Tune into HGTV’s House Hunters Renovation“An Old House Gets a New Master Plan” on September 19th at 9:00 AM to follow my clients, Michael and Ella on their journey of selling their home in Black Rock and moving to Fairfield to get better schools for their blended family of three kids. Of course, yours truly helps them with this part. I had originally helped them buy their house in Black Rock in 2010 and then got it sold for them the first day on the market which made them very strong buyers for this new home purchase.
Then the HGTV design team takes over to make their fixer-upper that’s missing one bedroom into a designer dream home that works for the whole family!
Below is a behind the scenes peak with Michael, Ella and the onsite director and camera crew at a lunch break during filming.
With Michael, Ella the director and camera crew during a lunch break from filming.
The show went well, and Michael and Ella are enjoying their new digs as well as the excellent schools in Fairfield CT!
Come visit us and see this gorgeous home in the bustling Fairfield Beach area during our Open House tomorrow, Sunday October 5 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM!
Check all weekend O P E N H O U S E S here!
Request a showing or complimentary home valuation below.
Ever wish there was one place to go and find out about all the open houses for the upcoming weekend? Look no further!
Just click the image to go to raveis.com for the best open house search tool around, and find out what’s open in every town in all these states:
Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island Vermont New Hampshire New York
You can also set filters for your choice of neighborhood, property type and price range to get to the results you are looking for quickly. So check out the open house search tool, send it to your family and friends, and let me know how you like it in the feedback form below! Feel free to use the same form for questions or to request a private showing.
Remember, I’m here to help you with your next move, near or far. Whether your move is out of town, out of state or overseas, I can work with you directly or place you with another excellent agent almost anywhere in the world.
Here’s a previously featured open house:
286 Old Stratfield Road in Fairfield, CT listed for $369,900.
Cool Cape with private fenced yard, two driveways and many updates
Word on the Street: Fairfield, Westport & Weston 2013 vs. 2014
Just checking in with a quick report on the real estate markets in July before joining the masses and taking a little vacation-
We would expect the housing market to be seasonally slower in the months of July and August as people are in full summer mode and focused on enjoying the warm weather. However, this July appeared to be slower than last July in Westport and Fairfield. Weston was singing a different tune though-
In Fairfield, unit sales were down almost 43% from 122 to 70 last month. The median (midpoint) sale price was also down 9% to $577,500. The average time on market was up 9% to 97 days. All this is good news for the buyers out there though since it affords them more bargaining power. One measure that favored sellers was a 5% increase in the price per square foot from $290 to $305 of homes that sold.
Sales were also slower in Westport with a 6% reduction and 44 July closings. The median sale price was $1,225,000, down almost 2% from last year. Market time increased 37% to 101 days. Yet the price per square foot increased 11% to $436.
Sellers take note: Weston rallied last month with numbers in your favor! Unit sales were 24% higher this July with 31 compared to 25 last year. The median sale price was up 6% to $820,000. Giving some leverage to buyers was market time up 40% to an average of 137 days and price per square foot down 3% to $257.
So that’s the quick scoop for now. Check out the charts with more numbers and print this report following the link below. I assume there will not be much change in pace next month, but I’m anticipating a rally in September and October when everyone works on making their moves before the holidays and cold weather take over.
The journey was long for Eric, Roberta and their young son and a new puppy. Of course, it would be a big lifestyle change from an apartment in Manhattan to a house in the suburbs. First of all, when you could routinely have any nationality of cuisine delivered to your doorstep within 20 minutes, anything less seemed quite inconvenient. Add to this the perspective of coming from a classic doorman building on the Upper West Side near parks and subways with magnificent pre-war details and 11-foot ceilings, and you were starting with high expectations… as you should! There was no pressure to move, but it was time for a new experience, a home to spread out in with a yard, an active town, and excellent public schools.
Roberta was drawn to the open space and pastoral scenery in upper Westchester County, New York. Eric wanted a town with direct train service to Grand Central to make the commute to his Park Avenue office as painless as possible. The family began their search in Westchester, but after evaluating the homes, amenities and property taxes there decided that Fairfield County Connecticut would be a better fit.
