May 20, 2006

Calling For Housing Bubble Catch Phrases

Readers are looking for new ways to describe the housing bubble. “WE NEED NEW CLICHES!”

“I recently suggested: ….death spiral.

Betamax replied with: I like the term ‘cascade failure,’ but death spiral works too.

I did my best Steve Martin with:

Alternative: Heterodyned Hell Hole?

Technical: Event Horizon?

Literature: Restaurant at the End of the Universe? Death on Denial?

Musical: Highway to HELOC? Saved by Zero?

Political: Giant Sucking Sound?

“There’s a lot more talented people out there. We need more catch phrases.”

Another said, “A name for the category of sellers who refuse to see the obvious fact that nobody wants to pay their ridiculous price:”

‘Not-giving-it-awayers’

“They are adamant that their price is right, and if the agent would just advertise more, they’d probably find the buyer.”

“P.S. I could spend a million dollars on advertising every week, but if the price ain’t right, it isn’t going to sell.”

And another replied, “I’ve been using the term ‘bubble bitch’ instead of FB’er as I feel that the mental image of a underwater borrower with some bankers popsicle buried up his backside for the next 20 years (and every day is another thrust) more fully describes that situation (and it rhymes).”




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107 Comments »

Comment by John Law
2006-05-20 09:01:59

the spring of our discontent

Comment by Polo
2006-05-20 10:13:04

The Summer of It

Comment by passthebubbly
2006-05-20 10:55:26

The Five Or Six Years Of It

 
 
 
Comment by brahma
2006-05-20 09:04:10

Titanic struck by icebergs and also torpedoed.

Comment by Polo bear
2006-05-20 10:57:16

and then eaten by sharks…

 
 
Comment by cow cat
2006-05-20 09:08:00

“The Great Housing Hangover”

Comment by Housegeek
2006-05-21 04:45:03

Heads of Householes

 
 
Comment by UnRealtor
2006-05-20 09:08:41

“Greater Fool Parade”

“Ponzi Scheme Dupes”

“Negative Equity Club”

“Bitter Realtors”

“Underwater Investment Group”

“How I Learned to Love Foreclosure”

“Broken ARMs”

“Surviving Bankruptcy is Easy”

“Debt Serf”

 
Comment by Waiting in Vegas
2006-05-20 09:11:27

slaughter house

 
Comment by anoninCA
2006-05-20 09:14:40

Right now, I see confusion and pricing anomolies…with +/-10% price variation for similar properties; also, there are those idiots that re-list at a HIGHER price after sitting for 3 mos with empty open houses.

Current market confusion will feed back into future market dynamics and ultimately bring down prices.

Perhaps, “Compounding Chaos.”

 
Comment by scdave
2006-05-20 09:16:34

“The Great Realplosion”….

 
Comment by Trojan Horse
2006-05-20 09:17:54

“slab happy”
…like this poor FB who bought an Old Navy house (quality that lasts for one season!) in Victorville and is desperately seeking a renter.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/apa/162718475.html

When I came across this listing my first reaction was to chuckle as I imagined the perplexed look on the FB’s face in 18 months when he realizes that despite what his friends and realtors told him, there actually IS risk involved in speculation.

But my lasting reaction is of utter sadness. Scrolling through the pictures in ad…THIS is how homes are built now? I have been reading Ben’s Blog for almost a year, but I still can’t come to grips with the fact that developers are building (and people are consuming) “homes” that are literally built to last 10-15 years. I don’t consider myself a hyper-environmentalist, but this is criminal negligence towards future generations. This house and every one like it will be resting in a landfill in 20 years, seeping chemicals from the wall-to-wall carpeting and particle-board cabinets into our children’s groundwater.

Sad.

Comment by cow cat
2006-05-20 10:01:32

Eureka! I’ve got it!

What should be done when all the McMansion subdivisions turn to ghost towns?

PAINTBALL!! Turn them into urban warfare theme parks. Participants could choose to play for one of two teams: The HELOCed freedom fighters or the Jack-Booted Repo Squad.

Comment by Polo bear
2006-05-20 10:41:54

Excellent idea! Or maybe Blair Witch Project type haunted neighborhoods!

 
Comment by Max
2006-05-20 12:57:13

Pretty good! I like it. I’ll be in the team Lowballers Forever.

 
Comment by MC_White
2006-05-21 06:38:26

OK, I read through the entire thread, and I think Cow Cat wins. Let Victorville act as the world’s biggest paintball arena, then blow the entire place up during the filming of Lethal Weapon 5.

