12 Sugar Plum Lane, Fairfield, Connecticut is ready for showings this week. List price was $639,000. The sale price was $664,000 (104% of ask!)
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Welcome to a Hidden Gem in Fairfield’s University Area!
Private, peaceful, and full of potential—this 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath split-level is tucked behind hedges on a beautiful .21-acre lot.
Features include hardwood floors throughout, open living and dining room, and an eat-in kitchen with granite counters, Whirlpool appliances, and backyard access. A quaint little garden room with imported tile connects the dining room with the garage and completes the main floor. A few steps lead up from the foyer to three bedrooms and a full bath with tub and shower. Pull-down stairs access the attic space for storage.
The lower level offers a convenient and charming family room with a built-in shelf around the periphery. A new French door leads to an adorable alcove with an Italian tile floor that provides access to a powder room, the crawl space with storage, and the unfinished area with laundry and door to the backyard.
Energy-efficient features include a new roof in 2020, windows with top-rated insulation and UV protection, insulated garage, attic, and crawl space, and updated furnace components with forced air heat. Bonus service contracts include furnace service through November 2015 and safety valve sewer insurance coverage until January 2026. 12 Sugar Plum Lane has been lovingly maintained and is ready for you to move in and make it your own.
This home is a true retreat close to the train, highways, abundant amenities on nearby Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield’s bustling downtown, and beaches, plus you can get to NYC in a little over an hour.
Committing to highly ambitious New Year’s resolutions may be as American as apple pie, but then so too is the tendency to call it quits before they’ve been realized, with nearly one in four of us jumping ship within the first week alone. So we’ve put together a list of resolutions that come with such a high return on your investment (ROI), even if you only hit one, you’ll be in pretty good shape.
Better yet, nearly all of these New Year’s resolutions come with rebates or tax credits via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, so you really won’t have an excuse to not get started.
Here’s to a happy, healthy 2025!
1. Lower Cost, Good ROI: Smart Thermostats
If you’re anything like the average U.S. household, nearly half of your annual home energy expenditures go toward heating and cooling, which nets out to more than $900 each year. What if you could pay less in the year ahead?
One simple solution may help you do so: installing a smart thermostat.
But what do these smart thermostats even do, exactly? Like most of today’s latest-and-greatest smart home tech, smart thermostats bridge the physical and digital, enabling you to do more than just, say, adjust the temperature in your house. Instead, these thermostats use your input and preferences as a starting point, then automate and optimize your home’s energy settings from there, with the goal of striking an ideal balance between sustainability, on the one hand, and comfort, on the other.
Just be sure to pick up a model that has earned the ENERGY STAR® label: These smart thermostats are powered by algorithms based on 12 months or more of real-world energy-usage data in similar homes, for starters. Rigorously and independently certified and tested, these models must be able to demonstrate efficacy regardless of climate, too. Finally, studies show that these smart thermostats — and these smart thermostats alone — reduce household energy bills by around 8% on average. Adopted at scale, what’s more, smart thermostats might curb U.S. carbon emissions by as much as 18 billion pounds annually.
So getting a new, smart thermostat for your home in the new year is a smart move for many reasons. It’s also easy to do, and local utilities may even offer rebates when you buy (check Green Door for those). Note that in some cases, depending on how your heating and cooling systems are wired, you may need to have a qualified electrician on hand.
2. Medium Cost, Great ROI: Attic Insulation and Air Sealing
Best-in-class insulation for attics is a key ingredient of most high-performing homes, for reasons that are fairly straightforward to explain.
As you probably remember from high school science class, heat moves from warmer to cooler areas, which can result in warm air escaping through un- or under-insulated areas in your home. During the warmer months, the opposite is true, with equally undesirable results: Hot air streams in through gaps in your insulation, thereby pushing cold air out of your home, decreasing the efficacy of air conditioners and increasing home energy costs in turn.
Both scenarios can result in needlessly high energy bills, which is why, according to the EPA, you stand to save 15% on heating and cooling costs — or around 11% on overall energy costs — by adding insulation and air sealing your home. This is also one of the reasons why, within our scoring system at Pearl, attic insulation earns a relatively high number of points toward a Silver, Gold, or Platinum Pearl Certification — it’s an investment you ideally make once that has a huge impact for years to come. Plus, you can save on installation costs with rebates and tax credits under the IRA and other programs.
3. Higher Cost, Excellent ROI: Energy-Efficient Windows
After making initial headway with the addition of smart thermostats and attic insulation, the next logical step is window replacements. After all, these investments further insulate your building shell and provide a level of protection from extreme weather events. They can also pay for themselves rather quickly.
While you’re at it, just be sure to dial in to the specific needs of your home. And be sure to look for rebates and tax credits in Green Door — there’s opportunity to save significantly, particularly if you’re ordering at volume.
