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Hi,
Just an update. We've been looking for about 4-5 weeks now and still nothing viable - and I am not exaggerating here. I can't believe the lack of inventory - it's mid-March and I am really hoping come April people start listing. Is this normal?? My realtors are even stumped. We've even upped our price point to $650k and still doesn't open up more inventory in the 2000-2300 sq foot price in Fairfield. All we've found are homes that need a ton of work - and we won't have the money to do it at $650k, nor do we feel we should have to at that price point, even in Fairfield. We found one listing at 675k that doesn't have C/A or a master bedroom wide enough to hold our furniture (and we don't have a lot of bedroom furniture). Seems way too high priced, but we'll see if someone pays it. Trumbull listings are slowly starting to emerge, but we did notice a ton in Monroe on the market. My husband did do the drive from the south side of Monroe (about 3 miles north of the new Home Depot) and it's only 25 mins to his office, but we don't hear too many people mention Monroe to us during our house hunt. And, he's asked around in his office and around town. Even our realtors haven't pushed us in that direction, which confuses us. The housing stock seems plentiful and much more reasonable and it's less than 20 mins to the Merritt entrance. Is there a catch? Is it solely based on the trains and those commuters to NYC that are driving the price difference btwn the two towns. Is it schools, or town, or what? In researching the school CT Mastery scores, there's not a big difference between Masuk, Trumbull and the FFD high schools that I could see. And on greatschools.org, the elementary, middle and high schools are rated in line w/Trumbull and some in FFD. What is the driving difference btwn Monroe and Fairfield pricing and housing inventory?? Is there nothing going on in the town? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks again for your help...
Just to tack on to my previous post, as a point of comparison, we currently live in Doylestown, PA, which is a very vibrant upper-middle class Bucks County community. I have been told by a friend of mine who is a Fairfield native that Doylestown reminded her the most of Fairfield when she was house hunting down here, which is why we started our search there. In addition to our own town center, we are a 20 minute drive to New Hope, PA a river town where there are a variety of cultural things, shops, bars, etc. Just want to make sure I am not in too sleepy or rural of a town when we relocate up to CT, but also don't want to be house poor and not able to join some of the things in town. We are ok with having to drive a little bit to get to restaurants for our nights out, but want to make sure the extra curricular things are present for our family in the town. Thanks again!
Hi,
Just an update. We've been looking for about 4-5 weeks now and still nothing viable - and I am not exaggerating here. I can't believe the lack of inventory - it's mid-March and I am really hoping come April people start listing. Is this normal?? My realtors are even stumped. We've even upped our price point to $650k and still doesn't open up more inventory in the 2000-2300 sq foot price in Fairfield. All we've found are homes that need a ton of work - and we won't have the money to do it at $650k, nor do we feel we should have to at that price point, even in Fairfield. We found one listing at 675k that doesn't have C/A or a master bedroom wide enough to hold our furniture (and we don't have a lot of bedroom furniture). Seems way too high priced, but we'll see if someone pays it. Trumbull listings are slowly starting to emerge, but we did notice a ton in Monroe on the market. My husband did do the drive from the south side of Monroe (about 3 miles north of the new Home Depot) and it's only 25 mins to his office, but we don't hear too many people mention Monroe to us during our house hunt. And, he's asked around in his office and around town. Even our realtors haven't pushed us in that direction, which confuses us. The housing stock seems plentiful and much more reasonable and it's less than 20 mins to the Merritt entrance. Is there a catch? Is it solely based on the trains and those commuters to NYC that are driving the price difference btwn the two towns. Is it schools, or town, or what? In researching the school CT Mastery scores, there's not a big difference between Masuk, Trumbull and the FFD high schools that I could see. And on greatschools.org, the elementary, middle and high schools are rated in line w/Trumbull and some in FFD. What is the driving difference btwn Monroe and Fairfield pricing and housing inventory?? Is there nothing going on in the town? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks again for your help...
Monroe isn't deemed as desirable as the shore-line towns of Ffld county... there's no direct beach access, no train access, it's a hike to the major highways and, depending on where in town you are, could easily be 5-10 minutes to get to a store. Masuk HS may not have a huge difference in rating from Fairfield, Westport, etc., but from what I hear there is no comparison that the other schools are definitely better. But, that doesn't mean that the school is by any means bad - far from it. My wife graduated from Masuk. If you don't mind the extra bit of driving and distance from stores, then Monroe is an excellent town for your price range. You get a ton more for your money, including a lot more land, and taxes are definitely lower.
As for the inventory in Fairfield, I haven't really seen much for sale yet. I think the long, cold, snowy winter has extended plans a bit. So people that would normally have been working for the past couple of months on sprucing up the house and outside are probably just getting to it. I would imagine now that the weather is turning that there will be a flood of houses hitting the market over the next month. Be patient and you'll find some good stuff. And if you don't, I'll sell you my house for $650k.
If you have the time to be between homes, you might want to look at finding a very dated, smaller house for $400k, and have a builder rip it to pieces and blow it out. Even if you spend another $200k, you'll have a basically brand new home for the price point you are otherwise looking at. As long as the plot of land is good, and on a good street, it could be worth the expense.
As Toddb noted, Fairfield is considered a much more desirable town than say Trumbull or Monroe. It has beaches and a train station and is that much more closer to New york which adds to its appeal. There is a walkable town center in Fairfield that neither Trumbull or Monroe offer. It is also a more diverse town meaning there is a wide range of socio-economic families which is why test scores in Fairfield schools aren't a lot higher than they are.
