Real Estate in the 21st Century

March 20, 2009 - Cancer Services 7th Annual Benefit "Wrapped Up in Ribbons"  beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Embassy Suites
Grand Pavilion Ballroom.  At the Benefit, you will find fantastic silent and live items for bid, games to play, and food and drink to enjoy for only $50.00 a ticket.and know that you are helping local cancer survivors as 100% of proceeds remain in our community.  To reserve your ticket or for additional information, please contact Cancer Services at (336) 760-9983.

With 15+ years in the business, licensed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and the North Carolina General Contracting Board.  Certified Mortgage Consultant, E-Pro.  We provide the most comprehensive service set in the industry.  We can help with selling your current property, finding the new one, or build your dream home.  You save with each service you use, it reduces stress in a very stressful situation and our satisfaction guarantee is second to none.

Link to my sites!

Yadkin County Real Estate, North Carolina Real Estate

Home Realty Group

For New Construction and Remodels

White Oak Custom Homes

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Yadkin Valley Now!

March 21, 2009 - Yadkin Valley Wine & Art Tour Visit the Yadkin Arts Council to view works in progress by watercolorists, oil painters and photographers and sample wines of Benny Parson's Rendezvous Ridge Vineyard and Laurel Gray Vineyards. Across the street at Allison Oaks, enjoy wine and view five artists at work. Visit Flint Hill, Hanover Park or Laurel Gray for more art and wine! The wine & art tour will be held from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at each location.  Contact Yadkin Arts Council for more information at (336) 679-2941.

With 15+ years in the business, licensed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and the North Carolina General Contracting Board.  Certified Mortgage Consultant, E-Pro.  We provide the most comprehensive service set in the industry.  We can help with selling your current property, finding the new one, or build your dream home.  You save with each service you use, it reduces stress in a very stressful situation and our satisfaction guarantee is second to none.

Link to my sites!

Yadkin County Real Estate, North Carolina Real Estate

Home Realty Group

For New Construction and Remodels

White Oak Custom Homes

News, Events, Classifieds and more

Yadkin Valley Now!

 March 22, 2009 - Yadkin Valley Bridal Fair & Fashion Show, sponsored by Southern Bride & The Branch Bakery! The bridal fair will be held from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Allison Oaks Tasting Room located at 221 East Main Street in Yadkinville.  See the latest bridal fashions, wedding cake & food samples, wine tasting, door prizes and free goodie bags for brides.  Please contact Southern Bride at (336) 679-2005, The Branch Bakery at (336) 677-1235 for more information.   

With 15+ years in the business, licensed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and the North Carolina General Contracting Board.  Certified Mortgage Consultant, E-Pro.  We provide the most comprehensive service set in the industry.  We can help with selling your current property, finding the new one, or build your dream home.  You save with each service you use, it reduces stress in a very stressful situation and our satisfaction guarantee is second to none.

Link to my sites!

Yadkin County Real Estate, North Carolina Real Estate

Home Realty Group

For New Construction and Remodels

White Oak Custom Homes

News, Events, Classifieds and more from the Yadkin Valley

Yadkin Valley Now!

March 30, 2009 -  American Red Cross Blood Drive from 2:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at Hoots Memorial Hospital.  Please visit www.nwnc-redcross.org for more details or contact Hoots Memorial Hospital at (336) 679-2041.

With 15+ years in the business, licensed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and the North Carolina General Contracting Board.  Certified Mortgage Consultant, E-Pro.  We provide the most comprehensive service set in the industry.  We can help with selling your current property, finding the new one, or build your dream home.  You save with each service you use, it reduces stress in a very stressful situation and our satisfaction guarantee is second to none.

Link to my site!

Yadkin County Real Estate, North Carolina Real Estate

Home Realty Group

For New Construction and Remodels

White Oak Custom Homes

We all seem to want to think that we have it tough in this world, jobs going away, money problems, it never seems to end.  But think about the ones before us.  My mom is 80 years old.  She worked in a factory for just a few dollars an hour and raised four kids.  She has lived through world wars, famine, hard times and more.  

She also found the time to make sure my family had a meal to come home to each day.  She pushed us in school, all of us graduated with two of us with college degrees.  There wasn't 401-k money or large bonuses but we made it through. 

She found the time and money to make sure I had sneakers and a glove to play sports with.  Many times my friends fogged up the car with our sweat after practice.  But she never said a word.  Just continued to push and clean my dirty white socks so that they would be available the next day if needed.   She was there when I needed a few dollars in college and even let me come home to live after school for awhile.

My father has passed on and she continues to work at living.  Late last year she had a major medical setback, She was in the intensive care ward for 4 months, confounding doctors who told us to say goodbye to our mom.  She is now on another mission.  She is in a vent unit approx. an hour and a half away from home and only gets to see us on weekends.  Does she complain?  Some, but expects to be home in a month or so.

I can't tell you enough about the strength and courage that she has.  Her faith is strong.

So as we go through our days and think about our problems, remember to thank those before us and marvel at their abilities to get through tough times.  We all have it in our genes!

Yesterday, I finally admitted that I was in trouble.  I have been advertising my wares for years the same way, ads on television, in newsprint and even sometimes sponsoring  local athletic groups.  I have new computers, transportation and even a new cellphone that allows me to be in contact with the world 24/7.  But I can't sell a thing.  The general public thinks that the price of homes are too high, they can't get financing and literally wouldn't buy if the price was cut by 50%.   I will probably have to let go my marketing assistant and my personal secretary.   After that, I will lay off my buyers agents and maybe even sell some of my resources that I need to stay in business.

