Popular Real Estate Blogs: March

Showing posts with label March. Show all posts

Saturday, June 8, 2013

S&P/Case-Shiller: March 2013

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Top Tours of the Week — March 11 - 15, 2013

Top Tours of the Week March 11 - 15, 2013 | Apartment Therapy MainStyleDIYHomekeepingFamilyTechRenovatingShoppingOutdoor The Kitchn Login Top Tours of the Week March 11 - 15, 2013 Top_tours_lead_rect540

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Renovation Diary: What's New This Week — March 11- 15, 2013

Renovation Diary: What's New This Week March 11- 15, 2013 | Apartment Therapy MainStyleDIYHomekeepingFamilyTechRenovatingShoppingOutdoor The Kitchn Login Renovation Diary: What's New This Week March 11- 15, 2013

Renovation Diary: What's New This Week

This week on Renovation Diary, Seth and Allison's new kitchen started to take shape, Andi shopped for some new (old) cabinets, and Claire and Jeffrey transformed their floors with a little love and elbow grease.

• Seth & Allison's Kitchen: New Framing
• Andi's Kitchen: Cabinet Shopping
• Claire & Jeffrey's Kitchen: New (Old) Floors

0 comments03.17.13 11:00AMNancy MitchellCategories:Renovating,Main,Renovation Diary Comments (0) Apartment TherapyMy Bedroom RetreatToursApartmentKidsHouseWorkspaceRoomsBathroomBedroomDining RoomEntrywayKitchenLiving RoomOutdoor SpacePlayroomNursery & KidsHome OfficeGarageStorage & ClosetsProjectsHow ToBefore & AfterCraftingDecoratingRenovating ProjectsPaintingGardeningCustomizingOrganizingCleaningSpace PlanningTips & TechniquesWoodworkingReusingUpholsteryKids CraftsLife at HomeBudget LivingLuxury LivingPets at HomeHealthy LivingSmall SpacesSetting Up HomeEntertaining at HomeParentingMindful LivingGreen LivingRenters SolutionsGetting MarriedDecor StylesHappy ModernEclectic CollectorNew TraditionalSimple ChicWarm IndustrialOrganic ModernClassic GlamDramatic ModernBefore & AfterSmall SpacesGood QuestionsBudget LivingGreen LivingVideoProductsAppliancesFurniture & AccessoriesGarden SupplyHardware & MaterialsHomekeeping & CleaningHome TechToys & GearLocalUSAustinBostonChicagoLos AngelesNew YorkPhiladelphiaPortlandSan FranciscoSeattleWashington DCInternationalCanadaEnglandFranceHollandItalyClassifiedsAll Categories

The Week's Top Family Posts — March 11-15, 2013

The Week's Top Family Posts March 11-15, 2013 | Apartment Therapy MainStyleDIYHomekeepingFamilyTechRenovatingShoppingOutdoor The Kitchn Login The Week's Top Family Posts March 11-15, 2013

The Week's Top Family Posts

Before & After: Baby E's Nursery
Tips for Living with Kids in a Walk-Up
Top 5 Kinds of Rental Damage Left by Kids
Jude's Whimsical Pastel Nursery

1 comments03.16.13 12:00PMDabney FrakeCategories:Family,Main Comments (1) Love all those posts. Ever think about doing any posts about Rugs for Home Decor? I've been looking at places to get some Afgan or Indian ones.. ever heard of Rugman? Any experiences?

Thanks.

posted by jb4012 on 03.16.13 at 08:50PM Apartment TherapyMy Bedroom RetreatToursApartmentKidsHouseWorkspaceRoomsBathroomBedroomDining RoomEntrywayKitchenLiving RoomOutdoor SpacePlayroomNursery & KidsHome OfficeGarageStorage & ClosetsProjectsHow ToBefore & AfterCraftingDecoratingRenovating ProjectsPaintingGardeningCustomizingOrganizingCleaningSpace PlanningTips & TechniquesWoodworkingReusingUpholsteryKids CraftsLife at HomeBudget LivingLuxury LivingPets at HomeHealthy LivingSmall SpacesSetting Up HomeEntertaining at HomeParentingMindful LivingGreen LivingRenters SolutionsGetting MarriedDecor StylesHappy ModernEclectic CollectorNew TraditionalSimple ChicWarm IndustrialOrganic ModernClassic GlamDramatic ModernBefore & AfterSmall SpacesGood QuestionsBudget LivingGreen LivingVideoProductsAppliancesFurniture & AccessoriesGarden SupplyHardware & MaterialsHomekeeping & CleaningHome TechToys & GearLocalUSAustinBostonChicagoLos AngelesNew YorkPhiladelphiaPortlandSan FranciscoSeattleWashington DCInternationalCanadaEnglandFranceHollandItalyClassifiedsAll Categories

