Litchfield County real estate information, local events and more.

Snow on the roof..... the driveway... the front walk, everywhere in New Milford CT.

Good news, no more snow for January! February, however, is a different matter. My new obsession is looking for snow on the rooftops here in the greater New Milford, CT area. Litchfield County was spared the amounts the rest of the state got with the last snow storm, although 6 inches on top of the 2 plus feet we got before is more than enough. My daughter is having problems at her house with snow and ice backing up and leaking into the house. I managed to snag a roof rake in my travels at the local Agway, getting one is quite an accomplishment these days. I have found a few websites that tell you how to make your own with pipe and scrap wood. Here is an example of one.

Getting the snow off the roof is half the battle, the other half is getting rid of the ice jams. A local roofer told my daughter to lightly salt the ice jams, emphasis on the word lightly. There are also signs popping up in the huge snow banks of people who will remove the snow from your roof. It might seem costly at the time, I heard an average of $1,200, but in the scheme of things this is not so bad a proposition if you consider the alternative. If you use one of these companies, make sure to see their business license and insurance. You don't want someone falling off your roof that is not insured to do the work!

This morning I am throwing a bit of salt on the ice jam along the back of the house. I am lucky, I live in a salt box so the gutter is just about reachable with no ladder needed. The snow seems to have melted the ice on the front of the house, and the winds have done a fine job of blowing the snow off the roof. But as I drive around I see porches that have a few feet of snow, sometimes entire homes. Killer icicles are hanging down in places people just can't reach, and getting around to these parts of the homes is not an easy feat.

As the forecast is calling for more significant snow on the way this week, do take the time to remove what you can. And remember, if your house is on the market, please make sure the driveway is plowed and there is safe access to the house! I showed a home yesterday where the driveway was not plowed from the last storm. I couldn't drive in, and was unable to park on the road. I had to park at the very end and slosh through snow with my clients to show the house. The house in question is clearly a family in distress, but what bothered me most is that there were 2 teenage boys in the home watching TV and playing videos while mom was outside trying her best to clear the mess, apologizing to us that her boys just won't help. That is another matter entirely.

Snow on the roof in New Milford, CT? Take the time to clear it off before we get more snow, which is on the way.

(I am hoping one or two of my home inspector friends will weigh in on the subject of snow on the rooftops!)

I can't pay my mortgage, my house isn't worth what I owe, what can I do? New Milford, CT Real Estate Talk.

There is something you can and should do. Get in touch with a Realtor® who can assist you to sell your house "short". Be very careful to find someone who understand the short sale process, who has been successful in getting short sales approved and closed, someone who will tell you the truth about the value of your home as it relates to the current real estate market.

Tough talk ahead. I see homes listed all the time for more than they are worth in today's real estate market. Believe me, when I have a buyer interested your home I am now investigating EVERYTHING! Not only am I checking at the building department to make sure you have permits for all those updates and additions you have done, but I am also taking a few extra steps. BEFORE my clients put an offer to paper, I am checking to see if I can figure out how much you might owe on your mortgage, how many mortgages you have, I am actually checking to see if there is anything on file with the CT judicial system, in case the foreclosure action has been started.

If I have a potential buyer for your home. I will be advising my buyers not to put an offer in on your home if you are listed too high, if there is no notation this is a short sale. Short and sweet. If you, or your agent do not want to admit that you are in a short sale position, we are moving on. I am seeing homes like this languish on the market, expire... and then... foreclosure. THIS DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN!

You are having trouble paying your mortgage, you call in a few agents, this is what you might here from some, but not from me.

• How much money to you need to get out of the sale?
• What price do you want to list at?
• Let's throw it on at what you need to satisfy the debt and see what happens.

Some may not even ask you if you are in trouble or what you owe! I am asking everyone what you owe up front. I have to know. If you want to list your house high and run the very real risk of losing it to foreclosure, I am not the agent for you. If you want to hear the truth, please feel free to contact me. Foreclosures are expected to rise 20% in 2011 overall. Why not do everything you can to avoid this?

Short sales in New Milford CT can and do work. First, you have to face the reality that you owe more than your house is worth. Next, you have to face the fact that prices of homes are down in our area, so what you want or need to get out of the sale of your home in New Milford CT has NO relevance to what it is worth. NONE. This is the hardest concept for struggling home owners to grasp. The goal of a short sale is to sell you home as quickly as possible for the best price possible. The current real estate market and the condition of your home will determine the best price possible.

You do have other choices if you can no longer pay your mortgage.

