The title sums up what I have to say on this topic. Additionally, this is quite unusual for me to touch upon politics except when it pretty much immediately relates to real estate. Part of my writing this article is two-fold. Firstly, because the idea itself is abhorrent to me. And secondly, because here our government goes again selling out to big business. Seriously now, they are the only ones that are going to profit from this.
With that said, I’m quite disturbed with the notion of our ending a 27 year moratorium on offshore drilling that was actually signed by Pres. Bush’s father and he is currently asking for congress to end. But before we go on with this part of the tale, let’s look at the implications of Offshore Drilling.
Gas prices are high and it’s affecting all of us. Unfortunately, those with less income are affected the most. But the fact of the matter is that gas prices are high and will remain so for a very long time. That’s just a simple fact. Even with Saudi Arabia stepping up their production, it will have little effect on the price of crude oil in the overall scheme of things.
For arguments sake, let’s say that we allow offshore drilling. Actually, let’s stop for one second for a further explanation, we are not just talking about offshore drilling, but that of also drilling in the wilderness. OK, with that said, if we were to drill, it would take 7-10 years before we’d see any results. On top of that the oil that can be uncovered will most likely not have much effect on prices anyway.
Now granted, we do have a major stockpile of crude. So much so, that at today’s consumption it would last us 2½ years. Maybe the government should consider tapping into that as opposed to our environment? Just a thought! I’m not suggesting depleting all of the reserves, but…
The purpose here is not to sway anyone from one party to another. It is not intended to be a political debate. It seems the two prospective presidential candidates are both on opposite sides of this issue. Sen. McCain is following in the President’s footsteps.
What really bugs the bejesus (see I said a nicer word that I really would have liked to say) out of me, is that I hear the Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, doing a complete turnaround in an apparent political pandering to Sen. McCain because he’s looking for a place on his ticket or in his cabinet. Oh yes another, our illustrious Senator, Mel Martinez, has also supposedly changed his mind and is backing the removal of this moratorium. But we won’t go into his background and his abysmal stay at HUD.
It appears that a good part of this election will be putting the fear in people, just as we’ve seen in previous ones where they utilized so-called ‘terrorism.’ We know that a good part of that turned out to be a bunch of bunk, but by then it was too late. I hope again that history won’t be repeating itself as it so often has.
In his Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln stated that we will have a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” The sad thing is that in this day and age we need to change the word ‘people’ to ‘big business’ and the saying will have a more accurate meaning. It doesn’t matter how this drilling will affect the general population. That’s of little or no consequence. Is it any surprise that we’re consistently widening the wealth disparity gap in this country?
Enough, let’s get back to the original premise here. The possible harm and destruction to the environment is too great a price to pay. We need to seek other alternatives and learn to wean ourselves off of petroleum based products. I am more concerned about global warming and the impact of fossil fuel on our lives and environment.
I have great concern that a major mistake will be made by opening up our shorelines and wilderness to the drilling for oil. The impact to our environment and lives can be more costly than the price of fuel itself. This is not something that should be taken lightly. Granted, neither should what we are paying for the price of fuel, but this type of consumption has been the American Way. Seriously, did we, as an overall society, learn a lesson from the embargos of the 70’s? Obviously not!
We need to wake up, if we haven’t already. The ‘Me’ society is over with. This idea of conspicuous consumption needs to be reigned in. What kind of legacy are we going to leave to our children? Yes, we as a society have progressed so very much, but at what cost? Enough already, or there won’t be any roses to smell!
This is a great business. There is nothing really simple with buying and selling real estate because of all of the complexities involved in what many of us may feel is a simple transaction.
The rewards that we acquire are bringing all of these individual facets together successfully for all of those involved. To me that is the rush that I get out of my vocation.
Are there some aspects of real estate sales that I am not wholly in love with - absolutely. Are there some tasks that I’d rather not do, or at least to a lesser extent than others - for sure. But as with anything else it is the total package.
It’s what we bring to the business of real estate that will determine where we are going and how we will get there. For some, it may just happen. But there isn’t enough longevity to that - waiting for things to just happen. It’s what we bring in and of ourselves that will determine our longevity and profitability in this business.
