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      Home » Blog » The Stories Behind The Sales…

      The Stories Behind The Sales…

      We take such pride in our jobs as home sellers and home match-makers, and we love the stories and memories behind each home. Here are a few heartwarming tales of our recent sales.

      1116 Valley Road | Fairfield
      Sold for $715,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard

      Many things factor into what price you will get for your home, one of the most important things being timing. My clients were thrilled to secure an accepted offer on their new home, but that meant we had to quickly rush to list their home for sale, secure an offer and close, all at the height of the holiday season! People tend to focus more on family and holidays vs home sales so November-December can be a “slower” market. My clients quickly put the final touches on their already gorgeous Stratfield home, we took photos, prepped and printed materials and were off! Feedback on the renovations was positive, people loved the interior and exterior, but showings were a little slower than they would have been if we listed in the spring market. We had been listed for a little over a week (almost 2), and were nervous offers would be at asking or below, when not only one but two offers came in! After reviewing offers, my clients were able to secure an above asking offer, with clean terms! They were able to close on their new home and slowly move, while clearing their “old” home out for the new buyers. So happy for all!

       

      70 Maple Oak Drive | Stratford
      Sold for $650,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard
      Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match.  I had clients looking for a condo and I sent letters to the Maple Oak complex and few homeowners responded that would consider selling.  Fast forward and my clients decided they weren’t quite ready to move if anyone in the Maple Oak complex responded, when I realized I had another client looking to do a 1031 exchange (45 days from one sale to identify a new home you will buy) and nothing was appealing.  I remembered the beautiful home on Maple Oak Drive that was gorgeous and thought it would be ideal for her to either move into in the future OR keep as a desirable rental.  The owner needed to find housing so we  closed within our timeframe and since it’s an investment we were able to rent to them for 6 months after closing…instant tenant, instant rent, and it brought us to prime summer rental season vs the slower winter rental, perfection!  I love, love, love matching buyers & off-market sellers!
      33 Sarenee Circle | Trumbull
      Sold for $910,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard
      On a snowy winter night, my phone rang and it was the sellers of 33 Sarenee Circle, who had found me by researching agents who had listed or sold homes in Trumbull recently (we had two under contract in their neighborhood!) The next day, I trudged through the snow to meet with them to discuss selling their home. They were interviewing a few agents and even spoke with the agent they had bought a new home with, but in the end chose to have me list their home.  Fast forward to numerous showings, a client of mine that was relocating to CT and had settled on Trumbull after we did a few town tours all over Fairfield County, called me and wanted a video tour of the house. They had been focused on a different school district in town but this house just checked all of their boxes, so he flew up, took a tour, and hung around for a bit.  We discussed what I would bid if they decided to make an offer and we held the open house the following day.  A very busy open house happened and offers started coming in!  To keep things fair, I had my colleague Jennifer Peters jump in to submit their offer and I received an offer from them almost identical to what we had originally discussed.  After reviewing a number of amazing offers, the sellers ultimately chose to sell their home to my buyers!  I couldn’t be happier, as they settled in and make some amazing changes to make it their own. 
      230 Toilsome Hill Road | Fairfield
      Sold for $675,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard
      The reason for every real estate sale is for different reasons. I met my sweet client after his wife passed away and he wanted to move closer to his daughter who was a little over 5 hours away. While we had to negotiate somewhat on the sale due to the current condition, we were still able to achieve a much higher number than he had hoped for and that was offered to him by investors/flippers privately. After a few weeks on the market, we secured the perfect buyer that not only loved the neighborhood, they loved the space and layout that Toilsome Hill Road offered and were so excited to put their own touch on it.  The buyers were able to obtain a renovation loan that covered the purchase of the home AND the work they wanted to do  – new kitchen, bathrooms, refinishing hardwood floors, new roof, mechanicals, and so much more!  It’s been a few months since they closed and the new buyers continue to put their own touch on it.  I am so excited for my seller client as he was able to buy over 30 acres of land to build his new home and start his next chapter, closer to his kids and grandkids. 
      16 Broadview Road | Westport
      Sold for $1,951,549
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard
      Good things come to those who wait and wait and wait.  We listed 16 Broadview Road and had a very interested neighbor within the first few days.  We had a number of showings but the mortgage rates had just picked up and slowed the market a bit. The interested neighbor wanted their parents to live across the street and we were able to make that happen!  The buyers sold their home in NJ, and we negotiated a fabulous deal for my sellers which included some of their furniture so they didn’t have to move it, and were able to delay the closing to a timeframe suitable for my sellers.  A relatively tough buyer and contract negotiations that lasted for months, resulted in a successful sale in the end!  Having two calm agents that were able to work together to facilitate a deal beneficial to both the seller and buyer kept this deal together and I am so grateful for the buyers agent in this transaction!

