Geotpf - 19 November 2009 04:57 PM

Most, if not all, markets in SoCal are either recovering or are flat.  More expensive areas like Irvine bottomed first, but pretty much all have bottomed.  Clicking around, I couldn’t find one that was still falling.

Wait… I thought you previously said the least expensive areas like the IE bottomed first.

IE might have bottom first but the duration last much longer than Irvine while Irvine’s bottom came much later and quick to a speedy rebound due to your FCB theory.

Chinese buyers behave pretty much the same globally. They bid up housing prices so others can’t afford it, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Shanghai, Vancouver, Toronto, Irvine, Arcadia, Silicon Valley, San Ramon and Dublin just to name a few where cost of housing are all artificially inflated than the true value of the properties. In all of the scenarios FAR (Floor Area Ratio) is disproportion to the area of the land.

FAR is the developers trade secret. Consumers are too stupid to understand it thinking buying a house is all about the footage of the living area not knowing FAR is the factor that dictates the quality of life by ways of parking congestion and privacy conflict.

Sunshine - 20 November 2009 04:28 AM

Mcdonna1980 - 20 November 2009 04:08 AM

I don’t think our family fits in anywhere. My husband and I our Caucasian but we have Panamanian and Mexican kids. Surprisingly, the kids at school have never questioned my kids about the race differences in our family. But boy do the parents. Adults are terribly noisy. It saddens me that I have to ask other parents not to integrate my kids about being adopted.

So friggin’ rude.  I’m not looking forward to dealing with the parents of my future kids’ peers.

I had no idea that your kids were adopted. Anyway, I have heard the comments from a few parents last year during my son’s all blond head Santa Ana Little League season regarding wanting their kids to be able to “look like” other kids in their class. One couple we know actually transferred their child to another teacher so that this would be the case. I find myself being rather ambivalent about the whole thing. I just don’t really think kids care, like McD said, it’s the parents who care. My son is currently a part of a Kindergarten class that includes him, the only blond head in the class (even though I am 1/2 Hispanic), one Asian/Mexican girl and one African American/Caucasian girl and 22 Hispanic kids. There will come a point where nobody actually really knows their ethnicity, this has already happened for me (at least 1/2 of me), I say that day cannot come too soon.

tmare - 20 November 2009 04:40 AM

Sunshine - 20 November 2009 04:28 AM

Mcdonna1980 - 20 November 2009 04:08 AM

I don’t think our family fits in anywhere. My husband and I our Caucasian but we have Panamanian and Mexican kids. Surprisingly, the kids at school have never questioned my kids about the race differences in our family. But boy do the parents. Adults are terribly noisy. It saddens me that I have to ask other parents not to integrate my kids about being adopted.

So friggin’ rude.  I’m not looking forward to dealing with the parents of my future kids’ peers.

I had no idea that your kids were adopted. Anyway, I have heard the comments from a few parents last year during my son’s all blond head Santa Ana Little League season regarding wanting their kids to be able to “look like” other kids in their class. One couple we know actually transferred their child to another teacher so that this would be the case. I find myself being rather ambivalent about the whole thing. I just don’t really think kids care, like McD said, it’s the parents who care. My son is currently a part of a Kindergarten class that includes him, the only blond head in the class (even though I am 1/2 Hispanic), one Asian/Mexican girl and one African American/Caucasian girl and 22 Hispanic kids. There will come a point where nobody actually really knows their ethnicity, this has already happened for me (at least 1/2 of me), I say that day cannot come too soon.

How did you jump thread? You gotta teach me!

bkshopr - 20 November 2009 04:56 AM

tmare - 20 November 2009 04:40 AM

Sunshine - 20 November 2009 04:28 AM

Mcdonna1980 - 20 November 2009 04:08 AM

I don’t think our family fits in anywhere. My husband and I our Caucasian but we have Panamanian and Mexican kids. Surprisingly, the kids at school have never questioned my kids about the race differences in our family. But boy do the parents. Adults are terribly noisy. It saddens me that I have to ask other parents not to integrate my kids about being adopted.

So friggin’ rude.  I’m not looking forward to dealing with the parents of my future kids’ peers.

