Honestly...
I have not been around Active Rain too much lately.. and when I have been around my posts have been as equally intelectual as some of the posts I have seen. But today I did see some great posts that made me think and want to write something thoughtful.
The AR e-mail hit my box with Kristal Kraft's "Should We Let Gloom and Doom Control our Destiny" which intrigued me so I clicked on through with the interesting study by Mr. Panarin. No surprise on the economic challenges taking place and the threat it means to our great country. Surprised on how the country is predicted to be broken up into several pieces controlled by foreign countries which I somewhat find ridiculous.
However... considering who owns what, who relies on what and who this great country owes... it's really not that ridiculous. When you look at the big picture we've unfortunately put ourselves into situations where we have to rely on countries that really do not like us all that much. Kind of like seeking financial help from that really sharp dressed guy with a last name that ends in a vowel who is a great friend... Until it comes time to collect.
I clicked on some other featured posts including Jim Crawford's 2008 A lot of Unanswered Questions which are questions that I've been asking since 2006 for the most part. Unfortunately they are still not answered and something tells me that unless people start getting more vocal... are not going to be answered in 2009. Let's face it... Barney Frank just got re-elected and if you don't know who Barney Frank is or what he does... you are part of the BIG problem and I suggest you do a little bit of research and get educated.
In Jim's post I quote:
I am still feeling very uneasy about living through the biggest unexplained events to transpire since the "Great depression", but personally feel there are too many questions that are still not answered to my satisfaction. Even here on Active Rain, no one really talks about the events of 2008.
And that's why I have not been around Active Rain too much... for over 120,000 members, there is little thought or research on what has happened. It's proven that the NAR has nothing more then their own self interests in mind and little to do with the best interests of the consumer. Otherwise, the Voice of Real Estate would have been harping and warning about the dangers of making real estate ownership an entitlement instead of the rightful privilege that it has been for centuries. Work hard.. save money and own real estate. It's why Kings are Kings and peasants are peasants.
The current economic news is old news if you've been following the Bubble Blogs... new if you've done nothing but followed Active Rain as your primary source of information. The Bad News or Gloom and Doom in the media has been years in the making. Much like a Cat-5 Hurricane that sits in the Gulf building up power before it hits the mainland. Much like Hurricane Katrina sat in the Gulf and built up power before slamming into Mississippi and New Orleans destroying the lives of the people ill prepared or who ignored the warnings.
Current economic conditions are no surprise except for those who chose to ignore it.
Which brings me to Jason Sardi's Post --> Are We Going to Be Okay? In his post he mentions the 94 to 6 rule in where 94% of the people are pessimistic and 6% of the population is optimistic. I believe that 6% of the overall population is Optimistic because they've taken the time to understand what's happening. The other 94% just ignore the indicators and become pessimistic when bad things start to happen.
I certainly Believe that 6% of us knew this was coming... and I think 6% of us are in the position to take advantage of buying real estate that rents out for more then the mortgage to the 94% of the people who thought real estate always goes up in price or that appreciation rates are always 10%+. Therefore... 6% of us are very optimistic because we've taken the time to learn and how to deal with what is taking place.
It's the concept of Going Against the Herd Mentallity that Warren Buffet and other great Investors Teach.
Approximately 6% of the population controls 94% of the wealth in this country.
There are 126,000+ members on Active Rain which includes plenty of Non - Realtors... Breaking it down would probably equate to about 6% of the total Realtors in the United States who see the importance of blogging and being educated enough to bring real estate to the next level.
Hopefully the picture of why 6% of the population being optimistic now makes sense. It's not because they bury their heads in the sand and say everything is going to be Ok, it's not because they ignore the conditions taking place and it's certainly not because they think it's all because of the gloom and doom of the media.
Many of you are just now seeing what we in Las Vegas have been seeing for well over a year now..
Tough economic times... real estate prices obliverated, displaced families, budget cutbacks THAT WILL effect you, school budgets cut and blah, blah, blah all created by VERY POOR management of resources from when the times were good.
VERY POOR and VERY UNEDUCATED Management of when we were rolling in the dough and acting like it was going to last forever.
WHICH Brings me to one of the Very Best Blog Posts of 2008 that I've Seen on Active Rain..
Perhaps it's because we specialize in Las Vegas Short Sales and I take the time to learn about my clients (unlike some other crappy short sale companies located who knows where that are only interested in collecting an application fee...) that I get to see the real pain.
I have a little interview process much like the listing process I used when I was with Sotheby's and selling Luxury Real Estate about why the owners bought the home to begin with. More often then not it was based on passion from very successful people who could more then afford the home. The same passions they shared... I advertised. It had nothing to do with making money, appreciation rates.. but just life in general.
I kind of do the same thing today and most of the answers are VERY disturbing on what home sellers were told when they purchased the home. Appreciation rates are 20%+ a year, you can just refinance, Las Vegas is running out of land and blah, blah, blah... It really had nothing to do with passion...
HERE IS REALITY:
WHY REAL ESTATE AND THE ECONOMY IS SUCH A MESS
Which is why when I came across Claire C's post about leaving 2008 behind really struck a chord with me.
Claire personally shares what I've seen over and over in 2008 with plenty of Las Vegas short sales sellers and it's tough when you really care.
For sharing her pain about 2008 and the hope for 2009, Claire certainly gets my nomination for 2008 Blog Post of the year.
REALITY OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO:
6% of us know that the current condtions are going to get worse unless things change. The Bailout programs are burying us into debt even further and there are some real problems that will make today's problems seem like a walk in the park. If you think that everything is just going to be OK because the same people who got us into this mess are going to get us out of it... WAKE UP.
Visit this site --> http://www.pgpf.org/ and take the time to learn what is really going on or Claire is going to be wishing she never saw 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and I'm certainly going to feel bad for my daughter when she turns 21.
Have a Great 2009 and WAKE UP to the Fleecing of America That Has Taken Place!
Paul Francis, CRS
Las Vegas Real Estate
702.592.3058
Posted by 
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Wow. Yes we have been and are being fleeced. However, for me, I have much to be grateful for, and don't care if I have to live in an Airstream (want to!), doing what I love makes me very happy, although it is not RE, per se.
All the best in 2009.