Monthly Archives: June 2010

June 29, 2010

Confessions of a Real Estate Schmuk

schmuk (shmŭk) A clumsy or stupid person; an oaf. In 2005, I bought a $96,000 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG sedan, a $62,000 Correct Craft Pro Air Nautique ski boat, a $400,000 second home located in the cool pines south of … Continue reading →

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June 25, 2010

Sharp Drop in Demand Following Expiration of Tax Credit

In my last post I said the housing market was juiced by the federal tax credit.  It appears as though my analogy is more accurate than I thought.  New single-family housing starts were down last month 17.2% and new mortgage applications were at … Continue reading →

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June 15, 2010

The Housing Hangover and Hair of the Dog Cures for the Investor

Juiced, a book written by the infamous baseball player Jose Canseco in 2005 was widely dismissed in the sports community at the time of its release.  In the memoir Canseco accused many famous players, including the beloved Mark McGwire, of … Continue reading →

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June 11, 2010

REO Tapes: The Loch Ness Monster of Real Estate

Unicorns.  UFOs.  Big Foot.  Sasquatch.  Leprechauns.  The Loch Ness Monster.  Everyone has heard of them, but no one has ever seen them.  As far as I’m concerned, you can put REO tapes on this list too. What is an REO … Continue reading →

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June 8, 2010

Buying Houses at the Courthouse Steps? Be Quick, but Don’t Hurry

 This past week legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden passed away at age 99.  I’m a huge sports fan although admittedly I didn’t know much about him.  I just finished reading an article in the New York Times, ‘Wooden’s … Continue reading →

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