Lisa's Blog

I love a good "Top Ten" post... and I love underdogs.  So, what could be better than a Top Ten post about the Underdogs for the new year.  Wow, that even tosses in the "New Yew's Prediction Post". 

So, without further delay, here are my

Top Ten Underdogs for 2009

10.  General Motors.  They used to be the biggest corporation in the world... and now they are burning through BILLIONS of dollars a month with NO hope in sight for actually turning a profit again.  The have massive labor cost issues, an uphill battle with the economy, a dealer network that is about 5 times too large, and WAY too expensive.  They need a cheerleader... 

9.  Chrysler.  Ok, they aren't in as bad a shape as GM in the US... but they have almost no presence outside of the US.  They are owned by a company that might really want to NOT own them...  And they have the same challenges as GM... but fewer dealers.  The Challenger is seriously cool.  The plug-in Hybrid minivan won't be ready until probably 2010.  They need a cheerleader...

8.  Detroit.  Well, is it any shocker that the home of the American auto industry is in AT LEAST as much trouble as the hometown companies?  Of course it doesn't help when the Mayor gets his parole pulled...  It is a sad state of affairs when a house is over-priced by $20,000 when it is free.  Maybe Detroit would benefit from a reality TV show...

7.  The Mainstream Media.  How could they be an underdog when they control the story?  Well... they DON'T control the story, and whether we are talking about TV or newspapers, they are becoming less relevent as news organizations.  Look at the just completed Presidential Race.  How can anyone take their objectivity seriously when the vast majority of them were pulling for the same guy, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming to say anything negative about him.  They need some objective counsel...

6.  The Rich.  It is going to suck to be rich over the next few years.  Ok, it might not completely suck... but it may be less fun.  Taxes are going up, public acceptance will be going down.  Despite the fact that "the rich" are the ones that fuel jobs, Washington is looking to do a beatdown. They need a voice in DC... more of a voice than they get for their money now...

5.  Global Warming zealots.  Sure, you have Al Gore and Hollywood.  But, looking forward, there are bleak times coming.  Temps aren't doing what you said...  The hottest decade on record was the 1930s.  People keep finding mistakes in NASA's data... always showing that reality is actually cooler than NASA says.  When 2008 comes down as cooler than 2007... which was cooler than 2006, the pressure might kick up to show more than another computer model. Global Warming might get handed a "chill pill."

4.  Republicans.  Come on... admit it...  The GOP is hurting right now.  They lost complete control in DC... and I'm not talking about the election results.  They got their butts wiped there, too.  There are people that are saying out loud that there is NO way the Republican Party can come back from this.  Maybe...  Maybe not...  But they are certainly an underdog.  On the flip side, the last two office that were elected BOTH went to Republicans... there are a few voices in the punditry that think there might be some voter remorse after election day.  But the GOP is still a giant underdog.  And they need talk radio to cheer for them...

3.  Real Estate.  Could there be more of an underdog than the real estate market?  Why yes.. two actually.  But seriously, the vast majority of the country has had value deterioration over the last couple of years.  Agents are the favorite kicking post of the media and analysts... not to mention the bubble bloggers.  Our "representative" organization... the NAR... is a laughing stock and has about as much credibility as Milli Vanilli. Real estate is truly as much of an underdog as there is... almost.

2.  The Stock Market.  Ok, real estate went down... but the stock market TANKED.  And it isn't even doing much of a dead cat bounce.  Some people think it could go down MORE.  There simply isn't any confidence in the stock market... and no confidence means no money.  No money means prices pooping.  The stock market is also a leading indicator of the economy.  Usually the stock market is leading the economy by 6-9 months.  Right now, that doesn't bode well...  Can I get a booyah?

1.  Big Corporations.  It's hard to cheer for the big guys.  I mean REALLY hard.  They take OUR money (bailout) and don't want to even say how they are spending it.  (sidenote: Imagine walking into a bank and telling them you want a metric buttload of cash, and what you are going to do with it is NOE of their business..).  And as if the trillion friggin' dollars wasn't enough... there are some people in DC that think they need a couple more trillion friggin' dollars.  To top it off, the actions of many of these same companies have created an air of corporate mistrust... they were so bad that they can't even trust themselves anymore.  Talk about an underdog...  These are the guys that are seriously hard to love.

 

There has been some miss-information flowing around in Active Rain so I wanted to toss out a few bullet points to clear up any confusion.