Trumbull and Monroe are great towns. It is a matter of personal preference which town is more to your liking. you will definitely get a nicer home in your price range in these towns.
As for inventory, you are looking at homes in a popular price range for Fairfield meaning that there are a lot of people looking for homes that would be of interest to you. When something good comes on the market it will sell quickly. Good lluck, Jay
When I do a realtor.com search in Fairfield using the criteria you have outlined I find 66 homes. If none of these do it for you then you may be unrealistic in your expectations.
When I do a realtor.com search in Fairfield using the criteria you have outlined I find 66 homes. If none of these do it for you then you may be unrealistic in your expectations.
I am not a first time home buyer and do not feel my expectations are unrealistic. Just b/c there happen to be 66 houses that pop up on realtor.com doesn't mean they are viable options. Eg, while I love capes, a cape cod that has two bedrooms up and one downstairs will not work for us, as we have two small kids and need for us all to be on the same sleeping floor. I should also be able to fit my kids limited furniture in their bedrooms - a problem we have encountered in the capes we've seen. What a home looks like online varies greatly from an in-person visit. Other homes (colonials, etc) that we've seen to date have either had walls that need significant repairs, basements that have had water, are missing a dining room, have a cliff for a backyard, are on busy roads, or are within earshot of Rte 95. Hence my post. The few that are in good location are listed at 600k and haven't had kitchens or bathrooms updated in about 30-40 years. If it is realistic to have to pay 600k for a house in Fairfield with an original 1950s kitchen and original 1.5 bathrooms with a garage that won't hold my car, then you are correct, I am unrealistic. I will wait and see if more options come on the market come April. Time will tell, and if we need to we will expand our search to look in surrounding towns as well.
As Toddb noted, Fairfield is considered a much more desirable town than say Trumbull or Monroe. It has beaches and a train station and is that much more closer to New york which adds to its appeal. There is a walkable town center in Fairfield that neither Trumbull or Monroe offer. It is also a more diverse town meaning there is a wide range of socio-economic families which is why test scores in Fairfield schools aren't a lot higher than they are.
Trumbull and Monroe are great towns. It is a matter of personal preference which town is more to your liking. you will definitely get a nicer home in your price range in these towns.
As for inventory, you are looking at homes in a popular price range for Fairfield meaning that there are a lot of people looking for homes that would be of interest to you. When something good comes on the market it will sell quickly. Good lluck, Jay
Monroe isn't deemed as desirable as the shore-line towns of Ffld county... there's no direct beach access, no train access, it's a hike to the major highways and, depending on where in town you are, could easily be 5-10 minutes to get to a store. Masuk HS may not have a huge difference in rating from Fairfield, Westport, etc., but from what I hear there is no comparison that the other schools are definitely better. But, that doesn't mean that the school is by any means bad - far from it. My wife graduated from Masuk. If you don't mind the extra bit of driving and distance from stores, then Monroe is an excellent town for your price range. You get a ton more for your money, including a lot more land, and taxes are definitely lower.
As for the inventory in Fairfield, I haven't really seen much for sale yet. I think the long, cold, snowy winter has extended plans a bit. So people that would normally have been working for the past couple of months on sprucing up the house and outside are probably just getting to it. I would imagine now that the weather is turning that there will be a flood of houses hitting the market over the next month. Be patient and you'll find some good stuff. And if you don't, I'll sell you my house for $650k.
If you have the time to be between homes, you might want to look at finding a very dated, smaller house for $400k, and have a builder rip it to pieces and blow it out. Even if you spend another $200k, you'll have a basically brand new home for the price point you are otherwise looking at. As long as the plot of land is good, and on a good street, it could be worth the expense.
thank you Toddb - Your thoughts on Monroe v Fairfield are very helpful and I may reach out to you via dm if its ok as we come across potential homes. Sounds like you have a great handle on the town and I appreciate it b/c it is challenging to try and figure out the different areas. Yours and Jay's insight into the nuances behind the test scores is appreciated too - we'll see where we end up!
I am not a first time home buyer and do not feel my expectations are unrealistic. Just b/c there happen to be 66 houses that pop up on realtor.com doesn't mean they are viable options. Eg, while I love capes, a cape cod that has two bedrooms up and one downstairs will not work for us, as we have two small kids and need for us all to be on the same sleeping floor. I should also be able to fit my kids limited furniture in their bedrooms - a problem we have encountered in the capes we've seen. What a home looks like online varies greatly from an in-person visit. Other homes (colonials, etc) that we've seen to date have either had walls that need significant repairs, basements that have had water, are missing a dining room, have a cliff for a backyard, are on busy roads, or are within earshot of Rte 95. Hence my post. The few that are in good location are listed at 600k and haven't had kitchens or bathrooms updated in about 30-40 years. If it is realistic to have to pay 600k for a house in Fairfield with an original 1950s kitchen and original 1.5 bathrooms with a garage that won't hold my car, then you are correct, I am unrealistic. I will wait and see if more options come on the market come April. Time will tell, and if we need to we will expand our search to look in surrounding towns as well.
I think you may have to expand your search in towns further north. Even though home values have dropped, you still aren't likely to find large, updated homes in your price range in Fairfield. Your $$ will go further in Trumbull and Monroe.
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