Simply Ledyard CT

Ledyard Photo Friday - Sawmill Park

The Town of Ledyard owns the 11–acre Sawmill Park, which includes a water powered up-down saw, shingle mill, blacksmith shop, a gristmill, ice harvesting equipment, and other mill artifacts of the Industrial Revolution.  The mill museum is located in an 1860 restored building.  The saw mill is operational from April-May and October-November. The park with two-acre pond is open year round and on this day, I found a few fishermen on the shore.

Holmberg Orchards in Gales Ferry Spring Wine Tasting

Apple blossoms in bloom at Holmberg Orchards this May will be accompanied once again by the tantalizing sounds of wine bottles being uncorked and acoustic guitar music in the air and over the lawns at the 3rd annual Blossoms & Bottles Festival.

Blossoms & Bottles 2010, from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Holmberg Orchards in Gales Ferry, will feature tastings of wines and ciders from multiple Connecticut wineries, including Holmberg Orchards’ most recent release, a peach wine, World Peach. Other wineries in attendance will include Sharpe Hill Vineyards of Pomfret, CT, Jones Winery of Shelton, CT, Maugle Sierra Vineyard of Ledyard, CT, Taylor Brook Winery of Woodstock, CT, Jonathan Edwards Winery of North Stonington, CT, Bishop’s Winery of Guilford, CT and Stonington Vineyards of Stonington, CT.

In addition, there will be vendors offering a variety of gourmet foods, as well as displays of jewelry, all-natural soaps, soy candles, handbags and other handcrafted goods. Several makers of healthy, all-natural dog treats will be on site for those who want to bring something home to their pets. Foods will include locally produced pasta and pizza sauces, marinated mushrooms, all natural granola, artisan truffles, spice blends and natural grains, honey, gourmet teas and locally roasted coffee, chips and pesto. Holmberg Orchards will also offer freshly made sandwiches and stuffed breads for sale for those who forgot to pack a picnic. 

Acoustic blues guitarists Dan Stevens and Chris D’Amato, who were finalists in the solo-duo division at the International Blues Challenge ‘08 in Memphis, will be performing all afternoon. 

Holmberg Orchards introduced effervescent hard ciders, ranging from semi-dry to sweet, Three Sheets apple wine and Pearfection pear wine in December 2007. Holmberg Orchards will be pouring these popular lines again this year as well as World Peach, its latest creation. The buzz at the orchard hints that grape vines are being planted this spring to further enhance the winery’s product line.

Admission is $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and the festival, under a tent, goes on, rain or shine.

The orchard festival, surrounded by 40 acres of apple blossoms, is the perfect setting for a picnic, so bring your lawn chairs or blankets and baskets of delectables to spend the whole afternoon at Holmberg Orchards.

And don’t forget the camera!

For more information, call Holmberg Orchards at 860 464-7305

Ledyard CT Real Estate Update

I'm heading out of town tomorrow so my Ledyard Real Estate Update is a day early and a bit brief. The final count down has begun. April 30th is the last day a buyer can enter a contract and still take advantage of the Tax Credit. Those in the real estate industry are waiting to see what happens on May 1st when the tax credit opportunity ends. I'm predicting not much will change and sales will continue along at the same slow pace. I will be monitoring the situation.

There were 10 new listings and 6 pending sales this week as well as 10 price reductions.  39% of active listings in Ledyard have had at least one price reduction.

The chart below depicts all Ledyard residential inventory including condominiums.

All Ledyard Inventory

Ledyard Real Estate - April 25, 2010

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 125
Last week there were 126 active listings in Ledyard.

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending: 27

Number of Homes Sold in 2010: 24

There were 149 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2009. 
There were 143 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2008.
There were 213 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2007.

The highest priced home to sell in 2009 & 2010:  $385,000  

Listing and sales reported by the members of the Connecticut Multiple Listing Serve, Inc and may not represent all sales. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Ledyard Photo Friday

Spring is here no matter which way you look at it!

Ledyard Mortgage Monday

11 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE END OF THE HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT.

It is cutting it a little close, but there is still time to obtain a fully executed and signed Purchase and Sales Agreement by April 30, 2010.  This is the first deadline.  The second deadline is to make sure that you close and record your purchase on the land records by June 30, 2010. At McCue Mortgage Company, every effort will be made to accomodate those clients facing the June 30, 2010 deadline.

As discussed in previous Mortgage Monday posts, the various mortgage loan programs available in Ledyard/Gales Ferry may be applied for, processed, approved and closed between April 30 and June 30, 2010.  This is a very reasonable time frame.

Rates for Conventional, VA, & FHA mortgages range between 4.75% with 2 points up to 5.25% with -0- points. CHFA (www.chfa.org) is offered this week at 4.5% with 1 point.  The CHFA Military Homebuyer program offers a break of .125% on the rate, 4.375% with 1 point.
We stand ready to help.

Since 1980, Phil Turner has helped over  10,000 clients achieve the dream of homeownership. If you are planning to buy a home, please contact Phil.  You'll find his professional service and years of experience exactly what you need in Eastern Connecticut's current housing market.

