Life in Newtown, CT

As one of the smaller states in the United States, it is ironic that Connecticut is one of the largest in terms of asbestos exposure risks. Predominantly used in millions of homes and buildings built prior to 1980, many civilians are still being exposed to asbestos in public facilities, restaurants, schools, shipyards and other industrial locations. There are a reported 600 locations in the state that have been known exposure sites. All of the known exposure sites occurred in the cities of Hartford, New Haven and Fairfield. There are many things to consider in the real estate industries.

Predominantly used in millions of homes and buildings built prior to 1980, many civilians are still being exposed to asbestos during remodeling and demolition. Asbestos is often in old fireproofing, roofing, vinyl flooring, pipe and boiler insulation, and some roads and cement pipe and cement sheet products. Citizens of Connecticut should be aware that when purchasing or remodeling older homes, exposure to asbestos may potentially become a health concern.

Although exposure to asbestos does not always lead to harmful illnesses, frequent exposure greatly increases those chances. Asbestos exposure can cause a severe lung ailment known as mesothelioma. This rare form of asbestos lung cancer accounts for nearly three percent of all cancer diagnoses in the country. Mesothelioma treatment is unfortunately almost always unsuccessful and physician prognosis is poor. There were 498 fatalities relating to asbestos in Connecticut between 1979 and 1999. Of those deaths, 249 can be attributed to mesothelioma.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health administers an asbestos program that aims to reduce potential exposure to asbestos. Found in over 3,000 products in the state, they provide assistance in the safe inspection, removal and disposal of asbestos-contaminated areas by following state regulations. The removal of asbestos must be performed by licensed abatement contractors who are specially trained in handling hazardous materials. It is highly recommended that those who believe they live or work in an area where asbestos are found to leave it undisturbed. Contractors come equipped with protective gear in case its fibers become airborne immediately after it is broken up. 

With increasing technology and public initiatives, green alternatives exist which allow for an asbestos free environment. The United States Environmental Program states that the use of recycled building materials such as cotton fiber insulation can reduce energy use by 25 to 35 percent. These asbestos alternatives will not only reduce energy costs, but allow for a clean, healthy home, free of health damaging materials.

For more information, go to www.asbestos.com.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

Prudential Connecticut Realty's 4th Quarter 2008 Market Report is out and it is informative as always.  It is broken out into two sections: Single Family Homes and Condominiums.  Under each section is every town along with a year over year comparison of the Days on Market, Median Sales Price, # of homes sold and the percentage change for each. 

We thought it would be fun to look at the Greater Fairfield County Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for the town of Newtown as of today.  The MLS changes contunually so this is just a snapshot is time.  Here goes:

As of this moment, there are 220 actively listed homes for sale in Newtown whose prices range from $49,900 for a mobile home to $1,990,000 for 5 bedroom, 5.5 bathroom Colonial on 2.13 acres.  Houses that are not mobile homes start at $184,900.  There are ten homes that are marked as being under deposit.  Ten homes are marked as pending sale - which means a contract of sale has been signed.  Five homes have been sold in Newtown since January 1, 2009.

The homes that have sold so far this month are:

www.46pondbrook.com www.14NorthRidge.com

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

Back in September, we posted a blog titled "Short Sale - What is It?".  We think this is useful information as we frequently explain what a short sale is to both buyers and sellers.  Our intention is to update you from time to time about the number of short sales actively listed for sale in Newtown, CT.

There is a special code on our multiple listing service (MLS) that indicates a possible short sale.  We did a search using this code and came up with five (5) houses that are identified as a possible short sale.  They range in price from $315,000 to $1,355,000.  Three of these homes were on our original short sale list back in September.  Please note that of these actively listed short sales:

• 1 is under deposit
• 1 is new to the list

Of the homes that are no longer on the list:

• 1 sold in December 2008
• 1 expired in December 2008
• 1 is pending sale as of January 2009

If you would like a list of possible short sale properties, please Email us!

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

For the past few months, we have been working on our website, www.connecticuthomesforsale.com, to improve it and make it more consumer friendly.  It was a pretty boring website with "canned" pages and comments.  Every page has been re-worked and the following items have been added:

• Client Testimonials
• FREE Map Give Away
• We have added IDX technology to our website.  IDX means that the MLS is available to the public on our website.
• We added a real estate related video at the bottom of the home page.  Should we keep the video real estate related or put in something that is funny?
• Our Facebook badges were added in below the video

We'd like to get your opinion about the "The About Us" page (link is below).  We have come up with two different versions of the page and are not sure which is the better page.  Please look at these links and tell us what you think.

