I came across a great write up of our town Stratford CT.

This out of towner made some very funny observations about Stratford that I made years ago when I first arrived here in town. Observations that I forgot all about and chalked up to quirky town character.

Jarret is his name and Jarret is one heck of a writer. He poked fun at the things that deserved to be poked fun at and noticed some of my most appreciated parts of Stratford.

Jarret, you’re not the only one that appreciates that Victorian era section of Stratford that you walked through. That historic district is hands down one of our most precious commodities.

Check out the blog entry here. You’ll be entertained by his wit and laugh at some of his observations.

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Here are the Stratford CT foreclosures that I found this morning.

2080 James Farm Road
Stratford , CT 06614

110 Raven Ter
Stratford, CT 06614

163 Otis St Apt F
Stratford, CT 06615

66 Roosevelt Ave
Stratford, CT 06615

1529 Elm St
Stratford, CT 06615

110 Gina Circle
Stratford, CT 06614

106-C Smoke Valley Drive
Sratford, CT 06614

This cape on Delaware Drive in Stratford CT is a keeper. This is a very nicely proportioned cape with an immaculate looking yard.

You’re looking at about 1650 square feet here with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There’s a formal dining room and it looks like some living area in the basement. Throw in a two car garage and you have my ideal house.

There’s even an oval shaped pool. Looks like it’s pretty big from the pictures as well.

What I like most about this house on Delaware Drive is the fact that it needs some updating. It’s definitely move in condition but your not paying top dollar for a completely remodeled home. Bring 60 Delaware Drive out of the eighties and into the twenty first century and you’ve added instant equity.

The overgrown hedges out front are also detracting from just house nice this house looks from the outside. A little landscaping will go a long way here.

Check out the pictures. I think you’ll like what you see.

The story of the landlord being foreclosed on the house that you rent is a popular one lately. It’s a terrible situation that you’re in. Where will you love? How could this happen? It’s surely not fair.

Fear not! You are not SOL. You have rights and options. Here’s what to do if your landlord is facing foreclosure.

How To Find Out If Your Landlord Is Facing Foreclosure

First things first. Don’t let the sheriff show up on your door and tells you to get out of the place you rent. That’s the absolute worst way to find out that your landlord has been foreclosed. Be proactive, not reactive!

One of the most telling sign that your landlord is in trouble and might be facing foreclosure is the property taxes. Quite often one of the first things that a landlord stops paying is property taxes. Take a tip to town hall. Find the office responsible for property taxes and just ask. Simple as that.

Remember that landlords of single family homes face foreclosure at a much higher rate that landlords of large complexes. It’s very unlikely that a building with many apartments will face foreclosure.

Did you know that you can check at the courthouse or recoreds office to see if your landlord has faced foreclosure in the past. A past history of foreclosure can be a huge clue into future behaviour. Present bankrupty filings will be there for you to see too.

When in doubt just ask. Hopefully if your landlord is in dire straighrs he will be honest about it. And remember, many banks and agencies like HUD will allow you to stay in the home or help you to relocate. All is not lost.

Grab A Loan That Saves You Money!

Homepath mortgage financing is the mortgage vehicle that is available to REO foreclosure buyer’s of Fannie Mae homes. There are thousands of REO foreclosures available nationwide through Fannie Mae and a Homepath mortgage is a really great mortgage with extememly low fees, low rates, and very lenient qualification terms. Check this stuff out:

• Low Down Payments

If you’re looking to buy a primary residence to live in you’ll need only a 3% down payment to qualify for a Homepath mortgage. You’ll need a 10% down payment for an investment property.

• You’re Not Disqualified If You Already Own A Home

You can already have a mortgage on ten homes and still qualify for a Homepath mortgage. You’ll need a 25% down payment though if you already are financed on four properties or more. This is great news for investors!

• No Appraisal Is Required

An appraisal is not needed for a Homepath mortgage. If you’re concerned about an appraisal coming in a little low you probably shouldn’t be paying that much for the property anyway. Be careful here. If your serious about making an investment, consider getting your own appraisal just to be on the safe side.

• PMI or Private Mortgage Insurance Is Not Required

This is a great advantage to a Homepath mortgage! Depending on the value of the home you can end up making an insurance payment every month that will cost you anywhere from $20 a month to hundreds. You wont run into this added insurance expense with Homepath.

• Jumbo or High Balance Mortgages Available

Sometimes with a mortgage that is as flexible as a Homepath mortgage you can’t get larger loans.

• Sellers Can Contribute To The Mortgage (Seller’s Concessions)

Another great advantage of a Homepath mortgage! The amount that the seller can contribute varies. It depends on how large your down payment is. Sellers can only contribute 2% on an investment property.

• Disadvantage – Rates Are Higher Than 30 Year Conventional

You can buy discount points to bring down your rate to the national average 30 year conventional mortgage rate. Remember that you wont be paying private mortgage insurance. Depending on the size of your loan and your down payment you may actually break even though on the monthly payment when you factor in the lack of PMI and seller’s concessions.

Add the Homepath mortgage to your list of options. I think you’ll like what you find.

