West Hartford, CT

To the average homebuyer in central Connecticut, local real estate taxes are an important variable. The higher the taxes, the less monthly remains in the budget to pay the mortgage. The mill rate (or cost per thousand dollars of assessed home value) is set by each individual town and is recalculated each year.

For instance, the current West Hartford mill rate is 36.97. As an example, 572 South Main Street http://brentbellcrs.point2agent.com/Listing/VirtualTour.ashx?ListingID=2104829 has an assessed value (after applying the tax phase-in) of $132,979. This yields an annual tax of $4,916.23.

To double check the taxes in West Hartford for a property you like, go to this town link and simply fill in the property address: http://www.westhartford.org/taxestimator/index.aspx

Here are some tips to save money on your taxes when choosing your home:

1) Buy OLD. The towns value properties based on the year built. If you can find a home built in 1920, your taxes will be less than for a similar home built in 1980 (even though the 1920 home may have more updates than the newer home.

2) Buy VERTICAL. The size of the foundation in the ground makes a difference. A 2,000 sf ranch-style house is assessed more in taxes than a 2,000 sf colonial (which only has a 1,000 sf foundation).

3) Buy SMALL. Since the amount of heated, above-grade living space (SF) is the major factor in your assessment, don't buy more space than you will need over the next 5-10 years. Please note that finished basement space (even walk-out, heated basement space) and 3-season enclosed porches and unheated walk-up attic space are all barely taxed. Having these features can lower your relative tax burden, while providing great supplemental living space for you and your family.

4) Land is NEARLY free. When compared to the value of the home itself, a larger lot adds very little to your taxes. If you want the property and are willing to maintain it in exchange for greater privacy, the increased tax level should be minimal.

For other ideas on saving $$$ every year on your taxes, just send an email and subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

For any additional West Hartford Connecticut information, contact Brent, a 25-year resident of the town...

From 10 until 8 today & from 10 until 6 tomorrow, you can escape our near-freezing temperatures for a breath of SPRING by visiting the Connecticut Flower Show! Admission is $14 cash for adults, $2 for children ages 7-14 and FREE for children 6 and under. This is a small price to pay for the sound of cascading water, the sight of butterflies and the aroma of bark mulch mixed with many fragrant varieties of flowers!

My company, Glastonbury Home Staging, was recently hired to stage this 5 bedroom colonial, located in West Hartford, CT. This house was deceiving from the outside it so big and the bedrooms are all good sizes, particularly the master bedroom. Many families today are multi-generational, with grandparents moving in with their adult children and their grandchildrens or adult children moving back in with mom and dad. This house could be the right solution many family's housing needs.

I met the listing agent by staging a property for one of his client's in December and he liked my work so he referred me to this seller, so a big thank you to Roy Enjen of Realty 3 Carroll & Agostini, (860)  621-7323  Roy is a big believer in staging and I am a big believer in Roy!

Glastonbury Home Staging is a full service staging company. We stage vacant and model homes as well as owner occupied. We provide redesign services for both residential and business spaces. Call us today to help you sell your listing faster and for more money. (860) 430-9496 http://glastonburyhomestaging.com

Buyers are actively looking for homes and newly listed West Hartford homes are selling quickly. Sellers need to consider the market when offering their homes for sale. A home that is neat, clean and clutter-free will attract the buyers. The homes that will sell quickly are those that are priced competitively. Despite the cold snowy weather that January has brought, several homes in West Hartford have sold within days of coming on the market.

These homes were priced where they should have been in today's market and were prepared for sale. If your home has been sittng on the market for a time, you should be talking to your Realtor about the things you can do to make your home more attractive to today's buyers. These items can range from cleaning out closets to painting to refinishing floors. Removing clutter is essential.

You must make your home available when buyers want to see it. Remember that when your home is for sale you may be inconvenienced by having to pack up some items and put other things away, but your goal should be to make your home appeal to the buyer by making it possible for them to see your house as their future home.

WEST HARTFORD HOMES ARE SELLING.

The West Hartford market had a slow start and a strong finish in 2008. There were 646 closed sales of houses recorded in the Multiple Listing Service for the year (down from 725 in 2007). One of the most encouraging numbers was the median Days on Market for these sales at 27 days. People in many other parts of the country would be amazed that half of the houses took contracts less than one month after their debut on the market!

For 2008, the median list price was $312,900 & the median sale price was $304,000. The range in sale prices for the year started at $120,000 and continued to $2,441,000; quite diverse housing stock in West Hartford!

Looking to the present, there are 205 houses available to purchase as of today (a fairly low inventory for a town of over 60,000 residents). The prices range from a low of $154,000 for a 2-bedroom, 1-bath (768 sf) home at 73 Meriline Avenue to a high of $2,100,000 for a 6-bedroom, 4 1/2 bath (6,941 sf) home at 118 Sunset Farm Road. The median-priced property is located at 17 Fernridge (3-bedrooms, 2-baths & 1842 sf).

Currently, there are 47 houses under contract in town. The highest-priced is 49 Pheasant Chase, with an asking price of $925,000 (5-bedrooms, 4.2-baths, 5,121 sf). The median is 46 Ledgewood, priced at $299,900 (3-bedrooms, 1 1/2-baths, 1,658 sf). The lowest-priced is 120 Grove, priced at $120,000 (3-bedrooms, 1-bath, 1,162 sf).

For more information on the value of your home in this market, contact Brent today by cell (860-614-8927) or email (brentbell@remax.net). You can find this blog directly by visiting www.MyCTRealEstateBlog.com.

If you want the approximate value of your home, and are not ready to be contacted by an agent, visit www.WestHartfordHomeValues.com. Fill out as much detail as possible about your house. Brent will respond by email only (unless you request a phone call) with an estimate of your home's current value within 24 hours of your request!