unemployment: STOP STARING AT THE INTEREST RATES - 01/30/13 09:59 AM
They are not there to look pretty or have some casual conversation about. NO. It is a soft and subtle but constant reminder putting everyone on notice that these rates are in a class of history that is to be respected and acted upon. They are a reminder that the cost to own a home is within reach and that mortgage payments and rent payments are competitive
TO DIE FOR THESE INTEREST RATES
While other things are seeking their flow or bottoming out, the interest rate is holding. Then, at some point you will notice a little hiccup, a slight bump … (9 comments)

unemployment: MUSICAL REAL ESTATE CHAIRS BUY BEFORE THE MUSIC STOPS - 11/14/12 06:47 AM
We just came off a huge crash where people were flocking, fighting and stepping all over each other to purchase properties and then it all stopped. It reminded me of musical chairs where when the music stops, you have to be sitting in a chair. No chair and you are out of the game. Well, the appreciation and the supply and demand all abruptly halted....The Real Estate music stopped
RECAPPING THE LAST 3-5 YEARS
Then, a peculiar thing happened. We saw where prices would not hold. First, they stopped climbing and then they started doing what water does naturally. Pricing began to … (2 comments)

unemployment: NONE OF THE ABOVE VOTE OR CHECK HERE XXX - 11/05/12 08:26 AM
Well I for one will be glad when this voting all comes to an end. I am tired of being bombarded, told, reminded and nudged about how great everyone is. I have yet to experience a politician who runs on self-evidency as their platform (except one see below). In other words, they have nothing to say that you don't already know. If you like what they have done or can do, vote for them
THAT PERSON IS NO GOOD...VOTE FOR ME INSTEAD
What I do see a lot of is bashing and put downs from candidate to candidate. Some of things alleged makes … (2 comments)

unemployment: SOBERING UNEMPLOYMENT STATS USING SIMPLE MATH - 09/03/12 10:58 AM
I read something the other day that caught my interest. I t was presented so that ones common sense can be applied. From there, each person can draw the point trying to be made. When using math to make points, it is harder to dispute and easier to verify. This presentation on UNEMPLOYMENT was presented using math
SIMPLE ENOUGH MATH
In order for the unemployment figures to return to their 4, 5 and 6% ranges, which by the way are considered good, robust and healthy for us as an economy, 250,000 jobs would have to be filled every month for the … (11 comments)

unemployment: ALL IS WELL AND ITS EVEN GETTING BETTER? - 09/03/12 08:01 AM
There ought to be a stricter law against making false and misleading statements similar to yelling FIRE in a crowded place. I am referring to two things that pop up now and again that I find highly suspect. First, the unemployment figures are improving and second, the Real Estate market is picking up. Now I know that the public's morale plays a big part in our recovery, but it has to be truthful to sustain itself
THINGS ARE GOING WELL...really?
Hype wont do. Houdini tactics wont do and putting a band aid on it will never do. Each region has its own dynamics in … (7 comments)

unemployment: DONT BE SURPRISED IF.... - 08/08/12 12:50 PM
This is just a general list of mention of things that are brewing that concerns us all. Feel free to add to the list while taking note of what is listed. We are in the tail end of a recession that is fighting very hard to worsen instead of letting a new cycle of prosperity kick in. What we do or don't do as a Nation affects us all
DON'T BE SURPRISED IF...
1. Cost of gasoline stays high or even goes up
2. High unemployment stays with us for another year
3. Foreclosures kick into a final phase releasing lots of shadow inventory … (6 comments)

unemployment: HOLDING YOUR BREATH UNTIL ELECTION DUST SETTLES? - 08/03/12 01:48 PM
There are trillions of dollars not being circulated courtesy or banks, investors, and corporations until they know who will be in the White house and what their policies will be. I certainly don't blame them for thinking this way. Its like buying a great product or service for a bargain only to find out it will be discontinued right after you own it
REAL ESTATE PURCHASES
These appear to be solid and predictable at this time. Who can argue with historic low interest rates and the fact that whatever you purchase is at fair market value. In other words, you get what you … (8 comments)

