Santa and Stephanie, sitting in a tree...

Peter Brant, the felon and ex-convict who graced Greenwich with an anorexic wife, a fun-filled divorce from same (Stef left Walter and she and Peter are said to have reconciled) and, of course, the gift of Santa with Butt Plug that he erected on the front lawn of his polo grounds, has filed for bankruptcy. Well, his newsprint company has – Brant himself doubtless has tons of money saved, what with all that tax money he didn’t pay.

UPDATE: funny, he didn’t mention his financial woes when we visited his art show last week. A brave man.

Not once Obama hears about this

Resources boom creates $200,000 jobs for high school grad miners. You will recall that Mr. Obama, touring a depressed, jobless section of Pennsylvania, declared the region dead and populated by bitter, worthless people who clung to their guns and religion. When oil was (re)discovered in that same area and people began working again, our now-President moved swiftly to shut the mining down. The idea, see, is to move everyone into cities, where they can live on the government dole, occupy federally subsidized housing and eat vegetables by the illumination of CFL bulbs. Welcome to Paradise.

When it really counts, Gaydar kicks in

Women’s ability to sniff out poofters increases as their cycle progresses. And if they’re anywhere near Sandusky, Ohio.

Darkness at noon

Last chance to stock up on 100 watt bulbs before Congress takes them away on January 1st.  Ethanol mandates, disruption of oil pipelines, eliminating nuclear power, do you think there’s a pattern here?

In the meantime, the Republicans seem to have successfully declared pizza a vegetable. Next up, more investigations into steroid use by athletes.

Deer hunter’s paradise

555 Riversville (Bambi hiding in lower right corner)

That’s how they sell land in Bovina, New York, so why not here? These 31 acres on Riversville Road are for sale again, this time without the nice old mansion that was razed and asking $17.9 million, up considerably from the $10.8 paid for it back in 1999. This place hasn’t done well for the various developers who’ve owned it from time to time and the latest guys seem to have thrown up their hands at unloading it as a subdivision and offer it again at its original (original as of 1999) size. Great views and, with the proper plantings of alfalfa and corn, great hunting.

Maybe sellers are hearing the market speak, finally

I saw two terrific houses on the open house tour today that were, I felt, very well priced at $6.395 and $6.495, respectively. Yeah I know, I won’t be buying them either, but I’ve been working with several clients who are in that price range and, judging from what I’ve seen of the competition, these are the best I’ve seen all year.

10 Hillside Drive, in Rockridge (did you know we have four Hillside Drives in town? How confusing) is an absolutely gorgeous 1905 house that was completely renovated and updated in 2000. Great new kitchen, modern baths and wiring, all of that with all of the grace and charm of the best of last century’s homes. It’s on two acres, has a nifty pool and pool house and a freestanding garage with an apartment above it, all about 3 minutes from town. I really, really liked this house and intend to recommend it to my clients. No picture, because the one available on the web doesn’t do it justice, in my mind. Better to see it for yourself. Six bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, 6,700 sq.ft.  Barbara Wells’ listing.

21 Vineyard Lane

Just as nice, and in almost as convenient a location, is David Ogilvy’s listing at 21 Vineyard Lane. I’ve disagreed with some of David’s pricing decisions in the past but I think he nailed this one. Again it’s on two acres, and without a pool (there’s an approved site if you want one and the finished lower level can easily accommodate a dressing/bathing area). It was custom-built in 2005 and the owners obviously insisted on impeccable quality. David estimateS that it would cost $8.5 million to recreate this house today, without the land, and I think he’s right. Everything you could possibly want in a house (everything I could want in a house – one can never underestimate a buyer’s wants) without that stuffy formality often seen in places like this. You can certainly entertain Henry Kissinger next time he’s in town and not be embarrassed but you live here the rest of the time with your family and feel like you’re at home. Five bedrooms, 6 1/2 baths. 11,oo sq. ft.$6.495

So there you have it: two great homes, each different enough from the other that they should appeal to different buyers but, if you’re still in line to receive a bonus this year, you can’t go wrong with either one.

Expired?

I’m getting an error message from WordPress, telling me that my page has expired. Not so, so I’ll be trying to fix this.

UPDATE, 3:45 – I figured it out! Even without the services of my son John. I amaze myself, sometimes.

Off to open houses

Slim pickings: retreads and overpriced mansions, but it’s my job. Besides, someone has to pollute our air.

LL2, et als – your ship has arrived

Deranged political views to be classified as mental disability, freeing liberals from having to work. Occupy Wall Street, here we come! (Bring another tent – the old ones are gone).

Gone to contract

2 Indian Knoll (off lower Riversville) has a contract after dropping its price from $3.795 to $2.995 (assessment, $2.790). 10,000 sq. ft., pool and tennis, not bad if you like this sort of thing. It appears that it’s selling for just about its mortgage debt.

Can’t see the forest for the claims

The Sino-Forest swindle continues. A new report assures investors that all those trees really exist. Early days, but I’m guessing that this report is as phony as the trees themselves. What does this (or much of what I post here) have to do with Greenwich real estate? Nothing, but it’s a cool story. John Paulson alone has already lost $500 million to these guys.

Hot time in the town last night

Nurse Nancy gives a flu shot

It seems no one likes the idea of a 660,000 sq. ft. nursing home over towards the Byram border. I’ll admit that the size of the place seems a little, er, “excessive”, but presumably the developer drafted this plan as a sacrificial anode and will come back with something more palatable.

But really, will the neighbors allow anything built on the site? Doubtful. I suggest (no charge) that the despoilers come back with an equally large building but as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. Thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, they can override local zoning rules and build what they like. Then, after a suitable period of uproar at the P&Z and Town Hall, resurrect the original plan: I’ll bet the neighbors would meet Granny and her wheelchair with wet kisses.

And it would sure be fun to watch.

Ever wonder why that is, Michelle?

 Our First Lady is in Hawaii, extolling the virtues of steak and arugula and complaining that poor kids can’t eat vegetables “because there are no grocery stores in their neighborhoods”. It won’t occur to this Princeton grad that the answer to lack of grocery stores is not a government subsidy, but it does to me. Entrepreneurs have demonstrated that they will flock to the ghettos to meet a demand: witness the liquor stores, fast food joints and drug dealers on every block (Greenwich has the same mix, of course – ask your kid at middle school).

The reason there aren’t grocery stores in urban areas is either there is no demand for them – entirely possible, or because cities don’t allow them, or both. The Korean green grocer sells arugula but at high prices. Wal-Mart can offer the same fare, at far less cost, because of volume and the subsidizing profits supplied by ammunition sales, but Wal-Mart stores are banned in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other large cities.

So Obama and her husband have a choice: leave the kids to their Twinkie diet or stand up to the unions and press for change. No hope of the latter, I don’t think.

It’ll do until a better definition comes along

Gym Class

Sandusky admits to showering with naked young boys but denies he’s a pederast.