Home sales hit 1 year high

From the WSJ:

Existing Home Sales Rise as Recovery Regains Momentum

Sales of existing homes rose in October to their highest level in a year, the latest sign of the U.S. housing recovery shaking off the shock of last year’s jump in mortgage rates.

Sales of previously owned homes climbed 1.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.26 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. September’s sales pace was revised up slightly to 5.18 million.

It was the sixth time in seven months that sales rose from the prior month. Sales in October were up 2.5% from a year earlier, the first time this year that sales rose instead of fell on an annual basis. Last month’s sales pace was the highest since September 2013.

Existing-home sales, which make up roughly 90% of U.S. home purchases, tumbled following a mid-2013 jump in mortgage rates. But the sector has regained traction in recent months as mortgage rates have eased.

Prices still are rising, but their growth has moderated this year. The median sale price for a previously owned home in October was $208,300, up 5.5% from a year earlier but below the 11.5% increase seen in 2013 from the prior year.

In October, existing-home sales rose in the Northeast, Midwest and South but declined in the West, according to the Realtors group.

The inventory of homes available for sale was up 5.2% last month from a year earlier. At the current sales pace, it would take 5.1 months to exhaust the supply of homes on the market.

This entry was posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate. Bookmark the permalink.

187 Responses to Home sales hit 1 year high

  1. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    frist

  2. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    LOL – On the local right wing radio show they opened up with many excerpts from Obama’s speech using Motörhead’s King of Kings as the backing track, reusing the following lyrics over and over:

    Bow down, bow down to the King!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJuXKeiM4_0

  3. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Behold the King
    The King of Kings
    On your knees dog
    All hail

    Bow down to the
    Bow down to the King

    The King grinned red
    As he walked from the place
    Where the traitor lost both his name and his face
    Through the halls and the corridors
    Stinging in blood
    He tasted his grin and it tasted good
    The King took his head
    Left him broken and dead

    Bow down to the
    Bow down to the King

    The King left none living
    None able to tell
    The King took their heads
    And he sent them to hell
    Their screams echoed loud
    In the place of their death
    Ripped open they died
    With their final breath
    They hailed the King
    The King of Kings

    Bow down to the
    Bow down to the King

    Into the dirt
    His will be done
    Now feel your fear
    There can be only one

    Bow down

    The King is here
    Now feel your fear
    The King of Kings

    All hail
    All hail the King
    On your knees
    On your knees for the King

    The King of Kings
    There is only one

  4. grim says:

    Hilarious.. From NJ Spotlight:

    http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/11/20/opinion-high-cost-of-living-vs-low-cost-of-moving-out-of-new-jersey/

    I’ll sum it up for you:

    1) Many NJ residents want to leave to escape high property taxes
    2) Many NJ residents are not willing to accept the cuts needed to reduce property taxes

    There ya have it.

  5. Fast Eddie says:

    The inventory of homes available for sale was up 5.2% last month from a year earlier.

    Sales up, more inventory, median price is up… all is well? Ok, so the FED will now step out of the way, right?

  6. grim says:

    Will this turn NJ into the land of the perpetual default?

    From MarketWatch:

    Feds seek new rules to help troubled homeowners

  7. Fast Eddie says:

    A Motörhead reference so early in the morning. Nice! There’s this bagel place in Clifton I go to very early on a Sunday morning. Most times it’s well before 7:00 AM because I’m so used to getting up in darkness every day. The bagel shop is owned and operated by ex-punksters and metal heads. When I walk in there, they either have something like Black Flag, The Pistols or Motorhead blasting away. It’s always nice to hear “Killed by Death” at 6:30 AM. ;)

  8. The euphemism “undocumented workers” used in lieu of “illegal aliens” is so partisan, and further erroneously implies that the whole group is employed. If I were an illegal alien homemaker or an illegal alien retiree or an illegal alien criminal I would feel like I’m being left out of the discussion. Maybe we can settle on undocumented inhabitants?

  9. grim says:

    Love punk bagel, best bagel place in NJ. Haven’t been there in a while, glad to hear they are still around.

  10. Fabius Maximus says:

    #25 Joyce (previous thread)
    Why can’t I agree with Karl. I can’t find common ground with someone even though I don’t agree with their politics. Is that why this place is so partisan as the laoudest mouths can’t see to bring them selves to look at the other side of the argument to see if ther is any worth in it.

    I will give Karl one thing in respect to his politics, just like Rick Santelli, when he saw political front behind the tea party, he walked away.

    I read his other piece on Net Neutrality and again it is well thought out and there is a lot to agree on. But it again has one fatal flaw. I don’t know if it is an omission or he just doesn’t agree with it. Innovation while important does not trump everything and does not excuse actions, behaviors or even consequences.
    In simple teams this means that “Your innovation, should not impact my normal use” This is a tenet of my views and it applies to just more than just this issue. Your video streaming should not slow down my email. Your fracking of my neighborhood, should not affect my water supply. Your deep drilling of the gulf shouldn’t devastate a region of my country.

  11. anon (the good one) says:

    IMMIGRATION REFORM

  12. Fast Eddie says:

    grim,

    It is the same bagel place we’re talking about, right?

  13. 1987 Condo says:

    $33K flood insurance bill could sink Union Beach couple, they say

    UNION BEACH — A Union Beach couple who received a flood insurance bill last spring for more than $33,000 even though they raised their property above new federal flood standards after Hurricane Sandy now worry they will be forced to abandon their home because of ballooning costs.

    Richard and Sandra Drake were notified last week that their mortgage payment would rise by nearly 50 percent in January to pay for insurance coverage secured by their lender as they continue to dispute the 55-fold increase in their premium. The roughly $2,200 mortgage payment will pile on top of the $450 the Drakes owe each month toward a federal loan they took out after the storm to help them rebuild.

    “I just won’t be able to do it,” said Richard Drake. “I won’t be able to afford it.”

    Drake said he did everything he was told by officials when rebuilding after Sandy. Further, he said, the home was elevated three feet above minimum federal requirements listed in new flood maps released after the storm.

    Before Sandy, the couple’s flood insurance premium was $598 a year.

    The renewal notice for their policy came in April. It had two options: one for $33,122, the other for $33,264.

    The couple initially thought the bill was a mistake. But seven months later, they’re still saddled with the hefty premium.

    That’s because of a discrepancy between the flood zone where the Drakes’ house now sits in federal maps and where it will sit when new maps are officially adopted.

    Though the couple’s property is drawn into a less restrictive flood zone in new maps released after Sandy, their house now partially sits in an area subject to storm-driven waves, known as the “V” zone, according to federal officials. The town’s construction official, however, has disputed that designation, saying the property has always been in the less-restrictive zone.
    The Drakes raised their home on Lorillard Avenue three feet above new federal flood regulations.

    The Drakes elevated their home on a solid foundation when they rebuilt after Sandy. Homeowners in the more restrictive zone are required to build on pilings.

    For months, the Drakes have been working with local, state and federal officials to try and find a resolution. But an October 15 letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — which manages the National Flood Insurance Program — dashed their hopes.

    The letter said that in the current maps, the Drakes’ home sits in both zones. “Under these circumstances, your flood insurance policy must be rated using the higher of the two relevant risk zones,” the letter said.

    The letter acknowledges that the couple’s home appears to sit in the less-restrictive zone in the new map but said flood insurance policies cannot be based on that map because it has not yet been formally adopted. That’s not expected to happen until the end of next year.

    The Drakes’ mortgage company, meanwhile, took out flood insurance coverage on the Lorillard Avenue property.

    A Chase spokesman said in a statement that the company is “required under federal law to ensure continuous, adequate insurance coverage” on homes in flood hazard areas. Therefore, the statement said, the company “added minimum gap coverage on the unpaid principal balance of this property.”

    The Drakes received an updated escrow analysis last week from Chase that said the couple’s mortgage payment would be adjusted from $1,500 a month to $2,200 a month beginning on Jan. 1 to cover that expense.

    Drake said he doesn’t have the resources to deal with the additional financial burden. He doesn’t want to lose the home he just rebuilt but, he said, there may not be another option.

    “It’s a shame that after all this time we really are probably going to have to walk away from this,” he said.

    http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2014/11/union_beach_couple_with_33k_flood_insurance_bill_fear_losing_home_to_mounting_costs.html#incart_river

  14. Michael says:

    Agree.

    “In simple teams this means that “Your innovation, should not impact my normal use” This is a tenet of my views and it applies to just more than just this issue. Your video streaming should not slow down my email. Your fracking of my neighborhood, should not affect my water supply. Your deep drilling of the gulf shouldn’t devastate a region of my country.”

  15. anon (the good one) says:

    @BarackObama:
    “To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better … Pass a bill.”

    —President Obama

  16. Grim and other Clifton frequenters – My uncle owned 357 Mt Prospect Ave until the late ’80s. The house that stands there now is listed as built in 2008. Does anyone know if it was a complete tear-down? I can’t tell from Google streetview if it has the bones of the old house or not. It looks like the same footprint, maybe the kept the original foundation?

