New construction sale on Widgeon Way

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23 Widgeon Way, sold to Rye buyers at its full asking price of $4.595 million. Technically, this is still the 1955 home sold to this builder in 2022 for $1.975 million (on an asking price of $1.395), but the doesn’t seem to be much left of the original. Interesting to note that that listing described the house/building lot as being located “in a neighborhood with $3 million+ sales”. Turns out, that was very much “plus”.

Remarks: Amazing Opportunity in Prime Neighborhood with $3m+ Sales. Situated up on a knoll in the center of quiet Widgeon Way, this in-town property is one of the largest lots (and backyards) on the street, lined with mature trees and gardens. Also it has close proximity to shopping, restaurants and schools. This 1950's ranch can be renovated for single floor living, added on to by going up or out, or replaced with a 5000+sq.ft. home. Entry leads to living room with wood burning fireplace, dining room, screened in back porch and eat-in kitchen. It includes primary ensuite bedroom, and two additional bedrooms and bath, partial finished basement and two car garage. Sold as is.

Too modest a cut?

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After 35 days on the market, 8 Park Avenue — the Greenwich park Avenue, not the one in Old Greenwich – has had its price cut (or “improved”, as a good friend of mine recently describe her own listing’s new, lowered price from $3.875 million to $3.725, a 4% difference. Park Avenue is a great street in a great location, even if some might disagree with the listing agent’s claim that it’s “in downtown Greenwich”, and this 1918 home has been pretty nicely renovated, so if it hasn’t found a buyer after a month, in this market, there may be more to this demonstrated buyer resistance than a mere $100,000.

Just my opinion, of course, and maybe this cut will in fact do the trick.

Pending after 14 days

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50 Highmeadow Road, $2.650 million. Funny story: when this group of houses was being constructed back in the early 2000s, either its developer or the listing agent (I forget which) told me that they’d been building on every-other lot as they went along, and having hard time selling them. One day a NYC couple came to see them and the wife asked, “what’s going to go up on that empty lot next door?” Told that it would be another house, she exclaimed, “Oh! Thank goodness; it feels like Little House on the Prairie the way it is now.” Realizing that city folks didn’t want more than a 1/4 of land, the developer shifted his advertising to the NYC market from the local area he’d expected to draw his buyers from, and sold out almost immediately.

Is there a lesser order of the Darwin Award Hall of Fame? UPDATED

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Man Charged With Driving On Suspended License Calls Into Court While Driving On Suspended License

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – After a man was charged with driving on a suspended license, he appeared virtually in court – while driving.

The man attended his hearing via Zoom on May 15 before Judge Cedric Simpson in Washtenaw County’s 14A District Court.

Upon joining the hearing, the 44 year-old man appeared to be driving a vehicle. When Simpson asked the defendant if he was driving, the defendant responded that he was pulling into his doctor’s office. The judge then waited for the man to stop and park the vehicle.

“I’m looking at his records and he doesn’t have a license,” Simpson said. “He’s suspended and he’s just driving… "

He took a long pause. “I don’t even know why he would do that.”

Simpson revoked his bond and ordered that he turn himself into the Washtenaw County jail that day.

“Oh my God,” the man sighs.

What would we do without reader correspondents?

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First, here’s exciting news forwarded by someone I assume wants to remain anonymous, so I won’t publicly give him the credit he’s due:

Ol’ Dependables is coming to town!

GREENWICH, Conn. (WTNH) – President Joe Biden is expected to hold a reception with local politicians and well-known industry leaders Monday evening.

The private reception is scheduled for Monday, June 3, at the home of the former CEO of HBO.

(That would be Richard Plepler’s digs at 25 Sherwood Avenue, just in case any Yale students on summer vacation want to stroll up from the Field Club and yell about Palestine, or sumptin’. )

The item below is also included in the news article — do you suppose it’s the same event?

Biden, Harris to launch Black voter outreach effort amid signs of diminished support

And then there’s this video sent along by reader “CT Mom” — it appears to be a brilliant reworking of a 1950s PSA brought up to date with people we can all recognize and appreciate. (Although I’m not pleased they include a picture of Sen. John Fetterman in the montage; lately, he’s been sounding remarkably lucid on quite a few important issues, and, while he still remains what I’d describe as a liberal, he seems to be of the Daniel Patrick Moynahan school of Democrats, and that’s fine with me — no panderer is he, so if he holds a position different from conservatives on a particular issue, so be it; it’s not because he’s doing so to appease the mob.)

Some of you spent the holiday weekend dozing in a hammock — Ellen Mosher was moving (a couple of) her listings.

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12 Dawn Harbor, Riverside, asking $10950 million, contract after 20 days.

no books, of course, but a big tv to comfort and reassure young buyers

And in Old Greenwich, her listing at 18 Shore Acre Drive, $2.950 million, is also under contract: 14 days.

By the way, check out the town’s 2023 appraisal figure for 12 Dawn Harbor, selling for upwards of $10.950, and then tell me we have a rational, competent tax appraisal system:

Another sale on Echo Lane, but one that might give other buyers on the street pause for thought.

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18 Echo Lane, the owners of which, like No. 7 Echo were represented by Steve Archino, has also sold, but at a much lower price: $1.950 million. Give Steve credit, he’s no Berkshire Hathaway agent hiding hidden water problems, and in fact was quite open about this one’s difficulties. Then again, they were hardly hidden, were they?

Remarks: Offered in as-is condition due to storm Ida damage, this 1958 colonial home presents a unique opportunity for the savvy buyer.

Not every house, surely, but some on Echo Lane have experienced difficulty with invading waters recently. Just two weeks ago, for instance, an application for a subdivision on neighboring Ridgeview Avenue was rejected by our P&Z because of concerns about flooding in the Ridgeview/Echo Lane neighborhood.

A Mr. Tim Busler [21 Echo Lane] said the subdivision would worsen the existing bottleneck of water at the bottom of the hill.

He noted there were already plans in the works to rebuild the North Street bridge because of increased drainage coming downhill.

“When this neighborhood was flooded, it was because of the drainage coming down Ridgeview,” Busler recalled. “And the grade on this property is severe…This is steeper than the grade of Ridgeview itself. It is coming right down there to create flooding which is what damaged many homes on Ridgebrook and Echo Lane, which are just 200 yards away and 50 feet beneath Mr. Staffieri’s house.”

And in April, 2023, Echo Lane residents expressed their concerns that a bridge replacement on North Street would exacerbate flooding on their own street.

Shocker: Riverside home sells for less than asking price (but don't panic yet)

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86 Winthrop Drive

86 Winthrop Drive, priced at $4.650 million, has sold for just $4.5. The buyers are from Brooklyn; maybe they know how to drive a hard bargain out there.

Now this is more like it

28 Verona Drive was listed at $5.250 million and has sold for $6.2 million. Phew! I was worried there that we were seeing a new trend in that Winthrop sale.

verona drive, riverside