I had no idea that your kids were adopted. Anyway, I have heard the comments from a few parents last year during my son’s all blond head Santa Ana Little League season regarding wanting their kids to be able to “look like” other kids in their class. One couple we know actually transferred their child to another teacher so that this would be the case. I find myself being rather ambivalent about the whole thing. I just don’t really think kids care, like McD said, it’s the parents who care. My son is currently a part of a Kindergarten class that includes him, the only blond head in the class (even though I am 1/2 Hispanic), one Asian/Mexican girl and one African American/Caucasian girl and 22 Hispanic kids. There will come a point where nobody actually really knows their ethnicity, this has already happened for me (at least 1/2 of me), I say that day cannot come too soon.

How did you jump thread? You gotta teach me!

I have no idea, I think I was writing in this thread and I went to edit and mistakenly thought I was in the other thread because it should have been there (and so was McD’s post). I think there was some sort of moderator action going on, but anyway it’s probably just me and my glass of champagne, so please ignore my craziness!

awgee - 19 November 2009 12:17 AM

Prices in Coto are down a minimium of 30% and much more for some homes.
The only explanation I have for Irvine is that the FCBs and other cash buyers want to live in Irvine because of the schools and a feeling of community.  I did not think the FCBs were any more numerous than previous years or would have any more effect than previously, but it appears I was wrong. I still think that just as in previous So Cal real estate down turns, the FCBs are going to get their clocks cleaned along with anyone else buying now who thinks that the bottom is in and is using that idea for a reason to buy.  This is not the first time FCBs have bought supposedly depressed So Cal real estate and it did not turn out well for them last time. Check out what happened to the Japanese who bought LA real estate in the 90’s, (or was it the 80’s)?.  It kinda cracks me up that folks think this is all somehow new.  What do you think?

Well, if you’re a full cash buyer, does it really matter if prices drop 5 - 15% more?  It’s like buying Apple stock at $200 instead of $170.  If you sell at $220 down the road, did you get your “clock cleaned”?  Also, you just said that prices may not drop much more in nominal terms anyway.  I think that’s something the permabears aren’t factoring into their forecasts: prices are way down in real terms and if prices stay flat and inflation takes hold, then by all standard measures, housing prices may look like they are holding up.

tmare - 20 November 2009 04:40 AM

Sunshine - 20 November 2009 04:28 AM

Mcdonna1980 - 20 November 2009 04:08 AM

I don’t think our family fits in anywhere. My husband and I our Caucasian but we have Panamanian and Mexican kids. Surprisingly, the kids at school have never questioned my kids about the race differences in our family. But boy do the parents. Adults are terribly noisy. It saddens me that I have to ask other parents not to integrate my kids about being adopted.

So friggin’ rude.  I’m not looking forward to dealing with the parents of my future kids’ peers.

I had no idea that your kids were adopted. Anyway, I have heard the comments from a few parents last year during my son’s all blond head Santa Ana Little League season regarding wanting their kids to be able to “look like” other kids in their class. One couple we know actually transferred their child to another teacher so that this would be the case. I find myself being rather ambivalent about the whole thing. I just don’t really think kids care, like McD said, it’s the parents who care. My son is currently a part of a Kindergarten class that includes him, the only blond head in the class (even though I am 1/2 Hispanic), one Asian/Mexican girl and one African American/Caucasian girl and 22 Hispanic kids. There will come a point where nobody actually really knows their ethnicity, this has already happened for me (at least 1/2 of me), I say that day cannot come too soon.

My kids are blond haired, blue eyed, 1/4 Mexicans.  I just asked my wife who works in our youngest daughter’s class and she has no idea what the ethnic background makeup of the class is.  I asked my youngest and she said that her friend is from Colorado.

irvine_home_owner - 19 November 2009 05:49 PM

Geotpf - 19 November 2009 04:57 PM

Most, if not all, markets in SoCal are either recovering or are flat.  More expensive areas like Irvine bottomed first, but pretty much all have bottomed.  Clicking around, I couldn’t find one that was still falling.

Wait… I thought you previously said the least expensive areas like the IE bottomed first.

The IE started to fall first, and continued to fall further before recovering (in fact, some areas of the IE (not Riverside) are at the bottom currently-flat, that is).  Irvine fell less and recovered sooner.  If I said what you said I said I was mistaken.