Jessica Beganski

As far as adding value - that's questionable. It's a bonus to have gas no matter what because a lot of people like to cook with it. But all people really care about the age of the system. Since you just replaced it, I don't think it's worth to go and spend another few thousand dollars to convert to gas.

I could eat those words if home heating fuel keeps going up but natural gas isn't cheap either.

If you feel strongly though, call CT Natural Gas. I converted to gas a few years ago and because gas was already in my house they gave me $ off the price of the furnace. As long as gas is in your street, and it probably is since you're in West Hartford, they may be running a deal to convert you. My installation cost about $4500 but $1500 was to remove an old cast iron furnace so I'd expect less.

One thing you may consider that I've heard alot about lately is the tankless water heaters. They're supposed to be super efficient. If you're going to replace your hot water heater soon, that might be the thing to get that would help lower your bills. - Tue May 13 2008, 18:44

Assuming your home is priced competitively, buyers are seeing something different, otherwise you would be getting closer to asking price offers. Without seeing your home, I'll make some suggestions:
-Clean it out. Remove photos, knick-knacks, clutter, etc.
-Clean the house. Fingerprints, smoke, pets, dirty bathtubs etc turn people off. Your house doesn't have to be new or updated but it has to be clean.
-Clean up the yard, especially the front.
-Find the unique characteristics of your home and show them off. Different sells.
-Walk through your competition, especially those that have recently gone under contract. What are the buyers seeing in those other homes that they're not in your home?
-Find out what the selling time is in your area and base your expectations on this. If you want to sell faster than everybody else, your price needs to be at least 5% less than everyone else.
Good luck! - Tue May 13 2008, 15:25

With a radon mitigation system installed, the level should go down to what is acceptable - a level under 4.

The resale question is difficult to answer without knowing the home. You find the highest levels of radon closer to the ground. So if the basement is unfinished then radon is not generally a issue - unless you have a nervous buyer. If the basement is finished and/or there is living space in the basement and/or the buyers plan to spend a lot time (e.g. a business or hobby), then radon is more of an issue. It all depends on whether the buyer is educated about radon BEFORE seeing the home.

Radon affects people differently and there is no way to determine how someone is going to be affected. I recently had a class on radon and the instructor gave us an example of a daughter and father who had been running a tailoring business from their lower level and both spent the same amount of time in the area. After more than a decade, one developed cancer and the other did not - despite their exposure being the same. The radon levels were very high in the home - which they discovered later. - Mon May 12 2008, 05:38

First, her experience and location don't necessarily count against her. In fact, her lack of experience could be more of a benefit and the location depends on what she's doing to counter her marketing presence in town. These days, web presence is more important than local presence so it may not be a big deal.

I recommend you sit down with your agent and ask her a few questions:
- Is your home being advertised to people most likely to buy in your area? Both the CT MLS and the MLS systems in Fairfield County?
-How did she (and even you) determine listing price? Did she look at recent sales and current homes on the market as well as pending sales? Did she physically walk through your competition? I suspect and agree with most of the other agents that your issue is likely price.
-What is the Average Days on market in your town? How much inventory on the market? We have a listing right now in a town with 22 months of inventory - that's really slow.
- Did she do a broker's open house? Agents often do this to get a feel for whether the listing is priced appropriately before too much time on the market.

Good luck to you! - Thu May 8 2008, 06:25

There a few options - CREC has magnet schools. Hartford also has schools - but I think the deadline for admission next year has passed and placements for next year have been made.

If you are moving to Hartford, I think you can take part in either CREC or Hartford's schools. I suggest you contact the Board of Education in Hartford. Here is a link:
http://www.hartfordschools.org/magnetschools/home.shtml - Tue May 6 2008, 04:30