September 05, 2007

HousingPANIC Stupid Question of the Day

Will single people start asking prospective partners what their "mortgage status" is before considering whether or not to date them? Shouldn't they?

- Renters: Good to go

- Own free and clear: Good to go

- Bought before 2002, never HELOCed or Housing ATMed: Good to go

- No-down option ARM negative equity mortgage: Get lost you pathetic loser!

- Took out a 90%+ mortgage in 2003 - 2007: Sorry, gotta run!

80 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not only that, but they should expect to furnish full recent credit reports to each other, as well.

Anonymous said...

Young people will stop having children... it's already happening. Nice life, nice job neocons.

Anonymous said...

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Uhm no. Women want someone who owns a home. Renters are 2nd, no scratch that, 3rd class citizens in the eyes of most people.

brokersleaveyoubroke said...

You forgot

- Bought five condos in Miami, gonna sell for a big profit when the market picks up. Check please.

Anonymous said...

i don't think it matters. in general, the "debt question" has always been there from student debt and mortgage debt to credit cards, etc...

Anonymous said...

I'm a tradesman and got a service call last week from an atractive single young woman who purchased a condo in '05.

Time came to pay the bill, she signed the invoice and handed me a credit card. Took her card out to the truck to run it. (Wireless credit card terminal to run cards is installed in the truck)

The card was declined. I went back in and asked if she had another card. Tried all 3 of her cards they were all declined.

She knew that she was maxed out and had no way to pay the bill.

Mind you this was only for $95 our minimum service call amount. I was getting irritated when the 3rd card was declined, so holding all three cards in my hand I walked back into her house hoping she had money in a checking acct or some cash stashed in the house.

Entering the living room, I noticed that she was no longer in the dining room. I yelled, "Miss. I'm sorry but all of your cards are being declined could you pay cash?"

She responded by walking out of her first floor bedroom wearing only her birthday suit looked me square in the eyes and whispered, "If you like to file that paperwork down there [she pointed at the trash can] I love to take a shower with you."

... some two hours later she informed me that she was facing forclosure becuase she did not understand all that legal mumbo jumbo the salesman "MADE" her sign.

NOW HERE IS A WOMAN WHO DESERVES A BAIL OUT... AFTER ALL ITS NOT HER FAULT... IS THAT EVIL SALEMAN WHO MADE HER SIGN.

Oh well, at least she is going to keep smiles on the faces of her service men. :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, my current GF has a 10 year IO loan that adjusts after 5 years. She was originally in a fixed rate pdt, but it was w/ CFC and at 10% because she had no credit history, but had 20% down for her 1 bed/1 bath condo conversion in a very nice area. She refied to the I/O product but only pulled cash to cover the refi closing costs. She's basically purchased a rental property with a product that is a ticking time bomb. At least she got away from CFC and has about 3 years left of the 7% fixed IO period.

I plan on discussing with her the need to pay down principle and put funds aside for a refi to include the payment of points, that way she can go 30 years fixed at hopefully the same 7%, with a smaller principle that will result in a transition to a similar payment. The rental rate w/ condo fee is break even I think, thats her best hope, she is not a long term planner and she was very naive, but there is still hope. Not sure if our relationship is long term but I'm going to advise her as best as I can. Any other thoughts, comments or suggestions are most welcomed. Thank you fellow HPers.

Anonymous said...

You're going to have to run a credit check on your date! I believe you can get the approval form on the internet. Make sure your date signs the form. I believe the cost is $30 which could save you millions!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I date. And as a Hp'er in good standing from the list you mention....I would never discuss that with women! That's the End of line of gold digging. Also as as HP'er..I'm smart enough to listen and hear their woes to see where they are at in terms of Debt. HPers- biz wiz - THE DEALS ARE COMING!

blogger said...

"Women want someone who owns a home. Renters are 2nd, no scratch that, 3rd class citizens"

I assume by "own" you mean free and clear, not "own" a massive mortgage on a depreciating asset

Meanwhile, renters "own" too. They "own" freedom. They "own" having a life, versus being a slave to a mortgage.

And renters now "own" the desperate homedebtor who leases them their home. And renters are renting amazing houses, for pennies on the dollar. Trust me - there's millions of 'em out there.

The time to rent is now. The time to "own" is over.

Trust us.

Anonymous said...

I'll date a women who rents. But if she's expecting to be 'serviced' in a LTR, she needs to buy a property first. Not financed, but bought outright. If she wont buy anything, it shows she has no drive for success and needs to be droppped.

