Dave Jones Broker/Owner e-PRO Dave Jones Realty llc Prospect CT.

Photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand will bring his work back to the United States. It will be in New York City for the first time in 2009. Aiming to inspire people to think globally about sustainable living, Arthus-Bertrand has been photographing unique views of our planet, seen from the sky, since 1994 - and has produced an exhibit of over 150 4-ft. by 6-ft. prints which will be on display in New York City at the World Financial Center Plaza and along the Battery Park City Esplanade from May 1, 2009 to June 28, 2009. When completed in New York City, the Earth From Above exhibit will also move on to California in 2010. Photographs and captions all courtesy of Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

After viewing these, I decided I had to share! WOW.

Icebreaker Louis Saint Laurent in Resolute Bay, Nunavut Territory, Canada. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand)

2Worker resting on bales of cotton, Thonakaha, Korhogo, Ivory Coast. Cotton crops occupy approximately 335,000 square klilometers worldwide, and use nearly one quarter of all pesticides sold. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

3Sand dune in the heart of vegetation on Fraser island, Queensland, Australia. Fraser Island, named after Eliza Fraser, who was shipwrecked on the island in 1836, is the world's largest sand island. On top of this rather infertile substratum, a humid tropical forest has developed in the midst of which wide dunes intrude, moving with the wind. Fraser Island has important water resources, including nearly 200 freshwater dune lakes, and has varied fauna such as marsupials, birds, and reptiles. Welcoming 200,000 visitors a year without damaging the local fauna and flora is a real challenge to sustainable development on the island, which was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in 1992. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

4The Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix basilica in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast. In 1983, Yamoussoukro replaced Abidjan as the official capital of Ivory Coast. President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who died in 1993, made his native village into a modern city with a grid of wide avenues - which are almost deserted - and every modern facility: international airport, luxury hotels, golf course, prestigious universities, and so forth. Yamoussoukro also boasts the world's biggest basilica, Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix (Our Lady of Peace), consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1990. The former president, who donated this building to the Vatican, insisted that he had financed the basilica's cost out of his own personal fortune. This building was seen as a colossal waste by many Ivorians. It was highly controversial in a country that lacks schools and hospitals and has only nine doctors for every 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 413 in Norway). [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

5Flock of sheep, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. After the missionary period, between gold fever and the first drillings for oil, sheep-raising became the chief activity in the north of the main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The local cabanas (sheep pastures) are huge sheep farms with 3.5 acres of land per head of livestock. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

6Confluence of the Rio Uruguay and a tributary, Misiones province, Argentina. Drastically cleared to make way for farming, the tropical rainforest of Argentina is now in some areas a less effective defense against erosion than it was in the past. The heavy rains in the province of Misiones (79 inches, per year) wash the soil and carry off significant quantities of iron-rich earth into the Rio Uruguay, turning the waters a dark, reddish color. Carried by the river, this sediment is dumped in the estuary of the Rio de la Plata - the largest on Earth - and accumulates in the access channels to the port of Buenos Aires. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

7Mountainous countryside near Maelifellssandur, Myrdalsjökull Region, Iceland. Once the young lava fields of Iceland cool down, life begins anew little by little. Ice, wind and water flatten and carve out shapes to begin with, then, during the summer, bacteria, lichen and fungi prepare the soil for plants, in particular mosses which adapt to an environment which remains difficult. These plants colonise the most favourable sites and terrain little by little, forming a new ecosystem. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

8"Tree of life", Tsavo national park, Kenya. This acacia is a symbol of life in the vast expanses of thorny savanna, where wild animals come to take advantage of its leaves or its shade. Tsavo National Park in southeastern Kenya, crossed by the Nairobi-Mombasa road and railway axis, is the country's largest protected area (8,200 square miles, or 21,000 square kilometers) and was declared a national park in 1948. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

9Elephants in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta, flooding seasonally, and is populated by five ethnic groups of people, sharing it with hundreds of species of animals. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

10Crowd in Abengourou, Ivory Coast. Africa has a population of 800 million, making up 13 percent of the human race. This colorful crowd, enthusiastically waving to the photographer, was photographed in Abengourou, in eastern Ivory Coast. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

