patrick.net

SQT,

Yeah, I know. :-/ I was trying to be fair and consistent, and keep potentially offensive and prejudicial materials to a minimum. I figure if I want to put myself in a position to delete GC's posts, then I need to moderate stuff by more "acceptable" posters as well. And I try to moderate only what I think may be offensive and give a reason why I moderated.

(okay, and I do have a thing against the Jukubot because his primary objective is to blog-whore the futurist and he keeps changing identities)

I've moderated quite a few of Surfer-X's posts and he took it well. I really respect him for that. I hope I can respond with that level of equanimity if someone decides to take off my posts.

SQT,

Your last two comments really brightened up my day. That's a great way to make lemons into lemonade. :)

As for Katherine Harris. I guess she belongs the same camp of people as Joe Schmoe's former partner and the partner's wife. She was born rich and has pretty okay features, but then she ruins it with her big hair and her abuse of tanning beds.

George,

I think for California, where the real price settles will determine who stays and who goes.

High prices = retirees who has an incentive to pass their prop 13 tax valuation to their kids

low prices = young families

SP,

Yup, never underestimate the government's ability to appropriate.

Also, there's plenty of things one can do to respond to government fiscal policy changes, ie buying gold, Swiss bank accounts, moving abroad. The fool with some money will at least have those options. The fool who goes bankrupt will be left high and dry.

BTW, according to wikipedia, Katherine Harris used to be a VP for a Florida RE firm. So using her picture on a faux realty ad seems to be fair use. It's definitely not defamation.

George,

That's an interesting point indeed. Realtors are supposed to be fiduciaries of the buyer, like lawyers and managers (okay, so those groups haven't had a spotless record either), but in reality they act like sales people. While percentage of sale works for some principal-fiduciary situations, I think the principal must be relatively sophisticated, otherwise, an hourly fee system just makes so much more sense.

goober,

I might buy that line of thinking if she wasn't wearing that heavy jacket. Plus, if she's gonna be in front of a photo-op, maybe she should have stopped at the bathroom first and brushed up. Her personal fortune + congresswoman salary should certainly buy her a hair brush and a blow dryer. If if her hair flops too much, maybe it's time to brush it down or tie it in a ponytail.

Also, sunscreen and hats are available, even to Southerners. Tipper Gore and the Gore daughters all have pretty big hair, but they look fetching and beautifully groomed. John Edward's daughter and wife are both Southerners, but they too manage to look attractive and not scary. To excuse Katherine Harris is an insult to all the well groomed and not scary tanned Southern women I've met.

SQT: What future, upholstery or melanoma?

BTW, MovedToAugusta and MT, thanks for the recommendations!

Actually, and I know this sucks for you and Peter P and my boyfriend(I think his rent is going up by about 7% this year), I’m actually okay with this in a macro sense.

Rent in local area can go up 20% - 25% a year for a few years. Moreoever, rent for SFHs can swing wildly.

I think the absolute number of available rental SFHs are not very high, the balance of supply and demand can swing wildly.

What if they are right?
What if the sun does not shine?
I do not know.

Most RE bulls who believe in a perma boom will certainly be proven wrong.

Will there be a softer landing for some selected few? This remains a distinct possibility.

goober,

Sorry :( I didn't mean to offend. But it's just really hard to excuse Katherine Harris, she could beautify her environment simply by wearing a Halloween mask or a burka.

SP,

I do wonder about that. I've met plenty of conscientious and smart people in real life, and I know sales jobs pay great. So I wonder why more conscientious and smart people go into sales, since there's evidently a big demand for them.

goober,

I'm not too purty either, but I think Ms. Harris could improve her looks 300% if she stopped visiting tanning beds, tie her hair back, and get some bangs to cover her forehead...and thousands of children would be spared nightmares involving her.

Hell, I'll make it even easier for everyone. Howabout passing a law that says Katherine Harris must wear a Sandra Bullock mask while she is seen in public?

SP,

Thanks for sharing your observation. I agree that the ability to understand and meet other people's needs is a wonderful skill for most people oriented professions. I actually find that to be something that can be learnt.

What really amazes me is the ability of some people to project empathy and immediately put people at ease. It's always amazing watching these people work a room. And really wish I had that or could learn that, but it's probably a born skill.

I guess the other thing to remember is to resist being a shark, even though it is more effective upfront. That's actually a very tough thing to do, esp. when a person is relatively young and inexperienced. I know a couple engineering types who went into sales late in life and did pretty well. They're just able to project competence (since they were competent) and comparative integrity, and their customers really love them for it.

SP and SQT,

Fabulous odes to K.Harris's ugliness!

I agree. Katherine Harris level ugliness takes effort. People just can't be born that ugly, they need money and hard work to get it, gosh darn it!

"Well, my comments were referring to ugliness in a quasi-abstract sense - putting a name to it makes it uncomfortably personal…"

Sorry. And here I was, plotting to get a picture of Mr. Britney Spear onto Peter P's new thread, just so I can hear your ode to skeeve. :)

I think I'll take K.Fed off. Shrinking K.Harris's image really reduces her scariness.

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