Should I stay or should I go?

Posted on February 23, 2017 by grim

From HousingWire:

Here’s the inventory crisis smothering Millennial homebuying

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

79 Responses to Should I stay or should I go?

  1. yome says:
    February 23, 2017 at 5:33 am

    From yesterday

    To enter the US illegally is a Crime. Let us talk about how illegals get their fake SS numbers. Using numbers not your own is a crime. It maybe a civil law breach for someone to overstay the visa but it becomes criminal to get SS number not your own. Or apply for a card stamped not for employment and get a fake one without the stamp with your own number and use it for employment. This are Criminal acts. Very few illegals work under the table. Expect the ones that dont, committed a crime since the employer need an SS number to pay Payroll

  2. grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 5:35 am

    From CNBC:

    US existing home sales hit 10-year high in January

    U.S. home resales surged to a 10-year high in January as buyers shrugged off higher prices and mortgage rates, a sign of growing confidence in the economy.

    The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday existing home sales jumped 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million units last month. That was the highest level since February 2007.

    December’s sales pace was revised up to 5.51 million units from the previously reported 5.49 million units. Economists had forecast sales rising 1.1 percent to a 5.54 million-unit pace in January. The NAR also revised sales data going back to 2014. The revisions were minor and had no impact on the characterization of the housing market.

    Sales were up 3.8 percent from January 2016. Demand for housing is being underpinned by a strengthening labor market, which is improving employment opportunities for young adults and, in turn, boosting household formation.

    A persistent shortage of properties available for sale, which is lifting house prices, remains an obstacle to a robust housing market. While the 30-year fixed mortgage rate appears to be stabilizing after rising rapidly in recent months, it still remains above 4 percent. In contrast, annual wage growth is running below 3 percent.

  3. grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 5:37 am

    Gearing up to be the hottest spring market in a loooong time.

  4. grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 5:40 am

    From Forbes:

    Existing-Home Sales Jump in January, NAR Data Show

    Existing-home sales stepped out to a fast start in 2017, surpassing a recent cyclical high and increasing in January to the fastest pace in almost a decade, according to the National Association of Realtors. All major regions except for the Midwest saw sales gains last month.

    Total existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, expanded 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million in January from an upwardly revised 5.51 million in December 2016. January’s sales pace is 3.8 percent higher than a year ago (5.48 million) and surpasses November 2016 (5.60 million) as the strongest since February 2007 (5.79 million).

    Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says January’s sales gain signals resilience among consumers even in a rising interest rate environment. “Much of the country saw robust sales activity last month as strong hiring and improved consumer confidence at the end of last year appear to have sparked considerable interest in buying a home,” he said. “Market challenges remain, but the housing market is off to a prosperous start as homebuyers staved off inventory levels that are far from adequate and deteriorating affordability conditions.”

    The median existing-home price3 for all housing types in January was $228,900, up 7.1 percent from January 2016 ($213,700). January’s price increase was the fastest since last January (8.1 percent) and marks the 59th consecutive month of year-over-year gains.
    …
    “Competition is likely to heat up even more heading into the spring for house hunters looking for homes in the lower- and mid-market price range,” added Yun. “NAR and realtor.com®’s new ongoing research – the Realtors® Affordability Distribution Curve and Score – revealed that the combination of higher rates and prices led to households in over half of all states last month being able to afford less of all active inventory on the market based on their income.”
    …
    Single-family home sales grew 2.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million in January from 4.91 million in December 2016, and are now 3.7 percent above the 4.86 million pace a year ago. The median existing single-family home price was $230,400 in January, up 7.3 percent from January 2016.

    Existing condominium and co-op sales leapt 8.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 650,000 units in January, and are now 4.8 percent higher than a year ago. The median existing condo price was $217,400 in January, which is 6.2 percent above a year ago.

    January existing-home sales in the Northeast jumped 5.3 percent to an annual rate of 800,000, and are now 6.7 percent above a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $253,800, which is 2.5 percent above January 2016.

