Exclusive Listings?
A number of real estate ads describe the person responsible for obtaining the listing as the “exclusive agent”, implying that only that agent can show you the property. This is all just a shuck and jive, as almost every single property for sale in Greenwich is listed on the Real Estate Board’s multiple-listing service (and, without exception, every property I’ve seen advertised as an exclusive listing is in fact on the multi-list). Anyone, including Joe the hot dog vendor can show you the house, assuming he has a valid real estate license; in this town, the odds are at least 50-50 that he does. I assume these ads are directed at Manhattanites who are used to that city’s system of genuinely exclusive listings; if your agent’s firm doesn’t have the listing for a particular co-op, she can’t show it to you. Not so here, and that’s a good thing for both buyers and sellers. The multi-list exposes your home to all fifty thousand agents in town, all of whom are eager to sell your property and at least some of whom will have actually taken the trouble to inspect your home and become acquainted with it. Buyers, if their agent is competent and up to speed, can be confident that they are being shown every house in their price range and desired location, notwithstanding the deceptively worded ads promising exclusivity.
Market Activity
The summer doldrums are over and open house days are again crowded with listings. Many are left-overs from the spring market, a few with reduced, more realistic prices and more with the same price that failed a few months ago. Hope springs eternal. New listings of note include 135 Taconic Road for $12,500,000, sixteen thousand feet of very well constructed home with nicely proportioned rooms (hard to believe with this sized building but it’s true), beautiful grounds, two swimming pools, and a tennis court. I find it difficult to maintain perspective at this price range but, comparing this house to others in the nose-bleed altitudes, I think it’s the best value on the market.
Further up on that same street, at 264 Taconic, the original 1840 Stanwich Church parsonage is for sale. A beautiful home on 1.6 acres, it will require careful restoration work to be brought back to full life, but this is a project well worth doing, both from a financial and fine home-lover’s perspective. $1.995 million, Country Living Associates.
And, continuing to drift down in price, if not quality, Dianne Carnegie’s listing at 447 North Street is a nifty property for sale at $1.045. This 1803 building was originally the old North Street School building and has been completely restored by its present owner. Its proximity to the road is more of a problem now than two hundred years ago but for someone who doesn’t want much yard to worry about and does care about old, beautiful homes, it’s a perfect cottage, close to town.
Traffic
My father’s favorite cartoon from World War II depicted a full Admiral pounding his desk and exclaiming, “Damn it, I tell you, there is no reason for it, it’s policy!” I’ve often thought that most governmental units are guided by that thinking, so it was with some trepidation that I called the highway division for an explanation for the disappearance of the right hand turn lane at the intersection of Route One and Riverside Avenue. The gentleman who answered the phone, a Richard Doll, not only didn’t pound his desk, he came up with two very good reasons for the change: drivers were using the lane as a speed-thru, endangering pedestrians, and Old Greenwich-bound drivers were abandoning the Post Road and pouring down Lockwood Avenue. I still don’t like the traffic back-up that occurs in evening rush hour, but the wait is mitigated, in part, by realizing there are no Admirals working for Garo Garabedian. Those same people, by the way, have resolved the Starbucks-Fresh Fields mess in Greenwich by making Washington Avenue one-way, adding diagonal parking and prohibiting left-hand turns. A huge improvement and, from the department of “a good deal just gets better”, my favorite in-town house of the year, 58 Washington Avenue, has just had the traffic in front of it cut by at least half. Lucky owners.
Oops
178 Riverside Avenue was not, as was erroneously printed here, sold to a developer. The new owners will be building for themselves and, while I’m certain the house will be as nice as I originally predicted, you’ll only be able to look, not buy.
A number of real estate ads describe the person responsible for obtaining the listing as the “exclusive agent”, implying that only that agent can show you the property. This is all just a shuck and jive, as almost every single property for sale in Greenwich is listed on the Real Estate Board’s multiple-listing service (and, without exception, every property I’ve seen advertised as an exclusive listing is in fact on the multi-list). Anyone, including Joe the hot dog vendor can show you the house, assuming he has a valid real estate license; in this town, the odds are at least 50-50 that he does. I assume these ads are directed at Manhattanites who are used to that city’s system of genuinely exclusive listings; if your agent’s firm doesn’t have the listing for a particular co-op, she can’t show it to you. Not so here, and that’s a good thing for both buyers and sellers. The multi-list exposes your home to all fifty thousand agents in town, all of whom are eager to sell your property and at least some of whom will have actually taken the trouble to inspect your home and become acquainted with it. Buyers, if their agent is competent and up to speed, can be confident that they are being shown every house in their price range and desired location, notwithstanding the deceptively worded ads promising exclusivity.
Market Activity
The summer doldrums are over and open house days are again crowded with listings. Many are left-overs from the spring market, a few with reduced, more realistic prices and more with the same price that failed a few months ago. Hope springs eternal. New listings of note include 135 Taconic Road for $12,500,000, sixteen thousand feet of very well constructed home with nicely proportioned rooms (hard to believe with this sized building but it’s true), beautiful grounds, two swimming pools, and a tennis court. I find it difficult to maintain perspective at this price range but, comparing this house to others in the nose-bleed altitudes, I think it’s the best value on the market.
Further up on that same street, at 264 Taconic, the original 1840 Stanwich Church parsonage is for sale. A beautiful home on 1.6 acres, it will require careful restoration work to be brought back to full life, but this is a project well worth doing, both from a financial and fine home-lover’s perspective. $1.995 million, Country Living Associates.
And, continuing to drift down in price, if not quality, Dianne Carnegie’s listing at 447 North Street is a nifty property for sale at $1.045. This 1803 building was originally the old North Street School building and has been completely restored by its present owner. Its proximity to the road is more of a problem now than two hundred years ago but for someone who doesn’t want much yard to worry about and does care about old, beautiful homes, it’s a perfect cottage, close to town.
Traffic
My father’s favorite cartoon from World War II depicted a full Admiral pounding his desk and exclaiming, “Damn it, I tell you, there is no reason for it, it’s policy!” I’ve often thought that most governmental units are guided by that thinking, so it was with some trepidation that I called the highway division for an explanation for the disappearance of the right hand turn lane at the intersection of Route One and Riverside Avenue. The gentleman who answered the phone, a Richard Doll, not only didn’t pound his desk, he came up with two very good reasons for the change: drivers were using the lane as a speed-thru, endangering pedestrians, and Old Greenwich-bound drivers were abandoning the Post Road and pouring down Lockwood Avenue. I still don’t like the traffic back-up that occurs in evening rush hour, but the wait is mitigated, in part, by realizing there are no Admirals working for Garo Garabedian. Those same people, by the way, have resolved the Starbucks-Fresh Fields mess in Greenwich by making Washington Avenue one-way, adding diagonal parking and prohibiting left-hand turns. A huge improvement and, from the department of “a good deal just gets better”, my favorite in-town house of the year, 58 Washington Avenue, has just had the traffic in front of it cut by at least half. Lucky owners.
Oops
178 Riverside Avenue was not, as was erroneously printed here, sold to a developer. The new owners will be building for themselves and, while I’m certain the house will be as nice as I originally predicted, you’ll only be able to look, not buy.
posted by Chris Fountain at 10:32 AM
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