The Golf Coast Standard

What Makes News in Darien,Ct…..

A couple of out of town readers have asked what types of things make news in a town like Darien.In order to answer that I’m offering a brief list of items that appeared in this weeks’ Darien Times,one of two local newspapers. If you want to read  thefull articles just go to, www.DarienTimes.com.

• “Candidates Want More Downtown Progress”-This is a “two fer”. There is an upcoming election for First Selectman and also issues around the development of downtown Darien.(Downtown is coming along but needs lots more.retail,rental units,sprucing up etc.)
• “High School Lights Still Leading to Contention”-An ongoing battle between the Darien High and Noroton Heights neighborhood residents continues to simmer. The neighborhood residents contend that night games and lights would be disruptive to the area and the peacefulness of the neighborhood.(give me a break)
• RTM Affordable Housing Update-This one is complicated.Basically the town purchased a piece of property at 35 Leroy Ave and their has been a two year political squabble over its proposed use. Best to read the full article on this.(personally I cant read another word about it)
• “Paint the Town Pink” and other philanthropic events …Darien has a great history of philanthropic events and organizations.This weeks even include among others, creating a “Mile of Pink” for survivors and supporters of breast cancer by  standing side by side throughout the downtown. Pink T-shirts are available for sale….pretty neat,huh?
• Fall author series opens at the New Darien Library.-always good stuff
• Local sporting events scores and schedules….we beat Danbury in football last week  31-0!
• Police Blotter-Nothing notable this week. A couple of driving infractions although there was a rash of car break-ins in past weeks.Im pretty sure they caught those guys though.

Hope this gives you a flavor of  what makes pretty typical news in Darien,CT. It could be a lot worse.

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This Weeks Open Houses-Darien Real Estate,October 3-4,2009-Darien Real Estate

Just a reminder that this weeks Darien Open houses can now be found by clicking on the Open House tab  (immediately to the left)Simply enter desired town and price range,print, and jump in the car!

As always, call me at 203-554-0951 if you need more information,get there too late,too early, whatever……..

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Darien Real Estate-New Statistics-New Pricing Insights

Today the agents in the Darien office of William Pitt Sotheby’s were given a new market analysis tool called Broker Metrics.This is about the third new  computer system we have seen in as many weeks so I for one was a little glazed over. That is ,until saw what kind of information this program could deliver.

One of the greatest obstacles to helping people sell their homes in Darien has been the reluctance of sellers to price their homes correctly.Among other things,Broker Metrics uses historical data from the CTMLS to quantify what can happen when sellers overprice their homes. In the town of Darien,Ct for example, the more of out whack the pricing is,the longer the home stays on the market. That in turn starts a cycle of price reductions which may or may not result in a sale.

Further, if  you choose to overprice you may wind up with a “price per square foot”  lower than if you had priced the home correctly from the beginning! Overpricing adds negotiating room that in the end favors buyers.When you think about it, this makes sense. Agents know from experience that when a home is on the market  and multiple price reductions have occurred,buyers will sense desperation and bid with a, “I smell blood in the water” avarice.

Now, I can prove it! I can slice and dice by town,price range ,etc.to illustrate the danger in overpricing and find the correct price to sell your home in the shortest time.

Call  me at 203-554-0951 or email at kmbrewer2@aol.com to have a look at the information. It’s free and could help you save a bundle and a lot of aggravation down the road.

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Remodeling Your Darien Home-”Green Demolitions” Lives Up to its Reputation

If you’ve just moved to Darien,CT or surrounding towns you have undoubtedly heard about Green Demolitions. The company picks up home fixtures or entire bathrooms and kitchens from homes that are being remodeled or torn down and resells them to the public at a fraction of their original cost. The inventory is warehoused in Norwalk,CT,upstate NY or central PA .Its a great concept and a service whose time has come.

Since I am renovating a couple of bathrooms I decided to check it out for myself. My contractor and I visited the Norwalk warehouse and were amazed. There was a tremendous amount of stuff that some would call “junk” but there were also rooms full of brand new (in the box) kitchen appliances,washers and dryers,stainless steel sinks, kitchen cabinets,lighting, granite and Corian counter tops,toilets,vanities,faucets,bathtubs,office furniture and much more.

I bought a brand new Kohler toilet, two undermount sinks, towel bars, two European manufactured faucets, a brushed nickel shower set,and two robe hooks for $675! Whats more,they will be coming to my Darien home to pick up my old bathroom fixtures so they can be resold. What a deal! For more information,and  a great backstory about the owner,visit www.greendemolitions.com

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Tags: CT home remodel, Darien Homes, Darien remodel, Home and Garden, home remodel

This Weeks Public Open Houses-Sept.26-27. Darien,CT Real Estate

Each week, I publish a list of  public open houses in Darien,Ct. In coming weeks you will see them appear under a separate link on the left of the Gold Coast Standard sidebar. At present it is as they say…..under construction.

