Then I spoke to some local residents/realtors and examined some stats on zillow for recent sales, and their prior sales - and the market has stayed flat, or even declined while the rest of the country has enjoyed the recovery last 4 years.I have some rentals in California, and while I dont expect CA type appreciation, the flat to negative trends seemed worrying, and indeed puzzling given the beauty I find in the area, the high quality of construction, and the solid employment fundamentals.Any opinions on why prices are falling?

My 10-year old son has recently become obsessed with learning how to solve the Rubik’s Cube.I’m uncertain how he became enamored with the toy.He was grounded from electronics for a week.I think it happened during that time.I watched him become very, very frustrated with the puzzle.On his own, without any guidance, he figured out how to solve one side.It took him 13 days to do this (and he practiced a LOT).Finally, he got it.He got the algorithm in his head.First, before I go on, what he did gave me great hope for his future.He persisted.Even on such a silly thing, through extreme frustration, he persisted.He’s ahead of the vast majority of his peers.Now, here’s what happened after this.He got better and better of course, continuing his practice.Once he “mastered” the one side, he became frustrated again.He had an extreme longing to learn how to do the rest, which is, if you don't know the algorithms, almost impossible to do on a routine basis.So, I looked up how to solve the thing.As it turns out, there are very specific moves that will help “easily” solve a Rubik’s Cube (even though it has a massive amount of possibilities).He sat down this past Sunday to learn the first (of many) algorithms.He learned it and had a breakthrough.By the end of that day, he was flying through that portion of the puzzle.Indeed, he had solved the puzzle four times by the end of that day, but didn’t know the algorithms by heart.

Sometimes these things feel like putting together a puzzle in my mind.

It really puzzled me.

So it puzzles me, when I look at say the picture I included above where the boundary sliced through 1/3 of a house, when the house's floor elevation is flat. 

At first she was puzzled then went on to tell me that she showed them the comps and that the property was worth well over $115,000 so they were not overpaying and that this house met all their “have to haves” and some of their “want to haves” in a home.

There are quite a few properties for sale in the region at various price points.Also my next suggestion would be to start to figure out the financing piece of the puzzle.

So I fully understand the importance of knowing the right pieces of the puzzle to put together.I reread what I wrote and realize that it may not have been written well.I guess what I meant to say is I'd rather find the primary source that would be happy with reasonable rates and fees, then the secondary lender who wouldn't be happy e anything less then the numbers I had stated above.I hope my original statement didn't offend any brokers as I know they do provide a very legitimate service

I was puzzled by this one last year as I had expenses related to a purchase that took place in the tax year before the purchase.

A property came up that another developer couldn't get the pieces of the puzzle together on.