Althouse: Real estate.

December 6, 2014

Real estate.

74 comments:

Ann Althouse said...: Q: What's up with 8 Althouse posts after 5 p.m.?

A: I took a nap! I had the morning spirit with me. I was even drinking a glass of wine instead of a cup of coffee... and the post-sleep spirit of morning blogging was with me. Weird!; 12/6/14, 6:39 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Oh, and: Go Badgers!; 12/6/14, 6:39 PM
chickelit said...: Just remember to build on the brow of the hill -- if there is a hill; 12/6/14, 6:41 PM
Ann Althouse said...: What if someone else is already on the brow and the lot is one step down, carved out of the dominant space?; 12/6/14, 6:57 PM
traditionalguy said...: Fallow land at rest.; 12/6/14, 6:59 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Our band looked soooo much spiffier.; 12/6/14, 6:59 PM
Original Mike said...: Great horizon. Is it for sale? How far is it from the nearest town (aka light dome)?; 12/6/14, 7:00 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Figure out a way to buy it through your own Althouse Portal.; 12/6/14, 7:13 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: Good place for a Compound. No prying eyes; lots of land to bury things.

I am Laslo.; 12/6/14, 7:15 PM
HT said...: please start playing defense.; 12/6/14, 7:23 PM
HT said...: Is this going to be a long night? Defense first, please.; 12/6/14, 7:28 PM
Sprezzatura said...: I'm fairly sure Feng Shui is in favor of the hilltop.

Also, keep the toilet lid down!; 12/6/14, 7:52 PM
chickelit said...: Ann Althouse said...
What if someone else is already on the brow and the lot is one step down, carved out of the dominant space?

Without seeing it and based on your description, I'd say you might have privacy issues.

Caveat empty.; 12/6/14, 7:56 PM
chickelit said...: Unless you meant the house already there is the one behind those trees...

...in which case you might have squirrel problems. But nothing a .22 rifle can't solve though.; 12/6/14, 7:59 PM
HT said...: Flub; 12/6/14, 8:00 PM
Anonymous said...: A girl I work with lives near Ramtha's School Of Enlightenment; a sweet piece of real estate.

It's a compound, a religious cult, and a swindle.

To their credit, they do keep the lizard people living in Mt Rainier at bay.; 12/6/14, 8:11 PM
Louis said...: I think I would be in Ravenclaw but there is a strong case for Gryffindor and Slytherin as well. I know I would enjoy being in Hufflepuff but the Sorting Hat isn't there to ensure a good time.; 12/6/14, 8:13 PM
MrCharlie2 said...: corn field, you want to live there?; 12/6/14, 8:14 PM
Original Mike said...: "corn field, you want to live there?"

I want to build an observatory there.; 12/6/14, 8:18 PM
Browndog said...: Why is Wisconsin playing in this game?

Why isn't Wisconsin playing in this game?

C'mon Wisconsin!; 12/6/14, 8:29 PM
HT said...: Fla State kind of fun to watch (gave up on Wisconsin). Powerhouses looking good. Don't understand what's next with this playoff system. Let's go back to unsponsored bowls on Jan. 1. Always worked for us. RTR.; 12/6/14, 8:36 PM
Original Mike said...: Memo to Andersen: You can't win in the big leagues without a quarterback who can pass.; 12/6/14, 8:36 PM
Patrick said...: At least the Baggers aren't dragging this out. Sheesh.; 12/6/14, 8:47 PM
HT said...: Coaching really matters.; 12/6/14, 8:51 PM
Humperdink said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/6/14, 8:55 PM
Humperdink said...: Crap, I have the Badgers and 37. Hope the second half pulls it out for me.; 12/6/14, 8:56 PM
RecChief said...: looks like keg stand Mary is going to lose in Louisiana; 12/6/14, 9:00 PM
traditionalguy said...: But will Ohio State be let into the playoffs?

They are handicapped by scheduling too many easy opponents that used to help them go undefeated but now makes their record pull them down. They will end up in the Orange Bowl.

