Happy Holidays from Judy at theCTrealtyBlog

Happy Holidays to my family, friends, clients and colleagues from Judy at theCTrealtyBlog.com

And a note From Judy: If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of an Realtor to represent you, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Connecticut Financing Update and Today's Mortgage Rates 4/6/12

Mortgages Rates got crushed today, relatively speaking.   It's ironic that we noted yesterday's rates as getting close to 3/13's levels because today's rates are turning out to be closer to 3/14's significantly worse levels.  While the recently prevailing Conventional 30yr Fixed Best Execution Rate of 4.0% remains intact, costs to obtain that rate will be immensely higher today vs yesterday.  More than a few lenders will have issues hitting that 4.0% mark with a "no closing cost" loan.  .  

Adding to the sense of irony in comparing today and yesterday to 3/13 and 3/14 is that the same core event is a factor in both instances.  Just like the last major example volatility in rates, today was courtesy of underlying markets interpreting Fed policy (via today's release of the Meeting Minutes from 3/13) as LESS LIKELY to conduct a third round of large-scale asset purchases.  

This so-called quantitative easing is widely seen as a net-positive for longer term interest rates.  If investors think the Fed isn't planning on a third round ("QE3"), they bet less aggressively on lower long term rates in anticipation that the Fed won't continue to be in the market acting as a large, regular, guaranteed buyer.  

With respect to interest rates, a "buyer" creates demand that raises the prices of underlying securities in the bond market.  When prices rise, yields (or RATES) fall).  MBS, or the "Mortgage-Backed Securities" that most directly influence mortgage rates, are part of same Fixed-Income sector and actually part of the Fed's easing efforts.  

So in a nutshell, the perception that the Fed is less likely to be a buyer in the future is causing investors to revalue various Fixed-Income investments such as MBS, and the result is significantly lower prices and somewhat higher mortgage rates.

Today's Mortgage Rates

30-year fixed 4.00% APR-4.050% 0 points

20 year fixed-4.00% APR-4.036% 0 points

15 year fixed-3.375% APR-3.458% 0 points

10 year fixed-3.125% APR-3.230% 0 points

5/1 ARM-3.000% APR-3.329% 0 points

7/1 ARM-3.125% APR-3.419% 0 points

FHA

30 year fixed-3.875% APR-3.934% 0 points

15 year fixed-3.125% APR-3.230% 0 points

Jumbo- over $576,000 (Fairfield County)

30 year fixed-4.125% APR 4.240% 0 points

15 year fixed-3.500% APR 3.574% 0 points

5/1 ARM-3.250% APR 3.540% 0 points

7/1 ARM-3.625% APR 3.940% 0 points

Pat Leary is  a mortgage banker with over 12 years experience as a lending specialist in Connecticut. Her passion is to guide her clients through the mortgage process. Pat takes pride on providing great customer service, through communication, trust and integrity, and strives to offer the best mortgage products and service in the industry. We're confident that you will receive the personal attention that you deserve. As a leading Mortgage Banker in Connecticut, Pat  is responsible for structuring your financing with the expertise to answer any questions you may have on rates, fees and products.

Pat Leary

NMLS #99279
Atlantic Home Loans
830 Post Road East

Westport CT 06880
203-645-1037 cell
203-691-9788 ext 226
1-203-413-5647 fax

And a note From Judy: If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of an Realtor to represent you, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Winterizing, Home Emergency and Safety Tips That are Smart All Year Round

Still Time to Winterize

The National Weather Service says low snowfall this year is unusual, but not unheard of. One thing is for sure, winter’s delay in much of the U.S. has given homeowners an extension when it comes to winterizing.

Take advantage of the warmer days to ensure your home is prepared when the cold weather does strike our area. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Protect Your Pipes:

Pipes located in attics, crawl spaces, basements and near outer walls can be susceptible to freezing in extreme temperatures. When the forecast calls for unusually cold temperatures, let water drip from hot and cold faucets overnight. Also, try keeping cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate in places like below sinks. If you open the cabinet doors, be sure to remove anything inside the cabinets that may pose a safety hazard to children, such as household cleaners. For exposed pipes in your attic, basement or crawl spaces, add extra insulation around them.

Be Ready For an Emergency:

Blackouts and snow-ins can occur during winter months, so take a moment to prepare yourself and your family for such emergencies. Having the following items ready will help you make it through safely.

• ·        Flashlights
• ·        Bottled Water
• ·        Nonperishable food items
• ·        Blankets
• ·        Phone numbers for your utility companies
• ·        Battery backup to protect your computer and other important electronic equipment
• ·        First-aid kit
• ·        If you have an emergency generator, make sure you have gasoline available to fuel it.

