Another Year Older

The last few years have been kind of an odd situation for many people, in that they can't easily move on with their lives because of the marginal real estate market. They are seeing life dreams slip away as they get another year older.

Unfortunately, it's not just the sellers who can't move; it is also the people who want to buy those sellers' homes -- but forced to be sellers themselves first. Until we find a large group of buyers, at some price range, who can purchase easily without selling their homes first, this stagnation will continue. And, obviously, that group of buyers will also have to want to purchase!

I've heard all the rationale that spews out of the real estate forums, and from the mouths of real estate gurus. Much of it makes sense, such as just selling your home for what you can and then making it up on the other end. It is true that this will probably work just fine...if you don't owe more than you can sell your existing place for. But the reality is that more and more people are stuck in a kind of quicksand that keeps pulling them further and further into a quagmire, away from their chosen path. And that is the sad reality of this drastic whack in prices which is keeping many creative and motivated people from: moving to new cities, meeting new friends, starting new businesses -- and hiring new employees that would get the economy moving again.

But there are still a fair amount of buyers who can purchase without selling their existing homes, and I think the group who is choosing to do that may be increasing in numbers. With prices down 35-50% in some market areas, it seems that some of those people are realizing that there may never again be an opportunity like there is now to purchase a lake home or cabin at such an incredible discount. So maybe there are enough of those buyers to turn this mess around...at least I hope that is true!

So if you can buy, why not buy now? Go ahead and do your part to get the economy back on its feet, and most likely you will have a heck of an investment in any good lake property you purchase. There are certainly enough of them out there to choose from!

Although a few people may have profited somehow from this mess we are in, I haven't found many small business owners who even know if they can hang on for very much longer. I imagine you see just as many For Sale of For Lease signs as I do on commercial buildings on prime street corners across the state. And from what I have seen, it doesn't improve a whole lot as you drive through other parts of the country either. It is a scary thought to think of all those "mom and pop" shops closing their doors, and also having to get rid of those loyal employees who make very little in wages just to continue living in America's small towns. It will eventually be a drastic change in the landscape of the things we love most about this country.

But whatever happens is what will happen. We can try to fix it, or we can ignore it. And if this downturn continues, each year we will end up a little further from a solution to the problem.

I am hopeful that we will regain our senses and realize that small businesses are what built this country, and are what will get it going again. I'm just a small business owner myself, frustrated by many of the things I've seen lately that seem so incredibly far from any realistic solution to the problem.

So, do whatever you can to get on with your life. Some people are so stuck that they really don't know what to do next. If a few of us take a risk here and there, it might be a big enough jolt to get a few of the wheels turning.

But whether you choose to be in the group that pitches in or just sits on the sidelines, I will guarantee that we are all going to be together when it comes to the one thing we can't control. Next year each of us will be another year older...so let's make the most of it we can!