Archive for September, 2008
Connecticut Dog License Rules and Application
September 20th, 2008 categories: Pets & People
State law requires that dogs over the age of 6 months be licensed annually.
The CT Dept. of Agriculture’s web site has a form you can use for every town in Connecticut - just print it out, fill it in, and bring it to the town hall with a copy of your rabies certification, spay/neuter certificate and payment ($8.00 for spayed/neutered dogs and $19.00 for non-spayed/neutered).
The benefits are tremendous.
If your dog is lost, local animal control can easily find you and return your dog to you immediately. As the finder of many lost dogs, I can personally attest to the speed in which animal control can reach dog owners - as long as there is a tag.
License fees go to pay for local animal control services such as spay/neuter services, adoptions and the care of unredeemed dogs.
You’ll get fined if you don’t have a license. South Windsor used to (and maybe they still do) have an animal control officer walk neighborhoods to try to find unlicensed dogs.
Having licensed dogs protects the public and other animals.
For related posts:
| Discussion: 6 Comments »
Reporting on Property Tax Reform Forum at the Capitol
September 19th, 2008 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information, Home Buyers
The Connecticut Association of Realtors sponsored a discussion yesterday abouth the State’s property tax system, heard on WNPR’s Where We Live.
Panelists included: State Rep. Brendan Sharkey; State Rep. Larry Cafero; Fred Carstensen, Director of Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis; and, writer/public policy researcher, D. Dowd Muska.
You can hear audio of the show in case you missed it at the WNPR.org Web site.
One thing the panelists seemed to agree on was that property tax reform is desperately needed. The current system, which dates back to colonial days, assessed taxes based on property values because it was once true that owning property equaled wealth. With more and more people owning their own homes, property wealth does not translate to the ability to pay. Furthermore, cities where property values are low have the highest property tax rates.
Fred Carstensen stated that the current property tax system creates “perverse incentives,” driving towns to develop retail over housing (keep the kids out!), discourages affordable housing, and drives residents out of cities in favor of lower tax suburbs and exurbs. The result is concentrated wealth and concentrated poverty. The Two Connecticuts.
All of the above is either causing or exacerbating the single most important issue facing our state - the lack of economic growth.
It’s more expensive to do business in CT.
It costs more to live in CT.
Affordable housing is difficult to find.
18-34 year-old, college educated people are fleeing the state.
Jobs are hard for businesses to fill.
Unemployment is more prevalent (State’s Jobless Rate 6.5%) and any job growth has been in the public sector.
We’re expected to have 80,000 fewer students in K-12 public education while the percentage of seniors is expected to increase significantly.
Clearly, we need a solution. Is it a property tax cap? Is it cutting back on public spending? Is it creating more affordable housing? Is it lowering the corporate tax rate (CT ranks 38th on the Tax Foundation’s list of states according to business tax climate)? Is it regionalization?
Unfortunately, the program spent only a few minutes discussing the actual solutions, where the true debate exists. I wanted to hear more about where we go from here. I don’t think enough elected officials are paying attention to this - but why would they? They’ll be out of office before we really have problems.
| Discussion: 3 Comments »
My Name in the Paper
September 15th, 2008 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information
I can’t help but get giddy when I see my name in the paper. Let’s face it, I wouldn’t be in real estate if I were the type who didn’t like attention.
So, here’s a link to an article written by Robin Stansbury in the Hartford Courant this weekend - Short Sales a Thorny Process for Buyers and Sellers Alike.
Except where I use the word “folks” to start a sentence, I did OK. I do use “folks” on a pretty regular basis but it seems different on paper than floating through the air. Maybe I need some media coaching…
For related posts:
Just How Did We Get Into This Mortgage Mess
Short Sale - What Buyers Should Know
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
CHFA Mortgage Rate Falls to 5.5%
September 12th, 2008 categories: Mortgages & Finance
I used to report weekly on the CHFA rate but the rate doesn’t change often enough or by much.
This week, though, the rate dropped to 5.5% and it hasn’t been this low in a while.
If you want to buy a house in Connecticut and qualify, 5.5% is a pretty darn good rate. And the rate gets a lot better if you buy within the Manchester Pilot Homeownership Program where the rate is 5.25% and slightly higher for teachers, military and police, or 5.35%.
CHFA Income Limits - $81,000 for 1-2 person households, $93,150 for 3+ in most of Hartford county
CHFA Sales Price Limits - $301,500 for most of Hartford county
For related posts:
Closing Costs Vs. Prepaid Items
New Housing Bill’s Impact of Home Buyers
Five Things Every Home Buyer Should Know About Mortgages and Mortgage Lenders
| Discussion: No Comments »
The Upside of A Down Market
September 11th, 2008 categories: Real Estate Market
Always one to look on the bright side of life…I think there is a huge upside to this market.
Contractors actually return calls, do free estimates and you can find good people to do good work without having to sell your firstborn. I’m beginning to like this market after all.
| Discussion: No Comments »