  5. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 7:22 am

    hey everyone, i hope all is well.

    was wondering if anyone can share the pros and cons of using a buyers agent when looking for a home.

    last time i used a buyers agent, it seemed that the listing agents werent as interested in negotiating with us (since they have to split the commission? do i have that right?)

    im hoping someone can shed some light.

    thanks!

  6. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 7:51 am

    @max_read

    im fascinated by the alternate universe depicted in chevy ads in which regular people feel strongly moved by chevy winning jd power awards

  7. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 7:55 am

    as opposed to what? having no agent to represent you?

    what about using same gal as your selling and buying agent, is that kosher?

    neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 7:22 am

    was wondering if anyone can share the pros and cons of using a buyers agent when looking for a home.

    last time i used a buyers agent, it seemed that the listing agents werent as interested in negotiating with us (since they have to split the commission? do i have that right?)

  8. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:15 am

    Did you even read what I stated? You can go to any tourist zone in any country, leave that area, and good fuc!king luck. Europe, Australia, Canada, and the wealthy Islands like Bermuda are the only places I would venture off from the tourist zone.

    Using a tv show to exhibit how safe these areas of the world are? Really? Like they don’t have security all around them. Like people want to depict crimes happening in front of a camera, so no one comes to their country. You just don’t get it.

    ProudLiberal says:
    February 22, 2017 at 10:05 pm
    @Grate P,
    >>Non-tourist areas in other countries (excluding Europe, Australia, or wealthy islands)are no go zones for myself. You will get eaten alive.

    Have you traveled to the south east? Which countries?
    Have you been to the middle east? Tell me.

    If you haven’t at the very least, watch Anthony Bourdain.. maybe you will learn something outside of this cultural bubble called U.S.A.

  9. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:20 am

    grab them,
    yea, i was thinking id just reach out to listing agents and negotiate with them directly. what would be wrong with that strategy?? thanks

  10. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:34 am

    Ahh, 2017, and the re market and job market is only getting stronger. Damn that Pumpkin was right 4 years ago in calling 2017/2018 as the beginning stages of the next real estate boom. And surprise, demographics driving it….millennials. Nail one for the Pumpkin.

  11. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:43 am

    that’s a good question. you would still b protected by go over attorney review, inspection, etc
    so what’s the value add of the buying agent once you found the house?

    neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:20 am
    grab them,
    yea, i was thinking id just reach out to listing agents and negotiate with them directly. what would be wrong with that strategy?? thanks

  12. Grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:55 am

    I find it humorous that the same people that are up in arms about Trumps elimination of the fiduciary rule advocating for working with the sellers agent.

  13. chicagofinance says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:26 am

    FWIW….the DOL Fiduciary Rule has made an impact….all that Trump ex-order does is stop paperwork overload CYA and standing in lawsuits (good for smaller investors)……so people should be very happy and stop complaining…..the concept of a fiduciary has a critical mass and the tangible changes will be permanent……

    Grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:55 am
    I find it humorous that the same people that are up in arms about Trumps elimination of the fiduciary rule advocating for working with the sellers agent.

  14. ProudLiberal says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:27 am

    @economist,
    >>yea, i was thinking id just reach out to listing agents and negotiate with them directly. what would be wrong with that strategy??

    There are no shortcuts in real estate (at least not in NJ)- the sharks have already cornered them all. Don’t be penny wise, trying to negotiate on the commission, when you have bigger things at stake.

    Focus on the right home, pick a buyers agent and stick with him/her.. and you will come out ahead in the long run.

  15. Ottoman says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:27 am

    What proof do you have that most real estate agents respect their fiduciary responsibilities anyway? Most buyers and sellers are completely clueless despite the little brochure they get explaining it all. How many people even know that two agents from the same brokerage even if from different offices are considered dual agents if they are buying and selling their own agency’s listing?

    Bottom line is the sellers agent does have a monetary incentive to bring in the buyer themselves. So does the agency that has the listing.

