Calcagni Associates Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for new Southington Office

For Immediate Release

Cheshire, CT-  Calcagni Associates Real Estate recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of their new office located at 722 West Street, in Southington. Members of the Southington Chamber of Commerce, town officials, and area business professionals gathered with management, staff, and agents of Calcagni Associates for the event held January 17th.

 “Despite the rainy weather, we enjoyed a terrific turnout,” said Steven Calcagni, President. “We are very excited to become active members of the Southington business community and to be a part of such a wonderful, tight-knit group. Thank you very much for the warm welcome.”

Located close to the Bristol town line and minutes from ESPN headquarters, Calcagni is planning to grow the Southington office to approximately 20 full-time agents. Calcagni has a unique philosophy about real estate. Their firm is capturing market share by providing a higher level of service and support to its agents. As a result, agents are joining their team from other brokers and entirely different industries based on their reputation for helping them become more productive, and in turn, successful.

“Our growth as a Connecticut-based independent real estate company and the value we deliver to our clients is a direct result of the values, vision and energy of our people,” said Steven  Calcagni. “ We felt it was important to continue to establish roots in the community and continue to add to the area’s economic recovery. I’m excited for what’s next.”

 About Calcagni:  Calcagni Associates Real Estate is a fully diversified real estate agency offering residential properties, new construction, land consulting and commercial properties. Calcagni has four offices—Cheshire, Hamden, Wallingford and Southington. All offices provide a range of real estate services including market analysis, appraisals, residential foreclosures and relocation services. Learn more at Calcagni.com and Facebook.com/CalcagniAssociates ###

Over 1,000 Reasons We Love What We Do (and it shows)…

 

Check out our 2011 Sales Resume Ad, running in this weekend’s Cheshire Herald, New Haven Register & Record-Journal…We’re excited to announce that  Calcagni Associates has assisted 1,000 Home Buyers & Sellers in 2011!

 

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season from Calcagni Associates!

Blood Drive in Memory of Patricia Uvino…

In memory and honor of our beloved Patricia Uvino, the agents and staff at Calcagni Associates’ Wallingford office are organizing a Memorial Blood Drive with the American Red Cross, to be held on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Patricia was an amazing woman who touched so many lives and loved to help people. We know that she would be so proud to see her Calcagni Family coming together in support of such a great cause. This is our little way of showing how much “Patty” meant to us.

We hope you can help. To set up an appointment and for more details, please call our Wallingford office at 203-265-1821 or contact the Red Cross at 1-800-RED CROSS or http://www.redcrossblood.org

 

Last Call for Energy Efficiency Homeowner Tax Credits

The Alliance to Save Energy urges American consumers to give themselves the gift of energy efficiency this holiday season—and reap the benefits when they file their 2011 federal tax returns—by taking advantage of tax credits for energy efficiency home improvements. The tax credits of up to $500 are set to expire on December 31, and Congress may not renew them for 2012.

“The outlook for renewal of federal energy efficiency tax incentives is uncertain at best,” stated Alliance President Kateri Callahan, “so we encourage homeowners to complete those upgrades before the ball drops in Times Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

“Making efficiency improvements this year will lower home energy bills and improve home comfort for years to come, while also reducing 2011 federal income tax bills,” Callahan added. “Energy efficiency is truly the gift that keeps on giving!”

The specific home improvements that qualify for tax credits fall into a number of categories:

• Exterior windows, skylights and storm windows.
• Insulation, exterior doors, roofs, storm doors and products to seal air leaks such as caulking, weather stripping and foam sealants.
• Highly-efficient heating and cooling equipment, including central air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, boilers, water heaters and biomass (e.g. corn) stoves.
• Each product category also must meet specific energy efficiency requirements, which are spelled out on the Alliance’s tax credits web page.
• Percentage and/or dollar limits on particular energy-efficient upgrades include:
• 10% of the cost of insulation and sealing materials, exterior doors and roofs.
• 10% of the cost, up to $200, of exterior windows or skylights.
• Up to $300 for electric heat pump water heaters, electric heat pumps, central air conditioners, biomass stoves and natural gas, propane or oil water heaters.
• Up to $50 for advanced main air circulating fans.
• Up to $150 for natural gas, propane or oil furnace or hot water boilers.

And to see what energy efficiency can do in your home, check out the Alliance’s home energy tips videos produced with energyNOW!

For more information, visit http://www.ase.org/.

Tips for Selling Your Home During the Winter

With the rush of the holidays comes a slower-paced season for housing. Fear not, however! While there is typically less inventory around during the winter months, sellers have a unique opportunity to stand-out from their competition and truly shine. With the right staging and finesse, you can increase your chances of landing a sale and for the price you’re looking for.