Here are the Important Tid-Bits to remember:

• Base Conforming limit for most states remained $417,000
• Conforming Jumbo Limit dropped to $625,500
• There are still loans available above $625,500... Just not backed by Fannie or Freddie
• Rates Above $417,001 are higher than below.
• FHA limits remained mostly unchanged, but each county is different, so you need to check locally.
• FHA has the same Max "Jumbo" limit of $625,500 with the amount over $362k being at a higher rate (362k is the "high cost" area normal FHA limit)
• FHA has increased its Minimum Down Payment to 3.5% down
• FHA only requires 1 appraisal, UNLESS it is a Cash Out Refinance above 85% of the appraisal, at which point you can go up to 95% but need 2 appraisals.
• Fannie and Freddie both are continuing to adjust the "add-ons" for interest rate. Credit score, LTV, Property type, occupancy, loan amount, etc all factor into interest rates.
• PMI costs are UP (Private Mortgage Insurance)
• FHA changed the MIP (Mortgage Insurance Premium), but it is Much cheaper than most Conforming PMI.
• FHA does not have the interest rate add-ons, making it more affordable for many buyers than a conforming loan
• FHA is probably going to have a minimum credit score shortly, it is programed into some underwriting engines already... That minimum will probably be 580.
• Yes there is money to lend!  You just need a buyer with a job that qualifies.
• Stated income programs still exist for larger down payment buyers with Great credit.
• Freddie announced yesterday that we hit the lowest rates for a 30 year mortgage since they have been keeping records, 5.01% is the national average for a 30 year mortgage.

That is a few of the things I wanted to toss out to be sure every one was up to date.

Have a great weekend!

Rob

Robert Rauf

(732)223-1630 x102

Real Estate Mortgage Network

 

 

 

 NJ Mortgages, New Jersey Mortgages, Mortgages in NJ, mortgage in New Jersey, Mortgages in New Jersey

 I keep looking at rates and thinking "WOW!"

I wasn't really sure if we would see rates this low, but I think it is officially the lowest I have ever seen in the past 20+ years. In 2003 we had rates at similar levels, about .25% or so higher, and we were calling them 40 year lows. So I think it is safe to say it is a 45 or 50 year low in rates.  (Records don't go back much farther than that, but my own personal experience in the industry goes back to 1987)

Here are some interesting numbers:

• The average rate for a 30 year mortgage over the past 20 years: 7.68% That is a rate that includes paying points.
• When I purchased my first house in 1989 my discounted "mortgage guy" rate was 11.25%.
• The first time I refinanced that house was to a 5 year balloon at 9.25%
• Second refi: another 5 year balloon 7.25% (both refi's were early 90's) I was only in this house for 5 years, and had 3 loans, saving quite a bit with each refi.

The real world examples of what I was actually able to do as a Mortgage Guy, jumping on a rate when it made sense.  We have it so good right now that it is hard for people to understand just how good we do have it.

Today: flirting around the 5% mark, and the occasional dip below 5, and well into the 4's if you pay a point or so. Of course this would be for a highly qualified buyer/borrower with great credit. But:You don't need a huge down payment or be perfect to take advantage.  FHA buyers get the same rate, and can get away with as little as 3.5% down and Good credit is expected, but it does not have to be stellar credit.

Why are they so low? partially because the economic data is weak, and bad news is good news for the credit markets... causing rates to go down. Rates go down to help spur the economy.  The next piece is that the Federal Reserve along with the Treasury have committed to buying $500 BILLION in Mortgage backed securities to help keep mortgage rates low, and to help stabilize and boost housing prices.

Interest rates have WAY more upside potential than down and we will not know where the bottom is until they start going up.  My feeling is that we will flirt around current levels for the next 90-120 days and then the economic stimulus plans should begin to kick in, spurring the economy.  Good news is bad news for interest rates, so the first sign of us coming out of this recession will lead to higher long term rates, and it will most likely be a quick jump up, not a slow and gradual one.

 We will probably look back at the last few months of 2008 and the first few months of this year and reminisce, "I could have purchased that house for $X00,000, and had a 5% interest rate, I wish I took advantage!"

We are in a great time to take advantage of House Prices AND interest rates all at the same time. If you plan on buying and keeping your home for the long run, I don't think you will ever regret taking advantage of today's market.  However, if you think you will move in a year or so... It may not be the best move. Real Estate is a long term investment, and history has proven that.

Have a great week!

