David Chard has spent his entire working life helping clients to make big financial decisions, first as a private banker in New York and more recently as a real estate agent in Fairfield and Southport with the Greenfield Hill Realty Group, part of the Higgins Group.

As a banker, Chard dealt with the special needs of high net worth clients. Among other things, he counseled them on the purchase of their homes and helped them navigate the complexities of mortgage financing. Then the market changed.

"I left what I was doing at the end of 2008," Chard says. "It was a sad and ...

As mobile technology grows as a tool in marketing and searching for homes for sale, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty has announced a partnership with WellcomeMat, a video publishing platform for the real estate industry. And just as a welcome mat serves as a threshold to a home, it seems a virtual one offers the same function – with added benefits.

The company can now optimize the benefits of video, as well as meet a growing consumer demand for enhanced digital content and convenience. “Finding a place to call home is an extremely significant and emotional ...

Not many college undergraduates set out to be mortgage brokers - but that's exactly what Colleen Polson decided she would be when she started working.

Polson, a senior loan officer with Mortgage Master Inc., is the in-house mortgage officer at the Higgins Group real estate headquarters in Fairfield, Conn as well as their Stamford and Norwalk offices.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut, she became interested in real estate while taking elective classes. "UConn has a strong real estate program," Polson says. "I took several courses and found it all so ...

Henry Bertram spent nearly three decades working in the financial industry in New York City, commuting from his home in Fairfield. When he left that world in 2008, he didn't look far from home for his next opportunity.

"I knew I wanted to do something different and wanted to work out here," he said. "Real estate seemed like a field where I could use the skills I'd developed working in finance and at the same time stay close to home."

Now working with the Higgins Group, Greenfield Hill Realty Group, it's easy for Bertram to sell Fairfield to prospective buyers. He raised ...

Today's affluent consumers are putting more thought into the value and quality of homes than ever before. The Internet has made finding information as easy as a finger flick on a smartphone. Consequently, real estate agents must increase their education about luxury markets and be able to disseminate their knowledge quickly. Consumers want instant gratification and the best value for their money.

Luxury Portfolio International recently conducted a study with the Harrison Group that explores what today’s luxury consumer wants. Here are the results:

• Buyers and ...

Bluewater Home Builders, based in Westport, Conn., has won several 2011 Home Building Industry (HOBI) Awards from the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Connecticut, Inc. say Deirdre Andreoli and Elayne Landau, sales associates with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

Bluewater was recognized for best spec home between $5 and 6 million, best spec home between $4 and 5 million, best outdoor feature for a water view roof deck with fireplace and best residential remodel between $250,000 - $500,000. 

Andreoli and Landau are exclusive listing agents for 17 ...

Brad Kimmelman, brokerage manager of the Fairfield and Southport offices of William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty, is optimistic about the housing market for 2012, despite poor economic indicators. Why? "Savvy investors are buying," he says. "Prices are affordable and there are bargains to be had."

Kimmelman says that his office saw a flurry of activity during the last three months of 2011, a time that is typically slow in the world of real estate.

"We think that we're at the bottom of pricing," Kimmelman says, though he adds that he doesn't ...