In an unexpected move, OCAr has dismissed it's grievance against IrvineRenter without reason or apology. This action can only be interpreted as complete vindication and total victory for the forces of free speech and champions of due process.
Irvine Home Address … 46 ECHO Gln Irvine, CA 92603
Resale Home Price …… $3,399,000
Buddy you're an old man poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
You got mud on your face
Big disgrace-
Somebody better put you back into your place
Queen — We Will Rock You
Back in early June, the story broke about how OC realtors seek to silence free speech by accusing IrvineRenter of lying. It set in motion a chain of events which ended in OCAr's dismissing the accusations last week.
Events that shape your life
Certain events and experiences in life can greatly alter your thinking, your actions, and your destiny. When I was in my first year of junior high, I used to walk over with my friends to a nearby restaurant in the morning before school. One day, a punk two years older than me sent a message that he was going to punch me out when I stepped out the door. His little clique was eagerly standing with him outside waiting for me to leave.
I had a decision to make. It would be a decision that impacted my life for years thereafter. I had to chose between standing my ground and likely getting pummeled or running like a coward.
I ran.
I ran hard and fast frightened like a school girl. I lived in fear for years thereafter.
It wasn't until I got to college that I decided to change my life. I got into powerlifting, and I studied Taekwondo for two and a half years prior to graduating. It was sparring in Taekwondo that really taught me the virtue of facing my fears. One day, it just clicked, and I lost my fear of confrontation. In retrospect, taking a beating in seventh grade would have been far less painful than running. As William Shakespeare said in Julius Caesar:
Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.
When OCAr filed their grievance, I had a similar choice to make. I could kowtow to the schoolyard bully, or I could punch him in the nose and take my chances. For me, surrendering my power was never an option.
Realtors dismiss complaint against blogger
July 22nd, 2011, 6:00 am — posted by Marilyn Kalfus, real estate reporter
A formal grievance complaint filed by the Orange County Association of Realtors against an Irvine real estate blogger has been dismissed, the attorney for the blogger says.
.
The lawyer, Scott Sims, had accused OCAR of being at odds with laws governing free speech in filing its complaint against Larry Roberts of irvinehousingblog.com. But Sims says he was given no reason the case was stopped.
“The bottom line is that OCAR has completely backed down and dismissed the complaint, without any settlement agreement or anything of the sort,” Sims said. “This is a clear and total victory for Mr. Roberts. He looks forward to continuing to provide readers of irvinehousingblog.com with high quality analysis and insight into the housing market.”
Roberts has taken on the real estate industry and accused agents of being dishonest. But while he’s been hard on real estate agents in general, he said in a recent interview, ”I have never singled any Realtor out and called them a liar.”
The grievance didn’t say specifically what Roberts — who is not a Realtor –or anyone else did, according to Roberts, who showed a copy of it to The Orange County Register. …
The letter that Sims, a partner at Manderson, Schafer & McKinlay of Newport Beach, sent to OCAR had stated: “If OCAR does not immediately serve notices of dismissal of all charges, we will take the appropriate actions to protect Roberts’ constitutionally protected rights.”
Related:
Related on IHB:
OC realtors seek to silence free speech by accusing IrvineRenter of lying
OCAr fails to explain charges, demands IrvineRenter’s silence
Alas, this will be the last installment in the series. Dismissing the case was the wisest choice for OCAr. The negative publicity was not helping their image, and they had nothing to gain by pushing on. I'm relieved they stopped as I was running out of good communist images for making cool cartoons.
I want to thank all my supporters to commented on the posts above and the posts over at the OC Register. And I want to give special thanks to my legal team, Scott Sims, Chris Manderson, and John Schafer, who did a wonderful job defending free speech and the right to due process in America. They are the A-Team.
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As you can see from the story below, it's much more difficult to shut down a real estate website than realtors would like it to be.
Battle Waged Over Real Estate Gossip on the Web
By DIANE CARDWELL
Published: June 20, 2011
A Web site, now defunct, that claimed to expose “the underbelly of the Manhattan real estate market” by reporting on bad broker behavior, abusive landlords and run-down apartments quickly became a forum for bitter accusations against landlords, brokers, real estate industry co-workers and even roommates.
