of Interest, Recreation & Activities,  Shopping, Touring by Car, Foot, Boat & Bike, Vineyards and Farms.

So where to buy your next home?  Get a feel for the majority of  Fairfield County towns right here on our website. Just click the town of your choice that is listed above to get interesting history, facts and demographics about each town, and even search the MLS for your dream home- right on the town's respective page. When you are ready to buy or sell your home in Fairfield County Connecticut, just contact us and we'll get you the very best deal possible!  It's what we do best.

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Increasing Home Energy Efficiency in Your Connecticut Home

There are many adjustments that homeowners can make to reduce the amount of energy required by their homes. InterNACHI advises that energy-efficient homes require less energy to perform household functions than homes that are less energy-efficient.

Interesting facts about energy consumption in the United States and Canada:

    The United States is the world’s largest consumer of energy, and the world’s seventh largest consumer of energy per capita.
    Canada consumes more energy per capita than the United States.
    Buildings account for 72% of all energy consumed in the United States.
    18% of all emissions in the United States comes from operating homes.
    In the average household, the TV is left on stand-by for 17 hours per day.

Why make your home more energy-efficient?

    Federal, state, utility and local jurisdictions' financial incentives, such as tax breaks, are very advantageous in most parts of the U.S.
    It saves money. It costs less to power a home that has been converted to be more energy-efficient.
    It increases indoor comfort levels.
    It reduces our contributions to climate change. Many scientists now believe that excessive energy consumption contributes significantly to global warming. Programmable thermostat
    It reduces pollution. Conventional power production introduces pollutants into the air that find their way into the soil and water supplies.

Heating and Cooling

As much as half of the energy used in homes goes toward heating and cooling. The following are a few ways that energy bills can be reduced through adjustments to the heating and cooling systems:

    Add insulation to the building envelope (walls, floors and ceiling) to bring the home up to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-recommended limits for the climate zone in which the home is located.
    Insulate heating ducts. Up to 40% of energy can be lost in uninsulated heating ducts routed through unheated space. This means that up to 45 cents of every dollar spent on heating can be wasted.
    Install a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans can be used in place of air conditioners, which require large amounts of energy.
    Periodically replace air filters in air conditioners and heaters.
    Set thermostats to an appropriate temperature. Specifically, they should be turned down at night and when no one is home. In most homes, about 2% of the heating bill will be saved for each degree that the thermostat is lowered for at least eight hours each day. Turning down the thermostat from 75°F to 70°F, for example, saves about 10% on heating costs.
    Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat saves money by allowing heating and cooling appliances to be automatically turned down during times at which no one is home and at night. Programmable thermostats contain no mercury and, in some climate zones, can save up to $150 per year in energy costs.
    Install a wood stoves or a pellet stove. These are more efficient sources of heat than furnaces.
    At night, curtains drawn over windows will better insulate the room.

Appliances and Electronics

Appliances and electronics are responsible for about 20% of household energy bills in a typical U.S. home. The following are tips that will reduce the required energy of electronics and appliances:

    Refrigerators and freezers should not be located near the stove, dishwasher or heat vents, or exposed to direct sunlight. Exposure to warm areas will force them to use more energy to remain cool.  
    Computers should be shut off when not in use. If unattended computers must be left on, their monitors should be shut off. According to some studies, computers account for approximately 3% of all energy consumption in the United States.
    Use efficient “Energy Star” -ated appliances and electronics. These devices, approved by the DOE and the EPA’s Energy Star program, range from TVs, home theater systems, DVD players, CD players, receivers, speakers and more. According to the EPA, if just 10% of homes used energy-efficient appliances, it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 1.7 million acres of trees.
    Chargers, such as those for laptops and cell phones, consume energy when they are plugged in. When they are not connected to electronics, chargers should be unplugged.
    Philips LED bulbLaptop computers consume considerably less electricity than desktop computers.

Electric Lighting

The average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting. Traditional incandescent lights convert approximately only 10% of the energy that they consume into light, while the rest becomes heat. The use of new lighting technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), can reduce energy use required by lighting by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time lights are on but not being used. Here are some facts about CFLs and LEDs:

    CFLs use 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
    LEDs last even longer than CFLs and consume less energy.
    LEDs have no moving parts and, unlike CFLs, they contain no mercury

Daylighting

Daylighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate the home's interior. It can be achieved using the following approaches:

    skylights. It’s important that they be double-pane or they may not be cost-effective. Flashing skylights correctly is key to avoiding leaks.
    light shelves. Light shelves are passive devices designed to bounce light deep into a building. They may be interior or exterior. Light shelves can introduce light into a space up to 2½ times the distance from the floor to the top of the window, and advanced light shelves may introduce four times that amount.
    clerestory windows.  Clerestory windows are short, wide windows set high on the wall.  Protected from the summer sun by the roof overhang, they allow winter sun to shine through for natural lighting and warmth.
    light tubes.  Light tubes use a special lens designed to amplify low-level light and reduce light intensity from the midday sun.  Sunlight is channeled through a tube coated with a highly relective material, then enters the living space through a diffuser designed to distribute light evenly.

