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I’ve used idrive.com (or ibackup.com for database backups) for a while and it is more robust than Mozy, Carbonite or Dropbox because it is more aimed at business market. Upload speed at are over 90% max of your ISP rate and idrive is only one that performs incremental backup of locked files such as Outlook even when it is open.

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[quote=GH]Or a brown TAX OR a black tax or an old tax or a young tax. No doubt there are a lot or contributing factors to health care costs. Apparently blacks are more likely to get sickle cell anemia. That ALONE justifies a higher premium right?[/quote]
For now companies are targeting “recreational” behavior, not genetic markers that could be interpreted as a (disgraced) William Shockley experiment to weed out dysgenic effects among certain populations.

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Is their crash and smash system UL listed? AFAIK, Honeywell doesn’t use that system for commercial security so there may be a reason or Honeywell is stuck with old profitable paradigm. Cell backup with UL system and IP cameras should be sufficient.

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[quote=urbanrealtor][quote=urbanrealtor]Yes it was tongue in cheek (or in santorum) and no I really don’t think that its okay to commit sexual battery.[/quote]
BUUUUUTTT:
(and this is the part where everybody rolls their eyes in disgust and annoyance)

There are 2 types of people who are considered lecherous.

1: Horndogs who get play.
2: Creepy weirdos.

And yes there is a spectrum between.
My point is that its really much more sad to be the second. Cain really has the vibe of the second.
I don’t know that and don’t have any inside evidence (other than the news) but that is my gut.
That bums me out.
He was a republican that I actually liked.
Kind of like Romney before he clearly decided to play musical positions.[/quote]

Four simple rules for workplace:

1. Be handsome
2. Be attractive
3. Don’t be unattractive
4. Be nice so people will overlook a minor faux pas if you can’t follow the first three rules.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/sexual-harassment/258532/

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[quote=urbanrealtor]So here is a big one.

I was listing a condo for a short sale.
It was a nice townhouse with 3br/3ba and a 2-car garage and an atrium.
Nice place.

Unfortunately, the bank (BofA–originally CWide) sold the note during the most recent round of profit panics. They sold it for half of face value.
So:
Loan: 370k
List price: 250k (which is low but I needed offers fast to avoid the repo)
Market value: Probably 275k-325k
Contract price: 250k (buyer knows it probably will get bumped up by the bank)
sale price of the (non-performing)note when purchased by BNY-Mellon (which sounds like “boney melon”): $180k

So midway through the short, the BNY-M cancels the short and just puts it up for auction.

That is actually not my complaint.
Its frustrating but shit, life goes on.

Investors buy it for $212k on the courthouse steps.
I am impressed at their determination and acumen in accomplishing this.

Then, the problem.

They first ask me if I have any buyers for the property.
They are Realtors and trying to get money out of it asap any way they can.
The previous buyers are not interested.

And here is where it gets fucked up.

The new owners show up at the property pounding on the door.
They demand rent or keys.

Thats illegal.
On a personal note it really pisses me off when Realtors act like thugs and try to deprive people of their rights.

So here we are now:
I have actually paid for an attorney for these tenants.
The landlords have shown up multiple times with notices or new rental agreements they want the tenants to sign.

They have threatened to evict them if they do not sign and pay.

This is despite the 2009 federal tenant protection law.

Fucking unbelievable.[/quote]
For those who are not familiar with rental laws, Do they have a rental agreement from the bank? If not, then don’t they have to leave? What does 2009 law state? Thx

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Josh,

For San Diego, the rents have been somewhat stable over the last few housing crashes. For many condos, it is breakeven to purchase or rent, minus the 20%, but with banks paying 0% it sure it enticing for many to lock in fixed 30 year payment. If inflation continues, rents will not go down unless unemployment keeps going up with the accelerated decimation of the middle class.

2,000 people a day may think about leaving San Diego (reference to pithy “2,000 people a day are moving to FL” catchhrase, circa 2005 ), but not that many do. Canadians and other foreigners with money are purchasing some places here.

Even a Republican President would not dare to upset the entrenched housing subsidies.