Also, I absolutely wont date a women who's a home debtor. That's not even a possibility. It shows she has a poor understanding of finances.

Men, you need to raise the bar on your standards. Women who are home debtors need to be avoided like the plague.

Anonymous said...

anon 9:14 yeah whatever dude, you've been watched too much porn lately

Anonymous said...

Ha! All you dummies worrying about credit reports are part of the problem. You do understand that the less debt and more assets you have -- and the more unneeded accounts you close -- the lower your credit score, right?

I paid off my student loans, my credit card from college, closed that old unneeded credit card account with its $100 fee, and bolstered my savings to $35,000.

I paid off my car, paid off and closed a second credit card (I only have one with a 0% interest rate and no balance), and rent rather than own.

Before cleaning up that debt, my "credit score" was 690. After paying off and closing those accounts, getting rid of their annual fees, my credit score plunged to 610.

Anyone who is stupid enough to buy into the "credit report" thing is about as stupid as the people who bought into neg-am option ARMs.

brokersleaveyoubroke said...

"Women want someone who owns a home. Renters are 2nd, no scratch that, 3rd class citizens"

I rent and my GF is fine with that. She's not looking for someone to support her. You must be hanging out with a bunch of gold diggers.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to do a thorough background check before hooking up with anyone in America. Lots of crooks, con artists, etc, looking for a dumb partner. Oh, and for all the sleazy baby boomer wannabes from AZ, if you picked your bride in a catalog from Russia, Philippines, Thailand or what have you, you sir are an idiot (and probably a proud republican).

Anonymous said...

Keefer enough with this mumbo jumbo about owning freedom. You sound like a used car salesman.

Renting is nothing to gloat over. I rent and I'm doing it until r/e prices fall to reasonable levels. I sold at peak and am glad I did. But holy shit, enough of this renter as hero bullshit. As soon as I think prices are bottomed I can't get out of the renting world fast enough and I think I speak for most people here.

How's this for freedom by the way? I have 2 dogs and had to beg and plead my LL to rent to me. He finally agreed with a $750 deposit which I'm sure I'll never see again. Gee wiz I feel like William in Bravehart with all this freedom around me.

So seriously man, tone down the rhetoric it's ridiculous. Like it or not, renters are perceived, rightly or wrongly as 2nd class citizens. Hell when I was looking for a home I wanted an area that had few if any renters. In general people who rent do so because they can't afford to buy and are in general not the kind of people I want to associate with.

Obviously there are exceptions - many on HP come to mind - but the general rule still applies.

Anonymous said...

"Not sure if our relationship is long term but I'm going to advise her as best as I can. Any other thoughts, comments or suggestions are most welcomed. Thank you fellow HPers."

Sure buddy, glad to help: Get out while you can and find a girl with a decent MBA, interested in finance and resourceful without being a frugal nutcase. The not so smart ones are good only for casual sex.

Anonymous said...

anon 9:14

if that's true, real smart doing that with someone so desperate that she might be willing to pretend you did something bad to her so that she can sue/extort your pants off. she's already pretending to be a victim.

Anonymous said...

And another tid-bit of advice...lifted from the late great Sam Kinison..."guys, watch your wives...they put on that 5 to 7 pounds a year, nothing you notice right off, until a few years later you then realize that you're living with their EFin MOTHER!!! OHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Anonymous said...

All money issues (what's his/hers/ours) have gotta be out on the table.

A bad mortgage is an ugly surprise. So is lots of credit card debt or a hopeless student loan balance. So is a timeshare or a weakness for collecting pricey baubles or sports cars. So are regular "retail therapy" sessions at the local mall when the closets at home are overflowing. Any one of these is a time bomb.

Marriage is NOT easy even in the best of circumstances. The tough times we have ahead call for sanity and honesty from everyone for any hope of success.

Anonymous said...

Keith I'm 25 years old. I honestly couldn't care less about the finances of women I uhm "date". I have no intention of every marrying or even getting serious with anyone for a loooooong time and therefore don't really care.

Anonymous said...

". Hell when I was looking for a home I wanted an area that had few if any renters. In general people who rent do so because they can't afford to buy and are in general not the kind of people I want to associate with."

