Pending Sales Dip, Northeast Plunges

From the WSJ:

Home-Sale Gauge Fell as Tax Deal Expired

A gauge of housing-market activity plunged in November, largely reflecting a surge of home buyers in October racing to beat a deadline for a tax credit.

The National Association of Realtors’ index for pending sales of previously owned homes slid 16% to 96 in November, from an upwardly revised 114.3 in October, the industry group said Tuesday. Pending home sales fell across all regions of the U.S.

“It is uncertain how much demand was pulled forward by the original expiration date of the [first-time home buyers’] tax incentive, but today’s report indicates that it was considerable,” MFR Inc. chief U.S. economist Joshua Shapiro wrote to clients.

Despite November’s steep drop, the pending home sales index for the month was 15.5% higher than it was a year earlier.

From MarketWatch:

Pending home sales index plunges 16%

Pending home sales plunged a seasonally adjusted 16% from October to November as a highly popular tax credit for first-time buyers was set to expire on Nov. 30, the National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday.

The report suggests that sales of existing homes will drop off in the next few months.

The pending sales index, which had risen nine months in a row before falling in November, was 15.5% higher than in November 2008. October’s increase was revised higher to 3.9% from 3.7% previously reported.

The NAR’s pending sales index for November fell in all four regions: down 26% in the Northeast and Midwest, down 15% in the South, and down about 3% in the West.

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265 Responses to Pending Sales Dip, Northeast Plunges

  1. grim says:

    From Bloomberg:

    Manhattan Apartment Prices Fall as Finance Jobs Lost

    Manhattan apartment prices fell for a third consecutive quarter as Wall Street job losses drained demand and the decline in co-op and condominium values reached 21 percent since the market peak.

    The median price slid 10 percent to $810,000 in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, New York appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and broker Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate said today. The median price hit $1.03 million at the top of the market in 2008. The number of sales jumped 8.4 percent to 2,473 in the three months ended Dec. 31.

    Values continued to fall across apartments of all sizes as New York City recorded 10 percent unemployment in November. Fallout from the recession and credit crisis that cost more than 184,000 finance jobs in the Americas is still hurting New York. The city lost 25,200 finance jobs in the 12 months ending Nov. 30, the state Labor Department said Dec. 17.

    “We have some big macro issues ahead of us,” said Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel. “My view is: We’re not done.”

    Five Manhattan property reports published today showed price declines for the fourth quarter from a year earlier. The Corcoran Group, a New York-based broker that conducts its survey with the research company PropertyShark.com, said the median apartment price fell 15 percent. Brown Harris Stevens and Halstead Property LLC put the decline at 11 percent and StreetEasy.com said it was 10 percent.

  2. grim says:

    From the Star Ledger:

    N.J. holds second-highest exit rate

    Steeper estate taxes. Fewer jobs. Higher property taxes.

    For a variety of reasons, people are still leaving New Jersey.

    The state saw 2,356 households move out last year, while 1,480 households moved in, according to the latest migration trends released yesterday by Atlas Van Lines.

    In the Northeast, the size of New Jersey’s exodus trailed behind only Connecticut, which had the region’s highest percentage of outbound (68.5 percent) to inbound (39.5 percent) traffic for the year.

    Migration patterns tracked by Atlas showed the Southwest states of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma attracted the largest number of inbound moves. In the Northeast, Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of inbound moves for the fourth year in a row, according to Atlas.

    Only a handful of residents left New Jersey for Oklahoma — one of those was a move to Vance Air Force Base from McGuire Air Force Base — but many headed for Texas, Maryland and Georgia. Despite a worsening economy, California also continued to attract residents from the state.

    The number of people moving from New Jersey dropped 11 percent in 2009, representing the smallest wave of departures in six years. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of outbound moves hovered around 3,000 or more, according to Atlas.

    In 2008, 2,661 households left the state.

    Atlas attributed the drop in moves, generally, to the nation’s economic woes.

  3. grim says:

    Dodd pulls out, will Schiff take it?

  4. Essex says:

    Dodd was clearly in the pocket of any bank who paid him. Schiff is unknown but his comments about anything other than real estate make me wonder if he has any sense.

  5. grim says:

    From the Star Ledger:

    N.J. panel approves bill requiring state workers to live in state

    Legislation to require future state employees to live in New Jersey was approved by an Assembly committee Monday.

    “State workers whose salaries and benefits are paid-for by New Jersey taxpayers should be New Jersey taxpayers themselves,” Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, (D-Mercer), the bill’s sponsor said in a statement. “Public jobs should be reserved for residents who want to show by example that New Jersey truly is a great place to work, live and raise a family.”

    According to the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, approximately 8 percent of the state workforce lives outside of New Jersey.

    Under the bill all future executive, legislative and judicial branch employees – as well as workers employed by independent authorities – would be required to live in New Jersey. Out-of-state residents would be given six months to move into New Jersey before their jobs would be deemed vacant; an additional six month extension could be granted if the initial timeframe poses a significant personal hardship.

  6. grim says:

    At what point are we going to require retirees to stay in-state as a prerequisite for collecting pension payments and receiving other benefits?

  7. grim says:

    From the Philly Business Journal:

    Macy’s closing Burlington Center Mall store, 4 others

    Macy’s said Tuesday it will close a location in Burlington, N.J., ending 50 jobs there.

    The store, in the Burlington Center Mall, is among five unprofitable locations being closed nationwide, the retailer said.

    Macy’s (NYSE:M) will also close locations in Boise, Idaho; Waterford, Mich.; St. Ann, Mo.; and Missoula, Mont. In all, it will cut 300 jobs.

  8. Essex says:

    6. that would be interesting….I always wonder why anyone would retire here. The pension payouts in many cases might “just” cover the the taxes on the home they ‘own’.

  9. grim says:

    Anyone have any updates on the newest additions to the December WARN notices?

    COMPANY CITY EFFECTIVE DATE WORKFORCE AFFECTED

    BLACKWELL NORTH AMERICA, INC BLACKWOOD 2/5/2010 91

    CDG MANAGEMENT LLC NEW BRUNSWICK 12/6/2009 113

    CDG MANAGEMENT LLC OCEAN 11/27/2009 107

    MERCK & CO. INC. KENILWORTH 2/9/2010 500

    PFIZER MONMOUTH JUNCTION 1/31/2010 400

    WILKIN MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC MAHWAH 12/7/2009 1

  10. serenity now says:

    Re#2 …
    The number of people moving from New Jersey dropped 11 percent in 2009, representing the smallest wave of departures in six years. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of outbound moves hovered around 3,000 or more, according to Atlas.

    Because they were not able to sell their homes?

  11. grim says:

    I suppose we can trade those 900 pharma workers for the incoming government workers in #5.

  12. Cindy says:

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703580904574638511401942886.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_realestate

    Check out this place

    “This home at 700 Navesink River Road in the Locust section of Middletown, N.J., consists of three separate sections that were joined together in 1913. The oldest section was built in 1876.”

    Photo #6 – John’s library/study?

  13. fly-over says:

    In a completely unrelated vein, I wish to announce that I have been acquired in a friendly takeover. I was married on Saturday.

    — Ray
    (formerly Broken)

  14. Cindy says:

    @15 – Congratulations!

  15. Dissident HEHEHE says:

    SAS,

    Don’t go talking smack about Sardines. Sardines are one of the healthiest foods you can find. High in omega3’s, protein, calcium and no mercury. I challenge you to find a better source of protein for a buck.

