The talk show went off well yesterday. That wasn't my first time on the air but it was a little awkward. I was an air traffic controller for four years in the air force so I didn't have mike freight and I was used to a head set but not like the ear muff type they have at the radio station. Leon Knott was a big help because he did most of the talking and has been at it a long time.
My wife and a good friend said the show was good so I guess it went well for the first time. I am looking forward to doing the show every week and seeing some positive results for both Leon and the school. Yesterday could best be summarized as a cheerleading session for the real estate market and real estate as a career. We spent most of the time talking up the opportunities for buyers and going over sales statistics for the first quarter of 2008.
The January, February and March reported sales from the Flint Area Association of Realtors (FAAR) was used to compare sales since 2001. The sales figures are close to record years when approximately 9,000 sales were reported in 2005. January of 2008 was 1 short of the record and February broke the record since 2001. The March sales were about average, but compared to the general publics' impression of the real estate market I'm sure listeners were surprised. We also mentioned the number of pending sales which represent 11.5% of the active listing inventory in FAAR.
Leon had the Detroit News which had an article on sales in all counties for a period of years and we discussed that. Genesee County is the fifth largest county in Michigan and when the sales in the other counties were compared there was a predictable relationship of sales volume to population. Genesee County faired a little better than some counties and about the same as others when it came to sales volume.
I did stress that I wasn't trying to over state the market because it can't be considered good in a general sense. Leon and I emphasised that if you are a buyer you shouldn't hesitate. The low interest rates and low prices may not be around for as long as some may think. The potential buyers waiting for the market to bottom out are missing out on some great deals and with houses selling at the present rate we could be at the start of the upturn.
One disappointment is that the show is "Ask The Expert" and nobody called in. Leon said that people call him off air to ask questions because they aren't confortable talking on the radio. I'm looking forward to getting some live calls in future shows. I get a lot of questions from people when I do appraisals. I anticipate a lot of the questions will be similar to the ones I get from home owners when I appraise their houses.
The show will continue to be a cheerleading session on real estate as a career and the prevailing real estate market, stressing the positive aspects. We don't get enough of that side of the coin and even though Leon and I may be biased if we stick to factual information we won't mislead the public. There needs to be a counter balance in what people here; in the end the public is capable of judging for themselves. If we motivate people to get out and buy some homes, especially repo's, we will be helping them and the market.
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