From the Star Ledger:
Home prices continue rise in New Jersey, elsewhere
The median price of a home showed the strongest year-over year growth since 2005, according a fourth quarter report from the National Association of Realtors.
And although New Jersey has lagged behind in the housing recovery in recent surveys, several sections in the Garden State showed strong increases, outperforming the rest of the Northeast region.
…
Home prices nationwide rose 10 percent in December from a year earlier. In the Northeast, the increase was 0.7 percent.But in New Jersey, the Trenton-Ewing region outpaced the national median with a 12.6 percent increase, where the median price of a home went from $240,000 to $250,000. The Newark-Union market saw a 6.8 percent rise, while five of the six other regions in the state saw prices climb. Only Edison dropped by 2.5 percent.
New Jersey Association of Realtors Chief Executive Officer Jarrod C. Grasso said, “Considering our state’s climb from the residual effects of Hurricane Sandy, the cold winter months and New Jersey’s continued distended foreclosure inventory, we still have some time before we catch up to the national rate of home price growth. However, we are on the right path.”
Walter Molony, a spokesman for the NAR, said the 10 percent increase is above that seen in a traditionally healthy housing market, according to data going back to 1968. Normally, home prices increase 1 to 2 percent above inflation.
…
“We’re seeing an over-correction in prices, but it’s not alarming,” he said. “If it continued at this pace, though, ultimately, it would affect upward mobility.”Distressed housing — foreclosures and short sales — accounted for less that a quarter of all transactions in fourth quarter sales, according to the NAR, down from 30 percent the year before.
From Bloomberg:
Home Prices Rise in 88% of U.S. Cities as Recovery Gains
Prices for single-family homes climbed in almost 88 percent of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter as the housing recovery broadened.
The median sales price rose from a year earlier in 133 of 152 metropolitan areas measured, the National Association of Realtors said in a report today. In the third quarter, 120 areas had gains.
An improving job market and low interest rates are driving up prices by fueling demand for a tightening supply of listings. The national median price for an existing single-family home was $178,900 in the fourth quarter, up 10 percent from the same period last year. That was the biggest gain since 2005, according to the Realtors group.
…
In the New York, Northern New Jersey and Long Island metropolitan area, prices increased 3.6 percent.
From the NAR:
Median Sales Price of Existing Single-Family Homes for Metropolitan Areas
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA – Up 3.6%
New York-Wayne-White Plains, NY-NJ – Up 6.5%
NY: Edison, NJ – Down 2.5%
NY: Nassau-Suffolk, NY – Up 3.8%
NY: Newark-Union, NJ-PA – Up 6.8%
Trenton-Ewing, NJ – Up 12.6%
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ – Up 7.4%
Atlantic City, NJ – Up 3.4%
2nd.
Turd!!
Last thread – xolepa – You were there about the same time as me (’77-’81) if the drinking age was 18. I skipped 6th grade, so I graduated HS a year early, so I was barely 17 when I landed at RU. Except for getting into the college pub (RUsty Screw Tavern), there was no getting proofed anywhere else (carded for you South Jersey folks). Dorm sponsored parties used their rec budget to throw wild parties in the lounges with hard liquor and beer. Frats were in heated competition with the new coed dorms so their parties were wilder still. No IDs necessary because everybody (except me) was 18 or damn near 18. Actually frats checked IDs to make sure you were *young* enough. If you were a Junior or Senior and not already a brother, persona non grata. Freshmen and Sophomores, come on in! Girls needed no ID, obviously. Sometimes Juniors and Seniors used to trade their pub cards to underage guys like me for the night. That way I could go to the pub and they could use my Freshman ID to get into frat parties and drink for free. Good times, good times.
Drinking age was 18 then. A totally different world now
[4] BTW, since all girls got into frat parties, there was a smattering of more adventurous local HS girls there. When a dweeb Freshman like me was suddenly doing pretty well with a girl at a frat party, there was a very good reason why the girl couldn’t name her dorm or what classes she was taking.
g – Van Blarcom went for $605k, last ask $629k. Damn, closed for quite a bit more than I’d figured it would have.
Bleeding wealth?
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/hi-income.png
ExPat [5];
Grandma used to say there’s a lid for every pot.
By then we were measuring our pot in 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, nickel, and dime bags. Lids were before my time.
I get it, btw. Your grandma was correct, but isn’t it amazing how many pots JJ tried his lid on, over, or into? He probably scorched the bottom of quite a few pots without even trying his lid on top.
ExPat [5];
Grandma used to say there’s a lid for every pot.
With jj, I’d say it’s definitely a crab pot.
Ooohh! You should go back and re-write the dinghy story and write in a crab pot.
[5] Expat,
Was “pinto” your Delta Tau Chi nickname?
High Heels in the Oar Locks – Lessons Learned at the Bottom of the Crab Pot.
–A JJ mystery novel.
[12]LOL – It was actually The _______ Sequoia – the tallest redwood in the forest.
Pinto: Before we go any further, there’s something I have to tell you. I lied to you. I’ve never done this before.
Clorette De Pasto: You’ve never made out with a girl before?
Pinto: No. No, I mean, I’ve never done what I think we’re gonna do in a minute. I sort of did once, but I was drunk…
Clorette De Pasto: That’s okay, Larry. Neither have I. It’s my first time too. And besides, I lied to you, too.
Pinto: Oh, yeah? What about?
Clorette De Pasto: I’m only 13.
Good Morning New Jersey
[14] expat,
My pledge nickname reflected my volatile temper, for which I did many pushups.
My MHC nickname was one I shared with Rocky, and which I had forgotten until one day on the Red Line. A cute brunette was looking at me. I looked back and smiled. She just kept staring with a wry smile. At this point it started becoming disconcerting. Then, as the train crossed the Longfellow Bridge, she said, somewhat loudly, “well, if it isn’t the …”
JJ, feel free to finish up here.
Comrade Nom Deplume, the original maker of Scungilli Roll says:
February 11, 2013 at 8:26 pm
[14] expat,
My MHC nickname was one I shared with Rocky, and which I had forgotten until one day on the Red Line. Then, as the train crossed the Longfellow Bridge, she said, somewhat loudly, “well, if it isn’t the …”
Flying Squirrel?
FAST EDDIE……WHERE ARE YOU?
Millions Improperly Claimed U.S. Phone Subsidies
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323511804578296001368122888.html
By SPENCER E. ANTE
The U.S. government spent about $2.2 billion last year to provide phones to low-income Americans, but a Wall Street Journal review of the program shows that a large number of those who received the phones haven’t proved they are eligible to receive them.
The Lifeline program—begun in 1984 to ensure that poor people aren’t cut off from jobs, families and emergency services—is funded by charges that appear on the monthly bills of every landline and wireless-phone customer. Payouts under the program have shot up from $819 million in 2008, as more wireless carriers have persuaded regulators to let them offer the service.
Suspecting that many of the new subscribers were ineligible, the Federal Communications Commission tightened the rules last year and required carriers to verify that existing subscribers were eligible. The agency estimated 15% of users would be weeded out, but far more were dropped.
Enlarge Image
Close.A review of five top recipients of Lifeline support conducted by the FCC for the Journal showed that 41% of their more than six million subscribers either couldn’t demonstrate their eligibility or didn’t respond to requests for certification.
