Real Estate Chocolate » Redding

2 Blockbuster Virtual Museums: History of Ridgefield and Redding

robgutman — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:44:18 +0000

Ridgefield, CT and Redding, CT History

You know how when you travel to new places, you take in the history. Like the Old North Church in Boston or the Tower of London. Then you might make your way to the museum that chronicles the entire history of a city or region. Most Fairfield County towns have a local historical society and maybe even a website. Well, what I found are a couple of blockbuster websites that track the varied history of 2 of Connecticut’s most-loved towns: Ridgefield and Redding. These are by far the best virtual museums in Fairfield County!

History of Redding will take you back before the revolutionary war and delight you with photos and stories of Georgetown, the great flood, and Mark Twain. Brent Colley shepards a complete set of Redding history for historians, readers and browsers alike.

Ridgefield’s own Jack Sanders provides netizens with another local history powerhouse of a website: Ridgefield Names. Jack has compiled the history of hundreds of local names including roads and geographical features. Mopus Bridge, Ketcham Road and Wallis’ Hoghole to name a few.

Look Back to Move Forward: Fairfield County Real Estate Market Stats for 2009

robgutman — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:31:23 +0000

Ever wonder why our cars have a rear view mirror? Henry Ford learned this lesson long ago that to move forward safely, it’s always important to know where you’ve just been. Real estate? Same thing!

2009 presented many challenges for sellers, agents and believe it or not, buyers too. Check out the 2009 stats in the table below and you’ll see that in all the Fairfield County municipalities listed, prices fell about 11% on average. Transaction volume, well that was off in the towns but not so much in the cities. Stamford and Norwalk each posted about a 5% increase in the number of deals while Danbury showed a modest decline.

As prices fell throughout the year, the smart sellers made repairs, priced their house at market value and were able to sell quickly and painlessly. Others found the market to be hostile. Overpriced homes (probably 50% – 75% of the 2009 inventory) languished on the market, frustrating owners who did not believe that declining values hit THEIR property. Those in denial paid in frustration, anguish and ultimately a lower price for their home because it was on the market longer as prices declined.

For buyers, 2009 was a year of good deals, great deals (foreclosures and short sales) and some difficult deals as personalities, attitudes and anger made made for many acrimonious negotiations. For the most part, residential property values fell back to around 2003 levels.

Real estate agents found 2009 to be a challenge. The good ones worked on developing the new skills that the market now demands. For me, I can say that I worked harder than ever to make sure my clients’ worked out in their favor. Negotiating last year’s deals and seeing them through to close required strict attention to all the details, patience and skill.

	2009 mean	Pct Chg from 2008	2009 median	Pct Chg from 2008	2009 #Trans	Pct Chg from 2008
Brookfield	417,420	-11.8%	384,000	-8.5%	125	-23.3%
Danbury	309,927	-13.9%	290,000	-12.1%	324	-3.0%
Newtown	428,668	-15.2%	420,000	-9.3%	212	-7.0%
Norwalk	529,423	-22.7%	440,000	-14.3%	439	5.5%
Redding	664,338	-7.4%	559,000	-12.0%	70	-6.7%
Ridgefield	759,494	-11.4%	645,000	-11.0%	220	-8.3%
Stamford	665,915	-13.0%	575,000	-10.2%	488	4.9%
Weston	936,173	-20.4%	825,000	-11.3%	92	-20.7%
Westport	1,419,436	-16.9%	1,188,500	-12.0%	250	-7.7%
Wilton	915,137	-12.9%	756,250	-10.7%	136	-16.6%

All data is from the CMLS and believed to be accurate and reliable.

Hey, What’s the Big Deal! 2009’s Biggest Home Sales and What This Means for 2010

robgutman — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:17:46 +0000

How big were the biggest deals of 2009? Big? Really big? Well, actually, not so big. Last year we witnessed a major pullback in luxury home sales at the highest end of the market. In the 7 towns surveyed, the average “biggest deal” was down 20% from 2008.

The transaction price erosion we saw at the highest level is driven mainly by 2 factors: overall decline in market values and the shifting focus of buyers toward more modest dwellings.

