​2 Bernardino Ave
Enfield, CT 06082
2 Family
$146,000.00

Sold!
6/9/21

Cash is still king in some places and it ruled this multiple offer situation!  My favorite family investor team picked up this two family for a song- especially considering how crazy high the prices are in this market!  Once renovations are complete, there will be some a couple of very fine apartments for rent on Bernardino Ave.  

1 Meadow Rd
Enfield, CT 06082
3 bedroom, 1 bathroom
$215,000.00

Sold!
5/28/21

I am so, so happy to have met and helped this family sell their house!  Relocating from Connecticut to California sounds crazy enough on it's own!  This family had layers and layers of additional challenges to overcome and not just logistics!  They had to buy a new house in California, one of the hottest/hardest markets in "normal" times.  They had to get their house ready to sell while both working from home WITH a toddler AND a new baby on the way.  Then we had to show their house to about 1,000 buyers in one weekend which meant clearing the family and the pets out. We had to sort through a large pile of offers and choose the one that was best for them.  Remember- highest is not always best!  Then the planning, the packing, the cleaning and finally getting in the car and officially moving west!  These guys were under a huge amount of stress and they handled it with style and grace.  It felt good to help them where I could and I hope I helped make a very complex move just a little bit easier!  Congratulations to Ben and Gina!  May your adventures out west be grand!  

WRITTEN by JOSHUA BECKER

​I’ve moved five times since college. With each move, I have sought the advice of a local realtor. They have provided important insights into neighborhoods, housing trends, and home prices. And each time, they have taken a genuine self-interest in my family’s well-being. In fact, I’m still friends with almost all of them.

Our interaction typically begins with a series of questions: What are you looking for in a home? Are there any specific locations you have in mind? Are you pre-approved for a loan? How much are you looking to spend?
​
With this information, a realtor is prepared to make recommendations and offer advice—usually based on the dollar amount a buyer wants to spend.

Too often in this scenario, “What can you afford?” replaces “What do you actually need?” as the starting point for most home buyers. Rarely do people begin the home buying experience with a list of needs alone. Instead, they come armed with a pre-approved dollar amount, set by the bank, of how much they can afford to pay each month. This rationale has gotten us into deep over-housing problems, on both a macro and micro-economic level.

The housing market today in the USA is pushing prices to an all-time high. If you are in the market to purchase a home, I want to offer you the most important piece of home buying advice you’ll ever hear:
Buy only the home you need, not the house you can afford.

Too often, when people begin the home buying experience, the mantra of our society comes calling, “buy as much and as big as possible.” It seems, whatever dollar amount the financial institution has approved to spend on a home becomes the price range they begin searching in—usually choosing a home at the upper limit of the range.

For example, if based on income, a buyer is pre-approved for a $350,000 loan, most buyers begin searching for the biggest house they can find for exactly $350,000. This thinking can even be encouraged by the realtor and the financial institution. And why not? The larger the sale, the greater their profit.

Buyers soon create a list of “wants” for their new home while “actual need” is quickly erased from the formula. Once you tour a $350,000 home, it’s really difficult to be content buying a $250,000 one.

In purchasing homes, we are told repeatedly (in both subtle and not so subtle ways) that “bigger” and “more” is better. As a result, the average American home has tripled in size in the last 50 years—and they only continue to expand. With little regard for the negative consequences, buyers continue to purchase bigger and bigger homes, whatever size their income allows.

But the impact of this thinking has detrimental effects on our well-being. We typically use only 40% of our living space with any regularity. Meanwhile, the increased debt contributes to mental and emotional distress. And the excess space carries additional financial costs—whether we are using the square footage or not.

More is not always better. There are actually some fabulous benefits to living in a smaller home. A smaller home is easier to maintain, less expensive, assumes less financial risk, results in less environmental impact, and frees up our resources to pursue other passions in life.

