Greenwich Time 5.31

LUXURY LIVING

Listedfor $7.25millionbyBrian Milton,aRealtor

By Gretchen A. Peck

Thetemperate weather is nowperfect for outdoor entertainingacross Greenwich. Gardens are in bloom; the days are warm, and the nightsbring acomforting cool.It’sa popular time of the season for garden parties to graduation celebrations. This week,GreenwichTime takes youonavirtual visit to some of Greenwich’s luxuryproperties currently for sale,where the outdoor entertaining spaces are as enchanting and elegant as the interiors of these remarkable residences

127StanwichRoad

Built in 2005, the stoneand-shingle colonial at 127 Stanwich Road,Greenwich is currentlyoffered to the marketfor $5.25 million.

Sotheby’sRealtor Patte Nusbaumisthe listing agent. This home has a long listofcompelling features, including 9-foot ceilingsthroughout, a captivating trayceiling in the familyroom justoff the kitchen, fiveensuite bedrooms with walk-in closets, and ascreened porchwith an outdoor fireplace

“The stone terrace is across the entire back of the 7,000-square-foot home,withaccess from the kitchen, familyroom, entryhall, office and stone screened-in porch. The onlyexception is the living room,” Nusbaumdescribed the transitions between the interiors and outdoor living space. “This facilitates ease in entertaining,as the spaces flowseamlessly indoor to outdoor

“The owners often have dinner parties of 30 or so guests,” Nusbaumcontinued. “There are multiple seating areas to accommodate dining and wide-open spaces for mingling during the cocktail hour. Thegenerous-sized terrace allows the homeowners to be able to accommodatemultiple grills and smokers for a barbecue.”

Thelisting agentenvisioned anumber of

special occasions thatcan be hosted here: engagement, holiday, graduation and birthdayparties, for example

“The pool is located a fewsteps down fromthe terrace.Aluncheon party caneasilyincludepool time forguests. If it gets too hot in the sun, familyand guests can takea break in thecooler screened porch, witheasyaccess from the terrace,” Nusbaumnoted.

420 North Street

Thefive-bedroom colonial home,withan attached two-car garage,was originallybuilt in 1948,but was fullyrenovated this year

Itissituated on a1-acre lot at 420 North Street, Greenwich. In additionto the 5,174-square-foot main house,the property also affords apool/guesthouse, with akitchen, vaulted ceiling living space, an ensuite bedroom and fully retractable doors thatopen outtothe pool and terrace

Theterrace here is partiallytopped with apergola and has an outdoor fireplace and outdoor kitchen, including apizza oven. The interiorsofthe main house afford whiteoak floors, achef’s kitchen and adecadent primarysuite, with asitting room/personal office,private bath and a walk-in closet. Maria Kelce Crowley,a Realtorwith Houlihan Lawrence,isthe listing agent. Theasking price is $5.295 million.

33 Midwood Road Leslie McElwreath is a senior global real estate advisorwithSotheby’s Greenwichbrokerage—and the listing agentfor 33 Midwood Road,Greenwich. “This historic manor is located in the heart of the highlycoveted Deer Park Association in central Greenwich,” McElwreath remarked. “Itisset high, looking overa peaceful neighborhood and enjoys the convenience of being close to GreenwichAvenue.”

Theseven-bedroom English-stylemanor was

builtin1928. It presides over1.71acres and is currentlyonthe marketfor $6.95million. McElwreath suggested thatthe grand residence,gardens and terrace are ideal for intimate gatheringsand grand affairs “33 Midwood enjoys abucolic setting,reminiscentof aclassic Englishgarden,” shesaid. “The rear garden is walled with brickand is accessed from multiple rooms on the main floor Theprimarysuite also features abalconyoverlooking this charming vista. The terrace features acustom-built brickfireplaceto be enjoyedyear-round.”

