SLOW MOVING TRAINS AND THE REAL ESTATE MARKET

As the freight train slowly made its way through town time seemed to slow down. It was

moving slow enough to read the graffiti on the boxcars and dream of the past. I was in a

long line of cars with a large SUV full of kids in front of me and a work truck behind. Next to

me was a carload of teens with the stereo blaring Hip Hop or Rap I'm not sure. I knew it was

going to be a wait as this train slowly rumbled by, the clickity clack sound was very meditative.

I placed my car in park and soon was drifting into memories of growing up in a small town on

a major train route between Chicago and Kansas City. I began thinking how simple life was

and how complicated it is now. If only we could return to those times. The sound of horns blaring snapped me back to see the train was gone and the SUV was moving.
Later that
afternoon those thoughts returned but I was not being lulled by the train sounds. My

family has always been in and around the building and Real Estate business so I have seen

many ups and downs. I began thinking about the times that I remember as simple and the

truth showed up. They may have been simpler yet also harder in some ways. No cell phones,

no Internet, selling a home was a long complicated procedure. To do business you had to always

be close by, I have negotiated contracts on the cell phone while standing on the Vegas Strip,

this is simpler than before. Suddenly a thought struck me about the Real Estate Market, we

remember 2000-2006 as a simpler time. We need to understand the way of business is

different today and not better or worse just different much like life when we were kids. If

we accept that the Market is on a course much like a train on tracks and will get to its

destination whether moving fast or slow our memories of this time will be fonder. Allow

yourself to meditate on the clickity clack of the slow moving Real Estate Market because it

will again be moving fast and you will not be able to read the graffiti.

TAXES, TAX CREDIT, AND LESSONS LEARNED

As the infamous Tax day nears many people are scrambling to finish on time. You would think we could learn from the past and make this a smoother process, yet it seems we are doomed to repeat the Tax scramble each year. The next deadline ticking down is the Homebuyers Tax Credit set to expire April 30,2010. You must have a property under contract by this date to be eligible for the Tax Credit. The Homebuyer has until June 30, 2010 to close the transaction. If you are wanting to take advantage of this Government Program you must focus your attention NOW. The weather is perfect for looking, call your REALTOR and go out ASAP. The convergence of high inventory, low interest, and the Tax Credit make this the perfect time to buy. Don't let this opportunity pass you by, it may never come around again.
My wish is that we have learned a lesson from the past couple years. Our countries economy is rooted in the Real Estate Industry and we must not allow it to get out of balance. Once we stabilize (and some areas are beginning) we are all responsible to call out bad practices. As we move forward please help us to help you by holding our feet to the fire if you see the past being repeated.

Renewal, Adjustments, and the Equinox

Spring sprung a day early this year. We learned in school the first day of spring to be March 21st. But on occasion the earth needs to correct itself and we have an early equinox. Man has been manipulating the calender with leap years. Our industry has been following this naturally occurring adjustment the past couple of years. Just like the earth gaining time and needing to step back, our market had gotten ahead of itself and needed to be corrected. This is hard to accept sometimes because like being taught Spring starts on March 21st our mind does not want to believe different. In many areas it looks like the adjustment may be coming to an end, yet all Real Estate is local. Unlike the earths equinox adjustment that affects all equally the market correction has not. When talking about the Market Conditions remember All Real Estate is local and the stats and data from national sources considers the country as a whole. There are micro-booms within metropolitan areas, certain neighborhoods or home styles are moving faster then others. It is time to renew our faith that the market has all under control the same as the earth in its adjustments.