  17. jj says:

    For all you folks, Michael and Joyce talking about illegal immigration this video is the best ever!!!

    http://www.safeshare.tv/w/eUqDmyBbir

  18. Essex says:

    *sigh* It’s going to be one helluva day in the border states. Jus sayin

  19. John says:

    #17,

    That sounds like nothing more than a brazen taunt. In other words, don’t question my authority. It’s my way or the highway.

    This action taken by the president is a slap in the face to all immigrants who came here legally.

  20. jj says:

    If then cant get it reduced it will just be a weekend vacation home for some rich guy, buy it cash get no flood insurance or wait till 4-15-2015 when 10K high deductable kicks in and buy lets say only 100K with a 10K deductable.
    Trouble is when you are maxed out on loans bank does not want you taking 10K deductable or it has to be 100% value of house or 250K whichever is less. No option to insure for a smaller amount.

    By comparision I pay $560 for full flood on my house right now so they are paying almost 60 times that amount.

    The V zone renders most houses near worthless.

    1987 Condo says:

    November 21, 2014 at 8:04 am

    $33K flood insurance bill could sink Union Beach couple, they say

    UNION BEACH — A Union Beach couple who received a flood insurance bill last spring for more than $33,000 even though they raised their property above new federal flood standards after Hurricane Sandy now worry they will be forced to abandon their home because of ballooning costs.

  21. anon (the good one) says:

    @donnabrazile:
    The debate over immigration reform will expose many deep and painful divisions…
    and I’m just talking about within the Republican Party.

  22. Michael says:

    Even though everyone in America is an immigrant in one way or another, I’m against it. It really screws the workers in this country. They lose their jobs or get their pay artificially lowered by the never ending army of immigrants trying to come to america. Then they have to pay more taxes to pay for all the social welfare that is needed to help an immigrant survive. You want to open the boarders for everyone, but not if it is going to hurt the people of this country. That does not make too much sense unless you are looking to manipulate the labor market so that pay remains low.

  23. Toxic Crayons says:

    Hilarious…

    jj says:
    November 21, 2014 at 8:51 am
    For all you folks, Michael and Joyce talking about illegal immigration this video is the best ever!!!

    http://www.safeshare.tv/w/eUqDmyBbir

  24. Toxic Crayons says:

    Why does immigration reform have to mean amnesty?

    anon (the good one) says:
    November 21, 2014 at 8:58 am
    @donnabrazile:
    The debate over immigration reform will expose many deep and painful divisions…
    and I’m just talking about within the Republican Party.

  25. Michael says:

    24- Off-shoring jobs and allowing immigration makes no sense at all. Pick one. Can’t have both.

  26. Wrong again paleface.

    Even though everyone in America is an immigrant in one way or another

  27. joyce says:

    “I can’t find common ground with someone even though I don’t agree with their politics.”
    Color me shocked. Thanks but I didn’t need any more proof of your closed/simple-mindedness.

    “Is that why this place is so partisan as the laoudest mouths can’t see to bring them selves to look at the other side of the argument to see if ther is any worth in it. ”
    Do you have the memory span of a young puppy? You’re talking to the wrong person here about any kind of partisan crap. I’ve disagreed, and continue to disagree, with most people on here regarding one topic or another.

    “innovation…”
    You do not have any where near a firm grasp on this topic.

    Fabius Maximus says:
    November 21, 2014 at 7:38 am

    #25 Joyce (previous thread)
    Why can’t I agree with Karl. I can’t find common ground with someone even though I don’t agree with their politics. Is that why this place is so partisan as the laoudest mouths can’t see to bring them selves to look at the other side of the argument to see if ther is any worth in it.

    I will give Karl one thing in respect to his politics, just like Rick Santelli, when he saw political front behind the tea party, he walked away.

    I read his other piece on Net Neutrality and again it is well thought out and there is a lot to agree on. But it again has one fatal flaw. I don’t know if it is an omission or he just doesn’t agree with it. Innovation while important does not trump everything and does not excuse actions, behaviors or even consequences.
    In simple teams this means that “Your innovation, should not impact my normal use” This is a tenet of my views and it applies to just more than just this issue. Your video streaming should not slow down my email. Your fracking of my neighborhood, should not affect my water supply. Your deep drilling of the gulf shouldn’t devastate a region of my country.

  28. Let’s see you off-shore your lawn care and strip club bouncer jobs bright guy.
    24- Off-shoring jobs and allowing immigration makes no sense at all. Pick one. Can’t have both.

  29. Toxic Crayons says:

    The discovery of the “Kennewick man” is used by some to suggest that the race of people’s we know today as “Native Americans” may not have been the first race of people to inhabit the Americas. (just sayin’)

    Even though everyone in America is an immigrant in one way or another
    Kennewick Man is the name for the skeletal remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996.[2] It is one of the most complete ancient skeletons ever found; bone tests have shown it to date from 7000 to 6900 B.C.E.[1] A stone projectile was found lodged in the man’s hip bone. His anatomical features were quite different from those of modern Native Americans and his relationship to other ancient people is uncertain.

    The finding of the skeleton triggered a nine-year legal clash between scientists, the US government and Native American tribes who claim Kennewick Man as one of their ancestors. In February 2004, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that a cultural link between any of the Native American tribes and the Kennewick Man was not genetically justified, allowing scientific study of the remains to continue.[3][4]

    In July 2005, a team of scientists from around the United States convened in Seattle for ten days to study the remains in detail. Their research results were published in a book in 2014. [5]

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 9:12 am
    Wrong again paleface.

  30. John says:

    Obama lost all credibility last night with terms like “let’s be honest” and “we are a nation of laws”. This was nothing more than an abuse of power to secure votes for his party. Whats the difference if an illegal came here yesterday or five years ago? Why is one less criminal than the other? He was making the false assumption they were all gainfully employed the entire time and can be tracked. And for those who took the proper steps to come to this country legally, that’s nice. You get a gold star.

  31. So can corporations actively recruit illegals now for entry level positions? I see tech jobs all the time that say, “No H1Bs”, I guess pretty soon we’ll see, “No US Citizens”.

  32. Michael says:

    Come on now…..club bouncers go to ex football players or cops. Lawn care isn’t a year round job.

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 9:18 am
    Let’s see you off-shore your lawn care and strip club bouncer jobs bright guy.
    24- Off-shoring jobs and allowing immigration makes no sense at all. Pick one. Can’t have both.

  33. Toxic Crayons says:

    The Kennewick Man Finally Freed to Share His Secrets

    He’s the most important human skeleton ever found in North America—and here, for the first time, is his story
    By Douglas Preston
    Smithsonian Magazine | Subscribe
    September 2014

    http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/kennewick-man-finally-freed-share-his-secrets-180952462/?no-ist

  34. Well since all of these undocumented inhabitants are, well, undocumented, I’d say forget about the “guest workers” that got here yesterday, the ones who get here next week will already be here for 6 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if a whole cottage forging industry of fraudulent utility bills is rising up right now.

    Whats the difference if an illegal came here yesterday or five years ago?

  35. Michael says:

    Please explain. The native american population is less than 1%. So please explain.

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 9:12 am
    Wrong again paleface.

    Even though everyone in America is an immigrant in one way or another

  36. All Hype says:

    Pat (34):

    That’s what the whle amnesty is all about. Illegals will work 2X as hard for 1/2 the pay and all good US citizens looking for a job can go and f@ck themselves.

    Stupid libs just slit their own throats and will now be pooer because of it. Liberal ding dongs support for president who felt compelled to do this cause he had a sad due to the fact that America gave him a big vote down on November 4th.

  37. My money is still on Hoffa.

    He’s the most important human skeleton ever found in North America

  38. So the Native American population, even if only 1%, counts as 0% of Michael’s definition of “everyone”?
    Please explain. That is racist comment, and racist logic, so how does that not make you a racist? So please explain. BTW, you’ve already shown yourself to be a misogynist, so let’s see you un-punch the race card now.

    Please explain. The native american population is less than 1%. So please explain.

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 9:18 am
    Let’s see you off-shore your lawn care and strip club bouncer jobs bright guy.
    24- Off-shoring jobs and allowing immigration makes no sense at all. Pick one. Can’t have both.

  39. Comrade Nom Deplume, on the way to Skyline says:

    Flying to Cincinnati in a few hours. Wish I wasn’t.

    Besides Skyline, anything else in downtown that should not be missed?

  40. [42] Cinci – Haven’t been there since I was 4. I think I remember a zoo.

  41. McDullard says:

    The executive order on immigration seems to be targeted only at less than half of the group, right? Parents of citizens, and kids that came to US when when they were very young. There is also no path to a citizenship… I am not sure what the deal is if someone travels outside of US — can they come back easily?

    It’s a half-step, and only kicks the can down the road a bit (or the people that are not covered should go and have a kid!). I think we should just elect a republican president that will pass something much wider in scope and be worshipped like Saint Reagan.

