iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

If you buy a fixer house & can't fix it all in 2 years, you may end up replacing your earliest fixes before you even start on others. Example: carpet. After 10 years in my fixer house, I haven't yet redone the kitchen because I'm paying cash as I go. But the "new" carpet has died. 1/10 #realestate

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The FHFA HPI reports US house prices fell -0.4% MoM & rose 3.0% YoY in April. MoM changes ranged from -1.3% in the West South Central & South Atlantic census regions to +1.2% in the Middle Atlantic. YoY changes ranged from +0.5% in the Pacific region to +7.4% in the Middle Atlantic. #RealEstate

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

My fixer house needs new carpet, so I'm researching carpet makers. Here's a comparison I made across reviews from Better Homes & Garden, LifeStory Research, Carpet Captain, Houzz & Reddit. The last column counts sources with positive mentions for each manufacturer. #homeownership #realestate

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Charlie Munger on asset allocation: "If a thing is not worth doing at all, it's not worth doing well." #personalfinance

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Grandma Janet @sweetgrandmajan.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

“Just in the past 10 days, Donald Trump Jr. made stops in Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria,” the newspaper wrote. At the same time, Eric Trump was visiting Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Middle East spots promoting the family’s real estate company and crypto plans.

rawstory.com

NY Times exposes Trump family deal-making blitz involving billions of dollars

The Trump Organization’s international business dealings came under scrutiny in a New York Times report released Monday that claimed the president's family members are raking in a fortune in deals acr...

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KTLA 5 @ktla.com · 05/05/2025

Considering a home purchase in Los Angeles? These neighborhoods are gaining steam in the real estate world. According to an analysis from nonprofit newsroom Crosstown, West Adams has experienced th…

ktla.com

What are the hottest neighborhoods on the Los Angeles real estate market?

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Perryj @perryjm.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

We got the plans out of Trump on his ideas for Alcatraz! Like in Gaza Trump sees our old dilapidated prison on an island as a real estate play! Always making deals! Mar-a-Lago West !

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San Diego Live Data @619sdld.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

San Diego mayor says real estate moves will save city $13M over 5 years San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced that renegotiating the lease for the building at 525 B Street will save the city $13 million over the next five years.

ift.tt

San Diego mayor says real estate moves will save city $13M over 5 years

Gloria said the city renegotiated the lease agreement for the building at 525 B Street downtown.

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STOREYS @storeyspublishing.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Recent data from TD Bank's GTA Condo Market Outlook points towards condo values falling by 15-20% from their peak in Summer 2023 by the end of 2025, with 10% of that decline taking place in this year alone. Full story: loom.ly/B04RiKs #GTA #Toronto #realestate #housing

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So I give the future new carpet a 10 year max life. That means 2 more carpet replacements to save for before I retire. Eventually, when it's too late, I'll find out how durable this new carpet actually turns out to be. Home ownership is a never-ending adventure that way. 😁 10/END

Nylon with a low, even-looped pile would last longer. But I'm so traumatized by how badly my Stainmonster nylon carpet stained that I won't consider it. Nylon doesn't even wear that much longer. My old polyester carpet lasted 8 years. The current nylon carpet was flattened & matted at 10 years. 9/

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I've found a polyester carpet from a well-regarded manufacturer that features a mix of short, even loops & short cut pile. Face weight is 38.1 oz. It is also solution-dyed & treated to resist pet stains. Will it wear? The pile design & face weight SHOULD meet or beat long cut-pile nylon. 8/

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"Face weight" captures the durability gain of more yarns per inch woven into a carpet. But it includes the weight of low-durability long pile as well, so it's NOT a pure durability metric. Bottom end is 20 oz. Of 2 carpets with the SAME pile design, the heavier face weight wears longer. 7/

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That leaves the wear problem. Polyester doesn't wear well, but pile design can help. Cut pile, which is the most common type installed today, thins as the cut ends fray. It also flattens if yarns are long or yarn-count-per-inch is low. Looped pile wears longer. Short, even loops wear best. 6/

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Solution-dyed yarns can also help. Solution-dyed yarns are dyed BEFORE being woven into the carpet. This helps the dye "take" better, making solution-dyed carpet more stain and fade resistant than carpet dyed later in manufacturing. Solution-dyed, pet-treated polyester for the win! 5/

