Down With "The American People"

Both Republicans and Democrats keep appealing to "The American People".

 I object to the phrase.  It reminds me of the politically incorrect segregationist phrase  "You People".  I am a US citizen.  A U.S. voter.  Not a Canadian or just an "American".  I want to be addressed as a Citizen of the United States OF America.  Not as an "American".   Makes me feel better. 

And, politicians, don't say "The"  anything.  Say "We"..."We U.S. Citizens..."

Conservative Attempt At Humor

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:


1. Liberals

2. Conservatives

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement...

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolize d by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud.. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans.

Obama Mortgage Modification: 31% of Before-Tax Income

According to a news release by Florida Realtors in their newsletter, the administration is planning/attempting to steer delinquent mortgages into mortgage modifications that limit payments to 31% of before tax income.   The administration plan seeks to lower payments for troubled borrowers to 31 percent of before-tax income for five years, after which the interest rate on the mortgage begins rising.   To read the complete article, go to
https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/1267b7ccbd7b8a92

Adopt a Child? Select a Doner? Clone One? Where We Headed?

I just finished a phone call to my son about him getting a dog. We had just seen ratings of intelligence by breed; Border Collies came out first.

Philosopher curmudgeon that I am, my mind jumped around to the news about adopting babies from Haiti, the selection of sperm donors and invetreo fertilization and the choice of an incubator Mommie. Throw in some random thoughts about the conviction of the abortion doctor murderer and my erectile dysfunction and I got off daydreaming about what I think is an interesting philosophical/moral issue:

It has always been politically correct to discuss whether if you want a dog, you should get a mixed breed from the pound-take your chances on the genetic personality, behavioral, size and shape and other latent possibilities within that adorable little pup and just expectantly wait to see what you get.

Or, if you don't like the uncertainty of adopting a “rescue” animal, and if you have the money, you can begin to do research on different breed's and their characteristics and the breeders and their track records and prices.

Now how about adopting a kid? Although it's not politically correct to discuss these issues, technological advances have presented us with some new and difficult choices.

When I was a child in the 1930’s-1950’s tradition was to adopt an illegitimate from a friend or relative often faced with a pregnant teen-aged child. Birth control was unreliable and it was hard for a teenager to privately acquire condoms. Religious doctrines frowned on birth control.

But copulation was great fun and one of the least expensive and most available forms of adolescent entertainment. "Going Steady" was one of our favorite pass times.  "It meant "getting it steady"  Today the game has been renamed getting "Hooked-Up", "  It's Dangerous and Exciting! Like Drag Racing. But....Coathangers or banishment to Auntie’s house to have it were about the only choices if she “got caught”.

AND NOW?  Always and correctly, Selling of babies is a high crime and misdemeanor. Consequently, legally adopting in America is a long and difficult process adopting across racial lines-and even more difficult.  So, follow the trend. We are shopping for overseas merchandise.

OUTCOMES ALMOST ALWAYS POSITIVE:  I was raised with an adopted cousin one year my senior. Lived with us for a couple years. She was like a sister to me. Her life worked out fine, it included a despotic stepmother and a loving, devoted father and all the rest of life’s dramas. Almost fine…it was a short life. She had her ups and downs like everyone else, but was very much loved. She is remembered by many for her goodness. Someone I wish I could be more like.  (No, I'm not a closet Queen!  I mean more good like)

My next most memorable adoption related experience was learning about successful adoptions by some of my lesbian friends of children from overseas; especially China. They seem to have resulted in many happy relationships and happy children. Of course the final result will not be known until the children are grown, become parents themselves, and can tell their stories and become statistics.

The gay community has been leading edge in the adoption movement. I have personal, positive feedback; but all anecdotal. For example, my daughter dated a Greenwich Village teenager being raised lovingly by two Dikes. Mamma left Pappa and took Chris with her to hook up permanently with her female love interest. Nothing unhappy about the kid at the time. Time will tell. But maybe not. If he screws up his life there probably will be lots of possible causes to blame-not just the Lezzies.  Another loved cousin did the same with better child rearing results than almost all the heterosexual parents we know.  Makes the issues surrounding same sex marriage more complex that just religious dogma would suggest.  But I digress...

Here's the rub. An in depth discussion of Adoption as an Option is Politically Incorrect, but will soon be a major issue all of us many will have to deal with. We will want to take  moral and ethical positions.

