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The farewell post!

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75 Comments

Ok. Shutting down all access to the blog was overdone and led to a lot of speculation.

Lets clarify: The issue with the REBGV was minor and was dealt with immediately. They were concerned that the 2008 housing market graph shown on the November market update post could be construed as being somehow created by or endorsed by the board.  That image has been altered and all older versions of it have been removed to address their concern.

No one has told me to close the blog and I have not been offered $25,000 to stop publishing this site (geez, i wish!).  I don’t believe (as some seem to) there is any conspiracy by the board to try to shut down blogs or hide news about the market – that seems about as unreasonable as trying to get a meteorologist to stop reporting the weather because you don’t like that it rains so much here.

I’m closing this blog because it feels like it’s run its course.  Originally I found humor in the widespread excitement over the Vancouver housing market, and the popular view that this was somehow a market that was not affected by any normal economic fundamentals or cycles.  As the market peaked and started to decline there was less opportunity for humor and this site became more technical.  A lot of the topics covered by this blog are now found in the local dailies and on the evening news, so it’s begun to feel redundant.

When a hobby becomes an unpaid job it’s no longer fun.  For the most part lately I’ve been linking to news stories and sorting through spambot posts to make sure that all of comments on this site are at least posted by humans, if not always on topic or sensible.  The grouchy note from the REBGV was simply one more thing that made me think “how much time and energy do I want to spend here?”.  I will likely be making the archives of this site available to someone else to host, and for now the wiki remains open.  If anyone has any problem with the content of the wiki they can edit it themselves.

There’s a mix of sadness and relief in making the decision to stop this blog.  I appreciate the range of discussion and community that this site has built, and wish you all the best of luck whether you rent, own or somehow manage to live for free.  Be nice to each other.

For me its time to move on to other things!

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Coco

The Pope,

From one blogger to the other, take a break. Do what you think is best for you.

Coco

(Everyone should own a blog for an extended period of time, then you would understand)

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slade

I would like to echo the above post( #60), thanks for all the work you have put into this site Pope!

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billyb

hey thanks……..been looking at this for sometime now and have gleen some important info…..Thank you. Your effort has been much appreciated.

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GM

I'll miss this site terribly. It has been my main 'fix' since VHB shut down. We've said goodbye to too many: VHB, Coco's news blog, Fish, and now Pope. All of you have been invaluable to me. It has been very trying, swimming against the current all these years, but all of you (posters included) have provided my family with strength. I still think there is a long way to go, and I will continue to look for help on the blogs as we try to make economic decisions that are best for us. I believe that making prudent decisions is going to be more crucial than ever in the upcoming years. Again, many, many thanks for all of your hard work, Pope. I sincerely hope that your efforts are rewarded with the home of your dreams purchased at an… Read more »

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ProblemBear

I too am sorry that the Pope has issued his last Bull. ( Sorry for the really bad pun, but I kinda liked it!) Because of you and VHB and others, I sold an investment property close to the top and made some money. It would have been that much harder to do without reasonable, contrarian voices out there.

Thanks.

Best of luck in your future endeavours.

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umdesch4

Add mine to the chorus of voices…

Huge thanks to you Pope for your ringleader role in all this. I'm gonna miss this place

Good luck with whatever it is you'll be up to next!

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observer

Given all the work you've put into to maintaining this blog, I think you can be forgiven for one off day or more. It is not always easy for us posters to fully appreciate the work and worries that go into maintaining a blog. Getting less than polite legalese emails isn't something that would make my day either. Even benign tumors are tumors.

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admin

Mea culpa, shutting down the blog without warning was a jerk move, this is obviously as much your site as mine. I've got a lot of offers for help and options to mull over, but I'm leaning toward making this a community run blog. While I decide, I'm going to leave the site running and give warning for any major changes.

So this is farewell for me, not for Vancouver Condo (dot) Info. The conversation will carry on.. Maybe we'll do one more Friday Free-for-all as suggested. Thanks everyone!

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Montery

"So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

Really enjoyed reading your blog, Pope. Hope to see you around the blogosphere.

