The air already feels like Pea Soup with the Humidity and with temperatures hitting 100 degrees, I thought I would post a list of things to do, or places to go, to cool off.

1. Head to the local library. If you have kids the local library could be a quick and easy (and inexpensive) retreat. The Prospect library for one has a great children’s play area, Free Internet access, all the newest books and even DVD’s. Plus the A/C is REALLY cold in there.
   

   Prospect Public Library

2. If you want to head out into your yard, find a nice shady spot, bring a big jug of a frosty beverage, and set up a sprinkler. It will do the grass and you a lot of good! Be sure to save your yard work for another day.
   
3. If you are in the Prospect / Cheshire area and are in the mood for a beach but don’t want to head for the shore, then check out Mixville Park in Cheshire. There is a picnic area, a large playground for the kids and of course, a beach. Parking is less expensive for Cheshire residents so bring your ID’s.
   

   Cheshire Ct Mixville Pond

4. If you are in the Waterbury / Wolcott area you have a place close to you, Woodtick (Scoville) Reservoir in Wolcott.
   

   Scoville Woodtick Dam

5. It’s always good to head to a movie in the extreme heat. Some of our local theaters still have discounts on Tuesdays. With the price of movie tickets what they are now, look for a discount!
   
6. Head out to a local Ice Cream Shoppe like the Big Dipper Ice Cream in Prospect, The Prospect Dairy Bar in Prospect, Scooples Ice Cream in Cheshire or Wentworth’s Ice Cream in Cheshire. You still have to go out in the heat to get to them, but for a few moments you will have a creamy escape!
   

    

   

   Mmmmmm!

   Whatever you decide, please remember to keep hydrated and do not over due it!
   

If you are going to be in the sun load on the Sunblock.

Shady Relaxation

This is all valuable information to make an educated home purchase, or info to give you an idea of what to expect your home to sell for!

You can also look at all the homes for sale in Connecticut currently at www.SearchAllCTListings.com

Dave Jones, Broker/Owner

Certified Distressed Property Expert

Dave Jones Realty, LLC

PO Box 7363, Prospect, CT, 06712

866-612-8376 Office

866-612-0724 Fax

203-910-2638 Cell

www.DaveJonesRealty.com

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This is a link to our Activerain Blog site.  There you can find an often updated Blog about the Real Estate Market condition in Prospect, Waterbury, Cheshire area.

You can find great local Prospect, Connecticut real estate information on Localism.com Dave Jones Broker/REALTOR, e-PRO Smedes Realty Prospect CT. is a proud member of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network, a free online community to help real estate professionals grow their business.

If you are traveling along Route 69 headed towards New Haven, or From New Haven towards Waterbury, the Prospect Dairy Bar and Restaurant is a must stop. It is a family owned and operated Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner place that has been in business over 50 years! The Dairy Bar has just completed some renovations including “going back to their roots” and having a Full Service Ice Cream Shop. They now feature 16 flavors of Hershey’s Ice Cream including such great flavors as; Strawberry Cheesecake, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Cotton Candy, and many many more. All of these flavors can even be had in an old fashioned Milk Shake, scooped and made right in a frosted metal canister.

Some Delicious Flavors of Ice Cream!

You could also precede your ice cream with such great items as a foot long Hummel hot dog, a charbroiled hamburger, or some fresh Soup or Salads. There is a large deck to carry out your food or ice cream as well. Be sure to stop in and check it out!

Charbroiled Burger Basket made to order.

Original Porcelin Trolly Sign

The DB Being built in 1953

From the back Menu at the Dairy Bar

“Back in 1953 if you were passing through the small farm town known as Prospect you could have stopped at the Dairy Bar for Ice Cream and other farm fresh dairy products that were straight from the Visockis’ farm down the road. Vincent did the cooking and his wife Olive prepared all the soups, sandwiches and desserts.

In 1984 John & Carol Jones assumed Ownership of the Dairy Bar and also the tradition that accompanied it. For the first time ever the Dairy Bar was kept open year round.

Even though some cosmetic changes and expansions have taken place, there are some things that will always remain the same about the Dairy Bar, Prospect’s oldest continually run business; The hand painted mural depicting Prospect’s local land marks, the checker board floor, the fresh baked pies, the daily specials, the char-broiled burgers and homemade soups are sure to remain.”

David Jones, REALTOR®,e-Pro®
Smedes Realty
37 Waterbury Rd.
Prospect,Ct 06712
www.DaveJonesRealtor.com
203-758-0264 Office
203-910-2638 Cell

The Dairy Bar www.ProspectDairyBar.com will be doing Phlly Steak sandwiches, Fries, Burgers & Dogs

Baki’s Pizza will be there along with;

Prospect Pizza

Spill the Beans

The Big Dipper Ice Cream

The Flower Farm with corn on the cob and watermelon

and several others.  THere will also be 3 live bands playing.  It is always a GREAT Time!

It is Sunday August 24th, 2008 on the Town Green in Prospect.

What a great time it is, if you have children or your grand children, go there.

Below is the flyer.

It is on the town Green in the Center of Prospect.  It is August 18th-August 24th.

