Here's Looking At You...

Wife Judy saw her eye surgeon this morning, and it was good news so far; the procedure seemed to have been as successful as we hoped to this point. Of course, the ultimate test will be over the next 6 - 8 weeks, when her sight in that eye will either recover, or it will not. After two surgeries in two weeks, and 7 days of keeping her face turned down to allow proper healing, she was delighted to be again among the vertical. This joy was, of course, tempered by the knowledge that the final result will not be known for weeks, but it was real enough to us both that we celebrated with a spontaneous lunch downtown.

This ability to accept whatever promise is held out to us rather than to respond only to ultimate results is what allows us to function in everyday life. Setbacks come along all too often with no immediate conclusion to relieve our concerns, yet the days and weeks and months must be met and dealt with, and maybe even enjoyed in spite of lingering doubts. Some call this hope, others optimism; I think of it as equilibrium, a balancing of misfortunes that may come with whatever currently gives us energy, an inner lift, a spark of belief that we can and will deal with most anything one way or another.

Deciding to enter the home buying fray in our current market, with uncertain financing, continued drops in market values in some parts of the country (not so much in Austin, I am pleased to say), weak employment realities for many, is something like that. So many variables, conflicting advice, disagreement among the TV talking heads, daily bad news about bank failures and layoffs. How can we ever come to a reasonable decision, a balanced review of our chances at finding the home you want, understanding the most accurate value relative to current and future markets, getting qualified for a loan, knowing what the many purchase options are among short sales, REO and the like, and do I want to consider them? There is no easy answer for these questions, but there is certainly a reliably wise decision to be made: find an experienced real estate professional whom you can trust, and with whom you can communicate. He or she can and will help you navigate through the fog of today's home-buying confusion, and even help you decide just what it is you really do want.

With today's low interest rates expected to go up soon, home prices lower than in years, a huge inventory of homes on the market, this is the best environment most of us will ever see again for buying a home. The positives far outweigh the negatives for most buyers. Make the decision, call the real estate broker or agent of your choice soon.