Walls for me, but not for thee

Hollywood billionaires clamour for gated communities.

These are generally the same people who fly their private jets to conferences on global warming.

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity

“Journalist” claims Alaska earthquake is proof of global warming.

To be fair, this poor woman is a graduate of the University of Arizona, known exclusively for its production of drunken sorority girls and witless frat boys, but complete ignorance of plate tectonics, basic geology, and even history doesn’t excuse her claim to be capable of offering an informed opinion on global warming.

Of course, the same holds true for the rest of mainstream media’s “science reporters”.

Price fail way up on Lake Avenue

979 Lake (go past Whitby, look for sign), has dropped to $1.199 million. When this 1968-construction first came on the market in June, 2017, it was priced at $1.995 and three months later its then-listing agent dropped it to $1,749,500 and proclaimed a “HUGE price reduction, home now well below Zestimate”. Unfortunately for her and the owners, the town’s appraisal back then was $1,326,500 — still too high, but a number that undoubtedly cast doubt on the realtor’s boast and Zillow’s estimated value.

This property might fetch $1.7 in Riverside — not a price I’d recommend, but Riverside’s funny — but it was never going to get close to $2 million in this out-of-town location. $1.1 might do it, I suppose, but a lot of time’s been wasted here.

Fire sale on Londonderry

I’m desperately looking for interesting Greenwich real estate news these days because this is, after all, supposed to be a blog devoted to the subject, but there’s practically none; the market will resume after New Years. But I did find a report of 45 Londonderry Drive pending as a land sale, asking $1.295 million.

There was a house here once, built in 2004, sold for $4.525 in 2014 (which astonished me — it was a decent house, but ….) and returned to the market in 2017 at $4.250. Before a buyer could appear it burned down, and now, the insurance having been paid off, the land it stood on is selling as a new building site.

Let’s hope the new owners are more provident.

I hope parents of current students are monitoring this

Google and other advertisers, as well as school authorities, are using kids’ take home computers to monitor and record their online activities.

Last year almost 20 percent of all K-12 students were required to use Google Chromebooks, and more than 30 million students, teachers, and administrators used Google’s G Suite for Education. The inexpensive laptop and powerful software have become a very cost-effective solution for schools to teach computer and other skills and to communicate with the students and parents. Kids can submit their homework, take tests. check grades, and collaborate with others using these Google products.

According to an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) report, these Google products also provide an opportunity for Google, the schools, and other software makers to collect students’ personal data. Essentially the products are Trojan horses used by Google to boost their advertising business.

EFF found that many schools don’t provide a written disclosure about data collection or pay much attention to the terms of privacy, and most don’t offer an alternative for the students to opt out. What that means is that students have even less protection than adults do from Google, and Google has taken advantage of the laxity, building profiles and dossiers on the students, and using them for advertising, market research, and other purposes

In numerous lawsuits, Google has admitted to doing this, including scanning and indexing student email messages and directing advertising to YouTube users under 13 years of age.

Google also acknowledged that it collects a wide range of personal information from student users who log in through its educational software. But it’s not only Google. In its survey EFF found other software companies are also collecting students' personal data when students use their products.

Google, which once used the motto, since dropped, of “Do No Evil”, is currently working closely with the Chinese communists to censor internet searches and monitor all that country’s citizens. It’s apparently doing the same thing here, but has chosen to start with our newest generation, presumably to get them used to the process. Has it infected our own school system? I don’t know the answer to that, but our BOE should investigate, as should the parents of any children with a Chrome Book that’s in any way linked to the child’s school.

Beware of new construction premiums

Who wouldn’t welcome a new house, with unsullied kitchen ovens and polished, untouched (except by Canadian sheet rockers and other worker hordes) toilets, but there’s a price to be paid for that privilege. Case in point:

37 Mianus View Terrace, Cos Cob, sold new in 2006 for $2,002,500 million, has finally resold for $1.550, after eight years of trying (with several periods of rentals in between). I usually buy new vehicles by choice, so I certainly understand the appeal of new vs previously-owned, but do know that the depreciation axe will be swinging before you even leave the lawyer’s closing office.

