Near the Equator of the Earth is an area that if you’re in a sailboat, you’re quite often out of luck when it comes to wind. It’s called the “Doldrums” and there’s so little wind, you hope your little outboard can get you back into a more breezy area.
Well for many of us in the real estate market, it’s the holidays and just after the holidays we have to gently nudge people who are on the fence to start looking again. That’s the beauty of the Internet. It doesn’t matter what the roads are like, you can visit a lot of homes online.
Now, the message of this missive is aimed directly at people who are still paying rent. You know who you are. You may have a great landlord and a lovely lease…BUT you don’t have any equity in the home and oddly enough, it’s now cheaper to purchase than it is to rent…Let me say that again…If you’re renting now…there’s a good chance it would be less expensive to PURCHASE a home.
There’s a great TV Ad that was produced and aired by the National Association of Realtors. It shows a couple and their kids, literally “sitting on a fence” staring dreamily at a nice house.
I understand that the national media has scared many people into not buying a home. Even though Chicken Little says the sky is falling, chances are, it’s not. We all know that if the national media didn’t focus on all the negatives in this world (real or perceived) that no one would watch their programming or read their stories or blogs. James Redfield wrote about it in his Celestine Prophecy series…he referred to it as “The Fear.”
Well as someone who bought their home over a dozen years ago and is still as excited about owning it as they were the day they moved in…there’s no beating home ownership!
Many times I run into people who have convinced themselves they wouldn’t qualify for a mortgage but there are a number of programs out there that they may qualify for and if nothing else, talking to a lender gets you headed in the right direction. The last few years, I’ve seen a lot of people who felt that way and looked into programs like USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) RD (Rural Development) program which is a 100%, no money down program and it’s opened the door to home ownership for a number of people.
If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite films at the holidays is Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” That film has so many great lines in it and the one that comes to mind is one of the heated exchanges between George (James Stewart) and Potter (Lionel Barrymore). Potter mentions that people should “wait” and save up the money but George Bailey, who has taken on the Bailey Building and Loan after his father passed away, stands up to Potter, one of several times:
You... you said... what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be!
Even today, $5,000 is a lot of money for people to set aside. So, consider this if you’re still renting…Even though you may have a great landlord (we did for 13 years in one place) you have no equity in where you live (Shortly after moving out of our apartment in 1999, I took the rent and averaged it out and multiplied it times the 13 years we had lived there. It came out to something in the neighborhood of $64,000. It still makes me cringe). Why not make it a New Years Resolution to get a place of your own?
By the way, just so you know, the reason behind the Mayan Calendar ending when it did…They were running out of space on the stone it was carved in and they still had to put in the etchings of the Mayan Jai Alai team…
Well let me close by wishing you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa…there’s something magical at this time of year. It’s called the Spirit of Giving. In the fall of 2011 I called a friend of mine, Dennis, who is the director of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter if there was something I could do to help in honor of my 50th (When I turned 40, I rallied some family, friends and businesses and we raised over $7,000 for the Shelter).
What was once a grant program called Welcome To Housing ran out of funds. He said the biggest need they had for people moving from the Shelter to permanent housing was the basic household necessities. I jumped at the chance to get a group of volunteers together to pick up the program and nurture it and help it grow. When we first met to talk about the program, I asked Dennis if it got enough support, would there be any reason that it couldn’t help people moving out of other shelters. He thought it was a great idea but said it would probably take a while. As of May of 2012, Welcome To Housing grew so quickly thanks to the overwhelming support of the community; we now serve people from any and all shelter programs in the Bangor Maine area.
I would like to share this year’s holiday poem which I wrote, based on one of the visits to our donated warehouse by a client and her caseworker:
Her eyes lit up as she walked in the warehouse door…
There were all kinds of things for her new home, on the shelves and floor.
She whispered to her caseworker, “It’s just like Christmas in here!”
She was starting all over again, moving out of a shelter and before her,
were many things we take for granted...but for her, they were held very dear.
In a way, she was right...somehow, as volunteers, we had built something
that kept the “giving” spirit of the holidays alive and well throughout the year.
There was bedding; there were things for her bath…
There were dishes, utensils, pots and pans...and microwaves to help cook…
It was all free for the taking, lots of useful things, everywhere you’d look.
Welcome To Housing has given us a new appreciation for the spirit of giving.
It’s a true joy to help those in need as they move from the shelters
and into a place of their own...to get on with life, loving and living.
When people thank us, we smile and nod…because deep down inside
we know it could be any one of us, but for the Grace of God.
Written 12/3/2012 by C.K. Olsen
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Sincerely yours,
Christopher Olsen & Robin Pinkham
And our pets:
Felines: Kiwi, Loki, Maggie and Abby and our dwarf rabbit, Mikey the Wonder Bunny.
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