  16. Mr Hyde says:

    HEHE

    In general terms, the smaller the fish the less heavy metals and pollutants it is likely to have in its body. In more general terms, the lower on the food chain the fish or any other animal you are going to eat is, the less contaminants it will have in it body.

    of course there are exceptions, caveat emptor

  17. 18 Hehehe
    That may be. But if someone opened a can of sardines at work and I was forced to smell that, I’d throw my shoe at their head.

  18. Dissident HEHEHE says:

    Schiff should promise each Connecticut citizen a free can of Sardines:

    http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=147

  19. Cindy says:

    HEHEHE – How about Kipper Snacks? We used to take them on all camping/back packing trips. If you didn’t catch fish – you had fish. Haven’t eaten them in years. As I remember, more expensive than sardines though.

  20. grim says:

    Ray!!

    Congrats! How is the change of scenery?

  21. grim says:

    He,

    unsalted cottage cheese as a raw protein source. Something like 3 bucks for somewhere near 70 grams. It is a bit of a chore to eat a whole container though.

  22. A.West says:

    Regarding grocery budgets:
    I seriously recommend shopping for your produce at chinese groceries. The vegetables and much of the fruit there is better and cheaper than I can ever find in the American chains (excluding corn). You can also find 20-pound bags of rice which gives you all the starch you need with a rice-cooker.
    While you’re at it, buy a copy of a Wei Chung cookbook and learn to cook Chinese food, which has a high ratio of veggies to meat, which saves you money and is probably healthier (though is probably high in sodium).
    Asian groceries sometimes offers decent value in the meat and seafood dept, but I tend to buy meats, eggs, and milk from Costco, where they have consistently good deals. Costco bags of frozen shrimp and fish fillets are also good because they are easy to divide into multiple meals.

    If you skip the pre-processed food and snacks everywhere, which tend to be expensive, theres probably money in your budget left for fancier stuff. The tradeoff is time – buying fresh veggies every week and slicing your own meat for cooking every day, takes more time than buying mostly pre-made stuff.

    If I had to save money on my grocery budget (which I don’t), I’d go back to full-time Chinese/Asian cooking and shopping. It’s genuinely difficult to spend more than about $70 dollars for a weekly van-trunk full of asian groceries.

  23. Fiddy Cents on the Dollar says:

    Cindy —

    That house at 700 Navesink River Rd is magnificent. Acreage on the Riverfront with a fully restored turn-of-the-century mansion. I hope they’re going to have a Broker’s Open House soon.

    The home is assessed at $6.5M and the annual tax bill is $112K. And there is a separate assessment for the land & outbiuildings.

    That being said I think the asking price is a little steep.

    BTW….Bon Jovi lives at 740 Navesink River Rd. Famous neighbors might be a selling point.

  24. Outofstater says:

    #15 Ray – Congratulations!

  25. Dissident HEHEHE says:

    I like my cottage cheese but I need my salt:)

    I’ve had Kippers. They are very good, nice and smoky.

  26. Cindy says:

    27 – Fiddy – I think the five named cows should go with the property….
    gorgeous…

  27. Painhrtz says:

    Grim the layoffs at Merck and Pfizer are redundant jobs due to the mergers with their acquisitions assests. Also some buyouts.

    Should really start to pick up when the deals are finalized. i know a few of my friends at Schering are sweating.

  28. John says:

    Bond of the Day – If you think RE is turning the corner and rates are not skyrocketing.

    REGIONS FINL CORP BOND 07.37500% 12/10/2037
    Price (Ask) 82.000
    Yield to Worst (Ask) 9.172%
    7591EPAE0
    NONCALLABLE Spread to Treasuries 4.564

  29. Shore Guy says:

    Cindy,

    Can we have kippers for breakfast?

    The’ve got to have ’em in Texas, where everyone’s a millionaire.

  30. Shore Guy says:

    “Manhattan apartment prices fell for a third consecutive quarter as Wall Street job losses drained demand and the decline in co-op and condominium values reached 21 percent since the market peak.”

    Grim, this CANNOT be acurate because Manhattan has great proximity to Manhattan.

  31. 34 Shore
    “Grim, this CANNOT be acurate because Manhattan has great proximity to Manhattan.”

    Ha!

  32. knicks fan says:

    Cindy #12

    so, lets see they bought for $3.5mm, now are looking for a mere $16.5mm 10 years later….

    (oh yeah, they did improvements, new septic and all!)

    so, even if they spent $1m on improvements, they are in for $4.5mm, over 10 years, compounded anually at 13.8%, ok thats $16.5mm

    (if you think 13.8% annually is a fair return on real estate!)

    freakin laa laa land

  33. John says:

    Ray, sorry to hear we are losing you. When is the wake?

    After the engagement-ring comes the bo-ring.

  34. Cindy says:

    36 – Knicks – LaaLaa land – for sure….

    but I think they will throw in Edith, Ethel, Esther, Edna and Eloise…

  35. (safeashouses) says:

    regarding groceries

    We’re kind of a combination of A. West and Kettle. Greens, rice, eggs, spices, asian noodles and sauces from the asian grocer. Dairy, meats, and fruits from whole foods. Usually runs us about $130 a week.

  36. Fiddy Cents on the Dollar says:

    Cindy —

    The cows must stay.

    Most cow manure smells awful….but I’d bet these bovines give off aromatic airs.

  37. (safeashouses) says:

    Is the river of wealth under Manhattan drying up?

  38. Cindy says:

    33 – Shore “Can we have kippers for breakfast?”

    I don’t know. They are just herring after all.

    https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&productId=354269&catalogId=1&krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D&ddkey=http:ProductDisplay

    We just always had them backpacking – that was years ago…
    Jefferson Wilderness
    Three-fingered Jack
    Obsidian Cliffs…

    Ah – Oregon…

  39. yikes says:

    grim says:
    January 6, 2010 at 6:20 am

    At what point are we going to require retirees to stay in-state as a prerequisite for collecting pension payments and receiving other benefits?

    that would be a bad battle to fight, and surely would end in defeat.

    that being said … my in-laws, both who collect a pension, are pondering a move to Bucks County. they have to crunch the #’s to see if it makes sense. what’s stopping them: Their place in NJ is about to be paid off.

    but with taxes rising …

  40. chicago tan-talizer says:

    yes

    10.serenity now says:
    January 6, 2010 at 6:34 am
    Because they were not able to sell their homes?

  41. Mr Hyde says:

    Re food

    The Hyde family actually gets most of their meats from private farms, shipped over night. mostly bison, a little venison and poultry.

    The average cost works out to 9 $/lb. The quality and taste of the meat is far above almost anything ever found in a grocery store. We buy grass fed only, no grain finishing or at any other point in the animals diet.

    In a pinch we will pick up something at whole foods or trader joe.s. As Nom as pointed out go with halal or kosher meats, they tend to be of higher quality then most store bought meats.

    There is certainly a premium but its worth it for the Hyde family

    a good source for this stuff.

    http://www.eatwild.com
    (lists various farms)

  42. freedy says:

    so who’s going to be left in NJ?

    and does the gang in trenton care?

  43. lisoosh says:

    Ray – congrats.
    A. West – I used to shop the Asian supermarkets but now find I get better value at the Indian stores.
    Pain – Don’t think the pharma folks laid off care why. Nor do the towns they live in.
    Protein – nobody really needs that much. Half a chicken breast a day is enough for an adult.