Every day there are different activities and snacks for the kids.

Everybody wants to know how to properly time the Volatile Housing market to make out the best when buying or selling a home. It’s just natural. This is especially true if you’re thinking about buying in a down market where homes prices are declining. You wonder how low they will go and whether you should wait, right?   

If you sell and “buy up” simultaneously, you’ll still be ahead of the game because the price reduction on the purchase is greater than the loss on the sale.  By “Buying Up” I mean purchasing a larger, more expensive house than the one you are selling.

Let me show you exactly what I mean.  If your present house is worth $300,000, but because of high inventory and the lack of qualified buyers, you must reduce your price by 15%. So, instead of receiving $300,000, you would get $255,000 and “lose” $45,000.  If you are planning to move up to a $500,000 house, which is located in the same down market, you could probably buy that house at that same 15% discount or $425,000. This would mean you had saved $75,000.  So you “lost” $45,000 on the sale of your home but you “made” $75,000 on the purchase of your new home So you are actually $30,000 ahead. 

If you are downsizing then the reverse is true.  You are taking a bigger loss on the sales price, and the amount you are gaining buy “buying down” will be smaller.

Another Huge thing to consider, the interest rates!

It is also VERY important to monitor which way interest rates are moving? Are they moving up or moving down? If interest rates are near an all-time low and beginning to inch upwards, waiting could cost you far more than you would think. You might not be able to afford to buy a home at any price.

*Each .25 (1/4) point increase in your interest rate gives you $12,500 less in purchasing power

 *Each .50 (1/2) point increase in your interest rate gives you $25,000 less in purchasing power.

*Each 1 point increase in your interest rate gives you $50,000 less in purchasing power.  

*Each 2 point increase in your interest rate gives you $100,000 less in purchasing power.

*Each 2.5 (2 ½) point increase in your interest rate gives you $125,000 less in purchasing power.

Look at the Differences Among Purchase Prices versus Interest Rates

If you put down 20% and take a 30 year mortgage for the 80% balance, here are your principal and interest payments on the following purchase prices:

$425,000 sales price, at 8.25% interest, your payment is $2,554.

$450,000 sales price, at 7.75% interest, your payment is $2,579.

$475,000 sales price, at 7.25% interest, your payment is $2,592.

$500,000 sales price, at 6.75% interest, your payment is $2,594.

$525,000 sales price, at 6.25% interest, your payment is $2,586.

The payments are almost identical. However, the home you can afford to buy a 8.25% is $100,000 less than the home you can afford to buy at 6.25%. If you wait for home prices to further decline, the actual value could be lost due to higher rates.  The best thing to do is talk to a Mortgage Company or your local bank and find out what rates you qualify for.  This will help you to make a decision that works best for you and your family. 

Ziti Dinner to Benefit Alyssa Casson

A ziti dinner will be held at the Prospect Firehouse hall on Saturday, July 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. Proceeds from the benefit dinner will go to support Alyssa Casson, daughter of Jim and Bernadette (Tuccillo) Casson of Prospect. Adult admission is $10, children under 12, $5; and children under 3 will eat for free. The public is invited to support this family in helping their daughter Alyssa with her medical treatment. There will be raffles, food and fun for all. If you are unable to attend this worthwhile event, but would like to make a contribution, please send your check payable to Alyssa Casson Benefit Fund, c/o Webster Bank, 45 Waterbury Rd., Prospect, CT 06712. For more information, please contact the Accetura family at 758-0019, the Geary family at 758-3315, or the Tuccillo family at 758-3277. Thank you all for your generosity.

With these types of numbers it is easy to see why it is more important now than ever to price your home correctly, to limit the Days on Market (DOM) and maximize the sales price.

28 Closed/Sold Listings between 1/1/2008 – 6/16/2008

Beds SqFt LP LP/SqFt SP SP/SqFt SP/LP DOM

High 7 4,200 $499,900 $246.06 $480,000 $242.31 109% 347

Low 2 960 $188,500 $103.57 $190,000 $98.81 89% 1

Average 3 1,992 $314,432 $170.32 $300,722 $164.15 96% 92

36 Closed/Sold Listings between 1/1/2007 – 6/16/2007

Beds SqFt LP LP/SqFt SP SP/SqFt SP/LP DOM

High 4 3,400 $575,000 $254.51 $569,000 $239.58 100% 287

Low 2 864 $219,900 $130.72 $207,000 $127.99 89% 5

Average 3 1,902 $339,149 $183.73 $327,869 $177.05 96% 89

David Jones, REALTOR®,e-Pro®
Smedes Realty
37 Waterbury Rd.
Prospect,Ct 06712
www.DaveJonesRealtor.com
203-758-0264 Office
203-910-2638 Cell

Well the freak storm last night at least produced one good thing, a great rainbow! Here in Prospect we received 3″ of Rain in 30 minutes. The winds picked up and knocked down several trees causing some temporary road closures. The Prospect Fire House was struck by lightning and lost their phone service and also power. Mayor bob said the 911 service was never interrupted however.

This picture is from the Porch of the Prospect Dairy Bar Restaurant.

This picture is from our Back Porch at our house.