OK, so I’ve written four paragraphs here and while most of this is just philosophical, I’ve not given you anything solid to grasp. A lot of things are intrinsic and not tangible. You can’t touch someone’s attitude, yet you may be able to feel it, be it their aura, etc.
It’s like the old story, and I just found out that Abraham Lincoln stated this, but “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” It’s just not going to happen, no matter how good of an actor that you think you are.
We’ve talked so much about developing a business plan and many do not do this even in their heads. I think that part of that problem, procrastination, whatever, is that too many feel this to be a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be. Yes, it should hold several components, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a dollars and figures spreadsheet. Some do like taking it to that extent. Some of us are the engineers.
Let me just state that there is no right or wrong, I am only espousing my feelings about such.
I think we need to be introspective. Some like doing this more often than others. Some like to do this on an ongoing basis, while others may only do this occasionally. You have to know where you’ve been to possibly understand where you are going. You have to have learned the lessons of the past, otherwise all is for naught. You will only be repeating the same things over and over and unfortunately in many instances be expecting different returns. Chances of that happening are basically slim to nil. You’d only be kidding yourself and unfortunately this is done only too often by many.
The energies that you exude and surround yourself with will either make or break you. Some will unfortunately think that I’m just blowing this out my rear. But think of it, what do you want others to see and feel? What do you want to evince?
We talk and hear people say about all the negativities in the world and our businesses at present. And if you feel this way, then that is what people will see coming from you. How about all of the
positives? There are pros and cons with almost everything. It is how you wish to look at it. Is the so to speak glass half full or half empty? These are your choices. Many will say that the industry is in turmoil and will be for years, our society is in turmoil. But homes are being sold every day. Where do you fit in with this picture? Where do you want to fit in with this picture?
It all comes down to choices and which road we wish to take. I guess that I’ve used several adages here, but they do show a point hopefully.
We all have issues. Sometimes we all have doubts. But it’s up to you if you wish to befall into the crevice. Do you have a plan or something to utilize when you are feeling down or unsure? Or do you just fall into it and let it envelope you and just wait for it to pass?
It comes down to do you wish to take action or react to something. You will definitely get different results by both of these. An action is something that thought has been given to, whereas a reaction is something that is automatic.
Maybe I should retitle this post to read “A Philosophical Discourse - Where do you stand?” I enjoy writing and sometimes it helps me. I enjoy sharing my feelings and personal insights. But as I previously stated there is no wrong or right, it is just a matter of what works for YOU!
Till next time - Marc It Sold!
For information on Central Florida and Orlando real estate and Central Florida and Orlando homes for sale in addition to Central Florida and Orlando relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Central Florida Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.
To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his
profile &
website.
There was an article in this morning’s Inman News Headlines by Glenn Roberts, Jr. entitled “Foreclosure fix: “‘The Last Chance Mortgage’ - How we got into this mess and how to get out.”
The article was in regard to John Vogel, Jr’s. plan to not only solve the problem that we’re facing but to go one step further.
The plan is the best thing that I’ve read so far since we’ve been faced with this dilemma, but I see one major flaw. Let’s first look at what the situation is. According to Mr. Vogel, “Two million homeowners are in danger of losing their homes” via foreclosure. What I am understanding is that he is proposing that the federal government administer a program that would refinance these properties facing foreclosure with a fixed-rate mortgage interest of 3.5%. The homes would be assessed at 80% of their current value and the homeowner in concession for participating in this program would give up any future profit from the home’s appreciation.
The latter part is what is an issue with me. Yes, I do believe that for the help received the homeowner should pay in one form or another. But this then leads to the question, What incentive is there for the homeowner to keep up the property? I don’t see many except for the homeowner to be able to keep the home and not risk foreclosure at this point in time and they would recoup their investment at sale.
The problem that I’m presently seeing is that many homeowners are willing to just walk away from their homes without regard to the financial and credit implications of a foreclosure. I’ve spoken with two people this week that are planning on such. I’ve even talked to them in regard to a Deed In Lieu of Foreclosure. One was possibly interested, the other didn’t care. I’m sure what I’m seeing is not an isolated incidence.
I think this program has some great merit and is the best that I’ve come across so far, but I think we also need to possibly go one step further and maybe allow the homeowner to share in the profits at sale. Let’s say limit it on a sliding scale depending on the house value, etc. or even just a flat percentage of the profits.