       

      115 Greenwood Lane | Monroe
      Sold for $550,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard

      This was a wild ride for my clients! They had been looking for about a year and a half with another agent and hadn’t found the right home when I was referred to them by my amazing past clients after they had read through hundreds of recommendations on a Facebook post. We looked at numerous homes and I even found one-off market that we had gotten and had an accepted offer on, but something wasn’t quite right. I want my clients to be thrilled, excited and jumping up for joy when they find the right home, especially in this market. I kept saying, “are you sure, you should be happier, you got a house!” But my gut told me it wasn’t the one for them in the end.

      Sure enough, the home they were under contract on had too many inspection concerns and we ended up backing out at the same time another home hit the market in the next town over. My client literally burst into tears while we stood in the kitchen during our tour, saying this was the home for her. It brought me to tears – we had to make this happen. We made a very aggressive offer and won the bid up against 11 other offers. I was away on vacation when I got the call that they had chosen our offer and my client literally screamed. I could hear her jumping up and down through the phone. That was the excitement I wanted to hear! I am so excited for my clients, that I can now call friends, and I can’t wait to see them around town!

       

      20 Edinburg Lane | Trumbull
      Sold off-market for $650,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard

      Our closing at 20 Edinburg Lane was the perfect example of off market prospecting and agent relationships at its best. I was referred to my clients a few years ago when they had a very specific need for a ranch home in Trumbull. They owned a home and then Covid hit, so they stopped their search for a few years. Fast forward to the end of 2022/beginning of 2023, and our search was at full speed.

      After seeing every ranch style home in Trumbull immediately and getting into multiple bidding wars or the homes we saw weren’t quite working, we started an aggressive direct to homeowner, off-market prospecting. A number of homeowners respond but my previews warranted reasons that the house wouldn’t work (unrealistic seller pricing, owners not quite ready to move, etc), that was until I received a call from a fellow William Raveis agent who I know well. Her clients received my letter and were thinking of putting their home on the market. The sellers allowed a pre-market showing as they were preparing the home to list the following month. Within moments of being in the house, we knew this was “the one.” It was on a quiet street with million dollar homes, a gorgeous level yard, 2,000+ sq ft with an additional 500 sq ft in the finished lower level and more! Move-in ready with expansion possibilities and more!

      So grateful to the listing agent and her clients for reaching out to after receiving our prospecting letter and allowing my clients to purchase the house before anyone else saw it with an extended closing so we were able to sell their home first too! Happy to say that based on recent sales, we have some instant equity in this Trumbull home, too!

       

      15 Jesse Lee Drive | Easton
      Sold for $860,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard

      Sometimes, the grass IS greener on the other side…literally! When I first sat down with my clients and they were telling me about their current home, they told me they were supposed to buy their neighbors’ house but changed their mind post-inspection and bought across the street. You would think that would only happen once! Fast forward a few years and they started a new home search. Their offer got accepted by a lovely home in Easton, in a multiple bidding situation too! It was a perfectly charming antique with a beautiful yard, surrounded by well-kept homes, a stunning front porch… but quite a few unexpected items that came up during the inspection. Sound familiar?

      While we negotiated with the dismissive sellers and had a sinking feeling that this might not be the right home, the neighbor’s home (that my clients admired from the other side of the stone wall!) came on the market as “coming soon.” I made a quick phone call to the listing agent who ensured us “first access” the day showings start. As we toured through, the boxes are being checked off… ✔️ amazing yard, ✔️ 4 bedrooms, ✔️ new septic, ✔️ updated kitchen and bathrooms, and the list goes on. We made an aggressive offer with fabulous price and rent back terms which sealed the deal in a matter of hours before anyone else could submit an offer! It was almost too good to be true.

