>
>A friend who's involved in Florida real estate, and who's a major
>bear on the economic outlook, quotes this bit from Richard III as an
>observation on the current economy:
>
> > So now prosperity begins to mellow
> > And drop into the rotten mouth of death.
<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-stockton13dec13,1,7741636.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage>http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-stockton13dec13,1,7741636.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage
From the Los Angeles Times
Stockton's magical misery tours
As the bottom falls out for many owners, one real estate agent helps others find relative bargains through his Repo Home Tour. By Steve Chawkins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 13, 2007
STOCKTON -- In this city that traces its roots to California's Gold Rush, real estate agent Cesar Dias believes there are fortunes still to be made.
That's why he leads the weekly Repo Home Tour, filling two 18-seat buses with prospective buyers eager to view foreclosed houses that can be snapped up at dramatically reduced prices.
Dias, a Stockton native, said that when he started the free tour in September, some residents criticized it as a tasteless marketing gimmick. But as headlines announce record foreclosures and weeds sprout in the yards of abandoned homes, their tune has changed.
"We're bringing in homeowners to get the grass green again," he said.
[....]