Tue 23 Jun 2009
Hat tip to Debbie from over at Baristanet for bringing this to my attention!
From Realogy:
NRT Combines its two New Jersey Real Estate Brokerage Companies into Single Organization
NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company, today announced the merger of the operations of its two local operating companies based in New Jersey – Burgdorff Realtors ERA and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey & Rockland County, N.Y. The newly combined company will operate under the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage banner, further solidifying its market presence with a total of 63 offices and over 3,700 sales associates in the region.
“There was a time when operating both companies independent of each other in the same market made good business sense, but as the marketplace continues to evolve, this unification allows sales associates from both companies to better leverage their regional and national strength for the benefit of our customers,” said Bruce Zipf, president and CEO of NRT LLC, parent company of both Burgdorff ERA and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “We are committed to making this a smooth transition for our sales associates and our clients.”
NRT is assisting more than 600 current Burgdorff sales associates make the transition to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in the coming days. As a result of the merger, seven of the 13 Burgdorff offices will be rebranded and operate as Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, and six Burgdorff offices will be consolidated into existing Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage locations in the same communities. One Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office will be closed and merged into an existing company location in the same community.
frist!
so, bite me!
The horse and buggy whip, travel agencies, realtors. Buh-bye!
This one is a shocker.
In my opinion, the Burgdorff brand has significant cachet among affluent buyers and sellers in prime areas.
The fact that NRT is shuttering Burgdorff is a clear testament to how bad the market is (volume, not prices, remember that realtors profit from volume). A decision to destroy the brand value associated with this likely wasn’t an easy one. Fact of the matter is that sales are down significantly, and at these reduced levels of sales, it simply wasn’t efficient to maintain two brands.
This puts Coldwell in a bad position. Frankly, the Coldwell brand will not be able to attract the high end listings that Burgdorff was able to. I hope someone from the NRT side factored this into the equation.
Sothebys as well as the independents will begin to scoop up the high end market share.
From Bloomberg:
Pulte Expects Home Sales Will Languish for Months
http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=asGRPTLu3C6w
bummer
That’s kinda like GM merging the Chevy and Corvette brands.. that’ll mark the return of the Chevette…
Sothebys as well as the independents will begin to scoop up the high end market share.
At the moment, they won’t need a very big scoop :)
My word! With Burgdorff gone, how on earth am I supposed to move into the most prestigious of towns with the best of schools?
Ha,
Serves them right. One of their agents told me to look in North
Plainfield after I said who would pay 500+ for a pos cape that had never been renovated.
Well guess what Ms snooty nose, renovated capes are now sub 400k in those towns and you are about to join me on the unemployment line.
I wonder if Realogy is going to make it out of this recession…
A corvette is a chevy, what are you talking about?
Richie says:
June 23, 2009 at 2:41 pm
bummer
That’s kinda like GM merging the Chevy and Corvette brands.. that’ll mark the return of the Chevette…
just talked extensively yesterday with a former Burgdorff realtor. Nice lady, worked with her years ago in Essex (me looking, she showing). Well she called me back out of the blue (I’ve been officially not looking for two years now). Well 2-3 years ago when people were still buying and there were still bidding wars, I didn’t have a leg to stand on in the pricing debate so I used to just nod politely at the hype and not pursue the property in question any further.
This time around our conversation went a little differently. I came at her (politely) with every solid argument as to WHY I would not be buying a house priced at 2005 asking and why if it has been on the market 200 plus days, there was no real room for meaningful negotiating. I also asked about bank appraisals, how were those going. Her answer, of course, no problems here! Oh, then I go the “its different here” laid on THICK. Wow, all I could think about was this blog and how I wish I had a recording of the conversation.
Here, ask the president of Burgdorff a question!
http://www.burgdorff.com/forms/askthepresident.aspx
Please don’t throw me in that there briar patch:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/23/real_estate/existing_home_sales/?postversion=2009062314
Grim - Have anecdata about a Schweppe Burdorff realtor or two recently moving to Re/Max. I wonder if this has anything to do with it.
#13 - Email the president? She’s gone.
Layoffs Watch ‘09: Barclays
Massive” layoffs are said to be going down at Barclays circa now, affecting equities at all levels but especially first and second years. Apparently not everyone was brought up to speed that there’d be any whackings today– one victim’s boss (and his boss’s boss) had no idea about the layoffs, with the global head calling a bunch of employees into his office and letting them know they were getting canned due to “restructuring and non-performance based” reasons, without telling their direct managers first.
http://dealbreaker.com/2009/06/layoffs-watch-09-barclays-1.php
Cry me a river…
$60,000 in debt, and nothing to show for it
Faced with a pay cut, Sacramento woman works to whittle down balances
Mary Uhazi has more than $60,000 in credit card debt and, by her own account, “nothing to show for it.”