unemployment: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT THE LAST 5 YEARS - 06/08/12 01:07 PM
WHAT A MESSY LAST 3-5 years...It is the downside of a high risk out of control run for your money anything goes mentality that caught up with everyone all at the same time only there are very few winners and many many losers from all this excess out of control thinking
CULPABILITY ROLE CALL
First our government for not regulating, then Wall Street who said regulations be damned, then the banks for saying...everyone else is doing it lets do it too, then the-investors who drove the frenzy and then lastly the homeowner who was told...have it all now...just sign here...
TOP DOWN … (14 comments)

unemployment: NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO START OVER - 03/28/12 03:10 PM
When everyone is losing their home all across America, then you losing yours gets lost in the numbers. When millions are unemployed across the nation, the personal stigma of it is diluted a bit. If your credit score has been beaten into the ground, well there is no where to go but up from there...
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO
Starting again or over should be easier for one very important reason. You now know what to do and what not to do. There is value in experience. Once you get past the pain of shock and resentment, the ability to go … (4 comments)

unemployment: RECOVERY ACTIVITY IS STARTING RECOVERY RESULTS - 03/21/12 12:48 PM
California which is my backyard, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and others are still reeling from houses that are underwater. Market value is as much as 60% less than what is owed on a properties.  Also, foreclosure activity is far from over as we are still working things out
CAUSE AND EFFECT
In some states where you have to go through judicial procedures and have a judge sign off, it takes to long causing other problems to boot. Blight kicks in further depressing properties and current properties fall into a state of repair having a domino affect on market values. Of course the recovery is … (0 comments)

unemployment: REDUCED SALES PROPERTY AND INCOME TAX REVENUE IS TAKING TOLLS - 02/21/12 02:56 PM
Cities and states are reeling from the effects of the loss of hundreds of million to billions of dollars in revenue generating from the current Real Estate fiasco. Consequently, services are being cut to mean and lean standards in every sector. Those employed are happy to be and many city and county workers are expecting lay-offs
WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER
It is this type of news that President Obama will have to defend as it happened on his watch. It is tempting to go after former President Bush, but that still leaves problems unsolved. Any energy directed toward this subject has to … (2 comments)

unemployment: PAYING PEOPLE BY THE HOUR OR THE JOB - 02/02/12 02:44 PM
This subject has come up lately and even more so during this recession. I have spoken with both sides of the fence. The guy doing the work who comes up with an hourly charge is charging what he believes he is worth. The guy hiring doesn't want to be nickel-ed and dime-ed to the minute and therefore just wants a price to complete the whole work
POINT OF VIEW
Hourly works very well for the guy who is doing his profession. I am dealing with tradesmen in the business who charge $25-$50 dollars an hour to perform their services. They charge … (4 comments)

unemployment: AUTOMATIC METER READING FREE BUT IT COSTS - 01/26/12 03:33 PM
I recently had a visit from my meter reader who dashed in my backyard through an open gate. He got my attention and I asked what he was doing. He said he is never able to get inside my yard for a reading so an open gate was too good to pass on. He then expressed frustration followed by a suggestion. Get an electronically read meter for.. free
BEARS REPEATING...$$
I sez...is there a cost for this to me in any way? He says no, the city gives them out for free. Just call in and they will schedule an appointment. … (9 comments)

unemployment: RENTAL MARKET ALWAYS GOOD BAROMETER OF CURRENT ECONOMY - 01/24/12 05:13 PM
I have been renting and leasing property for many years now in different markets, areas and Real Estate cycles. The price that you charge for a rental and how long it takes to rent in and of itself is very informative. As an added bonus, you get to talk with potential renters and sort of poll them as they call in.
YOU HEAR ABOUT LIFE IN THE TRENCHES
For instance, we read about job loss, house loss, ill health and divorce almost every day. When you advertise something for rent, all the current events come to you. Through a quick succession … (4 comments)

