My listing in Old Greenwich, located in Hillcrest Park, just sold in October 2008 for $1,525,000. With 1.11 acres of land and 4,500+ square feet, the buyers got a great deal. The sellers were happy to have a ready, willing and able buyer that could close quickly so they could move on with their plans. Everyone is happy. Could the sellers have gotten more money a year ago? Perhaps. An offer is not always about the money.

With all of the uncertainty in this market, there is great value in having an offer from a party that is able to carry through with their bid. What's the use in having a promise of more money from someone that may not be able to get a mortgage to seal the deal? Or what about the scenario where the buyer is perfectly qualified but the bank appraisal comes back short? If that buyer does not have extra cash to put down, the house will quickly be restored to its previous "available" status with a slight cloud over it. People might now wonder if it was something in the home inspection that went wrong or, now that an appraisal has been performed, the house must be overpriced. Mortgage commitments have been harder to come by with underwriting guidelines changing almost daily and reams of documentation required. Personally, I feel this is an over reaction to the current situation. The pendulum has gone from one extreme to another. While previously cash was practically thrown at unqualified borrowers, now persons with perfectly good credit and responsible financial histories are being turned down. I have confidence though that level heads will eventually prevail. A little self-examination of our spending habits and, therefore our priorities is probably long over due.

I know, I know this blog is supposed to be about Greenwich Real Estate and this new listing is in Westport but, truthfully, when I got into the business 11 years ago at Prudential Connecticut, I noticed something. While I loved living here and most of the business that I did was in Greenwich, there would be the occasional person that would come in to meet with me, take one look at what was available and become thoroughly depressed. Yes, it is expensive here no doubt about it. The further you get from New York City, the less you pay per square foot, generally speaking. I don't ever want to see anyone feel that they cannot find a place that they would be happy to call home. So...early on I joined the CMLS, Consolidated Multiple Listing Service, that serves much of Fairfield County. I've sold and rented homes in Ridgefield, Stamford, Norwalk, and Westport to my clients and friends. Now, I have the honor to represent my friends in the sale of their home at 30 Maplewood Avenue in Westport. Please visit http://www.martastroll.com for all of the details.

I am sitting at a public open house for one of my listings as I write this. It is raining steadily so I have a lull in traffic, though admittedly, the attendance has been light. I'm sure it is due to the weather mostly.

There are some signs that tell me there is still life left in this market. While the usual Greenwich spring market begins at the end of January or early February depending on the harshness of the previous winter (again the weather!), this year has seen a delay. The buzz that reaches a crescendo in late March or early April is happening now, in my humble opinion. There had been reported sales and contracts in drips and drabs every week

This Sunday I will magically be in two places at the same time! OK, not really but I will have a Public Open House at two of my listings on the same day. How is that possible you ask? Well, they are both located in Old Greenwich - a terrific place to live if I do say so myself. I lived there for a little over 20 years and all four of my kids went through the Greenwich Schools starting with OG Elementary School.

This particular house is brand new construction built by very good friends of mine. Every detail was lovingly overseen by this wonderful couple in the construction of this, their dream home. It is located on Sound Beach Avenue midway between OG town and Tod's Point. Come to the open house on Sunday, May 18th between 12 and 4 PM and I'll show you the perfect spot to set up the party to view the annual Memorial Day Parade. Check out the website for more information and pictures, http://www.348soundbeachavenue.com/ .

Here is my listing at 13 Irvine Road in Old Greenwich. It was built by a local builder, Tim Gilson, in 1998 for his own family. The current owners have kept it in excellent condition and have made several improvements (call me @ 203-637-6214). It has many of the features found in today's new construction - high ceilings, beautiful trim work, built-ins, open plan, etc. This is quintessential Old Greenwich living at its best. It is in walking distance to OG School. After dropping the kids off, you can stroll to Arcadia Coffee or Upper Crust Bagels for breakfast. Take your morning walk through Binney Park. If you are feeling ambitious, it is 5.5 miles from the front door all around Tod's Point and back again.

How do I love OG? Let me count the ways! Come join me at the Public Open House this coming Sunday, May 18th from 2 to 4PM and say, "Hello!" I'll give you the skinny on living here as I have for the last 20 years! Please visit www.13IrvineRoad.com for more pictures and information.

Hmmm! That is quite a break to take, isn't it? Much has happend since I have written last but let's try to catch up a bit. What has been happening since the last time I posted something? Well... I have never been busier. It is taking much longer to sell a home in this market meaning doing much more to keep a listing fresh and buyers aware of its existence. It is actually an exciting challenge to get really creative and try to think out of the box.

Buyers also have so much more to choose from making it all the more important to organize their needs and wants. It can get pretty confusing to look at 15 houses in one day. You start to create the perfect home in your mind - a great yard from one house and wonderful kitchen from another across town. In reality, no matter the price range, my experience has been that it is a rare thing to find a truly perfect home. It comes down to priorities. Sometimes seeing all those homes helps to solidify what those priorties are.

Let me know if you have any creative ideas that either a seller or buyer could benefit from.