Monday, August 04, 2008

Bargains?

I'm beginning to see some and I'm hearing about a few huge price reductions that aren't yet publicized, so there may be some sense returning to the market. Until now, the buyers were skittish and many sellers were content to sit things out - not a situation conducive to moving real estate. I'll tell you where I'm seeing reasonable prices but only after I finish trying to sell them to my own clients; I do have to make a living, you know. Check back in at the end of the week. By that time, "they snooze, they lose".

In the meantime, you may want to read this column in The New York Times on the glut in single bedroom condos-turns out, first time buyers can't get financing, which is what's hurting sales of our lower-priced inventory here in Greenwich. Take note of the frustrated seller quoted as saying "I wish we'd negotiated more with the first buyer". He didn't, lost the deal and a year later is still sitting on a property he doesn't want to own. There's a lesson in this.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

For those of us waiting to see whatever breadcrumbs your clients don't pick up...can you give us an idea of the range of a "huge price reduction"?

Chris Fountain said...

Four acres in a good mid-country location for $1,600,000. That may not sound like a firesale price, but it's a lot better (or worse, if you're the seller) than last year's price. There's a piece of waterfront property for a similar price, which I'm working on. Generally, I like what I'm seeing in land prices more than existing houses, probably because there are even fewer builders, either spec or custom, than there are house buyers.

Chris Fountain said...

I'did mention a week or so ago the house on South Baldwin that dropped its price from $11,000,000 + to $6,999,000. Again, not exactly a price that has me digging in my pocket, but a heck of a drop. And a smart move, too.

Anonymous said...

I am guessing that you don't cover nearby towns (Stamford, Darien or Armonk, PortChester, Rye) but given your finger appears to be on the pulse of the market - are these towns hurting more or less than Greenwich these days?