With all the economic news, numbers and statistics coming at us every day, I thought it would be good to keep all the numbers in perspective and not to let them age us too fast.  Here is one of my favorite pieces to help keep all these numbers from overwhelming us. Hope this brings a smile to your face, too!  HOW TO STAY YOUNG  (by George Carlin)1. Throw out nonessential numbers. These include age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, investments, sports, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.4. Enjoy the simple things.5. Laugh often, long and lou... 08/07/2009

After two of the stronger months for sales in the last year, Fairfield is now only trailing 2008 by 21%.  June and July home closings are bringing us back from trailing by up to forty percent earlier in the year.  Selling prices seemed to have stablized at 10-15% below last year. The Fed Stimulus programs now seem to be having an impact.  First Time Home Buyers only have till December 1st to close on a home to be eligible for the $8,000 Tax Credit program. The rebound is being driven by home sales under $1 Million.  The highend segment is still experiencing the brunt of the slowdown.  Home Sales over $1 Million are running 28% behind last year and 60% behind 2007.   For homes over $3 Million, we only have 2 homes sold so far this year.  Compare this to 12 at this point in 2007. Keep you... 08/03/2009

Mike Tetreau recognized as Tops in Sales  Mike Tetreau was recently named to the company's Chairman's Elite Club by William Raveis Real Estate CEO and Chairman William Raveis. The club is reserved for real estate sales professionals who have achieved over $9 million in real estate sales in 2008. Tetreau and his team were one of the top two sales teams for the Raveis Southport Office. Tetreau was singled out for recognition from among 1,900 William Raveis sales associates in 59 offices throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. "All of our sales associates are stars, and the Chairman's Elite Club is the ultimate expression of that," Raveis commented.  "We're proud to honor this group of top-producing real estate professionals for their consistently superior achievement." Tet... 07/26/2009

Photo GalleryDescriptionMint Condition Cape in convenient neighborhood location. Impeccably Maintained. Many Updates including Central Air. Sun Room overlooks private backyard. Large Lot - .38 Acres. Room for Expansion. Original Owner - First Time on Market. Close to Merritt Parkway. Please call today for your personal showing.FeaturesBedrooms: 3Bathrooms: 1.5Year Built: 1950Lot Size: .38 AcresGarage Size: 1School District: JenningsSquare Footage: 1469Agent Name: Mike TetreauBroker: William Raveis Real EstateMLS #: 98428572Location367 Woodridge Avenue Fairfield CT 06825Powered by vFlyer.comvFlyer Id: 2651004 07/25/2009

LinksFairfield Homes for SalePhoto GalleryDescriptionHere is a diamond that has been polished just for you! The Curb Appeal makes a great first impression. The Front Porch says Welcome to all guests. As you enter, you will notice the spacious Front to Back Living Room. On your left, you can see the Formal Dining Room. Shining Hardwood Floors abound. The Updated Kitchen comes complete with New Tile Floor, New Countertops, New Tile Backsplash and New under cabinet Lighting. You will find a New Washer and Dryer in the first floor Laundry area right off the Kitchen. The Kitchen door leads you to a large deck – perfect for summer entertaining and a surprisingly large and private backyard. Plenty of outdoor play area. The Full Bath has been recently updated with New Hardwood Flooring, New Van... 07/25/2009

A lot of homeowners have the mind set that making payments on time automatically equates to good credit and credit scores.  Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth. While paying your bills on time accounts for a large portion of your credit score, there's still a lot more to it. In fact, paying your bills on time only drives 1/3rd of the points in your credit score, which means that 2/3rds of your score has nothing to do with making on time payments. Five main categories go into making up your overall credit score calculation. Let's briefly review each category and how much they count: 1. Payment History - The Most Important CategoryThis category is pretty self-explanatory. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you pay your bills on time, you'll do well... 06/08/2009

