As we kissed 2023 goodbye for it's hellacious buyer's market (inventory at a 28-year low) and an incredibly lucrative year for sellers who could find something to move to, (national median price of $389,900),  it's time to reflect on the rollercoaster ride that was the real estate market in the Mansfield-Storrs-UConn, CT area. From soaring [...]

2022 was an exciting and prosperous year at HST.  We worked, we collaborated, we learned, we worked some more.  2021 was a different year:  we masked, we gloved, we cleaned, we zoomed, we learned, and worked a lot, sometimes with stressed clients and stressed agents.   In 2022, as the COVID pandemic has slowly lessened its stranglehold on [...]

It is said that one for the first things a buyer imagines when they look at a home is where they can put their Christmas tree.  Yet, this is the season when many homeowners contemplate removing their currently active listing from the real estate market or are hesitant about [...]

We’ve seen an uptick in Homelight referrals, which means that local sellers are deferring to an algorithm to choose their real estate agent.  I get it.  You’re exhausted, stressed and on top of that,  contemplating selling your home.  There’s so much to do.  Can someone please just choose for me?  Cue the monkeys.

The flying monkey reference is from an email response we received from a [...]

Home prices are climbing in Tolland & Windham counties thanks to plunging inventory in 2020 and 2021 year-to-date and a surplus of buyers willing to engage in a bidding war for the few homes available.  If you are a seller in Tolland County, days on the market has been halved from 42 days in 2020 to 21 as of February 2021, likewise for [...]

There's not much a seller can do today to discourage a barrage of showings and multiple bids.  In a previous post I conceded that you could probably have the buyer do your breakfast dishes once you're out the door but I've thought of a few ways a seller could diminish their own returns even as the dominate player in the [...]

We’ve received more complaints from sellers that their Mansfield Storrs area listing is not appearing on Zillow and/or it is appearing with inaccurate information. If you are a seller who is also open to renting, and we add your property as a rental to the Mulitple Listing Service (MLS) it will replace your for sale listing on [...]

Buyers are clamoring for more than toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  They are looking for houses as well.  Are you considering selling? Price your home competitively. Do some deep cleaning, de-cluttering, minor repairs and maybe a little staging and start packing.  Better yet, does your home have some challenges such as a shared driveway, [...]

The real estate market is surging with buyers and sellers this January and so far this month.  Following an unusually cold November and a dismal December for listing inventory, the snow-less landscape and warmer temps are producing a spike of activity that we usually don't see until late March and April.  The lack of inventory is still a [...]

So, you missed the selling rush in July for whatever reason.  Is your future sale looking bleak as the weather cools, the leaves fall and the landscape pivots from brilliant to colorless?   Not necessarily, if you listen to your agent’s advice and you have a realistic plan, including what you will do if, after substantial time on the market, [...]