Hockey

Hi,

So I know this is a real estate blog but I just wanted to comment on the USA vs. Canada Hockey game last night.

Let's start by putting me in the category of "passive hockey fan." I really enjoy following my local San Jose Sharks. I catch a few of their regular season BIG games and I make sure to catch every minute of playoff hockey. I definitely have a few friends who enjoy hockey more than I do but I have a lot more who watch WAAAY less than I do.

Yesterday, once the game started I flicked it on. First off, I couldn't find it on NBC. The game got bumped to MSNBC. This made me a little annoyed that what I felt was a pretty big game, couldn't even make it to the big network. However, once I found out that the game would be commercial free because it was MSNBC, I was okay with this decision.

You know what, the game was exciting. There was a ton of passion and hard play. The fans were going crazy for their boys and I found myself really enjoying the game. I ended up watching up until the end of the 2nd period at which point I had to leave the TV and make a trip to the airport. This is the crazy thing, if it were any other big sporting event, there is NO WAY that I leave my spot in front of the TV. But here I was, watching Olympic Hockey and I really didn't have too much of a problem walking away from the game. Granted I was able to listen to it on the radio in the car, but still,I think I surprised even myself.

It got me thinking about the Canadians and how big this game was to them. Even though the USA won and I was pumped about it, I almost felt bad for beating them because we as USA Hockey fans didn't deserve this win as much as the Canadian fans did.

That's pretty much it. Nothing on houses today. My dad and I had a listing appointment. It went well.

Conor

How Banks Make Money

This is a pretty interesting video detailing the way banks MAKE money on short sales and foreclosures.

It's about 5 min long and can be a little dry for someone not completely interested in this kind of stuff, but I wanted to pass it along anyway.

Conor

http://www.thinkbigworksmall.com/mypage/player/tbws/23088/1129049

Interest Rates

In response to a question about interest rates, I wanted to direct people to this article...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7148582/

Also, this guy below has a lot more to worry about than interest rates...I find this really funny for some reason...

A Good Question

Hi,

In one of my recent posts, I got a question from anonymous. Here it is:

Anonymous said...
Question is: Where do you think the market is going? Is there still enough inventory to get a decent deal on a house in the "TheBayArea". Or should I continue to wait to buy? AMA
February 1, 2010 9:03 AM

I was about to reply within the comments section but I thought this would be a good opportunity to address a question that I am sure many are asking.

My response:

After speaking with others in and out of the office, it seems the market is holding pretty steady right now.

That being said, I don't foresee a huge upswing in the market but I definitely don't see a big drop off either. I think it will hold steady for the remainder of the year. Once we have a more accurate picture at that point we can of course make a whole new guess as to where it is going.

Real Estate agents are like Economists. We have lots of theories and we are always "supposing."

To answer your last question, yes there is still enough inventory to get a decent deal. The prices are remaining steady, which is good...it's just that there are multiple offers, which makes it a little tougher. The good thing though is that even if you do outbid someone in this market, you are still getting a way better deal than what you would have gotten a few years ago. Also, and most important, you have to pay close attention to the houses. You wait a day to make an offer and it could already be gone. That's the part that a lot of people have trouble with. They are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and they don't want to be rushed.

If you are in it for the long haul (at least 5 years) it is still a good time to buy a house.

Conor