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There's a pet-treated nylon that's supposed to resist acidic pet stains 2x as well as regular nylon. But that's not good enough. There's a pet-treated POLYESTER that's 2x as resistant to pet stains as regular polyester. That's ~4x better than untreated nylon, and it MIGHT be good enough. 4/

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The problem was pet stains. Stains weren't a problem with the polyester carpet in my old condo. Pet stain remover worked. But I bought longer-wearing nylon for this house, & nylon has a chemistry problem. Acid stains etch it & can't be removed. Pet stains are acidic. 3/

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Tile or hardwood are forever. Carpet is not. I chose carpet anyway because it is: • Warmer • Softer to sit on • Sound-dampening • Non-slip Price wasn't a factor in this case, but carpet is cheaper too. I bought quality carpet & figured it would last 15 years. It did not. 2/

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

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In an analysis of 47 million single-family home & condo sales in 2015-2024, ATTOM found US home sellers got the highest prices when selling in May, with a 9.5% premium over the year's average price. Next highest were February (9.4%) & April (9.1%). #realestate www.attomdata.com/news/market-...

attomdata.com

The Best Time to Sell a Home is in May

ATTOM’s The Best Days to Sell report shows sellers see the highest premiums in May, with top days to sell falling in spring months.

6. FOOD INFLATION is real. See that purple band widen in 2022 to 2024? 7. FOOD COSTS MORE THAN UTILITIES + COMMUNICATION in California. A favorable climate lowers utility costs. High population density lowers communication costs to vendors, who may pass on savings. Retire to such a place. 5/END

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5. IF YOU RENT, you pay the landlord's mortgage + irreducible core costs + profit. At best, these are split across multiple renters & may cost less than home ownership for each renter. But for rent to be cheaper than owning, keep rent < 1/3 of your total expenses & <33% of income. 4/

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3. PAYROLL TAXES PLUS MORTGAGE ≈ half your expenses while working. So your EXPENSES DROP BY HALF if you pay off your mortgage before you retire. This makes living on Social Security possible. 4. PREPAY YOUR MORTGAGE if needed to pay off your mortgage by retirement! It's that big a deal. 3/

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2. #HOMEOWNERSHIP COSTS are ~1/3 to 1/2 of total expenses in California. Even after mortgage payoff, an irreducible core expense remains for property tax, insurance, HOA, & maintenance. This irreducible core is your 3rd largest expense while working & likely your largest expense in retirement. 2/

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Some #personalfinance & #homeownership facts show up best in stacked area charts. I've shown a personal example. Some under-appreciated facts of life: 1. PAYROLL TAXES—including US & state income taxes, FICA & SDI—are your biggest expense by far. Include them in your budget & manage them! 1/5

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Trump is & always has been extraordinarily bad for business. Just assume he will break anything he touches. This simplifies investment planning. 😜

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Peter Zeihan shares his take on how tariffs & Trump's ejection of immigrants from the US worsen other demographic trends in the US home purchase market. (~5 min) #realestate www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J6p...

youtube.com

I Hope You Didn't Want to Buy a Home || Peter Zeihan

YouTube video by Zeihan on Geopolitics

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

Consider US Treasury investments like T-bills & bonds. What happens to those if Trump decides to default on US debt? They become worthless, that's what. So investors are dumping them now. Would DJT ever default? Has he ever defaulted on debt in the past? 😬 #personalfinance

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Covid had an enduring impact on consumer sentiment, per the University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment. The index is measured relative to the year 1966. In 2017-2019, the US consumer level of satisfaction was almost equal to the riotous, protest-ridden 1960s. Then things fell off a cliff.

Index of Consumer Sentiment chart from 2015 to 2025

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Michael Wiebe @michaelwiebe.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

How upzoning reduces land costs: Auckland's THA zone allows 5-storey buildings, where before, ~1-2 storeys was allowed. Hence, the stock of 5-storey-zoned land increased significantly. This creates more leverage for 5-storey builders over landowners, reducing land prices.

