Breaking News: Techland-Time.com Reports that the Fed will monitor your Blog & Tweets - 09/30/11 03:22 PM
Someone appears to be upset that their blog may actually be read.  The premise of this post appears to be that the Chairman of the Fed should not be allowed to exercuse his right to read public posts if their contents include remarks directed at the Fed.  Somehow, the Chairman's right to access public posts about him is infringing on the rights of the publisher.  My comment was answered with an observation that I'm missing the blogger's point.  I wish I were missing his point.
Via Endre Barath,Jr. 310.486.1002 (Beverly Hills,CA. Coldwell Banker):
Breaking News: Techland-Time.com Reports that the Fed will monitor your … (2 comments)

Wasted Energy - 09/28/11 12:59 PM
According to an article in the New York Times, the oil fields in North Dakota burn off enough natural gas to heat a half million homes.  That's considerably more than the number of homes in the state.  The issue is apparently that the value of the gas is lower than the cost of harnessing it and selling it.  It is a weed in the oil farms, and it is wasted for want of a more economical solution.
The practice of burning gas off the oil wells has existed for a long time, and it seems like a good place for some … (7 comments)

Is it time to stock up? - 09/27/11 11:28 AM
Buying real estate to be used as a home is not primarily investing, it is purchasing a consumable.  We don't really invest in cars, boats, food, toilet paper, or a warehouse to store them and ourselves in.  We buy them so we can use them.  Just as most consumables depreciate over time, homes sometimes will depreciate.  Normally, we purchase consumables when we need them.  That is, unless they're on sale and we have enough extra cash or credit to stock up. 
Most of us know that real estate is on sale right now, and a large portion of the sales this … (5 comments)

Housing Depression, Will the Ship Ever Turn Around? - 09/23/11 01:31 PM
Lower real estate values are a fact of life in this country and many others.  Even some homeowners whose down payment was 20% or more are now underwater.  The fact that the loan is now higher than the home's value is not a valid reason to walk away.  Valid or not, more people are considering strategic default as their homes continue to lose value faster than the standard amortization table can keep up.
A substantial risk with an underwater home is the lack of a dignified way to dispose of it when the owner faces financial difficulties.  If you can no … (3 comments)

Politicians scare and depress me - 09/19/11 03:07 PM
President Obama has revealed his latest deficit reduction blueprint, and it is the same as all his other blueprints.  It is designed to fail.  His tax the rich battle cry makes him look like Robin Hood, except this Robin Hood has no bow and arrows.  The continual conflict between the fringe elements is a guarantee that there will be no progress toward a stable economy or a sensible federal government budget for quite a while.
We're forced to choose between one side whose war on science scares a lot of us who believe that the earth is not flat and that … (2 comments)

100 shopping days until Christmas -- How many days left to shop for a new home? - 09/16/11 11:17 AM
With a hundred days to go, September 16 marks the last of the three digit number of days until the Christmas shopping season ends.  For almost everyone, it hasn't yet begun, and we will complain that retailers are rushing us.  We will complain until we start worrying that there doesn't seem to be as much time as we need to get everything completed on time.  It happens every year, doesn't it?
Many folks know that they would be happier, and that their families would be better off, if they were to find another place to live that fits them better.  Maybe … (1 comments)

Should you wait until spring to try to sell your home? - 09/15/11 10:55 AM
There are a lot of folks who want to sell their homes.  Many have been on market for the summer months with nothing to show for it but a fishbowl full of business cards left by buyer's agents during showings.  The listing is either expired, or soon to expire, and they are unsure of their next step.
Maybe they will just re-list the home with the current agent.  That's the easiest course, since he's already asking for an extension of the listing.  No need to interview other agents and go through the paperwork needed to set things up.  Just sign one … (3 comments)

Dakota County property values up over 90% in one month? I wish it were true - 09/10/11 02:32 PM
The world according to Zillow is a strange place.  According to Zillow, my home's value has increased more than 90% in the last month.  Their end of July zestimate was $106,900, and their September zestimate is $203,800.  That's even more unbelievable than a Dr. Yun market prediction.
Last month, I wrote about the surprise that Zillow laid out for me when I searched for my home's value.  According to Z, my home was located on 2.59 acres and was worth almost a hundred thousand dollars less than it is today.  Even more of a surprise is that the lot has grown … (3 comments)

FHFA Lawsuit against Banks -- Why did they not include Wells Fargo? - 09/06/11 10:01 AM
The Federal Housing Finance Agency filed a lawsuit against seventeen lenders last Friday.  FHFA alleges that there were violations of federal securities laws in the sale of mortgage backed securities.  Absent from the naughty seventeen was Wells Fargo.  Perhaps they just missed Wells when they typed up the complaint.  Maybe they want to save something for desert. Maybe they went in alphabetical order and the holiday weekend started before they got to the W's. 
For whatever reason that the FHFA chose to ignore Wells Fargo, now the product of Wells plus Wachovia, the result of the lawsuit is predictable.  There will … (0 comments)

Government needs to fix restaurants! - 09/05/11 11:28 AM
My cousin Clem's wife Phoebe had a birthday last week and he took her to a high-end restaurant for a special dinner.  It was everything they expected in terms of service, ambiance, and perfectly prepared food.  The wine selection was impressive, and they enjoyed one of the finest selections on the list.  The quality of the meal was excellent, and the portions so large that they asked the server to wrap up what amounted to over half of the original serving for them to take home.  It was a perfect evening until...
The night turned a little dark when the server … (17 comments)