Life in Newtown, CT

Hello Newtown and welcome to our blog, LifeinNewtown.com!  Recently, we took out a small classified ad in the real estate section of The Newtown Bee.  Our simple ad has just www.LifeinNewtown.com.  We feel that it is time to introduce our blog to Newtown.

We have been blogging about life in Newtown, CT since September 2008.  We have also sprinkled in relevant real estate information about our town.  Blog topics have ranged from Fairfield Hills to Short Sales.  We have just posted two homes we recently listed for sale and plan to soon post information about the Faith Food Pantry.

We'd like to bring the different sections of our blog to your attention.  They are pretty helpful for navigating our blog and are as follows:

• My Links:  We've added in links property specific websites we set up for the homes we have listed for sale, our website and our Twitter account.
• Search for Homes:  You can use this to search homes for sale in different parts of the country.  If you'd like to search homes for sale in Connecticut, we suggest using the multiple listing service (MLS) on our website.
• Categories:  This section breaks our blog posts out by category.  So if your are looking for information Canine Advocates or Riley the Real Estate Dog, check this section
• Blog Archives:  This shows the number of blog posts by month.  If you click on a month, you can see all the entries that were posted that month.

There is lots of great Newtown information here and we're always adding new posts.  If you would like us to cover a particular topic or have an event you'd like us to post, please email us.  We are always open to your suggestions.  Add us to your favorites and stop by often.

Click on the photos below to see the matching blog posts ...

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

BOB & RICHELLE WARD have SOLD 11 Currituck Road, Newtown, CT for $320,000.

Open House: Sunday, 3/1/09 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Click on photos to enlarge.

Walk to town from this contemporized ranch. 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms & 2 half bathrooms. Flexible floor plan. C/A. Above ground pool and fenced backyard. Skylights and vaulted ceilings. Newer windows. Additional 700 square feet in lower level. City sewer and water. Sale is subject to third party approval.

Click here or go to http://www.11Currituck.com for more information on this home.

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

Residential Real Estate - Owning a Home is a Great Investment

By Barry Rosa, Vice President
Prudential Connecticut Realty
brosa@prudentialct.com

January 30, 2009

We're in uncertain times in the real estate market and the economy.  News headlines are filled with stories that talk about falling property values, a weak economy, falling numbers of sales and on and on. 

What is reality?

Reality check one:  We are in difficult times in the real estate market.  Despite the fact that Connecticut's numbers are pretty good, we are getting lumped together with areas of the nation that are not doing so well.  You would not know this from reading the headlines.

Reality check two:  Most folks that purchase a home or a condo as a place to live are really making that choice as a place to live.  Home owners are one type of purchaser while investors are an entirely different category, with different motivations entirely.

Reality check three:  Home values increase significantly with time, but sure as heck normally do not go up 10% in a typical year.  This should never be an expectation.

We assembled median (middle of the price range) sales price data for single-family homes in a number of communities around Connecticut.  These communities were chosen randomly.

Here's what we found:

Now, before anyone says it:  This does not mean that every home in each of these communities went up by the same amount:  Some would be more, some less.

But, clearly, the numbers show reality real well.  Owning a home has been a good investment.

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

Our office in Newtown, CT likes to get involved in the local community.  A few years ago, our office chose Canine Advocates of Newtown, Inc.  Canine Advocates is a non-profit organization located in Newtown, CT and was formed in 1999 to do the following:

• to be a voice for the animals of Newtown
• to further the quality of life, safety and health of the dogs and cats at the Newtown Pound
• to assist in the adoption process through advertising, screening and education
• to provide walks, socialization and human interaction for the dogs
• to promote rescue referrals
• and to provide spay/neutering, rabies and distemper shots for all animals at the pound before adoption.

A membership to Canine Advocates is $20 per year or you can donate money toward building the new pound here in town or for vetinary care.  A paypal link on the homepage makes this possible or you can send a donation to Canine Advocates of Newtown, Inc., at PO Box 236, Newtown, CT 06470

Canine Advocates has a "wish list" of items that they need. 

Prudential Connecticut Realty's Newtown Office has helped with the Putting on the Dog fundraising event 2 years in a row.  We were responsible for securing food donations from local restaurants and delivering them to the event location.  Click here for Event and Fundraiser information.

Lastly, Canine Advocates puts out the word for dogs and cats available for adoption.  Adoption fees are $75 for a dog ($5.00 goes to the Newtown Pound & $70 goes to Canine Advocates to defray vetinary care costs) and $50 for a cat ($5.00 goes to the Newtown Pound & $45 goes to Canine Advocates to defray vetinary care costs).

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

16 Pole Bridge Road, Newtown, CT was SOLD for $328,000 by BOB & RICHELLE WARD, Realtors, ABR

Click on photos to enlarge.

This 4 bedroom, 2 full bathroom cape style home feels like a new!  Many newer updates include roof, vinyl siding, doors & slider, 5 zone heating system, dormer on second floor and more.  Kitchen features beautiful granite countertops with Bosch range, microwave and dishwasher.  Kohler bathroom fixtures and a Swanstone shower stall in 2^nd floor bathroom.  C/A.  Wood floors throughout (except 1 bedroom which has carpet).  A nice clean home.

Click here or go to www.16PoleBrige.com for more information on this updated home.

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