The carriers—AT&T T -0.11%Inc.; Telrite Corp.; Tag Mobile USA; Verizon Communications VZ -0.07%Inc.; and the Virgin Mobile USA unit of Sprint Nextel Corp. S +0.35%—accounted for 34% of total Lifeline subscribers last May. Two of the other largest providers, TracFone Wireless Inc. and Nexus Communications Inc., asked the FCC to keep their counts confidential. Results for the full program weren’t available.
The program is open to people who meet federal poverty guidelines or are on food stamps, Medicaid or other assistance programs, and only one Lifeline subscriber is allowed per household.
The program, which is administered by the nonprofit Universal Service Administrative Co., has grown rapidly as wireless carriers persuaded regulators to let people use the program for cellphone service. It pays carriers $9.25 a customer per month toward free or discounted wireless service.
Americans pay an average of $2.50 a month per household to fund a number of subsidized communications programs, including Lifeline.
For the carriers, the program is a chance for them to sign up more subscribers and make a small profit, plus more money if customers go over their small initial allotment and need to buy more minutes or text messages. Carriers can set prices for their Lifeline subscribers as the companies wish.
Until last year, FCC rules didn’t require carriers to certify to the FCC that subscribers were eligible. Consumers could self-certify, and in many states documentation wasn’t required.
Carriers said many of the disqualified subscribers simply didn’t reply when asked to prove their eligibility. They also said the FCC rules on self-certification, and the absence of a national database of participants, made it hard to keep ineligible people from signing up.
The FCC said it is investigating allegations that some Lifeline providers violated the rules, though it declined to comment on that probe. Carriers that don’t properly confirm eligibility can be fined up to $150,000 for each violation for each day of a continuing violation, up to a maximum of $1.5 million. In egregious cases, a carrier could lose its ability to participate in the program.
Telrite said it confirms Lifeline eligibility but said it had been difficult to verify the one-phone-per-household rule.
A Verizon spokesman said the “vast majority” of the subscribers removed from its rolls didn’t respond to eligibility checks. While Sprint found that some of its subscribers were no longer eligible, it, too, found that many others didn’t respond, a person familiar with the carrier’s operations said.
AT&T hadn’t detected the ineligible subscribers because customers self-certified under old rules and because some states required the company to provide Lifeline service to people enrolled in certain state assistance programs, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking.
Tag Mobile didn’t respond to requests for comment.
TracFone Chief Executive F.J. Pollak declined to say how many customers his company shed. Nexus Communications didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Two years ago General Communication Inc. GNCMA +0.37%paid more than $1.5 million to settle allegations that Alaska DigiTel LLC, an Alaskan company it owns, submitted false claims to the FCC for more than four years. General Communication said the alleged misuse occurred before the company took day-to-day control of Alaska DigiTel.
Lifeline users have been a source of subscriber growth in the otherwise saturated U.S. market and helped fuel the expansion of companies like TracFone, now the fifth-largest U.S. wireless carrier.
The FCC until last year allowed consumers to self-certify, without requiring documentation, that they met federal poverty guidelines. Subscribers didn’t have to recertify once they were enrolled in the program, and there were few checks on whether households signed up for more than one cellphone.
“The program rules we inherited were designed for the age of the rotary phone and failed to protect the program from abuse,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.
The agency pushed through new rules last year, requiring documentation when a Lifeline customer signs up. Consumers also must certify that no one else in their households is using the program. Carriers now have to check a state or federal social-service database to confirm eligibility and must reverify eligibility every year.
Carriers were required by Jan. 31 to report the number of subscribers they had removed from Lifeline as of the end of last year. The data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal came from those reports.
The FCC said new verification procedures saved nearly $214 million last year, and projected total savings over the next three years would reach $2 billion. Disbursements under the program began to drop in the third quarter after 12 consecutive quarters of increases.
For Gary:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6-Catawba-Ln-Annandale-NJ-08801/38836023_zpid/
[18] chifi
LMAO!
Revenue at Atlantic City’s 12 casinos fell 13% in January. Atlantic City’s casino revenue has fallen from a high of $5.2 billion in 2006 to just over $3 billion last year.
23 – Christie has nearly agreed to play the nuclear option, allowing NJ residents to gamble online, as long as the gaming websites are running their operations out of NJ. Can’t get much closer than someone’s laptop, tablet, phone, or PC. This is the primary reason behind PokerStar’s purchase of the Atlantic Club in AC.
21 – That is a lot of house for the money, compared to Bergen. Priced on the 3% trendline from a mid-90’s purchase too.
Is Father Guido Sarducci pope yet?
When can I start betting against the Gooners and keeping my cybermoney in NJ?
25. It’s Gary Worthy.
That house is Annandale is very nice. A beautiful home with space to breathe. And it followed the trend line in appreciation. Go figure.
Here’s what you get for the same price in “prestigious” Washington Township:
http://www.njmls.com/listings/index.cfm?action=dsp.info&mlsnum=1302945&dayssince=&countysearch=false
place is a dump with a tax bill to go with it
grim (25)-
That’s not far from me. House should be 150K less than the ask.
Only growth in Hunterdoom is in food stamp usage.
30 – That house would be $300k higher in Bergen.
Bergen will not be spared. It’s coming.
And the taxes would at least $20K. When the Wall Street lower rung jobs get scattered to the four winds (which is already starting, btw. You won’t find back office jobs in NY in the near future), we may see Hunterdon pricing in Bergen and Morris pricing in Hunterdon.
30 – That house would be $300k higher in Bergen.
Original: By the time you started RU, I finished it. A couple of musings concerning those times: My frat once served in a single party 31 1/2kegs of beer. Those are the biggest containers. We had lines out the front door to the street corner (200 ft) of kids waiting to get in. People dancing on the main floor would bend the 18″ steel I beams below. We had to support them with portable lolly columns. Once two gays tried dancing together. They got their butts thrown out in violent style. Hell night was actually hell week. To much to discuss there. However, my frat still stands, 3 stories high and strong.
As to the college pubs, I was there when they first opened them. After I graduated, I hung out once or twice with school buddies at the Douglass pub. We started a peanut shooting contest, got caught and were ruled ‘persona no grata’ by the school constabulary. They actually sent us letters in the mail. That abruptly ended my association there.
[36] xolepa – So what year did Tumulty’s move? I’m trying to determine if I started at the old location. You must remember the original Greasy Tony’s, when it was just the tiny corner grille.
Shortly after my tenure at RU (circa 1982), my friends and I got caught stealing chairs from the then brand new Busch Campus pub. We all got our pub cards yanked, they were put on “social” probation for a semester and they told me I would be arrested if found on campus again. I made a bee-line to the Douglas pub the next day to get a replacement pub card (still have it today) before I got put on the no fly guest list they had at the door to every campus pub. I actually arranged a meeting with Dean Sydell Spinner (she was known as the “Dean of Discipline” back then) a few weeks later to successfully plead and get overturned my campus-wide ban.
As to the college pubs, I was there when they first opened them. After I graduated, I hung out once or twice with school buddies at the Douglass pub. We started a peanut shooting contest, got caught and were ruled ‘persona no grata’ by the school constabulary. They actually sent us letters in the mail. That abruptly ended my association there.
Great table showing historical drinking ages for each state:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_alcohol_minimum_purchase_age_by_state
My favorite is Oklahoma after prohibition was repealed. The drinking age was 21 for men, 18 for women. That’s one way to keep those oil workers happy.
