Garage!
Seriously. I see articles and posts about increasing the value of your house through inexpensive kitchen upgrades, bathroom make-overs and landscape tune-ups… but everyone ignores the garage.
We live in and for the garage!
So, here are a few ideas to spruce up the garage. They are relatively cheap, and will make the garage look much better.
I am so very proud to announce the 
latest addition to the GarageHomesUSA Team. While he still has quite a bit of training to complete…
Jackson Bryce Bailey was born at 6:00pm today. He came in at 21″, 8 pounds, 13 ounces.
Mother, son, big brother and dad are all doing fine.
Jackson was quoted as saying “whhaa, wwwwhhhhaaaa, mydaddycansellyourhousewithacoolgarage, w w whhaa.”
As soon as I can separate Mommy from her camera, I will post up pictures NOT shot with my cell phone.
… of the NAR. Here is a link to the post. Dick Gaylord, the President of the NAR, raises some very good points, but I had to rebut the post as a whole.
The first thing I need to say is that I am proud to be a REALTOR®. I love the work that I do. I love helping clients buy and sell houses at the various stages of their lives. Seeing their goals realized is incredibly satisfying.
As you know, NAR has been criticized in the news media for our “rosey” outlook for the real estate market. More often than not, they say we are too positive about the prospects for housing values in the future.
…
Terry gave his clients and agents a look at how accurate the news media has been about previous housing cycles. Below is the e-mail he forwarded to me, which shows how various media outlets have consistently predicted a long-term decline in home values since the 1940s. Yet, every time, the so-called decline was short-lived.
The email has quotes from various media outlets over the last 60 years. In each case, the quote points to a long term prediction based on short term information.
And I agree with both Mr. Gaylord and Mr. Forsberg. I think that the media does give real estate the short stick… but they do the same thing to EVERYONE else. In fact, let’s look at the VERY recent past. This isn’t real estate, but it shows the mindset.
The media (in general) wants to be first to break the story. So, they often make wild jumps in order to get the conclusion before anyone else. That would be why the results of an election are projected based on 1% of precincts reporting… That would be why Hillary Clinton was presumed to be the nominee of the Democrat Party… and Rudy Guliani was to be the Republican nominee… and then it was Barak Obama and Mitt Romney. Now we find John McCain the actual nominee, and Hillary hasn’t quit… and isn’t that far out of contention.
But, back to the subject at hand… the NAR and their rosy predictions, ostensibly to counter the negative spin from the media…
Here is my complete reply to the post at the NAR blog. I do not know if it will clear moderation.
But you have to admit that 5 or 6 quarterly reports that say “the worst is behind us” each time… while the market continues to erode is a little tiring.
We all know that the media’s market readers keep preaching that whatever is happening in the short term will last forever. But the NAR hasn’t been too realistic about the short term. Instead of telling people that the market looks challenging, the NAR message has been “Prices are up, it’s a great time to buy.” or “Prices are down, it’s a great time to buy.” The truth is that it is a great time to buy for some people. It is a lousy time to buy for others. Consumers should consult with THEIR REALTOR(R) to find out which camp they are in.
If you want to know if this is your time… call me, and we’ll talk. I would also recommend talking with a good mortgage broker. Feel free to let me know if you need a few names.
Shocker to me…
Let me catch up those that aren’t fans yet. The Dakar Rallye started as the Paris-Dakar Rallye 30 years ago. It has always been a high performance, cross-country event. A few years ago, the Paris part of the name was dropped
photo credit: Omer Simkha.
And, yes, it has been through Timbuktu…
Traditionally, the race has run in the first couple of weeks of January. It is a stage race, and the competitors race almost every day for almost two weeks. The coolest thing, I my ever so humble opinion, is that the “support vehicles” have to be entered in the race. The “Truck Class” is incredible. It is just unnatural to see a 40,000 pound truck drifting through a turn at high speed… or launching through the air in the desert.
photo credit: .Robert.
This year’s event (2008) had to be canceled due to terrorist threats. This is the first time the organizers didn’t feel they could guarantee the safety of the competitors from outside forces (the racing is dangerous enough).
Instead of damaging the even further, by having a similar cancellation for 2009, the organizers have decided to move the event to South America. Competitors will race in Argentina and Chile. Those countries have been talking with event organizers for quite some time. Understandably, their is significant economic impact from hosting an event of this magnitude.
Aside from the terrific exposure, the tourism dollars and money spent by the teams in support of the race can be considerable. Just to give an idea, American Desert Racer and NASCAR racer Robby Gordon lost $1M because of the cancellation of the 2008 event. That wouldn’t include things like parts and such that could be used for a future event.
The real losers in this move are the people of Northern Africa. They will no longer be the beneficiaries of the Dakar Rallye.
Here are a couple of bonus videos. The first is a highlight from one of the truck brands. The second is highlights from the 2007 event.
If you are in the mood to showcase your tough vehicle… I could probably locate a couple of guys that would be happy to take it to South America and race it for you… It’s only money, right?
I just posted up the January/February Market Report for Gwinnett County on Garage Homes USA. I wish I could say that the market has turned, but I can’t.
But I can say that there are some killer deals…
How about an for an investor looking for a cash flowing property…
The seller is retiring… has several to sell over the next couple of years.
So, the market gives with one hand…