  44. Pat says:

    Brain dead here, and needing some inspiration.

    70’s split, 4/4 excellent neighborhood. 2 days listing on post REO foreclosure. Just drove by, undamaged, inground pool is covered. Why would bank list at 229 even if all comps are 350 or more?

    Bidding war?

  45. Mr Hyde says:

    Safe 41,

    is this the river you are referring to???

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu4XVBOTVRE

  46. lisoosh says:

    (safeashouses) says:
    January 6, 2010 at 9:09 am
    “Is the river of wealth under Manhattan drying up?”

    I believe that is known as sewage in the rest of the world.

  47. lisoosh says:

    Caught the last 40 minutes of a History Channel movie – “After Armageddon”, showing how life could be in the US after a major catastrophe leading to systemic breakdown (pandemic in their case).

    Seriously freaky. Is going to be repeated, I highly recommend checking it out.

  48. yikes says:

    I’m going out on a limb and picking the Jets to beat the Bengals 17-13 Saturday.

    /proud fan since the mid 80s, otherwise known as the Ken O’Brien and Al Toon days

  49. bones deplume says:

    Anyone watching “Armageddon Week” on History Channel? Last night, a 2 hour show called After Armageddon that tracked the experiences of an LA family in the wake of a TEOTWAWKI pandemic. Lots of experts on what will happen at every level. I saw it as a 2 hour ad for the Nompound. It also confirmed much of what I would expect in such a scenario, and clued me in as to why such things might happen.

    It was a worst case scenario, which makes good theatre, but is highly unlikely. The takeaway I get was that the events that would result in TEOTWAWKI would involve massive loss of life and a breakdown of multiple systems simply because the people running them die.

    Pretty chilling stuff.

  50. Pat says:

    you people scare me.

    And I don’t scare easily.

  51. Pat says:

    9:21 9:23

  52. frank says:

    “N.J. panel approves bill requiring state workers to live in state”
    So it’s not O.K. for a PA resident to get money from NJ, but it’s O.K. for a Mexican resident to get money from NJ. Only in NJ.

  53. chicago tan-talizer says:

    12.Cindy says:
    January 6, 2010 at 6:42 am
    “This home at 700 Navesink River Road in the Locust section of Middletown, N.J., consists of three separate sections that were joined together in 1913. The oldest section was built in 1876.”

    C: Nice spot…very close to where I work. Linda would drive past that area to get Hunter to Music Together in Rumson. In addition to Bon Jovi, I think Springsteen may live on that road, Peter Chris from Kiss, John Valentin (retired) from the Red Sox…sundry rich knuckleheads…..that’s why Springsteen uses the gym (although he may have switched to WOW on Front Street) around the corner from my office.

    They have Nicholas and Whole Foods on 35…everything you need…

  54. chicago tan-talizer says:

    Ray congrats

  55. John says:

    J-E-T-S

    Superbowl Baby!!!!! Last time Jets were number one in Defense, had a coach named Ryan and Superbowl was in Miami was 1968 and Jets won the Superbowl that year.

    My plans are set, stay at same hotel as Jets cheerleaders, party in Southbeach and watch Jets win it all.

  56. (safeashouses) says:

    #50 Hyde,

    I doubt NYC will ever run out of slime.

  57. John says:

    This house just got the price cut to $999,999 which is a good price for a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house in Laurel Hollow. One of the neighborhoods I was looking for a trade-up house in but stopped. Bon Jovi does not live there which brings up property values.
    The kitchen is ugly and needs updating and whats with all the wallpaper. It is estate sale so there is some nasty there. But bones are good. Given prices today it is a good value, but my gut tells me prices are going lower. Is it worth a look. You guys are professionals. There is an open house this weekend so I would just drop by and give my John Q. Public name at sign-in.

    http://www.mlsli.com/unidetailsredo_test.CFM?MLNum=2203536&typeprop=1&start=1&rpp=10

    http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

    http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/mynassauproperty/main.jsp

  58. Sean says:

    re: #3 – Dodd was running against Linda McMahon (Pres of WWE). She has the deep pockets.

    Schiff is a dark horse, and is not really running.

  59. Fiddy Cents on the Dollar says:

    Pat —

    Are you sure that house is habitable inside. If it was empty thru the winter…I’d be worried about pipes bursting and such.

    chi-fi
    I know Valentin sold his palace when he retired. Bruce now lives in Colts Neck, and he’s building a mansion on a huge parcel by the reservoir.

  60. meter says:

    @232 (yikes) on previous thread:

    “that’s insane. $600? We spent more than that and we have 2 people. we’re frugal. one costco trip a month is $150. and we’re spending $150ish a week on groceries. we cook 5 meals a week at home. maybe six.

    hit a restaurant MAYBE one or two nights a week.

    $600 is insanely low.”

    I’m not counting things like paper products (tp, paper towels, napkins), cleaners (detergents, soaps, etc) or incidentals that we might buy at Costco, but we don’t spend more than $150/month on those things anyway.

    I don’t eat lunch at home, and we do take-out/pizza maybe once a week for dinner. My family of three spends maybe $120/week on actual grocery store bills.

  61. scribe, The Princess of Paramus says:

    TEOTWAWKI

    translation, please?

  62. RayC says:

    The End Of The World As We Know It

  63. NJCoast says:

    That Locust house was on a VNA House Tour a couple of years ago- yawn.

    Chifi- Sprinsteen’s house is across the street from Rumson Country Day School but spends most of their time at their Colts Neck compound.

  64. scribe, The Princess of Paramus says:

    Broken,

    congrats

    ps, don’t take any advice from John as to how to liven up your marriage :)

  65. scribe, The Princess of Paramus says:

    Ray,

    Thank you

  66. Sean says:

    re #15 – Congrats Ray – Here is an Irish Wedding joke for you.

    In County Cavan Ireland to keep tradition going, everyone gets extremely drunk and the bride’s and groom’s families sometimes have a storming row. Occasionally if it gets out of hand the police get called in to break up the fight.

    One time after a wedding fight all members of both families were arrested and in court the next day. The row from the wedding day continued in the courtroom until the judge finally slammed his gavel use of his gavel and shouted, ‘Silence in court!’

    The courtroom went silent and Paddy, the best man, stood up and said,
    ‘Judge, I was the best man at the wedding and I think I should explain what happened.’

    The judge agreed and asked Paddy to take the stand. Paddy begins his explanation by telling the court that it is traditional in a Cavan wedding that the best man gets the first dance with the bride.

    The judge says, ‘OK.’

    ‘Well,’ said Paddy, ‘after I had finished the first dance, the music kept going, so I continued dancing to the second song, and after that the music kept going and I was dancing to the third song, when all of a sudden the groom leapt over the table, ran towards us and gave the bride an unmerciful kick right between her legs.’

    Shocked, the judge instantly responded, ‘God, that must have hurt!’

    ‘Hurt?’ Paddy replies. ‘He broke three of my fingers!’

  67. John says:

    I am thinking of looking at an estate sale this weeked that just got price cut at 27 Springwood Path, Laurel Hollow New York. The kitchen is a wreck and wallpaper everywhere but it is a five bedroom colonial on 2 acres for 999K with full basement and a two car garage.

    Trying to figure if it is worth looking. Or how much more off I can get, was originally 1.2 million a few months ago.