I’m not exactly sure where on Broad Street in Stratford this house is but I love it. I must have driven past it hundreds of times. How could I have missed this house?

You don’t see many home like this that are still in such great shape. This tudor has history, class, and charm all wrapped up into a neat little package.

Six fireplace! Are you kidding me! I would love that! I don’t think I have ever used so many exclamation marks in a paragraph before.

It looks like there may be a tin ceiling in the kitchen. Probably not original though as there is recessed lighting.

From the pictures it looks to me like there has been extensive renovations to restore this house. I think a lot of the original details are no longer there but the homeowner did a wonderful job restoring the home to honor the original construction.

Check it out for yourself. Here’s the link:

http://stratford.listingbook.com/?node=17-0-email_listings,567318222.abdabd9e&mlno=98409351

Enjoy,

Scott

Are you looking for a list of open houses this weekend? Are you frustrated that finding an accurate and current list of open houses in Stratford, Trumbull, Shelton, Fairfield, Milford, and the rest rest of Fairfield County CT can be difficult to find?

Maybe you don’t want to leave the house to get the paper. Not every Stratford CT open house is listed in there anyway. Most agents don’t list their open houses consistently on random internet websites that you might be looking for open houses on.

Here’s how to find open houses in Stratford and the rest of Fairfield County from the website that more agents visit to advertise homes for sale than any other website on the internet.

Instructions

1. Fill in the form below to enroll for access
2. Open your email and accept the invitation to enroll
3. On the left hand side of the screen click “upcoming open houses“

Enjoy,

Scott Jenkins

P.S. – It’s not unusual for there to be no open houses in the beginning of the week. Keep an eye on your email though. I’ll be sending them to your inbox as they show up on the site.

One of the most popular question I have been receiving regarding the 8000 dollar first time home buyers tax credit is:

Do I qualify as a first time home buyer?

With different housing stimulus packages the federal government has defined the first time home buyer differently. What’s important to you however is what is the criteria for a first time home buyer with the latest tax credit.

The answer is simple and a little bit more lax than just someone who has never owned a home before. You can actually have owned a home in the recent past and still qualify for the first time home buyers tax credit.

Here’s the straight answer:

A first time home buyer is defined as anyone whom has not owned a principal residence in the last three years.

So if you have sold your home and been renting for the last three years you will qualify as a first time home buyer.

One word of advice however. Always check with a tax professional before taking any advice about the 8000 dollar tax credit from the internet.

Happy Home Hunting,

Scott

Are you looking to find every property that is on the market here in Stratford CT? Are you searching on multiple websites hoping to see every single property that is available? You don’t have to do that. Nearly every website that you are searching for properties on gets those properties from the exact same place.

The name of the place that all of those site gets their property information from is the Greater Fairfield County Consolidated Multiple Listing Service. (GFC CMLS)

What I like about about the GFC CMLS is that you can access every single one of those properties all on your own through a back door.

Using this back door access to search properties for sale in Stratford you can see all that there is to see. THat is not a lie or an exaggeration. You can see:

• every property address
• every single picture
• school information
• recent property sales in the neighborhood
• and much much more

You can pretty much search like an agent by accessing the agents database of properties through the back door.

If you want to search properties like an agent I can set you up with access. That’s all I will do. I promise to give you the tools to search and leave you alone. I wont be calling you and harassing you. Heck, I don’t even need your phone number to hook you up with access. Just fill in the form below.

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Editors Note: This was written during one of the worst recessions in our countries history. We may not be in an extreme market downturn but the advice is timeless.

Of the sixty or so surveys that you guys sent to me a large majority of them dealt with fear. The fear that whatever you buy will be worth less money the very next day after you purchase the house.

This is a very valid concern. I completely understand where you are coming from.

When I bought my first home it was near the height of the real estate market here in Stratford CT. The year was 2004 I believe.

We were so excited to be getting an affordable home in a good neighborhood. Prices were rising so quickly and with every passing month it seemed like houses in Stratford were getting more expensive.

We could have waited to buy a home. There were plenty of nice places to rent here in Stratford at the time. But we weren’t buying a house as an investment. If we were than the absolute worst time to buy a home was when we did. Prices were sky high and of course they came tumbling back down.

Our house is now worth less than what we paid for it! But, so what. We live here in Stratford. We don’t make money or lose money because the value of our home is down. We still own a great home and have a mortgage that we can afford.

We are not moving anytime soon. Sure, out home is a little small for the four of us by todays standards. But that’s ok. We bought and house and have a house that we call a home here in Stratford. Who cares what the value of the home is.

I know many of you wont agree with me. I’m not sure that if I was looking for a home in Stratford right now I would agree with me. I might keep signing six month leases and shop homes for the next eighteen months before I buy.

It’s a scary real estate environment for investors but I truly do believe that buying in a market downturn is a great strategy when you are looking for a place to live. Barring any catastrophes there’s no way that in ten to fifteen years your home won’t be worth more than it is today.

Any questions? Use the contact form below. If I don’t have an answer I’ll put you in touch with someone that will.

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