Landscaper Cleans Up At Townsend Foreclosure

With his trusty Scag lawnmower sitting quietly behind his truck, an East Haven landscaper won the opportunity to cut the high grass of an abandoned East Shore home — which he’ll soon own after prevailing at a foreclosure sale.

That was the outcome of an auction that took place Saturday midday on the sidewalk and overgrown lawn in front of the single-family house at 126 Townsend Terrace.

Milton Fajardo finished on top of a three-person bidding war that went more than 30 rounds and played out before a dozen onlookers.

After local attorney and auctioneer-for-the-day Keith Sittnick announced that Fajardo had won with his high bid of $226,000, the East Haven landscaper and father of two hugged his son Brandon and exhaled a celebratory sigh of relief.

“I feel I have a house for my family now,” he said with a smile.

According to state court records, that house — a vinyl-sided ​“raised ranch” with a playground in the back and a dinghy boat ditched to the side — had been the subject of a foreclosure lawsuit filed by Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC dating back to October 2022. The previous owner of the property, who bought it for $166,900 back in 2017, never filed an appearance in the case. A March 6 judgement of foreclosure by sale found that the property’s fair market value was $255,000, and that it had more than $175,000 in debt.

Sitting in his parked truck across the street from 126 Townsend for more than half an hour before the noon auction began, Fajardo patiently waited. He hoped that no other bidders would show to compete for a house he hoped to own and move into with his wife and two kids.

“I like the neighborhood,” Fajardo said about the residential stretch of single-family homes up and down Townsend Terrace and adjacent East Shore blocks. ​“It’s nice and quiet and clean.” 

He said he regularly cuts lawns in the area, as well as in Branford and East Haven, where he currently rents. He’s also familiar with the area because his son Brandon, who just finished his freshman year at Wilbur Cross, previously attendrf Nathan Hale School.

Asked by this reporter for his perspective on the property as a professional landscaper, Fajardo said he’d need to cut the grass ​“two, three times” to get it down to a manageable level. He’d go ​“little by little” to get the front and side lawns right before moving on to the backyard to trim the trees.

He took a glance up and down the block. Besides court-appointed attorney Anne Leavitt and fellow lawyer Sittnick, no one else had shown up so far to sign up for the auction. It was only 15 minutes until start time.

And then competitors started showing up.

First arrived Rick Pellegrino, an East Shore native and resident of nearby Hervey Street. With his brother-in-law Steve and friend Anthony by his side, Pellegrino, a professional electrical contractor, said he was interested in 126 Townsend ​“just to fix it up. Maybe my son will live here, or maybe I’ll flip it” or rent it out. He hadn’t decided yet. This wasn’t his first time at a foreclosure auction. ​“I’ve done this before.”

Next to arrive was Robbie Roberts, a longtime city public works employee, Clinton Avenue resident, and Democratic ward committee co-chair for Fair Haven’s Ward 15.

“I might be interested in getting out of Fair Haven,” Roberts said when asked why he had shown up to put in bids on the East Shore house.

Another roughly half-dozen neighbors and friends of the bidders showed up to watch as the auction kicked off at noon, with Sittnick standing in the front lawn and marshalling the bids forward.

The opening bid: $192,000. Anyone willing to pay that amount? Sittnick asked Fajardo, Pellegrino, and Roberts.

Pellegrino raised his auction number, a piece of paper bearing the number 2, indicating that he’d pay that amount. 

And the bidding war began.

Fajardo submitted a bid of $195,000.

Pellegrino, $196,000.

Fajardo, $197,000.

Pellegrino, $198,000

Fajardo, $199,000.

“Do I hear $200,000?” Sittnick asked.

“Can we do $199,100?” Pellegrino asked.

Sure, the lawyer replied. So that’s where Pellegrino went.

Then Roberts jumped in, with recently retired public works staffer Miguel Cartagena by his side. “$199,5000,” Roberts said.

“$199,600,” raised Fajardo.

With Pellegrino bowing out, Roberts and Fajardo raised the price by $100 increments, then by $1,000 at a time. Roberts often looked to Cartagena for advice before raising his #3 and upping his bid. As the numbers rose, Fajardo called his wife to consult with her on the escalating bids.

Twenty five rounds later, with a nod from Cartagena, Roberts bid $225,000.

Fajardo countered with $226,000.

“Do I hear $227,000?” asked Sittnick.

Roberts looked to Cartagena. Cartagena gave a slight side-to-side shake of the head. And Roberts looked at Sittnick, and at Fajardo, telling them that he’d finished bidding for the day.

After asking twice more for any other bids, Sittnick announced that Fajardo had won at $226,000.

“Thank you,” Fajardo said, to his son and to Roberts as he went up to the lawyers to sign the final paperwork. ​“I feel good.”

See below for other recent Independent articles about foreclosures.

• Investor Bows Out After Family Plea
• Farnam Founder Tops Foreclosure Auction
• Bank’s Bid Beats Local Buyers
• No Bidders Show For Newhall St. Auction
• Auction Keeps Owner In Neighborhood
• Auction Winner Remembers The Roses
• Homeowner Battles​“Tangled Title” Foreclosure
• Foreclosure Sends Tenants Packing