For Sale: 3BR/1BA Single Family House in Orange, MA, $165,000

NAR Urges Congress to Restore Rural Housing Funding

The Section 502 Rural Housing single family loan guarantee program remains unfunded. This program used all their commitment authority back in May, and despite being non-controversial, Congress has been unable to pass legislation to restore the program. Thousands of families with rural housing loans have been left in limbo, and continue to be threatened with the expiration of the tax credit on September 30. Last week, NAR sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to bring this legislation to the floor. Language has been included in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 4899), which has passed the House and Senate. However, that bill continues to be stalled and is currently awaiting final passage. We are hopeful Congress will act in the next two weeks on either the stand alone bill (S. 3266) or the Supplemental to restore funding for this program and help low-income rural families nationwide."

Gardner MA

What are you thinking???

I recently read a blog called "Maybe Now Is Not The Time To Buy" and read about the risks involved, the uncertain economic climate, the comparable expenses (electric and so on). He talked about the home prices coming down further over the past year.

Some of this is accurate, there are risks. There are risks with everything you do. Getting up in the morning can present a risk depending on your perspective. However, most people who are buying a home are not looking to put it back on the market in 6 months. The average time you live in your home when you are in your 20s is 7 years. I'm confident the entire market will look a lot different in 7 years and if it doesn't, home ownership will be the least of our worries.

This blogger failed to show any of the rewards. It is true that it's harder to purchase a home due to tighter financial stipulations. In central New England, 0% loans are still relatively common, and FHA 3% homes are still the norm. However, the rules and guidelines to be approved for financing shouldn't turn you away from home ownership but make you feel more secure. You may wind up paying more in utility bills for a single family home and there are other potential expenses such as roof repairs, heating system failures, or a jumbo jet falling out of the sky into your garage. Truth is anything can happen. But you keep paying rent, which really means you're paying someone else's mortgage. If you're paying $1000 a month rent, that's $12000 a year, after 10 years you've spent $120000 and what do you have to show for it? No equity, no investment. Your landlord is quite content, I can assure you.

There are risks and rewards in everything you do. There is still a very high inventory of all kinds of houses in a plethora of price ranges and situations. You may buy and the price falls a little more, but while you're paying rent, someone is building equity so when prices turn around (and trust me, they'll never be giving houses out for free), that person will sell their home for a profit and leverage that into a bigger home with a much higher rate of return. Who knows, maybe they'll buy a multi-family and give you a good deal on the rent.

Everything Happening, Nothing Happening

We have entered a very strange time in real estate. With the passing of the tax credit deadline, financial reform on the horizon, we in the business have entered the twilight zone of real estate. In my short career, I'm busier than I've ever been, showing properties, listing appointments, negotiating, doing it all, everyday, all the time. Nothing is happening with any of it. Deals falling apart for no other reason than a change in the breeze, buyers going away, sellers chasing the market so low that people question what is wrong with the property. It's strange out there.

What to do? I'm a bit of a sports fan, other than being a musician, I am an avid red sox fan and the off season the red sox boasted about run prevention. Our pitching line-up was so amazing that we would win, by not allowing the other team to score. It hasn't worked very well mostly because one bad inning blows the whole strategy to waste. Our biggest bats aren't hitting so nothing is happening. But we keep Big Papi out there, just in case. So in real estate, what should we do??? Same thing, put Big Papi out there, hit for the fences and keep your head up. The only one who can defeat you is you.

Open House May 8th

The Value of Honesty

I just read a story on Yahoo! that completely blew my mind. Brian Davis, a relative new-comer on the PGA tour was in a play-off round with Jim Furyk (a monster player) lined up for his first tour victory of his career. He was hitting the ball out of some weeds and grazed a stray weed on his backswing, a violation of the rules that carries a 2 stroke penalty.

I know many of you are rolling your eyes saying....blah blah blah, golf. But please read on.

The penalty was only confirmed when the officials replayed the television coverage, in slow motion. So big deal right??? The big deal is, no one noticed.....except Davis himself, who called the penalty. The 2 strokes sealed his fate on his first victory of his career on the PGA tour and I'm sure Furyk was excited. The cost of his mistake??? $1 million. That's right, a cool mil seperate first from second place so Brian Davis' honesty was a million dollar penalty.

Golf is in trouble right now. Tiger hasn't really been the ambassador he was and that's a whole deal for other blogs. However, I find the same type of cynicism in the real estate business with consumers. Many reports are cited that have Realtors placing just above lawyers and used car sales men (however, people still use lawyers and drive used cars so that's encouraging). But in business, at least in my business, I don't focus on cost, or how my commission is a percentage point higher than everyone else in my market. I focus on Value.

Brian Davis is a valuable assett to golf right now and if sponsor don't jump all over this, my faith in the decency of American Values will take another hit. It's this kind of honesty, integrity above all other things that make Davis such an amazing person. Give a million dollars for your character??? Absolutely! This Brit should be taken into the homes of every American, his sponsors should be praised and patronized repeatedly. We are flooded with dishonesty all around us.

My value, I will not lie to my customers or clients, no matter how bad the news is. I will not discuss private matters about my customers or clients. I will not jeopordize my integrity or that of my clients in search of a commission. I work hard for my commission, I do twice as many open houses, I write more e-mails than anyone in my market, make more phone calls. I cherish my reputation as a trustworthy individual and feel that's my biggest asset, bigger than all my sales experience and my technique.

Cheers to you Brian Davis, I thank you for your honesty and I plead with your sponsors to take advantage of this remarkable man.

Keep moving it, forward, today, tomorrow, always!