The Golf Coast Standard

Darien Real Estate Market Statistics Jan-July 2009

I’m  not one for blogging about  real estate market statistics.I feel that if people want them they are available readily from a million sources on the Web. However, I have found recently  that there is a lot of bad info on a couple of prominent sites (Zillow).

So, I thought it best to begin to publish Darien Real Estate stats directly from the Darien MLS. If you come to the GoldCoastStandard.com at least you’ll know you’ve got the straight scoop and no “stale” data.

As always if you are looking to slice or dice the market in ways other than I am providing,please contact me directly or call me at 203-554-0951.

The link below shows year to date  Darien,Rowayton and New Canaan real estate numbers as of July 31,2009. Not a pretty picture. The real takeaway is  that as bad as these numbers are- they don’t  even reflect the sharp downturn in 2007!

http://statspak.firstamericanmls.com/DARStat/AR1_2_7/statrpt%20Comparison2.PDF

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Darien Living,Push-ups or Plies?

 

Darien sports programs are second to none . The town of Darien,CT and Darien schools boast multiple lacrosse,volleyball,gymnastics championship titles. The local YMCA is widely known as a  ”feeder” for the high school teams and each year many kids from Darien  schools go to prestigious colleges on some sort of athletic scholarship.

What to do though, if you or your kids are not particularly athletic or interested in competitive sports? Should they be literally sidelined?

Absolutely not. The Darien Arts Center will come to the rescue. I just received the fall program and it has 20 pages of great programs for kids and adults.

Musical Theatre,Singing Groups,Children’s and Adult Ballet,Jazz and Latin Dance,cartooning,painting,private and group music lessons and a lot more.

I’ve been a member of Equinox Fitness(another great facility located in Noroton Heights neighborhood of Darien)  since it opened 7 years ago and I love my workouts there. Pilates, Body Sculpt,Yoga, Cycling and treadmills as far as the eye can see.

This year though, I think I shall feed my soul with a few ballet classes at the Arts Center.I took dance classes for years before I hit my 40’s and just figured if the professionals stopped when they  were 40-ish,who was I to argue? (plus my body REALLY didn’t want to JUMP anymore). But what the heck. I’m signing up…..maybe for Latin Dance too.

For more info ,visit www.arts.darien.org or contact me directly at kmbrewer2@aol.com.

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Darien Real Estate,Weekly Report,Aug 3,2009

Below is the link to view the weekly Darien real estate market report which shows, new listings,price changes,deposits and closed sales. This weeks’ report is interesting in that it reflects an  definite uptick in activity  in the Darien real estate marketplace. The most popular price point remains  homes between $700,000 and $1.5 million with only a couple of closing in the higher ranges.

Prices continue to fall as sellers become more realistic (or desperate).However, buyers must realize that this is not an “anything goes” market.You cannot  realistically bid on a home by knocking  30% off the asking price.

 Know the history of the property and ask your Realtor whether the property is still overpriced . Trying to lowball already appropriately reduced properties, is a waste of everyones’ time  and will probably insult the seller. If you really want the house ,this is not the way to go.

 

Darien Market Report, Aug. 4,2009

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Darien Open Houses Sun. Aug 9, 2009

Here is this weeks Darien real estate open houses.I am happy to report that the market here is picking up significantly  and hope this is the beginning of a trend. Stay tuned. Ill be posting the Listings,Bindered and closed sales in another post.

• 56 West Ave ,$649K, 1-3PM.                              
• 50 Camp Ave, $669,000 1-3PM
• 2435 Post Road, $925,000,1-3PM.
• 4 Pheasant Run $1.175,000, 5-7PM
• 6 Saddle Ridge Road, $1.350,000, 1-3PM
• 49 Edgerton St., $1.425,000, 1-3PM
• 315 Middlesex Rd.,$1,499,000,1-3PM
• 29 Searles Road, $4.995,000, 1-3PM

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Attention Darien Homeowners….Mr.Sandless is a dream…

Did you know that you could get a chemical peel for your hardwood floors? I discovered this company when a  Darien client of mine needed to spruce up their home  in a hurry.

I was skeptical, but I saw it with my own eyes. No sanding, no waiting for polyurethane to dry…..its painless….make that …..sandless!

Very inexpensive compared to refinishing.Highly recommended.Take a look and be amazed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8etJ8K45kw

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Darien Homes and Condos July 30,2009

Each week I will be publishing  this report of new listings,price changes,deposits and closed sales in Darien real estate.Contact me with any questions about specific properties.

 New Listings,Pending Sales,Wk July 30,2009,Darien Real Estate

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William Pitt Sotheby’s Real Estate Report for Darien and Fairfield County

Below is the link to an an extremely comprehensive 2nd Quarter 2009 report on the state of real estate in Darien and other towns in Fairfield County.

I couldn’t begin to compile all of this myself and it answers questions about the present Fairfield County real estate marketplace for homes and condos . It also speaks to the future implications of these statistics.

Now that you’re on the edge of your seats, the tone of the report calls for”cautious optimism.” 

 

WPSIR 2nd Quarter 2009

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Update… Darien Commuter Parking

Todays Darien Times reports that more annual parking permits may soon become available.

Apparently,many of the oustanding  yearly permits go unused. Since the wait list is so long,residents tend to  hold onto their permits even though they are not using them. The Town Selectman is considering converting some of the daily parking spaces to annual ones or creating incentive parking permits (Im not sure what that is).

Anyway this is only a discussion at the moment and there is a scheduled public hearing on Sept 8.

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Darien Homes for Sale-Open Houses, August 2,2009.

Here is the list of open houses for this Sunday, August 2,2009 in Darien. The summer has arrived and activity has slowed so there are only a few this week.

I have seen all of these homes ,so if you need more information about location or have other questions,let me know before you come up.

 

90 Leroy Ave, 2-4PM, $799,500 (this is down from $995,000!)

18 Elm Street 1-3 PM $739,000 (great starter house on quiet street)

12 Stonewall Ln, 2-4PM, $1.695,000 (gracious center hall colonial on “killer” street)

119 Holmes Ave, 1-3 PM,, $1,799,000, (virtually new construction,converted farmhouse,popular school district,backs up to park)

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…Someday my pass will come….Darien Commuter Parking for Home and Condo owners

 

There are two Metro North train stations in Darien,one in the Noroton Heights Station and the other  in downtown Darien. They are only a couple of miles apart and most morning and afternoon trains stop at both.

  If you live in Noroton Heights and wish to park at that station,you must have a permit or purchase a ‘”voucher”.The waiting list for a permit is approximately TWO YEARS long. The cost for an annual parking pass is $315 and you can get on the waiting list by calling Darien Public Works at (203)655-7330. The permit allows you to park only at one of the two stations since the number of spots is limited. Read the rest of this entry »

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