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HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT! FIRE AWAY!!!!

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach

With milk at over $5.00 a gallon at our local Publix, almost $4.00 at the local 7/11 and Walgreens...my question is...How does the average person survive? I remember (aging myself now, but....) when milk was delivered to the house, it was fresh, it tasted so good. AND those fizzies...like an alka seltzer, but tasted like root beer.. We also had bread delivered...and those Charles chips in the can...(who would ever have thought that potato chips would be a comodity???much less delivered) I remember when 7-Up was a new soda and a truck came around and gave us a taste...ahhh, it was so different...so relaxed back then...WE WERE HAPPY TO SEE PEOPLE, AND NOT AFRAID TO TALK TO THEM!!!

Things change...I  was happy that I had an electric typewriter to use...a Christmas present one year...my friends used to come over and I would type their school reports for them...geeze...the computer geek (Gates, love him) was still probably in elementary school...

Then off to college...I had a little black and white TV, a "hotpot"...and a toaster oven to make those little shredded wheat treats  (on a tray with a little butter on top and warmed up, OK, we were poor!) when we were hungry at nite...studying...[Side bar, my parent's helped me through college, and I worked 2 jobs...about 50 hours a week and went full time...and learned to be disciplined with my time.]

TODAY, there are a plethora of electronic devices...it will take me forever to catch up...thankfully, I have my children to help me out...

My point here is...milk, used to be 5 cents a gallon, gas was 35 cents a gallon (when I started to drive) and now...amazing to me...the minimum wages has gone from $2.50 then to only $5.75 (I think, maybe $6.25, the last poster I read was $5.75) now...amazing...So I'm telling my age, I have three children between 22 - 26. OK, adults (successful) now, all of them.

If you are in a 2 income household, according to what I have recently read, the "average income" is $50,000. With taxes at 28%...we're talking an average of about $36,000. a year income. That averages out for $3,000. a month income. For a 3/2 you can expect to pay at a minimum for a decent home about $1400.00. Add to that, electric, cable, phone, insurance, car payment...how much is left...you calculate. I have and it's not good.

It's a situation that is somewhat grim, my point in this blog is that is these families have saved money and are trying to buy a home...give them your best shot...especially if they have job security. So many agents write them off...remember when????Give them a chance...

Back in the day $50,000. would be upper middle class...

What are you making a year?

MY POINT HERE IS: DON'T JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE COVER. GIVE EVERYONE YOUR BEST SHOT...

EVERYONE THAT YOU MEET IS DIFFERENT, EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT...TREAT EVERYONE AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED! BE FAIR!

http://www.karenmonsour.com

Posted by

Best regards,

Karen Monsour, REALTOR®

Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach
4757 N. Ocean Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
954-464-4194 cell
954-969-9974 fax
www.KarenSellsFloridaWaterfront.com
A recent recipient of Realtor.com®'s "Award of Excellence" for online marketing.

Multi-million dollar producer.


» Bill Burress Nationwide Mortgage Originator
» Bill Burress Nationwide Mortgage Originator - Fort Myers, FL

Karen:

Over and Out. I have an early meeting tomorrow.  Nice chat.

Oct 31, 2007 04:40 PM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Ahhh Bill...that NBC peacock...that's my first TV....as a babe....LOL

Oct 31, 2007 04:48 PM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Bill,

Me too, cash deal to write early am...ciao!

Fun...

Nite.

Oct 31, 2007 04:51 PM
Tom Marshman
Secure Financial Center - Everett, WA
Great post!  In another life I worked with a boss who, when we worked the floor together, would be hustling out the door when a Mercedes pulled up, but something less expensive he'd be yelling at me to get out there...
Oct 31, 2007 05:18 PM
Hugh Krone
Weichert Referral Associates - Hamburg, NJ
Realtor, Sussex County NJ
Give me a serious first time homebuyer anytime. Karen , youre still in your prime we got a long way to go yet
Oct 31, 2007 11:43 PM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate
Milk in glass bottles delivered to your door, I remember that. In Ann Arbor you never judge a book by it's cover, too many high paid individuals in berkenstocks and jeans. LOL
Nov 01, 2007 12:24 AM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Tom,

Live and learn...