“You have some clothes, you have some dinner, you have a handbag, you have whatever, but it’s not $11,000 worth or it’s not $60,000 worth,” Uhazi said.
Uhazi is drowning in a sea of debt. And, like millions of other Americans, it is a debt load that she built up slowly over more than two decades of easy credit that made it all too simple to spend. Now she worries she won’t be able to pay it off because of the recession, which has led to a reduction in her salary and an increase in her credit card bills.
It may come to a point where I do end up filing for bankruptcy,” she said.
That’s a situation Uhazi, 43, never imagined she would be in when she signed up for her one of her first credit cards — a Chevron gas card — around 1988.
At the time, she figured the card would be a convenience, so she wouldn’t have to stop at the bank to get cash before buying gas. In the beginning she paid it off every month.
But it didn’t take long before Uhazi’s wallet started to fill up with other cards, including a bank card and some department store cards. Once she had the credit cards, she said, it was easy to go from paying them off at the end of the month to maintaining a balance and figuring she would get to it eventually.
“It was just a gradual thing,” said Uhazi, who lives in Sacramento, Calif., and works for the state.
Piling it on the credit card
As the years went by, there seemed to be more and more reasons to use the card. If it was Christmas, there were presents to buy. If it was her birthday, she figured she could splurge on a short trip to to San Francisco for a baseball game. If she went out to dinner with friends, she reasoned that she should treat everyone because she made the higher salary, so she whipped out her card again.
“It was just easy to put something on the card,” she said.
Her debt built up slowly, and without any truly major purchases. There were a few vacations here and there, and new clothes she had to buy after taking a job that required nicer attire. Everything from movie tickets to gift cards for friends to an $800 car repair went on the card. She went to Home Depot one day to buy flowers and potting soil, and ended up with a store-branded card that still carries a small balance.
If someone asked her if she wanted to open a store credit card, she said she’d sometimes do it in part because, as a former retail worker, she knew the salesperson would get a commission. Sometimes, it was because of the free gift or one-time discount.
As the years went by and she kept on charging, the limits on her cards kept going up, and the offers for new cards kept coming in.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31325093/ns/business-personal_finance/
Re: CC Debt. You know, my wife and I started using rewards cards so we could earn a % back on gas or purchases. I can not manage money this way. God bless those who can, but it just isn’t for me. I simply can not budget money that way. Although we do not have any debt, I have to stop using these rewards cards. I am not disciplined enough to use them :(
re #19 Gator - “works for the state”
Not for long would be my comment, Cali is about to layoff a whole boat load of state workers.
Gator,
Wouldn’t you like to hane $60m of assorted things without having to pay for it and then have the USG come to your rescue?
Who needs budgeting or prudence? We have hope!
They ought to rename this bird, the Phoenix . . .
“June 23 (Bloomberg) — The V-22 Osprey’s performance during its 19 months in Iraq was substandard and the Pentagon should review whether the aircraft’s cost and reliability merit continuing the program, according to congressional auditors.
The tilt-rotor plane’s components wear out too soon, making it too costly to maintain and grounded too much of the time, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said.
The Defense Department has spent $28 billion on the aircraft developed and built by Textron Inc. and Boeing Co. and has bought 206 planes to date. It plans to spend $25 billion more on upgrades and the purchase of the remaining 252 planes in the 458-aircraft program for the Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command.
Given the “significant funding needs” to complete the program, “now is a good time to consider the return on this investment as well as other, less costly alternatives that can fill the current requirement,” the watchdog agency said. . . .”
Since three of the four mfg sites are near Philly, Chicago, and Providence, methinks that this money pit of a defense project will survive yet another bout with the chopping block.
“calling a bunch of employees into his office and letting them know they were getting canned due to “restructuring and non-performance based” reasons, without telling their direct managers first.”
Maybe because the bosses get their calls tomorrow.
Landshark,
DONT even get me started on the Osprey. My colleagues have been involved in this from the start and have nothing good to say about this bird. It might be an interesting research project but if we put combat troops into this, we should be ashamed of ourselves
Is it called a Dreamliner because that is the only place it exists?
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=amKVQirWtAiQ
At least Airbus is not exactly getting good press lately.
NJC/BC,
You have mail.
From the article in 14:
“NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Existing home sales rose in May, as increasingly affordable home prices and a first-time tax credit attracted hesitant buyers.
The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales ticked up 2.4% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.77 million units compared to the downwardly-revised rate of 4.66 million in April.”
Why do editors allow month over month data to come to the fore and ignore the YoY? We are being informed by a bunch of simpletons.
Hey Frank check out all of the empty $1000 dollar a sq ft Condos at the W Hotel from Hoboken. I bet most of them go back to the bank.
Here is a Pic from this month.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/3653512946_a8fe7bf9dd_o.jpg
TBW: Reward cards…
As of our most recent CitiPlatinumAmex card statement, We have earned over $1,000 this year by putting every possible purchase on the card.