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[quote=bearishgurl][quote-70Degrees]…That Indian lawyer cant sit down in a room and talk to me about my family and my kids, and take me out for lunch and build my confidence that he can handle my case. So what happens is the smart American firm figures out that the relationship and the complex law can be handled locally, and they can hand off the routine stuff to someone better suited to do the job (in india), with the American continuing to manage the relationship…[/quote]

Sorry, 70Degrees, I don’t see this happening. Please tell us how an Indian citizen living in India can obtain an American Paralegal Certificate or Degree approved by the American Bar Assn (ABA). As far as I am aware, there are no (online) classes which will convey this type of credential. And, while you’re “researching,” why don’t you cull the “want ads” for this profession to find out if law firms in the US (and CA) will even consider a candidate from a non-ABA-approved school.

You appear to be trying here to make this sound “plausible” but every single state has different laws so you FAIL on this premise.

And GOOD LUCK with the (abroad) “Indian” with “imitation slang-English skills” learning this stuff which is best left to “locals,” LOL![/quote]
Your personal conjectures are in direct conflict with opinions of NYC law firms.

ABA Formal Opinion 08-451 provides limited approval of outsourcing in 2008 decision. Why would they do this? Because the bar represents interests of big clients?

Basic document review is done overseas which would be done by paralegals or junior associates here.
Unless you go to a top law school, it would be foolish to get into big debt for law school. The 2008 crash caused companies to actually look at their bills and demand a stop to runaway bills from law firms.

(My Firsthand American experience, no value judgment, xenophophia intended before anyone complains)
I was in India last year and it certainly seems like a fourth world nation in terms of lack of infrastructure, traffic, etc. It seems that everyone you meet in public places (stores, etc) is a complete “moron”. There is almost ZERO customer service – It was the most frustrating experience. I was told wages are so ridiculously low for service sector so that is why most places are filled with “morons”. It is difficult to believe by walking around public places that there are any smart people in that country or that anything can actually get done. But the fact that there are a few smart people(at least 0.1%, or one million people) in that country who can actually produce something of value in the face of the overwhelming odds – bureaucracies, political infighting, terrorism, pollution, scorching heat, floods – is amazing.

Computers are still expensive for most and the internet connections are not stable and still expensive. (Multinationals have their own high speed lines) As the price of PCs and smart phones drop and American English becomes more widely spoken, we may face more competition here, especially if the smartest Indians stop leaving India for better opportunities outside India.

So I call them morons and you mock their language skills. Yeah, that is really going to stop the outsourcing.

http://www.nixonpeabody.com/linked_media/publications/offshore_outsourcing_ortego_eisenberg.pdf

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[quote=sdrealtor]Its possible as long as you have enough equity and can prove you have a tenant coming (lease and deposit check). You really need to to talk to an expert. Most lenders out there are “Sure, I can get it done guys”. They say they can but dont really understand what it will take and try to figure it out along the way. Its hard to find someone who isnt a “Sure, I can get it done guy”.

let me know if you need one. I have someone with 20 years experience who will take you what you need to know and if you are really serious he will take you through underwriting before you even write an offer. Thats what you really need to do.[/quote]
It’s very tough now. I was told by experienced lender that for a newbie, the lenders pretty much want several months of rental history before they would even consider 50% of the rental income.

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[quote=EconProf]The bigger question is whether you want to become a landlord. There is a huge learning curve involved to do it right, and beginners too often quickly say…I can just rent it out. Are you handy with tenant-caused maintenance problems? Ready to get up to speed on all tenant-landlord laws? Can you list the red flags that should warn you away from certain applicants? Have you fully accounted for vacancy and fixup periods between tenants? Know how to interpret credit reports? Above all, have you considered ALL the costs involved over time, including the value of your own time?
Historically, owning a rental property is only worthwhile in those rare periods of rapid appreciation. From an operating standpoint you are up against the big rental or condo complexes that have economies of scale in purchasing, contracting, advertising, showing and on-site management. And prospective tenants are understandably suspicious of amateur landlords, which may lower your achievable rent.[/quote]
Could be the best post of the year.

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The MLK Memorial dedicated this week in DC ($120M -paid for by Walmart, Boeing, etc) was built in China from Chinese granite.
Now we don’t have any good sculptors?

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[quote=EconProf]The consensus here seems to be do-it-yourself or hire someone to scrape and dispose of it without following all the rules of the government and scaremongers. I agree, and have done it several times on rental properties. We all , need to properly evaluate true risk and probabilities in our decision-making and not be overly influenced by vivid, spectacular, but unlikely events. Don’t worry about the tiny amount of asbestoes in popcorn ceilings, or second-hand smoke, or throwing away flourescent bulbs, but do put on your seatbelt, eat sensibly, and don’t tailgate.[/quote]
Home Depot recycles compact fluorescent at return counter, but your main point taken.