One point that I haven’t mentioned so far is that the home property in question would be entered into a pool of affordable housing. Now some of these homes will most likely fit that criteria, I don’t see homes in the upper price ranges fitting such.
I do agree with his opinion that a program such as this will free up capital. I further believe that it would increase consumer confidence and help propel the real estate market.
At the same time I also have a question if government intervention is the right answer. Yes, I can the benefits as written above. But the main question that comes to mind is, Will the lesson be learned? I’m afraid to say that even though it will by many, there will be many more that won’t learn the lesson and will continue with the attitude - well they bailed me out once, they’ll do it again. I don’t think that this is far-fetched.
But at least it is a plan and a feasible one at that.
For more information on Central Florida and Orlando real estate and Central Florida and Orlando homes for sale in addition to Central Florida and Orlando relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Central Florida Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.
To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his profile & website.
Marc Grossman, GRI - http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ - 407-463-1034
Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.
Marc It Sold!
Yes, you heard me correctly. Now is an excellent time to purchase that Central Florida home that you’ve been dreaming about! You don’t believe me, well then read on.
If you look historically, you will note that the real estate market is cyclical, but this can also be said of many facets of our society. Check the relationship of recession and inflation in the basic economic cycle. I’m not going to go into that for this article, but you should be able to see my point. One more point, think of a fad, any fad, and you will realize that they as well are cyclical. OK, so onward.
Today, December’s statistics for Monthly Sales and Inventory were published by ORRA (Orlando Regional Realtor Association). Now, while the number of homes being sold in the past month is not equivalent to the sales records that we’ve seen in the past several years - homes are being bought and sold everyday!
We are so very lucky to live in the type of democracy that we do. We have what some may call a Supply and Demand Democracy, whereas the simple aspects of supply and demand control the market and price. Yes, there may be other external forces, but we are just dealing in the basic concept here. No offense, but this is just simple Economics 101. There is no reason to further complicate the matter.
The one main issue that we are experiencing is that the inventory levels are comparatively quite high, but they have been showing a downward trend over the last couple of months. This is a very good sign and will hopefully continue this trend.
OK, I’m sure that some of you are thinking, so what about the subprime debacle that I keep on hearing and reading about in the news. This needs to be put into perspective. According to some of the many articles that I’ve read, the subprime mortgages represent only a quarter of all loans procured. How about the other 75% of the conventional, FHA and other loans that are supposedly performing well? And there have been an extraordinary amount of loans that have been written over the past several years.
We all saw the run up in sales and prices. There was no way that this could have been sustainable for an extended period of time. Yes, the median sales price has dropped as has the average list and sales prices as well. But they are still above the levels of 2½ years ago while this so-called run up was going on.
If you bought your home 3 years ago December in Central Florida utilizing the average sales price, you would have seen an 18½% increase over that period of time. And that translates to over $50K. That is not chump change in any way whatsoever. If you’ve read my past posts, you will note that I’ve stated time and time again, that real estate is not now nor has it ever been a short term investment.
Not all areas of the country are experiencing a downturn in prices. In many areas of the country just the opposite is happening.
I’m not going to sit here and blame the media totally for this negativity. Yes, we know that there are only a few major media conglomerates and they are trying to shore up revenues on all fronts and we know that sensationalism sells. But I also think a good part of it is that they do not understand real estate as well as a professional realtor does. Don’t underestimate your realtor’s knowledge.
In 2005, we were seeing monthly year over increases in the median price of homes of almost 35+% fairly regularly. In 2007, the largest decrease we saw was a little over 10% with the majority of months showing a much less than 4% decrease in year over median price.
We are very lucky to live in Central Florida and the Greater Orlando area. Our region has been for many decades been a destination area. This has helped us greatly. This region is the best performing region in the state of Florida because of such.
There are some great values out there and with interest rates relatively low - This is a great time to buy that dream home!
For more information on Central Florida and Orlando real estate and Central Florida and Orlando homes for sale in addition to Central Florida and Orlando relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Central Florida Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.
To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his profile & website.
Marc Grossman, GRI - http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ - 407-463-1034
Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.
Marc It Sold!