• You can contact your lender and try to do a loan modification. If you no longer have the ability to pay, this probably won't work.
• You can ask the bank to take the house back, called a deed in lieu of foreclosure. You won't be "on the hook" for the balance left after your lender sells your home, however it can cost you up to 250 points on your credit score.
• You can do nothing. The lender will eventually foreclose, you could be responsible to pay the difference between what you owe and what the house sells for, and your credit score can take a bit hit.

I would suggest you contact an attorney to discuss all the options available to you, including bankruptcy. If you and your attorney determine that a short sale would be the best way to go, contact a Realtor® who has successfully negotiated short sales. They can and do work.

If you live in the greater New Milford, CT area and are no longer able to pay your mortgage, call me at 203.460.1775. I will discuss your short sale options and give you the names of some local attorneys who can discuss your best options with you, I have been successful at closing short sales. But so something! More than anything else, please remember that you are not alone.

I can't pay my mortgage, my house isn't worth what I owe, what can I do? New Milford, CT Real Estate Talk.

Fun in the sun snow in New Milford CT!

The snow has been the topic of the week everywhere I go. Where to put it, how much more could we get, on and on. I don't remember dealing with this much snow at one time, ever. Tonight I saw a wall of snow in front of my daughters house about 6 feet high! (where is your camera when you need it?) And I have to say the town of New Milford is working hard to clean up the mess left behind. Despite all the issues that we are all dealing with, cleaning our mailboxes to ensure delivery, getting the roofs cleaned off, knocking down the icicles, shoveling, shoveling and more shoveling... some people know how to have fun with the white stuff piling up around our heads! I found this guy on the town green in New Milford, he was bringing smiles to all that drove by. Of course, only those driving up the east side of the green could see him because the snow is piled so high on the west side, the green is invisible to those driving by!

Notice the Christmas tree behind the snowman, they are all still up on the green, they are probably going to be there until about May or so.... at least they add a bit of color to the frozen, white tundra that used to be our town green! At least the lights on the trees have been disconnected, however the gazebo is still decorated and lit as well as all the street lamps. They shine bright like a beacon to remind us there is no way to get to them to shut off the switch!!!!

New Milford CT January 2011 beats all records!

We have officially had more snow than ever in Connecticut, we have beaten the recorded records! And they are predicting more snow next week... I don't know if I should laugh or cry! New Milford didn't get hit as hard as the rest of the state, for once this season, Litchfield County did not take the brunt of the storm. But 6 inches on top of what we have already is pretty hard to deal with, I mean... where do you put the stuff? I can't lift it any higher to throw it while shoveling!

So here is my great adventure today. Because sometimes getting to the office is an adventure.

The sun is breaking through the clouds, the snow is over, life is good!

The front of my car was buried in a snow drift over the hood...

When I get to the office the stairs to the upper level deck look like the Prudential Adams Luge Track.... someone get me a sled!

The view from my desk is almost obliterated by an ever growing snow mound outside.... And they moved half of it last week!

Just when does spring get here? We've only just begun... On the bright side, the farmers will be happy, this will certainly help the crops get a good start in the spring! Ahh... to dream....

And if you steal it... I'm a 'comin.... sleep with both eyes open....

I reblogged a post by the Queen of Anti-Plagiarism today. Lenn Harley is a great resource for us all in many areas, but especially in the area of plagiarism. It is a pretty simple theory, it goes something like this...

I got a very interesting comment on the reblog this morning that spurred me to write this post. Someone asked why I wouldn't want to share? Fair enough, I will explain. Let me preface the rest of this by saying I am NOT a plagiarism expert. I follow simple rules, if it ain't mine, I don't use it. UNLESS I have permission, credit the author, link back, etc. PERMISSION, and not implied consent.

I believe we are all inspired by others. There is not a thought that is not somehow influenced by what we see, what we hear, what we read. There is nothing wrong with that. But when we take the time to put it into our own words it becomes our work, which we are entitled to. The law says so.

What about art work? Well here is the thing. I do one of 2 things. Either I make it, or I buy it. Once in a great while I use something that has a creative commons license on it, BUT NOT UNTIL I ACTUALLY CHECK BACK WITH THE OWNER! Could it be it is a bit of an over kill? Maybe... but I just don't have the money to pay someone for a lawsuit.

My work takes me time to do. Photos I take are MINE.... I better not find them elsewhere. Point blank, end of story. They belong to ME. If I choose to give them to someone, fine, if I choose to put them on the web with a copyright, they are MINE. I am very particular about my work. Photos that you see online from me have taken me HOURS to pour through, to adjust, they are mine mine mine. Same with any silly jpeg I might do. It is mine. Mine mine mine. If you can't follow simple copyright law, if you can't respect me enough to ask me, to pay me, to take no for an answer then you will have to pay big time in the long run. Try asking a relative of Picasso's if you can scan one of his paintings.... In my own mind, I am Picasso... ok, so it is only in my own mind but still, it is MY mind! And I am a bit like my three year old grandson when you try to take his Spiderman away from him. "mine, mine, mine"!