Try this on for emotional stimulation: 

Adopting a child is fast becoming fraught with difficult choices and very similar to deciding on whether to adopt a pet.

Infertility a Problem? Then Use a sperm donor? or a surrogate womb? or Adopt?  Why is Cloning such a No-No?

-If You Choose to Adopt??
     -How important is the DNA?
     -Do I want an infant? An adolescent? Or a full grown?
     -Will I/we raise HeSheIt ourselves? Home Teach? Or use the school system, day care and babysitters for most of the time, effort and knowledge required to fulfill our legal and moral obligations as parents?

I just heard an interesting TV News discussion about whether the government should give tax breaks to encourage more citizens to have children. The conversation was all about projecting the economic and social impacts; Should we provide stimulus incentives or offer tax deductions? Will our efforts result in Octo-Mom’s working the Nanny state system to its death? Nothing was said about the intriguing philosophical issues.

Don't murder of the messenger! Just give it some thought. The questions are already there. Opinions will need to be formed. You will need to weigh your churchy moral positions against your rational, ethical structures. Most will probably just stick our heads in the sand and hold our ears. A few of us confrontationalists will relish the thoughts and us philosophers will take them out to play.

What Think You?

Talk to Ted at http://aboutpalmcoast.blogspot.com/

You Gay?  Move to Palm Coast or Flagler Beach.  Ted will Tell you why!   Give you the straight scoop!  tedleshersr@gmail.com

Flood of TV Home Improvement Ads is a Signal

The Home-Remodeling market is improving. The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University identified three areas of home improvement growth.: remodeling rentals, remodeling to reduce energy costs and improve the environment (“going green” ) and foreign homeowners as the most active remodelers.

This Harvard Housing Study caught my attention. Continued growth in home improvement spending by foreign-born homeowners — their spending levels have grown almost 13% per year since 2000- is well in excess of the 7% growth by native-born households.

If you live abroad and want to buy property in Palm Coast, you should work with a realtor who will also act as your personal property manager and take care of fixing up the place after you buy it.  Most bargain priced property will need repairs and upgrading; especially foreclosures, short sales and bank owned properties.  You need someone knowledgeable and trustworthy to help get the best prices and insure the quality of the work. Someone who knows our local handymen and subcontractors and can get your upgrades and repairs done well. The Home Inspection Report is your Blueprint; your real estate agent can be your Home Improvements Manager…Talk To Ted!.

IT SEEMS NOW-OR CLOSE TO NOW-IS THE BEST TIME TO BUY IN PALM COAST’S DEPRESSED HOUSING MARKET. Our inventory levels indicate we may have hit bottom. Canadians, Russians, Germans and South Americans are especially active in our market at this time. Send me a referral so I can start a dialog with them about their dream home in Florida, USA.

If you have a friend or relative living abroad who should be taking advantage of our bargain prices and weak dollar-Talk To Ted!   I can document I am honest and trustworthy and I will find your overseas friend or relative the right investment and follow through to make improvements after the sale. I work with my language translation assistants to be sure we communicate accurately and completely.

Are your friends and relatives planning to visit Palm Coast now? Want a free consultation about how to buy their lot or their vacation/investment home? The time is right!  Talk To Ted!


HARVARD STUDY LINK:
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/publications/remodeling/remodeling2009/index.htm

Note to Palm Coast's Russian Community

I read with interest this new STRAFOR report about the Ukraine. Two of my neighbors are from Kiev. I will get their comments on it.  I would like yours!

 If you have a friend or relative overseas.  If they are considering buying property in Florida.  If they need an honest, trustworthy real estate agent ...Talk To Ted!



January 26, 2010
1314 GMT

By Peter Zeihan

Ukrainians go to the polls Feb. 7 to choose their next president. The last time they did this, in November 2004, the result was the prolonged international incident that became known as the Orange Revolution. That event saw Ukraine cleaved off from the Russian sphere of influence, triggering a chain of events that rekindled the Russian-Western Cold War. Next week’s runoff election seals the Orange Revolution’s reversal. Russia owns the first candidate, Viktor Yanukovich, outright and has a workable agreement with the other, Yulia Timoshenko. The next few months will therefore see the de facto folding of Ukraine back into the Russian sphere of influence; discussion in Ukraine now consists of debate over the speed and depth of that reintegration.

