June 2020

Welcome to the “new normal”, our “new reality”.

The events of the past three-plus months have led to the use of new terms, bordering on clichés. “In these ‘challenging,’ ‘trying,’ ‘uncertain’ or ‘unprecedented’ times, we’re assured that “we can all get through this, together”.

But with constant repetition, it’s no wonder folks are on edge. Fear, doubt, ignorance, and yes, uncertainty, drive anger and resentment, and some wonder how we’ll ever return to the way things were, before.

As if to truly test us, in addition to the pandemic, the death of George Floyd has thrown our world into a tailspin. Protests, violent eruptions, curfews, we can’t go to bed and wake up the same way.

I don’t know that there’s anyone who’s more nostalgic than I am – it grows in intensity the older I get – but I’m also practical and pragmatic. I didn’t invent “going with the flow”, but the term flows with me. It probably comes from my love of martial arts. Interception, diversion, redirection…much more preferable than force against force. If the times we’re in call for it, we can adapt and go with the flow. Do what’s necessary to survive. Knowing this, I find it just as important to help others around me do the same. To treat others with fairness and kindness, empathy over sympathy.

I’m acutely aware that this outlook has been with me since I was very young. If I’ve enjoyed any success in real estate, it’s probably more due to this core principle than my ability to write marketing copy.

I’m reminded that during upheaval, I need to slow down, acknowledge the strange time I’m in, and be compassionate with myself and others.

It always comes down to how we are functioning in this life, and the ripple effects of every action we take, every word we speak, every thought towards another human being. It’s kind of why I enjoy this business so much. The commissions are terrific – I’ve been provided a great life – but the positive effects our actions and counsel have had on our clients…that gives me real juice. Never thought that was what I’d most appreciate when I first got my license.

Just remember, “What comes around goes around”, because “at the end of the day”, “it is what it is”.

Interest rates hit yet another historic low at the end of May. 

DID YOU KNOW?  VIRTUAL REAL ESTATE BUYING is not a new thing at all……in fact, John and Yoko never actually looked at properties. That would freak people out and drive up the price. Instead, they dispatched a servant to take Polaroid pictures. The servant would tell the real-estate agent that he represented a businessman who preferred to remain anonymous. Yoko would then study the pictures with her Council of Seers. Maybe a new song is in the making:  “Imagine all the Virtual Real Estate Sales”? 

DID YOU KNOW? The economic news has been grim, and it would seem the pandemic that has confined people to their homes could also threaten the stability of housing. More than twice as many Americans lost their jobs in April than in the 2 years during the Great Recession. About 33% of apartment renters didn’t pay their rent in the first week of April. Consumer spending in March plunged 7.5%, the largest one-month decline since the government started tracking it in 1959. Despite the real threat to our economy, the housing market could end up being more resilient than many homeowners and would-be buyers expect. (Barron’s)

DID YOU KNOW? Congress’ stimulus package gave US homeowners with a mortgage backed by the government the right to pause their monthly payments if they experience hardship. Through early May, the Mortgage Bankers Association estimates that almost 4 million U.S. borrowers (nearly 8% of residential mortgages in a weekly survey) are in forbearance, meaning that they still owe the payments eventually but can skip them for now without penalty.