• Version 1 - Page is titled: About Us
• Version 2 - Page is titled: Client Services

We appreciate all your comments and thank you in advance for taking the time to help us.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

Hot Dog Cool Cat Contest is raising funds for the Sunshine Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to children with cancer. Established in 1982, the SSK Foundation is committed to providing positive group activities and emotional support for young cancer patients. The Sunshine Kids provides a variety of programs and events, free of charge, for kids who are receiving cancer treatments in hospitals across North America.

Prudential Real Estate Affiliates adopted The Sunshine Kids Foundation as their network charity in 1991. Prudential Connecticut Realty adopted The Sunshine Kids Foundation as a company charity in 2002. Since then, we have raised more than $700,000 through charity events and donations. Young cancer patients at Connecticut Children's Medical Center have enjoyed trips to Hawaii, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and New York City.

Visit The Sunshine Kids Foundation Web site at www.sunshinekids.org to learn more or to show your support.

Prudential Connecticut Realty's Newtown Office is holding the Hot Dog Cool Cat Contest to riase money for the Sunshine Kids.  The SSK Foundation will receive 100% of all entry fees from our "Hot Dog Cool Cat" contest.  The 2009 goal for the Newtown Office is to raise $2,500 for the SSK Foundation.

Contest Rules and Dates:

May 25, 2009:  Deadline for submitting photos.

May 29, 2009 to June 29, 2009:  Voting on the finalists at http://www.hotdogcoolcatcontest.blogspot.com/

June 30, 2009:  Winning Dog or Winning Cat will be announced.

Contest Rules:

1. All entries must be submitted by May 25, 2009.
2. Each entry will be $25 with checks being made to: Sunshine Kids c/o Melissa Riley, Prudential CT Realty, 33 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470.
3. Please include your contact information and your pet's name.
4. You can submit as many dog or cat photos as you wish, but each entry must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee.
5. Entries can be submitted as a photo (with your contact information on the back) by mailing to: Prudential CT Realty, 33 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470, or emailed in jpeg format to mriley@prudentialct.com The $25 entry fee can be mailed or dropped off at the same location.
6. All photos become the property of Prudential CT Realty and can be reprinted without permission.

The winning dog or winning cat will be awarded a 2-panel Warhol style photo, on a 22" x 13" stretched canvas. Value is over $200!Hot Dogs and Cool Cats will be judged based upon:cuteness factor, cleverness and originality. Judges will narrow down the entries to the 3 top dogs and 3 top cats.The dog and cat finalists will be posted on http://www.hotdogcoolcatcontest.blogspot.com/ by May 29, 2009 for voting through June 29, 2009. All entry fees will go to the Sunshine Kids.

If you have any questions, email us!

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

We don't often toot our own horn, but we feel that the awards and accolades we've recently received are worth mentioning.

The client testimonial on the right is from a past client of ours (sorry for the quality, it's a scan from The Newtown Bee).  We sold his home in Bethel, CT over the past summer and he was kind enough to write this terrific testimonial for us. 

This testimonial took on a life all its own after our office manager received it.  He passed it up the chain of command and it became a BIG topic of conversation at a leadership meeting.  All the office managers who were present discussed the Core Values that were represented by our service to this client.  They determined that we succeeded in meeting every one.  Prudential Connecticut Realty's goal is to be the Best Service Provider and they have established these core values to achieve this goal:

Authenticity:  Committed to useful and constructive HONESTY and candor.

Service: Meeting internal & external CUSTOMER NEEDS

Empowerment:Authority to POSITIVELY influence issues and actions.

Growth:  Pursuit of new skills and KNOWLEDGE.

We received congratulatory emails from most of those present at the Leadership meeting.

We have recently won the following Prudential Connecticut Realty awards:

• Honor Circle Award for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters of 2008 (the 4th quarter award has not yet been given out).  This award given to Prudential Realtors who achieved a certain level of production for the quarter.
• Regional Award for Sales Executive of the Month - November - this award is given to agents who exemplify the core values mentioned above.
• Top Service Provider Award for a Team in Southwest Connecticut 2008 (this is the 2nd year in a row that we've won this award) - this award is given agents who have receive the highest number of positive customer service surveys.

