Well!  What a wonderful day!  (Inauguration Day)   I am frankly still in a daze...and though I've always been 'positive' etc., I have had a hard time getting my mind around the wonderfulness and possibility that this day brings to us.

President Obama and his family also bring an awareness of the power of symbols.  Just having the image of our president be African-American sets so many other thoughts and attitudes in motion!  It is the power of words many times magnified. 

We in sales always remember that 'attitude is everything', and that 'what the mind can conceive, the being can achieve'.  We must believe in the potential goodness and power of love brought forth by our collective choice of a new direction and a new leader.

I have often thought with chagrin of the saying "we get the leaders we deserve"..now I can think of that phrase and smile!

Let us bring into being a kindler, gentler, more inclusive, rational, fearless (in the best sense) nation, and think way beyond nationalism.  It is time!

Hello friends...my day started with a coaching session...had resisted getting a coach for some reason:  too trendy, didn't want to be held accountable, the money, etc., but I had emailed an old friend from the Star Power Systems group, Amy Stoehr, on another matter, and turns out she had started a coaching company:  Changing Lanes Coaching I believe it's called.  Getting Clarity: a good thing!!  As with any kind of counseling, it's simple: you just ask yourself the basic questions:  what do I really want? How do I achieve it?  And then pay attention to the anxwers!

Amy is a brilliant and loving woman, and I do feel things falling into place better.   Need guidance in these rapidly (no pun intended but it does feel as if we're running rapids sometime;  prices, lenders, etc.) changing times. 

Then I went to look at houses on the Brokers' tour for Richmond, El Cerrito and West Contra Costa County...  the pricing is all over the map: some bank-owned houses are sometimes priced VERY much below the rest of the offerings.  In some areas, proces are dropping daily.  theree are some Really good buys out there! spole to the old pros who were also trying to stay abreast (and afloat) in this market1

Yesterday was one of those great days...business came in all day long...thank the Goddess.  And this week my beloved Nathan Detroit found a home!  He is one of the many ferals at my offices whom I care for.  He was very friendly (not a feral; feral by definition is a cat who is afraid of people: Not Nathan!  Quite the lover! Big. long, lanky, strong and handsome!  I put them onto Petfinders and Craigslist, and found a sweet, lovely woman who lives in the Berkeley Hills (NO traffic!) and wanted a friend for her other cat, whose companion died a few months ago.  They are getting to like one another. Nathan is mellow, and the nurturing type.  (for my money males and females are more alike than not in this way)

 So a happy week. 

In my office today, and boy is it quiet!  Compared with the market in general, our small but mighty Bee Realty is doing well..tomorrow will be our second closing of 2008, with only three agents.  Still...!! I looked at the "hot sheet" for the Richmond and West Contra Costa County area today, and there were tons of active listings, cancelled listings,  etc., but NOTHING in escrow.  I'm a bit confused, as we at Bee have one in escrow, but it's a sign of the times. I weathered the last recession because I had a specialty: the Richmond View area.  I think it saved me...folks had a reason to remember me and to call me. 

 This time around, we have a reputation (good) and lots of experience.  We have learned that by staging well our clients' homes get looked over and not overlooked, to loosely quote Mae West.  We do our homework: termite reports, full home inspections: we know our 'product'.  We tell the truth about the odds our clients face, and about how the market is still worsening for sellers. 

For buyers, now!!  My goodness, I wish I had some money to invest! I have never, NEVER seen such opportunities.  Buyers are confused, because things have changed so fast, but there are some DEALS out there!  Sellers still want the best they can do, tho they often don't know what that is until it's less than they could have gotten a few months ago...and buyers can be too optimistic.  but if buyers just make a decision, it's hard for them to go wrong.

Bee is hosting an evening in which we hope to answer some questions about "What's going on?" "Where are we and where are we headed".  Sonya Wyland the fantastic from Mechanics Bank will let folks in on the availability of "silent seconds" given out by the Cities of San Pablo and Pinole.  Up to $200,000 with NO PAYMENTS until the house is sold!  The equity gained will be shared with the lender. A win-win for new buyers!