    ML# 2203536

  68. Anon E. Moose says:

    [NJ residency req for state/muni jobs];

    The retirees living out of state can’t vote the Trenton Gang out of office after they pull the brakes on the gravy train. The only requirement is continued ACORN funding.

  69. "Bones" Deplume says:

    [52] lisoosh

    even freakier is that we blogged about the show at the same time. I came into it after a 1/2 hour, so I def. want to see the whole thing. It was quite informative, more so than watching The Road or a Mad Max movie.

  70. (safeashouses) says:

    I finally found a colonial that appears to be in decent shape we could afford. Have no idea what it is located near though (power line, light industrial, etc.)

    http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/Livingston-Twp_NJ_07039_1113845975

    $8,400 a year in taxes, but the house is listed for less than 80% of it’s tax assessed value. I think a tax appeal would be in order for the next owner.

  71. scribe, The Princess of Paramus says:

    Cindy,

    For $35 million, you can have this one – with 2,000 cows thrown in.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703436504574640354101736482.html?mod=article-outset-box

  72. jamil says:

    2: “Steeper estate taxes. Fewer jobs. Higher property taxes.
    For a variety of reasons, people are still leaving New Jersey.”

    NJ needs to offer tuition to all illegals asap. Otherwise, illegals may move out too. Better to ramp up other benefits too.

  73. Mocha "Juice Box" says:

    What I don’t get is how is CA adding people. Are they not worse off then NJ?

  74. "Bones" Deplume says:

    A comment on Dodd.

    This strikes me as a Rahm Emmanuel hatchet job. Up until now, we haven’t much observed the WH’s heavy hand in congressional races. But with Dodd suddenly exiting, and Blumenthal, who showed no prior interest, deciding to candidate up, it is all very apparent that Dodd was told in some not-so-polite words to step aside. I can’t see that coming from Reid (and certainly not Pelosi) so where did it come from? Only one source left.

    Which begs the question: Now that the WH has shown it will take the gloves off in local races, what other races will it intervene in? Amnd will this new taste for intervetion extend to punishing dems that don’t toe the line?

    Stay tuned.

  75. John says:

    Sean, funny half the houses on that list marked as sold don’t appear to have sold yet.

  76. freedy says:

    ca . adding people . one word: Mexico

  77. Anon E. Moose says:

    Nom[79];

    NY. Obama already threw Patterson under the bus to make room for the white guy (Andrew Cuomo).

  78. jamil says:

    78: “What I don’t get is how is CA adding people. Are they not worse off then NJ?”

    Similarly corrupt, bankrupt taxhole than NJ, but weather is nicer. Makes sense to move to CA from NJ.

    Somebody mentioned that liberalism is a mental disease. I think it resembles more cancer. Once infecting a healthy area (NJ,CA voted for Reagan when they were healthy), it moves to a neighboring state, and turns it into similar parasite state. You can see the results in PA, NH, CT, CO, AZ, NV in recent years.

    I can see the logic of importing millions of illegal parasites. US citizens, even previously liberal ones, may soon start saying no to the liberal worldview. Importing illegals give dems permanent majority and guaranteed bankruptcy. But hey, at least US will have gay marriage, polygamy and forced abortions!

  79. meter says:

    @75

    That realtor looks like the woman in “There’s Something About Mary.”

    (Not Cam Diaz).

  80. lisoosh says:

    Nom – It was interesting, and a bit terrifying. Of course, they just had to pick one scenario and the potential variables are practically infinite but I did find some of those interviewed informative.

    Not sure about the concept that going to 10% of the current population globally would automatically reduce everyone to an agrarian society c. the early 1800’s. The knowledge (books etc) would still remain and it is not as if every doctor, mechanic and engineer would suddenly die off. After a period of chaos and consolidation, it would be perfectly possible to salvage and downgrade technology to peoples needs and for societies to reemerge, different but nevertheless functioning. As a social animal it is simple human nature to form them.

    I didn’t like the programs version of the nompound either. Strikes me as too insular and paranoid. A small artificial society like that would probably start eating itself alive or become very cultlike as strong personalities emerge.

  81. NJGator says:

    Nom 82 – Maybe he learned his lesson from not throwing Corzine under the bus?

    Stu always laughs when he passes the “Keep It Going/ Obama Corzine” billboard in Bloomfield.

  82. Mocha says:

    Freedy,

    Perhaps, but isn’t immigration way down?

  83. jamil says:

    87: wasn’t that comment in the article only about NJ to CA moves?
    Besides, CA has been losing US citizens for years, to be replaced by illegals.

  84. jamil says:

    The most transparent Congress in history!

    “Conference Cmte Bypassed, House Will Vote on Pro-Abortion Senate Bill Washington, DC — Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama have made it official: they will bypass a public, formal conference committee and negotiate behind closed doors on a final version of the pro-abortion health care bill. The decision will have the House taking up the Senate version of the measure”

  85. John (60)-

    That could mean another game at Giants Stadium, with Tila Tequila singing the nat’l anthem.

    If I could get this kind of entertainment- guaranteed- I’d buy a PSL.

    However, Tila is a non-negotiable. She must perform, or I don’t buy.

  86. I can see it now: wind chill -10, a distraught, mourning Tila set to sing the anthem…and thousands of drunken male Jets fans serenading her the way they do women on the exit ramps.

    Classic.

  87. Sean says:

    I just want to know if Tila was cuddling up in bed over the holidays with the corpse.

  88. I was really hoping McMahon would send HHH and a camera crew over to Dodd’s to suplex him through a table and then give him a piledriver.

  89. Fiddy Cents on the Dollar says:

    I see gold is off & running today. That might have been the buy point last week or so.

  90. sean (93)-

    Glad to see someone man up and swing at my pitch.

    Comitragic doesn’t get better than this.

    Do the Jets wear black armbands this Saturday? If so, on what part of the uniform? And, how do the announcers describe this “delicate” situation?

    And, just to think: the NFL figured they were rid of Tila Tequila after the Shawne Merriman thing.

  91. fiddy (95)-

    Thanks for enhancing my especially good mood this AM. :)

  92. (safeashouses) says:

    #92 TCCR

    Johnson had better taste in women than Clinton, Woods, and and that governor who was “walking the Appalachian trail”.

  93. Yet another compelling argument for a tactical nuclear strike on Los Angeles:

    “In a series of conflicting tweets on Monday, Tequila announced the news of Johnson’s death, then announced that Johnson was not dead, but in a coma. In a third tweet, she again announced that her girlfriend had died.

    Tequila’s second tweet, which read, “just got news that my fiance is not dead but currently in a coma!!! . . . I’m almost home baby please hang on!” has since been deleted from her Twitter feed.

    From late Monday morning through early Tuesday morning, Tequila posted over 20 more messages about the loss of her fiancee, and another message on Johnson’s Twitter account.”

    Would anyone here Tweet the death of a loved one?

  94. 3b says:

    #75 Safe: Nice looking house, and the price is indicative that prices are in fact coming down. now hoever, it is a question of taxes. A difference of 2000 per year in property taxes works out to almost $200 a month, which is big number. Plus you have to assume that wherever you start at your taxes will be going up every year, so 2k a year lower can be a big difference.

    I don’t see how some of these FHA buyers are going to make it with the property taxes they are paying.

  95. safe (98)-

    Dunno, man. I don’t think I could do that girl, even if if were wearing a hazmat suit.

    Lotta mileage on that model.

  96. John says:

    If Jets make it to superbowl is it bad taste for me to ask for Casey Johnson’s seat. I am thinking of calling dibs right now but want to know if I should at least wait till Friday.