The Centrality of Ukraine

Russia has been working to arrest its slide for several years. Next week’s election in Ukraine marks not so much the end of the post-Cold War period of Russian retreat as the beginning of a new era of Russian aggressiveness. To understand why, one must first absorb the Russian view of Ukraine.

Related Special Topic Page

• The Russian Resurgence

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, most of the former Soviet republics and satellites found themselves cast adrift, not part of the Russian orbit and not really part of any other grouping. Moscow still held links to all of them, but it exercised few of its levers of control over them during Russia’s internal meltdown during the 1990s. During that period, a number of these states — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and the former Czechoslovakia to be exact — managed to spin themselves out of the Russian orbit and attach themselves to the European Union and NATO. Others — Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine — attempted to follow the path Westward, but have not succeeded at this point. Of these six, Ukraine is by far the most critical. It is not simply the most populous of Russia’s former possessions or the birthplace of the Russian ethnicity, it is the most important province of the former Russian Empire and holds the key to the future of Eurasia.

First, the incidental reasons. Ukraine is the Russian Empire’s breadbasket. It is also the location of nearly all of Russia’s infrastructure links not only to Europe, but also to the Caucasus, making it critical for both trade and internal coherence; it is central to the existence of a state as multiethnic and chronically poor as Russia. The Ukrainian port of Sevastopol is home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet, and Ukrainian ports are the only well-developed warm-water ports Russia has ever had. Belarus’ only waterborne exports traverse the Dnieper River, which empties into the Black Sea via Ukraine. Therefore, as goes Ukraine, so goes Belarus. Not only is Ukraine home to some 15 million ethnic Russians — the largest concentration of Russians outside Russia proper — they reside in a zone geographically identical and contiguous to Russia itself. That zone is also the Ukrainian agricultural and industrial heartland, which again is integrated tightly into the Russian core.

These are all important factors for Moscow, but ultimately they pale before the only rationale that really matters: Ukraine is the only former Russian imperial territory that is both useful and has a natural barrier protecting it. Belarus is on the Northern European Plain, aka the invasion highway of Europe. The Baltics are all easily accessible by sea. The Caucasian states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are on the wrong side of the Caucasus Mountains (and Russia’s northern Caucasus republics — remember Chechnya? — aren’t exactly the cream of the crop of Russian possessions). It is true that Central Asia is anchored in mountains to the south, but the region is so large and boasts so few Slavs that it cannot be controlled reliably or cheaply. And Siberia is too huge to be useful.

Without Ukraine, Russia is a desperately defensive power, lacking any natural defenses aside from sheer distance. Moscow and Volgograd, two of Russia’s critically strategic cities, are within 300 miles of Ukraine’s eastern border. Russia lacks any natural internal transport options — its rivers neither interconnect nor flow anywhere useful, and are frozen much of the year — so it must preposition defensive forces everywhere, a burden that has been beyond Russia’s capacity to sustain even in the best of times. The (quite realistic) Russian fear is that without Ukraine, the Europeans will pressure Russia along its entire western periphery, the Islamic world will pressure Russia along its entire southern periphery, the Chinese will pressure Russia along its southeastern periphery, and the Americans will pressure Russia wherever opportunity presents itself.

Ukraine by contrast has the Carpathians to its west, a handy little barrier that has deflected invaders of all stripes for millennia. These mountains defend Ukraine against tanks coming from the west as effectively as they protected the Balkans against Mongols attacking from the east. Having the Carpathians as a western border reduces Russia’s massive defensive burden. Most important, if Russia can redirect the resources it would have used for defensive purposes on the Ukrainian frontier — whether those resources be economic, intelligence, industrial, diplomatic or military — then Russia retains at least a modicum of offensive capability. And that modicum of offensive ability is more than enough to overmatch any of Russia’s neighbors (with the exception of China).

When Retreat Ends, the Neighbors Get Nervous

This view of Ukraine is not alien to countries in Russia’s neighborhood. They fully understand the difference between a Russia with Ukraine and a Russia without Ukraine, and understand that so long as Ukraine remains independent they have a great deal of maneuvering room. Now that all that remains is the result of an election with no strategic choice at stake, the former Soviet states and satellites realize that their world has just changed.

Georgia traditionally has been the most resistant to Russian influence regardless of its leadership, so defiant that Moscow felt it necessary to trounce Georgia in a brief war in August 2008. Georgia’s poor strategic position is nothing new, but a Russia that can redirect efforts from Ukraine is one that can crush Georgia as an afterthought. That is turning the normally rambunctious Georgians pensive, and nudging them toward pragmatism. An opposition group, the Conservative Party, is launching a movement to moderate policy toward Russia, which among other things would mean abandoning Georgia’s bid for NATO membership and re-establishing formal political ties with Moscow.

