About Danbury's Aunt Hack

The western side of the Aunt Hack area of Danbury enjoyed rigorous real estate activity in 2011. Eight properties in this premier section of town were sold during the year; three were rented, seven are currently on the market; one is under deposit and three are available for rent.

HOMES SOLD:

10 Ironwood Dr $420,000 April 21, 2011

12 Ralto Ct $424,500 April 15,2011

22 Tiffany Dr $445,000 June 30, 2011

1A Maplecrest Dr $480,000 May 17,2011

19 Ironwood Dr $512,000 July 26,2011

4 Maplewood Drive $610,000 March 4, 2011

6 Catalpa Dr $630,000 December 29, 2011

26 Tanglewood Dr $640,000 February 1, 2011

RENTED:

5 Catalpa Dr @ $2.600/moMarch 1, 2011

104 Joes Hill Rd @ $2,600/moMarch 1, 2011

18 Maplewood Dr @ $2,999/moAugust 17, 2011

UNDER DEPOSIT:

18 Ironwood Drive Listed at $600,000

ON THE MARKET:

10 Timber Crest Dr @ $449,000

11 Autumn Ridge @ $469,000

9 Ironwood Dr @ $505,000

12 Tiffany Dr @ $519,000

130 Aunt Hack Rd @ $599,900

13 Maplewood Dr @ $649,000

24 Maplewood Dr @ $729,000

AVAILABLE AS RENTALS:

44 Aunt Hack Rd @ $2,100/month

23 Joes Hill Rd @ $2,250/month

20 Ironwood Dr @ $3,500/month

The tone of the overall real estate market in our area is good, as evidenced by activity in the Aunt Hack section of Danbury. The powerful year of the Dragon is beginning to show its strength,

THE MARKET IS COMING BACK! National employment numbers are improving, they are better than we have seen in the last three years; current unemployment rate is down to 8.3%, inventories of homes are lower, prices are lower and mortgage interest rates remain extremely favorable. There appears to be pent-up demand among home buyers. It’s a good time to have your home on the market!

Beware Active Rain Addiction Day 5-Holding a Productive Open House Part Deux

I was in a hurry last night as the clock was approaching midnite and I didn't want to miss getting my Day 4 blog in on time so I left out a few ideas.

Holding A Productive Open House-Part Deux

1. Always have at least two agents present at every Open House. It is a good idea for the safety of the agent and for the clients possessions. Every GUEST to the Open House needs to follow the RULES OF THE OPEN HOUSE. The client may have requested that all guests remove their shoes. I actually had GUESTS to an Open House who refused to remove their shoes. As painful as it was at the time, these GUESTS did not get to tour the Open House that day. Any Open House held by my team, The Beninson Associates, also has some rules to follow for GUESTS. They will go to the kitchen table and sign in. Then they will accompany one of my agents through the house. If there are more than one group of GUESTS to the Open House the second agent will accompany them through the house. Any additional GUESTS will have to wait for one of the tours to be concluded before than can come in. You may lose some GUESTS who may refuse to wait but remember that both the agents and the visitors are indeed GUESTS of the client and the safety of the agents and the safety of the clients possessions always come first.

2. Open House incentive-Many GUESTS come to the Open House and it is debateable as to whether they are represented by an agent or not. My team, The Beninson Associates, like to offer some sort of an Open House incentive. This could be a credit toward their attorney fee of up to $1,000 or a credit toward their building inspection etc...they need to sign a buyer representation agreement with The Beninson Associates and either buy the Open House property or another property through us during the term of this agreement. I make sure to clarify that this incentive is from The Beninson Associates and not from the seller of the property. It is in addition to any listing price negotiations that may occur.

3. Be sure to have a handout similar to "Ten Reasons to be Represented by The Beninson Associates". This explains your teams value propostion. Why should they choose your team to represent them exclusively in the purchase of the Open House or any other property.