11Dun Eochla fort on Inishmore Island, County Galway, Ireland. The fort of Dun Eochla, rising above the close-cropped grass, was built centuries ago on this island some 30 miles off the Irish coast. The Aran Islands contain some of Europe's most magnificent prehistoric remains. This trio of islands - Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer - with their high rocky cliffs protect the Galway coast from the violent winds and currents of the Atlantic. For centuries, their inhabitants have helped keep the soil fertile by regularly spreading a mixture of sand and seaweed on the rock to produce the thin layer of humus needed for farming. To protect their plots from wind erosion, the islanders have built a vast network of almost 7,500 miles (12,000 km) of low walls, which give the land the appearance of a vast mosaic. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

12Gosse's Bluff meteor crater, Northern territory, Australia. Approximately 135 million years ago a meteorite fell on Australian soil, devastating more than 8 square miles (20 km2) in what is now the Northern Territory. Today a crater 3 miles (5 km) in diameter and 500 feet (150 m) deep remains, called Gosse's Bluff; it is known as Tnorala to the Aboriginal people. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

13Iraqi tank graveyard in the desert near Al Jahrah, Kuwait. This graveyard of tanks will bear witness for many years to the damage that war causes both to the environment and to human health. In 1991, during the first Gulf War, a million depleted uranium shells were fired at Iraqi forces, spreading toxic, radioactive dust for miles around. Such dust is known to have lasting effects on the environment and to cause various forms of cancer and other serious illnesses among humans. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

14Tsingy of Bemaraha, Morondava region, Madagascar. A Nature reserve covering 853 square kilometers, it was established as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

15Storm over the Amazon rainforest, Amazonas State, Brazil. There are 50,000 storms a day on the planet, the Amazon river basin hosting many of those, receiving up to 80 inches of rain every year. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

16Village on the banks of an arm of the River Niger, Mopti region, Mali. The River Niger, which is the third-longest in Africa (2,600 miles, or 4,200 km), has its source in the heights of the Fouta Djalon in Guinea. It crosses nine countries until it reaches a vast delta in Nigeria, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. More than 100 million people live on its banks, trading on the river, fishing, raising cattle, and farming to the rhythm of the rise and fall of the waters between August and January. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

17Village in the Rheris Valley, Er Rachidia region, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco. Fortified villages are frequently seen along the valley of the Rheris, as they are on most rivers of southern Morocco, inspired by the Berber architecture built to protect against invaders. Today, with the threat of raids now gone, the close clustering of dwellings, small windows, and roofs covering houses and narrow streets serve the purpose of protecting occupants from heat and dust. The flat, connecting roofs also provide a place for drying crops. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

18The Athabasca Oil Sands, Alberta, Canada. These oil deposits make up the largest reservoir of crude bitumen in the world, and as recently as 2006, produced over 1 million barrels of crude oil per day. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

19Village on stilts in Tongkil, Samales Islands, Philippines. The southern Philippines, and in particular the Sulu Archipelago that includes the Samales Islands, is home to the Badjaos. The Badjaos belong to a Muslim minority who make up 5 percent of the Philippine population and are concentrated mostly in the south of the country. Known as "sea gypsies", they fish and harvest shellfish and pearl oysters, and they live in villages on stilts. A channel carved out of the coral reef allows them to reach the open sea. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

20Autumn forest in the region of Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada. The hills of the Charlevoix region along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec province are dominated by a mixed forest of deciduous trees and conifers. In 1988 UNESCO declared 1,800 square miles (4,600 km2) of this region a Biosphere Reserve. The Quebec forest, boreal in the north and temperate in the south, covers nearly two thirds of the province and has been exploited for lumber since the end of the 17th century. Today it contributes to the economic prosperity of Canada in the worldwide production of newsprint paper, paper pulp, and timber, as well as Christmas trees and maple syrup. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

