A close relative passed away just a few hours ago. She was my cousin's second wife, and an intelligent and successful man himself, she was his greatest success. Not only did he find and win this lovely, brilliant, practical woman, he managed to keep her long enough to have two great kids who became great adults, and together they collected the big house on a hill and financial security and reached their retirement years still a family. She was a bright light in our tribe, always welcoming, always deeply concerned for all of us and our problems. Her home was open for countless Easters and other events, and she and her family rarely missed a gathering wherever it was. No one worked harder or with less complaint to ensure the success of these soirees, nor was faster to share any cost incurred.
She had no history of serious illness, just a few headaches shortly before the end, and the news that such a dynamic and beloved presence among us was suddenly no longer there was a real and visceral blow to us all. It is causing some of us to take a new look at our own lives and subsequently our individual priorities. Are we chasing the right goals? What do we really need and what is only ego? How do we want to spend whatever time is left to us?
Daily life's demands keep us focussed on the mundane things that have to be done. Rarely does an event come along that makes us pause and reflect on our core assumptions, and possibly lead to a re-ordering of them. Many of us today are going through something like this kind of crisis with our employment issues, or mortgages, or both. Can't make the house or car payments, can't sell, no good options. But will it make you re-think of the real need for such a large home? Can you be happy with something smaller but less demanding of your resources? Is it possible to allow a few others grander dwellings and still be content?
Sometimes terrible events push us past were we have been before, and sometimes the change can lead to happier and healthier lives, in spite of the initial shock and distress. I would like to think that my wonderful cousin-in-law's unexpected death might be the cause of yet more good in the world. She did enough while alive to more than justify her time on earth, but I promise you she would be pleased to know that death couldn't stop her from continuing to help us.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Trust, But Verify?
Who said that? Was it Reagan? No matter, it does have the ring of 'truthiness' to it, as a currently popular TV comic says. But it also has a significant dose of cynicism, doesn't it? It doesn't specify just a particular class of people to 'verify' before trusting, it states that all trust must be reviewed as a matter of course. If followed dogmatically, such a philosophy would just about paralyze all human interaction, wouldn't it?
How could you leave home without checking back every time on the significant other? How could you trust your kids to come home from school every day without getting into trouble without unfailingly following them? Could you really leave your car keys with the parking valet without riding with him in the passenger seat? How about all of those people who handle your food in restaurants, or in stores, or on farms, or on the delivery trucks? Are you going to 'verify' your institutional trust in their innate good will and sense of decency, or find a way to check up on every facet of food handling? Hire inspectors? Who will check the inspectors for you?
We trust without verifying every day, and nearly every hour of every day, in some way. In the real world we license professionals of many industries to ensure at least a reasonable expectation of competence. Police, attorneys, teachers, doctors, dentists, engineers, architects, electricians, and even real estate practitioners, among many others, require licensing and a minimum level of continuing professional training to remain licensed. But none of this ensures that a particular licensee has all of the qualifications or qualities you need or want for a particular job. Is he enthusiastic? Friendly? Dedicated? Knowledgable? Have good communication skills?
This is where 'verify' makes sense. A personal reference, or even a review of comparable work experiences can go a long way toward helping you select the right individual to represent you.
After over 25 years in my profession of real estate, I can provide as many references as needed to reassure a potential client of my capabilities. Feel welcome to contact us and ask for such information.
Jack Josey Newman
How could you leave home without checking back every time on the significant other? How could you trust your kids to come home from school every day without getting into trouble without unfailingly following them? Could you really leave your car keys with the parking valet without riding with him in the passenger seat? How about all of those people who handle your food in restaurants, or in stores, or on farms, or on the delivery trucks? Are you going to 'verify' your institutional trust in their innate good will and sense of decency, or find a way to check up on every facet of food handling? Hire inspectors? Who will check the inspectors for you?
We trust without verifying every day, and nearly every hour of every day, in some way. In the real world we license professionals of many industries to ensure at least a reasonable expectation of competence. Police, attorneys, teachers, doctors, dentists, engineers, architects, electricians, and even real estate practitioners, among many others, require licensing and a minimum level of continuing professional training to remain licensed. But none of this ensures that a particular licensee has all of the qualifications or qualities you need or want for a particular job. Is he enthusiastic? Friendly? Dedicated? Knowledgable? Have good communication skills?
This is where 'verify' makes sense. A personal reference, or even a review of comparable work experiences can go a long way toward helping you select the right individual to represent you.
After over 25 years in my profession of real estate, I can provide as many references as needed to reassure a potential client of my capabilities. Feel welcome to contact us and ask for such information.
Jack Josey Newman
Monday, January 5, 2009
About TIme...
Palestinians are firing rockets at the Israelis, who are attacking the Palestians, who are supported mainly by Iran, who is also supporting the Iraq and Afghanistan bombers, who are also occupying Pakistan, whose suicide fanatics attacked India, the latter two nations of which have nuclear weapons.
