Monthly Archives: July 2008

I had to reset my computer’s P Ram yesterday (don’t ask) and it seems to have killed my ability to import photos. Drat – I was planning to start adding photos today, beginning with a picture of a new house … Continue reading →

Alaska is experiencing its coldest summer ever (in recent history, I presume). Climate experts have rushed to explain that this says nothing about global warming and boy, watch out for next year, but as one commentator notes in the linked … Continue reading →

The New York Times hasn’t done much reporting on the surge in Iraq’s success but suddenly it’s catching up with what less mainstream sources – .bloggers in Iraq, primarily – have been noticing for months: things are getting better. Oil … Continue reading →

A reader asked how often an agent should hold open houses for a property. He specifically asked about broker open houses, but both broker (agent, technically) and public open houses are worth some comment. Broker open houses are essential – … Continue reading →

New York City’s financial firms expect to slash their bonuses by at least $10 billion this year and some experts are predicting cuts 2 or even 3X larger. While politicians love attacking Wall Streeters’ excesses, New York City’s and New … Continue reading →

It’s not about real estate, but (I think) it’s funnyFrom an Englishman who wasn’t impressed by Obama’s European tour. UpdateOkay, it’s been a slow morning for real estate, so here’s a bit more Obama bashing (fans of the Messiah should … Continue reading →

Is Zillow watching?Within an hour of posting a comment about Zillow.com a nice-sounding fellow named David Gibbons replied on behalf, he says, of Zillow itself. What gives? Does Zillow have some sort of internet crawler that searches for references to … Continue reading →

Untold talesI just went on Zillow.com’s website to see what they’re up to and noticed a house for sale (by owner) located at 12 Lockwood Road in Riverside and asking, according to Zillow, $6,000,000. Zillow estimates its worth at $2,566,000 … Continue reading →

Our man in WashingtonThere’s an interesting discussion going on in the comments section of the previous post concerning Wall Street, Washington and in general, pigs at the trough. In the meantime, the question of Senator Chris Dodd coming up, I … Continue reading →

Wall Street hearts Fannie MaeGood article here in Bloomberg News concerning the pending bailout of Fannie Mae. It starts out with the rather typical cautionary tale of a borrower seduced by a sub-prime lender and her eventual rescue by her … Continue reading →

Mea CulpaThere’s a nice post in the comments section from Pam, who gently reminds me that I used to defend the strength of the Greenwich market. It’s true, I did: I did point out what I thought were over-priced houses, … Continue reading →

PricingThere were 26 price reductions reported yesterday, compared with 2 contracts. Not an encouraging ratio. One reduction that caught my eye was for 4 Old Round Hill, a big, almost new mansion just off of Round Hill itself. This place … Continue reading →

HoJo’sThanks to two intrepid readers, Pam, who remembered what letter the place would start with, and Jess, who actually tracked down the article, we learn the following: “From the Greenwich Post: Jun 5, 2008Going up in Blue Smoke Howard Johnson … Continue reading →

Price reductions The condos on South Water Street have just had their prices cut by several hundred thousand dollars each. Not too surprising, but it’s too bad for the developers. I think they stood a better chance of success before … Continue reading →

Fun with numbersThe Greenwich MLS has just issued its latest quarterly sales book and it’s been interesting to seen how my organization continues to screw up sales data, for unkown motives. 723 Lake Avenue, for instance, was actually first listed … Continue reading →

Needless TragedyGreenwich Time reports that the head of Shoreline pools has been arrested on second degree manslaughter charges in connection with the drowning death of a four-year-old boy last summer. According to the prosecutor, our state building code mandates three … Continue reading →

StatisticsWe have 626 single family homes currently for sale in Greenwich, an 18% increase over this time last year. From May 1,2008 through today, July 21, 37 houses sold, compared to 68 last year (comparable numbers for YTD are 174 … Continue reading →

The market is going downI’ve complained before about the difficulty of comparing selling prices for the same property because so many houses are renovated between purchase and resale. Here’s one that wasn’t: 26 Lake Drive South, in Riverside. The current … Continue reading →