    And allegedly that agent is supposed to treat both sides fairly and not give anyone an advantage. However, they’re going to have an inherently better established and longer term relationship with the seller. Listings are not about selling a particular home. That listing sign and online listing are free advertising for them to snag buyers who might actually buy something else through them. A buyer that comes to them for one house and isn’t interested in getting them a commission on another house if that one doesn’t work out, isn’t going to get much of an advantage unless the stupid thing has been listed for a long time with no offers. And the seller isn’t crazy.

    Grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:55 am
    I find it humorous that the same people that are up in arms about Trumps elimination of the fiduciary rule advocating for working with the sellers agent.

  16. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:27 am

    what is the benefit of using a buyers agent?

    thanks!

  17. ProudLiberal says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:35 am

    @Grate P,

    >> You can go to any tourist zone in any country, leave that area, and good fuc!king luck. Europe, Australia, Canada, and the wealthy Islands like Bermuda are the only places I would venture off from the tourist zone.

    Do you know how many countries there are?

    Before you start saying most countries are “dangerous” to travel, maybe you should define what your travel needs are. There are so many facets to this discussion that it’s not even worth it to debate on a blog. I just disagree with you drawing a broad brush that most countries are not friendly.

  18. Ottoman says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:47 am

    Don’t forget that buyers agents also have a monetary incentive to steer buyers to houses with higher commissions. And it’s not just because a house is higher priced. All commissions are negotiable so you can find similar houses offering 3% or 2.5% or 2% or 3% with selling bonus or whatever to the agent that brings in the buyer. NJ real estate agents are not obliged to show you every house even if they work as your exclusive buyers agent. Otherwise people could offer commissions of $5 and be guaranteed showings. Anyone remember that 1% agency from back during the real estate boom?
    There might have been a couple of them and they probably only got showings when buyers specifically brought them up to their agents.

    @economist,
    >>yea, i was thinking id just reach out to listing agents and negotiate with them directly. what would be wrong with that strategy??

    There are no shortcuts in real estate (at least not in NJ)- the sharks have already cornered them all. Don’t be penny wise, trying to negotiate on the commission, when you have bigger things at stake.

    Focus on the right home, pick a buyers agent and stick with him/her.. and you will come out ahead in the long run.

  19. 30 year realtor says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:58 am

    neanderthal economist,

    As soon as you go through the listing agent there is the possibility of a conflict of interest. This is not always important but situations can develop where the advantage gained by using the listing agent as your agent can be neutralized or become a disadvantage. If you are in an exceptionally hot market or chasing REO properties and there is a high likelihood of a multiple offer situation using the listing agent may become an advantage.

    When you use the listing agent you have no idea of the depth their relationship with the seller. Even though the listing agent becomes a disclosed dual agent by law when handling both sides of the transaction, the reality may be different. You are at best a “one and done” to the listing agent. Agent knows that if you don’t buy that property you will be calling the listing agent for the next property and not be loyal to him/her. Meanwhile their seller may have their current home listed with the agent, be buying their next home through this agent and may have a deeper relationship through business, family or other connections with the seller they are representing in the house you are trying to purchase.

    Another negative scenario when the agent has both sides of the transaction is that the transaction may become more important than the people on either side. The larger commission may become the most important issue in the eyes of the agent and their decisions could be colored by the commission rather than what is right or wrong for either party to the transaction.

    In the end having an agent that you trust to look out for your best interests is what you want.

  20. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:58 am

    My buyer’s agent was worth every penny. I found out later from a neighbor that there were 5 offers on the home. I swooped it off the market in under 5 days of it being listed. He got it done and done quick before anyone could swoop in.

  21. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:58 am

    Neanderthal, what area?

  22. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:00 am

    “October 2, 2015 at 2:57 pm
    CHI,
    I like Pricel1ne and Airlease right here. Air Lease looks very cheap. I recently got PCLN right around 1K.”

    PCLN 1,265.68 –> 1655.83 = 31%

    AL 31.53 –> 39.81 = 26% (+.75% dividend)

    NHMD .0069 (pumpkin call on 12/11/15) –> 0.0017 = -75%

    SP500 2,099.93 –> 2365.89 = 13%

    “October 2, 2015 at 2:57 pm
    CHI,
    I like Pricel1ne and Airlease right here. Air Lease looks very cheap. I recently got PCLN right around 1K.”