Finally, use the Green Door app to identify a local solar Pearl Network Contractor to help you calculate potential cost savings and arrive at the right budget. Only Pearl Network Contractors can use the Pearl Solar Equity Calculator® to calculate a 20-year discounted cash flow using certified contractor data, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) software, and Freddie Mac’s 30-year mortgage rate. With the report you’ll better understand the cost, savings, and value of your solar investment.
5. Higher Cost, Excellent ROI Resolution: Electric Vehicles
The future of U.S. transportation is, in many respects, already here in the form of electric vehicles (EVs), with huge implications for not only the future of greenhouse gas emissions but the health and well-being of your pocketbook in the present day.
For starters, consider the near-term gains: Going anywhere in an EV costs as little as $0.84 per gallon-equivalent, which is fully 66% less than the $2.50-per-gallon average you would expect to pay in a carbon-emitting alternative. So everyjourney should confer some measure of cost savings in your new vehicle — and by putting the “EV” in “every,” you’ll be helping to offset the cost of that investment right off the bat.
Of course, not everyone will be realistically in the market for a vehicle upgrade in 2025, which is why we saved this sustainability investment for last. Still, you shouldn’t overlook the potential upside of doing so down the road. It’s the one performance upgrade that has the power to literally take you to new places each and every day — and to transform your experience of transport in the year ahead, too.
Improving your home’s energy efficiency, shrinking your overall carbon footprint, and realizing significant cost savings over the near and long term are attainable resolutions for every homeowner in 2025 — especially as states roll out their IRA rebates programs. Just be sure to take it one step at a time and to prioritize projects based on your financial goals. That’ll better position you for success, shorten your timeline to impact, and ensure you see the expected ROI.
If you are one of many who received a letter from Aquarion Water Company about lead pipes, you probably have many questions.
These letters are required to be sent as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), to promote transparency and safety. Aquarion’s website assures us that the water they provide does not contain lead, there may be points within the service line to your home that contain lead. Their website says that homes built before 1988 could contain lead in their pluming systems. The company says it also adjusts the water’s pH levels and has introduced corrosion inhibitors, which coat the pipes and fixtures in homes.
Here are a few resources to help you determine if there is known lead in the service lines to your home and some things you can do to protect yourself from lead.
You can start by using the interactive map to check the pipe material on file for your address. If known, this will tell you whether the pipes on the utility side and your side are lead, non-lead, galvanized, or unknown material.
If you do have lead or galvanized pipes, they should be replaced. According to the CT Insider, there is some state funding available to offset the cost of these projects. If an Aquarion customer is thinking about replacing their lines, Fazekas recommends they call the company at 1-866-728-5023 to see if there is some state funding available.
Dive into our staging walkthrough and unlock the secrets to selling your property faster! See how staging can optimize space, highlight assets, and spark emotions! Don’t miss this chance to create a buyer’s dream by elevating any environment and creating captivating spaces!
Many sellers hesitate to invest in staging as a marketing strategy when putting their homes on the market. It’s because they figure buyers can visualize the space they want, right?
Put Your Buyer Hat On for A Minute
But if you put your buyer hat on for a minute, and try to visualize the space differently, it’s not so easy. Buyers will often miss seeing the best use of the space, the key assets of the space, and they will miss out on the positive emotional impact of the space, all of which staging can provide.
So I wanted to show you a few video examples, and you can see for yourself.
The Dining Room Is Set for Guests
The first example is the beautifully staged dining room. It shows that there’s ample space for seating and that it’s conveniently located just off the kitchen. The light colors are attractive and lighten the space, and the decorative and delicate vase of branches shows off the bay window and an area for a side table. The art on the wall and centerpieces down the centerline of the table give an emotional feeling, like, hey, I would like to entertain here someday!
The Living Room Showcases Its Inviting Features
The key features in the living room are that it has a beautiful raised tray ceiling, a lovely gas fireplace, ample seating, and sliders to the deck outside. The staging showcases these features by using simple lines with light colors and a painting that brings the eye right up and over to the fireplace. A bright green throw blanket on the sofa is a splash of color that pulls the eye to the doors and the view outside. The staging also shows that there’s plenty of room for seating with two large sofas and plenty of room to spare. The only thing I might have done differently is use a club chair on each side of the sliders so that the views are straight out to the side instead of a sofa blocking it. This coffee table also features beautiful books about global travel that speak to an aspirational lifestyle that everyone wants to have!
The Primary BedroomIs a Luxurious Sanctuary
Staging in the primary bedroom is soft and luxurious. It shows an oversized bed with a tall headboard. The light pictures on either side of the bed bring the eye upward toward the high ceiling. And the throw blanket brings the eye to the window and a nice deck outside. Last, but not least, there are some little accessories on the dresser like perfume and flowers that make you feel like you’ve just about moved in!