Maybe Wisconsin plays Georgia in Orlando.

Baylor goes into early hibernation, while TCU goes all the way. TCU only lost to a very high ranked team, but Baylor lost to a low ranked team.; 12/6/14, 9:01 PM
HT said...: Yeah, their schedule is WEAK.; 12/6/14, 9:05 PM
Browndog said...: Wisconsin players look like they've been eating Michelle Obama's lunches, and ohio's player are corn fed.

Is there no corn in Wisconsin?

How the hell did they beat Nebraska??

(I know, I know--Nebraska ate Michell Obama lunches for a weak); 12/6/14, 9:05 PM
Browndog said...: I checked my privilege and decided that any Big-10 team playing for a Championship is better than none, even if it is that ohio team.
Go Georgia Tech!; 12/6/14, 9:19 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Ya' see that gradient? That'll mean trouble when the drifts melt in the Spring and the rains fall in the Autumn. On the other hand, the tree line will provide protection against the gales and a place to shelter from swarms of locusts.
Buy it.; 12/6/14, 9:25 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: I think that we are all assuming that the real estate in the image is located somewhere on the planet Earth. This may not be the case.; 12/6/14, 9:29 PM
HT said...: Fla State schedule - 46
Ohio State - 41

Top 10 in strength of schedule include 7 from SEC naturally.; 12/6/14, 9:32 PM
RecChief said...: here is a shout out to the ugly sweater thread the other day: UW- Superior hockey sweaters.

Hockey and Christmas had an ugly baby; 12/6/14, 9:41 PM
Known Unknown said...: Top 10 in strength of schedule include 7 from SEC naturally.

The SEC is overranked in its entirety. Case in point - Indiana beating Missouri, who played in the SEC Title Game.; 12/6/14, 9:53 PM
Known Unknown said...: TCU only lost to a very high ranked team, but Baylor lost to a low ranked team.

TCU LOST to Baylor.; 12/6/14, 9:54 PM
Original Mike said...: "I think that we are all assuming that the real estate in the image is located somewhere on the planet Earth. This may not be the case."

Has to be. Althouse doesn't do space travel.; 12/6/14, 9:57 PM
Known Unknown said...: They are handicapped by scheduling too many easy opponents

Ohio State has traveled out of conference 12 times in the 16 seasons of the BCS-Playoff era.

Alabama? 3 times. Most of the SEC doesn't travel.

This season, the schedule was down. VT had a down season, but still managed to beat a very young and inexperienced Buckeye team. Navy wasn't a terrible team this season, and beating Michigan State and Minnesota on the road was big.; 12/6/14, 9:59 PM
Browndog said...: There are teams that didn't lost to teams they didn't play. Others, lost to teams they did.

Is that fair?; 12/6/14, 9:59 PM
HT said...: It speaks for itself.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/strength-of-schedule-by-team

Speaking for myself - 'mizzou' in Atlanta every December is fine with me!; 12/6/14, 10:02 PM
Known Unknown said...: Ohio State may have the 3 best QBs in the B1G.
Outside of Penn State's Christian Hackenberg, no one else is close. Braxton Miller might be the 3rd best "QB" of the trio.; 12/6/14, 10:03 PM
Known Unknown said...: Gordon will break one to put Wisky on the board.; 12/6/14, 10:03 PM
Known Unknown said...: It speaks for itself.

What speaks for what self?

Is the criteria used objective? Or does the SEC get over-ranked year in and year out, skewing the results? Alabama is great, for sure. The rest? I'm not entirely sold.; 12/6/14, 10:08 PM
Known Unknown said...: I wish Joel Stave best of luck in his chosen profession.; 12/6/14, 10:09 PM
Browndog said...: If the National Champion isn't Michigan, or a team from Michigan, or a Big-10 team (other than ohio), or a Northern Tier team...

