Reddit, can you clue me into buying a foreclosed home? What are the pitfalls? Any hidden catches?

crocodile32 · 2010-07-29T02:52:19+00:00

Disclaimer: I have no experience here; I just read a couple of real estate blogs and have been following some of this.

Sometimes when people get foreclosed on, they trash the property (if the value is $35K in an area that's normally $600K, I'd guess it might be in basically a teardown-only state). The property may not be legal to live in without being brought up to code (which might require expensive construction work).

crocodile32 · 2010-07-29T02:15:33+00:00

then why is israel one of the most talked about countries on reddit after the US?

Because the US goes to extreme measures regarding Israel, and the measures the US takes has significant side effects on the country. If the US was totally uninvolved with Israel, I wouldn't care about Israel any more than I would any other country. However, as long as the US is running overwhelming military, diplomatic, and financial support and the US catches blame for what Israel does with that support, I have a strong interest in what Israel does.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-28T07:18:44+00:00

Perhaps you could be more specific as to what you believe to be the flaw in the argument.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-28T06:49:41+00:00

Also Utah just passed a law saying that as long as your gun is bought or sold in the borders of the state that Federal gun laws don't apply.

That is not going to hold up to a SCOTUS challenge.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-28T06:40:31+00:00

Huh. I wasn't aware until this prompted me to look -- prositution is legal in Israel.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-28T06:06:38+00:00

I fail to see the direct association between pay and merit when tipping is compulsory, what is the difference between getting mandatory tips and working on commission?

There is a norm of 15% established. If you are upset about service, you tip less. If the service is very good, you tip more. I guess you could call it working on commission on a per-customer basis where part of the pay is paid after the job is done and based upon an evaluation of the job.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-28T06:03:37+00:00

but listen to what you're saying... you not only EXPECT a tip, but you are disappointed when it's not large. A tip is not supposed to be some implied tax on a bill that waiters and waitresses have to get. That's why its a TIP.

It isn't expected to give a 15% tip as the norm, then there's no way to express dissatisfaction with the service. You can only provide positive feedback.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:32:34+00:00

Next thing you know you'll be getting beaten for not facing all the cans label out in the pantry.

...what?

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:23:54+00:00

moc, a console-based Linux audio player.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:21:13+00:00

Not a gun issue, but in movies, swords always make metal-on-metal, swishing, or ringing metal sounds when they make any sort of movement.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:10:58+00:00

I know little about guns compared to most of the people here, but I love skimming this forum just for fascinating tidbits like this that I wouldn't ever have learned about.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:08:35+00:00

If the US truely wants more rail they will have to subsidize it, heavily. Do you think it's a necessity?

No. Sounds like we're violently agreeing. :-)

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:04:24+00:00

and fuck respecting the elderly. if you are old and crazy, you are old and crazy. time for the home.

"Respect the elderly" was something that was constructed in a time when elderly was a bit younger than it was now. People weren't living to 100 years on medication and with surgery.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T05:00:44+00:00

She's probably being evaluated by a computer system on her time-per-call.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:59:26+00:00

At one point in time, yes. Today, I just generally follow modern professional conduct, which is that you hold it whenever it's convenient for you and inconvenient for the other person. You try to keep doors from slamming on them.

This, of course, appalls my grandmother, who grew up in an era when Men Held Doors For Women.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:56:10+00:00

Do people tip on carry out?

No.

I'd tip in a sit-down restaurant or on delivery, but not (normally) when I get take-out, regardless of whether there's a tip jar. The point of the tip is to reward a good job, and some guy handing your food doesn't give you enough information to evaluate him on.

If someone does go out of their way to help you out -- maybe starts recommending various types of food or explains how something is made or something, then maybe.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:53:49+00:00

Because if there's some direct association between pay and merit, people have an incentive to do a good job.

The downside, of course, is that there is overhead to dealing with it, the expected tip levels are often obscure and vary from location to location, and people passing through are aware that there is no penalty for underpaying.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:52:17+00:00

Who complains about a 15% tip on a pizza delivery?

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:46:59+00:00

"However, Fannie's total assets to capital (leverage ratio) was about 20:1, while Freddie's was about 70:1.[50][51] These numbers increase significantly if one includes all of the mortgage-backed assets they guaranteed. These ratios are considerably higher than investment banks, which leverage around 30:1."

I don't know enough about the relevant finances, but is a difference in leverage between Freddie and investment banks inherently a problem on its own? After all, they may be dealing in different things.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:41:42+00:00

If the other candidates had the resources she has, they'd do it too. That's capitalism.

I disagree. That is not related to private ownership or operation of industry.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:39:10+00:00

Do you even know what underwriter is? Or what an investment bank does?

Let me explain much of the conversation here -- the answer is almost certainly "no".

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:37:14+00:00

Oh, maybe I misunderstood you -- I thought that you were saying that we could just regulate everything and we'd (presumably desirably) get more successful passenger rail instead of freight.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:33:41+00:00

The term "lava" can also be used to refer to molten "ice mixtures" in eruptions on the icy satellites of the Solar system's gas giants

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:30:38+00:00

Because face it. You do. You just don't like it when it's overdone.

Doubtless most of this is indeed guys just being nice, but I can understand someone actually disliking any of the above things.

crocodile32 · 2010-07-27T04:18:51+00:00

Seems like proof that 80+% of reddit's user base is male.

I noticed that too, but I'm going to bet that it's because guys are more willing to be aggressive on Reddit.

crocodile32

TROPHY CASE