21 Kenilworth Terrace

In 1996,the six-bedroom luxuryhome at 21 Kenilworth Terrace in mid-countryGreenwich wasawarded Greenwich Landmarkstatus by the GreenwichHistorical Society.The housewas originallybuilt in 1893.Four years ago, the currentowners acquired the property and embarkedonagrandscale renovation, adding modern amenities, new mechanicalsand plumbing and enlisting the services of MatthewKnowles, a NewYorkCity-based interior designer to transform the interiors the epitome of inviting elegance,the listing agent, Sotheby’sMary Jones explained. Theowners have more recentlylisted the home for sale,asking $6.995 million for the 1.03-acre property, whichincludestwo patios nestled among gardens one,embraced by astone wall. Thespacious outdoor living and dining areas provide plenty of room for several seating vignettes and hosting special occasions

1LochLane CompassRealtor Brian Milton described 1Loch Lane in mid-country Greenwichasahome thataffords “Old World craftsmanship, built[in 2009]withhand-cut stone, brickand slate.”Itisa

striking home situated on 3.44 acres,witha gated entrance.The property whichiscurrentlyoffered to the marketfor $7.25 million—has awealth of amenities, including a game room, full-service bar,a wine cellar,movie theater,sauna and pool “There is aunique, rear

covered patio off the family room, whichallows for a shaded dining area, as well as access to the outdoor kitchen, with abuilt-in wood-burning pizza oven,” Milton noted. “The rear yard is levelto the

events,” he suggested. “This would allowfor seamless entertaining from within the house out to the entertaining eventspace Thepool area is adorned with flowering

REAL ESTATE

WHAT YOUCAN BUY

Hearst ConnecticutMedia andSMServices, acontent provider,searchthe area to findwhatbuyerscan getfor theirmoney

This week,WhatYou CanBuy features homesinthe $2,495,000 to $2,995,000 range.

4-bedroomcenter-hall colonial with lake views/$2.495million

Address: 7InterlakenRd.,Greenwich

Beds: 4 Baths: 6 Squarefootage: 6,123

Listing agents: Charles Magyar and Rita Magyar,the Magyar Team, William Raveis Real Estate;203-629-6172 office; 203-550-1929 Charles’cell; 203-912-7800Rita’scell; charles.magyar@raveis.com; rita.magyar@raveis.com

Thecenter-hall colonial at 7Interlaken Road was built in 1972.Ithas hardwood floors, central air conditioning and asecurity system. The6,123-squarefoot house is situated on a2.06-acre lot near Burning Tree CountryClub. It has four levels of living space. Themain level comprisesanentrance foyer, aformal living room(with afireplace),a formal dining room, alibrary, three-exposure familyroom, powderroom and an eat-in kitchen. Thekitchen is designed with cherry cabinets, granitecountertops, stainless-steel appliances, apantryand built-in desk.All four bedrooms are on the second floor.Two of the bedrooms haveexterior access out to abalconythatoverlooksLakeBolling.There’s athird floor,whichthe listing agents suggestcould be leveragedasa fifthbedroom, rec room or playroom. Thebonus spaceiscomplemented by afull bath. Thelower level also has afull bath, asecondaryfamilyroom (witha fireplace), aroom for ahome gym, and abonus room that’sopen to interpretation. Foroutdoor living,dining and entertaining,there’s a3,000-square-foot flagstone patio with a fountain, an elevated 600-square-foot party deck, and agazebo with viewsofthe lake. This cedar shingle-sided home also has an attached three-car garage and a back-upgenerator.The property has aprivate water well and septic system. Associated GreenwichPublic Schools for this address are ParkwaySchool (PK-5), CentralMiddle School (6-8)and GreenwichHighSchool (9-12).

5-bedroomturnkey colonial in midcountry/$2.995 million

Address: 15 Dingletown Rd Greenwich

Beds: 5 Baths: 5 Squarefootage: 3,591

Listing agent-homeowner: KeelyThune,Compass Connecticut;203-524-0043 cell; keely.thune@compass.com

This four-bedroom colonial wasbuilt in 2000 on 0.28 acres. It’s part of a cul-de-sac community in OldGreenwich. Among the 3,550 square feet of interior living spaceare highceilings, hardwood floors and central air conditioning.For outdoor living and dining,the house is complemented by a coveredporchand astone terrace.The firstfloor comprises an entryhall and powderroom, aliving roomwithagas fireplace,a formal dining room, eat-in kitchen and afamilyroom (witha fireplace). There’s also amudroom justoff the attached two-car garage. Four bedrooms and alaundryare on the second level. One of those bedrooms is the primarysuite,withaprivate bath, walkin closetand apersonal office.The house has afinished lowerlevel, as well, witha spacious 36-by-16-foot den/rec room, aroom for ahome gym, amedia room, wine cellar,home office,bathroom and storage space. Theproperty accesses public utilities, including water and sewerservices. Associated GreenwichPublic Schools for this address are the International School at Dundee (PK-5), Eastern Middle School (6-8)and GreenwichHighSchool (912). Binney Park,Perrot Library, the OldGreenwichtrain station, shops and restaurants are all within easyreach

Beloved family home is poised fornew memories

This 1930sstone colonial wasdesignedand modified with entertaining friendsand family in mind

By Gretchen A. Peck

Coldwell Banker Realtor Lin Lavery recently introduced 17 Alden Road, Greenwich, to the market.

