I’ll be surprised if there’s not a significant theme of thankfulness running through Serenity magazine this month. There always is. Please don’t write one word of it off as trite, but instead, take it profoundly to heart, as gratitude is the single greatest non-medical preventer of anxiety, depression and despair, bar none. This is a good year to invoke all the assistance of that nature available.
It’s worth noting that most of what’s being written this month will have been written before election day and, with the election as tight as it is, nobody gets to gloat yet, or in the alternative fall into some emotional devastation over the outcome (except the publisher and editor, who rightfully always have the last word prior to press). And if you fall into either of those categories, may I suggest you get a good psychologist on speed dial because you’ll need a gratitude adjustment to productively get on with your life. I’m not trying to be judgmental, but having been through many presidential elections, and being a fan of American history, I can tell you with confidence that no matter who gets elected, this country will survive. And we’ll continue to make constructive adjustments in leadership and governance every two years so we don’t drive off a cliff no matter
who gets the wheel for a while.
What does that have to do with real estate? Everything! Thank Goodness that owning real estate is within reach for a majority of working Americans. And that will remain the case under President (fill in the blank). The ease with which that occurs, and the benefits and risks derived therein have evolved over time and will continue to evolve; and I can tell you that the National Association of REALTORS®—1.4 million members strong—will fight tooth and nail in Washington D.C. and in every state legislature to be certain that the benefits of owning a home or investment property is optimized and the ease of entry is as great as possible. All demographics are benefiting from homeownership and many businesses and investors, large and small, are doing the same. This equates to equity, and in the case of investment real estate, also income that provides significant retirement security, college funds, and additional investment opportunity not available to normal folk in most of the world. If you personally experience an obstacle, my email address is above. Write me your situation and I’ll respond with the solution to overcome any obstacle as quickly as possible. It may be simple and it may not, but if it’s important, you should know the way.
Secondly, the low interest rates that became available during the recovery from the Great Recession 10 years ago have remained much longer than expected, helping to fuel a tremendous economic expansion that’s affected not just real estate, but jobs, incomes and 401Ks for all of those with eggs in that basket. And yes, there came coronavirus. We all know this SHALL pass, albeit not fast enough. But Thank Goodness and God Bless America there remains every indication that for the foreseeable future, regardless (can you believe that Merriam-Webster made “irregardless” a legitimate word in 2020? Well, believe it, because… 2020) of who is in the White House and Congress for the next two and four years, respectively, interest rates will remain low a while longer. I am no economist, but my only fear is if Uncle Sam lets the currency printing press run much amuck, inflation will grab and those rates will go away for decades to come. You have to be over 50 to remember when mortgage rates were over 16 percent! I never, ever, ever thought I’d see interest rates under 6 percent, let alone under 3 percent. To me, this feels like free money!
Thank Goodness and God Bless America that every two years we get to reset Congress and every four years the Presidency so we, the voters, get to set our government straight. Now, if only term limits could be passed for Congress, AND if we all could agree on more fundamental things… but I digress.
Clearly, we all have a great deal more to be grateful for, like that so many are surviving this damned epidemic with relative ease and comfort (on the couch with Netflix and smartphones) and have the incredible medical knowledge and technology to put it down. I’m not ignoring the many who have suffered
job loss and business loss and the hardship that comes with that, but I am optimistic that will turn around in 2021 under President (fillin-the-blank). And we should be infinitely grateful that we live in a free nation, notwithstanding our differences, in the most prosperous time in world history. So, let us keep our focus first on that which we have to be grateful for and then on that to which we must be diligently conscious of protecting, sustaining and always improving.
Happy Homes and Happy Thanksgiving from our “Home” Team to yours.