If, $2 to $3,000 per year is not enough incentive, then I’m not sure what is?
Now if only I could figure out a way to pay my mortgage (with escrow) via my reward cards.
“Hey Frank check out all of the empty $1000 dollar a sq ft Condos at the W Hotel from Hoboken. I bet most of them go back to the bank.”
Every real estate agent in town has a couple of those advertised. Hahaha even with their insider discounts some of the flippers are going to get burned
I may as well toss this out here.
I have a Whirlpool Washer / Electric Dryer.
Purchased from Lowe’s in Holmdel in July 2007. Used for 18 months, and then we moved to new location that already has appliances.
Both units in excellent working condition.
$400 for both
Whirlpool Washer - Model WTW 554 0SQ0
Whirlpool Electric Dryer - Model WED 5700SW0
Wait ’til Icahn comes at Realogy with both barrels blazing. No more Clodwell Banker then. And, why stop at dumping just Burgdork ERA? The whole ERA brand is an empty, meaningless, worthless shell. I say kill the whole thing.
I sincerely hope all this happens soon. There is no scummier outfit in RE. They’ve been off the tracks ever since the Cendant days.
grim says:
June 23, 2009 at 2:55 pm
“I wonder if Realogy is going to make it out of this recession…”
Always thought the word “realogy” sounded like a new-age religion.
Kind of was.
RE: “I have to stop using these rewards cards. I am not disciplined enough to use them”
The CC bill arrives, you write a check. How hard is that?
Each year the CC companies hand me thousands in free money, tax free, and earn not a cent in interest or fees from me.
Stu,
You can use money xfer services such as moneygram’s express bill pay and link to your CC. They will send bill and debit your CC. Although fees may cut into your dividend profit and put you in the red.
Qwerty [34],
Lose your job and tell me how easy it is to write that check.
NEW YORK – Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that’s what they want to do.
Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its “rubber rooms” — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings.
The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year.
“You just basically sit there for eight hours,” said Orlando Ramos, who spent seven months in a rubber room, officially known as a temporary reassignment center, in 2004-05.
RE: “Lose your job and tell me how easy it is to write that check.”
Gary, that’s sort of besides the point.
One has to write checks anyway (phone, cable TV bill, gasoline, etc, etc). Why not earn free money in the process?
Funnel everything possible through reward credit cards, then pay in full each month. The unemployed especially should avoid paying interest, and will benefit from free money.
I’m with Mish. When the choice of motives is between conspiracy and stupidity, always assume stupidity:
“Some may think that the IMF dumping gold is part of the vast conspiracy to suppress the price of gold. Instead, I propose the IMF sale of gold is sheer stupidity on the part of the IMF.”
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/06/us-approves-imf-gold-sales-what-does-it.html
Qwerty,
While I see your point that you might as well get rewards back by using a credit card (I do it) you are missing the point. If someone states that
“I have to stop using these rewards cards. I am not disciplined enough to use them”
then they have made a good decision. They will still probably be able to get into heaven w/o membership rewards.
Rut roh:
http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/06/mortgage-trade-is-not-doing-as-expected.html
Ray, the poster stated they have zero debt, yet are “not disciplined enough” to write a check each month?
Sure, they may still get into heaven, but will probably have a lower net worth on the way!
Turn down free money? To each his own!
Debit cards have reward programs too. Most banks offer them and many are free.
I’ve never been a fan of the points programs. They’re as annoying as collecting UPC symbols.
chicagofinance - 31
I am surprised you did not drop the names of your prestigious college or high school while selling your used appliances.
The ad should be written as so: My wife, the Yale alumna, and I, the Cornell grad, wish to bequeath to you, the unkempt masses, one ablution mechanism and one dessication contraption for the mere pittance of $400, or a $500 Ivy League college donation in my honor.
Silera,
Look up Citi Platinum Amex. Easy as pie. 5% earned on grocery/gas/drugstore purchases. 3% on everything else. 3 Free passes to airline club per year. Free Citi Identity Monitor (checks all three credit agencies). First year bonus of $300 worth of thankyou points and fee is waived. Second year is $125. 5%/3% guaranteed for minimum 24 months (or until Citi goes bankrupt). I think the earning limit to earn thankyou points has been lowered to $1500 per year. You and your spouse can sign up for your own card and double the earning limit.
Must have credit scores in high 700s to qualify, of course.
https://www.citicards.com/cards/wv/cardDetail.do?screenID=927
Z,
There is still no way to pay your mortgage with a credit card that the fees don’t eat up the advantage.
MoneyGram maxes out at $2500 per payment and their fees are exorbitant.
A free drink to anyone at Friday’s GTG who comes with a strategy that allows one to pay their mortgage with a reward credit card. Such a strategy would earn me another $1200 per year.