  42. Fabius Maximus says:

    #30 Joyce
    I can’t find common ground with someone even though I don’t agree with their politics.”
    Color me shocked. Thanks but I didn’t need any more proof of your closed/simple-mindedness.
    You do realize that was rhetorical? Just checking!

    “You’re talking to the wrong person here about any kind of partisan crap. ”
    I am not pointing out anyone in particular, but if the shoe fits? It covers those that get out their big brush and use terms like “Liberal” or “Progressive” as a catch all.

    “You do not have any where near a firm grasp on this topic.”
    I respect your right to hold that opinion. I disagree with it, lets leave it at that.

  43. Michael says:

    In this figure, how many consider themselves native american when they really are not. I know a lot of african americans that pull the native american card. There can’t be too many pure native americans left.

    Now I’m a racist because I said that everyone is an immigrant in one way or another. Nice try buddy. Native Americans originally came from Asia. So if you go back far enough, my statement is correct.

    “In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that about 0.8% of the U.S. population was of American Indian or Alaska Native descent. ”

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 9:55 am
    So the Native American population, even if only 1%, counts as 0% of Michael’s definition of “everyone”?
    Please explain. That is racist comment, and racist logic, so how does that not make you a racist? So please explain. BTW, you’ve already shown yourself to be a misogynist, so let’s see you un-punch the race card now.

  44. McDullard says:

    #39? You do realize that GWB tried to get immigration reform done, McCain was for it, and all dem candidates in 2008 were are for it? All of it fizzled out and had been drowned under the cries of how Obamacare will create death panels, how repeal of DADT will turn everyone and their kids gay.

    Had GOP lost seats this year, they’d still be ranting on how Obama is responsible for ebola and ISIS and how we are all soon going to die either bleeding from our butts or from slit throats.

    The congress can pass some bill — even one that includes reversing his executive action (but if it does nothing beyond simply “undo”, it will likely be vetoed).

  45. Well at least you admit it.

    Now I’m a racist because I said that everyone is an immigrant in one way or another.

  46. Toxic Crayons says:

    Amnesty for illegals is not immigration reform.

    McDullard says:
    November 21, 2014 at 10:18 am
    #39? You do realize that GWB tried to get immigration reform done, McCain was for it, and all dem candidates in 2008 were are for it? All of it fizzled out and had been drowned under the cries of how Obamacare will create death panels, how repeal of DADT will turn everyone and their kids gay.

    Had GOP lost seats this year, they’d still be ranting on how Obama is responsible for ebola and ISIS and how we are all soon going to die either bleeding from our butts or from slit throats.

    The congress can pass some bill — even one that includes reversing his executive action (but if it does nothing beyond simply “undo”, it will likely be vetoed).

  47. Libturd in Union says:

    Gary,

    The bagel place in the tiny strip mall on corner of Mt. Prospect and Van Houten? I used to live 10 houses from there on Mt. Prospect. Dudes who worked their had more piercings than I have hair on my balls.

  48. McD – Here’s a thought. What if the American people largely want the border closed and the current laws enforced? The 536 shouldn’t be having just a private game of diplomacy based on what they want. There was no immigration reform when both houses were Dem majority, so that should tell you something. Anybody who would vote for this would be out, so the lone dingbat who is already out is doing it for himself. Nobody wants it, probably not even Bush. He was attempting to prop the RE market, IMO. Illegals don’t pay taxes but they do pay rent. They also buy food.

    The congress can pass some bill — even one that includes reversing his executive action (but if it does nothing beyond simply “undo”, it will likely be vetoed).

  49. [50] Lib – I used to live less than 20 houses from there at 357 Mt Prospect Ave.

    See post [18] :
    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 8:11 am
    Grim and other Clifton frequenters – My uncle owned 357 Mt Prospect Ave until the late ’80s. The house that stands there now is listed as built in 2008. Does anyone know if it was a complete tear-down? I can’t tell from Google streetview if it has the bones of the old house or not. It looks like the same footprint, maybe the kept the original foundation?

  50. Libturd in Union says:

    Nom,

    Grater’s ice cream and the waterfront is pretty cool. It’s probably too cold, but the guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge first made a mini version of it in Cincinnati which you can walk across.

    Short ride away is probably the best amusement park in the country. Cedar Point, though it’s probably closed. And a little further is the best aviation museum if you have the time in Dayton. The national Air Force Museum. I think they have a version of every plane every made which you can check out the c0ckpits and cabins. Lots of missiles too.

    Though, getting a Skyline 5-way is always my first stop.

    And the Market rallies on!

  51. Michael says:

    Yup, my rental is close by. In the Athenia section.

    Libturd in Union says:
    November 21, 2014 at 10:49 am
    Gary,

    The bagel place in the tiny strip mall on corner of Mt. Prospect and Van Houten? I used to live 10 houses from there on Mt. Prospect. Dudes who worked their had more piercings than I have hair on my balls.

  52. Libturd in Union says:

    We lived across from that dance club/bar towards the train station. Maybe 4 houses off the corner. Great commute to Hoboken. Took like 15 minutes by train.

  53. I thought I mentioned this before:

    The Original NJ Expat says:
    June 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm
    [57] JJ – Fall 1982 I was working full time, going to FDU 1 credit shy of FT, paying my uncle $100/month rent at his crowded house on Mount Prospect Ave in Clifton. Right below his house on Brighton Rd in Clifton was a row of office buildings/light manufacturing businesses. There was this one business with two 18-wheeler trailers parked permanently at the loading docks. My ’74 Buick Electra fit just perfectly between the two trailers and the cops never came by. Front seat was electric, but not reclining. GF and I would hop over into the back seat, then I would use the electric switch on the driver’s side of the front seat to move the electric bench all the way forward under the dash. Made the back seat limo sized with lots of possibilities.;-)

  54. Michael says:

    They built some really nice homes across the street from where you lived. A lot of nice detail put into them. Really, good craftsmanship.

    Not really sure what they did with your old house, but I would think they kept the foundation.

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:
    November 21, 2014 at 8:11 am
    Grim and other Clifton frequenters – My uncle owned 357 Mt Prospect Ave until the late ’80s. The house that stands there now is listed as built in 2008. Does anyone know if it was a complete tear-down? I can’t tell from Google streetview if it has the bones of the old house or not. It looks like the same footprint, maybe the kept the original foundation?

  55. joyce says:

    I can’t find common ground with someone even though I don’t agree with their politics.”
    Color me shocked. Thanks but I didn’t need any more proof of your closed/simple-mindedness.
    You do realize that was rhetorical? Just checking! … First, I thought you misspoke because include the phrase “even though” makes that sentence sound very weird. I thought you might have meant, “I can find common ground even though…” not can’t

    “You’re talking to the wrong person here about any kind of partisan crap. ”
    I am not pointing out anyone in particular, but if the shoe fits? It covers those that get out their big brush and use terms like “Liberal” or “Progressive” as a catch all.
    …. Then why say this in response to me? Say it in a separate comment. That said, you always drift so far away from the original topic when you have nothing else to add. Let’s go from NN to Fracking in one sentence.

    “You do not have any where near a firm grasp on this topic.”
    I respect your right to hold that opinion. I disagree with it, lets leave it at that.
    Fine

    Fabius Maximus says:
    November 21, 2014 at 10:14 am

    #30 Joyce
    I can’t find common ground with someone even though I don’t agree with their politics.”
    Color me shocked. Thanks but I didn’t need any more proof of your closed/simple-mindedness.
    You do realize that was rhetorical? Just checking!

    “You’re talking to the wrong person here about any kind of partisan crap. ”
    I am not pointing out anyone in particular, but if the shoe fits? It covers those that get out their big brush and use terms like “Liberal” or “Progressive” as a catch all.

    “You do not have any where near a firm grasp on this topic.”
    I respect your right to hold that opinion. I disagree with it, lets leave it at that.

  56. Libturd in Union says:

    NJ Expat – see if you can find the home here.

    http://www.historicaerials.com/

  57. anon (the good one) says:

    “The strong reaction by Republican leaders has less to do with opposition to the nuts and bolts of the president’s immigration policy and more to do with fear and anger that the issue will derail the agenda of the new Republican majority before the next Congress even convenes.

    Republican leaders who had hoped to focus on corporate tax reform, fast-track trade pacts, repealing the president’s healthcare law and loosening environmental restrictions on coal are instead being dragged into an immigration skirmish that they’ve tried studiously to avoid for most of the last year.”

    @MotherJones: Obama’s Immigration Plan is Both Good Policy and Remarkably Shrewd Politics

  58. McDullard says:

    Expat,

    Under Obama, the deportations have been up, border more tight, and there were also many people that voluntary left because the economy was down. I presume almost everyone agrees with a “closed” border and laws enforced — within reason. I am sure many don’t want “papers please” type laws, especially when many big players own businesses that employ the paper-less.

