Leo's Blog

Sales have picked up.

What does that mean? It means the mortgage companies are dealing with the short sales.

Average sold prices have dropped.

Why? Because the short sales and sold foreclosures are bringing the prices down.

When will the real estate market bottom out?

It will bottom out when the short sales and foreclosures stop flooding the market. I believe the builders have been thinned out. Meaning the ones not financially sound enough to exist have gone bankrupt and the others have slowed their building.

It has started.... Things are looking up in the Real Estate world for Florida. I have been looking for a sign that said sales and prices are increasing and the below information confirms it.

I'm not jumping back in with both feet yet but I am testing the waters. It's time for me to slowly gather my contacts and put feelers out to let people know I'm a Real Estate agent.

 Florida Association of Realtors | Posted: 01/26/10 at 0330 EST

 

Great selling,

 

Leo

Every stray on the street has a story. Once they were a puppy
nursing at Mommy's belly. They were hugged and loved by
someone. Would that they could all return to those happy
times.

Just an Old Stray

His body was thin when they brought him in.
Just an old stray found dead yesterday.
I looked at his face, at peace in God's grace.
And thought of the joy, he'd brought a young boy.

He slept on a bed, next to the boy's head.
And wagged his long tail, each morn without fail.
Together they ran through the wet sand.
They both wore a smile. And played all the while.

The boy was soon grown. And then he left home.
I promised the lad that I would be glad
To care for his friend, right up to the end.
I'd see to his needs. Hold true to our creed.

But then came the news that made our lives blue.
Our son had just died. He'd stopped a cruel tide
Of men who wished harm to those in our arms.
No more would I feel, nor would my heart heal.

I looked at his friend, felt pain to no end.
So I took a ride with him at my side.
I told him to wait beside a fine gate.
A family so fair would see to his care.

I drove on back home. But this time alone.
So sure that he would find love to be.
The houses were fine, much finer than mine.
They could afford, his room and his board.

At work just today, a call came my way.
A stray had been found, on snow-covered ground.
They thought I might know. Would I please go.
And stop by the scene for what I could glean.

There found on a street, with ripped, bloody feet.
Searching for home, he died there alone.
Through tears I could see. He was searching for me.
Just an old stray found dead yesterday.

Riki & Herb
November 9, 2009
Spokane, WA

Click here: Welcome to Papillon 911 Rescue and Adoption, Inc.

I belong to a Papillon rescue organization called Pap911. http://www.pap911rescue.org/ At this time there are over 200 members. Herb is one of them. He is very talented and can express what dogs go through when they are in a "puppy mill" and what they go through when they get out. Here is one of the many poems Herb has shared.

Herb's intro and poem:

In my last PTSD class, we were discussing relaxation and
being in the moment. I was asked what I do to let go of
my anxieties and why. Of course, I described how I work
with the dogs, how they remind me so much of myself,
and how they encourage me to keep on. Maybe my success
is because my understanding is not by imagining, but
rather by having experienced what they are working through
and how difficult that work really is. Thus, I have
infinite patience and continue to offer them opportunities
to trust.

In that vein, I offer this ditty that describes my
picture of their life before rescue. Be warned that I
read it to Carol and she hugged Pande and started
to cry.

The Prisoner

Each story here is different from the one before.
But pain has no ending when wire is your floor.
The gruel they call your food is thin, whenever it is brought.
The water here is filthy, and it's always hot.

Feces from above you, always mat your hair.
And the people that you meet, not one will ever care.
The world you know is inches, never measured in long miles.
And yet they wonder why it is that you never smile.

You can hear, running free, someone beyond these walls.
While roaches falling on your head, make your body crawl.
You know that there's a world out there, one you'll never see.
Through the stench you can smell things that must be free.

You may dream of freedom, though you know it won't come true.
Locked inside a little cage is the only life for you.
You'll spend your life all alone, amidst a thousand cries.
And all of them, just like you, each night will pray to die.

But, tonight I will be happy, for soon I welcome death.
Grieve not for me when you see I've taken my last breath.
Grieve instead for the young, with a future yet to live.
Pray for the ones new to a cage, if freedom you cannot give.

Riki & Herb
November 3, 2009

The truth is Real Estate sales are up.

The facts and truth is most of them are "short sales". Don't be fooled into thinking the economy is bouncing back. We have a couple of years.

Don't blame the President. It would have been much worse.

Good selling,

Leo

The RE market is getting better. The foreclosures and short sales are slowly selling. I say slowly because of the antiquated banking system. You would think with the advent of computers they would be able to send information back and forth within a building so everyone would know what was happening with one account. Not so with one particular bank. It takes seven to ten days for that to happen. Can you imaging with any change or addition vis fax or email it adding seven to ten days more in delays. No wonder a short sale is considered fast if it closes in 90 days. On the other hand it takes 90 days to find out the bank will not approve the offer. It's a racket that can't sustain itself. The banks will not be bailed out again.

Good selling

From the Jacksonville Journal

If you think you will take a loss now, keep waiting, it's going to get worse.

The foreclosures are being pushed through the courts now. I guess they are trying to get things caught up. When those homes sell, it's going to affect you directly.

Look for at least one more year of bad news.

Good selling,

Leo

Only my opinion.

The president has taken us in the best direction to avoid collapse. Imagine where we are now and multiply that times five. Close to 45% of the people out of work and no end in site.

On the other hand, it ain't over yet. The value of housing has to level out. That won't happen until the majority of the foreclosures sell. That's right... The value of the homes sold directly affect the price you are able to get for your house... How long will that take? My guess is about three years. There are many homes in the foreclosure pipeline. I figure there are more than has come out in the past two years.

Good selling,

Leo