For our annual state of real estate issue, we headed straight to the pros to ask about the health of the market—and, I admit, I was pessimistic. Whoa—don’t throw that “journalistic neutrality” comment at me. Who wouldn’t be reining in expectations after the last few years of the national news consistently sluggish housing numbers—even if our region (very thankfully) did seem insulated from the worst of the extended crisis.
I was pleasantly surprised when writer C. J. Hughes dug into ten hot topics affecting the residential landscape in Westport, Weston, and Wilton and found hope for homeowners and investors. If you’re thinking of making a move, check out his report (“Maximizing in the Slow Stretch,” page 62) first. I wanted a visual overview of the residential market for the story, too. So, we pulled together images of listed properties—but it was slow going. Whenever I found a listing I liked, the agent would respond that the house had just sold. What a wonderful sign!
Moving or not, spring ushers in the call to spruce up one’s home. Our market editor, Carisha Swanson, headed to downtown Westport to scoop up hot finds in the home décor shops. Whether you’re considering small changes made in an afternoon or big changes that have you calling an interior designer, we uncovered inspiring finds with bright colors, cool shapes and breezy attitude. As a marriage of both these topics—real estate and interior design—we also feature a Weston house bought and restored by a real estate pro. He devoted himself to returning the John Fowler midcentury modern to pristine condition. He did the work himself and filled it with furnishings he scored on weekend shopping trips. It’s now his dream home—for more reasons than one (see his story on page 72).