Anyone care to make a prediction? Will the high-end buyers be back in 2010? Personally, I think we’ll see more attention on luxury homes in the coming year as pent up demand will bring more buyers to this market segement while at the same time, many are tiring of the selling process and will do “whatever it takes” to get their homes sold.

Northern Fairfield County’s Biggest Deals of 2009 list won’t make the Forbes World’s Most Expensive Homes list, but they are beautiful and luxurious. Check out all the 2009 biggest deals below:

Biggest Residential Real Estate Deals of 2009

Town	Address	BR	Acres	2009 Sold Price	2008 Biggest Deal	Percent Change
BETHEL	6 JENNIFERS WAY	4	1.9	$720,000	$1,100,000	-35%
BROOKFIELD	38 SUNSET COVE RD	3	1.0	$1,350,000	$1,850,000	-27%
DANBURY	19 PETERSONS LN	5	2.0	$1,595,000	$1,817,000	-12%
NEWTOWN	26 BUTTERFIELD RD	5	5.1	$1,150,000	$1,600,000	-28%
REDDING	118 MOUNTAIN RD	4	5.9	$2,300,000	$2,950,000	-22%
RIDGEFIELD	3 PARLEY LN	4	1.3	$2,500,000	$5,500,000	-55%
WILTON	16 MIDDLEBROOK LN	5	4.2	$4,000,000	$2,940,000	36%

How to Find Out What the Tax Man Thinks Your Fairfield County House is Worth and Why it Matters

robgutman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:20:53 +0000

You’re just a few clicks away from knowing what any house is worth! Whether you’re buying a house, selling a house or just living in your house for the time being, it’s always good to know the local tax assessment. Assessments in Connecticut are updated every 5 years and represent 70% of a homes true market value.

Take Ridgefield for example. In 2007 the Tax Assessor (Al Garzi), worked with a vendor to revalue every property in town. Based on actual sales, they objectively assign a dollar value to each parcel in order to fairly divide up Ridgefield’s tax burden. If a house has recently changed ownership, it is likely that that the new assessment will reflect this transaction price.

When I value a home for sale or purchase, I present my client with 4 different market valuation models based on several factors. The tax assessment is a major input to my valuation model for any individual home. Not only the assessment for that particular house, but the assessments for all the comparable houses that have recently sold and are currently on the market.

Contact me to learn more about how to accurately model the value of any home. Weather you’re buying, selling, or just tracking the value of you current home, it’s important to keep an accurate read on it’s market value.

Online Tax Assessments for Ridgefield, Redding, Wilton and other area towns in Fairfield County

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Home Sales Roundup – Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton CT Real Estate – November 2009

robgutman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:23:40 +0000

Closings in November reflect home sales that were negotiated in the prior 30-90 days. Each of these transactions closed during the month. The list includes all of the single family home sales for Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton, Connecticut for the month of November 2009. Contact us with any questions regarding today’s real estate market and how best to benefit from it. I am always here to help in any way I can.

