Midwest Snow storm

[connoisseur series500]

My own personal hatred of that state knows no bounds.

Why? (If you don't mind sharing)

[Jim Alfredson]

Driving to and from Grand Rapids last night was fun!

[Scott Dolan]

My own personal hatred of that state knows no bounds.

Why? (If you don't mind sharing)

It comes from having lived there for 32 years. Watching it rapidly transform from the very cool place it once was to the overcrowded, overly expensive piece of shit hellhole it is today. Heat, intense humidity, bumper to bumper traffic, wall to wall people, outrageously expensive homes and taxes, etc..........

[Dan Gould]

My own personal hatred of that state knows no bounds.

Why? (If you don't mind sharing)

It comes from having lived there for 32 years. Watching it rapidly transform from the very cool place it once was to the overcrowded, overly expensive piece of shit hellhole it is today. Heat, intense humidity, bumper to bumper traffic, wall to wall people, outrageously expensive homes and taxes, etc..........

The heat and intense humidity were here all along. Or did you only notice them after you decided it had become a piece of shit hellhole?

[Scott Dolan]

Just had too much of it. Even my buddy who used to love Florida has been grumbling quite a bit the last couple of years.

I always looked foward to winter so it would at least cool down a bit. It doesn't even do that very much anymore.

Though I notice you didn't contest any of my other points.

Edited February 14, 2007 by Scott Dolan

[Dan Gould]

Just had too much of it. Even my buddy who used to love Florida has been grumbling quite a bit the last couple of years.

I always looked foward to winter so it would at least cool down a bit. It doesn't even do that very much anymore.

Though I notice you didn't contest any of my other points.

I got here when there was already bumper-to-bumper traffic. I avoid it for the most part by working out of my house, and by avoiding any VO gigs in the early morning or after 3 pm in Miami.

My house was not outrageously expensive, and anyway, the advantage is that expensive real estate tends to appreciate at a much higher rate than other places. Bottom line, even in our slow-to-depressed real estate market, within two more years, our $140,000 townhome will have a minimum value of $400,000. I'll take that in a heartbeat over living in some quiet rural area where home values may grow by about 1% a year. You better be ready to live out your days there because the only ones to profit off your house is your descendants.

Frankly, my only pet peeve about south Florida is the annual appearance of snowbirds (that's when the wall-to-wall people becomes annoying); and the year-round aggravation that is blue hairs who don't have a frigging clue how to drive.

[Scott Dolan]

Dan,

Doesn't matter to me, really. The house we bought here would have run close to a half million bucks where we used to live. Plus, taxes here are a fraction of what they are down there. Not to mention insurance. I remember when I first called to get our cars insured here. When he gave me the quote, I said "no, I mean for the entire year". So did he. So, all in all, you're not really making out that muh better with your appreciation than I already am on a monthly basis.

Besides, sitting out on my deck looking over the Missouri hills and not hearing a sound while watching the sunset is worth the difference.

I do miss the Gulf though, I'll admit that. But it's just too damn crowded for my taste anymore.

You're right about the snowbirds, too. That's where your overcrowding comes from. Less and less return home every year. How many true Floridians have you ever met? People were always astonished by the fact that I was one.

And those Frogheads (that's what the blue-haired demons are referred to on the Gulf side) are truly a disaster waiting to happen. Spent many a day fighting my way through the Froghead Death Match.

Oh, and one more thing I don't miss. Road rage. And Florida is the road rage capital of the world.

[Dan Gould]

Fact is, the northeast is even worse for taxes and population density (plus road and highway systems that are in worse shape with less capacity).

The simple fact is that it its impossible for me to work as a voice talent in the sort of tiny-to-small markets you have moved to, regardless of how much cheaper the cost of living is. On top of that, my wife needs a strong real estate market to work as a mortgage broker. So we really are kinda stuck here, and that's not even taking into consideration my wife's hatred of cold weather and the fact that most of her family is in south Florida as well.

[Scott Dolan]

Ah, so you don't really like it that much?

I can dig the whole being "stuck" thing. Been there.

And you're right, if you can say one nice thing about Florida it's that their roads are second to none.

Edited February 14, 2007 by Scott Dolan

[connoisseur series500]

My house was not outrageously expensive, and anyway, the advantage is that expensive real estate tends to appreciate at a much higher rate than other places. Bottom line, even in our slow-to-depressed real estate market, within two more years, our $140,000 townhome will have a minimum value of $400,000. I'll take that in a heartbeat over living in some quiet rural area where home values may grow by about 1% a year. You better be ready to live out your days there because the only ones to profit off your house is your descendants.

There is very little to recommend someone living in Northeast Ohio. Let's get that out first. This place is economically depressed as America's industry declines. Florida just might as well be better even with it's problems.

But I must say that the above real estate analysis has to be pure bunkum. Good luck hoping that you will see such escalation. It seems that prices are actually on the decline in Florida as well as in most of the US. I realize your wife is involved in that kind of market, but those figures strike me as economically impossible given current conditions and intermediate outlook.