21Village of Bacolor under a layer of mud, the island of Luzon, Philippines. In 1991 the volcano of Pinatubo, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, began to erupt after nearly six centuries of dormancy, projecting a 66-million-cubic-foot (18-million-cubic-meter) cloud of sulfurous gas and ash to a height of 115,000 feet (35,000 m) and destroying all life within a radius of 9 miles (14 km). In the days that followed, torrential rains from a hurricane mixed with ashes scattered over several thousand kilometers, causing devastating mudflows, which engulfed whole villages. Before the cataclysmic eruption on June 15, 1991, the evacuation of 60,000 people limited casualties to 875 dead and 1 million injured. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

22Rice field north of Pokhara, Nepal. The Himalayan mountain chain runs north of Nepal, separating it from its giant neighbor, China. The mountains crown Nepal with a string of eight peaks - out of a world total of fourteen - higher than 26,232 feet (8,000 m). The economy is based on agriculture, which employs 80 percent of the working population and accounts for 41 percent of the gross domestic product of one of the world's poorest countries. Generations of farmers have tamed the mountainsides and prevented erosion by cutting terraces. Rice paddies thus rise in tiers as high as 9,800 feet (3,000 m) above sea level, covering 45 percent of Nepal's cultivated land. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

23Stacks of wood at a wood pulp factory near Mörrum, Blekinge province, Sweden. The nine countries around the Baltic Sea have made efforts to reduce its pollution over the last 30 years. However, the state of this almost landlocked sea, tenuously linked to the North Sea by the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, is still causing concern. A variety of chemicals - from wastewater, atmospheric pollution, and agricultural and industrial effluent - are building up in it. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

24Road interrupted by a sand dune, Nile Valley, Egypt. Dunes cover nearly one-third of the Sahara, and the highest, in linear form, can attain a height of almost 1,000 feet (300 m). Barchans are mobile, crescent-shaped dunes that move in the direction of the prevailing wind at rates as high as 33 feet (10 m) per year, sometimes even covering infrastructures such as this road in the Nile Valley. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

25Waste from the copper mine at Chuquicamata, Chile. This giant scallop shell is made of earth. A crane deposits the earth in successive, slightly curved lines giving the appearance of sheets of sand lined up side by side. This earth is extracted with the copper, but it is separated from the ore by sieving. The metal is refined in the Chuquicamata foundry that, thanks to newly installed equipment, can now filter out 95 percent of the sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and 97 percent of the arsenic that the process releases. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

26Town of Koh Pannyi, Phand Nga bay, Thailand. The south-western coast of Thailand offers a series of beautiful bays lined with many islands. Phang-nga Bay's special formations were created after the thawing of ice 15,000 years ago. Rising waters then submerged arid calcareous mountains, leaving only their peaks visible to the eye. The bay was turned into a marine park in 1981. One of its popular attractions is the village of Koh Panyi, which was built on piles two centuries ago by Muslim sailors coming from Malaysia. The inhabitants make a living via traditional fishing and tourism. Preserved by its configuration, the bay floor of Phang-nga Bay suffered much less from the tsunami of December 26, 2004 than nearby sites. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

27Modern graves in a cemetery at Asyut, Nile valley, Egypt. The idea of eternal life, so dear to the ancient Egyptians, is conveyed through a style of funerary architecture that stands the test of time. These tombs are divided into two sections, one representing the life of the deceased and the other containing the person's remains and the objects customarily regarded as making life in the hereafter more pleasant. The world of the living coexists with that of the dead, and cemeteries are close to towns. An Egyptian city of the dead can stretch over several miles and is laid out like a town, with a rich variety of open spaces and architecture. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

28Islet in the Sulu Archipelago, Philippines. More than 6,000 of the 7,100 Philippine Islands are uninhabited, like this islet in the Sulu Archipelago, a set of 500 islands that separate the Celebes and the Sulu seas. Their extraordinary biodiversity is under threat, not from distant industrial sites but from the effects of global pollution. These islands, which barely rise above the surface of the water, are among the first potential victims of global warming and are certain to disappear when the sea level rises. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

29The Burj Dubai tower, under construction, will soon be the world's tallest structure, seen in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

30Island of Kornat, Kornati national park, Dalmatia, Croatia. The eastern edge of the Adriatic washes the shores of the 150 islands and islets that make up the Kornati archipelago. The largest island, Kornati, is 12.5 square miles (32.5 km2) in area and accounts for two-thirds of the archipelago's land surface. A century ago, the inhabitants of the nearby islands used these rocks to build dry-stone walls to pen in their sheep and keep them from their olive groves and vineyards. Overgrazing has done considerable damage to wildlife and to the thin vegetation. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

31Barrios, Caracas, Venezuela. Caracas has grown enormously in the last 40 years, attracting people from all over South America, filling its narrow valley and climbing up the steep sides of the surrounding hills. These new districts, known as barrios or ranchos are home to more than 50 percent of Caracas's 3.8 million inhabitants. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

32American cemetery north of Verdun, Meuse, France. Covering some 40 hectares (100 acres) at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Verdun, the American cemetery was dedicated in 1935 by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The commission was created in 1923 at the request of General Pershing, who had taken part in the American offensive of 1918. Its aim was to undertake architectural and landscape studies in order to restructure American cemeteries and commemorative monuments in Europe. Whereas the French army chose to build permanent cemeteries where temporary cemeteries had been made during the hostilities, the American army opted to create a single cemetery. Some 25,000 American tombs scattered around Verdun were then brought together at Romagne where, after almost half the bodies were repatriated to American soil, 14,246 soldiers have lain ever since. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

33Icebergs and an Adelie penguin, Adelie Land, Antarctica. Antarctica, the sixth continent, is a unique observation point for atmospheric and climatic phenomena; its ancient ice, which trapped air when it was formed, contains evidence of the Earth's climate as it has changed and developed over the past millions of years. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

34The Gorges of the Bras de Caverne, island of Reunion, France. Gorges created from volcanic fractures, like the bed of the Bras de Caverne river, make access to the center of the island of Réunion difficult. Some sites were explored only recently, such as the "Trou de Fer", a ravine of 820 feet (250 m) that was discovered in 1989. Because the island's center was protected from human encroachment, its tropical forests, with giant heather, ferns, and lichens, have been preserved, whereas the forests at low altitude have been converted to agricultural or urban use and have disappeared. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

35Algae in the Gulf of Morbihan, France. For more than a century, oyster farms have been the privileged sites for the introduction of exotic species. In the 1920s an epidemic decimated Crassostrea angulata, the most widely exploited oyster species in France. A Japanese species, Crassostrea gigas, was then introduced - and, involuntarily along with it, some thirty species of animals and algae that today live in the waters of the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. One example is the Sargasso (Sargassum muticum), a brown algae, seen here in the Gulf of Morbihan, where it has become a part of the local flora. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

36Darul Aman Palace, in Kabul, Afghanistan. First built in the 1920s by King Amanullah Khan, the palace has been destroyed (by fire and warfare) and rebuilt many times. Its re-reconstruction is in the planning and fundraising stage right now. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

37Tea cultivation in Corrientes province, Argentina. The fertility of the red soil and the regular rains of the Corrientes region create the ideal conditions for the cultivation of tea. In an effort to protect the soil against erosion, tea is planted along curved terraces and protected from the wind by hedges. Unlike Asian and African countries, where the young sprouts are handpicked, in Argentina mechanical harvesting is the rule, done mainly with high-clearance tractors that are driven along the straight rows of tea bushes. [map] (© Yann Arthus-Bertrand) #

38A whale swims off the Valdes peninsula, Argentina. After summering in the Arctic, whales return to the southern seas each winter to reproduce. From July to November, whales mate and bear their young along the coasts of the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina. Until the 1950s, this migratory marine mammal was extensively hunted for its meat and the oil extracted from its fat, which brought it to the edge of extinction. Protective measures were adopted after international attention was focused on the problem in 1937. In 1982 a moratorium was declared on whale hunting for commercial purposes, and in 1994 the southern seas became a whale sanctuary. After decades of protection, 7 of the 13 whale species, of which only a few thousand remain (10 to 60 times fewer than in the early 20th century).