A recent Lithuanian power struggle has resulted in the forced resignation of Foreign Minister Minister Vygaudas. The main public point of contention was the foreign minister’s previous participation in facilitating U.S. renditions. Vygaudas, like most in the Lithuanian leadership, saw such participation as critical to maintaining the tiny country’s alliance with the United States. President Dalia Grybauskaite, however, saw the writing on the wall in Ukraine, and feels the need to foster a more conciliatory view of Russia. Part of that meant offering up a sacrificial lamb in the form of the foreign minister.

Poland is in a unique position. It knows that should the Russians turn seriously aggressive, its position on the Northern European Plain makes it the focal point of Russian attention. Its location and vulnerability makes Warsaw very sensitive to Russian moves, so it has been watching Ukraine with alarm for several months.

As a result, the Poles have come up with some (admittedly small) olive branches, including an offer for Putin to visit Gdansk last September in an attempt to foster warmer (read: slightly less overtly hostile) relations. Putin not only seized upon the offer, but issued a public letter denouncing the World War II-era Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty, long considered by Poles as the most outrageous Russian offense to Poland. Warsaw has since replied with invitations for future visits. As with Georgia, Poland will never be pro-Russian — Poland is not only a NATO member but also hopes to host an American Patriot battery and participate in Washington’s developing ballistic missile defense program. But if Warsaw cannot hold Washington’s attention — and it has pulled out all the stops in trying to — it fears the writing might already be on the wall, and it must plan accordingly.

Azerbaijan has always attempted to walk a fine line between Russia and the West, knowing that any serious bid for membership in something like the European Union or NATO was contingent upon Georgia’s first succeeding in joining up. Baku would prefer a more independent arrangement, but it knows that it is too far from Russia’s western frontier to achieve such unless the stars are somewhat aligned. As Georgia’s plans have met with what can best be described as abject failure, and with Ukraine now appearing headed toward Russian suzerainty, Azerbaijan has in essence resigned itself to the inevitable. Baku is well into negotiations that would redirect much of its natural gas output north to Russia rather than west to Turkey and Europe. And Azerbaijan simply has little else to bargain with.

Other states that have long been closer to Russia, but have attempted to balance Russia against other powers in hopes of preserving some measure of sovereignty, are giving up. Of the remaining former Soviet republics Belarus has the most educated workforce and even a functioning information technology industry, while Kazakhstan has a booming energy industry; both are reasonable candidates for integration into Western systems. But both have this month agreed instead to throw their lots in with Russia. The specific method is an economic agreement that is more akin to shackles than a customs union. The deal effectively will gut both countries’ industries in favor of Russian producers. Moscow hopes the union in time will form the foundation of a true successor to the Soviet Union.

Other places continue to show resistance. The new Moldovan prime minister, Vlad Filat, is speaking with the Americans about energy security and is even flirting with the Romanians about reunification. The Latvians are as defiant as ever. The Estonians, too, are holding fast, although they are quietly polling regional powers to at least assess where the next Russian hammer might fall. But for every state that decides it had best accede to Russia’s wishes, Russia has that much more bandwidth to dedicate to the poorly positioned holdouts.

Russia also has the opportunity. The United States is bogged down in its economic and health care debates, two wars and the Iran question — all of which mean Washington’s attention is occupied well away from the former Soviet sphere. With the United States distracted, Russia has a freer hand in re-establishing control over states that would like to be under the American security umbrella.

There is one final factor that is pushing Russia to resurge: It feels the pressure of time. The post-Cold War collapse may well have mortally wounded the Russian nation. The collapse in Russian births has halved the size of the 0-20 age group in comparison to their predecessors born in the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, Russian demographics are among the worst in the world.

Even if Russia manages an economic renaissance, in a decade its population will have aged and shrunk to the point that the Russians will find holding together Russia proper a huge challenge. Moscow’s plan, therefore, is simple: entrench its influence while it is in a position of relative strength in preparation for when it must trade that influence for additional time. Ultimately, Russia is indeed going into that good night. But not gently. And not today.