  23. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:04 am

    blue ribbon, central nj..

  24. grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:09 am

    There is a subtle, but important, differentiation in motivations here.

    First – let’s make an assumption that’s idiotic, but important. The buyer will buy a house.

    The motivation of the seller’s agent is to sell his or her property, and the benefit of doing that is doubling their commission. They have a huge motivation/benefit, if they can convince you to buy their particular property.

    The motivation of the buyers agent is to find you a property that gets you to finalize the transaction, any property.

    Both agents want to get you to finalize the transaction, but the sellers agent is more motivated to get you to close on a narrower scope of properties.

    The issue arises when the initial assumption was invalid, that the buyer may or may not buy a property. In this case, both agents are still motivated to get you to finalize a transaction, in your best interest or not.

    But in the other situation, any buyer who feels that they can somehow utilize the relationship of the seller’s agent, and their motivations, to negotiate some sort of better transaction. This will not happen, given two parties with equal interest, you will not get a better price by consummating through the sellers agent. No way, no how.

    So why is this beneficial for the buyer? In the main scenario, you are at a disadvantage.

    You could work with multiple sellers agents, great, but you are also getting no additional discount for your effort.

  25. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:10 am

    proud, thx. i would not try to negotiate the commission.. would just try to negotiate the price of home directly. the reason i brought up commission is because i understood that the listing agent has to split her commission with my buying agent, which significantly lowers the listing agents incentive to negotiate with me as the buyer. not sure if my assumptions are right. thats just how i thought it worked.

    “Don’t be penny wise, trying to negotiate on the commission, when you have bigger things at stake.”

  26. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:16 am

    30 year, thanks for that nuanced explanation, was helpful

    “If you are in an exceptionally hot market or chasing REO properties and there is a high likelihood of a multiple offer situation using the listing agent may become an advantage.”

    grim, reading yours next..

  27. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:21 am

    ok, thanks grim..

    “any buyer who feels that they can somehow utilize the relationship of the seller’s agent, and their motivations, to negotiate some sort of better transaction. This will not happen, given two parties with equal interest, you will not get a better price by consummating through the sellers agent.”

  28. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:24 am

    the feed back seems unanimous.
    happy to use buyers agent. thanks all!

  29. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:33 am

    If I may throw in my 2 cents. One can not emphasize enough the trust factor necessary when working with a buying agent. For a selling agent, the commission is based on how much they sell YOUR house for, so obviously, they want to fetch top dollar for themselves (in commission) and for you (in the highest possible sale price). The buying agent may promote such novel concepts as “stretching into your next home,” or “inflation will make your huge mortgage payments shrink over time.” They want the biggest commission possible and putting you into a more affordable home works against this. Only a trustworthy buying agent will put your needs ahead of their commission. Trust me, the disappointment displayed by our buying agent when we put in multiple losing bids for home approaching 600K price tags and then eventually buying a home for 430K after using her for three years was a but unsettling. After we signed the contract, she couldn’t have gotten out of there quicker.

    Make sure your buying agent understands you and you understand him/her.

  30. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:37 am

    As a matter of fact, our buying agent promised us some novelty give at the closing. I’m sure it was nothing of any real value. I don’t even think she bothered to run it by. Though, we ran into her multiple times since. My guess is that she doesn’t see us as worth it for future business since we know what we are doing. The shame of it is that we encouraged her time and time again to not be at the showings we attended as 9 out of 10 times, it would be a waste of her time. She refused to listen.

  31. neanderthal economist says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:50 am

    steam, its ashame to hear about this short-sightedness and low bar of professionalism, yet im sure its alive and well as you describe – and probably also exists in other professions as well, unfortunately. thanks for sharing the perspective.

    “The disappointment displayed by our buying agent when we put in multiple losing bids for home approaching $600K price tags and then eventually buying a home for 430K after using her for three years was a but unsettling. After we signed the contract, she couldn’t have gotten out of there quicker.”

