I don’t know the story on this one

19 Stanwich Lane

This property came on in February at $1.675, could only be shown between 3-5 PM  Mon-Thur and 10-12 Sat., and has now been sold direct for $2.020 million. “Court ordered sale”, the listing says, somewhat cryptically. I assume it was a divorce, but there are other reasons a court can order a sale.

Obummer goes political on disaster relief

While our president wasted no time declaring a disaster emergency for the states struck by tornadoes, he’s sat on Texas’s own request for such aid for two weeks and will not comment. Why? Politics – he doesn’t like Texas Governor Rick Perry.

There’s plenty of room for politics in our national debates but, until Obama, not in disaster relief.

An impressive in-town sale

11 Glen Court

11 Glen Court (that small dead end across from the hospital, asking $4.295, has gone to contract. It’s an exceptional house, with beautiful finishes, has a great location, 0.6 acres in an R-12 zone, nice back yard with swimming pool, and all that. So I’m not surprised it’s found a buyer. It took a year, but we’ve had a bad market so that, too isn’t surprising. As an aside, this one is just around the corner from the Perry Ridge spec house which also tried to get this price. Night and day.

Raj jury knocks off early for the weekend

Tough to read the delay in reaching a verdict. Presumably, the defense has given them a lot to think about, but what?

Some people must just like showing off their house

357 Stanwich, an antique farmhouse on the corner of Stanwich and Cognewaugh, has finally sold, for $1.5 million. It has been on the market since 2008, starting at $2.850 million and gradually working through three brokers and a slew of price changes until its final ask of $1.595. Nothing wrong with this house except its price but that was obviously way wrong. I can only speculate, but I’ll bet the sellers would have come out far better than they did had they priced the place more reasonably in the first place. At worst, they could have sold and moved on long ago.

Bob Horton has a point

Bob comments in today’s Greenwich Time that Greenwich seems determined to keep “outsiders” out of our precious town, and wonders why.

But, while I agree with his sentiments, I think I’m still going to go ahead and buy a ticket to the Greenwich Town Party on May 28th – the musicians coming in: Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Toots and the Maytals, Little Feat, Buddy Guy and the Temptations, are all people I’d really, really like to hear. The schedule shows almost non-stop music from 2 -10 PM. $40 seems like a bargain. Still, why can’t we share the experience, at least with town employees? Crazy.

Holding its own

71 Glenville Rd

Sold for $1.9 million in 2003, sold again yesterday for $2.1. This is a nice house on 2.5 acres of beautiful. private yard and is well removed from the noise of Glenville Road, but I’ve never been quite sure what to do with it because there’s no neighborhood around it. But obviously, there are buyers willing to ignore that if the price is right.

Another guilty plea from a Galleon defendant, but not by Raj

Yesterday’s plea makes it something like twenty out of 26 defendants who have volunteered for serious (5-7?) jail time. Wouldn’t it be funny – ha ha – if Raj skates and comes back to relax by his pool on Round Hill while twenty of his cohorts work on a fish belly white complexion for the next half-decade?

I’m sure it will be back

180 North Street

Built in 2007, still unsold, this listing just expired again. It started at $5.495 million and was, as of yesterday, down to $4.375, which must be a disappointment to the seller. We’ll see where the next broker places it.

 

The now-expired listing touts as a feature, “built by Mariani”. I’m not sure I’d mention that, next time.

Taking a name literally

The former “Tumbledown Dick’s” in Cos Cob is no more, merely a pile of rubble. To be replaced by a bank?

Speaking of banks, rumor has it that, having won the right to build a branch at the Belladonna restaurant in Cos Cob, Chase has changed its mind and will be returning it to the market. Don’t know whether that’s true, but that’s the rumor.

Contracts, price reductions

201 Otter Rock

This Belle Haven property (1893, renovated 2006) started at $8.495 back in March, 2009. Its new broker has just lowered its price to $6.575. Looks like a nice house.

 

58 Ridge, downtown construction new in 2010, originally asked $4.7. Again, a new broker lowered the price, to $3.775, and has a contract.

 

And 19 Lakeview [sic] Drive, an acre of land in Riverside’s NoPo district, asked $981,000 just two weeks ago and is also under contract.

I may have missed the wedding

 But at least I can still get some classy souvenirs

Riding that train, high on cocaine

Kids, don’t try this at home.

Police said 22-year old Nikolaus Trombley was caught on tape, stealing [a] lawnmower from East Lyme High School. Police said he stole it in the middle of the night and then took it for a ride.

Police said Trombley told them he was drunk and looking for a place to sleep when he broke into a trailer behind East Lyme High School. He was looking for the keys to the school when he spotted keys to a Scag Mower and decided to go on a joy ride instead.

Trombley rode the three miles to his parent’s house, mowed their lawn and was on his way to return the mower when he abandoned it near the intersection of Boston Post Road and Spring Rock Road, police said. He’s charged with third degree larceny and burglary.

Could Rajamataz actually get off?

Four days without a verdict on what I (and most other people) thought was a slam dunk for the prosecution. In a sneaky sort of way, I kinda hope he does get off, just because I don’t like insider trading cases, but I don’t see how he can. Then again, i thought OJ was guilty, so what do I know?

Another Lake Avenue sale

400 Lake Avenue

This is a beautiful house and one that I really liked. Unfortunately, it was priced at $4.8 million when it first came on the market in February, 2010, and what are you supposed to do with that? It sold today for $3.5. purchased for $3.2 back in 2001.

Here’s a surprise

Californians favor taxing “the rich” rather than cut school spending. What these bong-sniffing dreamers still don’t get is that there aren’t enough rich people left in the state to support the rest of them and there will be still fewer in the years ahead when these tax increases hit.

And then they will turn on each other.

Bad link before – sorry!

Single-stream recycling is coming to town

I hear that, as of August, those hateful blue recycling bins can be discarded (are they recyclable?) because Greenwich is switching to backyard pickup, in which everything: newspapers, tin, all kinds of plastic, (maybe cardboard and paper?) can be all jumbled together. That’s fine – it’ll be a little less of a pain in the ass – but the whole recycling movement is a fraud and a waste of time and money. Worse, it creates the impression among school children and naive adults that we’re “doing something” about the environment when we’re actually accomplishing nothing.

As Arlo said, “you want to end war and stuff you have to sing real loud”. Residential recycling is a mere whimper.

Lake Avenue sale

1003 Lake Ave

Sold for $4.9 million in 2006, “renovated” (new baths, etc.) in 2009, sold today for $3.976. Assessment (70% est. market value) $3.962.

Zoom zoom!

I drove by the Cos Cob Gulf station (across from Dunkin Donuts) and noticed its price for regular was $4.29. That was a painful sight but after dropping off a shipment at Packages Plus and going back the other way – elapsed time, 7 minutes? – I saw that the price was now $4.41. Owie.

Ask and maybe ye shall receive

1 Thistle Lane

This Glenville house is asking $1.3 million, just about in line with its 2010 assessment. I find it interesting, though, to see that it’s been on and off the market since November, 2001, when it also asked $1.3. Maybe this time.