Karen Brewer

Pre-Sale Inspections A Smart Move for Sellers….Darien Real Estate

In the State of Connecticut,homes sales follow a specific procedure.First a bid is made and hopefully accepted. Then, quick as a bunny, the Realtor assists the buyer in scheduling a home inspection. Then, WE PRAY.

The results of home inspections here in Darien and elsewhere are responsible for many of the glitches in a home sale. Invariably,inspections will turn up a myriad of problems with dated wiring, furnaces,roofs,plumbing etc. Mostly the problems are minor but they can throw the transaction into slow motion as the homeowner either gets chewed down in price or remediates the problems.

Just as you would spruce up the interior of your home before listing it,I highly recommend spending $500 or so on a pre sale inspection.You will learn if your roof is at the end of its life,if there is evidence of pests or termites among  other things.THEN you can decide to fix the problems or build them into your pricing without being under the gun to get to the contract stage of things.

There is nothing worse than pricing a home for the current market and then being ”nickled and dimed ” after a less than stellar inspection.

One caveat here is that prospective buyers will probably want to do their own inspection anyway to insure reliability but its a great selling point to have a documented inspection while marketing and may save you, the seller big bucks down the road.

Just for Fun Friday….Worst MLS Photo Award

Sometimes while searching through the MLS, I come across photos that I just cant believe! This is certainly one of them.

Darien Real Estate, September 2011 Monthly Report

The fall is off to a slow start. Very few listings of value have come onto the market and the sales are precious few. We’re holding our own versus last year but thats the best you can say,Im afriad. Sellers should begin to lower asking prices as the days grow shorter and the holiday seasons approach. For any questions on a specific property call me on 203-554-0951.

 

Darien Real Estate Report, Week of Sept.14

For those of you who are familiar with town and know the ins and outs,here is this weeks activity report.As you can see its precious little. Only 7 new listings and several are homes that have been relisted from a previous time.

Darien Real Estate,Blooper Friday…

A few weeks ago,I had an English language, challenged buyer ask me if her deposit would be placed in “escarole .”

 I said, “Sure, I’m sure the change will be fine, but the bills will probably get a little soggy!”

Darien September Real Estate Market, A Big Yawn…

Since the Darien real estate market is so slow,I’ve been ruminating over what to write about. Then I realized I should just fess up and describe things the way they are.REALLY slow. Since Labor Day listings are just dribbling on to the market one at a time and half of those are rentals. The other half seem to be homes that were previously listed and are now being re-marketed at a lower price.

If you are in the market to buy a home in Darien or elsewhere and are considering waiting,Id love to know what is holding you back. Is it the economy,upcoming elections, not secure about employment?Let me know.kmbrewer2@aol.com.

Today, a glimmer of light shown since there were five new listings…three of them genuinely new,but alas no accepted offers.Hopefully, it will turn around and we’ll get a “flurry” before the snow really flies.

Darien,CT Real Estate…What to Expect This “Fall”

The hint in the headline is the word “fall”. Sure that’s the upcoming season but it has another meaning too. Today when I checked the Darien MLS for status changes of listings I was met with half a dozen price reductions. And that’s what I predict will continue to be the case throughout the autumn.In the past,  the fall market often represented  a last ditch effort to sell their homes before retreating into real estate hibernation for the winter.

As a result, sellers typically becoming more realistic about pricing their homes more in line with current conditions. I don’t expect this year to be any exception.If youre in the market, start watching closely.If your financing is in order and you see a price reduction on a listing you like,this may be the time to jump in.

Remember not all websites can offer you a full listing and pricing history of a property,so feel free to call me if you need info on a particular property.203-554-0951 or kmbrewer2@aol.com.

Hurricane Irene and Darien,CT

There us plenty of information out there regarding the storm and its aftermath here in Darien and surrounding towns. As of Wednesday,August 31, nearly half the town is still without power.Electricity to the schools has been restored and Darien students will be returning to school tomorrow,Thursday September 1.

As far as the storms impact on the real estate market,its safe to say it has basically brought things to a crawl. The Darien MLS has no power but is operating out of a nearby office. New listings are negligible.Closings seem to be going forward but water in basements has hampered some efforts to close deals.

There are lots of people stranded,but thankfully no one hurt.

This Weeks Property Transfers in Darien

For those of you who keep track of such things, below is a list of sales for last week here in Darien.These homes range from building lots to waterfront listings and teardowns.

 

Topping last week’s property transactions was a $2.24 million sale on Juniper Road:

5 Stony Brook Rd. S: Charles B. England Jr. sold to Virginia Jijon and Sebastian Correa for $1,700,000.

51 Leroy Ave.: Jared S. Sturdivant and Jessica S. Sturdivant sold to Lynne Ann Hippeau Tr. and Lynne A. Hippeau Revocable Trust for $950,000.

101 Raymond St.: 101 Raymond St. LLC sold to Benjamin E. Erwin and Jill M. Erwin for $2,200,000.

144 Five Mile River Rd.: Stephen A. Frank sold to Foster R. Kaali-Nagy and Brinley M. Kaaly-Nagy for $2,210,000.

18 Highfield Ln.: Julianna A. Mortensen Trust et al. sold to Ricardo Munoz and Veronica Munoz for $1,275,000.

5 Juniper Rd.: Ricardo Munoz and Veronica Mullally sold to Peter Markham and Susan Markham for $2,240,000.

4 Shipway Rd.: Peter Markham and Susan Markham sold to Andrew Black and Jessica Black for $1,500,000.

25 Salisbury Rd.: Philip Santomassi and Patricia Santomassi sold to Walter Tabaschek and Maria Tabaschek for $1,455,000.

87 Old Kings Hwy. S: Timothy D. Clark Est. sold to Philip Deterlizzi and Julie Pagnozzi Deterlizzi for $615,000.

Information obtained from the Office of the Town Clerk .

Darien Real Estate….All Quiet….For Now

Very llittle to report. Most people are away and homes are selling and closing in a trickle only. People are waiting in the wings for new listings which will spike just after Labor Day to kick off the fall market which will run until Thanksgiving or just beyond. None of the news is good except that interest rates will clearly remain low for the foreseeable future. I dont thin its a surprise to anyone to hear that the face of the Darien real estate has changed permanently. Slower sales,lower volume,longer listing times, low apprasials and a difficult lending enviornment are the order of the day.