unemployment: ACTIVITY FOR 2012 IS SHOWING ITSELF ALREADY - 12/21/11 02:32 PM
I am getting activity for property management services, listings and sales which I was not expecting. These are the best kind to get too. I mean the ones you were not expecting that is. I remain optimistic but prefer reality at all times. By this I mean that there are issues that have to be respected and dealt with in 2012
JOB LOSS
Unemployment for California is around 13% and locally 14%. In addtition, threats of lay-offs loom becasue cities and counties cannot balance their budgets. Trying to re-negotiate with the unions is proving difficult too.
BANK SHENNIGANS
Then, we have … (4 comments)

unemployment: 2012 PREDICTIONS MAY NOT BE CHEERY, BRIGHT, OR ENCOURAGING BUT... - 11/15/11 12:26 PM
 My predictions for 2012 are too negative and stark...I will leave it at that. However, almost every city around me is preparing for population growth 10-20 years into the future and doing projects now for those projections. While we are in a dip right now ...that's true, but we are not going to stay there
MAN-MADE PROBLEMS
It is a dip that was heartily influenced and manipulated by powers that be. Something similar took place right before the great depression too. At that time, you could play the stock market with no money and just on your credit. The results of … (2 comments)

unemployment: SANTA CLAUS OR LOST CAUSE THIS XMAS WAIT AND SEE - 10/24/11 06:01 PM
Okay, we aren't even past Halloween yet and here I am talking about Xmas. Retailers make 50% of their yearly income just in 30 days around Xmas time. It is a critical time of year allowing businesses to gage their health and their futures. Of course, it says a lot about the people at large too
CONSERVATIVE HOLIDAY BEHAVIORS
I don't think there will be a run on Ugg boots, special dolls, or train sets this year. This may be one of the most practical Xmases to come along in a while. Money to spend is tight and reason to celebrate … (3 comments)

unemployment: ROARING TWENTIES LED UP TO THE GREAT DEPRESSION HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF - 10/12/11 11:17 AM
I was watching a special that showed life in the late 1920's. The country was thriving in so many ways. People were prospering from all the opportunities that the new century brought in. Jobs were aplenty, people were buying goods and having fun was the thing to do. That is why they called it the Roaring Twenties until someone played with it
STABILITY IS NOT GAIN IN BUSINESS
Toward the end of the twenties, things were very quiet and predictable. There was no business killings or spikes in anything to cause windfalls or huge lumps of cash to materialize. Things were … (4 comments)

unemployment: NATIONAL CRISIS FOR HOUSING AND UNEMPLOYMENT BERNANKE STATES - 09/29/11 12:21 PM
It is easy to take a wait and see attitude and for some things that may be prudent to do. Now that some of the smoke has cleared, we have some major issues floating around Washington these days that have to be reigned in. One is unemployment. People have been unemployed for too long and have exhausted their temporary benefits
HOUSING & UNEMPLOYMENT
Now what do they do? What more can they do? This thinking was recently bought up by Federal Reserve Charmian Ben Bernanke who claims this is a National Crisis. We now have enough data complied to be able … (2 comments)

unemployment: APARTMENT BUILDINGS WENT FROM 12 TIMES GROSS TO NO TIMES GROSS - 09/25/11 02:30 PM
I was employed many years ago by a multi-millionaire. He was a product of two world wars and the great depression. I worked with him for 12 years. I did not need to read a history book. I was working for one. He had answers based on experience. I watched a then recession kick in that reduced income properties to bargains. He said NO, it will get worse..I said NO WAY
MY LEARNING CURVE
We are products of our generation and our experiences. Here I am watching for years apartment buildings selling at 10-12 times gross all day long. One day, … (2 comments)