‘Green’ Energy Efficient Homes for Sale in Darien, Ct.

May 10,2013.

The spring market in Darien, Ct has been active with prices ranging from $375,000 up to $15,900,000. Currently there are about 130 single family homes for sale on the Darien MLS and today we will be previewing three of them that are ‘green’ energy efficient homes.

The first home is a certified LEED Platinum home that was originally a 1925 home but was totally renovated and remodeled in 2011. The home scored a HERS rating of 37 which makes it approximately 63% more efficient than a new built home. The home won the Connecticut Green Building Council’s (CTGBC) 2012 ‘Residential Green Building Award’.

Greenwich, Ct. Real Estate Market Report April 2013.

April 30^th, 2013.

Currently the Greenwich Multiple Listing Service, GMLS, is reporting 539 single family homes listed for sale in Greenwich, Ct. The prices range of these homes range from $449,000 for a one bedroom  1,141 square foot home on 0.21 acres up to a $32,995,000 seventy-five acre estate with a 15,862 square foot Elizabethan inspired Tudor Mansion.

Year to date the GMLS reported that there have been 127 single family home sales with an additional 185 homes under accepted offer and/or contracted to sell.*

To find home for rent or for sale in Greenwich, Connecticut please go to this easy to use link.

Action In The Darien, Ct Real Estate Market ~ Spring 2013.

Action In The Darien, Ct Real Estate Market ~ Spring 2013.

April 3^rd, 2013.

First Quarter of 2013 the real estate market of single family homes in Darien, Connecticut has held its own compared to same time last year with sales and prices slightly down but with average square foot prices slightly up.

The big news is that currently on the Darien MLS there are 71 homes under deposit and/or with accepted offers and another 122 homes listed for sale. The single family homes for sale range price from $375,000 for a 3 bedroom 936 square foot home up to $15.9 million waterfront estate on 3.16 acres with a 12,000 square foot custom built Hobbs home.

Fairfield County, Ct. has Highest Density of High Income Households.

The U.S. Census Bureau just released its report ‘The Geographic Concentration of High-Income Households: 2007-2011’ with the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut region having the highest concentration. The census report finds that 17.9% of households in the area have incomes in the top five percent nationwide which is above $191,469 per year.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California came in second with 15.9%

Washington-Arlington-Alexandra, DC-VA-MD-WV came in third with 14.1%.

On a state-by-state basis, Connecticut has the third highest concentration of the ultra-wealthy at 9.5 percent, behind Washington, D.C. at 11.4 percent and New Jersey at 9.8 percent.

National Ratings of Home Insurance Companies 2012.

In September 2012 both Consumer Report and J.D.Power came out with their separate annual homeowner insurance reports and ratings.

According to the national survey the greater the damages the more likely the homeowner received less than expected with almost 10% overall of the survey were in disagreement with the claim payment but when damages were over $25,000, 19% were in disagreement.

Both reports and ratings have Amica Insurance with the best reviews and with Erie Insurance and State Farm above industry standards. Both reports also have MetLife, Travelers, Farmers and Allstate below industry standards. To see how the customer satisfaction index was determined please visit each article.

New Construction Homes in Darien, Ct for the New Year 2013.

 

With the New Year comes opportunity for moving into a brand new constructed home in Darien, Connecticut. Some of these homes are move in ready and some are still in construction phase where you can choose your finishes.
The four I will highlight in this week’s newsletter are:

~ Kensett Home Community of 62 custom designed homes on 16 acres with walking trails, pool & club house. Prices range from $1.3 to $1.55 million with square feet running between 3,300 up to 4,480.

~ Noroton Green are 8 certified “green” homes with state of the art energy-efficient mechanicals and materials. These homes are approx. 3,000 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths starting at $1.295 million.

Custom Deluxe Homes.

~ 358 Hoyt Street a 3,500 square foot home on 0.80 acres, spray foam insulation, 3 zone HVAC system, large eat-in gourmet kitchen offered at $1,399,000.

~ 312 Noroton Avenue is a timeless custom Colonial design with all the high end bells and whistles is a 5745 sq. ft. home on 0.35 acres offered at $2,295,000.

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2013 Cost Vs. Value of Home Improvements Connecticut.

The 2013 Cost vs. Value report by Remodeling Magazine is out and it shows a positive sign for the remodeling industry with the national average of cost-value ratio rising for the first time in six years.

The report is broken up into nine regions of the United State with the Connecticut and New England Region showing an uptick in value of all projects compared to last year’s report. For Connecticut the report is broken further down to New Haven and Hartford with a downloadable pdf.

The national data of the Cost vs. Value report compares the average cost of 35 popular remodeling projects with the value of those projects retain at sale. You can view national data for the projects or go to regional data for a more detailed look as well as mid-range vs. high-range remodel values.