Of course, then there's this

44 Husted Lane has dropped its price to $2.395; The owners paid $2.850 for it in 2011, and began this resale effort in 2016 at $3.485. I remember when Heineken moved one of their executives out of here in 2006 and tried selling it for $4.395 million. That was pretty amusing, or so the market thought, and after a couple of years of renting it out, the brewers sold it to this couple for the aforementioned $2.850 in 2011. Maybe this new price of $2.4 is the right one for this market; then again, maybe not.

But not all is gloom and doom

51 Brookridge Drive, asking $2 million, has a contract after just 78 days — listed on May 28th. The owners paid $1.660 for it in July, 2017, so they’ve done surprisingly well for such a short a short period of ownership. I imagine that the money they put into renovations (a very nice reworking of the kitchen, among other things) will mean they’re just breaking even here, but breaking even or, better yet, making a small profit, after just two years must be gratifying. (If you’re curious, the 2017 listing can be found here.)

We can only hope that the owners had moved out before listing their house, and this regrettable decorating can be blamed on a stager

July real estate stats from the Greenwich Association of Realtors

August 15, 2019 (Greenwich, CT) - The Greenwich Association of REALTORS® announces the statistics for home sales in The Town of Greenwich, CT for the month of July 2019.

There were 70 single-family residential closings reported during this period according to figures provided by The Greenwich Multiple Listing Service, Inc., the multiple listing service used by REALTORS® in the Greenwich area.
The number of single-family residential closings decreased compared to July 2018 when there were 76 closings. The median sale price for a single-family home was an increase to $1,972,500 from median sales price in July 2018, which was $1,837,500.
The average days on the market (DOM) for residential homes was 222 days; which was an increase from 145 days in July 2018.
There were 17 condo/co-op residential closings reported during this time period; which was a decrease from July 2018 when there were 18 closings.
The median sale price for a condo/co-op increased to $600,000 from $590,000 the median sales price in July 2018.
The average days on the market (DOM) for condo/co-op residential homes was 128; which was an increase from 122 days in July 2018.

“July 2019 had seventy closings and a median sale price of $1,972,500; With a 7% median sale price increase from July 2018. Greenwich was the sector in town with the most closings, ending July with forty sales. Riverside was next in line with the most closings, ending the month with eleven sales. Condo/Co-Op sales had seventeen closings in July 2019 with a median sale price of $600,000. Pending sales as of 4:45pm Wednesday, August 14th for Single Family homes were forty-seven and fourteen for Condo/Co-Op" stated John McAtee, 2019 President of the Greenwich Association of REALTORS®.

Median price is up, but I suspect that’s in large part due to so many once-expensive homes dropping to levels that found a buyer. A property that once asked for $8, for instance, and sold for $3.5 in July may indeed help raise the median price for the Greenwich market as a whole, but the individual owner won’t be as happy. This tidbit highlights the problem: “The average days on the market (DOM) for residential homes was 222 days; which was an increase from 145 days in July 2018.” Even the 222 figure is a tad misleading, because it doesn’t include, for some homes, the many, many days a property sat on the market at a much higher figure that what it finally sold for. Regardless, it does speak to the slowdown that’s going on.

As I noted in a comment to a reader in another post, there a number of would-be sellers who either can’t afford to take a million-dollar-plus hit on what they paid for their house, or simply don’t want to (and who can blame them?), so I suspect we’ll continue to experience a slow market, as sellers budge on price only grudgingly, and buyers hold off until the price of a particular house hits reality.

Since I don't even want to think about today's stock market drop, here's a more cheerful subject

FWIW’s New Mexico correspondent and resident expert on classical music happened to write to discuss several classic songs, two, “A Boy Named Sue” and “Put Another Log on the Fire” written by children’s author Shel Silverstein and one, “Thank God and Greyhound she’s gone” by the unknown (to me) Earl Nix and larry Kingston. Silverstein’s “A Boy Named Sue” was a hit for Johnny Cash, and our correspondent adds this fascinating bit of history concerning it:

Do you know the story behind "A Boy Named Sue?" Jean Shepherd (the radio host I listened to every night as a kid), said on one of his programs that his old man had told him when was grown up he had insisted the spelling of his son's name should be the feminine version, because he figured the kid would be abused for it (he was) and it would toughen him up (Shep said it did). He mentioned this once to Silverstein and you can guess the rest.