We are very proud of our accomplishments and hope to meet or exceed them in the coming year.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

Riley, the Real Estate Dog, is a 4 year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier (SCWT).  Riley is very friendly and greets everyone with an overly enthusiastic "Hello".  Riley also has loads of energy, and if we can avoid leaving him home all day by himself, we bring Riley along to real estate.  Riley is great for real estate!  His outgoing personality wins people over almost immediately.  Guess you could say that Riley is "people-friendly".

Yesterday, Riley was very busy.  We left our home at 9:45 am to meet our clients at 10:00 am.  We had already set up the day's appointments (surprisingly, all were vacant) and were ready to go.  We arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place and our clients called to tell us they would be late.  Riley anxiously waited and wagged his little tail for everyone who passed our car.

20 minutes later our clients arrived.  One of them asked if we could stop for something to eat and a cup of coffee.  Being that the houses were vacant, Riley and I agreed this was no problem.  When we arrived at the deli, Riley waited in the car and watched it.  While ordering breakfast, a man came in to ask who the Wheaten belonged to.  He said that his dog (a SCWT) was waiting for him in his car and when he saw Riley, he thought that his dog had somehow gotten into another person's car.  We assured him that Riley was in the right car.  As he walked away, he waved to Riley as he passed by.

After eating, everyone piled into the car and Riley got right to work.  He greeted our clients by wagging his tail, promptly jumped in the backseat and licked them both.  Good thing we had previous knowledge that they are "dog people"!

As we started our tour, Riley continued to work his magic.  He jumped from the front seat to the back seat and back again - finally settling in the front passenger seat.  We arrived at the first property.  Our clients exited first with Riley desperately wanting to follow them.  Riley was told to "Stay" and "Watch the car" - which he did very enthusiastically.  When we came back to car, Riley greeted us as if it was the first time he'd met us.  We repeated this a total of 6 times until we completed our tour.  We drove our clients back to their car where they said "Good bye" to Riley.

Next, we were off to the office to submit a file.  Riley layed quietly on the frontseat during the ride.  While at the office, Riley watched the car - from the driver's seat, of course.  Then we were off to the bank, the pharmacy, the gas station, the supermarket and finally - home!

After working hard and being out of the house all day, Riley was tired.  He enjoyed a delicious dinner and then leaned against the sofa pillow to watch TV for the night.

Riley has been thinking about starting his own blog.  He'd like to get your opinion.  You can email us or post a comment below.  Riley thanks you in advance for your comments.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

Fairfield Hills is located in Newtown, CT on Wasserman Way, the connecting road between Rt. 25 and Rt. 34.  Fairfield Hills was a State Psychiatric Hospital in operation from the 1930's up into the 1990's.  It is an imposing facility with many buildings that are now vacant and in disrepair.  Fairfield Hills has a lot of history - check out this website for history on Fairfield Hills. 

When we first moved to Newtown in 2000, Fairfield Hills was always a big topic in The Newtown Bee, our local newspaper (search the on-line archives for loads of Fairfield Hills news stories).  The Town of Newtown was in negotiation to purchase this facility from the State of Connecticut as the town felt they could keep better control over its future development.  Finally, in 2001, Newtown purchased the facility for $3.9 million.  The purchase of Fairfield Hills and subsequent discussions over the future land use have been the source of conflict in town.

The Town of Newtown has developed a Master Plan for the Fairfield Hills complex.  The Fairfield Hills Authority meets the Third Wednesday of each month in the meeting room at Town Hall South, Three Main Street, at 7:30 pm.  All meetings are open to the public. 

Now that we've given a little background on Fairfield Hills, we would like to tell you about the recent changes that have happened there.

• Newtown Youth Academy (NYA)- a new non-profit, community-centered organization dedicated to the health, fitness and general well-being of all Newtown-area residents-and its young people in particular. The NYA is headquartered in a new 86,000-square-foot, multi-use indoor sports complex.
• Proposed Skate Park- Newtown Park and Recreation is hoping to secure $50,000 this year to construct a skate park at the Fairfield Hills complex.  It would be located near the ball field on Mile Hill Road South.  Town meeting is scheduled for 1/21/09.
• The trails at Fairfield Hills have been blacktopped making it easier for joggers, bikers and walkers to use them.  Many people walk their dogs on these trails.  No cars are allowed.

There is a lot of history at Fairfield Hills and it is a complex whose purpose is changing.  It's great to see this change happening as the old State Psychiatric Hospital was sitting there just wasting away.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818