  32. Anon E. Moose, Ghost of JJ says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:53 am

    NE [10:10];

    the reason i brought up commission is because i understood that the listing agent has to split her commission with my buying agent, which significantly lowers the listing agents incentive to negotiate with me as the buyer.

    This is only a perceived advantage if you presume that the listing agent is going to discount their commission on a dual-broker situation to give the buyer a discount on gross while keeping the seller happy on net. I’d say that presumption is shaky at best.

    Consider a house asking $400k with a 5% commission; net $380k to the seller (before transfer costs). Imagine an offer comes in at ask from a represented buyer; the listing agency stands to make $10k after split with the buyer’s agency. If it is a dual-broker situation, they stand to make $20k. The buyer in the dual-agent situation can hypothetically offer $395k, with the provisio that the buyer is not represented (or effectively dual-represented), the broker can take that offer to the seller and knock $5k off what they stand to make on commission, but still come out $5k ahead over closing the full ask deal from the represented buyer. I just don’t know that to be common in practice. Selling brokers don’t look to kindly to effectively sharing their commission with buyers. Foxtons and Redfin tried the commission rebate model and I don’t think its worked out like they hoped.

    Listing agents see their job as getting sales contracts — they don’t like to show their listings. If you’re trying to get the process done in a reasonable amount of time, you’ll get better access to listings by having a buyer’s agent to open the lock box for you. Even presuming you could negotiate a discount by being unrepresented, the price you pay for better access is the buyers’ agent commission.

  33. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 10:55 am

    FYI…We did trust her and she didn’t steer us into larger homes that were not suitable for our family. But, you could just read it in her face when we said we were actually interested in the lowest priced house. When she told us to make a lowball offer, we weren’t sure if she was hoping we wouldn’t get it, or if she was actually looking out for us. Either way though, it was accepted and we couldn’t have been happier for it.

  34. Grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:04 am

    The other factor is the seller is paying for you to get the service of the buyers agent.

    Why wouldn’t you take advantage of this?

    If buyers needed to pay for this out of pocket – they would be screaming bloody murder.

  35. Bystander says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:05 am

    Steam,

    Agree. If you know what you are doing then buyer’s agents are absolutely pointless. I went through so many during my search. The one I finally used, well, she did work her fat @$$ off for 4 months. We had several offers fall through bc I would not go higher. Those led to some heated fights. When we found right house at right price, she was pretty useless as it becomes about inspections and mortgage verification and processing. I knew I ground her up pretty good when she claimed to have a special closing present and it took a month to arrive. It was a dollar store level teabag holder. I simply laughed. Mortgage guy hooked me up with full BBQ set with steam knives and everything. Real nice.

  36. Bystander says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:06 am

    Steam knives

  37. Grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:06 am

    The other benefit is geographic area – listing agents seldom want to leave the office, let alone head two towns over.

  38. Bystander says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:06 am

    Steak knives..geez spell check

  39. Grim says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:10 am

    By – you assume that by doing the legwork – you should gain some discount or advantage – but we all know that’s not how the system works – the more work you do – the more money the agent makes for the time she works.

    I used to love when people called me up to write offers, even more when they were accepted.

  40. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:10 am

    Proud, take a look at this map from the Canadian govt. Exactly what I stated.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/travel-warnings/

  41. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:36 am

    Chasing the big gains, and lost. It is what it is. I’m young and I will take that risk every single time. I’m not putting all my money, but a small percentage to make big gains. 10-20% gains are okay, but they will not get you far. If you are just fine with not taking much risk and getting a return that dictates that, more power to you. I’m trying to make some real money, and that takes a lot of risk. Meaning you will lose more than you win, but when you win, it’s a grand slam.

    I could have made really good money off NHMD, a thousand percent at one point, but didn’t sell. OTC is not for the faint of heart, you must sell quickly when you are up, and not make the mistake I made by falling in love with the ticker. Number one mistake in the OTC, never ever fall in love, emotions do not belong anywhere in the otc trading tickers. Just follow the runs, make your money, and never ever hold.

