JayB Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 "Green Lake eco-friendly homes going for much less The ultra-green Ashworth Cottages homes near Green Lake are for sale again — with prices lopped by 25 to 45 percent from two years ago." Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 "The "green" solution would be to buy one of the millions of houses already sitting empty. Not build a new one." Gotta love the comments on the Times. People think spray here is vicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 I have to wonder what number you'd get if you took the total energy required to the tear down the old homes and build the new ones, and divided that by difference between the annual average energy consumption of the old and new homes. If those pads aren't your style, perhaps I can interest you in a nearby condo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponderosa Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 " Gotta love the comments on the Times. People think spray here is vicious. poor babies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I have to wonder what number you'd get if you took the total energy required to the tear down the old homes and build the new ones, and divided that by difference between the annual average energy consumption of the old and new homes. If those pads aren't your style, perhaps I can interest you in a nearby condo? Given that it's straightforward to upgrade an old home with energy efficient windows, insulation, and appliance, and that old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you), I'd say that would not be a very good idea. Then there's history, asthetics. destruction of topsoil, gardens, trees. Ah, the things that cannot be readily quantified, which is most things that really matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponderosa Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 ...old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you)... Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 ...old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you)... Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials. Tell it to the people got black shit coming out of their face like the goddamn X-Files from breathing Chinese drywall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponderosa Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 ...old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you)... Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials. Tell it to the people got black shit coming out of their face like the goddamn X-Files from breathing Chinese drywall. Generally, "black shit coming out of" people's faces is due to a faulty piehole closing mechanism, not Chinese gypsum board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 not a difference in materials. Oh yes, it is. Cedar shakes, T1-11 siding to name a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponderosa Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 not a difference in materials. Oh yes, it is. Cedar shakes, T1-11 siding to name a few. Cedar shakes are as old as the hills. T1-11 siding is a few decades old. What's your point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials. Tell it to the people got black shit coming out of their face like the goddamn X-Files from breathing Chinese drywall. Generally, "black shit coming out of" people's faces is due to a faulty piehole closing mechanism, not Chinese gypsum board. Or was that the formaldehyde trailers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 so jay, are you investing? or do you think there will be a fire sale next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 I have to wonder what number you'd get if you took the total energy required to the tear down the old homes and build the new ones, and divided that by difference between the annual average energy consumption of the old and new homes. If those pads aren't your style, perhaps I can interest you in a nearby condo? Given that it's straightforward to upgrade an old home with energy efficient windows, insulation, and appliance, and that old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you), I'd say that would not be a very good idea. Then there's history, asthetics. destruction of topsoil, gardens, trees. Ah, the things that cannot be readily quantified, which is most things that really matter. What wouldn't be a very good idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 so jay, are you investing? or do you think there will be a fire sale next year? he's just enjoying his Schadenfreude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 that we were near a top and that the prices at the top were unsustainable wasn't a tough call in my book. calling where the bottom is...well that will be much tougher with credit as it is today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 not that i have any idea what i'm talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 10 31 exchange? ORLY? Capital gains push up contest? The bottom of the housing market is the top of the rental market? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 up is the new down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I'm putting all my money in aluminum. It's the next gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 so jay, are you investing? or do you think there will be a fire sale next year? For the forseeable future it looks like I'll be investing in auto repairs, a couple of season passes, and trying to rebuild the rainy day fund. Whatever's left-over after that I put into FFNOX in a Roth. Only investment I have other than a couple of money-market accounts. Only change I'll make as the years go by will be to increase the allocation into a diversified bond-index fund with a low expense ratio. I have no idea how any of the above will perform in the future, but I'm comfortable with the asset-allocation/risk, and the management fees. IMO in the near term home-price movements on the low end will depend on how much more money the government wants to put at risk in an effort to put a floor under housing. Once that's over, I don't see any significant relief from downside pressures in any market segment until the price/wage, rent/mortgage metrics return to a point that's at or below the historical range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 BTW - making the right call vis-a-vis the market is much less important than making the right call vis-a-vis your own financial situation IMO. I don't want anything to do with a mortgage until I've got 20% of the purchase price set aside in savings, on top of cash equal to at least six-months worth of living expenses, and have a monthly payment that's no more than 30% of the monthly take-home - but I suspect that I'm more risk averse than most and will consequently wait quite a bit longer to purchase than most folks. Still years away from being in a position where I'd be comfortable buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 But my realtor says there's never been a better time to buy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Probably true for cash-flow investors with deep pockets and lots of patience in certain markets. At least prior to Congress rolling out the $8,000 credit. Worth noting that the actual cost per each additional sale realized under that program is something like $43,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Right Jay...just thought you were going to try to settle down in a home in the Seattle area. Agree about the personal decision vs. speculating on what the market will do next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Probably true for cash-flow investors with deep pockets and lots of patience in certain markets... Which, I'm sure, is exactly the demographic being targeted by the AM sports radio and TV ads where I'm hearing this crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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