People ask me how I come up with the photo for Photo Friday.  Sometimes people give me ideas but mostly the idea just presents itself.  Fortunately I ALWAYS have my camera with me.  I went to pick up the mail in my post office box on Wednesday and it occured to me that those that send mail to P.O Box 357 never actually know where it ends up, unlike a letter to the physical location at 8 Hurlbutt Road.  So, if you send something to P.O Box 357, here is the little holding cell where it remains until I rescue it.  Directly across from here, maybe two steps, is a large waste basket.  So if you are sending junk mail, it will be quickly relocated there.

Each year Connecticut Magazine publishes the Best of Connecticut awards.  It is my favorite issue of the year and when I receive it,  I quickly start flipping pages to see who won the award for best chicken wings, best clam chowder and best apple pie to name a few.  Yes, I do seem to gravitate to the food awards.  Sure, it is nice that the Wadsworth Atheneum won for best museum, but what’s more important than finding the best nachos? 

Which leads me to the best coffee award. While you might think Starbucks would be a natural winner, it isn’t so here in Connecticut.  That award goes to Dunkin’ Donuts. The first Dunkin Donuts was opened in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts its headquarters is located in Canton), so voting for Dunkin Donuts for best coffee in Connecticut seems like a neighborly thing to do.  If you have never tried Dunkin Donuts coffee and you live in Connecticut, finding a Dunkin Donuts shop is as easy as finding a real estate agent. They are everywhere.

A bit of good news to report! Overall inventory dropped by 10 listings as a result of 7 pending sales and a few expired and withdrawn listings.  5 of the pending sales last week were listed under $225,000, a price range that does remain active.  There were two closed sales in Ledyard/Gales Ferry last week and they had something in common; both were my listings, and both were in excellent condition.

Looking ahead, September and October are generally good months as buyers focus on finding a home to move into before the holidays.  Homes in superior condition and priced competitively should see activity.

There are currently 18 pending sales in Ledyard. The continued decline in number of sales has led to significant price reductions.  There were 8 price reductions this week totaling $140,000.

Today's Ledyard Snapshot

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 133
(Last week there were 143 active listings and one year ago there were 119 residential listings in Ledyard.)

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending:  18
One year ago there were 23 pending sales in Ledyard.

        Number of Homes Sold in 2008: 87 
One year ago there were 154 closed sales in Ledyard.

      The highest priced home to sell in Ledyard this year:   $740,000

         There were 8 price reductions this week totaling $140,000

Information contained in this report was obtained from the Connecticut Multiple Listing Service.

This week's photo is of Holmberg's Orchards, located on Route 12 in Gales Ferry

I guess I kind of expected it.  When I decided to sell the assets of my RE/MAX Realty Group office and stay on as an agent at the new RE/MAX Realty Group, I knew to anticipate the rumors.  Fortunately, blogging gives me the opportunity to clear up a few things so here goes....

To my competition: 

1.  I am not selling the office because business sucks.  I'm doing quite fine, but thank you for your obvious concern.

2.  No, I'm not interested in multi-level marketing no matter how much better you think my life will be.  My real estte career keeps me plenty busy.

3.  I am not "retiring" and you know it so knock it off, ok?

4.  I am not "going on the speaking circuit." (that's my favorite so far.)  Yes, I do speak at conventions and conferences and will continue to share what I've learned over 31 years.  I learn as much as I share at the events I attend.

To my valued clients:

After 31 years, I've decided I love listing and selling real estate more than unjammng copy machines and taking out the garbage.  I plan to sell a lot of real estate over the next few years.  For me, it doesn't get any better than that!

There are shorelines and there are shorelines.  A ride through Stonington Borough with its vintage homes, quaint shops, and favored restaurants (and a gazillion real estate offices) is a treat but arriving at the rocky shoreline is the best part.

Much of the same......

As expected, last week was quiet and I anticipate another slow one as we head into Labor Day weekend.  Overall inventory remained steady but still high at 143 active residential listings in Ledyard.  Typically there is a big jump in listings after the Labor Day weekend.  We’ll have to watch out for that! 

There are currently only 13 pending sales in Ledyard with several of those due to close next week. The continued decline in number of sales has led to significant price reductions.  There were 11 price reductions this week totaling $197,000.

Today's Ledyard Snapshot

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 143
(Last week there were 141 active listings and one year ago there were 125 residential listings in Ledyard.)

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending:  13
(One year ago there were 20 pending sales in Ledyard.)