THE LINK:

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100125_ukraines_election_and_russian_resurgence?utm_source=GWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100126&utm_content=readmore&elq=5381f608e62249dfa807c7ba8dcbb57e

Location, Location, Location-Seek The Truth!

There are terrific real estate bargains available today. Interest rates are at all time lows. It’s time to move some of your assets into owning a nice home in Palm Coast, Florida But where?

Say you have found several houses on a real estate web site that look like they might be what you want. What next? You have friends in Palm Coast; they know the place-call them and ask them to recommend an agent friend?  Or Call the Listing Agent directly about the house being promoted? You need to talk with someone with access to the MLS. Who???

Location is most important; everyone agrees to that.  But location is more than an address.  It is a lifestyle...Here is my opinion on why you should contact a Buyers Broker in order to get an unbiased opinion of houses you found on the internet and are considering. (Of course…I am a Buyers Broker!).

WHO REPRESENTS YOU? You really need objectivity to compare houses before you make your offer. Unbiased answers to your questions and all the relevant information-not just the surface story about the seller’s motivation to sell-you need to try to learn about confidential information sellers prefer you not find out.

You need to know whether you have someone working for just you.  As a Single Agent-they can do that.  But if your your real estate agent is acting as a Transaction Broker-they are pledged not to disclose confidential information and to work for both the Buyer and the Seller. Before your choose an agent, make sure you know who they will represent.  Most act as Transaction Brokers so they can sell their own, more profitable listings.

KNOW THE LISTING-SIDE AND THE SELLING-SIDE COMMISSION SPLITS AND SELLING INCENTIVES. The Listing Agent for the properties you want to investigate is likely to earn much, much more commission if they sell you one of their own listings. The properties they most need to sell are the ones they have listed themselves!

Most homes you see on internet sites are listed with a Multiple Listing Service. The Listing Brokers receive 100% of the final commission proceeds that are paid by the Seller at closing.

These Listing Brokers offer to “co-broke” with other MLS Brokers in order to get them to try to sell their listings. “Sell my Listing Agent’s listing and I will give you half the commission” kind of thing. This is called the “Selling- Side”Commission and often includes a bonus for selling a specific property.

The real estate commission pie has many different sized pieces. The Selling Side Broker receives this share of the commission and then pays their agent and also the Selling-Side Broker who, in turn pays his Sales Agent according to an individual subcontract between the Broker and the individual Agents working under the Broker’s license.

OK, so you can call an agent friend who lives in the town. Now you are well-aware and wary about the fact they probably will earn much more if they sell you their own listing. But you plan to ask them to help you investigate other listings you have found on the internet. This seems better. They can be more objective and you find the best house in the best location for the best price?

Almost. Percentages offered as Selling-Side commissions and incentive bonuses can still be very influential to your agent friend; your Selling-Side Agent.  The difference is often in the thousands.  Listing Brokers often offer cash bonuses, golf memberships and other incentives to entice Selling-Side agents to push a particular listing.

You need to know the commission splits. You are not shown commission information on the internet real estate the web sites. “For Buyers” listing print-outs and the ads Buyers receive intentionally do not disclose the commission or commission split information.  Buyers usually don’t learn until closing how much of the total commission the Listing Broker was paying to the Selling-Side. I think buyers need to know all about real estate commission details before they make an offer.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Your Selling-Side Agent needs to know and research the up-to-date history and lifestyles of the particular Palm Coast neighborhood and even the particular street the listings are on. Just a la-te-da tour in and out of listings is not enough. This is a very big investment.

For example. Maybe the house you see on the net is located in our well established, desirable, gated community of Grand Haven. Well, Grand Haven itself has 23 different Villages. If you plan to live in Grand Haven, you need to know a little something about all of them and a lot about the Village the listing you are investigating is in. I have been selling real estate in Palm Coast since 1996 and I still don’t know much about each of the Villages of Grand Haven. (But I do know the developer’s top salesperson and work together with her with every one of my buyers who wants to learn about a listing in Grand Haven.)

Buying real estate is entering a new paradigm. Buyers are more sophisticated. They are starting their searches on the internet and then selecting someone to communicate with in the local area about what they have found. However, most are still unsophisticated when it comes to choosing an agent. They think it really doesn’t matter that much and go with a friend of a friend, or the agent who has listed the house they saw on the internet, or go with a big name franchise, what’s the difference…If you're just looking for pleasure and just want house tours; none.  If you are a serious buyer; Lots!

