This Week in Comments

Greenwich yawns at homebuyer tax credit
Greenwich is not immune to the economic crisis. Many of the storefronts are empty and the inventory of houses is huge. So to say they are yawning is simply not true. The real problem is that there are so many overpriced houses that first-time buyers cannot get into the market in the first place.

MoMA tower opponents launch television ad
Build it taller. All of the new skyscrapers going up in our city are all roughly the same height, which is gradually making the skyline look like a solid brick. It’s [a] variation in building height that creates a magnificent skyline. Accept the fact that one day there will be buildings taller than the Empire State Building.

Linda Stein’s daughters sue Elliman in mother’s murder
1. The whole situation is sad. The temp agency, Axion, is ultimately to blame. They should have vetted their employees. Prudential and other companies hire temps from them thinking that they have done their due diligence with employees. That is what they get paid for. Hopefully Prudential is suing Axion as well.
2. I always checked my assistant’s references personally in [my] years [of] brokering. Whether the firm referred someone or I got the person on my own, I would just not trust my own company any more than a friend referring a friend. It is my responsibility as an independent contractor to clear my own assistants before hiring them. After all, the firm did not pay for the assistant’s job — I can guarantee that. I feel sad for the Stein family and their mother’s horrible fate, but puleeze.

Final hours for rental firm?
The timing of Manhattan Apartments’ move was unfortunate. They signed the leases right before the stock market tanked last fall. If they are paying $40,000 a month [they’re] paying over current market rates.