The last few weeks of financial turmoil have reminded me of school and an econ class I took once upon a time. I can remember trying to wrap my head around how the Federal Reserve decides to lend money to the banks and at what rates of interest, and how those kinds of decisions theoretically translate into this-or-that kind of "multiplier effect" or not, supply curves here, demand curves there, yadda-yadda, blah-badee-blah. I've got to be honest, after a while it all seems like voodoo to me, the way things are done. How money literally gets simply printed and pumped into the system, or stuck onto the national credit card is where you've lost me. I don't get it. I didn't get it 20 years ago, when I should have been paying more attention, and I especially don't get it now. I sure hope somebody does because it's affecting all of us now, not just Wall Street.
Can anybody out there explain to me what exactly a "derivative" is? I've looked it up but it doesn't help. It looked like something more akin to calculus rather than finance or economics. But what do I know? Actually, never mind, I'm not sure I have the energy. 700 BILLION DOLLARS (actually 840) more placed on the national debt?? I am completely lost.
One of the reasons I really like dogs is because they don't carry wallets, or wear watches. Residing within a seemingly blissful and carefree "eternal-now," our canine companions can certainly teach all of us about focusing on that which is truly important and rejecting that which is not.
My Dog Barney doesn't even have to worry about haircuts because his constant shedding (that he doesn't
worry about either) keeps his coat perfectly coifed, and looking shinny and clean all the time, without, I might add, the need of a daily shower. And unlike his master, however, whose head begins to resemble a dirty old mop if he's even attempted to skip a day, my best friend lets neither that problem, nor a whole lot of other so called "issues" even enter his consciousness...like money, or even worse these days, money tied up in Real Estate.
Dogs don't carry wallets or even have any concept of time outside of dinnertime, but unfortunately we do. After all, like I tell Barney every day when I walk out the door, "I've got to go out and bring home the dog food Buddy." He doesn't; have to bring home the dog food, or anything else, that-is, with me around anyway. As much as I admire those who are able to separate material needs from their consciousness, it's not the best survival strategy in the long run for us normal humans, unless you're already swimming in it, or have a best pal or loved one that's willing to take care of you.
That must be the answer. In order for me to attain a higher level of consciousness and bring my Real Estate career to a higher plateau, I'm apparently going to have to find me a Sugar Momma. Last month I was soliciting for a job, this month I'm skipping the nonsense altogether. That way, I can focus on Real Estate and serve my client's that much more effectively without the mental clutter of having to deal with my own issues. Yep, that'll work.
But alright-already, I'll get serious and get back to Real Estate. After all, these are serious times with life-changing challenges facing our entire country these days. Over the last several weeks I've had to help my clients deal with the kinds of decisions that will make huge differences in their lives. Should we sell now? Can we wait? If we sell now, how should we price it in order to compete in an extremely competitive market? What if we have to sell for less than we owe the bank? Should we simply walk away from our property?
These are serious questions that are difficult enough to deal with alone. However, combined with an explosively volatile stock market and the threat of the collapse of our entire financial system buzzing in the background, the whole package doesn't make anyone feel any better. Our entire financial system is globally intertwined and that which affects one element will seemingly reverberate to the other, and on and on. "Globalism" is such a new concept that my Office 2000 flags that word as a misspell, but it's real and, like it or not, we're now faced with an economy that is not only affected by international influences, it is apparently dependant upon the good financial health of the world. I admittedly don't get much of this, but it seems to me that those who are concerned about a country like China "calling in there loans" should stop worrying; after all, as the primary consumer of their goods, a collapse of our economy would seemingly trigger the downfall of their own.
So what do dogs that carry neither wallets nor watches have to do with Real Estate? Nothing I suppose, other than perhaps to serve as a reminder to all of us that we're not always going to have all the answers and that's not always so bad. Sometimes we just have to let it go, take a deep breath and trust that it's all going to work out. I mean what else are you going to do sometimes? Personally, I'm still carrying my wallet and can tell you what time it is, but I'm going to do my best not to sweat a dwindling stock portfolio, listings that aren't selling, or the lack of a Sugar Momma in my life. Barney and I are determined to carry on. That's at least a start.
Fred Jaeger is a licensed Oregon Real Estate Broker and an e-PRO Certified Realtor® affiliated with RE/MAX Sunset Realty Sunriver/La Pine. He can be reached directly at 541 598-5449 or fred@fredjaeger.com .
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