Contract on Beechcroft

35 Beechcroft, a completely rebuilt and expanded 1955 house and currently listed at $3.995 million. The owners paid $4.995 for it in 2006, and have had it on the market since January 2018, when they asked $5.385.

Back in December the listing was amended to read: “Seller is accepting offers ranging from $3.495M - $3.995M. Offers are due by December 4, 2019 at 5 p.m. Offers will be reviewed prior to the deadline and seller may choose to accept an offer prior to December 4, 2019.” Judging from today’s date, it’s not obvious that this accepted offer came in by that deadline, but, interestingly, all offers were to be submitted to something called sparkoffer.com, an entity I’ve never heard of. I went to the site and, so far as I can tell, it’s an operation that facilitates a buyer and seller communicating directly. That might be a good idea, but I know that back in my lawyering days the quickest way to derail a settlement or business deal was to put the parties in the same room together, unchaperoned.

Maybe real estate’s different. My guess, though, is that knocking a million-four off the asking price contributed more to this listing’s ultimate success than any app.

Seven years on, I still like this house

115 Dingletown, priced at $2.195 in February 2013, is still on the market, but has (another) new agent, and (another) new price: $1.499 million. Is this the price that will finally entice a buyer to step up? I certainly don’t know — there’s obviously some stiff market resistance here, but it’s a nifty home for a couple, say, or weekender. Not very appealing for a large family, but not every house has to be suitable for the complete Brady Bunch.

The 1st-floor master bedroom, with sliders that open up to a very private koi pond and terrace, is pretty special, and the rest of the house just seems to flow easily together. Nice place.

It’s probably fortunate that the new agent has rewritten the prose of his immediate predecessor, a gentleman who, in a badly fumbled attempt to soar to literary heights promised that, “with an architectural build that will remind you of an Air Force Stealth Bomber, this home will surely take you away from the world around you”. In the vast library of regrettable real estate descriptions I suppose this amounts to no more than an insignificant footnote, but it’s memorable nonetheless, if only for the aspirational effort it reveals.

Bombs away!

Decent deal on Cat Rock Road

Or I think so, anyway. 178 Cat Rock has dropped to $2.295 million, substantially lower than its original price last July of $3.2. The house’s past two sales were for $2.245 in 2012 and $2.3 in 2002, so the current price is in line with those, but there was substantial work done after that 2012 purchase. All at no cost to a buyer now, which is nice.

No real estate news means no real estate news

Black Hole

I’m not ignoring the topic, there’s just almost no activity to report. Traditionally, Greenwich’s “spring market” kicks off the week after MLK Day, but there are certainly buyers out there now; I’m surprised we’re not at least seeing some price-cuts, given the large inventory of homes that could use a trimming. Maybe in two weeks, but certainly by May, which will bring a twist to that sage observation of long ago, “he got married and discovered true happiness, but by then, of course, it was too late”.

Babylon Bee or straight news? Pedophile claims he's innocent because he "identifies as an eight-year-old"

Except Fatty Arbuckle was innocent

Well, I’m just not gonna tell you, you’ll have to click over to see whether you win.

(Hint: you may want to save a spot on your own eight-year-old’s all-girl soccer team.

No words necessary

Price cuts in the perma-inventory

388 Stanwich Road, down to $3.495 million; started at $5.695 in 2012. Owner paid $5.350 in 2010.

Khakum wood

23 Khakum Wood Road, down to $8.470 million, with more room to drop. The property started at $19.7 in 2007, split off a spare lot in 2015 and reduced its price to $12.950, and has been drifting slowly downward ever since.

Booker quits, and, naturally, the Babylon Bee has the story

I want to thank both of you for thinking about voting for me

Cory Booker moved to tears during participation trophy acceptance speech

NEWARK, NJ—After accepting his resignation from the 2020 presidential race, the Democratic National Committee awarded its coveted Participation Trophy to Senator Cory Booker for all of his fine work on his brief campaign.

"This is a big deal," said DNC chairperson Tom Perez. "Not every candidate gets one of these. Well, actually they do, but not all at the same time, so that makes it special."

At the award ceremony, Booker made no effort to hide his emotions during his two-hour acceptance speech. "I just wish there was some way to share this with all of you who took your hard-earned money and backed a candidate with no real chance of getting the nomination," said a tearful Booker. "But, alas, there isn't. So if any of you want to stop by my office and look at it, you're certainly welcome."

Riverside waterfront

33 Willowmere Circle, asking $4.225 million, is pending. Started in November 2017 at $5.450. The town values the land at $3.8 and the house at $1.1; I suspect that the final sales price will be close to that land value, and the house itself will be disappeared by summer.

Is the Kinkaid gallery still there?

It was certainly in its natural environment

Apple is abandoning the Stamford Mall. I’ve probably entered that mall no more than a dozen times in my life, with my last visit around 1994 or so, but I gather that the place hasn’t improved in the past twenty-five years.

What will replace this extinct creature?