4. Open House thank you notes-As soon as a GUEST leaves the Open House write down a few quick notes about them that you learned as you toured the Open House together. Thank them for coming to the Open House and make referrences to their needs and wants that they shared with you on the tour. Remind them again how your team can help them to achieve their housing goals.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you are a GUEST of the seller and any visitors to the Open House are also GUESTS. Your team needs to guide them through the home by following the owners rules and then also the rules of your team. If this is done your GUESTS will have an uninterrupted tour and your sellers will be confident that you are looking out for their best interests while trying to find a buyer for their home.

God Bless and Happy Selling

The "Rule of Threes" is in who's best interest anyway?

I remember the "Rule of Threes" from my new agent training some 27 years ago. Basically the "Rule of Threes" states that it is in both the client and the agents best interest to refer three attorneys, banks, building inspectors etc....I was taught that by referring at least three of any particular vendor I could not be held responsible if my client should happen to have a bad experience with the one that they chose out of the three. This practice was supposed to be better for the client, better for me and better for the office that I worked for.

It sounded like a good idea so that is the way I made referrals in my early years as a Realtor. In theory it sounds easy but I soon found out that it wasn't that easy in real life. I always had one or two really good people that I could refer to in each category so I would add the third based on one of my colleagues recommendations. The problem is that my clients reported to me that they weren't happy with these alternates and I would replace them before making the next referral.

My only rule was that anyone on my list had to put my clients interests first and leave them satisfied with their experience.I was really at a loss as to the best way to continue this practice as I was tired of being left with mud on my face.Finally, I attended a mandatory continuing education course on Real Estate Law taught by the attorney for the State of Ct. Realtor Association. He had an interesting opinion on "The Rule of Threes". He said that EVERY referral that a Realtor makes opens him up to exposure to litigation. The people that you refer are indeed a reflection of you so only refer the people that you feel comfortable with. What a relief! Now I refer the people that I feel are the very best at what they do and if I don't have three then I don't have three. Of course I remind my clients that,even though I make a recommendation, they are free to choose anyone that they would like. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten these substitutes don't seem to hold up under the pressure of a Real Estate transaction.

I recommend Attorney Raymond Yamin of Yamin and Yamin and Attorney Francis Pennarola of Chipman Mazzucco as excellent Real Estate Attornies. Daryll Griggs of Housemaster of America in Danbury, CT is an excellent building inspector. Finally, excellent mortgage people are Rod Moore of Wells Fargo , Michelle Grull of Savings Bank of Danbury and Robert Dirusso of Mortgage Master .

Danbury, Ct. School Information-Yes, It's That Time Again!

We are now in "The Dog Days" of August.

The "Boys of Summerare in the heat of their pennant races. Everyone is either on vacation, thinking about vacation or about to go on vacation. Most of the kids are coming back from Summer camps. Some are even complaining that there is nothing to do. All of these are signs.......no, not of the apocalypse but of the fact that it is time to think about "GOING BACK TO SCHOOL"

HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL LINKS.......

Danbury High School Directions To Schools

ACE School Hours

Middle Schools Calendar for the Year

Elementary Schools Bus Routes

AIS Magnet School Strategic School Profiles

Summer School After School Programs

It's time to breath a sigh of relief there Moms an Dads!!! HAVE A HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR.

Maplewood is community of 37 homes in the Aunt Hack area of Danbury. Homes in Maplewood are typically 4 bedrooms 2.5 baths with about 3000 square feet on 1 acre lots. Built in the early to middle 1990s, the subdivision offers the newest homes in the Aunt Hack area with the possible membership at the Aunt Hack Swim Club.  The area is very close to shopping on Mill Plain Road. Exit 2, I-684 and train stations are a short drive away.

The award winning Richter Park is located practically right on the road from Maplewood. It is one of the top public golf courses in the country. Each summer, there are a number of musicals performed at the outdoor theatre. There are hiking trails & tennis courts on site too. In the winter time, the golf course is a popular spot of snow tubing & snowboarding for residents of the area.

If you are interested in moving to the Aunt Hack area, located on the west side of Danbury, or would like further information about homes for sale in the area and recent sales, please contact me