In Memoriam

My  Dad was the first person I know of in my family who served in the military. He was drafted, was physically fit, and went into the Army. He was captured with his unit at Anzio and spent several years in a German POW camp at Braunschweig. He knew a little German, so he was the camp interpreter. It was a farm camp, they farmed potatoes, and were allowed into town weekly to trade potatoes for meat with the locals. He came home at the end of the war, my Mom drove to Texas to meet him, and that’s all I know about my Dad and his military service. He mustered out as a Corporal, and went back to banking in Milwaukee. I never could get him to talk much about his experience, but he brought home some trinkets, like his dog tags, a German canteen, and some maps showing where he’d been.

On this Memorial Day, I thought it fitting to recognize some people I knew in the military; those who went, and didn’t come home. First, my primary flight instructor, Lt Billy Ray, then squadron mates L.C. Knight, Chuck Pfaffman, and Senior Chief Wright, crashing a burning E2 on takeoff from the USS Coral Sea. Curt Cropper and his RIO, fighter friends next door on the boat, who unsuccessfully ejected at 600 kts from their hit and burning Phantom F4. Remembering the unnamed sailor I saw decapitated on the ship by a launched F4 and the Intelligence Office who one dark night fell out of the catwalk into the South China Sea.

There were those whose service had an effect on their lives, the Chief at Glenview who shot himself, my good friend Dave Miller, XO of the base, who hung himself, and Phil, the gentle, bird- loving area coordinator of NJROTC who took his own life. I know others have passed on, because they were elderly when I knew them 23 years ago. Some fellow NJROTC friends are also gone, Jim, Rick, Jerry and Denny. Thank you all for your service.  And those who I may have influenced to serve to protect our country deserve my special thanks: my son Daniel, and students Juan, Porfy, Javier and Andy. You all were and are the bravest, finest people I’ve known. You make me proud to know you! I remember you all today; let none of us take our freedom for granted!

Buy or Sell? YES!

I'd like to re-publish an excerpt from this excellent article in part, because it's so true. Prices are low, mortgage rates are low, home inventory is up- why is this not a no-brainer?  Maybe earning less than 1% on your savings is what works for you, but when the real estate roller coaster is getting ready to roll uphill again, are you waiting for it to get to the top of the track again before you decide to move?
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Two questions dominate the minds of Real Estate Buyers and Sellers. Let’s get them both answered honestly, right now. The questions are obvious. For Buyers, “Is it a good time to buy?” For Sellers, “Is it a good time to sell?”

Expert Advice
Two questions dominate the minds of Real Estate Buyers and Sellers. Let’s get them both answered honestly, right now.
The questions are obvious. For Buyers, “Is it a good time to buy?” For Sellers, “Is it a good time to sell?”
The billionaire investor that the brightest watch for advice, Warren Buffett, said, “I buy when people are selling and I sell when people are buying.” In Real Estate, at the moment, there are an abundance of homes for sale (people are selling) and a scarcity of Buyers. That means prices are soft which makes it an excellent time to buy for those who are able to finance the purchase of a home.
 http://www.crackerjackagent.com/articles/114/it-couldn-t-be-more-obvious Rich Levin April 25, 2012

Big Blow Coming??

Just a quickie here- get ready for Hurricane season early- check out the Windstorm page!

http://www.tdi.texas.gov/wind/index.html

Hope you never need it!

Loyalty Earned, Loyalty Given

Today I got a call from one of you out there: Call: "Hi, I want to see a house on X Avenue, and my agent is out of town". Me: "So call your agent to set up an appointment when he returns". Call: "No, I want to see it right now, and don't want to wait- you'll still get a commission". Me: "I don't work that way, call the agent on the yard sign". Call: "I don't know who that was". ( I look it up). "Wrong brokerage sir, try this number".

Note: Agents are not interchangeable, they are not doormen, they are not chauffers, they try to parlay time and expertise into money. Agents represent clients with whom they establish a relationship, and invest their time and efforts getting good deals for those clients in order to make their living. I unhesitatingly provide any service of which I'm capable for clients with whom I've established mutual loyalty. We develop an intense loyalty, both personal and fiduciary, with our clients, and expect the same from them.  This is proven, when clients call me for service years after we've met.  We want to meet good people and help them to the best of our ability. Those looking to cheat me of time and efforts should apply elsewhere.

Magic Times

There are two times during the year I call "Magic Times". These are periods where the weather is just right, the sky is beautiful, and it just seems great to be outdoors. Spring is one, and we're having that kind of weather here in Corpus Christi. Not too hot during the day, just the right cool at night to sometimes need a sweater, and even a little rain to freshen the air. It's a great time to be in South Texas- wish you were!

The other time is Fall. I remember Fall in Wisconsin as a kid, when the oppressive heat was draining away, the leaves were turning, and sometimes you could catch the smell of woodsmoke in the air, even in town. We looked forward to the real cold, the sledding and skating, and the transformation of the landscape from brown to white.  Here in Texas, we have to wait until late November for that transformation to take place.  Hurricane season is over, the nights are getting cooler, it's (almost) too cool for swimming, and evenings on the deck with an adult beverage are glorious! No wonder that's when the Winter Texans start to arrive!  We don't expect the landscape to change to white, but Christmas Eve in 2004, that's just what happened!  Come to visit in the "Magic Times" and be prepared for anything!

Short Sale Tips

Realtors seem to have a genetic predisposition toward- or away from- short sales. There are some truths: they can take a long time to close, the foreclosure department can work behind the scenes to squash a deal, and lenders can be frustrating to deal with. BUT- short sales are a fact of life, and if we truly want to help our clients, we need to learn to deal with them. I'm looking for any opportunity to help people in real estate and establish strong relationships. That's why I worked to get my SFR designation- short sale/foreclosure resource. I am helping people that don't know where else to turn, don't have time to chase down lender reps, and are just plain scared of losing their homes, having their credit score torpedoed, and dealing with the other issues that got them in the fix in the first place. Tip: don't wait until you've missed four or five payments to contact a realtor. If you miss ONE payment, get on the horn-- because the bank is tracking you! Many times just talking with the lender creates some credibility for working out your problems- don't create an emergency and expect someone else to bail you out. Any thoughts on this issue??

Housing Market PreCursor?

National press noted new job creation is edging up, which is a major indicator of economic health. Although there are many still out of work, and the hiring criteria tend to favor those currently employed, the trend is encouraging for my market, residential housing. People will follow that old pyramid of needs, by taking care of survival matters, first(getting a job for food money), then improving shelter and self esteem(housing!) Got my fingers crossed for continued improvement!