Situated on 2.35 acres in asmall association, this classic stone colonial home wasbuilt in 1930.

Forty years later,in1973, Susan Wohlforth’s mother and step-father purchased the home as their primary residence.According to Wohlforth, they were only the third or fourth generation of owners to live here—atestamenttothe comfort of thehouse and warmth of the community.The house is part of a small association of homes known as Edgar Manor “It’sonaquiet street, in a fabulous location, because it’s very close to town and yetprivate,” shenoted. “It’s also[between]I-95and the Merritt Parkway, with easy access to both highways.”

Crediting her late step-father’s fastidious attention to detail, shesaid the house wasmeticulously maintained during their residency.Some of the 7,993-square-foot interiors remain original, likethe bathrooms. Thoughabuyer maywanttorenovate them according to today’sstyle, shesaid, “Personally, Ilove them.”

There’s also an elevator thatthey chose to retain, whichprovedinvaluable and allowedthem to remain in the home in their elder years, without having to contend with steps.

Details

Address: 17 AldenRd. Greenwich

Features: Builtin1930, this classic stonecolonialis situated on 2.35 acresinthe EdgarManor Association. Thehouse hasfive bedrooms,six baths, nearly 8,000squarefeetofliving space, an elevator,and outdoorterraces.

Price: $5.75million

Among the interiors, there are wide, arched transitions, hardwood floors,paneledwalls, custommoldings and three wood-burning fireplaces. “It’sveryspecial,” Wohlforth told GreenwichTime What Ilove, asidefromthe bones of the home,isthe gracious size of the rooms. Everything is in proportion. It’s not overwhelmingly huge, but it’s big and inviting.”

One gets asense of those grand dimensions upon entering the frontdoor.The entry hall waspainted by aFrenchartist,Wohlforth explained.

Thehome’s main level comprises formal living and dining rooms, alibrary, kitchen, powder room, laundry, abedroom suite, solarium and 19-by-31-foot ballroom Upstairs, the primary bedroom suite—one of five bedrooms—is especially expansive,withasitting room, afireplace,private bath and twodressing

In themid-1980s,the

rooms

Theowners lovedtoentertain their large family and manyfriends.Thatlifestyle inspired them to makea fewmodifications to the property over the years.In the mid-1980s, they added on to the home,creating what they referred to as a ballroom. They created a solarium, as well, and leveragedthe spacefor casual and formal dining.Under Wohlforth’s mother’s direction, aprofessional designer made the newspaces beautiful and in keeping with the aesthetic of the 1930’s-period house They also expanded the outdoor living space, so they couldentertain on the patio,aswell.

“Weare abig family, including my grandparents back then, whowould spend much of the winter up with us,” Wohlforth said. “They wanted abigger spacetodine around abig table outsideand enjoy the summer months. They also spenta lot of time out front, under the awning, entertaining there—having cocktailsbefore dinner.”

Thelower levelisfinished, and prior to the addition, the family would celebrate holidays there.Wohlforth recalledhow they’dbring in atall Christmas tree and enjoyfires in the stone fireplaceinthe family room there.Another lower-level room worked well as

an exerciseroom, and a grotto-likeroom with the exposed stone foundation made for the perfectwine cellar

“Sometimes my mother would serve dinner down there,setting up tables in the wine cellar,” she recalled.

Wohlforth trusts the buyer of their belovedfamily home will want to “make it their own,” and she pondered some possible modifications.They might renovate the bathrooms or reclaim some of the grand primarybedroom spaceto

build out alargercloset. They maywishtorenovate the kitchen, and perhaps leverage an adjacentroom whichshe imagined was once amaid’s room—to create alargerkitchen and pantry. Being thatthe room is next to the garage,it could also be turned into a mudroom, perhaps. Thoughthey’dhad plans drawn up for apool, they decided againstadding one Shesaid there’s plenty of room in the yard to create abeautiful pool and patio should the next owners wishtohaveone

Thoughsaying goodbye to the home is bittersweet, Wohlforth is hopeful that the next familywill be equallyashappy here

“I hope whomeverpurchases the home will enjoy it and takecare of it.I hope they makethe appropriate changes thatworkwell for them, and Ihope they love it likewehave,”she concluded. Listing agent:Lin