 
Comment by Operation
2006-05-21 12:53:00

That is one of the funniest things I’ve heard all week. I am glad I didn’t have a mouthful of coffee!

One of the sudivisions should be themed ‘Debtors Prison’!

Better yet, the bubble cities could form a televised leagues! Heck, with the way things are going, you really could have a debtors prison ala the movie “Running Man”. Contestants have to make their way through ghostowns of McMansions while escaping Fireball (The market), Captain Freedom (The Fed), Dynamo (specuvestor), Sub-Zero (net-worth) and Buzzsaw (depreciation). If you escape, your debt is forgiven, your ARM is converted and you are given a free hybrid prius! Hell, even Arnhold could oversee the California show!

From the Plot Summary:
“In the year 2017, the world economy has collapsed. The great freedoms of the United States are no longer, as the once great nation has sealed off its borders and become a militarized police state, censoring all film, art, literature, and communications.”

Wow. Talk about dramtic irony.

 
 
Comment by bairen
2006-05-20 11:55:07

Those aren’t particle board cabinets. They are in fact European Cabinetry. ha ha ha

 
 
Comment by realestateblues
2006-05-20 09:21:30

Make love not McMansions.

Comment by Polo bear
2006-05-20 10:15:20

The fall of the great garage-majal

Comment by SD_suntaxed
2006-05-20 11:40:51

ROFL!

 
 
 
Comment by Boombust
2006-05-20 09:28:57

“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing”.

 
Comment by Death_spiral
2006-05-20 09:52:41

Howz about…..”Bankruptcy for Dummies”

 
Comment by GetStucco
2006-05-20 09:59:44

Condo Con Job

Domestic Debt Bomb

McMansion Armageddon

Flucked Flippers

 
Comment by nobubblehere
2006-05-20 10:04:16

“THIS is how homes are built now? ”

Pride of ownership:

Your Dream Home Built in the USA by Illegal Aliens — in just 15 days!!

6 month limited warranty at no extra cost!

 
Comment by ChillintheOC
2006-05-20 10:11:08

“slab happy”
…like this poor FB who bought an Old Navy house (quality that lasts for one season!) in Victorville and is desperately seeking a renter.
——————————————————————————
The last time I was in Hesperia (middle of the desert), I almost died of heat prostration not to mention the dust storms.

 
Comment by Rainman18
2006-05-20 10:18:35

Charles McMansion

Comment by Polo bear
2006-05-20 10:59:03

Oh THAT’S good…

 
Comment by Polo bear
2006-05-20 10:59:51

Heloc Skelter

Comment by rjsasko
2006-05-20 11:04:20

“Heloc Skelter” You’ve got my vote!

 
 
 
Comment by Death_spiral
2006-05-20 10:18:47

“Just Say No To Bankruptcy” by Dr. Kevorkian

Comment by Max
2006-05-20 12:58:56

Oh that was cruel! :)

 
Comment by MC_White
2006-05-21 06:14:19

Nice! Rename Kevorkian’s book “There is always at least ONE way to close the deal” and put it on the real estate shelf in the big chain bookstores.

 
 
Comment by scdave
2006-05-20 10:20:18

How about;

“Terra Tumble”

Comment by scdave
2006-05-20 10:26:08

OR

“Terra Toast”…

 
 
Comment by KIA
2006-05-20 10:20:59

What about the old classic “bankruptcy candidate” or afterwards “debt evader, first class.”

Or, “flipped to the loo.”

Ooh! Wait! What about “Scuba borrowers” and “short on air?”

I think the best expression of what will happen is “ripples of doom.”

Comment by scdave
2006-05-20 10:23:50

“flipped to the loo.”

Best one so far…..

 
 
Comment by Death_spiral
2006-05-20 10:22:44

“How to Get Your Skis Waxed in Real Estate” by Alan Greenspan

Comment by cow cat
2006-05-20 16:39:15

ROTFLMAO. My vote for best of 2006(TM)

“But … wait, why aren’t my skis turning? Aieeeeeee!”

 
 
Comment by Subsonic22
2006-05-20 10:25:46

Now is even more the best time to buy.

 
Comment by bairen
2006-05-20 10:26:16

realty bites

circling the bowl

party with Bill, wake up next to Hillary

got credit? ( on billboard of real estate agents slobbering mucus and blood)

Comment by Max
2006-05-20 13:00:28

Party with Bill, sleep with George, wake up next to Hillary!