David J Jones
Broker/REALTOR, e-Pro
Smedes Realty, llc
37 waterbury Rd
Prospect, Ct 06712
203.758.0264 phone
203.758.3065 fax
www.DaveJonesRealtor.com

This is just a quick reminder for everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday Oct 6th for the land purchase. All voting will take place at Community school for 6am to 8pm. Regardless of your opinion, be counted, VOTE!

The below is from the Parent Power Website.

October 7th, 2008 from 6am-8pm for the purpose of acquiring 47 acres on 54 Talmadge Hill Rd. in Prospect for a future building site.

Land Purchase Facts

•- 47 acres (Paintball property)

•- Cost = $33,829 per acre

•- Wetlands = 7 acres

•- Access to State road (RTE 69)

•- Access to water line

•- Both Mayor Bob and First Selectman Sue Cable support this purchase

•- Building project NOT impending, but clearly Algonquin School will be the building project that will be brought to both communities as we all know it is in desperate need of replacement.

•- This is possibly the LAST piece of property suitable for a building project available for this price in Prospect

•- The BOE has been searching for property for the last 10 years

•- Other property available is either unsuitable or overpriced

•- If we do not pass this referendum, the land WILL be purchased by a developer

•- The BOE will look at all options regarding the use of the excess acreage

Estimated financial impact for purchase of property

Amount to be borrowed - $1,590,000

Anticipate taking out an 8 year note with estimated 3% annual interest rate.

The lower amounts for the Prospect and Beacon Falls share indicate the estimated annual tax per household based on property valued at $200,000 (not the selling price of your home). All financial data for the town share and annual tax burden is based on information supplied by the towns during the budget building process. These amounts will change each year based on the most current financial data for the towns. These amounts will also change (decrease) with any building project for the School District that is approved by the State.

Why leave your leaf peeping to Simply "driving around"? The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Parks and Forests has posted their Picks for best foliage viewing in Connecticut. Some places in Ct are already close to being Peak season! I also added one at the end that is more in the Prospect, Waterbury, Wolcott, area...

Be sure to bring your cameras!

1. Haystack Mountain State Park, West Norfolk, Stone Tower
From Norfolk, at the junction of Routes 44 and 272, take 272 north a half mile to the park entrance on the left. The entry road leads to the parking area, and a short trail walk of 15 minutes leads to the tower, providing a 360-degree panorama of the countryside.

2. Macedonia Brook State Park, Warren, Cobble Mountain
From Kent, take Route 341 west two miles to Macedonia. Take the first right onto Macedonia Brook Road into the park, bearing left at the fork. From the parking lot, take Cobble Mountain Trail, blazed white. Views are from the Harlem Valley into the Taconic and Catskill Mountains.

3. Mohawk State Forest, Cornwall, Lookout Tower
From Torrington, drive west on Route 4 for 14 miles to the park entrance, Toumey Road, on the left. At the 'T' intersection, turn right onto Mohawk Mountain Road. The Lookout Tower is at the end. Scenic vistas to the north and west include the Catskill, Taconic, and Berkshire ranges. Hikers can pick up the blue-blazed Mattatuck or Mohawk Trails, which cross the site.

4. Pachaug State Forest, Voluntown, Mt. Misery Overlook
Forest entrance is on Route 49, .6 miles north of Voluntown. Turn left into entrance and drive two miles west; bear left at the fork to parking lot. Woods access road on left leads to overlook.

5. Peoples State Forest, Barkhamsted, Chaugnam Lookout
At the junction of Routes 318 and 181 in Pleasant Valley, travel east over the bridge and take the first left onto East River Road. The Jessie Gerard Trailhead is 2.4 miles ahead on the right. The yellow-blazed trail leads to two lookouts.

6. Shenipsit State Forest, Somers, Observation Tower
From Somers, take Route 190 east for 1.25 miles to blinking yellow traffic light. Turn right on Gulf Road and drive 2.25 miles to Soap Stone Mountain Road (the first right after Mountain View Road). The road leads to the tower parking lot. The blue-blazed Shenipsit Trail runs by the tower.

7. Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Stone Tower
Drive north on Route 10 from Hamden for two miles to Mt. Carmel Avenue. The park's main entrance and parking are .25 miles ahead on the left. A gravel path from the parking lot leads 1.5 miles to Stone Tower. A 360-degree panorama looks south at Long Island and north past Hartford.

