Darien: Active Real Estate Week

Busy time...

New York Restaurant, Edward Hopper, c. 1922, Wikipedia

Darien:  Active Real Estate Week

Darien's residential real estate market was active across the board in the week ending today.

Results in major real estate categories, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 16 new properties for sale;
-- 11 price changes;
-- Six accepted offers; 
-- Eight properties going under contract, and
-- Six closings.

For more:  

Ditching the Dining Room

Let's eat...

 

Dining room, Brent Bingham for the Wall Street Journal

 

 

Ditching the Dining Room

 

 

A few years ago, the living room's popularity started to slide, and some architects began downsizing them.

 

Now, it's the dining room's turn.

 

Some owners are taking different approaches to dining rooms or just eliminating them altogether, Amy Gamerman reports on wsj.com.

 

For more, including a slide show of new approaches to dining rooms:  http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304547704579566130631352874?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304547704579566130631352874.html

 

A History of Special Effects

Movie-goers' delight...

 Gravity, smh.com.au

 

 

A History of Special Effects

 

Video editor Jim Casey has compiled an homage to visual effects from well known films over the years in a three minute montage on twistersifter.com.

Casey's video captures defining moments in visual effects history starting in 1878.

The progression is fascinating to see, and it’s exciting to think what lies ahead, the website concludes.

The music is “Liberi Fatali” from Final Fantasy VIII by Nobuo Uemats, according to the website.

For Casey's video:  http://twistedsifter.com/videos/the-evolution-of-visual-effects/
 

Musical Moments: Andrea Bocelli -- Nessun Dorma

Beautiful...

 

 

Andrea Bocelli, dailymailco.uk

 

 

Musical Moments:  Andrea Bocelli -- Nessun Dorma

 

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

 

In December, we heard from Luciano Pavarotti, who made this aria famous around the world.

 

This week, we feature Andrea Bocelli's beautiful Nessun Dorma:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYTz2JTkPI

 

If you would like to see the Pavarotti version again, click on this link and scroll down:  http://kenallensforum.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50

 

And if you would like to look through some interesting background on Nessun Dorma:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nessun_dorma

 

 

 

Darien Update: Boost to Real Estate Inventory

Surge in new listings...

The American flag commemorating those we honor on Memorial Day

Darien Update:  Boost to Real Estate Inventory

Darien's residential real estate market received a boost in inventory with 22 new listings of property for sale during the week ending today.

Results in other major real estate categories, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Six price changes;

-- Nine accepted offers;

-- Nine properties going under contract, and

-- Four closings.

For more:

 

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Just About a Minute

A moment in time...

Time, fetjhullah-gulen.org

Just About a Minute

 

This is a short piece just about a minute.

A mere 60 seconds, but as we all know, a lot can happen in just a moment in time.

In a new video, the Atlantic reminds us of many things that occur with each passing minute, Isaac Saul reports on The Huffington Post.

Take a look:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/21/what-happens-one-minute-around-the-world_n_5366201.html


 

The Rise of the Roman Penthouse

Nice view...

 

Penhouse in Rome, wsj.com

 

 

The Rise of the Roman Penthouse

 

If you've ever been to Rome, the thought that it might be nice to live there may have crossed your mind.

 

But what does real estate cost in the Eternal City?

 

Well, a 2,900-square-foot duplex penthouse overlooking the Colosseum, for example, is on the market for $8.9 million, according to J. S. Marcus' report on wsj.com.             
          

Marcus wrote that a Roman street is a pageant of cars, scooters and architectural splendor, but a glance upward can reveal the edges of a secret world—that of the Roman penthouse.

Italy's residential real estate prices are in a funk, with prices down 20 percent or more since prerecession peaks in 2007 and 2008, Marcus wrote.

But the prices of Rome's penthouses are holding their own, he reported.

For more, including a slideshow:  http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304101504579543883970368434?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304101504579543883970368434.html

 

Solving a Puzzle in Carmel

Transforming a  "hippie shack"...

 

Carmel, the unstockedpantry.com

 

 

Solving a Puzzle in Carmel

 

This story caught my eye because Carmel has always been one of my favorite places.

It used to be a quiet California coastal village known for its bohemian artists' colony and its simple, craftsman style cottages, as Mary Keats reports on wsj.com.

 

It's always had more than its share of tourists swarming the town.

But nowadays, she wrote, its narrow, wooded roads are jammed with upscale houses in a mishmash of styles with a median sales price of $1.7 million.

 

That's why when Mary Ann Schicketanz found what she describes as a "teardown hippie shack" for $650,000 in 2012, she jumped at the chance to buy it—especially since it was on a fairly private lot on a quiet street up a hill from downtown, according to Keats.

 

To see Schicketanz's transformation of the "shack":  http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304431104579552044024019938?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304431104579552044024019938.html

 

Musical Moments: Adele -- I Can't Make You Love Me

Adele's turn...