    I think the well is getting poisoned because the GOP-funded media is mixing up multiple things — like Mexican jihadists crossing the border with ebola on their backs and a future terrorist baby in the womb (the real bad guys have enough access to power players and have all the proper paperwork, anyway).

    Now, they can’t vote on an immigration reform because the 80 year old Fox fan base will get upset. The democrats have no clue as to what to do because they prioritized winning the next election over sticking to progressive/liberal policies, so they are making fools of themselves.

    There is no existential threat in the horizon for the US (even global warming will hurt US less than many other countries), but if these were some middle-ages, we’d be in a big danger.

  59. McDullard says:

    Toxic #49

    A “reform” has to be something beyond “apply current laws”, and will include some reasonable way to deal with the problem (not “kick 10M out” or “jail 10M people”). Some watered-down form of amnesty is likely to be part of a reform.

    Nom may want to weigh in on this: what O did is no where near full amnesty, and the rule applies only to people whose kids are US citizens and also to those that have been here since they were very young. The kids are especially vulnerable (they know no other country) and they are a pool of US educated kids in their prime. Removing the hanging sword over them helps them and the country. Who knows, many of them may grow up to be as successful as Ted Cruz and then turn around ranting against immigration.

  60. I saw those on Google Streetview, which made me go WTF? Those properties are literally half acre lots that are only 51 feet wide (432 feet long though) plus your back yard could not be any closer to towering power lines going to huge substation on the other corner at Van Houton and Mount Prospect. It looks like 360 Mt Prospect is now a 2010 built 2 Family with a $19K tax bill.

    They built some really nice homes across the street from where you lived. A lot of nice detail put into them. Really, good craftsmanship.

  61. [64] Not a 2 family, giant 1 family. I read the tax record wrong.

  62. grim says:

    50 – yep

  63. clotluva says:

    chifi

    Looks like the blog moved on to immigration today, but from yesterday re: search engines – I’ve been using:

    https://duckduckgo.com/

    Also check out:

    https://duckduckgo.com/privacy

    Not sure how they create good algos without gathering user data, but 9 times out of 10 I get similar results on there as I do on Google.

    I remain perplexed by Google’s ability to stave off competition when the barrier to entry to their core business model is so low. Now they have so much cash they can buy out most threats as well as diversify into content generation, market intelligence, etc. But it seems to me their competitive advantage is largely dependent on the fact that people are creatures of habit.

    In all likelihood, I value my privacy more than most, but in my view the more people become aware of precisely what information they are giving away, how it is being used and by whom, etc., the more fragile the likes of Google and Facebook become.

    I suspect there is a rather large subset of the population that would pay for more secure browsing and emailing services.

  64. homeboken says:

    I think that Joyce and Michael should f@ck and the resulting spawn be sacrificed to the internet gods so that all trolling can cease forever.

  65. FKA 2010 Buyer says:

    In case anyone is interested in actual data

    Every President’s Executive Orders in One Chart

    http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/every-presidents-executive-actions-in-one-chart/

  66. FKA 2010 Buyer says:

    [67] Clotluva

    Most of the world is living in ignorant bliss about how they give away their privacy. They see it but recognize it as such. Do they even realize what is happening when you get a new Smartphone or app and you click on, import contacts, you are giving up yours and your friends info. Or how when you phone start suggesting people you might know that are on the same app.

  67. Lib – Great site, thanks! Yeah the footprint looks identical. There used to be a partial 3rd floor (about 5 steps higher than the 2nd floor, kind of a split level addition) in the back with a big picture window with views of the Manhattan Skyline. I think maybe it was built by a prior owner without permit, which I thought was one of the nicest features of the house, that part is gone. I still can’t figure if they pulled the entire frame down. I think there was a story that that house used to be on the St. Andrews property and was moved across the street when the Church was built.

    NJ Expat – see if you can find the home here.

    http://www.historicaerials.com/

  68. Toxic Crayons says:

    Thinking of running away to mexico for a better life and free stuff.

  69. jj says:

    Those cars have got expensive. I had a chance to buy a electra convert back in the early 1980s when Gas prices were sky high for 200 bucks. Pretty good shape. My Mom said no fing way that thing would take up whole driveway and how could you afford to fill tank. I think a lot ended up in scrap yard. Now that car might be worth 10K.

    I did it in my 450sl once top up and honestly it was not worth the effort. My Buick with tinted windows I could have filled an x rated movie in there

    The Original NJ ExPat – Bow Down to the King says:

    November 21, 2014 at 11:04 am

    I thought I mentioned this before:

    The Original NJ Expat says:
    June 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm
    [57] JJ – Fall 1982 I was working full time, going to FDU 1 credit shy of FT, paying my uncle $100/month rent at his crowded house on Mount Prospect Ave in Clifton. Right below his house on Brighton Rd in Clifton was a row of office buildings/light manufacturing businesses. There was this one business with two 18-wheeler trailers parked permanently at the loading docks. My ’74 Buick Electra fit just perfectly between the two trailers and the cops never came by. Front seat was electric, but not reclining. GF and I would hop over into the back seat, then I would use the electric switch on the driver’s side of the front seat to move the electric bench all the way forward under the dash. Made the back seat limo sized with lots of possibilities.;-)

  70. Essex says:

    “If” you have money. Life is good. If you do not. Not so much. Health and Love are great, but money….money makes the world go round’ YO.

  71. DuckVader says:

    I know most — if not all — of those who are on this board are middle to upper-income level residents of this country. Just for the sake of simplicity, your households, my guess is, make upwards of $100,000 a year easily. Conversely, the vast majority (not all, not all) of those who are illegal aliens that are in the US presumably have education that is of lower quality, with much, much smaller and less useful professional networks. They have weaker language skills, and less of the social or interpersonal skills that contribute to a person’s success now. Thus they are not or should not theoretically be a threat to somebody educated in the US. The selfish part of me therefore wants them here because they reduce the price of lower-end labor or at least allow it to be more stable. For example, I want my wife to work but reasonably priced and good childcare is hard to find. Contrast this to Singapore, Hong Kong and even London where my brothers have lived, and where lower priced childcare is much, much easier to find (around $600- $800 per month in Singapore and HK to $1200 in London). This has allowed their wives, educated at great expense to the taxpayer, to work and increase their family incomes. How many women here in the US have had to quit because childcare costs ate up their incomes and made it uneconomical to do so?

    So my selfish, capitalist self says — let them in. Taking aside for the moment the cultural arguments, what are the economic arguments against not letting them in. I ask this question in all ignorance and honesty.

  72. joyce says:

    Just one thought… Economically in this situation, your gain is someone else’s loss. So I suppose the people who think they will be losing will be opposed to it.

    DuckVader says:
    November 21, 2014 at 2:04 pm
    I know most — if not all — of those who are on this board are middle to upper-income level residents of this country. Just for the sake of simplicity, your households, my guess is, make upwards of $100,000 a year easily. Conversely, the vast majority (not all, not all) of those who are illegal aliens that are in the US presumably have education that is of lower quality, with much, much smaller and less useful professional networks. They have weaker language skills, and less of the social or interpersonal skills that contribute to a person’s success now. Thus they are not or should not theoretically be a threat to somebody educated in the US. The selfish part of me therefore wants them here because they reduce the price of lower-end labor or at least allow it to be more stable. For example, I want my wife to work but reasonably priced and good childcare is hard to find. Contrast this to Singapore, Hong Kong and even London where my brothers have lived, and where lower priced childcare is much, much easier to find (around $600- $800 per month in Singapore and HK to $1200 in London). This has allowed their wives, educated at great expense to the taxpayer, to work and increase their family incomes. How many women here in the US have had to quit because childcare costs ate up their incomes and made it uneconomical to do so?

    So my selfish, capitalist self says — let them in. Taking aside for the moment the cultural arguments, what are the economic arguments against not letting them in. I ask this question in all ignorance and honesty.

  73. clotluva says:

    70. FKA

    I joined linkedin out of somewhat of a professional necessity, and am amazed at how many landmines they set up in order to get you to import your contacts.

    I could smell their racket the second I started getting unsolicited requests from them 8 years ago or so as a result of others who (whether intentionally or unintentionally) provided them with my contact info.

    There are no free lunches. When something is free, YOU are the product.

  74. Libturd in Union says:

    JJ…surprised you haven’t chimed in yet about dealing with all of the human poop on your lawn that Obimmigration will increase.

  75. Libturd in Union says:

    Likewise, it could have a positive outcome on your ability to obtain Vidalia’s at a lower cost.

  76. Ragnar says:

    Duck,
    I absolutely support much more open immigration. Free trade in labor.
    But I’d also couple that with a major teardown of the welfare state (which HK and Singapore don’t have).
    Republican dominant anti-immigration and pro-religion stances are why I don’t really like the party. However there is a subset (the libertarian wing) that doesn’t generally swing that way.

  77. clotluva says:

    78 cont.

    *Except for Grim’s blog. I have been getting a free lunch for far to long. Grim, what is the best way to make a contribution without using Paypal, a credit card, or any other personally identifying information?

