Thursday, June 30, 2016

Fireworks Celebrations Around the World

Fireworks Celebrations Around the World
By Christine Finch Oleynick
Executive Vice President
                                               
Thursday, June 30th

Westport: The Westport Police Athletic League (PAL) and the Westport Parks and Recreation Department will be holding the annual Independence Day Fireworks Celebration on June 30 at Compo Beach. Rain date for the event is on July 1, 2016.

Friday, July 1st

Stamford: The City of Stamford’s 2016 Fireworks event will be held on July 1st (rain date July 2nd) at 9:15 / 9:20pm at Cummings Park.



Saturday, July 2nd

Darien: Darien Town Fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 2, 2016. Fireworks will begin when it gets dark. The rain date is Sunday, July 3rd.

Fairfield: July 2nd-Come Celebrate Independence Day with an explosive Grucci Firework show. Fireworks explode just after dark, usually around 9:15 PM, from a barge off of Long Island Sound so the show can be seen easily from either Penfield or Jennings Beaches.

Greenwich: Fireworks Display at Greenwich Point on July 2 at dusk sponsored by the Town of Greenwich to be held at Greenwich Point. Normal rules for Greenwich Point access will be in effect the day of the fireworks. Greenwich Point will be closed at 8:30 P.M. or when the maximum number of cars for the available parking spaces has been achieved. Fireworks Display at Binney Park on July 2 at dusk sponsored by the Town of Greenwich to be held at Binney Park.

Sunday, July 3rd

Norwalk: July 3rd Fireworks and Concert at Calf Pasture Beach. Dusk-4th of July Fireworks

Rye Playland (NY): Special Holiday Fireworks Shows July 3 & 4 -- Fireworks are shot off from our Pier on these Special Event Days.



Monday, July 4th

New Canaan: This year’s New Canaan July 4th celebration will be held on Monday, July 4th (5:00pm - 10:00 pm) at Waveny Park. The New Canaan “Family Fourth” is always one of the premier events in town. Activities include picnicking, live music, food & drink stands… and of course, tons of fireworks! The pass fee will be $35 for residents.  The fireworks will be at 9 p.m.

Ridgefield: Fireworks will light up the night at Ridgefield High School on July 4th as the town celebrates Independence Day with music, food, family fun, and FIREWORKS!  The American Legion Post 78 will present the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast at 7:00 PM.  Bring a picnic dinner or purchase food at the event.  Parking passes are required - Cash or Check Only! Purchase a pass for $20 each at Ridgefield Town Hall, Fairfield County Bank, or the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce (now located at 13 Grove Street). 

Rowayton: Rowayton Fireworks will light up the sky offshore from Bayley Beach Friday evening, July 4th (rain date July 5th). The fireworks, sponsored by the RCA, will be launched from a barge beginning at 9:15pm. The performance will last approximately 30 minutes.

Weston: Weston Parks & Recreation and Fairfield County Bank present: Weston’s Family 4th Celebration 2016, Monday, July 4, 2016 at the Weston middle school field. Gates open at 4:30 PM.

Wilton: 8:30 AM: Freedom Run Road Race (5K) , 9:30 PM: (Approximately) Fireworks! The Parks & Recreation Department will be selling 4th of July Booster Parking Passes.  Those vehicles without the booster pass will be charged a fee of $20.00 per vehicle the night of the event. All monies collected go to offset the evening’s cost. By becoming a 4th of July Booster, you will receive a guaranteed parking pass to your choice of lots adjacent to the concert and fireworks area. Spaces are limited and passes are issued on a first come, first serve basis.



GLOBALLY:

Paris : Enjoys celebrating its American expats. If you don't attend the Independence Day Summer Party hosted by Expats Paris (the event announcement encourages attendees to "throw on your best American flag-inspired outfit" for some "stellar drinks and free finger food"), try visiting Harry's New York Bar. The watering hole invented two American favorites, the sidecar and the bloody Mary, and is the locale where composer George Gershwin wrote "An American in Paris," according to Dream Plan Go.

Sydney:  On the famous Darling Harbour in Sydney, the Sydney Expat Americans throw what the group claims to be the largest Fourth of July American Independence Day Party in the Southern Hemisphere. American DJs make an appearance at the event, July 2, and activities also include cornhole, free American whiskey tastings and beer pong. The dress code "As American as apple pie." (Your ticket is actually double the price if you don't sport red, white and blue.)