    “NHMD .0069 (pumpkin call on 12/11/15) –> 0.0017 = -75%”

  42. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 11:55 am

    30 yr old. – you saying that having your selling agent also being your buyer agent in case of upgrading is Kosher?

    “Meanwhile their seller may have their current home listed with the agent, be buying their next home through this agent and may have a deeper relationship through business, family or other connections with the seller they are represent”

  43. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    Yup, because real estate is such a bad investment (sarcasm).

    Being a landlord is very lucrative, and this market getting taken over by investors says so. Soon, mostly the rich will only own land as we go back to the way it has been for most of history. This high level of home ownership was an anomaly, just like the “middle class.”

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/landlords-are-taking-over-the-u-s-housing-market

  44. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:27 pm

    Pumps. I’m still holding mine and both of those names are minimal risk, especially compared with a penny stock. I’m just busting on you anyway. Stay away from the pink sheets. The only people to make money down there are the owners of the illegitimate businesses that are listed down there. BTW, I believe that one CAN beat the indexes through stock-picking. But few do because they don’t have the discipline and patience to wait for the proper buy. I don’t believe the fund guys or the brokers can stock pick successfully since their time frames to return a profit are too short. The last three trades I made were AL, PCLN and selling UNH back in 2015. I can’t find any growth stocks of decent value currently. Was hoping Amazon would crater temporarily on the 4th quarter (which it did the prior two years), but although the report was mediocre, the hype was just too great to give me my price. No way am I purchasing a 200 P/E stock. It only got down to about 185 after the report. Otherwise, I’m just treading water right here. The best trade out there, if I had deep enough pockets, is shorting TSLA. Unfortunately, I don’t invest on margin. Heck, I don’t even like having a mortgage. Fortunately, inching closer and closer to the 100% debt free finish line.

  45. Yo! says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:29 pm

    I bought 4 houses over the years. Never used buyer’s agent. First reason is I knew the markets. Second reason is I got the sense seller’s agent steered transaction to me because seller’s agent wouldn’t have to split the commission and knew I would close due to my strong terms – all cash buyer. The seller’s agent convinced the client to sell to me at a slightly below market price because the agent was confident she would get the entire commission and get it quickly. Twice, I noticed the agent cut the commission to 4% to persuade the seller to agree.

    Am I seeing it right or wrong?

  46. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    I’m going to Botswana ASAP!

  47. The Original NJ Expat says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    Maybe instead of “undocumented immigrants” we should start calling them “fake documented immigrants”?

    Illegal immigrants are not “undocumented.” They have fraudulent documents such as counterfeit Social Security cards, forged drivers licenses, fake “green cards,” and phony birth certificates. Experts suggest that approximately 75 percent of working-age illegal aliens use fraudulent Social Security cards to obtain employment.

    http://cis.org/IdentityTheft

  48. homeboken says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:58 pm

    Can someone pass along the contact information for the uber-inspector that has been so highly touted on these pages? I don’t recall the areas that he works in, is Randolph/Mendham area in his wheelhouse? Thanks in advance – no back to arguing with Pumpkin…

  49. Yo! says:
    February 23, 2017 at 1:01 pm

    Namibia better than Botswana. Growing economy, Southern California weather, white population large and integrated, and decent schools in Windhoek and Walvis Bay for the kids. Nice houses in safe neighborhoods for low prices. Americans can thrive in Namibia due to skills shortage there and English, which is official language but second or third language of nearly all Namibians. Like South Africa without the crime and emigration.

    Gabarone and Francistown in Botswana ok but Namibia better. Big annoyance in Namibia is slow internet speed.