Let me preface this by stating that I make it a point to follow-up and follow through. From the get go I get the buyers information in regard their lender, etc. and put calls through until I hopefully get more information back. For the many that have come to know me, I do not like surprises and I can only gather that my sellers would not be too thrilled with them either.
Considering the present market conditions, I will not take a home off of the market if there is a contingency clause for the sale of the buyer’s home. For the purposes here, I’m assuming the fact that the buyer’s home is already listed with a real estate professional and priced accordingly for the market. Granted, I would prefer it to be under contract and then obviously feel better about the situation. Of course if that was the case, I would respectfully request all the information as to their buyer’s lender and follow through on that as well.
The reason that I’m writing this is not as much in regard to what’s just been written, but more so to how this affects your seller’s home being shown after the contract is executed.
I have found that the majority of the time the home is basically passed over for consideration and that the showings generally cease or slow to a trickle at the most. I’m not aware of other MLS’s, but in the Mid-Florida Regional MLS we can keep the home ‘active’ but the first thing that has to be mentioned in the public remarks section is that you have a ‘Contingency Contract’ and I usually add that it’s a ‘Right of First Refusal’ with a certain number of hours denoted. This appears to essentially take the home off of the market.
With the number of homes available in today’s market I have to wonder if our seller’s are hindering themselves by accepting some of these contracts. Like I’ve said I try to do my homework, but what about the person that does not? I try not to talk negatively in regard to others in our profession, but are they performing a disservice to their client?
For more information on Central Florida real estate and Central Florida homes for sale in addition to Central Florida relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Central Florida Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate and homes for sale, Orange County, West Volusia County and South Lake County.
To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his
profile &
website.
OK, let’s start with a brief understanding of the mortgage industry. You buy a property and obtain a mortgage. The lender then packages that loan with many others and then they are sold to investors. Simple, right! OK, so now we come to the mortgage debacle that we are seeing in the subprime market and we’ve all read about the bailout that President Bush is proposing.
So now let’s get back to our investor. They bought a package of loans at a certain rate of return expected. But if the rates are frozen, then this investor is going to get a lower rate of return on his money. This is akin to you having a Certificate of Deposit and the bank suddenly telling you that they are going to give you less interest because they’ve run into a bad stretch there for a while. I don’t think we need to discuss how you’d feel about that.
But let’s go back to our investor again. So, he’s told that he’s going to be making less on the securities that he bought. Not only that, the government is stepping and is going to preclude all of these lawsuits that would have been raised. You have to understand - when the investor bought those securities they basically had a contract which has now been broken.
So let’s take this to the next step, when this happens to these investors - well let’s just put it like this - do you think that they will be investing any more of their money into these Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS’s)? No, and this further leads to the mortgage markets further drying up.
The fact is there will not really be that many homeowners who will benefit from this. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not wish to see anyone lose their home for any reason and that includes foreclosure. Oh yes, one other factor, all this is only a voluntary measure for the mortgage servicer (not even the original lender in most instances) to decide upon.
OK, so let’s say all this gets worked out and there is a five year temporary freeze. This leads to many more questions, such as will the borrower face a reset in rate later on? What is the cost of this going to be and who’s going to pay for it?
Now, granted, there is a partial win-win situation here, but only slightly and for very few. If this ‘bailout’ does go into effect, there will be some homeowners that will get a break on their mortgage and avoid foreclosure, while at the same time the investor will not lose that particular loan to default.
There was a commentary in the Orlando Sentinel by Beth Kassab on 12/12/07 entitled, “Who really will be helped in mortgage mess?” At one point she mentioned that she called U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s office in regard to this proposed freeze. His office in turn told her “to call the American Securitization Forum - the group that represents the investors, loan services,” etc. Hmm, can you spell L-O-B-B-Y-I-S-T-S?
The criteria that will be used to identify the homeowners that might be eligible is limited. Government intervention is not the answer for negligence, etc. Mortgage reform is something that should be talked about. We have a lot of excellent mortgage professionals out there, but at the same time we had lenders giving away the bank so to speak. You see, that once the lender sells that loan, they no longer have an interest or liability in that loan.
We need more accountability.
Here’s the deal or what may have actually been the deal! I have several acres of land listed for sale. An agent asked me to walk the property with her and her clients.