8. Talcott Mountain State Park, Simsbury, Heublein Tower
Travel three miles west from Bloomfield on Route 185 to entrance, just past mountain crest. Park along the road near the trailhead. Hike to the ridge and bear left to the tower. The tower is open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. for views that take in the Farmington River Valley and, on a clear day, several states.

Waterbury Area Loop -- This loop is good for people with limited time to spend. With only short stops for viewing the scenery, the trip should take less than two hours. Black Rock Park offers excellent hiking, scenic views, and Indian legends, all tucked into the scenic rolling hills of the Western Highlands of Connecticut. People with more time to spend should visit Waterbury's Mattatuck Museum, with exhibits chronicling the industrial history of the Naugatuck Valley as well as its social, architectural and cultural past.

■ From I-84 in Waterbury, begin at Route 8 north to Exit 38.
■ At the end of the exit ramp, make a left. Travel down to the first traffic light and turn left again. You should now be on Route 6
■ At the next stop sign, turn left again. Make sure you stay on Route 6 through the traffic light, and continue on until you spot the entrance to Black Rock State Park. Turn right and enter the park
■ Upon exiting the park, turn right back onto Route 6
■ Follow the road into Watertown; at the intersection of State Route 63, turn left
■ Follow Route 63 into Middlebury and to the intersection at Route 64
■ Turn right onto Route 64 and follow it down about 4 miles to Route 188, where you'll turn left. As you continue on Route 188, you'll pass the High Lonesome Rose Hurst Stable on the left. Continue on Route 188 for five miles to Route 67
■ Turn left onto Route 67 South. This will take you through Oxford and then into Seymour
■ In Seymour, pick up Route 8 North and take it back to Waterbury

Here in Prospect we had 12 closings in the past month. The numbers seem a little low, it is mainly due to the fact that three of the sales were Mobile Homes. It is VERY obvious however that people are buying smaller homes.

The most expensive house that sold this month in Prospect was $404,000 and was 2,830 square feet. Last year at this exact time the High was $510,000 and 3,600 square feet.

September 2008 Prospect Ct Sold Property Report.

September 2007Prospect Ct Sold Property Report.

David J Jones
Broker/REALTOR, e-Pro
Smedes Realty, llc
37 waterbury Rd
Prospect, Ct 06712
203.758.0264 phone
203.758.3065 fax
www.DaveJonesRealtor.com

So after completing all the required BROKER'S classes (a few blogs of their own if I ever get the time for it), and prerequisites, I scheduled my Broker's exam with PSI (Connecticut's testing center.) I signed up over the phone to schedule my exam which was an event in and of its own. I scheduled the exam for the following day and figured it would be best to do it quick and not prolong the agony. My friends and family thought I was insane for doing it on short notice.

I battled rush hour traffic to West Hartford and had a little difficulty finding the place in the center of town. Psi is on the second floor of a building that is setback from the road and not labeled. It just added to the nervousness driving back and forth trying to find it. Now TomTom got me close, and every time I drove by it I was greeted with a "you have reached your destination". Once I get there (8:30 am) of course there are no parking spots. I rush back out the street, find a spot on the road, and round up some quarters for the meter.

Back over to PSI and up to the second floor. I find the small test center on the second floor. It could easily pass for a broom closet! Once inside, I show my two forms of ID, get my photo taken, sign in, and now the pre test nervousness and nausea set in. I find my assigned pc in the corner, and take a seat. The screens are the old fashioned crt computer monitors, about 15" diagonal. The text on the screen is about a 10 font and the fluorescent lights in the room are making one heck of a glare.

About now I am in need of a caffeine fix since I couldn't stomach my coffee this morning and I left it in my truck. No beverages are permitted inside so I guess we will have to wait the three hours for the exam.

Before you can begin the actual exam, PSI has a tutorial on how to use the computer, the keyboard and the test taking procedure in general. After clicking through the 10 sample questions. It asks you..."Are you sure you are ready to begin?" As much as I wanted to click the "no, I am nervous about where I parked, I need a coffee, I wonder if I put enough quarters in the meter, I need some Pebto Bismol, and I could use a quick review on Fiduciary responsibility in Connecticut", I decided to proceed anyway.

