Lakewood Ranch, FL

The government reported our first quarter of positive economic growth last week, indicating the recovery has begun. Yet investors kept the Dow moving up and down over 100 points four out of the five days, ending the week with a startling 249-point drop. Was this a bull market correction, or the return to a bear market? Who knows? The only thing certain is that investors aren't quite sure the economy is back on track.

Makes you wonder what it will take to convince them. The initial estimate for Q3 real GDP revealed the economy growing at a 3.5% annual rate -- way better than expected and the first rise in GDP in over a year. Happily, most of the advance was driven by consumption. Q3 GDP also showed home building UP at a 23.3% annual rate, its fastest rise since the '80's. Plus, Q3 corporate earnings reported so far show over 80% of the companies beating estimates, the highest rate in history.

On the jobs front, Initial Unemployment Claims dropped and the 4-week moving average hit a new low in the recovery of 526,000. Continuing Claims fell to 5.8 million. Positive news also included Durable Goods Orders UP for September, their fourth boost in six months. Most impressive of all, the Chicago PMI measuring Midwest manufacturing, shot up to its highest level in over a year. And the Richmond Fed index for Mid-Atlantic manufacturing logged its sixth straight month in expansion territory. All are favorable signs for U.S. manufacturing.

Sit back and relax on your patio after a fabulous golf game with your friends and enjoy the breathtaking views of Lake Uihlein. The Moorings Point condos in Lakewood Ranch provide the fabulous water views pictured above. This is a community of waterfront townhomes that sit on the 160 acre lake. The Moorings is also located within walking distance of the fun Lakewood Ranch main street where you can watch a movie, eat a great meal at the Serving Spoon, grab a drink with friends at The Polo Grill or relax and enjoy a coffee or tea at Starbucks.

Are you a golfer? Mooring Point residences can hop in their car and be playing a round of golf at University Park, Legacy, Lakewood Ranch Country Club, River Club, Ritz Carlton Golf Course or the Concession within just a few minutes. What a great spot to live or own a second home for a golfing enthusiast.

Give us a call at 941.812.6272 if we can help you buy or sell a Lakewood Ranch condo for sale.

If mortgage truth can be found in the sprawling vastness of Internet and tucked away in the blurbs of the Bradenton Herald, then surely it can be discovered in the life of my little daughter, Chloe Sky. I suppose the "experts" would tell you that you need to be intimately acquainted with mortgage backed security trading to know which way rates are going to go, you must study the new MDIA and HVCC guidelines to predict turn times, and you have to be familiar with your 19 different lenders to understand whether or not you can write a loan on a manufactured home in the middle of a giant iceberg. But the truth is, all that matters is sleep, milk, and attention.

Follow me for a second. Abraham Maslow, in his 1943 paper entitled, A Theory of Human Motivation, basically ranked our needs as a human. We will always revert back to curing deficiencies in our lives at the most basic level, starting with physiological needs. If the needs of the body aren't met, then we can't pursue more intangible needs like love, truth, security, and self-esteem. My little girl needs food, and if she doesn't get it, the alarm goes off and she responds (usually about 3 AM). Once she gets those needs met, a peaceful bliss settles throughout our household. Smiles galore.

So how do we make our clients smile? Meet their needs. They could care less about the 50-day moving average and how long their appraisal is going to take. They are looking for shelter. 4000 square feet of it in some cases, but shelter none the less. And if we can create a way for them to get this or stay in this home, we are going be successful. We are the ultimate pacifier in how we handle the process and the information we provide our clients. Our words and e-mails are binkies and blankies.

So despite the Taylor, Bean, and Whitaker disaster, slow turn times, narrow-minded underwriters, teaser rates on every Internet pop-up ad, chameleon guidelines, whacked appraisals, and the rest of the chaos we are in the midst of, we can create peace and treat people with respect and attention. I'm drifting off to sleep just thinking about it. Time for some coffee.

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