Wednesday, March 07, 2007

no more heroes


off topic/on topic, vhb, cap'n america and dyspepsia




Captain America assassinated by sniper after 66 years of comic history

NEW YORK (AP) - Holy home-icide, Batman!

Captain America is dead! Assassinated, in fact, as he walks into a federal courthouse in New York, under arrest and in handcuffs, headed to his arraignment for refusing to sign the government's Superhero Registration Act and forcibly revealing his true identity.

It's eerie! Is there a connection to the Legend of VHB?


A sniper, firing a high-powered rifle from a rooftop, hits the famed red, white and blue leader of the Real Estate Avengers with three bullets and escapes the scene, leaving the weapon behind Oswald-style, as bears and Captain VHB's military escort cope with chaos in the streets.
What does this mean? Can the pulverizing patriot really be dead, shot down on the courthouse steps after years of battling villains from Scameron S'more to the Red Velvet? Will the killer or killers be captured?

The only way to find out, says Dan Buckley, president and publisher of Marvel Entertainment, is to "read the book" as the story line unfolds.


Jeez-us. It is rumoured that VHB has left the city (I can't blame him for that), and Cap'n America has been assassinated.

I just can't take it any more.

I got into blogging on RE a bit late (the story of my life), and really enjoyed myself doing it. I am not giving up just yet, but changes in my life have certainly curtailed my posting.

Over all, I am quite jaded, disgusted, and just a little bemused. My wife and I have been muttering about going away after 19 years of living here, but as my daffodils bloom, the trees begin to leaf, the robins hop around for my amusement, and the news of the weather in the rest of the country is FRIGID, I wonder where we'll go. Brazil? Portugal? France? Victoria? I dunno... All I know is that I am a bit long in the tooth to sign up for a 100 year mortgage, and have too much sense to do so anyhow. I've got an accomodating downpayment ready to go, but I might as well have nothing - prices here being what they are.

I'm disgusted by the Olympic crap, the Olympic toilet ring, the Olympic ring-around-the-collar, Flash, the traffic, the transit, the municipal guvmint, the provincial guvmint, the hubris and stupidity, the federal guvmint, mossy cars, Cuban exiles, avian flu and beeswax. I oughtn't be feeling so, but I am. The assassination of Cap'n Amurikkka just tears it for me though.

I will continue to post here, but it will be at a much slower pace. Once or twice a week... I may get more excited if things change soon.

the pope seems to be weary of this sordid spectacle too.

The laughs here have become hollow, forced, and much more rare. I'm not so sure I want to live in such a wanton place as Vancouver anymore.

My apologies to the original author for the hack job.



EDIT: the pope does not plan on packing in his blog any time soon. I regret the mis-representation.

23 comments:

solipsist said...

Has this entire province has been strip-mined of all real estate value?

Apparently.

I just keep thinking - the higher it goes, the harder it will fall. And it will.

As I stated here before, I'm more concerned about the fall-out now, than I am about prices. It will not be pretty. At all, at all.

Anonymous said...

Rob Chipman is getting more traffic and more commentary than you now.Wonder why?

Anonymous said...

I think i might be leaving for Portugal too. Great food, nice people, good climate. And affordable quality real estate.

Anonymous said...

I think I read somewhere that you're at the height of the boom when the biggest bears cash it in, and you're at the bottom of the tough when the strongest bulls cash it in.

So..... if VHB, Vancouver unreal estate AND The Pope all pack it in.... we're at the height!

solipsist said...

anon 8:48 - Rob has always had more traffic and commentary.

solipsist said...

I'm not really packing it in yet, just slowing down because of new responsibilities. Animam despondere is setting in though. Grin.

A re-invention is in order. This dead horse has been beaten beyond reason.

Anonymous said...

I understand what you mean. Watching the American market tank is like very, very slowly travelling down an extremely steep and creaky roller coaster - scary, in a very different way. It's real estate: there's no Black Monday, because that's not the way houses are bought and sold. There feels like not much to say, because "Wheeee!" will be drawn out over the next two years.

And oh my god. There's no top in our local market yet. This morning on the news there was another RE shill (I didn't catch who) stating that it's different here - just because the US has a housing cold doesn't mean we'll catch it, look at February's numbers, etc. etc. Ignoring both the implications of RE bust on the American economy as a whole (and therefore our economy), and the fundamentals of Vancouver RE in particular. If 50% of heroin users die due to their use, and your best friend dies of heroin use, that doesn't mean that you're now immortal because you're the other 50%.

Yeah, sure. Halifax may not get hit with housing depreciation just because Seattle did.

Vancouver is still INSANE.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

AndrewJ said...

I'm starting to research other places in BC. What I'm learning is the bubble is everywhere. There simply isn't that nice small city or large town where you can get a half-decent job, buy a cheap SFH, and start a family. Has this entire province has been strip-mined of all real estate value?

I get the "Pender Post" from Pender Island BC and they had an article about residents on Hornby Island trying to organize an affordable housing coalition. People from outside the city are driving up prices so that locals can't live there at local wages. They are worried their full time community will die without intervention.

It made me realize just how crazy this has become. If prices keep doing this it will change our whole society to be have's (in the market before 2002) and have not's (thought it was too pricy in 2002). Is it possible that this one point in time could change everything? I of course think not but having prices bump up again last month was not a thrilling thing.

Ryan said...

