About Long Beach's Lakewood

Long Beach, Ca. Just the idea of a physical road block may conjure up frustration and lost time on the road to where you are going in life. But I would like to point out that within every roadblock that you may be facing, that there are probably some good reasons for them and that there are strategies on how to deal with them in your lives.

Roadblocks, in the physical sense, are often built by authorities, civil servants, to protect the traveler from unseen dangers. If the traffic was allowed to pass through unhindered, there may be a tragic accident resulting from unseen road conditions ahead.

So, as much as you may want to proceed, we need to figure out what is really in your best interests. It is more likely that a roadblock can be a good thing; that is, a signpost to adjust your aim, to rethink and reassess your plans, to slow down, an to reconfigure your approach.

Roadblocks are like loud neon signs that say, "Danger, caution, do not approach this way," and further evidence that life does not unfold perfectly into every whim that you may have. That true success comes from reinventing an idea over and over again until the idea is perfected. Because there is no true perfection in this world, we are faced with ever changing conditions which must be adapted to in order to survive and prosper. Learning about life means learning about the road conditions that we face on it. Having knowledge about what obstacles are on the road will make us more knowledgeable drivers and better pilots.

Roadblocks come in many varieties. For example, small business not being able to get a business loan from a bank. This is very evident in the current market dynamics. Everyone who actually needs a loan can't seem to get it. So, the traditional approach of going to a bank for a business loan has to be re-analyzed.

What are the options that a small business has in lieu of the traditional bank loan? Carefully delineate what all your options are. Instead, consider raising capital from private sources instead. There are many types of private investors. The market itself will dictate whether or not your business plan is worthy to be financed. You might check out local venture capital firms, or investment clubs. Be prepared to pay higher interest rates and even to give up part of your ownership in order to get your dream off the ground.

The whole process is part of living. The roadblock is pointing you to another direction. Find the right way and have fun getting there!

Kirk Mulhearn, a Long Beach Real Estate Broker co-manages Prudential California Realty, "The Bixby Knolls Office," and a Net Branch of, GEM Mortgage, a direct lender specializing in FHA, VA, and Conventional financing. Contact him at: 562-989-4608 ext. 110

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Long Beach, Ca. Well, I guess when it rains, it pours. Unemployment figures not withstanding, see below. I still believe that during such interesting times that there are always opportunities that arise for both first time home buyers and investors alike. Imagine a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home selling for $275000.00 in Anaheim. How about newer 6 bedroom homes in Corona selling in the mid $300000.00 range. Lucrative opportunities are everywhere to be found. Lets be realistic, home buyers concerned about their jobs are taking a lets wait and see attitude; that is healthy. However, remember that with the government selling so many bonds to stimulate the economy that the interest for mortgages has begun to move up. This is going against the trend the government would like to see, it shows that the Fed can only really influence short term rates.

The unemployment rate reached the highest level since 1992 and payrolls tumbled in January, with millions more likely to lose their jobs before a stimulus and emergency-lending programs temper the U.S. economys freefall. The jobless rate rose to 7.6 percent from 7.2 percent in December, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Payrolls fell by 598,000, the biggest monthly decline since December 1974. Losses spanned almost all industries, from construction and manufacturing to retailing, trucking, media and finance. "We are in the middle of a very severe, a violent, collapse in activity and it could go on for months," James Galbraith, an economics professor at the University of Texas in Austin, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. The report will likely diminish objections "that somehow the presidents recovery plan is too large and should be trimmed back."

The market is currently digesting the Unemployment data, which (this should be no surprise) points to a grim economy. January's sharp drop in employment brings job losses to 3.6 million since the start of the recession in December 2007," Commissioner of Labor Statistics Keith Hall said in a statement, and "about half the decline occurred in the last three months." Manufacturing was down 207,000, the worst since October 1982, construction industries were down 111,000 jobs, and retail businesses cut another 45,000. Normally, an economy as bad as this would push rates lower, but instead, due to the supply and demand concerns, we find the 10-yr back up 2.95% and 30-yr mortgages either unchanged or worse by .25. We have to pay for the debt and people who buy it are demanding a higher rate of return.

Kirk Mulhearn is a Long Beach Real Estate Broker and professional mortgage planner and can be reached at: 562/965-0054

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