The skyrocketing foreclosures, FBs, homedebtors in trouble, contradict what you are saying. Don't fall for the "homeowner" neighborhood BS because those people are more financially screwed than lots of renters. I sold at peak myself and now happily rent and oceanfront property for pennies on the dollar. I couldn't care less what people think about me renting, especially my relatives who live in the boonies and kill themselves for Wall Street bankers. Me, I have the ocean at my door step. I bet my Net Worth is much higher than a lot of "homeowners" you are talking about.

Besides, I only invest in real estate when the CAP RATE is right and not based in affordability only.

Anonymous said...

"anon 9:14 yeah whatever dude, you've been watched too much porn lately"

ummm, I doubt it! Most recently, I've been asked more than ever "if I want to have a good time" when I'm out and about.

I didn't think of the housing problem, but... it's probably reasonable since women around her ask $200 to $300 an hour.

So far, I've been a good boy since my money is tied up in CD's not bondage-- nuck, nuck, nuck....

Anonymous said...

Having a mortgage is right up there with having a STD.

Anonymous said...

I go even further than good credit, Keith. Check background, health history in the family, if the person is a smoker, hypochondriac, etc. You don't want to hook up with someone with high probability of having lung cancer, heart diseases, cancer, etc. Waste of time, happiness, and money...sorry!

Anonymous said...

There are many couples living together - married or not - who based too much of their attraction on the other partner primarily on materialistic items (car, house, job status, etc..)

Those are important to a degree, but they say very little about who the other person is.

Using a "score-card" of any sort to judge a potential date/partner can end up leading many into making a really bad choice - for the long term.

Anonymous said...

I want to meet a nice girl of modest means that never had the chance to saddle herself with debt.

A little CC or Student Loan debt I can live with. But a toxic loan on a 500k 1BR that is gonna be worth 250k?

HELL NO!

And women should feel the same way.

It's not about reverse gold digging as a poster above claimed. It's all about stupidity avoidance.

Anonymous said...

"If it flies, floats, or f*cks, you're better off renting it".

http://www.nomarriage.com/famous.html

and they should now add "forecloses".

LOL!!

Anonymous said...

I don't need a credit score, since I don't borrow.

I don't NEED Fair Isaac to decide my worth - I don't borrow.

Besides, all of us renters are going to be homeowners before long anyway, when the current crop of debt monkeys lose their homes.

:)

Anonymous said...

I go even further than good credit, Keith. Check background, health history in the family, if the person is a smoker, hypochondriac, etc. You don't want to hook up with someone with high probability of having lung cancer, heart diseases, cancer, etc. Waste of time, happiness, and money...sorry!

_____

Translation: "No one wants me so I pretend to find reasons why I don't want THEM."

Loser.

Anonymous said...

Tremors from the housing market's slump are straining the budgets of state and local governments from coast to coast, sending officials scrambling to plug gaps.

Rising defaults on subprime home loans are boosting the inventory of unsold homes and driving sale prices lower. That's cutting into housing-related revenues from building-permit fees, taxes on contracting and recording property transfers, and even sales taxes.

As a result, legislators in Florida, which was at the forefront of the housing boom, plan a special session this month to consider deep budget cuts to offset a projected $1.5 billion funding gap. California forecasts a shortfall of at least $5 billion in next year's budget. And Chicago faces a $217 million gap in its $5.6 billion budget for 2008.

In the Kansas City, Mo., area, more than two dozen agencies that serve the homeless are likely to lose at least some of their funding this year. Meanwhile, the tiny town of Sultan, Wash., near Seattle, has had to lay off the janitor at City Hall, forcing office workers to take over bathroom-cleaning duties.

pwnd

Anonymous said...

older single guys should find a MILF who divorced well and got the house+alimony+child support.

then just move in with her and the brats and live rent free until she gets too fat and move on.

they will likely have tons of room in the garage to store you man toys.

thats ONE answer to the bubble.

Anonymous said...

a mortgage is just renting from the bank instead of a landlord..

Anonymous said...

Just watched a movie over the long weekend entitled Maxed Out. It’s an award winning documentary about the perils of credit, highlighting the predatory nature of credit card companies. The slimy campaign contributions were especially disturbing. According to the movie, MBNA was the largest contributor to the Bush campaign. These profiteers are ruining lives, and they love it. From the sales rep at college campuses, all the way to the obnoxious debt collectors, the whole thing is about keeping you addicted to the chains of debt – modern day sharecropping.

