How people make decisions is a fascinating topic. Choosing homes, toasters, cars, lawn mowers, health plans, investments and many other things involves decision process. I having studied this for years, but have more of my share of bad choices and wrong decisions. Hopefully we continue to learn.
Duke and Carolina are in the Final Four(s). Carolina won the NCAA Championship last year. Duke has a chance to follow their lead this year. Carolina suffered through in injury-filled year, with high profile freshman, who didn’t meet the expectations of their fans. But they did eke into the NIT Championship and now are playing in the Finals against a good Dayton team. Some fans might scoff at an NIT Championship for such a storied program, but I have never met a coach or a fan or a player who do not like to end the season hanging a championship banner. Only one team in each tournament gets to finish on a win streak. Both Duke and Carolina have that chance this year. Winning anything is hard – don’t kid yourself. To win any match or any tournament is a great accomplishment.
A recent Wall Street Journal article, "Time to Storm the Castles", points out that now is a great time to buy a luxury home. Local Triangle North Carolina stats echo a national trend running through the high-end real estate market... Now is a great time to buy a luxury home. Waiting could cost you.
Today Show Ranks Durham NC Homes High on Affordability
"Affordable" may seem slightly tainted to some people. Homes for sale in Durham are "affordable" doesn't sound very sexy. A '67 Chevy is affordable. But included in The Today Show's commentary from Barbara Corcoran are comments like, "Durham is a great place to live…” to read more about homes for sale in Durham, NC, go to: http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/durham-real-estate-is-affordable.
Almost everyone is drawn in by the shiny hardware, glimmering hardwood floors and freshly painted walls of a newly constructed home. There's a special feeling in being the first person or family in a new home. However, deciding between a new home or existing home does have its trade-offs. For a detailed discussion of this topic with Brian Davis, go to: http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/should-you-buy-a-new-or-existing-home
Leverage is all about using "other people's money" to leverage your own investment. Other than big-time leverage deals on Wall Street, the common individual has few opportunities to leverage. But real estate is one of those areas. It is one of a very few areas where you can borrow money from a banker to cover the majority of the total cost of an investment. The leverage part is that if the value of the property goes up over time, you gain from the increase in value of the entire property; not just the increase in the value of your down payment.
Out of difficult times, often goodness emerges. I believe more people are helping people than ever before. Here is an example: My mother just turned 87 this week. She is a dear, small lady with some character and spunk. She still drives a little and loves to buy presents for people. I am constantly amazed at how kind and thoughtful almost everyone is toward “little old ladies.” Mom told me that after shopping at Lowes Lawn and Garden Store yesterday, she was pushing her cart with a few heavy things in it toward her car. As she tells the story, she saw a large man loading things into another car and thought he worked for Lowes. She walked over and said, “pardon me, but when you are done here could you help me?” The large man stopped what he was doing and helped Mom load her things into the car. She thanked him and asked how long he had worked at Lowes. He said, “no Ma’am, I don’t work here.” Mom apologized for bothering him and the man said, “ma’am, I try to teach my children to offer kindnesses to others. It makes me feel good to help someone and I believe it will make them feel good about themselves as well.” He then said something amazing: “these are tough times, ma’am, but during tough times I see more and more people recognizing that everyone needs help sometimes, and I see more people offering help for free.”
Just a sweet story during challenging times. It reminds me of the movie, Play It Forward. Nice!
We attended and exhibited at the Triangle MLS Tech Fair Yesterday. There were lots of agents and brokers looking for solutions to the age-old issues of how to attract great clients and how to serve them well. My take-away is that good service must start with good, basic practices of outreach, education and earnestness. The Internet, with social networks, websites, Facebook, SEO, SEM, Twitter and other outlets are just platforms to get your message across. The Internet is not the answer, but tools available on The Internet can have outstanding results if, and only if, you have great content that assures clients that you are looking out for THEIR best interests. We had a good time at the TMLS Tech Fair and met lots of interested folks. Jeffrey M Johnston, President & CEO, BestHomePro.com. Follow us on our blog at www.BestHomePro.com/blog.
Triangle MLS is holding its annual Tech Fair from 8:30 to 4:00 on Thursday, March 11 at their headquarters. BestHomePro.com is exhibiting its services, including its IDX and search software for REALTORS and its new BestHomePro MarketPlace lead and referral network.