Street Number	Street Name	Town	Bedrooms	List Price	Sale Price
43	OLMSTEAD RD	REDDING	3	$334,900	$325,000
13	STARRS RIDGE RD	REDDING	3	$398,000	$398,000
5	SIDE CUT RD	REDDING	4	$400,000	$450,000
8	BALD ROCK RD	REDDING	3	$549,000	$520,000
19	INDIAN HILL RD	REDDING	4	$750,000	$705,000
28	WOOD RD	REDDING	4	$795,000	$680,000
24	BEEHOLM RD	REDDING	3	$825,000	$775,000
4	JOHN TODD WAY	REDDING	5	$1,035,000	$925,000
15	CLEARVIEW TER	RIDGEFIELD	2	$309,000	$310,000
60	LAUREL LN	RIDGEFIELD	3	$344,900	$305,000
14	BOBBYS CT	RIDGEFIELD	4	$389,000	$382,500
86	OLD WEST MOUNTAIN RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$399,000	$380,000
167	HAVILAND RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$449,000	$440,000
26	BUCK HILL RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$464,900	$441,500
23	BAYBERRY HILL RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$469,000	$467,000
366	WILTON ROAD WEST	RIDGEFIELD	3	$480,000	$420,000
105	NEW ST	RIDGEFIELD	3	$514,900	$470,000
24	FULLING MILL LN	RIDGEFIELD	4	$525,000	$475,000
36	RITCH DR	RIDGEFIELD	3	$578,900	$601,900
124	MOUNTAIN RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$619,000	$595,000
72	SAUNDERS LN	RIDGEFIELD	3	$635,000	$600,000
1	PEACEABLE HILL RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$659,000	$620,000
56	CIRCLE DR	RIDGEFIELD	4	$669,000	$650,000
39	BRIAR RIDGE RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$695,000	$645,000
36	ACORN PL	RIDGEFIELD	3	$698,000	$650,000
42	MIMOSA CIR	RIDGEFIELD	5	$750,000	$665,000
110	RAMAPOO RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$877,000	$852,000
346	OLD BRANCHVILLE RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$1,135,000	$1,000,000
10	LISA LN	RIDGEFIELD	5	$1,299,000	$1,150,000
346	STURGES RIDGE RD	WILTON	3	$579,000	$555,000
21	GRUMMAN AVE	WILTON	4	$669,000	$645,000
139	GRUMMAN HILL RD	WILTON	4	$692,000	$670,000
264	HURLBUTT (AKA HYLAND RD) ST	WILTON	4	$699,000	$636,500
21	FULLIN LN	WILTON	3	$725,000	$685,000
31	CLOVER DR	WILTON	4	$759,000	$692,500
46	GLEN HILL RD	WILTON	5	$839,000	$790,000
9	RICHDALE DR	WILTON	4	$1,249,000	$1,150,000

How You Can Profit From Getting Rid of Your Junk

robgutman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:35:33 +0000

You’ve decided to sell, you’re moving or you just need to clear some junk out of your house. Living in Ridgefield, I can tell you how to do it quickly, easily and profitably. I help all of my real estate clients clean-out their homes and ready them for sale. Here’s 4 ways to make it easy and profitable. I love this stuff so CALL ME to help you with any of this! 203-313-0414

Craigslist – I use craigslist to sell mostly oversized or bulky items that are tough to ship. Price items to sell quickly, not to make a huge profit and they’ll be gone in a day or 2. Remember, your primary goal is to rid your house of all the stuff you no longer need or use. When moving last year, I sold a sleeper sofa, several old dressers, bikes and more on Craigslist. And the best part is, people show up, pay you and take your stuff away…. easy money!

Freecycle – Free/Recycle… “Freecycle”. It’s a national network of freecyclers with a growing local presence. I’ve been hearing more about Freecycle lately but haven’t yet tried it myself. The idea is if you’ve got something that’s still within it’s useful life but you need to get rid of it, say an old Laz-y-Boy, a washer/dryer or garden tools, there’s someone out there that will take it for their own use. This gets it out of your house and keeps it out of the landfill; very environmentally friendly. Although you get no cash for your stuff, you get it removed for free.

eBay – I use eBay mostly for things of relatively high value that are easy to ship. I’ve sold used mp3 players, cell phones, cameras and more on eBay with little effort and much success. You can set your own price or run an auction. Either way it helps you clear out your attic or basement of old video cameras, telescopes, toys, shoes, clothes and more.

Goodwill – Donate items at Goodwill. Goodwill Industries has convenient drop-off locations throughout the area and can even be called on to pick up furniture and other large items. Here’s a reliable way to donate items and they’ll also give you a receipt for your taxes.

The Dump – When all else fails, take it to the local transfer station. For a fee, you can drop most anything. The trouble is you do all the work and then pay for the privilege of filling a landfill with your old couch. This is usually my last option but they are always ready to take whatever I’m getting rid of.

Remember, I am always available to help you use any of these websites. Together we can get your house de-cluttered and put some cash in your pocket!