Cooking

An enormous amount of energy is wasted while cooking. The following recommendations and statistics illustrate less wasteful ways of cooking:

    Convection ovens are more efficient that conventional ovens. They use fans to force hot air to circulate more evenly, thereby allowing food to be cooked at a lower temperature. Convection ovens use approximately 20% less electricity than conventional ovens.
    Microwave ovens consume approximately 80% less energy than conventional ovens.
    Pans should be placed on the correctly-sized heating element or flame.
    Lids make food heat more quickly than pans that do not have lids.
    Pressure cookers reduce cooking time dramatically.
    When using conventional ovens, food should be placed on the top rack. The top rack is hotter and will cook food faster. 

Leakage Through the Building Envelope

Sealing holes and cracks in the home’s envelope helps reduce drafts, moisture, dust, pollen and noise. A tightly sealed home can improve comfort and indoor air quality while reducing utility bills. Tightening the home reduces the number of air changes per hour. The following are some common places where leakage may occur:

    electrical outlets;
    mail slots;
    around pipes and wires;
    wall- or window-mounted air conditioners;
    attic hatches;
    fireplace dampers;
    weatherstripping around doors;
    baseboards;
    window frames; and
    switch plates.

Strategies for filling cracks:

    Caulk can be used to fill small gaps. Caulk can be obtained at hardware stores.
    Expandable foam can be used to fill larger gaps.
    Foam gaskets can be used to seal electrical outlets.

Windows and Doors

About one-third of the home's total heat loss usually occurs through windows and doors. The following are ways to reduce energy lost through doors and windows.

    Seal all window edges and cracks with rope caulk. This is the cheapest and simplest option.
    Windows can be weatherstripped with a special lining that is inserted between the window and the frame. For doors, weatherstrip around the whole perimeter to ensure a tight seal when closed. Install quality door sweeps on the bottom of the doors, if they aren't already in place.
    Install storm windows at windows with only single panes. A removable glass frame can be installed over an existing window.
    If existing windows have rotted or damaged wood, cracked glass, missing putty, poorly fitting sashes, or locks that don't work, they should be repaired or replaced.

Indoor Water Conservation

The following systems can be installed to conserve water usage in homes:

    low-flow shower heads. They are available in different flow rates, and some have a pause button which shuts off the water while the bather lathers up.
    low-flow toilets. Toilets consume 30% to 40% of the total water used in homes, making them the biggest water users. Replacing an older 3.5-gallon toilet with a modern, low-flow 1.6-gallon toilet can reduce usage an average of two gallons-per-flush (GPF), saving 12,000 gallons of water per year. Low-flow toilets usually have "1.6 GPF" marked on the bowl behind the seat or inside the tank.
    vacuum-assist toilets. These types of toilets have a vacuum chamber, which uses a siphon action to suck air from the trap beneath the bowl, allowing it to quickly fill with wFlat-plate solar collector ater to clear waste. Vacuum toilets are relatively quiet.
    dual-flush toilets. Dual-flush toilets have been used in Europe and Australia for years, and are now gaining in popularity in the U.S. Dual-flush toilets let you choose between a 1-gallon (or less) flush for liquid waste, and a 1.6-gallon flush for solid waste. Dual-flush 1.6-GPF toilets reduce water consumption by an additional 30%.

Solar-Thermal Heating

Solar water heating first became popular in the 1970s when federal, state and utility incentives encouraged their installation, as is happening again now. Inspectors will see many of these older systems still in place but no longer working. In practice, inspectors will encounter a wide variety of system configurations and components, and recommending a specialist inspection is a good idea in order to pass on liability. These systems can be expensive. The idea is fairly simple. Solar insolation heats a circulating fluid which transfers its heat to a storage tank from which home hot water can be drawn, either directly to plumbing fixtures, or to supply pre-heated water to boilers or hot water heaters.


Various types of solar-thermal heating can be installed, such as:

    evacuated tube collectors;
    flat-plate collectors; and
    parabolic through-collectors.

In summary, there are a variety of adjustments to the home that homeowners can make to increase the energy-efficiency of their homes.

by Nick Gromicko, Rob London and Kenton Shepard

Nick Gromicko, FOUNDER. http://www.nachi.org
International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) is the world's most elite, non-profit inspection association.
President, ComInspect, www.cominspect.com
Director, Master Inspector Certification Board, www.certifiedmasterinspector.org
Author, 15 books and Co-Host of  http://www.NACHI.TV

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