It's obvious to almost anyone that an agent has earned their commission when they've helped a buyer or seller close on a home. However, based on the standard real estate agreements used by the majority of North Carolina brokers, real estate buyers and sellers are surprised by some of the other scenarios in which a real estate agent has technically earned a commission. http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/when-do-you-owe-your-realtor-commission
It sounds incredibly simple, but "buy low and sell high" needs to be the basic tenant for any investment in real estate. Like with the stock market, it is incredibly difficult to gauge the precise bottom of a bear market or the exact peak in a bull market. Real estate is similar. If you can buy within 20% of the bottom and sell within 20% of the top, you will do extremely well. http://www.besthomepro.com
It is a confusing world today. But I am certain it has always been a confusing world. Take the debate over health care reform. I consider myself a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. I believe government, and affluent individuals, and not-for-profits, have a responsibility to care for the less fortunate and the "under-served." I completely agree with the concept of safety nets and I believe that governments must establish laws to regulate abuse and corruption.
I do not believe that any government or any people can afford to make all benefits available equally to all people. This may sound harsh, but no economy can be viable if everyone is said to have an inalienable right to equality in the receipt of all goods and services. It may sound nice, but is simply cannot be afforded. The burden placed on tax-paying citizens and corporations would be overwhelming.
It seems to me that the conflicts in Washington these days are more about core philosophies than they are about pure politics. The media wants us all to believe that most politicians are corrupt and self-serving. I do not believe that. There is plenty of corruption in Washington, but I believe it is a corruption of good intentions, rather than greed. The media chooses to make the debate about which party "cares about people" the most. I don't think that is the argument at all. If it could be afforded, I don't think any elected official would be against universal health care, or college education or home ownership.
We as a people must decide what, in the collective conscience of our society, is the appropriate path that 1) covers the most people possible, and 2) can be afforded by our society while allowing consistent innovation and growth in our economy. I don't pretend to have the answers, but as a compassionate AND responsible citizen I want rational debate. Name-calling and demagoguery are dysfunctional exercises that do not move us forward.
I wrestle with "should everyone compromise" or "stand-up for what they believe." Our country is based on the concept of compromise, so why not start to fix problems in health care by taking those things that everyone believes are wrong and fixing them?
If you are Republican, tell your elected officials to stop saying "no" to everything and start suggesting solutions. If you are a Democrat, insist that your party stop portraying Republicans as the evil, Wall Street, money-grubbers. There are real problems in health care. Our society and our corporations cannot afford the run away money-train in medical costs.
Here is my short list of things that can be done quickly and easily:
1. Tort reform is essential. Health care providers use the threat of law suits as an excuse for ordering unnecessary procedures (that pad their pockets). Limits on punitive damages would make a huge difference quickly. 2. Force insurance companies to compete across state lines. It is silly not to allow competition. 3. Force all insurance entities to use the same risk pool. Do not allow people with pre-existing conditions to be excluded from care, and don't let insurance companies cherry-pick who they cover. 4. Establish online databases that offer profiles of doctors and health care facilities, and posts their "retail" costs per visit and procedure, and encourage them offer discounts for cash. 5. Establish a marketplace where health insurance companies compete for subscribers. Let online decision tools help people choose the plan that is most appropriate for them at the lowest cost. (The Federal Employees Health Benefit Program is a good example of an existing marketplace, but currently it is only available to federal employees and retirees.) 6. Establish rebates on premiums or tax credits for consumer-based cost-saving decisions.
I believe in free-enterprise and in capitalism, but successful capitalism is based upon competition and rewards for productivity. In health care in The United States, we have virtually no competition. This is the fault of our elected officials over a long period of time and it needs to be fixed. If health care is not fixed, our entire society stands the good chance of becoming bankrupt.
I am sure I have missed a great number of critical issues, but let's encourage our elected officials to work together to solve the problems.
Founded BestHomePro to build a new real estate marketplace. Happily married to Sandy for 38 years, son, husband, brother, father of three daughters, grandfather to two granddaughters, seriel entrepreneur, 5th company in 30 years, patent holder, communicator, would like to do something to change the world and eventually write the great American Novel