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Lidia Dinkova @lidiadinkova.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

The former president of South Florida's biggest HOA will remain in jail while awaiting her trial on charges she participated in a massive fraud that siphoned funds from the homeowners association. therealdeal.com/miami/2025/0...

therealdeal.com

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

The Case Shiller national home price index increased 4.1% year-over-year in January. (This index tracks same-house price changes to ensure like-to-like comparison.) #realestate

Case-Shiller home price trends January 1988 to January 2025 for Composite 10-City index, Composite 20-City Index, & US National Index.

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

In 2024 I invested 30% in mortgage prepays, 30% in I-bonds/T-bills/cash, & 40% in stocks. In January, with DJT in mind, I switched to 50% prepays, 25% bonds/bills/cash, & 25% stocks for new investments. Half my existing stocks moved to T-bills. Recent stock doings seem to ratify the plan. Holding.

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

When buying a home, consider what you'd have if the home burned down. Be sure the LAND is something you'd want. Neighborhood. Proximity to jobs/services. 2 roads in/out. Drainage. Erosion. Earthquake fault. Fire risk. View. LAND is 65% of home cost in So Cal cities. Is it worth it? #realestate

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

First homes begin rebuilding after Palisades Fire. One home completed permitting process in 3 months, since they are basically rebuilding the previously approved house. #realestate www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6wA...

youtube.com

First homes begin rebuilding process after Palisades Fire

YouTube video by NBCLA

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The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 07/04/2025

Households are considered cost-burdened when they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, mortgage payments, and other housing costs. Higher housing costs reduce the ability to pay for necessities like health care or may force people to live in lower-quality housing or neighborhoods.

sltrib.com

‘We cannot keep building McMansions’: Why housing is out of reach for so many Utahns

Here's why a recent study says housing affordability directly affects Utahns' health.

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Buffett wins, billionaires lose big! #econsky

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Canada accounts for roughly 85% of all U.S. softwood lumber imports, a key component of new home construction costs. Mexican is the primary source of such major construction cost drivers as gypsum, concrete and near-shored & appliances. www.nahb.org/blog/2025/04...

nahb.org

In Win for NAHB, Canadian Lumber Exempt from Trump’s Global Reciprocal Tariffs

The tariff exceptions for Canada and Mexico amount to a major win for NAHB, but because of the complexity of the tariffs, builders should expect more volatility in pricing while companies work to unde...

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Sometimes, you just need to repost a great work of art. 😛 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYZ...

youtube.com

I'm A Climate Scientist (HUNGRY BEAST)

YouTube video by Real Human Stories

JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

IMO the USA deserves whatever smacks over the head it gets from its allies. Our current administration is deliberately breaking everything, & its supporters need to feel consequences in their wallets so they don't vote for it again. If I feel the pain with my idiot brethren & sistren, so be it.

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Lara Lynn @laralynnwrites.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

There are thousands of businesses that depend mostly or entirely on money spent by these people every day. Companies that will be out of business in a heartbeat if there are even minor interruptions in payments. #Disability #EconSky

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

The US median home price fell slightly to $351,000 in Q1 but remains up 5.2% YoY. Median-priced homes are unaffordable in 97% of U.S. counties. Major homeownership expenses consume 32% of the average national wage vs the 28% preferred by lenders. #realestate www.attomdata.com/news/most-re...

attomdata.com

Home-Ownership Remains Financial Stretch Around U.S. as Prices Remain Near Record High

ATTOM's Q 1 U.S. Home Affordability Report shows homeownership remains a financial stretch in Q1 2025 as prices stay near record highs.

JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

This is just one example of the most important general principal of cash flow management: Receive INCOME as soon as possible. Defer PAYMENT until due.

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

I'm thrilled to have both tax refunds in hand already, BEFORE April 15th! The federal refund took less than 7 days to deposit electronically. The state took ~3 weeks. I used to wait until October 15th to file. BUT— Refunds in March arrive 8 MONTHS SOONER than refunds in November. #personalfinance

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JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Lennar sees largest unsold completed homes inventory since 2009 this spring, compressing profit margins to 18% as they offer bigger sales incentives & reduce effective home prices to lure buyers. Business is slowest in Florida & Texas. www.resiclubanalytics.com/p/housing-ma... #realestate

resiclubanalytics.com

This Fortune 500 homebuilder has yet to see the 'pickup typically associated with the beginning of the spring selling season'

Lennar says the spring selling season is off to a soft start.

JTE Elms @jteelms.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ... I'm so sorry ... hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha