The Golf Coast Standard

Archive for the 'Sellers' Category

Want to Sell Your House?Five Questions to Ask Yourself.Darien Homes for Sale.

The advice from Tara Nelson of Trulia is seemingly simple. But you’d be amazed how many  Darien homeowners are stuck on,  “but we need to get x dollars” What you think you need to get for your home and what the market will bear are distinctly different.The advice below is good although it may be a bitter pill indeed.

        LOWER YOUR ASKING PRICE IF YOU EXPERIENCE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING:                        

•  Do multiple listing agents have recommended listing the home at a lower price.
•  Does feedback from the buyers’ agents suggests the home is overpriced.
• Is the home getting any showings, even though it’s marketed well.
•  Has the home has sat on the market far longer than other homes in the area.
• Have there been multiple offers, but they’ve all been significantly under the list price.

Darien and Coastal CT , Real Estate Market Report, Jan-June 2010

 William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty continues to put out a great quarterly report on the state of the real estate market here in CT.The hyperlink below takes you to the report which graphs activity in the CT market for the past six months. Thoue report is devoid of the mumbo jumbo and macroeconomic slant of other publications and offers a look backward as well as makes modest predictions for the future of the market. Every town is coastal CT and Litchfield C ounty is analyzed, year to date,year over year,by price point and broken down by homes,land and condos.

Bottom line is that prices most likely have bottomed out at between 15-30% below pre-recession levels.Buyers have come back into the marketplace owing to low interest rates and a sense that the bottom has been realized.Take a look at the numbers for your town or one where you are considering moving. For better or worse,buyer or seller these are the facts and they feel much better than last year.William Pitt
Adobe PDF version – http://www.wpsir.com/u/marketReports/wpsir/rp_8.pdf
Magazine version –  http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/1ff19b6c#/1ff19b6c/1

Imitation,The Sincerest Form of Flattery,Darien Real Estate

ACCEPT NO IMITATIONS-There is only one www.thegoldcoaststandard.com. Im happy to see others joining the social media party in Darien Real Estate but really, let’s get original or better yet get a new web designer.                    

Darien Real Estate Market Report,May 12,2010.

Wall Street Journal Heralds Return of the “Teardown”,Darien Homes for Sale

An interesting article in today’s Wall St.Journal is trumpeting the return of the “teardown” in CT.That’s the affectionate term for homes of a certain vintage that are beyond rehab or are located on a parcel that could be otherwise “optimized”. While its true that the market has literally bounced like a rubber ball ,I haven’t seen any local evidence of this so far. It may still take some time for Darien builders to get back in this game. Stay tuned.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703686304575228221412542494.html?mod=WSJ_Real+Estate_MIDDLETopNews

Tags: Darien builders

How Do Realtors Price Your Home for Sale…Darien Real Estate

Its spring and a great one at that if you are a Darien CT Realtor.The market has blossomed  along with the trees and homes are moving nearly as fast as they come on the market…..IF THEY ARE PRICED CORRECTLY.

So if you are thinking of selling your home  you might be wondering just how Realtors come up with home prices in a place like Darien.You’ve probably heard this before but it is part science,part art ,and part market experience and knowledge. Read the rest of this entry »

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

Seems Like Old Times, Darien,CT Homes for Sale

I just have to report the palpable sense of activity and excitement there is in this spring real estate market in Darien,CT. January started off with a bang, as I reported and February appears to be even stronger. While touring open houses today, it looked like old times. There were agents on their cell phones with clients in the driveways of new listings.

Homes  for sale in Darien are bindering across all price ranges. In spite of reports that sales in the state of Connecticut are way down in the first two months of the year, prices have stablized and customers are making realistic bids. The numbers look poorly because homes that have closed in January and February were actually sold back in November and December.

Therefore statistics lag. Bank appraisals are still an issue  thoug ,as  lenders remain ultra conservative.

Nevertheless,we all know this is a local game and I’m here to report that this local agent is kicking up her heels.

Looks like if your home is for sale in Darien, this spring might be right to get the deal done.

Lets hope it holds.

Tags: Darien 2010, February Darien home sales, January Darin home sales

A Latte for your Thoughts? Darien CT Homes for Sale

One of the nifty (yes, that’s a word that still I use) about having a blog is that there is a tool on the “back end “as they say in blogville,that allows the writer to see what the most popular articles are. As good as that is, the tool can’t tell me what my readers would like or are HOPING to find on this site.

So here’s the thing. I’d love to hear from you. Let me know what you would like  to find here on http://www.thegoldcoaststandard.com.

Need a tip?The number one thing people do when they land on the site is  a home search. Thats great! Read the rest of this entry »

Darien Weekly Market Report,February18,2010