Then let the National Champion at least be a team with a former coach of a team from Michigan-

roll tide...; 12/6/14, 10:12 PM
HT said...: ??? There were 2 Mississippi teams that for a while were in the top 5. There's Auburn and LSU. That's five right there. You are expecting perfection from all five, but you should note that since they play each other (pretty close), that will not be possible. Look at week 8, AP poll, 5 SEC teams in top 10. I mean, this is only year after year after year. But sure, we're over-ranked. Sure.

Again, we weed each other out, so you don't have tooooooooo.....; 12/6/14, 10:19 PM
F said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/6/14, 10:19 PM
F said...: Looks like the lowest spot around. If you're gonna build there, build on stilts. You can park your car underneath the house when no floods are predicted -- or sleep in the open air below the house. That's the way they do it in Laos.; 12/6/14, 10:24 PM
Known Unknown said...: There were 2 Mississippi teams that for a while were in the top 5

Both were over-ranked. The equivalent in any other conference would be a 6-0 Iowa or 6-0 Washington ranked in the Top 5. The pollsters would never do that. Both Miss programs don't have recent history on their side to automatically rank them that high.

The pollsters saw fit to rank Texas A&M in the top 10 after beating South Carolina. Both of those teams have a combined record of 13-11. South Carolina was ranked in the preseason Top 10!!

The pollsters also found it reasonable to put Texas A&M back into the Top 25 even after being beaten 59-0 by Alabama!; 12/6/14, 10:25 PM
HT said...: I see you throw the word overranked around easily.

2013 Florida State BCS
2012 Alabama BCS
2011 Alabama BCS
2010 Auburn BCS
2009 Alabama BCS
2008 Florida BCS
2007 Louisiana State BCS
2006 Florida BCS
2005 Texas BCS
2004 Southern California BCS
2003 Louisiana State, Southern California BCS, AP, FWAA

I'm seeing 8 of the last 10.

Still overranked?; 12/6/14, 10:29 PM
Known Unknown said...: I'm seeing 8 of the last 10.

Still overranked?

You're missing my point. The SEC consistently produces a few powerhouse teams that are the BEST in the country. I'm not arguing that at all. What I'm saying is that pollsters over-rank the entire conference based on the success of those teams.

Alabama, LSU, and Auburn are amazing programs. Florida could be again.

A&M, South Carolina, and even Ole Miss aren't as good as the pollsters think they are, but yet they always seem to rise to the top with the slightest bit of evidence.; 12/6/14, 10:32 PM
HT said...: I'm not missing your point. It's no coincidence that the SEC teams have won a couple of championships. It's the strength of schedule that makes them champions. We play season-long playoffs.

What you're saying is that our least should be as good as our best. The teams that you should recognize as truly not good are the obvious ones - Kentucky and Vandy, and I guess Tennessee but honestly I don't know what they're up to this year. The rest are good. There can only be one best team. The SCs and even the Arks and occasionally the Kentuckys (for Auburn) keep the strong teams honest. They're all good teams, but because we play each other, we weed each other out and can only send a few on for national representation.

Blah. This is old.

Anyway, this Urban Meyer is going to be around a long time now. Lots of good things are going to happen with him and OSU.; 12/6/14, 10:49 PM
Known Unknown said...: HT - I wish the Big Ten were better. Michigan has to get their shit together. Penn State will get better. I suspect Rutgers will as well.; 12/6/14, 10:51 PM
mccullough said...: Urban Meyer is a terrific coach. He's been successful everywhere. Best college football coach of this generation. And he's only 50.

Would love to see tOSU in the college football playoff. TCU and Baylor are not big time programs. Audiences want OSU and will get them.; 12/6/14, 10:57 PM
mccullough said...: HT,

Missouri sucks. They lost to Indiana, who lost all their Big Ten games. Ole Miss sucks. Mississippi state sucks. Florida sucks, LSU sucks. Arkansas sucks. Kentucky sucks. Georgia sucks. South Carolina sucks.

The SEC is Alabama and Auburn since Urban Meyer left Florida. It's like the Big Ten was in the 70s.; 12/6/14, 11:01 PM
HT said...: The pollsters also found it reasonable to put Texas A&M back into the Top 25 even after being beaten 59-0 by Alabama!

