Chuck Willman, Arizona Realtor® 480.292.0600

It was another Saturday wasted... that was the sentiment, my brother and I had as we woke up just past sunrise.

This Saturday would be ground prep. We'd clear the deepest portion of the back yard of any debris and then start shoveling away the grass and weeds. Later in the day we'd create furrows and, if time permitted, start the planting.

While others were off playing football, baseball, basketball or any other pick-up game that could be had in the neighborhood, we would be toiling in the soil. Two child laborers- slaves to a dad who insisted we experience the things he had. That would be unlikely. He was born on an expansive farm. We just had the backyard. But... he had a tractor. We had hand tools. I tried to discern who had it harder... but it was a pointless exercise.

Turns out farming was hard work. He farmed because he had to. We farmed because he wanted us to. We were sure the authorities would be on our side if we dared report him.

Such was the life of the young farmer. My brother and I had been unwilling students to a head master who was wanting to instruct us on "big picture" items. When we asked why it was that we were out there planting crops in the backyard when such items could be had for a very low price from the grocery store, our father said he was teaching us the law of the harvest. This was a concept so huge I didn't even bother looking it up in the dictionary.

Clearly the lesson was lost on us. We just saw lost play time and blisters... or crops lost to rabbits- the sun and the occaisional rain that turned our furrows to slop.

We planted things that didn't exactly place high on the tasty list. Things like cucumbers, squash, radishes, tomatoes and green beans. We did, however, convince our dad to let us branch out. We included corn, lettuce and (while he wasn't looking) a pack of watermelon seeds into the mix for the year two garden.

Though we never really cozied up to the idea of gardening- we figured we may as well grow stuff that we wouldn't have to hold our noses to eat.

So- each Saturday we'd shovel and cultivate and weed and wait.

Then the amazing would happen. We would see the seeds sprout... and then burst into a sight to behold.

That little garden of ours produced more vegetables than we could consume. It gave mom an idea to take our tutelage to the next level. If dad could teach us the law of the harvest- mom could teach us how it applied to commerce. She said we could earn money by selling the veggies. We were skeptical- but we saw there was no convincing her otherwise.

We loaded up a baby buggy with items we detested most. And we priced them low enough to ensure we could return home with nothing but a box of coins and dollar bills. We'd wheel the baby buggy from house to house- people would answer the door with curiosity. They'd be expecting to look at a baby... instead, beneath the protective overhang they'd see squash and cucumbers... items that could be theirs for five cents each.

Surprisingly the plan worked. It took little time sell the inventory.

If dad had taught us how to work, mom had taught us how to benefit monetarily.

We grew to not only enjoy the harvest... we discovered that a salad made entirely from our hard work- combined with nature doing what it does, produced flavors that could not be matched by any restaurant. And... when a new movie hit the local theater- we learned that popcorn tasted better when you paid from your own pocket.

I've thought of this experience many times over the years... and more recently now than ever.

We live in a time when food comes in a package. We can pick it up at a drive through... or pop it frozen into a microwave. If the evolutionary scale of food consumption could be charted we could see the early stages- hunting and gathering; followed by the next path- planting and harvest... then lead to where we are now- processing and marketing. Many of us understand step three far better than we do steps one and two. In every business we are now learning that it takes harder work... more pre-planning and better cultivating to reap a good harvest.

Looking back on that time I see that my parents had done a good thing. We *had* learned the law of the harvest. We reaped what we had sown... more plainly- our labors were rewarded in abundance.

Photo Credit: "Shovel" by Viva Tung

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When not reflecting on his childhood, Chuck Willman can be found helping match buyers and sellers in Arizona real estate. www.AZvest.com

President Obama has landed in Phoenix and the New York Times is reporting what he will be talking about.

It is predicted that he will address the mounting foreclosure problem. It's no accident that Phoenix will be the backdrop. More than half of all sales in Phoenix in recent months have been of the bank-owned/short-sale variety. Ironically, the President is staying in a hotel that is facing potential foreclosure.

There are two troubled homeowners, according to the Times, that will be addressed.

1. Those who are struggling to pay their mortgage- they have loans that they can not afford.

2. Those who can pay, but their homes are worth far less than what they're paying.

The first case could be chalked up to adjusting loans, loss of income, or other factors that result from the various causes of a recessionary market. The first group will lose their home through default. The second group, an estimated balance of some ten million Americans, may choose to simply walk away.

Obviously, the problem is large... and it's not just 'a Phoenix thing'. It can be seen across America. It's a problem that's not going away. It appears that it will continue to grow until the forces of economics and time lend their sway, or, until larger powers of government and business make a few changes to their game plan.

Naturally, people will be paying attention to this speech. It will be one of the first occasions for us to see our new president in action with regard to facing this force of finance.

The news agencies have seen the first draft of the speech. A look through the various news outlets are pointing to a significant theme... they are telling us that President Obama's primary goal will be to help the first group first- the people who are facing foreclosure.

The government will become, in essence, a partner with banks. We'll spend about $50 billion of the bailout money to split the losses on loans that can be foreclosed upon. Part of the loss will be realized by the bank... the other part by the government.

There are more details- but that will be, it is predicted, the basic message.

Will this plan work?

I guess we'll find out.

What's your opinion?

Or at least that's what the NBA super-fan hopes.

It's the NBA All Star Weekend.

And Phoenix is the proud host.

Last night was the Rookies vs. the second year stars. This is a tradition that replaced a past favorite- The old-timers game.

Turns out the old-timers kept getting injured. (I know the feeling.)

So... if you'd like to see the best in the business doing what has made them famous, either tune into TNT... OR... come visit my lovely little big town of Phoenix Arizona.

We do fun stuff like this quite often.

By that, I mean, host big sporting events.

Photo Credit: "Dunk it!" by Kaylie Horch

Pretend you're the President of a company and you're going to present a plan that saves the company.

Do you feel any pressure- knowing the obstacles are so large?

Multiply that by millions.

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President Obama is facing challenges unlike any others in my lifetime.

There's an ongoing war and every industry in America is facing financial difficulties.

Many say that the root of the problem is housing.

So... where do you go to pitch your plan?

How about Phoenix.

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In a city named for a bird that rises from the ashes there are glimpses of the dismall...

.... and there are glimpses of hope.

As Dickens said, "the best of times" and "the worst of times."

Single family home sales are up 49%. (Arizona Republic, Feb 13, 2009, D1)

Yet foreclosures are climbing.

The median priced home in the valley In January of 2008 was $243k.

Now it's $146k.

That's a 44% drop.

(Arizona Republic, Feb 13, 2009, D4)

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The Stimulus package has been debated ad-nauseum.

I'm not going to deal with that here.

I'm in real estate so I have these concerns:

1. Stemming the downward spiral in home pricing.
2. Decreasing unemployment.
3. Curbing the foreclosures.

To the last point, three banks have decided to suspend foreclosures for the immediate future. Bank of America, Citicorp and JP Morgan Chase have declared that they'll put things on hold for a while.

As the article "Obama to Unveil Plan to Stem Foreclosures" states:

"A trial balloon floated this week suggests that Obama will follow the suggestions of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair, who thinks banks must take some losses and get owners of distressed mortgages into a monthly mortgage payment that amounts to somewhere from 31 to 38 percent of their monthly after-tax income."

As a person who believes that free market forces should have more sway than man-made quick-fixes, I'm somewhat concerned about large scale spending plans. After all, tax breaks and spending require re-payment. However, we're also in one of those phases where one may argue that the large entities that broke the system need to pay to fix it. My largest concern is that the medication may cover some symptoms and prolong the ailment. Witness Japan's willingness to spend their way through a long and labored market downturn... perhaps lending to a protracted recovery.

Regardless of the differences in economic ideology- I'm all ears for what our president has to say. He's coming to my city and I'm happy to see he appears to be hard at work. I wish him very well with his presentation.

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Chuck Willman is a real estate agent based in the Phoenix metro area.

Rendering of Gaylord Entertainment & DMB project for Mesa, Arizona (from "yes on 300")

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Mesa, Arizona is an anomaly.

It's large.

To be precise, it's the 38th largest city in America.

That means there are several states in the union that don't have a city as large as Mesa.

But Mesa lacks something.

Overshadowed by the bigger cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Mesa is looking for something beyond the bland.

I don't know if I should even mention this, but Mesa just earned another distinction that cements this.

Forbes named Mesa one of the ten most boring cities in America.

Ouch. That hurt.

However, I doubt most of America knows about the article... more likely- most were too bored to care.

So... what to do?

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Mesa has a great deal to offer beyond friendly people, great fall/spring/winter weather, access to several lakes, affordable housing, and winter league baseball.

And, if voters have their say, Mesa will house the state's (nation's?) most compelling new project.

Gaylord Entertainment has proposed to build the state's largest hotel and conference center in Mesa.

The price tag for this?

A billion dollars. (To the penny? I always wonder about these conveniently priced initiatives.)

Gaylord Entertainment and DMB have developed a campaign to woo Mesa voters to finish what the city council started... that is... to approve a bed tax agreement that will bring the project to the go-stage.

These two partners in development claim that this project will:

• Create 8,000 construction jobs
• 4,000 permanent jobs
• $12 million in construction fees for Mesa
• $5.5 million in annual sales tax for city services
• Monies come from tourists not taxpayers

That's the sales pitch.

I'm for it.

It would be, I dunno, not boring.