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Home Sales Roundup – Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton CT Real Estate – October 2009

robgutman — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:28:33 +0000

Closings in October reflect home sales that were negotiated in the prior 30-90 days. Each of these transactions closed during the month. The list includes all of the single family home sales for Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton, Connecticut for the month of JOctober 2009. Contact us with any questions regarding today’s real estate market and how best to benefit from it. I am always here to help in any way we can.

Street Number	Street Name	Town	Bedrooms	List Price	Sale Price
173	PICKETTS RIDGE RD	REDDING	4	$340,000	$332,000
72	OLD STAGECOACH RD	REDDING	4	$399,777	$452,024
20	DEACON ABBOTT RD	REDDING	4	$405,000	$402,500
573	REDDING RD	REDDING	3	$539,000	$530,000
7	SULLIVAN DR	REDDING	4	$550,000	$525,000
280	BLACK ROCK TPKE	REDDING	4	$1,159,000	$995,000
252	BENNETTS FARM RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$239,900	$239,000
350	BENNETTS FARM RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$335,000	$297,050
10	ISLAND HILL AVE	RIDGEFIELD	3	$399,900	$385,000
340	BARRACK HILL RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$488,876	$447,500
34	MADELINE DR	RIDGEFIELD	3	$499,900	$479,500
45	TACKORA TRL	RIDGEFIELD	3	$539,900	$495,000
15	DOWLING DR	RIDGEFIELD	3	$599,900	$430,000
27	SARAH BISHOP RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$639,900	$617,000
35	MARSHALL RD	RIDGEFIELD	5	$668,800	$640,000
12	EVERGREEN PL	RIDGEFIELD	4	$699,000	$659,500
266	BRANCHVILLE RD	RIDGEFIELD	3	$722,900	$722,000
13	CASA TORCH LN	RIDGEFIELD	4	$739,000	$718,000
10	MCKEON PL	RIDGEFIELD	4	$749,000	$715,000
131	NEW RD	RIDGEFIELD	4	$1,029,000	$980,000
14	RED OAK LN	RIDGEFIELD	5	$1,239,000	$1,175,000
20	AARONS CT	RIDGEFIELD	4	$1,249,000	$1,155,000
10	KEELER CT	RIDGEFIELD	4	$1,299,000	$1,185,000
11	TURTLE RIDGE CT	RIDGEFIELD	5	$1,399,000	$1,225,000
8	KEELER CT	RIDGEFIELD	5	$1,475,000	$1,230,000
217	OLD BRANCHVILLE RD	RIDGEFIELD	6	$2,475,000	$2,200,000
24	ROLLING RIDGE RD	WILTON	3	$424,000	$395,000
134	RIDGEFIELD RD	WILTON	4	$549,000	$509,000
7	MAYAPPLE RD	WILTON	4	$634,000	$585,000
254	NEW CANAAN RD	WILTON	4	$699,000	$671,000
411	OLMSTEAD HILL RD	WILTON	5	$719,000	$670,000
31	WEEBURN LN	WILTON	4	$799,900	$750,000
33	SEIR HILL RD	WILTON	5	$988,000	$991,000
281	STURGES RIDGE RD	WILTON	4	$1,195,000	$1,100,000
269	STURGES RIDGE RD	WILTON	5	$1,695,000	$1,500,000
21	WOLFPIT LN	WILTON	5	$1,699,000	$1,625,000
6	HUNTING RIDGE LN	WILTON	5	$2,399,000	$2,100,000
7	SPRUCE MEADOW CT	WILTON	6	$3,190,000	$2,860,000

How Real Estate is Like Fishing. Warning: This Strategy WILL SELL Your Fairfield County House

robgutman — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:02:57 +0000

No matter what you’re hearing, area homes ARE selling. Not like iced tea on a hot summer day, but homeowners that need to sell are getting the job done. I just checked the MLS and here’s the proof: 140 area homes have taken a deposit or have a signed contract. These are all recent real estate deals that have been negotiated and/or contracted but not yet closed. That’s 140 houses!

