Where Have I Been?

I know, it has been too long since I posted anything, and I realize that I may have lost a few readers due to my absence. Conveniently my return matches the return from the Writers Strike, which means that not only am I competing with all the other Loan Officers in the world, I am also competing with New TV!

To those who emailed wondering where I was, thanks for noticing. For those who thought I had just given up or moved on, you couldn’t be more wrong. So, here is the truth: I took about a month off to spend with Family over the Holidays. When I returned I had quite a bit to catch up on. In addition, I have been traveling and speaking regularly for the past 4 months.

I have been traveling with a seminar company which has sent me all over the country. In the past few months I have spoken to thousands of people in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, West Virginia, Florida (twice) and Indiana. I have discovered what I already knew and have mentioned here before: We have it good in Utah. Everywhere I go I see people who have economic concerns that most of us are not yet experiencing. The housing markets in most of these places have suffered greatly and these people are wondering what to do and how to rebound from some of the major financial losses they are experiencing.

The housing marketing in Utah has slowed, but we are nowhere near where most of these other states are sitting. Yes we have an overabundance of inventory to deal with, and yes construction costs are making new homes more expensive, and yes interest rates have not exactly been helpful to many home owners, but we are still in a pretty good position.

That being said, we have places to improve. It is my view that we need to be moving toward a more conservative approach to our housing. The days of fast upgrades to neighborhoods and homes have past, equity is dwindling away with our lack of personal savings.

Over the next few weeks I plan on sharing some insights I have gained regarding the economic situations facing each of us. My hope is to use Home Ownership as a way of framing my thoughts—since for most of us our homes are our biggest asset and our biggest liability. Bottom line, if you have not yet started to save more, pay less, and eliminate debt you are staring down the barrel of a financial cannon waiting to go off. I have seen it throughout the country and I honestly believe it is coming our way.

So, check back often—probably not every day, but at least a few times per week to see what I have to say!