      The house is on natural gas (✔️another win!), but our home inspection showed oil lines going to a tank outside… there were no records at town hall, the owners say no tank, and the previous owner from 30 years prior say no underground oil tank…. we should take their word for it, right? Nope, never! We’re ready to test the soil (post scan the owner agreed to do), when we received a call that the metal scan shows an abandoned tank. The sellers agree to remove the tank and test the soil as we waited patiently, fingers crossed that the soil is clean and… voila! Clean soil just in time to close! I am so happy for my clients to move into their new home in September. It’s been amazing reconnecting with former classmates that I’ve known since kindergarten and middle school and an honor to have been chosen to help them with their home search (and sale!) when they know quite a few Realtors! Welcome to Easton!

       

      3 Tuckahoe Road | Trumbull
      Sold for $915,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard

      The power of prospecting! I was introduced to Jordan and Alex by a good friend and client, Brian. Jordan and Alex were looking for their first home and potentially “forever home” if we could find something that had that longevity. We saw quite a few homes publicly listed for sale, all while prepping 200+ direct-to-homeowner prospecting letters on their behalf. The return rate was about 2%, with homeowners calling, saying they would consider selling. I previewed those homes, provided the owners with market analysis, and looked at it if they would be a good fit for my clients.

      About 2 months in, an agent I know well called me as her client received one of the letters and she informed me the house would be coming on the market in March. I continued to check in, and she kept her promise that we would be able to see the home “first.” The day before it was going on the market, my clients fell in love, and we submitted an offer that night, immediately working out the details and making a strong offer to secure the home. Fast forward 2 months, and they officially closed on their first and potentially forever home! Couldn’t be happier for them! Oh, and did I mention the owners were redoing all the floors so they got to pick the color? Congratulations, Jordan and Alex, welcome to Trumbull!

       

      174 Bob Hill Road | Ridgefield
      Sold for $695,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard and Clare Conant

      I am so excited about this closing for a variety of reasons. The most important one being it clearly demonstrated the power of not just being on a team, but being a part of THIS team!

      Our sellers found us through some of our innovative marketing! A simple sold note from our team’s previous Ridgefield sale had caught the attention of the home sellers. Clare was all set and ready to go to the marketing presentation when her newborn girl got sick. I was able to rearrange my schedule and stepped in to meet with the sellers and secure the listing. Clare was able to meet the sellers a few days later, win the sellers over even more, and finalize paperwork. Fast forward a few days and we scheduled staging, professional photos, marketing galore, and this charmer was listed!

      Knowing the market was hot and the open house would be a constant flow, Clare and I held the open house together. The buyer of this beauty had a video tour from their sister in law, while they were overseas.

      Fast forward to multiple bids and a buyer who came directly to Clare. She was aware of offers coming in and handed this buyer off to me, so all parties were represented in a fair, honest, and ethical way. Time differences, limited access to the internet for the buyers, a well-informed agent, strategic offer, and a very aggressive buyer desire secured this home, and it appraised out! There were a few ups and downs (oh, like the buyer switching jobs), but we kept things moving forward. Congratulations to Clare on another successful closing, I loved working with you and to one of Ridgefield’s newest families, welcome home!

       

      105 Cedar Woods Lane | Fairfield
      Sold for $760,000
      Sold by Sarah Pritchard

      Print marketing, primped to sell and a fantastic pricing strategy is what sold this listing. I was thrilled to sit down with the amazing owner of 105 Cedar Woods Lane last year as she had been receiving my neighborhood market update newsletter for about a year. We discussed pricing, had options for the future, and a fluid timeline. In the Fall of 2022, the market slowed a bit, values dipped (can you believe that?), and they weren’t quite ready. Fast forward a few months into Spring 2023, and the market was in a very good place. With an update to my clients, we quickly pivoted, her daughter happily “staged” and prepped the house, and we hit the market! I also connected the seller with an agent in their dream town in Massachusetts (after quite a few interviews) to find the perfect home to relocate to. This beautifully remodeled and restored home had incredible space –hello 2,700 square feet on the main level AND 2,000+ in the walk-out lower level – a fabulous layout and minimal work needed. We had quite a few potential buyers through (including the original designer’s granddaughter! Architect Victor Civkin designed this home and quite a few others in the Stratfield neighborhood). After a list price ($799,000) and an agreement to reduce if need be within 2 weeks, we reduced to market value ($749,000), activity picked up and we quickly secured an all-cash offer over the asking price with a free rent-back to the seller!

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