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2020 Year End Summary: Stratford, Connecticut Real Estate Market

December 27, 2020December 30, 2020Blog, connecticut, Stratford, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

As 2020 comes to a close, there is no sign of the housing market slowing down in Connecticut. According to Zillow (and from our own observations) Stratford’s 06614 zip code saw housing prices rise by an incredible 12.5% over the past 12 months. The upward trend is expected to continue by another 11.5% next year in 2021. Home prices continue to rise in Stratford as New Yorkers continue to flee high cost housing and high taxes to Fairfield County Connecticut’s relative bargain pricing. It truly is a bargain when compared to New York City and Westchester rates.

Historically, Stratford has been the most affordable town in Fairfield County. It largely still holds this title, though prices are rising to meet the strong demand from homebuyers looking for more space in town. Stratford is a mix of suburban and shoreline neighborhoods that experienced widespread development after World War II in the 1950’s through the 1960’s. For the most part, any land worthy of development has been developed long ago.

With strong prices and demand in 2020 however, new construction has taken off again in 06614. Developers have found the few remaining buildable lots to build on, now that prices support such development. Town officials seem eager to grant any permit that brings new tax base to town.

Lordship, the beautiful shoreline neighborhood has seen both tear-downs with new homes built as well as once vacant lots sold and permitted for new building. We also wrote about this beautiful new home newly constructed on Park Boulevard this year. In the Paradise Green neighborhood in the North-end of town, more new construction was seen at Cutspring road adjacent to the Mill River Country Club golf course. Three new homes all next to each other were built in 2020 with the third home nearing completion as of December 27, 2020.

Another new construction at the North-end located on Wakelee ave recently went under contract at $469,000 within just one week of being listed in the fall of 2020. On the West-end of town near the Bridgeport line, new construction is seen there, too. Perry lane has two new listings which are currently offered for customization (pre-construction) at $495,000 for 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom homes with two-car attached garages.

Fairfield County’s best kept secret, I’m afraid to say, is no longer a secret. With new buyers and investment coming in from New York, prices and a competitive market are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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New Construction in Stratford’s Paradise Green Just Listed for $469,000

November 8, 2020November 9, 2020Blog, connecticut, Homes for Sale, new construction, paradise green, Stratford, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Just a few weeks ago we reported that 224 Wakelee Ave in Stratford’s Paradise Green neighborhood appeared to be nearing completion. On Friday, November 6 the home was finally listed on the market at a whopping $469,000.

This is significantly more expensive than the newly constructed home just down the street at 115 Arcadia Ave that sold in 2017. That home, 115 Arcadia, sold in October 2017 at $405,000. It featured 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2,284 square feet of space.

Today, 224 Wakelee Ave features 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 1,900 square feet of space. It appears that 115 Arcadia was a good buy back in 2017 after all. To be fair, you can’t really compare the housing market of 2017 to that of 2020 – things have changed so much for Stratford in those three years.

The housing market in Stratford has changed dramatically since 2017, and most of that demand growth came in 2020 with the COVID-19 Pandemic as New Yorkers flee to the suburbs. There is little new construction in Paradise Green today, though there may be one or two homes available nearby on Cutspring Road. However, Wakelee Ave is a much better location, just down the road from Wilcoxson Elementary and walkable to all that Paradise Green has to offer.

A new driveway was just added to this completed construction and the home looks great. We expect that it will sell fast, just like everything else in this neighborhood in the Fall of 2020. Zillow predicts the home price index for 06614 to rise about 9% in 2021; experts say the demand for suburban homes in this area will continue to grow through 2021 with no signs of slowing down any time soon.

New Driveway Completed on Stratford’s Wakelee Avenue

What do you think this one will sell for? We will throw in a prediction of $449,000. Check back in a few months to see what the sale price was!

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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Edit November 9, 2020

As of 11/9/2020 this home is Contingent!

Stratford’s Spooky 1930 Tudor House on Halloween

October 31, 2020UncategorizedLeave a Comment

This spooky vintage 1930 Tudor style home looks exactly like what I’d imagine when reading the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel. Its beautiful brick, stucco and gingerbread exterior with peaked arches and rounded front door are very charming, drawing you in.