(35) I’m not sure about Tumultys. It was definitely after I left. Must have been in the early 80’s. As to Greasy Tonys, that shop was my saviour. After classes and track practice ended, I would eat dinner and then drink beer until about 11:00 each night. I would then get the munchies extreme and walk couple blocks to Greasies. I loved their greasy roast beef sandwich. $2.10. It coated my stomach for the night. The owner I heard moved to Arizona, not sure if he’s still alive.
Another thing drinking buddies do when they’re bored (and drunk): Flipping VW beetles and other small cars parked on the New Brunswick streets and setting them tight between two trees. Doors could’nt be opened.
Gary #28: That house has been sitting for months and not moving. Listing price means nothing. And if you lived in WT as I do, you would know there is nothing “prestigious” about it. We have corrupt and feckless local government, chopped up roads, a dying strip mall, an out-of-town restaurateur who owns the entire government and is holding the main intersection in town hostage to his wants, a good, honest local businessman who’s been utterly screwed and driven out of the repair shop he’s run for over a decade by bankruptcy laws and Big Oil, all capped by an Assemblyman who grew up in town and who is now under indictment for fraud.
Plenty of thanks to ahole Senator Lautenberg et all for raising the drinking age. He was the one that thought up the ‘extortion by withholding funds’ rule for getting states into line on this. The argument then for lowering the driniking age was: If I can get killed for fighting for my country’s freedom, why can’t I have a drink when I come home. I think that argument still stands.
X – responsible enough to drive vote and die for your country. Just don’t have any booze. It is the height of hypocrisy, and yet another reason I hate our corpse senator.
His hypocrisy extends. I remember listening to his argument that Millicent Fenwick was too old and feeble to do her job. She was in her early 70’s at the time while Lautenberg was several years younger. Millicent Fenwick was once known as the ‘conscious of Congress’. never a better person to serve this state and country. She did not care about herself, she was well off. Besides, she did more personally for New Jersey, funding wise, than that creature ever did in all his decades of service. I also can’t stand that bastard. What gets me more unnerved is that the voters of this state keep reelecting him. This state deserves what it gets. That’s why I will be out of here – when it is time. The only piece of property I will have left will be my wife and my grave plots. Bought 15 year ago and situated on church property. They can’t tax that. Not yet, anyway. But you know the scum in Trenton will try.
#38 Jill
Heard on the grapevine that the Getty may be closing due to his lease being up. Not 100% certain, its true, but worth keeping an eye on.
Fabius #42: Getty is closing and being replaced by a BP. Ted, a mensch of the highest order and the most honest mechanic I’ve ever dealt with, has basically been screwed by Getty Petro, which is in Chapter 11 and gets to keep a big chunk of his money. Read the whole sad story here: http://westwood-hillsdale.patch.com/articles/washington-township-getty-closing-this-month. Meanwhile, I have to find another place to get my car worked on, because I’ll be d@mned if I’m going to go back to letting dealers rip me off by insisting I need $800 in repairs every time I go for an oil change on my 2001 Civic and my 2003 Corolla.
http://www.washingtonaccidentbooks.com/blog/drinking-age-law-history-statistics-accidents-and-the-law/
How has underage drinking changed since the federal drinking law was passed in 1984?
Between 1975 and 2004, the 21 drinking age law saved nearly 24,000 lives. The 8,000 annual deaths in 1984 due to underage drinking have decreased by almost 25 percent. In the early 80’s more than 5,000 young people were killed annually involving drivers under the age of 21 but in 2005, that number had been cut down to only 2,000.
(44) I realize the death rates have and will go down as a result of law passage. So, why don’t we raise the drinking age to 25? We’ll do even better. Kidding aside, why can’t we do as the Europeans do: Allow the kids to drink a glass or two with adults by age 14 and they will learn that binge drinking is not the way to do things. Binge drinking is the new norm here. What are the societal affects of that?
Statler – they are specious statistics. how can you quantify lives saved? You can verify less people were killed in accidents, but how many of them were atrributed to safer cars, seat belt usage, higher penalties awareness etc. Of the accidents that involved drunk drivers how many of them were fatal. how many had involved those who were 18. I would further add that included in those statistics should prescription meds and ilicit drugs as well. which those kids depending on locale have greater access to from ages 16- 21. They are suspciously excluded. Also comparative analysis should be made with correlating data of deaths in auto accidents in age group 21-22 when they are first exposed to alcohol to see if there is an increase. I bet there isn’t while also arguing you are no smarter at 21 – 22 than you were at 18. you have more experience, yes, but deifinitely not smarter.
Jill [38],
That was sort of my point, that’s why I put “prestigious” in quotes. Not that there is anything wrong with WT, I put an offer in on a house there a few months ago. My point is, we can say the same for any of the “need to have” BC towns. They are still ridiculously over-priced, ridiculously taxed and living on a reputation that never existed in the first place. It was and always will be a sales pitch. A piece of sh1t closes at around 600K and we hear, “see, told you so” from the cheerleaders. I’ll say it again, when there’s nothing to choose from and rates are at 3.x%, these sh1tholes should be selling in an hour. Yet, some sit for weeks and then finally sell; thus, giving the impression that all is well and allowing yet another unqualified seller to sit and demand “their” price.
Portable Generators / Inverters – any thoughts?
I hear Honda is the best but very expensive. What about Yamaha, Generac or are there other decent ones? HD has 2000w Generac inverter for a bit under $600.
Also, would ideally like to run it on natural gas but do not know if the conversion kits will ruin the generator or void the warranty.
Was told with computers to be concerned about dirty power output and that I need sine wave power output. Not an engineer and no clue about this.
For those with knowledge of this subject your input it appreciated.
xolepa, the EU population is approx 500 million, and had 41,000 drunk driving deaths in 2005 compared to 13,000 drunk driving deaths in the US that year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQmR3EvlQbu8
Statler,
What amount is acceptable in terms of alcohol related deaths per year?
Hello Web Admin, I noticed that your On-Page SEO is is missing a few factors, for one you do not use all three H tags in your post, also I notice that you are not using bold or italics properly in your SEO optimization. On-Page SEO means more now than ever since the new Google update: Panda. No longer are backlinks and simply pinging or sending out a RSS feed the key to getting Google PageRank or Alexa Rankings, You now NEED On-Page SEO. So what is good On-Page SEO?First your keyword must appear in the title.Then it must appear in the URL.You have to optimize your keyword and make sure that it has a nice keyword density of 3-5% in your article with relevant LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing). Then you should spread all H1,H2,H3 tags in your article.Your Keyword should appear in your first paragraph and in the last sentence of the page. You should have relevant usage of Bold and italics of your keyword.There should be one internal link to a page on your blog and you should have one image with an alt tag that has your keyword….wait there’s even more Now what if i told you there was a simple WordPress plugin that does all the On-Page SEO, and automatically for you? That’s right AUTOMATICALLY, just watch this 4minute video for more information at. Seo Plugin
(48) Am I not reading this properly? (from the article)
“Deaths caused by drunk driving represent about 20 percent of road-accident fatalities in the European Union, which aims to reduce the total annual fatalities to 25,000 within four years from 41,600 in 2005. The two other main causes of road-accident deaths are driving too fast and failing to wear a seatbelt.”