Shanghai, China: If you're going to be spending the Fourth of July in Shanghai, China — a city filled with American expats — you may want to pack your cowboy boots. The mega-metropolis has been known to celebrate Fourth of July with Texan-themed festivities such as line dancing, barbecue and beer, according to travel website Dream Plan Go. One bar near the city center is promoting an all-American BBQ, complete with hot dogs and beer and American-brewed Goose Island IPA.

London, England: Celebrate the Fourth of July in true patriotic style in London (yes, we understand the irony of that). Visit Benjamin Franklin's former home, where he lived for 16 years between 1757 and 1775. There will be a lunchtime party featuring glasses of champagne and cake to mark the holiday, according to Time Out London. Alternatively, if you prefer beer to bubbly, stop by the city's American Beer Fest on July 3. There you'll find a mechanical bull, folk music and an all-American BBQ.

New York, New York: Macy's Fourth of July fireworks will return to the East River again this year, officials announced Friday. The show — which will start at 9:25 p.m. on July 4 — will once again be shot off from four barges on the water located between 23rd and 37th streets in Midtown and another below the Brooklyn Bridge near South Street Seaport, officials said.  Spectators in western Queens, Brooklyn and the east side of Manhattan will be poised to get the best views of the spectacle, which returned to the east side in 2014 after five years on the Hudson River.

This is the 40th year for the annual holiday show, which will last 25 minutes and feature more than 52,000 shells, according to organizers.
                                                                      
Christine Finch Oleynick is a Realtor with Chilton & Chadwick Global Real Estate Concierge - A team within Higgins Group. Christine has lived in lower Fairfield county most her life and is passionate about Connecticut and the unique amenities, incredible people and local businesses the gold coast has to offer. She is very active in the community and was recently honored as this year’s Women’s Business Advocate in Moffly Media’s first annual Women of Influence awards.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Sotheby's Contemporary Day Auction Recommendations

By Chadwick Ciocci
CEO / Founder
Chilton & Chadwick

Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Day Auction in London on June 29 is a fantastic opportunity to start or add to your art collection at reasonable price points. The auction house has works available by Calder, Warhol, Dubuffet and many others.

As always, acquiring a work of art or real estate should always be done at the lowest possible point so as to maximize future equity. We recommend works we would add to our own collection or to our clients’ collections at a maximum price point. The auction house’s estimate is noted below the title of each piece, and our acquisition price recommendation is at the end of each section.

Chilton & Chadwick offers art advising and acquisition services. If you are interested in discussing any aspect of the art market, please do not hesitate to reach out. Contact information is at the end of this article.

Below are our recommendations.
Alexander Calder
Blue Counterweight, Two Spines (1975)
Estimate: $364,000 – 509,000

Calder mobiles are at once beautiful and recognizable, and are a necessity for any sophisticated collection. They are also extremely popular right now – even more so than just a year ago – which can mean two things: 1. You risk overpaying because of a generally heated market or 2. If you can acquire his work at the right price, you now have something valuable and in high demand on your hands that can usually be easily offloaded.

This mobile is a beautiful example of his work and at 16 x 11 x 6 inches, its size means you can easily incorporate it in to your home, designs and move it easily. This piece is a little rougher than many of the artist’s other works. By that we mean it doesn’t exemplify the precision of application we see in many of his other works, but that makes it all the more interesting. And when we consider that this piece was executed in 1975 – just one year before his death – said lack of precision suddenly doesn’t seem so lacking, but all the more incredible considering his advanced age.

We recommend acquiring this work below $400,000.
Andy Warhol
Mao (1974)
Estimate: $655,000 – 946,000

Warhol is well known for his portraits of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Liza Minelli. His Mao portraits may be slightly less well known, but they are all the more interesting. President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 prompted the artist to return to painting – something he had taken respite from in favor of film and photography. Painting, thought Warhol, would be the best medium to portray one of the icons of totalitarianism in the 20th century.

Although the artist claimed this work was not political - ”Since fashion is art now and Chinese is in fashion, I could make a lot of money. Mao would be really nutty… not to believe in it, it’d just be fashion.” – but it is precisely Warhol’s ability to employ art and the capitalist system to benefit from this communist dictator’s image that most impresses us and draws us to the work. Mao’s image was plastered all over China so as to simultaneously inspire fear and loyalty amongst his people. That the very same image could be produced in the United States as art, and not for totalitarian reasons, is so very fascinating.

We recommend acquiring this work at no more than $1,500,000. 
Andy Warhol
Dollar Sign (1980)
Estimate: $364,000 – 509,000

Warhol’s dollar sign is as iconic as his portraits. Our recommendation for why to buy this work isn’t complicated at all: to own and display both Mao and Dollar Sign together, in a beautiful contrasting yet complimentary way, would make not only for a visually appealing and stunning display but is the height of sophisticated art collection: combining works because of their relationship to one another within the confines of a collection which has been put together purposefully, and not randomly.

