"We ought not to fight them at all unless we determine to fight them forever." John Adams, speaking to President Jefferson regarding the potential invasion of Tripoli in response to their piracy activities.
Before I Talk To You About the Serious Stuff.......I thought you might enjoy seeing the eight pound catfish my friend caught when he came up to visit yesterday. He's been my friend for almost 40 years so I wasn't jealous of his good luck. Besides, I was glad I didn't have to clean the thing.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same. We had to fight for our country 200+ years ago and we have to do it again periodically. Looks like John Adams was correct when he made the statement above. I have recently spent a lot of time reading history, something I should have been more diligent about 50 years ago. One thing that comes to mind is that, whatever we are fighting about, there will always be part of the population who prefers to do whatever is necessary to preserve the peace. In revolutionary times, there were the Tories who didn't want to break from England. In the civil war, there were the "Copperheads" who were willing to leave slavery intact to avoid war. Many of us still remember the "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" crowd who didn't believe in the Viet Nam war. Now there is the Iraq war and the war on terror and the usual group of protesters who think we should back off. I won't say that the protesters are always wrong, but neither are they always right. The one thing that seems obvious is that there will always be wars and there will always be those who don't support them.
Now That I Am Off My Soap Box.......I'll tell you the main reason I am making this post only a few days after the last one. I believe there are tremendous opportunities in the residential real estate market. The combination of low prices and artificially low mortgage rates make home ownership more affordable than it has been for some time. I'm talking about true affordability, not the artificial kind of the past 5 years. This probably presents more of an opportunity for the younger generation but what can be better than the opportunity to buy your own home at a reduced price and finance it at very low interest rates. If you haven't owned a home for three years, there is a $7,500 tax credit which makes the opportunity even more attractive.
There is Something For The Older Generation Too. If your home isn't paid for and you have a rate in excess of 6%, pick up your phone and dial our office to see if it makes sense to refinance your current mortgage at current levels. This is especially true of you have any kind of adjustable mortgage. It is no longer worth the risk to continue these obligations. Those of you who have followed my writing for a number of years know that I am always reluctant to claim exceptional insight into the future direction of the financial markets, including mortgage rates. I will step outside of that box and tell you that I believe there is a strong probability that, because of huge government spending increases, there is a strong probability that rates may reach unheard of high levels in the future. If I am right, the upside of refinancing is that you will be locked in at a very low rate for the remainder of your ownership period. Even if I am wrong, the downside is that you invest a few dollars as an insurance policy against future increases. I believe it is important to make your move now. To procrastinate may mean missing out on an opportunity you won't see again for many years.
Looking Forward To Next Week. I have already scheduled some appointments for next week. Although Susan chastised me for having folks call her without telling her my schedule, it is still better to contact her because she always knows how to find me, something that isn't always easy to do.
Before I Talk To You About the Serious Stuff.......I thought you might enjoy seeing the eight pound catfish my friend caught when he came up to visit yesterday. He's been my friend for almost 40 years so I wasn't jealous of his good luck. Besides, I was glad I didn't have to clean the thing.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same. We had to fight for our country 200+ years ago and we have to do it again periodically. Looks like John Adams was correct when he made the statement above. I have recently spent a lot of time reading history, something I should have been more diligent about 50 years ago. One thing that comes to mind is that, whatever we are fighting about, there will always be part of the population who prefers to do whatever is necessary to preserve the peace. In revolutionary times, there were the Tories who didn't want to break from England. In the civil war, there were the "Copperheads" who were willing to leave slavery intact to avoid war. Many of us still remember the "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" crowd who didn't believe in the Viet Nam war. Now there is the Iraq war and the war on terror and the usual group of protesters who think we should back off. I won't say that the protesters are always wrong, but neither are they always right. The one thing that seems obvious is that there will always be wars and there will always be those who don't support them.
Now That I Am Off My Soap Box.......I'll tell you the main reason I am making this post only a few days after the last one. I believe there are tremendous opportunities in the residential real estate market. The combination of low prices and artificially low mortgage rates make home ownership more affordable than it has been for some time. I'm talking about true affordability, not the artificial kind of the past 5 years. This probably presents more of an opportunity for the younger generation but what can be better than the opportunity to buy your own home at a reduced price and finance it at very low interest rates. If you haven't owned a home for three years, there is a $7,500 tax credit which makes the opportunity even more attractive.
There is Something For The Older Generation Too. If your home isn't paid for and you have a rate in excess of 6%, pick up your phone and dial our office to see if it makes sense to refinance your current mortgage at current levels. This is especially true of you have any kind of adjustable mortgage. It is no longer worth the risk to continue these obligations. Those of you who have followed my writing for a number of years know that I am always reluctant to claim exceptional insight into the future direction of the financial markets, including mortgage rates. I will step outside of that box and tell you that I believe there is a strong probability that, because of huge government spending increases, there is a strong probability that rates may reach unheard of high levels in the future. If I am right, the upside of refinancing is that you will be locked in at a very low rate for the remainder of your ownership period. Even if I am wrong, the downside is that you invest a few dollars as an insurance policy against future increases. I believe it is important to make your move now. To procrastinate may mean missing out on an opportunity you won't see again for many years.
Looking Forward To Next Week. I have already scheduled some appointments for next week. Although Susan chastised me for having folks call her without telling her my schedule, it is still better to contact her because she always knows how to find me, something that isn't always easy to do.
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