No problem, while we were doing so it was talked about them possibly considering subdividing the property in the future. Their Realtor, nor myself, thought that there would be an issue with this and further thought that they would be allowed to deed the property with it having ingress and egress via the other parcel.
OK, so long story short, which is extremely difficult for me. On Monday, I called the Zoning office and asked questions about the possible subidivision of this property. I found out that the county no longer allows them to have a common drive and that each property has to have its own dedicated driveway.
Since I knew that this was a possible concern, I informed the other Realtor of such. She told me that they were planning on making an offer, but she would have to contact them about this information and let them know. Well, needless to say, there is no offer forthcoming.
I look at this several different ways & would like your take on such. Some will think that it was not my responsibility to let the other Realtor know what I had found out, since it was most likely her duty to do such for her clients. Others will say that once I found out this information, it was my duty to inform all parties of such. I can also see others saying that I should not have called at all & that was my fault for doing such.
Till next time - Marc It Sold!
What happened to good old fashioned common courtesy? Even if we are in a fast paced environment with so much so readily available, why should that have been the one simple thing to be thrown out - something that takes almost no time at all?
The definition of courtesy according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary is the “excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior; respectful or considerate act or expression; help or generosity.” We are in a social atmosphere and a social discipline. What else can real estate be considered? Unless you are totally isolated, then you will have interactions on one level or another with others.
I know that many will blame the change on the familial environment and make-up. Yes, that may be partially true, but it has to go much further than that into the fabric of our society.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I must admit that there are times that I may be lacking in such myself, especially with telemarketers. Usually, I try to say ‘no thanks’ and ‘goodbye,’ but I won’t deny that I’ve also just hung up the phone. Yes, they are annoying and shouldn’t be calling you since you are on the DNC list. OK, so we know that’s a joke - neither here nor there.
Do you say ‘thank you’ to others? Now I won’t deny that when I feel someone is rude, I may say ‘you’re welcome’ if they sometimes do not say ‘thank you’. And, maybe, that’s rude on my part. Granted, I don’t do things to be acknowledged, but…
Here are some questions to peruse:
Do you hold the door open for the next person or do you even look to see if there is someone behind you?
Do you allow pedestrians to cross in a parking lot or do you feel that they should wait for you? (You do understand that pedestrians do have the right of way most of the time.)
Talking about driving, are you courteous on the road? Do you make room for traffic to merge? Do you use your turn signal all of the time, not some of the time? Do you allow people to move into your lane when they have a turn signal on?
Do you thank a realtor for showing your property?
If a realtor calls you for feedback, do you return their call? Unfortunately, I find that most don’t.
But more importantly, are you courteous with your clients - whether they be buyers or sellers?
A major part of being courteous is to take the time to listen and not to interrupt. Too many people, and I’m guilty here as well at times, just hear part of what is being said and then interject because they may feel they know what the other person is getting at. Listen completely, it’s not only courteous but makes the other person feel important. Actually, by not doing so, you are indirectly telling that person that they are not worth your time. And, that is just downright rude, everyone has a value and none of us has the right to take that away from anyone.
How much effort does it really take to be courteous to others? We are entering the major shopping season with all the hustle and bustle. A little kindness to the next person goes a long way - and for both of you. They’ll appreciate it and you should feel good about yourself. It’s all about the aura that you project.
Being courteous in life and business is not something that takes a lot of effort or even a lot of thought. But the rewards, personally and otherwise, are just so great. People do remember the little things.
So, maybe, take a little extra time and send that thank you note. It’s interesting, I have a listing and there appeared to be an issue with an upstairs bathroom. Neither here nor there, but I sent a short note to the owner and thanked him for being helpful, etc. The day he got the note he called me. It was obvious that he was taken aback and quite pleased that I thought enough to do this. Will you get a call every time? No! But is the effort worth it? It depends on what you want out of life and your real estate career.
Thank You & You’re Welcome!
Till next time - Marc It Sold!
It’s the old story of the rich getting richer & the poor getting poorer. Even though the average living standards have increased considerably in recent times, the distribution of wealth has become more skewed. One percent of the richest people own 40% of the world’s wealth, while the bottom 50% of the world’s adult population own barely 1% of the wealth.