We made the mistake of buying bigger and bigger houses with each pay increase during the first decade of our marriage. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the benefits of minimalism that we eventually downsized into a smaller home—a decision we have never ever regretted.

Buying a home is a very personal decision that weighs a large number of factors. And only you know all the variables that come into play when making that decision.
​
But too often, the most important piece of home buying advice is the one we never hear: 
Buy only the home you need, not the house you can afford.

532 Main St
Portland, CT 06480
5 bedroom, 2 bathroom
$389,000.00
​

​This large, historic colonial has the character and charm of an antique home updated for modern convenience. Space for everyone and everything! The first floor is spacious and bright with a formal sitting room, dining room, open kitchen, family room and bathroom. The first floor bathroom is dreamy with a handcrafted vanity made with wood salvaged from the original house, an antique sink and a glorious soaking tub. The kitchen is open and features an island, deluxe pantry with additional sink, breakfast bar, tons of custom cabinet space and plenty of granite countertops. There are five bedrooms on the second floor including the master suite which has a walk-in closet to die for and access to the gorgeously remodeled full bathroom. The second floor also has a sixth room (no closet) that makes a great home office. From the kitchen or family room, step out onto the massive new deck and enjoy the freshly landscaped yard. This house is an entertainer's dream! New siding, new gutters!

​​​​For questions or showing appointments, contact me today! 
Call or text: 860-978-5388
Jessica@MaverickRealtyCT.com

​

​​Maverick Realty, 256 Main St Suite D East Windsor, CT 06088, CT #REB.0793283, 860-978-5388, info@maverickrealtyct.com

COMING SOON!  ACTIVE DATE: 5/22/21

39 Brace Rd
Somers, CT 06071
3 bedroom, 2 bathroom
​$329,000.00

WOW! Every inch of this glorious Victorian era farmhouse has been renovated with no detail overlooked and no expense spared. This house has the character and charm of an antique home updated for modern convenience. The kitchen is loaded with leathered granite countertops, custom cabinets, newer stainless appliances and premium fixtures and hardware. Select hickory hardwood floors throughout the first floor were installed in 2020. The dining room and living room are both spacious and bright. The first floor full bathroom was remodeled in 2017. The laundry room update includes new Kenmore appliances with an oiled teak butcher block top, a slop sink, an additional refrigerator and freezer and a custom built wardrobe and bench. Upstairs the master bedroom has classic built-in bookshelves and the two additional bedrooms are good sized. Original wide plank pine floors throughout the second floor. The second floor full bathroom is spa-like with it's oversized, walk-in shower with built-in bench, new claw foot tub for soaking and BROAN bluetooth/vent fan speaker. The attic is large, well lit, nicely insulated and carpeted and makes for fantastic storage space. The basement is also clean and dry with a new concrete floor and repointed foundation. Outdoors, the property is picturesque with great views of the adjacent Shallowbrook Equestrian Center. Enjoy the farmer's porch, gazebo, fire pit and of course the inground pool and patio! Vacation in the backyard daily this summer!

​​​​For questions or showing appointments, contact me today! 
Call or text: 860-978-5388
Jessica@MaverickRealtyCT.com

​
​Maverick Realty, 256 Main St Suite D East Windsor, CT 06088, CT #REB.0793283, 860-978-5388, info@maverickrealtyct.com

In this current real estate market, every seller is a gift.  There are sooooo many buyers out shopping for houses and there are sooooo many real estate agents to choose from.  So when a seller calls, it's kind of a big deal.  Listing homes in this market is easier and harder than ever.  Easier because you can almost guarantee your client that you can sell their house quickly.  Harder because there are so many new challenges for sellers and listing agents.  From getting the house ready to put on the market to navigating the "coming soon" status, planning for an overwhelming amount of showing traffic while we still navigate the pandemic and then working through the insane multiple offer situations.  Finally- where is your seller going to go?  Because if they don't know, you've got to help them make a plan!  Thankfully, this client made a great plan!  Look for their forever home, but plan to move in with local family temporarily if needed.  It put them in a great position to be competitive buyers in this crazy market and they're only going to have to take advantage of the family hospitality for about 30 days.  I'm very grateful to have been chosen to help this seller, it was an honor and a pleasure!  I'm looking forward to seeing them close on their dreamy new house soon! 

