Navigating During The Corona Virus

These are unchartered and challenging times for a lot of people, and here at Karla Murtaugh Homes we take the health and well-being of our clients seriously. Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions you will make and we understand that sometimes plans cannot be put on hold, even during trying times such as these.

You have made the decision to entrust the sale or potential purchase of your home to us and here’s how we will continue to offer you best-in-class service, while putting our collective health first during the pandemic.

Open Houses
At this time, Karla Murtaugh Homes’ broker and public open houses are being put on hold. Individual showings are still possible, but will happen on a case-by-case scenario with a seller’s permission. Some sellers may not want showings in this current environment, so it’s very important that we be respectful when asking to show homes. If you would like to schedule a showing of a particular property, contact us directly. If you or your family are experiencing cough or cold symptoms, do not request an in-person showing.

Diligent Pre-Screening
We regularly ask qualifying questions of buyers or other realtors who want to view homes in order to get a sense of timeline and qualifications. During this trying time we feel it is important to only do essential showings, thereby reducing the chance of transmission of the virus. If you are just starting to look at homes or do not have an urgent need to purchase, it might be wise to hold off for a little while. You can view detailed property information on our listings or search all listings in Fairfield County on our website.

In Person Showings
If a showing is scheduled, be respectful and limit contact with surfaces. Ensure you don’t enter the house if you have cold or flu symptoms. Many agents will insist buyers remove their shoes and will limit their client’s opening and closing of doors, closets etc. Use hand sanitizer between viewing homes as a safety precaution to slow the spread of the virus and keep yourself healthy. As a seller, we recommend that you wipe down surfaces, faucets and door handles with a Clorox wipe or equivalent after a showing. You can view more information about the State of Connecticut’s recommendations for safety during Coronavirus on their website.

Online Showings, Social Media and Support
There are so many resources available to you as a buyer that preclude the need to tour a home if you are not immediately in need of a purchase. Most websites include very detailed information about homes, as well as aerial photos, location maps, digital walk-throughs, floor plans, videos, and many other tools to help you gain a full picture of a home, even if now is not the best time for you to view it. Log the homes you like and contact us to learn more. Then when things calm down, you will have a list of the homes you want to see and can hit the ground running! Take virtual tours on our Featured Listings or search all listings in Fairfield County from the comfort of your home.

Stay Optimistic – Together We Can Weather The Storm
America is resilient. We are optimistic our real estate market will come back better and stronger after this brief interruption. Karla Murtaugh Homes is doing everything we can to support you, keep you informed and keep you healthy, while providing essential Real Estate services to those requiring it. We are also happy to sign you up for our “Search Like An Agent” tool, which will give you market updates in real time. Contact us to get started.

Keep washing those hands and stay well,

Karla, Sally, Jana, Jen & Jay

Ridgefield Tops List Of Connecticut’s Safest Cities Again

Ridgefield was crowned the safest town in Connecticut for the second consecutive year reporting 65 total crimes and just one violent crime – a robbery – according to SafeWise, a digital company specializing in home security and safety. Ridgefield was followed by Newtown, Greenwich, Simsbury and Shelton rounding out the top 5.

The 2020 Top 20 Safest Cities in Connecticut is based on the Uniform Crime Report (UCI) from the FBI, and Safewise also notes that Connecticut in general, is below the national average for both violent crime rates (2.1, compared to 3.7 nationwide), and property crime rates (16.8, which is well below the national rate of 22.0). Both rates decreased year over year.

Some other key findings included:

Connecticut’s attitudes about safety and security reflect national averages, but its top violent crime concern—mass shootings—is outside the norm. The scars from the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012 still loom large.
In general, Connecticut is more concerned about property crime than the national average. Someone breaking in while the occupants are home is the biggest property crime concern, beating national levels of concern by eight percentage points.
40% of respondents in Connecticut named theft of digital property as the most likely property crime—four percentage points above the national average.
55% of Connecticut cities improved their rank this year, with Danbury making the biggest leap from 33 in 2019 to 19 this year.

Community goes a long way towards safe living and Ridgefielder’s tend to look out for one another. Karla Murtaugh Homes is proud to live and work in this amazing town. If you’re contemplating moving here, reach out to us to for more information.

Inspiration From Run Like A Mother

One of the reasons I love being a lead sponsor of Run Like A Mother each year is its creator, Megan Searfoss. An inspirational leader, she constantly finds a way to make lemonade out of lemons, and is tireless in her support of women and their importance to their families and communities. In these strange days, Megan has once again placed community above all and created a new way to enjoy this year’s Run Like A Mother event. She envisions a Virtual Race – keeping all mothers together on their special day.

In her note to her running community, she stresses the importance of slowing down and reconnecting with family and getting to move outside. The virtual Run Like A Mother race will replace the physical race and is only $19.99, which includes a Run Like a Mother Tech Tee, Eco-Friendly Tote and 2020 Signature Finisher’s Medal.

To register for the Virtual Race go to Run Like A Mother. If you are already registered, you will be receiving information from Megan in the coming week on your registration options, including how to convert to the Virtual Race.

Please join me this Mother’s Day as we celebrate women. Never has there been a better time to show our strength of mind, body and soul.

Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield “Virtual” Awards Night Is Huge Success

It was a fun evening yesterday participating in the virtual awards ceremony for the Boys and Girls Club of Ridgefield. I was honored to be recognized with the Champion of Youth award for my longtime support of the club, which provides such a key service in our community.

The big story of the evening, however, was our Youth Of The Year award, which went to Ridgefield High School senior, Annie Cozens. Annie says her favorite thing about the club is getting to be a positive role model for the younger Club members. Annie also wants to go on to a career in neuroscience. She exemplifies the award by adhering to academic excellence, leading a healthy lifestyle, and embracing the values of leadership and service.

Personally, and through my business, I enjoy supporting a plethora of local nonprofits in Ridgefield. For the Boys and Girls Club of Ridgefield I serve as a member of the Board of Directors and as a Gala committee member, as well as sponsoring the annual Turkey Trot. It is such a privilege to be able to give back to such an important and worthy organization.

Some Good News! Ridgefield’s Q1 2020 Market News

I hope everyone in your world is safe and healthy. Now, more than ever, we are reminded of the most important things in life. Health has become the new wealth.

John Krasinski of The Office fame recently launched a YouTube Channel called SGN, which stands for Some Good News – and Ridgefield’s Q1 Market Report should definitely be featured! With 46% gains in both dollar volume and number of sales, 97% list to sales price ratio, and both the average and median price increasing over Q1 2019, this year’s real estate market was strong. All indications pointed to a healthy spring market as well, until our industry – and many others – were derailed in the short-term by COVID-19. Health and safety are definitely top-of-mind in our lives right now, but I feel it is important to keep you abreast of the Ridgefield real estate market during this downtime. We encourage you to read the full report.

A question I have been asked many times recently is how is COVID-19 affecting the local real estate market? Up until a week or so ago, we were seeing increased traffic in Ridgefield and upper Westchester from NYC individuals looking for short-term, furnished rentals. With those almost dried up, we are still seeing some activity as people search for homes outside of the city. Personally, our team closed 12 property sales in the first quarter. We have 6 additional properties currently under deposit to close between now and June, and have accepted offers on several properties seen before the shelter-in-place order was enacted. I continue to check in with top Realtors throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties in an effort to keep a pulse on the surrounding markets as well. The takeaway is that there are still people in the market in need of housing.

We are cautiously optimistic that the housing market will come back vigorously, but in the meantime stay home, stay healthy and stay positive.

Contact Us to explore how we can partner with you to meet and exceed your Real Estate goals.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL RIDGEFIELD Q1 2020 MARKET REPORT

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