GDP REPORT

2nd quarter 2009                 - 0.7%

3rd quarter 2009                   2.2%

4th quarter 2009                    5.6%

1st quarter 2010                    2.7%

2nd quarter 2010                  1.7%

3rd quarter 2010                   2.6%

4th quarter 2010                   3.1%

1st quarter 2011                   0.4%

2nd quarter 2011                  1.3%

3rd quarter 2011                  1.8%

4rd quarter 2011            Advance Estimate        2.8%

                                      Second Estimate         2/29/12

                                     Third Estimate             3/29/12

By the way, the advance estimate for the 3rd quarter of 2011 was 2.5%. The economy is in a slow painful jobless recovery that will not pick-up real momentum until after the election.

As housing goes …. So goes the economy!

LINKEDIN DAY 5

GAIN CREDIBILITY AS AN EXPERT

LinkedIn is a professional networking site which spans around the world. It is a rolodex of people you do not know but have the ability to connect with. The idea is to illustrate why other professionals want to connect with you. Your approach to LinkedIn and your professionalism will speak volumes. Give rather than get. Become active in groups by posting discussion items. More importantly however is for you to read other posts. Provide expert and insightful input. These posts are on public display. Many professionals overdue their welcome and become self-serving. Stay away from those professionals.

Also, go to the “Answer” section and join in by asking relevant questions and / or providing answers to posted questions.

Action: Select one of your groups and post a discussion item on something of interest to the group. Do not market you or your services! Become a Trusted Advisor! In another group, find a discussion item which you can respond and offer advice. Become a “go-to” professional.

LINKEDIN DAY 4

GATHER & SHOWCASE RECOMMENDATIONS

Review your profile constantly to ensure it is updated and make changes as necessary. Many of your connections follow you and profile changes or updates will show up on their home page. This is a good way to stay linked without a direct contact. Another way for your profile to gain exposure is to recommend other professionals and for your contacts to offer a recommendation for you. This should be a long term process and not just a thought for the day!

Action: This week, ask one of your close connections to provide you with a recommendation. Go to your profile page – upper right you will see a link “Ask for A Recommendation”. You are asking for an endorsement which will appear on your profile. As well as providing a recommendation for a close associate.

LINKEDIN DAY 3

ORGANIZE PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

LinkedIn provides a way to connect with professionals, friends, and co-workers. You can easily invite someone to connect and ask a connection for an invitation to connect to one of their contacts. There is a debate whether to limit your connections to high quality connections or connect to all willing to connect. Since your connections can be put into multiple categories for ease of access, I tend to connect with many professionals.

I have over 1,110 connections and each contact is “tagged” into over 20 different categories. Once you connect, you have the opportunity to initiate networking opportunities. Do not forget your connections and periodically contact your “primary” contacts.

Action: This week, build-up your connections by sending 5 professionals invitations to connect. Also, identify 2 current professional contacts and search their contact list. Ask your contact to invite their contact to connect with you – an “invitation to connect”.

LINKEDIN DAY 2

MANAGE MY PROFESSIONAL BRAND

LinkedIn groups with a professional purpose that match your career goals are much better than other social networking sites. On other sites, you will have to drive people to your group or page. You have the opportunity to voice your thoughts and connect with other members of the group.

Action: On LinkedIn become an ACTIVE member of a group with “like minded” professionals. Join groups with national and local perspectives. Or, if you don’t see a group which reflects your professional niche, start your own group. I started my own group in 2009 and it has over 4,800 members.

A Week of LinkedIn

Are you on LinkedIn? If NOT, why not?

Did you know these recent LinkedIn statistics…?

• 147 Million members worldwide (96.6 Million in North America and Europe)

• More than 2 Million companies have LinkedIn Company Pages

• Executives representing all 2011 Fortune 500 companies have profiles

• Over 40% of members are a Manager, Director, Owner, Chief Officer or Vice President

• 38% of members earn income over $100K

An article on Fox Business recently listed five reasons you should have a LinkedIn profile.

Note – for 2012, I will carry over one of my 2011 goals: Act rather than react. I will add an action item to each reason to join and use LinkedIn.

1. RESEARCH CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Without a question, the ability to find job opportunities on LinkedIn has become easier than any other resource. Some companies will post job openings only on LinkedIn. You have the ability to connect with professionals within the companies that are hiring. Also, the number of professional recruiters on LinkedIn has skyrocketed. You can research the company on LinkedIn and in most cases the leadership will have LinkedIn profiles for your review. The HR manager will most likely be on LinkedIn as well.

Action: Find the company you want to work for on LinkedIn and the employees will be listed that are on LinkedIn. Search the profiles of the employees and join the same groups they are members. Invite strategic employees to connect and patiently network.

