We originally decided to list this condo for sale at the price of $135,000.  With the crazy competitive market we're dealing with right now, we ended up with multiple offers and closed $5,000 over asking price!  I could not have predicted a better outcome for my seller!  Super happy for this young family to be movin' on up to a larger, single family home in the school district of their dreams.  

This lovely center hall colonial was built in 1948 and had started showing some signs of it's age.  Mainly, it's master bedroom had started to sag a bit in the in ceiling.  This was a first for me!  It was discovered at the home inspection that the large, front to back master bedroom had a sagging ceiling.  This was a potential deal-breaker for my buyer clients.  After further research and inspection it was determined that it was a structural issue that could be corrected.  Negotiations and repairs were made and voila!  On closing day, my clients had a new, level bedroom ceiling to go with their new attic truss.  Super happy it all worked out and my clients were able to move their family into their dream school district.  Congratulations to the Liu family!  

Fall is a busy time at The Martin Hives!  As of the late summer/early fall, we've removed all the surplus honey from the hives (coming soon to a webstore near you!) and it's time to help the bees get ready for winter.  Making sure each hive has a minimum of 60lbs of food stores for winter is super important.  Nectar has stopped flowing so we have to give mother nature a hand.  We feed our bees a home made sugar syrup to supplement their natural supply of food.  I serve it to them hot and they seem to love it.  It feels like I'm out there filling feeders every day!  Sean was kind enough to shoot some candid photos of me feeding our most aggressive hive ever the other day.  Thanks, Sean!  So here I am... feeding the bees! 

The syrup goes into an in-hive feeder that holds a gallon of liquid.  The blue disc on the feeder is it's base.  

The feeder is then placed on the hive's inner cover.

The bees then have access to warm syrup without having to leave the hive.

Once the feeder is installed, we close up the hive and let them go to work!  They'll take the syrup from the feeder, store it in the cells in the hive and have it to eat all winter long.  

What a beauty!  My clients were relocating to Connecticut from New Jersey and had some fun needs and wants on their home buying list.  An in-law apartment or space to build one and an in-ground pool were on the top of the list.  We looked at quite a few homes that could have worked but "the one" ended up being this beauty in Broad Brook.  It checked all of their boxes and came with a bonus, new, detached two car garage!  Super happy to have helped this family find what they wanted and am already looking forward to next season's pool opening party! 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the soft opening, members only, sneak preview at the Riverside Reptiles Education Center.  I'm so glad I signed up for membership early, because as it turns out, it does have it's privileges!  I was able to tour the all new center, check out over 50 species of reptiles and amphibians and watch an alligator feeding!  My favorite part though was being allowed to get a little handsy!  I pet a giant python, touched a turtle and stroked a salamander!  All under the supervision of qualified staff of course!  I loved looking at exotic species from around the world and learning about each one from the information posted by their enclosure or from a knowledgeable expert from the RREC staff.  

The Center is still technically "under construction" with new reptiles scheduled to arrive soon, a bug cave to be added and it looks like some of the turtles and tortoises will be getting their own outdoor space.  With critters and creatures coming and going from outreach programs there should always be something exciting to see at Riverside Reptiles.  I'm looking forward to visiting my new scaly friends often and to learning more about them each time I visit.  

To Brian Kleinman, his family and staff, thank you for bringing Riverside Reptiles to Enfield!  What a fun and unique experience!   

It's not too late to purchase a membership  or even tickets to the official Grand Opening events on Columbus Day weekend.  

After the grand opening weekend, they will be open daily from 10am-5pm. 

Meet Sean!  Sean is the latest and greatest member of my "Under 25 Club"!  He may even win the first place trophy amongst his peers in that club this year!  Sean has not only invested in real estate early, he invested in a multi family home that will produce income for him the rest of his life!  He's like an evil genius!  Sean was a good saver with good credit which made him extremely well qualified to buy his first home.  But it's still a tough market, even for the strongest buyers. He felt the sting of defeat in a few multiple offer situations, but stuck with the process, stayed positive and eventually won "the one".  All things in the right time for the right reason and I think Sean missed out on a few others so he would be ready when this one came along.  It's a beauty!  Now he can move in and start saving for the next one!  Congratulations, Sean!  I'm looking forward to seeing you and Lucy around town!