Our 'One Click' Darien CT Buyer's Guide

Our Three Step Process

1. You can spend weeks, probably months, researching areas to find the perfect town for you and your family. This guide will help you significantly shorten the process of your online research. It's common for buyers to request an introduction call with me during the research phase, sometimes a year or more in advance to discuss their plans. It’s a great time to talk about the market, and get your questions answered so that you can decide if Darien is a fit.

2. How do you know that you have seen the most important parts of Darien? You explore! ...But you will find that there is a lot to see. With enough notice, we can create a custom tour for you that is specific to your interests and price range. If you would like, we can also create a multi-town tour so you can decide between Darien and any of the other Gold Coast towns. One week (or more) notice is highly recommended, we spend considerable time customizing the tour for each future client.

3. Our start up meeting will save you days, or even weeks of looking at homes, and keep you from missing out on great opportunities. Once you have your area(s) narrowed down, we'll meet in person or via Zoom for your start up meeting. We’ll also help you avoid overpaying by completing a market analysis prior to making an offer. The best part? In Connecticut the seller pays our fee when you buy a home, but we get to work exclusively for you.

Have Questions? That's what the introduction call is for.

I look forward to hearing from you,

c:203-952-7752

Table of Contents

Neighborhoods

Darien CT Neighborhood Tour

Getting a big picture understanding of the town and its amenities can take days of exploration. This town-wide video tour will save you a significant amount of time and travel. Paired with the neighborhood map below, you will have the understanding needed to begin narrowing down the areas that are best for you. Try the one click search below the neighborhood map to see all the homes that are available in the neighborhoods that you are interested in.

Darien Neighborhood Map

↓ One Click Searches Below ↓

Darien CT Self Guided Tour

You won't be able to know, for sure, if a town is for you until you can experience it for yourself. My self guided tour outlines everything you absolutely cannot miss when visiting Darien. We can save you several days of driving around by customizing the tour to neighborhoods and locations that match your criteria. One week (or more) notice is highly recommended, because we spend considerable time customizing the tour for each future client.

↓ Access the Tour Below ↓

Taxes

How are Taxes Calculated Darien?

The town assesses the value of each home and multiplies it 70%. This value is then multiplied by the mill rate. Darien's mill rate is one of the lowest in the state, making the taxes relatively low. The exact property tax amount for each home is included in the listing details on this site. If you are curious, you can look at the Mill Rates for all Fairfield County towns.

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Crime

You will find that questions about "is this area safe" with your Realtor can be a sensitive subject due to the Fair Housing Laws imposed by the state. Because of the penalties, you will find that experienced agents avoid answering questions about crime in a specific neighborhood, but I have a better solution for you. Neighborhood Scout. will drill down to specific neighborhoods and give you the factual information you need, rather than one persons opinion. This is a far better solution considering how important crime information has been to our clients. You may also want to search the sex offender registry before purchasing. The map below represents the violent crime ratings for the Gold Coast area according to Neighborhood Scout and was last updated in January of 2022. Here are the Darien CT Crime Rates.

↓ One Click Crime Rates Below ↓

Gold Coast Crime Rates

Economy, Demographics & More

A highly trusted source, The Connecticut Data Collaborative has put together information on the economy, demographics, labor force and fiscal indicators. If you are curious about his information you can access The Connecticut Data Collaborative's report for Darien here.

Public Schools

How Are the Schools in Darien?

There are many good websites for school information. I have found that they all basically say the same thing: Many of our towns rank high, and other towns rank much lower compared to the neighboring towns. To be frank, the website that is the most user-friendly to you is the one you should use. Many of our clients use greatschools.org, below are links to their ratings of the Darien school system.

↓ One Click School Ratings Below ↓

Darien Public School Website

If you are looking to learn more about Darien Public Schools, here is the link for the Darien School website.

Darien School District Assignment

After doing some research on sites like GreatSchools.org and/or the Darien Public School site, our clients sometimes ask us to find them a home in a specific school district. If this is the case for you, these maps will show you what area each school district covers. Warning: The maps are an approximation and the town can rearrange districts at anytime, so before making a purchase, look up the address using the Darien School Lookup Tool to be sure the home you are considering goes to your chosen school. When you know which district you want your child to be in, use our one click search below the maps. 

Note: All public school students will attend Middlesex Middle School and Darien High School. The below map shows the school assignment zones for Darien's elementary schools.

Darien Elementary School District Map

↓ One Click Searches Below ↓

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Private Schools

For private schools, most of our clients use greatschools.org for their research. Here is the link for Darien.

Train Commute

Darien Train Stations Overview

Are you a daily commuter? If so, I am going to guess that keeping your commute as short as possible is important. The map below shows the walkable area (20 min or less) to both of Darien's train stations Darien and Noroton Heights.. Use our one click search below the map for homes walkable to each station. 

↓ One Click Searches Below ↓

Driving Commute

If you plan on commuting to work by car then you probably want to know exactly how long it will take. Luckily there is a feature in Google Maps that can estimate your commute time. To find out how long it will take, do the following: 

1. Go to Google Maps.

2. Click Directions

3. Enter the address of the home you are considering for the starting point, and your work address for the destination.

4. Click the "Leave Now" drop down and select "Arrive By", then input the time you need to arrive at work by.

5. This will give you an estimation of your commute time from the home you are considering. 

Air Travel

Whether you have to travel for work or play, the closer you live to the airport means the less stressful those inevitable travel days have to be. Below are rough estimates for the commute times you can expect to the major airports in the greater New York area.

