Never place a bottle of alcohol between you and your IPhone camera

New Jersey pol resigns after sending nakid photos of himself to Internet “friend”. ”She was a political foe”, he now wails. Well, duh.

I don’t disagree

MSNBC news readers predict an Obama win in 2012. His ratings are in the toilet, he loses to any generic “Republican”, but really, who’s his opposition? No one of stature that I can see. I think the guy walks.

Whistling past the graveyard

Inventory of used homes shrinks, some realtors smell recovery. Not on your friggin’ life. The “shadow” inventory (houses held by banks or withheld by owners awaiting better days)  is huge. By one estimate I reported here, there are 11 million homes in serious mortgage trouble. In Greenwich, many homeowners have figured out what I have: if you don’t need to sell, then now’s not the time to do it. But I also check the Town Clerk’s records, and you’d be daunted at how many of your neighbors are in serious trouble. This is not a strong market.

I’m trying to write about real estate, believe me

There’s just nothing going on. It’s frustrating – I have real buyers, as I’m sure every other agent does, but sellers seem determined to believe that 2006 is coming back, maybe next month, and are clinging to prices that seem, to me, to be incredibly foolish. If my people offer five-and-a-half million, cash, telling me that you turned down ten million in 2007 just shows that you’re a fool, not that your property is worth that today. Sorry.

UPDATE: I haven’t spoken with any of my client/buyers today, but with the Dow down 260 points, I suspect they aren’t inclined to raise their bids. Yet we still have (or had) real bids out there, all cash, ranging from $2.35 to $6.7, not one of which has been countered except for one seller who told me where to stuff my head. Why do I think my next conversation about this property will be with the bank’s lawyer?

Someone did well here

37 Will Merry Lane

37 Will Merry Lane – yeah, there’s the Merritt Parkway, yahdayahdayadha, but 2 acres, $1.2 million sale, assessment $1.8. That’s a decent deal.

Fudrucker swears this will work

Frank’s away this week as his son Christian engages in a Junior Olympics water polo tournament (I wanted to go but he explained that it wasn’t the “Special” Olympics), but I see no need to spare our new Lottery Commissioner a few digs – I mean, he lets some Cos Cobber realtor win $50,000 a year for life while I have to toil away? What are friends for?

Boston gamblers figure out how to scam the lottery.  I’m sure we can do it here, too. Fudrucker will be back later this week and “we’ll do lunch”.

Seems like a standard Greenwich child support case

French model demands $46,000 per month for child support. Hey, have you any idea how much it costs to pay a chauffeur to drop the kid off at travel soccer?

Say, here’s a surprise!

K Street lobbyists in a feeding frenzy over new cost cut committee . Professor Reynolds has suggested a 50% surcharge on the salaries of Congressmen who leave and become lobbyists. I think 150% might do a better job.

Have we completely lost our sense of humor?

University chancellor operates suburban sex dungeon, is criticized therefor.  What else are you supposed to do after work?

Well, at least they reported early for work

Stamford teens arrested for home break-in at 10:15 AM in Havemeyer.

A beginning of a return to sanity?

Long Islanders vote down new hockey arena. A $400,000,000 bond – are you kidding? But in the past, these kinds of deals passed routinely, despite every economist who ever studied them proclaiming them all losers.

Gen Re convictions overturned

Top executives facing 1 – 4 year sentences get reprieve. I’m not sure we had any Greenwich folks involved in this case  - some were from New Canaan – but friends of friends thought the executives got a raw deal. The appeal panel’s decision was unanimous , 3-0, and the 2nd Circuit’s one of our best, so I suspect the decision was just.

Greenwich sales

Interesting article on recent sales activity in Greenwich Time.