As for the latter two songs, here they are

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

I FORGOT THAT SILVERSTEIN WROTE THIS ONE, TOO:

Epstein conspiracy confirmed

There were certainly doubts raised by the FBI waiting until this week to raid effrr Jeffrey Epstein’s “Pedophile Island” — why wasn’t it searched when they arrested him July 6th? — but now we have conclusive proof that the Clintons done it. Dead men tell no tales.

The Left may be about to discover what a real dictatorship looks like

China is massing troops on Hong Kong border. As this story has developed over the past weeks I considered pulling my pitiful assets from the market, but I was too embarrassed to engage in futile “market timing”, so I stood pat. I think I’m going to regret that decision.

Poor little Fredo

Okay, that wasn’t cool

You Tube temporarily pulled the video of Chris Cumo’s meltdown before being shamed into reinstating it. Similar to its blocking the video of Black Lives Matter protestors outside Mitch McConnell’s home, threatening to “stab the motherfucker in the heart”. Anything Google/You Tube can do to protect its candidates. But fortunately, FWIW has discovered the original Cumo tape, cleverly mis-titled, and posts it here in case Google’s overseers at Democrat headquarters force it to cave again.

Personally, I think it’s as wrong for hecklers to come after Cuomo as it is for them to harass Tucker Carlson, but our world is far different from what it once was. Worse, though, is that Google’s protecting the Left by censoring the Internet is an ominous harbinger of the election coverage we are about to receive.

(The fun part of this is that Cuomo will from now on, and forever, be known and referred to as “Fredo” by friends and enemies alike.)

Pretty much always was

78-80 Cedarcliffe Road, in Riverside, has now been listed as land —it’s been marketed as a residence since April, 2016, when Tamar Lurie brought it on at $17.5 million (that Tamar, such a card!). New agent, new price: $9.250. And that might do it, who knows? It’s officially two separate lots, 2+ acres total. Our flood zone regulations place it in our two strictest zones, AE-14 and VE, but the existing house has stood since 1935, so other than the restrictions imposed on new construction by those regulations, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Go ahead, get your feet wet!

Mid Country sales

49 Rockwood Lane

49 Rockwood Lane, discussed here a month ago when it went to contract, closed yesterday at $2.,250 million. For the money, a very decent house. The sellers bought it at not such a decent price, $3.580 million, in 2005. The town, however, has taken a more realistic view of its market value and appraises it at $2,1733. It’s unusual these days for homes to sell at their appraised price.

Case in point, 4 Woodside Drive, in Deer park, which is appraised by the town at $5,486,900, originally listed for $5.250 million in 2018, and which closed yesterday at $3.4 million.

As reader “Formerly 06820” (or more appropriately, “the Once and Again 06820”) points out, the low end of the market is much more in tune with Grand List appraisals and assessments than the high end. Owners of homes in the higher end of the spectrum will be receiving lower appraisals next year, but since town spending will keep accelerating, I wouldn’t expect a tax break.

Girondins, meet your Montignards

But we voted for Gore!

After assisting in the assault in our schools against the study of western civilization and American exceptionalism, American Jews are discovering that they were always going to be served up, too, but were just lower down on the menu. Now they regret it and are finally complaining, too late.

The state of California has introduced "blatantly anti-Semitic and anti-Israel" lessons into its official high school curriculum, drawing outrage and concern in the state's Jewish and pro-Israel communities, according to multiple sources involved in the controversy.

The California Department of Education is facing backlash after permitting a host of anti-Israel activists to build a statewide educational curriculum that demonizes the Jewish state and is said to be fostering hatred of Jewish and Israeli-American students, sources said.

…..

"This includes the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, who wrote to you that they ‘cannot support a curriculum that erases the American Jewish experience, fails to discuss anti-Semitism, reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews, singles out Israel for criticism and would institutionalize the teaching of anti-Semitic stereotypes in our public schools,'" the groups wrote.

The curriculum, the organizations claim, is the result of an effort by several leading educators who have expressed both anti-Israel and anti-Semitic viewpoints.

"The anti-Jewish, anti-Israel bias of the proposed ESMC curriculum—including its implicit portrayal of Jews and Israel as part of ‘interlocking systems of oppression and privilege' and its endorsement of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as a form of ‘direct action' or ‘resistance' that students are encouraged to engage in—clearly exposes the politically motivated and directed nature of the curriculum and its drafters," the organizations wrote.

Substitute “western civilization” and “the United States” for Israel and the Jewish-American experience, and there’s nothing new here, except that some of the very people who placed Howard Zinn and his communist pupils in charge of the nation’s classrooms are now experiencing the predictable turning of the screw.