And we are really concerned about the economy and an Illinois governor who has an extremely bad haircut and worse judgement about when and where to plan shakedowns, right? Heck, the economy hurts us right here and right now, and that other stuff is sort of like tsunamis, or massively overloaded ferrys that overturn and drown hundreds of people. Great conversation starters, good for head-shaking, but nothing we can do much about, directly. Well, I don't have a plan for avoiding future ocean-borne disasters either, so isn't the state of real estate a real mess?
Here in Texas we are apparently doing pretty well compared to most other areas. That's what we hear, anyway. You tell a seller, someone who bought a property from you just a couple of years ago, who needs to get out from under that now-anchor pulling resources and credit ever deeper, that even with new paint and fixing-up, that house with ugly carpet and no-bathtub-only-a-shower has little chance to sell anytime soon. Prices are dropping steadily in most places here, and unless a property is clean and 'special', price is all there is to compete with. In a market with so many foreclosures and pre-foreclosures and just-rented-to-hang-on-as-long-as-we-cans, both sales and leasing prices are affected, and not in a owner-favorable way.
Of course, the best option is to hold the property if possible, continue to occupy it, until real estate recovers. When not possible, and a lease is not the answer either, a seller absolutely needs the advice and assistance of an experienced individual to help make the decisions on preparing the house and grounds for market, within the sellers' available budget, priced very competitively and targeted at the most likely buyers for that property. This process will determine the chance for successfully selling the house within a reasonable time frame.
Usually this advice will be obtained from an active real estate agent who knows something about the area, has had experience with different markets, who can explain various ways to increase the appeal to buyers, and who has some skill in estimating the costs of property preparation and how such work would affect the sales price. Not all agents have all of these skills and abilities.
Since 1983, I have been active in Austin real estate, and that includes every market cycle, up or down. I have been a residential appraiser, and although I am not currently licensed as an appraiser, I certainly retain that knowledge. I have owned an investment-property management company since 1986, and have long experience with house repairs and their costs. Over 25 years worth of clients have taught me what buyers look for and what they must have before they will make an offer. When it's time to negotiate, I excel at advising clients on their options at every stage. I personally follow each pending deal through the maze of timelines and important deadlines, to a successful close. All of my clients are important, and all get my full attention.
Since we can't solve the world's most serious problems from here, let's focus on your real estate issues. We can deal with those.
Jack Josey Newman
And we are really concerned about the economy and an Illinois governor who has an extremely bad haircut and worse judgement about when and where to plan shakedowns, right? Heck, the economy hurts us right here and right now, and that other stuff is sort of like tsunamis, or massively overloaded ferrys that overturn and drown hundreds of people. Great conversation starters, good for head-shaking, but nothing we can do much about, directly. Well, I don't have a plan for avoiding future ocean-borne disasters either, so isn't the state of real estate a real mess?
Here in Texas we are apparently doing pretty well compared to most other areas. That's what we hear, anyway. You tell a seller, someone who bought a property from you just a couple of years ago, who needs to get out from under that now-anchor pulling resources and credit ever deeper, that even with new paint and fixing-up, that house with ugly carpet and no-bathtub-only-a-shower has little chance to sell anytime soon. Prices are dropping steadily in most places here, and unless a property is clean and 'special', price is all there is to compete with. In a market with so many foreclosures and pre-foreclosures and just-rented-to-hang-on-as-long-as-we-cans, both sales and leasing prices are affected, and not in a owner-favorable way.
Of course, the best option is to hold the property if possible, continue to occupy it, until real estate recovers. When not possible, and a lease is not the answer either, a seller absolutely needs the advice and assistance of an experienced individual to help make the decisions on preparing the house and grounds for market, within the sellers' available budget, priced very competitively and targeted at the most likely buyers for that property. This process will determine the chance for successfully selling the house within a reasonable time frame.
Usually this advice will be obtained from an active real estate agent who knows something about the area, has had experience with different markets, who can explain various ways to increase the appeal to buyers, and who has some skill in estimating the costs of property preparation and how such work would affect the sales price. Not all agents have all of these skills and abilities.
Since 1983, I have been active in Austin real estate, and that includes every market cycle, up or down. I have been a residential appraiser, and although I am not currently licensed as an appraiser, I certainly retain that knowledge. I have owned an investment-property management company since 1986, and have long experience with house repairs and their costs. Over 25 years worth of clients have taught me what buyers look for and what they must have before they will make an offer. When it's time to negotiate, I excel at advising clients on their options at every stage. I personally follow each pending deal through the maze of timelines and important deadlines, to a successful close. All of my clients are important, and all get my full attention.
Since we can't solve the world's most serious problems from here, let's focus on your real estate issues. We can deal with those.
Jack Josey Newman
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