  97. Got shiny?

    “The commodity price inflation stream (oil heading to $85 after recent $82 resistance broken) is about to cross with the broader deflation stream. The Keynesian universe may well explode shortly thereafter.”

    Thing of beauty:

    http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/volcker/Gold%201.6.09.jpg

  98. Sean says:

    re: #99 – I got $50 bucks that says Tila cuddled with the corpse since New Years eve, any takers?

  99. Essex says:

    102. John just show up and say you are Tia Tequila.

  100. John (102)-

    Only if they can line up Tila as your date.

  101. zieba says:

    Sean,
    Not taking the other side of that. I put odds in the low to mid 80’s.

  102. sean (104)-

    No way. I think you’re onto something.

  103. "Bones" Deplume says:

    [82] moose

    Yes, thanks, I had forgotten about Patterson.

    [86] gator,

    Different situation. Corzine did not have awful poll numbers, NJ is reliably blue, etc.

  104. 3b says:

    Below is a new listing with an interesting history,and an ugly, ugly tax bill. This sold in May of 2005 for 570K!!, than again in Sept of 2005 for 690K!!!. House was forclosed on bank listed it for 249k in the summer.

    Purchased for 301k by a flipper, in Sept of 2009. Back on the market now for 494K. redone with only the best in cheap Home Depot fixtures, with some paint and tile slapped up.

    The taxes are $11,300 a year!!! ($941 a month),and it sits next to the high school entrance, with a lovely view of the garbage dumpsters.

    http://www.njmls.com/listings/index.cfm?action=dsp.info&mlsnum=1000436

  105. "Bones" Deplume says:

    [102] John

    “If Jets make it to superbowl is it bad taste for me to ask for Casey Johnson’s seat.”

    John, why ask? Just sneak into the morgue, roll out the guerney and have your way.

  106. NJGator says:

    John’s Weekend at Casey’s?

  107. John says:

    Bones, problem is body was dead for a few days.

    However, she is diabetic so I think if I ate like five pounds of candy and drank 30 cokes and did her she actually might come back to life.

  108. still_looking aka Tan-Less says:

    Sean 93

    There’s a joke in there somewhere…. guests, stink, 3 days…. I dunno, maybe not.

    John 102

    I’m sure they’d hand over her seat… doesn’t seem like ball related games were her thing.

    sl

  109. 3b (111)-

    I wouldn’t give a plug nickel for that shitpile.

    11.3K in taxes? I’d move to Nicaragua first.

  110. chicagofinance says:

    S: It looks as if you are channeling your inner clot…your idol!

    Sean says:
    January 6, 2010 at 11:42 am
    I just want to know if Tila was cuddling up in bed over the holidays with the corpse.

  111. The sensible thing at this point is to devote the rest of the day to Casey/Tila jokes.

  112. chicagofinance says:

    The Condition-Code Red says:
    January 6, 2010 at 11:47 am
    sean (93)-
    Do the Jets wear black armbands this Saturday?

    clot: I say they wear white powder smudges under their noses in honor of…..

  113. (safeashouses) says:

    #100 3b

    That’s what I was thinking too. If you could reduce the tax bill by 2k, a 20% down buyer would be looking at a PITI around $2,100 a month, which is cheaper then renting a similar sized house in not as good condition in Livingston.

  114. John (114)-

    You know, in a way this is no different from what FedCo and Eraserhead are trying to do with the economy.

    “However, she is diabetic so I think if I ate like five pounds of candy and drank 30 cokes and did her she actually might come back to life.”

  115. still_looking aka Tan-Less says:

    John, 114

    Beware that back wall…. enough decay and you might not make it out. Ever smell rotting human? It doesn’t go away easily.

    sl

  116. zieba says:

    sl,

    ewwwwww

  117. NJGator says:

    Clot 118 – A coworker says that Casey Johnson is the best argument for keeping the estate tax. His reasoning is that if she had actually had to work for a living, she wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much c*ke.

  118. chicagofinance says:

    The end is nigh

    Chad: Bedroom moves prove knee is just fine

    CINCINNATI — Chad Ochocinco said his left knee is feeling fine. He tested it out Monday — not on the football field, though.

    “I had sex yesterday,” the Bengals receiver said. “With some of the moves I did — I should be fine.”

  119. Mr Hyde says:

    Lisoosh

    perhaps not 1800’s but a dieoff anywhere near that level would knock us back quite a bit. Many high tech fields are so specialized that even through 2 engineers may have the same education, one would be hard pressed to reproduce the others work. Also consider how many specialists it takes to make something like a laptop or a web server all the way from raw material to finished product.

    We would definatly be knocked put of the digital age but should have a fair chance of maintaning basic o
    industrialization.

    If the right 10% survive we would have a good Chance st 40’s tech with left over digital tech that might still be functioning.

    The “average” 10% as the survivors could very well see 1800’s tech.

    And don’t forget about the massive toxic releases that would probably take place as industrial infrastructure was left to rot.

    Birth rate of healthy kids would probably be down the drain for a few generations, with lots of defects in the interim

  120. 3b says:

    #116 But, but, its Bergen Co.????

  121. NJGator says:

    Clot 116 – How about this one – Montclair cape on a busy street with $11,400 in taxes. MUCH larger than it looks!

    http://www.montclairinfo.com/homepage.htm?in_listing=5623104&ref=cl

  122. 3b says:

    #120 safe: Forget the 20% Do the FHA 3.55 down, keep the rest of your money, and get your 8k tax credit too (if you qualify).

  123. "Bones" Deplume says:

    [114] john

    Don’t know what bothers me more, the fact that you have this type of knowledge, or that you seem to have actually given it some thought.

  124. "Bones" Deplume says:

    [126] hyde,

    I actually thought that the show sugar-coated some of these issues quite a bit. No mention of toxic waste releases (I was thinking of unattended nuke plants while watching it), so what you wind up with is, in some sense, a mad max world where whole areas are off limits due to contamination.

    But too much to cover in 2 hours, and it was semi-dramatic, not just a dry discourse on what would happen. Besides, there’s “Life after people” to cover those issues.

  125. Mr Hyde says:

    Lisoosh

    the secret to concrete and hydrolic cements was lost for almost 1000 years after the fall of the roman empire and wasn’t fully rediscovered until the late 1700’s / early 1800’s.

    Cement is a much easier tech to master then xray lithography and plc controlled manufacturing, 2 staples of modern society

  126. Mr Hyde says:

    Bones

    I would worry less about the nukes and much more about small local manufacturing found right off mainstreet around the world. A few hundred gallons of some common industrial chemicalsxoyld make entire resivours and water ways unsafe.

    It would be safe to assume that any shipping harbor or port would be a highly toxic waste land in short order and to be avoided.

    The really fun part is that without modern tech it’s very difficult to detect anything below huge levels of contamination and a large # of industrial chemicals are dangerous at low levels undetectable to base human senses

  127. fly-over says:

    @24
    Grim

    There is too much snow this year ( it is nice from late April to late Oct early Nov), but property here is affordable. Kind of like Maine (minus mountains and ocean plus the Great Lakes).
    Only a $5B state debt!

    I just have to hope that my employer in Manhattan remains Ok with me remoting in and commuting once every three months.

    –Ray

  128. Mocha says:

    3d tv’s? give me a f’n break. I just got on the HD bandwagon two years ago.