My employees are going to be mad.  They think that since I have the new car, big house and all, that I should have to keep them employed regardless of my expenses.   I know, I agreed to keep them on all this year, but I am at my limit.  What should I do?

This is just an illustration of what Realtors and others in the business have been facing for not just the last few months, but some for the last two years.   And of course, most of my peers do not advertise on TV so that is an exaggeration.   But most of us have advertised in print, many of us sponsor our local athletic groups or charities and if you were successful, you probably did buy new technology to help with your business.

This  is no different from the auto makers.  They have done many of the above items to stay on top.  But what differs with them and the hundreds of thousands of agent/owners of real estate shops across the land is that we cannot go to Washington hat in hand.   

I have no sympathy for those that get to play by a different set of rules.  So, be gone big three, good riddance.  For those auto workers making $80.00 an hour, there are thousands of openings in real estate for you.  See if you can make do with less as we have for awhile.

Walkertown's town council voted to prohibit graffiti on public buildings even though no buildings have been defaced and they may even lack the ability to enforce the resolution.  There are current laws in force from the county that would apply in these situations and it was an example of elected officials doing something just for the appearance of their actions to the public.   We have thousands of laws currently not being enforced and one more will not make the world a better place.   The public deserved better.   Additionally, the council voted to give $500.00 to the Walkertown Wolfpack Cheerleading squad to help pay for expenses for a competition in Florida.  The organizers had asked for over $12,000 and last year asked for $8,000 for the same type of competition.  The money, $500.00, may not seem like much, but exactly who benefits from the expenditure?  This a perfect example of abuse of power by our elected officials.  From giving companies tax breaks to relocate to an area at the expense of existing businesses to now cheerleading competitions, where will it end.

For real estate in the Yadkin Valley, http://www.yadkincountyrealestate.com and http://www.hrgproperties.com

For new construction, http://www.whiteoakcustomhomes.com

For news of local interest, http://www.yadkinvalleynow.com 

The stock market rose 494 points Friday supposedly because of president-elect Obama's choice for Treasury secretary.  Timothy Geithner, currently the president of the New York Federal Reserve was tapped to take over for current Treasury head Henry Paulson when Obama takes office next year.  Geinthner is posed to take a position that has been in the news lately, especially on dissatisfaction of the way Paulson has handled the bailout program.   With the markets in free fall, banks have not used the bail out money in the way the TARP was conceived, rather they have used the money to shore up their balance sheets and even buy distressed rivals. 

It seems that unless the new Treasury head is under a different set of rules than the current one, we may continue to see the same type of bailouts going forward.  Be concerned, it's your money.

For real estate in the Yadkin Valley, http://www.yadkincountyrealestate.com and http://www.hrgproperties.com

For new construction, http://www.whiteoakcustomhomes.com

For news of local interest, http://www.yadkinvalleynow.com 

Citigroup, one of the largest banks in the world and recipient of at least $25 billion from the TARP, saw it's shares sink to record lows with the market slashing it's price to under $4.00.  Fears of huge loan losses that have not been written off its books caused the stock price to drop by over 50% last week.  Investors were concerned that the liquidity of the bank is in question and that the government make create a takeover of the company that would wipe out common shareholders.  Since there are few companies that  could absorb the huge banking giant, the government is sinking further into nationalization of our banking industry.  These types of actions only delay the effects of free market actions by protecting troubled companies at the expense of companies that have shown better management.   It further delays inevitable bottom of the market which will continue to be buffeted by wild swings.   The average investor is getting hammered because of this type of interference by the government.  It is time for the government to focus its attention on the citizens of the US instead of protecting the people who got us into this mess.

For real estate in the Yadkin Valley, http://www.yadkincountyrealestate.com and http://www.hrgproperties.com

For new construction, http://www.whiteoakcustomhomes.com

For news of local interest, http://www.yadkinvalleynow.com 

Finally, we are getting there.  The stock market dropped close to 500 points yesterday to close at multi year lows.  Now down 19% month to date, this is shaping up to be one of the worst months on record.  Fear is in the market and sellers out number buyers by huge numbers. 

But there is a silver lining.  The governments around the world have pumped trillions of dollars into the system and it will began to take effect soon.  The best thing that is happening though is the lack of government intervention.  Since the interventions have stopped, the markets, left own their own have responded in the way they were designed to work.  Citigroup, one of our big money center banks saw their shares fall below $5.00 yesterday.  This prompted forced selling by mutual funds that had been hold the beleaguered companies stock when it was known over 6 months ago that the bank was in trouble.  Now, the company must look to private sources for capital, a partner or bankruptcy.  Again, with no intervention, the speed at which this happens is accelerated, not delayed.  This is playing out with many stocks.  Logically, then we are getting close to a bottom, one that cannot be reached with the government picking and choosing recipients of TARP money in a haphazard way. 

Stay away from thebanks, many will fail, their deposits will then go to other banks and shore up their accounts.  Let the big 3 automakers become 2 or less and the domestic production of automobiles will fall to a more profitable level. 

Will there be more pain. Absolutely!  But even the worst pain goes away when the correct medicine is applied.

For real estate in the Yadkin Valley,  http://www.hrgproperties.com.com or http://www.yadkincountyrealestate.com

For new construction, http://www.whiteoakcustomhomes.com

For breaking news across the valley, http://iwww.yadkinvalleynow.com