The dark 1930’s woodwork are perfectly maintained, perhaps too perfect. Perhaps only a sneaky witch could live in such a beautiful vintage home this inviting. This 5 bedroom abode last sold for an incredible bargain in 2017 at only $230,000. It’s been said that only a Witch could have negotiated a deal that good. It’s also been said around town that if you listen very carefully when passing by this house on Halloween night, a small voice beckons “Do come in…”

Do you like 1930’s homes in this style? Then you might like our recent post on a similar home in Stratford here. These beautiful Tudor style homes were popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s, though they were expensive to build, even back then. After World War II, the focus sadly shifted from craftsmanship to building lots of housing cheap and fast to accommodate the post-war boom.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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1929 Colonial at 104 Newtown Ave in Stratford, Connecticut

October 30, 2020October 30, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

This picture-perfect 1929 Colonial is located at 104 Newtown Ave in Stratford, Connecticut. According to public tax records, it appears that until recently, this home had been occupied by the same owner since 1955! Truly amazing. Newtown ave is a quiet, tree lined street in the Paradise Green neighborhood just steps from Motil Pond.

There are several large prewar homes like this one in the area built in the same style with architecturally steep roof arches and a rounded front door. It is wonderful to see the original rounded front doors kept on these homes, a big part of their historic charm. See another similar door in yesterday’s post here.

It appears that this home may have just recently sold for $369,000 on October 6, 2020.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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English Tudor Cottage Style 1928 Home in Stratford, Connecticut

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford, Uncategorized2 Comments

Stratford, Connecticut has a wonderful variety of home styles, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find some really unique prewar homes around town. Before World War II, during the roaring 1920’s, ornate and complex building styles were embraced as materials, money and labor was abundant. During the war however, everything was scaled back as many resources were dedicated to the war effort. Today, we can appreciate prewar homes for the special time in which they were constructed. They just don’t build them like this anymore.

This English Tudor cottage style home is located at 919 Wilcoxson avenue in Paradise Green. The round arched front door is still original and is set back in 3-4 layers of brick arches. The craftsmanship and detailed masonry work that was done on this home could only be created during prewar times. Priorities forever changed in 1939, and period homebuilding in particular provides this signature in history we can forever look back on.

This home was built in 1928, and is located in Stratford’s Paradise Green on Wilcoxson Ave, just a few hundred yards from Donut Crazy on Main Street. The home is featured on page seventy of Stratford Historical Society’s Images of America: Stratford.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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Muted Purple and Pink Toned 1920 Bungalow in Stratford, Connecticut

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

One home that has always caught my eye in Stratford’s Paradise Green neighborhood is a 1920 Bungalow at 62 Glenwood Ave. This historic home is now 100 years old and looks as well designed as it ever has. The exterior has a sun-kissed, muted pink and purple tone that looks wonderful as the afternoon sun hits the front door. A red maple tree stands tall out front, a tree which must be at least one-hundred years old, too. Mature neighborhoods just exude a charm that new developments just can’t recreate.

According to public tax records, it has not been sold since 1991. That’s not surprising; why would one ever leave this special home’s great location? Take a look at the dead-end road it sits upon at the corner of Reed Street. The street is lined with maple trees that tower above the homes bursting with fall color. This street view could be right out of a scene from a 1982 Hollywood movie, like Steven Spielberg’s E.T.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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New Construction at 224 Wakelee Ave Stratford, Connecticut

October 27, 2020October 27, 2020Blog, connecticut, new construction, paradise green, Stratford, Uncategorized1 Comment

The home at 244 Wakelee Ave in Stratford is a very nice Cape Cod originally built in 1949. It was in a very rundown state as of September 2017, when it was sold to a developer who completely renovated the home. The vacant lot at 224 Wakelee ave (to the left of the home) appears to have also been a part of the sale of number 244. The total deal value was $256,750 for both pieces of property. The renovated home at 244 Wakelee Ave was sold in January 2018 for $344,500 according to public record.

