Fairfield and Westport CT Real Estate Guide

Local insights on buying, selling, and living in Fairfield County

Tag Archives: Linda Raymond


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How Could the “Wrong Direction” Seem So Right?

That’s what my relocation client asked me as we went to visit five drop-dead gorgeous homes in Fairfield Connecticut.

Ping and her family were moving from South Carolina to pricey Fairfield County.  Although the home sizes were not quite as grand here as what they were used to, I could sense a growing excitement about Fairfield as I shared some impressive numbers including our 11 elementary, three middle and two high schools, five beaches and three train stations.

The Chelsea Restaurant, Fairfield CT

The Chelsea Restaurant, Fairfield CT

A few added highlights like our huge Fourth of July celebration at Penfield Beach, the superb beet salad at The Chelsea and the crazy dog beach at Lake Mohegan didn’t hurt either.   The visual tour was the icing on the cake!

Ping and her husband Danian both worked for the same company in South Carolina.  She took a new job nearby, and he was able to stay with his company and transfer here. Their son and daughter would be going to elementary school.

New home in Fairfield CT

New home in Fairfield CT

The location of the home they chose in the university area was perfect.  Their kids could walk to school.  And when Danian’s parents came to visit, they could walk there with them. They were situated on a wonderful cul-de-sac and already had an elaborate play set in the back yard.  The house was stunning inside and out.  It was beautifully finished on four levels and came complete with a beautiful in-law suite.  And if all that wasn’t enough, the garage was fully equipped with cabinetry and a high-end custom flooring that looked like you could eat off it!

How can something so wrong seem so right?   Welcome to Fairfield!

Congratulations

Congratulations!

Feel free to comment on this post and reach out to me with your questions and real estate needs. – Linda

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Pricing Your Home Right

Here are a few true stories that occurred in May of 2015.  Three comparable university area homes for sale in Fairfield Connecticut accepted offers.  The properties and prices were similar in scope, but the paths the sellers took to get an offer were quite different.   I’ll assign each house a color instead of using the address to protect privacy.  I am privy to the information because my buyers bid on all three of these homes.

White House

A White house with 2,293 square feet, four bedrooms and two and a half baths on .31 acres came on the market for $675,000 the previous November.  The listing canceled and put back on the market as a new listing for the same price in January 2015.  Over the next 130 days the price was reduced to $669,000 and then 649,000.  It was newly listed again in May for $625,000.  The sellers accepted an offer of $610,000 which was 97% of their final asking price but 90% of their original price from more six months prior.

green house

A Green house was listed in March for $650,000.  It had 2,352 square feet, two and a half baths on .49 acres.  The price was reduced to $619,000 and then to $610,000 and was ultimately re-listed with a new price of $600,000. Less than two weeks later, the sellers received multiple full price offers for $600,000.  The sellers got 100% of their final asking price, but 92% of their original list price.

On May 12, homeowners listed a Red house for sale with 2,164 square feet, three bedrooms and two baths on .22 acres for $619,000 and accepted an offer the next day!

Since the two homes above sold for 97-100% of their final asking price, and the average sale-list ratio in Fairfield from January to mid-May was 97%, my guess is that the sellers got very close to their asking price, and in one day, not bad!REd House

So what are the take-aways?

Price: You won’t get more by pricing your house much higher than market value.  Remember you have to sell your house three times- to the buyer’s agent, to the buyer, and to the appraiser. Buyers may be attracted to your house based on emotion, but their final decision is based on the market data that their Realtor provides to them.

Time: The higher above market value you price your house, the longer it will take to sell, and remember, time is (taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs, maintenance, personal time and energy…) money!  The stories above show that in this price range, a list price of 8-10% above the market value is too high to attract an offer.

Since the market is what determines your property’s value, not your personal finances (or Zillow!), price your house within 5% of, or right at market value.  This way you can enjoy a fast sale at a fair market price, and get to where you want to go sooner rather than later!

Feel free to contact me for a pricing recomendation and custom marketing plan or any questions you may have about the buying and selling process.   I’m here to help!

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Last Local Housing Market Update for the Year, Plus Some Holiday Bloopers!

As we head towards the final holiday week before the New Year, I wanted to give you the current housing market snapshot.   I’ll give you the full-year summary once we are well into Q1 of 2015 and all the numbers are in.  So here’s the scoop for now-

Inventory of homes for sale was up in Fairfield (21%), Westport (16%) and Weston (6%) at the end of November compared to 2013.

Sales were down in Fairfield (-25%) and Weston (-30%), but up thirteen percent in Westport compared to November last year.

Even though sales dipped in Fairfield in November, the average days on market was 24% less than it was a year ago (99 vs. 131).  However the average market time was up nineteen and twenty percent respectively in Weston and Westport.

