Realtor

Of The Year

 

By Jan Howard

The Newtown Board of Realtors has named Kathi Weller as Realtor of the Year for 2000.

Mrs Weller, a member of the 125-member board and currently a member of its board of directors, has been a resident of Newtown for 30 years.

She was recognized for her outstanding service and contributions to the community and the real estate profession at the Board of Realtors general membership meeting on September 21 at Rock Ridge Country Club.

“I’m very honored,” Mrs Weller said. “I was elected by my peers for making a contribution to realtors over a number of years.”

Mrs Weller has been a realtor for 23 years. She and three other corporate owners formed Flagpole Realty six years ago.

She received her certification as a realtor in 1977 and ABR and is taking courses for certification as a broker.

She was president of the Newtown Board of Realtors in 1999. She has chaired various committees, including grievance for three years, equal rights and opportunities for two years, and bylaws for two years. She is currently the head of the Newtown board’s Realtors at the Capitol group, which she will be doing again in 2001.

Mrs Weller was recognized with other Realtor of the Year nominees during the Connecticut Association of Realtors statewide convention October 4 at Foxwoods. She will be officially recognized at the local board’s awards and installation dinner December 14 at Rock Ridge Country Club.

Mrs Weller said the real estate market is excellent, noting that this year has been one of her best years, with sales currently at $7.5 million.

“The market is steady, strong, and prices continue to increase,” she said. “It’s been very active.”

First-time buyers are driving the market, with houses priced up to $350,000. There has been a larger volume of closings this year, she said.

New housing starts are a little slower than in previous years, Mrs Weller noted. “Developers are waiting for subdivision approval.” Because of that, she added, resales in existing subdivisions are doing well. “We’ll have another boom when the subdivisions are approved.”

Mortgage rates, fixed and variable, have been stable, she said, between 7 1/3 and 7 ½ percent. “Anything under eight is good.”

Despite an average price of $450,000 for new construction, there are still houses in lower price ranges available to lower income people, Mrs Weller said, with ranches and converted cottages in the $160,000 to $170,000 range.

“We still have a diverse population, and it’s wonderful that way,” she said.

 With the advent of The Homesteads, Mrs Weller said there is enough housing for the elderly who can afford it. However, she suggested the former Fairfield Hills campus would be a good location for subsidized housing for low-income elderly residents.

Mrs Weller has seen many changes in Newtown during her years as a realtor and a resident. “It was much more rural and beautiful before. There were rolling fields. Now there are houses everywhere. It’s sad to see it happen. There’s also more retail in town.”

People come to Newtown for various reasons, she said, one of which is the school system. “It is excellent, state of the art.”

People also like the large neighborhoods, Mrs Weller said. “We have an abundance of subdivisions to move to,” she said. “The town also has activities for people of all ages and families. We have a diversity of schools and several nursery schools.

“People like the charm of the town. It’s beautiful,” she said. “They also like the tradition of community activities, such as the Labor Day Parade, school fairs, and the Holiday Festival.”

Mrs Weller was born in Manhassett, Long Island, and grew up in Westport and Weston.  She has two children, Stephanie, 25, a social worker in Boston, and Scott, 23, who is employed by a local pool company. She and her husband, Gary, have been married for 14 years.

Mrs Weller received a bachelor’s degree in education, majoring in English, from the University of Connecticut. She became a realtor after many years as a teacher, including five years at Weston Middle School during which she was head of the English Department for two years. Mrs Weller took graduate courses in psychology at Western Connecticut State University.