200 9. That was a year full of challenges and changes. I stopped blogging about this time last year as it became apparent that I could no longer anticipate with any degree of accuracy what would occur next. Anticipating what real estate and financial markets will do is an important service that I provide to my clients. In the turmoil …
The Fixx (not the band)
An idea came to me yesterday while reading and listening to various opinions and objections regarding the stimulus package. It seems there is a consensus of concern about how to use the money to make the most immediate positive impact on the economy. How do we get it into the system WITHOUT the banks snagging it and sitting on it? …
OUR FUTURE BANKERS
Here they are, our State Representatives. “The Cop”, “The Mom in Tennis Shoes”, and “Whatever, I Need to Work Somewhere”. I’ve tried to locate the email addresses for these folks on-line to no avail. What they offer is a form on their respective pages to be filled out, along with a message, and sent into the ether with the hope that …
Damn Banks or…..Why Is it Taking So Long To Recover?
How do banks make money? They make loans. What if they don’t make loans? They sit on the money they have. What if they don’t have money to sit on? They threaten to fail and the Federal Government gives them money to sit on OR they “arrange” a managed failure with the help of the Federal Government, in the course …
Happy New Year 2009
So arrives another new year. Live your life! As 2008 closed out amidst concern, if not angst, over the economic turmoil that has consumed our collective national consciousness, I am perplexed. Is it the power of the media that has us running for cover….because it tells us to? Granted, major financial institutions and auto manufacturers failing is going to grab …
Diana Moves Her License to Prudential NW Real Estate
Diana moved to Prudential a few months ago. Why? Well, as many of you know, Diana’s specialty par excellence is relocation. It is a strength at Prudential, a national company. Not quite so at Windermere, a regional company. But as Diana has been indoctrinated into the Prudential system, we’ve been introduced to some surprisingly refreshing ideas pertaining to residential real …
2012: Welcome to Al-Qaidastan
One of our greatest concerns regarding Al-Quaida is that they find a way to obtain a nuclear weapon. I submit that perhaps our concerns have been misdirected, as I believe that our gravest threat is that within a few short years, waaay before Iran develops a nuclear weapon, Al-Quaida will obtain a nuclear country i.e., Pakistan. While we have dithered …
Federal Way Sign Ordinance: Not Rocket Science
I’ll be brief: Real estate open house signs are a time honored tradition. The regulation thereof should be simple and straightforward. Her is how I would propose that any municipal and/or county sign ordinance should read. Open house signs shall be no larger than 24″ by 24″; Said signs shall bear the name of the licensed real estate brokerage that …
Seller Responsibility: Clean the House and Take Your Junk!
What is it with Sellers that think it is OK to leave all kinds of garbage behind for their Buyers to deal with? We’ve seen it all, from engine blocks to garbage bags filled with used diapers. A favorite is old paint cans with colors that haven’t been used in the house in 20 years, or old broken hollow-core doors …
The More I Learn, The Less I know…..
As if things weren’t strange enough, the subscription service that brought you Monday Morning Coffee for the last few years ceased operations in June. Since then I have been musing as to what to do for the many subscribers that have enjoyed those weekly snippets of wisdom. A dear long time friend and client jarred me back to responsibility last week …