Does that mean that Europe had 8K+ deaths from drunk driving or 41K?
Now,
“Male drivers aged between 15 and 29 are especially susceptible to getting behind the wheel when drunk”. Whoah. Kids driving at 15 will do stupid things when they’re sober, let alone drunk.
NJ Toast.
Buy the Champion at Costco. Run it on gas. If it breaks, put it at curb and buy a new one. Buy two 5 gallon containers of fuel. If it doesn’t get used in 6 months, poor it into car gas tank and refill. Change the oil of your generator every 40 hours of use or so. Thank me later for saving you thousands of dollars on a natural gas generator that will turn on perhaps once every three years.
(48) http://www.etsc.eu/documents/Fact_Sheet_DD.pdf
You may notice that the legal drunk driving limit in most Eurozone countries are 0.02 or 0.05. Now, if you recalculate our statistics to include the US death rate based upon those figures, you will find it to be much higher. I realize, of course, you can’t do that. But, you understand what I mean.
BTW, I majored in Math/Statistics
And Greasy Tony’s was the bomb. He died in 2008 of a heart attack. Anyone surprised? There are two Greasy Tony’s in Arizona. Tempe and Tuscon. When Rutger’s played in the Insight Bowl (Phoenix) a few year’s back in 2005 , almost every Rutger’s fan made the Pilgrimage.
(52) Changing subjects – on a hot streak here.
My wife nagged and nagged me to get a generator and I broke down and bought a portable. She was determined that we not get involved with the town (AKA standby gen type). So I did buy a 12.5k watt version for which I will order shortly a natural gas conversion kit. The kit will invalidate this and any warranty on a standard petrol unit. The trick to use is to buy a kit that bolts over the current carburation, not replacing it. Also, break in the gen with gasoline first. It sets the valves properly – NG ignition is much hotter than gas.
I will repipe my house NG system to send 1″ pipe to outside and then downsize to gen accordingly. Both NG and elecrical inlet will be quick disconnect types.
I fully inteded to buy a generator like the one Lib describes but I waited until right before Sandy hit so, I didn’t have much of a choice by the time I acted. I pretty much had to knock somebody over to grab the one I bought at Home Depot a few days before the storm.
Really, it depends what you want to power. The electrician that lives next door to me says that if you ever want to put in a transfer switch and hook it into a few circiuts in your house, don’t get anything less than 5000watts.
I bought the briggs and stratton storm responder (5500 watts/8000 surge watts). It kicked ass during sandy. I think it was $799. It powered:
Forced air gas fired furnace
Refrigerator
stand up freezer
lights in various rooms
tv/dvd/dvr
Gas Dryer
washing machine
sump pump
(plus I moved the plug from the fridge to microwave to coffeemaker occasionally)
My wife was even blow drying her hair at one point.
plus
Neighbors fridge
Neighbor’s sump pump.
Not even a hiccup. I went through 7.5 gallons of fuel in about 15 hours running all that.
Plus you can buy a tri-fuel conversion kit so it burns gasoline/nat-gas/propane for about $200 I think. Lots of youtube videos of people reporting good results with the kit. I don’t have any personal experience with one of the conversion kits though.
Only downside to the Briggs and Stratton is that it does not have a low oil shut down.
Guy across the street from me has one of those little 2000watt champions and he did okay. Only trouble was he kept having to move extension cords to different appliances as he needed them. Plus he couldn’t run his gas dryer with it. Not enough surge watts. He told me he would throw the laundry in it, then turn it on and spin the dryer manually then quickly slam the door.
47.NJ Toast says:
February 12, 2013 at 11:17 am
Portable Generators / Inverters – any thoughts?
I hear Honda is the best but very expensive. What about Yamaha, Generac or are there other decent ones? HD has 2000w Generac inverter for a bit under $600.
Also, would ideally like to run it on natural gas but do not know if the conversion kits will ruin the generator or void the warranty.
Was told with computers to be concerned about dirty power output and that I need sine wave power output. Not an engineer and no clue about this.
For those with knowledge of this subject your input it appreciated.
xolepa, you are correct on that 8,000 EU number, I misread the text.
joyce, as it’s impossible to prevent deaths from any cause completely, the answer is “as few as realistically possible.”
xolepa,
Are you doing the plumbing for the nat gas line yourself or are you hiring a plumber….is it hard to do yourself?
55.xolepa says:
February 12, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Statler,
Realistically, we could raise the drinking limit. We could lower the DUI ABV threshold.
I fare just fine with my 2,000 watter. And have used it on 3 different outages. It has always started on the first pull. Then again, I start it once a month to keep it lubricated.
I power three refrigerators (one is my neighbors), two lamps, a 55 inch LED TV, the internet ONT, the internet router, the vent valve on my furnace, the Nintendo Wii and all of our chargers (cell phones/laptops/etc.). She sips gas.
Yes, I have extension cords running all over the place, but I like the flexibility it gives me and my total cost out of pocket was $300. No maintenance either. Worst part is pulling the fridge away from the wall to plug it in. Really, the whole install takes all of 5 minutes.
If you got money to burn, certainly go the other route. But I think it’s crazy. I could spend that 2K to 10K on something much better.
In other news, Captain Cheapo is booked for his cheapo family trip to London and Paris in First Class. I’ll report back to you all the details in August after we return. I think I’m looking more forward to the flights, than the destinations. At this point, the flights and the hotels are free (though the taxes on first class flights were quite insane). I’m working on an angle to get us into Disney Paris for free for one day too.
I’d say, generally, DIY gas line is a bad idea.
Biggest challenge is that without an on-site pipe threader, you’ll be either half-assing it with off the shelf lengths from home depot, or you’ll need to be meticulous in your measurement. Plan for 22 trips back and forth before you are done.
Water pipe, you make a mess, gas pipe, you kill your family.
Statler – they are specious statistics. how can you quantify lives saved? You can verify less people were killed in accidents, but how many of them were atrributed to safer cars, seat belt usage, higher penalties awareness etc. Of the accidents that involved drunk drivers how many of them were fatal. how many had involved those who were 18. I would further add that included in those statistics should prescription meds and ilicit substances as well. which those kids depending on locale have greater access to from ages 16- 21. They are suspciously excluded. Also comparative analysis should be made with correlating data of deaths in auto accidents in age group 21-22 when they are first exposed to alcohol to see if there is an increase. I bet there isn’t while also arguing you are no smarter at 21 – 22 than you were at 18. you have more experience, yes, but deifinitely not smarter.
Right after the storm was the time to buy them. I saw a bunch at the return counter in costco after Sandy.
They had a small Champion for sale at Advanced auto parts that I must have walked by 1000 times before Sandy and thought of buying. Should have gone for it. Like I said, it was all they had….cheap insurance when you think about it…if I didn’t keep the sump pump running I might have lost my furnace.
The transfer switch and the natural gas conversion kit are on my wish list. Maybe I’ll splurge when I see the next storm coming up the coast.
Lib, I think gasoline generator with the nat gas conversion would be much cheaper to run. If you had to use your generator again as much as many of us did after Sandy, it might even pay for itself.
60.Libtard in the City says:
February 12, 2013 at 12:34 pm
I fare just fine with my 2,000 watter. And have used it on 3 different outages. It has always started on the first pull. Then again, I start it once a month to keep it lubricated.
Brian.