Live in a State of Gratitude

86,400 seconds in a day –
How will you use this time today?

Are You An Echo Boomer?

By Pat Riley
President and Chief Operating Officer
Allen Tate Realtors


Do you dream of owning your own home someday? The pundits want us to believe that your generation – born between 1980 and 1995 – are disenchanted with the dream of homeownership. But I, for one, don’t believe it for a moment, although for the first time in history, you’re not leading the charge in the housing recovery.

Here’s what I have heard and think:

You are concerned about education, leisure and people. They are very important to you at this time in your life.

You have more school debt than any generation prior to you.

You are in a very tight job market.

You are taking longer to settle down and plant roots in one place.

You are delaying having children.

You have limited savings and assets.

With all of these things to consider, many of you are waiting to purchase a home – renting now instead of buying. But renting should only be considered temporary. You will want to own a home that appreciates each year. You will want to be able to deduct interest and taxes. And more importantly, you will want a home to call your own.

The pundits have something new to say every day, especially when it comes to the real estate market and the economy, so it’s not surprising that they want to cast a pall over the dream of homeownership for young people who are simply waiting a bit longer than in past years. The notion that you, the “echo boomers,” are “out on homeownership” could not be further from the truth. Your time will come to become a homeowner, for sure.

A First Time Home Buyer Perspective - Part 2

Remember these KEY TRUE facts:

4. They want mobility

In most cases, owning a home provides more ability to move than renting an apartment! Although in a buyer’s market, it may take longer to sell your home, you have the flexibility on the pricing and marketing of your home. With an apartment, you will have a year’s lease which is difficult if not impossible to break.

Over the past decade, homeowners moved very 4-5 years. Mobility is not the issue. A sense of community and establishing family “roots” become overriding factors. Homeowners will move within a community and gravitate to a certain school district, a location or a home style. Owning a home does not restrict your mobility.

In a seller’s market, you can sell your home without difficulties if priced right and in good condition. We sold our home in New Jersey in ONE HOUR!

5. Housing industry is not stable

The housing industry and home prices have always been sensitive to changes in the economy. The previous four recessions (2001, 1989, 1991, and 1973) affected housing prices along with other industries. The great recession of 2006 – 2008 was a direct result of housing issues precipitated by government’s lending and financial practices.

I have worked in the housing industry for a long time and housing always recovered from recessionary forces quickly and home appreciated over the long term. Housing is stable over the long term – just like the economy. You have to hang in there during the roller coaster of the economy.

6. Not willing to accept responsibility of owning a home

Owning a home is more than just a financial decision. Accepting responsibility for yourself, your family and your actions is what drives us. If you do not want to accept responsibility and let government control your life, you shouldn’t buy a home! Rent and let someone else dictate to you what you can and can’t do. OR own a home and be a part of the American Dream.

A First Time Home Buyer Perspective - Part 1

Remember these KEY TRUE facts:

1. Interest rates are at a historic low and history tells us that interest rates will trend up.

The KEY is not to wait for interest rates to increase!

As interest rates increase and if you bought a home with a fixed rate mortgage – your monthly COST WILL NOT increase! Unlike rents which will continue to rise.

As interest rates increase, buying power decreases and you will have to make buying concessions on your home i.e. price, location, features, etc.

We bought a home when we moved from Maryland to Florida and we were lucky at that time with a mortgage at an 18% interest rate!!!!

2. Buyers are waiting for the market to hit bottom

You can’t time the bottom of the market --- on any product or stock.

Can you time the price of gas?

Can you time the price of a car or a flat screen TV?

At least a home will appreciate over time.

Local markets are reacting differently to the economic forces. In North Charlotte, there are many communities which housing prices have already started to trend higher.

This is a buyer’s market --- ample supply at low prices. Sellers are willing to negotiate and even offer closing cost assistance!!

3. Lack of confidence in housing to appreciate in the future

When we moved from Florida to New Jersey, we bought a home and within 2-yrs the price dropped $15,000 (1989 recession). However, 15-yrs later our home appreciated 100%.

If you are buying a house for short term gain, you are an investor and not a homeowner. If you are buying a home for your family and become a valuable citizen of your community, your home will appreciate over time. Most if not all homes increase in price over time. Unlike a car which drops in value once you drive off the car lot, home values will have ups and downs but primarily increase in value over time.

Over 1-Yr Comparison

By comparing inventory in 2010 to late 2011, it would seem the inventory levels have improved significantly. Spring is always an excellent home selling season so I will post inventory numbers to again compare.



Land & Land Owners

I have always said that it is not plastics but LAND! It is all in the land.

Forbes Magazine, March 2011issue listed the top six private landowners in the United States. What do they know that we don’t? Nothing! It is all in the land.

