Rustico Trattoria, a new Italian restaurant, opens Monday at 1431 Post Road East at the location formerly occupied by Pane Vino Ristorante which closed several years ago. The new restaurant is owned by Norwalk resident Miguel Donofrio, a veteran restauranteur and chef who was a prior owner of Westport’s Finalmente Trattoria at 165 Post Road East and Assaggio in Stratford According to his son, Lucas, 26, the Donofrio family including his sisters, Leticia, 24, and Anna, 22, will work at Rustico along with their father and mother, Gisele, each of whom emigrated from Sao Paulo, Brazil. It will be open seven days a week serving lunch Monday through Friday from noon to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday and until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
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Comings and Goings: West Elm Opens
Squeezing in right before the holidays, West Elm’s “pop up shop“ opened today on Westport’s Main Street next to Pottery Barn. The temporary shop is stocked with holiday items including gifts, decor and entertaining pieces specifically chosen for Westport. The store is part of the Williams-Sonoma stable. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Juliet Balian for WestportNow.com
Westport Property Transfers Nov. 21 – 25, 2011
Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Nov. 21 - 25, 2011:
Karen A. Hube and Malcolm R. Fitch to Brian G. and Merideth C. Ostrer, 52 Washington Ave., $720,000
John R. and Gwen T. Campbell to Brendan F. and Patricia A. Lynch, 22 Old Hill Road, $1,478,500
Michael and Pfhilomena Carusone to Timothy E. and Jennifer Lukens, 9 Cunningham Place, easement, $7,500
Timothy E. and Jennifer Lukens to Marco C. and Katherine C. Parente, 12 Cunningham Place, $1,050,000
Real Estate Report: Positive News
By Judy Szablak
The news on a national level is uplifting, and locally, it appears even better. The Pending Home Sales Index rose sharply in October, according to the National Association of Realtors.
This waterfront estate at 3 Charmers Landing is listed for $8,850,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo courtesy Granite Studios
The report is released during the first week of each month, and the latest report shows an October increase of 10.4 percent over September’s figures. The index measures housing contract activity and is based upon signed real estate contracts for single-family homes, condos and co-ops.
While pending properties are not guaranteed sales, they are an excellent gauge of the market health. Locally, we have had an outstanding week in reported pending properties, and especially so for this time of year.
The latest economic reports for November indicate that consumer confidence has risen, and our local market seems to agree. The weekly statistics:
WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 22 St. John Place
An application for a permit to demolish the house at Westport’s 22 St. John Place, off Main Street, is in process. Built in 1938, the 1 1/4-story ranch has 1,286 square feet and is situated on a .20-acre property. Because the house was built more than 50 years ago, the application will be reviewed by the Westport Historic District Commission. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Westport Property Transfers Nov. 14 – 18, 2011
Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Nov. 14 - 18, 2011:
Neil Rattan to Raymond L. and Karen S. Abramson, 301 Post Road East, Unit 2, $227,500
Amber M. Brookman 2001 Trust to Christopher J. and Nuan H. Crowder, 5 Stoneboat Road, $2,515,000
Marilyn Kiasky Smith to Robert J. and Alison Milwe Grace, 7 West Parish Road, $305,000
Joan W. Kahn Revocable Trust to Paul E. and Ellen J. Cahill, 305 Lansdowne, $680,000
WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 108 Cross Highway
An application for a permit to demolish the house at Westport’s 108 Cross Highway is in process. Built in 1805-1806, the two-story vernacular, known as the Henry Munroe House, has 2,872 square feet and is situated on a 1.02-acre property. Westport Historic District Commission records cite it as “one of the few 19th century dwellings documented as being built by a free black. Henry Munroe, a farmer, purchased the parcel from John Burr in 1802 and in 1807, he conveyed the property ‘with buildings’ to his sons, Henry Jr and Alexander. The house first appeared on the tax rolls in 1806. In 1827, Alexander passed his interest to Henry Jr. Henry Jr, (died 1881) and his wife Phoebe were members of the Green’s Farms Church. His sister Amelia was the housekeeper for Peter Sturges who resided at 93 Cross Highway. After Amelia’s death in 1883, the house was sold to Peter Sturges. The west wing was added in 1969.” Because the house was built more than 50 years ago, the application will be reviewed by the Westport Historic District Commission. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 51 Gorham Ave.
An application for a permit to demolish the house at Westport’s 51 Gorham Ave. is in process. Built in 1950, the two-story colonial has 1,860 square feet and is situated on a .39-acre property. Ownership changed hands last month at $775,000. Because the house was built more than 50 years ago, the application will be reviewed by the Westport Historic District Commission. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Real Estate Report: Back to 2003 Prices
By Judy Szablak
Case-Shiller released its monthly housing indices report today and it revealed that national home prices are back to the level of the first quarter of 2003.
National declines averaged 3.9 percent in September, although that is less than the 5.8 percent reported from the second quarter. David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices, noted that, “Home prices drifted lower in September and the third quarter.”
Only three of the nation’s 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) posted any type of gain in September, and New York was one of the lucky few, albeit by less than 1 percent.
Analysts are beginning to agree that the worst of the pricing collapse from 2007-2009 seems to be behind us. Fourteen of the 20 MSAs showed improvements with their annual rates of change. The New York MSA index is currently at 169.92, and normalized from the first quarter of 2000 at 100. The weekly statistics:
Westport Property Transfers Nov. 7 – 11, 2011
Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Nov. 7 - 11, 2011:
Jacqueline Tolkin to Brian Flinn, 16 Bobwhite Drive, $905,000
Muriel B. Schwartz Tr. to Manic Jacques and Linda J. Meli-Lefebvre, 3 Chrestwood Road, $1,200,000
Joy Ann Beckwith to Turkey Hill Court LLC, 15 Turkey Hill Road South, $2,040,000
7 Fraser Road LLC to Denise S. Nesi, 7 Fraser Road, $3,500,000
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