Home sellers are asking me “how can I be the next one?” If you really want to sell, then let’s talk about a pricing strategy that works. You see, selling real estate is kind like fishing. You can have the best gear, the best bait and even be in the best fishing spot. However, if the fish are 30 feet down and you only let out 10 feet of line, you can fish all day and still have nothing for dinner! Let out 10 more feet, not a bite. 10 more feet and then you’ll be eating fillets for a week!

If you’ve got a great house and your realtor has a proven marketing system and you’re still not seeing satisfactory activity or offers (i.e. no bites), then your bait’s not low enough. Your not fishing where the fish actually are. It’s time to let out more line. And then keep letting it out until you hook your buyer.

The Home Sales Strategy That Will Sell Your House!

First, realize that today there are many more houses for sale than buyers to buy them. Not what you were hoping for but the good news is that if you’re buying something on the other end, then you’ll be benefiting from this situation too! The sooner you “get to 30 feet”, the faster you will hook a buyer and you will actually sell for a higher price than if you stayed at 10 feet for too long. Price your house as competitively as possible. Then for every 2 weeks without an acceptable offer, drop your price by $10,000 – $20,000. Today’s buyers make decisions based on value. That’s it. A periodic price adjustment strategy will get your house sold. Guaranteed!

Northern Fairfield County Real Estate IS selling and at ALL price levels:

Bethel. . . . . 14 transactions currently in process between $314,000 and $549,900
Brookfield . 20 transactions currently in process between $290,000 and $990,000
Danbury . . 45 transactions currently in process between $180,000 and $1,600,000
Newtown . .20 transactions currently in process between $175,000 and $1,199,999
Redding . . . .9 transactions currently in process between $190000 and $1,750,000
Ridgefield. . 19 transactions currently in process between $375,000 and $3,500,000
Wilton . . . . .12 transactions currently in process between $390,000 and $2,399,000

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Just How Many Homes Really Are Selling in the Region (Ridgefield, Redding, Wilton, …)

robgutman — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:39:11 +0000

As the media bombards us with enough doom and gloom to last for the next 10 years, you can be sure there’s more to come. But everyone keeps asking me “how bad is it… really? You know, with real estate”

Truth is, no matter how bad the market appears on the new, people still need to buy and sell homes. Workers are still being transferred, families are still growing, folks are still dying, divorces are still occurring,life dreams are still being realized… So you see, life goes on no matter what happens in Washington or on Wall Street. An believe it or not, mortgage money is freely available to ALL qualified buyers! And at great rates.

It’s not fair to say all is rosy but you can’t say the real estate market has totally fallen apart either. Overall, compared to 2007 (which by the way was not stellar but not so bad either), the region shows a 27% decline in single family home sales. 27% fewer players means a little less liquidity in the market and generally you’ll find it takes a longer to sell. However, the market is still active, just not as much as last year. As the market has shifted to favor the buyers in price negotiations, and prices will continue to decline somewhat, it’s crucial for sellers to price their homes at or below market value.

Bottom line for sellers is that to be included in the 73% of transactions that continue to occur, be smart and price to market. Overpricing you house will be frustrating, stressful and ultimately leads to more stress and less money.

Woofs Wines and Felines: Be There or Be Square!

robgutman — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:13:53 +0000

Don’t forget that tomorrow is ROAR’s annual fun-fest under the big tent across from CellarXV, Woofs Wines and Felines. We’ll all be enjoying spectacular wines from around the world, delicious food and great music… all in support of ROAR (that’s the Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue) and their terrific programs that serve so many of us in Ridgefield and throughout the region.

Tickets are available all day today at CellarXV Wine Market on Danbury Road in Ridgefield (203) 894-8690) or on the ROAR website and will be available at the door. Admission is just $45 purchased in advance or $55 on the day of the event.

When Monica and Jane approached us to get involved in ROAR, Brad and I were excited to find out more. It amazed us to learn that ROAR help’s to recsue >500 dogs and cats each year and then places these animals in loving homes. The Kimmelman-GutmanGroup is proud to support the ROAR mission and to ” headline sponsor” this wonderful event. We’re looking forward to getting more involved and continuing our support for ROAR well into the future.

Join us at Woofs Wines and Felines: sign up for our blog and pick up a special free gift. See you tomorrow!

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