Number of Homes Sold in 2008: 84 
(One year ago there were 152 closed sales in Ledyard.)

 The highest priced home to sell in Ledyard this year:   $740,000

 There were 11 price reductions this week totaling $197,000

Information contained in this report was obtained from the Connecticut Multiple Listing Service.

This weeks photo was taken on Inchcliffe Drive at Smith Pond.

The mayor is out of town for the next 3 days. That means someone gets to be the "acting mayor". Yep, that'd be me..

Here I am with Mayor Allyn being handed the keys to town hall.  You didn't think I'd miss that photo opportunity did you?

Blogging has given me a new enjoyment of photography as a hobby.  So much so that I’m threatening to buy a “real” camera rather than continue using my little point and shoot. The nice thing about my tiny camera is that it is ALWAYS in my purse just waiting for that perfect photo. 

I was bummed last week that I had to drive to Essex for a closing.  Having a closing as far away as Essex is a little unusual and the drive down the shoreline on a Friday afternoon was not one I was looking forward to.  I took consolation in the fact that Essex is picturesque town that might provide me with some photo opportunities.

As I approached the office where the closing would take place, my navigation system spoke “your destination is ahead on the left”, I glanced in that direction.  I’m sure it was the colors that attracted my attention, certainly not the sign for “Scott’s Farm and Greenhouses”. I quickly made a turn into the parking lot.  I had found my photo opportunity! 

There were a number of people with clippers in hand cutting flowers that were being sold by the pound. I'm sure these gardens fill plenty of vases throughout the summer.  I took more than a few photos and loaded my favorites on Flickr.  Enjoy!

Showing Activity is brisk but only under $200,000

In 2004, if buyers called the office looking for a home listed under $200,000, we let them know it was going to be very difficult to find something priced that low.  Four years later, Eastern Connecticut offers a large inventory in that price range and bank foreclosures keep adding to that list.  In Ledyard, there are currently 19 homes listed under $200,000

There were lots of showings in the under $200,000 range this week but there were no pending sales reported.   Four new listings were entered into the MLS this week as overall inventory inched up to 141 active listings.

There are 2 closed home sales to report for the week.  Ironically one of the lowest priced homes and one of the highest priced homes in Ledyard were reported closed.  

There were 5 price reductions this week totaling $50,000

As I mentioned in the report last weekend, August is traditionally slow so the activity (or lack of it) is not unusual.

Today's Ledyard Snapshot:

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 141

(Last week there were 138 active listings and one year ago
there were 127 residential listings in Ledyard.)

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending:  16
(One year ago there were 24 pending sales in Ledyard.)

        Number of Homes Sold in 2008: 80 
(One year ago there were 146 closed sales in Ledyard.)

      The highest priced home to sell in Ledyard this year:   $740,000

         There were 5 price reductions this week totaling $50,000

Photo taken on Shewville Road in Ledyard.

All information obtained from CTMLS and may not reflect all Ledyard sales.

As I watched a movie being filmed at the corner of Route 12 and Military Highway in Gales Ferry, more than one person said "A movie....in Gales Ferry?"

Yep, Gales Ferry is one of several Connecticut locations being used by producers Nick Huston and Paul Jarrett for a film called "Once More With Feeling." The comedy is expected to be released in 2009. 

Watch for these red and black cars at a traffic light.

There was a house listed in Gales Ferry this week at a price that defies all logic.  No, I won't give the location. I'm sure that would be an ethics violation, but boy am I tempted. My normally photo accented blog will remain photoless for this rant. 

What could the listing agent be thinking? Or smoking?  What a disservice to a seller to give them hope that their home would sell for 20% over market value. And how embarrassing for the agent.  I can hear the chuckles from other agents throughout Ledyard.  I suspect the agent isn't embarrassed though.  Sadly, especially for the seller, the agent probably hasn't a clue or was just hell bent on getting the listing at any cost.

I'm sure the home is lovely, but it isn't unique enough for there to be much question about the range of value. The listed price is not even close to that range.  Shouldn't that be a violation of the code of ethics? 

  The Slowest Weeks in Real Estate

For those that have been following my reports for the last few years, you’ll remember me talking about how the last couple of weeks of August are the slowest in real estate.  It seems everyone I know is on vacation this week and as we get farther into the month, families are getting the kids ready for school.  September and October have traditionally been much better months. 

There was only 1 pending sale this week, a bank foreclosure priced at $214,500.  Ledyard hasn’t seen a sale over $300,000 in several weeks. 

There were 7 new listings entered into the MLS this week but with 10 withdrawn and expired listings, overall inventory dropped again to 138.  That is a bit of good news.