    Thanksgiving seems to be a good time to recognize you and others on this blog whose freethinking perspectives I find refreshing.

  78. Libturd in Union says:

    I plan to donate to Grim through the purchase of fine spirits.

  79. Libturd in Union says:

    This is brilliant. And SFW.

    http://tinyurl.com/m3e4v88

  80. Toxic crayons says:

    (CNSNews.com) – Leaders in the Latino community say President Barack Obama’s executive order granting as many as five million illegal aliens temporary legal status is less about compassion for undocumented Latinos and more about setting a political “trap” for Republicans while not solving the nation’s immigration problem.
    Will the GOP use the upcoming Continuing Resolution to defund the president’s amnesty plan? Will they consider impeachment? Will they come up with their own plan knowing Obama will likely veto any bill that puts border security ahead of a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people that are in the country illegally?

    “Clearly his action and the fact that he chose to do it now, he’s throwing a hand grenade into the mix, and he’s setting a trap for the Republicans,” Mario Lopez, president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, told CNSNews.com.

    “It’s a Maximilian political trap,” Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of American Principles in Action Latino Partnership, told CNSNews.com. “If he was really interested in helping the undocumented and fixing the immigration system, he’d work with Congress.”

    Both Lopez and Aguilar said the timing of Obama’s order on the heels of a devastating loss for Democrats in the mid-term election makes it obviously a political move meant to appease his base and help Democrats in 2016 and beyond.

    They also said the broken immigration system should be a non-partisan issue and fixing it is the best response for Republicans.

    “[Republicans] should pass a bill that reflects a conservative immigration plan,” Aguilar said. “First, border security. Then the root of the problem – the demand for foreign workers – and finally, a way to provide legal status to millions without a special pathway to citizenship.”

    Giving foreign workers a legal way to come to this country to work and return home and then back to the United States to work again would lower the immigrant population by allowing “family reunification” in the immigrant’s home country, Aguilar said.

    Lopez called the current U.S. immigration system “a bureaucratic nightmare” that makes it “almost impossible” to come to the U.S legally. He said immigration law should make it easier for hard-working families to come here legally.

    “It should tap into folks who want to come here legally to build a better life for their family; build a better life for their children and who can contribute and make this the productive nation it’s always been,” Lopez said.
    Aguilar said most, if not all Latinos, don’t support the president’s order.

    “They see it for what it is,” Aguilar said. “A half-baked idea and not a solution.”

  81. clotluva says:

    76 Duck.

    “Thus they are not or should not theoretically be a threat to somebody educated in the US.”

    While there may be little threat of the demographic you describe taking away my job, there is a pretty substantial risk of them diminishing the value of my paycheck. Put 3.5 million more people on the open market making minimum wage, and who is going to pay for their health care and education? And immediately there will be another wave of illegals doing “off the books” labor.

    I’m not suggesting that a good portion of immigrants who originated illegally wouldn’t be capable of reaching the middle class and acheiving financial independence, but I don’t think we should condone illegal immigration as part of our immigration policy.

    It boggles me that we grant so many privileges to illegal immigrants. Driver licenses. Education. Health care. Bank accounts. The only disincentive appears to be families concerned about becoming seperated….and at that point any discussion on policy becomes more of an emotional issue than a logical one.

    Possible solution: punishment for use of illegal labor = 2 x’s financial value of labor. (And like drunk driving, multiple violations ratchet up to a felony conviction.) In this way, we protect our native labor market as well as disincentivize illegal migration.

  82. chicagofinance says:

    The market should be free and without hidden variables……all patented drugs should have their patents rescinded……

    How much does it cost to develop a drug and win FDA marketing approval?

    Yet another study was just released that purports to provide a definitive answer. The latest attempt comes from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, a nonprofit think tank that maintains nearly $2.6 billion is needed to get a new drug from the lab to the launchpad.

    The math is seemingly simple. The Tufts Center calculates that so-called out-of-pocket costs, or the amount of money actually spent, total nearly $1.4 billion. And almost another $1.2 billion in opportunity costs should be factored in as well. (That represents the return that could be gained if the money were invested elsewhere.)

    “Drug development remains a costly undertaking,” said Joseph DiMasi, who is director of economic analyst at the Tufts Center and the principal investigator for the study. His team analyzed information provided by 10 drug makers on 106 randomly selected drugs that were first tested in humans anywhere in the world from 1995 to 2007.

  83. Not Duck Vader says:

    Someone mentioned already
    – Just one thought… Economically in this situation, your gain is someone else’s loss. So I suppose the people who think they will be losing will be opposed to it.

    To expand on it. Your “personal” cheaper child care, really are cost shifting. It comes at the higher society cost of likely overcrowded housing and general increase in societal economic distress because of what you pay is crap, eventually leading to “soft” police state and its cost because your nanny will eventually steal from you (don’t kid yourself and think that Singapore is not a soft police state)

    Finally decreased economic growth because of less money in the system leads to less financial transactions, which leads to less currency moving in the economic system, even if higher amounts are placed in circulation, aka – liquidity trap, low and behold the problem affecting Europe, Japan, the US, and most of the world. Simply because of concentration of money (in your bank account, because you are too cheap to spend it) and the recipient of that money (your babysitter) plays extra safe with it because she fears for her economic future.

    These are some of the reasons in a cause/effect politically laden way, your argument about the developing second/third world lower cost of childcare, lead also to a country BEING a second/third world country.

    Finally. Why do you want to bring here the problems cause by the ruling class/plutocrats of those countries sending emigrants here?. Don’t you think it would be better for Carlos Slim (top billionaire in the world/ made his money the old mexican way -bribing everyone) to share some of his fortune with his countrymen like Andrew Carnegie. If Slim does not want to do it, let the mexican people force the mexican government to otherwise tax the fat greedy bastard back into a millionaire.

    It’s the Mexican people, or whatever other people’s job, to fix their country. If we keep accepting people escaping from the pressure cooker that their country is, then nothing will change in those country. Only the forces of internal pressure cookers can change a direction of a country, when is run for the benefit of the few. That is a major lesson of the cold war. Perfect example is Cuba. The Cuban oligarchy were for a lack of better word *ssh*l*s. Eventually it took a bigger *ssh*l*s (the Castro brothers) to clean them out. This explains Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

    Question posted – So my selfish, capitalist self says — let them in. Taking aside for the moment the cultural arguments, what are the economic arguments against not letting them in. I ask this question in all ignorance and honesty.

  84. anon (the good one) says:

    NOVEMBER 19, 2014
    G.O.P. Unveils Immigration Plan: “We Must Make America Somewhere No One Wants to Live”

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled his party’s long-awaited plan on immigration on Wednesday, telling reporters, “We must make America somewhere no one wants to live.”

    Appearing with House Speaker John Boehner, McConnell said that, in contrast to President Obama’s “Band-Aid fixes,” the Republican plan would address “the root cause of immigration, which is that the United States is, for the most part, habitable.”

    “For years, immigrants have looked to America as a place where their standard of living was bound to improve,” McConnell said. “We’re going to change that.”

    Boehner said that the Republicans’ plan would reduce or eliminate “immigration magnets,” such as the social safety net, public education, clean air, and drinkable water.

    The Speaker added that the plan would also include the repeal of Obamacare, calling healthcare “catnip for immigrants.”

    Attempting, perhaps, to tamp down excitement about the plan, McConnell warned that turning America into a dystopian hellhole that repels immigrants “won’t happen overnight.”

    “Our crumbling infrastructure and soaring gun violence are a good start, but much work still needs to be done,” he said. “When Americans start leaving the country, we’ll know that we’re on the right track.”

    In closing, the two congressional leaders expressed pride in the immigration plan, noting that Republicans had been working to make it possible for the past thirty years.”

  85. Street Justice says:

    89 – that was actually pretty funny!

  86. Street Justice says:

    91 – but still….you suck

  87. Street Justice says:

    no i mean anon sucks….ah krap

  88. joyce says:

    Assuming you’re referring back to NN: surely you’re not comparing the development of a drug and the accompanying patent with the govt granted exclusivity of the last mile? The former is creating something new, while the latter is granted at someone’s whim.

    chicagofinance says:
    November 21, 2014 at 3:09 pm
    The market should be free and without hidden variables……all patented drugs should have their patents rescinded……

  89. joyce says:

    Patent is protecting a proprietary formula while a local govt is granting territorial monopoly.

  90. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    [84] My flow chart is simpler.

    End Workday
    |
    Am I still married ?->(no)Take-out or Restaurant
    |(yes)
    Homemade meal

  91. Michael says:

    Outstanding write up. A pleasure to read.

    Not Duck Vader says:
    November 21, 2014 at 3:15 pm
    Someone mentioned already
    – Just one thought… Economically in this situation, your gain is someone else’s loss. So I suppose the people who think they will be losing will be opposed to it.

