Monthly Archives: September 2008

More OuchFloyd Norris (NYT) calculates the loss in stock value occasioned by our financial mess. Here’s a hint: it’s already trillions.

Phew!For a moment today I thought that the King of over-pricing had actually brought a new listing to market at less than his client paid for it last year. If even the King is heading south, I thought, then this … Continue reading →

Ow

Your house is on fire – do you care how it started?Now that Congress has declined to put the fire out and we’re all waiting to see what happens next, we have the luxury of examining the causes of this … Continue reading →

Oh, Dearposted by Amanda Von StuckelBack from lunch at Valebellas! and what a scene. What had been a lively, fun luncheon break descended into pandemonium when news hit that the bailout bill had flopped and the Dow was going down, … Continue reading →

20 Spring StreetThis house sold last week for $1.6 million, roughly 80% of its original price of $1.950. It went to contract back in July, so I wonder what it would fetch today?

Hold onto your hats!Bailout bill fails. Dow down 700 pointsThis should be interesting.Update:This WSJ article was written just before the bill failed, but as it was becoming clear that it was going to. The reporter paints a gloomy picture of … Continue reading →

83 Riverside AvenueSold!I first praised this house this summer when its price was reduced from $1.750 to $1.599 million. I thought the first price was fair, the new price a bargain. It was reported sold today for $1.5 million or … Continue reading →

Drinking the Kool-AidGovernor Rell was delighted to announce Friday that she and her co-leaders in Hartford intend to shut down the economy within 40 years – her Global Warming Law goes into effect October 1st. I won’t be around to … Continue reading →

Why you never want to let your Goldman Sachs competitor become Secretary of the TreasuryOr, how Lehman’s fall triggered collapse.

OwlGore and Streisand heading for Bangladesh?Well darn! The developed world’s cutting CO2 emissions but those pesky poor folks on the other side of the world insist on living!Update (hat tip, Instapundit.com)European countries are cutting back on emission control efforts as … Continue reading →

Storm Clouds Over Miami?This real estate consultant thinks that the market’s in the tank until 2011 and that big houses are dead. Does this apply to Greenwich? Different markets, but are the buyers different? I don’t know – I’m going … Continue reading →

The Cavalry has arrived!Business is so hectic these days that I’ve had a hard time keeping up with my postings. So imagine my delight when Amanda Von Stuckle, Greenwich’s top Realtor and speculative home builder, offered to join forces and … Continue reading →

Can you spell “schadenfreud?”I’m not sure I can, either, but read this, and see if it doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart. The “money quote”, so to speak, is this: Not all Wall Street CEOs have escaped unscathed. Cayne … Continue reading →

The next shoe? Tom Wolfe, who coined the term “Masters of the Universe” to describe the hot young traders pillaging Wall Street in the 80′s says not to worry, Greenwich, all the smart young guys abandoned their trading desks, joined … Continue reading →

Stay or leave?Interesting article from The Chicago Tribune on the pros and cons of staying in your house until it sells or clearing out. The reporter finds “experts” on both sides (that’s what real reporters, rather than this opinionated blogger … Continue reading →

It’s not just housesAccording to the Wall Street Journal’s Robert Frank, Gulf Steam GIV jets are a drag on the market, with the used inventory up 3X from last year. Just like Greenwich spec houses until a few months ago, … Continue reading →

Hurricane headed for Maine Now, I understand that Maine doesn’t have all that many people living on its easternmost edge, and I understand that a Category I hurricane doesn’t pack the punch of a Category III, but if more of … Continue reading →

Slappy the Happy Clown says … It’s a quiet Sunday morning so I thought I’d look up some statistics (usually, I reserve this kind of scintillating behavior for soporific purposes, but ….)There are 121 active listings for “new” – built … Continue reading →

Wow!If this article in The New York Times is accurate, one tiny segment of A.I.G., led by an arrogant, over-paid hot shot in London, brought ruin to a trillion dollar company. The article’s written by Gretchen Morgenson who, back in … Continue reading →