As I was saying

21 Knollwood, purchased for $3.9 million in 2007 and extensively renovated in 2012 is reported as pending, asking price $2.499. It started at $3.495, but when it dropped its price to $2.499 two weeks ago, I suggested that it was a good deal.

Obviously, someone agreed.

Rent, buy, or run away?

Most of the real estate activity these days involves rentals and sales of residences which have taken huge price cuts. The doesn’t surprise me, because I’m reading the same tea leaves many would-be buyers are mulling, and I see nothing good in the future. Personally, I’m tempted to run away.

Connecticut voters have turned control of the legislative branches over to the tender care and mercies of Democrats (and it should concern ordinary property owners here that Democrat Ladies Indivisible helped toss out Greenwich’s Scott Frantz, one of the last fiscal conservatives in our legislature) and the looming $4 billion deficit (plus the $80 billion public pension disaster) will surely put the crosshairs of the taxers on Greenwich. Greenwich first, that is: despite the fondest hopes of our enemies, there simply isn’t enough money to squeeze from our 60,000 residents to spend our way out of this catastrophe, and the taxes will have to spread out. Brace yourself, Naugatuck.

Here in town, the Ladies Indivisible have grabbed control of our Town Meeting, and they will be duplicating the efforts of their Hartford allies to raise taxes and spending. The buildings housing high performing schools like Riverside, North Street and Eastern and Central schools will be allowed to deteriorate, while tens of millions of dollars will be devoted to our failed western schools. That won’t matter all that much: bright students from successful parents will do just fine, despite sub-par teachers and dilapidated structures, just as they always have (see, e.g., lower East Side Jewish ghetto, circa 1910), but the never-ending passion for spending other people’s money will eventually have its effect.

I see a Westchesterization of our town in our future, a town, and county, indistinguishable from New Rochelle, Scarsdale and Bronxville, say — nice houses and neighborhoods, decent schools, and massive taxes. People will still want to live here, because it will offer a nice alternative to Manhattan apartments for families, but any price advantage we used to enjoy over Westchester will be gone, and we should expect to see a drop in home values until they match those across the border.

Oh well, we’ll always have Tod’s Point (until Ladies Indivisible opens it to migrants from out of town), and nice parks.

Better they should worry about what's being stuffed in their kids' ears rather than their tummies

Darien bans helicopter mommies from invading elementary school’s cafeteria during lunchtime. The moms claim that their midday visits allow them to help open milk cartons, see how their children are faring and “to help them resolve friction with other children”.

Parents ought to be monitoring what’s being taught in social studies and history classes, and leave their precious darlings to figure out how to open a milk carton by themselves.

Rogues Hill woes continue

29 Round Hill Club Road, bought new in 2008 for $16.250 million and originally priced this time , in 2013, at an even $18 million, has been reduced again, and you or your gardener can pick it up for just $12.5 today.

The house and its fate speaks volumes about what’s happened to real estate prices up in Madoff co-conspirator Walter Noel’s neighborhood. Back in 2008, paying $16 million for a Doug Vanderhorn-designed home as the market was crashing was, if ill-advised, at least somewhat defensible in certain circles (an Ogilvy client bought it), and had things continued on their sunny path, this owner might have come close to getting out at a modest loss ten years later. Vanderhorn designs classic, traditional Greenwich homes, with graceful proportions, and it wasn’t that long ago that a 12,000 square foot house (including "garaging for 5 cars”, but no basement - can you say “high water table”?) was a desirable residence, so near to the golf club. Today, it’s a double bogey.

It probably won’t help its chances that Cindy Sikorsky Renfret has been brought in to redecorate it: Renfret and her followers are responsible for all of the worst of the 90s back country decorating schemes, but that style passed ten years ago, and emphasizing the outdated feeling of this house was ill-advised.

All that said, the Vanderhorn design is classic, and someone will come along who appreciates it. The monetary extent of that appreciation remains to be seen.

Renfret’s loaned her Zebra, and even picked up some books at the thrift shop

And two of her leopard seating installations

Heck, Doug even tossed in a spaghetti faucet for the convenience of the caterers (who won’t use it, but never mind)