We recommend acquiring this work up to $550,000.
Alexander Calder
Spirale (1972)
Estimate: $36,000 – 51,000

We have spoken of Calder already, but we are particularly attracted to this painting because of its vibrancy and because displaying it in proximity to the earlier mobile creates a fascinating visualization and realization of just how talented Calder was. The mediums may be completely different – one is a painting on paper, the other a metal, moving mobile – but yet instantly one can tell they are of the same hand.

We recommend acquiring this work as close to the low estimate of $36,000 as possible.
Gunther Forg
Untitled
Estimate: $146,000 – 218,000

He may not be Mark Rothko, but Gunther Forg is still a master abstract expressionist and his color formations still draw viewers in in an emotional and visceral way. This work is radically different than what we have recommended thus far, but diversity is a necessity for any complicated collection.

We recommend acquiring this work below $200,000.
                                          
If you are interested in discussing acquiring or selling art, or if you have questions about the market, please reach our CEO / Founder at Chadwick@ChiltonAndChadwick.com. 

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

7 Fantastic Equestrian Properties

By Lisa Selin Davis via Bloomberg

If you win big this weekend at the Kentucky Derby (like, really big) and want to park those winnings in some real estate, you may be in luck. The luxury market has surpassed pre-crash heights in many arenas, but relative bargains in horse-centric properties are still possible.
“Equestrian properties in really desirable areas are still probably 20 percent off [their] previous peak,” says Caren Kelley, broker/owner of Equestrian Real Estate in Del Mar, Calif. “Many people feel it’s an undervalued asset.”
But which horse haven to choose? Both Kentucky (naturally) and Florida vie for the title of “Horse Capital of the World.” But while Lexington caters to thoroughbreds, Ocala, Fla., attracts “all different breeds and disciplines of horses,” says Joan Pletcher, a real estate agent representing equestrian propertiesin Ocala. Fox trotters, quarter horses, gypsy vanners—they’re all at home here. Meanwhile, Wellington, Fla., is a favorite for dressage and show horses. And there are plenty of horse enthusiasts in Southern California, too.
What to look for depends entirely on what kinds of horses you intend to keep and what you plan to do with them. “It’s a very individualized market,” says Kelley. Your choice of property will depend on the type and number of horses you’ll have—that helps determine the acreage and the type of facilities you’ll need. And then comes the even trickier part—making sure it works for humans, too. 
Perhaps these properties will do the trick.

Ocala, Fla.



Padua Stables, looking across the lake at the stallion barn. The property includes 11 barns and 202 stalls in total, on 768 acres.
Padua Stables, looking across the lake at the stallion barn. The property includes 11 barns and 202 stalls in total, on 768 acres.
 
Photographer: Joan Pletcher/Christie's International Real Estate

Padua Stables is serious horse business. The 768-acre farm comes with 11 barns, holding 202 stalls, a three-quarter-of-a-mile dirt track, and a one-mile turf track, both built by racecourse designer Dennis Moore. The estate also includes a broodmare/foaling center for breeders; hot walkers (a kind of merry-go-round for horses); and round pens, or fenced-in walking areas. There’s also an executive office complex, three maintenance buildings, three greenhouses, and a hay and feed storage building. The price is $17.9 million.


Clockwise from top left: A Farrier shoeing a horse in the training barn; the interior of the 22-stall mare/foaling barn; the 20 “Fibar” pens each with individual .30-acre paddocks; a mare and foal running the paddock.
Clockwise from top left: A Farrier shoeing a horse in the training barn; the interior of the 22-stall mare/foaling barn; the 20 “Fibar” pens each with individual .30-acre paddocks; a mare and foal running the paddock.
 
Photographer: Joan Pletcher/Christie's International Real Estate

For the humans, things aren’t too shabby. The main residence has eight bedrooms and 10 baths, in addition to 13 other homes on the property for guests and workers and a 22-room, 7,000-square-foot dormitory. Spring-fed lakes and grandfather oaks are throughout the grounds.

Wellington, Fla.



Here, part of the barn complex of the $19 million seven-bed, eight-bath home on Grand Prix Farms Drive. 
Here, part of the barn complex of the $19 million seven-bed, eight-bath home on Grand Prix Farms Drive
 
Photographer: Carlos Molejon

If you don't know the equestrian community of Wellington, you certainly have heard of the Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Local brokers Engel & Völkers report an influx of European buyers attracted to the exclusive equestrian mecca, where three prime listings in the $10 million-$20 million range are on the market.


