Peter Kostmayer and Doug Hirn normally had a number of mates across the metropolis who owned second houses in fairly locations. Not being outside varieties, they weren’t certain if it was one thing they wished to strive.
“We thought it seemed like plenty of work,” stated Mr. Hirn, 48. “We additionally didn’t know the way a lot we might use a second place. Attending to and from one dwelling to a different might be difficult.”
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Shortly after they met on-line in 2004, Mr. Kostmayer, 78, and Mr. Hirn moved into Mr. Kostmayer’s West Village condominium, which he’d purchased the earlier 12 months after serving seven phrases as a United States Congressman from Pennsylvania. In 2021, once they bought married, the couple moved to Brooklyn, after which to a three-bedroom rental within the Two Bridges neighborhood on the East Facet of Manhattan.
Regularly, the concept of getting extra outside area grew on them. “New York in August is sizzling,” stated Mr. Kostmayer. “You’ll be able to’t actually open the home windows. So we thought it will be good simply to get away once we wished to.”
They began enthusiastic about a modest-sized home for round $700,000, ideally within the neighborhood of a city with a direct prepare line to Manhattan, good eating places, and no Hamptons-like site visitors or social scene. The couple, who have been keen to spend one other $150,000 on renovations, have been on the lookout for privateness and a spot that had allure or that they may make charming.
“We favored the concept of getting land, sort of a buffer round us that we might have a look at,” stated Mr. Hirn, a lawyer.
The couple scouted areas in Pennsylvania and the Hudson Valley. Then Mr. Hirn’s Zillow search redirected him to Litchfield, the Connecticut county that hugs New York’s jap border.
Immediately, the alternatives appeared limitless. “Truthfully, if somebody had stated, ‘Why don’t you look in Litchfield County?’ we in all probability would have thought we couldn’t afford it,” stated Mr. Hirn. “However we have been pleasantly stunned by the choices we had.”
For steerage, they contacted Dave Fairty, a dealer with Regency Actual Property in Watertown, Conn. “Most of my purchasers are sick of the Hamptons scene,” Mr. Fairty stated. “The L.I.R.R. commute and the crowds are horrendous. We don’t have that.”
After spending a while exploring the realm, Mr. Kostmayer and Mr. Hirn fell in love with the surroundings. Additionally they favored the under-two-hour commute from Grand Central, and that they may park their automotive at a prepare station for $500 a 12 months.
Mr. Fairty took the couple to a few Litchfield cities: Kent, New Milford and Cornwall.
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