In West Hartford, many homeowners look for housing in just one elementary school district, especially if they already have children in that school. For a school district, having diverse housing stock is a real asset; parents appreciate being able to move to larger, smaller or different style homes without having to uproot their children from the school they call home. Wolcott Elementary School is a winner for this (and for many other) reasons. This is not your ordinary school website--click on the tree to learn about the outdoor classroom adjacent to the school. Click on the fish in the aquarium to meet the students who are in charge of keeping this site vibrant!

This elementary school district covers homes near Elmwood Center with many restaurants and shops (including the Mediterranean cuisine of Tapas, one of my favorite spots for lunch). It also includes homes near Wolcott School and Wolcott Park (lighted tennis courts, soccer field, volleyball, baseball/softball diamond, playground). The district stretches to the homes near WestFarms Mall and north beyond Woodridge Lake to the Selden Hill area (indoor pool & ice skating rink), then across Farmington Avenue to the Sunset Farms enclave with many homes bordering the MDC reservoir land (hiking and cross country skiing trails).

In terms of closed sales (MLS statistics), this West Hartford neighborhood has shown remarkable stability.

Real Estate Market Report

Wolcott School District --- January through June 2011

The West Hartford real estate market has experienced continued stability, despite a state-wide unemployment rate of 9.1%. In the first 6 months of 2011, there were 38 closed sales of single-family residences in the Wolcott Elementary School District. Prices paid for homes in this neighborhood ranged from $156,000 to $880,000. These 38 sales consisted of 3 below $200,000, 8 between $200k & $225k, 12 between $225k & $250k, 5 between $250k & $300k, 3 between $300k & $400k, 3 between $400k & $500k and 4 above $500,000.

The median price paid was $240,000 for a ranch-style home located at 50 Regency Drive. This 3-bedroom, 1 ½ bath residence has a 1-car attached garage, central air conditioning, a .21 acre lot, a deck, some finished space in the basement and a remodeled kitchen. After starting with an asking price of $254,000, the asking price was reduced to $249,900 two weeks later, followed by a further price change to $244,900 after another month of marketing time. Four weeks after the final change in price, the seller accepted an offer of $240,000--having been on the market for 69 days. The median days on market for this area was 61 days, although 17 of the 38 successful sales were on the market for 37 days or less --- the median marketing time for the entire town was 37 days for this time period.

There are now 15 homes in the district under contract, with asking prices ranging from $149,900 to $507,200. The median pending sale is 96 Red Top Drive. This 3-bedroom, 1 ½ bath Ranch-style home has a 2-car garage & a .24 acre lot. With an original asking price of $244,900, 2 price changes were necessary before accepting an offer just 1 week after the last change (to $229,900).

There are 35 homes currently for sale in the district, with asking prices from $179,900 to $1,049,000. The median-priced home is at 115 Davenport Road. This 4-bedroom, 2-bath Cape Cod has a 1-car attached garage and is priced at $259,000.

For more information on the value of your home in this market, contact Brent today by cell (860-614-8927) or email (brentbell@remax.net). Ask a real estate expert with 20 years of local experience. You can find this blog directly by visiting www.MyCTRealEstateBlog.com.

If you want the approximate value of your home, and are not ready to be contacted by an agent, visit www.WestHartfordHomeValues.com. Fill out as much detail as possible about your house. Brent will respond by email only (unless you request a phone call) with an estimate of your home's current value within 24 hours of your request!

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