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Jazzman
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]Wow, congrats jazzman. Between Bordeaux and Toulouse, so not bad at all. I heard that prices are down in France because of the current recession so good time to buy.
You bring up a good point about value. But even the French don’t see the values you see. They are living in expensive 25 m2 studios in Paris. Go to the Loire valley, not that far from Paris and the prices drop dramatically.
If you’re retired, then yes, you can live in the country in France. Better than the country in USA such as Maine or North Carolina. France is small so you’re never too far away from civilization.
Are you English? So many Brits like to buy country property in France.
I personally don’t like the country or isolation. Plenty of quiet areas in Oahu. The other islands seem so isolated.[/quote]
Yes, I’m more or less retired. Foreign buyers make up a large chunk for these types of homes, and 50% of those were Brits so we saw a spike in prices a few years ago, and as they left with their tails between their legs, the market collapsed. Realistically, these homes would never have reached the levels they did, and of course the French were only too happy then, if not a little dumfounded now. So the bubble was a Anglo Saxon import. Paris is a different ball game, as is Cote D’Azur and even Provence. But then these are exceptional places …which is why they are so popular with wealthy foreign buyers/investors. Nevertheless, few homes in these places represent good value. You have no space for new builds and an increasing population of wealthier buyers competing with a diminishing pool of decent, traditional homes.Oahu is very expensive. I’ll resist using the term over-priced (although that term definitely applies), because once again space is at a huge premium. However, the quality of homes is poor compared to say California, and we found ourselves tut-tutting as seller expectations way exceeded our expectations as buyers. Maui is less rural and more developed but lacks a center. It’s natural beauty makes up for that. The islands’ isolation makes them what they are.
Participant[quote=CA renter][quote=paramount]Another victim of public sector unions.
Public Sector Unions are a Terminal Cancer.[/quote]
That has got to be one of the most ignorant statements you could possibly make. Detroit’s problems are tied to the demise of the manufacturing sector (largely because of **mismanagement,** not unions), white flight, and the resulting demographic/population changes.
Some history:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/usa-detroit-timeline-idUSL1N0FP00F20130719
http://www.npr.org/2012/09/11/160768981/racial-regional-divide-still-haunt-detroits-progress
http://www.changinggears.info/2011/03/23/detroit-a-boom-town-goes-bust/%5B/quote%5D
As far as I have been able to discern the proverbial camel’s back was broken by a derivatives bet with UBS and BoA on which way interest rates would go. That lead to the default. Granted a long history of decline preceded that, but it s the familiar story of breaking your neck and going to the knackers yard to get it fixed.
ParticipantDon’t confront people bigger than you especially if you think they may have criminal intent. That’s what the police are for. Then you won’t need to carry a firearm. Look where it leads.
ParticipantI have several properties all managed by managers. Two managers have provided a good service, another so so, and one let me down big time. None is in soCal where I struggled to find property managers. I learnt my lesson which is you need to manage your property managers. Apart from that you can get on with your life and pay someone else to do the dirty work. For just one property and on my doorstep I’d ask an agent to find a tenant and manage it myself.
July 8, 2013 at 2:52 PM in reply to: OT: Seeking lawyer for a restaurant lawsuit / victims of foodborne illness #763382ParticipantAh yes, litigation. Failed in life, but there’s always the legal lottery. I have absolutely no sympathy for this kind of attitude. It is immoral and loathesome. If you got ill, don’t seek to profit from it. Recover, and learn your lesson. A litigious climate succors only the scourge of humanity. Wait until it happens to you and then you’ll understand.
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook][quote=SK in CV]I checked the manual. And then opened up some news site on the intertubes this morning, and up pops an ad. For Honeywell HVAC controls. What-the-F’ity EF EF? How do it know?[/quote]
SK: You need to turn this to your advantage, my friend. Patiently explain to your wife that all those Swedish porn popups are a result of your purchasing that Scandinavian artisanal reindeer’s milk cheese at Whole Foods.[/quote]
Facebook and Google do take liberties, but I suppose this borders the benign so they get away with it. Personal experiences with this whole Internet privacy is one thing, but it doesn’t stop there. I recently spoke with a lender in France, who wouldn’t talk to me. When I said I was calling from France, not the US, he said “Oh that’s OK then”. WTF! I was once approached in the terminal of a European international airport, over very loosely tied connections between the origin of my name, stamps in my passport and my location. I was so bewildered I didn’t have the wherewithal to enquire who wanted to know. This was not a customs official, and the assumptions so naive, I sincerely hope my tax dollars aren’t paying that ‘official’ a $200k salary. I laughed the incident off, by explaining I was a Colombian drug lord, just going about my business of laundering money. It was received with an embarrassed smile. Customs and immigration are on the front line of this battle. And terrorism isn’t the only thing they’re after.Participant[quote=ocrenter][quote=Jazzman]Hong Kong is an interesting choice to hide. Iceland may be safer, but is probably as pro US as Sweden. If some dirt is dug up on him, we should worry. Internet idealists are a little naive, as you can never have true privacy on a global communications network. Maybe this will give rise to a new technology.[/quote]
Agree, I was thinking the same about HK. His explanation about picking HK also seems quite odd. He sad something along the line of people of HK can protest. So what? They can’t even vote for the entire legislature let alone the chief exec. And to have the illusion that the HK government is independent of Beijing and does not answer to the CCP? That is quite silly and naive.