A serious, qualified buyer needs an honest agent who Knows, Finds Out and Will Share all the important details about every house under close consideration. You one of those?   Then you need a Buyers Agent...Talk To Ted!



ADDENDUM: Here is a posting on Active Rain from another real estate agent that, like me, specializes as a BUYERS AGENT…





Home : Blogs : Kris Wales - Macomb County MI real estate blog & homes for sale search site : Macomb County MI real estate blog

Your seller may be very nice, but it isn't my job to make him happy.



I wrote a blog post earlier about appraisals, and what we as buyers agents can do to help our buyer clients to understand current market value and to avoid appraisal issues.



One of the comments I recieved said something like "You may not make the sellers happy..."



I'm a nice person. I like to think that I'm an easy agent to co-op with, and that I do perform my duties with care and diligence. My brokers have never received a complaint about me, nor do I ever expect them to. However, being nice and co-operating with the sellers agents doesn't mean that I won't do my job to the best of my ability for my client - the buyers.



My fiduciary responsibility as a buyers agent is to my buyers. When they find a home they wish to purchase my responsibility kicks in to high gear. I will analyze the current market for them and present them with all of the facts that I have on hand. They will then be able to make an educated decision about the price to offer for the home. I will then take their offer to purchase, along with my data and present it to the sellers.



Not long ago I heard these words from a sellers agent after my buyers offer was presented to them: "My seller is a nice man. He's worked hard, and his home is in good shape. He really deserves a better offer and isn't happy with this one."



My reply? "I'm a nice lady. I work hard. My home is in nice shape. I deserve good things to happen to me. But my home is still only worth XXX and it wouldn't appraise for more than XXX, and I surely wouldn't expect a buyer to pay more than XXX."



My buyer didn't overpay for that home, and we moved on to find them another home.

HERE’S THE LINK:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1452920/your-seller-may-be-very-nice-but-it-isn-t-my-job-to-make-him-happy-

How Much of the Reason Is The Season?

The Florida Realtors "News and Events" newsletter today talks about the increase in housing sales in general and condo sales in particular...


"Existing home sales rose 33 percent last month with a total of 14,630 homes sold statewide compared to 11,013 homes sold in December 2008, according to Florida Realtors. Statewide existing home sales last month increased 4.3 percent over statewide sales activity in November.

Florida Realtors also reported a 91 percent increase in statewide sales of existing condos in December compared to the previous year’s sales figure; statewide existing condo sales last month rose 22 percent over the total units sold in November.

Seventeen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased existing home sales and higher condo sales in December. A majority of the state’s MSAs have reported increased sales for 18 consecutive months."

Link to the Newsletter:
http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=230708

OBoy!  Maybe real estate has turned the corner.  Maybe I will be able to sell a condo and make a commission.  Maybe my house will start to increase in value and be worth what I owe on it.  Maybe.  Maybe?

Our town is flooded with Snow Birds.  People who rent condos and homes each winter season are deciding to take advantage of the depressed market and buy the thing.   Will it last?  When they go home in March will the market go plop again?  I think the weak dollar and continued flow of foreclosures will still bring in foreign investors, but what the government does to stimulate home ownership will be a big factor.  I will be glued to the State of the Union message but doubt I will hear anything I can count on as going to happen.

No Gang Tours in Palm Coast...Maybe Miami?

Regardless of our depressed housing values and high unemployment, it's comforting to know how comparably safe we are living here in Palm Coast.  Whether we live behind the Gates of Grand Haven or on a lettered street in an open neighborhood.  Life is good.  Life is safe.  That is why folks are still moving here from cities.  Cities in Florida.  In the USA.   From cities all over the world.  Here is a bellweather happening...Take a Tour of Gangland!  Special discounts Friday and Saturday nights.

There is a new venture in Los Angeles offering tours through Los Angeles gang turf.
These are high end specialty tours of top crime scene areas of South Central Los Angeles.

The first tour on January 16th was sold out! Passengers received a discount of $35 on the regular $100 per head ticket and signed waivers that they were aware they could become crime victims and agreed to put themselves in the hands of ex-gang members who had negotiated a cease-fire in the most violent gang area in the U.S.

The objective of these tours, which are scheduled to run once a month, is to create jobs for residents of South Central and to inject money back into the community. It also promotes the continuation of a cease fire in certain designated areas in exchange for the tour operators hiring some of their youth for employment and training opportunities. Designated routes and times are being honored by participating gangs.