Rob

Robert Rauf

(732)223-1630 x102

Real Estate Mortgage Network

 

 

 

 NJ Mortgages, New Jersey Mortgages, Mortgages in NJ, mortgage in New Jersey, Mortgages in New Jersey

OK so Christmas is here.  It's upon us.  The commercialism is all over us....this year starting before Thanksgiving and with some....even prior to Halloween. Photo provided courtesy of AZ Photos.  WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY WON'T MAKE ME POPULAR IN SOME CIRCLES.

 

The economy is tight.  But you have friends and family who you want to or feel that you NEED TO buy presents for.  I think that this is the most opportune time to cut back.  Here are my reasons why.

1)  Finances - we have 5 kids.  I love them.  Finances are good, but they ain't what they used to be.  We don't borrow to buy so no VISA majors for us.  Why spend what you don't have just to pay it back later?

2)  Not sinking the family for 1 Christmas - I'm not going to sink a ship just so that my loved ones can receive a gift from me.  I'm anything but scrooge. I'm not bragging, but people always say that I'm one of the most generous people that they know.  I really think that I'm to be generous with the blessings and finances that God gave me.  And I am.  However, I"m not taking one in the chin so that I can spend X% of next year paying off a generous day.  I have spoken to close friends and we've all agreed that no gifts are to be given this year.  My kids will get gifts, but it's down about 90%.  Santa will give them a few gifts and we'll just buy them one item from us.

3)  Teaching your children what's right - My dad is an incredibly successful doctor.  But I remember a time when he called a family meeting and said that we're cutting most of our vacations for the year.  He had 5 kids in parochial grade schools and high schools and had others in private colleges.  He said that it was just a necessity.  All of us kids felt bad - - - not at the cut back, but that Mom and Dad had to sacrifice so much for us.  It was all good, but most importantly. it was a lesson that we all learned.  I won't sink the ship for one day and I'm teaching my own children how to TRULY provide financially for their future families.  So much good comes out of a tight belt.

4)  Not keeping up with the Jones' - I've never been one to do that.  I could care less what the Jone's are doing.  I care about being better than the Jones' as to teaching and providing for my family.  That's really all that matters.  No Jonesings going on here.

5)  In the Old days- - - prior to my time.  It was a great Christmas if the kids got a candy cane and a sweater or new underwear.  I heard my father in law stashing cash under his bed b/c of the depression.  I think that simplicity can really draw a family tighter together.

6)  Retailers and the market - - - retailers want you to buy or their business will bust.  I don't care.  I need to save so that I can keep the business of my family alive.  If I buy on plastic, I'll pay later.  I'm not gambling on the ability to pay something back later.  We just built a new house and closed on it 3 weeks ago.  That's a huge present in and of itself.  If we buy to protect the businesses, I'm afraid that we're just preventing the inevitable anyway.

Sooooooooooo....take back the gifts bought b/c of guilt.  I'm transparent with my friends.  "This is a tight year dude.  We'll do something great once the business starts cranking again.  You cool with that?"  They all are or at least said that they are.  I'm excited for different Christmas.  I'm excited to go deeper with the true meaning of Christmas.  How bout you?

Picture provided from AZphoto.com  http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.azfotos.com/christmas/alamyphotos/christmas-presents_AJM4D6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.azfotos.com/christmas/christmas-pictures.htm&usg=__0dmYPifdo_GJ7h0vuir0Gx9HGIQ=&h=470&w=300&sz=45&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=f7x2N6Tb7IdA1M:&tbnh=129&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchristmas%2Bpresents%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive

 

My wife, baby, and I were in the Myrtle Beach, Sc area and we stopped at the Coastal Grand Mall. While we were walking around we noticed The Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program, so we stopped and looked to see what the kids (angels) wanted this year for Christmas. We made a mental note of what they wanted (tricycles, baby riding toy and wrestling men) and went to KB Toys in the Coastal Grand Mall, as we walked in we saw that KB Toys was having a sale. We then found the toys on our list and tried to narrow down what gift we were going to get, the tricycle or the baby ride toy. We then noticed that on top of the sale price KB Toys will take additional 20% off when you spend $50 or more. We taught great, we'll buy them both and make two kids (angels) happy on Christmas. We did our math again and were a little shy of the $50 min. We then started to look at the wrestling men and saw that they where sale for buy 2 get one half off. We added the three wrestling men to the tricycle and baby ride toy and went to the check out counter. The guy checking use out asked if we needed a gift receipt, so we told them it was for The Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program. The guy then said we should mark out the UPC label so no one can return the toys. I didn't even think that someone would not give the toys to the kids, so he marked out the UPC label for use. The total after it was all said and done was about $55. We were shocked that we could help 5 kids (angels) happy on Christmas this year, it feels really good to give. Don't forget to give this year, no matter your budget you can make a child happy on Christmas. There are other great programs for helping kids for Christmas, like the Marine Corps Toys for Tots.