Bits Bucket for March 17, 2013

IMF Marxists Tax and Seize Personal Funds in Cyprus – Crickets Ensue
Submitted by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton on March 17, 2013 – 9:27 am ESTOne Comment
NoisyRoom
By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Very few things give me nightmares… Yesterday’s event in Cyprus was one of them and the media is conspicuously silent. What do you get when you combine worldwide Marxist elitists, bankers and the media? A worldwide depression and a new dark age. The IMF (in case you are wondering who they are) is using Greece as a proving ground for the rest of us. It is a fascist Petri dish. They just implemented an across the board tax on all bank accounts over a holiday with no warning and no recourse. 9.9% if you have over 100,000 Euros in the bank, 6.75% is you have less than that. This is money being seized by the IMF, the European Union and the government of Greece to attempt to cover some of their debt. It is theft and it could have been a lot worse. The IMF had proposed a 40% haircut on all accounts. This is how it went down:

Banks first cooperated with the EU by sealing off the amount of the proposed levy—a 6.75 percent tax on deposits under €100,000 and 9.9 percent on those above —making it impossible for depositors to access their full amount. The only means bank customers have left is the ability to draw from the rest of their funds via ATM machines this weekend. Many depositors made their way to the machines on Saturday to drain their accounts. But the few banks that opened on Saturdays did so only briefly, and no international transfers will be able to go through until Tuesday, with Monday being the holiday. Cyprus’ Parliament is expected to meet Sunday to pass the required legislation., or after the deed was done. The deal also needs the approval of several eurozone parliaments; at the time of writing it was unclear how fast they can act and what will happen to bank deposits in the meantime.

What’s happening in Cyprus should send a chill over the entire world.

Politicians working with complicit big banks need no rule of law; no parliament debates to close in on the bank accounts of average people.

The Daily Mail:

Cash machines EMPTIED across Cyprus and 60,000 British savers face losing MILLIONS after £8.7bn EU bailout imposes tax of up to 10% on all bank accounts

Lines formed at ATMs as people scrambled to pull their money out
Word spread that rescue package included a one-off levy on deposits
Restrictions stopping people emptying accounts or moving money abroad
Up to 3,000 British service personnel are based on the bankrupt island
President Nicos Anastasiades agreed to raid with European finance chiefs
Said country in ‘state of emergency’ and not acting would be ‘catastrophic’
But expats accused the island of ‘plain theft’ as violent protests sparked
Britons have about £1.7b of deposits on island and could lose up to £170m
Parliamentary official: Vote scheduled for today pushed back to tomorrow
G. Osborne: This is what happens if you don’t show you can pay your way
Never let an emergency go to waste, eh? Cyprus’ President claims he had no choice. I don’t believe him. He made a deal with the devil, saved himself and gave up his own people. Very reminiscent of Nazi Germany. It’s fascist deja vu all over again. By the way, they did this before it was approved of by the legislature. Think it can’t happen in America? One day you could wake up and be staring down the same seizures and soon. And Martial law and jackbooted thugs will not be far behind, trust me.

Over a number of years, the Marxist elitists in Europe and the United States (make no mistake, Obama and the head of the IMF are BFFs) have put in place draconian financial policies, regulations and bailouts that have cost Trillions – in fact, more money than actually exists on the planet by no small measure. This is not money out of thin air, these are taxes. Taxes taken while promising growth and recovery that has never materialized, never will materialize and was never meant to materialize. This is a step in a global reset of all markets and a planetary redistribution of wealth that would have made Marx blush and stammer. Remember, the US is a huge contributor to the IMF. You don’t actually think that Obama didn’t know about this and had input, right?

What happened yesterday in Cyprus was a test for the rest of us. What’s more, what was implemented will not solve the problem. What it will do is perhaps start worldwide bank runs and create chaos and riots, a la Cloward and Piven. The global Socialists are making their move and beginning to bring an iron fist down on individuals, their freedoms and their money. This has the potential to make the crash of 2008 look like Spring break. The Marxists are not limiting themselves to bank accounts; they are now going after retirement accounts, gold and whatever else they can grab as the whole scam starts to implode. The run on the Cypriotic banks and ATMs yesterday was just a taste of what is heading our way. The Deutsche Bank global head of FX strategy, Bilal Hafeez, was correct – only Jesus can save the EU now. However, I think He is more likely to speed their demise with all the money changing in His temple occurring and all.

