Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The World Is Flat (Broke)

The EN shadows were out in full force yesterday. And many have good memories. The flat tire is the best thing that could have happened to our delicate flower of the Central Valley. He'll get at least 4 posts with several hundred comments out of it. Wait until he finds out how much a replacement low pro is going to cost. If he was real unlucky the rim may be damaged and we are into 4 digits to fix. Well not for me, I'd use my internet surfing skillz and woking ccard to snag a single replacement for maybe three bills. If Young and Gulibile managed to hook up with a repair shop that saw the "L" on his forehead... the total icould be astronomical.

Regular readers will recall when he first snagged the sweet vdubs how we discected what a sh!tty option it was for him. Has anything his haters predicted not come to pass?

Update: Badjer Jim has this to add:

68 comments:

segfault said...

If he finds a shady wheel/tire shop, probably $1000 to fix the one tire and rim, or a few thousand for an entire set.

I submitted a comment to his blog suggesting that, rather than replace the tire, he get a set of four compatible, hubcentric steel wheels (I think the factory size is 14" or 15") and long-wearing all-season tires. I guess that would be too unsweet for him, though. When I had a Jetta, I got plenty of attention from the ladies without having fancy wheels on it... I kept mine clean and it didn't need $8,000 in repairs, though.

And, first post?

Anonymous said...

Is anyone really surprised that something happened? We all knew there'd be something that came up. This is like a poorly written mystery novel where the killer was accidently revealed in the first chapter. We all know the ending, we simply continue to read just to say we "finished" the book.

Rob Dawg said...

First post and excellent commentary. Yes, if he had sold the tires and wheels first off he'd have nev, safe, 50,000 mile shoes and at least $1000 in his pocket. Clearly "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish" was prohibited reading in his country being the insane scribblings of a capitialist, entrepeneur who preached moderation, frugality and high personal standards.

Scott said...

What's this about tires? Where do you guys find this stuff? The front page of IAFF has entries on the Foreclosure Auction, not on tires.

Rob, why not provide a link from your blog entry to whatever it is you're talking about from Casey's site so we all can enjoy this circus! :-)

Anonymous said...

Scott,
They're from Casey's Flickr page. You can just click on his foreclosure photos and then check out the rest of the set. Or here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sercasey/404303723/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sercasey/404303831/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sercasey/404303997/

Anonymous said...

I'm not normally one to repost myself from a previous thread but I figure everyone will probably move to this one. Apologies.

What's the deal with Burdett? Casey hasn't said anything about in a long long time. Is a foreclosure sale scheduled?

And a question on redemption rights: does the bank have to sit on the house during the redemption period? Or can they resell during that time. If so, what happens to a buyer who purchases the property from the bank when the previous owner exercises their redemption rights? (I know that the odds of the Rio Rancho house getting redeemed are very slim, but I'm just curious.)

And this is more to check my recollection than anything.

1. Salmon Falls Dr, Sacramento, CA (Sold - 2003)
Casey bought and sold this townhouse with help from his parents during the bubble. He made $30k on the deal.

2. Calla Way, Sacramento, CA (Sold FSBO - Jan 2006)
3. Burdett Way, Sacramento CA
Casey sold Calla Way to a buyer, but took possession of Burdett as partial payment for Calla. He still holds Burdett and is facing foreclosure. Thus 2 and 3 are essentially the same "sweet deal."

4. Larchmont Dr, North Highlands CA (Foreclosed)
Casey paid $330k including $30k (or $50k?) cashback. He located a short sale buyer in December at $220k, but when the house foreclosed on 2/26/07 there were no takers at $216k.

5. Muncy Dr, Modesto CA
Foreclosure sale postponed into March due to possible short sale buyer.

6. W 10250 N, Highland UT (Wrapped, Unwrapped, Wrapped?)
Casey tentatively unloaded this one via wraparound in November or December. However the status of the wrap is terminally in question, with missing payments, lenders in the dark, and possible misconduct by real-estate professionals.

7. Guadalajara Dr, Rio Rancho NM
Foreclosure sale postponed into March due to snow.

8. Angleridge Rd, Dallas TX (Foreclosed)
Already foreclosed, but hard money lender promised not to report to credit agencies.

9. Sonora Ave, Albuquerque, NM (Sold FSBO via Round-robin Auction - Summer 2006)
Casey made a small amount of money on this deal. (a few thousand?)

Anonymous said...