  50. Walking bye says:
    February 23, 2017 at 1:05 pm

    My 2cents regarding a dual listing agent. If you know the area and market well not point in using a buyers agent. The two times I used a buyers agent I was always shown homes I was not interested in.. in the end I found the homes on my own and the agent collected a commission for doing nothing. The one time I bought using a dual agent I did get a discount of surprise -2.9% off asking. This was of course in may of 2005 when the market was still active and many homes were going at or above listing. For what it’s worth freakanomics did an interesting piece on how real estate agents really don’t have their clients interests at hand. When is a buyers agent recommended- investment property. They are well worth their services For running comps, rental rates, market activity

  51. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    This is the price of freedom. Thanks Republicans

    @annediego
    My flight from SFO to JFK.
    We were told we couldn’t disembark without showing our “documents.”

  52. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    great, we’re now fukcing russia

    @tomtomorrow
    This is an internal flight.
    My Russian friends have to carry internal passports & present them to militia on demand.
    Now, I guess, so do we.

  53. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    Have much respect for your investing skills. You have been dead on with almost every single call since I have been lurking on these pages. So that’s a magnificent track record, and something to be damn proud of.

    I agree pinks suck. I just use a play here and there where I know momentum will come and make quick 50% to 100% gains and try to get out. If there is enough hype, and you have the balls, sometimes you can get it on a sick run and get a 1000% or more in a day. Can;t do it with much money because you will get stuck in the stinky pinkie. 500 is a good number to play with on these. A good rule to follow is never ever hold. You never know what will happen over night, so it’s wise to abide by this rule. Of course I broke my rules with nhmd because I actually believed in it. Thought it was that one in a million play and had to learn the lesson the hard way (my dumbass didn’t just put 500 in this one because I actually believed in it) . So gave away a good amount of earnings that I made in other plays. Can’t cry over spilled milk, just have to learn from it.

    STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 12:27 pm
    Pumps. I’m still holding mine and both of those names are minimal risk, especially compared with a penny stock. I’m just busting on you anyway. Stay away from the pink sheets. The only people to make money down there are the owners of the illegitimate businesses that are listed down there. BTW, I believe that one CAN beat the indexes through stock-picking. But few do because they don’t have the discipline and patience to wait for the proper buy. I don’t believe the fund guys or the brokers can stock pick successfully since their time frames to return a profit are too short. The last three trades I made were AL, PCLN and selling UNH back in 2015. I can’t find any growth stocks of decent value currently. Was hoping Amazon would crater temporarily on the 4th quarter (which it did the prior two years), but although the report was mediocre, the hype was just too great to give me my price. No way am I purchasing a 200 P/E stock. It only got down to about 185 after the report. Otherwise, I’m just treading water right here. The best trade out there, if I had deep enough pockets, is shorting TSLA. Unfortunately, I don’t invest on margin. Heck, I don’t even like having a mortgage. Fortunately, inching closer and closer to the 100% debt free finish line.

  54. Fast Eddie says:
    February 23, 2017 at 2:59 pm

    UMich students demand no-whites-allowed space to plot ‘social justice’ activism

    http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/31322/

  55. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:02 pm

    Respect you privilege honky.

  56. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    Respek. Sorry.

  58. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:16 pm

    Why did only the black donuts have holes in them?

  59. Anon E. Moose, Ghost of JJ says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:24 pm

    Pu$$y;

    If this is so troubling, why weren’t any of them equally troubled having to show their ID to get ON the very same flight… and every other flight they’ve been on since c. 2002?

    Spare us the #FakeOutrage. Seriously, living in SF and THIS is what most reminds them of Mother Russia? (Oops. I forgot Russia isn’t ‘kool’ anymore now that the left is blaming them for Hillary blowing the election.)

  60. Fast Eddie says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    RIP Alan Colmes. I liked the guy despite that he sometimes p1ssed me off with his ideology.

  61. Fast Eddie says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Waiting for a punch line, Libturd!

  62. STEAMturd, aka ValuePenguin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:37 pm

    No punchline, just a casual observation.

  63. yome says:
    February 23, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    This was started in 2015
    “In accordance with the 2005 Real ID Act, which is being implemented in phases, domestic travelers will be required to present an enhanced driver’s license starting on January 1, 2016.

