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Communities surrounding Danbury reported mixed results. Sales fell in Bethel, Brookfield and Newtown, but rose in New Fairfield. The median sale price, however, rose in every community, except in Brookfield. Sales and the median sale price also rose in Sherman.
Sales fell 16.07 percent in Brookfield, 9.62 percent in Bethel and 2.63 percent in Newtown. Sales rose 7.5 percent in New Fairfield. But the median sale price jumped in Bethel (2.18 percent), New Fairfield (4.42 percent) and Newtown (1.78 percent). The MSP dipped 5.08 percent in Brookfield. In Sherman, the MSP rose 15.17 percent and sales rose 50 percent.
Overall in Fairfield County, the real estate market appears to be holding steady. The median sale price rose 2.25 in the first quarter compared to the same quarter last year, and days on market declined 4 percent. There were more than 5,000 new listings in the first quarter, an increase of more than 17 percent from the first quarter last year.
"There's a healthy level of buyer demand right now,'' said Joe Valvano, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County. "Consumer confidence is steady. Employment has improved. Interest rates have remained low. It was a very good first quarter, especially compared to last year. The spring market was pretty late getting started last year because of the weather."
The median sale price for Fairfield County has been hurt by a drop in high-end home purchases. First-time home buyers are moving into the market, but pricier homes are slow to move.
“The high-end segment of the market is not moving as quickly as we would have hope all over Fairfield County,’’ said Brad Kimmelman, brokerage manager for William Pitt Sotheby’s in Fairfield and Southport. “ If those homeowners want to sell, they will have to make price adjustments. If they bring prices in line, we’ll start to move that high end inventory, which we need to move.”
Click here for the first quarter report from Coldwell Banker.
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