I saw this coming a mile away. Any one with low-pro tires and oversize wheels is a true idiot. I should know, my car has low-pros and 17" wheels. One little kiss from a pothole, and the damage went like this:
$175 for the front tire
$225 for the rear tire
$600 for the front wheel

Taxes and labor put us just shy of $1200. Sadly, we loosers with day jobs just pay for it and suck it up.

What do snowflakes do?

-jbjbj

Rob Dawg said...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sercasey/sets/72157594386004051/

This is the index page. Why someone documents such a pathetic existence is beyond me.

Anonymous said...

Casey's most recent comment...
You have to ask yourself — what’s going to happen to this blog once all of the houses are foreclosured upon? Is anyone going to care about some random, poor indebted schlub’s life? Just something to consider…

Hopefully it dies a quick death never to be seen again.

JC

Rob Dawg said...

I mentioned this like 6 months ago:

Barry Minkow and ZzzBest Carpet Co.

Casey future? No, Minkow has bounced back from his problems. Casey never soared high enough to bounce.

Scott said...

Thanks for the heads up, Rob et al. But I do want to reiterate the request for links. Rob, they're what makes the Internet the Internet! :-)

Anonymous said...

A big thumbs up to whatever troll successfully made comment #10 on Casey's latest post, as referenced by anonymous @7:52

Wonder if dandelion will catch it.

Anonymous said...

Good lord, check out the site stats in comparison.

EN
40k visits 180k views

IAFF
140k visits 320k views

EN's stats look like a housing bubble chart, and IAFF is on the decline. OUCH, CASEY.

Anonymous said...

What is Barry Minkow up to now? My recollection is that his scam actually involved work..staging scenes etc...to demonstrate to his lenders that he had business....too much work for our boy.

Back in the early 90s, when New England RE was down 30-50% insome cases, I was head of "workout" for a midsize bank....$150mm in REO + $200mm + in "problem loans" we seldom made referrals to the autorities- but didnt see a lot of outright fraud...

one case that may be germane here is the developer who overstated assets etc on his financial submissions, went to trial on fraud and ultimately was convicted when his wife (ex at time of trial) testified that he told her to sign it even though it was false because it was "just for the banks"

Galina ?

Anonymous said...

No suprise about the tire. When you have a tire no thicker than a drivebelt, stretched over a lame-o pretentious piece-o-crapola rim like that; it doesn't take much to flatten that sucker.

Anonymous said...

I think Barry is out working for the Feds. Or at least doing public speaking. In his prison outfit.

I guess I could google him but I'm too busy looking at Casey's purse.

Anonymous said...

You have to ask yourself — what’s going to happen to this blog once all of the houses are foreclosured upon? Is anyone going to care about some random, poor indebted schlub’s life? Just something to consider…

Casey ponders a future w/o an audience. The answer to his question is....fuck no! About a week after he's toast, everyone will move on to the next train wreck of life.

Anonymous said...

A suggestion: it is becoming increasingly apparent that one day soon we are going to wake up, and IAFF will be no more. Although others doubtless have, I haven't archived the whole thing, and who wants to plow through the whole thing again anyway?

So, in anticipation of the pending demise of IAFF, to assist newcomers, and to document why Snowflake held such a special place in our hearts in late 2006 - early 2007, I think we should create a "Casey's Greatest Hits" collection, that could reside here as a historical record.

Obviously there are dozens of items to choose from, but here are some (less recent) examples to include:

The "Wells Fargo has stolen $1000 from me" post.

The "I'm a vegan who enjoys the occasional In n' Out burger" post. (comic gold! Andy Kaufman couldn't do better)

The "The difference between bright creative out-of-the-box entrepreneurs like me and dullard real estate agents" post (basically, Casey wanted to market to "credit challenged" people who couldn't get bank loans - Casey ignored the fact that since anyone could fog a mirror could get a no down payment loan on a house the last few years, his target market consisted of people in even worse financial shape than Casey)

The "Working in a cubicle for decades and putting money into a 401(k) is too risky!" post (actually, it would be funny to put together a chronological list of all the excuses he used for failing to get what he contemptuously called a "W-2" job). Casey preferred vague, amorphous "jobs", all of which, I suspect, had something to do with recruiting for Nouveau Riche University.

Any thoughts?

Rob Dawg said...

Low pro tires are very sensitive to pressure. No doubt afraid of getting his purse too heavy to lift with his mancured nails Young Casey by carrying a tire gauge. In other words, neglect on his part ended up costing him big time. Same old, same old.

LOL said...

Who can forget his 24 hr fast that he broke after a 12 hr nap while watching "The Secret"?

Anonymous said...

From IAFF: "I feel a slight sense of relief. One less house to worry about. Now just memories. This was my biggest cash-back at close and the worst deal as far as numbers go."

So, on the very day his creditors take a big financial hit, he posts about borrowing more money than the house was worth, and getting the cash back under the table. Is Casey testing whether **anything** he admits to on his blog will get him prosecuted? Oh, I forgot, it's "just memories" now...

Anonymous said...

Good morning! It feels greatto be a girly rizer......

The goals posts.

When he allowed the thumbs up/down.

The "I'm surprised my FICO is so high" post.

Anonymous said...

Greatest hits would have to include almost the entire Earth Mission blog.

Casey sleeping for 18 hours, Galina making jello, them getting rid of their Christmas tree on Feb. 28th, cat poop, nap, nap, nap, etc.

Anonymous said...

Reply #2 under "my-first-trustee-sale" (Ding Dong-tthe feds are at the door) is one of the many kinds of thing that is so boggling about IAFF. It's basically a long, apparently accurate SHAME ON YOU that characterizes him as the undeniable swine we've come to know and love. Allowing that comment, and similar ones, on a blog of one's own? Cheeses Wiz.

In the most recent Casey photo, the one in which he sports a mean man-purse, his posture, his demeanor, even his head shape evokes the Geico caveman from the TV commercials. It's infuriating! You just wanna beat the guy in the face.

Has KC even considered that the intranetz occasionally spawns crazy stalkers who take justice into their own trembling, mighty hands?

What I'm saying, I suppose, is I can't figure this whole thing out. Obviously, there are many things "wrong" about the Serin story as presented, but for what reason is it being made public in this specific way? Bafflin, it is.

Anonymous said...

so what happened with the 2nd auction?

Anonymous said...

The beating of CFC continues...Whoo hoo!

Anonymous said...

@king Friday

The second auction was postponed until 3/28, IIRC. SOmeone posted that info yesterday and it is verifiable at recontrust's site.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that tire is completely trashed. How do you destroy a tire so thoroughly?

@ Rob

Has anything his haters predicted not come to pass?


I predicted major mechanical trouble. That hasn't happened. Yet.

Anonymous said...

Also, what kind of moran has his car towed due to a flat tire when he has a perfectly good spare?

LOL said...

He's a dude who carries a purse, he probably can't change a tire.

Anonymous said...

@ LOL

That's right, we wouldn't want him to break a nail or get his khakis dirty from kneeling on the ground.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Casey has deleted his own comment on "My First Trustee Sale" blog post an claimed it was an impersonator.

You have to ask yourself — what’s going to happen to this blog once all of the houses are foreclosured upon? Is anyone going to care about some random, poor indebted schlub’s life? Just something to consider…

I think that Casey's Greatest Hits collection will be hard to find soon as he seems to be diligently doctoring the entire history in his blog.

JC

segfault said...

It's difficult to tell if a radial tire is underinflated by looking at it--generally it will look a little different than the others once it gets down to about 20 pounds, but the sidewall will still bulge outward along the ground a little even if it's properly inflated. The really low-profile tires like the ones Casey has have very little sidewall, making any sort of visual pressure check an exercise in futility.

Running a tire with low air pressure for an extended period of time, especially at high speed, will cause it to "fail forward." Not sure how fast he was going when it shredded, or if he discovered it as he pulled into the parking lot, but he's fortunate in the senses that it didn't occur when it would cause him to lose control of the car.

Anonymous said...

Just a thought...

If CFC goes bankrupt, what happens to Casey's debt?

Anonymous said...

Debt can be bought. The buyer can then attempt to collct.

Anonymous said...

@Ogg
Also, what kind of moran has his car towed due to a flat tire when he has a perfectly good spare

Well.. simply put; the Casey kind of moron. This is the same guy who needs a whole office to open mail, store guru books and delete comments from his blog.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 9:54AM: it *was* an impersonator; almost certainly one of us. It's trivially easy: another anon poster a few days ago told us how:

To put Casey's picture next to your name (like his posts), use casey@serin.us for the e-mail field.

Casey's wise to this game now, but the hole still exists -- probably because he's not actually capable of fixing it.

Anonymous said...

I could run over Casey's pointy little head with my nubbly off-road tires, and never know the difference.