 

Christopher Pike, Referral Agent

803.727.7800

christopher_pike@yahoo.com

www.ChristopherSellsColumbia.com

 

Veterans Day 2008 was a special day. I took my kids to the wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. The weather was cool and crisp and when we crossed the threshold of Memorial Drive, a somber, respectful feeling came over us as the site of thousands of white marble headstones came into view.

Because of the of the crowds, the number of people were limited at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for the wreath laying ceremony. We tried to get to the rail so my kids could see, but the line was just too deep. We moved over to the amphitheater and found a seat. We were greeted by volunteers handing out programs and small flags to commemorate the day.

The Mistress of Ceremonies was Bo Derek. She introduced the speakers, including Vice President Cheney. The Navy Band played several music selections including God Bless America. The program included the procession of the colors and a prayer for the Veterans.

The audience included members of Congress, members of the Senate, Cabinet members, Former and Active Military, moms, dads, wives, husbands, and children. The event was free to the public and all were welcome.

The ceremony inside the amphitheater lasted about an hour. At the conclusion, we walked over to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to witness the laying of several Veterans Group's wreaths.

The grounds at Arlington National Cemetery are vast and includes the internment of President John F. Kennedy, his wife Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis, and his brother Robert Kennedy.

Arlington National Cemetery Facts

Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it were designated officially as a military cemetery June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.

More than 300,000 people are buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the Iraq and Afghanistan. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900.

How Did Veterans Day Come About?

November 11, or what has come to be known as Veterans Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor Armistice Day - the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.' As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11 became Veterans Day, a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

If you have read my profile you know that I have been in the business for over 20 years, I have seen a lot of ups and downs since the late 1980s both in business and in interest rates.  My first house I paid over 11% on my loan, and I am in the business!!! When you look at the chart below, you will see that RATES ARE GREAT!

I know that I look at rates today and think they should be lower based on economic conditions.  But historically speaking we are still quite low. The average rate over the past 20 years is 7.68% and for most of this year we have  been solidly in the 6's and keep flirting with the high 5's.  We are in great shape and today's rates make financing your next home Very affordable!

And keep in mind that this chart cuts off the REALLY high years in the early 1980's when the rates were well into the teens, So a 30 yr average is even higher. So to sum up: We are in wonderful shape right now. Mortgages are near historical low levels (2003 was called a 40 year low).. and Homes are affordable. What more could we ask for?

Have a great day!

Rob

Robert Rauf

(732)223-1630 x102

Real Estate Mortgage Network

 

After Congress had kissed (there is another word I should use here) away $150 billion on stimulus checks, $700 billion on Wall St., $115 billion and counting on AIG, and passed an impotent Housing and Economic Recovery Bill in July - now they are talking about yet ANOTHER stimuls plan?

They simply don't get it.

You don't write people a check for fogging up a mirror, having a faint pulse, or being in a certain tax bracket - whatever tax bracket that is.  You give Americans a tax incentive to do what you want them to do in order to stimulate the economy and housing market.  In this case, it would be an incentive to invest in real estate so that we can get the excess supply of homes off the market and bring price stability to the housing sector. 

The $700 billion bailout is a great example, you give banks money with no pre-conditions for them to do anything specific with it.

Why are we going to write more checks to the American people, with money that the government doesn't have, and simply "hope" that they will do something positive and constructive with it that will stimulate the economy?  Didn't we already try this in May?  It didn't work then, and it won't work now. 

The IRS is the perfect example of how a stimulus plan should work (did I just say that?).  The IRS allows business owners and real estate investors to depreciate the investments that they have made.  They want Americans to make these investments, otherwise they wouldn't give them a tax incentive to do so.

Why, during a recession, does common sense tax and fiscal strategies get thrown out the window? 

Pretty simple stuff; if the government wants you to do something, they will give you a tax incentive.  If they don't want you to do something, they will tax you.  But show me where giving somebody money for no reason has resulted in economic growth?  The American people don't want handouts, they want to own a home and have a job that they can support their family with.  They don't want sympathy or welfare.

