‘The Sparkle Has Gone’ From Bakersfield Real Estate
This Bakersfield site has an editorial. “What are we going to talk about? We’re back to the weather, children and Oscar picks. I’m talking about real estate. It’s in the tank. It’s not just quiet, it’s cratered.”
“This has been fun, hasn’t it? Just think, you were rich. For three years the sky was the limit and the ceiling kept getting higher. One minute, your house was worth $250,000 and a month later, you were cresting three bills. We were moguls. We patted ourselves on the backs so much that we were starting to leave handprints.”
“It hasn’t always been like this. If you have lived in Bakersfield longer than five years, you probably developed an inherent modesty about real estate appreciation. This was Bakersfield. We liked living here. Houses were as plentiful as tumbleweeds. Affordable housing. That was our mantra. It was good for the town’s spirit. People could afford to live here.”
“When prices skyrocketed, one of the first things that went bye-bye was cheap housing. People said things like: ‘I’m happy about the appreciation, but the days of affordable housing are over. It’s too bad.’”
“No, it isn’t. Once you’re on the Love Boat, your sympathy for the less fortunate wanes as you drift farther toward the islands. Even if those waving on the shore are some of your own children. The point is houses went from something you lived in to the smartest thing you’d ever done. The best investment you’d ever made. Why not borrow against them because they are going to keep going up forever?”
“That’s all we talked about. Real estate replaced weather as the single most popular subject in Bakersfield. It was fun. Life was beautiful. We had joined the party.”
“Now real estate is flatter than a pancake. A friend told me that heads were rolling in a couple of the title companies. More and more, you see the word ‘reduced’ on real estate signs. The air has gone out of the balloon. More than that, with the sparkle gone from real estate, there is a bigger problem: First, how are are we going to pay off those huge home equity loans that paid for our jacuzzi upgrades?”
“More importantly: What do we talk about? Are we going to be forced to discuss things that really matter again? I’m not sure how long we can keep that up. It’s a matter of appreciation. Or in this case, the lack thereof.”
Housing is as unaffordable as it has ever been. It’s clearly at a peak and it’s all downhill from here. I live in FL and many people think all the boomers are going to retire and move here and save them. That is not going to happen. I even see Boomers now moving out of FL. With Cat 5 hurricanes, rising taxes, and rising insurancem I don’t see housing prices going up “forever”.
Many boomers retirement money will be lost as the boom goes bust and they placed all their eggs in one basket. They will need their children to take care of them. The very children they shunned by bidding up Real Estate to it’s all time high.
‘With Cat 5 hurricanes, rising taxes, and rising insurancem I don’t see housing prices going up “forever”.’
My aunt is a case in point — after Katrina, Rita, Wilma and friends all came too close for comfort, and with NOAA predicting 10-20 years to go in the current high-risk phase of the long-term hurricane cycle, she and her husband have decided they would rather deal with the risk of occasionally shoveling snow off their driveway during the Ohio winter…
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/12/19/hurricane.season.ender/index.html
“Many boomers retirement money will be lost as the boom goes bust and they placed all their eggs in one basket. They will need their children to take care of them. The very children they shunned by bidding up Real Estate to it’s all time high.”
This is certainly the case in the SF Bay Area where it’s difficult to find parents and/or siblings living within 15-minutes of each other unless they’re from a ghetto or wealthy.
“It’s not just quiet, it’s cratered.”
Bubbles don’t crater — they pop!
“Now real estate is flatter than a pancake. A friend told me that heads were rolling in a couple of the title companies”.
Wasn’t there a song about all this:
Some heads are gonna roll? Judist Priest, way bitchen 80’s song
I think Nine Inch Nails is more appropriate:
“Bow down before the one you serve, you’re going to GET WHAT YOU DESERVE”…
That was Devo, orignally.
Unless every source I found was wrong, Devo simply did a cover of NIN’s Head Like a Hole.
Watch out
You might get what you’re after
Cool babies
Strange but not a stranger
I’m an ordinary guy
Burning down the house
Hold tight wait till the party’s over
Hold tight we’re in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house
Here’s your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin’ overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, maybe you know where you are
Fightin’ fire with fire
All wet
Hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown
Dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house
It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame
My house
S’out of the ordinary
That’s might
Don’t want to hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house
No visible means of support and you have not seen nuthin’ yet
Everything’s stuck together
I don’t know what you expect starring into the tv set
Fighting fire with fire
And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? …am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!…what have I done?
Talking Heads
Album: Naked
Title: (nothing But) Flowers
Here we stand
Like an adam and an eve
Waterfalls
The garden of eden
Two fools in love
So beautiful and strong
The birds in the trees
Are smiling upon them
From the age of the dinosaurs
Cars have run on gasoline
Where, where have they gone?