____

No doubt then you'll be waiting to see where they put Wisconsin!

Let's not forget, this is COLLEGE football. Blowouts happen.

Michigan, OSU, and Purdue yes, even Purdue, were the teams I remember as being good. And of course Penn State and Nebraska and yeah even Northwestern on occasion. But I can't remember who belonged in which conference when. I just remembered them as being threats, some more than others, obviously.; 12/6/14, 11:03 PM
mccullough said...: I think we can all agree that Wisconsin is better than Missouri. So is Indiana.

Funny that A&M and Missouri, two middle of the pack teams in the Big 12, have had success in the SEC.

Again, Alabama and Auburn are terrific programs. The rest of the SEC just fill out the schedule.; 12/6/14, 11:20 PM
HT said...: The SEC is Alabama and Auburn since Urban Meyer left Florida. It's like the Big Ten was in the 70s.

__

Oh? Who were the national champs from the Big 10 then?; 12/6/14, 11:23 PM
mccullough said...: HT, it's cyclical. The SEC was a joke from the 1960s until 2006.

In the 60s, USC went to Alabama and demolished them, prompting Bear Bryant to say he needed to start getting some niggers on his team. Alabama was the only decent SEC team from the 60s until the 90s.

The SEC isn't a dominant conference. It's a conference with two dominant programs that pretends the conference is good. It's not. Which is why there are few dominant SEC players in the NFL. Johnny Manziel and Michael Sam were great SEC players. So we're AJ McCarron and Trent Richardson. They can't play on Sunday. Neither can Tebow. Drew Stanton and Kirk Cousins, two no name QBs from Michigan State in recent years, started NFL games this year.

JJ Watt and Russell Wilson, two Wisconsin players, are better than any 2 players the SEC has produced in the last decade.

If the SEC were so great and dominant a football conference, their players would be dominating in the NFL.

But Alabama is very good.; 12/6/14, 11:46 PM
traditionalguy said...: Since when has Ohio State been a big time program except in their own minds? This week is the first time in living memory. If Ohio State wants to be treated as big time for its past glory, then they need to start scheduling big time teams like Notre Dame does.

And thank you EMD for agreeing with my point that Baylor is a better team to lose to than than West Virginia.; 12/6/14, 11:50 PM
HT said...: Must be nice to retype history.

And, no I won't agree that Wisc is so much better than Missou. And far be it from me to sing the praises of THAT team (Mo).

Everytime I see Wisconsin I'm disappointed. That's probably because to get on national TV they have to be playing a good ranked opponent and risk losing, which is usually what happens. But they got blown out and blow outs happen, yes, but based on what I saw, I can't conclude that Wisconsin is so much better than Mo. I don't know who wins, but I can't say Wisconsin is so much better.

(Forget the NFL when judging colleges. I agree, our QBs don't excel there. So what?)

Champions from the 70s. I asked which ones were from the Big 10.

1979
Alabama

1978
Alabama
S. Cal

1977
Notre Dame

1976
Pitt

1975
Oklahoma

1974
Oklahoma
S. Cal

1973
Notre Dame
Alabama

1972
S. Cal

1971
Nebraska

1970
Nebraska
Ohio St.
Texas

OSU? Which others?; 12/6/14, 11:53 PM
Known Unknown said...: , then they need to start scheduling big time teams like Notre Dame does.

Like Northwestern?

OSU doesn't control 8/12ths of their schedule.

They play 4 OOC games per year. Notre Dame has a tougher schedule (FSU, USC), but chose to 'join' the weakest Power 5 conference (ACC).

OSU has played in 3 National Title games in the BCS era. Notre Dame has played in 1.

During the BCS era, OSU played in 10 BCS bowls in 14 seasons. Notre Dame played in 4. They lost the 2006 Fiesta Bowl to some team named Ohio State 34-20. Notre Dame is 0-4 in BCS bowls.

Oh, and in 2022 and 2023 you get to see Notre Dame and Ohio State play a home and away series. Finally, some big time programs coming to town.

