Real Estate Blog

When you’re putting your home on the market for sale, you do your best to make it attractive to a wide variety of buyers. You get rid of the clutter, clean, repair and paint to the point where you ask yourself, “Why wasn’t I motivated to do all this for myself and my family?” (That’s a whole other topic.)

After all this hard work, you’re feeling good about your accomplishments and know your home is ready for showing. Just then you look out your front window and notice several small mounds of earth sticking up in your lush, meticulously manicured lawn. You scream - if only in your head - and dash out of the house.

In your mind you know what you’re up against, but in your heart you’re hoping your 5-year-old has been wandering the property again with her sand shovel. That notion is immediately dispelled when you see how neatly the little piles of soil lay. It is, as you suspected, moles!

You think to yourself, “If they would stay deep under ground, aerating the soil and eating their weight in food, life above ground would be smooth sailing.” But the fact is, moles leave a trademark of their handiwork - a mound or a ridge of dirt, all of which makes the cleaning, repairing, etc., you’ve done inside seem like a cake walk compared to the task that lies ahead: getting rid of the moles, once and for all, before that first open house.

I’ve read about numerous homemade remedies, which appear to have worked for some people, but in the long run seem to be only a temporary fix. Here are some of the many examples I’ve come across:

• bleach
• broken or ground glass
• pickle juice
• Drano
• razor blades
• human hair
• moth balls
• red pepper
• chewing gum
• vibrating mechanisms
• gasoline
• explosives

There is no scientific evidence that supports that these remedies eliminate moles. Quite frankly, they sound like something Jethro Bodine might use at the behest of Granny. Yikes!

Insecticides have been suggested too, killing off the mole’s food supply. That may do one of two things: The moles may leave the area, but are likely to return. The other possibility is they may increase their digging in search of food, making the problem more widespread. And really, can you blame them?

Here’s what I’ve learned about mole removal from my simple Internet investigation: The only way to be rid of moles in your property is to trap them and by doing so, they are killed. It’s the only method that has proven successful and has been recommended for nearly 100 years. The trick is choosing a reliable trap and using it correctly. I say “a trap” only if you’re certain you have only one mole. If there are multiples, you’ll need multiple traps.

Recognizing active mole tunnels and knowing where to place the traps is key to extermination. I highly recommend The MoleMan and Controlling Nuisance Moles, two Internet sources with details about different types of traps.

So what’s your slant on permanently getting rid of moles? What’s worked for you? What hasn’t worked for you? With all the other “uphill” battles sellers are climbing these days, shouldn’t exterminating moles be an easier “row to hoe?”

Posted by Sharon Walker

Excerpt from:
Curb appeal: Climbing a mountain of info to slay a molehill

“Change is inevitable,” or so the saying goes. The very young often balk at change. They have a need for consistency with defined boundaries. Young people seem to embrace change. Their desire for new and exciting events appears unquenchable. Middle-aged people struggle between seeking change and battling life’s changes, over which they have no control. The elderly are often frightened by change and long for days past when they felt more certainty in life.

Understanding that there’s no stopping change can make dealing with it much more palatable. For the past 10 months, the airwaves have been filled with promises of change from our local and national politicians. Each has his or her own idea of what will be beneficial and effectual change.

Voters will have an opportunity to decide whose “change package” they wish to support on November 4. But let’s keep in mind that the day after the election will show little signs that anything has changed. Many of us will still wake up next to the same spouse. Lunches will still have to be made for our children before sending them off to school. Paying the rent or mortgage and utilities will need to be done on a timely basis. Some will still be unemployed and others will trot off to the same job, like it or not.

But what about the change in the here and now?

Home buyers and sellers have been dealing with the catastrophic change of home values these past few weeks. Despite the conditions of the market, many sellers have an unrealistic perception that their homes have maintained their value through this month’s financial crisis. They recognize the need to address their spending differently, but are in denial about making adjustments in the pricing of their home.