The first part was 40 multiple choice on Ct specific laws. I swear I have no idea where some of these questions came from. 2-3 questions in I almost thought I was taking the wrong test. I did my best to eliminate the obvious wrong answers, and make an educated guess. As I progressed I felt the timer in the upper right corner ticking down. I was allowed 60 minutes for this portion. I look up after what seems like an eternity. 12 minutes had passed! I am more than half way through so I begin checking and double checking my work. Now I am wondering if I am changing right answers to wrong, or wrong answers to right.... After completing the 40^thquestion, there are still 30 minutes left on the clock, so I run through them again just to be sure I didn't misread a question. I am happy with my work, and now my nerves settle a little. I was confident I did well. I figured worst case scenario, I passed the Connecticut portion, I could always just retake the next section if I didn't do as well. Upon clicking "end" for the Connecticut section, You are presented with a "Do you really want to do this" Popup "if you are positive you want to end this portion of the exam, please type YES and hit enter." Now they have me thinking, do they know something I don't? Should I not hit enter? Again, I checked and doubled check so I type YES.

Next pops up the first question on the General Brokers exam. There are 80 questions, and I have 120 more minutes. I feel very prepared for this section do to the fact that I was a math major in college and love numbers. I was wishing the entire exam was commission calculation or down payment questions. Well the computer must have been reading my mind because I did not get a single solitary math question until I was up around question 55 or so! As nervous as I still was, I was managing.

I knew this information, I had learned it back at my principle and practices course, my broker's course, real life experience and I had also been cramming for a week, and the answers came to me like second nature.

There are a few great study guides out there I found on Amazon.

One was for Connecticut licensing, and the other was a generic "Pass your Real Estate Brokers exam". Now as confident as I was that I was doing well, this is a nerve racking day. My 5 year old knew something was up all week because last night instead of playing a game with him I asked if he would Please let daddy study, just this night. I promised to make it up to him. He asked why I was reading so much and I explained I had a Very Very important exam. "What is a Exam" he asked. I then of course had to explain an exam is like a game of me versus them....If I win I pass, if they win I fail. Well I just pictured him looking up to me and asking how I did, and not being able to deliver any good news. And of course when he heard he would be very sad, which would mean my 2 year old daughter who does EVERYTHING her brother does, would also be sad. Then I think about telling my wife, and my friends, co-workers, etc.... Ughhh. What have I gotten myself into?

Maybe I should have taken the exam and not let anyone know. That would have been a better idea.

SO anyway, back to the exam... I get through question 80, I look up 70 minutes left. "What? 70 MINUTES LEFT?" Did I skip some I wonder?, I go back through each question,1 by one. I answered them all and was pretty satisfied with my answers nonetheless. I again hit the "End Exam" button. I am presented with the "type YES" instructions. Now my heart is in my throat, My heart is literally beating like I ran a marathon....

Y E S I type.....

Up on the screen pops a survey. "A survey?"I say to myself. I just got done with this crazy exam, hit "submit" and "show me my grade" and I have to take a survey?

It was 10 questions about the test, testing center, location, yada yada yada

"Good, good, good, good, good," I speed click through them all.

"Processing your score" the screen says...

Connecticut Brokers section "PASS"

Residential Real Estate section "PASS"

Woooooohoooooooooooooooo. It says "please proceed quietly out of the exam room and see the attendant" Now as bad as I wanted to do some kind of victory dance, I proceeded out. The guy at the desk says "Holy cow, you flew through it, and ROCKED it"

I do not remember anything else he said, I don't remember going down the stairs, or walking to my truck. I immediately call my wife and we collectively celebrate on the phone. She was on her way to pickup our son at kindergarten. I called her back 15 minutes later so I could tell him. He was sooooo happy I couldn't understand him. What a great feeling!

I cannot begin to express how excited or happy I am. I went straight home and celebrated by enjoying the Perfect Fall Connecticut day with my family! Broker Jones, I like the sound of that.