Nothing To Do But Move In!

Like new again! Remodeled condo features new kitchen, new flooring, freshly painted interior, new fixtures and much more. Central air, breakfast bar, sliders to deck, new white fencing to be installed in back.

Hot New Listing in Middletown!

Mortgage Rate Update

Friday, March 21st, 2008

All rate quotes are for a 60-day lock with 0 points

Conforming limits are up to a $417,000 loan limit*


30 yr conforming fixed: rate = 5.875% APR = 5.957%

15 yr conforming fixed: rate = 5.500% APR = 5.739%

7/1 yr conforming ARM: rate = 5.500% APR = 5.873%

5/1 yr conforming ARM: rate = 5.250% APR = 5.239%

3/1 yr conforming ARM: rate = 5.125% APR = 5.422%

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Jumbo loan limits range from $417,001 to $650,000*

30 yr jumbo fixed: rate = 6.250% APR = 6.477%

15 yr jumbo fixed: rate = 5.750% APR = 6.133%

7/1 yr jumbo ARM: rate = **** APR = ****

5/1 yr jumbo ARM: rate = **** APR = ****

3/1 yr jumbo ARM: rate = **** APR = ****

*Conforming loan limits listed above are for a single-family owner occupied residence.
Courtesy of The Harriman Team

Wallingford Homeowners Might Have to Hire Surveyor Prior to Making Improvements

It might be getting harder for Wallingford residents to make improvements to their homes. The Planning and Zoning Commission is considering an amendment, proposed by Town Attorney Adam Mantzaris, that would require homeowners to hire a professional surveyor if they wish to add a pool, deck or addition (but not a shed) to their homes.

The reason for this, officials say, is that there have been too many instances where homeowners have built either too close to or actually on their neighbors land. This could cost up to $3,500, depending on the surveying company used and whether or not the homeowner already has an existing boundary survey, also called an A2 survey. If they already have this, the cost would cost around $800. If not, the price jumps to about $2000 and up.

Currently, the town requires only a simple sketch of the location of the proposed improvement. The amendment would require a survey of the improvement in relation to property boundaries and zoning ordinances. It would also require that the homeowner make plans well in advance of the proposed start date of the project: surveys can take up to 3 weeks to complete, and many surveyors are backlogged 2-3 weeks.

Planning and Zoning Chairman James Fitzsimmons adknowledged the added expense for homeowners, but added: "You want to avoid disputes and you want to avoid the gray area, and this would eliminate the gray."

Personally, I think it's a good idea to have a survey done when you buy a property anyway, especially if no one can tell you with any certainty where the property lines are. When we bought our house a couple years ago, we thought a neighbor's structure was partially on our property so we had a survey done. As it turns out, the previous owners of our house had erected a fence that was partially on HIS property! Being good neighbors, we let him know and he was fine with it, which was nice of him. He could have been nasty and demand we relocate the fence, but he didn't, for which we were grateful. Still, without the survey we would have never known where our boundaries were, so in our case it was money well spent (about $600, by William F. Orsine & Assoc., Meriden, CT 203-235-6695).

Town Planner Linda Bush says she wants to publicize the proposal and hear from residents before it becomes law, so if you're so inclined or you plan on making any improvements to your property in the near future, contact Linda and let her know how you feel.

Pat & Wayne

EveryScape isn't an online world, it's the world online.

EveryScape, an online mapping site launched in late 2007 by Mok Oh and led by CEO Jim Schoonmaker, is changing the way we see the world. The difference between EveryScape and Google Earth, it's main competitor, are striking. "We're working on a human experience," Schoonmaker says. "Google has built a superhuman experience."

On the site, I took a demo drive through one of the featured destinations on the homepage, New York City. Using the AutoDrive mode (there's also a YouDrive mode, but driving in NYC scares the bejesus outta me!), I started at Radio City Music Hall then went down W 50th St and hung a left at 5th Avenue (almost hitting a pedestrian!). At West 54th Street we turned left again, then again on to the Avenue of the Americas. Boy, it was nice zooming over the top of all those cabs! I ended the ride after arriving at 5th Avenue again and went looking for some of the Popular Places that are listed under the driving screen. The American Stock Exchange, Little Italy, and Trump Tower were all just a click away, and using the cursor allowed me to get dizzying 360 degree views, including straight up into the sunny New York sky.

In all, it was an amazing view of what may be the future of online mapping. It also may render the current crop of neighborhood mapping services obsolete. Take a look for yourself and see what you think!

Pat & Wayne

Some Quick Info about Wallingford

Quick stats about Wallingford, CT

The population of Wallingford, CT is 45,779 (2007). That's #1007 out of all 42,305 zip codes.

92% of the population is white, which is 18 points more than the national average.

The average household income in 06492 is $57,308, which is $27,610 more than the typical average.

This contributes to the average house being worth $161,900.

Men make up 48% of the population, and the typical age in this part of CT is 39.1.

Stats about: Wallingford, CT

Population: 45,779
Number of Households: 18,005
Median House Value: $280,000
Median Income per Household: $70,698
Elevation: 10 ft
Land Area: 39 sq. Mi.
Population/Sq. Mile: 1,173
Latitude: 41.45 N, Longitude: 72.82 W

Population Breakdown:

White: 42,325
Black: 1,026
Asian: 1,218
Native American: 52
Hispanic: 2,681
Other/Multi-race: 1,158

Male: 22,110
Female: 23,669

Hello Wallingford!

We started this blog to keep our friends and clients informed about the doings in the real estate world,locally and nationally. The Harriman Team is committed to providing you with the best possible service, whether in our face-to-face dealings or via this blog. We'll keep you abreast of the market, mortgage rates, new developments and ideas and hopefully provide a little fun along the way! We are long-time residents of Wallingford; we love the town and happen to think it's one of the nicest places to live there is. We look forward to making new friends, finding old friends, and helping to make your real estate dreams come true.

In our next post we'll share some interesting info about Wallingford, just to give you a picture of the town in general. After that, we'll be back with all sorts of things we hope you find useful, relevant and FUN! So, we're glad to be here and hope you are, too. If you want to read about something in particular in this blog, please feel free to post a comment and let us know! See you soon!

Pat & Wayne