Buyers, on the other hand, can get so caught up in “getting the best deal” that they lose focus of looking for the home that best fits their budget and their family’s needs. These are necessary mindsets that need to be adjusted now. The results of tomorrow’s election are not going to have an immediate effect on the realm of the real estate situation.

If you’re buying or selling a home, get with the program. Talk with someone who has a handle on the conditions of your market; a qualified real estate professional.

Be open-minded about the realities of the housing situation. Make informed decisions by listening to your real estate agent, and be prepared to be flexible. I think we could amend that old saying, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes,” - and change.

Posted by Sharon Walker

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My children are all grown, so I’m not dealing with their Halloween makeup, costumes and accessories anymore. However, I still enjoy greeting children at my front door with their bags held out in eager anticipation of the candy I’ll give them. As a participant in the tradition of “Trick or Treating,” I am very conscious of the children’s safety as they come and go from my front porch.

I think of my own childhood Halloween experiences growing up in Chicago. (That’s the city, not suburbia.) My parents would allow my sister and I to freely wander the neighborhood, up two or three flights of stairs to knock on the doors of the flats (apartments) of people we didn’t even know. We traveled in packs of friends, being loud as we checked our candy booty under the light of a corner street lamp. It seemed everyone became your neighbor on Halloween, even if they lived blocks away.

It’s a different Halloween “world” for kids today. Closely escorted by their parents, they move cautiously through their neighborhoods and subdivisions, usually knocking on the doors of immediate neighbors and friends of the family.

The caution I take as a homeowner is to provide a lighted area of my porch stairs, and rather than open my storm door to distribute candy, I’ve come up with a safer alternative.

Like so many people who have adopted the habit of changing their smoke alarm batteries at the time of the seasonal clock change, I use Halloween as a marker for my storm door change. I remove my screen from the door, which leaves that portion of the door completely unobstructed. It’s from this vantage point I distribute my Halloween candy.

Some children are a bit surprised to see my hand reach out to them while the door is closed; some don’t seem to pay any mind. For me, I feel I’ve just provided a safe environment for kids to receive the payoff of Halloween - a handful of candy. That’s part of what makes the holiday a sweet deal for me!

Posted by Sharon Walker

Providing a safe house for Halloween

The Internet is an integral part of real estate today. Technology can be used from the house-hunt up until the final days you close escrow. If you manage your real estate transaction with technology, you will be able to manage your time for other important things - like work, play and most important, family.

Let’s explore time management with technology, shall we?

House-hunt the smart way. You should be utilizing the Internet to research listings online. You can do this on many real estate sites, but you will want to get on an email automatic feed that sends you new listings that have come onto your local market. This can be found on many real estate agents’ websites.

Your real estate agent has better access to listing information because of technology:

“I’m not sure how anybody practiced real estate before the Internet. I am able to research listings better through recent updates with my local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). If I am looking for properties for a client that have a second downstairs master bedroom for an elderly parent, I am now able to put in that search criteria.” -Nancy Halvorson, Connect2Agent member and San Antonio Texas real estate agent.

Keep up on current local market price conditions. A good source for this information is individual real estate agent’s blogs. Many real estate agents will provide a monthly/bimonthly market report that will drill down the most recent sales to specific neighborhoods. This information is a good way for you to measure your budget against the subdivisions you are looking to buy a house in.

Partner with your real estate agent by sharing your real estate findings. Your real estate agent should also be able to communicate and update you online.

“I bought a house in the 80s and my real estate agent had a thick book that she used to show me listings. How did she find me a house? Today’s technology allows me to send some properties to my clients to narrow the list down. I also use Google’s Street View to see what the neighborhood is really like for the properties I am finding for clients.” -Halvorson

Once you enter into an offer to purchase agreement, make sure you keep in communication with your real estate agent. Texting and emailing allows you to set up appointments without having to be on the phone. This can be a true gift to busy homeowners pressed for quiet time to get out a phone call.

Use document collaboration to hammer out home inspection concerns and finalize final walk-through issues. A service like Google Docs will allow you to list your concerns and send notification via email to your real estate agent. Your real estate agent can then add their comments and the changes can be tracked. Document collaboration is a great way to make sure all parties are on the same page.

Once you close escrow, you can also use technology to say thanks. Say you care by sending an electronic greeting card or by letting your real estate agent know you think they are truly awesome.

Time manage your real estate transaction with technology - and breathe a sigh of relief today.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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Time-manage your real estate transaction with technology

Most people think of their real estate agent as a one-time advisor. They assume a real estate agent can only help them with the pre-care of their real estate purchase. Once the sale is consummated, that’s pretty much the end of their relationship with their real estate agent. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Choosing a good real estate agent is the difference between real estate urgent care and routine real estate aftercare.

Good real estate agents want the relationships they make with their clients to have an impact. They want their clients to reap the value of their home purchase through regular maintenance. They want their clients to be successful by making home improvements that will hold their value. They want their clients to know they care and are only a phone call away.

“Many of my past clients contact me at tax time to help them get comparable home sale data for them so that they can dipute their real estate tax bill. They know that they can call or email me and I’ll be attentive.

“I also had a client who I set up two out of three bids for renovating their kitchen. My clients had relocated from Atlanta and I wanted them to work with a reputable remodeler. They were getting some major work done - new tile, backsplash and granite. My client ended up choosing one of the contractors I recommended, who gave them the lowest price and gave excellent service.” -Amy Patton, Connect2Agent member and real estate agent in Houston Texas.

Patton is not alone in providing aftercare service to her clients. Bill Grubb, Connect2Agent member and real estate agent in Haverford Pennsylvania, has always kept in touch consistently with his past clients to offer aftercare real estate services.

“Now is a good time to take care of deferred maintenance. I am doing this myself now. The past three years had been consistently busy and now I have some more time to take care of things that I didn’t before. I am getting a new garage door and having my house painted. I also have helped past clients with recommendations of contractors that will provide great service.

“It’s very important for homeowners who are considering selling their house to take care of their deferred maintenance. Home buyers in the current real estate market don’t want to do a lot of work. … They want the house they buy to be in move-in condition with easy, routine maintenance.”

Routine aftercare saves you from trying to perform real estate urgent care due to:

1. Loss of marketing time because of the poor upkeep of your house.
2. Loss of money from making home improvements that don’t hold their value.
3. Loss of money from paying a contractor who is overpriced and doesn’t perform quality work.

Good real estate agents can provide you with help in routine real estate aftercare. Good real estate agents are not anomalies. They are tried-and-true professionals who value the relationships they make with their clients.

Choosing a good real estate agent is the difference between real estate urgent care or routine aftercare.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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Avoid real estate urgent care with routine real estate aftercare

Lots of change and lots of good news to post.  This is the fourth post in the Age of Empowerment Series is a pleasure to write.  I’ll cover the good of people helpin’ people and cap with a relief to your wallet these days.

Let’s Begin….

Last Wednesday marked Blog Action Day. October 15th over 12,800 bloggers participated and wrote posts on the theme of poverty- the stats and the facts, their reflections and actions to rid the world of poverty.  These posts encouraged action always- regardless of any current economic times…and the reminder that curing poverty empowers us all.

12,800 bloggers- blogged 14,053 posts- read by 13,498,280 neighbors worldwide

Heating your house in tough financial times could be tricky. Luckily the grassroots campaign to save Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was successful.  $5.1 Billion was granted to assist low income families and seniors with their energy costs.

Learn more about how to continue this help in the post that appeared on the Lee Street blog earlier this week, “The trickle down effect of homeownership in tough times…you can make a difference”.