It’s too bad MBS market ignored the so-called unlikely Black Swan events! It did seem unlikely for the guys sitting in front of their Bloomberg terminals since we didn’t have national home sales decline for 50+ years, but a weeks’ worth of paperwork review in the trenches would have easily uncovered that likelihood of problems was much greater than 1%.

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Usually the person with the assets is the one that gets to lose the asset. Always carry massive umbrella policies and hire a PI to conduct full background check.

There was a story last week in the WSJ about asset forfeiture of a hotel because the police had made about 100 arrests in the hotel over decade, so they charged the hotel for being a conduit for the drug trade even though the owner was never charged. Since assets don’t have any constitutional rights, don’t expect the law enforcement friendly conservative SCOTUS to help out.

Some people in HOA wanted to give gift baskets to new homeowners in the neighborhood, but HOA said we may get sued if there is a problem with the basket. There was a lady who was having problems moving her car at gas station so my buddy got in her car and moved it. His friends said you should never talk to strangers, they could have sued you for a dozen reasons.

What is the take away? Don’t rent to strangers (especially not relatives), stay scared straight, never give gifts, don’t loan tools or cars to people. I guess this is the true American spirit.

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/owner_of_cheap_motel_cites_tenth_amendment_in_forfeiture_battle/

“Federal Asset Seizures Rise, Netting Innocent With Guilty”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903480904576512253265073870.html

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We had Roger from Artisan Stone and Tile remove some tile and install new tile on first floor. Very good work and reasonable price. His specialty is bathroom work as you can view on his site.

We picked tile from Bedrosians and he gave us is contractor discount too. For large tile jobs make sure you get samples well in advance of the start date and make sure the final big tile order matches your sample, i.e., specify the lot. Even then you could have variations that you don’t like so if you are particular then make sure all boxes match weeks before the job is to start so you can have it fixed before the contractor shows up. Finally, make sure you order 10-15% more tile or baseboards than contractor measurements because somehow you will always be short!

http://artisanstonetile.yolasite.com/

Phone:858-663-6834

We got our baseboards from Mission Moulding which has great selection.

http://www.missionmoulding.net/Site/Home.html

9510 Chesapeake Dr
San Diego, CA 92123

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[quote=CDMA ENG]Dear God…

I thought this thread was going to die off with two comments…

Pigss.. I am a little disappointed with you…

CE[/quote]

In Feb 2001 Allstate/National JournalHeartland Monitor poll #1 Reason to Buy home: “Having a place to raise a family An overwhelming 40 percent said that raising a family in a place of their own was the ultimate factor in their decision to buy. The housing market may rise and fall, but the value of the home to the American family seems set in stone.”

20% of women are choosing not to have children today as opposed to 10% in the 70’s. Now if culture and demographics are changing as mentioned in this thread, is this not crucial to gauging future demand for housing? This is a housing blog.

What’s really disappointing is that certain people post on the “Should Citibank woman be fired for wearing form-fitted clothing” yet disparage a more relevant topic to housing.

What’s even more disappointing is that my CDMA phone only gets a few hours of battery life if I actually use it. 🙂

What is disturbing is that the smartest people in the world used to work for Bell Labs, now they work for paper pushers and advertising companies: Goldman, Facebook, Twitter and Google.

One such person was Dennis Ritchie (National Medal of Technology winner), one of the creators of Unix and C who passed away this week. Thank you Dennis Ritchie and Bell Labs for helping make today’s technology possible.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/why-some-americans-will-always-buy-20110323

http://news.yahoo.com/dennis-ritchie-more-important-steve-jobs-221706974.html

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[quote=svelte]It’s just starting to dawn on people, but marriage as we know it is slowly disappearing. Average marrying age is going way up, people are getting used to living life on their own, and there is not the stigma there once was.

I think that’s a good thing, actually.

I can’t imagine life without my wife, but I would still be with her even if the concept of marriage had never been invented. I’m with her because I want to be.[/quote]
Freedom is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t push people into adopting cavalier attitudes towards relationships. A buddy of mine who is about 30 got divorced after 2 years because she was missing that elusive something. [At this point we need a female to list the five ways to keep the lady happy]

He was willing to work through it but she knew people who had gotten divorced so there was no longer a stigma to just giving up. At least there were no kids involved.

So how will this peeling away of stigmas affect family formation and housing demand? More luxury condos for all?

[Author]

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