Thoughts on Choosing Your Next Neighborhood

You're in the market to buy. You've probably given a lot of thought to the type of home you want as well as your budget and buying price range. There's an additional topic, though, that requires your careful consideration. Which neighborhood is right for you?

Neighborhoods vary as widely as the people that live within them.

It's important to research the neighborhood where you're considering purchasing a home. You want an area that fits your needs, personality, and social habits. These factors can influence your overall happiness just as much as that updated master bath or outdoor kitchen.

Check out the lines for local school districts. Some neighborhoods may surprise you by which district they're in and that's a big deal for some families. You may already have children in a certain school and don't wish for a move to displace them.

You'll also want to see how far away amenities are. Do you want to be able to walk to shops and restaurants? Walkability is really important to some buyers. Others are happy when grocery stores and gas stations are just around the corner. You can calculate a "Walk Score" right here on out site- Just click this link

In order to properly assess a neighborhood, you should be sure to gather the facts. Your REALTOR® should have data on the most recent sales (comparables) in the area. This will help you see the latest trends in pricing. Are home prices dropping? If so, by how much? Is there a large percentage of distressed homes for sale in the neighborhood? This could signal a larger trend and indicate further median home value reductions in the future.

You can also get information from people that already live in the area. Take a walk or drive around your prospective neighborhood. Take a good, hard look at the state of repair of the homes and how good yard upkeep is. If you see someone out in their yard, don't hesitate to go introduce yourself.

You could say something like, "Hi! My name is X and I'm thinking of buying in this neighborhood. What do you think of this area?" If you're lucky you'll find a talker that can give you all the down and dirty details, if there are any. They may also be able to answer questions about the social aspects of the community. Is this a neighborhood that has block parties, neighborhood watch meetings, and is friendly and social? Is this a place where people mostly keep to themselves?

Picking the right neighborhood is just as important as picking the right house.

Written by Carla Hill

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Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Open House Today 4/27/14 at 211 Guinea Road, Monroe for 450K

This hard-to-find Mediterannean ranch home is open today from 1-3:30 PM. One of only a handful available in ALL of Fairfield County, this beautifully updated and  immaculate ranch has over three bedrooms, two full baths and 2,300 square feet of living area, and is perfectly situated on two acres. Fully equipped with automated Nest controls, too.

Come see this home today, and make it yours!

Judy Szablak, Exclusive Listing Agent- (203)257-5892

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Tips on Choosing the Right Size Home For You in Fairfield County CT

One person's idea of small is someone else's idea of just right, and yet someone else's idea of large.  The right size is quite a subjective question.

There are a few great ways to be able to tell what size home is right for you, and bigger isn't necessarily better, just as smaller isn't necessarily easier to maintain.  Here are a few easy ways  to figure out the square footage range that will make you most happy for your next home.

Your first step is to ascertain the size home that you are living in right now, and whether you feel it's just a tad too small, way too small, or on the flip side- a tad too big, or just way too much for you to want to continue to handle.

If you don't know the size home that you are living in right now, your real estate agent (me!) can easily find that out through town records- that also holds true for rentals, by the way.

After having a conversation with you, your Realtor should be able to tell  just how much bigger or smaller your next home's square footage should be, in order to optimize your home search.

For example, let's say that your current home is just under 2,000 square feet, but you want another bedroom and a family room. That may very well mean that you should look in the 2500+ square footage category.

Maybe your 2,000 square foot home just does not have enough storage for your liking- so let's make sure we have some unfinished areas for storage that can at least double what you have.  The actual living area may not need to change, so if we need to stay within a particular budget, we may still be able to look at 2,000 square foot homes with different configuration, or even a different style.

Or maybe that 2,000 square foot home is just too big, or too much to reasonably maintain. We can look at smaller homes that offer you the same, or reasonably similar interior features that you have grown accustomed to, while, downsizing unnecessary rooms.

Square footage is a number to start with, but not the be-all and end-all. An experienced real estate agent (like me) can guide you the process of what's right for you.

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 Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

The Only Four Words Buyers Should Ever Say to Sellers

It can be quite uncomfortable if the seller is present during a showing of their home. It's an unnecessarily awkward situation for the buyers, who tend to say too much if not advised appropriately and properly in advance for a situation that is almost inevitable.

It's SIMPLE. The only words a buyer should say to a seller are Hello, thank you, and goodbye.  NOTHING ELSE!

Buyers- You can COST yourself a lot of money by talking to the seller. Every nice thing you say has the seller seeing dollar signs, and makes them less negotiable.

Go on and on about how nice the home is to the seller, and put in an offer? NOT A GOOD IDEA! Smart sellers are more inclined to stick to their price, because they know they won't have to negotiate with you.... because you gushed at their home, and then submitted in an offer shortly thereafter.

We were all taught that it's the polite thing to do and to give a compliment when deserved, and I am a firm believer you in fact, should in almost every instance- EXCEPT when you are buying your  home. If you want to tell the seller how much you love their home AFTER we've negotiated, that's fine :)
It doesn't cost you any money at that point.

I always advise my buyer clients to not even ask questions of the seller during the showing. Tell me what you want to know, and I will ask. The fine art of obtaining basic information from a seller in a conversational way is best. So leave the questions to your real estate agent, (That's me!)  and you will most likely be  saving yourself thousands of dollars!

If you are interested in buying, call me. You 'll get top notch representation, years of negotiation skills, and an agent who wants to save YOU money.

"When You Deserve the Best, You Deserve Judy"

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 The Featured Home of the Week is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home at 20 Hickory Drive, Westport  for just $549,900. See the virtual tour HERE 

 .....or better yet, call Judy to schedule an appointment to see it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Interested in That House? Resist the Urge to Call the Listing Agent

That may seem contrary to reason, but there are a few very important reasons why you should have someone OTHER than the listing agent represent you.

So stop right now, before you call.  It can cost you a LOT of money unnecessarily. Here's the how and why:

The agent has entered into an exclusive agreement to represent that seller, and owes his/her fiduciary responsibility TO THAT seller. In layman's terms, that agent is contracted to obtain the highest possible price for that property. Don't you want to pay the LOWEST possible price for that property?

Let's take it a step further- Besides having the legal fiduciary responsibility, that agent knows the seller  better than they know you. What would make you think that even as a dual agent (where the agent represents both parties, as agreed and acknowledged by both parties) that they could in fact treat you fairly when they have known that seller client longer, and have had more communication with the other party?

Also contrary to what you might think, an agent cannot reduce the commission in order to consummate the transaction without the owner of the company agreeing to it. By the way, the majority of the firms out there are franchises, and even the managing brokers really don't want to cut a commission- they don't have to. The property could be purchased  by a buyer represented by another firm,  you could purchase a different property from the agent,  and the firm would be out ZERO dollars.

If you are interested in buying, call me. You 'll get top notch representation, years of negotiation skills, and an agent who wants to save YOU money- not  make the deal happen for their own wallet.

"When You Deserve the Best, You Deserve Judy"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 The Featured Home of the Week is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home at 20 Hickory Drive, Westport  for just $549,900. See the virtual tour HERE 

 .....or better yet, call Judy to schedule an appointment to see it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY