Oh, don’t be so stupid

Hedge funders and Scott Frantz to meet with Governor and plead not to be slaughtered. Run away!

No one here says you can’t commit suicide

A million Ohioans sign petition to protect their state workers’ union. God bless them, the state’s already in the toilet and they might just as well finish the job. See ya in Connecticut? I’m still trying to find out whether I can land in Texas with my Accord or if I’ll need an F-150.

Who says I’m not up on popular culture?

Timberland Boots

Shoemaker Justin Timberland espied on Greenwich Avenue

Shocker! Connecticut Democrats refuse to punish unions.

Who’d have thought it?

Tucson real estate

I have an email pal, John Schneider, out in Arizona (link over on the right) and I like to check in regularly to see how things are doing out west. Not well, but do check out this story. Huge bargains in Tucson and, as John points out, his local MLS covers up the bleeding as well as we do here in Greenwich. Hmm.

Sales data

The close of the month saw 14 sales reported, which will provide some good number crunching material – I’ll pull it together tomorrow, promise. In the meantime, notable sales include:

84 Field Point Circle, $38.5 million

60 Club Road, $5.3

2 Birch, $4.8

215 Clapboard, $4.3

Notice that, Field Point Circle aside, the market for sales of + $5 houses is just about non-existent. That’s attributable, I think, to a disconnect between sellers and buyers in this range. I am  personally working with three buyers in this range and obviously, if a small schnook like myself has three such buyers the big guys have many, many more. But folks with the smarts to assemble this kind of buying power aren’t going to toss it away on a seller’s dream price while sellers don’t seem to have to sell so …. bupkis. Oh well.

I did like, by the way, 19 Ivanhoe Lane, which reports in as selling at $2.4 million. I think that was a great price and I think the buyers will be quite pleased with their purchase. Very nice house, excellent street, good buy.

And one contract to report, 17 Wynwood, asking $7.975. Excellent quality, new construction, and down a couple of million from its original ask. I’ve shown this house several times and always liked it – more than my clients, alas, but that’s how this business works.

Sometimes the opening price shouldn’t frame the discussion

Two Birch Lane started at $5.9 million, just sold for $4.8.

Oh my – just don’t do this!

British personality who traps sex perverts on TV caught , via hidden cameras, cheating on his own wife. I was just showing a house where something, sort of, similar happened. First get divorced, then go play – or, in my case, don’t go there in the first place.

Oh, I hate when this happens!

I’ve been off showing real estate this morning on a street I grew up on, and extolling its virtues – truthfully and in fact – when a cop shows up – the house next door was burglarized last night and they’re looking for witnesses. Oops! Hey, it happens, but did it have to happen now?

Genius honored

Stamps will honor some of our best designers. Of all honorees, I’m most impressed by Eliot Noyes, the guy who came up with the IBM Selectric typewriter. A wonderful – superb – machine.

I’ve mentioned this before, but if we’re looking for ways to save money …

North Korea named by UN to lead conference on disarmament.

Best quote of the day

“Prisons are made for people like you”. Judge sentencing a 26-year-old to 100 years for setting his wife and son on fire.

Lost in the news of floods, there’s Texas

The entire state is dying from drought. I’ve been (sort of) following this for the past year or so, and these people are suffering. Pretty awful.

A conservative’s view of gay marriage

From my friend Walter Olson, of Overlawyered.com. LLS2, you might find your horizon expanded here.

Worst real estate deal ever?

Bank of America’s purchase of Countrywide Mortgage. It’s costing them billions and billions of dollars, with no end in sight. Countrywide’s CEO, Mozilla isn’t even under indictment, let alone facing jail time. Why is that?

Oh dear, my bad

I was busy trying to increase real estate sales this morning and so missed the NAR’s paid liar economist Yun’s speech at the Milbrook Club this morning. Greenwich Time sent along a young reporter who, not surprisingly, heard nothing and asked nothing that would disturb the paper’s real estate advertisers. Everybody!: Everything is beautiful …

Is this right?

A reader says that Greenwich is cutting back to once-a-week garbage pickup. Really? My Ma and I have that arrangement with our carter but that’s because we’re just too old to generate much garbage. Were my kids still here, no way.

Hi Chris:  this isn’t so much a blog post but a question.  How did these new single stream recycling rules come about?  As I understand it, they mean that the “real” garbage will only get picked up once a week.  In our experience, when we only have one pick-up in the week when mixed paper is picked up, the week-old garbage gets pretty ripe.  And, like many people, we keep our garbage cans in our attached garage…….

I know that the blue bins are a pain, but the perky little propaganda mailer the town included in the tax bills only touts the advantages of single stream recycling and doesn’t mention what to me is a critical disadvantage.

Isn’t rotting food a health hazard given that, among other things, it is a magnet for vermin? 

Plus, it occurs to me that it will be fun sell houses to out of towners when they reek of rotting garbage!

Any suggestions?

Here’s a question from a reader (and by the way, I am always happy to post these things anonymously, as you see)

Off topic, please don’t post directly.

Can you ask your readers for a legitimate pool contractor for a renovation of a pool/patio in Greenwich? I have one quote and feel like I am getting completely fleeced for my zip code. Need some more quotes from legit vendors.

Breaking news from 1965

Turtles on runway cause flight delays at JFK

UPDATE: a reader sends along this audio link (from the WSJ) to the actual turtle incident.  Unless you were one of the passengers delayed for two hours, I think you’ll be charmed by these otherwise professional people going out of their way to avoid hurting momma turtles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dang!

I knew I had something scheduled for this morning: the appearance of NAR’s economist at the Milbrook Club. I was off showing a house and completely forgot it. Was anyone there who took notes?