Site of Former Vacant Lot at 224 Wakelee Ave in Stratford, Connecticut

Several years later, it appears that the once vacant and overgrown lot is finally being put to work. To see what the vacant lot originally looked like on Google Street View, click here. A brand new home (pictured above) has been newly constructed on the property at 224 Wakelee Ave and looks to be a real show stopper. The construction team did an incredible job, and we can’t wait to see the finished product soon.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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Longbrook Park in Stratford, Connecticut

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford, Uncategorized1 Comment

One of the most unique parks in the Fairfield County town of Stratford, Connecticut is Longbrook Park. Yesterday, we posted here about a new home overlooking the park which is going to hit the market soon. This park has new athletic fields where baseball and football games are held, along with a track and children’s playground. One hundred years ago this property was actually a swamp and farm land which was converted to a park in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The land was donated to the town by Elliot Peck.

In August of 1912, the U.S. Army arrived in Stratford to perform military training exercises. This was known as the Camp Lee war maneuvers that took place along the park’s current area and Walter Wilcoxson’s neighboring farm land. Today, the farm land is long gone, developed for suburban homes in Paradise Green. What’s left is the 34 acre park we know today. For amazing original historic photos of the camp in 1912, see this book on Stratford here.

Do you have a favorite park in your town? Does it have a unique history like Stratford? Let us know in the comments below.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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1939 Colonial at 9 Elk Terrace, Stratford, Connecticut

October 25, 2020October 25, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford, Uncategorized1 Comment

The 1939 Colonial home at 9 Elk Terrace in Stratford, Connecticut has been under construction and renovation most of 2019 and 2020. It appears the home will be finished soon and will hit the market shortly. This large home has been expanded and completely renovated top to bottom and it looks like a new house. They have done an incredible job at this property.

The home sits right at the end of Elk Terrace and corner of Glendale road overlooking Brewster’s Pond. From the front of the house, you can see the entrance to Longbrook Park. It is an ideal location for a family with children, just a short walk to athletic fields, the park, Brewster’s Pond or across the pond up to the shops and restaurants on Main Street in Stratford.

The view of 9 Elk Terrace from Longbrook Park

One thing is for sure: when this property finally hits the market there might be a bidding war to win this home. A great comp for this home is 59 Elk Terrace, a few houses down, which just went contingent. That home was listed on the market in October 2020 for $424,900. Number 59 has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 1,861 square feet. If I were to guess, this house might hit the market in the $450,000 range.

Here you can see the park on a Sunday afternoon in Autumn, 2020. A football team practice together in the distance, and the youth playground is pictured in the foreground. From the back of the home, a view of Brewster’s pond is in full view. Imagine all of the mindful moments you could enjoy looking out at the ducks floating across the pond from your living room window.

The home sits above large stone retaining walls along the paved path that is popular with walkers, runners and families pushing strollers. This quiet area of Paradise Green was one of Stratford’s best kept secrets. With the influx of New Yorkers snapping up homes in town this year, the secret is out.

According to public tax records, it appears this home was kept with one family from 1940 through at least 2006. The home was sold in September 2019 for an incredible low price of $169,100. The property has been under construction since about that time.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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93 Brewster Street, Stratford, Connecticut

October 24, 2020October 25, 2020Blog, connecticut, Homes for Sale, Uncategorized1 Comment

Just on the market is an extraordinary oversized cape home in the heart of Paradise Green neighborhood of Stratford, Connecticut. This home is nestled just off one of the most beautiful streets in all of Stratford: Plymouth Street. Plymouth and Brewster are two of the most sought after streets to live on – homes here are usually long term ownership, just like this one. 93 Brewster last sold in 2010 for $329,000. It’s now available for the first time in 10 years at a very reasonable $375,000. Considering what smaller homes in less ideal areas are selling for, I would say this house will likely sell over the asking price.

This Brewster Street home is only one house away from Brewster’s Pond, a beautiful and popular spot for walkers and runners in Paradise Green. Here is a view from the other side of the pond looking towards the home.

Stepping out of your front door, you would be about a 10 second walk from this view of Brewster’s Pond looking South. Heading the other direction would put you right on Main Street in Paradise Green. This house has an excellent location and we think it will sell fast.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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