It actually made me tear-up when they showed a 57 year old recent widow who took out cash advance after cash advance to pay her mortgage, and now is going to lose *everything*. Poor lady says she thinks about suicide. Her husband probably took care of everything for her, and now she’s soon to be homeless. The story also highlighted two freshman college kids who got so far in over their heads they became depressed, and ended up killing themselves – crazy. The bereaved mothers went to congress asking them to sign a bill to keep credit card companies off college campuses; nothing that a few million in campaign contributions couldn't nip in the bud… they still receive pre-approved credit card applications addressed to their dead children.

Definitely an HP movie.

pwnd

Anonymous said...

Countrywide Financial Corp. announced another 900 job cuts as the company slashes costs in the face of a drop in lending volumes and rising defaults.

The job reductions are in addition to 500 announced last month in the company's Full Spectrum Lending division, which handles loans below prime quality, and in the unit that deals with loans originated through brokers.

pwnd

Anonymous said...

questions to ask:
do you have children?

do you have over $5,000 debt? (not including student & car loans)

do you have any STD's?

how many partners have you had?

how many pairs of shoes do you have?

Anonymous said...

"Ha! All you dummies worrying about credit reports are part of the problem. You do understand that the less debt and more assets you have -- and the more unneeded accounts you close -- the lower your credit score, right?"

"Anyone who is stupid enough to buy into the "credit report" thing is about as stupid as the people who bought into neg-am option ARMs. "

You're confusing credit scores with credit reports. Credit scores are meaningless. Credit reports show such things as a history of late payments, missed payments, liens attached, judgments, collection attempts, etc. You can see a real pattern of responsibility or irresponsibility in one of those.

Anonymous said...

I am a single woman in my 20's that bought in 2000 and sold mid 2006. On top of that I have no car payment and no debt. You had better beleive that I will NOT date an FB. Hell, I would rather date someone that has nothing to his name. Not all girls want someone that owns a home, I for one could care less. Now days, it is very hard to find a man that has the same financial goals that I do (sacrifice a little now, but no house payment by age 40). A girl can always dream.....

Anonymous said...

Here is a real ad I saw on a Horizon flight yesterday:

Ref: Horizon Air Magazine, Sep 2007, page26........

For: "The 400" Luxury Waterfront Condos, priced $200k-900k.

Photo shows a young hipster and cute chick on a pier in loving embrace.

Text:
"I love my new girlfriend. She loves my new condo.

Moving to Bremerton's new Boardwalk in my waterfront condo is my smoothest move in a long time. Big savings, new construction freshness and a leisurely float across the pond every day to Seattle has made you-know-who very happy."

Now wait a minute!
WHO IS "YOU-KNOW-WHO"? His girlfriend or his friend in his pants??????

Anonymous said...

Re: Sultan, WA janitorial layoff...

RIGHT ON! I have no trouble emptying my own trash and swinging a mop in my office space. Sure, I'm a department head and I have a few people that work for me, but there's no better way to show some leadership and remember where you came from than to clean up after yourself.

It's all about taking responsibility. Just like the FB's who gambled and are now losing.

Anonymous said...

Well, If my wife and I end up divorcing over this house issue, (I am renting and waiting AS LONG as I can to buy), I will be a "good to go".
Unless I give in too early, then???

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 10:41 about the credit score that DECLINED, as you cleaned things up?

I went from home-owner with about 200k in debt, including CC, HELOC's, cars,and house.

Buying my last car, my credit score was a 810. Car salesman said it was the highest score he had ever seen.

Fast forward to today. I am looking for a broker to buy a house soon, and he ran a credit score. I was a 670. The "lowest score" they will give you to qualify for the BEST rate. (Anything below 670 would pay more points for the mortgage)
Today I am debt free, I rent. Payed EVERYTHING off.
The broker said he has never seen a credit report with no recent charges.
I pay cash for almost everything.
He said THAT hurt my score. He explained it was a CREDIT report, and not a financial report on my well-being.

I laughed, and politely walked out.

I will look for a mortgage AFTER the rate cut.

Rates are going to drop HARD. Or else we are totally SCREWED.

Try to find the desperate owners now. Very few of them will sell their houses. Make lowball offers as the rates hit a low of 4 percent.

Deals are abound!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ken,
I miss Sam...




AHHHHHHH!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Anonymous said...

.


That happened to me years ago. Standing in a nightclub one night, talking to a attractive lady, who got to a point in the conversation and asked, "where do you live and do you own or rent"?





Some things never change!








.

Anonymous said...

anon 9-5-07 9:14 pm....mammoth is that you!?!

Anonymous said...

Did they not have a janitor before the housing bubble pumped up their revenue?