One entry, from February 2007, described a building in the East Village where the super “breaks into the apartments and steals food and money.”
Another, posted that August, complained of an agent who had arranged for someone to pose as a prospective renter and “pretend to be super-excited” about a subpar apartment to make it seem attractive.
Open house shills are a common practice. Prospective buyers are always more anxious when they believe they have competition.
Another entry, posted in January 2008, reported on a fight — rebutted in the comments section — that had broken out between agents for Prudential Douglas Elliman at a holiday party.
But when the Web site (its name is too scatological to be published here) began posting items accusing Christakis Shiamili, the founder of Ardor New York Real Estate, of anti-Semitism, domestic violence and mistreatment of his employees, it did not sit well with him. In a case that eventually went to the state’s highest court, he sued the operator of the site, Ryan McCann, who as it turned out was a competitor from the Real Estate Group of New York, now part of MNS.
In OCAr's initial complaint, they accused me of “knowingly telling lies about competitors.” That is exactly what the realtor Ryan McCann was doing. He was knowingly making false accusations against a specific person. I have never done anything of the sort. I have only made factual accusations or offered supported opinions of the activities of the organization. The difference between the two is enormous.
“I was never subject to such an attack on a personal level,” Mr. Shiamili said last week in his Midtown Manhattan office. “They seemed to be very vindictive people. And they were putting stuff not only on me but my managers. A lot of my managers were freaking out.”
Mr. Shiamili’s lawsuit was dismissed, in a close decision handed down last week by the Court of Appeals, which held that Mr. McCann and his co-defendant, Daniel Baum, were protected under the Communications Decency Act, which shields Web site operators from liability when they publish and edit material that they did not create.
Through a lawyer, Mr. McCann and Mr. Baum declined to speak about the case. But it throws open a window on the cutthroat world of residential real estate as it exists on the Internet, where the cloak of anonymity can help harsh commentary escalate.
There was much discussion in the comments on the OCAr posts about what constitutes free speech. I was accused of being a hypocrite because I sometimes censure comments here on the blog. First, I would like to point out that free speech is not an absolute. People can't yell “fire” in a crowded theater, nor can they make false accusations that could be libelous.
Second, although I run an open forum, I have the right to censure any speech I feel is inappropriate in the astute observations on my posts. People can write or say whatever they want somewhere else. I have no desire to inhibit anyone's right to speak their mind on their own blog or another forum. But this blog is like visiting my house. If people don't like the rules here, they don't need to come visit.
“Certainly in residential real estate it’s very gossipy — people want to know what’s going on in each building,” said Steven D. Sladkus, a lawyer at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz. “People want to know if someone sneezes differently.”
The court decision, he said, “could certainly open the doors for a lot of people to say a lot of nasty things.”
So what? People who say nasty things only reveal how nasty they are. It's the price we all pay in an free society. Sometimes buried in the nastiness is an uncomfortable truth. People need exposure to the truth.
Recently, he said, he asked Curbed, a neighborhoods and real estate blog, to take down negative comments about a real estate board president that he said were untrue; the site’s operators agreed but made it clear they were not required to do so.
Wimps. They should never have acquiesced. It will only embolden their critics in the future.
According to Mr. Shiamili’s complaint, filed about a week after the contentious comments went up, the Web site published “false and defamatory statements of fact” that were “intended to injure Shiamili’s reputation and destroy Ardor.”
The comments, from an individual who used an anti-Ardor pseudonym and claimed to be an Ardor agent, accused Mr. Shiamili of terrorizing agents, keeping too much of their commissions, and referring to blacks, Hispanics and Jews as “those people.”
The crux of Mr. Shiamili’s argument is that Mr. McCann took the comments and repackaged them as a post, prefacing them with the statement, “and now it’s time for your weekly dose of hate,” and the challenge, “We are so. not. afraid.”
It should also be pointed out that any comments made on this blog are the property of the IHB, and we can use them as we see fit. I occasionally quote from the astute observations because often the comments are very astute and should be shared with others.