For more information on these tours visit L.A. Gang Tours."

It's for real.  Check out their website at  http://www.lagangtours.com/

Originally posted at: Your Los Angeles Town Crier: L.A. Gang Tours - Yes, L.A. Gang Tours!

The FHA Is Going Bankrupt

The FHA insures loans and it is going broke as the flood of bad loans continues to hit the market. 

They just passed two new rules to help keep them afloat...they are increasing the insurance premium they charge for FHA insured loans to 2.25% and they are requiring a credit score of 580 or more.  2.25% on a $200,000 loan is $4,500.

 Borrowers will still only need 3.5% downpayments for FHA insured loans; the mortgage premium will just be added to what they owe. 

I think the FHA will end up asking for a federal bailout.

Today's comments by our President failed to integrate how Barney Frank's push to make it easier to buy a house resulted in bad loans that greatly contributed to the financial crisis.  Or why there is no proposed tax on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's obscene profits.

"The Buck Stops Here!"  one day;
"It's Not My Fault!  It's Their Fault!"  the next. 

We are listening to a blame game with no popular, common sense solutions being proposed.  Florida postponed the problem by requiring all new foreclosures to first go through an arbitration process before a lein can be filed.  Then what?

To see the full article from Florida Realtors News, click here...

http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=230514

Hang on Sloopy,  Sloopy Hang On!

Palm Coast Commercial Property

I specialize in residential property, but Palm Coast Florida is overflowing with commercial property bargains. Here is a listing by Jerry Maisello one of our top commercial brokers. I know them all. If you are interested in buying commercial property or buying a business in Palm Coast, Florida...Talk To Ted First !

Some Foreigners Buying in South Florida Are Making A Big Mistake

If you live in Germany, Russia, Canada or one ot the other countries where many investors are now taking advantage of our weak dollar and investing in a bargain priced US home in a warm climate, you are on the right track. 

But if you are thinking of investing in any town on the east coast of Florida south of Ft. Lauderdale, or even south of Vero Beach, be very careful!

Many of our Palm Coast home buyers are coming in droves from Miami and southeast Florida.  The reason?  Well, they say it doesn't seem like you are even in America in most parts of Miami and many parts of the southeast Florida coast.  Spanish has become the first language and the predomimate culture.  Traffic is very congested.  Gangs and crime are flourishing.

The world is behind the curve on the Balkanization of southeast Florida. 

Note this article from the UK:

OVERSEAS PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL NEWS ARTICLE
"MIAMI PRICE DROP TRIGGERS FOREIGN ‘BUYING FRENZY’

US, Florida, Miami, Condo Vultures, discounts,


Miami developers saw a surge in condo sales in the second half of 2009 after lenders slashed property prices by 30%.

Buyers purchased 1655 new condos in Greater Downtown Miami in the latter part of the year, up by 133% from 711 sales in the first six months, according to tesearch from Florida-based consultancy Condo Vultures.


“Buyers, primarily with cash, purchased an average of 6.5 new condo units per day from developers in 2009,” said Peter Zalewski, principal at Condo Vultures. “The buying activity really picked up velocity in the second half of the year once retail condo prices were slashed by lenders from $300 per square foot down to $200 per square foot, which is in many cases below the replacement cost of the finished product.


“The new prices triggered a buying frenzy by foreign nationals with strong currencies and private equity groups that finally began to purchase, completing a dozen condo bulk deals in the Brickell Avenue Area, Downtown Miami, and the Biscayne Boulevard Corridor in 2009.”


Zalewski said it is unclear how much of an effect the lack of condo financing in Greater Downtown Miami had on the final transaction totals for 2009.


More new condo sales were made in the third quarter (977) than the whole of the first half of 2009, but transactions saw of a decrease of 27% to 700 in the fourth quarter"

OVERSEASE PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL ARTICLE:  http://www.opp.org.uk/news_article.asp?id=3597


Good PR for Condo Vultures, but very bad advice for non-spanish speaking foreign investors.  My advice is to find a friend or relative from your native country in Florida and couple that with a local real estate agent who knows about each sub-neighborhood in the town and what they offer in the way of a lifestyle and  investment opportunity. 

I start a dialog with my prospective buyers about what they want and need.  I then do a comparative analysis of different candidate places in Florida that meet their needs.  If they are planning to visit the US, I send them on an area tour to meet with competent local agents and check the towns out. 

