Selling a house in a down market

No one wants to, but some of us have to.
Whether it is for a job, family situation, call of God, or to get out of an over sized mortgage, selling your home in a down market is a hard thing to navigate. Stewarding any asset the size of a home calls for time and care. Here are some helpful tips from FiveCentNickel.com How to Sell a House in a Down Market @ fivecentnickel.com.
Know someone who needs help? A lot of people do these days. US Banks set $37 Billion aside in the first quarter of '08 to prepare for loan-losses. When your friends need a new loan or referral to a real estate agent, contact me.

Ranked Real Estate Markets... where is Seattle ranked?

It's #1! Thank you to Northwest job growth, Seattle is a great place to own a home and we have few overdue loan payments compared to the rest of the nation.

Here is the Journals ranking of housing markets around the nation. WSJ.com

Have you seen the scale of our economy?

If you want to think globally, take a look at our economy scaled to other nations.

Flickr Link

Are you an average American?

A GREAT interactive chart of spending in the United States. Do you fit the norm? Yes/No. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Yes/No/Don't Care?

All of Inflation’s Little Parts - The New York Times

Exxon earnings going up 30%... 4$ gas is just around the corner

I can not get over how hard it is to watch earnings go up in the middle of an "Oil Shortage". Sure, inflation is driving some of this, but really, earning over $9 Billion in three months does not make me happy about spending $60 to fill up an Accord.

Exxon on tap for 30% earnings boost - MarketWatch

The Beige Book is out

Major Trends: The cost of business is going up. Consumer spending is going down. The housing market is softening.

Some of us may not have needed a fancy report to point this out to us, but it is a big deal to have the numbers confirm what everyone has been feeling for a long time.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Buy when there is blood in the streets"? My only encouragement is to remember that soft markets mean there are a lot of things on 'sale'. Like many people, I don't want to pay full price for anything and it looks like we are coming into a season of savings on a lot of great investments.

Here is the Beige Book article at the WSJ blog.

Cold water

I was out on appointment to meet an elderly woman at home. We were in her living room talking over tea when I thought I saw a thin film on top of the hot tea water.

A bit later we shared a small plate of sandwiches and in the reflection of light off the plate I was sure I could see a thin film and even specks of what could have been dried food. Not wanting to offend her, I complimented her dish ware and asked how she took such care of them.

Without looking up from her sandwich she said, "When they are as clean as cold water can get them, I just put them in the cupboard." Not wanting to press any further, I let it go.

At the end of our time, I collected my things while she took dishes back to the kitchen. As I moved toward the door her very gentle dog began growling at me. I jokingly called to the kitchen, "I don't think your dog wants me to leave."

From the kitchen I hear "Coldwater. Come lay down."