SO he either picked HK so he can defect to China, the US’s chief rival, or he is just way over his head.[/quote]
He’s way over his head, but smart enough to know it. He took a calculated risk that media exposure is a sufficient layer of protection. And maybe it is. The unsuccessful attempt to prosecute an NSA whistle blower, makes you wonder whether it ‘s just a deterrent exercise. I think you may be right in that HK is possibly a halfway house to defection, and I’d be curious to know whether he has been approached and been offered protection.It’s a fascinating insight into the world of espionage and counter terrorism. Totally predictable and being going on for a long time. It will be interesting to see how the government responds in terms of justifying the effectiveness of the intrusion into so-called privacy. Since that is likely classified, it’s a tough one for them. The relevant debate is really about potential abuses IMO, and activists probably need to exaggerate the issues to help prevent that. Much more important is that they’re buying these guys’ loyalty with $200k pay checks. No wonder I couldn’t find a reasonably priced home on Oahu.
Participant[quote=CA renter][quote=Jazzman] Maybe this will give rise to a new technology.[/quote]
Ideally, yes, but there’s no guarantee that it would remain “private.” I’m willing to bet that it would be hacked by the govt or other entities within a year.[/quote]
Pigeons are still part of defense budgets even in developed nations.ParticipantHong Kong is an interesting choice to hide. Iceland may be safer, but is probably as pro US as Sweden. If some dirt is dug up on him, we should worry. Internet idealists are a little naive, as you can never have true privacy on a global communications network. Maybe this will give rise to a new technology.
Participant[quote=ocrenter]it is just another shooting.
Anywhere else in the industrialized world, this should of course be big news. But this is the US of A. Where We the People should have already accepted this type of events as just a price to pay for our freedom and liberty.
My wife mentioned this one to me the other day:
I read the comments, a bunch of remarks about how this is such a tragedy. But I fail to see how this is a tragedy. We have a country that can’t even pass legislation for universal background checks. We have parents that bring kids to gun shows as if it is the county fair. People can walk into the local walmart and walk out with semi’s and boxes of ammo.
All of these shooting stories are simply consequences of the above, they are fully to be expected given the amount of guns and ammo out and about.[/quote]
I’m dumbfounded by the comments that follow the story. I simply cannot believe I’m on the same planet. I’m serious.Participant[quote=dumbrenter]Note: this post has nothing to do with the murder in london.
You guys are seeing this all wrong.
It is not the state policy (welfare or not) or multiculturalism.
It is simply about how people are taught values and how they perceive the world.An average American is a friendly, outgoing fellow who will do business with you if there is good business to be done with you. your national origin means nothing here. The fact that you dress differently or have a thick accent is not really a bar once it comes to doing business. Folks open up about politics in person only when they feel comfortable with you. There is no expectation to integrate and conform. You have the option of being economically productive (and rich) while not needing to conform.
An average european or australian or japanese is very tribal. He wants to classify you and fit you into his preconceived notions. While his state may be immigration friendly, he definitely is not. His view of the world is pretty racist (as in race based), he is taught to conform from his childhood and he expects the same later. He will be dying to know your national origin and background much more than wanting to do business with you. More than business value, how you look & act is more important though it hurts his own interests. His society has gone thru a lot of churn to make sure there is homogeneity in his lands, so he is simply not setup to accept you in his society. Get to know him, make him comfortable, and out come the racist views on some other ethnicity.
My point is: while european states look very immigration friendly, the european people are simply not willing to accept immigrants. The same does not hold in the United States. And this is a key difference.
My source: personal experience as somebody who does not look either european or american. Obviously highly subjective, but more accurate than what you hear the talking heads on tv or the politicians say.[/quote]
I agree with you up to a point, but it’s not quite so black and white if you’ll excuse the term. I’d first like to start by pointing out that Europe is not a country, but a geographical term. The countries within it have different immigration experiences. The US actively encourages immigration and is known as a country of immigrants. Geography plays it’s part. Population density in say the UK is about eight times higher than the US. Immigration to some European countries was traditionally drawn from post colonial periods, now from Eastern Europe. Tolerance for different cultures is about the same as the US. The differences are in urban segregation. US cities are more divided into socio economic, and socio cultural lines, whereas in some EU countries, it’s more socio economic. Is there racism in countries is the EU? Sure. Lets not forget ethnic cleansing. But I don’t believe there was the degree of segregation as in the US. Is assimilation public policy? Yes, but with varying degrees of success and failure. One major difference is that people in the US tend to be more open, which gives the impression of a greater degree of tolerance. But individual prejudices are pretty universal and their causes range from the superficial to the more complex socio economic. It’s a very big, complex subject making comparisons difficult.Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]SDR: Both assailants were native-born Brits. Her Majesty’s Government now advises that British soldiers not wear their uniforms in public.
Fuck that. Issue sidearms and let the games begin.[/quote]
Hehe!Participant50% of buyers think prices are increasing, so must buy now.
25% of buyers think prices have been going up so when will they come down.
The remainder of would-be buyers sit in hope that one day the world might be a sane place again.
It’s a democracy so majority rules.Statistics courtesy Robinson Crusoe Research.
ParticipantI don’t think you can discount the effect another recession would have on any anticipated ‘normalizing’ market. There’s been about 12 recessions since the Great Depression–which itself was followed almost immediately by another recession–averaging a recession every 6 years. Since the Great Recession ended in 2009, we’re statistically 2 years from the next one, just in time for the effects of a rate rise to take hold. Since nobody seems sure what the effects of a prolonged period of very low rates will be, the future doesn’t hold much certainty. I sincerely hope there will be a shift away from real estate as an essential driver of a consumer driven economy. That has been the problem. Affordability issues are irrelevant in that context, and have only gained traction as a means of justifying over-inflated prices. If the economy gets a shot in the arm from a lift in real estate prices, you’ve still got to address the underlying problems.
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