Click here to see tables with more detailed information. Let’s see what happens in the New Year.   My phone has been known to ring on January 1!

In the spirit of holiday entertaining fun, why not enjoy some cooking bloopers from Martha Stewart. Happy Holidays, and send in any questions or request you may have below!

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Linda Raymond, Realtor
William Raveis Real Estate
2525 Post Road
Southport, CT 06890
203-912-4440 direct


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Great Finds on Both Sides of Town!

Whether you know someone looking for a cute cape close to Black Rock Turnpike shopping and the new Fairfield Metro Center, or a proposed new construction on the beach near Fairfield’s bustling downtown scene and train, there’s a home for the taking!

Fairfield Metro StationHere are two featured properties for sale.  Scroll down for a link to browse all listings or request to have a search set up for you.

Beautiful Updated Cape, also for rent, in a super convenient location near ample amenities and the new train station! Some of the great features include three bedrooms, two full baths, vaulted ceiling family room with sliders, renovated kitchen, covered deck, central air, fully fenced and landscaped back yard with newly expanded shed and double driveways. Opportunity knocks!

A rare moment is here for you. Introducing Beach Life. Have your custom home built by world class craftsmen on a spectacular near-third acre stretch of beach with mature trees and high dunes! Deep sandy beach and 51 feet of beach frontage at the coast’s curve offer expansive views of the entire shoreline. Dreamy vistas of changing light, tides and the iconic Penfield Light House never lose their magic. Other multi-million dollar new homes nearby add to the great value and good company. Your home will be finished on three levels with a spacious carport underneath for two cars plus extra multi-use space and plenty of expansion potential. One of the very deepest and highest sections of beach five minutes from town, restaurants and train, and an hour from Manhattan is where you will call home. Get ready for your new beach life to begin!

Photo Oct 30, 11 37 20 AM    Photo Oct 30, 11 47 19 AM

 845 FFBR - elevation- 10 - 21 - 14  Photo Oct 30, 12 55 20 PM

 

 

 

 

Search for your home here or submit a request below.   I’m here to help. 🙂

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Dust and Pet Allergies? You Better Clean Your HVAC System!

I moved into my house 10 years ago and was wondering if getting all the dust and dirt out of the air ducts right out of the gate would be a good idea.  I always had allergies to dust and animals, and the previous owners had a cat.   After finding cat hair in the refrigerator, I figured there must be plenty in the air ducts!

But the days turned into months…. and 10 years later I’ve been thinking that cleaning my HVAC system is surely well past-due.   Then just as I was about to take action, I heard someone say that duct cleaning can actually loosen dust and make air quality worse.  I wanted to do whatever was likely to keep my surrounding air clean while spending as little money possible.  This article from House Logic had some helpful information that allowed me to be more comfortable with my decision to hold off again.

DUCTS

However, after several lousy nights of interrupted sleep due to clogged sinuses, I had to do something!

Air vent returns Before & After cleaning

Air vent returns Before & After cleaning

So I started by taking a quick look at the air vents and returns and the air filter even though it had been changed two month prior.  I was appauled by what I saw!  Filthy returns and a black air filter! No wonder dust was accumulating daily on every surface!  So I immediately changed the air filter and got on a ladder with my vacuum. What a difference this made!  Without cleaning my air ducts, the surfaces actually stayed clean, the air was cleaner, the furnace surely was running much more efficiently and as you may have expected, I had a great night’s sleep!

Feel free to comment or ask a question below.

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How’s the Winter 2014 Real Estate Market Fairfield in County CT?

We sure have been hit hard with winter extremes since the New Year with everything from sub-zero temperatures to multiple blizzards and some freezing rain mixed in for good measure! No doubt the weather has been keeping our spring real estate market at bay, but how did sales look in our neighborhood markets in January after the holidays?
Let’s take a look at a few measures across three towns, and see how they relate to last year. Comparing the number of homes on the market, total sales and the average market time in January, we see some promising numbers.  View or print charts here.
 
In Weston, Westport and Fairfield inventory of homes for sale was up between nine and twenty-two percent suggesting stronger seller confidence in the market this year.   Sales in fact, were way up in Weston (50%) and Fairfield (42%) compared to January 2013. Westport sales were down twenty-two percent, but there had been a big spike in the December sales.  The average days on market was way down (-40%) in Westport, though up a bit in Weston and Fairfield (5% and 12% respectively).
 
Overall, the increased inventory and sales in addition to average market time as low as 80 days in Westport, suggest to me that there is pent up demand on both the buy and sell sides of the market.   It would be great to see the market jump up to the pace noted in my post from last June.   I expect to see a flurry of activity in the housing market instead of snow as soon as Mother Nature decides to get the weather under control!
 