In 2015, Notre Dame plays only 1 legitimately great football program (USC, who finished 8-4 in the Pac12, 4th in their own division!) They play one who was great (Texas) and one who could be very good (Georgia Tech) The rest of the schedule features football behemoths Pitt, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Temple and UMass.; 12/7/14, 12:06 AM
Rube said...: I am below the brow of the hill and have a major drainage problem. Make sure water flows away from any property that you are looking at. Being out in the country is wonderful.; 12/7/14, 6:16 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Today is Sunday, December 7th.

Absent Companions!; 12/7/14, 6:30 AM
George M. Spencer said...: So Obama has a throat problem. And he's a smoker.

Could it be cancer?

That would be the question to ask if you were the editor of a major metropolitan newspaper.

There is a very long history of dire Presidential medical problems that were covered up (on many occasions), going back to Washington having pneumonia and a life-threatening leg infection.; 12/7/14, 7:47 AM
grackle said...: In the manner of Steven Wright:

I used to be in real estate. Then I switched to fake estate. Problem was[rising note on "was" then a slight pause] … it turns out my commissions were in counterfeit twenties.

Saban anecdote:

Saban doesn't wear the championship rings but uses them for a different purpose. "I just put them on the coffee table for the recruits to look at," he said …"; 12/7/14, 8:23 AM
Curious George said...: "traditionalguy said...
Since when has Ohio State been a big time program except in their own minds? This week is the first time in living memory. If Ohio State wants to be treated as big time for its past glory, then they need to start scheduling big time teams like Notre Dame does"

EMD handled the rebuttal fine, but I do want to add that in my living memory Ohio State kicked the living shit of Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, and also kicked the living shit out of them in their back to back games in 1995-96.

The only thing more delusional thatn Notre Dame's fan base is Wisconsin's.; 12/7/14, 8:26 AM
pm317 said...: @St. George, yeah, a CT scan for sore throat, acid reflux..?!; 12/7/14, 8:28 AM
George M. Spencer said...: "The average 5-year survival rate for all people who undergo treatment for head and neck cancer has been reported at approximately 61%. The 5-year survival rate for people diagnosed with localized cancers of the oral cavity is about 82%. When the cancer has spread to distant sites, the 5-year survival rate drops to about 33%. More accurate percentages and survival statistics depend on the tumor location, staging, type of treatment, and the presence of other medical conditions."

God forbid, he is ailing, but this is a story that needs to be written, if for no other reason because of past Presidents' deceit regarding their health and this administration's sickening and dangerous propensity for dishonesty.; 12/7/14, 8:45 AM
The Drill SGT said...: God forbid, he is ailing, but this is a story that needs to be written, if for no other reason because of past Presidents' deceit regarding their health and this administration's sickening and dangerous propensity for dishonesty.

remembering the 2008 campaign when McCain released 12 inches of medical records dating back 40 years and O'bama released a not from his doctor that siad he was in excellent health.; 12/7/14, 8:58 AM
F said...: To say this thread was hijacked by sports speculation would be an understatement.; 12/7/14, 9:47 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Back to building a house on a vacant plot of land.

I'm going to give the most valuable piece of advice.

Spend sometime camping out or otherwise just hanging out on the land for several days at different times of the year....preferably the time that you will be living there assuming it is vacation home.

This will show you how the sun rises and falls....where the shadows are during the day. Once you get a feel for how the lighting is, you can THEN position the home to take advantage of the warmth of the sun. Avoid having a terrible glare in certain windows that make you have to close the blinds or curtains. Avoid being in dark dank shadows when you might like to have a sunny vista. Know where to plant trees to avoid shadowing your house or TO shadow areas. Plan your outdoor areas.

Take your time with this....because once you build the house.....it is too late.

Trust me on this!; 12/7/14, 9:58 AM
chillblaine said...: There has been an abominable snowman spotted in Wisconsin. This is the perfect convergence between Althouse Blog and Puparazzo, because there is a poodle involved, too.; 12/7/14, 11:00 AM