Hugh,

Yes, I love those first time home buyers as well.  I also love returning an inquiring phone call and saying, can we write the deal in the morning??? I have cash!   Yes it happens.  It happened to me last night...what amazes me is it's feast of famine.  3 offers on one of my listings yesterday.  Then I return an inquiry last night and they offer full price and cash...yeah!  Now if those 3 offers would have been on some of my different listings, not all on one...not complaining, but wow, that would have been special.

Missy,

That milk was so good!  Yes, we see that attire out of quite a few high paids down here as well. LOL

 

Nov 01, 2007 01:18 AM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Did I mention that I was not old enough to get the bottles out of the milk box?...just remember the box...LOLOL

Couldn't lift that big can of Charles chips either...

Now the bread was a different story, if I could bet it into the kitchen without falling on it and smashing it into a pancake!

Have a great Nov.1st...so far, nothing going on down here with the tropical storm warning  :-)...we'll see what happens this afternoon.

Nov 01, 2007 01:21 AM
Kathy Fisher
Parker Properties - Decatur, TX
Realtor Wise County Texas

Bill & Karen,

I just LOVE to read your comments.

OKAY I'm not afraid to admit it....I remember ALL those things too and I just turned 50 this past SUNDAY! So there....

Here in North Texas our milk at, WHERE ELSE but Wal-mart, just hit $4.00 a gallon and THAT's for no name. Great Value is the brand, yea right!!

About your post Karen, you know it IS all about the old Golden Rule. I have been in this business for over 10 years now and NO, I'm not making money hand over fist. I WORK for what I make because I LOVE to work with those first time buyers that aren't looking for more than $70 - $80k. No, they are few and far between but I take them on every chance I get. They seem to appreciate the efforts and buying a home is a REAL experience for them. So many times in the past two or three years I have worked with younger couples that are #1, not married yet BUT want the house prior to the wedding and #2 Want the same kind of house (over $200k most times) that Mom & Dad have that took them 20 years to get.

Anyway....some things have REALLY changed, but it all boils down to treating everyone equally and fairly and the way YOU would want to be treated. You can't demand respect but you can sure earn it by your actions. Night ALL!!!

P.S. Karen -how did you fair from the storm? Good I hope.

Nov 01, 2007 04:11 PM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Kathy,

I think Simon has ESP....It went north and we had nothing...We'll I cleaned of my porch, yesterday...Have 1 executed contract tonight (9:45 pm) and 2 still on the table...so tired...

Thank you for the compliment...I live close to the ocean and Bill lives on the west side just a little west and north of me.  I used to fly all over the state when I worked in the medical field, so I know where he is.

Thanks for your post, and thank you for the compliments...great to have fabulous and supportive friends on here.

Nov 01, 2007 04:18 PM
Sal Poliandro - Helping People Win
RE/MAX Properties - Ridgewood, NJ
Broker Associate
Wow Karen!  I can't believe the price of milk is that high down in Florida.  I don't know how they expect you to survive either.  And those dates/prices really date all of us.  I remember those times.
Nov 02, 2007 01:55 PM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Sal, 

Yup....35 cents for gasoline...a nickle for milk...no lie the price of milk is affected by the price or corn...or something like that...rediculous.

Glad I have grown children, if not I would need three jobs to support them...

Nov 02, 2007 02:04 PM
Mike and Dawn Lewis
The Lewis Team at Keller Williams - San Diego, CA
The Lewis Team at Keller Williams in San Diego CA

Karen,

I remember when a hot dog was 10 cents and a soda pop was a nickle.