Oh yeah. Citi thankyou points can be used to book airfare at 1 for 1 through their search engine (which is actually Expedia). If you can book it at Expedia, you can book it using thank you points. They also have a ton of gift cards at 1 for 1. You can also pay back college loans at 1 for 1, unfortunately I never took one out :P
GerryAdams,
Your knock on Chifi is hilarious.
#37
i had read about that a few months back. wondering who is figuring out the cost effectiveness of paying their full salary along with paying a substitute in their place versus paying to make the issue resolve in a month’s time. BOE, ugh.
Grim,
You were linked and quoted in Baristanet.
http://www.baristanet.com/2009/06/burgdorff_merging_with_coldwel.php#more
Who the hell is responsible for letting this article run? It’s a paradox inside a contradiction.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a04EnJdq98NQ
relo:
Check out Simfa’s forecast from a year ago.
http://www.sifma.org/news/news.aspx?id=5584
SIMFA called for 1.9% growth in 2009 a year ago today. They have now revised their 2009 growth estimate downwards to -2.7%. Hey, I would trust them. After all, they only missed by 4.6% a mere twelve months ago.
Why did I have to pick a field of endeavor where accountability and accuracy matter? Damn.
Can someone explain what makes a basement a finished basement? Somewhere between having a cement floor and walls and having a fully carpeted room with pool table and home theater screen and seating, I see a lot of homes that have cheap linoleum flooring and the basement seems to be used primarily for storage and laundry. Maybe I see a little carve out where someone can tinker with a soldering iron or pay some bills but its hardly the kind of place you would want to “hang out”. Just wondering how the tax assessor concludes that a basement is finished and therefore requires additional property tax.
Perhaps some of the folks out there who have been appealing your property taxes can offer some guidance/opinion.
GerryAdams says:
June 23, 2009 at 5:19 pm
chicagofinance - 31
I am surprised you did not drop the names of your prestigious college or high school while selling your used appliances.
G-man: To you and anyone else who gets their insecure noses-bent out of shape about nothing……It is sadly ironic that I really do not thing going to Cornell is any big accomplishment. I think of it as a descriptive term whereas some off you people think of it as elitist. It simply is not. I do not toss the name around as some badge of honor, and anyone who does is sad.
The flip side to that comment is that I have fcuking earned every last break and opportunity I have ever received in my life. If you can’t deal with it then too bad.
Pretty cool post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say
that I have really liked browsing your posts. Any way
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
[56] chifi
While getting on an elevator this morning, two of my partners were chatting, and one talked about a wedding her daughter was involved in (bridesmaid). She described it as the “Cornell [something] team, marrying the Cornell [something else] team”
Made me think of you. ;-)
From Reuters, speaking of Ivy League:
US News
Harvard cuts 275 jobs, cites drop in endowment
03:07 PM EDT
By Erin Kutz
BOSTON (Reuters) - Harvard University announced 275 job cuts on Tuesday, the latest cost-cutting measure at the world’s richest university after the financial crisis triggered big losses in its multibillion-dollar endowment.
The Ivy League school took the action to meet budget constraints caused by an estimated 30 percent fall in its endowment for its 2009 fiscal year, ending June 30.
The cuts mostly affect administrative, clerical and technical jobs and will take place this week and next, Marilyn Hausammann, vice president for human resources, said in an e-mail to staff and faculty.
Another 40 staff were offered reduced work hours.
snio
[59] shore
That’s 275 less folks my sister has to listen to whine about their aches and pains.
Actually, she doesn’t mind so much the staff. She can’t stand the whining she gets from grad students.
Anyone else following the chaos in the NYS senate? The average high school class election is more organized. What a mess:
N.Y. Senate Talks Fail Miserably, Chaos Ensues
Dems Refuse To Recognize Espada As President Pro Tem, Don’t Stand For Pledge Of Allegiance During Special Session
Republicans Fail To Take Podium, Pass Bills By Acclamation
The battle for control of the New York State Senate got even more bizarre Tuesday.
After talks of a power-sharing arrangement broke down, Democrats locked themselves in the Senate chamber, Republicans tried to conduct business on their own and none of the “people’s business” got done.
As incredible as it may seem, pictures obtained by CBS 2 HD are of the Democratic senators who locked themselves inside their chamber so they could be “first in” for Gov. David Paterson’s special session. The pictures, shot through the window of a Senate door, seem to show that it was all about taking possession of the podium.
Yonkers Sen. Andrea Stewart Cousins is seen standing there to prevent the Republicans from taking over. The move came shortly after Democrats said talks of establishing a bi-partisan operating agreement fell through because a Republican coalition insisted the Senate president be Bronx Sen. Pedro Espada.