There are 2 closed home sales to report. Note the list price and the sold price. Like last week, very close but remember this is after the prices had been reduced. There were 13 price reductions this week totaling $145,000.

Today's Ledyard Snapshot:

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 138

Last week there were 140 active listings.

One year ago there were 127 residential listings in Ledyard.

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending:  19

One year ago there were 24 pending sales in Ledyard.

        Number of Homes Sold in 2008: 72

             One year ago there were 144 closed sales in Ledyard.

      The highest priced home to sell in Ledyard this year:   $740,000

         There were 14 price reductions this week totaling $145,000

This week's photo was taken in my yard of one of my favorite hostas.

This is the cool rig of the photographer from High-View Photography of Mystic CT. Today he was shooting my waterfront listing at 26 Bluff Road West in Gales Ferry Village.   

There seemed to be a bit of a flurry in showing activity this week although I’ll need to qualify that statement just a bit.  The flurry of showings happened on listings under $300,000; showings on homes over $300,000 remained disappointingly quiet.

As I mentioned last week, each week is very different and I’m never quite sure what news I am going to report each weekend.  This week I can report that the flurry of showings produced offers and as a result there were 4 pending sales, all under $300,000.

There were 8 new listings entered into the MLS this week but with 4 pending sales, and withdrawn and expired listings, overall inventory dropped from 145 to 140 active listings. .

Based on the showing feedback I’m receiving on our HomeFeedback website, it is pretty apparent that buyers are looking for homes in almost perfect condition, not surprising with so much inventory.

There were 10 closed home sales. There were 13 price reductions this week totaling $137,000.

Today's Ledyard Snapshot

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 140
Last week there were 145 and one year ago there were 122 residential listings in Ledyard for sale.

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending:  19
One year ago there were 27 pending sales in Ledyard.

        Number of Homes Sold in 2008: 72
             One year ago there were 142 closed sales in Ledyard.

      The highest priced home to sell in Ledyard this year:   $740,000

         There were 13 price reductions this week totaling $137,000

This week's photo was taken at Holmberg Orchards on Route 12 in Gales Ferry.

by guest blogger, Jo Wood

Knowing that one of the biggest cruise ships afloat was coming to New London, my curiosity got the best of me and I thought it would be interesting to learn a little more about the passengers who were travelling here to New England. I wondered what kind of things they might want to see and do. So, I offered up my services to the New London County Historical Society to acompany one of the tour buses on the day they arrived:  July 4th.

The ship offered quite a range of tours from Newport, Rhode Island to other places here along the Connecticut shoreline, such as Mystic and Essex. I had a nice cordial group of tourists ranging from eight years old to an elegant lady well into her 80's. I kept the information concise and helpfully interesting. I spoke about the history of New London harbor and the ship building of Mystic. Since we were headed to the Mystic Aquarium that day, I wanted them to know a little more about the Institute of Exploration that is now centered there. They were fascinated by the work of the famous underwater explorer, Dr. Robert Ballard. He moved his research center to Mystic in 1997. It only came to light a short time ago that Dr. Ballard was on a covert mission to uncover information about two nuclear submarines that sank back in the 1960's.  The U.S. Navy agreed to help fund his research to locate the Titanic if he would first use his underwater surveillance robotic submarine to gather as much top secret information as possible from the bed of debris scattered on the ocean floor.

My group was happily entertained at the Aquarium and also managed to get some shopping in at the Olde Mystik Village.  This is a shopping center made up of a series of buildings that replicate an old New England Village. There is a wonderful range of shops from a General Store and Munson's Chocolates to a boutique that caters to cats and dogs. On the way back I told them about the local Indian tribes that occupy this part of New England.

I also gave them a brief history of the Thames River, where their elegant cruise ship was docked. We can also brag about two of the largest are employers being located on the Thames River, Pfizer and Electric Boat as well as being the home of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, and the Naval Submarine Base which is home to 21 attack submarines, the latest having been christened a month ago as the New Hampshire.

Now I am anxiously awaiting the next arrival of the Explorer with her cruisers.  She is scheduled to come back for another visit Friday, August 1st. Hopefully I will meet up with another group of curious tourists who are anxious to learn about our wonderful little part of the world.  Now I am off to get my tour guide uniform ready which just happens to be a white polo shirt and khaki pants!  Follow me....

Jo wood is guest blogger and the owner of Showhouse Ready, an interior decorating & design studio located on Route 12 in Gales Ferry.