Winter Yard Care:

Even with the cold weather conditions, your yard still needs to be maintained. Make sure tree and shrub branches are well away from the house and windows. Icy conditions can cause branches to break and damage your home. Walk around your home and survey the roof to see if any ice dams have formed; call a contractor if you suspect this is the case. Check your foundation for small cracks or openings where mice or other pests can tunnel in. Winter is when they seek the warmth of your house, so seal up any possible entrances. While you’re outside, clear snow off gas meters and away from basement windows and your dryer exhaust vent.

For more information on these and other home safety tips, stop by my office or visit www.brennanpurdy.com. My office is conveniently located in downtown Bethel. 203-798-7300.    

Article submitted by Brennan Purdy of State Farm Insurance

My vision is to be an insurance professional whose actions are driven by keeping the customer's best interest as my primary goal. My staff will treat all my customers in a caring, friendly, and professional manner. My office will provide warm, efficient, and seamless services to our customers at all times. I expect my business to be comprised of knowledgeable, multiple-line customers who see my office as their first and best choice for all their insurance and financial service needs

For more information on these and other home safety tips, stop by my office or visit www.brennanpurdy.com. My office is conveniently located in downtown Bethel. 203-798-7300.                   211 Greenwood Avenue , Bethel, CT 06801

 And a note From Judy: If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of an Realtor to represent you, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Sellers: Get Rid of Those Foul Household Odors

That Home stinks. Literally. Oh, no! You don't want anyone ever sayng that about your home. Not friends, not family, not your Realtor, and certainly not any buyers.

Most often, sellers with ... shall I say... malodorous homes.... are not even aware of it. It is absolutely NOT to say that they are not clean people. It is absolutely NOT to say that they are bad people because their house doesn't smell like you and I think it should. A home can maintan an odor for many different reasons, and the bottom line is to get to the source and then address it.  And, by the way, masking odors really doesn't work.

 
If you smell a foul odor in your house and you can't identify where it's coming from or what's causing it, you can spend tons of time and money trying to get rid of it.

Sometimes it takes an air-quality specialist to scout out a mysterious smell. But many odors in your home are the result of one of these easy-to-solve problems.

Pets, smoking, dampness, mold, excess trash,  cooking  (or some foods).

There are numerous ways to control the scent of your home, most of which can be achieved very inexpensively and easily. The basics are identifying and removing sources of odor, introducing new scents, and eliminating odors.

Pets:Make sure you clean out the litterbox frequently, clean out animals cages and change lining frequently, let your animals outside to "do their duty" so there is no need for them to find a place indoors. It is not always easy to locate where an animal has relieved itself. Vacuum frequently- pet hair and dander accumulate quickly and will have an odor.

Smoking: A taboo subject these days. Yes, it's your home, but try to smoke outside if you must have a cigarette or smoke that pipe or cigar. The odor lingers a very long time and gets into fabric and drapes as well.
Dampness:  start looking in the bathroom and kitchen. Dirty dishes in the sink will produce a foul smell that be easily removed by keeping dishes washed and put away promptly after use. In the bathroom, keep damp towels off the floor and on racks where they have a chance to dry. It's also a good idea not to put anything wet into the dirty clothes hamper since you'll wind up with a musty smell very quickly with wet things in such a confined space.
Mold: This may end up being teh most costly, because mold is generally  a result of dampness, and is a growing organism that must be dealt with. If a professional needs to come in, expect to spend a small fortune to get rid of it. Buyers now test for mold more often than you might think.
Trash: Empty garbage and trash cans often to eliminate this common source of odors.
Cooking:  Some foods just downright smell awful in the kitchen. Fish, hard boiled eggs, and a number of different spices. Believe it or not, some people do not like the smell of garlic ;-) So go easy on these while your home is on the market, or even if your home is not for sale, anytime that you have company coming over.

Introducing new scents

First, air it out:  Open up the doors and windows to circulate air throughout your home. Incorporating a fan may also help push unclean air out of the house.

Introducing new scents to the home is quick and easy using a variety of methods. The easiest is the use of scented candles. Always exercise caution with candles. Be sure you keep the flame far from any flammable materials and never leave a burning candle unattended. If you have small children or pets, candles might not be a good option.

You could choose scented potpourri, products that plug into electrical outlets and release scent, essential oils and room sprays. Another option, if you have air vents in your home or apartment, is to use your favorite dryer sheets to scent your whole home. Simply put a dryer sheet or two into the air intake (where your heating or cooling unit pulls air in). You'll find that the fresh, clean scent is circulated quickly throughout your entire home.

