Today’s Wall Street Journal Online, in its Fiscally Fit column, cites Westport as among five communities where real estate prices are softening.

“Westport, Conn., brimming with stately mansions, hardly screams bargain bin, but local real-estate agents say they’re seeing a growing number of ‘just reduced’ home-price listings,” the newspaper said.

“Overly aggressive pricing is one of the reasons, says Patti McGovern, a sales associate at Coldwell Banker/Riverside Shavell in Westport.

“Over the past few years this market has been seeing a 10 percent to 15 percent annual appreciation, and this year we quite didn’t hit that,” McGovern said.

Sellers who put homes up for sale earlier this year have been overly optimistic about getting their asking price. They’ve had to rethink their expectations, the report said.

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk’s office for the period July 25-29, 2005:

Steven and Tracey Gruenig to Hewitt Relocation Services Inc., 10 Old Hill Road, $1,395,000

Hewitt Relocation Services Inc. to James Carr and Carolyn Kee Gamble III, 10 Old Hill Road, $1,395,000

ADL Design Builders LLC to Arnold J. and Susan E. Schaab, 3 Morningside Lane, $1,805,000

Eloise R. Johnson and David F. Preusser to Sherwood Homes LLC, 1 Baldwin Place, $1,400,000

Stephen Levanti and Maryann Ross to Thomas P. and Maria R. Freydl II, 57 Long Lots Road, $1,349,000

Today’s WestportNow teardown is a free-standing former retail building at 621 Post Road East where Shaw’s Supermarket is located. The building formerly housed Everything Personalized (now located in the strip mall at the rear) and Cingular Wireless. A demolition application is pending.. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk’s office for the period July 18-22, 2005:

Gary M. Stibel to Amy S. Benjamin, 11 Covlee Drive, $3,372,500

Alan C. Benjamin to Elliot and Barbara Cooperstone, 6 Marvin Place, $2,120,000

Masayasu and Emiko Koizumi to Carel and Brigid Vandermerwe, 38 Marion Road, $989,000

Lawrence E. Janes and John W. Williams Jr. to Andrew J. Thomas and Randall Alan Hammond, 64 Bayberry Lane, $2,299,000

John F. and Christine Wilkes Beninati to 554 17th street LLC, 43 Crescent Road, $980,000

Pieka Construction Inc. to Christopher D. Quigley, 129 Imperial Ave., $1,700,000

Neighbors and the new property owner, Richard Crane (r), gathered Tuesday to watch 11 Fillow St. come down. The half-acre property, with a house built in 1956, changed hands in May for $702,500. Fillow Street is off Clinton Avenue off of Main Street. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk’s office for the period July 11-15, 2005:

David G. Call to Grace Cho, 24 Morningside Drive North, $1,189,000

Bank of America N A Trust to Peter M. and Madeline A. Stone, 5 Wakeman Road, $950,000

Francesco and Marily D. Pozzuto to Jordan and Dorothy Kaplan, 3 Peaceful Lane, $630,000

Laurelbrook I Associated LLC to Thomas L. and Nancy Broadbent, 126 Morningside Drive South, $2,800,000

Laurelbrook I Associated LLC to Thomas and Nancy Broadbent, 251 Greens Farms Road, $1,200,000

A house at 9 Blind Brook Road off of Woodside Avenue in the Old Hill section of Westport came down today. The property, built in 1952 and featured as the WestportNow teardown of the day April 28, 2005, sold this month for $750,000. The developer and his family were among those watching the demolition. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk’s office for the period July 4-8, 2005:

Richard Feldman to Michael J. and Sheila J. Santacroce, 38 Hills Lane, $390,000

Jose A. Terrille Revocable Trust and Lidia E. Terrille Revocable Trust to Robert P. and Karen M. Atkins, Unit 216 Lansdowne, $806,500

Rachel N. Rabinowitz to John D. and Amy Gay, 15 Sherwood Farms Lane, $1,499,000

Senta Teschner to Michael and Marisa Urkovich Barszcz, 35 Old Road, $1,325,000