Anonymous said...

My current gf will have approximately 312K in student loans when she finishes medical school. Not likely to be with her when that bill starts coming due. Besides, it is wise for everyone on a first date to insist their date bring their tax returns, W2, and credit report!

Anonymous said...

.

I want an old fashioned girl....

.......one with a curable disease!

Anonymous said...

if that's true, real smart doing that with someone so desperate that she might be willing to pretend you did something bad to her so that she can sue/extort your pants off. she's already pretending to be a victim.

From an intellectual point of view you are right of course. But I guess that I'm like most red blooded American men, who in a situation like this think with the wrong head. --- Anon 9:14

jim said...

My dad always said run a complete background check on anyone before you marry them.

Anonymous said...

I know a couple who bought a house together before they were even married. Why would anyone do this? The guy found out the girl was cheating on him and that was the end of that. She moved out and he had to buy out here half of the house. Yikes!

TM said...

I'll date a women who rents. But if she's expecting to be 'serviced' in a LTR, she needs to buy a property first. Not financed, but bought outright. If she wont buy anything, it shows she has no drive for success and needs to be droppped.

Also, I absolutely wont date a women who's a home debtor. That's not even a possibility. It shows she has a poor understanding of finances.


So you only date women who own their homes outright or are close to it? In SoCal, where I live, that means a handful of octogenarian widows in the entire LA/OC/SD region.

Anyways, if she's young and you live elsewhere... Let's see, the average home price in the US is about 200k I think. I think you're a bad man then if you want the woman you love to pull around 200k out of savings (which at current rates is growing a minimum of 5% risk-free per year) to throw away on a house, which in all likelihood is going to lose anywhere from 10-50% of its value over the next few years, depending on where you live.

Heck, her interest in a 5% CD could pay for rent outright, leaving her free to sock more away, and live well doing it.

Frank R said...

Uhm no. Women want someone who owns a home. Renters are 2nd, no scratch that, 3rd class citizens in the eyes of most people.

You must be in Arizona, not the real world. That isn't the case anymore in the real world (or with real women for that matter).

Of course by "own" you're referring to some loser slave to debt who can barely make the payments ... like yourself, perhaps? ;-)

(It's okay, here at HP we can see your cards and spot people like you a mile away, hundreds of other anon's on this site are in the same boat as you so there's no need to feel any shame.)

Frank R said...

After paying off and closing those accounts, getting rid of their annual fees, my credit score plunged to 610.

You idiot, you obviously didn't learn how the scoring system works before making the mistakes you did.

The #1 factor in credit score is debt ratio ... in other words, how much are your balances vs. your limits?

The fastest and easiest way to raise your score 150+ points is to open 3-5 credit cards and keep them all at $0 balance. I did that and my score went up about 120 points in two months.

By closing accounts and reducing the total credit available to you, you killed your ratio, and that's why your score went down, dummy.

blogger said...

"I am a single woman in my 20's that bought in 2000 and sold mid 2006. On top of that I have no car payment and no debt."

Single girl - do you have any idea how smoking hot you are in HP's world?

1 in a million...

Anonymous said...

Ditto on what Keith said about the single woman with no debt.

A rare breed indeed.

Unknown said...

Ditto on what Keith said about the single woman with no debt.

A rare breed indeed.


More like an endangered species...

Anonymous said...

RE: credit score

I dunno what you morons are talking about. I had a mortgage and 2 car loans. Mortgage was $280Kish and car loans were both $35kish. Sold the house,sold the cars, my FICO went from the low 700s to over 800 in about 6 weeks.

They key is debt to available debt ratio. I have 5 credit cards with a combined limit of $118,000. My balance (which I pay off every month in full) is usually between $5K and $10K as I use credit cards for everything to get the cashback/frequent flier miles. So my ratio is about 10% of debt to available debt. Were I to get rid of 4/5 cards and keep one card with a $15K limit my score would probably drop to the mid 600s as my ratio would be 70%.

That is what keeps the FICO score high. The worst thing you can do to a FICO is never use a credit card or use 1 card and get it close to maxed out.

I find it hard to believe that for such supposed financial geniuses here you don't even know how FICO works.

Anonymous said...

