Good news on the real estate front!
Check it out...

New-Home Sales Jump by 11%, Largest Monthly Rise in 9 Years
The Associated Press
27 Jul 2009 10:37 AM ET
New U.S. home sales rose by the largest amount in more than eight years last month, in another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back from the worst downturn in decades.
The Commerce Department said Monday that sales rose 11 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, from an upwardly revised May rate of 346,000.
It was the strongest sales pace since November 2008 and exceeded the forecasts of economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who expected a pace of 360,000 units. The last time sales rose so dramatically was in December 2000.
Sales have risen for three straight months. The median sales price of $206,200, however, was down 12 percent from $234,300 a year earlier and down nearly 6 percent from $219,000 in May.
The report is another encouraging sign that the beleaguered housing sector is finally coming back to life. Last Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reported that home resales posted a monthly increase of 3.6 percent in June.
"The data will reinforce the developing thinking that housing market has bottomed and that the economy has stabilized and will grow in the third quarter," Jim Awad, managing director at Zephyr Management in New York, told Reuters.
"In the cocktail of the market, it will be viewed positively and will add credence to the bulls, who think we will have a rebound in the markets going forward," he said.
The number of new homes for sale fell to a more than 11-year low at 281,000, the lowest since February 1998 and down more than 4 percent from May. At the current sales pace, that represents 8.8 months of supply — the lowest level since October 2007.
Fallout from the housing crisis has played a central role in the U.S. recession, now the longest since World War II. Foreclosures have spiked, homebuilders have slashed construction, and financial companies have lost billions.

Hi everyone!
THANK YOU to all of our clients and customers that joined us for our Client Appreciation bbq and Reggae concert at Bayley last weekend! It was such a success- the reggae band was so popular that the beach gates had to be closed because the parking lot was full!! We missed those of you that couldn't join us, but hope we'll catch you next year! Everyone had a blast and we will post pictures soon!!
Sooo...We can't yet say that all of our listings are SOLD, but we can definitely say that we've seen a good boost in showing activity and some sales in the area!! It looks like this is not just a 'blip,' but rather a possible start to a trend in buyers finally realizing that we haven't been making things up- now is the time to buy!!! We know this especially now, because we are seeing the really, really high end in Darien starting to move- these people have obviously made great financial decisions, folks!! Follow their lead and invest now!
But for those of you that do want both perspectives, we did find this great clip of Barbara Corcoran (legendary real estate expert on the Today Show,) from a few weeks back... check it out and if you think you want to get out there and start looking, give us a call!
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31423941#31423941

We just wanted to share a recent message we received from Prudential CT's CEO that we thought was worth sharing!...
In the past few months we have seen encouraging news about real estate in the media. National housing starts are up for the first time in more than two years. In Connecticut, we’ve seen a recent surge in deposits. There were 5,936 in June, while there were only 3,447 in March. In January, there were less than 3,300 deposits. Clearly the trend is that the housing market is improving. Several factors are contributing to the re-energized real estate market: a stabilizing stock market, realistic home prices, record low mortgage rates and the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.
The message to share is that now is the time to buy and now is the time to sell. Properties priced correctly are seeing multiple offers. Inventory is healthy but not excessive, so there is still a good selection of well-priced homes to choose from. Mortgage rates are currently the lowest they’ve been since 1971 and are likely to increase as the economy improves. Additionally, to qualify for the first-time homebuyer tax credit, the property must be closed and occupied by November 30, 2009.

Come stop by the River Ramble tomorrow from 11-2pm at Pinkney Park!! We will be there volunteering and there's great food, music, local wares, kids games and everyone's favorite: the silent auction! We'll see you down there!
http://www.rowaytonct.com/riverramble.html