The list of reasons to want to live in Fairfield, Connecticut, is at least five miles long. For starters, that’s the number of miles of beaches the town has on Long Island Sound. Home to the quaint and historic Southport Harbor at the mouth of the Mill River, Fairfield is also just slightly more than an hour train ride away from New York City.
Two universities with a combined enrollment is about 20,000 students give a vibrancy to the village, which has a lively downtown with dozens of restaurants, shopping districts and private yacht and country clubs.
Rick Higgins, chairman and founder of The Higgins Group Private Brokerage, has lived in Fairfield for 27 years.
“One of the aspects of Fairfield that I really appreciate is the diversity of the population,” says the third-generation real estate broker. “There are over 60,000 residents plus college students from all over the world.”
The desirable area is a big draw for home seekers too. “We are attracting a large influx of buyers from Northern California for a variety of reasons,” he says. “Better prices, better climate, great schools and the ability to work from home but have NYC so close.”
Set across from the links of the water-facing Country Club of Fairfield is a 2.5-acre estate for sale at US $17.9 million. The brick veneer-clad mansion with Italian limestone detailing was inspired by the grand country estates of English architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. The creation of architect Roger Ferris, the home was completed in 1993 and renovated in 2007.
The six levels of living space take in views of Southport Harbor, Long Island Sound and the Manhattan skyline. A limestone portico marks the entrance to the 17,735-square-foot mansion’s main level.
A two-story foyer with a marmalade-and-white marble floor and a sweeping wrought-iron staircase opens to the living room, a library, the family room, an eat-in kitchen and the formal dining room. Details include floor-to-ceiling windows, crown molding and French doors.
Among the 10 bedrooms is a 3,600-square-foot primary suite with a sitting room, a fireplace and dual bathrooms, dressing areas and private studies. The upper floor suite can be accessed by stairs or by elevator.
Beneath the main level is a floor with a kitchenette, an elaborate bath complex, a sauna, an exercise room, an office and a wine cellar. Below that is an indoor sports facility including a squash/basketball court and a dance studio.
The lowest level of the home contains a 75-foot-long Italian marble-lined indoor pool with a glass skylight roof. There’s also an outdoor heated pool with a spa.
The 2,000-square-foot two-story guest house has a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage.
Rose gardens, expanses of lawn, apple trees and rhododendrons fill the grounds, which serve as a setting for the oval-shaped swimming pool, a fish pond and a children’s playground.
Higgins is the listing agent for at 640 Sasco Hill Road, Fairfield, Connecticut.
The Higgins Group Private Brokerage is an exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes.