Man busted for drunk driving on his bar stool.
Entries from March 2009
March 31, 2009
How’s that divorce settlement look now?
IB types in Britain are reviewing exactly how much they agreed to pay for the privilege of trading in the old battle axe in for a new one and aren’t happy. Here’s the sad story of one fellow whose wife of 26 years got 11 million pounds while his share has declined to a solitary million. For [...]
March 31, 2009
I’ll believe it when I see it
From an agent I choose to keep anonymous:
I keep hearing reports of deals being done (contracts signed) but brokers afraid to report for fear of buyers walking away from their deposit! If true, one of these days we’re going to see a flurry of “solds” with no early warning. Very unusual.
I’m from Missouri.
March 31, 2009
What’s land worth now?
This tear-down was sold in 7 days via bidding war in 2000 – $1.395 on an asking price of $1.295. It’s back today, unchanged except for a plot plan, for $2.5 million. I don’t know what this will eventually sell for but I’ll be surprised if there’s a bidding war this time.
March 31, 2009
Maher Avenue
This nifty old house was reduced to $2.495 million today, a price that should attract more buyers than did the original price of $3.175. While one house on Maher, #25, did sell for $3.505 in 2006, nothing before or since has broken the $3 million barrier that I’m aware of. April of 2008 was, in retrospect, [...]
March 31, 2009
You thought your house was obsolete – how much does an aircraft carrier cost?
US naval Institute report: Chinese have a ballistic missile capable of killing aircraft carriers.
First posted on a Chinese blog viewed as credible by military analysts and then translated by the naval affairs blog Information Dissemination, a recent report provides a description of an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that can strike carriers and other U.S. [...]
March 31, 2009
136 Cat Rock
This unfortunate renovation project was performed on a house that sold for $1.4 million back in 2004 or 5. The builder/buyer spent hundreds of thousands of dollars building a new septic system and then turned his attention to the house itself. He did an okay job but was hampered by the fact that, despite all [...]
March 31, 2009
God love foreign brokers
Heh – I was pulling up some old sales on a street of modest houses just now, in preparation to give a price opinion for a colleague’s listing presentation (my advice? Don’t bother) and I saw a string of sales, all the low 6’s through, as we got into 2007, $825. But one sale for a million [...]
March 31, 2009
Oh dear, someone doesn’t like you, Walt!
Bloget has in interesting bit of email correspondence from an anonymous source who has mean things to say about Walter Noeland everyone else at Fairfield Greenwich Group. Sigh – can’t we all just get along?
March 31, 2009
Dodd’s at it again – wants sweetheart deals for credit card deadbeats,too
Why should the senator from Connecticut be the only one to get easy credit from banks? Today he rammed through a bill easing credit card terms for consumers who can’t afford credit. This, of course,will drive rates up for everyone and end up restricting credit, not expanding it but Dodd, knowing how much he did [...]
March 31, 2009
There’s at least one builder still buying
Or I think there is, anyway, because this Riverside house was reported under contract today by an agent who often represents builders. Despite the glowing description in its listing, I thought it was tired old place whose disappearance would only benefit the neighborhood and that’s what I suspect its fate will be. I had my [...]
March 31, 2009
Open houses
Back from the Tuesday tour. It almost seems like a waste of time these days with so many houses grievously overpriced (an exception: 5 Kenilworth Terrace, asking $1.495. I did not see it but my brother Gideon, a good judge of these things, emailed me that it was “a good deal”. I’ll make an effort [...]
March 31, 2009
The wisdom of never paying full asking price
This cozy little beauty, 12,000 square feet and lots of amenities, was originally listed at $11.9 million in February 2005. It took a year and several price drops but it finally sold for $8 million in January ‘06. Today it’s back up for sale, asking $6.995. That must be painful for its owner, especially since [...]
March 31, 2009
No surprise here
The Case-Shiller index is out: Nationwide, home prices fell 19% in January, a record. That’s hardly a shock and there is a bright side: the faster prices fall the sooner we’ll hit bottom (if , like me, you assume there is a bottom), prices will stop falling and sales will rebound. That may take awhile, but [...]
March 31, 2009
A toothless threat?
From this morning’s online edition of Greenwich Time:
By Owner 75 Birch Ln. Ltd Time Opp. Custom Ctr Hall, Col., built in 2003 over 5000sqft, 4BR, 3 Full 2 1/2 BA, Cherry Lib., Designer kit., game Rm on LL, bonus Rm w/ home theater, pool. Beautiful 1.1 acre, Town water & Sewer. Too much to list! [...]
March 31, 2009
But what happens when they run out of blood to squeeze?
Big Labor triumphs in New York. From a New York Post editorial:
New York’s $132 billion budget, on course to be rubber-stamped to night, is an unbridled disaster for the state — but a big win for its public-employee unions and their bought-and-paid-for front, the ubiquitious Working Families Party.
The spending plan picks the pockets of the [...]
March 30, 2009
Blumenthal in all his ignorant, arrogant bloom
I don’t know who the interviewer is who is mentioned in this story but he exposes Dick Blumenthal for exactly the toad that he is. Great job.
Beck interviewed Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on his March 30 broadcast. But, the radio and TV host took the opportunity to tell Blumenthal what he thought of his [...]
March 30, 2009
Judge freezes Noel assets
Attorney David Golub, representing the town of Fairfield as it seeks to recover the millions it lost with Madoff feeder fund Maxam of Darien (yes, the fund that was run by a women to “empower women and minorities” turned out to have sunk every penny entrusted to it with Bernie – it closed the day [...]
March 30, 2009
The WSJ chats with Walt’s son in law
Andres Piedrahita sits down with a Journal reporter and denies knowing anything. He sold, got rich, and never questioned a thing. Smart guy, just like Corina’s dad.
After graduating from B.U., Mr. Piedrahita knocked around New York working variously as a commodities broker, selling penny stocks and as an investment adviser. His budding financial career was [...]