Comment by feepness
2006-05-20 14:38:57

Shoot. Me. Now.

 
Comment by Operation
2006-05-21 12:56:25

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!

 
 
 
Comment by Death_spiral
2006-05-20 10:26:29

“How I Learned to Love Foreclosure” by Doogie Dumbazz

 
Comment by Death_spiral
2006-05-20 10:29:11

Financial Fudgepacking

Comment by Nikki
2006-05-20 12:02:21

LMAO!!!

 
Comment by MC_White
2006-05-21 06:15:46

I started laughing, and now I’m crying.

 
 
Comment by Boombust
2006-05-20 10:32:30

Just a question I have…WHAT is an “old navy house” and why is it of poor quality?

Comment by Trojan Horse
2006-05-20 11:49:58

your answer was in the post (in parenthesis). An Old Navy house is a house built to last…about one season. Just like the clothes you can buy at America’s favorite clothing retailer.
http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/home.do

 
 
Comment by lindsey
2006-05-20 10:51:54

Lately I’ve been using “circling the drain,” but I sort of like the notion of the market flushing all those crappy investments.

 
Comment by need 2 leave ca
2006-05-20 11:04:43

Victorville is a horrible place to live. That ugly McMansion is toasted and never even had a person live in it.

“Homes for grandmas with 100 cats.”

 
Comment by Sunsetbeachguy
2006-05-20 11:13:50

Death Spiral gets my vote.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 11:44:25

Poseiden Adventure without water.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 11:46:01

Death by a thousand costs.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 11:47:14

Come back Flipper!

Comment by adopt-a-landlord
2006-05-20 14:54:17

Too funny!

 
Comment by scdave
2006-05-20 17:57:46

Your in front 02….

 
 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 11:49:45

Bubblelocked.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 11:54:29

Have ARM lose LEG.

Had ARM lost LEG.

Have ARM no BRAIN.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 12:00:03

The Unbearable Lightness of Owing.

Helocoroids.

Drowning in Equity.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 12:20:36

The ‘Haves’ and the ‘Heloced’.

Nighmare on Everystreet.

The Bankers buttboy.

Comment by Jim A.
2006-05-21 05:24:13

I like NIghtmare on Everystreet.

 
 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 12:23:49

Buy now and be priced ‘in’ forever.

 
Comment by sellnrun
2006-05-20 12:32:53

Puttin’ wood to the ‘hood.

The Great Realty Smackdown.

Coming soon to a theater near you!

 
Comment by sellnrun
2006-05-20 12:36:38

The Proctologist’s Real Estate Boom…just relax while I insert this…

Comment by MC_White
2006-05-21 06:21:54

Proctologist to Flipper:

“Sir, I’m terribly sorry. Your prostate is growing by 25% per year, and you know as well as I do that prostates only expand. Remove it now, or in 20 years it will be

3″ x 1.25^20= 260.2″ in diameter

You won’t be able to afford a 260.2″ diameter prostate, sir. Let’s take it out now while it can still be removed through a small incision.”

 
 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 12:47:12

To buy or not to buy…that is not a question.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 12:53:58

Buy land ’cause they aint making it (this expensive) anymore.

 
Comment by KIA
2006-05-20 13:04:32

Defrocking the Priests of the Temple of Ever-Rising Prices; or

This Little Freddie Had A Market; or

The Triumph of Reason; or

Revenge of the Rational.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 13:08:56

Wanted…
Greater Fool, must be greedy, no experience necessary.

 
Comment by o2bsure
2006-05-20 13:13:41

Need a loan? No problem! We can Help!

Toxic ARM 100year sub-prime loans available (but for a short time only).
Remember to ask about our ‘pass it on to the kids’ option.

 
Comment by Drop the bubble
2006-05-20 13:48:15

Get house or die trying.

A movie, popcorn and drinks for two, “$30″. A new Plasma TV to watch movies at home, “$4,000″. Paying for a new home in the 21st century, “Priceless”.

Comment by feepness
2006-05-20 14:39:50

Watch this bubble crash brings a new meaning to the term:

“Home Theatre”

 
 
Comment by adopt-a-landlord
2006-05-20 14:48:19

Inventory Tsunami

Taken for Granite

Homebound

ARMed to the teeth

All the Loanly People

ParaNormal

Gentle Catastrophy

Helocane

Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:18:10

“Taken for Granite” - good.

Comment by Max
2006-05-20 18:21:24

I agree, super!

 
 
 
Comment by tulipsalloveragain
2006-05-20 14:53:10

Waiting lounge of the damned.

