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Mint Map: Moving for Money

Fascinating map. While it looks bad for California, there’s actually two pieces of good news here:

1. New York lost nearly the same number of people, and has a smaller population. Now granted, that’s the entire state – but we can fantasize that everyone’s fleeing Manhattan because they know Silicon Valley is going to pay more than Investment Banking.

2. All of California’s population loss is actually people who are undesirable. Good riddance low-income families, middle-income families, and… well… families in general. With only the super-rich and single people staying, California can focus on innovation, churning out amazing startups, and keeping only the most dedicated, smartest people in the state.

And… of course, all those undesirable people… with their silly distractions such as children, saving for retirement, etc are moving to Texas.

Best Wishes!

It’s Search Engine Thursday!

Recently someone found this site by searching for: billionaires leaving california

The answer is – maybe.

Yes. Maybe.

The fact is that hundreds of Californians are transformed into billionaires each year from stock options, and ever increasing house prices.

With so many billionaires, it’s getting crowded. So they have no choice but to move from Atherton to secluded hamlets in Benolux, the Caymans, etc.

But is it because of California’s structural budget deficit that’s leading to its implosion due to the will of the people? Of course not! Billionaires are protected from that. They’ll just use their helicopters to commute to work when the freeways implode.

This does raise a question – should we be doing more to retain billionaires in California? After all, having billionaires is important since they will spend their tons of money on California stuff – like burritos, Teslas, and California Cheese. Maybe we should tax tuition to help keep billionaires here…

Thoughts?

It’s Search Engine Thursday!

Recently someone visited this site by searching for: average home appreciation rate bay area

Wow… that’s a pretty good question. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether the intent is to learn more about the past or the future.

Looking at the past, it’s pretty clear…

Real Estate prices nearly double every 10 years. It makes sense because every 10 years, something comes along and makes everyone incredibly rich – Google, Apple, etc. And, desirability continues to soar. Have you seen how many frozen yogurt places have opened up lately? Desirable!

And, of course, as we all know – anyone who bought a house in 1978 for $100,000 in the Valley is likely sitting on a $1.5 million dollar gold mine.

Now… the future? That’s a bit tricky. Personally I think there should be a 15% Year Over Year appreciation – it makes sense after all. They’re not building more land (except in places where they are.) The Bay Area is becoming more desirable (except for the rotting schools and roads.) The citizens only continue to be smarter and smarter. And the weather will only get warmer (thanks global warming!)

But that’s long term. We may need to deal with sub-optimal 5%-10% year over year appreciation in the meantime.

Demystifying the California Property Tax Apportionment System

Ever wonder how Property Taxes in California are distributed? Well, this 81 page document will help you understand!

Here’s the intro:

The California property tax system is often perceived as a mysterious process
understandable by only the technicians who work its applications. It is deemed by all to
be complex with its complexity increasing with each related statutory change. There is
no single feature of the apportionment system that is difficult to comprehend. In fact,
each individual procedure would appear to be rather simple. The complexities lie with
the multifarious procedures and formulas and how each procedure and formula
interrelates and affects the final outcome.
In light of this, the most useful tool to enable the reader to understand the AB 8 process is
a simple model demonstrating its important features and formulas. The model in this
report provides that needed step-by-step approach. The foundation of the model was
developed by Woody McWaters of Ventura County. California counties will have
variations from the processes demonstrated by the model (as the saying goes, “there are
58 counties and 59 ways of doing things”), however, the essence will be the same.

This report also includes discussions on legislative history and the effect each change has
made to the apportionment process. It does not include a history of events that led to the
passage of Proposition 13. The best source to learn about the chain of events leading to
the tax revolt is David Doerr’s “California Tax Machine: A History of Taxing and
Spending in the Golden State”, published by the California Taxpayers’ Association.
Also, for a more detailed description and discussion on the intricacies of the property tax
apportionment system, the reader should refer to the “California Property Tax Managers’
Reference Manual” and various other uniform guidelines published by the State
Association of County Auditors.