My mother, Inez the Queen, recently reached the milestone age of 75!  While we couldn't celebrate with the large crowd she deserves, we still managed to make the very best of the day.  We outfitted her in a tiara and sash and brought in balloons and presents.  We're still not allowed to eat together but we were able to bring in her favorite food for lunch and a BIG slice of cake.  One of her favorite things was the gorgeous flower arrangement from Feather & Bloom in Suffield (if you need flowers or gifts for Mother's Day or ANY day, check them out!). 

​But the BIG winner of the day was Sean's gift to her... 

Sean surprised my mom and honored her by getting a beautiful tattoo of her name.  Shout out to Outstanding Bill at Brass City Tattoo for the gorgeous lettering!  For those who don't know, my mom has a little (HUGE) crush on Sean so she was absolutely delighted by this tattoo.  It was also a moving surprise for me and I have a similar tattoo...

So all hail the birthday queen, Inez!  May all her wishes come true!  Except for the one where she steals my husband!

Today was one of my favorite days in beekeeping... New hive installations!  In the spring if you are adding hives or replacing dead ones you have to get some packages.  A package in bee-speak is a box full of bees!  Shout out to Billy C of New England Apiaries who hauled our bees up from Georgia for us. I went out to New England Apiaries this morning and stood in line with a bunch of other beekeepers and picked up a few packages of new bees for the Martin Hives 2021 season.  

The packages were a new style this year, easier to carry, easier to open and easier to retrieve her royal highness the Queen!  She is right inside that little wooden box in the photo below.  

My better-beekeeping-half had to work today (shout out to those of you unafraid who fearlessly get the tattoo every day!) so I was on my own in the beeyard today.  It's tough to dump bees out of packages and take pictures so you'll have to take my word for it when I say it was glorious! 

Once I had the bees out of the package and into the hive, I hung out with them for a bit.  Install day is my favorite because since the bees do not have an established home, they're super docile and way less likely to sting.  So it's a great day to bee more handsy with these ladies.  (Sometimes I can't believe the things I write.)  It was funny, though, right? 

Now that the new hives have been installed we wait three days and check again to see if the Queen has been released from her cage yet by her loyal subjects.  

What?
Experts agree that scheduling a licensed HVAC contractor every spring for thorough inspection & maintenance of your A/C system is one of the best things you can do.

Why?
A poorly maintained and/or inefficient A/C unit could be costing you huge amounts of money and could prove to be a safety risk.

How?
You should trim any plants, shrubs, or trees around the exterior A/C unit(s) if they are near or coming in contact with it. We highly recommend that annual service of the mechanical components of your A/C system be completed by a certified HVAC or other cooling specialist. Some of the main things they should do in this annual service include, but are not limited to, the following:
1) Inspecting condensation drains & thermostats.
2) Checking the air temperature splits.
3) Inspecting the compressor, motors, etc and lubricating where necessary.
4) Checking all operations of your system to the highest efficiency.
5) Checking and/or topping off refrigerant level(s)
6) Checking and/or replacing your air filter(s)

​Original Post from HomeKeepr.com

We are very pleased to welcome Chris Beattie to the crew at Maverick Realty!  Chris brings an extensive real estate background and has experience as a landlord, property manager and house flipper.  He is also a Grammy nominated recording artist who has traveled the world playing bass with CT hardcore band, Hatebreed.  A CT native and lifelong resident, Chris can help you with your real estate needs statewide whether you are buying, selling, investing or renting.  And for you far away friends, family and fans... Even if you don't live in CT, Chris can still help you with all things real estate!  Ask him how!  Call him now!