I ran mine about ten hours per day for 6 days. I used about 8 gallons of gas total. It would take a while for me to break even. None-the-less, we were content sleeping in the dark without heat. Got down to about 58 degrees by morning. Not too bad.
That’s probably why I haven’t done it yet. My grandfather could do it if he were still alive and I still have some of his tools. Plus my uncle still has a pipe threader.
I think I would attempt it if I were under his guidance, but for now, I think i just won’t mess with it.
61.grim says:
February 12, 2013 at 12:35 pm
I’d say, generally, DIY gas line is a bad idea.
Biggest challenge is that without an on-site pipe threader, you’ll be either half-assing it with off the shelf lengths from home depot, or you’ll need to be meticulous in your measurement. Plan for 22 trips back and forth before you are done.
Water pipe, you make a mess, gas pipe, you kill your family.
The dude up the block from me put in one of those whole house generators. Cost him $15,000. For that kind of money, I could afford to stay at the Four Seasons in Manhattan for 30 days. That’s more than he’ll ever use his generator for the lifetime of the unit. And I’ll be pampered.
65 – He took it in the ass too, you wouldn’t get that included at the Four Seasons at the base room rate.
He overpaid by $10,000.
Probably, but who am I to tell him that!
He paid the Montclair rate.
It’s worthwhile to add the manual transfer switch even if you are running gas.
We did it jury rigged during the storm and I was able to selectively power a number of circuits on both phases without overloading the generator.
With the nat gas conversion you’ll still need to go outside to start it, stop it, change the oil, etc. Nat gas conversion eliminates the hassle of the gasoline only, doesn’t make it as convenient as a true standby.
Basically, we turned off the major power consumption circuits at the panel, and left everything running.
Turned off the big fridge, only ran the small beverage. Turned off the electric oven and induction cooktop.
At that point the rest of the house was on, since there was basically no chance of overpowering the generator as long as you didn’t try to turn everything on at once.
[47] “I hear Honda is the best but very expensive. What about Yamaha, Generac or are there other decent ones?”
Both Honda and Yamaha are top of the line. I have a Yamaha 2000 watt inverter and I’m very happy with it, after nearly two weeks without power post-Sandy. I would definitely recommend getting a Honda or Yamaha over any of the el-cheapo generators.
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/products/modelhome/626/0/home.aspx
Both the Honda and Yamaha inverters are very fuel efficient; they are efficient engines to begin with, but they also are computer-controlled and can adjust, within limitations, the power generation to match the required load being used. I used mine to run the fridge, computers/router (our DSL line never failed), TV, washing machine (front load), lights, small space heater, etc. I would get about 7 hours of run time on 1 gallon of gasoline.
I generally ran it from late afternoon until 11 p.m. (i.e. a single 7 hour run per day) so in my case I was using only about 1 gallon of gas per day. I had enough fuel storage to last 2 weeks, so I was not really affected in the end by the gas shortage. Not sure if an el-cheapo generator would do much good if it burned through all the fuel twice as quickly.
The Yamaha is also really quiet — had it running in the backyard and couldn’t hear it from inside the house, and you could barely even hear it from the front of my house. (the Honda is the same). It’s also portable enough that I could carry it inside my basement at night and lock it up (generators were getting stolen); kept it locked up with a good bike lock during the day.
I didn’t know it at the time I bought mine, but you can get them in tri-fuel versions (gas, natural gas, and propane) which I will definitely pick up next time I buy one. I’m thinking about picking up a second one anyway, as a backup.
http://www.generatorsales.com/order/Triple-Fuel-Yamaha-EF2000iS-Generator.asp?page=EF2000iS
On a related note, because they are computer controlled, you can connect two of these Yamaha EF200is generators together with special cables, and double the output power. So getting two of the 2000 watt generators would not only give you redundancy, but it would also effectively give you a 4000 watt generator.
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/products/modelscitemdetail/5/626/2169/17882/2007/1/9055/0/0/detail.aspx
For what it’s worth, I read that the electricity from the Yamaha/Honda inverters is safer for sensitive electronics, as compared to the el-cheapo generators; but I also read that most of the stuff you’d be concerned, like computers etc., account for crappy electricity in the power block, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.
In conclusion, if I were in your shoes, and assuming you have or can arrange for a natural gas line to be run outside, I’d spend the money and get a tri-fuel Yamaha 2000 watt generator.
“It’s worthwhile to add the manual transfer switch even if you are running gas.”
I would agree. I just haven’t found someone willing to do it cheap enough for my liking. And what am I going to do with all of my low gauge 50 foot extension cords?
Grim – unmod 71 please
Lib [65];
I smell spousal influence. Any worse than a new BMB or a tennis bracelet?
Inverter style generators (Hondas, etc) are incredibly expensive in useful wattages. The gas savings and sound level you talk about has more to do with the small generator size (1600 watt). I’ve used the big Hondas they are much louder than the small suitcase style units. They are very efficient though, I agree, top of the line indeed.
A 5500 watt Honda costs something like four or five thousand dollars. For that price, I’ll get 10kw Generac nat gas ($2500) and install it myself. I paid $799 or something for my 5500 watt Generac gasoline unit in the middle of the storm, a bargain compared to the $5k Honda price.
Moose,
You’re like a bomb-sniffing hound.
As for the sensitive electronics, just don’t plug them in until the generators been running for a few minutes. Or charge the batteries with the equipment turned off and run on battery power (laptops).
None of my electronic devices had an issue with the dirty Generac power.
Macs, Laptops, Desktops, LED TVs, Bluray, Cable Box, Router, Modem, WiFi, Laundry, phone/tablet chargers, etc.
Well, yeah — but we’re talking about portable generators. Whole-house installed generators are a different story.
Happy Renter wants to take his genny with him when he leaves.
My little Champion is very quiet. Though it doesn’t matter as my neighbor bought one of those 8,000 watts for $500 cheapo Chinese units. He’s on his third since I bought my little Champion. Gonna change the oil this week, as she’s due.
In other news, finally we had a storm where I could put my new Honda Snow Thrower to good use. It kicked ass. Best of all, it fits in the back of the CX-9 with no issue. I couldn’t believe it when I read that it had a 1/2 gallon gas tank, but it cleared two large driveways and it doesn’t even look like it used any gas. Man does Honda make a good product.
Happy Renter,
Computer controlled? Sounds cool I guess but I had my picnic table top strapped to the top of mine in the pouring rain and wind to keep it dry while it was chained to my wife’s Altima outside. The weather can be brutal and I think I would prefer a model with fewer electronic components that are prone to fail.
Sometimes less is more.
I’ve always liked the Honda mowers too, they do make some very nice stuff.
I wonder if we’ll see generators and transfer switches as features listed in the MLS someday.
[80] Yeah I have a little housing for mine that keeps it dry in normal drizzle, but I wouldn’t leave it outside with the setup I have; I’d need to build a better shelter for that (which I won’t do because, well, I’m renting).
During severe weather, I’ll run off the battery bank and wait until the storm passes.
P.S. And when it comes to burning through your fuel supply, less is definitely more ;-)
I’ve always liked the Honda mowers too, they do make some very nice stuff.
I have one of those too. As a matter of fact, I have never had to repair a Honda Mower and I’ve been using them since I was about ten years old. My current mower is approaching nine years and always starts on the first pull. I get it tuned up every two years for $50.
