It wasn't enough to be Sherman Oaks adjacent?!

Incredible! A rather large area of Van Nuys is about to become; ta!da! Sherman Oaks! Yes sports fans, in an effort to reduce the lower valued area, they've now created many more higher value homes. What's in a name? Obviously money. I'm sure the reviewers of this decision will split equally. Those Sherman Oaks agents who now see a dilution of their higher valued homes and those Van Nuys agents who are looking at property movin' on up.

The city is the true broker here. They'll get their share no matter how this actually plays out.

It wasn't enough to be Sherman Oaks adjacent?!

The Power of an Idea!

And the beat goes on..and so do the layoffs. Yes, predictions are that it will get worse before it gets better. OK, I'll buy that. So times are tough and people are out of work, or at least paid work.

Does anyone else see the silver lining out there? All across the economic spectrum there are a great many talented, self motivated people out there with a lot of free time on their hands. Sure, a lot of them will wait it out, send out a few resumes and collect their unemployment.

But wait! In garages, workshops and at computers all across this great land, there's a discernible buzz. Wheels are turning, lights are flashing and innovation is, well innovating. These are smart people, talented people who didn't have the time or motivation to do something about something. Now they can, now they will!

I believe that in the next year, we will begin to see more innovation and creativity than we have in the last decade. Oh the power of an idea! It's always been about small business. That's where it always begins; it will be no different this time.

So, don't expect our country, with so many talented people, to just float along with the breeze.

We have set sail on a new tomorrow, full of promise and excitement. Raise the anchor and full speed ahead!

"Is this a dagger I see before me?"

Anyone else out there experiencing the "revenge of the appraisers"; sucking the lifeblood out of home values, all at a time when we can least afford to donate. Have you heard about HVCC? it ain't no heating or air conditioning system. Rather, what we have here is a now over-regulated system that ties the hands of our dear friends, the appraiser and yields withered values that frequently scuttle our hard fought escrows/contracts. It appears that the New York State Deputy Attorney-General's office helped craft this travesty that usurps our core belief that the buyer and seller have agreed on the price for a home. Here comes the Spanish Inquisition that now has the power to give a thumbs up or down to any deal based on such restricted guidelines that it sacrifices price accuracy for political expediency. How can we expect a broad base recovery if only one side of the market is working. I'm referring to foreclosures, reo and short sales. I know many agents are making out like bandits (excuse the expression) while the vast majority of us who work on more traditional sales are being staked though the heart like a dagger. The pendulum has now swung to its extreme again from too easy to too hard. I'm just looking for the middle of the road. Is that stage left or right? I'm just looking for a new direction!