Phil Hopkins

I've been procrastinating long enough. Yesterday, I finally went in to get my permit to take a human life (you know, the one that you can use at any time for any reason).

Armed with my Drivers License, SS Card, Birth Certificate, Baptismal Certificate, and NAR ID, I felt totally prepared. Not knowing for certain, I started at the Department of Motor Vehicles, after all, they license people to drive death machines every day, certainly they can at least point me in the right direction if they're not the issuing authority.

The lady at the counter seemed dumfounded...alright, so I didn't really try, I fibbed. But a good friend of mine shared the theory with me and it's certainly interesting to keep in the back of your mind and try to act accordingly at every opportunity.

If everyone was born with one permit to kill:

Many would suggest that it would be a world filled with brutality. Think about it:

Next time you pulled up next to the car that cut you off, would you raise your middle finger, not knowing whether or not he had used his permit? When the Client from another planet insisted on the counter offer to full price, after already being priced over market value, infuriating you beyond your wildest imagination, would you use it? Is your ex-spouse worth giving up your permit? (after all, they got everything else, should you throw that in?).

Try to implement that thought process when dealing with difficult people. Imagine that they might still have their permit, and imagine if you will, that you still have yours; is it time to use it? Is this difficult person really worth using the only "equalizer" that you will ever be issued? Maybe it will help put things in perspective. Imagine how much more polite somebody might be in a potential "road rage" incident. Rather than *#!#%^, maybe it would come out as "sir, you just cut me off, do you think an apology might be appropriate?"

I still have my permit. I struggle daily with holding onto it.

Real Estate sales soared a whopping 46% in the last quarter from the prior quarter. At 107 total sales for the quarter (May-July, 2010) vs. 85 the prior quarter (Feb-Apr), it's another encouraging sign that the market may be heading toward recovery. While sales prices continued to dip (-4.43%), the average sales price compared to listed price was UP over 1/2%, which is significant.

While overall sales prices were down in the latest quarter vs. the earlier, the number of sales above $300k rose an astounding 36% (11 to 15), indicating that the upper price range inventory is moving again, partly as a result of the lower inventory reducing through the noted sales activity increase.

What's the bottom line you might ask; good question, look in your own crystal ball, I dropped mine in the parking lot several years ago...but the indicators would suggest that the gross average sales prices are driven downward due to a higher number of lower priced sales, not necessarily overall decline in value. There were more distressed properties that were offered and purchased in the REO market than the prior quarter.

The last indicator, number of homes sold over 300k is most encouraging, indicating that consumers are re-entering the marketplace, believing that prices have fallen as low (or close to) as they're going to.

For insight on a specific property or area, please contact me direct at phil.hopkins@pruaz.com

In this Country, first you get the money, then you get the shaft. The United States of America was founded by ambitious, hard-working men and women with a sense of fairness and honesty. The design was to allow all Citizens an opportunity to prosper or fail, while having a part in the governing of the Nation. In fact, the Citizens are supposed to "own" the government, not the other way around. Now, if you're ambitious enough to push up in class, you'll be identified, taxed more excessively, and driven back down.

The U.S.A. used to the leader in the world, setting an example for all other Countries to follow, in addition to being the most powerful military force. Now, we are the laughing stock of most other Countries with a National debt that is so excessive it can't possibly be paid off in my lifetime unless we tear the budget down the the basics, justifying each job, line item, and category, placing reasonable limits on expenditures with taxpayer involvement.

My, how the mighty have fallen...operating on Monopoly money after eliminating the tangible goods that were historically produced and exported, or at least marketed amongst our Citizens. Was it an accident? Or was it a well-thought-out plan to bring America down to a level that is more like many other Nations where 97-98% of the money is controlled by 2-3% of the population. If so, is it also reasonable to think that one-world government may be achievable?

Throughout history, taxation at rates this high have resulted in revolt. The middle and upper-midle class has been driven toward the lower class in an effort to erradicate what could otherwise be the most powerful group of Citizens. We are all striving to manage our expenditures, chasing the next dollar to push at a bill, then chasing another. We are divided, conquered, taxed, penalized, cited, licensed, and categorized. I was wondering this morning if we might have been itemized into portfolios yet, and if not, when that might occur.

Sound paranoid? Argue it! Please! Quit doing nothing, sitting idly by, thinking that this Nation will correct itself. It is OUR Nation! We must be the people that control OUR GOVERNMENT. What can you do personally? More importantly, what will you do? When will you do it, and what difference will it make? If we all make some difference, maybe we can recapture our Nation.

God, please bless us and protect us as we endeavor to protect the most important thing ever given to us, Our Country.

I remember when buyers blamed Realtors for driving prices up prior to 2006. I used to reply "We just market the property for what the buyer will be willing to pay, the buyer's set the market value". In 2007, I started hearing "Realtors and Appraisers are causing the values to fall".

So did Real Estate Agents cause the rise & fall, or did the economy undermine the Real Estate market? . . . and where do we go from here? We may not have the answers to that question without the benefit of hindsight. I've smashed my crystal ball on the pavement, since it stopped working about 4 years ago.

The fact is that we're in a destination community. While our largest buyer pool used to be second homeowners, the Phoenix Metro-area resident no longer has a strong equity position that would allow them to take out a loan on their primary residence and purchase a second home in the cooler Rim Country climate.

So do you want to place blame or fix it? Placing blame is easy, pick somebody. Fixing it requires you, as a consumer, to step up and spend money; after all, that's all that will turn the tide. Until consumers begin spending money, unemployment numbers will continue to climb, with the "ripple effect" knocking down business after business, reducing the overall dollars that our consumer base is willing to spend. Now it's reaching the Municipal level, reducing the spending power of our Police, Fire personnel, City/Town/County employees, as these entities try to balance a budget that is spiraling out of control.

So did the Realtors create the problem? hmmmmm....maybe the Realtors aren't quite the used car sales people that some might have thought we were. I have sworn an oath to act in the best interest of our Client, whether it be buyer or seller, in the highest ethical manner. It's called a fiduciary responsibility (ie; Act as if it's our own money on the line). While there may have been some in our industry that were chasing "the gold rush" during the boom, most of my associate Realtors were acting in the best interest of their Client, whether it be buyer or seller.

While I have driven away some potential Clients in the process, I am proud to say that I have not sacrificed my ethical standards while chasing the almighty dollar. While I intend to make a living, I don't intend to do it with a "bait & switch" business model. As a sellers agent, I represent a property accurately, with excellent photography and descriptive verbage that doesn't stretch the truth. When representing a buyer, I let the property sell itself, disclosing anything that might add or detract to that property, allowing the buyer to make the most educated decision, while encouraging independent investigation.

Buy high, sell low! Oops, other way around