Unhappy with your property assessment? Applications for appeal are due February 20th! Have questions, or need advice? Give us a call.
Your Property Assessment
Waiting for Lower Costs?
Are you floored by the costs of home improvement or scared of buyers' remorse in this sellers' market? If you are on the sidelines waiting for costs to decline, know it could be decades! As your real estate partners, the KMS Team is ready to identify options and help you formulate intelligent real estate strategies.
Homeownership — Fall Maintenance Tips
If you’ve just moved in, chances are good that the previous owners did some tidying up before selling their home. If not, take a look at your home from the curb — does your driveway need sealing, windows need washing or the front door need painting? Fall is the perfect time for these tasks and more. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Upgrade While Replacing
Even at significant expense, upgrading things beyond cosmetics can have enormous value in a market where buyers seek “new” with no work required. Energy saving, environmentally friendly solutions - many with tax rebates and credits thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, are available and should be considered when making any home improvements.
Renovation: The Powder Room
As realtors, we often write, suggest or speak of a renovated bathroom. Conceptually, or in pictures, it seems pretty simple. Today, let’s take a look behind the scenes of a powder room update. We'll breakdown the costs, see what decisions the homeowner made and talk time, start to finish.
Breathe Easy(ier)
Ah, spring. The time to deep clean and air out our homes — who doesn’t love to throw open the windows on those first warm days? Deep down, we all know the quality of inside air can have a big impact on our health. So let’s take some steps to keep this spring feeling year-round by improving the overall air quality in our homes.
Pre-Marketing Your Home
Offering discretion and quality, the Compass Private Exclusives program provides the flexibility to share details about the your property to selective audiences, without divulging details to the general public. As an off-market listing, your home will not appear on public home search websites.
Furnished Homes Entice Buyers
Furnishings can make a house look & feel like home. If the furnishings are tasteful, in good condition and appropriate for a home’s architecture, the spaces feel more welcoming — enticing buyers to stay, forever.
Rent Forever or Buy a Home
There are many reasons why we believe buying a home is better than renting, but let's just focus on one — inflation. Yes, right now we are experiencing unusually high inflation, but inflation exists almost always.
Keeping Family & Pets Safe in the Great Outdoors
Lyme disease takes its name from Lyme, Connecticut, where the illness was first reported in 1975. It is spread by the black-legged deer tick that has been firmly established in Connecticut for several decades. A bacterial infection, Lyme is treated with antibiotics successfully when caught early but late Lyme disease can have persistent and often serious complications.
Minimize Your Capital Gains When Selling Your Home
Hopefully the rise in market prices has put you in a position to recognize a gain on the sale of your home. The first step in calculating the gain is to identify your home’s cost basis - meaning everything that you spent to pay for, improve or prolong the life of the product (aka your home).
Not One & Done, Test for Radon Every Two Years
Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that naturally occurs as the earth’s radioactive metals break down in rocks, soils and ground water. Occurring everywhere, it is estimated that 1 in 3 CT homes have elevated radon levels, whereas across the U.S. that number is only about 1 in 15 homes.
Thinking of downsizing but looking to stay local?
Historically low inventory means slim pickings for a new home, right? Not necessarily. Because you don’t necessarily have to replace your current residence with another house. Several exciting new projects offer Fairfield County residents innovative new ways to live. You just have to think outside the “housing” box.
The Joys and Perils of Self-Employment
Do you count yourself among the nearly 60 million Americans who are self-employed? Being your own boss has wonderful benefits — flexible hours, freedom in choosing projects/co-workers, control over work environment, ability to pursue your interests/ obtain skills and more. But it also has its downsides, such as proving a steady stream of income.
Spring is Here!
Now is the perfect time to get started on your spring cleaning. Improve the air quality, your mood and see your home in a brand new light! And it’s a mandatory first step if you are thinking of selling your home. Today’s home buyers want properties in pristine, move-in condition. Selling or staying, make productive use of these days at home…