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Family from Scotland Comes Overseas to Live in Connecticut

Greg, a client of mine that worked in the landscaping business referred a new client to me that was being recruited all the way from Scotland to join the landscaping company he worked for called Michael Bellantoni located in White Plains, New York.

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So Andew began the process of relocating with his wife Kirsty and three daughters from overseas to join the firm.  They wanted to buy a home in a town with good schools and great prices, and focused in on Bethel, Connecticut.   Despite their stellar credit in Scotland, they could not apply for a mortgage here in the States without any credit history in the US.   So we found them a rental to enable them to establish their credit here while looking for a new home.   After a long search, Andrew and Kirsty found the perfect home, and as Andrew is now well established with his new company, the happy family is enjoying a new life here in Bethel Connecticut!

…Fast forward five years to the family’s move date anniversary, and Kirsty posts her feelings on Facebook, and we have an online exchange,

“Well….today is our 5th Anniversary of moving to the States. It’s been a rollercoaster so far with a couple of highs, but also some lows. I have made life long new friends here, but also miss my besties back home and often long to be able to just jump in the car and go visit them, especially when they’re sick or not doing too well. Our oldest daughter has gotten married and bought her own place with our lovely son-in-law, our middle daughter is in her last year of high school and the youngest will be moving up to become a junior after the summer. I don’t know what the next five years holds, or even the next year. Anyway, here’s to five years in the good old US of A.”

  • Hi Kirsty, I know there’ve been some tough times getting settled here. I wish it was a smoother transition for you and your family. I hope there are many more happy memories to be made here going forward!
    February 16 at 7:48pm
  • Kirsty: Bless you Linda, yes, it has been tough at times. But still here five years on…thank you for everything you have done for us, and if I ever need a Realtor in the future, there’s only one person I would trust!  
    If I can help you with any of your moving plans, here or overseas, just let me know!

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Home Buyers & Sellers Unite!

When Mike called me to take a look at his house after seeing my name on a For Sale sign nearby, I was happy to oblige. After touring the house, I returned a few evenings later to meet with him and his wife Kagin to discuss their plans for moving to Florida and how we could work together to make this happen.   Within two weeks, Mike and Kagin were ready to put their house up for sale!

1000 Burroughs (69)

Hitting the market in pristine condition with fabulous photos and a price based on comparable sales- we had instant interest, and a lot of it!   Within the first week we had multiple offers including one at full price.    Mike and Kagin went with the offer with the best terms for them.

It’s a win-win for everyone when they can work together in a positive and productive way.   I truly enjoyed working with my clients to unite them in this successful sale!

Mike & Kagin 11-22-13       
If you would like a complimentary market valuation for your home or have a question or comment about this post, please use the form below.

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Live in Downtown Fairfield- Commuter’s Dream Home!

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Live in Downtown Fairfield- Commuter's Dream Home!

Charm Central: 34 Glover Street, Fairfield, CT 06824
NEW PRICE: $499,000
MLS# 99039689


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Cash is King- But So Is Excellent Credit!

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Sharing her wisdom as a guest speaker at our sales meeting this month was Tracy A. Becker, President of NorthShoreAdvisory, a Credit Education & Restoration Company.  This company is one of the very reputable firms out there to help us understand the credit mysteries and improve our scores.  Tracy is a Certified FICO Professional, author of two books on credit and is the “Credit Expert” on the Eye on Real Estate radio show on WOR AM.

She began the meeting by announcing that, “If your credit score is not 740 or higher, it is not excellent and you should call me.”  I was thinking, what’s wrong with Very Good, Impressive, or Decent?   Anything short of excellent is no good these days?  Apparently it best be excellent or you can potentially lose thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on a mortgage with higher interest rates.  Some sources even say that insurance premiums are linked to credit scores.

We all know that we should pay our bills on time, but there is a lot more that most of us are unaware of that impacts our credit score.

Here are the top 5 tips from Tracy that I was surprised to learn,

1. “Seasoned” credit (over 2 years old) is excellent for your scores, and the older the better.  So don’t go closing your old credit card accounts!
2. A variety of credit is good for your score such as credit cards, auto loans, student loans and a mortgage.
3. Your credit can be pulled by third parties up to 5 times in a 12-month period with little impact to your score, but beyond this, your score can drop 30-40 points.  You can pull your own credit score as often as you wish with no negative consequences.
4. A new late payment can drop your score over 100 points.
5. The higher your FICO score, the bigger the hit your score will take if new negative information is added.

If you are getting ready to apply for a mortgage or other financing in the near future, Tracy says to go to Credit.com and pay to get your FICO score.  If it’s below 740, her company may be able to help save you big bucks!  She gives free consultations by phone to determine whether her company can effectively help you, and there is no charge unless you hire her.

To receive pdf via email of Tracy’s expanded list of “Tips on Credit” send a request below.

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