Adele, ing.com

Musical Moments:  Adele -- I Can't Make You Love Me

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Recently, we heard from Bonnie Raitt who made this song a hit.

 This week, Adele takes a turn with the classic.

Adele:  I Can't Make You Love Me  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp97AWIeMbo

For those who would like to see the Bonnie Raitt version again, just scroll down after you click on this link: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2048262210690389164#editor/target=post;postID=2879443210116261333;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=1;src=link

 

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Latest Darien Real Estate Update

Active week...

The Tide Watcher, Robert Dance, jrusselljinishiangallery.com

Latest Darien Real Estate Update

Darien's active spring residential real estate market continued in the week ending today.

Results in major categories reported by the Darien MLS included:

-- 14 new listings of property for sale;

-- 22 price changes;

-- 11 accepted offers;

-- 13 properties going under contract, and

-- Nine closings.

For details:

The Reclusive Heiress and Her Empty Mansions

A secluded life...

 

Huguette Clark and her father, U.S. Sen. William Clark. 1912, cir.ca

 

 

The Reclusive Heiress and Her Empty Mansions

 

 

When Huguette Clark passed away in 2011 at the age of 104, she left behind a fortune worth $300 million. But just-released photos reveal that many of the trappings of the heiress's fortune were abandoned long before her death, Harry Brandford reported today on huffingtonpost.com.

Huguette was the daughter of U.S. Sen. William A. Clark, the mining and railroad tycoon who founded Las Vegas.

She removed herself from public life in the 1930s, secluding herself in the family's Fifth Avenue New York apartment. In doing so, she left mansions in Santa Barbara, Calif., and New Canaan, Conn., largely untouched, Brandford wrote.

Photos of Clark's many preserved yet uninhabited estates, published in a new biography, "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune," provide a view into Clark's eerie hollowness, Brandford reported.

For a peek into the life and mansions of Huguette Clark:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/huguette-clark_n_5322909.html
 

Putin: Back to the World of Empires?

With a wink and nod...

 

Vladimir Putin in Crimea, May 2014, nytimes.com

 

 

Putin:  Back to the World of Empires?

 

 

Language matters.  In geopolitics, it can change the way maps are drawn.

 

Vladimir Putin's notions about language and Ukraine are, of course, serious matters that probably will not be settled easily or soon.

 

In the meantime, "Putinism" in Ukraine, as The Economist calls it, could have unintended consequences elsewhere around the world.

 

The Economist staff asked themselves some "what if" questions about all this.  What if some in London or Paris or Lisbon "grasped Putinism and ran with it?", they wondered.

 

Their recent, tongue in cheek "analysis" could surprise a lot of people:  http://www.economist.com/news/international/21601862-why-should-russian-presidents-innovative-attitude-towards-borders-be-restricted

 

 

Above it All: What a Sight

New York from on high...

Midtown Manhattan, mashable.com

Above it All: What a Sight

Andrew Woods, a helicopter pilot, says, "I'm lucky.  I got to do in life what I set out to do,"  and what a sight his job offers every day.

"Are you ready for the best view of your life?," he asks, as he guides the helicopter past the Statue of Liberty. 

The tourists grin eagerly in anticipation, Evan Engel reports on mashable.com.

The chopper turns, and the passengers take in a sweeping view of the southern end of Manhattan, the new World Trade Center looming in the foreground as the city's famous bridges stretch over the East River, Engle wrote.

The pilot has delivered, Engle said.

For more:  http://mashable.com/2014/05/13/new-york-helicopter-pilot/

Grammar Rules in Real Estate

Marketing tips...

 

Watch your language, agsaleswork.com

 

 

 

Grammar Rules in Real Estate

 

 

Language matters.  In real estate, it can affect sales.  

Sanette Tanaka on wsj.com recommends that real estate agents think carefully about promotional copy for their listings.

 

An analysis of listings priced at $1 million and up shows that "perfect" listings—written in full sentences without spelling or grammatical errors—sell three days faster and are 10% more likely to sell for more than their list price than listings overall, Tanaka reports.

 

On the flip side, listings riddled with language errors—misspellings, incorrect homonyms, incomplete sentences, among others—log the most median days on the market before selling and have the lowest percentage of homes that sell over list price, she writes.

 

For more:  http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304677904579537701330465152?mod=WSJ_3Up_RealEstate&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304677904579537701330465152.html%3Fmod%3DWSJ_3Up_RealEstate

Musical Moments: Happy Mother's Day

A Mother's Day special...

Morning Glory, Jacquie Lawson

Musical Moments: Happy Mother's Day

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Here's a new creation by Jacquie Lawson with Deuxieme Arabesque, a favorite by Claude Debussy, to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day.

 

I hope you'll enjoy it.

You can view your card here:

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=4850458218372&source=jl999&utm_medium=internal_email&utm_source=pickup&utm_campaign=receivercontent

Darien Sees Active Real Estate Week

Spring up...