Phil can be reached at McCue Mortgage, located at 8 Union Street in New London, by calling (860)444-0650 or (800)781-1180 or By EMAIL.

Ledyard Real Estate Update

Ledyard and Gales Ferry Real Estate Statistics
for the week of April 11th.

I’ve been talking about hardwood floors a lot this week and as a result, decided it would make a good topic for today’s  Ledyard Real Estate Update.  But first…

Inventory jumped significantly with 12 new listings in the past 7 days.  There were 3 pending sales and only 1 closed sale.  Ledyard has had only 22 closed residential sales in 2010.  So what’s our problem?  As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, high taxes seem to be the culprit. It is the only explanation I have for what ails us, since other towns in the area seem to be making a comeback.  Which brings me back to hardwood floors…

I’m convinced, that condition will compensate for high taxes.  The house pictured here was one I listed this week on Lincoln Drive. It  sold this weekend.  What really made it show well was the refinished hardwood floors.  We are fortunate in Ledyard to have two hardwood floor experts, John Robbins and Charles Peterson, who both live in Gales Ferry.  I’ve had great success selling houses where John or Charles have performed their magic. 

Much of Ledyard’s housing stock, including this one,  was built in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  With high taxes and lots of competition, it is important that your home is updated and shows well.  Taxes don’t seem to matter if your hardwood floors are gleaming!

Ledyard Real Estate - April 18, 2010

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 126
Last week there were 114 active listings in Ledyard.

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending: 24

Number of Homes Sold in 2010: 22

There were 149 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2009. 
There were 143 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2008.
There were 213 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2007.

The highest priced home to sell in 2009 & 2010:  $385,000  

Listing and sales reported by the members of the Connecticut Multiple Listing Serve, Inc and may not represent all sales. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Ledyard Photo Friday

No, the photos below are not my hosta just yet but they will be soon. I shoot photos of my hosta over the years like others take photos of their pets and children. Some people view hosta as boring but that’s because most homes have the same old plain green Ledyard variety. I swear that is all they sold at Holdridge Farm Nursery back in the 70’s; otherwise I can’t explain it.

I suppose my hosta are an odd choice for photo Friday, but I’m overdue for a trip around town with my camera.

View Full Album

Ledyard Mortgage Monday

Government backed mortgage programs have continued to be the strength of the real estate market in Ledyard and Gales Ferry.

VA mortgage programs in Connecticut continue to offer 100% financing up to$417,000.00.  The seller is allowed to pay all clsoing costs and prepaid items (taxes, insurance & prepaid interest).

FHA insured mortgages in Connecticut are available with 3.5% down and the seller may contribute up to 6% of the sales price towards closing costs and prepaid items.  FHA offers mortgage loans of up to $398,750.00 for 1 family homes and even higher for 2-4 family homes.

CHFA-VA-DAP, CHFA-FHA-DAP and  CHFA-Rural Development-DAP combine the benefit of 100% financing of both the purchase price and closing costs/prepaid items if the borrower has less than $5,000.00 available to them.  The maximum sales price for CHFA in Ledyard and Gales Ferry is $331,700.00

As Linda Davis has pointed out in her posts, the sales in Ledyard/Gale Ferry in 2010 have all been within these guidelines.  Rates are still down and house prices are reasonable.

It is worth venturing out into the market.

   

Since 1980, Phil Turner has helped over 10,000 clients achieve the dream of homeownership. If you are planning to buy a home, please contact Phil.  You'll find his professional service and years of experience exactly what you need in Eastern Connecticut's current housing market.

Phil can be reached at McCue Mortgage, located at 8 Union Street in New London, by calling (860)444-0650 or (800)781-1180 or By EMAIL.

Ledyard Real Estate Update

The housing news around the region has certainly been positive.  The Day reports that the number of home sales in eastern Connecticut increased almost 44% in February and prices spiked nearly 10 percent. Unfortunately, the news in Ledyard isn't quite so positive.  Compared to the first quarter of last year, the number of sales and median price of sales in Ledyard has declined about 10%.

There were 16 price reductions in Ledyard last week as sellers position themselves for the last 2 weeks of tax credits.

So what is the good news?  There were 4 pending sales reported and listing inventory, although slightly higher than I'd like, has remained steady between 110 and 115 listings.

The week coming up? I anticipate an active week with lots of showings as buyers are running out of time to find a home before the tax credit opportunity ends!

Ledyard Real Estate - April 11, 2010

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently for Sale: 114
Last week there were 114 active listings in Ledyard.

Number of Ledyard Homes Currently Pending: 23

Number of Homes Sold in 2010: 22

There were 149 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2009. 
There were 143 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2008.
There were 213 residential home sales in Ledyard in 2007.

The highest priced home to sell in 2009 & 2010:  $385,000  

Listing and sales reported by the members of the Connecticut Multiple Listing Serve, Inc and may not represent all sales. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Just Plain Photo Friday

This is one of my favorite photos. I’ve posted it all around the internet but never here. It isn’t in Ledyard but mighty close. I shot this photo at Lake of Isles Golf course. The little guy at the end always makes me smile.