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?