I wonder if we’ll see generators and transfer switches as features listed in the MLS someday.
I don’t know what the actual payback is on resale, but I’d wager a guess at it being very close to zero.
Buyers will care more about the master bathroom tile than the standby generator. If you install one of these and have an inkling to move, don’t expect a penny back.
grim, I think I am in moderation.
83 – When my electrician comes back, I’m going to have him install a nema plug for me outside my garage so I can just plug the Generator in using the transfer cable, that’ll go right to the manual transfer switch. What I’ll also do is core a 3 inch hole down through the corner of the driveway and install an eye bolt in concrete.
I actually have an overhang over my garage that juts out about 2 feet, and a tall retaining wall against the house, so if I leave it up against the garage door, I’m covered on 3 sides.
Plug it in, chain it to the eye bolt, and I can lock the garage up and not have to worry about it.
You guys bore me with your childlike stories of Beer and Had Liquor parties
Freshman year in Stonybook we did the usual jungle juice, pot smoking boring parties till one day the super seniors threw and old school 1970s party I went too.
They had a pile of queludes, each person had to take one to get in. Then they had LSD and a garbage can full of jungle juice, basically clean bag in dirty garbage can, garden hose, big can no frills kool aid and couple bottles of grain alchol. Two turntables lots of grateful dead and wow. Highlight of night was naked girl bad trip who thought she was covered in bugs who ripped clothes off and roomate was trying to keep her from scratching her skin off.
After one old style 70s party I stuck with the 80s beer, pot and jello shots. Man the 70s was some hardcore stuff.
Anyone who actually needs a generator has the problem you cant keep it on main level or lower level or house or shed or garage, other folks a mere power outage getting a generator is overkill. It is pointless
Brian says:
February 12, 2013 at 12:06 pm
It might even be negative returns. Calling attention to you live in a neighbor hood that has frequent blackouts and then explaining you have well water and a sump pump and then talking about keeping a generator running sounds like one big headache to me.
Anything I did to flood proof my house is not something I want to flood out. And not a selling point, if I tell a newlywed couple my floor is stone, my furnace on blocks and my fuel tank nozzel is six feet high and I have completely remediated all the mold is not selling points. I would rather say no need for a generator or sump pump as I had very little issues ever with blackouts of water damage. Pointing it out makes folks nervous.
Plus I have flood insurance, home owners for spoiled food and new policy pays for a hotel while house is unavailable. Why not just leave house, check into hotel have some fat steaks and kick it and bill fema for whole thing? Isnt that the american way
grim says:
February 12, 2013 at 1:57 pm
I wonder if we’ll see generators and transfer switches as features listed in the MLS someday.
I don’t know what the actual payback is on resale, but I’d wager a guess at it being very close to zero.
Buyers will care more about the master bathroom tile than the standby generator. If you install one of these and have an inkling to move, don’t expect a penny back.
The second unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in downtown Las Vegas has died from an apparent heart attack.
John Alleman suffered a heart attack last week as he waited at the bus stop in front of the restaurant, located inside the Neonopolis at Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Alleman was taken off life support shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday, said restaurant owner Jon Basso. He was 52.
“He lived a very full life,” said Basso, who seemed shaken when reached by phone Monday evening. “He will be missed.”
The Pennsylvania native is survived by his only family, his brother Paul. Basso said Alleman had a genetic predisposition for cardiac problems, as both of his parents died of heart attacks in their 50s.
Basso recalled Alleman as a fun-loving man who loved the Heart Attack Grill. The medically themed restaurant is famous for its high-calorie menu that includes a record-breaking 9,982-calorie, 3-pound Quadruple Bypass Burger.
Since the restaurant opened in October 2011, Basso said Alleman would stand outside its doors every day, coaxing customers in. Soon enough, Alleman became a fixture at the restaurant he loved, Basso said.
When he wasn’t working security at an abandoned high-rise construction site on the Strip, Alleman could be found at the grill, talking with customers and eating a burger.
“He never missed a day, even on Christmas,” Basso said. “People just loved him. He connected with people in a real way.”
Although he was never on the restaurant’s payroll, Alleman was everywhere else. His caricature, “Patient John,” graces the front of Heart Attack Grill’s menu, clothing line and merchandise.
From time to time, “Doctor Jon” Basso said he would offer a free meal and drink for Alleman’s troubles. He always declined, Basso said.
“He never wanted a handout from anyone. He always insisted on paying,” Basso said. “He lived, ate and breathed the Heart Attack Grill.”
Alleman is the second unofficial spokesman to die in the restaurant’s nearly two-year history in Las Vegas. In March 2011, Blair River — known as the Grill’s “Gentle Giant” — died of flu-related pneumonia, Basso said at the time. The 575-pound spokesman was just 29.
Since then, the Heart Attack Grill had a spate of health-related incidents that seem to live up to the restaurant’s fated name.
In February 2012, one man was stricken with what was believed to be a heart problem while eating a Triple Bypass Burger. Two months later, a woman suffered from a similar medical problem while reportedly eating a Double Bypass Burger. It was unclear at the time if her medical issue was related to the food.
Alleman, who weighed about 180 pounds, is proof that heart attacks could happen to anyone, Basso said.
“Heart attacks aren’t a laughing matter,” he said. “You don’t have to be tremendously old or fat. You can be in your 30s and 40s and die of a heart attack.”
Although Alleman’s death was a “wake-up call,” Basso said he won’t stop serving Flatliner Fries and the world’s “most calorific burger” as long as the public has an appetite for them. The restaurant will have a new spokesman or woman when they find someone with as much passion for burgers as Alleman, Basso said.
“The grill is where you can be yourself. We accept people as they are,” Basso said. “(Alleman’s death) isn’t going to stop us from what we’re doing. People have got to live their lives.”
No burial or funeral arrangements have been made yet; however, the restaurant will close that day in Alleman’s honor. Basso said he will match dollar-for-dollar any contributions made to offset medical and funeral expenses incurred by Alleman’s brother.
[91] I have no idea what the first part of your post even means, but as to “other folks a mere power outage getting a generator is overkill. It is pointless” — that depends on whether you think Snowtober 2011 (5 days without power) and Sandy (12+ days without power) were “mere power outage” events; to say nothing of Irene.
(92) Three reasons why I chose a portable over a standby. 1) You can hide it when not in use. 2) minimal, if any hassle from the town. See #1. 3) I have a side business with a need for this piece of equipment. What are the tax write-off rules, again?
Brian, my long thread on piping NG is in nowhere land. Not appearing.
This generator seems to have decent features with auto shut off when the oil gets low.
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/generac-ix2000-watt-inverter-generator-5793.html#.URqhHRxriuQ
Have heard it is not as quiet as the Honda product and that the engine will vibrate a bit more so it may “walk” a bit but I would have it chained to the ground.
Lib, you have a Honda snowblower – surprised and impressed. Full blown hydrostatic transmission on those things. When yours dies after say 30 or so years, pick up one of their hybrid models for a mere $8k.
http://powerequipment.honda.com/snowblowers/models/hs1336ias
That is exactly what I am saying. In Sandy I had no power. I heard folks in say I cant blow dry my hair and watch netflix etc.
I need a sump pump, power tools, needed to power fans to dry out, needed to power dehumidfiers, I need heat to dry out. A lot of damage to house was fact I had five feet of saltwater untouched for three weeks in a cold damp house.
