I feel that there needs to be closure in ending this IHB dynasty.
For many who followed my posts and my philosophy I am forever grateful knowing that my sacrifices I have made to convey the message of truth did not died in vain.
We are all yearning for a community, family, and friendship. In seeking for this goal we often have to pay a price. IHB Forum was successful in bringing together people with a common goal and the price was emotional and time investment.
At the same time this desire of finding a community is our biggest weaknesses falling to the prey of vultures. Developers with their PR campaigns paint a mirage of this good life that we all can have for $800K. Other victims became prey looking for love and comfort falling in to the hands of abusive relationships. Once we are trapped and it is very difficult to escape searching for a dream of ?community? that may not exist.
IHB came very close being that ?community?. Once a community became an exchange of monetary value any relationship would fall apart such as IHB becoming a money machine, a community focus on how much I can make on my house or how much my neighbor made on his.
When I was growing up in the Kowloon Wall City the experience was similar to IHB forum at a personal interactive level. This place was the filthiest place on earth but the neighbors and relatives were heaven. Some of you asked me why poor people could not leave such a hell hole and move to a better place. The sense of community was the reason why people lived there for generations. A community does not need to be rich to be a better place in fact wealth is the source of all relationship evil.
I will put this is a tangible perspective by using characters we are familiar with growing up in Kowloon Wall City. I was poor but well looked after. Momopi would come over and cooked for me and my old dad. All the neighborhood kids would gather at IHO?s place because he has the only flat screen TV for a population of 65,000 in 6 acres. TMare would educate the children who can?t afford tuition. Graph and Nude would teach kids how to debate and defend themselves. NoVas of course would teach the kids to gamble in the stairwell or grow nuts in the gutter. Cameray and Joey would tell story and trivia to amuse the neighborhood kids. Bond trader would come and help the elderly to put away their money in the bank instead of the mattress. Trooper would come around and break up fights and enforce curfew for the hoodrats. Hell like this was a wonderful place and people were very close on a daily basis. I spent my whole life looking for something like it.
IHB forum was a community that does not exist in real tangible life and certainly not in Tract villages where people shut their ?front door? inside the garage. The California room will certainly not fill that void of happiness as painted by computer animation. IHB was successful because of the uniqueness of individuality and personality of the posters. A forum of drones and echo chambering are not only boring but lack interest, drama, and happiness. It will fail eventually.
Since we know why IHB forum was successful then apply the methodology for your own community when all the homes are identical cookie cutter ticky tacky echo chamber houses without uniqueness and personality like IHO, Graph, Nude, Trooper, Momopi, Tmare, M80 and etc. A village would cease to grow like a bad forum.
I spent my life branding and creating products for my clients: brought in Chinese communities, created architecture for Shady Canyon, site planned Crystal Cove, introduced courtyard plans, de-emphasized garage locations, and invented the detached condos. Certainly the model would be sustainable for a little while with old products but I don?t see it for the long term without any future breakthroughs. I do not see any ingenious invention post bubble era so far except of course by calling a steering wheel for your car a California rotational navigation device.
The same analogy I would use to analyze IHB. IHB would not be a sustaining model without its dedicated posters.
The last 3 years I have not done anything spectacular except for may be branding a BK character on this forum. Branding takes time and no instant over night success. The emotional bonding takes many years and building trust especially. IR2 and Trojan both did just that to become the preferred resident Realtors. I never capitalized on my brand and advertised my services. My goal was to inform the consumers about good home design and planning.
IHBrokers did not connect with the readers because they never commit in the forum relationship emotionally and kept their persona private. Phantom marketing does not work in real estates where personality and character are huge in a RE transaction. This is the reason why Realtors post their friendly smiley faces on signs. ?Trust me and give me your money?.
I will not be joining Talk Irvine for the time being but will dedicate my time with family and business. I will miss all of you.
I will be following my passion of creating unique homes. I will be launching a full service of ?BK home makeover and curb appeal? by offering both design and construction. Projects to include updating old vintage homes or transforming old stucco boxes into one of a kind jewel house on the block. Since I can?t change a tick tacky village may be I can change houses one at a time!
Buy the cheapest home in a good area and customize the floor plan to meet your family need would still be less than buying new.
I appreciate all the PMs and future contacts. I am deeply moved by all your kind words and respect.
