Some may have seen this before but I just received it from a friend. I usually don't make these kinds of posts but this one was appropriate with the upcoming election.
Old version: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house & laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter; so he dies out in the cold.
Moral of the story: Be responsible for yourself!
Modern version: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN & ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when the sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse Jackson then has the group kneel down to pray for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Hillaray & Barack go on national TV agreeing that the plight of the grasshopper is the fault of George W. Bush. Finally the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes; his home is confiscated by the government.
Obama gets his old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case. The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in; which just happens to be the ant's old house; crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
Moral of the story: Be careful how you vote in 2008
Owen Zweiback PA, GRI, Realtor, e-Pro
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
23421 Walden Center Drive
Bonita Springs, Florida 34134
239-269-3077
www.floridamoves.com/owen.zweiback
Update: Unfortunately the date & time had to be rescheduled on a short notice. Apparently, the host of the show Mandy Connell a good friend and host to Southwest Florida wants to have the Senator on the show after the Florida Primaries are over. Burt Saunders is running with a npa(no party affiliation) as I've stated before and therefore isn't running in the current primary. She is only allotting the limited time slots at the moment to the candidates currently running in the primary.
I understand the reasoning behind the format, however, Burt Saunders is currently still YOUR State Senator which leaves open the possibility that it would still serve the people of Southwest Florida to hear from the Senator. This isn't a condemnation of the show or Mandy Connell so you make your own call. If Congressman Connie Mack also won't be on the show until after the primaries than that would be acceptable and fair to me.
I will keep you posted as to the rescheduled time and date of the appearance
This year's election is quickly approaching. As I've been speaking with many folks around Southwest Florida about politics and the upcoming election; what I'm learning is a great desire for a Southwest Florida leadership role from our elected officials.
I am in agreement and have been stating so for a couple of years now. The fact of the matter is Congressman Connie Mack has NOT shown the type of leadership that the people are demanding. Connie Mack and his campaign folks don't even return a somewhat original correspondence when contacted. He has become more of an elitist. I could list a litany of areas where congressman Connie Mack has let down his constituents in Southwest Florida but I'm not going to hear.
What I ask is that you please consider his opponent for the District 14 House seat, State Senator Burt Saunders. He has a long history of dedication and results for Southwest Florida. He is very approachable, successful and caring but most importantly he uses his 2 God given ears to LISTEN!
Please tune in this Friday August 22, 2008 at 8:30AM to Wink News Radio 1240/1270AM in Southwest Florida! State Senator Burt Saunders will be the guest of Mandy Connell and this gives all of the people of Southwest Florida an opportunity to hear the Senator directly.
Check back to my blog as I will be updating campaign events for Senator Burt Saunders all around Southwest Florida during the months of September & October.
Burt Saunders is a good man. He's a qualified man for the position. He's a family man dedicated to the people of Southwest Florida. I urge all of you to greatly consider State Senator Burt Saunders for the House of Representatives seat District 14 of Southwest Florida and cast your vote on November 4, 2008 for quality representation and successful leadership!
Best regards,
Owen Zweiback PA, GRI, Realtor, e-Pro
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
23421 Walden Center Drive
Bonita Springs, Florida 34134
239-269-3077 Cell
www.floridamoves.com/owen.zweiback
The grassroots efforts are working. Evidence this by the recent straw poll taken the other day at the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce. Most of the candidates showed up and spoke directly with the people. Of course one noticeable missing face is current incumbent congressman Connie Mack. I guess he felt it not necessary to show his face to the public and participate in the poll. I guess his time was better spent elsewhere instead of of direct contact with his best challenger, Senator Burt Saunders. Connie Mack hasn't been a participant in the Republicans efforts to re-convene the House of Representatives and has been less than outspoken on the energy issue and the people's demand for domestic supplies.