Realtor Maria Rüggeberg explores modest interest rate cuts’potentialimpact on thelocalmarket

If interestrates come down alittle this year,it is likelythatthere willbe more buyers trying to buy homes in Greenwichand prices will go up as greater demand for limited inventorywill result in multiple offer situations. As of May 24th, the inventoryfor single familyhomes in all of Greenwichwas 155 In 2019, inventorywas slightly over700 In 2023,Wall Streetand manyeconomists were expecting up to sevenrate cuts this year.The expectation wasthatinflation would be trending closer

to 2%, the Federal Reserve’s targetrate. The Core CPI, whichstrips out food and energy sectors, rose 3.6% in April compared toMarch’s 3.8%.

Now the expectation is for maybe one rate cut by the end of the year.Federal Reserve Chairman Powell, said thathewas watching the data and thathe needed more data before deciding to cut interest rates.

At this time, the average mortgage rates are around 7% or slightly under.From ahistorical viewpoint, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was7.74% during 1972-2023, according to Marcus Zavattaro amortgage banker with Wells Fargo. Thelow mortgage rates in the pastfew years were an anomalyand not sustainable.In the 1970s and 1980s, there were double-digitrates even up to 21%, and buyers still bought homes in Greenwich Asignificantdrop in mortgage rates is not likely in the near future.There is asaying:” Marrythe house anddatethe Rate.” The priceofthe house is the most importantnumber inthe equation for the mortgage and fixed at the closing;mortgage rates

can go down allowing the owners to refinance at the lowerrates. Thedemand for houses in Greenwichisvery strong and it doesn’t seem to decline.This is because nationwidethere are twoverylarge groups of buyers, the Millennials and the Baby Boomers. Greenwichisalso seeing an influx from buyers moving out of NewYork City.Young families are looking formore space, good schoolsand all that Greenwichand FairfieldCountyoffers. Baby Boomers are looking to downsize.Mylastlisting, whichisclosing in June, hadmultipleoffers from buyers representing both generations. At this time, Iamadvising my buyer clients not to wait on purchasing ahome,because Idon’t see the prices of the houses in Greenwich going down in the near future,and the 30-year fixed mortgage rates are notexcessive relativeto historical levels.

Maria Rüggeberg, Managing Director,Luxury Properties William Raveis Real Estate, 203-869-9263 office 203-912-7729 cell, maria.ruggeberg@raveis.com

RealtorLin Lavery expertly guides buyers andsellers in all types of real estate transactions

Lin Lavery isan award-winning real estate agentwithextensive knowledgeofGreenwich and itsvaried communities.Asa Realtor with Coldwell Banker,she servesbuyers and sellers, handling properties ranging from condos to estates Lavery considers it a privilegetolist someone’s home for sale.“The homeowner has trusted youwithwhatisusually theirlargest asset, both financiallyand emotionally,”she said. “This trust deservesmyfull attention. Theinternet provides manyplaces to see homes today. When Iamlisting ahome,I makesure the property isonevery available website,nationally and internationally. Iunderstand howimportant it is to properly prepare a home for listing in order to getitsold for the best price on atimely basis.” Lavery enjoys introducing buyers to Greenwich neighborhoods. Her understanding of the local marketallows her to guideclients toward the righthome based on their preferences. Sheisalways currentonGreenwich home and condoinventory and has astrong understanding of howtown governmentdepartments work,including Planning

&Zoning,Wetlandsand the Building Department. AGreenwichresidentfor manyyears, Lavery has hadextensive leadership roles in town government and community organizations. Sheisa former GreenwichSelectman and initiated and chaired the GreenwichCommunity Pool Committee to revitalize Byram Park.She is apastpresidentofthe Junior League of Greenwich, also servedonthe Boards of TheUnited Wayof Greenwich, the Greenwich Library, Kids in Crisis and the GreenwichCommission on Aging.She was instrumental in getting KidsinCrisis to itscurrent position of aiding children from birth to age18.

Lavery is also apastchair of the FirstSelectman’s Nominations Advisory Committee,which evaluates and nominates candidates to headthe town’s Boardsand Commissions. Sheisa Justice of the Peaceand serveson the AdvisoryBoard for At Home in Greenwich.

Lavery is also an avid gardener.Her Greenwich gardens have been featured in TheWall Street Journal, TheHartford Courant, and Serendipity magazine,and have been on garden tours conducted by the GreenwichLand

ContributedPhoto MariaRüggeberg