    To expand on it. Your “personal” cheaper child care, really are cost shifting. It comes at the higher society cost of likely overcrowded housing and general increase in societal economic distress because of what you pay is crap, eventually leading to “soft” police state and its cost because your nanny will eventually steal from you (don’t kid yourself and think that Singapore is not a soft police state)

    Finally decreased economic growth because of less money in the system leads to less financial transactions, which leads to less currency moving in the economic system, even if higher amounts are placed in circulation, aka – liquidity trap, low and behold the problem affecting Europe, Japan, the US, and most of the world. Simply because of concentration of money (in your bank account, because you are too cheap to spend it) and the recipient of that money (your babysitter) plays extra safe with it because she fears for her economic future.

    These are some of the reasons in a cause/effect politically laden way, your argument about the developing second/third world lower cost of childcare, lead also to a country BEING a second/third world country.

    Finally. Why do you want to bring here the problems cause by the ruling class/plutocrats of those countries sending emigrants here?. Don’t you think it would be better for Carlos Slim (top billionaire in the world/ made his money the old mexican way -bribing everyone) to share some of his fortune with his countrymen like Andrew Carnegie. If Slim does not want to do it, let the mexican people force the mexican government to otherwise tax the fat greedy bastard back into a millionaire.

    It’s the Mexican people, or whatever other people’s job, to fix their country. If we keep accepting people escaping from the pressure cooker that their country is, then nothing will change in those country. Only the forces of internal pressure cookers can change a direction of a country, when is run for the benefit of the few. That is a major lesson of the cold war. Perfect example is Cuba. The Cuban oligarchy were for a lack of better word *ssh*l*s. Eventually it took a bigger *ssh*l*s (the Castro brothers) to clean them out. This explains Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

    Question posted – So my selfish, capitalist self says — let them in. Taking aside for the moment the cultural arguments, what are the economic arguments against not letting them in. I ask this question in all ignorance and honesty.

  92. Liquor Luge says:

    This country stopped being hospitable to the law-abiding several decades ago. Our current wave of illegals is purposely being let into the U.S. in order to overwhelm the system. It’s also good for suppressing wages.

    Pure Cloward-Piven.

  93. Liquor Luge says:

    All the fun and games end when they catch some ISIS guy hopping the border at San Diego.

  94. Liquor Luge says:

    Now would be a good time to rip a dab or two.

  95. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    ChiFi – So every drug company has a nonprofit think tank managing $2.6 billion and that’s where new drugs come from? Do they just manage/maintain principle at $2.6 billion or can they have month-to-month drawdown or gain so long as they average the fund at $2.6 billion? How about Cap Gain distributions? Since it’s non-profit, I’m guessing the think tank doesn’t get 2 and 20 on the $2.6 billion, right?
    (just kidding)

    Yet another study was just released that purports to provide a definitive answer. The latest attempt comes from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, a nonprofit think tank that maintains nearly $2.6 billion is needed to get a new drug from the lab to the launchpad.

  96. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Clot, maybe…

    This country stopped being hospitable to the law-abiding several decades ago. Our current wave of illegals is purposely being let into the U.S. in order to overwhelm the system. buy real estate, push up rent prices, and add profits to the food and energy sectors. It’s also good for suppressing wages.

  97. Michael says:

    Exactly. It is why I know that wage inflation will come. It’s the only way to get the economy going. Too much money at the top (evidence= billionaires almost reaching a 100 billion) which makes the economy sick by destroying demand. Money at the top does not increase demand, quite the opposite.

    “Finally decreased economic growth because of less money in the system leads to less financial transactions, which leads to less currency moving in the economic system, even if higher amounts are placed in circulation, aka – liquidity trap, low and behold the problem affecting Europe, Japan, the US, and most of the world. Simply because of concentration of money (in your bank account, because you are too cheap to spend it) and the recipient of that money (your babysitter) plays extra safe with it because she fears for her economic future.”

  98. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Maybe some near future uprising will rhyme like this:

    Initially intended to express anger at the draft Executive order to allow illegal aliens to displace citizen wage earners, the protests turned into a race riot, with white rioters, mainly but not exclusively Irish immigrants poor US citizens, attacking and killingblacksMexicans wherever they could find them.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_draft_riots

  99. Marilyn says:

    #15 this is a disgrace. The developers probably want the land. Something is fishy. They have been pushing normal average folks out of the shore areas.

  100. clotluva says:

    100 expat

    Think you misread the excerpt. (Not that there aren’t some seriously well-endowed think tanks out there, mind you.)

  101. grim says:

    The only way flood insurance works is if everyone is mandated to buy it.

    I’m not an actuary, but when the only people who buy flood insurance are people who flood, it’s probably going to be as expensive as paying the flood damage out of pocket, in fact, mathematically, it needs to be.

    A government subsidy for flood insurance is exactly the same as everyone being required to buy it.

  102. grim says:

    I would rather see a flood insurance program that pays out the homeowner for the value of their property, and then condemns it, tears it down, and forever deed restricts it as open space. You only get to use it once.

  103. 1987 Condo says:

    #106..as someone with a degree in Actuarial Science, I’d say you are pretty correct!

  104. DuckVader says:

    Thanks for all the answers. In short, the $1,500 monthly premium/tax on childcare in our system ($2.7K-$1.2K) is the price of avoiding the costs we will eventually have to share because migrants will cost the system in terms of security and subsidizing their healthcare. Sort of like a “social cohesion” tax on us.

    The main question in my mind is, assuming we let migrants in: how much would that add to the overall bill?

    And how do we solve the problem of a significant, well-trained portion of our workforce not being able to work, i.e. women who bear children, because the cost of childcare. Not everyone can be Marissa Mayer..

  105. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    [103] Here is the overview of the draft riots in NY. Think on whether it seems familiar.

    1. The Irish were already the lowest rung on the socio-economic ladder when the Civil War broke out.
    2. Blacks, freed and escaped, were already displacing the Irish at the lowest labor positions.
    3. Congress passed a law which began the draft (it would be better for the analogy if Lincoln used Executive order, but I am constrained by the facts). Two methods of evading the draft were available. A man could hire a substitute who would serve in his place, or he could simply pay $300 to get out of the obligation. This was an impossible sum for a common laborer to ever procure in his lifetime.

    So now the lowest laborers had no choice. They had to leave their families with no income to go fight, and fight for what? To end slavery so even more black workers could take their low paying jobs at even lower wages. Can you understand how a modicum of discontent arose? Add a little alcohol and…

  106. Michael says:

    New smashing pumpkins song is pretty good. Sounds more like their 90’s stuff.

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMSDYtxsu4

  107. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    [106] Same as health insurance, right? I wonder if Europe has single payer flood insurance.

    The only way flood insurance works is if everyone is mandated to buy it.

  108. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Maybe home buyers need something like title insurance for their flood insurance. A policy whose costs are known at purchase that protects the home occupier from flood map redraws, etc. I’m also unclear what happens, ala Mantoloking, when your entire house and land gets taken away. What if your municipality, or the Army Corps of Engineers, or whoever decides not to put your land back? Does your insurance company just cut you a check for $6 million or whatever and it’s like a total loss on a car with a salvage title going to the insurance company for the sand that’s now 4 feet under water where your property used to be?

  109. Not Ex-Pat says:

    Come on ex-pat! ( Can you understand how a modicum of discontent arose? Add a little alcohol and…)

    You are talking about the irish here.

    http://youtu.be/5qzZr9OLKVE

  110. Happy Renter says:

    [102] “It is why I know that wage inflation will come.”

    Geez man, I skip over 90% of your posts but even I know that every other word out of your mouth is about wage inflation. You’re like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

  111. chicagofinance says:

    I’m embarrassed…..all this time and I didn’t realize that you can read….my bad…sorry…..

    Michael says:
    November 21, 2014 at 4:24 pm
    Outstanding write up. A pleasure to read.

  112. Libturd at home says:

    That’s why he’s Passion Fruit. Though I’d take 100 Michael’s over another Anon.

  113. déjà vu all over again says:

    Michael, it seems like you are looking for a seat at the big boys table but you have no assigned seat. I don’t know why you want acceptance from these guys, but here’s a plan to attain your goal:

    1. Sell grammy’s house.
    2. Use the money to obtain a bachelor’s degree. You don’t have to go fancy, William Paterson will do, but pursue some kind of real major.
    3. Come back and use the skills and reasoning abilities you’ve attained.

  114. McDullard says:

    Clot #98… gay ISIS guy with ebola on the back demanding obamacare and sharia law?

  115. déjà vu all over again says:

    [115] Here, here! Good show HR! We have been getting away from our roots here at NJReRe, which is using terms that are confusing to outsiders to the point where they need to bone up in the archives to come up to speed. You have to know who clot and gary are, else you are nobody. But we haven’t used “the Brig” or “Brig on Hacky” in a long time and we need some replacement inside baseball terms. I like “Big Pumpkin” for you know what from this point forward. Yay or nay?

    Geez man, I skip over 90% of your posts but even I know that every other word out of your mouth is about wage inflation. You’re like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

  116. Michael says:

    Everyone laughs at me, but it will happen. The economy says so.