I for one am not going anywhere. I may not be able to afford to buy here, but I can easily afford to live here. I trust Freako's prediction that at some point rents and purchase prices will come back into alignment, and I'm content to wait until that happens. If prices fall, I'll buy. If rents rise and become as unaffordable as buying, then I'll think about moving.

Barney said...

If prices fall, I'll buy. If rents rise and become as unaffordable as buying, then I'll think about moving.

Couldn't agree more - however, it seems that rents are rising and I now feel that if one of the two will be moving - it will be rents that catch up with prices. Insane? Yes. Going to happen? Quite likely.

littlemanrenter said...

Couldn't agree more - however, it seems that rents are rising and I now feel that if one of the two will be moving - it will be rents that catch up with prices. Insane? Yes. Going to happen? Quite likely.


I would have to agree with that unfortunently. If people have been stupid enough to pay the prices for ownership, they'll pay to rent. Rents have been rising and no body is really complaining - they do to themselves and each other but no one else... and as long as there are 3-4 ESL students to jam into a studio, they'll get the price.

Anonymous said...

Just thought i'd point out the cover story on the Vancouver Sun webpage. Housing starts in the GVRD are down 37% compared to the same time last year.

/also an ex-vancouverite

WoodenHorse said...

barney and lmr: I disagree with you about rents.

First: rents have not been keeping up with inflation for about seven years now, so a little bit of catch up should be expected. (http://tinyurl.com/zlwv8 warning pdf)

Second: I would lump landlords into two very distinct categories: those that bought in the last 3 years, and those that have owned the home longer then that. Avoid looking for rentals in places where a "young" landlord would list them. For example, craig's list? forget about it. The Sun or Province...much better rent rate IMO.

Third: Home prices are set by the "small" percentage of homes that sell...i.e. at the margin. However, rents are an ongoing thing that a lot of people are involved in at any given time. Of the two, prices would move much easier.


I'm in the process of looking for a new rental right now, but I'm not in a hurry (which is a luxury that not everyone has).

WoodenHorse said...

sorry....screwed up the link:

pdf of real rents

mk-kids said...

woodenhorse, i too am in the rental market but not in a big hurry. have been looking in port moody and am actually seeing the rental prices come down there. everything is for rent by new investors and there is a number of projects completing right now so lots of availability.

rentingsucks - i am on an email list for gambier/ keats island properties, not the same as pender, no real community or jobs to speak of there but holy crap are current owners smoking crack on those islands!!! prices have doubled in about 2 years and a non-view, non-waterfront 1/2 acre parcel with no building is stupidly expensive. when $500,000 buys you a unserviced lot on gambier island or a 1100 square foot condo in port moody you just KNOW the real estate market is going to tank. maybe not today or tomorrow but please a half mill to live in a condo in pomo or have a lot (not even a cabin!) on gambier??!!! pleeeeez.

littlemanrenter said...

Woodenhorse

I would overall agree with you but I think some of it is how we are lumping it all into one big bucket which I don't think helps...

There's the house market - old and new and I think the prices have gone up and rents not so much and will stay with inflation as they are. People buying or renting these are also families for the most part.

Then there's the condo market which is really what this whole market bubble is about... new condos springing up all over, massive appreciation, pre sales and this is where the rents are going up to try and match the sale...

And they aren't families in those, not for the most part - studios and 1 bedrooms...

The old apartments also do not increase because they can't compete with the new stuff coming on. Everyone wants to live in the new stuff and they'll pay the price because they want to look cool so bad...

the pope said...

Hey! I'm not going anywhere yet, I was just stating the obvious: When I move away I won't be focusing on Vancouver Real estate. There are a lot of nice things about Vancouver, but not so much more so than any other city I've lived in, and the charm is wearing a bit thin for me personally.

I've still got an employment contract to finish off and then it will likely be some traveling to decide what to do next.

Rents here will go up, particularly if there's demand, but without wage increases rents aren't going up to match purchase costs anytime soon.

the pope said...

lmr: sorry, I just don't think thats true - Speculation drives up prices in all types of real estate, just try to buy an old apartment for what it cost 3 years ago.

This is also why small one-industry towns and island property in BC has gone way up as well - RE is seen as a sure-thing safe investment, and these places are 'cheap' in comparison to Vancouver, never mind the fundamentals.

When prices start to drop year over year and you've got high carrying cost's the deal starts to lose its shine.

solipsist said...

sorry for the mis-representation there pope.

Jim said...

Prices will start to fall dramtically in 8 weeks. The decline in housing starts is the sign. The same situation prevailed in the US and before every YVR correction in the last 30 years.

Anonymous said...

solipsist, if you're cutting down, why not pick a regular day or night to post on ... i drop by from time to time, and often read without posting. nice blog, interesting.

patriotz said...

If people have been stupid enough to pay the prices for ownership, they'll pay to rent.

Wrong. Buyers are paying the current ridiculous prices to buy because they are counting on future price appreciation. OTOH, renters simply will not pay twice the rent to live in Vancouver than in Toronto or Ottawa. No way. They can't afford it. They will leave first.

Rental demand is based on actual need for shelter, not speculation on future price.

At any case, the supply of housing stock in Vancouver is growing faster than the number of households. So what do good old supply and demand tell you where rents are going?

jer537369 said...

Rents depend on income. Income has not been increasing. Rents aren't going anywhere.