The Second Bedroom, Previously Used as An Office, Reclaims Its Function
The second bedroom used to be set up as an office, but now it’s staged to show that it can sleep two. And the bright colors and mirrors emphasize the ample natural light and give a feeling of fun.
The Open Lower Level Gains Three Functional Spaces…And The Office Returns
The lower level is big and spacious. But it’s hard to determine how to make the best use of it unless this is not illustrated. So three functional areas were set up by the stager. There is an office with a window. There is a beautiful seating area with a fireplace and sliders that go to the outside along with a bookshelf area. And there is a beautiful exercise area. The three functional areas are visually separated yet also linked together with matching colors and a consistent design theme, in this case, horses!
The Staging StrategyAccomplished Four Key Objectives
Show the ideal use of the space.
Highlight the assets.
Evoke a powerful and positive emotional response.
Create a fabulous setting and generate beautiful digital media that is strategically distributed to attract the largest matching pool of buyers.
Staging is just one component used in the successful sale of a home. Here’s the full story of selling a luxury condo in Westport CT.
Did you ever think that grain-free, lectin-free/gluten-free, and nearly sugar-free (don’t tell your guests!) cookies could taste like cinnamon donuts?
Well these Snickerdoodles do just that! To put icing on the cake, so to speak, this recipe is super easy too. The most time consuming part is simply putting the cookie dough on the baking sheet.
Full disclosure: To give them a festive look for the holidays, I did roll them in gold sugar sprinkles along with the cinnamon. The photo also shows some green sprinkles, but I recommend using only the gold ones, if any. Another note, is that you can also substitute the butter for clarified butter, known as ghee, and some coconut oil. Ghee has had the lactose removed, and some brands are from grass-fed cows.
Your home is your castle, and enchanting 33 Pansy Circle in Fairfield, is ready to make some dreams come true. Take a look at the trending story…!
Perhaps you or a friend are the perfect addition to this coveted enclave? Everyone here is friendly and supportive of one another. It’s a warm and festive neighborhood atmosphere, and when the weather’s nice, everyone likes to be outside. The basketballs and soccer balls have been known to bounce around the circle! Other times there’s a peaceful retreat to respective back yards for a relaxing barbecue. The residents can’t wait to greet their new neighbors!
This grand colonial finished on 4 levels is a gem on the university cul-de-sac! Amazing Teen-Suite/NannyQuarters/Office/Yoga Studio or 6th Bedroom with a full bath sits above the charming peaked garage. Better than new, and much bigger than it looks from outside, this home features 9-foot ceilings and open flow.
It also offers incredible custom high-end details, including extensive millwork, Klaff lighting, Italian Bertazzoni stove, and even a garage with a gleaming epoxy floor and a Wifi door opener that magically responds to your smartphone commands! The elegant gourmet Eat-In-Kitchen and Breakfast Area open to the generous Family Room with stone fireplace.
The second floor includes a Master Suite with luxury bath and jacuzzi tub, three additional bedrooms, a large hall bath with a granite double-sink vanity and separate water closet and bathing area, and a Laundry Room.
Vaulted ceilings top the 3rd level with a large bright Bonus space, 6th Bedroom, & full bath.
The partially finished Lower Level with high ceilings adds 717 sq ft of living space featuring a huge Rec Room/Home Gym with a wall of built-ins, another large room (now the Ping-Pong room!) that can easily be finished, plus tons of storage.
The stylish Mudroom with stone floor leads to the patio and private fenced yard.
This special abode also features in-ground utilities and sprinkler system, energy efficiency, and room for a pool. Walk to Osborn Hill, around the corner from Black Rock Turnpike amenities, minutes to town, train, beaches, and highways from this excellent location.
Take a virtual tour, watch the video walk-through, and check out the listing. Elegant & enchanting! Make 33 Pansy Circle your new home, and let your dreams come true!
As featured in the Connecticut Post!
If you have any questions or comments about this post or would like to arrange to see this property, enter your note below, and you will receive a quick response.
What is a castle? In its most basic form, it’s a place that gives us security and privacy.
Home Sweet Home. It’s the place we cherish, where we feel safe and sound, sometimes happy, other times sad; where we celebrate, gather together, share, work, create, cook, decorate; where we can love and be loved; where we live, grow, rest, dream, and at times sort through the chaos that life often throws at us! After all, there’s no place like home !
Home is a most important place and a most significant asset. This is why I love to join my clients in the chapter of their lives when it’s time for their next castle. It is a critical business transaction and a complex process, but most important, it’s an emotional, exciting and monumental time! I am honored to share this time with my clients, buffer the anxiety, guide the course and share the joy!
above the charming peaked garage. Better than new, and much bigger than it looks from outside, this home features 9-foot ceilings and open flow.
Fairfield and Westport CT Real Estate Guide 