What did you do in the garden today?

[littledog]

But! new construction is struggling to get lumber to fuel demand, and it seems like everybody wants an overpriced, cookie-cutter house that sits waaaaay too close to their neighbors. So the demand is up, supply is down, prices of housing are definitely artificially inflated right now, and it is a partial influence in our change of plans to not look for property this winter, but rather wait a bit. We want to see if prices (because land prices went up too) will stabilize in the coming year or two. I would be surprised if they come down, but would be happy to see it happen.

Guy at HomeDepot in the construction side I work with said he never had a supply problem. And if the are artificially high to take advantage of people building and a market boom, that pisses me off....

*** deep sigh on post about people moving to rural areas, gas and lumber quality and prices. It pretty much sucks but I really hope things work out in the end. I just hate when they show up with attitude and no masks yuck!
Normally people like that don't stick around here for more than a few years max. We are not materialistic enough for most so hopefully only the good ones will stay, the rest have my permission to leave lol. Till then I will be amazed that I can sell my house for a cool million for awhile and it still needs lots of work. he he he! Well, here is to putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward mind, body and soul... a hui hou!

Holy Mother of Pearl, I had to get a cedar 4x4x8 post today and it cost me 47.00.

Just my own individual opinion, since I don't work in a sector that has anything to do with real estate or finance, but I believe we are heading for another "housing bubble pop" similar to what we experienced in 2008, possibly even worse this time.

The first hints back then were fuel prices going up, which drove up prices of everything, including building materials. But mortgage interest rates were still artificially low.

Next was huge demand for homes, along with mortgage companies getting a bit too "creative" about being honest with the fine print they sold to hopeful homeowners, as well as pretty lax vetting about the value of the homes, as well as about the buyers' ability to make payments.

We all know what happened after 2008 - massive foreclosures, bank-owned properties sitting empty and deteriorating in our neighborhoods, eventually bought up by hedge funds who created overseas LLCs, to transform themselves into property management companies. Homes on our street that used to be owned by some of our favorite neighbors, became overpriced rentals.

All of the renters on our street have been great neighbors, it's unfortunate that they have been forced to come and go whenever the LLC property management greedy people decide to finally do necessary repairs and then of course raise their rent.

it's going to be worse this time because we're in a pandemic, plus because a huge ship got stuck in the Suez Canal and delayed many other International Logistics shipments.

 

[Acre4Me]

You might have driven near the town with my favorite name: Humptulips, also on the Olympic peninsula.

That’s right! Lol. My spouse (from WA) laughed when I read this. One can also frolic in the Humptulips river.

 

[Sally PB]

The leggyness is not the end of the world s long as I can stop it now. I'll just plant them a few inches deeper later.

@BReeder! Welcome back, and I hope you had a great vacation. Just in case you didn't know... Plant your tomatoes up to the top pair or two of true leaves. The stem will generate more roots underground. They look like they aren't doing anything for a bit, then, ZOOM! They take off.

Just my own individual opinion, since I don't work in a sector that has anything to do with real estate or finance, but I believe we are heading for another "housing bubble pop" similar to what we experienced in 2008, possibly even worse this time.

I really, really hope you are wrong, @littledog. But I think you are right. And it is scary.

Hubby and I have had this discussion a few times. That kind of scenario is one of the reasons I have a garden and chickens. Food security.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. I did get a few things in the ground yesterday. Early stuff like radishes, arugula, lettuce and chard under cover and curly kale and carrots in another bed. I have two beds that need plastic covers to deal with some early weeds. I hope to be able to get that done today. It's laundry day and usually bread baking day however the new oven needed cleaning after all the cooking and baking DD did yesterday. Speaking of the housing bubble, DD is staying with me while "riding out" the current housing bubble in addition to the pandemic. The home values are so over inflated now there is really nothing affordable on the market. I know it's hard on her after having had her own home, but throwing money away on a tiny rental unit doesn't seem all that productive. I just hope it starts stabilizing soon. Back to gardening stuff. My goal for this week is to get the grow bags ready for the potatoes. It's a process. I need a pallet from my garage for them and I still have "stuff" on that pallet. Then it's dragging it to the spot I picked out for it. (But first I need to prune a shrub in that corner) After that I can store my Christmas decorations that are on the front porch in the garage and get the front porch ready for the baby chicks coming in May. There's always something......LOL!

