Top of the Tweets: Yachts, bomb shelters & Wonder Woman
By Camilla McLaughlin
On the tech front, expect sales of tablet computers to grow from 3.5 million units in 2010 to 20.4 million units in 2015, accounting for 23 percent of overall PC sales. During this time overall, according to the Forrester report, “The U.S. Consumer PC Market in 2015,” PC sales will increase by 52 million. http://bit.ly/cOc9OB
The first half of 2010 ended, garnering a number of mentions on Twitter. But how did it end for housing? On a note of caution, following last week’s transactions report and this week’s pending sales report, which showed a 30 percent decline. Even S&P Case Shiller’s latest on prices showing improvement in all 20 MSAs didn’t provide the boost it normally would. Garnering the most tweets in real estate was the approval of a bill extending the closing date for the homebuyer tax credit to September 30 for homes under contract by May 1.
Bargain hunters continue to search out good deals, sometimes resetting prices in many locals. In Baltimore about 400 attended an auction of townhouses along the Inner Harbor. The priciest unit at 3,732-square-feet sold for $956,000, more than $1 million off the asking price. The project, Pier Homes at HarborView was completed two years ago. With just more than half the 88 units sold, the developers and equity partners decided to auction a chunk of the unsold inventory, according to article from the Baltimore Sun that got a bit of play on Twitter. http://bit.ly/dbbu4P
One of the world’s ultimate yachts, the 90m motor yacht, Lauren L, was sold this week by Edmiston & Company. Built in 2002 by Cassens Weft, the Lauren L was retrofitted in 2008 as a modern charter yacht, bridging the gap between a large super yacht and a small cruise ship, according to BoatInternational.com. Germanischer Lloyds classed and MCA and SOLAS compliant, Lauren L sleeps 40 guests in 20 staterooms and is currently number 22 in the world’s top 100 largest yachts, according to Boat International. http://bit.ly/aL2F8s
Posts might be limited to 140 characters, but Twitter can still bring events into surprisingly sharp focus. You can see reactions from average people, gather diverse news stories and get a good sense of the ebb and flow of information on a topic using Twitter. Recently, with the oil spill, activity in Afghanistan and continuing high unemployment, there is definite undercurrent of doom and gloom. Still, I was a little surprised when I came across an ABC Nightline report on tricked-out underground shelters, which, according to the report, are selling as well as many other types of real estate. Some, such as the Mojave Desert facility profiled on Nightline, take their inspiration from cruise ships. Think of this as the luxury condo concept for bomb shelters. An underground missile silo in Kansas being developed as a shelter complex even has an infinity-edged pool. Maybe this will never be mainstream for real estate in general, but in the luxury arena I could seen the concept possibly gaining purchase. Over the years, we’ve seen our share of unusual properties, including a single-family home in a former missile silo. Thanks to @coldwellbnkr for the heads up on this story. http://yhoo.it/9SvsXY
Despite the recent doom and gloom, not all is lost and hope is still alive. At least Wonder Woman will be ready. She got a new outfit this week after 69 years. Thanks to @ForbesLife for this link. http://tinyurl.com/2atykex. There was actually some speculation of whether or not the new duds will help her do her job better.