To me, what we want is for Americans to invest in America, invest in our housing market.  This will help every American that owns a home because it will stop price declines.  This is turn will help out Fannie and Freddie (now owned by the government) and every bank and investment bank on Wall St. that owns mortgage backed securities.

How is a $1,000 stimulus check really going to help somebody when their $30,000 of home equity has evaporated?

How is this money going to help them refinance or sell their home if they can no longer afford their home?

How is it going to help them find a job?

If the government can actually jump start the stalled housing market, they will fix the economy.

Any actions that the government takes short of this is throwing good money after bad.  See; AIG and Stimulus Plan I.

www.ItsTheHousingMarketStupid.com

 

 

 

This is a RE-Post of a blog that got lost some how ...

Best explanation to share with your friends, who may not
understand this complex principle.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all
ten  comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it
would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce
the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just
$80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so
the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But
what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they
divide
the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted
that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would
each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested
that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same
amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men
began to
compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar,
too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back
when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the
tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers
without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered
something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them
for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is
how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the
most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for
being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they
might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat
friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

This was reported to be from: David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics, University of Georgia. so I can not take full credit for it

Barack Obama discovers a leak under his sink, so he calls Joe the Plumber to come and fix it. Joe drives to Obama's house, which is located in a very nice neighborhood and where it's clear that all the residents make more than $250,000 per year. Joe arrives and takes his tools into the house. Joe is led to the room that contains the leaky pipe under a sink. Joe assesses the problem and tells Obama, who is standing near the door, that it's an easy repair that will take less than 10 minutes. Obama asks Joe how much it will cost.  

Joe immediately says, "$9,500."

"$9,500?" Obama asks, stunned. "But you said it's an easy repair!"

"Yes, but what I do is charge a lot more to my clients who make more than $250,000 per year so I can fix the plumbing of everybody who makes less than that for free," explains Joe. "It's always been my philosophy. As a matter of fact, I lobbied government to pass this philosophy as law, and it did pass earlier this year, so now all plumbers have to do business this way. It's known as 'Joe's Fair Plumbing Act of 2008.' Surprised you haven't heard of it, Senator."

In spite of that, Obama tells Joe there's no way he's paying that much for a small plumbing repair, so Joe leaves.

Obama spends the next hour flipping through the phone book looking for another plumber, but he finds that all other plumbing businesses listed have gone out of business. Not wanting to pay Joe's price, Obama does nothing. The leak under Obama's sink goes unrepaired for the next several days.

A week later the leak is so bad that Obama has had to put a bucket under the sink. The bucket fills up quickly and has to be emptied every hour, and there's a risk that the room will flood, so Obama calls Joe and pleads with him to return.

Joe goes back to Obama's house, looks at the leaky pipe, and says "Let's see ? this will cost you about $21,000."

"A few days ago you told me it would cost $9,500!" Obama quickly fires back.

Joe explains the reason for the dramatic increase. "Well, because of the 'Joe's Fair Plumbing Act,' a lot of rich people are learning how to fix their own plumbing, so there are fewer of you paying for all the free plumbing I'm doing for the people who make less than $250,000. As a result, the rate I have to charge my wealthy paying customers rises every day.

"Not only that, but for some reason the demand for plumbing work from the group of people who get it for free has skyrocketed, and there's a long waiting list of those who need repairs. This has put a lot of my fellow plumbers out of business, and they're not being replaced. Nobody is going into the plumbing business because they know they won't make any money. I'm hurting now too, all thanks to greedy rich people like you who won't pay their fair share."

Obama tries to straighten out the plumber: "Of course you're hurting, Joe! Don't you get it? If all the rich people learn how to fix their own plumbing and you refuse to charge the poorer people for your services, you'll be broke, and then what will you do?"

Joe immediately replies, "Run for president, apparently."

I am 46 years old. For 30 years, I have done one of 3 things: worked 2 jobs, gone to night school, or risked whatever money I had to start a business. During that time I have met lots of folks. They all wanted to get ahead, just like I did. Some of them did something about it and some did not.

Once, for 3 years, I worked 40 hours a week at one job, 2 nights a week at another, and went to school on Friday nights and all day Saturday. I worked with a whole lot of guys who said I was crazy for doing so. A lot of them would go out and get drunk while I was at school. As far as I know, they all still work at the same place.