  129. yikes says:

    lisoosh says:
    January 6, 2010 at 11:16 am

    Not sure about the concept that going to 10% of the current population globally would automatically reduce everyone to an agrarian society c. the early 1800’s. The knowledge (books etc) would still remain and it is not as if every doctor, mechanic and engineer would suddenly die off. After a period of chaos and consolidation, it would be perfectly possible to salvage and downgrade technology to peoples needs and for societies to reemerge, different but nevertheless functioning. As a social animal it is simple human nature to form them.

    If anyone saw the movie 2012 recently (it was bad), a real TEOTWAWKI scenario would crush any compound. natural disasters would cause tsunamis everywhere and very few people would survive.

    even if you built an underground bunker, when the plates shift, you could wind up 20 feet below sea level.

  130. Mr Hyde says:

    John 114

    the body should be lossened up again after a few days, so if she’s to stiff just come back in about 24 hrs or so

  131. A.West says:

    John (71),
    I have no clue about that area, but occasionally deals can be had, if you are willing to spend a little money to fix up the cosmetic issues.
    Look at the comps.
    We bid on a similar situation, comps sold for 1.1mn or higher, they priced at 999k, 3 bids came in at 999k the first day they showed it, including one from me. But we resigned from the competition after learning about its artificial stucco.

  132. yikes says:

    the one time you need Bi and Frank – to lend their expertise about sleeping with corpses – they’re not around.

    go figure.

  133. Schumpeter says:

    gator (124)-

    I’m impressed that a Type A diabetic can do that much blow and live to be 30.

    She was way past her expire-by date.

  134. lisoosh says:

    Hyde #126-

    Sure, digital would be out, but they had people digging fields by hand!!

    10% of the people is still a national population of 30 million. That’s a lot of people.

    It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to get hold of a couple of tractors and spare parts plus stockpile diesel and still manage to plow a field or two. The know-how exists to make diesel too, just need some lye which isn’t a digital age item.

    I think it more realistic after initial chaos for people to organize themselves into small towns/communities such as have existed throughout more rural US areas for year. Enough for some level of specialization -the better farmers, the mechanics, the town doctor/nurse etc.

    Not necessarily looking at the past -just more of taking the technology that is tranferrable, gerry-rigging it and designing new technologies for the future.

  135. Schumpeter says:

    gator (129)-

    Hard to tell which is worse: the house, or the retard agent who’s trying to sell it.

  136. lisoosh says:

    Safe #75 -that is actually better value than a lot on offer in less “desirable” Central NJ locales.

  137. NJGator says:

    Schump 143 – And sadly, this is one of the most well-regarded local realtors.

  138. Schumpeter says:

    gator (145)-

    What are agents like in Montclair? Are they openly communists, or do they pretend to be whatever they think prospects want them to be?

  139. freedy says:

    agents in montclair: communists period

  140. Pat says:

    Anybody ever eat a turkey buzzard? What is carnivore bird flesh like?

    Old guy (cook, owner’s Dad) at restaurant apparently likes it and eats it, and I’m a little nervous.

  141. John says:

    Sounds good. worst I ate was raw meat sushi with raw eggs on top served with room temp saki. Nasty stuff.

  142. Qwerty says:

    RE: “History Channel movie – After Armageddon”

    Upcoming air times….

    Saturday, January 09 8:00 pm

    Sunday, January 10 12:00 am

    http://www.history.com/search.do?action=scheduleSearch&searchText=After+Armageddon

  143. Pat says:

    What if he’s shooting them off the top of the dumpster behind the restaurant?

  144. Schumpeter says:

    pat (148)-

    I’d probably want to know what internal cooking temperature kills rabies before I dug in.

  145. Schumpeter says:

    John (149)-

    In the West, we call that steak tartare.

  146. Schumpeter says:

    Pat (151)-

    Then it’s call Buzzard, Maryland-style.

    “What if he’s shooting them off the top of the dumpster behind the restaurant?”

    Also, make sure anything you shoot around a dumpster isn’t infested with maggots.

  147. Fiddy Cents on the Dollar says:

    Pat-

    What’s the inside story on the split-level you mentioned this AM??
    Way below market ???

  148. NJGator says:

    Schump 146 – Seeing as Stu and I are what count as conservatives in town, what do you think? :)

  149. Schumpeter says:

    Barney Frank’s latest attempt to cornhole the stock market. If this one passes, it’s curtains:

    “The combination of these three rules, when passed, will make shorting practically impossible within equities, and with CDS demonized beyond compare, virtually all options (except puts, although we are confident Barney Frank will see to that rather shortly as well) to express a bearish bias in securities will be taken away from investors.

    And as if that wasn’t enough, the SEC is now expected to adopt a modified uptick rule. The proposal for an “alternate uptick rule” would require traders who wish to short, to post offers at least 1 cent above the best bid, with hitting bid through shorting becoming illegal. What is unknown currently is whether this rule would be effected in combination with a “circuit breaker” rule, whereby the alternate uptick would be enforced only if a stock were to drop by 10% or more in a given session.

    Whether or not a circuit breaker is adopted, the combination of all these rules will affect numerous algorithms, further making the computer and algo trading bias (the dominant market force over the past 4 months) to the purchasing side.

    Again, the motive behind all these changes is all too obvious: with the fate of the administration, consumer confidence, and the US economy itself tied in to every tick of the market, the regulators and lawmakers of the US will do anything to destroy any semblance of an efficient market if it makes price drops more difficult. Of course, any deviations from fair value are always be temporary, and the ultimate collapse, when it does occur, will be that much more violent. However, as we have gotten to a point when every single up day in the market counts so that Obama can boast to a naive TV audience what a great job he has done in any given day courtesy of the Dow being up another few points, it appears nobody really cares about an efficiently market any longer.

    The irony is that these regulations will likely push out numerous retail and institutional investors away from open exchanges, and force investors to trade either in unregulated dark pools and other ATS or simply move to foreign domiciled exchanges. At the end of the day, should this Manager’s Amendment pass, it will mark the true beginning of the end for America’s once effective, and relevant, market structure.”

    http://www.zerohedge.com/article/order-make-ponzi-market-keep-going-ever-higher-barney-frank-tries-make-shorting-virtually-im

  150. Pat says:

    Fiddy, I’m scripting a friend of mine right not to contact the bank’s listing agent.

    The house is occupied and in good shape. Things are getting weirder.

  151. lisoosh says:

    Pat says:
    January 6, 2010 at 2:06 pm
    “What if he’s shooting them off the top of the dumpster behind the restaurant?”

    Efficient.

  152. Pat says:

    circle of life.

  153. lisoosh says:

    So Fed isn’t going to raise rates. Two guys on Bloomberg radio getting into it now. Some ex-Fed guy likes it, other thinks its moronic.

  154. lisoosh says:

    These two guys:

    Carnegie Mellon University Meltzer, Allan
    Professor / Academic

    Soleil Securities Gramley, Lyle
    senior economic advisor

  155. "Bones" Deplume says:

    [137] yikes

    You are describing an extinction level event (whether localized or global), which, by definition, is unsurvivable.

    I actually did give that some thought when it came to Nompound placement. But only some.

    Remember, you are talking about something so very random that you can’t plan for it. I plan on planning what I can plan for, not what I can’t.

  156. (safeashouses) says:

    #130 3b

    True. Something to seriously consider. Especially if we could do a loan modification down the road if our income took a hit.