*Commute times are calculated using Google maps, and do not account for traffic. 

John F. Kennedy Airport - 55 Minutes

LaGuardia Airport - 45 Minutes

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Waterfront and Beaches

Finding information and aerial views of our spectacular waterfront real estate can be a futile process. The video below will make it easier. I'll show you the impossible to obtain views, the spectacular homes, and amenities nearby (think beach clubs, parks, etc) so you can make an educated decision.

↓ One Click Waterfront Home Search Below ↓

One of the most sought after areas for recreation is the beach. If you want to make the beach part of your daily walking or running routine, the map below will show you all of the private and public beaches in Darien. Use our “One Click” search below to explore homes that are walkable to Darien Beaches. Yellow is for public beaches, and purple is for private member only beaches.

↓ One Click Searches Below ↓

Public Beaches

Private Beaches

What Area Makes Up Connecticut’s Gold Coast?

Connecticut's Gold Coast is a subset of Fairfield County. It’s the area in Connecticut where the overwhelming majority of high end and luxury home sales occur. Darien competes primarily for new buyers with three other towns, Greenwich, Westport and New Canaan. Many buyers who are attracted to Darien are also attracted to these towns. They may be worth exploring. 

Darien vs Greenwich

In the video below, I review the pros and cons of living in Darien, compared to Greenwich. Would you like to explore Greenwich in more detail? Here is the link to our Greenwich Buyers Guide.

Looking For a Better Home For The Same Price Point?

Are you having a hard time finding something special in Darien? The guides below will help you. Each button will bring you to a price specific video guide and article covering the entire Gold Coast. You will learn exactly how much home you can get in each of the other towns.

↓ One Click Guides Below ↓

Darien CT Real Estate Market Report

Are you curious about what's going on in the Darien Real Estate Market? In my latest quarterly Market Report Video, I will give you my "boots on the ground" evaluation. You can also review all of the Darien Real Estate Market Graphs or research another Gold Coast town.

↓ One Click Market Report Below ↓

Create a Custom Market Report

If you want to understand how quickly good homes are selling, and how much under or over asking they are going for, there is no better way than to create a custom market report on our site. Don't forget to save your market report for monthly updates. 

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How to Avoid Wasting Time on Bad Homes

Before the Showing

1. Head over to Google Maps, enter the address and do a satellite view. Look out for things like railroad tracks, cemeteries, water towers, high tension wires, highways and proximity to industrial areas. That home that looks like a great deal might turn out to be a dud. Also, be sure to use Google to check the time to the train station and/or other important town amenities. 

2. While you are there, do a street view and walk the neighborhood. Keep in mind that it takes Google several years to get back to some neighborhoods, so that neighbor with the yellow house...Well, it might not be yellow anymore. 

3. Put the home's address into Google, and search several pages in. The first few pages are likely to be filled up with real estate agency listings, so you will need to dig deeper to find out if there is any news on the home.

4. Head over to the Sex Offender Registry and Neighborhood Scout if you are concerned about crime.

5. If you are able to do a drive-by, I would recommend it.

Making an Offer

Making the offer is the beginning of the negotiation strategy. Therefore, applying a standard process wouldn't be prudent. The markets are different at the various price ranges and property types. Not all agents operate the same way. The sellers have different personalities. There may be intense competition, or none at all. The terms required may not be suitable for both parties. The variables are seemingly endless. Obviously, you need someone with experience to guide you through the process, and that's why you would choose me as your agent.

To give you a general understanding, here is a high level overview...

  1. We submit the offer in writing along with a pre-approval letter from your preferred lender or proof of funds (bank statements) if the transaction will be cash.
  2. You will likely also review and sign a property disclosure, which is filled out by the seller and states what they know about the condition of the property. There also may be a few other documents like a list of items that are included in the transaction. All of these documents make up the offer package.
  3. Once you and the seller agree to price and terms, a 1% deposit may be required. You will then have a specified period of time to complete your inspections. Typically, while the inspections are being completed, the contract for the sale of the property is being written up. Once this is completed, and the inspection doesn't reveal any major deficiencies, both parties sign the contract, the full deposit is delivered, and the property is secured.
  4. If financing is involved, the mortgage process typically takes another 5-6 weeks. The total time from offer acceptance to closing is typically 60 days, but can be sooner or longer depending terms agreed to.

When you work with me, you can trust that we have a highly detailed checklist and will guide you through the entire process, step by step, and give you recommended best approaches every step of the way. 

I look forward to hearing from you,

c:203-952-7752

Feedback

You can probably tell that this guide is a labor of love. My administrative team and I have been improving it since 2008, but we aren't done yet. Tell me how we can make it better and I will send you a $5 Starbucks gift card or make an equivalent donation in your name.

About Charlie

Considering working with me? My about me page will get you started.

Also, Top Agent, a premier real estate publication, honored me with the cover page of their July 2022 issue. I am humbled to be deemed an area specialist and one of the top realtors in New England. 

Thanks to my administrative team, I could not have done it without you. 

 

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