    Happy Renter says:
    November 21, 2014 at 5:27 pm
    [102] “It is why I know that wage inflation will come.”

    Geez man, I skip over 90% of your posts but even I know that every other word out of your mouth is about wage inflation. You’re like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

  117. déjà vu all over again says:

    sorry, “Great Pumpkin”

  118. déjà vu all over again says:

    lowercase gp? There has been know gp since at least 2001.

  119. déjà vu all over again says:

    “the economy” is Michael’s invisible friend.

    Everyone laughs at me, but it will happen. The economy says so.

  120. Michael says:

    Once again insulting my intelligence. What makes you think I don’t have a degree? (I have three)

    It’s one thing to call me an idiot, but it’s another thing to call me uneducated. It’s highly insulting. I have been complimented regularly in life on my intelligence,but only here have I been put down. I’m not always right, and I’m not the smartest. But please don’t call me uneducated. I earned that with dedication and hard work. Don’t take that away from me by acting like I never graduated from college.

    déjà vu all over again says:
    November 21, 2014 at 6:33 pm
    Michael, it seems like you are looking for a seat at the big boys table but you have no assigned seat. I don’t know why you want acceptance from these guys, but here’s a plan to attain your goal:

    1. Sell grammy’s house.
    2. Use the money to obtain a bachelor’s degree. You don’t have to go fancy, William Paterson will do, but pursue some kind of real major.
    3. Come back and use the skills and reasoning abilities you’ve attained.

  121. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Is anyone else thinking of a scene from Twelve Monkeys? Maybe Michael was sent here from the future to warn us about the Great Pumpkin?

    It’s one thing to call me an idiot, but it’s another thing to call me uneducated. It’s highly insulting. I have been complimented regularly in life on my intelligence,but only here have I been put down. I’m not always right, and I’m not the smartest. But please don’t call me uneducated. I earned that with dedication and hard work. Don’t take that away from me by acting like I never graduated from college.

  122. Michael says:

    Just heard more evidence. A friend that is a corporate accountant said that his company is budgeting for big raises this year. He said the budget is at 6%, compared to 2% in years past. It’s coming, it’s starting as we speak.

  123. Michael says:

    127- I meant for next year and obviously he knows this because he has access to the books.

  124. Juice Box says:

    Mikey head down to p-town and score some rock already. There are no raises, only promotions will get you any kind of extra cheddar, this comes from the top of all the fortune 500 straight from the white shoe firms onto the bean counters and the boards of these companies.

  125. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    [127 & 128] Wow, Michael! Many thanks for your inside info! Oh, wait…I what I meant to say was…yaaawwwnnn….zzzzzzzzz

  126. McDullard says:

    #125 Michael…

    I will be the buzz kill for the fun many are probably having at your expense.

    May be you should ease off on biting some of the troll baits? Some guys here sound like really rude people if you look at the posts, but are actually very nice in real life.

    If a small statement from Chi saying “I didn’t realize you couldn’t read” ties you up in knots, may be you should step back, acknowledge “well played” and move on to next argument?

  127. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    [129] Juice – Michael thinks “White Shoe Firms” are HS kids that give private tennis lessons.

  128. Juice Box says:

    Nice? Nice guys finish last. We are all winners here.

  129. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    [131] What McD said…

  130. Michael says:

    This is a Fortune 500 company. Why would he lie to me about the overall budget increase for raises going from 2% to 6%? He has no reason to lie to me. I would say what company he works for, but this is a public forum, and he can get in serious trouble for releasing the info.

    Juice Box says:
    November 21, 2014 at 7:47 pm
    Mikey head down to p-town and score some rock already. There are no raises, only promotions will get you any kind of extra cheddar, this comes from the top of all the fortune 500 straight from the white shoe firms onto the bean counters and the boards of these companies.

  131. Michael says:

    I guess they all are trolling me. I knew expat was trolling me, but I didn’t know these others were too. Glad I could provide some cheap entertainment.

    McDullard says:
    November 21, 2014 at 7:51 pm
    #125 Michael…

    I will be the buzz kill for the fun many are probably having at your expense.

    May be you should ease off on biting some of the troll baits? Some guys here sound like really rude people if you look at the posts, but are actually very nice in real life.

    If a small statement from Chi saying “I didn’t realize you couldn’t read” ties you up in knots, may be you should step back, acknowledge “well played” and move on to next argument?

  132. Juice Box says:

    ExPat – some of the crap I hear from management consultants would make a grown man cry. Just ask our host, his sole mission in life besides being a Moonshiner is to make us all irrelevant and the worst part is there are millions like him.

  133. Juice Box says:

    re # 135 – Michael, you need to shut it now. SEC will be looking for you and him, better close your blinds now and hide under your bed.

  134. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Michael made himself known to me earlier today. I just needed that least piece of information, that his grandma’s old house was in the Athenia section of Clifton. He’s done.

  135. Libturd at home says:

    Michael,

    I’ll be nice. These are the things you can do to gain acceptance:

    1. Don’t pat yourself on the back when you eventually get something right. Even ugly girls get to go to the prom.

    2. Grow some cajones. It’s okay to be the butt of a joke.

    3. Don’t state the obvious. We already have Anon to do that.

    4. You need not agree with everyone here. And if you do agree with someone, your silence is enough to let us all know.

    5. Be less of a simpleton. Of course there will be wage inflation in the future. But there is also a definite lowering of the average Americans standard of living. Accept it.

    6. Few ever believed in trickle down. The lefties like to think that righties bow to Laffer like lefties kiss Krugman’s smelly toes, but most do not.

  136. Libturd at home says:

    Oh yeah. Don’t contradict yourself and don’t pick fights with the smarter posters here.

  137. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    7. Change your handle to Great Pumpkin.

  138. Juice Box says:

    Re #139 – Expat this isn’t Out Magazine, we really don’t want to know.

  139. Libturd at home says:

    Do it Michael. I am Libturd.

  140. McDullard says:

    #141… Before Michael pulls out his three degrees to show how smart he is, college degrees and being smart are very much independent — man, I am also piling on beat up Michael bandwagon

    One side-effect to Obama’s actions. It is likely that spouses of H1-B can work without restriction, so there will be a big rush of people that are reasonably skilled and can take up enough jobs. Considering how the bodyshops market people, you’ll suddenly see resumes with 10 years of experience in technologies that’ve been around for a year or so! It is not explicitly mentioned but says something like “some H1B spouses (H4 visa) will be eligible to work”.

    H4 is the most painful visa (cannot work or volunteer) and can go on for years together. So, this helps the spouses and at a time where there is high demand for tech workers — someone said yesterday to me that in some fields, one doesn’t even need to be looking to get job offers.

  141. Michael says:

    Fair enough. I was taking it a little too serious.

    Libturd at home says:
    November 21, 2014 at 8:11 pm
    Michael,

    I’ll be nice. These are the things you can do to gain acceptance:

    1. Don’t pat yourself on the back when you eventually get something right. Even ugly girls get to go to the prom.

    2. Grow some cajones. It’s okay to be the butt of a joke.

    3. Don’t state the obvious. We already have Anon to do that.

    4. You need not agree with everyone here. And if you do agree with someone, your silence is enough to let us all know.

    5. Be less of a simpleton. Of course there will be wage inflation in the future. But there is also a definite lowering of the average Americans standard of living. Accept it.

    6. Few ever believed in trickle down. The lefties like to think that righties bow to Laffer like lefties kiss Krugman’s smelly toes, but most do not.

  142. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Mikey likes it

  143. The Great Pumpkin says:

    I feel like jerry Maguire with this handle. Wage inflation anyone, who’s coming with me? Joyce raises her hand.

  144. The Big Pumpkin says:

    I’m feeling ignored over here.

  145. Liquor Luge says:

    You’re still a d bag in my book.

  146. Liquor Luge says:

    Idiot.

  147. chicagofinance says:

    Michael says:
    November 21, 2014 at 9:14 pm
    Fair enough. I was taking it a little too seriousLY

  148. The Great Pumpkin says:

    As corporate office towers were planned on Times Square in the 1980s, preservationists who were worried the Great White Way might go dark turned off all lights except one with a message to Ed Koch: “Hey Mr. Mayor, it’s dark out there. Please keep the lights on in Times Square.”

    Thanks in part to the protest, Times Square landlords have been required since the late 1980s to have advertising on their buildings, said Carol Willis, director of the Skyscraper Museum.

    Almost 30 years later, Times Square signage has become an arms race between real estate developers, with ever-bigger, ever-brighter displays. Tomorrow, Vornado Realty Trust (VNO:US) will fire the latest shot when it switches on a 330-foot (100-meter) digital billboard wrapped around the front of the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway between 45th and 46th streets. The eight-story tall sign, which will be leased by Google Inc. (GOOGL:US) from Nov. 24 into January, is more than half an acre in area.

    http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-11-17/google-takes-times-square-crown-with-half-acre-billboard

  149. Fabius Maximus says:

    #82 Clotluva

    “the best way to make a contribution without using Paypal, a credit card, or any other personally identifying information?”