John Malone 2.2 million acres

Ted Turner 2.1 million acres

Red Emmerson 1.72 million acres

Brad Kelley 1.7 million acres

Irving Family 1.2 million acres

Singleton Family 1.1 million acres

Did you know that each of the above listed private land owners own more land area than the area of Rhode Island?

The United States has a total land area of nearly 2.3 billion acres.

Major uses in 2002 were:

Forest-use land, 651 million acres (28.8 percent)

Grassland pasture and range land, 587 million acres (25.9 percent)

Cropland, 442 million acres (19.5 percent)

Special uses (primarily parks and wildlife areas), 297 million acres (13.1 percent)

Miscellaneous other uses, 228 million acres (10.1 percent)

Urban land, 60 million acres (2.6 percent)

Federal and State Governments own about 40% of the 2.3 billion acres and only 2.6% of the land is in urban use. I will try and update the statistics to show you the changes from 2002.

College Football

Social Media - Unwritten Rules?

A post on LinkedIn included the following unwritten rules about social media.

Do you agree or disagree with these rules?

1. Connection does not imply permission

2. Access does not imply entitlement

3. Activity is not productivity

4. More is not better

5. Reciprocation is optional

6. Amplification without accomplishment is futile

7. Engagement without enrichment is not effective

10 REASONS TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL STAGER

Guest Blog By:
Jamie McNeilis
Accredited Staging Professional (ASP)
Managing Member / Owner
Centerpiece Home Staging LLC

10. Staged homes tend to sell for more money.

9. Staged homes sell faster than non-staged.

8. Staging costs a fraction of a price reduction.

7. Staging distinguishes you from the competition.

6. Dated furnishings make the home seem dated.

5. Staging improves online marketing efforts.

4. Staged homes more often appraise for full value.

3. Staging helps buyers see themselves living there.

2. A first impression is a lasting impression.

1. In today's market, you can't afford NOT to stage!

Proud Member:International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP)Charlotte IAHSP Regional Chapter (CIRC) - 2010 Chapter PresidentLake Norman Home Builders Association (LNHBA)Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce View my web site!

www.centerpiecehomestaging.com

Professional Home Staging for a GREAT First Impression!

Personal Note: Jamie staged one of my homes listed in the $500k range and it sold quickly after being on the market for almost 2-yrs. Just like any industry stakeholder, find those professionals that are team members and willing to achieve a goal together. Jamie is creative and is at the top of her profession.

Focus for 2012 - Day 2

4. Schedule your email.

Pick two or three times during the day when you’re going to use your email. Checking your email constantly throughout the day creates a ton of noise and kills your productivity.

5. Use the phone.

Email isn’t meant for conversations. Don’t reply more than twice to an email. Pick up the phone instead.

6. Work on your own agenda.

Don’t let something else set your day. Most people go right to their emails and start freaking out. You will end up at inbox-zero, but accomplish nothing. After you wake up, drink water so you rehydrate, eat a good breakfast to replenish your glucose, then set prioritized goals for the rest of your day.

7. Work in 60 to 90 minute intervals.

Your brain uses up more glucose than any other bodily activity. Typically you will have spent most of it after 60-90 minutes. (That’s why you feel so burned out after super long meetings.) So take a break: Get up, go for a walk, have a snack, do something completely different to recharge. And yes, that means you need an extra hour for breaks, not including lunch, so if you’re required to get eight hours of work done each day, plan to be there for 9.5-10 hours.

Focus for 2012

The following post is from Ilya Pozin @ilyaNeverSleeps

He sat down with Tony Wong, a project management blackbelt whose client list includes Toyota, Honda, and Disney, to name a few. He’s an expert in keeping people on task. Ilya discussed Tony’s tips for 2012 in staying productive:

1. Work backwards from goals to milestones to tasks.

Writing “launch company website” at the top of your to-do list is a sure way to make sure you never get it done. Break down the work into smaller and smaller chunks until you have specific tasks that can be accomplished in a few hours or less: Sketch a wireframe, outline an introduction for the homepage video, etc. That’s how you set goals and actually succeed in crossing them off your list.

2. Stop multi-tasking.

No, seriously—stop. Switching from task to task quickly does not work. In fact, changing tasks more than 10 times in a day makes you dumber than being stoned. When you’re stoned, your IQ drops by five points. When you multitask, it drops by an average of 10 points, 15 for men, five for women (yes, men are three times as bad at multitasking than women).

3. Be militant about eliminating distractions.

Lock your door, put a sign up, turn off your phone, texts, email, and instant messaging. In fact, if you know you may sneak a peek at your email, set it to offline mode, or even turn off your Internet connection. Go to a quiet area and focus on completing one task.