The foreclosure bargains and depressed real estate market is universal in Florida.  You can find a great deal almost anywhere if you do the right research.   A reflexive reaction to buy in Miami could bite you. 

Location, Location, Location.  Talk To Ted !  tedleshersr@gmail.com.  Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker.

Dollars are Dying; Quick-Buy Real Estate

The debt position of the US plus the inability to stop spending on unfunded entitlements and new social programs makes it inevitable the US dollar will suffer from inflation and that the best way to deal with our debt to China will be to devalue the dollar. 

Currency devaluation due to inflation is a common strategy in European countries.   The ruble was redenominated on January 1, 1998, with one new ruble equalling 1000 old rubles. The redenomination was a purely psychological step that did not solve the fundamental economic problems faced by the Russian economy at the time, and the currency was devalued in August 1998 following the 1998 Russian financial crisis. The ruble lost 70% of its value against the U.S. Dollar in the six months following this 1998 Russian financial crisis. 

As a real estate Buyers Broker in Palm Coast Forida I am marketing to wealthy investors in Russia encouraging them to invest in property in Florida; in particular Palm Coast. The dollar is weak, the weather is great, we are on the east coast of Florida and an easy drive to Orlando. Talk To Ted? tedleshersr@gmail.com.

Below I have listed a quote from Wikipedia on the history of the Russian Ruble. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ruble). They have devalued it twice already from 1961.
First ruble, Antiquity - December 31 1921
The ruble has been the Russian unit of currency for about 500 years. From 1710, the ruble was divided into 100 kopeks.

The amount of precious metal in a ruble varied over time. In a 1704 currency reform, Peter I standardized the ruble to 28 grams of silver. While ruble coins were silver, there were higher denominations minted of gold and platinum. By the end of the 18th century, the ruble was set to 4 zolotnik 21 dolya (almost exactly equal to 18 grams) of pure silver or 27 dolya (almost exactly equal to 1.2 grams) of pure gold, with a ratio of 15:1 for the values of the two metals. In 1828, platinum coins were introduced with 1 ruble equal to 77⅔ dolya (3.451 grams).

On December 17, 1885, a new standard was adopted which did not change the silver ruble but reduced the gold content to 1.161 grams, pegging the gold ruble to the French franc at a rate of 1 ruble = 4 francs. This rate was revised in 1897 to 1 ruble = 2⅔ francs (0.774 grams gold).

With the outbreak of the First World War, the gold standard peg was dropped and the ruble fell in value, suffering from hyperinflation in the early 1920s.

Second ruble, January 1, 1922 - December 31, 1922
In 1922, the first of several redenominations took place, at a rate of 1 "new" ruble for 10,000 "old" rubles. The chervonets (червонец) was also introduced in 1922.

Third ruble, January 1, 1923 - March 6, 1924
A second redenomination took place in 1923, at a rate of 100 to 1. Again, only paper money was issued. During the lifetime of this currency, the first money of the Soviet Union was issued.

Fourth (Gold) ruble, March 7, 1924 - 1947
A third redenomination in 1924 introduced the "gold" ruble at a value of 50,000 rubles of the previous issue. This reform also saw the ruble linked to the chervonets, at a value of 10 rubles. Coins began to be issued again in 1924, whilst paper money was issued in rubles for values below 10 rubles and in chervonets for higher denominations.

Fifth ruble, 1947 - 1961
Following World War II, the Soviet government implemented a confiscatory redenomination of the currency to reduce the amount of money in circulation. This only affected the paper money. Old rubles were revalued at one tenth of their face value.

Sixth ruble, 1961 - December 31 1997
The 1961 redenomination was a repeat of the 1947 reform, with the same terms applying. The Soviet ruble of 1961 was formally equal to 0.987412 gram of gold, but the exchange for gold was never available to the general public. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the ruble remained the currency of the Russian Federation. New set of banknotes was issued in the name of Bank of Russia in 1993. During the period of hyperinflation of the early 1990s, the ruble was significantly devalued.

Seventh ruble, January 1, 1998 -
The ruble was redenominated on January 1, 1998, with one new ruble equalling 1000 old rubles. The redenomination was a purely psychological step that did not solve the fundamental economic problems faced by the Russian economy at the time, and the currency was devalued in August 1998 following the 1998 Russian financial crisis. The ruble lost 70% of its value against the U.S. Dollar in the six months following this 1998 Russian financial crisis.