Archive for June 2014

Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Candlewood Lake Danbury CT Home For Sale  

Are you thinking about putting your Candlewood Lake Danbury CT home for sale? Selling a lakefront property can be challenging because you have a smaller target market of available buyers.

There are a lot of things you can do to make your Candlewood Lake home for sale more appealing and stand out from the other lakefront homes for sale in Candlewood Lake Danbury CT. Here are a few tips:

1. Clean and and declutter your home. A clean home is very appealing to buyers. Declutter your home and remove all personal items and photos. Make sure your closets and storage areas are organized since buyers tend to open and inspect these as well. Touch up chipped paint and woodwork. Replace torn screens and cracked tiles. Clean all your windows. Replace towels and worn out rugs with new ones. Make sure all the areas with lake views are clear of obstructions. Consider hiring a professional to stage your home.

2. Kitchen. The kitchen is one of the most important rooms for buyers.  Make sure to clean appliances inside and out. Replace anything with leaks, drips, or squeaks. For countertops, apply the rule of three, which means no more than three things on display. Clean and organize the inside of kitchen cabinets.

3. Bathrooms. Keeping your bathroom looking immaculately clean and fresh is simple. Just replace the dirty grout with fresh grout, clean rust stains, and replace shower curtains with new ones. Make sure to fix leaky faucets and repair caulking.

4. Bedrooms. The master suite is the second most important room for buyers. A master bedroom with a well-defined sleeping, dressing, and sitting area is most appealing to buyers. Other bedrooms should be kept simple with just a simple bed, nightstand, and dresser.

5. Fireplaces/ Fire Rings. Place freshly cut logs, clean up ashes in the hearth or firebox, and polish the glass doors and trim.

6. Docks, Decking and Sidewalks. Instead of a garden hose, use a power washer to clean all walking surfaces on the dock, decking and sidewalks. If you don’t have a power washer, you can rent one at your local rental center or buy one at a hardware store. Check for rotten deck boards and replace them. Faded decking should be re-stained. Clear all debris, leaves, and undergrowth.

7. Boathouse. Clean your boathouse both inside and out. Sweep away all clutter, cobwebs, wasp and bird nests. You might want to remove large boats to enlarge your boathouse’s interior space. Showcase parts of the boathouse that offer extra storage space by making sure it is well lit. Add extra light fixtures if needed. Repaint the exterior if needed.

8. Waterfront. If you have lawn furniture, the best way to stage them is to position them in social gathering clusters, so guests could easily imagine having a gathering or barbecue area along your waterfront. Keep the shoreline clear of debris and dead fish.

9. Trees, Landscaping and Lawn. Keep your lawn well-maintained and uncluttered. Remove any unnecessary lawn items, debris, or toys. Get rid of weeds. Add fresh mulch. Make sure your grass is mowed and the trees and shrubs are trimmed.

10. Home Exterior. Repair the exterior of your lakefront home for sale if necessary. Repair any loose trim boards, doors, and windows. Your main door should be in excellent condition.

Buyers are more attracted to well-maintained properties. These tips will help attract buyers’ attention and get them to the doorstep of your Candlewood Lake Danbury CT home for sale.

Call Deborah Laemmerhirt now at 203-994-4297 and let her assist you with everything you need to know about Candlewood Lake Danbury CT homes for sale. Her years of experience as a preeminent real estate professional in Ridgefield, Redding, Wilton, New Fairfield, Brookfield, Bridgewater, Roxbury, Washington, Weston, Westport, Southbury, Kent, Sherman, Easton, and Bethel, CT, combined with her dedication to providing the finest service will make it easier for you to find your dream home in Connecticut.

Organize Your Closet.  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com. 

Organize Your Closet – maybe even create additional space. You can save tons of money getting your closet in shape if you use things are lying around your home says Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart Magazine Editor-in-Chief Lisa Lee Freeman.

Below are some no-cost and low-cost closet fixes featured in ShopSmart, plus their top two picks for do-it-yourself closet systems. The full list is available in the June 2014 issue.

Free or super-cheap:

Mason jars can be used to stash rolled-up belts, tights and scarves. Corkboards provide easy-access to jewelry particularly necklaces, earrings and bracelets (use decorative pushpins to dress it up). Ice cube trays are sized just right for earrings and other small jewelry items and they’re stackable. Rubber bands can secure bulky items, such as a puffy down vest or jacket, that have to be rolled up tightly.

$25 or less:

Rubbermaid Flex Tote storage boxes, $8 (homedepot.com) can be filled with cotton items and is easier to squeeze into tight spaces than traditional storage boxes. Hanger Hamper, $9 (containerstore.com) is a triangular bin that stores extra hangers neatly without tangling; the triangle shape nestles neatly into the corner of a closet. 3M Command Hooks, $3 (containerstore.com) can be hung anywhere in a closet where there is a little space to hang robes, nighties, necklaces and more. Acrylic shelf dividers, $17 each (organizeit.com) keep T-shirts, jeans, and sweaters neatly stacked on a shelf; they can also prop handbags upright and don’t add visual clutter.

Best Closet Systems

Do-it-yourself closet kits can save you hundreds of dollars over professionally installed systems.

ShopSmart tested those designed for a six-foot wide closet from ClosetMaid, Elfa, Ikea, Martha Stewart and Rubbermaid. Here’s a look at two of the winners:

Best Overall: Platinum Elfa Reach-In, $560 (containerstore.com) This system held all of the stuff without anything getting swooshed, plus it was the easiest and fastest unit to install, taking 35 minutes, with minimal drilling. There is a lot of customer support – online and video directions are clear.

Best for small closets: Rubbermaid Homefree Series, $90 (rubbermaid.com) This kit was the cheapest of the bunch and held all the stuff. It was also fairly easy to put together, though installation time took more than an hour. Organize Your Closet.

Bethel CT Home Market Data.  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com

Bethel CT Home Market Data. Whether you are interested in selling your Bethel CT home or you are considering Bethel CT as your next home town the information here may be helpful to you.

If you are researching Wilton CT or other area towns SELECT the following link: MARKET AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION. With a zip code you will be able to view community information, market analysis, school information and compare area towns in many categories. Comparing towns is a great way to identify advantages for you as you make your decision to sell or buy.

Take a look and see the Bethel CT Homes For Sale:  Homes For Sale In Bethel CT

On the plot below there is a red line drawn between 2000 and 2013. All the data above that line represents the “House Market Bubble.” The Median Sales Price increased from $245,000 in 2000 to $303,500 in 2013. If you purchased your home prior to 2000, and did not refinance money out you have good equity in your home.

Bethel CT Homes for sale – there are great opportunities for buyers and sellers.  Have Questions?  Please call 203-994-4297 – looking forward to hearing from you.