If anyone has any misunderstandings about plagiarism, just do a search for it here on ActiveRain. Lenn has graciously provided us with enough information to last quite a while.

So remember, the best rule of thumb, if it ain't yours... don't use it! There is nothing complicated about that. And I am a pretty generous person by the way. If asked, I might be inclined to say sure, go ahead, with credit to me, my copyright appearing on my photos and a link back to me. BUT DAMMIT, YOU BETTER ASK FIRST!

I return programming back to our fun loving easy to get along with Andrea....

Warning.... if you can't write your own content, if you can't pay a paultry sum for clipart on the web... if you can't get permission, it could cost you big time. Money AND respect.

Copy paste should be banned.... seriously....Think long and hard before stealing someone's content. I am wondering how long this fool that actually had the nerve gall stupidity to copy Lenn's material will keep the stolen content up?

In case the world of copyright has you baffled, here is something that should make perfect sense to you and your wallet....

IF IT AIN'T YOURS... DON'T USE IT!

• 1926, Candlewood Lake project began
• 1929, Candlewood Lake was considered full
• Candlewood Lake is mainly fed from the waters of the Housatonic River in New Milford, CT
• Candlewood Lake is the largest man made lake in CT at 5,420 acres

I am thinking I have seen to much snow here in New Milford, CT. Like a mirage... I started seeing what appeared to be frozen waves and waves breaking in front of me....

I think I was outside too long. At least the dog knows how to have fun, now if only I could put him to work for real....

Snow daze in New Milford, CT!

IF YOU THINK BLOGGING IS A WASTE OF TIME, DON'T READ THIS.... PLEASE...

My dear friend Judy Jennings has a pretty amazing story about her success as a direct result of ActiveRain. The fewer that post on a regular basis in my area means more for those of us who are here pounding our fingers on our keypads, taking zillions of photos...(me).

Take a moment to congratulate Judy!

I am taxed for it, therefore it exists! Au contraire mon frere, think again!

New Milford, CT Real Estate Talk.

Just because you are taxed on it does NOT mean your 4 season sunporch, your deck, whatever improvement you may have made on your house is allowed. Yesterday I wrote about obtaining those pesky building permits for work done on your home in New Milford, CT. You can read it here.

The building department and the tax assessors office do not speak to each other. And the tax assessors office and the zoning department don't speak either! OK, it has nothing to do with the fact that they don't like each other. They probably like each other just fine! But what you are taxed on and what you have in your file at the building department may not match and neither department will be the wiser until.....you go to sell the house.

But you know when they will sit down and have a very long conversation? When it comes to light you made alterations without going through the process of obtaining a building permit, without zoning approval. They will talk to each other and then talk to you, and it won't be pleasant!

A fellow Realtor® from another part of the country left me a comment in my previous post about a house that had been divided into apartments after zoning was put in effect. The owner had enjoyed the luxury of rental income. Years later the house went on the market, buyer finds out the owner didn't get permits for the alterations even though the house was being taxed as a multi family home. End result? The house is deemed a single family home by the city. Think that will make a difference to the sale? You bet.... My guess is the owner was told to remove the apartments, talk about a nightmare!

I have seen it happen myself. Homeowner put in an apartment quite a while ago, after zoning regs went into effect here in New Milford. For years the owner rents out the apartment, the owner is taxed as a multi family. Great set up, nice house, 2 car garage with a sweet income producing apartment attached. But uh oh... the owner only had a permit to put in an "accessory apartment". There was not supposed to be a kitchen, it was never meant to be rented. Fast forward to many years later, the house is on the market when this fact comes to light. The town could have insisted the owner remove the kitchen in the apartment. The buyer was ready to walk, the mortgage approved was based on the rental income. After 2 zoning hearing, attorney fees, building department meetings, time wasted, stress, anger, the building department approved the structure, the zoning department allowed the rental apartment, the house was legally changed to a multi family. Talk about a headache! It took months to fix the situation. For this particular home owner the end result was a good one, however it was tense.

Do not assume that because you are taxed on it that your improvement made without a permit will be ok. And no, the town won't be reimbursing you all that extra tax money you paid for your illegal improvement! But they may make you remove it! Just because you are taxed for it does NOT mean it exists!

Stay tuned for more New Milford CT real estate talk.