It’s a fun read. If you understand it, please help others understand it by posting your summary in the comments!

Over Time: Palo Alto, 1947-1980 (General History: California) (Paperback)
~ Ben Hatfield

Adrian Hatfield was one of many happy veterans returning to Palo Alto after World War II, but this flying ace and Stanford student (class of 1938) would spend the next 33 years photographing every inch of Palo Alto and vicinity. Presented here for the first time in published form is the aerial photography of Adrian Hatfield, founder of Hatfield Aerial Survey in 1947. The astounding visual archives that he created during his long career documents the evolution of a small town surrounded by dairies, farms, and apricot orchards to a tech-industry giant that finds its roots firmly attached to Stanford University. Working closely with developers such as Joseph Eichler, Hatfield witnessed, recorded, and helped build the community that is Palo Alto today

It’s time to spend some time reflecting on the most important city in America: Palo Alto. It may be too late for Christmas, but it’s never too late to buy multiple copies of this book to share with your friends and family who don’t have the privilege of living in the Bay Area to help them understand how this important city came to being.

More importantly, perhaps this will inspire those people to move here, further driving up housing prices.

I for one cannot wait for the 2000-2020 version of this book. It’ll be a sure winner!

Just like how Palo Alto made Silicon Valley great, you can help make sure this site continues to be great! Click this link to learn more about donating to this site’s hosting costs!

It’s search engine Thursday.

Recently someone found this site by searching for: “"palo alto" apartment rent trends”

This is easy. Up. Rents always go up.

I guess the tricky question is: by how much? 10% 20% 30%?

With the recession over, and IPOs going to start blossoming this year, I’d say probably at least 10%. More importantly, house prices are going to start to soar this year, and that will drive up rental prices in that… uh… supply and demand.

So, your best bet is probably to buy 2 houses now, and rent one out!

American Dream 2: Default, Then Rent

Congrats to California for demonstrating our savvy financial abilities. Now we’re not only the leaders in producing innovative products, but we’re also one of the best in using strategy to manage our finances.

More importantly, we beat NY. You’d figure all those finance/banking losers would be better at this, but clearly they can’t think out of the box like we can. Go California!

Nickel Silicon Valley Wrinkle Equalizer 1.7 fl oz.

Price:
$53.99

• Diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Light reflective actions provide an immediately smoother appearance
• Softens the skin using a silica-rich formula
• Firms and tightens with a patented vitamin complex
• Incredible cream-gel texture

It used to be that you could look like this and change the world:

These days?

Let’s face it, if you’re not ready for CNBC/Wired/Esquire, you’re not ready to change the world in Silicon Valley. Besides, tech is fashion!

So now, more than ever, it’s important that your ASICS, your Objective C, your SuperBowl ad, your Facebook app, and your face looks perfect. And that’s where this special line of Wrinkle Equalizer comes in.

With a few dabs of here, and a few dabs there, boom… soon you’ll be ready to rock Sand Hill Road and be on your way to the cover of BusinessWeek. Booyah!

Just like how you can make your face look great, you can help make sure this site continues to be great! Click this link to learn more about donating to this site’s hosting costs!

It’s search engine Thursday!

Recently, someone found this site by searching for: why many houses for rent in bay area 

This one is easy: because everyone dreams of being a landlord!

To repeat from a few days ago:

Let’s face it – there’s no more noble calling that being a landlord in California. If it weren’t, then laws like Prop 13 wouldn’t reward landlords by providing them with amazingly low property taxes! Clearly, the citizens of the state have decided that more landlords is better from a social perspective.

And let’s face it, there’s nothing better about being a landlord than being able to evict a tenant. After all, it goes to show how powerful you are. You are the lord of the land, and you can do to the serfs whatever your will compels you to do. You should always be sure to conduct evictions while wearing your golden, jewel encrusted, crown that says “LANDLORD”.

And there you go. Easiest question so far.