Millie's Blog

Contrarian investors know to jump in when everyone else is fleeing. Right now the news couldn't be bleaker, but could this be the bottom of the real estate slump? I am awaiting Congress' vote for the $700 million bailout with the rest of you. Another big bank was scooped up at a bargain basement ...

....like a kidney stone - not without discomfort. To think this mortgage mess started as a result of too much liquidity in the market place. In the past five years, there was an abundance of money looking for an investment vehicle that would pay a much higher rate of return than those available a...

Fall is a particularly beautiful season here in Connecticut. As nature puts on her display of color, I feel a sense of serenity. Or, I have in the past. With the changing winds in Washington, I'm feeling unsettled and unclear as to the direction of the real estate market.  Our government has beco...

We all know that sub-prime lending is harder and harder to find. 100% financing has all but disappeared. But did you know that the vacuum has been filled by FHA? This may be the catalyst needed to get first time homebuyers in, freeing sellers to trade up to their dream home. We have a clog in the...

Have you noticed how stressed everyone seems to be lately? Too much bad news and too much information flying at us are making people cranky. In these trying times it is best to keep things simple. There are some basic tenets to real estate that I share with my clients as we work together. These t...

Fortune's inaugural Small Business Magazine for April 2008 has named Hamden, Connecticut one of the 100 best places in America to live and start a small business! Hamden came in #33 on the list, reflecting the town's focus on bringing in new business in manufacturing, health care, and services. T...

Do you have clients that come with a pre-approval in hand, and just need to find the perfect house? I'm finding that many banks today are changing the terms of the mortgage once the property is found. These are not "fly by night" lenders, but large banks with proven track records. Buyer Beware! A...

... and other schemes. Have  you received calls from your nocturnal clients who watch infomercials promising great buys and quick profits in real estate? I get these calls periodically - mostly to ask if these opportunites exist locally. They don't. The market in Connecticut is slow, but not that...

I am starting to see some life come back to our local Hamden market. There are a few more homes on "show" status or on deposit. The inventory is growing, but well below the numbers at the end of December. What I am also seeing is an unusual number of houses for rent in the area. Perhaps people ar...

Lately I've been humming a few of those depression era songs. They are so bright and positive - perfect for gloomy times. I am, by nature, a positive person. I remind myself that these tough economic times will pass, just as they did in the mid 1990s in Connecticut.  The early 90s was a time of b...