 
Comment by GetStucco
2006-05-20 14:59:55

Impacted Inventory

Fannie’s in for a little buttkicking

Subprime Shipwreck

 
Comment by Gravity 'ON'
2006-05-20 16:22:30

Seller will entertain offers. (period)

cul-de-sacked

Comment by cow cat
2006-05-20 16:55:32

“Seller will entertain offers.”

You want an offer, huh? Dance, seller boy, dance!

 
Comment by Max
2006-05-20 18:22:42

Seller will entertain for offers.

 
 
Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:19:22

Death to the Squirrels

 
Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:20:43

You murder those squirrels, I’ll buy the house.

Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:32:12

But you can’t just murder them, because I want to be sure those are MY squirrels. You must bring their warm little bodies to the closing. I might decide to grill them for my friends.

Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:35:20

NOTE: for newer readers who are horrified at this macabre humor, it is in direct reference to the most absurd moment, to me, of the housing bubble, about a year ago — a seller, I think in the San Francisco area, told the multitude of desperate bidders for her property that the lucky buyer must promise in writing to feed the squirrels that inhabited the property.

 
 
Comment by Jim A.
2006-05-21 05:22:57

At one point I was trying to popularize the term “squirrel feeder” for those who bought at the top of th market.

 
 
Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:21:50

F*@&’d Fan
of
Su-zanne

Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 17:35:49

Again, an historical reference, but much more current.

 
Comment by cow cat
2006-05-21 01:50:21

But, Suzanne did her research. She says being an escort is the obvious thing to do. If you don’t bend over and be an escort, you’ll never have a chance to be an escort.

 
 
Comment by Max
2006-05-20 18:24:45

I wanted to get rich, and all I got is this stupid condo.

Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 18:29:23

That should be a bumper sticker.

Comment by Jim A.
2006-05-21 05:21:54

The bumper sticker I want is “loose money now, ask me how” with a realtor symbol

 
 
 
Comment by diceman
2006-05-20 19:07:41

Less Than Zero

 
Comment by diceman
2006-05-20 19:13:21

Honey I Sunk the Kids
HELOC VAPORLOCK
Refi Madness
and the new reality TV series; from the creaters of Flip This House, comes “Torch this House (for the insurance)”

Comment by cow cat
2006-05-21 01:58:15

Refi Madness …

Uh, whah? Whaddr’ u sayin’, dude? Whatever … My broker said I could rent .. I mean buy … and I could sell for a billion next year. Real *Hiccup* Estate is the ticket, buddy! I got three Condos in Palm Beach *Cough*

 
 
Comment by diceman
2006-05-20 19:16:06

one more;
ARMageddon - Brace for Impact
(thank you, I’ll be here all week)

Comment by Chip
2006-05-20 19:21:14

Good one. Just a bumper sticker that says your “ARMageddon.”

 
Comment by adopt-a-landlord
2006-05-21 07:09:50

Outstanding!

 
 
Comment by oc-ed
2006-05-21 00:09:02

Nouveau Wretch
Fiscal Gumby’s
HomeBoners
OOPSS - Oblivious, Obnoxious, Pompous, Speculator Suckers
SHOE - Spent Heloc on Escalade
Unhappy Kool Aid Kampers
Lerah’s Liars
Karmic Losers
Real Estate Infestors
Toxic Sellers
Bubble Bait
For Clothes Whore
Homeless and Unenjoyed
IO IO, it’s off to debt we go …
Greedy, lazy, good for nuthin, swindling, lying sacks O shit.
Condo Rats

and the sound of the IO buyer is …
me, me, Me, Me, ME, ME, ME, My, My, my, my, oh, …., my, buy?

 
Comment by jack
2006-05-21 05:40:48

Unrealty and how to avoid situational awareness in contemporary society.

 
Comment by jack
2006-05-21 05:42:40

There’s no place like home, and home, and home.

Comment by MC_White
2006-05-21 06:34:50

Dear IRS: Home, home, home, and home are all my primary residences. I swear. Honest.

 
 
Comment by MC_White
2006-05-21 06:34:12

Necrotizing Helocititis:

An insidious ARM infection causing rapid equity necrosis.

 
Comment by David
2006-05-21 12:30:05

“McDebt”
“McDebtor”

“Helloced”

 
Comment by Operation
2006-05-21 13:01:30

Foundations in the sand.

 
Comment by armchair economist
2006-05-21 14:54:22

FSFB “For Sale By F’dB”

 
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