Keith, Todd and anonymous

The thing is, the guys I date never know how much I have in the bank becuase I would never dream of telling them. They do occasionally ask if I have debt and I tell them no. I have had a few ask me my credit score (815) but it is almost like they never beleive me. I think that I am such a rare breed that they assume I am lying to try to lure them in. If they only knew my whole situation.... The feeling I get when I meet a guy is that they want a gold digger. I figure they feel like they can buy the love/sex. It almost makes it harder to date because if they were to find out that I had $$$ then how would I know that they were really into me for me?

blogger said...

Single girl what city do you live in? Guys there are looking for gold diggers? Wow.

One word of advice: MOVE!

In the real world, guys are repulsed by gold diggers. Maybe in Scottsdale or LA or San Diego or Miami, but in the real world...

feel free to email. we'll get you set straight

Mammoth said...

Years ago, a woman I was dating told me that she had $10,000 saved up.

I said to her, "Don't EVER tell this to a guy you are dating!"
---------------
Yes, I was very impressed, and she definitely earned my respect right then and there, but no we did not get married.

Hopefully she heeded this advice.
-Mammoth

Mammoth said...

area 51 September 06, 2007 2:59 AM posted:
“Here is a real ad........For: "The 400" Luxury Waterfront Condos, priced $200k-900k.”

Text:
"I love my new girlfriend. She loves my new condo.

"Moving to Bremerton's new Boardwalk in my waterfront condo is my smoothest move in a long time. Big savings, new construction freshness and a leisurely float across the pond every day to Seattle…."
----------------
WTF!!!?
Bremerton is the armpit of Puget Sound!

With Seattle’s downtown $500K condos heading toward $250K, these $200K-$900K Bremerton condos are headed for $100K-$450K. And that is still too much for Bremerton.

Anonymous said...

To anonymous who said: renters are
...3rd class citizens in the eyes
of most people:

Just curious: How old are you?
Raised in 'burbs' or very nice
neighborhood, relatively speaking?
Education level?

This overpriced (I notice not much
comment on fact prices driven up
beyond any rational explanation,
which had to do with profit motive
of those churning...)debacle has
a very real potential to bring down
the financial structure of the world...There was a very high
element of fraud and pressure sales
tactics, and outright dismissal of
concerns and pointed questions...
That would be lack of character,
commonly known as morality, honesty, the general Christian ethic if that is your bent...how
does that fit into your world view.

I was in real estate for one, largely unsuccessful year long ago
during a lull in housing sales and
relatively low prices. I was kind
of shy at the time and I didn't care for what seemed to be some
common thought processes amongst
my fellow workers, and the company I worked for had a reputation for being decent and pretty straight
forward..There was screening for
neighborhoods that didn't seem
right, pressure to learn techniques
that were outright manipulation,
whereas I just wanted to have a
flexible schedule for my family,
a reasonable income and help people find a nice home. I didn't want to
describe a nice ordinary home as
elegant when it was serviceable, nor mouth any of this **** about
up and coming new neighborhoods.
Up and coming what?????

I digress: the way you judge people
is the way you will judge yourself. You will see yourself as a failure
if you lose your material value..

I have lived long enough to know you can lose everything and you
will find you are still the you
at core, you always were. Things
come and go. Systems come and go.
The time of great ease...is going
before our very eyes..

PKK (grandma)

Anonymous said...

"Uhm no. Women want someone who owns a home. Renters are 2nd, no scratch that, 3rd class citizens in the eyes of most people."

You obviously must be from LA because as renters we have tolerated this type of shallow, irritating short sighted thinking (pre-bubble.) We have a down saved and CHOOSE to rent in order to wait out this insane now crumbling market. Post-bubble the same people who chastised us for renting now say we made a smart move. Hello--Some renters are timing the market so they do not get overextended and plunge into financial distress.

I read the following on a BLOG and its speaks directly to you:

Yes, people are constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses. Little do they know the Joneses are also trying to keep up with them… and for what? What kind of CHARADE is this, that paints people into DEBT JAILS DISGUISED AS MCMANSIONS

Anonymous said...

I date women based on:

1) What do they look like? (Is there a mutual physical attraction?)

2) Health/ no communicable diseases. Does she work out at least 3 times a week, is she fit, is she proportional to height/weight?

3) Degree of maintenance. (Is she co/dependant, does she have baggage and how needy is she? Does she have extra mouths to feed?)

4) Within geographic reach.

5) Degree of inhibitions.

6) Successful.

7) Sense of humor.

8) Intelligence.


If there is no chemistry, everything else is secondary.



It's easy to get a date, but much harder to get them to leave you alone if it doesn't work out.