Just kidding but I remember stories like that from my grand parents. I told my daughter the other day that I used to walk down to the A&P and get the big bubble gum for a nickle out of the machine that's now 25 cents. How about that - she was FREEKED! Things sure have gotten expensive haven't they. What about cars? A descent Mercedes is 65k my SUV was 65k whta's that about. I remember my parents drove there cars for 10 years until it wouldn't run anymore and then bought a new car that was probably about $7,000 in the 70's.

Everyone deserves my best shot - FIRE AWAY!!!

Mike Lewis 

 

Nov 02, 2007 03:40 PM
M A
Boston, MA

Milk prices are great!  Gas prices are great!  It's all relative and its all based on how you look at it.

Milk WILL be $10 per gallon someday.  Right now... it's only half that!

Nov 03, 2007 01:30 AM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Mike,

To borrow a line from Archie in All in the Family, those WERE the days.  I just spent $5.00 for a freaking hot dog at the yacht show here in Fort Lauderdale last weekend. Amazing.

 

Nov 03, 2007 02:59 AM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Martin,

I guess it makes you think about buying you own cow...

Milk is $5.25 at Publix and $3.89 at Walgreens...hmmm, no regulation on that ...

Nov 03, 2007 03:01 AM
Mike Norvell Sr
Morris Williams Realty - Leesburg, FL
Norvell Consulting Group

Hey Karen...my wife and I just did  a vaction in the Tenn mountains, our family has a cabin in Gatlinburg. We ate breakfast at the cabin every morn, and made a picnic lunch on some rock by a mountain stream evey day for lunch. We used the grill at night, and this year we figure we saved 250.00 minimum on food from our normal trips up there. We have made a concious effort to do whatever it takes to be frugal without being misers, and I really think we are having a better time, we have both lost weight, eat out less, certainly got out of the Starbucks and Planet Smoothie habit(80.00 a week) I also calculate 100.00 per month saved on drinking water instead of iced tea at 2.0 per person...

We can make a difference by adjusting back to where we used to be comfortable at. There is no way that I would have felt good about a 30-40 dollar dinner years ago. OUr computer was upraded for 200.00 bucks and is as fast as the new one I got for the office last year. All in all I am agreeing with what your post is saying, and just addingthat we can do something about our own finances if we make necessary changes in lifestyle. I can make a nice car payment on what we used to spend on breakfast out. There is a whole post here in this reply, but I just couldn't help myself!!!!!

Nov 04, 2007 12:01 PM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Hey Mike,

 I so agree with you and you are right...

You can make 2 gallons of sun tea...at about $1.00 a gallon...and it tastes better...you can also make fruit drinks for youself with the fruit in the house that is almost over ripe.  My car is 10 years old, it's a Toyota camry XLE... I love the thing...it has 110,000 miles on it, but on the inside...it's fine for me...My friends keep telling me I should get a Mercedes...but most of who I sell to are first home buyers in the $200-500K range...what, should I brag that I do well, or should I be happy with my car (with all the dents and scrapes- and not worry about someone doing that to an expensive car) ?  I don't care about the car I drive.!!! I CARE ABOUT MY CUSTOMERS....DO YOU THINK I LOVE IT WHEN I SEE THEM DRIVE UP IN A NEWER NICER CAR THAN I HAVE...YOU BETCHA...DOESN'T MAKE THEM THINK I AM SHOWING OFF!

The think I'm real, and I am...(secret here, it cost me almost $100K seven years ago when I had kidney cancer...3 kids in college...still trying to catch up)....

Than you for your great post...Karen...an EXIT agent too...pls. keep in touch!

Nov 04, 2007 12:26 PM
Bill Gillhespy
16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos
I had to laugh at your college T.V.    I used to make cheese sandwiches and use a clothes iron to toast them !   And a corn popper to heat soup !
Nov 04, 2007 12:32 PM
Karen Monsour
Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach - Fort Lauderdale, FL
REALTOR, SSRS - Sells FL Waterfront, Short Sale Expert!

Bill,

Back then you had to, if you didn't make it to the dining hall, you were SOL!  I mean, we didn't have the money to go to MacDonalds, or the Pizza place..,

Nov 15, 2007 05:03 AM