The Grand Prix estate has features two-bedroom grooms quarters, plus a manager’s apartment.
The Grand Prix estate has features two-bedroom grooms quarters, plus a manager’s apartment.
 
Photographer: Carlos Molejon

The first is a 10,931-square-foot, $12.75 million home in Wellington, with three beds and six baths and a 20-stall sport horse facility. The 4.5-acre farm also has solar power, a quarter-mile, all-weather track, and eight paddocks, plus an edgeless pool and outdoor kitchen. Also on the market is a five-bed, nine-bath, 13,715-square-foot, Mediterranean-style home for $13.95 million, with a six-stall barn and tack rooms, feed rooms, and wash stalls. A  nearly 20,000-square-foot, $19 million home rounds out the paddock with seven beds and eight baths. There are 35 stalls and room for owners, grooms, and managers as well.


The 3261 Olde Hampton Drive, the owner’s three-bed, 4.5-bath home, is connected to the barn.
The 3261 Olde Hampton Drive, the owner’s three-bed, 4.5-bath home, is connected to the barn.
 
Photographer: Carlos Molejon

Santa Ynez, Calif.



Quail H Ranch's 296 acres are ideal for horses, but have the terroir and water for Rhone grapes.
Quail H Ranch's 296 acres are ideal for horses, but have the terroir and water for Rhone grapes.
 
Photographer: Tom Ploch

If you don’t want to dedicate yourself solely to horses, Quail H Ranch’s 296 or so acres in Santa Ynez, Calif., are also primed for grape growing. For the equines in the family, there’s a horse barn, plus roping and exercise arenas, and irrigated paddocks. For the humans, there’s an 8,244-square-foot, ranch-style home, with four bedrooms and seven baths. The public rooms in the house open onto a covered porch with its own outdoor fireplace; five additional fireplaces are inside. There’s a library with a bar, a caterer’s kitchen, and a butler’s pantry. There are also two guesthouses on the property, which is on the market for $21 million.


The public rooms of the 8,000-square-foot residence open to a covered porch and an outdoor fireplace, plus a pool. There are five fireplaces inside, a library, bar, caterer's kitchen, and breakfast room.
The public rooms of the 8,000-square-foot residence open to a covered porch and an outdoor fireplace, plus a pool. There are five fireplaces inside, a library, bar, caterer's kitchen, and breakfast room.
 
Photographer: Tom Ploch

Like the area, but Quail H is lacking a certain cachet? Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch is nearby—and has plenty of room for horses, too.

Paicines, Calif.



There are four other barns, plus a hay barn, two training arenas and two riding arenas.
There are four other barns, plus a hay barn, two training arenas and two riding arenas.
 
Source: Pacific Union/Christie's International Realty

Stone Canyon Ranch is the opposite of southern genteel architecture: It’s modern and dramatic. Its 10,000 acres include a four-bed, five-bath, 7,900-square-foot main residence designed by architect Ugo Sap. The show barn looks more like a museum than a horse home, and four other barns are on the property, along with a hay barn, two training arenas, and two riding arenas. There are also two lakes, a river, and streams.


Stone Canyon Ranch’s 10,000 acres include two lakes, a river and streams.
Stone Canyon Ranch’s 10,000 acres include two lakes, a river and streams.
 
Source: Pacific Union/Christie's International Realty

There are 5,000 square feet of additional quest quarters, a tennis court, a pool, and 360-degree mountain views. The property, designed to appeal to a discerning horseman (or woman, since it was acquired for the previous owner’s wife), is on the market for $32 million.

Louisville, Ky.



The 16,000-square foot main house was built in 1905.
The 16,000-square foot main house was built in 1905.
 
Source: Sotheby's International Reality

Want to be close to the Derby action? A local agent reports one potential buyer was interested in buying this Louisville home just for his Derby parties, as it's only eight miles from Churchill Downs. The estate has 158 acres and four houses, including a 16,000-square-foot main house built in 1905, and a 3,500-square-foot carriage house. There are also two 900-square-foot caretaker houses, plus an indoor pool.
Now for the horse facilities: The 20,000-square-foot barn has 24 stalls, plus an apartment of its own.


The estate’s most renowned feature is the driveway, designed by the Olmsted Brothers.
The estate’s most renowned feature is the driveway, designed by the Olmsted Brothers.
 
Source: Sotheby's International Reality

But with all that, the driveway (yes, driveway) may be the most commendable feature: a mile long and designed by the Olmsted Brothers, one of whom co-designed New York's Central Park.
                                    
