By Judy Szablak
Do not ever underestimate the power of professional photography along with staging your home for sale in Westport.
Featured Home: This home at 11 Partrick Lane is listed at $1,199,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo courtesy of William Raveis-Westport / Amaru and Associates
We hear a lot about staging your home for the market, and with good reason. Properly executed preparation helps to sell a home. However, a beautifully staged home with poor marketing photography is almost a waste of time and energy.
In other words, it’s not that cut-and-dry to just stage your home. The photos that are utilized in online or offline advertising also matter a great deal.
But sometimes, a home just cannot be as easily prepped for sale as agents or homeowners would like. There will be some level of uncomfortable disruption when you actually live in the home, and have excess items that just cannot easily be removed or changed.
Your agent should approach the subject with you, and you can both determine what is sensible and possible for your specific situation. It could mean that what is reasonable to you is that you just can’t do much at all for any variety of personal reasons.
If that’s the case, an experienced agent should have a plan of action that should include a seasoned professional photographer to assist in accentuating the positives.
Highly skilled agents rarely take their own photographs nowadays, especially when they do not have the proper equipment or skills to produce appropriate marketing images.
If your home is one of these hard-to-stage properties, your choice of which agent you choose to market it and what their strategy is to sell your home becomes of the utmost importance.
Market Stats
There are now 299 homes that are are actively on the market. These currently available properties have been listed for an average of 113 days, with a cumulative market time of 204 days. The average list price is now $2,433,776 and the median price is at $1,998,000.
A four-bedroom home on Beachside Avenue on 7.13 acres is the highest priced home for sale at $22 million, and the lowest available priced home is a three-bedroom home on Crescent Park Road for $368,000.
Seventeen new listings came on the market in the last seven days, and two properties came back on the market after being under deposit, or temporarily withdrawn. Eighteen properties had a price change.
Nine properties have gone under the initial deposit stage, which we call CTS, and five properties went into pending status, which means that the conditions have been satisfied, and the property is scheduled to close.
The average price of those five properties was $1,134,200. There are currently 28 homes in CTS status throughout Westport, and another 40 properties scheduled to close town-wide, with an average price of $1,744,198.
Closings: There were 11 single family homes reported as sold in the last week, and they were listed on average at $1,444,111, with a market time of 81 days. There were 69 status changes in the last seven days.
Condos: There are 10 condominiums that are available, and they have been listed an average of 58 days, with a cumulative market time of 71 days. Their average listing price is $690,080 and the median price is $559,900.
The highest priced condo in town is $1.3 million and is a three-bedroom home located at Terra Nova Circle, and the lowest priced unit for sale is a one bedroom home at Whitney Glen for $380,000.
There was one new listing, and no homes came back on the market after being under deposit. There were no prices change, and no property entered into the initial stage of deposit. One home entered into pending status, and was listed at $689,000.
There are two properties town-wide that are currently in CTS status, and there is one home scheduled to close.
No sales were reported during the last week. There were two status changes.
Rentals: If you are interested in renting year round, either furnished or unfurnished, there are 37 homes or apartments available. The median price is $4,150 per month and the average price is $4,849 per month. These year-round rental opportunities have been on the market an average of 76 days.
There are 26 short-term rental opportunities that are available, and they have been on the market an average of 47 days. Their average price is $14,081 and the median price is $10,000.
Please note that seasonal rental prices are sometimes listed as an aggregate price for the season, or they can be listed as per the monthly rental cost.
Source: Market Data is compiled from the GFC-CMLS and represents activity through our local MLS system. Private sales are not included in these statistics
Featured Home
This home at 11 Partrick Lane is listed at $1,199,000.
Located in the sought after Old Hill area, this uniquely charming five-bedroom home has a rustic and country flavor throughout its 12 rooms, and quite an inviting atmosphere.
Set on a gentle knoll, this 3,700-square foot home has a 41-foot long covered porch that is quite befitting of this farmhouse-style colonial cape. A rounded double door barn-house style entry leads to the large two story central foyer, with gently curved stairwell and custom railings.
Charm and a back-woods flavor abound throughout with country-style cabinetry and hinges, beamed ceilings and wood trim.
The living room has a floor to ceiling stone fireplace, and the dining room features parquet flooring and crown molding.
An expansive fully applianced country kitchen with breakfast nook is open to the family room, which has another stone fireplace that is flanked on either side by recessed built-ins, and French doors to one of two patios that lead outside to a park-like 1.26 acre property.
The wonderfully open flow continues with a second family room with a recessed wet bar referred to as the “game room.” Step down to this room which has beamed cathedral ceilings, wide planked flooring and a third fireplace.
Two sets of transom topped French doors offer easy access to outside as well.
Upstairs, the entire left wing is dedicated to the master bedroom privacy suite which has cathedral ceilings, two walk-in closets,and double French doors to the marble bath with separate shower and whirlpool.
Three additional bedrooms are on this level and occupy the right wing. A fifth bedroom is on the main level, and can easily be an office if needed.
Charming, peaceful and private, yet close to town, train and beach.
Schools—Kings Highway, Coleytown, Staples.
Extras and items to note—main level sunroom, custom outdoor fire-pit, three fireplaces, three full and one-half baths, built in 1964 and extensively remodeled in 2006, security system.
Annual taxes are $13,211.
Listing/photo courtesy of William Raveis-Westport / Amaru and Associates.
(Editor’s Note: Judy Szablak of Coldwell Banker Westport – Riverside, Fairfield County CT Realtor since 1984 is author of “The Art of Buying or Selling a Home,” and featured on HGTV’s real estate show, “Desperate to Buy.” Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit her online at http://www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com.
