Price cut on Dearfield Lane

One Dearfield, now $2.995 million. It’s been for sale since September, 2015, when it kicked off at $3.499. After this long on the market, the owner might want to consider taking a larger bite off that price.

A genuine charmer, 1934 pre-war, gracious, and close to town, so I’d attribute its failure to sell to its price, not from lack of appeal. But there is one daunting problem: the listing describes the roof as composed of “Ludowici roofing tiles” which are beautiful clay tiles, but expensive to make and expensive to repair. This close-up of the existing roof says to me, “major dollars”. Nothing that can’t be fixed, of course, but it doers make for a discouraging first impression. The Ludowici company warrantees its product for 75 years; at 84-years-old, this roof may have hit its expiration date.

NOTE: The owner has written in (see comments and discussion) and assures me that the roof is in very good condition. I was alarmed, unnecessarily it seems, by the missing tiles I saw in its photos. The underlying theme of this post remains the same: it’s a great house, in a great location, and priced well.

UPDATE: The Mickster and I were just conversing (that’s not intended to be a high-faluting term for talking — we were texting), and we both agree that this is a fabulous house, albeit a tad close to the main road. The owner did a beautiful job renovating it, and if there’s some exterior work to be attended to, so be it: it’s a great in-town home. If that’s your destination, get a good building inspector, do some sharp negotiating, and go for it; they literally don’t make them like these anymore, and that’s too bad.