If you are interested in any of these properties or would like any other information, please call 203.987.4789 or e-mail Chadwick@ChiltonAndChadwick.com. Chilton & Chadwick is a team within the Higgins group, a licensed real estate brokerage in Connecticut. 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Buying Your Next Home (Part III)

By Stephen Shea

[This is the third part is a series focused on buying your next home. Part I can be found here and part II can be found here.]

In prior posts, we’ve discussed the preliminary steps one needs to take before initiating finding your dream home.  Now you’re ready to begin the search effort. 93% of all homebuyers first begin their search online, at sites like Realtor.com and Zillow.com.  The online services have greatly enhanced buyers’ ability to search for homes across wide geographic areas of interest and appeal to them.  


However, pictures and glowing house descriptions can’t beat actually visiting these homes.  And doing so with a knowledgeable real estate professional is best of all.
Why work with a real estate professional?  What value do we add?  What are the risks or concerns when confiding in your realtor?  For those who have been online already reading up on the home buying process, there may be some confusion about the role of realtors. 

It was surprising for me to learn it is still the practice in some states across the US that only the home seller signs an agreement with a realtor.  That signed agreement creates a fiduciary duty for the realtor on behalf of his/her seller client.  However, it also creates a de-facto fiduciary duty on every other realtor who shows that home with a potential buyer. 

Those agents are, in effect, are subagents of the listing agent, even though the realtor is purportedly “working with” a buyer.  Legally, the realtor retains the fiduciary duty to disclose all pertinent information learned – such as how much you’re willing/able to pay for the house, how much in love with the house you are, what other properties you may be considering – to the seller.  You may have heard the advice never to disclose your true situation or feelings to your realtor, as they don’t really work for you.  In some parts of the country that is sound advice. 

You may also read advice to hire a buyer’s representative.  In so doing, you will have an advocate that works just for you.  But in most states with buyer representatives, the buyer pays for this representative’s services. 

In Connecticut things are different.  In Connecticut we have two agreements: one for sellers, i.e., the traditional exclusive right to represent seller; and one for buyers, the exclusive right to represent buyer. 

By signing the buyer representative agreement with a buyer client, a Connecticut real estate sales agent is bound by a fiduciary duty, enforceable under the law, to work exclusively on behalf of the buyer.  No information learned by the agent can be disclosed or used to the disadvantage of the buyer. This agreement and its requirements are enforced by the CT Department of Consumer Protection to assure the best interests of the consumer are protected.  



And if you’re wary of signing binding agreements, take note it is not the Department of Real Estate Agent Protection that enforces the law, helping assure the best interests of realtors are protected!  The Department of Consumer Protection protects you, the client. And whether a realtor is working as the Seller Representative or the Buyer Representative, it is the Seller that pays for this representation upon the sale of the property.

When viewing a property with a buyer client, the realtor has the duty to carefully observe the property with an eye toward identifying any potential issues or concerns.  Starry-eyed buyers may look past the ceiling’s water stain or evidence of possible mold above a baseboard but the realtor is required to be vigilant about such things, and seek all required disclosures from the owner and the owners’ realtor.  The sellers’ realtor assumes a fiduciary duty to disclose all issues that are known or should have been known to the buyer and the buyers’ representative. 

No realtor can know all there is to know about every Fairfield County city and town.  We all have our areas of greatest expertise, areas of effective understanding, and areas, frankly, we’re not sufficiently well versed in.  You’ll want to work with someone extremely well versed in the locale you are interested in, or seek a referral to someone who is.  And if a buyer’s interests lays in two or more areas, signing the Buyer’s Agreement to work with one agent in one area and another agent in another area is perfectly acceptable.  How long you wish to work with the agent is also up to the buyer.  It could be for as little as one day – in just one town, or even to be shown just one specific house.  It is up to the client to decide what is best.

One way to gain an understanding of the local housing market is to view open houses.  The public gets to do so every Sunday whereas the broker community typically has open house tours twice a week.  In Greenwich, they are Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Every agent that chooses to take advantage of the open house showings, and a great many do not, has their own methods of retaining the information gathered in these reviews. Some make a cursory assessment, looking for anything exceptional – either positive or negative – and leave it at that.  Others review in greater detail, though how they retain the information and are able to recall particulars that distinguish one home from the rest is open to question.

I take a rather unusual approach, unusual in that I do not see others following my lead, and that will be the subject of next week’s blog.

                                                   
Stephen Shea is a licensed real estate agent, real estate developer and has a background in financial modeling and planning. He can be reached at Stephen@ChiltonAndChadwick.com or 203.822.1555.