How to Go Green and Reduce Your Home's ExpensesGoing green isn't just for environmentalists anymore...it's for all homeowners who want to save thousands when building a new home or updating their current residence. There are a variety of ways to make your home more energy efficient, from simply switching to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (saving about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime), to installing solar panels (saving up to $2,500 on an average home's annual utility bill). Plus, according to the Appraisal Institute, for every dollar saved on a property's utility bill, a home's appraised value increases about $20. As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network(R), I am frequently asked about the best ways to make a home energy efficient-here are some suggest... 06/07/2009

New Passport Law The new Passport Law takes effect today.  With all the summer vacation plans for this summer, please make sure if you are leaving the country even just to Canada that you have your passport with you. You will need it for re-entry to the US.  This change was delayed from  2007 but it is in full effect now. So if you are travelling might be a good idea to check with your travel agent to be sure you have all the paperwork you need to get to your destination and back!   In the meantime, Happy Trails to you and your family.  All the best, Mike 06/01/2009

Gov't allows short-term loans for tax credit   By ALAN ZIBEL AP Real Estate Writer Updated: 05/29/2009 03:26:04 PM EDT WASHINGTON-Thousands of first-time homebuyers will be able to get short-term loans so they can quickly make use of a new $8,000 tax credit to pay for some of the costs of buying a home. The Federal Housing Administration on Friday released details of a plan in which borrowers who use FHA loans can get advances from lenders that let them effectively receive the credit in advance, so they don't have to wait to get the money from the Internal Revenue Service. Most borrowers will still have to come up with the FHA's required 3.5 percent down payment, unless they work through a state or local housing agency or an approved nonprofit. Ten states have such programs in place, ac... 05/29/2009

According to the CT Post this morning, the petition for a Referendum on the Town Budget fell short of the required number of signers needed.  This Referendum would have asked for a reduction in the Board of Education budget for FY2010 of over $2 Million.  The budget currently includes a .32 percent or approx a one third of one percent increase over the prior year. With the Referendum not passing, now all eyes turn to Hartford where the State Legislature is still debating.  Recent reports say they will very likely miss their June 3rd deadline for finalizing a budget.  Some even say June 30th is in doubt.  So this means that the State and every town & municipality may start the next fiscal year either unsure of funding or short on funding...this will impact Towns and Boards of Educations ... 05/19/2009

   After talking with the Fairfield Town Clerk's Office, here is the latest update - Apparently a series of Referendum petitions have been turned into the Town Clerk's Office. So it won't be until sometime tomorrow (Tuesday) that we know if there are enough certified signatures to force a Referendum....stay tuned! The Petition must have 1833 certified signers.....so the Town Clerk's office has to first count the number and verify that the signers are registered voters before a determination can be made about the Referendum.     05/18/2009

May 18, 2009   Update on Mom and Dad Hi! It seems I get asked every day how Mom and the Coach are doing. I thought I should take a moment and give everyone an update.  They are celebrating some very big milestones this week. On May 21st, Mom and Dad will celebrate the 60th Wedding Anniversary!  As you might expect, the Coach came up with a very ingenious way to never forget his anniversary.  He got married on his birthday! So on this very same day, Dad turns 88. Mom and Dad moved out of their home on Nutmeg Lane a few years back. They are now enjoying the easy life in a Condo.  You can also reach Dad on email at CoachTetreau@aol.com.  We are still trying to get Mom on the computer so if you want to email her, please send it by way of the Coach. Hope this finds you and your family enjoyi... 05/18/2009

Change in Fed Regulations - Use your $8,000 Now! In keeping up with the latest news, there was been a significant change in one of the Administrations tax credit programs.  Yesterday, the Secretary of HUD announced that FHA is going to permit it's lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment when obtaining a government insured mortgage.  This is a change in the way that the program had been setup when it arrived as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The law states that qualifying homebuyers may claim up to $8,000 (or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately) on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns.  Before this change, homebuyers would have to wait until they filed their 2008 or 2009 returns to receive the credit.  Now, F... 05/13/2009

