The luxury real estate market in Litchfield County, Connecticut, is running short on inventory and long on motivated buyers. That combination is pushing more high-end transactions away from public listings entirely, and toward the kind of quiet, relationship-driven deals that never show up on Zillow until after they close.

A recent off-market sale in Sharon, Connecticut, illustrates exactly how this is playing out at the top of the market. The property at 338 Calkinstown Road, a custom-built Federal Georgian estate on 35 acres, sold for $5,750,000 without ever being publicly listed. Bill Melnick and Elyse Harney Morris of Elyse Harney Real Estate represented the transaction, approaching the seller on behalf of a buyer whose needs he already knew could not be met by what was currently on the market.

“We knew what the buyer needed, and it simply was not available,” Melnick said. “So we approached the seller directly and asked if they were open to a private sale. They were, and from there it came together.”

For buyers and sellers operating above $3 million in markets like Litchfield County, a private sale is often the preferred outcome, not a compromise. Sellers avoid the disruption of showings, open houses, and public price history. Buyers avoid the anxiety of competing offers and the risk of losing a property they have committed to emotionally. Both sides get a cleaner, more controlled process.

The Calkinstown Road property had originally been sold in March 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic, before COVID pricing had taken hold. The sellers entered that transaction without the benefit of what was about to become a 30 percent run-up in county values. When they were approached about selling again, they were well positioned to capitalize on the property’s appreciation, and they did just that.

“Sellers who agree to a private sale want to know it is worth their while,” Melnick said. “The price has to be fair, the process has to be easy, and they need confidence that the buyer is serious. When all of that lines up, it can actually be a better outcome than going to market.”

The house itself is the kind of property that sells the moment the right buyer sees it. Built in 2019 and designed in a traditional Federal Georgian style, it reads as historic without the maintenance burden of an actual historic home. Robert Fish, a local builder known throughout the county for quality and authenticity, constructed it with the kind of details that are almost impossible to source today: hand-carved fireplace mantles, antique wood library paneling, a slate roof, and copper gutters. Five wood-burning fireplaces, 6,280 square feet across three floors, five en-suite bedrooms, and a chef’s kitchen opening to a great room give it the scale to function as a full-time home.

The 35-acre setting includes a heated gunite pool and bluestone patio, stone walls, and professional landscaping. A detached garage sits alongside the attached four-car garage. The property borders one of the highest-recorded sales in Litchfield County history, a $10 million transaction on an adjacent parcel, also built by Fish.

“Rob Fish’s houses are traditional in styling and very high quality,” Melnick said. “They tend to sit on exceptional building sites with big views or conservation land. When one comes available, it does not stay that way for long.”

Litchfield County is in an unusual moment. Transaction volume has moderated from its pandemic peak, but dollar volume is holding or increasing, driven by movement at the top of the market. Cash buyers, many of them from the finance and technology sectors in New York City, are active in the $3 million and above tier in a way that makes mortgage rate headlines largely irrelevant to how this segment moves.

Off-market activity tends to increase when inventory is thin, and buyers are serious. Both conditions are present in Sharon and the surrounding towns right now. Agents with deep community relationships and an existing base of buyer clients are the ones facilitating these transactions, because the deals are built on trust and local knowledge rather than MLS access.

For sellers who are considering a move but reluctant to go through a full public listing process, the current environment may be worth a conversation. The right buyer may already exist in someone’s network. The transaction may be simpler, faster, and more private than anticipated.

Explore Sharon, CT listings and community information at Elyse Harney Real Estate.

Bill Melnick is a luxury real estate specialist with Elyse Harney Real Estate, serving buyers and sellers across Litchfield County, Connecticut, and the surrounding region.

This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.

Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.

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