 

[WthrLady]

The 08 bubble was also caused by lenders lending money from 04 to 08 to people that really couldn't afford it, too much money. The basic payments for three years, then BOOM balloon payments, all of which were legal, caught a LOT of people. Those variable rates and balloon payments caught a LOT of people unaware.

Winds gusted to 46 last night. Greenhouse is still standing, although one of the windows blew open. I'll fix that today. Shelves are next and the San Marz in the seeding shed, in the solo cups, need more soil to bury the stems deeper. I should be able to set the marigolds into the greenhouse, the onions too.

 

[igorsMistress]

Just my own individual opinion, since I don't work in a sector that has anything to do with real estate or finance, but I believe we are heading for another "housing bubble pop" similar to what we experienced in 2008, possibly even worse this time.

The first hints back then were fuel prices going up, which drove up prices of everything, including building materials. But mortgage interest rates were still artificially low.

Next was huge demand for homes, along with mortgage companies getting a bit too "creative" about being honest with the fine print they sold to hopeful homeowners, as well as pretty lax vetting about the value of the homes, as well as about the buyers' ability to make payments.

We all know what happened after 2008 - massive foreclosures, bank-owned properties sitting empty and deteriorating in our neighborhoods, eventually bought up by hedge funds who created overseas LLCs, to transform themselves into property management companies. Homes on our street that used to be owned by some of our favorite neighbors, became overpriced rentals.

All of the renters on our street have been great neighbors, it's unfortunate that they have been forced to come and go whenever the LLC property management greedy people decide to finally do necessary repairs and then of course raise their rent.

it's going to be worse this time because we're in a pandemic, plus because a huge ship got stuck in the Suez Canal and delayed many other International Logistics shipments.

This is exactly what I was thinking

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I put the seedlings out for some sun yesterday

wild flowers I saw on a walk around the property

The river washed sand up on the bank last week and now it looks like beach!

Pawpaw trees are blooming

Iris is budding

I don’t have any pics but I candled 2 of the eggs today and they are both developing!

 

[Acre4Me]

Marigolds.... Here are some of my starts. The first two are seeds from "Seedsavers Exchange".

So TINY - Starfire. Planted weeks ago.

I think these are Marietta. The more mature looking ones are the same age as the Starfire ones above. The smaller ones were just new seeds planted where none grew from first planting.

These are "Giant Marigolds" per the Burpee packet I bought at the local store. They are taller and generally larger than the other ones.

 

[Sally PB]

That's the inspiration I needed! That, and another cup of coffee, and I will get off my butt today.

I blame it on the rain. It sounded soooo pretty and soothing, I just HAD to take a nap.

 

[Elyrian1]

Funny I was just reading an article today saying that 1/5 houses on the market is being snapped up by big investor groups to be turned into expensive rentals. Hence the stupid high overpay with cash that's driving up values artificially.

However lending practices got cleaned up and tightened post 08 crash, so I don't know how repeatable it is exactly. Individual areas may see bubbles pop, but I doubt we'll have a nationwide catastrophic "pop."

So long as we, the ordinary day job peoples, keep our mortgage rates at something affordable, and look to our own food production on some level, we have good chances of making it through smaller events unscathed.

I think my "prepper" side is showing, hmm. Very, very mild though. I like having a month or two of food on hand.

Garden beds outside are showing more signs of life following nearly a week in the 60s and 70s. Pots inside are still sluggish though. Basil and strawberry aren't really doing much.