Folks in District 14 of Southwest Florida should greatly explore candidate Burt Saunders for House of Representatives. Burt Saunders will provide that much needed representation that the people of Southwest Florida deserve. The tone will change. The empty rhetoric will be a thing of the past. Showing up late for the party when it comes to the pertinent issues affecting Southwest Floridians will be history!
You can count of being heard. You can count on a representative who will speak clearly and loudly for the people of Southwest Florida. I ask you to take a good look at Senator Burt Saunders for Congress. www.burtsaunders.com. Feel free to comment on my blog, send me an email or make a direct contact to the Senator. He is very approachable and will respond to your concerns.
SENATOR BURT SAUNDERS WINS EMBARQ STRAW POLL
HOSTED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF CAPE CORAL
Cape Coral- Senator Burt L. Saunders won the Embarq Candidate Straw Poll held last night with 62% of the votes in the race for United States House of Representatives in an event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral.
"Candidate forums are attended by people who are involved in the community and are educated voters. The results of this straw poll are indicative of what I've been hearing throughout the district. The people of southwest Florida want a congressional representative that lives in the district, and knows the needs of the voters" said Senator Saunders.
The Embarq Candidates Hobnob, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral was held last night at the Gulf Coast Village in Cape Coral. Many candidates in the August Primary and November General election were present to meet and speak with residents.
Senator Saunders has earned the endorsements of the state Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the local and state Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the state and local firefighters associations, the American Nurses and the Florida Nurses Associations, the Realtors Association of Greater Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach and several other unions representing our school teachers and public school employees.
Senator Burt Saunders has served the Southwest Florida community for the past twenty-five years as the Collier County Attorney, a member of the Collier County Commission, the Florida House of Representatives and currently the Florida Senate.
More information about the Burt Saunders for U.S. Congress Campaign can be found by visiting www.burtsaunders.com.
Hot off the press! The current market statistics and conditions in Southwest Florida and in particular, Bonita Springs & Estero. Our winter is here and gone and I for one would say that it was a success! Our appointments, showings, buyer's and sales are are way up year over year and our prices have now leveled off as has the inventory which is coming down month over month.
Feel free to take a look back through my blog posts to compare the market statistics to this months spreadsheet.
Prices have come down to about 50% off peek levels of November 2005. These figures bring us back to a proper pricing placement of 2003 levels. I do believe that the cup is finally half full and we are leveling off on price declines. The market will likely bump around the bottom for another 12-18 months before we start to see a normal historical style appreciation level in housing.
Our market which was one of the hardest and fastest to rise has also declined hard and fast and the Federal Reserve is keeping a close eye on how things are transpiring in the Southwest Florida real estate marketplace.
We have seen the 2nd home buyer's and investor buyer's getting back into the market and making purchases. They are buying the homes at great prices and when that occurs; you know that we're at the bottom.
Take a look at the numbers and statistics below and feel free to call or email me with any questions but please make darn sure that if you are a seller; you are provided a detailed market report from your broker to make sure that you're able to place your property on the market in it's best price position to get your home SOLD!
