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Try Microsoft Project. You basically list all tasks with start and end dates plus the % completed. The tasks can be serialized so one has to finish before another can start. It shows your project in a Gantt chart that higher management should understand. Google Gantt for examples.

[bubble_contagion]

Try Microsoft Project. You basically list all tasks with start and end dates plus the % completed. The tasks can be serialized so one has to finish before another can start. It shows your project in a Gantt chart that higher management should understand. Google Gantt for examples.

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OK. The 1.7% is only for resale houses (detached).

The title of the article is misleading since it says “Resale homes up 1.7%”. In the text this is changed to “houses” as stated in the data from DataQuick. The U-T has done this type of pro-real state reporting for years even if it means that the information is not entirely accurate or clear.

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OK. The 1.7% is only for resale houses (detached).

The title of the article is misleading since it says “Resale homes up 1.7%”. In the text this is changed to “houses” as stated in the data from DataQuick. The U-T has done this type of pro-real state reporting for years even if it means that the information is not entirely accurate or clear.

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I am not sure that calculation is correct. There are 4,338 homes in current inventory and there were 588 sales. This would be like 7.5 months of inventory. Unless the 15,139 homes planned for construction are for pre-sale right now, these cannot be counted as inventory. It may take years for these homes to be built so even with slowing sales the months of inventory could be kept low.

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If a house sells at market value at auction, why the owner didn’t sell it before going into foreclosure?

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Absolutely correct. That is the same reason all employers have increased salaries by 15% plus inflation since 2005. You did get or gave a 25% raise since then, didn’t you?

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For the green card, they check you don’t owe taxes or have a crimilar record. I assume a credit check wouldn’t be out of the question because any documentation considered relevant to a particular immigration case can be requested. There is mandatory check for diseases like TB and HIV. Green card applicants must go to a doctor and have HIV test, X-rays and vaccinations if they cannot prove they had them when they were children. Full 10 digit finger prints are also required.

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One key piece of information missing is how much inflation and wages increased in Europe since 2002. If prices and wages have remained the same since 2002, the actual purchasing power of Europeans vs. Americans may not be that different now. If wages and inflation have increased the same as in the U.S. we are screwed.

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There seems to be a lot of spin on that article. Quoting median prices of detached homes and then overall sales. I only trust data from reliable sources. This article data is from a Realtor who is citing a report made by the California Association of Realtors.

The below sales data is from Dataquick:

02/05: 3,442
03/05: 5,018

In 2005 there was a 46% Month-to-Month increase in sales. Price declines started in 2005.

02/2006: 3,035
03/2006: 4,367

In 2006 there was a 43% Month-to-Month increase in sales. No bottom in 2006.

02/07: 2,863
03/07: 3,218

In 2007 the Month-to-Month increase was 12%, Y-O-Y there was a decrease of 26%.

The median price for March was up, but the price per square foot was down. Interpret the data anyway you like. To me, there is no sign of a bottom yet.

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A friend of mine owns a condo in a nice new building downtown. It turns out the condo next to his is being rented by the night. A couple of weekends ago, at about 1am, two drunk guys enter his condo carrying a case of beer. It turns out that the key of the sublet condo opened my friend’s door lock as well. The drunken guys had made a mistake but started shouting: What are you doing here?! I rented this place today! After arguing, they realized they had entered the wrong condo and left. It turns out that when buildings are under construction all door locks use the same key, the builder is supposed to change them as the units get sold. This was not done in these condos.

My friend was very shook up and it just shows you the absolute mess speculation has caused in downtown San Diego.

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Americans should not retire to Latin America, it is becoming a very dangerous place to live. The situation is getting so dire that most people would leave if they could. A recent Pew Hispanic Center poll revealed the following:

“An estimated 32 million adults in Mexico — about 46 percent of adults — would come to the United States if they had the means and opportunity. And about half of those people said they’d be willing to move to and work in the United States illegally.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4802654

There is no need for Americans to move to Latin America, Latin America is coming to the Americans!

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Cashman,

It seems that you need to simplify your question. The dilema is to rent for $2700 or buy a $700K-$1M home. You could have $2M or $10M in the bank and it shoudn’t make a difference in your rent-vs-buy financial decision.

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Just last week the Federal Police (similar to the FBI) disarmed the local Tijuana police because corruption and bribes from drug dealers have reached all government institutions. During Fox administration (2000-2006) 9,000 people were murdered in drug related executions. This is a higher per day average than U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

Wealthy businessmen, politicians and maybe even some drug dealers are sending their families to the U.S. for safety. Chula Vista for them is a paradise compared to Tijuana. Not all of them will relocate to Chula Vista, some can afford places like La Jolla. Most of these people will have legal or semi-legal status (tourist visa). I see this as a phenomenon that will be on the increase, rich people from Latin America fleeing to the U.S. as crime in their countries escalates. Lax immigration laws make this very easy for wealthy people. The free market economy that started with NAFTA has created a huge wealth for some people in Mexico (Carlos Slim, the third richest person in the world is Mexican). Assertive macroeconomic policies have also created a strong Peso and a low risk level for investing in the country. But even though Mexico is now a safe and profitable place to invest your money (the Mexican stock market has done terrific in the last years), crime is rampant in most of the country and it is not a safe place to live.

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Succesful websites have two things in common: they work and they are free. Two examples: Google, no advertising and it’s fast and accurate. Youtube, great video plug-in and bandwith, free service. The question is: are these two websites going to make money to the expected levels? Google stock trades at 4x it’s 2003 IPO and youtube just got bought by them for $1.6 billion.

No, it’s a hassle to maintain the accounts (usernames, passwords, the issue of using a credit card on-line)

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