From the First Selectman and Paul Hiller, we have the following as numbers....   FY 2009 (aka this year) - $3,597,485 for ECS Grants (including both what we have received and what we expect to receive by yearend)   FY 2010 (aka the budget) - $3,575,407 - the amount includes the $502k and change that we reduced the Town Revenue by because it is going directly to the BOE but is still counted as ECS Grant money by the State   So if these two numbers are accurate, then we are approx $20,000 lower in ECS Grants for FY2010 than the prior year....so no penalty situation is involved.       The difference in these two numbers compared to Revenue line 4100 is that there are two smaller State Aid Grants that are  included in our Town's Revenue but not part of the ECS Calculation.     If anyone kno... 05/12/2009

Here is an explanation from the CT Assoc of Boards of Education or CABE that Cathy Albin passed along...   This seems to have us covered....there is no penalty to the Town if the BOE funding is less than the prior year.    Now we can discuss what is really the most important issue - What quality of Education do we want to fund for our town?   Also - the one big caveat to what you are about to read - this assumes the State actually funds the remaining balance on the  FY09 ECS Grant. If that amount is cut more than $20,000 and the regulation is renewed, we could be back to facing penalties.  Of course, the State won't make that decision until after we vote on the Referendum if that is approved.   Here is what Ms. Albin sent along...   May 8, 2009 =0 D Patrice McCarthy, Deputy Director and... 05/12/2009

New Coach on board....from the CT Post....   Warde football's next coach: Duncan DellaVolpe Fairfield Warde will announce Ansonia native and New Canaan assistant Duncan DellaVolpe as its next head coach Thursday during a meeting with sudents. DellaVolpe was a standout at -- where else? -- Ansonia in the late 1980s and was a captain on the 1990 squad along with John Picheco, Dennis Tinney and Kevin Sharkey. He's spent the last 10 years as an assistant coach under Lou Marinelli at New Canaan. As the team's offensive coordinator, he was was a big part of the team's recent switch to a spread offense and developed three different quarterbacks into state champions -- Curtis Casali, Charlie Westfal and Nate Quinn. DellaVolpe, who was rumored to be a top candidate for the job back in the winter... 05/09/2009

    I am trying to get my arms around the mechanics of the impact of a $2.1 Million cut....and there are a host of assumptions at work....let me try to lay out the ones I see....and I would ask for anyone's help with factual support for how this might play out...     If the State Legislature renews the MBR (Min Budget Requirement)....   We need some input on the likelihood of this and possible amendments....     and the Referendum is passed....(not sure how much support it has but for discussion sake let's play this out)   We must cut $2.1 Million Ed Budget...     Then here is what I understand will most likely follow....   Then the BOF would meet and lower our mill rate (I assume - does the BOF have to make a Mill Rate Adjustment? Could the Town just keep the Revenue overage?)   Then i... 05/07/2009

     Although it is best to keep your eyes on the road while driving down the winding roads, it is amazing that sometimes you can see some of the wild life that is usually hidden in the shadows of the thick trees.       At a quick glance I thought I spied small stray dog, and pulled my car off the road to get a better look.  With windows rolled up, this was the scene that was camouflaged by the tall grass.  Sad and unpleasant, it was still a fascinating see a fox.  The small deer must have been a victim of being hit by a vehicle.  It was a rare look at the circle of wildlife in Connecticut.     I grabbed my camera and snapped a few photographs.    05/06/2009

A Referendum Petition is being prepared.   It is asking for a $2.1 Million cut to the BOE Budget.     This is not a wise move.  As we learned this week during the RTM discussions, the State has guidelines that penalize Towns that don't maintain BOE funding to certain levels.   With the budget we just passed, we are in violation and will have to increase BOE funding by $48,000 or face a 2 to 1 dollar penalty in reduction of future State funding. So as of right now, the Town must take $48,000 out of contingency and move it over to the BOE budget line.   If the Referendum passes, beside the detrimental effect on our school system, it would have a major impact on the finances of our entire Town making us lose 2. to 1 or $4.2 Million in State funding....I am not quite sure of the mechanics a... 05/06/2009

The new Tax Rate in Fairfield is set at 18.90 Mills or a 1.72% increase from this year. The new Tax Rate goes into effect on July 1, 2009.    Other Towns in the area will be finalizing their tax rates over the next two weeks...stay tuned for more updates....   All the best, Mike 05/06/2009