A grand survivor from a lost era, a Georgian mansion with a story-filled history and sweeping views said to stretch to Manhattan, Sunset Hall is a tremendous sales opportunity.
“This is more than just a house. It’s registered with the National Register of Historic Places. The back yard of this place is like the Great Gatsby,” said Kathy Schmitt of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.
But it’s also a challenge.
The $5-million-plus price range is, well, exclusive. But there are buyers, and the task is to reach them.
“I think, for this house, there’s a few different types of buyers that are going to find it attractive,” said Ms. Schmitt, who’s been marketing Sunset Hall since January.
The house has selling points: 22 rooms, elegant detailing, landscaped grounds, heated pool, tennis court, ballroom with a marble floor…
And history — lots of it.
“I spent three or four hours at the Ridgefield Historical Society,” Ms. Schmitt said.
The historic appeal has two aspects. There’s the more general, architectural aspect. It’s a stately, carefully preserved Georgian from 1912.
“It’s registered with the National Register of Historic Places. You’re going to attract the buyer that’s interested in it because it is a historic home,” Ms. Schmitt said.
But there’s more.
An old postcard view of Sunset Hall.
“This home has been owned by a lot of notables,” she said.
“It is absolutely grand and magnificent, and it just has a history of some very very interesting people.”
The house was built by James Stokes, who was the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain — “the Court of St. James,” as they say.
Past owners also include Dr. Leopold Weiss, brother to magician Harry Houdini, who spent weekends there; Brooklyn beer baron Samuel Rubel; the Cutten family of Sinclair Oil; and more recently actor Robert Vaughn and his wife, Linda, bought the place in 1981 and sold in 1998, though they remained in town.
The property was considered a potential site for the United Nations in 1946, and was later owned by the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul.
So, it has “interesting.”
“We’re marketing it to people who are interested in the history, and also the story behind it,” Ms. Schmitt said.
And there are people like her client, Jennifer Norbandegani, who bought it in 2008 “because of the setting” Ms. Schmitt said.
“We’re trying to reach affluent buyers who are looking for a piece of history, or a serene escape,” she said.
“Typically people shop by price range. Sotheby’s has a different way of shopping for a home, it’s a lifestyle way. They can go on Sotheby’s website and just search for historical homes.
The website has reach.
“A lot of the people clicking on this particular home, in our website, are coming from anywhere like Ridgefield and New York City to Paris and London. We know there are global buyers that are interested,” Ms. Schmitt said.
- To view more photos of Sunset Hall, see the Southeby’s listing.
“Just on the Sotheby’s site, over 6,000 people have viewed this,” she said.
The home has also been viewed on Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia and Jane’s Edition.
“In the two months it’s been on the market, over 10,000 people have looked a this home online,” Ms. Schmitt said
“We’re marketing to the Chinese buyers,” she added. “They’re becoming increasingly more important in terms of the real estate market.”
Ms. Schmitt moved to Ridgefield in 1993, and left a corporate career to become a Realtor in 2002.
“I remember being on the train — my husband and I used to commute together. Every Thursday The Ridgefield Press came out and I couldn’t wait to get into the real estate section,” she said. “I always had an interest in real estate.”
She’s been with William Pitt Sotheby’s for two years, and believes Sotheby’s international reach helped land the Sunset Hall listing.
“The reach, globally, really is something that my client was looking for,” she said.
“We have relationships with New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Architectural Digest,” she said.
“Sotheby’s’ translates our listing into 16 different native languages.”
So, English, French, German, Spanish, but also Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean…
“When we say we’re an international company, we mean it.”
Part of the marketing effort is a video, offering a guided tour of the house and grounds.
“Behind private gates a magnificent lifestyle awaits. Luxury living that is truly livable, opulent and inviting, expansive yet warm,” says a soothing woman’s voice with a British accent.
“Guests enter through the main door under the grand portico. The grand foyer extends a gracious welcome and instantly sets the tone of this magnificent estate with dentil molding, herringbone floor, Corinthian columns and a three-story staircase…”
Of course, it shows off and touts the views.
“Sunset Hall crowns one of the highest points in Fairfield County and offers a breathtaking panorama. Looking from the widow’s walk atop the house, one can see the skyline of New York City, Long Island Sound and the Catskills on a clear day.”
People who see the video often comment on the voice, Ms. Schmitt said.
“The company that Sotheby’s partners with to do our videos gives us a choice of voices,” she said.
“I chose the British voice because I felt it would draw the listener in and give it more attention,” she said.
The video’s available on williampitt.com.
Of course, the brochures and video are one thing. What will make the sale, Ms. Schmitt is convinced, is the impact the place has on people when they go there.
“They’re blown away when they actually get to the house,” she said, “when you open up those back doors and look from the veranda to the 50-plus mile views.”
The approach up to Sunset Hall.