$8,000,000 property is the most expensive property sold in the Berkshires MLS

Alford— Nestled in the hills of Alford sits a fairy-tale house straight out of the Cotswolds or Tudor England. The magical handcrafted home was built in 2011 by the seller, John W. Littlechild and his wife A. Ruth Littlechild. The property includes a stone-clad English guest cottage, garage, and quintessential red barn.

The property was recently bought by Kenneth A. Rosen and Lisa A. Rosen of Boca Raton, Fla., for $8,000,000. This is thought to be the most expensive property ever sold through the Multiple Listing Service in the Berkshires. Realtor Nikki Carchedi, broker/partner at Stone House Properties was both the listing and the selling agent. According to Carchedi, the level of interest in this property was “amazing,” despite the high price. She predicts that we’ll see a lot more properties at this level for sale in coming days. “The Berkshires were always on the map,” she says, “but has become a more desirable destination since COVID.”

Mr. Rosen is founder and CEO of the Boca Raton-based Infinity Sales Group, a telecom and broadband services company. At the same time, the Rosens were no strangers to buying and selling real estate. According to The Wall Street Journal, they built a waterfront mansion in Miami Beach which went on the market in 2017 for $22.5 million. And according to Mansion Global, their Mediterranean-style home in Boca Raton was listed for sale in July of 2021 for $14.8 million.

When asked by The Berkshire Edge what drew them to the Berkshires, Mr. Rosen replied that they know the Berkshires well. A former New Yorker, he discovered western Massachusetts when he came to Springfield to attend American International College. He and his wife had a family in Rhinebeck and many friends in the area. They are looking forward to getting to know the area even better and to enjoy what it has to offer.

The property in Alford consists of two parcels. The main house, which sits on 68 acres, is up a mile-long driveway shaded by trees and with sweeping views of the surrounding hillside. The 16-room house totals 9,280 square feet, with 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. The guest house, with an additional 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, sits on its own 4-acre parcel.

A pool house complete with a spa and wood burning fireplace sits beside a gunite infinity pool with stunning views. Traditional English gardens and raised beds enhance the property, which adjoins protected lands owned by Berkshires Natural Resource Council with hiking and walking trails. According to Carchedi, “You can go out your door and have your own protected playground.”

* * *

Berkshire Money Management announces new hires and promotions

Dalton— Berkshire Money Management, the boutique advisory firm with offices in Dalton and Great Barrington, welcomes Brenda Bailly and Tina Archambault as Client Care Specialists. The two new hires join the Client Care Team led by Chelsea Smith, recently promoted to the role of Client Specialist Leader. All three employees play a vital role in providing attentive, personalized service to the clients of Berkshire Money Management.

As part of the Client Care Team, both Archamgault and Bailly will assist with client on-boarding, scheduling, opening and servicing accounts, facilitating account transactions, building strong relationships, and helping clients with their day-to-day service needs.

* * *

Berkshire Environmental Action Team to debut expanded Berkshire Green Drinks

Pittsfield— After nearly 15 years of hosting their monthly Pittsfield Green Drinks gatherings, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is expanding county-wide, with the new name of ‘Berkshire Green Drinks.’ Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pittsfield Green Drinks gatherings took place exclusively at a restaurant or pub in Pittsfield. Starting in 2023, BEAT will begin changing the location of their in-person gatherings to different towns throughout Berkshire County every month. They’re also changing the monthly events to the second Wednesday of every month instead of the third Tuesday.

The first Berkshire Green Drinks will take place on Wednesday, January 11, on Zoom at 6 pm Robin Sears, the executive director of Williamstown Rural Lands, will speak about the mission, activities, and duties of local land trusts. She will outline the ways our natural environment and local demographics are changing and consider management options for land stewards to respond to and anticipate the needs for ecosystem resilience. Pre-registration is required to attend the virtual presentation.

Register at: tinyurl.com/Jan2023-Berk-Green-Drinks

* * *

Strong Little Souls received donations from Talking Rain Beverage Company

Pittsfield— Talking Rain Beverage Company, the makers of Sparkling Ice® beverages, announced today the three winning charities of its second annual holiday give-back initiative, Cheers to Giving, a campaign created to celebrate non-profits making a difference in their communities. This fall, the brand called on Sparkling Ice fans to nominate their favorite 501c3 non-profits for a chance to be selected as one of three recipients of a $50,000 donation from Sparkling Ice. After receiving an abundance of nominations, Talking Rain was honored to award Strong Little Souls, Beautiful Spirited Women, and We Don’t Waste as the program winners to help support the continued inspirational work of these organizations.

Each serving a vital and valued purpose for families, children and women across the nation, the three organizations are being honored for their overall impact and dedication to giving back to their communities. Strong Little Souls aims to brighten the days of children fighting cancer through care packages while financially supporting families with critical expenses.

Learn more about Strong Little Souls, based in Pittsfield.

* * *

New short-term rental property registration requirements for Great Barrington

Great Barrington— Great Barrington will soon begin contacting short-term rental (STR) property owners who must comply with new STR registration requirements in the early months of 2023.

The registration process was expected to begin as of Jan. 1, but Town Manager Mark Pruhenski said that the online registration setup is somewhat behind schedule. Property owners subject to registration will be contacted by the town, by mail, to initiate the process, said Pruhenski.

A registration fee schedule will be established by the town as well.

A new town bylaw adopted this year places restrictions on certain types of short-term rental operations in town. The town has contracted with an outside company, GovOS, to register properties that fall under the new regulations. Those properties are now being identified using technology provided by GovOS. The town’s Short-Term Rental (STR) by law can be found here. The town’s contact for STR matters will be Stephen Browning, the town’s health inspector.