“We do not concede that Pedro Espada is the Senate president. We have offered to put aside the issues of whether the president of the Senate is Sen. [Malcolm] Smith or Sen. Espada,” said Sen. Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan.
What happened next was equally incredible. With the Democrats in their seats, the Republicans marched in and tried to take the podium. They were rebuffed, so they held a session form the well of the chamber and passed dozens of bills by acclamation.
The odd thing was when Republican senators start the session with the pledge of allegiance. The Democrats didn’t stand to participate and when one tried to stand, he was pulled down.
After the Republicans gaveled out, the Democrats gaveled in their special session. The problem was Sen. Smith said they couldn’t proceed because they didn’t have the governor’s bills
The big question is when or if they’ll ever be able to pass anything.
“At this time, no one in this chamber is holding the governor’s business back, other than the governor’s office not having the material needed on time,” Smith said.
Paterson was furious. His aides said the bills were sent to the Senate chamber at 1 p.m.
“I’ve been a public servant for over 20 years and what I’ve seen in the last two weeks in the Senate disgusts me. Their inaction is a dereliction of duty. I pledge as governor there will be no more tolerance of these delays and these distractions.”
Paterson said this week that he would call special legislative sessions every day, including on weekends and holidays, until the two sides could come to an agreement. Senators would have to attend such sessions, but they would not have to vote on any bills. Who would preside over the sessions remains unclear.
Paterson has lashed out at senators for the ongoing soap opera. It’s been two weeks since the state Senate accomplished anything and the governor said enough is enough.
But his mandate seemed to make little impact considering Tuesday’s madness.
Meanwhile, the Assembly adjourned at 2 a.m. Tuesday after passing hundreds of bills. Most of the measures have companion bills pending in the Senate.
Those affected by the delay include Mayor Michael Bloomberg and all New York City residents.
He’s pushing for a renewal of mayoral control of city schools, citing recent favorable performance data. Like so many other local officials across the Empire State, Bloomberg is anxiously waiting for a break in the legislative deadlock.
“I think everybody understands that mayoral control really has been the key to all of this,” Bloomberg said. “It has given us the ability to make the tough decisions and hold people accountable for results.”
“The flip side to that comment is that I have fcuking earned every last break and opportunity I have ever received in my life. If you cant deal with it then too bad.”
Chifi,
I am so oblivious I never realized you used to skulk on the hill high above Cayuga’s waters. Ice cream at the straight, overlooking the lake, or at Purity, overlooking, um, traffic, are two of my favorite things. Simeons and Moosewood are okay too.
Oh, and I agree about taking advantage of the breaks one makes for one’s self. The hard work behind success is si often overlooked. And, yes, I recognize therole of luck/breaks in achievement, but luck and breaks without hard work and ability seldom result in anything longlasting.
From an email I received today from Jon Corzine:
Help me fight for Property Tax relief
Dear GATOR,
As the saying goes, talk is cheap.
While our Republican opponent — and the national Republican party that supports him — stands on the sidelines slinging mud, distorting my record , and offering up an economic plan that calls for rejecting billions of dollars in federal stimulus money, my administration and I have continued to keep our attention on the things that really matter to New Jersey’s working families.
And last week, those efforts paid off big time. We delivered real results for New Jersey taxpayers that cannot be ignored.
Because I launched the Tax Amnesty program, our state now has an additional $400 million for direct property tax relief — dramatically exceeding all expectations. It’s no surprise that my opponent mocks this accomplishment — the legislators who co-chair his campaign and the right wing Republican he anointed to chair his party all voted against the program.
But I want you to know that I am committed to making certain that these recovered funds are directed to the working families of our state and that New Jersey property tax payers get much-needed and much-deserved tax relief.
Due to this extraordinary development, the legislature is reconsidering the budget, and a final floor vote is expected on Thursday, June 25.
Unfortunately, earlier this week all the Republicans in the budget committees voted against the revised budget with the restored middle class property tax relief. These are the wrong choices for New Jersey. If you believe, as I do, that the Legislature MUST put this $400 million in new-found revenue toward property tax relief for middle-class homeowners, then please take a moment to make your voice heard to your representatives in Trenton.
I will do everything in my power to make certain that recovered funds are directed to property tax relief, but since Republicans seem intent on opposing restoring middle class property tax relief, your voice can make a huge difference.
Click here to locate your elected officials and send their office a message that you support property tax relief.
Let me be clear: When revenues fell, the last item we cut was property tax relief. Now that weve recovered some lost revenues the first thing we will restore is property tax relief.
The money belongs to the taxpayers, and I will fight to give it back to them in property tax relief. I hope that I can count on your support in that effort.
Governor Jon Corzine
Shore: Regardless of all the idiotic blather about ivy-this-and-that….my #1 pet peeve is people slagging on investment bankers and how they are paid.
In a nutshell (or nutsack)…most people do not have enough:
(1) intelligence;
(2) balls;
(3) arrogance;
(4) perseverence;
(5) single-minded selfishness;
(6) love of money
to be bankers. Yet, have the asseninity to say they “choose” not have such a career.
Yeah, whatever…..
Shore Guy says:
June 23, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I am so oblivious I never realized you used to skulk on the hill high above Cayuga’s waters. Ice cream at the straight, overlooking the lake, or at Purity, overlooking, um, traffic, are two of my favorite things. Simeons and Moosewood are okay too.
Are you CCMO? Have we met?
When I was there I ran the Commons Coffeehouse with some other people….another word I recall is weather-related…..”it’s Ithacating”.
don’t forget dimies and the rongo….
#50 - Stu,
Debbie was the one that let me know.
asseninity
I guess the equivalent to Burgdorff in Bucks County PA where I live is Lisa James Otto - I see their signs on all the high-end properties. I ride my motorcycle all over the middle and north end of the county - I’ve been seeing a lot of high-end properties languishing on the market. If they live by volume, I guess LJOtto is hurtin’ now too.
Stu,
I make 90% of my purhases on Amex Blue Cash card. Similar terms with Citi Amex but no annual fee. Getting $800 a year rebate on average
Gerry Adams,
Post of the day.
From Bloomberg:
Deutsche Bank Said to Set July 15 Deadline for NYC Tower Bids
Deutsche Bank AG set a July 15 deadline to accept new bids for Manhattan’s Worldwide Plaza office tower after a deal to sell the property fell apart, three people familiar with the plan said.
The bank notified potential bidders that the property is back up for sale after deciding not to complete a June 3 deal with RCG Longview and George Comfort & Sons, said the people, who declined to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
Deutsche Bank will change the terms of the transaction with the new buyer, the people said. While it will still finance the sale, the bank will no longer retain an equity stake in the 47- story tower at Eighth Avenue and West 49th Street, the people said. Worldwide Plaza was one of seven Midtown skyscrapers Germany’s biggest bank took possession of 16 months ago when developer Harry Macklowe defaulted on about $7 billion in debt.
The bank has sought to sell the properties in a market where values have fallen 30 percent to 50 percent from their 2007 peak, Studley Inc. broker Woody Heller said.
Stu- thanks for the advice on the card. Our credit scores took a beating over the last few years though. Technically we beat them down by maxing them out to “float” expecting my husband to get better. Obviously a bad decision in hindsite.
Hopefully we’ll be able to start taking advantage of all that good stuff once we work our way back up to credit worthy members of society.
Chi- I agree with you re the bankers. Except a lot of those traits that I don’t have I don’t particulary want? Intelligence, perserverance and even balls are awesome (I hope John is asleep), the rest just not part of my priorities. To each their own.
As a great man says often, “It doesn’t make you a bad person”.
‘unwashed masses’ would have obvious derogatory overtones combined with the whole washing machine thing.
Replacing it with unkempt was sublime and key.
#65,
Do you understand that “most people” would consider at least half of those to be negative character traits? That might explain the “slagging”
Firestorm: Amex Blue Cash…I have that one too :P Glad to see you did your homework ;)
77.PA Bound says:
June 23, 2009 at 8:26 pm
#65, Do you understand that “most people” would consider at least half of those to be negative character traits? That might explain the “slagging”
PA: I agree with you. However, my point is that many people say “I wouldn’t” when the truth is that they “couldn’t”. I am all for freedom of expression (i.e. fcuk these a%%holes), but not that these guys don’t deserve to be paid. Many of these bozos are ugly human beings, but you have to leave it there in my opinion…..
68.leftwing says:
June 23, 2009 at 7:02 pm
don’t forget dimies and the rongo….
left: what was the name of the dimies place…when I was there, they lost their liquor license because there was a 12-year old in there being served.
Dude….I’ve actually never been inside proper….
http://www.rongo.com/
left: my favorite girlfriend from college had a litmus test she used on guys; we went out here with her roommates, and “the test” was the reaction I had to watching Michael suck face with his boyfriend. Luckily I was too drunk to really react. I mean it was really a shocking thing to see….even at 21.
http://www.zvents.com/ithaca-ny/venues/show/318709-common-ground#
RE:#32…it’s been a long time since I have seen/heard a Cendant reference…next thing I know someone will mention Alegis…was that the name?? Hertz, United Airlines, and Westin hotels..all under one company.I wonder if Frank Olson is still alive..
The Citi Platinum Amex card isn’t what it used to be when it first came out. They took away the 5 points for every $1 spent on restaurant purchases which is where I accumulated most of my points. The TY rewards aren’t as good as they used to be either. I was able to get $900 in student loan rebate checks in 2008 but recently they changed the point requirement for student loan rebate checks. It used to be a $100 check for 10,000 points but now it takes 12,700 points to get a $100 check.