Mr. McCann also put up a picture portraying Mr. Shiamili as Jesus Christ, with a headline calling him, “King of the Token Jews,” according to the complaint. That, in turn, set off a round of accusations from other posters, including one accusing Mr. Shiamili of cheating on his wife. He says all the accusations are untrue.
I like being edgy. Sometimes I go over the top. It's unavoidable when you dance on the edge. However, the shades of grey only exist on the margins. There are comments and images that are simply out-of-bounds. The examples described above are out-of-bounds. How can you tell over-the-top from out-of-bounds? Justice Potter Stewart once said of pornography, “I know it when I see it.” Out-of-bounds is obvious when you see it.
What's interesting about this case is that the judges were willing to permit out-of-bounds expression because they so valued freedom of speech. If the realtor in this case lost, what chance did OCAr have of shutting me down?
Mr. McCann and Mr. Baum filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the Web site dealt in matters of opinion, not fact, and was clearly satiric in nature, given the frequent trading of inane insults. In addition, they said, the case should be dismissed because the defendants did not write the comments, but only published them, exempting them from liability under the Communications Decency Act.
In 2009, Justice Marcy S. Friedman of State Supreme Court in Manhattan dismissed their motion, ruling that the case could proceed. That decision was overturned by an Appellate Division panel, which dismissed Mr. Shiamili’s complaint. Last week, the Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling, 4 to 3.
“We follow what may fairly be called the national consensus,” wrote Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, adding that the Court of Appeals saw the Decency Act “as generally immunizing Internet service providers from liability for third-party content wherever such liability depends on characterizing the provider as a ‘publisher or speaker’ of objectionable material.”
Judge Ciparick noted that the comments about Mr. Shiamili were “unquestionably offensive and obnoxious,” but added that the site’s operators had “not become ‘content providers’ by virtue of moving one of the comments to its own post.”
Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, in a dissenting statement, struck a note of caution, suggesting that the Web site was more than “a passive conduit of this defamatory material,” and adding, “An interpretation that immunizes a business’s complicity in defaming a direct competitor takes us so far afield from the purpose of the CDA as to make it unrecognizable.”
Mr. Shiamili has not decided what steps, if any, to take next, but he said his business had suffered because of the comments on the site.
“They weren’t only attacking me, they were attacking other companies,” he said. “It was a means to diminish their market share,” he added, referring to the companies the site criticized.
OCAr could make the argument that I am defaming their business except for one small detail. The opinions I express are not defamatory; they are truthful. If I have negative things to say about realtors, it's because they've earned it.
Not to worry, all's well that ends well.
Some people never capitulate
The owner of today's featured property paid cash for the lot, and borrowed about $2,000,000 to build the property. He is not a distressed seller, but he clearly wants to sell. But he isn't ready to “give it away.” Notice the series of price reductions followed by a price hike then another series of price reductions. Who is he kidding? Why would anyone offer more than the lowest number in that range?
Property History for 46 ECHO Gln
| Date | Event | Price | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2011 | Price Changed | $3,399,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| May 10, 2011 | Price Changed | $3,599,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Apr 06, 2011 | Price Changed | $3,499,999 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Feb 28, 2011 | Price Changed | $3,750,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Jan 26, 2011 | Price Changed | $3,695,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Nov 05, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,798,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Oct 18, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,498,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Oct 05, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,489,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Aug 29, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,689,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Jul 30, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,499,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Jul 22, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,599,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Jul 15, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,699,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| May 24, 2010 | Price Changed | $3,869,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Apr 17, 2010 | Listed (Active) | $4,149,000 | SoCalMLS #S613556 | ||
| Apr 17, 2010 | – Delisted (Expired) | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Apr 05, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Mar 21, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Mar 08, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Feb 12, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Feb 05, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Feb 01, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Jan 11, 2010 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Dec 02, 2009 | – Listed (Active) | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #7 | ||
| Dec 01, 2009 | – Delisted (Expired) | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #6 | ||
| Nov 03, 2009 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #6 | ||
| Aug 18, 2009 | – Relisted (Active) | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #6 | ||
| May 20, 2009 | – Listed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #6 | ||
| May 19, 2009 | – Delisted | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #5 | ||
| Mar 08, 2009 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #5 | ||
| Feb 26, 2009 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #5 | ||
| Jan 20, 2009 | – Listed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #5 | ||
| Jan 19, 2009 | – Delisted | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #4 | ||
| Jan 15, 2009 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #4 | ||
| Nov 26, 2008 | – Listed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #4 | ||
| Nov 18, 2008 | – Delisted | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Nov 05, 2008 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Oct 26, 2008 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Jul 29, 2008 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Jun 30, 2008 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Jun 25, 2008 | – Price Changed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Oct 27, 2007 | – Listed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #3 | ||
| Aug 25, 2007 | – Delisted | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #2 | ||
| Aug 02, 2007 | – Listed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #2 | ||
| Jul 24, 2007 | – Delisted | — | Inactive SoCalMLS #1 | ||
| Apr 22, 2007 | – Listed | * | Inactive SoCalMLS #1 | ||
This property has been on and off the market for as long as I have been writing the IHB. He is on listing #8 and has been for the last year. If he is waiting for price appreciation at the high end to catch up to him, he may have this listed for a very, very long time.
——————————————————————————————————————————————-
This property is available for sale via the MLS.
Please contact Shevy Akason, #01836707
949.769.1599
sales@idealhomebrokers.com
Irvine House Address … 46 ECHO Gln Irvine, CA 92603
Resale House Price …… $3,399,000
Beds: 4
Baths: 4
Sq. Ft.: 6000
$566/SF
Property Type: Residential, Single Family
Style: Two Level, Tuscan
View: Canyon, City Lights, Hills
Year Built: 2007
Community: Turtle Rock
County: Orange
MLS#: S613556
Source: SoCalMLS
On Redfin: 461 days
——————————————————————————
On Redfin:
Maybe the lightest, brighest home in Shady Canyon. No dark, heavy feel. Ground floor has 2 bedroom suites, and 2nd floor has 2 bedroom suites including the lavish master suite. Plans available to modify 2nd floor to add 5th bedroom with no exterior changes. Two-story tower room can be office or coverted into bedroom suite, or loft. Master bedroom has 2 huge closets, sitting room w/ fireplace, plus exercise room with private entrance. Tuscany country exterior with sophisticated light, bright interior. Lots of French Doors and Windows looking South out over the Irvine Nature Preserve that will never be developed. Large yard with room for pool (easy access from yet to be built home next door). Very rustic, natural landscaping for a true country feel and privacy. Quiet, private location on low traffic street with high value homes. Use your smaller home, custom lot, or investment properties as down payment.
——————————————————————————————————————————————-
Proprietary IHB commentary and analysis
I think this realtor has taken the light and bright meme as far as it can go.
Resale Home Price …… $3,399,000
House Purchase Price … $3,000,000
House Purchase Date …. 5/12/2006
Net Gain (Loss) ………. $195,060
Percent Change ………. 6.5%
Annual Appreciation … 2.4%
Cost of Home Ownership
————————————————-
$3,399,000 ………. Asking Price
$679,800 ………. 20% Down Conventional
4.48% …………… Mortgage Interest Rate
$2,719,200 ………. 30-Year Mortgage
$589,093 ………. Income Requirement
$13,745 ………. Monthly Mortgage Payment
$2946 ………. Property Tax (@1.04%)
$833 ………. Special Taxes and Levies (Mello Roos)
$708 ………. Homeowners Insurance (@ 0.25%)
$0 ………. Private Mortgage Insurance
$500 ………. Homeowners Association Fees
============================================
$18,733 ………. Monthly Cash Outlays
-$1870 ………. Tax Savings (% of Interest and Property Tax)
-$3594 ………. Equity Hidden in Payment (Amortization)
$1125 ………. Lost Income to Down Payment (net of taxes)
$445 ………. Maintenance and Replacement Reserves
============================================
$14,839 ………. Monthly Cost of Ownership
Cash Acquisition Demands
——————————————————————————
$33,990 ………. Furnishing and Move In @1%
$33,990 ………. Closing Costs @1%
$27,192 ………… Interest Points @1% of Loan
$679,800 ………. Down Payment
============================================
$774,972 ………. Total Cash Costs
$227,400 ………… Emergency Cash Reserves
============================================
$1,002,372 ………. Total Savings Needed
——————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Where’s Bill?
Bill and PR must be stunned
Hey PR –
How did that double secret probation theory work out?
I got quite the kick out of going back and reading your prediction of doom for the IHB with OCAR “taking out” Shevy and making an example out of him to kill the business side of the house.
Scary stuff!
IrvineRenter, it must feel good to have stood your ground and won the day when panzies like PR were telling you how foolish you were for not bending over like a bit[s]h and keeping on the “straight and narrow”.
use your smaller home, custom lot, or investment properties as down payment
First time buyers need not apply.
Congrats!!!
Hilarious!
Your blog is simply one of the best on the entire web. It’s the only one that has saved me thousands of dollars by disabusing me of the dangerous and expensive notion that “home prices always go up.” I bailed on housing before the crash and I am sitting on my cash waiting for the Obama economic nightmare to end and real estate to absolutely bottom. Keep up the good work. If we can’t laugh at idiots what’s the point of it all?
Congratulations on your victory and for standing up for you rights!
Larry, congratulations on your victory. To me it was a victory against the trolls who filed the suit against you, but more importantly a victory against realtor b.s. everywhere. I enjoyed your childhood story and applaud you for taking the road less traveled. – Tom in San Diego
P.S. We could use a blog like this down here in San Dog…
I’ve been meaning to ask this but are the minor changes I’ve been noticing in the property listing section somewhat related to the dismissed grievance?
The things like:
“On Redfin”
and
“Proprietary IHB commentary and analysis”
Keep up the great work.
These kinds of sellers are my favorite. They are basically playing the make me move game while assuming that any potential buyer will be too ignorant as to bother looking at the history of this place floundering on the market like a fish out of water.
At some point one has to ask themselves when it is time to move on with their life. If you want to sell it then keep slashing the price until it finds a buyer and quit wasting the time of buyers who shouldn’t be siftingthrough a bunch of houses for sale by delusional sellers who cannot accept the reality of the market.
There is a seller like this in the neighborhood I am watching. They are playing the exact same game with the listing. Add 100K then drop 10K per month for 10 months, rinse, lather, and repeat. Going 3 years now. The sign in the front yard is rotting and faded and leaning hard like it is about to fall over. I keep wondering why the HOA doesn’t make them at least straighten up the sign. I would be pissed off if my neighbor had a for-sale sign in the yard for 3 years. Why not add some Flamingo lawn ornaments while at it? Or leave the over-sized candy cane’s out in the front all year round?
Clearly, the seller does not want to just “give it away” and rightfully so. I mean they paid 120K for it in the 90’s and they are entitled to sell it for 400K after 20 years of dropping golden turds in it. You don’t want some prick of a buyer to lowball you at 250K and net you a peasant’s 130K profit. No sir, keep holding out. Your fantasy buyer is on the way.
Seriously, why haven’t any HOAs figured it out yet? They would jump down your throat if you were a small business owner that parked a work truck on the lawn, but having a “For Sale” sign out for years is no problem.
$100/month for displaying any “For Sale” sign.
$500/month for an agent-occupied home displaying their own sign.
$500 open house fee.
Congratulations.
I still think that the OCAR made a mistake and owes you a written apology
My guess is that the people who do this type of thing aren’t capable of apologizing.
Peak buyer
http://www.crackthecode.us/images/peak_buyer.jpg
Thanks. I will use that one. Check out the updated post.
Slow clap…
Irvine Renter
Congrats on your legal victory.
I have always found it interesting that professional groups (ie OCAR), wouldn’t in fact *embrace* blogs like yours and use it as a source of competitive, cutting edge business intelligence.
After all, the price is sure right, not to mention that your postings and follow on astute observations collectively represent thousands of hours of free market research.
Shevy has suggested the same thing. Searching for truth in customer preferences should be the highest priority of a trade group. Instead, they focus their efforts on how to bludgeon buyers with bullshit.
so much did this principled fight cost you?
The sad part of this is that most people will never hear about this and net net, they have only cost IR money to defend. Are you going to think twice before bashing them again JIC they might bring another suit to make you defend again? Did they accomplish exactly what they wanted with this trick?
The OCRA basically had their members chip in $5 each and it costs IR thousands out of his own pocket to prepare to defend. (unless some attorney did it pro-bono on the principal of it but it still cost him time away from his business)
The good news is, the attorneys on both sides benefit. 😉
Yeah IR, only do the right thing if it does not cost you and only if you get recognition, an you may want to stop telling the truth if it is going to cost you. What a goof ball you are.
“All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
haha. you sure are righteous with other people’s money.
if this fight was going to cost him 200k in legal fees he should keep fighting and footing the bill to do the “right” thing huh?
Of course he was going to win the legal battle but if they suck him dry but using funds from Shevy and other realtors who pay for this fight with their collective fees, has he lost the war?
This is somehow a goof to you?
I am not righteous with other people’s money. I did not decide what IR shouldn’t do with his money. I am supportive of someone who has done the right thing rather than putting them down for spending their resources on doing the right thing and questioning their decisions. I am grateful to those who do the right thing at their own expense. I am grateful to those who come before me and allow me to live in the grace of that which they have accomplished.
But, hey, just sit there and put IR down for his expense and whatever effect he did not have. After all, your inaction will cost you nothing.
put him down for this expenses?
Wtf are you talking about?
I didn’t put him down for his expenses. But did the thought ever occur to you that the OCRA definition of victory is not to win the legal case against IR, but to make him spend money defending himself and maybe next time, it might make him or others think twice. Such is how convoluted our legal system is.
If they have a pool of funds being paid for by thousands and IR only has his own funds to defend, it would get awfully painful awfully fast.
I guess that depends on how deep his pockets are and how much he wants to spend “defending” the principals on his own dime.
I suspect he will spend a couple of thousand but doubt he would spend 100K doing it for the “principals” alone.
It has nothing to do with putting him down. Far from it. I’m in fact, glad they dismissed and it didn’t cost him “more” but claiming victory on “winning” may be missing the point. They made him spend his hard earned $$$ and they spent their members money (including Shevy’s doing it.) So who really won here?
Not that clear IMO. Only people cheering this are the readers of this blog and MAYBE 3rd page readers of OC Register real estate section who read the dismissal. No one else really cared but IR’s funds were “really” depleted.
Yeah, you really cared about IR’s funds. We believe that.
BTW, I know how much it cost him, exactly. You do not, nor do you know what you are talking about.
“I am grateful to those who do the right thing at their own expense. I am grateful to those who come before me and allow me to live in the grace of that which they have accomplished.”
My Sweet Lord, this is beauty Awgee, so profoundly well said, may I aspire to live in that humbleness and thankfulness. Thank you for reminding me, I so easily forget.
By making the complaint, the realtors made IHB news. When the blogs and news organization mentioned IHB because it was news, that drove traffic and awareness to IHB. This free “advertising” due to the complaint likely also increased revenue for IHB (as ads or referrals for Shevy). I hope the complaint puts more money in IR’s pocket than legalities took out of it. Much more poetic that way.
wow really? you are truly special. you know how much he had to spend defending himself against a worthless suit. that clearly makes you more informed.
victory lap and high fives for you and the inside info team. they make him waste money and time and you are handing congratulatory cigars for a conclusion that was obvious and foregone conclusion for everyone but you.
you must have had many sleepless nights wondering if the 1st amendment was going to get trampled on by the ocra. whew, we dodged a big one there.
Little victories count. I enjoy reading this blog and sorry that Larry had to deal w/the BS of OCAr. It is sad that at a whim of pathetic group that Larry had to incur expense. For him, I’m sure the personal battle was worth it or he wouldn’t have fought it. In a way, yes, it matters to many other bloggers, setting precedent, you can say. It was a ridiculous complaint to begin with. I wish Larry does get extra business from the exposure. As already said, that would be PJ.
Congrats on the victory IR. I am glad you stood your ground and they backed off.
One thing you wrote stuck out at me:
“But this blog is like visiting my house. If people don’t like the rules here, they don’t need to come visit.”
I love reading this blog and have been a reader before you were the main writer. But thinking of it as your house is not correct. The reason this blog took off and OCFlipTrack didnt was because of the community aspect this blog drove. The comments were meaningful and added to the discussion greatly. What many blog writers seem to forget unfortunately is that while it is *their* blog, its really the entire readership that makes it something worthwhile reading. I appreciate your insights and posts but I also enjoy reading through the comments. I know you encourage both sides of the discussion and are very open to keeping majority of comments so dont get me wrong, your actions have been great. I just hope you realize its not so much your house as its your community hall or your pub.
By the way, not to rehash this but just yesterday I was reading through some of the old forum posts on schools in various parts of Irvine and was amazed by the wealth of knowledge there. I know you werent able to monetize or justify its existence so no comments on you closing it down. I do appreciate that the threads are still there and if you ever decide to take them down, please do give us a heads up.
The better analogy is that the blog is Larry’s bar. Larry is fun to hang out with, but it is more fun when he’s got his patrons here hanging out with him. He’s not so thin-skinned that he can’t take a little ribbing as bartender, but not only does it piss him off when people act like jerks, it bothers the other customers too. This goes for any blog/forum where someone who gets their comments deleted cries that their right to free speech is being infringed.
Congrats to Larry on the victory over OCAR.
I.R. A few disconnected comments: Re: “No dark heavy feel…” They shouldn’t let us see a picture of that kitchen before saying that. It looks to me like the inside of a really big coffin. It sounds like a bit of a reaction formation, kind of like “Fair and Balanced”. If you have to say it, it probably isn’t so. Most likely the seller is describing the gradual grinding down of his optimism, as the carrying costs on this thing eat away at his imagined riches.”No dark heavy feel, nothing to see here…”
Re: The IHB as a free source of info for realtors; My next door neighbor, a realtor is working with my daughter & son in law in their home search. His advice, “don’t hurry” after all “home prices really only track wage growth over time” I think the message is there for those who will struggle a bit with their pre-conceived notions or NAR indoctrination.
SB
How do you have a $3M+ home and only 25 bottles of wine? If I had a $3M home, I’d have a fully-stocked cellar.
How much did it cost you?
Somehow this went in the wrong place and the the addressee is unidentifiable and I am so senile I do not remember the context. Please ignore.
I’m am happy and relieved for you. Keep up the great work! Victory is yours!
Great job taking a massive crap on the faces of the scum-sucking Realtor® dogs. Keep after them. Demand they all be indicted and stuffed into wedding dresses and sent into prisons filled with psychopathic neonazi cannibal serial killers so they can enjoy the company of colleagues.
That might be a bit too much, don’t you think?
No, that sounds about right 😉
No wait … make it an ARIZONA prison, they got this warden there that makes prison life extra humiliating.
Location, location, location!!! –LOL
I hope it didn’t suck too much money out of you.
IR,
Good for you.
In facing bullies and the unjust, sometimes you lose, but they might think twice before doing it again. Applies later in life too.
Your got to know when to hold them, when to fold them and when to run…. …Tommy lock the door.
“Coward of the County” by Kenny Rogers
No, that sounds about fair to me 😉 … no wait, make it in an ARIZONA jail, they have this warden there that makes prison life extra humiliating, plus location, location, location! –LOL
You are thinking about tent city and Sheriff Joe. The inmates wear pink underwear and eat baloney sandwiches for meals.
Really cheap baloney……..
Haha, awesome, so OCAr dismissed a complaint that wasn’t even valid to begin with.
It’s like me withdrawing my claim for the throne of England.
IR, if you had to use your own money to defend, why don’t you set up a trust fund for those who would like to contribute to your cause.
I’ll personally donate $50 (it’s a token amount) via Paypal if you set one up.
Chris
Congratulation, IR.
From beautiful and sunny (yes! sunny!) Seattle, IR, my congratulations. You did the right thing, took on the bullies, and made them eat crow. I’m proud of you for doing so.
Now keep taking them on. Every bit of bullshit you disinfect with sunlight is that much more information to enlighten potential buyers–not to mention fun for us snarkers.