The Golf Coast Standard

Archive for the 'Buyers' Category

Pear Tree Point Beach,Darien Homes for Sale

I couldn’t have written this any better myself. This is a great article about a terrific Darien,Ct resource for its homeowners and their kids.. It was originally published by Darien Patch- another great town resource.

 http://darien.patch.com/listings/pear-tree-point-beach-park

What You Get For The Money $700,000 Darien,Ct. Real Estate

Since the real estate market in Darien,Ct started to soften in 2007 we have seen more and more homes on the market in this price range.In Darien,Ct  homes in the $700-$800K will  be small colonials or capes of about 1,400-2,000 sq feet on up to a quarter of an acre. You can expect two-three  bedrooms,perhaps a master and 1.5 or 2 baths. These homes are usually older and can vary in condition.Most are on busy streets but if you can find one  on a quiet street,even if it needs work, it can be an excellent investment.

There are 12 homes in this price category on the real estate market in Darien as of today, April 27, and some are very good values. Here are a few of my favorites. Read the rest of this entry »

Meet “Jack”, Our Favorite Darien Golden Retriever

From time to time I like to take a break from writing about real estate to talk about some of the things that make our town of Darien,Ct special.Our residents love it here so much they even write books about it.The latest offering is the unique and absolutely charming “Our Place,Darien.” This is a children’s book aimed at getting kids familiar with all the historical ,cultural and physical beauty of Darien,CT.

This is all done through the playful yet intelligent eyes of a Golden Retriever named,”Jack”. He is, as it happens, one smart pooch.He knows for example ,that the Siwanoy Indians were the first claim real estate (I just had to work that in) in Darien  and that the town was named after the Isthmus of Darien in Panama.

He takes us through downtown, to the park and to the beach, where he observes the  shoreline environments including all manner of flora and fauna and wildlife.

This is a must read for new residents coming to town with little ones! Absolutely delightful and a great addition to any child’s library!

Check out the website and get a copy for the kids.http://www.ourplacebooks.com

Darien Weekly Real Estate Report, week April 14,2010

Here are last weeks new listings etc. for Darien real estate and yes- that is an $11 million listing that has sold! If you need any more information on any of these properties,please contact me at kmbrewer2@aol.com

Darien Ct Real Estate, 6 Things You Never Knew About Darien

While this has nothing to do with Darien Real Estate,I thought it important for residents and prospective homebuyers alike to know a few things about Darien you may not have heard before. That is,Darien or Fairfield County ranks:

#1. On The List of Top 101 Cities with largest percent of males in the  industry of:Banking and Finance. Duh.

#6. On the list of  Top 101 Counties with highest ozone (8 hour readings 2005).Watch your back LA,we’re gaining on ‘ya..

#87. On the List of Top Zip Codes with largest percentage of residents of Australian first ancestry..G’day.to all 9 of you.

#63 .On the list of Top 101 cities (population 5000+) with Highest percentage of Bachelors degrees… #63? Not such a smarty pants now are we?

#17 . In the Top 101 Counties with highest percentage of residents who visited a dentist. …  But how many of us floss ?

#4 On the list of Top 101 counties most likely to have had a drink in the past 30 days . Define drink.

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Darien Homes for Sale, First Quarter 2010 Real Estate Report

What a difference a year makes! The report for the first quarter of 2010 in Darien real estate underscore what I have been saying here on www.TheGoldCoastStandard.com. Darien homes have been coming on the market and selling just as quickly. Unlike last year, which could be characterized as sluggish and even comatose at times, this year is bringing sales across ALL price ranges and quickly.

The entry level for Darien,CT is normally the most active and this year is no exception. However, we have seen an unusual number of stratospheric listings binding within days. That is surely new. The total number of sales in Darien real estate is up almost 76 % in units and the average sale price is also up big time from $1.350 million in 2009 to $1.7888 in the first three months of 2010.Not surpisingly, dollar volume is $66million versus $28 million just a year ago.Residential Darien listings  market time is going to be coming down in the months coming owing to some recent listings that were listed and sold within a week.

The bad news, if there is any, is that prices have not rebounded and frankly no one is expecting a big bounce.

The Darien,CT condo market also remains soft as does Darien land sales.It seems builders are still trying to unload previously built homes and/or having trouble with bank financing.

What does all this mean for the homebuyer? Well, the days of sitting back,surfing the Web for Darien real estate and waiting months to make a decision  is about to undergoing a serious change.

Buyers need to step up quickly and in some cases even get into multiple bid situations. It’s Back To The Future around here…..at least for now.

Tags: Darien condo sales, Darien Ct land sales, Darien sales first quarter 2010, real estate sales 2010

Property of the Week, 203 Long Neck Point,Darien CT

If you were paying attention to this weeks Darien Market Report, you would have noticed an unusual entry under the New Listings category. It is 203 Long Neck Point Road and has been listed for $16.75 million.Below is a reprint of the New York Times coverage of the property.A once in a lifetime opportunity and landmark  status makes this my Property of the Week.

Contact me for more pictures or information about this property.kmbrewer2@aol.com

Room for a Baker’s Dozen

Darien Homes for Sale,Market Report,March 25

Darien Homes For Sale…Get the Whole Picture with Custom Video

Ever load the kids into the car to see a home that looks perfect just to discover that it is on an insanely busy street or too close to the railroad. Searing for a home on the Internet is great but it does have its limitations. The Web, at the moment at least, lacks context and you can’t tell if a house you love is too close to the home next door or if your yard backs up to a parking lot.

If you find Darien house or two that you want to know more about ,give me a call. Id be happy to shoot a short, custom video of the neighborhood so you can see what Internet listings can’t or won’t show you.  

Time is  precious, and this  offers the Darien home buyer important information- without ever  leaving your home.

For those coming from NYC or beyond it’s invaluable.

Contact me at 203-554-0951 or kmbrewer2@aol.com and Id be happy to play Steven Spielberg for a day!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Darien Real Estate

For those of you who have been in a cave for the past week or so, the mother of all wind storms blew through here last weekend wrecking unbelievable damage. Hundreds of trees fell into roadways, on homes, on cars and some people.Power has been out since last Saturday, and thousands have taken refuge in shelters or local hotels.

Personally,I had a flood in my basement but was lucky  to get a room at a hotel in Norwalk,CT.Power was restored to my home yesterday and I have never been so happy to do laundry in my life! I just kept walking around turning lights on and off  like they were some new fangled invention. I hugged the Connecticut power guys when I saw them and seriously thought about adopting them. They declined the offer.

So what has this got to do with Darien,CT real estate. Well, more than you’d think.During all of this, and despite their own personal hardships,so many of my neighbors and friends came to our rescue. They turned up with water pumps,food, offers of sleeping quarters and produced generators out of thin air!

If you move to Darien, I hope you too experience the sense of community and caring that I did. In the end, its all about the people and these are among the best.