Robert L. Brown~Grand Rapids Real Estate Bellabay Realty, West Michigan

The Obama watch.. Former Senator Bill Bradley to endorse Mr Obama

Well more star power has been added to the Obama machine. After the victory in Iowa it seems that people are taking him very seriously as a candidate for President of the United States. As a former Senator and Presidential candidate he is well aware of the machinations of American politics. Some also remember him as a hall of fame professional and star basketball player in the NBA.

He will starting on Monday campaign for the Obama camp. Aides hope with this endorsement it will derail the front runner status that Hillary Clinton now holds. Watching the debates last night Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton are close. There is a lot of excitement in the air leading up to Super Tuesday.

Can you imagine being there listening to the debates and getting the results of the caucus decisions up front. To me the whole process takes so long. Debates, caucuses, polls etc. There are countries who decide their leader(s) in a fraction of the time. Would it not be a better to spend the money (war chest) on education, housing, health care? That is for another post. This is the country we live in. Well Jan 8 is fast approaching. It’s time to turn up the heat and kiss those little babies !! Related articles below:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080106/ap_po/obama_bradley

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080106/pl_nm/usa_politics_dc;_ylt=Ashn7qmeT3KhWXkupuHXD8lB5494

For all your real estate needs:

Robert L Brown

Five Star Real Estate

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

Clinton, Obama in dead heat in NH poll…

Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton in dead heat at the polls in New Hampshire. Who would have figured this. Some people may have thought this would have been a runaway for Mrs Clinton. Does this possibly mean that America on a whole is changing? IMHO i will choose the person that I think will do the best job for this country on a whole. I’m not going to say that it is not refreshing to see an energetic race between arguably two charismatic people.

I also believe the 2008 Presidential race will bring out people who in the past couldn’t care less who occupied the White House. People truly want change. There are so many disgruntled people out there. The mortgage crisis, unemployment, foreclosures etc. They are begging for change. One quote said with the emergence of Obama in Iowa this country may be “colorblind”.

What this means is in predominantly white Iowa Barack Obama came out victorious. Is this pattern to be repeated in New Hampshire and subsequent caucuses. Only time will tell. If not we can say this has been entertaining. Listening to Mr Obama he’s very clear,concise and poised. He sounds like a veteran politician. The next few months will tell the tale. I will keep you posted as developments occur. Below is some related articles.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080105/ap_po/democrats_rdp

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080105/ap_po/a_black_president

For all your real estate needs call:

Robert L. Brown

Five Star Real Estate

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

Unemployment on the rise..

As if there is not enough problems on the horizon with short sales ,foreclosures, people relocating from one state to another it was just released that the unemployment rate has risen to 5%. The largest increase in the past 2 years. Fueled with a barrel of oil costing 100.00 this country could be sliding into a recession. We look around in this industry and see our fellow realtors who’ve left our ranks and some of them have not been able to find steady jobs either. Employers (in the private as well as public sector) are afraid of hiring new people. With the recent sub prime mess that hasn’t helped either.

So we may ask ourselves when will this spiral effect stop. It’s anyone’s guess in my estimation. Who do we turn to to get the ball rolling again? Can we rely on the government to get us out of this mess? Is it prudent sense to lower taxes to stimulate the economy? There are so many questions but where are the answers. What can we do as an industry to get the ball rolling again. It has to start somewhere.

I don’t have the answers but trust me I have a lot of questions. We as a country need to know what direction the state of the economy is because it affects us all. We have seen what is has done to real estate sales. There are several markets across the country that have gone completely flat. We’ve seen interest rates on home loans decrease to try and stimulate people into buying property. Every little bit helps. I tell my clients and customers with all the gloom that is around us it’s still a great time to buy a home.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jsanM66tszKz1zFq0LOG4XvWS7zAD8TVB0QG0

For all your real estate needs call:

Robert L Brown

Five Star Real Estate

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

Barack Obama captures Iowa!!!!!!!

Whoa Nellie. He corralled Iowa. Insurmountable no. Achievable yes.

This country needs change and it has been said change will do you good. It’s nice to be the front runner going into the next caucus. But it’s like having a bullseye on your back. This presidential race will be something to see down the stretch. This country needs and demands effective leadership. Who that will be is anyone’s guess. Too early to tell but for this moment the people of Iowa have spoken.

I will be watching more and more as the caucuses heat up. We all know in the past there have been elections that have been ho hum so to speak. No larger then life poiliticians just the average person running for the job. Now we have a woman (Hilary C.) and an African American(Barack Obama) in the mix. Along with everyone else this will prove to be very interesting election. Below are some related articles. The time for change is NOW!!!!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/us/politics/04elect.html

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1700132,00.html

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usobam035523452jan03,0,7986308.story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_po/campaign_rdp

For all your real estate needs call:

Robert L Brown

Five Star Real Estate

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

616 366 7030

Family goes to court to stop Foreclosure..

This attached article will totally astound you. It pertains to a couple who tried to stop foreclosure on their property but with a twist. This shows lots of perseverance on the part of the homeowner but read it carefully. It put a little smile on my face but in the end they had no recourse but to go. I don’t want to give out the details so if you have a moment and want a chuckle during these times read on. Pass this on. I think they call this the American spirit.

Have a prosperous 2008.

http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/mortgages/20071231-efrati.html?refresh=on

For all your real estate needs:

Robert L Brown

Five Star Real Estate

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com