that is a noble desire, but our society and culture no longer value work in the same way they used to.

If people don't have to leave their house to socialize, why leave their house to work? ....Particularly if other taxpayers through our government will just pay you to chill. Of course, that party will come to an end sooner or later. My fear is that party will end before we have jobs to give these people.

Let's see, am I going to collect $1,200 a month in unemployment benefits, or go work 40 hours a week at my local Wal-Mart so I can take home $1,300. Tough decision.

did you short the stock while all this was taking place? No, you didn't do anything? Well, that's almost shocking to think about :)

I'm not defending crappy management, but just saying....

Note, I didn't short the sucker either....

Thanks - I'm certainly not "retiring", but it'll be less focused on deals and more on where I think things are headed, but posts will certainly continue to be less frequent that in the past. Nevertheless, the industry will come around soon enough, but it will be out of necessity not desire.

thx fixed

it was being done pretty much across the board in Silicon Valley, though it seems DT PA data is still somewhat obscured.

two words. back stop

If lockboxes were standardized, coordinated, and issued through the association, then I think you would look at this differently. Don't want to abide by the rules, pay the fine or you're out simple as that. Perhaps this sounds a bit tough, but that's what it takes to get people on board. Hope is not a strategy that works real well with brokers, psychological change or not.

Remember, even though you may not like CoStar's pricing, the reality is that if it or any other agreed upon system were to cost the $400-$500/month to join and be a member of, then it creates a nice little barrier to entry for you once you're inside. I would be more than happy to pay $6,000 a year in dues if it meant that it would not only get me a solid database, but that it would regulate the amount of competition which moves into the industry.

The solution is a big stick. Relying on brokers, or worse yet, the "crowd" to push data to a database is a problem. Which database you ask - well that is your other problem - no standards. Is it Loopnet? CoStar? CommercialMLS? you get the picture.

The solution is to have commercial brokers belong to an association, with some sort of agreed upon database/repository as the standard. It can be homegrown, CoStar, Loopnet, whatever, just something that is mandated.

Within 72 hours of taking a listing, it needs to be in the database or there is a fine. That's how the residential MLS works, and why it works so well. Because of confidentiality perhaps there is a carve out for sale listings, but at least for leases, they should be in the system. The same fine would apply if a space is leased and not removed from the db within 72 hours as well.

It's spreading and the only remedy governments have is printing money. Unfortunately for the Euro Zone countries is that the "collective" is anything but when it comes to bailouts, stimulus plans. The evidence? Twenty percent plus yields on 2-year Greek toilet paper.