Boroughs & Burbs, the National Real Estate Conversation

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Bob Stefanowski Gets Real with Realtors
 
Connecticut's housing market is way out of balance from Greenwich to Bridgeport. We had a very frank, LIVE zoom conversation with quite possibly the next Governor of Connecticut on the critical issues that affect our ability to be competitive, and ultimately play out in our housing market. We list 10 questions below we'll ask Bob on tax policy, transportation, school-choice, crime, state-vs-local control & how he would have handled the pandemic response. 
 
Use the Meeting ID: http://zoom.us/j/92135931351 
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The 2018 election between Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski, who is again seeking his party’s nomination for governor, was close — 49.4 percent to 46.2 percent. For a state seen as solidly blue in national elections, Connecticut has had Republican governors in 16 of the last 27 years. Note, Connecticut's last three governors all lost an election before they won. So, thinking this might be the next leader of Connecticut we wanted to talk to Bob about the following:
 
1. You only narrowly lost four years ago. Recently you said, “I’m going to be a much better candidate this time.” What did you mean? 

2. Connecticut has some of the highest cost of living in the country. You want to build a “better, more affordable Connecticut”. How can Connecticut do a better job with affordability generally, and making housing more affordable in particular? 

3. Some say Governor Lamont went too far with mask mandates (and 7 extensions of executive powers). Was this necessary? How would you have led the State through the pandemic? 

4. The commute to New York is not as important to homebuyers as it was a few years ago. Many more people work at least part of the time from home, easing the congestion on i-95 and the Merritt. Can it continue and what does this mean for the future of Connecticut? 

5. Realtors will tell you that this shift away from commute-based work is benefitting Connecticut's real estate industry. People can consider homes further away from Manhattan and they considered a lot more towns in their home search. How can Connecticut capitalize on the new normal?

6. For the moment we have a budget surplus. Governor Lamont says he wants to use the surplus to temporarily lower personal property taxes. What would be your plan? 

7. Energy – Connecticut is paying some of the highest electricity rates in the country. What can we do to solve our energy problem? 

8. Schools – Any Realtor will tell you that Fairfield County schools are one of our most important assets. We draw homebuyers out of New York because we invest in great schools and schools in turn support our property values. Talk about the role of education in Connecticut’s future. 

9. What can we do to attract new business to Connecticut? Is there a particular industry Connecticut should be courting? 

10. Infrastructure. What kinds of infrastructure investment must we make for Connecticut to compete in the 21st century?
 
Roberto Cabrera - With 20 years of experience, I have been recognized throughout the industry for achieving outstanding results: Ranked nationally by REAL Trends as one of "America's Best Real Estate Agents” for avg. sales price of $4.350M. Sold a single family Townhouse faster than any other on the Upper West Side over $10M. 

John Engel - John Engel is a consistently top-producing agent in Fairfield County, Connecticut. John recently won the 2019 Realtor of the Year Award in New Canaan. In addition to hosting this podcast on the market each week, John Engel produces an easy-to-understand and in-depth monthly market analysis called the Market Report for the 16 towns of