  157. (safeashouses) says:

    #144 lishoosh

    That house is listing at a 2003 sale price. I’m hoping to have a lot of choices in that price range this year.

  158. Schumpeter says:

    The Fed will bugger the USD until it is = Marcal, then we finally default. There is no other scenario on the table.

    End of story.

  159. Painhrtz says:

    OK so placed a bid on a place, typical split, short sale came my offer came in about in about 13% under seller’s ask of 364,900. Crap shack sat on the market for 63 days before our offer.

    Well just got a text from my realtor there is a second offer. Typical, no activity and suddenly there is another offer. So I’m going to tell her to have the seller take the second offer as we are no longer interested, but if they come back to us to rebid my offer will 10K less than the previous. My time is precious of course.

    From the usual opinions on this board I take it that I have taken the proper tact. Stu clot Gator Grim and insight.

  160. Schumpeter says:

    pain (167)-

    Screw ’em. Four walls and a roof.

    There will be plenty more- for cheaper- coming to market soon.

  161. 3b says:

    #164 Safe: True, plus I saw something (Clot may be able to clarify this),wherby FHA will lower your fixed rate to a 1 year adjustable for a year. Geez they are so accomadating!!

  162. 3b says:

    #165 safe: The neighbors must be angry to say the least.

  163. Schumpeter says:

    3b (169)-

    They are quickly learning how to bend over and take it.

    Good practice for what’s coming when Ginnie Mae detonates.

  164. sastry says:

    Gator #156: “Seeing as Stu and I are what count as conservatives in town”.

    Must be a pretty good place to live in. Given that there is a lot of wealth up there, I expect a big chunk of people to be socially liberal and financially more conservative, like many on the board.

    S

  165. Schumpeter says:

    Neighbors? Angry?

    Anyone who eats on a regular basis has no right to be angry about anything.

  166. freedy says:

    well after you get foreclosed/short
    wait awhile requalify with fha.

    what a system

  167. Schumpeter says:

    sastry (172)-

    Seems like all the communists in Montclair are beginning to run out of other people’s money to spend.

    That thar’s a recipe for trouble.

  168. John says:

    CHIFI – Whose your Daddy now? Got into GMAC bonds in early august around 50-56. Even I questioned the balls of going so deep into junk five months into rally. Bottom line I stuck to my principals there isn’t a bail-out that we can say no to. God Bless free market capitalism.

    But GMAC bonds pushing 102? That is enough to make even me hurl.

    GMAC LLC GLBL BD 6.875% 09/15/2011 ISIN #US370425RX06 SEDOL #2797225
    Price (Ask) 101.500
    Yield to Worst (Ask) 5.915%

  169. Schumpeter says:

    freedy- 24 months, and you’re back in the game!

    The mortgage guys here have a term for it: “newly weaponized”.

  170. (safeashouses) says:

    #170 3b

    Let the neighbors be angry, the sellers will probably never see them again. Plus there are a lot of houses in Livingston listed at 2003/4 prices, or 2004 price plus costs of renovations.

  171. 3b says:

    #178 Oh I agree let them be angry, who cares. Just saying.

  172. freedy says:

    i’m getting notes here to list my house early
    for the spring selling season. shameless

  173. Schumpeter says:

    List your house before martial law is imposed.

  174. Schumpeter says:

    List with me, and Tila Tequila will host your first open house.

  175. Pat says:

    fiddy, scoop on the house is that I caught the initial entry on zillow, early at 229k.

    Secretary was keying into mls when we called, at $282.

    Kitchen is ripped out and baths, but walls, structure, plumbing are excellent.

  176. scribe, The Princess of Paramus says:

    Before today, I had no idea of who Tila Tequila was.

    This blog has taught me much.

  177. Painhrtz says:

    Clot I prefer Casey Johnson’s corpse, at least I know most of the latent diseases have died with her. Besides gentlemen prefer blondes.

  178. Stu says:

    I always thought the long-term plan for Montclair was to try to turn it into the the Princeton of the North.

    With all the talk of increased property taxes being necessary to reduce the so-called minority gap in the high school, ultimately I think the plan is to price the minorities out of town. This will certainly improve the test scores.

    Montclair has great cultural activities and excellent restaurants. We have a top notch art museum (Cezanne exhibit is still in I think), the Presby Iris Gardens, hot chocolate at the lake when it’s frozen thick enough for ice skating, First Night, Parent’s who rock, etc. These wonderful benefits unfortunately attract an ultra liberal crowd who also want to save the planet through local town spending. Hence we have playgrounds built exclusively for the handicapped. Complete Streets initiatives. Huge lectures on Race. More charity benefits than days in the year, etc.

    Unfortunately, we have come to the realization that as much as we love to live here, the fiscal irresponsibility of our town council and their inability to say ‘NO’ to any request for funding and bonding is not worth what we are asked to pay for in property taxes. By moving to Glen Ridge, we get a top 10 school system, garbage men who are not lazy, much better local governance and a slightly shorter commute. We can still partake in all of those wonderful activities just a mile West in Montclair, only we won’t have to pay for them. That is, if we can can continue to incorporate the Montclair tax increases onto our renters.

  179. Mr Hyde says:

    For the O fans:

    this may have been posted before its a little dated:

    “After the cult of personality,” the Colombian explained, “what comes next is nationalization.” Fidel had nationalized the Cuban sugar mills, Chavez the Banco de Venezuela, Morales the Bolivian oil and gas industries.
    Obama? He may not have been issuing sweeping diktats. But as the American had to admit, he had already presided over a vast expansion of the federal stake in banks, in the automobile industry and in the mortgage markets. And in his address before Congress, he had proposed a new federal presence in health care, an industry that accounts for a full one-seventh of the economy.

    http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2F2009%2F02%2F26%2Fobama-castro-chavez-opinions-columnists_stimulus_print.html+ferfL+BLOG&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

  180. Mr Hyde says:

    Stu,

    playgrounds built exclusively for the handicapped

    ?.?.?.?.?

  181. RayC says:

    Mr Hyde says:
    January 6, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    Stu,

    playgrounds built exclusively for the handicapped

    ?.?.?.?.?

    Citi Field??

  182. Doyle says:

    #189

    LOLOLOLOLOL

  183. Fiddy Cents on the Dollar says:

    Pat :183

    Interesting….although $229K sounds better than $282K. I’m wondering if the $229K has any significance at all. Why would $229K be in zillow ??

    Somebody is living it with torn up kitchen & bath ?? You were going to rip the kitchen & baths out anyway.

    Do you mind if I ask what town it’s in ??

  184. Essex says:

    186….I wrote a song on the last Parent’s Who Rock CD…..LOL

  185. Essex says:

    Nice….”Filth and the Fury” A brief history of the Sex Pistols on IndiePlex now. Amazing how screwed up Thatcher’s England was. Riots. Complete chaos. People simply didn’t want to accept their lot in life…

  186. chicagofinance says:

    Clot: did anyone win on Casey Johnson in your office dead pool? Abe Vigoda is a widow maker :(

  187. SirRentsalot says:

    Time flies!

  188. chi (194)-

    Naah. Nobody in my office even knew who she was until Monday.

    Me? I’m never going against Abe. He may not be human.

  189. renter says:

    Princeton University researcher finds selective schools contribute to inequality in education
    By Bob Braun/Star-Ledger Columnist

    http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2010/01/princeton_university_researche.html

    “Espenshade’s study calls for the creation of a “Manhattan Project for the behavioral and social sciences” to both study the causes of gaps in academic achievement related to race and also “develop concrete measures that can be taken by parents, schools neighborhoods, and the public sector all working together to close these gaps on a nationwide scale.”

