I am certainly biased in favor of real estate investment. I use the
word bias here according to the definition: "a concentration on or
interest in one particular area or subject." My bias comes from thirty-
nine years experience buying and selling investment properties,
helping buyers buy (my greatest pleasure was helping young couples buy
their first home), helping owners sell, running a real estate office,
researching and writing three editions of a real estate-oriented book,
again selling homes, and continuing to research and write about real
estate matters. I have purchased, improved, held and sold many homes;
at about the ten-year point in my real estate career I calculated that
I had made more income from that enterprise than from sales commissions.
I have lived through fast markets and slow markets and up markets and
down markets. California, where I did most of my real estate work, has
experienced every kind of real estate condition, many ups and downs
over the last four decades. I was born after the Great Depression but
I have read about it. Conditions then were far worse than they are now.
The current real estate market slowdown, thanks to the Internet, has
an unlimited number of statisticians, journalists and prognosticators
eager to gain attention. Cheerleaders and doomsayers, each with their
own bias, each with their own paycheck to earn. Choose your expert. I
see this debate similar to the global warming question. One can easily
find "experts" on all sides of the issue. To what avail? As with all
challenges, I see the issue as an opportunity to live more
intelligently.
The only dog I have in this fight, the questions about the current
real estate adjustment period, is this Phoenix house that Chris and I
bought in 2003 as a place to live but primarily as an investment. I
will do as I have always done, wait to sell when I can make my desired
profit. That may be one year or ten years. I have no doubt that, as I
have always experienced, it will have been a good investment.
From genegerue AT ruralize.com Fri Jan 25 11:00:05 2008
Return-Path: <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
X-Original-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix, from userid 3002)
id 23A804C01E; Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:00:05 -0500 (EST)
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on malecky
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=disabled
version=3.2.3
Received: from fed1rmmtao107.cox.net (fed1rmmtao107.cox.net [68.230.241.39])
by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 49ABC4C01E
for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:59:59 -0500
(EST)
Received: from fed1rmimpo02.cox.net ([70.169.32.72]) by fed1rmmtao107.cox.net
(InterMail vM.7.08.02.01 201-2186-121-102-20070209) with ESMTP
id <20080125155959.AZS2125.fed1rmmtao107.cox.net AT fed1rmimpo02.cox.net>
for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:59:59 -0500
Received: from [192.168.1.100] ([68.3.166.143])
by fed1rmimpo02.cox.net with bizsmtp
id hU081Y00b35xWUL0000000; Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:00:08 -0500
Message-Id: <E184EF02-130A-4465-82A5-BEA169A8FFEF AT ruralize.com>
From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
In-Reply-To: <DF305181-893E-4496-A91E-71D477DB5AA7 AT ruralize.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v915)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:59:58 -0700
References: <cdc.20b3c685.34ca832c AT wmconnect.com>
<DF305181-893E-4496-A91E-71D477DB5AA7 AT ruralize.com>
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.915)
Subject: Re: [Homestead] My real estate bias
X-BeenThere: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
Reply-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
List-Id: <homestead.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
<mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead>
List-Post: <mailto:homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
<mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:00:05 -0000
As is typical in my writing, I wish I had added something to my last
post. This paragraph:
The 130 acres that Chris and I call Heartwood is a different kind of
investment. There, we have peace and quiet surrounded by nature. There
we can grow food and fuel. I can express my passion for design and
construction. Our grandsons can build a treehouse. As humble as the
house now is, it is a family heritage property, a legacy for our
grandchildren and theirs. I cannot argue with my brother, who during a
long hike there said, "This is the best thing you've ever done."
Re: [Homestead] Rural Land Prices and Conditions
, (continued)