The Citi Drivers Edge card looks pretty interesting in terms of rewards. Anybody use this card?
I posted this on previous thread…
Libery mutual jacked up my life insurance rate estimate by 25% from the base price they quoted (which was already at the top of the range compared to others) and cited high cholesterol levels! They jacked up my wife’s by 50% and cited a couple of tickets she had — things like driving on the shoulder for 25 ft into to take the exit into our apartment complex when the traffic was jammed… In 2005!
Should I pick another company (leaning towards, “duh!”), what rates should one expect to pay? May be I’ll pump some iron and starve for a few days to get the levels down!
S
To the real estate agents or others who know about the GSMLS rules for realtors: I have entered a contract to buy a home and we are in attorney review right now, ever since last week. I am perturbed that I see that the listing agent still has never marked the listing in the MLS with the asterisk that indicates it is in attorney review. Isn’t it an MLS realtor rule that the change of status has to be marked within a certain amount of time, and the realtor could get a fine if they don’t follow that rule? Our offer/contract price is significantly lower than the listing price and I am thinking that they are purposely not marking it “attorney review” in order to not dissuade the possibility of a competing offer coming in during attorney review (since, I know that normally I wouldn’t bother making an offer on something already in attorney review, in this market, not making much sense as a buyer to want to be used in what might be a bidding war situation if I did). Is this worth complaining about to the real estate agent?
Has this place really devolved from farting biology to pissing matches?
Heck I am descended from Kings anyone want to match that?
LOL!
“Heck I am descended from Kings anyone want to match that?”
My family proudly deposed kings.
touché shore…
So the next question is how do we start a new viable political party to depose those that are selling us down the river now?
Sastry,
The BEST insurance company in this country is USAA. I love dealing with them and the rates are fantastic.
Chifi,
Remember, Ithaca is Gorges.
Did you ever hike into the base of Taughannock Falls?
“So the next question is how do we start a new viable political party to depose those that are selling us down the river now?”
I don’t think that most people yet care enough to get off their @$$es and get involved. A start would be for people to ignore the names on the ballot and write in ANYONE’s name, a neighbor, a friend, anyone but the damaged choices placed before us. Were candidate X to get 5,000 votes, candidate Y to get 6,000 votes, and an assortment of other candidates to get 25,000 votes it would help spark a change.
Rongo,
An institution. As is Sapsucker Woods, just very different experiences.
Shore
Re USAA: HERE HERE!!!!!
Sean & Shore: history suggests that a traditional political party would have little or no success as the people have effectively abdicated their role in the democratic republic.
I am not making any suggestion (really i promise , various 3 letter agencies) but history would also suggest that the only real chance for a substantive change would be another catastrophic event like 9/11 that could galvanize the people and have a charismatic leader who is able and ready to step up and mobilize the public.
Last time we got “go shopping”.
The other snag is that said “leader” would be outside the mainstream political spectrum and would be promptly labeled as a dissident. Said leader had best have a movement behind him before stepping up tot he plate. Unfortunately said movement would likely be labeled terrorists and pursued with extreme prejudice.
Look at COINTELPRO. Who needs evidence, when they can railroad you however they see fit?
Perhaps i am a little fatalistic tonight, but i also think that history shows that significant change cannot take place until a critical mass of people are ready for said change. And at the moment if that change involves anything besides bigmacs, ford pickups, and american idol, then they arent interested.
84.Sastry says:
June 23, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I posted this on previous thread…
Libery mutual jacked up my life insurance rate estimate by 25% from the base price they quoted (which was already at the top of the range compared to others) and cited high cholesterol levels! They jacked up my wife’s by 50% and cited a couple of tickets she had — things like driving on the shoulder for 25 ft into to take the exit into our apartment complex when the traffic was jammed… In 2005!
Should I pick another company (leaning towards, “duh!”), what rates should one expect to pay? May be I’ll pump some iron and starve for a few days to get the levels down!
S: f- them……whatever both of you do, do not go to the doctor….health permitting and within reason of course…..
Repost something tomorrow about this…I can scan some text from a sheet that I have….
Oh, and my political expertise range from negotiating with a 2yr old to once convincing a meter maid to not give me a ticket.
89.Shore Guy says:
June 23, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Sastry, The BEST insurance company in this country is USAA. I love dealing with them and the rates are fantastic.
shore: don’t you need to be a veteran?
90.Shore Guy says:
June 23, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Chifi, Remember, Ithaca is Gorges.
Did you ever hike into the base of Taughannock Falls?
shore: yes, and “other things”
Did you ever do a loop of the wineries around Kueka Lake? I know a bit out of the way, but my cousin lives in Corning, and I like Hammondsport….
Cindy is probably laughing at the east coast grasshoppers……NY Wineries? Put those things away, you children might hurt yourselves….
http://www.keukalake.com/wineries.html
As Homer Simpson says….