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streel

What a long, strange trip it has been………

Many thanks, and all the best

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Apocalypse Chow

long time lurker, first time poster. THANKS POPE. for *years* before i found this blog i thought i was going insane, with everyone telling me that "real estate will only go up" and "you'll be priced out if you don't buy" and "you want to make money don't you?" — but time and time again, the numbers and the math just never added up. meanwhile, so many of my contemporaries and colleagues slapped down a few grand, or all their savings, or nothing, and bought a place (read: CONDO) over the last few years. meanwhile, each friday night, for the last two years (or abouts), i've gone to sleep snug, reassured, and a bit smug, reading your blog. (don't think my girlfriend was too impressed, however, with my friday-night reading ritual!) more importantly, it's given me ammunition + knowledge to… Read more »

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vanzee

Thanks Pope I always liked the fact that you were trying to keep humor in the mix.

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scullboy

Hey Your Holiness,

Thanks so much. Between you and VHB I was saved from the fate that awaits so many others in Van.

In all sincerity I'd like to offer you and Mrs. Pope (if there is one) and any little poplin's my services. I'd be happy to swing by and make your guys a fantastic dinner any time you like in appreciation. Just hit me up at my own blog…. http://www.thelaughingchef.info . God knows you did enough for all of us, gratis…

And browntown/satv I swear to God if you start bombing my blog with idiot comments you'll see the business end of my Shuns…..

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quietbear

I've quietly enjoyed your blog and VHB for some time now. Always informative, sometimes thought-provoking, and occasionally illuminating. Best of luck.

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Anna M

Pope, please take up people on their offer to keep running the site. We're right in the middle of the crash and I want toread a no bs take on what's going on in the real estate world. Please. and if not, then thanks for the months of entertainment and information.

Anna

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PresumingEd

Long time reader. First time poster. I've been reading your blog, Chipman, the former VHB and a few others for a couple years now. I'm struck by how when the inevitable happened the steam came out of the endeavour in more than one case. Like the pleasure was being wrong and when you were right, it just wasn't fun anymore. Anyway, something to ponder over your free time. What I'd like to suggest, though, is to post less frequently. Like monthly. Give it some thought. Your voice is valuable, but it doesn't have to drain you. Let you run it, not the other way around. Either way, thank you for your clarity, your commitment and your perseverance. There were times in the early days when I thought my own ideas about real estate were crazy. It was nice to find… Read more »

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wolfey

hi pope,

thank you for such a great blog. You are the seeker of truth amongst the pile of sales dung seeping from all the crevices of all the unscrupolous sales reps. IF it were up to them 150 year mortgages are what you call extended affordability. I for one believe you have major positive karma coming your way to be who u are and trying to help others. I'm sure I speak for a lot of readers here, each one of us owe you a beer, even john.

But you would probably die from alcohal poisoning before you got thru to everyone. But whaat A way to go!

peace and good fortune…friend of the common man

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Anonymous

Pope,

You rock. Sad to see you go. Its alway exciting to see you comment on the blog

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gadwin

Pope, sad to see you go!

Great job with the blog and the best of luck to you!

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1-vote

Vote wisely next may,

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I emailed you

Hey Pope.

Thanks for the years of spot on coverage.

I emailed you on vancouvercondo.info [at] gmail.com proposing something.

Do you ever check that email? Is there a better way to get in touch?

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solipsist

Adieu, Your Eminence,

Just as we sorted out the sign-in thing, that I could post again…

I wrote a great, rambling fare-thee-well, but it got lost – because I was not signed in… Suffice it to say that you have beat me to it. It is hard to be fresh when all is so stale. I have avoided my own blog for a few days now, and have been pondering a life without it.

All the best pope, and thanks for all the fish.

solipsist

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Pete Brown

I loved checking this site out, however, I don't blame you for wanting to shut it down. Too much stress and hassle and is it worth it. Us posters don't realize what it takes and how much anxiety it can create.

My only thought is, do we live in a democracy that free thought can be struck down by threats of lawsuits!

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blueskies

wait!

what if satv started a bull blog!

would you all follow it?

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browntown

oh yeaah nutbags! remembers browntown recommend buying luved ones for xmas- wheelbearoh's and stocks in "acme helicopter"! blog might stop but printing press keep firing up rockets! good regards real estate guru nutslaps! turn out the lites!

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