Do We Have To Just GIVE This Stuff Away?

562 Riversville Road, just closed at $1,670,000. Take a look at all you get for that relatively small sum, and there’s more like this one, still available! List: Amanda Miller  Sell: Erin Murphy

Ok, that last post might have been a bit… sarcastic. And for the record, KJUS is, according to their web-site, pronounced (I kid you not) “Shoos, rhymes with juice”, got it?

But back to real estate… What’s it going to take to get you people to accept the backcountry again? Does a half-price sale sound appealing? Because that’s essentially what is going on. No, you won’t be able to walk to the damned train station (you big baby) but in exchange you’ll get sprawling acres of lawn/woods/trees, swimming pools, tennis courts, guest houses, the ability to NOT be able to observe your neighbor’s daily comings and goings (hooray!), and a genuine feeling of living in the country, remember that feeling? It’s nice.

Speaking of Riversville Road bargains, this baby started out way back when at $7,590,000, now down to $4,995,000. 5 acres, beautiful house, lawns, pools, tennis courts, western-facing sunsets, what a package! Click on the address for the full picture.

, $4.995M, a Greenwich bargain. List: Michele Klosson

Oops, looks like WordPress has added nuclear fall-out to my homepage again! oh, wait a sec, that’s supposed to be snow, is that it? Charming!

KJUS Comes To Greenwich Avenue (finally!)

The kjus men’s Hublot Limited Edition, price upon request (ok, it’s $4,000)

Friends, you know we dwell on the positive here at Bored And Razed, but the more sensitive among you possibly detected signs that Gideon possessed a secret sorrow. That sorrow has now disappeared because luxury sportswear company KJUS * has come to Greenwich.

Greenwich, as you know, is the land of opportunity. If you wake up one day and say, “I want the opportunity to spend $7,000 on a sports coat, you have only to breeze down to 359 Greenwich Avenue, step into Richard’s and say, “Gimmie that Kiton blue cashmere, silk, and linen in a 42-L” and bingo, it’s yours.

But suppose instead you wanted the opportunity to buy a $4,000 ski parka, what then? Well, until last week, here in Greenwich, you were outta luck, Charley. Sure, you could slip over to Outdoor Traders, 55 Arch Street, and pick up a perfectly nice Bogner $1,100 ski coat, but if you think your friends at Vail won’t be sniggering behind your back, you’re fooling yourself. The message can never be “I’m doing well”, it must always be “I’m rolling in it!”

* Cognoscente know that the “K” and the “J” are silent, so it’s pronounced “Oose”, rhymes with “goose”.

The Year The Leaves Refused To Fall

Decent looking specimen (a maple) at Innis Arden Golf Club, leaves still standing!

For argument’s sake, lets agree that the season known as “Fall” got its name from the fact that leaves fall to the ground around this time of year, shall we? Not too much of a stretch, is it? Good.

But what about all these non-cooperative trees that refuse to play along? Oaks and beeches are the main culprits, but I’ve spotted some other renegades around town. Here it is, Thanksgiving, for heaven’s sake, and loads and loads of leaves are hanging in there, refusing to budge.

“Why, Gid, tell us why”, I hear a few of you plead.

Here then is the answer. It comes from Michael Snyder, of Northern Woodlands Magazine, who admits that, pretty much no one knows the answer. Guesses range from trees holding on to leaves so they can drop ’em in the Spring to self-fertilize (please), retaining leaves to provide “frost protection” for emerging buds (yeah, right), and finally (get this) “to camouflage emerging buds from marauding deer”.

Pure hokum, obviously. Clearly, Snyder is stumped. But perhaps some of you thoughtful readers can chime in on the subject?

The view from Binney Park, couple of days ago. Don’t these trees know what time of year it is??

All In The Same Town

Stop and think about what you actually get for your money in the Greenwich backcountry vs. the Old Greenwich/Riverside sections of town; you’d swear we were using different currencies, depending on where in town you buy…

Here’re a couple of examples: both these properties recently sold for around a million and a half, but what a difference, just in lot size alone! Yet, it’s the same number of US dollars, and I guarantee both buyers are perfectly happy with what they got and wouldn’t even consider swapping with each other.

14 Irvine, Old Greenwich, CT, has closed at $1,538,888. For that, you got a nice little house on a sprawling .15 acres (imagine a square that measures 80′ X 80′ !).

67 Sumner Road, Greenwich closes at $1,550,000. For that, you must agree to live 8 miles outta town BUT, you get a nice big 5-bedroom contemporary, 4.87 acres, a pool, a tennis court, decks, terraces, 5-car garage, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!

