What Does Your Home Need In Order To Sell?

Realtor.com recently surveyed homeowners about the top perceived renovation projects they needed to undertake in order for their house to sell. Interestingly, kitchen and bathroom remodels, interior painting and new flooring top the list of every generation, but not everyone was in agreement about which took priority. Millennials felt that undertaking a pricey kitchen renovation would help their home sell, while baby boomers and Gen X felt freshening up their paint would help. What we can all agree on is that buyers are savvy. And for sellers, investing a little on the front end of a sale often pays off on the back end.

Originally published on Realtor.com

Ridgefield’s Tower Cottage Featured In Christie’s ‘Luxury Defined’

In a blog and newsletter circulated to over 10,000 high net worth subscribers, Ridgefield’s own history-filled ‘Tower Cottage’ at 48 East Ridge Road took top honors representing beautiful Victorian Revival architecture.

Joining noteworthy properties from around the world, Tower Cottage is currently listed for sale by Karla Murtaugh at Neumann Real Estate for $2,395,000 and pays homage to a time gone by, while maintaining relevance to a modern world through exquisite renovations and updates.

Click here to see the full Christie’s International Real Estate article about Tower Cottage and it’s fellow Victorian Revivals. To learn more, or to see a video or peruse photographs of Tower Cottage itself, visit the feature page or call us at 203-856-5534 for an exclusive showing.

Luxury Defined is celebrating the eclectic Victorian Revival movement by featuring six homes inspired by the reign of Queen Victoria, sovereign of Great Britain, Empress of India from 1837 to 1876. Caught in the tension between the old and the new, the Victorian architect reworked classical antecedents with “contemporary” upgrades and a multiplicity of new styles emerged: the medieval and Roman elements of Gothic Revival and Richardson Romanesque; the mansard roofs of Second Empire; the turrets and gables of Queen Anne; and, the Craftsman precursors of Stick-Eastlake style. New engineering technology embraced structural steel as well as the luxury of indoor plumbing. The Victorians reveled in ornamentation, classical proportions, craftsmanship and materials, yet their designs anticipated modernism. Their 19th-century cottages, grand country estates, and elegant townhouses brought in a new age of light, air, warmth, and comfort for homes which are still vibrant, exciting living spaces for the 21st century.

Tower Cottage itself is beautifully sited on a ridge and sits just a stone’s throw to all Ridgefield has to offer. It includes an impressive wrap-around porch, exquisite new gourmet kitchen, fabulous mudroom, 6 bedrooms & 3 floors of turreted rooms – a library, master suite & office. A gunite pool joins beautiful gardens & sweeping lawns creating an exceptional retreat.

Tiger Hollow Holiday House Tour is December 6th!

As a sponsor of the biennial Holiday House Tour, I want to remind you to BUY YOUR TICKETS for the event taking place on Friday, December 6th. Tickets are $65 and are available for purchase at www.tigerhollow.com

Kicking off at the Lounsbury House at 9am with a continental breakfast, the tour showcases five downtown area homes decked out for the Holidays. You can spend as much or as little time at each home as you would like. All proceeds support Tiger Hollow Stadium capital projects. Tiger Hollow at Ridgefield High School hosts over 400 games and practices a year, as well as Ridgefield’s annual fireworks display.

So get in the Spirit Of The Season and spend the day with 500-600 of your closest friends touring these show-stopping Holiday Homes!

Neighbors, Neighbors, Neighbors…

According to Realtor.com, neighbors matter. More than half—52%–of Americans say they’ve lived next door to what they consider a “nightmare neighbor.” And because of that, more than three-quarters say the potential neighbors would be a factor into their decision when choosing a new home to buy, according to a new survey from Ally Financial of more than 2,000 consumers.

Distance may be key to feeling the most neighborly. More than half—54%–say they prefer to live in neighborhoods where neighbors are far apart. Only one-quarter of respondents say they prefer close proximity to their neighbors, the survey shows.

The top qualities consumers say their favorite neighbors have are taking good care of their home (71%) and being willing to help other neighbors out (66%). Homeowners also say they value neighbors who take good care of the neighborhood (49%) and those who are friendly with other neighbors (47%).

Their least favorite qualities: those who are loud (46%) and those who partake in “questionable lifestyles,” such as running an illegal business out of their home or drug dealing (44%). Other bad neighborly traits included those who don’t keep up their house (34%) and nosy neighbors (32%).

Past neighbor experiences can haunt homeowners, the survey finds. Sixty-seven percent of respondents say that prior unhappy neighbor experiences make them realize the importance of good neighbors.

Younger generations say they’ve had more bad experiences with neighbors than older homeowners (63% for millennials versus 38% for baby boomers). Also, parents with kids report having more unpleasant experiences with their neighbors than those without kids. As such, parents with kids say they’re more likely to avoid their neighbors.