Pulling up the rear of this good news party train was a sigh of relief heard round the country as we filled up our gas tanks this week again to low prices….gas in my town is right around $2.75…I can’t even remember the last time it was this low.

That funny thing called supply and demand is working it out at the pump.

Check out what gas prices are in your neck of the woods.

Search for gas prices by US Zip Code

Got some good news to share? Connect2Agent would love to hear from you.  Please share by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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The Age of Empowerment Series (Lesson IV)

Dear Mr. Stein,

I came across your oh-so-enlightening article on Yahoo! Finance today, “Why I’m Still Buying”, and wanted to share an important lesson with my readers, using you as a perfect example.

Thanks in advance.

Fellow Americans:

Mr. Stein wrote a post October 17, ”Why I’m Still Buying”, in which he gave his oh-so-narrow-sighted views on why our great nation is experiencing financial turmoil and what a glimpse into the future might look like.

Mr. Stein’s bent on the source of the weakened economy goes like this:

“Groups involved with civil rights issues and activities for poor people began to complain that poor people and especially non-white poor people got mortgages much less often than white well to do people.”

And foolishly continued …

” … the advocates for poor and black people had immense political clout. Under President Bill Clinton, they passed legislation that called on banks to be required to lend to non credit worthy borrowers.”

Stop - I need go no further. Stein continue to wax inanely, blaming the uprising minority homeowners for the subprime mortgage debacle and the shakedown of the American Economy.

On the housing front:

• There certainly weren’t any middle- to upper-middle-class trying to buy up on interest-only, adjustable rate mortgages and 110% financing products.
• There weren’t any homeowners using their home equity like ATMs.
• There weren’t any investors left holding houses, unable to flip them.

Did you, Mr. Stein, not profit from the subprime? Did you, Mr. Stein, complain about these loan products way back when? Did you, Mr. Stein, not enourage your audience to invest as you do today?

Thou doth protest too much, me thinks, Mr. Stein.

Let alone the problems with credit, the auto industry, healthcare and others that have remained near stagnant, needy for real solutions.

Mr. Stein: You could have used your platform wisely - but took the road adjacent to the gutter.

Thanks for showing my readers yet another example of a person in a glass house who threw one hell of a stone.

Get past the blame and get on with the solution.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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Have you been through a real estate transaction where you just scratched your head and wondered why it couldn’t have gone a little easier? Do you read the real estate news or have discussions about housing and wish you could read a broader viewpoint?

You are not alone.

Amber Belbeck, homeowner and Office Administrative Assistant with Connect2Agent, wrote me today. During the weekend, one of our office meetings and her own real estate experiences gave her pause and she put pen to paper. Amber was gracious enough to allow me to share her thoughts on this blog.

Following is Amber’s letter to real estate agents.

Dear Real Estate Agents,

Don’t overwhelm your buyers by following their structure - take the reins and take them to the closing table faster!

Buyers generally have their desires in a home outlined and structured before they even start to contact a real estate agent - especially first-time buyers! It is great that they know what they want and have everything ready to assist you in doing your job quickly and efficiently. But the majority of home closings do not adhere to the ‘quickly’ part of that idea. In fact with some home buyers, you could spend months hunting down a house to match the dream home they’ve drawn up for you.

Buyers tend to know what they want in a home, and thus close off their peripheral vision to any other aspect of the home buying process.

It’s time to knock off those blinders and be proactive in closing buyers - faster, sooner, quicker!

How, you say?

Invest 10 minutes in your client. Maybe it will be a quick 10 minutes and then you are off to lunch, or maybe 10 minutes will turn into 30. Either way, this time spent immediately will save you months of waiting on that closing.

Scenario:

A home buyer calls you and introduces themselves - yay! A lead! Then they immediately start in on their requirements (single-family, 3 bed/2.5 bath, media room with leather seating, etc).

STOP them! Close your ears and don’t hear a word of it. This is where your 10 minutes come into play.