“mmmmmmmm….Gewurztraminer”
http://www.drfrankwines.com/
Common Ground…never made it. The women gravitated there and to the local disco, forget what that was called.
Dimies were the Dugout.
Just went back last summer for a week after not being there in about 15 years. Good to see some things don’t change. Although didn’t recognize the U-Hauls.
I finally got my unemployment claim. frigging nightmare. tried at least 15 times throughout the day. finally called and tried to get a human. was on hold for 24 minutes. after 5 minutes I was told there was a 1 hour wait. 10 more minutes was told 20 minute wait, 5 more minutes 5 minute wait, a few minutes later got a real person, who was actually professional and nice
100.leftwing says:
June 23, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Dimies were the Dugout.
YES!
left: I take it you were a Lynah guy?
100.leftwing says:
June 23, 2009 at 11:18 pm
The women gravitated there and to the local disco, forget what that was called.
The Haunt. Stupidiest thing I ever did was walk from there to North Campus when I was a freshman in February in 3 degrees at 2AM because I wasn’t going to pay $5 for a cab. Fcuking 40 minutes uphill with frozen sweat cracking off my sideburns, no hat, no scarf, no gloves…..
I love the Ithaca Farmers Market on the lake.(My daughter is a Cornell alumna)
I love the Ithaca Farmers Market on the lake.(My daughter is a Cornell alumna)
Coast: you are a snob…..albeit a REALLY COOL snob ;-)
#103 chifi
What was the stupid part, the walk or the sideburns? :P
107.safeashouses says:
June 23, 2009 at 11:44 pm
#103 chifi What was the stupid part, the walk or the sideburns? :P
I was 18. Do you know how cool it was that I could grow a real scruff?
i will not reveal on a forum what I did at 18.
“i will not reveal on a forum what I did at 18.”
i was knee deep in rice patties.
SAS
sorry to hear that sas
I was doing typical dumb 18 year old stuff
Chifi,
Sastry can enlist.
Shadow foreclosure supply? Humm, I wonder where I heard about that before.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31516049/ns/business-washington_post/
By Renae Merle
updated 13 minutes ago
A growing number of American homeowners are falling into financial limbo: They’re badly behind on payments, but their banks have not yet foreclosed.
The backlog of seriously delinquent mortgages, which so far affects about 1 million borrowers, is a shadow over hopes for a rebound in the nation’s housing markets. It masks the full extent of the foreclosure crisis and threatens to depress prices even further just as some parts of the country are hinting at recovery. For lenders, it could portend even more financial losses tied to the mortgage meltdown.
“It just means foreclosure rates are going to keep rising,” said Patrick Newport, an economist for IHS Global Insight.
snip
Chifi,
Hammondsport is nice, for a short visit.
NJC,
Did you ever eat down at the Boathouse?
Ahh, the Peoples’ Republic of Ithaca.
From MSNBC above, and this comes the same day that the White House announced they expected unemployment to top 10% this year:
“Working through the backlog
The glut of foreclosed homes on the market has already pushed down prices across the country. Existing-home prices fell another 16.8 percent in May compared with a year ago, according to industry data released yesterday. The overhang of homes in limbo means that foreclosure rates are likely to increase dramatically during the second half of this year and into 2010 as lenders work through the backlog, said Bob Bellack, chairman of Zetabid, which auctions foreclosed properties.
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“Prices will fall to the point where you have equilibrium, and it won’t reach that until there is no longer this foreclosure overhang,” Bellack said.
This could in turn put renewed stress on financial firms that carry mortgages or mortgage-backed securities on their books. As a general policy, many firms have been marking down the value of those assets as the loans become delinquent. But once the homes go into foreclosure and are sold, their value could decline even more, prompting another round of losses at financial companies.”
Loved your latest post, by the way.
“This one is a shocker.
In my opinion, the Burgdorff brand has significant cachet among affluent buyers and sellers in prime areas.
The fact that NRT is shuttering Burgdorff is a clear testament to how bad the market is (volume, not prices, remember that realtors profit from volume). A decision to destroy the brand value associated with this likely wasn’t an easy one. Fact of the matter is that sales are down significantly, and at these reduced levels of sales, it simply wasn’t efficient to maintain two brands.”
Grim I can’t believe you posted this.
Burgdorff and Coldwell Banker use the same company to produce the marketing materials, the same marketing programs, little different website with cleaner background, elegant lettered fonts and more gold buttons and badges, but the realtors did the exact same things, expert guidance, open houses,professional photography, virtual tours, mapping, etc. The same program, what cachet? Different image? Agent wore more jewelry and different shoes coming to the house? That is why they folded into Coldwell. There was no difference and educated consumers saw there was none, except for you. Same thing.
There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.