Ric Champlin

We really need to think about this...

I have been remiss about posting on this forum. For that I am sorry.

In the KEYS we are now hitting the high point of our seasonal market.

Guess what? Many homes are STILL priced sky high. People still feel that the market will bear high prices for homes that experienced drastic price increases in 2004 thru 2006. That is not the case at the beginning of 2009. Prices have come down. Maybe not as much as some other areas in the State of Florida but still they have come down.

I still see the hop-la projected by others and I for one do not care to set false standards.

Don't get me wrong, there are some very very good deals to be had in our little town. You just need to get past the hype. You need to bypass the 'bull' and do your homework.

My personal home has dropped in value by 35% over the past two years. Why are similiar home now on the market with that 35% still in place? Good question...

I firmly believe that with the market conditions we have today if you price your home smartly, IT WILL SELL. Both the sellers and the buyers will walk away from the closing table HAPPY.

That is my goal for 2009.

Well the time has come.

The big upset in Tx. is winding down. Not that the destruction is over it is just that the housing inspections are coming to an end. Galveston is still a mess and will be for some time to come. Most schools have opened back up and some form of normalcy has come back. Don't get me worng it will take time. BUT as you have seen two past presidents came to see it. They will make it okay...Right! The money spent bringing them there could have, should have simply been funneled into the community. It would have helped more.

Thousands of people were/are in need of help. Unfortunately my role in all this seemed to be working with people that simply wanted to see what they could get out of "the system". "my clothes got wet" "I need new ones" Ans... wash them and they will be fine. "All my food rotted, see I left it in the fridge for two weeks" "I want it replaced and now I need a new refrigerator"

Inspectors work from 6AM til around 10PM, many end up sleeping in their cars, no motel rooms avail. They are there to help those that need help.

"My car got wet inside, I left the window open and somehow the rain got inside. I do not have insurance, see I buy it on Tues to get my plates then I cancel it on Wed to save money, soo I want the government to fix my car".

If you ever have a need to drive thru Tx, make sure you have uninsured motorist coverage.

Soon Ike will be forgotten except by those that needed our help. I hope we helped those that truly needed it. I am sure we have helped many that did not need it also. But that is the way the system works. At least we have a system.

I am headed home after 48 days. 48 days that I will not soon forget. I met some wonderful people,and I think I did indeed help them, I carried a flashlite thru homes looking at damage that had not seen electricity for weeks.

I got wacked big time by a pit bull . That Hurt... The dog owner (high on crack) thought it was quite funny. A Yorkie decided that blood looked good on my ankle. It took two time, I am a slow learner, but now whenever I go into a house I make the owners tie up the dogs or put them in the backyard. I have a hacking cough from filtering mold spores through my system.

I think I will remember the dog thing when back selling real estate.

It feels good to be of some help.

For all the ups and downs, I know that I will do it again.

I have lost my place at the top of the MARATHON real estate market...BUT

I find that to simply go to a dictionary and copy (plagerize) information is not what this is all about. I have seen many folks do this and I just do not understand where they are coming from.

I think that this forum is for people that have some interest in real estate get a 'flavor' for what the market holds. I am not here to core dump statistical information about how market trends work. In the Keys the market does not match many statistics. If you want a house in the Keys, you go for it. It is that simple. Most sales are to second home (vacation) or to retirement folks that really want to join us in style and life.

You really can not cost justify a home purchase in the Keys.

I am in the Houston area, doing my 'give back to society" thing. Guess what? You can pick up a spanking new 1800 sq ft home for under $125,000.00. That works out to $69.00 per sq ft... IN THE KEYS THE PRICE PER SQ FT IS $450.00.

Work on those statistics...Put that in your dictionary... and here I said I would not do that... Sorry.

As you can see depending on what you want and where you want it can be costly. I love the Keys. I am not going to attempt to inform you of things that are not relevant to purchasing your place in the Keys. I will simply aid you in getting to see all the homes that match you wants and desires. We will work on the fairest price and the best service from a banks, attorney, and title companies.

Been doing housing inspections in La. and got the call to head to Texas... So, on the road again. (Willie Nelson) I am slowly working my way to the west coast at this rate.

Got assigned to the Houston area. Found a place southwest of the city for the motorhome to call home. Today I did my first 12 inspections. Hot Humid Sticky and Smelly. No electric for these folks. Leaky roofs that have caused the household furnishings to begin to mold and smell. 90 mph winds toppled huge trees. Streets are stacked with limbs and trunks.

But guess what!

I have yet to come across a single individual that was not hopeful and helpful. From the person on the corner that I ask directs to the owners or renters of the homes I visit. Each and everyone of them has gone out of their way to help me.

Street lights out everywhere. I spent 10 hours going from place to place. EVERYONE did it right. Complete stop at each intersection and the first to arrive was the first to go. So nice to see people that care for others.

I inspected a home today owned by a young man. In his front yard an old generator cranked away. Three wires came out of it. Only one 15 amp went into his house. A twenty amp line ran acrosss the street to an elderly couple and the other 20 amp linee went next door to a lady's house that had two small children.

I imagine that as soon as Galveston opens up I will be trucking down the road to that town. I think Texas hospitality will follow me there.

Feels good. It is a spiritual experience. Nice place-nice people.

FOR YEARS I was a major taker.

I worked in Corp America for years, I sold mainframe software to Fortune 500 Companies. Not considering rents and salaries we sold accounting software to these cash rich folks for hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cost of a few reels of tape and a few manuals. Maybe $299. bucks...

Along with my first of many mid-life crisis encounters I found that I needed to GIVE back. It first hit on Aug 21, 1992 two days before my 44th birthday. I filled my 1972 24 foot Champion motor home with every tool I could carry and drove down to the Miami area to help rebuild from Andrew. (Hurricane),

I NEVER LEFT...

Ended up in the Keys. Called my trusted RE agent and had her plant the "For Sale" in the front yard of my home in Atlanta.

A few years ago I started to feel that it was time to again begin giving back.

So... Here I am in Louisiana... Sixteen years later... Flood waters, wind driven rain, 1000's of homes with no power. People that at the beginning had little and now they have ABSOLUTLEY nothing. Folks that go to work every day and do overtime to catch up from Katrina and they get hit AGAIN.

No, I did not bring my tools. They are all rusty,and I am now too old too weild them. I now do home disaster inspections for a company that is under contract with FEMA.

If you would like to know more about this way to help, please give me a call. I work from 7AM til 11PM daily and I love it. IT FEELS GOOD... I 'm helping people. You can too...

How can you NOT help?

What is it doing to me? Well, I am sure my real estate business is going to 'H' in a handbasket. Can I deal with that? I think so. I have worked with so many people in this industry in the Keys that are simply 'takers' that it simply reinforces my 'give back' attitude.

I might be here for several months, I may be sent to Tx. Okay with me I love TexMex food. There is a positive in everything that you do.

I keep track of the market in the Middle Keys and will continue to function as a dedicated Real Estate agent . I will be back, but NOT before I have done what can be done to help those in need.

Please keep these folks in your minds and hearts, they need you support. If you have every toured a 3rd world country you know what it is like here.

P.S. Don't get me wrong, I am not living on the streets down here. The Motor Home is much newer and has expanded in size some and I have almost all of the comforts of a true home.

P.S.S. If you are in Marathon, Need a haircut or Styling? Go to Headhunters and have Cindy do your hair. Diesel is not cheap and that is what this motor home drinks.

I'll be back... Real Estate is my life ...