Instead, let them know you definitely want to hear what they are looking for and desiring in a home, but first you’d like to find out a little about them to help you better understand what they will need in a home (and community - and schools - and special needs and interests).

It takes no more than 10 minutes of conversation and asking the right questions.

You get home buyers into a comfortable conversation and listen to what they are saying without saying a word. Listen for the dogs barking in the background (mental note: will need dog-friendly area; dog sounds big - will need a good-sized yard with ample room to run). “Oh! I hear a dog in there, what breed is that? I’m a dog lover myself!”

Let them gush about their interests, their new job and how they have heard traffic is a nightmare in the area. By remembering the simple (and often forgotten) art of listening, we find the things that will be of concern to the buyer without them even yet realizing it will be a concern for them.

That’s it - it is that simple.

Listen to your buyers and let them close themselves for you - by giving you the keys to their perfect home.

Thanks for your time,

Amber Belbeck, a concerned homeowner for future homeowners 

See original here:

Are you a homeowner who needs to sell your house right now? Here are a few resources and alternative options I’ve previously blogged about to help you navigate tricky waters.

A convenience store lifestyle is what a home buyer wants … dig? - Explains the importance of listening to feedback from your real estate agent. 

Selling a house? Home staging dresses your house for success - Discusses the importance of staging a house to get it in the best, show-ready shape to compete aggressively against other houses for sale.

Success of short sales begin and end with a real estate agent’s expertise - Why it’s critical to work with a real estate agent who has training/experience in selling short sales if your house has to be sold on a short sale.

Stress busters for real estate sellers - Tongue-in-cheek advice for sellers. A good read to help keep the right perspective when selling your house.

Your real estate listing needs to be everybody’s business - Why it’s important for your house to be marketed everywhere possible.

Do you have real estate advice for home sellers to help them navigate tricky waters? Please share your advice by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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Navigating tricky waters for real estate sellers

This past weekend I paid my gas bill. Not a big deal, except for a review of my past winter’s bill made me call the gas company and get on a budget plan. Sarah, the customer service representative at my local gas company, was open to answering some general questions about the state of heating homes and how the economy is affecting the ability for people to pay their gas bill.

Sarah’s frank conversation opened my eyes to the trickle-down effect of homeownership in tough times.

I live in Wisconsin, which has been feeling the economic pain from an induced shot of a troubed national economy. Last Monday, General Motors announced it will cease production of SUVs in its Janesville, Wisconsin plant by December 23, affecting 1,200 workers. Additionally, rumors of a Mercy Hospital consolidation in surrounding towns has people talking and worried.

It’s easy to look at the big picture when we take the financial perspective to Wall Street. That’s where the media eye is trained to go. What about the truly hyper-local picture - where one or both incomes of a two-family household might be in danger on Main Street? How do you pay for the mortgage/rent, car loan, gas for the car, daycare, senior care, health insurance, groceries - the true basics?

How do you pay to heat your home? In Wisconsin, where the weather is not yet cold enough to mandate the heat as necessary for living conditions, homeowners’ inability to pay has increased, according to Sarah. If you are shut off before the weather mandates your heat remains on, you will be required to pay a deposit, even with heating assistance, before your heat can be turned back on.

In September, I wrote about LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) funding. It was created to help low-income and elderly families with their heating bills. My September 19 post, “Baby, it’s gonna be cold outside … keep heating assistance for low-income families alive”, was an update to a post I wrote last year about LIHEAP funding.

In that post, LIHEAP was trying to raise funding and the President had recently proposed a 22 percent cut in fiscal year 2009 for LIHEAP funding. I am happy to share this news from the LIHEAP website:

“September 30, 2008: President Signs FY09 CR with $5.1 Billion in LIHEAP Funding … This evening, the President signed a Continuing Resolution that increases funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to the Congressionally authorized level of $5.1 billion. This historic decision is the result of tireless work by the program’s champions in the House and Senate who recognized the vital need for more money in this program and refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer. ”

The website also recognizes the countless folks who continued to raise their voice in support of LIHEAP. The program will probably need an increase in funds as more people find themselves in a position where they are unable to pay their heating bill - but the first victory has come.