I am not interested in getting married, so her mortgage status is of no importance to me as long as she can pay her half of every date. After all, women should be treated as equals.


I never tell them my phone number, address or last name until I am sure she is not a mental pariah blood sucking gold digger. Been burned more than once. Once they find out I have money, it becomes a nightmare.

When I find the right person, all bets are off, as long as she is willing to sign a prenuptial agreement; marriage is not out of the question.

What I am finding is more like:

Hot looking, nice clothing, works out, broke with 2 kids and in need of a large amount of monetary infusion. I feign bankruptcy.

Hot looking, fit, intelligent but dull as a box of rocks. I fade away.

Hot looking, has herpes, I run away as fast as I can.

Hot looking, wants to go to bed on first date, asks lots of personal questions, wants me to meet her family this week and is planning the next 3 months with me. I answer no questions and have a very busy schedule till the end of the year.


What ever happened to the wholesome girl next door who graduates, becomes successful, works out regularly and has avoided getting 5 tattoos, doesn’t drink or do drugs and can carry on an intelligent conversation who isn’t interested in taking over my life and bank account?

Anonymous said...

KEEFER

Trick question buddy. None of the HP losers has ever been on a date. Too busy playing Doom in their momma's basement.

Anonymous said...

Women want a good-looking guy. He can fool her by pretending to be rich, but really be up to his eyeballs in debt. By the time she finds out he is upside-down on his McMansion and leasing the Benz, it will be too late. Forget what you've been told about women wanting to find a nice, loyal, smart, funny man. They are just trying to pretend that they aren't as shallow as men. The reality is that women are just as shallow if not more so than guys. Women go after looks and money. Guys go after looks. It's the ugly reality of dating and marriage.

Anonymous said...

“What ever happened to the wholesome girl next door who graduates, becomes successful, works out regularly and has avoided getting 5 tattoos, doesn’t drink or do drugs and can carry on an intelligent conversation who isn’t interested in taking over my life and bank account?”
-----------------------
You can find one of these women in Russia or the Ukraine. And yes it can work out just fine for you both. You just need patience in dealing with the INS stuff.

Go through one of the legitimate agencies, take your time, learn a few words of the language, and you might be surprised. But beware of scammers! If one of these women ever so much as asks you for a dime, run like hell because you are dealing with a scammer.

My Russian wife and I just celebrated out 12th anniversary. She exercises, takes good care of herself, is educated and is also prudent with money. And yes she is hot! We know ~25 other Russian (or Ukrainian) - American couples, and all seem quite content.

So again, if you are tired of all the selfish, shallow, self-centered, materialistic, pierced, tattooed fat American women, you may find a decent partner by looking at Russian or Ukrainian women.

Anonymous said...

So basically you couldn't find an American woman and instead went and bought one from Russia. Calling you a pathetic loser would be an insult to pathetic losers.

Anonymous said...

"....if they were to find out that I had $$$ then how would I know that they were really into me for me?"

-------------------------

Unfortunately, that's the same problem that any financially responsible guy with a decent job has...

Anonymous said...

"Yes, people are constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses. Little do they know the Joneses are also trying to keep up with them… and for what? What kind of CHARADE is this, that paints people into DEBT JAILS DISGUISED AS MCMANSIONS"

_______________

I have attained wealth through hard work, luck and planning.

Flowed everything I could to 401K's, IRA's CBA accounta and I paid off my 30year mortgage in 13.

I always bought used cars, brought my lunch to work, did my own mechanical repairs, house repairs etc. I rarely buy retail.

I'm 42, and have a long way to go, but I seriously avoided keeping up with anyone.

I made some very lucky invenstments along the way that have now paid off handsomly.

I am contemplating how to spend the next 42 years. My financial advisor says I can quit working when ever I feel like it, but I kind of like my job.

As for the women I have dated:

I do not drive an expensive car, or wear jewelry or 5000 dollar suites, but I could. I have found that many are more interested on how I can flaunt what I have than keeping it safe for another day.

It always surprises me how shallow some women are.

I agree with "where is the girl next door" post above.

Maybe I should invest in a Russian or Chech wife, whatta you think?

Anonymous said...

Hey Keith, single girl here. Let me give you a few hints on where I live and see if you can figure it out:

I live in a place where we are running out of land, where scorpions are plentiful, where you have cactus instead of trees, where prices will never go down because so many people are moving here, where you can literally go outside at 2 in the afternoon and cook an egg on the sidewalk, and a place where I am looked down upon by the FB's driving beside me in a Hummer, Infiniti, BMW, etc. while I roll around town in a paid off 99 Accord.

