Much like retailers, real estate brokers use January to promote their sale items—reducing prices on homes in hopes of generating a little traffic during a month that will bring them few new listings. Of course, home-owners don’t like to think of themselves as living in a discount bin, so the markdowns are marketed as “new” prices, with the added incentive of a “motivated” seller.
The most noteworthy “new” price in our state: the Westport home of Don and Deirdre Imus, reduced by 17% to $24,950,000. The 10,000-square-foot Beachside Avenue estate first popped on the market for $30 million in 2005, about the same time as Phil Donahue’s home.(Located in the same neighborhood, it was similarly priced, but closed within a matter of months.) Darlene Letersky of Coldwell Banker has the Imus listing which, even with its price drop, remains the most expensive residential property on the Westport market.
Our second motivated seller is Glenn Beck, whose New Canaan home came on the market in 2010 for $4.9 million and is now priced at
fabadabadoo!
New York magazine called this listing an homage to the ’80s—a little snarkily, we thought—citing its “high-tech” styling and Flashdance-era brass-and-marble interiors, which feature a waterfall in the foyer, mirrored ceilings in the gym, and skylights everywhere. We personally loved that decade, and if you did too we encourage you to hustle (you remember how to hustle, don’t you?) down to Greenwich for a visit to the place, which was once home to billionaire Leandro Rizzuto, founder of Conair, of curling-iron and hot-roller fame. If you’re in a buying mood, bring the biggest checkbook you can find: The beachside property is on the market for $19 million, listed with Sotheby’s International Realty in Greenwich.
$3.65 million. If Beck manages to unload the property it will be a short sale for him: He purchased the place at the market’s peak in 2005 for $4.2 million. Lynne Leonard of Lynne Leonard Realty in New Canaan has the listing.
And finally, the news out of Farmington is that the 50,000-square-foot home owned by rapper 50 Cent has been reduced to $9,999,999, down from its original ask of $18.5 million in 2007. We’ve always wanted a peek inside, having heard that the home, which once belonged to fighter Mike Tyson, offers 21 bedrooms, 37 bathrooms (we don’t get it either) and a disco with stripper poles. We’re not the only ones longing for a look inside, apparently: Just before Christmas, two men broke into the place and were found by the police hiding in closets. One of them had availed himself of the rapper’s wine cellar and was swigging straight from a bottle, the police report tells us.
There’s better news for another couple of boldface-named residents of our state. Former Hearst chairwoman Cathleen Black, who is now New York City’s chancellor of schools, sold her lovely Bridgewater antique for $1.98 million, down from an ask of $2.35 million. It was listed with Carolyn Klemm of Klemm Real Estate in Washington Depot. And in Fairfield, Barbara Picower, the widow of a major Madoff-scandal figure Jeffrey Picower, sold her 28-acre Fairfield estate for $6.6 million. It was listed for around $7.5 million with Todd Gibbons of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.
More good news: There are some pretty spectacular properties across the state, described here with updates on our new blog at http://www.cottagesgardens.com/deeds-donts. Join us online! We look forward to reading your comments.
Coastal Contemporary $2,750,000 Westbrook
This listing puts us in mind of Malibu—which is not something you can say about many Connecticut homes—with its cool contemporary styling, dazzling light and private beach. Sited along the Long Island Sound in Westbrook, this circa-1977 home takes full advantage of its water views with a wraparound deck and wall-to-wall sliding doors. Inside, there are four bedrooms and four bathrooms, including a master suite with direct access to the indoor pool and sauna. The 5,200-square-foot interior also offers a swank new kitchen with a six-burner Wolf stove, a Sub-Zero fridge, cherry wood cabinetry and a built-in wine cooler. And for fun and games outdoors: a bocce court. Colette Harron of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing. (860) 304-2391.
A dramatic two-story paneled entrance hall with a gracious staircase welcomes visitors to this English manor-styled home
The Meadow $36.5 million Greenwich
One of the top five most expensive listings on our state’s Multiple Listing Service, this colossal compound stands out for another reason: The property once belonged to actor George C. Scott and his fourth wife Trish Van Devere, who sold it after Scott’s death in 1999. While Scott’s original home no longer exists, the property’s most striking feature is from the old estate: a broad, arched fieldstone bridge that greets visitors. The restored stables also hew to Scott’s vision, featuring four horse stalls, a hayloft and a kitchen. Inside, a bar has been built to resemble the bar that Scott enjoyed, fitted with hand-finished English pine paneling, a black-granite fireplace and a cigar exhaust system. The 14,000-square-foot home also offers a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a home gym, and a theater. Brad Hvolbeck of Brad Hvolbeck Real Estate and Morgan Mitchell of Merritt Associates have the listing (203-940-0015 and 203-273-2279, respectively).
English-Style Manse $10,795,000 Greenwich
If your dream is to reside in an English manor house—riding to hounds and taking tea in the parlor—we’ve got the listing for you. The drive up to this home is dramatic, flanked by rolling green lawns and formal gardens. And then the circa-1939 stone manse comes into view with its many gables and chimneys, mullioned windows and half-timber details. Entering through a limestone portico and a handsome, double-width oak door, you’re greeted by a two-story entrance hall, paneled all around, and a gracious staircase. The ground-floor rooms are paneled as well, with ornate fireplaces and windows onto the nearly four-acre grounds. In all, the interiors offer seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms (plus two half-bathrooms), as well as a home gym, wine cellar and stone-walled sunroom. More to enjoy outside: limestone terraces, a pool and spa, and views onto a private lake. B.K. Bates of Sotheby’s International Realty in Greenwich has the listing. (203) 618-3126.
This article appears in the February 2011 issue of Cottages & Gardens.