**First published on Realtor.com 12/04/19

Karla Murtaugh Named To Christie’s ‘Masters Circle’

I was honored to be named to the inaugural Christie’s International Real Estate Masters Circle at last week’s 2019 Christie’s International Real Estate Luxury Agent Conference in Houston, Texas. The Masters Circle is a group of top-performing agents within the Christie’s International Real Estate global invitation-only network.

Masters Circle members are chosen based on their success and expertise at the high end of the market, as well as their specialization in different property types. The agent’s ability to deliver the highest level of service to sophisticated clients around the world sets them apart in the industry and makes them a perfect fit for the specialist universe that is unique to Christie’s. Together, the membership represents over 4,700 combined luxury home listings with areas of market expertise ranging from waterfront, equestrian, mountain, and ski, to vineyards, development, urban, suburban, and private islands among others.

“We are incredibly proud of Karla on her recognition as a Masters Circle member,” said Russ Neumann, broker/partner at Neumann Real Estate. “Karla exemplifies top-notch customer service, an incredible networking ability, and an unsurpassed knowledge of the local market. To have her be recognized internationally for these attributes is truly an honor she deserves. ”

Dan Conn, Christie’s International Real Estate Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are excited to have established this group of luxury real estate specialists operating at the top level in their respective regions. Members gain access to an invaluable network to discuss industry trends and establish leadership in their particular areas of specialty, and promote their listings to other Masters Circle luxury real estate specialists. This elite group will further enhance the ability for the Christie’s International Real Estate network to serve buyers and sellers of fine properties worldwide.”

It’s Turkey Time Again – Register for the Trot!

Register NOW for the 38th Annual Turkey Trot & Kids Fun Run benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield! It’s ONE WEEK AWAY and we couldn’t be prouder to sponsor this fantastic event once again!

The Turkey Trot takes place on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28, promptly at 8:00am. Spend an unforgettable morning with a thousand awesome people.

If you would like to register online at a later time, you may visit the website at www.bgcridgefield.org, and click on the Turkey Trot 2019 page under the Events tab. There you will also find a paper registration form you can download to mail in if you prefer. Another option is to stop by the Front Desk of the Club, Monday to Friday, from 10:00am to 6:30pm for in-person registration!

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in Ridgefield without the Boys & Girls Club Turkey Trot and we look forward to seeing you there!

Making A Splash In The Wall Street Journal

In case you missed it, a few weeks ago we were fortunate enough to be interviewed and featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal discussing real estate in Fairfield County. As the WSJ points out, for such a small area, Fairfield County provides an exceptional range of options. Homebuyers can have their pick of good-sized cities, mid-sized towns, quaint little villages or country life — all within a few minutes’ drive of each other.

In general, today’s market conditions favor the buyer. Prices seem to have compressed a bit from their high of 2015, and more product is available. New construction is limited, but many of Fairfield County’s older homes have been updated in the past decade or so — and others offer opportunities for the buyer who wants to invest some “sweat equity” to make the property truly theirs.

In terms of our contribution, we really wanted to talk about Ridgefield’s accessibility to New York City and our diversity. As reported, “Karla Murtaugh of Ridgefield-based Karla Murtaugh Homes at Neumann Real Estate says public transport is handy, just over the border in Westchester County, and the local schools are a huge draw.

“Our sales are up 2% on the transaction side, 4% on the value side, year to date,” she reports.

“The diversity of our housing market is what makes Ridgefield popular. You can find anything from an entry-level condo to magnificent estate properties.”

“We’re fortunate, this year in particular, to have some fantastic living options in Downtown Ridgefield and nearby — the best sprinkling of inventory we’ve had in a while…(and) Ridgefield also offers a shuttle from downtown to the Katonah, New York, train station, which gets commuters into New York City in just under an hour.”

We also paired the article with a fabulous advertisement of our luxury properties offering tri-state readers a glimpse into some of Ridgefield’s most luxuriant properties. Click here to read the full article and see the ad.

Pulling Back The Curtain – Tips To Get Your Home Ready To Sell

We were so happy to see our client’s at 196 Peaceable Ridge featured in this month’s Ridgefield Magazine. With the Real Estate market becoming ever more transparent, it’s important that your home look it’s best when listing it for sale.

As a contributor to the background of the article, we noted that telling a story, staging in a big or small way, and pricing are the key elements to get the right people into the home to look, to like, and to buy. Our listing 196 Peaceable Ridge Road exemplifies the process. The 7,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom house, with its Nantucket-inspired architecture, elegant craftsmanship, and close proximity to town, fit perfectly into a popular niche in the real-estate market. It recently took a price reduction to $1,895,000 with way more than that invested over the years.