[Dan Gould]

My house was not outrageously expensive, and anyway, the advantage is that expensive real estate tends to appreciate at a much higher rate than other places. Bottom line, even in our slow-to-depressed real estate market, within two more years, our $140,000 townhome will have a minimum value of $400,000. I'll take that in a heartbeat over living in some quiet rural area where home values may grow by about 1% a year. You better be ready to live out your days there because the only ones to profit off your house is your descendants.

But I must say that the above real estate analysis has to be pure bunkum. Good luck hoping that you will see such escalation. It seems that prices are actually on the decline in Florida as well as in most of the US. I realize your wife is involved in that kind of market, but those figures strike me as economically impossible given current conditions and intermediate outlook.

First of all, are you saying that higher priced real estate doesn't all things considered, tend to appreciate at a greater rate over the long term?

In the specifics of my prediction, in two years, I'll tell you if our home didn't cross $400,000. Right now the appraisal sits at $280,000, and I guarantee that within two years (which is not an "intermediate" outlook) the value will have risen significantly.

[Scott Dolan]

It could be right, Conn. I doubt it will be quite that high, but the east coast is so jam packed anymore property values continue to skyrocket.

Hell, the lat place we had in central Florida gave us a $10,000 profit when we sold it. And we hadn't even owned it for two full years.

Either way, it's still not worth it to me. Not for all the shit you have to put up with.

[Dan Gould]

Ah, so you don't really like it that much?

I can dig the whole being "stuck" thing. Been there.

I wouldn't say I don't like it, but I am far less averse to cold weather than my wife, so the possibility of moving isn't nearly as troublesome to me. But that doesn't mean I feel "stuck" as that implies a desire to leave if I could. Nevertheless it is certainly true that I need to be here, or another large market, to do voice overs.

[T.D.]

Got something around 2 feet of snow today (Catskill region upstate NY). Hard to tell because of drifting. Hasn't stopped yet, but has slowed considerably. The heaviest precipitation bands seemed to be composed of weird ice pellet snow, which kept depth down some but isn't any easier to shovel. Counties to the West and North are reporting greater snow totals.

All county roads in the area are officially closed. It'll probably be Friday before things return to quasi-normal speed. I damn near got frostbitten fingers (ouch!) while raking snow off the roof this afternoon. Have to clear the deck one more time (wearing mittens instead of gloves this time), but will defer any shoveling beyond that until tomorrow AM.

Edited February 14, 2007 by T.D.

[connoisseur series500]

In the specifics of my prediction, in two years, I'll tell you if our home didn't cross $400,000. Right now the appraisal sits at $280,000, and I guarantee that within two years (which is not an "intermediate" outlook) the value will have risen significantly.

I'm still surprised. Yes, come back to me in two years to see if you can sell your townhouse for $400k.

How accurate are appraisals, by the way? The true test lies in whether you can actually sell at the stated price. My parents own a place in South Florida, and they said the market is dead. No one can sell anything. Not that they are looking to do so. They experienced a big run up in value going into last year, but things have reversed since.

[Scott Dolan]

Got something around 2 feet of snow today (Catskill region upstate NY). Hard to tell because of drifting. Hasn't stopped yet, but has slowed considerably. The heaviest precipitation bands seemed to be composed of weird ice pellet snow, which kept depth down some but isn't any easier to shovel. Counties to the West and North are reporting greater snow totals.

All county roads in the area are officially closed. It'll probably be Friday before things return to quasi-normal speed. I damn near got frostbitten fingers (ouch!) while raking snow off the roof this afternoon. Have to clear the deck one more time (wearing mittens instead of gloves this time), but will defer any shoveling beyond that until tomorrow AM.

Damn!

Be careful, brother. My toes got to that frostbite line once a few years back. Ouch is right!!

[Dan Gould]

In the specifics of my prediction, in two years, I'll tell you if our home didn't cross $400,000. Right now the appraisal sits at $280,000, and I guarantee that within two years (which is not an "intermediate" outlook) the value will have risen significantly.

I'm still surprised. Yes, come back to me in two years to see if you can sell your townhouse for $400k.

How accurate are appraisals, by the way? The true test lies in whether you can actually sell at the stated price. My parents own a place in South Florida, and they said the market is dead. No one can sell anything. Not that they are looking to do so. They experienced a big run up in value going into last year, but things have reversed since.

I'd think you would know Paul that appraisals are based on the recent selling prices of comparable properties. They better be accurate because banks rely on them.

Even if it takes four more years, there is no doubt in my mind that given the city I live in and the continued influx of population, our townhome will reach the value I spoke of. We've been here three years. Say it reaches that level in seven more years. That's a 285% increase over ten years - 28.5% per year.

is there a better investment?

Now, it is true that it is a buyer's market right now. The biggest problem is that there were a lot of idiot investors who bought at the top of the market and are now dumping their properties to get out from under the mortgages they took out. That is doing more to depress prices than anything else.

[ejp626]

is there a better investment?

Now, it is true that it is a buyer's market right now. The biggest problem is that there were a lot of idiot investors who bought at the top of the market and are now dumping their properties to get out from under the mortgages they took out. That is doing more to depress prices than anything else.

I was extremely fortunate that I sold at the top of the market (to some idiot) and have been renting for a short while. Now that I am returning to Chicago, prices are slowly dropping, and it is a good time to buy again. Our house went up well over $150,000 in two years, though there was a fair bit of sweat equity involved as well.