From SHTFplan.com:

Restrictions have been imposed to stop people emptying their accounts or moving their money out the country after the Cypriot government announced that up to ten per cent of deposits will be seized and used to bailout the island’s crisis-hit banking system.

The deal with other eurozone finance ministers is the first time that ordinary citizens’ deposits have been directly raided in this way.

…

One furious expat said: ‘This is plain theft. I’d love to hear someone explain to me why it isn’t.’

…

Under the deal, all bank deposits over €100,000 will be hit with a levy of 9.9 per cent. Those with smaller savings will pay 6.75 per cent.

…

The move sparked panic and violent protests yesterday as crowds desperately tried to withdraw their money at cash machines.

…

‘Why would you risk putting your money in Greek, Spanish or Portuguese banks after this?’

British expats were stunned by the news, with many left high and dry by the restrictions on accounts.

Cash machines had been working, but many ran out of notes because of the panic withdrawals.

…

But financial experts said the raid – designed to stop Cyprus crashing out of the euro, potentially destroying the currency – would send shock waves through the eurozone.

If savers in other troubled nations fear their accounts might be next, they could withdraw their money and spark a catastrophic run on the banks.

Source: Daily Mail

In case you weren’t aware, Cyprus is a hub of offshore accounts. One of the biggest hurt by this move were Russian mobsters. But before you justify that, remember, people all over the world had their funds there. It all depends on how you define taxation:

As Market Ticker’s Karl Denninger notes, “Like hell that’s a tax. That’s direct confiscation of the funds of people who did nothing wrong!”

People need to wake up and fast because this train is coming to each of us and soon. There is no safe haven on the planet for money or investments now. The New World Order has arrived and it is hungry. A planetary government of elites who have colluded to strip the wealth from nations has descended to rip the fabric of civility apart and we are all on the menu.

I can’t put it any better than Mac Salvo:

It should now be obvious. There is no recovery. There never was.

No matter where you live, your government is likely preparing measures to deal with the coming financial and economic collapse. This means they are going to be coming for anything of value that they can get their hands on.

If you have the majority of your net worth allocated in bank accounts, money market funds, retirement plans, stock markets or the host of other ‘safe’ assets recommended by your financial adviser, then you are playing Russian roulette.

And in this version there’s a bullet in every chamber.

When they come, they will take everything they can.

You didn’t think all that ammo, arms, food and medicine was for a rainy day, did you? Well, if so, it is pouring. Our Marxist leaders have made preps for themselves, the rest of us be damned and we have just let them do it. Shame on us.

I’ll close with the prescience of Nigel Farage. Pity no one listened to him on this:

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Bits Bucket for March 16, 2013

DHS deploying in Homeland with ‘weapons of war’

GUN RIGHTSMARCH 16, 2013BY: DAVID CODREASubscribe

What kind of domestic deployments does DHS foresee for its MRAPs, how many do they need for their mission, and who in Congress is providing balance of powers oversight on behalf of their constituents?
Credits: United States Marine Corps

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Week's Top Tech Posts — March 11 - 15, 2013

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Friday, March 22, 2013

Bits Bucket for March 13, 2013

Kenneth Rapoza, Contributor
3/12/2013 @ 6:05PM
Selling Frenzy In China As Gov’t Slams Housing Bubble With Tax Hike

China is determined to poke holes in its housing bubble. Nowhere is this attempt more forceful than in Shanghai, where the government introduced its first-ever property tax last year.

Something else is happening now in China housing. Investors who buy homes as a store of value, rather than as a place to sleep at night, are rushing to their realtors before the government implements a 20% capital gains tax on housing sales. Beijing introduced the new rule on March 1, but no one knows when it will go into effect.

“The new measures will have a significant impact on both demand and supply in the existing home market,” Lina Wong, a managing director at Colliers International, was quoted saying in Shanghai Daily Tuesday.

The latest round of bubble bursting measures comes after home prices began to show renewed strength despite stricter bank lending to developers and second-home buyers, in particular. The government relaxed first time home buyer restrictions — lowering down payment requirements that are currently around 25% to 30% depending on the city and mortgage lender. That lit a fire under the market. Beijing is throwing extra buckets of cold water on it once again.