Drumroll please.... ARIZONA. For me moving is not an option as all of my friends and family are here.

Based on what I hear from single guy friends/family the general consensus is that many single women in my age group are stupid, high maintenance, unattractive, fat, tattooed, lazy, etc. I am in fact the total opposite. On top of that I enjoy sex immensely and like to take care of a man (in a girlfriend kind of way not a motherly kind of way).

I have had the misfortune of unknowingly dating a couple of guys with $. Talk about akward being on a date with one of these clowns as they talk about how much they have/make. It made me wonder if they were lacking in other areas. Hint to single men, dont talk about how much $ you have on a date. It is a total turn off and if this is what she cares about then drop her ass.

Now, this is for all of you average single guys out there that are responsible with $. Most single women I know myself included prefer your type. You are far better in our minds than a model looking guy with cash. Sure there has to be an attraction, but to many of us normalness is attractive.

Keith, I did email you last night about becoming a troll and was quite suprised when I opened my email today and you had responded. You are a real class act!

Anonymous said...

It's all about looks. That's why the divorce rate is so high. At first the sex is good and the person looks good, so people tend to overlook facts like their partner is psychotic or narcissistic. After a while, people get tired of sex with the same person and the looks begin to wear off. That's when the wheels come off the wagon.

Anonymous said...

So basically you couldn't find an American woman and instead went and bought one from Russia. Calling you a pathetic loser would be an insult to pathetic losers.

Commerce. Transaction. Women sell. Men buy. Questionable quality, high-maintenance goods in the domestic market.

For example:
So basically you couldn't find a quality American car and instead went and bought one from Japan. Calling you a pathetic loser would be an insult to pathetic losers.

See how via noun-replacement your logic is lacking?

Anonymous said...

"That is what keeps the FICO score high. The worst thing you can do to a FICO is never use a credit card or use 1 card and get it close to maxed out.

I find it hard to believe that for such supposed financial geniuses here you don't even know how FICO works."

Actually the debt ratio benchmark for better credit is 30%. Never pass the 30% mark. For example, if your credit limit is $10k, you shouldn't charge more than $3k at the time. Another important thing not mentioned is the lifetime of open accounts. Never close the oldest account because your score will drop.

Anonymous said...

"So again, if you are tired of all the selfish, shallow, self-centered, materialistic, pierced, tattooed fat American women, you may find a decent partner by looking at Russian or Ukrainian women."

Are you nuts? Women from Eastern Europe are the biggest gold diggers ever. Plus, they have a very liberal culture about relationships and sex, meaning that it's normal for them to have multiple partners. If you are into kinky stuff, fine, but I don't want to get herpes, hepatitis or even Aids, by not knowing who in the hell my wife's banging next. And yes, you do get Aids, herpes, and hepatitis from just kissing or oral sex, contrary to naive belief.

I know such married girl who was banging several guys in the office, without even trying to hide. Oh, and by the way, watch out for having "off the road accidents" in those countries, during vacations, after signing a fat life insurance back in the US. They sure are hot and pretty, though. They are academically smart, too, although oral hygiene is a mess.

Anonymous said...

"I date women based on:

1) What do they look like? (Is there a mutual physical attraction?)

2) Health/ no communicable diseases. Does she work out at least 3 times a week, is she fit, is she proportional to height/weight?

3) Degree of maintenance. (Is she co/dependant, does she have baggage and how needy is she? Does she have extra mouths to feed?)

4) Within geographic reach.

5) Degree of inhibitions.

6) Successful.

7) Sense of humor.

8) Intelligence."


Amen, brother, the very guidelines I live by. You could also add "9) Has nice family", but that's pushing a little and tough to find these days.

Your list should be on the Lifehacker site because it sure augments productivity.

Anonymous said...

One tip for my fellow HP'ers dating out there:

Get a GrandCentral phone number from Google so you can screen everyone and everything, while protecting your real phone numbers. If you don't know what the GrandCentral is yet, go to their Website:

www.grandcentral.com

It's one of the best free services out there.

Anonymous said...

Advice to single guys: MOST gold diggers are HOT woman. Gold diggers get turned on by fat wallets. The point is to get laid by these hot women. So if you have the $ brag about it. If you dont, just go to an ATM trash can, pick out the receipt with the biggest balance and write your phone number on there and hand it to a hot gold digger.

Anonymous said...
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