The owners had already done many renovations on their own, but we guided them to do a few more improvements to really set the house apart. It was a collaborative effort to enhance the open-concept flow and design to reflect up-to-date trends. The entire house was basically repainted and we made many recommendations for furniture placement and staging. There also is an exquisite attention to detail of the fixtures and finishes, creating a thoughtful flow from room to room.

To see more about this exquisite property, click here. Just a few minutes to the center of town and in a great commute location for catching the train from Katonah for an easy commute into NYC, you cannot beat the turn-key nature, high-end design and appliances and gorgeous New England aesthetic of this remarkable home. If you would like to schedule a showing, click here.

*The article “How to Sell a Home–A case study in a real-state listing” was originally published on the TownGuide website on 10/20/2019

The Secret Is Out…Meet The New Owners Of The West Lane Inn!

Karla Murtaugh Homes is pleased to be able to finally let the cat out of the bag – the West Lane Inn has new owners! And we are proud to have to represented the buyers – Christine Carnicelli and Danille Petrie – in their fabulous new purchase.

According to Hamlet Hub, the longtime owner of Ridgefield’s West Lane Inn, Debbie Prieger has handed over the reins of her historic boutique hotel to two Ridgefield residents who share a love for our town and are committed to preserving the Inn’s history and old-world charm.

“Our goal for The West Lane Inn is to become a destination of choice for those visiting Ridgefield. We plan to be more than a great Inn. We plan to take advantage of all that Ridgefield has to offer and promote its events, arts, restaurants, and historic downtown,” Carnicelli and Petrie explain.

Upon entering The West Lane Inn on Monday, the energy was contagious. Carnicelli and Petrie were answering phones, greeting guests, chatting with the staff of thirteen years. The two friendpreneurs thank Debbie Prieger for the seamless transition in ownership. “Debbie is assisting us over the next few months as we begin to understand the business. She has done this successfully for many years, so we are thrilled that she has agreed to help us out and show us the ropes,” says Carnicelli.

While motherhood brought Carnicelli and Petrie together (their boys are best buds) it was their shared passions, professional backgrounds, and a deep love for Ridgefield that paved the way to The West Lane Inn.

Petrie says she was in her early 20’s and working at a hotel when she fell in love with hospitality and yearned to someday open a B&B. “I started to do all of this research and I stayed a bunch of B&Bs,” she explains. The timing wasn’t right and Petrie took a job as a corporate event planner, a position that would span 19 years and ultimately prepare her for this, her dream job.

With a background as the head of human resources for two major corporations, Carnicelli’s management and people skills are essential to operating a small business. She left the corporate world in 2015 and, soon after, began searching for real estate conducive to operating a B&B.

Both eager to leave an indelible mark on Ridgefield and ready to reenter the workforce, Carnicelli and Petrie began to discuss starting a business together. “We had many common interests including interior design, real estate, and general love for this community. We started talking about going into business together and had just started exploring potential properties that could be converted to a B&B/small boutique hotel when the Inn came on the market,” explains Carnicelli.

Timing is everything and for Carnicelli and Petrie, the stars were aligned.

Carnicelli recalls, “When news hit that the Inn was for sale, it felt like we had to have it. We never doubted that we would do it together. We looked at one another and said Let’s do this!”

Carnicelli and Petrie spent the summer tirelessly working through the process of purchasing the business with realtor Karla Murtaugh. Carnicelli says (truly bursting with joy) “We’ve kept this a secret all summer!”

While interior renovations are planned for the new year, Carnicelli and Petrie will begin enhancing the Inn’s digital presence and hope to unveil online reservation capability soon. In addition, they want to build brand awareness and local community partnerships. “We have a vision of what it will be and we want to take you on a journey with us,” says Petrie.

The main Inn has fourteen well-appointed rooms, some with working fireplaces, yet they haven’t been updated in quite some time. “They [the rooms] are generally very well sized, but need to be updated to reflect today’s traveler,” says Carnicelli. Renovations will likely be cosmetic in nature and include new wallpaper, carpeting, and perhaps bathroom design and updates. “We don’t foresee major construction,” says Carnicelli.

The two new owners also envision building a staircase leading up to the front porch, a feature that was part of the original design of the historic building, circa 1849. “We want it to be more inviting,” they say.

Carnicelli and Petrie welcome community members to stop in and say hello. In addition, they are excited for their first Halloween and invite trick or treaters to the grand front porch for a celebratory candy bar!

“We bought a gem,” says Carnicelli. “We want to maintain the history of the house and the beautiful charm,” she adds.

*Article originally posted to Hamlet Hub on 10/23/19