There was no timetable for implementation of the capital gains tax, which has technically been on the books for almost 20 years but never enforced. It is expected to replace the 1% to 2% transaction tax now levied on the price of a house.

The State Council’s determination to give the law new teeth sent a shudder through the market this week. Most buyers and sellers didn’t wait to see the fine print on when or how the tax will be implemented.

The latest ruling has sellers wanting out before it kicks in. The number of homes on the market rose 30% in Pudong New Area, a high-end waterfront district in Shanghai.

In the new home market, sales of mid- to low-end properties in the seven-day period ended Sunday rose to a 36-week high. Excluding subsidized housing, housing sales rose 20.7% from a week earlier to 312,000 square meters in Shanghai alone last week, according to Shanghai Deovolente Realty Co.

For the first 10 days of March, 412,000 square meters of new residential property were sold across Shanghai, China’s most expensive city. That’s been a year-on-year sales increase of 78.4%, according to Century 21 China Real Estate.

Whether new or used, Shanghai or Beijing, China’s housing market is going gangbusters.

In Beijing, some 9,400 homes were sold last week, up a mega 279.5% from the same period last year, the Beijing Municipal Commission said today.

Pre-owned home sales almost tripled in Beijing last week, following the latest moves by the State Council to reign in this property market. On a monthly basis, the figures represented a 140.5% increase on the previous week.

First-home purchasers, as well as those buyers looking to improve their living conditions are the two major types affected by the new policies,” Hu Jinghui, vice-president of 5i5j, a Beijing realtor told China Daily today.

A survey by SouFun Holdings Ltd, a real estate-focused website, said about one-third of potential home buyers had changed their home-purchase plans as a result of the tax.
…

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Bits Bucket for March 8, 2013

White people are indeed threatened by the success of Asian immigrants:

Asians: Too Smart for Their Own Good?

AT the end of this month, high school seniors will submit their college applications and begin waiting to hear where they will spend the next four years of their lives. More than they might realize, the outcome will depend on race. If you are Asian, your chances of getting into the most selective colleges and universities will almost certainly be lower than if you are white.

Asian-Americans constitute 5.6 percent of the nation’s population but 12 to 18 percent of the student body at Ivy League schools. But if judged on their merits — grades, test scores, academic honors and extracurricular activities — Asian-Americans are underrepresented at these schools. Consider that Asians make up anywhere from 40 to 70 percent of the student population at top public high schools like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science in New York City, Lowell in San Francisco and Thomas Jefferson in Alexandria, Va., where admissions are largely based on exams and grades.

In a 2009 study of more than 9,000 students who applied to selective universities, the sociologists Thomas J. Espenshade and Alexandria Walton Radford found that white students were three times more likely to be admitted than Asians with the same academic record.

Sound familiar? In the 1920s, as high-achieving Jews began to compete with WASP prep schoolers, Ivy League schools started asking about family background and sought vague qualities like “character,” “vigor,” “manliness” and “leadership” to cap Jewish enrollment. These unofficial Jewish quotas weren’t lifted until the early 1960s, as the sociologist Jerome Karabel found in his 2005 history of admissions practices at Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

In the 1920s, people asked: will Harvard still be Harvard with so many Jews? Today we ask: will Harvard still be Harvard with so many Asians? Yale’s student population is 58 percent white and 18 percent Asian. Would it be such a calamity if those numbers were reversed?

For middle-class and affluent whites, overachieving Asian-Americans pose thorny questions about privilege and power, merit and opportunity. Some white parents have reportedly shied away from selective public schools that have become “too Asian,” fearing that their children will be outmatched. Many whites who can afford it flock to private schools that promote “progressive” educational philosophies, don’t “teach to the test” and offer programs in art and music (but not “Asian instruments,” like piano and violin). At some of these top-tier private schools, too, Asian kids find it hard to get in.

At highly selective colleges, the quotas are implicit, but very real. So are the psychological consequences. At Northwestern, Asian-American students tell me that they feel ashamed of their identity — that they feel viewed as a faceless bunch of geeks and virtuosos. When they succeed, their peers chalk it up to “being Asian.” They are too smart and hard-working for their own good.

Since the 1965 overhaul of immigration law, the United States has lured millions of highly educated, ambitious immigrants from places like Taiwan, South Korea and India. We welcomed these immigrants precisely because they outperformed and overachieved. Yet now we are stigmatizing their children for inheriting their parents’ work ethic and faith in a good education. How self-defeating.

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