Ice-cold home market. Cooler computer.
Forget the upgraded granite counters, LCD TVs or discounted landscaping for buyers. The housing slump’s got the developer Irvine Co. teasing house shoppers with a shot at winning a laptop computer — one of three cutting-edge, ultra-thin Macbook Air notebooks by Apple — just for visiting the Portola Springs project in the Irvine foothills through Sept. 30.
Yes, no purchase required for — get this — “The Keys to Happiness Laptop Giveaway.” (Details HERE!)
[ More housing: PRICING | INVENTORY | RENTS | FED | RATES ]
A spokesman for the developer, who declined to talk specific sales details, says, “builders have continued construction, albeit at a slower pace than before.”
Building trackers Hanley Wood says 303 homes have been sold in Portola Springs since 2006, a planned community that eventually will house 764 residences. Hanley Wood analyst Jonathan Dienhart says the project is slow selling — like all others in O.C. — and will eventually sell out. But, “they may feel like project is competitively priced, therefore they’re trying other strategies” to bump buyer interest.
More real estate news …
- Irvine raffle winner chooses cash over home
- Realtors find 4-month O.C. sales spurt
- Demand for O.C. homes highest since Sept. ‘05
- O.C. homes are 10th least affordable in U.S.
- O.C. home affordability jumps in 2008’s first quarter
- O.C. homes seen undervalued, 1st time since ‘03
- Builders shave $430,000 off new O.C. house prices
- Walk 150 feed, save $25 million on a house
- Irvine called 4th best place to live in U.S.
August’s most viewed posts from Lansner on Real Estate …
1. California’s home-price fall worst in U.S.
2. Few foreclosure refugees headed for apartments
3. Beach homes become O.C.’s slowest sellers
4. Long commute. good bye O.C.
5. O.C. single-family house price back under $500,000
What about free hot dogs and Pepsi-Cola with balloons for the kids? Maybe one of those inflatable bounce house things too?
The laptop that all the “geniuses” at the Apple store said that they would never own because it’s a piece of crap????? I’ll take a laptop along with Mello Roos tax. Come on Lanser ……….. we are not that dumb.
“Competitively priced” but still not selling. Better try more freebies.
Pssst………….hey Irvine Co……………if you really want to give folks in OC “the keys to happiness”, stop overdeveloping what was once a beautiful countryside.
Bubble-
This is a great time in the stock market for me. I’ve been snatching up companies with unreal prices. This is one of the greatest opportunities in a generation for stock investors.
liar loan, whatever you do, don’t buy fannie and/or freddie
who will buy a home, just because they are getting a laptop
in this market, i wont buy a home even if they give me a new BMW car
liar loan is snatching up companies with “unreal” prices-
OK warren wannabe— were waiting —-
please tell us the NAME of these great buys that youre
snatching up
absolutely comical… next they’ll throw in an iPod
Oh, h*ell no… I wouldn’t touch the GSEs. Nobody knows what the outcome of that mess will be. There are, however, some good bargains in other parts of the finance sector. Strong companies with minimal RE exposure that have been hammered this past year.
very good Liar Loan. Good luck with those. You are a brave soul to attempt to buy in this market but you are right, times like this one is when big fortunes were made.
Now, keep in mind that Moodys are the same geniuses that told investors during the boom that all those subprime mortgages bonds were a good investment.
I’ve dealt with Moody’s personally through my job. So I can say with all confidence that they have many incompetent people on their payroll, as do the other ratings companies, S&P and Fitch.
Now why would I buy into that??
They have a 3 company oligopoly when it comes to WallStreet ratings. Because of this huge advantage, they’re able to charge exorbitant amounts of money for their services, whether they get it right or wrong. You don’t like their ratings? Tough, because there’s only 2 other companies to choose from and all three got it wrong with subprime. Because of the current credit debacle, I expect even more need for ratings company guidance, not less, and they should therefore stand to make even more insane amounts of cash in the coming years.
I hope you are right.
Dow is currently down 340 point today. Ouch!!!
the smart money is shorting the stock and housing markets
theyre both headed to hell in a handbasket
liar nice calls those stocks are dropping faster
paris hiltons pants at an ecstasy party
youre a real warren buffet alright- keep me informed
of any new HOT TIPS lloollll
Liar Loan,
Wall Street is still hiding billions of losses on spread sheets.
There are still major financial firms standing in line to fail.
You would have much better odds going to Vegas and putting it all on red.
Bill-
As a matter of fact, I head to Vegas in two weeks for a bachelor blowout. If I can remember anything, I’ll let you know how I did.
rants-
Are you short the markets or just camped out in gold?
A free $3000 laptop in exchange for the chance to lose $100k or $200k or more by buying a grossly overpriced house near the market peak? Where do I sign up?
An iMacbook Air Laptop? Pass. Can I have some coupons to Wienerschnitzel instead?
Hey morons at Irvine company its NOT competitively priced if no-one is buying!!