14 Irvine

list: Marta Stroll

sell: Dorothy Salisbury

67 Sumner Road

list: Bettina Hegel

sell: Lee Prince

 

Greenwich’s Wettest Drought

Sherwood Avenue PLACE a few hours ago (near Glory Days Diner). This corner always floods after heavy rains.

“Drought restrictions eased”, might make a nice little headline in the local papers, but don’t hold your breath.

The Taxes That Never Happened

The problem with government is, it starts off small and cute, but quickly grows big and ugly…

If a tax is raised in the forest, and there’s no one there to pay it, has it really been raised?

As Secretary Clinton rides off into the sunset (likely in someone’s Gulfstream G650) this is the philosophical question we ask ourselves: What becomes of all the planned tax raises? Here’s a partial list, prepared by Americans For Tax Reform, of tax raises we now won’t be experiencing:

Capital Gains Tax Increase —

Clinton  proposed an increase in the capital gains tax to counter the “tyranny of today’s earnings report.” Her plan called for a byzantine capital gains tax regime with six rates.

Tax on Stock Trading — Clinton  proposed a new tax on stock trading.

“Exit Tax”– Rather than reduce the extremely high, uncompetitive corporate tax rate, Clinton [had] proposed a series of measures aimed at inversions including an “exit tax” on income earned overseas.

Raise The Death Tax — Hillary proposed a 50%, 55%, and 65% tax rate, lowering the taxable threshold back to $3,500,000  because we all know that after paying taxes your whole life, you miraculously manage to sock away 3 1/2 million, you sir are fabulously wealthy and need to give the rest of it back!

Such a shame to miss these, but don’t worry, in four years, Uncle Bernie will be back to propose the exact same thing all over again!

And finally, this Instagram clip from funny white guy, Elliot Tebele, aka “fuckjerry”…

 

 

Read more: http://www.atr.org/full-list-hillary-s-planned-tax-hikes#ixzz4PY2Fi7QQ
Follow us: @taxreformer on Twitter

 

Greenwich: 83 Deals In The Last Month

4 Lafayette Court, a beautiful old building known as “Greenwich Chateau”, near the top of Greenwich Avenue. Unit “AA-1” was asking $290,000.

Things sure are slow in the real estate business! A mere 83 properties have gone to contract since October 1st, with asking prices ranging from a $21,900,000 waterfront tear-down, to a slightly renovated basement condo at $290,000.

So yeah, I’m being sarcastic here, obviously this indicates a busy, vibrant market. The only skunk at the garden party is the ultra-high-end, which for Greenwich would be what? $7M+? But those sellers are the least motivated, as you know, so when they are ready, they will sell.

Are profits being made? Yes, for those who bought recently, but usually not for those who bought between 2006 and 2009 (in certain parts of the back-country, even if you bought in 2002 you may still be profit-free).

That “basement condo” I mentioned above, the owner paid $150,000 in 2013 for this 3-room lower-level condo at 4 Lafayette Court, directly across from the top of Greenwich Avenue. Location is the driving force here, everything is truly walking-distance from your (underground) front door. I don’t know what the actual accepted offer is, but since the deal got done in 25 days, it looks like the seller did well.

Likewise, that waterfront tear-down on 6.65 acres (oops, wait a sec, it’s been mysteriously reduced to 5.72 acres) in the R-20 zone. The owner paid $11M in 2012 and now has a deal (after several years) with an asking price of $21.9M. Are they getting anywhere near that? Probably not, but I still predict a profit of several million.

So how’s the market? Good.

Here’s a sample of some of those 83 (!) recent deals…

60 Oneida Drive, was asking $21,900,000, now has a (pending) deal. Was 6.65 acres, now 5.72.

19 Sherwood Farm, was asking $$4.250M

450 North Street was asking $4.995M

62 Sound View Drive was asking $3.2M

12 Lake Drive South was asking $1.895M

19 Sherwood Avenue was asking $1.099M

31 Bonwit was asking $898K

94 Indian Field Road was asking $550K

Crack Cocaine’s Terrible Toll

29 year-old Deshun Wang, showing the devastating effects of years of drug abuse.

Or was it the crystal meth? Or fake oxycodone? Whatever the specific cause, this tragedy is hard to look at: a once vibrant, healthy male model named Deshun Wang, from China, is only 29 years-old, but looks MUCH older!

Thankfully, various fashion venues remain open to him because of his previous successes, but clearly the end is near. Let this be a warning kids, take care of yourself!