Look for room sprays that specifically say that they neutralize odors. Some sprays only mask the odors and do nothing to remove them. This might leave you with the smell of mold and roses, which isn't a particularly appealing combination. Febreeze is a great odor neutralizer. There are many other products on the market that achieve similar results, so shop around for lower cost options.

Another fantastic option to eliminate odors while introducing scent to your home are effusion lamps. These are usually glass and look like large perfume bottles with metal tops. You pour a special type of oil into the effusion lamp, let it soak into the wick that is attached to a stone, and then you light the stone and let it burn for a couple minutes. You then blow out the flame and place the decorative cap over the stone. The wick pulls the scented oil up into the heated stone and disperses the scent throughout your home.

I have read that you should cut up an onion and place all of the pieces in a bowl of water. If the odor is in a particular room, place the bowl in the center of the room and close the door. If the smell is widespread throughout the house, use several bowls of onions and water and close off all of the rooms. The onions will absorb the odors. (I am not too sure about this- the smell of inions isn't that great either)

One of my favorites is to line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over it. Add a tablespoon of butter and set it in the over at 250 degrees. This will make your home smell you just baked something.

Vacuum and use those attachments! use scented carpet powder, Febreze or similar products.  Baking soda, Vinegar,  Cinnamon and cloves or homemade potpourri  are also good.

And while we are on potpourri,  you can make your own . Boil the peels of citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges or grapefruit in a large pot of water. Cloves and cinnamon sticks can be added for extra spice. Once the water starts to boil, turn down the heat to let the pot simmer.

Boil away odors. Heat up a half cup of vinegar with two cups of water to banish kitchen odors. Or freshen your entire home by boiling cinnamon and cloves in two cups of water.

Baking soda. This little box of wonder is great for absorbing odors in enclosed spaces like cabinets and refrigerators. It can also be used as an odor absorber on the floor. Sprinkle it all over your carpets and let it sit for a half hour or so, then vacuum it up.

Enzyme cleaners. For stains and odors that have a base in something biological like proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, enzymatic cleaners and their odor-eating bacteria are effective at breaking those stains and odors down into smaller parts that are easier to remove.

Vinegar. It is the base for about a hundred DIY cleaning solutions. It's cheap and effective at removing stains and odors. Use in tandem with ammonia, water, and washing soda to make a great cleaner for removing stubborn odors like cigarette smoke.

For hard to handle areas, consider purchasing an air purifier. This will also reduce the amount of pet dander in the air, helping those with allergies.  See this useful link on air purifiers 

Activated charcoal is used to control all manner of odor complaints from household air, to industrial sites.

Whatever option you choose you'll have a fresher, cleaner smelling home and your nose (and your firends, loved ones, and buyers noses will thank you, too.

And a note From Judy: If you have a question about buying or selling a home in Fairfield County, and are in need of an Realtor to represent you, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Mixed Results for 2012 First Quarter Housing Market in Fairfield County CT

The housing market in southwestern Connecticut can be quite different from one town to the next, and the real estate market in some towns is still quite volatile, while others are showing improvements.

There are  23 towns in Fairfield County, and only a handful of communities appear to be experiencing a market that shows improvement.

A few towns, such as Westport,  Darien, Newtown, Trumbull and Stratford showed increases in unit volume over last year and Trumbull came in as the number one town for increased volume.

Other towns experienced a decrease in unit volume and they are Norwalk, New Canaan, Redding, Weston and Shelton. The hardest hits were in Norwalk and New Canaan.
 
Trumbull and Newtown appear to be the only towns that showed an increase in unit volume and in sales price year over year.

While some towns showed no significant movement by price or volume as compared to the same time period in 2011, the disparity among the towns is too great to signal any type of widespread regional market comeback.

The towns to watch for additional improvement this year are Westport, Greenwich, Trumbull and Stratford. These towns have some of the best  markets year to date, and look promising for the year ahead.

Towns that are teetering with the market right now are Norwalk, New Canaan, Redding and Weston.

Average prices are not showing true gains thus far, and prices are most volatile in Easton, Monroe, New Canaan and Weston.

We will be posting detailed individual first quarter results for 2012 for each of the towns that we service in the next few days. We'll let you know when they are up on our site

We specialize in southwestern Connecticut and Fairfield County Home sales, and have done so for the past 28 years. We would be honored to assist you in buying or selling your home on any one of our lovely communities. We'll give you a true and accurate readiing of the market as it pertains to your home, or the one you want to buy, and all of our knowledge doesn't cost a penny more than working with another agent. You'll also get the benefit of our Strategic Marketing Plan that is tailored just for you and your  home. Contact us today