    The Department of Homeland Security says these four states are still issuing driver’s licenses that are not compliant with the law.

    http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/09/23/passport-may-soon-be-required-some-americans-fly-domestically

    This administration does not want to start it till 2018

    “Real ID Identification Not Needed For Domestic Flights Until 2018 … a Real ID-compliant state, will not be required to fly domestically until 2018. … forms of identification accepted by TSA (such as a Passport or Passport Card

    Therefore, if you’re a resident of New York, New Hampshire, Louisiana or Minnesota, you would need to present a second form of ID to the TSA, such as a passport or military identification card.”

  65. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    What’s people’s take?

    “New Jersey is on the cusp of a historic opportunity: for the first time since World War II, our state is urbanizing. Yet under Governor Christie, New Jersey continues to stagnate.”

    Read about Phil’s policy address laying out a progressive agenda for New Jersey’s cities on Medium: https://medium.com/@murphy4nj/a-new-urban-economic-agenda-fd7a65d3afa9#.gke7d86el

    And on NJ Spotlight: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/02/22/murphy-lays-out-big-ambitions-for-urban-renewal-in-new-jersey/

  66. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    From what I’ve read, this guy has some good ideas. Think he understands what Pumpkin understands: this place is sleeping giant due to its location. It’s just waiting to be awakened as it transitions and evolves into its new place in the economy.

  67. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    This guy has already come up with more ideas on how to jumpstart the nj economy than Christie did in his entire tenure. I don’t recall one productive idea come from Christie. All I heard was your taxes are too high, the teachers and their union are to blame, pension crap, govt workers are the problem, the school funding formula blah blah, and last but not least, his sandy bs talk in which he spent our money to make commercials to build his national image for a run at president. What a loser. Guy is such a joke. Did absolutely nothing for this state. Resign!

  68. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    As the state urbanizes in the north, it should help reduce taxes, as the population becomes more dense. All those services that were spread over the burbs will be much cheaper to provide with the population dramatically higher per sq mile.

  69. The Great Pumpkin says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    Such a dense high population should have business after business fighting to get in this location as the state becomes more business and tax friendly.

  70. Comrade Nom Deplume, Puzzy Pounder says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:57 pm

    “Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    great, we’re now fukcing russia ”

    Isn’t that what you wanted? Pre-1989, of course.

    Personally, I’ll deal with using a passport if it gets you on the no-fly list.

  71. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    @nytimes
    The big winners of Brexit?
    The experts charging up to $10,000 a day for their advice on it.

  72. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Gorbachev – Yeltsin – Putin

    Obama – Trump – David Duke

    Comrade Nom Deplume, Puzzy Pounder says:
    February 23, 2017 at 4:57 pm
    “Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    great, we’re now fukcing russia ”

    Isn’t that what you wanted? Pre-1989, of course.

    Personally, I’ll deal with using a passport if it gets you on the no-fly list.

  73. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 6:11 pm

    @CNBCnow

    BREAKING:
    Attorney General Sessions rescinds Obama DOJ memo on phasing out use of private prisons.

  74. Grab them by the puzzy says:
    February 23, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    need people to fill those private cells

    @TheRoot
    The Department of Justice is cracking down on the recreational use of marijuana

  75. Essex says:
    February 23, 2017 at 8:48 pm

    “President Donald Trump’s popularity is sinking like a rock,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll. “He gets slammed on honesty, empathy, level-headedness and the ability to unite. And two of his strong points, leadership and intelligence, are sinking to new lows. This is a terrible survey one month in.”

  76. Steamturd thinking about the remains of Hillary's umbilical stump says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    Anon…who the fukc cares?

  77. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:
    February 23, 2017 at 9:52 pm

    Hillary Clinton

    @HillaryClinton

    If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the…Congress.

    At least they can stand in the heat. I’m surprised she didn’t pass out today given all the “hot weather”.

  78. Comrade Nom Deplume, The GOAT says:
    February 24, 2017 at 1:03 am

    Geez, puzzy, was there a point?

  79. Comrade Nom Deplume, The GOAT says:
    February 24, 2017 at 1:04 am

    Puzzy, private cells are fine with me.

    Provided you’re in one.

Comments are closed.