Investments strategy with new administration?

[EddieWalker]

Here in Smith County, and Tyler Texas, they worse tax is for the Junior College. It's a massive money-making machine that has complete control over our local government. When they wanted a new tennis court, they took the local houses by Eminent Domain. I think ten houses were taken to create the tennis court, parking lot and new brick building for the tennis players. A couple elections ago, they were crying about how poor they were after building a brand-new football field, and that taxes needed to be raised. Then somebody came forward that showed how many millions they had in the bank, and that they had just given a bunch of people huge raises. I think that's the only time they didn't win a tax increase!!!

 

[gsganzer]

In contrast to private colleges, it used to be that public colleges and universities were somewhat austere places that strived to provide an education at reasonable costs. That's certainly not the case anymore.

If you look at almost any college, you see cranes poking up and major construction projects going. Part of it is certainly due to increasing populations, but I really think the majority of it is because spending is out of control. You hear all the complaints about the rising costs of getting a college degree, but yet you see these colleges spending money like they're swimming in it. Fancy sports complexes, luxury apartments, lazy river pools, extravagant campus centers etc.

Here in Denton, the University of North Texas has been working on a 20 year sports complex project, with a new athletic complex, including a new football stadium. Subsequent proposed projects would include an arena for basketball and volleyball, a stadium for baseball, a natatorium, an indoor tennis facility, a new and reoriented softball stadium, a relocated soccer practice field and a tailgating park across from Apogee Stadium.

 

[D&D]

In contrast to private colleges, it used to be that public colleges and universities were somewhat austere places that strived to provide an education at reasonable costs. That's certainly not the case anymore.

If you look at almost any college, you see cranes poking up and major construction projects going. Part of it is certainly due to increasing populations, but I really think the majority of it is because spending is out of control. You hear all the complaints about the rising costs of getting a college degree, but yet you see these colleges spending money like they're swimming in it. Fancy sports complexes, luxury apartments, lazy river pools, extravagant campus centers etc.

Here in Denton, the University of North Texas has been working on a 20 year sports complex project, with a new athletic complex, including a new football stadium. Subsequent proposed projects would include an arena for basketball and volleyball, a stadium for baseball, a natatorium, an indoor tennis facility, a new and reoriented softball stadium, a relocated soccer practice field and a tailgating park across from Apogee Stadium.

So after the time when everyone was highly encouraged to drop their toolbox and get a degree? Now there’s so much “educational debt” the IN crowd wants us to pay their loans for them…

 

[gsganzer]

I read an article (I need to find it, so I can share it), that talked about how .gov awards and applies financial aid, is actually a large part of the problem. If I remember it correctly, the way it should work is an applicant learns what they are eligible for and then shops colleges that will give them the best value for their money, promoting consumer pressure on pricing.

Instead, an applicant first finds the college they want and then apply for the aid, the college is then able to adjust their tuition to meet the maximum pain the student can stand. This keeps prices artificially high.

 

[EddieWalker]

I understand the original thinking behind tax money to support higher education with Junior Colleges, but it's gotten out of control. High School kids in there Senior Year are given the forms to get student loans. Once they do this, they become slaves to debt and a path that probably isn't in their best interest.

The more money the school gets, the more they spend, and the more effort is put on getting more money. I realize that I'm in the minority, but I really don't think that everyone should be paying property taxes to support Junior Colleges and Universities.

 

[jyoutz]

I understand the original thinking behind tax money to support higher education with Junior Colleges, but it's gotten out of control. High School kids in there Senior Year are given the forms to get student loans. Once they do this, they become slaves to debt and a path that probably isn't in their best interest.

The more money the school gets, the more they spend, and the more effort is put on getting more money. I realize that I'm in the minority, but I really don't think that everyone should be paying property taxes to support Junior Colleges and Universities.

In my state, the Lottery funds 2 or 4 year scholarships for anyone who graduated from a state high school. The caveat is they need to maintain a certain GPA in college to keep the scholarship. This is just for tuition. Students still need to fund their own room and board and buy book/supplies.

 

[two_bit_score]

Here in Smith County, and Tyler Texas, they worse tax is for the Junior College. It's a massive money-making machine that has complete control over our local government. When they wanted a new tennis court, they took the local houses by Eminent Domain. I think ten houses were taken to create the tennis court, parking lot and new brick building for the tennis players. A couple elections ago, they were crying about how poor they were after building a brand-new football field, and that taxes needed to be raised. Then somebody came forward that showed how many millions they had in the bank, and that they had just given a bunch of people huge raises. I think that's the only time they didn't win a tax increase!!!

Yes, they are theoretically answerable to the taxpayers through an elected Board. But who ever interacts with the Board of a Community College who would decide to run against one of them? Nobody. Their Boards are more often selected rather than elected. Very few voters know who those Board members are and turnout in those elections are very low. Yet they have a huge impact on the avaerage taxpayers pocketbook. Voters have got to wake up and start taking back their communities. Junior/Community Colleges, Hospital Districts, Emergency Service Districts all tax us and all are supposed to be accountable to taxpayers but mostly they are not.
Emergency Service Districts are some of the worst spenders because they are appointed by County Commissioners, not elected directly.

 

[two_bit_score]

In contrast to private colleges, it used to be that public colleges and universities were somewhat austere places that strived to provide an education at reasonable costs. That's certainly not the case anymore.

Everyone is either on a grift or looking for one. It's sickening.

The more money the school gets, the more they spend, and the more effort is put on getting more money. I realize that I'm in the minority, but I really don't think that everyone should be paying property taxes to support Junior Colleges and Universities.

