@Dauphine: Hogwarts has got to be a pretty prime piece of real estate, though maybe the conversion to Muggle Money is difficult since we don't have a concept of the price of magical items. I mean, what value do you put on Fluffy, Fawkes, or the House Elves?
@LaComtesse: You know what I love about the wizard world? for all their magic, they use quills, not even ballpoint pens, and nary a computer or the Internet is heard of.
Anyone else here read The Week? They have this feature, something like, The Best Properties on the Market, and every week there's a different theme. Like Desert Homes or City Lofts or whatever. Those places usually list in the millions. But they also do Steal of the Week, with homes all over the US that list for 300k on average. And they're nice.
I'm guessing Forbes didn't take the hundreds of ancient statues on display in Xanadu, because I feel like the statues alone would come in at over $160 million.
GOD I love that movie. I am so glad I got it for Giftmas...
I think in these times almost every home in the country would qualify for the header. It is also in times like these that I'm grateful not to live in NY/CA.
@Mafalda para Presidente: It's like, OMG OMG THE HOUSING BUBBLE BURST AND NOW HOUSES ARE ROCKBOTTOM CHEAP!
Where I live in NJ, the median house price is still $330,000. This might just be my Midwestern sensibilities kicking in, but that doesn't sound "rockbottom cheap" to me.
@tscheese: Yeah, I think it's a little silly to think these are in any way good conditions to be purchasing a house. Around our country I'm guessing the median price is around 100-150K, but that's still pricey given the incomes and the fact that so many people are getting laid off right now.
@Mafalda para Presidente: @tscheese: Spoiled girls. Connecticut born and bred living in NYC right now. Mr. LaComtesse and I are talking about buying soon since we want to live in the tri-state area permanently and may never again get a home for as "little" as $350K...
@LaComtesse: If you want to live here permanently, it is a great time to buy. Honestly.
My house is a good example. I'm 12 miles from NYC in NJ. The previous owners of my house lived in it for ten years. They sold it for over $100k more than they paid for it. They did make many improvements to the house, but still made out well.
If I were planning to stay in this area permanently, I wouldn't be worried about the drop in price that homes have taken. But I don't. Eventually, real estate this close to the City will come back up.
Luckily I have a fixed rate mortgage, so I didn't get killed the way many did when the world exploded.
Definitely check out property taxes though, as they are still rising in NJ despite falling home prices. My PT bill has gone from roughly $6500 in '05 to over $8000 this year although my home has steadily declined in value. If you are working in NYC, definitely check out the offsets you get in each state's income tax against your NYC wage tax. There are differences.
16 million?! I remember that Barbie houses didn't have ceilings tall enough to accommodate them (or wide enough so that they could get busy). Unless that has changed, that listing is made of fail.
Call me an idealist, but I would sort of like to have any house. At all.
Though, to be honest, I did decide to move to New Jersey even knowing what property prices are out here (and the bubble bursting hasn't hit this area as hard.)
@tscheese: Oh I beg to differ. I bought my Ezzex County house in late '05. It's worth 30% less now then when I bought it. So if I tried to sell it, I'd lose my entire downpayment and then some.
TS, if you want to live in a house on a major commuting path to NYC, with a two-car garage and can stand living with a dog, PM me. I could use a roomie! And I have two spare bedrooms!
@BrutallyHonestBabes: Ha...I thought the same thing when I read "Xanadu" up there. I did research on that building and was CRUSHED to learn that it burned down in the late 80's!
I want them to cancel this show stat and order nothing but new episodes of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta". I haven't found a more entertaining show in I don't know how long. I want to see Kim explore her country music "career" in depth.
"Though Rossi openly admits that she's not physically attracted to Jeff, she does call him her Prince Charming and acts as his primary care giver during his cancer treatments."
But the question is, what will the Real Housewives of Worcester County be up to? Answer: maximizing a $10 giftcard at Kohl's by using it in conjunction with a 50% off bath towels sale.
@Gael: I'd say it's the attitude of most of these women that make the nouveau riche look a bit pathetic... Naturally there is nothing wrong with becoming wealthy, but the attitudes and behaviors of these women because of their new found money are kind of sad. And the behavior of their children is even more awful.
@stacyinbean: as opposed to the behavior of the children of the long time rich? paris hilton anyone? not to be argumentative. can we agree they are all vile?
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GOD I love that movie. I am so glad I got it for Giftmas...
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Where I live in NJ, the median house price is still $330,000. This might just be my Midwestern sensibilities kicking in, but that doesn't sound "rockbottom cheap" to me.
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My house is a good example. I'm 12 miles from NYC in NJ. The previous owners of my house lived in it for ten years. They sold it for over $100k more than they paid for it. They did make many improvements to the house, but still made out well.
If I were planning to stay in this area permanently, I wouldn't be worried about the drop in price that homes have taken. But I don't. Eventually, real estate this close to the City will come back up.
Luckily I have a fixed rate mortgage, so I didn't get killed the way many did when the world exploded.
Definitely check out property taxes though, as they are still rising in NJ despite falling home prices. My PT bill has gone from roughly $6500 in '05 to over $8000 this year although my home has steadily declined in value. If you are working in NYC, definitely check out the offsets you get in each state's income tax against your NYC wage tax. There are differences.
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[www.funny-potato.com]
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Though, to be honest, I did decide to move to New Jersey even knowing what property prices are out here (and the bubble bursting hasn't hit this area as hard.)
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TS, if you want to live in a house on a major commuting path to NYC, with a two-car garage and can stand living with a dog, PM me. I could use a roomie! And I have two spare bedrooms!
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:(
[en.wikipedia.org]
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GAAAHHHHH!!!
Brown! No, not BROWN!!
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Glamorous!
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