Archive for the 'Rants' Category
Mortgage Crisis and the Blame Game
Brad Inman this morning wrote an excellent article about the mortgage and real estate crisis that has gripped so many markets in the United States–and elsewhere. In The Housing Market Blame Game, Inman reports that even formerly raging real estate markets that were once seen as unshakable, such as Manhattan, are now beginning to share the pain with regions that had collapsed earlier.
Many blame the real estate industry for hyping the real estate market; others the mortgage originators. But Inman makes an interesting observation:
“….hyperbole from every day Realtors is not the underlying problem causing the housing quake. I would assign more blame to industry experts who peddled their demographic-as destiny arguments and ignored other issues.
This is akin to the expert analyst problem in the equities industry, where favorable reviews were tied to conflicts of interest.”
My response:
The blame game and finger pointing has become a conversation staple from Wall Street to Main Street. Some blame greedy hedge funds, some the greedy mortgage industry, some the greedy real estate agents, and some the greedy mortgage fraudsters.
The conversations that interest me most are the ones that seek ways to sift through the rubble to find approximate market bottoms. That is where the next real estate fortunes will be made.
Greed survives.
read comments (2)
Whenever I go to shop for technology of any sort, I head over to CNet to check out editorial and user reviews. Whether I am shopping digital cameras, tablet pc’s or cell phones, I know I can trust what they have to say.
It came as a recent wonderful surprise that they have also taken to rating blogs–or at least those that focus on technology. Luxury Home Digest of course did not make the cut, but that should come as no surprise. Luxury real estate blogs aren’t exactly at the top of tech blog lists.
Regardless, I thought readers might be interested in their 100 choices because they could end up providing valuable information for owners of luxurous residences:
- 1080Eye
- Alice Hill’s Real Tech News
- Apple Matters
- AppleInsider
- Ars Technica
- Between the Lines
- Beyond VC
- Boing Boing
- Burnham’s Beat
- BusinessWeek’s Blogspotting
- BusinessWeek’s The Tech Beat
- BuzzMachine
- C:\PIRILLO.EXE
- Channel 9
- Cleantech Investing
- Cyberjournalist.net
- Dan Bricklin’s Log
- Daring Fireball
- Declan McCullagh’s Politech
- digg
- Doc Searls Weblog
- Engadget
- Fixyourthinking.com
- Freedom to Tinker
- Geek Culture
- Geek News Central
- Gizmodo
- GPS Review
- Groklaw
- Hypebot
- IEBlog
- iLounge
- Jeremy Zawodny’s blog
- JKOnTheRun
- John Battelle’s Searchblog
- Joi Ito’s Web
- Jon’s Radio
- Jonathan’s Blog
- Justin’s Guide
- Kim Cameron’s Identity Weblog
- Kotaku
- Kottke.org
- Kuro5hin.org
- Lawrence Lessig
- Lifehacker
- Linux-Watch
- LonghornBlogs.com
- MacMinute
- Matt McAlister
- Micro Persuasion
- Microsoft Security Response Center
- Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley
- Mini-Microsoft
- Molly
- MozillaZine
- Neowin.net
- New Media Musings
- O’Reilly Radar
- Om Malik on Broadband
- Ongoing
- PaidContent.org
- PCS Intel
- PhysOrg Weblog
- PressThink
- PVRblog
- Responsible Nanotechnology
- RFID Weblog
- Romenesko
- Schneier on Security
- Science Blog
- Scobleizer
- Scott Rosenberg’s Links & Comment
- Scripting News
- Search Engine Watch
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Microsoft Blog
- Security Fix
- Seth Godin’s Blog
- Silicon Valley Watcher
- Slashdot
- Spamroll
- Sunbeltblog
- SunMink
- TaoSecurity
- Tech Confidential Blog
- TechCrunch
- Techdirt
- Tecosystems
- Terra Nova
- The Blog Herald
- The Gadgeteer
- The Internet Stock Blog
- The Mac Observer
- Things That … Make You Go Hmm
- Threadwatch.org
- TiVoBlog.com
- TVOver.net
- Venture Chronicles
- Vitalsecurity.org
- whatsnextblog
- XplanaZine
The Widget Closet
A confession by: Roberta Murphy
I could write a catchy piece about the cluttered look of most collectors homes, but the first finger I would have to point would be at myself.
My confession?
I have inadvertently become a collector of widgets, especially those clickable social ones. Some go straight to social bookmarking sites, others go to friends, Now I have a big one that lists other bloggers. I rather enjoy them all, but have begun to hate the home page clutter.
If a blogs home page is the living room, where we greet guests and exchange ideas, gossip and news, then surely there can be other rooms where we save our esoteric collections and save our home pages from becoming eyesores.
In the virtual space of a blog, I am now constructing a dedicated widget closet. In here, I can now collect widgets with abandon. And when kind strangers offer me a widget, I can now graciously accept the gift and put it where it belongs.
The first widget to go on the closet shelf will be my diploma from The Tomato University. I love the look and am proud of the accomplishment, but tomatoes do little for the decor of the Luxury Home Digest.
The second will certainly be that large blog roll widget. I love its surprises, and have discovered more than a few new blogs that I return to regularly. But it also distracts from the home page. Others will follow and the widget collection can be a growing one.
Its to be an open closet.
Please feel free to browse, click and borrow a few for your own home. This page will become its own clickable category, so feel free to return and rummage through it at will.
The Marvel of Mathematics
A dear old friend and wordsmith from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Hank Holman, sent this to me recently.
It likely has little to do with luxury real estate, luxury homes, or real estate rants, but it makes for a luxurious diversion into one of the marvels of our universe.
The symmetry and balance of life and those things that surround us never cease to amaze me.
The Beauty of Mathematics
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 + 10 = 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
Brilliant, isn’t it? And so is Hank!
And finally, take a look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11
111 x 111
1111 x 1111
11111 x 11111
111111 x 111111
1111111 x 1111111
11111111 x 11111111
111111111 x 111111111
Potential Real Estate Agent Liability?
This is an issue that should trouble many real estate professionals….
- Some months ago, I met with clients and wrote an offer (at buyer’s request) that was substantially below the listed price (599,000 list price:475,000 offer). It was a rare Carlsbad, CA beach condo property with no recent comparable sales.
In prior markets, I might have urged clients to target their offer into an acceptable range to avoid the risk of an insulted seller who might refuse to even counter the bid. This time, I held my tongue.Most real estate markets are undergoing a major shift, and appraisals from months ago may no longer be valid; yet, they may be the only comparables available. Where once our San Diego sellers were entertaining multiple bids for their properties, we are now seeing buyers who make multiple offers and accept the property that comes closest to what they are seeking. This has happened with three of our listings the past twelve months.
Since that time, I have considered the potential liability for agents who “encourage” higher offers from their buyers. In our litigious society, what might be the legal consequences for a knowledgeable real estate professional who advised or pressured a higher offer–and whose clients a year later have a home worth less than what they paid? I am not referring to agents who foolishly promise a gain on a real estate buyer’s purchase, but well-intentioned agents who work hard to negotiate the best transaction for their clients–a task that usually involves the crafting of an offer that will be acceptable to all parties.
This is a challenging market for all, and one that troubles a number of concerned Realtors.