    The Manhattan Project was the secret program to develop the bombs dropped on Japanese cities in August 1945. Among the thousands of scientists who worked on the project were a score or more of Princeton physicists.

    The study published by the Princeton University Press says the combined research and reform effort to improve education for minorities should have the “same scale, urgency, and sense of importance as the original Manhattan Project.”

    I can’t imagine a worse way to spend money!

  190. renter (198)-

    Why don’t these guys read a couple of Malcolm Gladwell books? It’s not brain surgery.

    Natch, Rush Holt (communist) is my US Rep. Just a sorry sack of blood and gristle, doing nothing but spending other people’s money and eating up space.

  191. A.West says:

    Renter,
    I heard that dumb lazy parents who willingly speak nonstandard english and listen to music about slappin hos lead to even greater educational inequality in their children. How much will Espenshade pay me for this insight?

  192. renter says:

    They are looking for “answers” that fit in their world view.

  193. renter says:

    #200

    I don’t think that conclusion would make it into the final draft of the report…laughing.

  194. lisoosh says:

    I’d like to beat my husband senseless.

    He wants to look at houses. Like now. Not in the spring or summer, now.

  195. SirRentsalot says:

    Don’t let him do it, ‘soosh!

  196. SirRentsalot says:

    o’ course, I just bought one, so who am I to talk.

  197. Mr Hyde says:

    Sir Rent

    Howdy, been a while! What area did you buy in if i may ask?

    (formerly kettle1)

  198. renter says:

    #203
    So does my husband! I said I was nervous about it and would like to wait 6 months and he said I was being influenced by the board.

  199. Veto That says:

    For what its worth.
    1998 prices = 2001 prices when you adjust for inflation.

    If you see anything priced around 2001-02 levels you should jump all over it.

  200. SirRentsalot says:

    hey ket
    I bought a little bit south. N’awlins, to be exact.

  201. Mikinwaiting says:

    lisoosh 203 I’d like to beat my husband senseless.
    Do so, in no uncertain terms just say NO.

  202. SirRentsalot says:

    “he said I was being influenced by the board”

    Whereas he’s being influenced by the Ron Insana interview he saw on The Today Show this morning (the one where the host referred to “Treasury Inflated Protection Securities”)?

  203. theo says:

    Mr Hyde says:
    January 6, 2010 at 9:15 am
    Re food

    “In a pinch we will pick up something at whole foods or trader joe.s. As Nom as pointed out go with halal or kosher meats, they tend to be of higher quality then most store bought meats.”

    Only problem with going to my local kosher butcher is he never has any decent pork loin.

  204. Mikinwaiting says:

    renter 207 Tell him you are being influenced by information.

  205. SirRentsalot says:

    208 Veto
    As good a metric as any, although the DJIA fell to 1997 prices not long ago, so no reason RE can’t.

  206. Mr Hyde says:

    renter 198

    interesting! all humans have the exact same capacity for all skills, there is just some random force that is inhibiting us from achieving this nirvana of equality.

    If we can readily breed dogs for certain traits and the same has been demonstrated for pretty much all domesticated animals, then what makes humans so different.

  207. rent (207)-

    You should influence HIM with a board.

    Yes, I am still a Realtor.

    “…he said I was being influenced by the board.”

  208. Mikinwaiting says:

    Ladies if you can pick up a foreclosure very cheap by all means do so. If you are wrong prices stay flat no worry there ,If hubby says rates are going up then prices will go down same same, wait.

  209. Mr Hyde says:

    sir rent

    just a hop skip and a jump…. An inflatable life raft come with that purchase?

  210. renter says:

    The unemployment number just shouts at me that prices must continue to go down.

  211. Hyde (215)-

    “sippin’ on gin and juice…with my mind on my money and my money on my mind…”

  212. Mr Hyde says:

    How about a manhatten project on how to dump some chlorine into the human gene pool

  213. Maybe Sir Renty got Nick Cage’s place.

  214. Mikinwaiting says:

    Kettle, Crossroads, Wag,
    GTG this Sat at 5-530 at Krogh’s in Sparta.
    Everybody still in? All welcome.

  215. Hyde (221)-

    Check that, and make it battery acid.

  216. Krogh’s at 5 on a Saturday? Isn’t that when the Klan meets?

  217. SirRentsalot says:

    218 ket
    nah – have a flat-bottom in the back yard, but the house is 150 years old and never flooded (whole neighborhood stayed dry during Katrina).

  218. Mr Hyde says:

    Clot,

    and idea!!! maybe we could sponsors an infomercial featuring paris hilton, tia tequila, and a bevy of other silicon enhanced barbies to happily mix bleach and ammonia in large quantities while scantily clad…..

    monkey see monkey do

  219. Mr Hyde says:

    mike,

    yep

  220. Mikinwaiting says:

    Clot 225 yes, bring your hood.

  221. Mikinwaiting says:

    Ket You’ve got to test drive the rocket ship ,will bring.

  222. Mr Hyde says:

    Rent,

    sounds like a party! next time a hurricane is a blowin, maybe i w ill head down your way. all you need is some beer, a whole lot of jerky and a nice AK47.

    nothing like a good hurricane party

  223. Mr Hyde says:

    Mike,

    careful,

    you might spark an actual clan meeting given what i have heard.

  224. grim says:

    Wow! What a day!

    We hear from Broken and Rentsalot (Ownsalot?)

  225. Mikinwaiting says:

    KET no need for the clan the hinterland is about as white toast as it comes.

  226. relo says:

    203: Tell your hubby I wish I’d have listened in ’05. Will set me back a decade before it’s through.

  227. Barbara aka B-Cat says:

    suddenly, Yemen is on the media’s world map. Drum, drum, drum, drum…

  228. jcer says:

    hyde #215, while I agree your assessment of not all people intrinsically having the same ability to perform all tasks. I also strongly believe other things are in play, it is not all intrinsic ability. To discount genetics, environment, or sheer human will is folly.

  229. jcer says:

    SirRentsalot, where’d you move from? The NO is very different from NJ, isn’t it?

  230. Mr Hyde says:

    Jcer 237,

    i agree with you, but the situation at hand has been pushed to outlandish proportions. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

    Society as a whole refuses to address some of the core issues.

    Touting criminal behavior and ignorance as an acceptable culture has become the norm in many of the stereotypical “under performing” areas. Heck “Gangsta” has gone mainstream.

    NOW GET OFF MY LAWN YOU WHIPPER SNAPPER

  231. Mr Hyde says:

    Jcer

    genetics, environment, human will

    these will never be equal hence the fools errand that is the princeton study

  232. SirRentsalot says:

    jcer
    was in Mtnside

    oh – grim – the pirate sued me.

    and lost – comprehensively.

  233. bones deplume says:

    (241) Sir

    I expected no less from a barrister of your caliber.

  234. Mr Hyde says:

    Sir rent

    i hope it was an Angry Pirate

    look it up on urban dictionary

  235. grim says:

    oh – grim – the pirate sued me.

    He still bitter over having to vacate his squat? Or was the family upset they couldn’t unload mom’s house for a fortune?

  236. Rents
    Nice to see you around. What part of NOLA did you buy in? Congrats! But I am very jealous.

  237. freedy says:

    what ever happened to mickie morgan?

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