Don’t neglect the basics. Just because the weather is colder doesn’t mean you should neglect the outside of your home or the yard around it. Clean up the lawn in the fall to prepare for winter showings. If there are any repairs necessary for the outside of the house—roofing problems, a new paint job, etc.—plan ahead to complete these tasks before showing the home. Exterior curb appeal still counts for buyers rushing for the warmth of indoors.

Take advantage of a seasonal interior. Make the inside of your home feel as warm as possible. Crank up the heat or start a fire in the fireplace. The goal is to paint a picture for buyers to see themselves living in your home. Maximize the space of each room by cleaning up clutter or rearranging the furniture. Do anything and everything to make it feel warm and inviting.

Make sure to keep the home’s paths clear. It may seem obvious, but it is crucially important to keep your walkways and driveway clear of snow, ice or debris. For homeowners who have already vacated, this may be a challenging aspect of the home-selling process. Keep in mind that many buyers and agents may not want to deal with a home that’s difficult to get into.

Light it up. Make sure all of the home’s lights are on. If the home is being showed during the day, open the curtains and let the natural light shine through. Make the home look as bright as possible and worry about the electricity bill later.

Keep holiday décor conservative. Although you will be tempted to make your home stand out, keep decorations in check and don’t overdue it on outdoor lighting. Avoid overly religious decorations as to not offend anyone.

If your home is properly staged, fixed-up and ready to go, you won’t suffer from a drought of interested buyers. Always putting your best foot forward is the best strategy to have no matter what the season.

More more information on selling your home, contact your local agent at Calcagni Associates…

Source: Associated Press

Congratulations to our ‘Greater New Haven Association of Realtors’ 3rd Quarter Achievement Award Winners!

CONGRATULATIONS to the following Calcagni Associates realtors, who received the Quarterly Achievement Award by the Greater New Haven Association of Realtors for the 3rd Sales Quarter of 2011!  (The award is given to realtors who have closed a minimum of 9 sales during the third quarter of 2011

Chris K. Canfield, REALTOR, e-PRO, ABR, AHS, CRS, GREEN, SRES

Chris has received numerous top producer and sales achievement awards in his real estate career, including 16 awards from the Greater New Haven Association of REALTORS for closing a minimum of nine transactions per quarter.  In 2009 he was awarded the Online Marketing Award of Excellence by Realtor.com.  The impressive list of real estate designations after Chris’s name represents his commitment to his customers and to his profession.  Each real estate designation represents many hours of continued education so that Chris can provide his customers with the specialized service that they deserve and expect.  He has achieved the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation, which is the highest designation awarded to residential sales associates.  Additionally, Chris is an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), and is an e-PRO Internet Professional; plus he recently earned the GREEN designation for energy efficiency and environmental consciousness in real estate.

Beth Cantor, CRS, GRI, REALTOR

Beth has received the award 9 times during her career with Calcagni Associates. She holds the Realtor designations of Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), which less than 5% of all realtors hold, as well as Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), which requires hundreds of hours of continuing education. 

Beth, a graduate of Cornell who also earned an MBA from Columbia University, has resided in Hamden, CT for the past 25 years. She loves living and working in the Central Connecticut area and has close ties to her local community, and is a member of the following organizations: Treasurer of the Hamden Education Foundation, Co-chair of the Women in Business Committee at the Hamden Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Education Committee, and Membership Coordinator for BNI (Business Networking Group). 

Charlotte Smith, REALTOR

Charlotte, who is a lifelong Connecticut resident and has called Wallingford her home for the past 20 years, has been a Realtor since 1998.  She specializes in residential and condominium sales, first time buyers, new construction and relocation, and is a member of the Greater New Haven Association of REALTORS, Connecticut Association of REALTORS, and the National Association of REALTORS.

 

Larry Madow, REALTOR, Director of REO Services 

Larry has been a Realtor with Calcagni Associates since 1992 and specializes in bank foreclosures and REO properties.  He is a member of the Greater New Haven Association of REALTORS, Connecticut Association of REALTORS, and the National Association of REALTORS.

 

 

Today and every day, we honor and salute our Veterans

 

(Photo credit: http://blisstree.com)

Why wait until Spring? Advantages of Putting Your Home on the Market Now

Two of our Calcagni Realtors, Lorrie Maiorano & Lisa Holden, recently wrote a very informative real estate article for New Haven Register’s “Realtors Corner”.  In the article they discuss the Advantages of Putting Your Home on the Market Now.  For more information on how selling your home now will benefit you, contact your local Calcagni agent at www.calcagni.com

Calcagni Associates’ Southington “Office Warming Party”

 On Wednesday, 11/2/11, Calcagni Associates held an “Office Warming Party” at our new Southington location, located at 722 West Street. Our agents, staff & management from our Cheshire, Hamden & Wallingford offices stopped by to check out the new digs and welcome our Southington agents to the team… It was a really fun evening and the office looks great!  Here are a few photos from the evening… To view all the photos, check out our Facebook page!