Just Out of the Sea, Joaquin Sorolla, 1915

Darien Sees Active Real Estate Week

Darien's residential real estate market was active across the board in the week ending today.

Results in its major real estate categories, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 15 new listings of property for sale;

-- Eight price changes;

-- 16 accepted offers;

-- Four properties going under contract, and

-- 13 closings.

For details:  

A Summer Walk

In the high country...

Yosemite, hqwallpapersplus.com

A Summer Walk

One summer I took a walk...into Yosemite.

Most people who visit the park enter from the San Joaquin Valley to the west.

But a small group of us came in through Yosemite's backdoor...from the east, across California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

Our jumping off point was Tuolumne Meadows, just north of Bishop on the eastern slope of the Sierras.

Eastern front of the Sierra Nevadas, looking west, wikipedia

From there we backpacked across 28 miles of some of the world's most spectacular high country, with its mountains, meadows, waterfalls, streams, rivers and lakes...and solitude.

Our trek took four days, and while it was a once in a lifetime experience, we were more than glad  when we finally made our weary way down into Yosemite Valley.

Several years ago I asked Jack Thompson, who organized the trip and was our guide, if he would like to do it again.  He laughed and said, "Only if I get to use a sedan chair."

I came across a recent short film that captures some of the beauty of Yosemite and its wonderful high country.  I hope you'll enjoy it:    https://vimeo.com/87701971

And if you're interested in more about the trail we took across the Sierras, here's a good link: http://www.everytrail.com/guide/tuolumne-meadows-to-yosemite-valley

China's Alibaba: Huge and About to go Public

Alibaba's IPO...

 

Jack Ma, Alibaba founder, businessweek.com

 

 

China's Alibaba:  Huge and About to go Public

 

 

Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce compay that claims to have sold more than Amazon and EBay combined in 2013, filed to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering yesterday.

 

But despite a parade of impressive numbers investors may find themselves struggling to see how real its earning are, Peter Eavis reports on nytimes.com.

 

For more:  http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/big-profits-at-alibaba-but-filing-has-gaps/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=todayspaper&_r=0

 

 

 

Rolex Clicks With Social Media

Telling time and history...

Rolex, WikiemediaCommons, Ali Rezani

 

Rolex Clicks With Social Media

Last year, the decision makers at Rolex decided the time was right for a shakeup, Eli Epstein reported on Mashable.com.

Unlike with most "shakeups," however, there wouldn't be widespread corporate reorganization, and scores of merchandise wouldn’t be cut, he wrote.

Instead, Rolex executives decided that it was time for the company to launch its first branded Facebook page, a herculean leap for a brand that has, for decades, closely monitored its reputation and only made tweaks — in both its watches and marketing strategies — after subjecting them to significant scrutiny, Epstein said.

For more on Epstein's report on Rolex's famous marketing over the years and its latest venture into social media:  http://mashable.com/2014/04/17/rolex-marketing-strategy/


 

Musical Moments: Bonnie Raitt -- I Can't Make You Love Me

Classic Raitt...

 

Bonnie Raitt, shelf3d.com

 

Musical Moments:  Bonnie Raitt -- I Can't Make You Love Me

 

 

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

 

Here's a classic by Bonnie:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9Cu6GYqxo
 

 

Rowayton Real Estate Posts Gains at the End of April

Moving up...

Rowayton Real Estate Posts Gains at the End of April

Rowayton's residential real estate market posted gains in average sale price and sales volume at the end of April, compared with the same period a year ago.

Rowayton's latest results, reported today on the Darien MLS, showed:

-- A 21.8 percent increase in average sale price;

-- An 8.3 percent gain in sales volume, and

-- An 11.1 percent decline in sales from 18 units last year to 16 in 2014.

For more:  

Darien Real Estate Market Up at End of April

Steady market...

Darien Real Estate Market up at End of April

Darien's residential real estate market was up in major categories at the end of April, compared with the same period a year ago.

Darien's latest results, reported today by the Darien MLS, showed:

-- A 7.1 percent increase in average sale price;

-- An 18.3 percent gain in sales volume, and

-- Sales up by 10.4 percent.

For details:

Don't Be a Corporate-Speak Zombie

What was that...

 

Business jargon, degroote.mcmaster.ca

 

 

Don't Be a Corporate-Speak Zombie

 

There’s been a movement in recent years for some to liken themselves to businesses, writes Dr. Laura Hill on today's LinkedIn.

 

Concepts such as self-branding, personal mission statements, and being the CEO of a company of one are intriguing ideas. They borrow concepts from industry and are designed to try to help people explain what they’re doing and to find ways to relate to their audiences professionally, she says.

 

However, it’s risky to take this strategy too far, especially when communicating with others, she warns.

 

For some examples of jargon to avoid and more:  https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140503131835-36565530-don-t-be-a-corporate-speak-zombie?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0