SellSelling with Seaboard
Every house here
has a provenance.
We sell historic, waterfront and island houses in Stonington Borough, Watch Hill and Fishers Island, and present each one as the house it is.
High Watch Oceanfront estate Watch Hill, Rhode Island A record sale, on the highest waterfront ground in Watch Hill.
41°21′NMystic, Connecticut
Every house is part of a place.
01Where You're Starting From
Every sale begins somewhere different.
Choose the one that sounds most like you, and we'll show you what matters and what we take care of.
A long-held house carries a story buyers want to hear: who built it, who lived there, what has changed and what never did. Told well, that story is part of what a buyer is paying for.
- Researching the house's history and gathering its records
- Advice on what to repair and what to leave alone
- Photography and writing that do the house justice
- A price based on comparable houses, not town averages
Heirs are often in different places, with an attorney involved and a house that hasn't been touched in years. You need one person here who can manage it all and keep everyone informed.
- One point of contact for every member of the family
- Working alongside your estate attorney
- Clear-outs, cleaning, repairs and caretaking before the sale
- Regular updates, wherever you are
Most owners of second homes here live somewhere else. The sale has to run smoothly without you needing to be here for it.
- Keys, access and showings, with you kept informed
- Looking in on the house between showings
- Coordinating your caretaker, landscaper and contractors
- Working with your attorney so much of the closing can happen at a distance
Waterfront buyers ask early about the dock, the flood zone and the insurance. Having the answers ready keeps a sale moving.
- Gathering dock permits, surveys and elevation certificates
- Explaining flood zones and insurance clearly to buyers
- Presenting the water itself: the frontage, the depth, the view
- Introductions to marine contractors and inspectors
Only a handful of island houses sell each year, and many buyers already know the island well. Timing and knowing who is looking matter more here than anywhere.
- Working with our partner, Shutters & Sails Fishers Island
- Timing the sale around the island's summer season
- Arranging showings around the ferry
- Coming-soon introductions to buyers already looking
02Presentation
One house, presented.
A distinctive house deserves more than a listing. Here is how we approached one we represent today.
The Shelter Harbor Inn
Built about 1800 · 23 bedrooms · 3.41 acres
- The question
- Who buys a historic inn with twenty-three bedrooms?
- Our answer
- Two kinds of buyer: someone to carry on the inn, and a family looking for a private estate or a home for several generations. So we presented it for both, and listed it twice, once as a home and once as a commercial property.
- i.
The story of the house
Its history, architecture and setting, researched and written with care.
- ii.
Editorial presentation
Architectural photography, film and printed materials made to the standard of the house.
- iii.
The right buyers
Listed where buyers' agents look in each state, and shared across the Shutters & Sails Collective.
03What It's Worth
Three bedrooms. Three very different prices.
In villages this small, only a handful of houses sell each year and no two are alike. Online estimates lean on town-wide figures; at least one large property site shows Westerly's numbers when you look up Watch Hill. Pricing here takes someone who knows the houses behind the numbers.
Three-bedroom sales in Watch Hill in 2026, from public sales records.
Ask what your house is worth04Who Buys Here
Your buyer may be three hours away.
Buyers for this shoreline often come from well beyond it. We make sure the right ones hear about your house.
Second-home buyers
Many of our buyers live in New York, Boston or farther away, and are looking for a house for summers and weekends.
Families relocating
People moving to the region for work, introduced through the Collective's Regional Relocation Center in New London.
Buyers close to home
People who walk into our offices in Stonington Borough, Watch Hill, Fishers Island and Mystic.
Buyers from farther afield
Referrals through a global network of brokerages, and listings shown wherever buyers' agents look in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.
05Timing
A shoreline year.
Houses here sell in every season, but the year has a rhythm worth planning around.
January – March
Prepare
The quiet months. Repairs, paperwork and pricing, so the house is ready for spring.
April – June
Present
Gardens return and the light improves. The time to photograph, share the house as coming soon and list it before summer.
July – September
Show
Second-home buyers are here, and Watch Hill and Fishers Island are at their fullest. Most showings happen now.
October – December
Close
Serious buyers who want to settle before winter. A good time to close, and to start planning next year's sale.
Wherever you are in the year, there's a right next step.
On Fishers IslandSummer matters even more. Most buyers see the island in season, and it is much quieter in the off-season.
06Houses We've Known
In good company.
Village landmarks, waterfront estates and several of the most significant sales on this shoreline.
A record oceanfront estate on the highest waterfront ground in Watch Hill.
High WatchWatch HillBuilt in 1776 by a silversmith of a founding family, across from the village green.
The Zebulon Stanton HouseStonington BoroughA private 38-acre peninsula with more than 700 feet of water frontage.
Salt AcresStoningtonA 1927 house on eleven acres above West Harbor, facing the sunset.
West Harbor WaterfrontFishers IslandAn 1886 house with ten fireplaces and a deep-water dock; a Stonington record.
Waterfront EstateStoningtonTerraces and a turreted guest house above a two-mile beach.
Oceanfront EstateWatch HillA compound on the point with a twelve-foot deep-water dock.
Boater's ParadiseNoankAn 18th-century farmhouse and barn, bordered by conservation land.
115-Acre Equestrian EstateNorth Stonington
And Hammersmith Farm in Newport, an 1887 house of 28 rooms on 48 oceanfront acres.
07Seller Questions
What sellers ask us first.
And if your question isn't here, we're glad to talk it through.
Do I need to be here to sell?
No. Many of our sellers live elsewhere. We handle access and showings, keep you informed throughout, and work with your attorney so that much of the closing can be handled at a distance, depending on the state.
What is my house worth?
It depends on comparable sales, and in villages this small there are few of them. We'll walk through the house, look at what has sold nearby and why, and give you a considered range rather than a computer estimate.
What should I fix before listing?
Usually less than you think. Some repairs pay for themselves and others are better left to the buyer. We'll tell you which is which, and introduce you to people who can do the work.
Can buyers hear about my house before it's listed?
Yes. Where the rules allow, we can share it as a coming-soon listing, so buyers we're already working with hear about it first.
What will buyers ask for?
Surveys, permits and records of past work. On the water, flood elevation certificates and dock permits. Outside the villages, well and septic records. Gathering them early keeps a sale moving.
My house is in a historic district. Does that matter?
Buyers will want to know what has been approved and what they could change. Records of past approvals from the historic district commission are worth finding before you list.
Selling with Seaboard
Start with a conversation.
Tell us about the house: where it is, what it means to you and when you're thinking of selling. There's no obligation.
Laurie Finan, Broker/Owner, with Jim Michalove, Kathy Michalove and Jay Carroll.
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