Look at that thing... it's like someone painted the tire on the rim. What the hell is so damned attractive about that shit? What a dumb-assed trend.

Anonymous said...

"A couple of haters tried to post comments as me. I cleaned those comments up. Next time I’m just going to delete those. I have no patience for it. Sorry for the confusion guys."

You heard it folks, next time you try your little face trick, Casey is going to DELETE your comments. Casey has had it with your shenanigans!! (Mental image: Casey brandishing a manicured fist at you)

This is opposed to normal Casey procedure where he deletes them anyway.

LOL said...

"Next time I’m just going to delete those. I have no patience for it."

Guess what? We lost OUR patience with you a long time ago.

Suck it up buttercup

Unknown said...

It's starting already:

Freddie Mac cracks down on risky subprime mortgages

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/02/26/daily14.html?from_rss=1

Rob Dawg said...

Wait until CashCall "looses" their patience.

On a related note Bri Bri has let -one- comment, from Chuck Ponzi through. In a shocking development my comment has not appeared. All I pointed out was that his comments did not pass his criteria for being acceptable. Add hypocrite to the list of suspected faults.

All I can say is that Brian has failed his first test of management crisis. Here he had this great opportunity to show leadership in steering his ship and his solution was to throw the crew overboard. We've had a few crisies here on EN and somehow with nobody at the helm we've done a whole lot better don't you think?

Anonymous said...

"A couple of haters tried to post comments as me."

Actually, unlike our precious snowflake, they didn't just try; they *did*.

Casey promises "the full background story" on Larchmont soon. Heh. Like he's ever told us the full story on *any* of his activities.

Anonymous said...

@ Stephanie J:

What the hell is so damned attractive about that shit?

I agree that in the case of Vdubs, it looks quite unattractive. But that's just because he didn't go far enough. If he had lowered the car, tinted the windows, and put on a sweet body kit, a coffee can muffler or two, a big spoiler, and perhaps a "POWERED BY HONDA" banner across the top of the windshield, things would be very different. Men would bow down before his automotive supremacy and women would fight each other for the right to bed him. Even you might realize the folly of your Jeep-driving ways and repent upon seeing the awesome might of the customized Jetta.

It would truly have been a sweet deal.

Anonymous said...

@Ogg

I LOL'd IRL.

"R-Type" decal, FTW!

Amirite?

Anonymous said...

Read post 2 on IAFF - surprised he let it through. Much hate, and many props to Ruby.

Anonymous said...

Running a tire with low air pressure for an extended period of time, especially at high speed, will cause it to "fail forward."

segfault, you're one Casey fad behind. That tire didn't "fail forward"; rather, it had a "learning experience".

And besides, it's only flat if you allow yourself to see it that way.

@Ogg: VDubs already has the thumpa-thumpa stereo. Sweet. I can just see Casey stutting at the stop-light with 1000W of Tony Robins or Zig Ziglar rattling his windows.

Anonymous said...

Casey’s purse photo reminds of this kid in grammar school who spent every recess under the drinking fountain. We could never figure out what exactly was wrong with him. On that note, I don’t why this article reminded me of Mr & Mrs. Serin Senior…

Mom guilty in faked retardation

She admits she coached her kids to pretend to be retarded to collect Social Security benefits.

The Associated Press
TACOMA, Wash. A woman admitted Monday that she coached her two children to fake retardation starting when they were 4 and 8 years old so she could collect Social Security benefits on their behalf.
Rosie Costello, 46, admitted in U.S. District Court that she collected more than $280,000 in benefits, beginning in the mid-1980s. Most was from Social Security, but the state social services agency paid $53,000.
Costello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and Social Security fraud. Her son, Pete, 26, pleaded guilty earlier this month. Federal prosecutors in Seattle said today authorities had not yet located her daughter, Marie.
According to the plea agreement, Costello began coaching her daughter at age 4, and later used the same ruse with her son. He feigned retardation into his mid-20s – picking at his face, slouching and appearing uncommunicative in meetings with Social Security officials.
Social Security workers became suspicious and uncovered a video of Pete Costello ably contesting a traffic ticket in a Vancouver courtroom.
Pete Costello is scheduled to be sentenced May 11 and faces from six months to a year in prison, as well as $59,000 in restitution.
Rosie Costello is scheduled for sentencing May 17. Her standard sentencing range was not immediately available, but in the plea agreement she agreed to repay the government.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the thumpa-thumpa stereo, what kind of music do you think Casey likes? He strikes me as a bad techno/house music type.

Anonymous said...

what kind of music do you think Casey likes?

Showtunes? Whalesongs? Compilation CDs from the Gap and Starbucks?

He's faddish and short on original thought, so he probably just latches onto whatever he thinks the hip kids are into at the moment.

Anonymous said...

@ TK

I see Casey as a big Kenny G fan.

Rob Dawg said...

Zamfir and his Magical Pan Flute. It's all good.

Anonymous said...

"he probably just latches onto whatever he thinks the hip kids are into at the moment."

I agree.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/35zhvu

Helps him at nappy time.

Anonymous said...

I missed the manpurse photo, and couldn't find it in the on his flickr account--anyone got a link?

I bet John Tesh is his musical seduction of choice.

Anonymous said...

Casey is definitely into Dschinghis Khan.

awesome video
sweet myspace tribute

Anonymous said...

At first I though y'all were just kidding. But after looking at the photos, sure enough, Snowflake is carrying a man-purse.

Living in TX, I have to ask: are man-purses common in CA?

Anonymous said...

Young People Much Bigger Assholes Today, Study Finds

The article focuses on college students, but even though Casey is an unschooled dullard, the info applies. Here's some cherce bits:

"We need to stop endlessly repeating 'You're special' and having children repeat that back," said the study's lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already."

Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled _ and More Miserable Than Ever Before," said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.

The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.

As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me."

"Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube."

Anonymous said...

Wait, even more awesomer.

Unknown said...

dow down over 500 today. I'd say we are finally starting a 'correction'. Wish I had shorted last week :(

Anonymous said...

Interesting article, CF. I particularly liked the last sentence. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'"

Why would one find that depressing? Perhaps I’m missing something here…

Aaron, I have a feeling it will be more like a financial tsunami than a correction.

Rob Dawg said...

aaron,
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. THis 500 points is a shot across the bow. The real shot to the gut isn't even in the chamber.

I'm pissed that my lazy ass didn't get that Everbank Viking CD but do you see me bitchin'? Sure you do, I'm bitchin' now. I made a mistake. I'll live and I'll learn.

Anonymous said...

@Ogg
That 'spaetzel cooker' is far from a real car--not to mention the asian version of it.

A 1950 Chev 5-window truck, with lowered front, huge back tires, flat black with red enameled wheels and white wall tires, rumbling with the bass of a pretentious trunk-subwoofer.. now THAT'S a car.

Keep your Honda. ::does the 'talk to the hand:: gesture

Anonymous said...

1st time poster, have been following this slo-mo train wreck for a month now ... am glad for Rob's site.

I have been going back and forth thinking the entire IAFF was a hoax, but there were too many 'real' things ... RE records, etc.

Then I found this story
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/16781854.htm

perhaps there is a 3rd party involved that hasn't been discovered yet.

If true, it would start to make sense of his behaviour and lack of action so many times.

Homey, how bout it? Can we find a 3rd party that is 'helping' him with all the purchases?

Scott said...

Also, what kind of moran has his car towed due to a flat tire when he has a perfectly good spare

Well, he did buy road side assistance like three months ago, no? Might as well make use of it!

Speaking of unintentional comedy, take a look at snowflake's budget. I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but any budget with the line item "Savings?", especially one where the net worth is lower than -$500,000, is worth a laugh or two.

Anonymous said...

i told him about the vdubs!!!

haha,

there is NO spare, theres a boombox thingy in the trunk!

dumberer & dumbererest!

Anonymous said...

@ Scott
LOL, I totally forgot about his roadside assistance; it was during that 'productive' day when he actually opened mail and spent money on stupidities instead of paying bills.

Anonymous said...

@ Stephanie J: As a kid, I used to have a 1953 Chevy 3/4 ton five-window. Cool truck, except it had a low-revving stovebolt six and 4.56 gears or something equally ridiculous. It was a good hauler, though. Blood red, with the factory painted bumpers.

Anyway, the real reason for low-pro tires is if you want to maximize a car's cornering at the expense of almost everything else. For instance, on my old Vette. I like to hang it out on the twisties, and low-pros will make more difference than any other single suspension mod.

If you value ride-comfort (gay as far as I am concerned) or straight-line acceleration, you are better off with 15" rims and regular tires.

Anonymous said...

Forgot: something leads me to believe that Young Casey's musical tastes lean to "Christian Rock" or other abominations.

I say "abominations" because most Christian Rock just doesn't rock.