Now, it’s nothing but flowers
There was a factory
Now there are mountains and rivers
You got it, you got it
We caught a rattlesnake
Now we got something for dinner
We got it, we got it
There was a shopping mall
Now it’s all covered with flowers
You’ve got it, you’ve got it
If this is paradise
I wish i had a lawnmower
You’ve got it, you’ve got it
Years ago
I was an angry young man
I’d pretend
That i was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway
This used to be real estate
Now it’s only fields and trees
Where, where is the town
Now, it’s nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we’d start over
But i guess i was wrong
Once there were parking lots
Now it’s a peaceful oasis
You got it, you got it
This was a pizza hut
Now it’s all covered with daisies
You got it, you got it
I miss the honky tonks,
Dairy queens, and 7-elevens
You got it, you got it
And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention
You got it, you got it
I dream of cherry pies,
Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
You got it, you got it
We used to microwave
Now we just eat nuts and berries
You got it, you got it
This was a discount store,
Now it’s turned into a cornfield
You got it, you got it
Don’t leave me stranded here
I can’t get used to this lifestyle
I personally prefer crash & cratered to pop. They enphasize the destruction and devastation thatis about to occur.
Looks like its all down hill from here in this town. There are soo many homes falling out of escrow its getting real ugly here. Unfortunately, our entire economy and job growth has been based on this real estate machine. Once the builders start laying off employees and all the other related industries follow suit, there will be blood in the streets of Bakersfield (paraphased Buck Owens song). All the LA/SD investors have become net sellers they have driven up our supply by 250%. The party is over and now we will have a very bad hangover!
My grandparents have a place in bakersfield. Some good fishing up at isabella 20 years ago. I remember that place just 5 years as fairly reasonable. Now from what I am reading it is just like the rest of california.
Didn’t dwight yokam hang out there in bakersfield a lot?
Still good fishing this winter so far. Many 4 & 5 lb rainbows caught in Kissick Cove near Mt. Mesa from the shore.
Hey crispy, are you the former “crisp&cole”?
Thought you maybe changed your name to crispy since the housing market is burning down…lol
LMAO! Yes I’m the former crisp&cole - My wife said crispy would be a much better name!!!
Crisp&Cole is building a new office on Stockdale Hwy near Cal State Bakersfield , on the river side. They are doing quite well.
Once you’re on the Love Boat, your sympathy for the less fortunate wanes as you drift farther toward the islands. Even if those waving on the shore are some of your own children.
This is exactly what happened to Marin County, CA years ago (the recent bubble only made things worse). Families and communities that were once composed of intact families broke up because when the kids went off to college or whatever to start their own life they could never come back because the cost of living was too high. The folks who could afford to move to Marin were either already established with grown children or young folks who could not really easily afford children of their own in Marin. Death of a community. It’s sad and we should hate the bubble for it. Now it is Bakersfield’s turn.
Marinite
Marin Real Estate Bubble
I think its 1 of the main reasons your are seeing “Later” family formation…People are deciding to have children with the calculator in hand…Its kind of sad…..
I think your right dave. Very sad but true. I might be one of those dudes who is 60 cruising their kids to school.
which of course is not a good foundation for sky-high home prices. ‘They aren’t making any more children, are they?’
I’m posting here right now because I am bored. I need to get outside.
Go for a walk, a bike ride, or a jog. If it’s too cold, go see a movie with a jumbo popcorn. That’s always fun on a Sunday.
Good idea…Im outahere….By By
I went for a bike ride today. It is not good to sit in front of the computer all day. I do that enough at work.
Just got back from Avila, hitting balls, chipping and putting. A bit brisk. Storm coming in tonight.
sparkle’s gone from bakersfield you say?
guess you can’t polish a cow pattie.
I see you’ve been there…lol.
What a shame. Such a beautiful place, too!
Until median price homes fall to 4 times or less annual income of middle class families, CA is quickly becoming 3rd world.
Today’s Santa Barbara News Press
” ONE SCHOOL, TWO WORLDS” has a long article about it.
That was an awesome and eye-opening article. I read the whole thing from the link. Thanks for posting.
BayQT~
paris….
rome…
new york….
bakersfield…
one of earth’s great cities
I’ll have to rent the Running Man tonight, feel like watching the Butcher of Bakersfield and the Food Riots. Maybe they were on to something!
Running Man
Loved Richard Dawson’s characterization as game show host. Just like him in ‘Family Fude’.
Goleta,
Here’s another article that appeared in today’s Santa Barbara News Press about the disappearing middle class in this area. The article says that house sales in the middle range are stagnant, whereas demand for the extremely high-end houses is escalating.
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Section/BUSINESS
That’s what seems to be happening here in San Luis Obispo: recent sales are mostly in the high end (million-plus) or in the “low” end (550-600k) categories, with very little moving in between. Seems like the wealthy are still buying here, and normal folks are scrambling to get onto the bottom rung of the housing ladder. Sad.