My co-worker who had a fireplace, gas stove who was toasty warm having a hot meal by candle lights while his generator was booted up so he could surf the web and recharge his iphones I would call the generator a luxury item.
Plus generators is a waste of money, going forward they are doing mandatory evacuations in my town. My homeowners covers hotel coverage during a mandatory evacuation and covers $1,000 worth of food in fridge as well as meals at hotel during stay. I will be in a hotel, chopping on a fat cigar, imported beer in hand enjoying a nice steak next time. Leave it to the “preppers” to sit at home in their crapshacks waiting for the next big one.
Happy Renter says:
February 12, 2013 at 2:33 pm
[91] I have no idea what the first part of your post even means, but as to “other folks a mere power outage getting a generator is overkill. It is pointless” — that depends on whether you think Snowtober 2011 (5 days without power) and Sandy (12+ days without power) were “mere power outage” events; to say nothing of Irene.
We got our tax assessment card today indicating that our property decreased 30K in assessed value.
I am not sure if I am happy or saddened by that fact.
On the one hand there is the potential for tax savings (assuming the municipality doesn’t jack up the assessment rate). On the other hand, the town who has every possible interest in overstating my property’s value thinks its worth 20K less than what I paid for it.
If the town would only give me that number, I guess I am theoretically underwater after 6 months arent I?
What was that prediction about cooking shrimp on the grill with an umbrella as Sandy comes a shore?
Good call, superman
JJ says:
February 12, 2013 at 3:32 pm
I will be in a hotel, chopping on a fat cigar, imported beer in hand enjoying a nice steak next time. Leave it to the “preppers” to sit at home in their crapshacks waiting for the next big one.
[97] “My homeowners covers hotel coverage during a mandatory evacuation and covers $1,000 worth of food in fridge as well as meals at hotel during stay. I will be in a hotel, chopping on a fat cigar, imported beer in hand enjoying a nice steak next time. Leave it to the “preppers” to sit at home in their crapshacks waiting for the next big one.”
Well for those folks who don’t live in flood-zones that are likely to be subject to mandatory evacuations, living high off the hog on the proceeds of homeowners’ insurance won’t be an option.
Good luck finding a hotel by the way, and I hope you’ve got enough gas in your car for a long drive.
As for “his generator was booted up so he could surf the web and recharge his iphones” . . . the ability to work from home saved me a lot of grief trying to commute after NJ descended into 2nd world status.
I was wrong on that. But oddly in bail out nation I got 80% of my repairs covered via FEMA, still waiting on NYS Sandy on the rest. My house was done the quickest of any neighbors house, I did not have to wait for flood insurance checks, did not need to get permits, hire licensed contractors, could pay cash up front. Also I ordered materials before price went up. I ordered sheetrock within a few days. Only regret I have is I was going to move my BMW and I did not. Just serviced it a few weeks before. It sucks as the Caddie cost me 10K out of pocket after inssurance check and I like the BMW a bit better.
This weekend since I am not going away I am gong down to long beach to go condo/bungalow shopping. Want a place with a ocean view with beach right out front.
5-6 years from now the sandy stuff will be long foregotten. I can get a max of up to 350K flood insurance. So I want to spend 300k to 425k on house/condo to limit downside in case a wave takes it away.
God Bless Free Market Capitalism. Thinking of doing an SBA loan vs primary and selling some TARP bank bonds in order to pay for it all.
America is a great country. Who needs generators.
Amazingly my grill was under three feet of water and with a match it did fire up post Sandy. I was actually cooking steaks and shrimp post sandy on the grill.
joyce says:
February 12, 2013 at 3:42 pm
What was that prediction about cooking shrimp on the grill with an umbrella as Sandy comes a shore?
Good call, superman
Joyce and JJ. You two would make for a brilliant sitcom.
Toast. I wish I had a snowblower. It’s a snow thrower. $800 worth of human-propelled driveway clearing power. Essentially, the auger pulls the machine through the snow. It’s a pain on non smooth surfaces though. Great for me to get it to the multi. I think it weighs 75 pounds, which is an easy lift into the hatch. It clears just as quickly as those big machines, but would probably suck in snowfall over a foot. When that happens, I’ll just have to go outside halfway through the storm. The motor purrs like a kitten too.
I am with a straight face going full monty in this years tax grievance. I paid 280K Dec 1999 and last year got it down to 315k. This year I am going balls to the wall and claiming post sandy home is worth 110K.
Everyone should grieve big time this year. The sandy damaged homes are going for big time tax grievances which will be shifted to non sandy homes unless you grieve too.
A Home Buyer says:
February 12, 2013 at 3:37 pm
We got our tax assessment card today indicating that our property decreased 30K in assessed value.
I am not sure if I am happy or saddened by that fact.
On the one hand there is the potential for tax savings (assuming the municipality doesn’t jack up the assessment rate). On the other hand, the town who has every possible interest in overstating my property’s value thinks its worth 20K less than what I paid for it.
If the town would only give me that number, I guess I am theoretically underwater after 6 months arent I?
I dunno double j. Methinks power is gooood. More power better? You wanna live like a camper in your own home ? I think not.
Guy punched me at a red light in West Orange about 30 min ago. Old fat guy, With a really bad dye job and a vanity license. He hit like Chi Fi.
JJ needs a reality show. 1) They are all phonies anyway, and 2) His persona represents everything that’s wrong with a given area.
Libtard in the City says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Joyce and JJ. You two would make for a brilliant sitcom.
And to think on Saturday in my pjs coffee in hand as I strolled downstairs a mexican rang my bells and in broken english said $25, I shook my head yes, had some french toast and when he rang the bell again I handed him $25.
Even better in snow I could not tell where he pooped on my lawn
Libtard in the City says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Joyce and JJ. You two would make for a brilliant sitcom.
Toast. I wish I had a snowblower. It’s a snow thrower. $800 worth of human-propelled driveway clearing power. Essentially, the auger pulls the machine through the snow. It’s a pain on non smooth surfaces though. Great for me to get it to the multi. I think it weighs 75 pounds, which is an easy lift into the hatch. It clears just as quickly as those big machines, but would probably suck in snowfall over a foot. When that happens, I’ll just have to go outside halfway through the storm. The motor purrs like a kitten too.
Please tell us more about this tax grieving. Have you ever done it before?
Seriously, do you just copy and paste from one day to the next? It would help to explain the spelling mistakes.
JJ says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:08 pm
I am with a straight face going full monty in this years tax grievance. I paid 280K Dec 1999 and last year got it down to 315k. This year I am going balls to the wall and claiming post sandy home is worth 110K.
They were stealing them like crazy near me. A women near me died when she had it so close to house fumes overtook her. Also I love the neighbor near me who had it powering his heat, he woke up cold and heard sound of generator purring away went downstairs and someone placed and old lawnmower next to his generator and took his 3k unit. Did not notice as purring kept going. Funny stuff.
I had a generator for 30 minutes, some good samiraton lent my neighbor one who let me borrow it so I could pump out my crawlspace. I actually was pumping my old 450sl at time for gas, had a ten gallon can full and gave it to him for his help. He goes that is $50 bucks worth of gas I need to help out more for “free” it pays well.
What would I use generator for is beyond me anyhow. Did not have a sumpump, heater, power tools, etc. Lost nearly all appliances. It is kinds of like kate uptown at a gay pride convention. It should be useful except it is not, gotta go Kate is tweeting me.