It sure would be good if more people like you would run for some of these positions.

 

[ponytug]

Interesting report out on how the real estate impacts might be hyper local as insurance rates shift;

Property Prices in Peril

First Street™ research is transparent, peer reviewed, and proven against real environmental events. Use the Library to access First Street Research.

firststreet.org

More here, too;

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/opinion/home-values-insurance-climate.html

Food for thought at least.

All the best,

Peter

 

[California]

Interesting report out on how the real estate impacts might be hyper local as insurance rates shift;

Property Prices in Peril

First Street™ research is transparent, peer reviewed, and proven against real environmental events. Use the Library to access First Street Research.

firststreet.org

More here, too;

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/opinion/home-values-insurance-climate.html

Food for thought at least.

Interesting!

I wonder what is the reason for placing northern Nevada in the worst category?

 

[ultrarunner]

Interesting report out on how the real estate impacts might be hyper local as insurance rates shift;

Property Prices in Peril

First Street™ research is transparent, peer reviewed, and proven against real environmental events. Use the Library to access First Street Research.

firststreet.org

More here, too;

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/opinion/home-values-insurance-climate.html

Food for thought at least.

All the best,

Peter

It's on my mind and in a worse case I see a repeat of folks walking away like 2009-12

Several Bay Area cities are around 2/3 cash sales...

Of those, mortgage rates and insurance not a concern... as escrows close with neither

I was picking up some tools at a 1971 home that went pending in 9 days at 1,550,000... it's a tract home in Livermore.

Location, location, location...

Insurance and mortgage go hand in hand.

 

[two_bit_score]

Interesting report out on how the real estate impacts might be hyper local as insurance rates shift;

Property Prices in Peril

First Street™ research is transparent, peer reviewed, and proven against real environmental events. Use the Library to access First Street Research.

firststreet.org

More here, too;

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/opinion/home-values-insurance-climate.html

Food for thought at least.

All the best,

Peter

The insurance companies are gouging bad right now. between the insurance company rate hikes and the fact that they are also on a non-renewal binge property owners are being hit with a tripple whammy when you throw in escalating property taxs. Quadruple when you thrown in that many properties on the market are over priced and will never sell even close to asking.

 

[ponytug]

Interesting!

I wonder what is the reason for placing northern Nevada in the worst category?

I have no particular idea, but large amounts of housing were built out and sold at prices that made it hard for local residents to afford the homes, raising mortgage risks. Plus, Reno relies on melt water from the "dry" side of the Sierras, and that future water uncertainty may have factored into it, and perhaps the recent wildfires that burned into Reno subdivisions may have reminded the authors of the high fire risk to that population (insurance risk/pricing adding to the cost of home ownership).

My impression is that the authors have in mind something less like the US home ownership of today, and something close to the ownership patterns in much of Europe and the developed parts of the far east, where governments, or corporations, own much of the housing stock, and could afford added uncertainties around water supplies, fires, insurance, and financing.

I'm guessing. I see a lot of things through the lens of "well, if the weather is more variable, then what?" Water, crop yields, crop carryover, and general variability add to the cost of living, as does not being part of a global economy for importing food.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

Much of Reno’s water originates from Lake Tahoe and historically much of that water went to AG but now less AG.

 

[JasperFrank]

Well didn't that get rough today on the markets? Just imagine if you had known beforehand the announcements... if you can affect markets like this, it isn't even insider trading. Or even illegal.

 

[ponytug]

Much of Reno’s water originates from Lake Tahoe and historically much of that water went to AG but now less AG.

I think that is rather the point, isn't it?

Lake Tahoe is close to not overflowing, which if it happened would leave Reno without both a drinking water supply, and a source of aquifer recharge. Unlike Las Vegas, or Los Angeles, Reno doesn't have a large scale water recycling system, though they are trying some small scale water recycling systems. I suspect that those are an effort to bump up the public awareness of the advantages of water recycling to then raise the funds for a full scale system. From the experience in other cities, Reno would seem to be ant least a decade or more away from that, and should probably have started at least eight years ago to my way of thinking.

If a city loses its water supply, it is not habitable. It isn't as if Reno residents could walk to Lake Tahoe and fill a bucket of water for the day's activities, is it?

Even for compassionate use, there would be many, many parties at the table negotiating for water rights and access from Lake Tahoe. Practically speaking, I would not bet that Reno could get access at the scale or timeline it might need if a drought went beyond two or three years.

If we are now in a time when weather is more variable, and it looks like we are (2F and 18" of snow in Louisiana?) then we need to build the infrastructure to generate the resilience to get through variable weather. People forget that in the 1800s we had the year without a summer, when it snowed every month of the year in Iowa. That was the loss of almost an entire harvest. Because infrastructure takes time to build, the time to start building is a decade or so before we might need it.

History suggests that real estate values in ghost towns isn't very large. I think that's why northern Nevada got tagged in the report. (To @California's post above)

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

I remember how low the lake was in 1992 and how it affected recreational uses at the lake and only syphons kept water flowing.

If anyone is interested this shares some history.

If things would have gone as planned Lake Tahoe water would have flowed to San Francisco taps.

Lake Tahoe Water Wars, Unending--Part 2 of 2 | Tahoetopia

Water is indeed a precious natural resource in the arid West. With that perspective it should come as no surprise that water-rights issues on Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River have triggered controversy, fights, and negotiation since pioneers first settled the region. Tahoe DamIn the late 1860s...

tahoetopia.com