Ed Silva CDPE, GRI, ABR, Real Estate Agent

Come to this Open HOuse and fall in love with this great starter home: 3 bedroom ranch on quiet cul-de-sac. Owners gutted and rebuilt the home with new roof, sheetrock, re-done kitchen, 2 baths, hardwood flooring, crown moulding, new furnace, 2 zone how water baseboard heat, secluded lot, convenient to shopping and highway access;

A great purchase at $239,000 HOME REDUCED FOR QUICK SALE!

You're been through the house hunting, negotiating the price, inspections, appraisals, coordinating the move, and now comes the real challenge:

Understanding and operating the various mechanical systems in the new home. The larger the home, the more involved the amenities can be, and without some tutoring, getting the systems to operate properly can be a nightmare.

With homes now being equipped with security systems, sound systems, sprinkler systems, and pools, without some assistance, these high priced features that made the house more attractive can get very expensive to repair. The houses have all the bells and whistles, but the instructions may not always be concise and easy to understand.

The sellers have no obligation to help buyers learn the idiosyncrasies of a house, but some do provide enough help to allow the new owners to settle in. Buyers should ask about everything from the day-to-day operations of the house to landscaping details, to details about the neighborhood baby sitters.

Fallout From Negotiations: Typically the amount of information exchanged depends on the character of the negotiations. Falling home prices and tough negotiations have made some sellers less likely to provide additional details. Some agents may have enough business contacts to get some of the answers, but nothing serves the buyer better than first hand knowledge right from the previous owners. All homes have something unique. It may not be that the seller didn't disclose everything; it could be just how something works.

Sentimental Sellers: Sellers who are sentimental about their homes often appreciate the chance to share details. Walking the property to detail the boundaries; detailing the various plants around the house and the particular care needed for each; garbage collection days; instructions on starting generators; or setting sensitive thermostats.

Here is a list of pertinent questions to ask about your new purchase:

• Are any appliances under warranty?
• Are there product manuals for the appliances?
• Are there landscape plans or a list of the outdoor plants and how to take care of them?
• What are the names and phone numbers of the immediate neighbors?
• Are there children living on the street?
• Where is the school bus pick-up?
• What day is trash pick up day?
• What do I do with the recyclables?
• What are some of the restaurants in the area, video stores, parks?
• Where is the local mechanic, dry cleaner?
• What are the names and numbers of the people you used for lawn care, snow removal, pool cleaning, etc?
• Is there an electrician, plumber or technician familiar with the systems in the house?
• What are the names of the paint colors used in the house?

And my favorite: Are there any light switches that operate something unexpected? Remember that insurance commercial where the neighbor's garage door kept opening and closing because of a mystery switch?

I can recall from my days in grade school that the onset of Columbus Day was presented with more than just another day off. We were encouraged to learn about the man that discovered the new world, even though it was not what he was looking to do.

What Columbus was able to do was venture across uncharted waters, overcoming incredible odds to attempt to find a short cut to the Far East. His was an odysseyto recreate the travels of Marco Polo only by sea. Along the way the man accidentally discovered the better way to navigate by the stars. Although he never did set foot on North America, he did discover many of the Caribbean islands,and the northern coast of South America.

His adventures in the islands were not the most successful, and in truth opened up the areas to the pillaging by pirates for years to come, the creation of the slave trade in the Western Hemisphere and the annihilation of numerous native tribes in the region. But in spite of this, his endeavors laid the foundations of the path that established the New World, and for many of us in North America, which does include Canada, was the conduit by which our civilization was formed.

Today, Columbus Day is celebrated officially as a federal holiday, which means no mail, limited banking, no school, and very little after that. Some states, like New York, will still hold a Columbus Day parade, but that has become more of an Italian Heritage Day than the recognition of the man for what he was, which was one of the first true navigators and maritime adventurers.

It's sad that indifference has taken such a toll on the history and heritage of our country. A great deal of which can probably be attributed to the fact that our culture is so diverse with emigrants from all over the world that the history of our own country seems unimportant to so many. After all, if children of today are looking at our native tongue as a second language then what would they care about how we came to be.

We are a land of opportunity. Many people that come here know that if they work hard they can make a better life for themselves and their family. For many of them who work as day laborers, the occurrence of a national day off is more inconvenience than reward as they loose a day of work.

I do remember the names of his three ships, The Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. My second grade teacher, Miss DePietro, would be proud of me. A fellow AR member asked me yesterday when I acknowledged, the Canadian Thanksgiving, if we were going to have any special meals today in commemoration. I responded yes, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I guess a better response would be maybe something Italian, while I dutifully walk through the stores with my wife as she takes advantage of the Columbus Day sales.

In Connecticut, we had a very wet summer, which has paved the way for another fall filled with a brilliant array of color. We have some of the most diverse forests in all of New England with our hardwoods such as ash, hickory, and oak, all trees that tend to have large leaves that stay on the trees long.

Northwestern Connecticut is entering peak foliage season, with green leaves transforming into bright reds, yellows and even purple. As the temperatures change, the variation between the high temperatures and the low really kick the colors into action.

When chlorophyll in a typical green leaf breaks down, yellow and orange carotenoids are released. At the same time, other chemical changes occur to bring forth the brighter color pigments. Because of this our colors are here and they are spectacular. Here are a few photos I took while on my routine walk through the hills in Watertown.

This is Merriam Lake in Watertown. The same lake I had blogged about a couple weeks ago with Smoke on the Water. Here the smoke is still arisin' but the sun is starting to shine on the farthest hillside.

1909 FORD Model R

Show this to your children and/or grandchildren

THE YEAR 1909

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1909..
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :

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

• The average life expectancy was 47 years.
• Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles Of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
• The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
• The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
  A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
• Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from Entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!! !!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea Hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.

Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health' ( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least One full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !

I have to learn how to make scribefire work!