The big news is 24 houses sold in October, up from a normal of 11 or 12 each of the last 3 years. You have to go back to the late 90's to see an October like this one. Will it be enough? We are 22 house sales behind where we were at this time last year (235 vs 213) but the condo sales are up by 16 (59 vs 43). Looking at the crystal ball a moment, we see the gap will be made up by new pending sales which jumped by 7 in October (24 vs. 17) We predict we will end the year even with last year.
How about the rest of the towns around us? Wilton, Greenwich and Stamford are experiencing a similar 10% decrease in sales volume (but Wilton has not seen the corresponding uptick in prices). Darien's volume is merely flat amid modest pricing gains. Rowayton stands out in the county with double digit gains in both volume and prices.
Below is a link to our New Canaan Market Report recapping October and the first 10 months of 2014. If you would like to call and discuss the report, or if you would like a price opinion on your house, feel free to let us know.
The quaint Connecticut city is home to quite a few contemporary designs, but this “hyperbolic paraboloid” roofline stands out among the other modern masterpieces.
Listed for $2 million, the home offers approximately 3,000 square feet of living space with four bedrooms and four bathrooms.
“People come into New Canaan, and they want to see examples of Mid-Century architecture,” listing agent John Engel said. “Philip Johnson’s Glass House brings people from everywhere into our city, and that home is just a few miles away.”
The upper level of this unique Mid-Century home is wide open and where you’ll find the living room, kitchen, library, and dining area. It’s also outfitted with fantastic floor-to-ceiling windows that serve to bring the outdoors in.
And if the icy Connecticut winters have you worried, the large living area has a double fireplace lending a cozy feel to the top floor.
Bedrooms are on the bottom floor in this home’s inverted floor plan, and the rooms downstairs have views out to the expansive lawn and surrounding acreage.
The home was designed by architect James Evans in 1960, and he recently offered his own perspective on his remarkable design in a video produced by Barbara Cleary’s Realty Guild.
“If you take a cut any place through the house, it’s a straight line,” Evans said. “So this roof is generated by taking a straight line … and you put the planking diagonally across; that’s what creates the curve.”
According to Engel, that unique shape conceived by Evans is driving the interest in this home. The agent told us the property is receiving interest from buyers in New York City as well as potential buyers from overseas.
“We’ve had quite a few international customers contact us,” Engel added. “For someone who buys this house, it’s like buying a piece of art. It appeals to the art market.”
Its lasting appeal and signature slope will make any modern architecture aficionado a happy buyer.
“It was a very contemporary design done at the time,” Evans noted. “It was very well-built at the time; that’s why it’s enduring and has lasted for this amount of time.”
To see Evans discuss his design and to learn a bit more about New Canaan modern, check out the full video:
