Michael Ford

How we answer the question might determine how our careers go for the next 18-24 months. Is it the Good? Is it the Bad? Is it the Ugly? I'm not sure? But what I'm sure of is how we answers the question will play a role in what happens in our careers. Wealth is not only lost during economic down turns but it also sets many people up for the Future to be the wealthy of the next BOOM! Will there be another BOOM? Yes. I read 3 different papers this morning while having coffee with my dad. The first was the Arkansas Gazette our State wide paper. The second was the Memphis Commercial Appeal the largest paper in Tennessee. I guess the last would be considered our National Paper, The USA Today. Each with articles about real estate. Lots of the same information but just a little different take.

Here's some information I gather from the 3 papers:

• 18.9 million homes stood empty during the 2nd quarter
• Home Ownership fell to 66.9% it's lowest since 1999: it's 3rd straight decline
• There are 2 million empty homes for sale across the Country
• A record 4.6% of US mortgages are in foreclosure
• Demands for homes have slumped with the expiration of the tax credit (not big surprise)
• The sale of New Homes was the 2nd lowest in history only behind May
• Sales of Previously owned homes fell 5.3% from May
• Here is some Good News: The Tax Credit Spurred a 4.9% increase over 2009 for the same period
• Homes Prices retreated 13% in 2009 and 9.5% in 2008
• Here's the Good News NAR forecast Home Prices to raise 0.8% in 2010. And, yes that is Good!
• The Median home price tumbled 29% to a 8 year low of $164,000. I think that is Good News for the buying public
• More Good News is apartment rental are at or near all time Highs. Why is that Good News according to the USA Today because new jobs are being created and the demand for a place to live is increasing.

As with Everything in Life there is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. How we look at it will determine our destiny in this business. There will be New Opportunity for investors to purchase homes they can then turn into rentals. What happens to those when the Market turns around? You Know. There are Great Opportunity for the 1st time home buyer to find a Good House at a Great Price with and at all time low interest rates. I just closed a 15 year loan yesterday with a client for 4.125% with no points!! WOW. There are opportunities for the Home Owner to purchase a New Home to them at Prices they never thought they would see. What can they do with Their Present Home? How about a Rental. Is this for everyone? No but it Great for those who can take advantage.

In closing remember there are some Great Opportunities that Exist in a Down Market. Think out of the Box and take advantage!

It's 3 o'clock on a hot Sunday Afternoon in Arkansas. Grab that special person in you life and come to our Sizzlin Open House Sunday. We've got 24 houses open today. We'll have a glass of Home Made Lemonade waiting on you. Here is a list of what we've got Open.

• Crawfordville-Estate of Delta Pointe
• 1084 Hwy 64 B
• 245 Estate Dr SOLD
• 233 Mary Alice Cove
• 235 Mary Alice Cove
• River Trace
• 105 Victoria Cv.
• 205 Swepston
• St John's Landing
• 821 Marquette
• Pleasasnt Woods
• 782 Pleasant Woods
• Pleasant Plains
• 832 Sorrel Cr.
• Bayou Vista
• 861 Bayou Vista
• 811 Bella ARive
• 856 Belle Rive
• 910 Rue Le Maison
• 912 Rue Le Maison
• 831 Blivd St Germaine
• 800 Blvd Oreans Model
• Others
• 262 N. Casa View
• 331 Jerrell Lackey Cv
• 721 Lena Dr.

Team Coldwell Banker Heritage Homes had a Great Saturday selling 3 houses from our Open Houses. If you are looking to sell your home or purchase a new home call me or one of my teams members. I can be reached at 901-409-0342

Have a Great Sunday and drop by for some Lemonade and take a look at these Sizzlin Hot Deals!

We've got some Sizzlin Hot Summer Specials that Start at 4 PM in West Memphis, Ar. Here's the List;

• 303 Clement Road
• 1002 Clement Road
• 1005 Clement Road
• 1504 Ashwood Dr.
• 1210 N. Colonial
• 1317 Richland
• 1112 Richland
• 1205 Stratford
• 1308 Stratford
• 208 Stonebridge
• 212 Stonebridge
• 1106 Lehr-Sold
• 510 Arlintion Dr

These are Great House many of them with a $-0- Move-in. Call me today for details on how to become a home owner. My phone number is 901-409-0342

• Hi to all my Friends and on active Rain. Team Coldwell Banker Heritage Homes is having a huge Open House Weekend. We Have Got Homes Open in West Memphis Today from 2-4 and4-6 and in Marion on Sunday from 2-5. Stop by and ask us about the following:

1. Just How Low are Interest Rates? They are setting all time low!

2. Can we Still move you in for $0? Yes, just ask us how?

3. Are sellers still paying Closing Cost? Yet Bet!!

Last but least you should Purchase Before Prices Start Heating Up! They Want Stay Cool Forever!

Come join Us today from 2-4 or 4-6 and Sunday from 2-5. Check out the Evening Times for a list of our open houses or go to Realtor.com.

We'll Have a Glass of Lemonade to cool Ya Down!

My wife Lesia and myself are in Little Rock Arkansas this weekend representing the Arkansas Realtors Political Action committee at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and reception today. It's always fun to people watch at these events. We were having coffee this morning on the balcony of the Capital Hotel which is Grand old place that has a wonderful history. It would make a Great Blog. That is for later. Now back to my title the "Human Web". The "Human Web" is more commonly known as "Six Degrees of Separation". I've heard this talked about alot but not really sure what it meant. So guess what I goggled it and here's what I found out. Six degrees of Separation refers to the ideal that everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on earth, so that's a chain. A Friend of a Friend statement can be made to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. I thinks that is interesting and now for the Rest of the Story.

We were having coffee this morning on the baloney of this 100 year old Hotel in Downtown Little Rock this morning when I started talking to this very charming lady. We had talked a few minutes when I ask her where she was from and she said New York. After talking for a few minutes I ask why she was in town and it turned into a very interesting conversation. Her 16 year old grandson is a huge Clinton fan. He starting keep up with the Clinton's during Hillary's run for President. It turns out he writes for his local school paper and she decided they would make a trip to Little Rock to see the Clinton Library. They spend the entire day at the Library and found out about Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. A annual Democratic Party Dinner that they are attending. Six Degrees of Separation!! It really does make you stop and think.

Well the second part of the story is we discovered we are in the same Business. Residential Real Estate Agents. It's that Six Degrees of Separation. I have thought about it before just how closely we are all connected. We spend the next couple of hours just talking about the real estate business in New York and how it compares to the Arkansas Market. She is selling apartments, condor's and co-op's while we are selling single family homes. Our average Sales Price in our Market is $109,000 and hers well over 1/2 million. But the interesting thing we both are having the same problems. Seller who purchased at the top of the Market. Buyers worried about their jobs. Loan requirement and how much harder it is to get a loan today. So even though the markets are different they are the same. I think it's some more of that "Six Degrees of Separation" What do you think? It's scary to think about how close we really are to everyone in the world.

The Human Web or Six Degrees of Separation I think social media like ActiveRain bring us even closer together. Could it be Four Degrees of Separation is a few short years?