In the meantime,for this weeks’ open houses, please click on Home Search on website landing page,look for OPEN HOUSE search and enter your desired dates. Oh,you’ll get maps too. Then just the key in the ignition. If you need help finding us or any of the homes listed, or if you want to know something more than may meet the eye,please feel free to email or call me. Its kmbrewer2@aol.com or 203-554-0951.

This will be easier next week .I promise.

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Darien High School SAT Scores Top Charts

Last week,The Darien Times reported that  Darien,Ct High School students scored the highest SAT scores ever in its history. DHS scored 618 in math and 588 in reading. The writing scores were among the highest in the past three years at 597. Darien Public Schools topped the district in math, tied for third place with the towns of Weston and New Canaan in reading (591) and tied with Wilton for second place in writing.Wesport lead the pack with a score of 605 in writing.

I have  had three children complete their education in the Darien school system and can attest to the standards of excellence across the board whether its in academics,or sports.

It’s no secret that an excellent school system is a key indicator for housing values in any market. Those looking to buy real estate and live in Darien can rest easy for yet another year.While the Darien real estate market continues to bounce along the bottom, the schools remain at the top of the charts.

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Tags: United States Department of Homeland Security

Darien Market Report September 17,2009

 

 Here are the new listings,deposits and closing for the last week. As I’ve said before the market remains stable…no big swings one way or another.Numbers indicate we are still down 20% in units YTD and average price has dropped from $1.6million to approximately $1.4 owing to activity in the lower end of the market. I sound like a broken record (for those who dont recall that,records used to skip and repeat)  but…. dems da facts.

 

https://mail.google.com/a/wpsir.com/#inbox/123dea466d42dba2

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Cultural Activities Abound Around Darien,CT

A few weeks ago I asked a friend of mine who is raising a family in New York City why they hadn’t considered moving to the suburbs. Her reply was,”It’s too sterile.” I was too taken back to ask what that meant or whether she considered Darien to be “sterile”.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Connecticut, Counties, Dave Mason, Fairfield, Gene Wilder, Kevin Bacon

Darien Real Estate-August 2009 Year to Date Statistics

The August  year to date sales numbers are out for the Town of Darien Real Estate.Overall things are looking  “less bad” than previous months.                                                                                                                                         

The number of homes sold in YTD IS 118 vs. 149 a year ago for a 20% decrease. Dollar volume is off owing to the predominance of sales in the lower range of $600,000 to $1.500,000.

Similarly the average price is down overall from $1.6million to just over $1.4 million.

Anecdotally,brokers are reporting an uptick in activity on both the listing and selling side. Buyers are dipping their toes in the water although there are still a lot of “lets just low ball ‘em” offers out there. This strategy is  not working and is an annoyance to sellers and agents alike. Although this is a down market its not a fire sale- at least in Darien.

 

August 2009 YTD

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Tags: August home sales, home sale statistics Darien CT, home sales, home sales Darien, statistics, ststistcs, Year-to-date

Darien Open Houses -September 13,2009,-Darien Real Estate

Here is the list of this weeks open houses in Darien organzied by price and time. All open houses are for Sunday September 13,2009

1-3PM
– 55 Blueberry Lane — $5,595,000
– 29 Searles Road — $4,995,000
– 68 Stony Brook Road — $3,795,000
– 40 Goodwives River Road –$3,394,000
– 19 Indian Spring Trail — $3,339,999
– 384 Hollow Tree Ridge Road — $2,985,000
– 39 Brushy Hill Road — $2,895,000
– 39 Sunset Road — $1,950,000
– 58 Rings End Road — $1,750,000
– 12 Stonewall Lane — $1,695,000
– 11 Homestead Road — $1,599,000
– 2 Queens Lane — $1,500,000
– 4 Pheasant Run — $1,175,000
– 32 Edgerton Street — $995,000
– 23 Denhurst Place — $885,000
– 1 Top O Hill — $860,000
– 13 Brookside Drive — $699,000
– 50 Camp Avenue — $669,000
– 56 West Avenue — $649,000
– 57Camp Avenue — $574,900
– 28 East Lane — $595,500
1pm – 4pm
– 111 Ridge Acres Road — $3,799,000
– 8 Delafield Island Road — $2,799,000
– 8 Davis Lane — $1,625,000
– 103 West Avenue — $1,299,000
– 44 Leuwarden — $1,025,000
– 2 Laforge Road — $799,000

2pm -4pm
– 2 Homewood Lane — $4,299,000
– 22 Great Hill Road — $2,495,000
– 146 Brookside Road – $1,975,000
– 6 Mccrea Lane — $1,469,000
– 23 Lakeside Avenue — $950,000

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Tags: open house