Our event is on Feb. 3, at our offices at 3065 Rchmond Parkway, Ste. 114. that's a Sunday, 4:30 to ??  'Freshments and a good time...plus really useful info: Foreclosures: hot or not?  Now or later? How can I get my house sold?  (Our average marketing time is I believe 43 days from debut to in contract.)

Today's hot, sunny, and it's almost 4:00!  I have my 93-year-old mother with me till the middle of November, and time gets away.  

My hardwood floor guy came to give me an estimate on doing my bedroom (got disgusted and ripped up the carpet) and was asking me about 'the market'.  I've known him since he bought a house with his dad, who died.  This was about 20 years ago. He spent all of his savings deeping the payments current without the dad's help, and only then decided to sell the house.  We go back.   

I told him that it will be about two longer than common wisdom and the pundits are letting on, and that it's getting worse in our area, not better.  After things start to get better, everyone who has been waiting to sell will list their properties, flooding the market. This will take some time to work through.....there's so much not being said.

Got a solicitaion from Washington Mutual the same day I read of the lawsuit accusing it of pressuring appraisers to 'hit the number'.  In fairness, market value of a property has historically been defined as "the price a willing buyer pays a willing seller after reasonable market exposure, neither party being under duress".  And the lenders are asking their appraisers for market value.  It may not stay at that point, but at the moment the two parties agree on price, market value has been defined. 

Giving an $803,000.00 loan to a woman whose annual income was $28,000.00 was criminal, however.  This sort of thing was done all day long, with the false documents produced by lenders (tax returns, loan applications!!) to give evidence. I've seen these documents. This woman bought one of my listings, and came into my office to see what could be done when she could not make the payments.  The thought going in was that family members would help her, but it was too much for even the whole extended family.

HEY!!    If anyone is in the Hilltop area on November 15, Bee is hosting a mixer for the Green Chamber of Commerce. Bee is a member.Great food, drink, & live music!! $10.00 for non-chamber members, $5.00 for members.  Join us! It's between 5:30 and 7:30, at 3065 Richmond Parkway, Ste. 114. Lots of parking. Between I-80 and San Pablo Ave on the Parkway! Y'all come!

Good Morning out there!  Eileen Kalahele, one of our stellar Listing Specialists is briilliant, and has set up this blog for us.  Doing so was on my to-do list for a looong time, and she has done it!  Kudos, Eileen!

I may randomly set down what's on my mind this morning.  I checked the multiple listing activity for our area, as I do in the am, and found just two new listings and one sale! my my.  Many folks are really hunkering down, and it shows up in the very, very few homes sold each day.  Kudos to the agents who are hanging in there, and comforting sellers and buyers alike. 

I went out with my mother as usual yesterday, Sunday, to look at open houses and confer with the Realtors holding them open on the activity level, mood, etc., of the buyers.  I had seen most of them..the same houses which have been on the market for some weeks or months!  My dear friend Darrell Hoh had a lovely one on Kern, which he sold to his clients a few years ago.  We spoke of how very difficult the North and East Richmond area is now, where almost all of the houses fall into the category served (!?) by the recent sub-prime loans.  Folks who were buying there can't any longer, and so those who wish to trade up are having a hard time finding buyers. 

We have had a house in El Cerrito, in great condition, which in our humble opinion  beats all of the competition handily, and have had just one offer in two weeks of marketing!  I read the local papers for Berkeley and Oakland, and talk to those Realtors about the market there.  The higher-end  properties are selling more readily, many with multiple offers.  This in in contrast to the way it was a few years ago, when the lower the price, the faster the sale!

I feel fortunate that we have a unique system (unique to West Contra Costa County:  duplicated around the country by successful Realtors) We break up the many aspects of selling/buying, and have one person specializing in each: marketing, transaction management (YAY Haley!), Buyer Agency, Seller Agency, and miscellaneous, for which tasks we have a courier. She hangs the signs, installs lockboxes, checks on vacant homes, etc., etc!  The last time we had a recession I was working mainly alone, with some help from my husband, Ken Utsu, and one assistant.  At that time, the fact that I had a specialty  (Richmond View) was what pulled me through.  I hope that this will be my last 'down' market!

Love to all, peace, and call me if you know of anyone who wants to adopt a cat or a kitten! We operate Bee Rescue, which can be found on Petfinder.com!

Cynthia Burke, Certified Residential Specialist