If you are in need of heating assistance, you can download an application by state or receive your state’s contact information at the LIHEAP Clearinghouse website.

I urge those who are not in need to lend their voice to support this effort, as I believe it will be needed. In the meantime, if you know of a neighbor in need, help by pointing them in the direction of this resource and by checking in. Use your knowlege to empower another.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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The trickle-down effect of homeownership in tough times - you can make a difference

The housing market’s problems have seeped into many homeowners’ doors. Stories about foreclosure and mainstream America are abundant.

What about when mainstream America is a military family?

What happens to a military family’s income and ability to pay for normal bills like gas, food, electricity and a mortgage when their soldier ships out? What if their beloved soldier, in the line of duty, becomes a casualty of war? How does that family pay the mortgage?

There is help out there and I am gonna tell you how to find it.

There’s a volunteer-led nonprofit organization, Soldiers’ Angels, whose motto is, “May No Soldier Go Unloved”. It provides support and comfort for deployed soldiers and their families at home. I met Nevada State Coordinator Lizz Phillips, who was happy to dish on the details of the organization, at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in September.

Phillips shared that sometimes soldiers don’t want to burden their families with requests. She also shared there are so many needs, and sometimes the need is just a kind word and a (distant) shoulder or ear, which makes all the difference. Other needs are more tangible - toiletries or financial aid for the families.

I asked Phillips if they help with housing needs. She stated that has been an increasing need and they do get calls from family members who need help with their mortgage payments. Phillips said not everyone realizes there is financial help available and the Soldiers’ Angels organization will work with the family to point them in the direction of the right resources for housing financial assistance.

There are 20 different teams and programs that offer assistance to soldiers and their families on the Soldiers’ Angels website. To contact them directly,

• Write: Soldiers’ Angels, 1792 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
• Call: Monday-Friday, 8-5 PST, (626) 529-5114
• Email: soldiersangels@gmail.com

Do you know of any housing resources for military families in need? Connect2Agent wants to hear from you. Please comment below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

See the rest here:
The Age of Empowerment Series (Lesson III)

Real estate has gone through many changes during the last 30 years. In “Back to the Future … a time travel through real estate”, Connect2Agent member Steve Osmar led a time travel voyage from handshakes to Internet-powered real estate deals. Osmar dished about real estate times past, when real estate systems were starting to evolve and documents for real estate resembled handshake-type deals.

Fast forward to the Internet-empowered consumer and the present. The iron curtain has been lifted and real estate information is flooding homes across America. Home buyers - 8 out of every 10 - are researching the heck out of listings, communities, schools and house values. They crave real estate knowlege and e-commerce is quick to dish it up.

What will the future hold for real estate? I spoke with Connect2Agent member Deborah Rubley, who sells real estate in Austin Texas, and she was willing to give a preview on the future of real estate.

Housing will be greener. A healthier environment and a smaller utility bill equals a win/win for homeowners. 

“If consumers spend less because of energy-saving appliances, they can save money to pay higher bills. … Many times a city has interest-free loans available that allow homeowners to upgrade their homes to green standards.”

Real estate agents will be better. A more educated and concerned agent equals a win/win for home sellers and home buyers.

“I am a certified real estate instructor and I have seen the attrition of real estate agents in Austin Texas. Many people are not being able to survive. It is costing a little more money to do business than it did the last few years where deals fell into laps. … I teach real estate agents that it doesn’t take much to be better than the next real estate agent. … I think we will see more dedicated, responsible agents that take care of their clients.” 

Mid-size brokerages may become extinct.