    Green stamps in an envelope.

  150. Fast Eddie says:

    ExPat [154],

    Why doesn’t Obola just scream it out loud? We knew all along the motive. Oh wait, the stup1dity of voters is what the lefties rely on. But isn’t it interesting how Obola is spewing something about respect or dignity for illegal cr1minals while fully supporting a woman’s “right” to turn a baby into chopped meat.

  151. The Great Pumpkin says:

    153- Do you believe how much revenue that sign will generate. 4 weeks= 2.5 million. Cost of the sign was 22 million. The roi is looking sweet. Vornado is a brilliant company. You want evidence of real estate as a vehicle for investment, then take a look at some of their moves over the years.

  152. Fast Eddie says:

    Fabius,

    The report did conclude, however, that the State Department diplomatic compound where Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed had inadequate security and had needed CIA assistance.

    Hey, as long as no blame points back to the liar in chief, all is well.

  153. Comrade Nom Deplume, Guardian of the Realm says:

    Well at least all those folks who renounced their citizenship can come and go as they please. Can’t enforce the Reed Amendment now.

  154. Liquor Luge says:

    Citizenship in the US is overrated. Apparently.

  155. Liquor Luge says:

    Is there life on Mars?

  156. McDullard says:

    Eddie, are you preaching the “pro-life” gospel in NNJ by trivializing the pain women and families go through the process of an abortion?

    It is not guaranteed that the new immigrants are necessarily going to vote democratic. In a few years they may start complaining about taxes like many new immigrants do; and they are also more socially conservative and “pro-life”.

  157. Fast Eddie says:

    I’m trivializing the pain women and families go through during the process of an abortion?

    No, I think the lefties dismiss it as merely a process, especially the d0uche in chief when expressing his compassion for illegal crim1nals at OUR expense.

  158. The Great Pumpkin says:

    “When you look back at the secular bull market that started in ’52, you made five times your money,” Johnson added. “When we also saw the other inflation inflection point in 1982, the market worked its way higher and you made 15 times your money from ’82 to ’99. So, until we see some longer-term secular break, I think that we’ve got to continue to play this market to the long side…. Stick with the trend.”

    http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/talking-numbers/so-does-that-give-investors-a-reason-to-worry-about-the-recent-rally–211117107.html;_ylt=A0LEVy5JxnBUKzsAPCPBGOd_

  159. anon (the good one) says:

    Why is it old men are most passionate about controlling women’s bodies?

    It is always an old fart

  160. anon (the good one) says:

    ‘Send Immigrants Back Across Ocean to Mexico…’

    -Sarah Palin

  161. That’s not old men, that’s all men. Without that drive no man learns guitar or earns a dollar.

    Why is it old men are most passionate about controlling women’s bodies?

  162. [168] Take Brazil. If you look at demographics of 25 and over there are only 98 males for every 100 females. That seems like nothing, but the population is cognizant of the demographic, probably innately. As a man, you can lay back and just entertain offers from women. Women backstab each other to gain favor with men because they are in the minority. In the US and other successful capitalist countries the ratio is 1:1 and the men compete for the women. It only takes a couple points either way to change the behavior.

  163. Juice Box says:

    re: #169 – – ” just entertain offers from women. ”

    Don’t want to buy the cow if they get the milk for free, plenty of bastards/orphans aka the “undesirables” down there getting wiped out.

    That is one place I will not go no matter how much is put on the table.

  164. clotluva says:

    155 fabius

    “Green stamps in an envelope.”

    Uh, delivered where, precisely?

  165. Hughesrep says:

    175

    Lake effect snow is weird. A few miles can mean the difference in feet.

    I grew up on the west side of Cleveland. I’d get a few inches of snow, east side suburbs would get feet. It depends upon the temp, open water areas of the lake and wind direction.

  166. Happy Renter says:

    Great Pumpkin — I’m glad you’ve taken to your new nickname. Now, you don’t even need to refer to your expectation that wage inflation will be here any minute now, it will be taken as a given just by seeing your handle on a post.

    “Just wait ’til next year, Charlie Brown. You’ll see! Next year at this same time, I’ll find a pumpkin patch that is real sincere! And I’ll sit in that pumpkin patch until the Great Pumpkin appears. He’ll rise out of that pumpkin patch and he’ll fly through the air with his bag of toys. The Great Pumpkin will appear! And I’ll be waiting for him! I’ll be there! I’ll be sitting there in that pumpkin patch..and I’ll see the Great Pumpkin. Just wait and see, Charlie Brown. I’ll see that Great Pumpkin. I’ll SEE the Great Pumpkin! Just you wait, Charlie Brown. The Great Pumpkin will appear and I’ll be waiting for him!”

    Please refer all questions to Gary.

  167. NJT says:

    #169

    “As a man, you can lay back and just entertain offers from women.”

    Most places in the U.S., if you are a 35-55 year old white guy in decent shape with a clean record, good job paying job and no wedding ring….”chick magnet!”.

    Of course most (not all) will be those looking for a ‘second chance’ and will have baggage but many are HOT! Whew!

    Lost my wedding ring in an accident (it was that or lose the finger). Never replaced it as wife didn’t care.

    Was and still am not the kind of guy that displays family pictures ect. in my work area and keep my personal life, private.

    Huh, this draws in more snapper than any fly I ever tied.

    My fav. (currently) is:

    Chick (HOT early thirties): You like X, right?
    Me: Yeah.
    Chick: I can get good seats and reservations for dinner before the show at X.
    Me: Really?
    Chick: Yup. Afterwards we can…
    Me: Um, lemme check with my wife.
    Chick: You’re married!?
    Me: You never asked.

    Flirting is fun, especially playing the dumb nerd.

    Married 21 years and haven’t even pulled a ‘slick willie’ with an intern. Don’t have to.

    I’m NEVER replacing the ring as I like women asking ME for a date.

    Amazing how desperate some are!

  168. McDullard says:

    #166 and #169… Anon/Expat:

    A lot of misogyny is not related to male/female ratio. India has a low female to male ratio and women haven’t been doing that well there.

    Of course, it is a bit scary when we see middle-aged and old men try to push their religious beliefs onto to women that are “non-believers”. Quite strangely, most of the stuff they push are rules that take away rights and rarely ones that give rights.

  169. Happy Renter says:

    [180] “Of course, it is a bit scary when we see middle-aged and old men try to push their religious beliefs onto to women that are “non-believers”. ”

    Yeah tell me about it. Like that Old Testament belief “Thou shalt not kill.” Who do those crazies think they are trying apply their “religious beliefs” to others?

    The line between “religious belief” and moral belief is not as clear as you pretend. People may disagree on this issue, but framing the issue as a “religious belief” vs. secular rights is a straw man.

  170. Comrade Nom Deplume, Guardian of the Realm says:

    [176] Hughesrep

    Snow in buffalo playing hell with the competition in Cincy. A squad from buffalo thAt one o of our squads was to face is en route here via Canada. They will have to do two rounds in one day. The schedule was completely shot with squads getting in late.

    No snow on the ground here. Very mild.

  171. McD – You missed my point. It’s not about misogyny, but rather productivity. I have heard tale that they actually do some productive work in India. Brazil…not so much.

    A lot of misogyny is not related to male/female ratio. India has a low female to male ratio and women haven’t been doing that well there.

  172. [169] Juice – Exactly my point. No impetus.

    re: #169 – – ” just entertain offers from women. ”

    Don’t want to buy the cow if they get the milk for free, plenty of bastards/orphans aka the “undesirables” down there getting wiped out.

    That is one place I will not go no matter how much is put on the table.

  173. [169] Channeling Michael Keaton from “Night Shift” talking to co-star Henry Winkler (I’m an idea man, Chuck!) CIA: start covertly grabbing up 2% of the hot women from the Middle East and neutering the most violent males. Before you know it, the imbalance will foster calm capitalism.

    It only takes a couple points either way to change the behavior.

  174. [185] …And I know “2% of the hot women from the Middle East” might not break double digits, but give the plan time to work.

  175. McDullard says:

    #181 Renter,

    Your point is valid at one end of the spectrum of scenarios, and stuff like unviable fetus posing to risk to mother is at another end. Irrespective of the moral/religious beliefs, there are some gray areas, so, blanket criminalization or trivialization doesn’t help much — my opinion is that we should at least start with a sympathetic stand. The overall solution should be a combination of more family planning tools, and also some support for early childhood help (which the “pro-life” movement does not seem to support as much as it should). Also, some complex issues can’t be viewed in terms of one religious institution’s perspective alone — some religious institutions are against contraception, inter-faith marriages, divorce, gay rights, abortion, euthanasia, etc. Now, wouldn’t it look silly if some nut starts shooting off on divorce with “people do it because they get bored” (trust me, I’ve heard family friends say the weirdest things).

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