Home buyers in moderate, high or very high opportunity areas can get up to $50,000 in a forgivable loan to cover their down payment and closing costs to purchase their first home.   The loan is paid off over a span of ten years with one tenth being forgiven every year at the anniversary [...]

New England has been experiencing more rainfall and more intense storms due to the increasing amounts of CO2 in our atmosphere —which  is effectively an insulating blanket around our planet—pushing temperatures on land and sea to rise.  In Rhode Island, known as the "ocean state", annual precipitation has risen by 5 inches since 1950 and the [...]

The insect population has dropped by 45% over the last 4 decades.  40% of all insects are at risk of extinction.   It’s our fault.  Habitat loss, rampant pesticide use, millions of acres of sterile grass and urbanization and the replacement of native plants with pest-resistant ornamentals, are responsible for the putting insects in imminent [...]

Freudenfreude:  taking delight in someone else's achievement, the opposite of schadenfreude. 

 

You may be familiar with Schadenfreude, a word of German orgin, that has gotten new attention after appearing in an episode of Ted Lasso.  I ran across this word, freudenfreude, which aptly describes how I feel each and every day as the Broker [...]

Many milestones were met or exceeded this year in the efforts to aid homeowners with crumbling basements in Eastern and Central Connecticut.   Amassing funds from state bond allotment, the Healthy Homes surcharge, interest, and donations, the [...]

18 years ago Willimantic’s reputation for rampant drug use was profiled by 60 Minute’s Dan Rather, who referred to Willi as a “drug infested small town."  This nationally televised report came on the heels of a 5-part series by the Hartford Courant which garnered a spot on the Pulitzer Prize finalist list for the photographer.  The town’s [...]

If you are a seller, be prepared to vacate the home for the duration of the inspection.  A typical inspection will take 2-3 hours for an averaged sized (2,000 square feet +/-) home.  The buyer(s) will meet the home inspector of their choice at the home.  The home inspector must be licensed, registered with the state and [...]

“I am really disappointed and quite frankly a little angry. My husband and I went to go look at 27 Snipsic Lake Road in Ellington, CT. We were going to make an offer, but thankfully my husband did some digging and found out the house has a foundation issue. I think it is sneaky and probably illegal not to disclose that information to

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The current housing market is one of the most competitive in decades, with record-high prices and record-low inventory.  Houses in our area are currently selling above asking price and sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars and appraisals have been generally bearing out the selling prices with few exceptions. You may find yourself making [...]

If you are an active or pending claimant in line for replacement funding the news coming from CFSIC is very encouraging, as long as you are fully participating and doing your part. With $100 million in new funding over 4 years beginning July 1, 2022, CFSIC will begin to address the 600+ Pending Claimants 3-4 years earlier than previously [...]