In the U. S. alone, the top 1 percent earn as much as the bottom 33%, which is equivalent to over 100 million people. While the U. S. economy has grown approximately 160% over the last 30+ years, the top 1% saw their income levels rise 250%. During that same period, the bottom 90% actually saw a drop of 11% in their average income. These are astounding figures and the wealth distribution disparity continues to widen.
Home equity is a very important form of wealth for most households. Only about half of those in the bottom quarter of the income distribution own their homes, while 88.9% in the top quarter do own their homes. Household debt has consistently trended upward, and it was over 130% of disposable income in ’05. As expected, this disproportionately plagues lower-income families moreso and attributes to about a fifth of their income and upwards of 40% for many.
Many and especially the middle class have been utilizing the equity in their homes for continued consumer spending – vacations, vehicles, remodeling, etc. – while salaries have not increased at the same level. The problem is that the equity is running out with lower home prices equating to lower household wealth.
This greater disparity has to affect us as realtors. Each and every day we are shutting more and more people out of homeownership. I’ve been saying this for years. Here in Central Florida we’ve been mostly a service-oriented industry. As prices were rising within the last several years and even before then, we’ve daily locked more and more people out of the market. Our appreciation was approximately 12-13% a year before the last couple of boom years hit. Yes, that has been much better than the national average of approximately 8% per annum.
It is widely believed that one of the main ways to address this gap between the have and have-nots is to improve education and training. But this is not something that can just happen overnight. Our education system has been failing us, but it goes way beyond that to the familial system.
Can this trend possibly be reversed through social and economic policies? This further leads to the question that if such reforms are possible, are they either practical or feasible? I don’t know what the answer is or even if there is one. But that doesn’t mean that we should just forget or ignore that this is occurring to the fabric of our society.
Till next time…Marc It Sold!
Unbelievable! After all of these months of wrangling, town hall meetings, etc, this is the best that they could come up with. The major points of the proposed property tax amendment, which the citizens of Florida will vote on 1/29/08 are as follows:
The homestead exemption will be increased from $25K to $40 or 50K depending on who you speak to. According to the Orlando Sentinel it will be $40K, but a news report on TV and an email from Governor Charlie Crist both refer to “doubling the homestead exemption.”
There will be some portability of the Save Our Homes, whether you are trading up or down in the market.
Businesses will now have a $25K exemption on tangible personal property; and,
Businesses and non-homesteaded homeowners will have a 10% annual cap on their tax increases.
For the past six months we’ve been hearing all of this ballyhooing about property tax reform and this is what they are giving us? To most, this will only amount to an approximately $240 savings. Big Deal!! What happened to the supposed roll-back of our tax base to 2004 levels?? Now, that would have been a savings of sorts. But this is going to do very little for most people that are already experiencing a crunch.
To further exasperate the matter in today’s Orlando Sentinel, they are quoting Gov. Crist as stating that “taxpayers ‘should have hope in their hearts because it’s only going to get better and better and better. This is what they want. This is what they deserve.’”
Damn, I would like some of those drugs that he must be doing. OK, just kidding, but you obviously get my point. I can only think that the governor is alluding to the idea that there will be more tax cuts in the future. I think this is bogus. Once a tax cut is voted on and enacted, that is all we are going to see for quite a while. If this is all they can come up with now, do you seriously think that they’ll add to it in the near future? Look what they’ve done with the property insurance crisis, that should give you an idea.
The sad thing is that this will probably pass because people will be willing to settle for a little something than what they may perceive as nothing.
The legislature did do one thing right in that they’ve included portability of your SOH. Yes, this should increase sales in that people will not feel as ‘trapped’ in their homes as they may be now. But this is not enough. Do we demand more?
I have to wonder how much power we have as voters. I apologize if I appear cynical here, but… Yes, we do have the power to elect our officials and even vote them out of office. But what happened to ‘of the people, for the people, by the people.’ Unfortunately, but politics appears to be just another form of Big Business and the pandering to of such.
Look at the data, but distance between and have’s and have not’s is ever so widening. Moreso, then ever before and there is no end in sight of this abating.
Since I’m getting off the topic somewhat… Crist signed his letter ‘May G-d bless you…’ Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe in g-d, but that is neither here nor there. What the heck ever happened to the separation of church & state? More and more we see the two intermingling.
Till next time – Marc It Sold!
