bigvern1013

@StumpTownStu

Best of luck on the Montana venture. I hope you can make it work. Depends on where you are here, but decent chunks of land (water, utilities, enough acreage for cattle) start at $500,000. 

A friend of mine just listed his house for sale...he built it 3 years ago near Missoula...3400 square feet, split level, 3 acres. It's new, but it isn't a palace. Listed for 875,000. The realtor told him it will be sold in a week.

I also know a builder in Helena that just sold a home. 1400 square feet, city lot...the place sold for $410,000 in 8 hours. Cash buyer, made the purchase site unseen.  

This place is crazy. I think we are headed out...

The wife and I already did "B." Now cash-heavy, but it ain't all roses.

1) The rental market is ridiculous. Rents are twice what they were four years ago...there just isn't any supply.

2) The "buyers" market will develop regionally, not nationally. COVID, taxes, and crime have spawned the great migration from urban to rural areas. Anyone with any means is getting out of the cities. I live in MT...the prices here are beginning to look like beachfront Hawaii. They may retrace, but the "work from home" culture has changed the market completely. Thousands, and I mean thousands, of professionals have moved from NYC to Bozeman, MT...they watched Yellowstone and decided to move out. It's crazy to hear a Brooklyn accent in MT outside of tourist season.

Of course, the scene will eventually change. Within the next 24 months, the Fed will quit flooding mortgage lenders with 0% cash and buying huge chunks of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) via QE Unlimited. Remember 2008 and the MBS debacle? The Fed is now buying these things and acting as the lender of last resort to the world. Eventually, rates will go up. The big one here is the tax question; I expect the 2-year tax-free status on primary residence sales to be raised to 5-10 yrs or abolished altogether. IF a bulk of leveraged homeowners are subject to short-term 40% capital gains on sales, the market crashes. 

But, we may be going the way of Japan... ongoing QE and a constant "pump" of the monetary supply. At this point, we have to admit that the home market as we know it, as well as American finance in general, has changed forever. 

@Getty3

 I'll check it out, thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for the information guys. I was sort of flying blind on this one due to the COVID. 

@Greedybastard

I get what you're saying and agree. It's a commonsense and reasonable approach.

The problem is the "independent" part. Essentially, you are turning judgment of your mental capacity over to a "medical professional." This is a major giveaway and one that can be tailored by politicians and bureaucrats to disarm certain groups of people, justified or not.

The gun control debate is a zero-sum game. If an assault weapons ban is passed, and I think it will be very quickly, the precedent will be applied to firearms of all types. Handguns, rifles, shotguns, all of it. Ammo regulation is next. That's the goal and it's on the way. We'll see.   

@DoubleUp4Life

All of it is dangerous. From CNN to Fox, all these guys do is fan the flames in the pursuit of market share and influence. That's it. to pick one over the other is nonsense. For the Pentagon to directly address a talking head is even more ridiculous. But, that's where we're at.

As far as "terrorists" at the Capitol, there are terrorists everywhere. I heard CNN emphasize that the murderer in Boulder was a "shooter" not a "terrorist." I thought they were the same thing.

The bottom line is this: the whole situation is bad. Hopefully, we can pull the nose up as a country and get back to civility and business. If not, the curtain is getting ready to drop.

Best of luck with your picks, Double.  

@satchmo76

Thanks for the tip, the info is much appreciated.

I'm still used to the old days when you could just go out to dinner. I'll definitely look at the reservations. Any input on the Legacy Club at the Circa?

@StumpTownStu

 Best of luck, I hope you hit big!

How are things looking these days? Booked the Circa for mid-May. Is it worth doing or pull the ripcord?

@sports_Network

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. The wife and I prefer Downtown over the Strip, like the food, clubs, gambling, ambiance. The Circa looks amazing, I think we'll saddle up!

Great, any info is much appreciated.

Ole' Tuck is being addressed directly by the Pentagon. I guess he hit a nerve. 

This administration is classic...trying to steal the Trump "fake news" mantra. Y'all got the White House, Senate, House, and Supreme Court. Who cares about what Tuck says? Oh...that's right...his ratings are the reason a wall is built around Capitol Hill. What a joke. Spineless cowards.  

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2534792/pentagon-press-secretary-holds-an-off-camera-press-briefing/

Thinking about booking a suite in the new Circa dowtown. Has anybody been to Vegas lately? Is it a complete COVID-19 police state, or is it more of a common-sense approach? Looking at mid-May.

Hey guys,

I didn't watch one snap of CFB last weekend. This marks the first time in 20+ years that I haven't done so on Labor Day weekend. The reason why? I knew I would gamble. And, I would have lost....big time.

Just looking over the scores and lines, the action appeared crazy. 42-0 Army over MTSU? 55-3 BYU over Navy? A tight 31-24 win for SMA over Texas State?

COVID-19 has completely destroyed game prep and continuity. If you have an angle, then play. I can't see putting in the time and betting real $$$ on this form of CFB. I never rule out anything, but see you in 2021. 

The Big 12, ACC, and SEC look to be in. Personally, I don't believe it yet. Look for big COVID spike after these guys are in camp for a week or two. That will shut the doors tight.

Sort of curious if the bowl sponsors/conference tie ins have any leverage. Is it feasible to sue the PAC12 and BIG10 for not honoring their bowl obligations? I get it, it's a longshot...but we are going into a litigation season that is going to be unprecedented. Won't surprise me at all to see everyone suing everyone...NCAA, conferences, sponsors, ESPN, all of it.

What a mess. 2020 = Total bust. 

Man, 2020 has been a bust. No concerts, no football, no gambling. Man, I never thought I would see the day...

IF they cancel, the target date for a restart should be 1 September 2021. No way they should play in the spring, only to turn around and play again in the fall. It's too much, injuries will be off the charts.

If I was a senior, I would opt out of any form of a Spring season and get ready for next year. 

EWU has a long way to go after last year's debacle. Griz had a cush schedule...if they could have pulled the upset at EWU, then half of the playoff bracket was likely to go through Missoula. Now, it's crap. I feel bad for the seniors on all of these teams; they put in so much time and effort, just a real bad deal. 

Reports are circling that the Big 10 is going to announce cancellation today. We'll see...gambling stocks are tanking in early Monday trade. This season is toast. :(

Well, it has begun. The BigSky Conference has canceled the fall football season, possibly for play in the Spring.

 https://gogriz.com/news/2020/8/6/a-letter-from-the-a-d-regarding-the-football-season.aspx

I get it...it's just an FCS league. This move is a financial crusher for Montana and Montana State. Be ready for other dominos to fall soon...

UCONN cancels the fall football season. First FBS team to pull out. Of course, it's pretty easy when you're independent, most of the opponents have canceled, and you don't draw dick. But, still....this looks to be the beginning of a trend. 

All NCAA divisions have until August 21 to determine whether fall sports championships will be held. That means plans for FBS and FCS playoffs will be released. My guess is that the Bowls are toast, as is the FCS playoffs.

It's easier to just bag the season. I still think that by August 14, this thing's a no go.