So they set their focus on Westport and rented a summer house there to get to know the town. Their wish list included a neighborhood with a country feeling and a location on a quiet street, but not too far from the train. The home needed to be something special- an older house with charm and good bones, or maybe a new construction with timeless style. There needed to be at least an acre of property with bucolic surroundings. The ceilings had to be high, and the flow had to be practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. The architecture had to be true to its form and consistent throughout. High-quality details such as wide plank wood floors and large windows for ample natural light and pretty views were key. A front porch was a plus, and so was a pool. Last but not least, the chemistry had to be there.
So we looked. And we looked. Over time, we found that the Greens Farms and Old Hill neighborhoods had the location and feeling that Eric and Roberta were looking for. We saw many, many homes that had many great features. But finding the perfect blend was not easy- as a typical suburban home would not do. See what Eric, as well as other clients, thought about the process.
Finally, after two an a half years, the winning home was found! It was gorgeous. It was custom built and designed by talented architect, John Fifield. It had the special combination of flow, uniqueness, proportions, elegance and setting. It had a romantic wrap around porch and a pool. It had the chemistry!
And that’s how the story begins. A family’s quest leads to their new castle in Old Hill.
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!
Featured property for sale in Fairfield, CT: $379,000. Click image for more info!
Let’s see how the towns did in June this year as we were having fun in the sun…
It helps to look at the rate that homes are selling, known as the “absorption rate”. It’s calculated by dividing the sales per month by the number of homes on the market at the end of that month. The higher the percentage, the faster homes are selling and the stronger the market.
At the end of June in Fairfield, there were 90 sales with 622 homes on the market. So 90/622 is an absorption rate of 14%. Last June, there were 79 sales with 556 homes for sale equating to the same absorption rate of 14% indicating little change in the pace of the market in Fairfield.
In Westport however, 39 homes sold with 405 on the market and an absorption rate of 39/405 = 10%. Last June there were 49 sales and 346 active listings, or a rate of (49/346) 14%, showing a weaker market so far this summer.
In Weston 19 homes sold in June with 191 for sale, and a ratio of 19/191, or 10%. Last June, Weston saw 29 sales and 183 homes for sale, an absorption rate of 29/183 =16%. So the Weston market has slowed as well.
An absorption rate below 15% is considered to be a good market for buyers with greater months of supply and slower sales, whereas a rate above 20% is typically a faster-selling market favoring sellers.
The second half of 2014 is expected to be stronger than the first half according to researchers at Redfin brokerage as reported by RealtorMag. Click here for the article and to find out why, and let’s get ready for the pace to pick up as we enjoy the breezes of the remaining summer!
Featured home for sale in Fairfield, CT $1,395,000. Click image for more info!
For more answers…or more questions, feel free to submit a request below.
Ever wonder about the market chain of events prior to your new neighbors moving in? Well here’s a quick view of the current flow in Westport and Fairfield.
Twenty-six Westport home owners just put their houses on the market within the past 14 days. Three hundred and thirty three (333) homes are for sale in total. Of these homes, 28 have been on the market for awhile but have a brand new price. Eighty-five (85) properties have an accepted offer or are under contract for sale and will result in new neighbors very soon!
In Fairfield, there are 51 new listings and 501 total homes for sale. Sixty-eight (68) listings have been on for awhile but have new prices. There will be 157 new neighbors in town soon, based on the total accepted offers and homes under contract.
Cool Cape with central AC, private fenced yard, two driveways and many updates
As this week of perfect beach weather continues, it seems like a great time for an update on shoreline housing in Fairfield and Westport.
Direct beachfront property! Click for more pics.
Today, there are 80 single-family homes for sale in Westport in the coastal neighborhoods of Compo Beach, Saugatuck Shores and Hillspoint. Twenty-seven of these properties are on direct waterfront. Asking prices range from $525,000 to $12,985,000. One listing has an accepted offer.
In Fairfield, there are 121 active listings in the Beach area and Sasco. Thirty-three of the homes are directly on the water or beachfront. Asking prices run the gamut from $260,000 to $62,000,000! Sixteen of these listings have accepted offers.
For additional housing information or to request a showing, please inquire below.
Fairfield and Westport CT Real Estate Guide 