Great house, great bargain, and quick sale on Cat Rock

New

Compasses’ Suzy Armstrong and Maria Ward priced their listing for 96 Cat Rock Road at just $1,500,000 and placed it on the market November 29, when, by all rights, buyers should disappeared until after the holidays are over. Not so, and it’s now reported under contract.

And no wonder: I love this house. The owners built a new post and beam house in 2017 and attached it to the original 1744 cottage on the property. To my eye, it works seamlessly, although Suzie warns that the cottage itself needs some substantial renovation, which, together with landscaping, was on the owners’ schedule until circumstances caused them to move out of state.

I’m told that some younger house viewers were put off by the work that will be necessary to bring the cottage current and balked; that doesn’t surprise me, because even hanging pictures can be a daunting task to those who’ve never seen a hammer outside a video game,

Having lived through two renovations of two houses, one an 1835 farmhouse, the luxury of being able to stay in a practically new house and isolated from the construction going on in an attached cottage has great appeal. And I’m not alone in that sentiment: all but two of those submitting offers here stated their intention to preserve the cottage, as well they should*.

My assessment of this property is that the buyers are getting an excellent new house for a very attractive price with the bonus (or the burden, for some, admittedly) of one of the oldest homes in Greenwich. If I had buyers in the $1.5-$2.1 range, and I thought they were the right candidates for it, I’d show them the high-end of that range and finish here, where the value is so obvious.

Old And new

original

*Suzy informs me that the cottage was once owned and lived in by Thurston the Magician, so you probably wouldn’t want to tear it down — who knows what curse he may have left behind for any future vandals?