“Brokers are downsizing because the cost of overhead far exceeds their profit margins. We’ll see mom and pop brokerages and mega brokerages as the survivors.”

The Internet’s role in the real estate industry will increase.

“If real estate agents aren’t up with technology, they’re done; they’re toast. Pretty soon you’ll be able to walk through a home virtually.”

What’s your prediction? What does the future of real estate look like? Share your preview by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Original post:
Agent preview: The future of real estate

If you’re buying a house because of a corporate relocation or military transfer, you can prevent fire-sale madness easily. Stop your whimsical real estate searches, drop your rush to eccentric housing and roll into a successful home purchase.

Stop and drop. Stop and think: What are your housing needs and what’s available in the real estate market? Will you be transferred within three to five years of buying a house? If you move again, will you have to sell your current house in order to buy a house in a new location?

If you answered yes to the last two questions, then drop any rush to buy eccentric housing. Drop a house with 100 steps leading to the front door or an exotic entertainment room. Drop a house that backs up to a busy street.

“I try to hold standards for all of my clients, relocating or not. I have a list of houses I advise them against - a house shouldn’t back up to a power line or a busy street (for example). … I had a client I was working with for three months who was a corporate transferee.

“I told my client the type of properties he should and shouldn’t look at, but he did end up purchasing a property that backed to nothing at the time. The property ended up backing to a busy road - four lanes. I listed the property in January of last year and it is still listed.” -Jean Bryant, real estate agent in Allen Texas.

Roll into properties that will hold a value. There isn’t a crystal ball to show you how much your house might appreciate over time. You can protect yourself by working with a real estate agent who is willing to do the research on the neighborhood, the subdivision and the house.

“Make sure to focus on the areas that have good resale value. Ignore high-inventory areas.  High inventory might be a reflection of value.” -Jack Dabney, real estate agent in Nashville Tennessee.

Relocating? Fire-sale safety is easy if you stop, drop and roll.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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Relocating? Fire-sale safety is easy if you stop, drop and roll

I write this post as I sit on a Sunday evening enjoying time with my family, each of us engaged in separate activities, but all of us together and united.

I am reflecting on a blog post I just read, “Beneath the financial crisis waits a nastier beast”, which explores the last domino of the financial crisis. The blogger, Waleed Aly, discusses what might happen with social politics as a result of the economy. Aly’s belief is that government intervention and the new marketplace cannot help but alter social politics.

Aly’s words are sobering:

“This is what happens in times of great insecurity. As the foundations of our lives erode, we search for an anchor, and social politics very often provides it. When all else fails, we may still rally around old certainties: nation, culture, religion, race. We crave strong authority figures that can imbue us with certainty and articulate for us a sense of self. That often involves fabricating a scapegoat who becomes a mortal enemy.”

I have great hopes that the lessons of the past have taught us that fear-controlled decisions are usually led by sheep in wolves’ clothing.

Realize this:

• If your property values decline, understand that in most cases they appreciated unrealistically and were overvalued.
• If your company starts layoffs or downsizing and outsources overseas or hires cheaper labor, that is the decision of the company, not the end laborer.
• If you look to blame the subprime mortgage crisis on a race or ethnicity, you are blinding yourself to the source.

In the end, the blame does nothing to improve your situation. Empowerment lies in finding a solution by working together and looking inside ourselves. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. We all live in glass houses.

We can flip the switch from the age of entitlement to the age of enlightenment.

Get past the blame and get on with the solution.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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Get past the blame and get on with the solution

Breakin’ mainstream myths isn’t hard to do when you’re an entertainer and you’ve got the momentum of public opinion on your side. Pop star Jessica Simpson recently lassoed her way to country star fame and keeps her trendy clothes and shoes flying off sales racks at upscale department store Nordstrom.

Country music is breaking twang myth barriers and pop sensations ride in style, side-saddle, up the charts. Is the same true for real estate or is it all cowboys and ranches? In speaking with a Fort Worth Texas