I think it’s the same in many other countries, this bubble is destroying the middle class.
Obviously, the only easy way to profit from the housing bubble is if you have more than one home. So this bubble definitely favors the very wealthy and so increases differences in wealth.
On the other side, in many countries people with no money get a free ride on the housing bubble because they have no money to loose when they ‘purchase’ something above their budget (or because the government heavily subsidizes everyone who is officially ‘poor’, like in my country - which leaves again the middle class to pay the housing bubble bill).
““More importantly: What do we talk about? ”
*************************************************************************
Oh, there will be lots to talk about.
Did you hear that the Jones family lost their house? The bank took it. What a shame.
Or My gosh. There are 10 houses for sale on my block. And not one has sold in over 6 months.
Or Pete just had his car repossessed. Now he is driving a beater instead of the Benz convertible. That will be tough to adjust to.
Mike took his kids out of the private school, I hear. And cancelled his country club membership. He is looking for a second job now.
Three more businesses shut their doors on Main street last month. Quite a few vacant store fronts now.
There will be plenty to talk about in Bakersfield. Something new just about every day.
Trying to pick a street in ‘Oildale’ to name for Merle Haggard is causing lots of talk.
Oildale is the most Godawful place I’ve ever seen. It’s white ghetto, and then some.
Yes, this is surely what it will come to.
Sad stories shall abound.
But, since that’s still a few months away…
…what if we all made an effort at changing the future?
It doesn’t have to turn into the terrible scenario it could be…if just ONE THING were to happen…
SELLERS NEED TO START LOWERING THEIR PRICES.
See how easy that is?
Ah…but will they listen…
We have a RECORD number of homes for sale in Huntington Beach today.
Can’t tell you what the OC number is, since nobody wants to tell me, probably because they know I’ll post it here.
The coming disaster could be prevented if real estate agents step in and demand that homeowners LOWER THEIR PRICES.
So simple, yet apparently- so difficult.
Greed. Pure and simple.
It’s all just Greed.
Kinda like Heroin.
I think you can’t avoid the terrible scenario whether sellers are quick to lower prices or hold off until forced to do so. Either way we will experience a depression before it is all over.
“…More than that, with the sparkle gone from real estate, there is a bigger problem: First, how are are we going to pay off those huge home equity loans that paid for our jacuzzi upgrades?”
And monster trucks with massive chromed tool bins, travel trailers with built-ins for the desert bikes, decks with built in whole cow-sized bbq’s, requisite new furniture and BMW for the wife plus spending money for shopping sprees at all the new retail chains that have moved in to the area, and don’t forget the boat for the lake. Tack on a couple of plastic surgery procedures and throw in a couple of all out trips to Walt Disney World for the kids/grandkids…
I know of people living in the area that have cashed out for any number of these things. Take away the RE related partying funds, jobs and spending and how in the world are people going to make huge payments on $35K salaries there, if they still have a job? Maybe they can pick up some extra money hauling tumbleweeds out of housing developments that have turned into ghost towns.
“Whole cow-sized bbq’s” LMAO!
Anyone else think a good indicator of the market will be the number of Hummers for sale on craigslist and/or the Recycler in the near future? (I would say Escalades, too, but it seems more of those would have been leased.)
Here’s a good one: 2005 Lifted H2 Hummer..AWESOME TRUCK MUST SEE - $48000
Are you talking stock wise? The way I see it, it’s homebuilders, then mortgage/finance companies, then Lowes & Home Depot kinds of places, then grown-up toy companies that make jet skis, dune buggies, cruises, etc.
There is a long way to go for inventory too. So many sellers are waiting for the , what they think, winter slowdown to be over to list there home. Tons of people are still buying this “seaosnal slowdown” and “cold weather = cold market” crap. I think we will see about 30,000 homes on market in San Diego and about 80,000 homes on the market in L.A. before sumer comes.
Come to Bakersfield if you think you might fit in!
http://www.curtisnemetz.com/bako/bakowmv.htm
Jeez, I need to learn how to make the link function work!
That’s pretty funny. It seems just like Texas, only at 3 times the price and with less culture.
That is so perfect! Hate to admit, my dad lived there until just recently.
Naw, we have plenty of both kinds of Texas culture: Redneck and Illegals.
C’mon, any town that spawns the likes of Korn can’t be all bad.
No, wait…
Don’t forget about all the people who bought in the boonies because it was “affordable” and commute 2-3 hours or more (one way) to work. They’ve gotta be hatin’ it…
Why would anyone pay the idiot selling the Hummer $14,000 and take over his $48,000 loan. I hope that it gets repossessed on him, then someone can buy it for half of that amount.