Best regards,
Owen Zweiback PA, GRI, Realtor, E-Pro
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
23421 Walden Center Drive
Bonita Springs, Florida 34134
www.floridamoves.com/owen.zweiback
239-269-3077 Cell 800-547-3019 Toll Free Office
| The Bonita Springs/Estero Real Estate Market, May 2008 | |||||||||||
| May Inventory | Total Inventory | Pending | % | Sold | % | # of months of inventory | |||||
| Single Family | 142 | 1368 | 38 | 2.8% | 83 | 6.1% | 16.5 | ||||
| Multi Family | 163 | 1654 | 37 | 2.2% | 91 | 5.5% | 18.2 | ||||
| Single Family (By Price Range) | |||||||||||
| $0 - $300,000 | 48 | 327 | 12 | 3.7% | 11 | 3.4% | 29.7 | ||||
| $300,001 - $400,000 | 25 | 241 | 4 | 1.7% | 18 | 7.5% | 13.4 | ||||
| $400,001 - $500,000 | 20 | 187 | 5 | 2.7% | 9 | 4.8% | 20.8 | ||||
| $500,001 - $700,000 | 24 | 255 | 9 | 3.5% | 18 | 7.1% | 14.2 | ||||
| $700,001 - $1,000,000 | 9 | 156 | 3 | 1.9% | 9 | 5.8% | 17.3 | ||||
| $1,000,001 & Up | 16 | 202 | 5 | 2.5% | 18 | 8.9% | 11.2 | ||||
| Multi Family/Condo (By Price Range) | |||||||||||
| $0 - $300,000 | 89 | 799 | 23 | 2.9% | 47 | 5.9% | 17.0 | ||||
| $300,001 - $400,000 | 36 | 325 | 6 | 1.8% | 19 | 5.8% | 17.1 | ||||
| $400,001 - $500,000 | 14 | 175 | 3 | 1.7% | 10 | 5.7% | 17.5 | ||||
| $500,001 - $700,000 | 15 | 164 | 3 | 1.8% | 8 | 4.9% | 20.5 | ||||
| $700,001 - $1,000,000 | 3 | 84 | 1 | 1.2% | 6 | 7.1% | 14.0 | ||||
| $1,000,001 & Up | 6 | 107 | 1 | 0.9% | 1 | 0.9% | 107.0 | ||||
| |||||||||
| The Bonita Springs/Estero Real Estate Market, February 2008 | |||||||||
| Feb. Inventory | Total Inventory | Pending | % | Sold | % | # of months of inventory | |||
| Single Family | 195 | 1601 | 63 | 3.9% | 38 | 2.4% | 42.1 | ||
| Multi Family | 227 | 1966 | 66 | 3.4% | 43 | 2.2% | 45.7 | ||
| Single Family (By Price Range) | |||||||||
| $0 - $300,000 | 47 | 299 | 18 | 6.0% | 6 | 2.0% | 49.8 | ||
| $300,001 - $400,000 | 32 | 296 | 8 | 2.7% | 8 | 2.7% | 37.0 | ||
| $400,001 - $500,000 | 28 | 207 | 9 | 4.3% | 9 | 4.3% | 23.0 | ||
| $500,001 - $700,000 | 32 | 354 | 9 | 2.5% | 6 | 1.7% | 59.0 | ||
| $700,001 - $1,000,000 | 23 | 198 | 6 | 3.0% | 5 | 2.5% | 39.6 | ||
| $1,000,001 & Up | 33 | 247 | 13 | 5.3% | 4 | 1.6% | 61.8 | ||
| Multi Family/Condo (By Price Range) | |||||||||
| $0 - $300,000 | 105 | 887 | 26 | 2.9% | 22 | 2.5% | 40.3 | ||
| $300,001 - $400,000 | 53 | 405 | 20 | 4.9% | 10 | 2.5% | 40.5 | ||
| $400,001 - $500,000 | 21 | 229 | 7 | 3.1% | 1 | 0.4% | 229.0 | ||
| $500,001 - $700,000 | 25 | 208 | 7 | 3.4% | 5 | 2.4% | 41.6 | ||
| $700,001 - $1,000,000 | 9 | 113 | 3 | 2.7% | 2 | 1.8% | 56.5 | ||
| $1,000,001 & Up | 14 | 124 | 3 | 2.4% | 3 | 2.4% | 41.3 | ||
These are the most recent statistics from the Bonita Springs/Estero market and were compiled using the Sunshine Multiple Listing Service!
Please note the available months of inventory. This is why seller's and Realtor's need to understand that the main component in selling a home in today's real estate environment is all about price, Price, PRICE!
Owen Zweiback PA, GRI, Realtor, E-Pro
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
23421 Walden Center Drive
Bonita Springs, Florida 34134
239-269-3077 Cell
800-547-3019 Toll Free Office
www.floridamoves.com/owen.zweiback www.coldwellbanker.com/for/owen.zweiback
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