I missed a lot of my kids early years because I worked at a second job. You know, nights and weekends. You name a type of business and I have worked in it.

More than once my wife and I have put all of our eggs into one basket. I mean everything. We have lost it all on more than one occassion. To recover meant working 2 jobs again.

I could have just went out and landed some govt type job. 8-5 during the week, with weekends off. Go out and borrow money to buy a cheap used car. Live in a small tract home with cheap furnishings. Be home every night and play every weekend. Watch lots of TV and party Saturday night. Look forward to a small retirement check. Get jealous everytime I see a guy driving a Porsche. Wonder how anyone could afford such a big house. Get mad everytime a bill comes in the mail. Hate anyone who is "rich".

The answer to being a success is written above. Hard work. Harder work. If anyone is out working you, work harder. Take chances beyond a savings account and a safe job. Spend every extra moment learning, achieving, or working.

Work beyond the ordinary will eventually bring success beyond the ordinary.  

Why should all of us who have worked, scrimped, and busted our ass for a long time, have to pay for those who have not? I do not know the answer, but I do not want to find out either.

No Obama.

This is a copy of an email sent to me by a friend. It is unaltered. Please do not blame me for the grammar and spelling. THIS IS WHAT BUSH MIGHT SAY IF HE WERE TO QUIT.

Bush quits     ----- 
President Bush's address to the nation

Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.' Not
doing it this time.

If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you
are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're
really not fellow Americans any longer.

I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in
a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution
or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or
impeachable offenses in this office. The reason I am is simple. I'm fed
up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's
really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great
nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.

Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and
the news media. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small
handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security. We face real threats in the world.

Don't give me this 'blood for oil' thing. If I were trading blood for
oil I would've already seized Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied...People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.

Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the
goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office.

Some guy named 'Clinton' established that policy. Bet you didn't know
that, did you?

Now some of you morons want to be led by a junior senator with no
understanding of foreign policy or economics, and this nitwit says we should attack Pakistan, a nuclear ally.  And then he wants to go to Iran and make peace with a terrorist who says he's going to destroy us. While he's doing that, he wants to give Iraq to al Qaeda, Afghanistan to the Taliban, Israel to the Palestinians, and your money to the IRS so the government can give welfare to illegal aliens, who  he will make into citizens, so they can vote to re-elect him.  He also thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and we should  stop our foreign aid to Israel. Did you sleep
through high school?

You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during
the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off.  We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them.  That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are.  They want to kill you, and the bastards are all over the globe.

You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in
the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that.

When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and
difficult fight.  I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and
difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.' Instead, you've grown
impatient.  You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the  way our enemies do.  You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.

Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy.
Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well Fed Ex a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.

In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over
the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. 
Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Dancing with Stars.

I could say more about your expectations that the government will always
be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below
sea level and has a hurricane approaching.

I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own
wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.

So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient
house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully
self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.

Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new
President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.

So that's it. God bless what's left of America.

Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.

PS - You might want to start learning Farsi, and buy a Koran.

I Quit....

The "Joe the Plumber" episode of a week ago has brought to light that free enterprise as an economic system is not real popular with many Americans. That's a real disappointment. It's a little like saying that Americans don't like parades, high school football games, or apple pie.

Free enterprise is the backbone of this country - where any person regardless of their means, station, background, or education can set themselves up in business and attempt to make a go of it. Some are successful, many are not. That's not the point. The point is that we can do it.

Many of the great inventions that we enjoy in this country came about because someone persevered with an issue until they conquered it and then were able to market their solution to hundreds or thousands of others - at a profit.

Profit has become a nasty word in this country. I'm not talking about big business but entrepreneurial business - and if we can't make a profit, we can't create jobs, do business with other small businesses, be good corporate citizens in our community, perform volunteer work, and provide for our families.

Realtors, brokers, independent contractors, decorators, mortgage brokers, builders, stagers, home inspectors, consultants, trainers, commissioned salespeople, and anyone else on Active Rain that runs their own business or is totally responsible for their own income - unite. Free enterprise is our platform for success.

All that said, I have started a new group "Celebrating Free Enterprise," and anyone is welcome to post as long as it pertains to the common good of business generation or success. Just click on link to Join Group.

It's up to us to keep this country strong!

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For more information on my coaching services or sales tips visit my website stevehoffacker.com or my blog homesalesinsights.com.