Just in time for Halloween, permit us to share a tale of terror from the archives, brought to Diary’s attention at a meeting with property lawyers.
It’s a case from New York back in 1991, in which, to quote from the judgment, “Plaintiff, to his horror, discovered the house he had recently contracted to purchase was widely reputed to be possessed by poltergeists.” A handy reminder that the typical searches don’t find everything. The spooked buyer sought to tear up the sale contract, and Judge Rubin ruled in his favour. To quote: “Whether the source of the spectral apparitions seen by defendant seller are parapsychic or psychogenic, having reported their presence in both a national publication (Reader’s Digest) and the local press (in 1977 and 1982, respectively), defendant is estopped to deny their existence and, as a matter of law, the house is haunted.”
The judge went on to quote Shakespeare and Ghostbusters, but, Diary being Diary, we’ll only share the second one: “From the perspective of a person in the position of plaintiff herein, a very practical problem arises with respect to the discovery of a paranormal phenomenon: ‘Who you gonna call?’” Brilliantly, two other judges of the New York Supreme Court appellate division agreed with him, trumping a pair of more staid colleagues on the other side (as it were). UK property law needs more of this.
Flower popper?
Some of the guests at this year’s EG Awards were a touch confused by the party favours. The grenade-shaped “seed bombs” were gifts for attendees to plant at home – a sustainable, organic and floral memory of the night, if you will. But it soon become clear that many people had mistaken them for something else. “When do we pull these party poppers? Actually, how do we pull these party poppers?” one perplexed Rising Star was overheard asking a fellow diner while studying said floral tribute. Make blooms, not booms.
Don’t @ me
Guests at the EG Awards were encouraged to spread word of the celebrations on social media, with posts about the event flashing up on giant screens in the Great Room at Grosvenor House. But not everyone was chasing likes and retweets. Jakes Ferguson of the Government Property Association was snapping away on his phone, but when asked if the pictures were for Twitter, he said not, adding that he rarely used it. “Hashtag sad old git,” he added, noting that in nine years of having his @jakesferguson account, he has tweeted only about 140 times, most of which were retweets. We’re not judging – it’s quality, not quantity.
Howzat for a surprise guest?
It’s amazing who you bump into at the EG Awards. Capital & Centric’s Tim Heatley, winner of our new Social Impact Award, popped to the pub before Tuesday night’s bash, joining the OBI Property team, which was also en route to the awards. Spotting Monty Panesar, he persuaded the English cricket legend to join him at the awards (perhaps a little more straightforward at short notice with the new, more relaxed dress code). Panesar duly did, chatting to guests until late into the night. So with Freddie Flintoff’s Logik Developments delivering a 355-home scheme in Manchester, will Panesar be following his former teammate into property?
off to the @EstatesGazette awards, but first pre drinks with cricket legend @MontyPanesar and @OBIProperty #EGAwards19 pic.twitter.com/q6x7xtK9cQ
— Tim Heatley (@MrTimHeatley) October 22, 2019
Good game, good game
Diary loves a board game, and we are pleased to learn we are not alone in the industry. Big names including British Land, Galliford Try and Multiplex contractor Essex Services Group took part in Marble Arch London’s Silver Sunday Board Gaming Gala. They helped create “an afternoon of amusement, cheer and togetherness”. It was all part of the national Silver Sunday campaign celebrating the contribution of older people in the UK. Games included Cluedo, Frustration, Uno, Pictionary and Scrabble. But, wait, no Monopoly?
100, not out
Dynamic and often dynastic, that’s real estate. Last month, Allsop’s Gary Murphy celebrated 34 years on the rostrum – following his father, and his father before him. Yes, dad Clifford was an auctioneer… as was Gary’s grandfather, Arthur. Both were senior partners in the family firm of Hillyer & Hillyer. And each spent 33 years with gavel in hand. The mathematically minded among you will have already spotted, that is a century between the three generations. And, with Murphy most junior still going strong, that unbroken run continues.
Digital media delusions
In Bristol this week, Homes England chief Nick Walkley regaled the housing community with ambitions for modular homes and local industrial strategies. But in the Q&A that ensued, Walkley warned of the dangers of digital media delusions: “Unless you have Channel 4 and a wider infrastructure, not everywhere is going to be a digital centre for UK media.” Back to the floor though, and a representative from Knowle West Media Centre raised their hand and thanked the agency for the recent deal it has struck to deliver housing on 16 sites… at its very own out-of-town digital media centre. Ouch.
Lead photo: Gill Allen/Shutterstock
