ICYMI

Did the Baby Boomers Ruin the Housing Market?

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

Close to 40% of all mortgages are paid off in this country. That’s mostly baby boomers.

That generation has the ability to sell their homes that are up like 500%, ignore 7% mortgages and buy in cash when they relocate for retirement.

I guess that makes sense but I would blame the unhealthy market on so many other factors before ever getting to the boomers.

Here’s my list in no particular order: The Fed, HGTV, the pandemic, remote work, the government (for not incentivizing the building of more homes), the Great Financial Crisis (totally screwed up the homebuilders), NIMBYs and Taylor Swift (her tickets are so expensive no one can afford a house).

If we want to fix the housing market, we have to build more houses.

It’s as simple as that.

6 Questions I’m Pondering At the Moment – https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2023/09/6-questions-im-pondering-at-the-moment/

Agree.

Oklahoma producing 64 times more marijuana than licensed users consume – The Oklahoman

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“The supply-to-demand ratio of regulated medical marijuana supply to regulated medical cannabis demand is 64:1,” the report states. “Using a general assumption that units of supply should not exceed two times the units of demand, the medical marijuana program has no less than 32 times more regulated marijuana necessary than licensed patient demand.”

The significant oversupply is likely funneling large amounts of marijuana out of state and adding to the illegal market, according to authority officials.

Oklahoma producing 64 times more marijuana than licensed users consume, report shows — https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2023/06/21/marijuana-oklahoma-overproducing-64-times-omma-report/70343452007/

The Truth behind the medical marijuana industry.

At least we know there may be a positive longevity effect to all of this excess supply.

Where Are These People Coming From?

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  • “An influx of Texans and Californians. Texans and Californians moved to the Sooner State at historic rates in 2020 and 2021. Oklahoma saw a net gain of about 8,500 Californians and 7,300 Texans in those years. Other states showing increased interest are Colorado and Arizona.”
  • “Growing metro areas. Tulsa is growing fast, but Oklahoma City is one of the fastest-growing large cities in America. Oklahoma City recently climbed past Boston to become the nation’s 20th-largest city by population. In recent decades, OKC has spent millions of dollars to remake the city, adding new parks, a streetcar system, and a brand-new basketball arena.”
  • “Diverse and robust city economies. Many parts of Oklahoma rely heavily on the energy industry, but not all. Large areas like Tulsa also specialize in services industries, which have seen the most growth nationwide in the past decade. Tulsa’s economy also specializes in key sectors like transportation and warehousing, information technology, professional and business services, and health care.”
  • “Where are new Oklahoma residents coming from? The top states moving to Oklahoma are Texas (17.2%), California (15.6%), and Florida (6.4%).
Remember Oklahoma’s ‘brain drain’? Here’s what’s happened since it was declared plugged –Richard Mize The Oklahoman May 11, 2023

No link to the full article as it’s behind a paywall.

The next question is why are people moving to Oklahoma?

For the Fried Pies, of course – Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies named the best snack in Oklahoma https://www.oklahoman.com/story/lifestyle/food/2023/05/23/arbuckle-mountain-fried-pies-oklahoma-food-and-wine-best-snacks-us/70248275007/

Or could it be the cost of housing? Cheap Houses and Awe Inspiring Tornadoes

Bobi Just Had His 31st Birthday

/ SupremeCmdr / 1 Comment

Remember Bobi? Meet Bobi, the World’s Oldest Dog

Bobi had a birthday.

Bobi eats only human food.

Bobi, who only eats human food, has far exceeded the usual 12-14 year life expectancy of his breed, Rafeiro do Alentejos.

Owners of ‘the world’s oldest dog’ Bobi reveal secret to his long life as he turns 31 — https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1770113/owners-world-s-oldest-dog-bobi-long-life-dxus

I really want to know exactly what Bobi eats.

Elder Abuse

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Most of the time I just delete shit like this. Then, unsurprisingly I get another text.

What chat? Why do I feel like I’m being targeted?

HomeVestors, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the United States,” goes to great lengths to distinguish itself from the hedge funds and YouTube gurus that have taken over large swaths of the real estate investment market. The company says it helps homeowners out of jams — ugly houses and ugly situations — improving lives and communities by taking on properties no one else would buy. Part of that mission is a promise not to take advantage of anyone who doesn’t understand the true value of their home, even as franchisees pursue rock-bottom prices…HomeVestors cautions its franchisees never to take advantage of sellers who are unable to understand negotiations. But by the time he left that evening, Evans had a contract to buy the house for roughly two-thirds its value, signed in Casanova’s shaky script.

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses” — https://www.propublica.org/article/ugly-truth-behind-we-buy-ugly-houses

Full disclosure – I have no clue who sent me these text messages and the source may not be HomeVestors.

Please read then share the entire article. You can’t be too safe nowadays.

The more I think about this form of elder abuse the angrier I get. Then again, maybe I did have a conversation about a different property.

This text message was for a property I don’t own.

Outbreak Linked to Eyedrops

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

An alarming outbreak of extensively drug-resistant bacteria linked to eye drops has now sickened 68 people across 16 states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 16 people have been hospitalized, eight have lost vision, and four have had their eyeballs surgically removed (enucleation). One person has died, which was reported earlier.

The VIM-GES-CRPA outbreak strain is rare and has never been seen in the US before. Health officials think it was brought into the country in contaminated eye drops manufactured by Global Pharma, a Chennai, India-based manufacturer. The products were sold under the brand names EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment, which were available nationwide via Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers.

68 now sickened, 4 lose eyeballs in outbreak linked to eyedrops — https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/more-people-lose-eyeballs-in-outbreak-linked-to-eye-drops/

Yikes!