Essex says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:09 pm
I dunno double j. Methinks power is gooood. More power better? You wanna live like a camper in your own home ? I think not.
My brother in law dropped off a 33″ monster of a snow blower last night. Went from hoping for Spring to wanting just one or two more good snows to play with this thing.
JJ P*ssy
We did so much pot/acid/ and booze fueled nights in the early nineties that what you described was a tuesday in 1994 for me.
I have won three years in a row. I have grieved five times since I won home and won four times. I know all the tricks. Funniest I was telling neighbor tricks and if you stand on bed in upper corner bedroom on a clear day with a zoom lense the power plant two miles away appears a few feet away. Money shot they call it.
My money shot this year is two weeks after Sandy, 60 feet of debris in front of house, Hummer in front and a national guardsman with an AK47 escorting the red cross food truck. Also have a money shot of fema back hos on lawn and money shot of six feet of water in house, I do lot so comps too, do lots of comparisions, commerical property, busy streets, pedophiles, DEC spill info, etc. I can make the white house look like crap. This year I even have a six page fema print out of damage.
joyce says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Please tell us more about this tax grieving. Have you ever done it before?
Seriously, do you just copy and paste from one day to the next? It would help to explain the spelling mistakes.
Back off Jpyce Jj is an Icon.
An Icon who thinks he’s a BSD cause he renovates his entire house with his bare hands, grieves his property taxes since he’s blue collar, repeats himself like a dementia patient …. yet can’t shovel a little snow.
Essex says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Back off Jpyce Jj is an Icon.
JJ says:
February 12, 2013 at 4:11 pm
And to think on Saturday in my pjs coffee in hand as I strolled downstairs a mexican rang my bells and in broken english said $25, I shook my head yes, had some french toast and when he rang the bell again I handed him $25.
The State of the Union
By Doug Kass
| Feb 12, 2013 | 4:00 PM EST
Tonight President Obama will deliver The State of Union address.
According to reports (and leaks!), President Obama will concentrate his speech on clean energy, improving our nation’s infrastructure and improving education in the country.
He will likely tie these three factors into his desire to expand domestic economic growth by creating new jobs.
Unfortunately, those who see the speech as an economic bridge builder and pro-growth might be disappointed.
While the market doesn’t seem to care about anything negative these days, I make the above economic assertion because emphasizing these policy initiatives has not historically been a way to produce broad-based economic growth nor has it been a successful strategy to improve the jobs picture.
Rather, these are low economic and jobs return policies (despite providing other elements of the “public good”) and consistent with a longstanding core Democratic Party principle of emphasizing the government’s role rather than the private sector’s role.
Unfortunately, from my perch, I continue to see ineffective, partisan and “inside the envelope” policies from both the Democratic and Republican Parties. (My opening missive tomorrow will address some of my solutions to our fiscal predicament.)
I would remind everyone — and I am a Democrat — that current government expenditures are already substantially above trend line (as is our budget deficit), yet real GDP is barely growing and the unemployment rate remains near 8%.
Bottom line: Even though I don’t expect the president’s speech to be pro-growth, The State of the Union address will not likely be a market negative, as more investors will be focused on the market’s technicals (and peering at charts tonight) rather than worrying about the president’s agenda.
115 strange treasury reports a January surplas. Who to believe? The guy that writes an opinion or the guy that does reporting hmmm
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-12/u-s-treasury-posts-first-january-budget-surplus-since-2008.html
Rambo in Big Bear city, Ca. 2 officers wounded
116,
If that’s true, does it matter when the budget is still expected to be in deficit over 850+ billion for the year? And that’s just the WH forecast, meaning it will surely be higher. I bet $1T+ for the year… I know I’m going out on a limb there.
What a weird day,had to Knock out some tomato can In west orange an hour ago. Guy was like glass joe from mike tyson.
Fool better learn to make a Right on red
xolepa – I read that he died just a couple years back. His Arizona place stayed open until his death, I read in an article, but relatives were probably going to close it, I also read. Before the New Brunswick store closed, it moved across the street to this huge glass confabulation that only did takeout, but they had takeout lines about 6 wide, IIRC. When they had the huge glass place (Maybe ’83?) across the street from the original all the workers wore T-Shirts with the famous slogan, “No Charge for Extra Grease”, and they also said “Two locations. New Jersey – Arizona.” Just did a search at found he died in 2008:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/2008/06/04/87285-obituary-greasy-tony-s-founder-worked-hard/
(35) I’m not sure about Tumultys. It was definitely after I left. Must have been in the early 80′s. As to Greasy Tonys, that shop was my saviour. After classes and track practice ended, I would eat dinner and then drink beer until about 11:00 each night. I would then get the munchies extreme and walk couple blocks to Greasies. I loved their greasy roast beef sandwich. $2.10. It coated my stomach for the night. The owner I heard moved to Arizona, not sure if he’s still alive.
Another thing drinking buddies do when they’re bored (and drunk): Flipping VW beetles and other small cars parked on the New Brunswick streets and setting them tight between two trees. Doors could’nt be opened.
[42] More humor derived from reading slow:
This state deserves what it gets. That’s why I will be out of here – when it is time. The only piece of property I will have left will be my wife…
[120] Wouldn’t it be great if you could aim a device at somebody, pull the trigger and in a fraction of a millisecond it would assess his literacy and if insufficient injure him before he proves it by speaking?
What a weird day,had to Knock out some tomato can In west orange an hour ago. Guy was like glass joe from mike tyson.
Fool better learn to make a Right on red
I would rather see joyce and JJ on non-celebrity apprentice. I bet they hook up.
JJ needs a reality show. 1) They are all phonies anyway, and 2) His persona represents everything that’s wrong with a given area.
Not much new here. Mrs. Deplume and I got a lot of laughs during the first 10 minutes of the speech.
But Obama crossed the Rubicon on one issue: He called for means-testing. To my knowledge, no president has called for it. Until now.
As I said before, not if but when . . .
You know Nompounding is a trend when it gets added to the building codes . . .
http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/menifee/menifee-headlines/20120718-menifee-ban-against-doomsday-bunkers-extended.ece
this really real estate no more go other visit here http://fishmls.com/mn/blaine
Looking for advice on my situation….
Married & mortgage for the townhouse is only in my name.
Combined savings: 195k
Combined annual income: 200k
Current home mortgage: 330k (Paid 355k at the peak of the bubble)
Current home value: approx. 270-290k (40k-60k underwater)
Credit Score: 800
Had our first child recently and we’d like to move out of the townhouse and into bigger diggs and somewhere with good schools. Looking @ Bergen county.
Anyway.. the question I had is if you were in my position would you:
1. Rent out the townhouse (it’ll rent for around 1900-2000$ which leaves about 600-700$ out of my pocket. $500 of that is principal) Also I read that because of high income I wouldn’t be able to write off hardly anything on the rental.
2. Put 20% down on the new house, walk away from the townhouse and hopefully they don’t come after me down the road. I believe only my credit would be affected.
3. Pay off 150k of the mortgage on the townhouse, refinance, and create a positive cash flow of about 300$ per month by renting it out. (This one leaves us without our 20% down on the new house)
4. Stop paying and attempt a short sale? Pretty sure the bank won’t go for this if they find out our income and savings.
Thoughts?
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