Quote from ByLoSellHi:
I'm not going to personally insult you, but I will say there are a few people here who seem to be in denial of the problems all around the nation, and that you're one of the few.
Check out Palm Beach, the Hamptoms, and even La Jolla (I just checked on La Jolla again, as I've been actively seeking to score a place there for 7 years now - I am patient, and usually ultimately prevail).
Things are a hell of a lot worse than your comments consistently imply or expressly state.
I think things are still pretty bad despite what CNBC and the other publicly traded companies news services say. I think the government stepped in and mandated a "green shoots" only policy for any news organization owned and operated by a U.S. company. The propaganda machine is in overdrive.
That being said, I still don't know anyone who has lost their job, and it seems (at least around my area) that things have returned to "almost normal" with regards to people spending money. Restaurants, bars, clubs, beaches, casino's, malls, etc. are all pretty crowded.
I am closing on my first home purchase too. I was calling for a crash since 2005 and like you, I waited patiently. I don't know if we are near the RE bottom, but I know we are far off the top. Also, I think massive inflation is almost a forgone conclusion at this point and it should start within the next two years.
The market could crash to new lows and it wouldn't surprise me. Likewise, the S&P could print 2000 by 2011 and it wouldn't surprise me (although at that point we would probably be paying $11 for a gallon of milk---Thanks FED dipshits!)
), but I truly believe this crisis was engineered and it is just beginning. Things will stay inflated for the next 3 or 4 years as the government keeps printing money, but the world economy falls off the cliff sometime after that.