GDP REPORT

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         3.0%

1st Quarter 2012        1.9%
2nd quarter 2012 Advance Estimate 1.5%
Second Estimate                             1.7%
2nd quarter 2012                                          1.3%

Are You Better Off Today than you Were in 2010?

As housing goes …. So goes the economy!

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Depressed?

Unknown source

Over five thousand years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel , "Pick

up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the

Promised Land."


Nearly 75 years ago, (when Welfare was introduced) Roosevelt said, "Lay down

your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a Camel, this is the Promised

Land."


Today, Congress has stolen your shovel, taxed your asses, raised the price

of Camels and mortgaged the Promised Land!


I was so depressed last night thinking about Health Care Plans, the economy,

the wars, lost jobs, savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc .... I

called a Suicide Hotline.


I had to press 1 for English.

I was connected to a call center in Pakistan . I told them I was suicidal.

They got excited and asked if I could drive a truck......

Printing More Money

What do you think will happen as the Fed prints more money ------- on a monthly basis?

Do you really think pumping money into the system will cause banks to act?

Do you think inflation will be a huge problem in the near future?

Next week, I will provide some information that will clearly show the problem with our economy.

Anyway................................

WAKE UP AMERICA!



RNC & DNC Words

Source: NY Times

Just in Case We Become More like Europe – Be Prepared

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English". In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publikenthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f".. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter. In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vordskontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi TU understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru. Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas. If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl...

Civil War II

The civil was our internal struggle pitting state against state and brother against brother.

I believe we may be entering a second civil war depending on the November election results. However, you can see the start of this war by class warfare dividing us philosophically.

It just seems to me that Obama supporters are not willing to open their eyes to the facts nor have an open mind to alternatives. The debate and discourse is ramping up on news shows where civilized debates turn quickly into arguments and personal attacks. This discourse will only get worse and has infiltrated our homes.

Civil War II has already started and is pitting brother against brother and family against family. This war is a war of words but the very essence of our freedom is definitely being jeopardized ………………and why can’t ALL Americans recognize this fact????

We can’t let either political party through their ideology and policies divide us. A divided house will not stand.

The Gettysburg Address

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
November 19, 1863

President Abraham Lincoln ………………… that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

40 DAYS OF DEVOTIONAL PRAYER DAY 28

There is nothing too much more powerful than a well-told lie. Individuals can find their lives spinning out of control because they believe something untrue about themselves or someone close to them. We're all aware of how that can happen to a nation when we look back at the propaganda ministry of Nazi Germany and the deception that filled a country. It doesn't surprise us that Jesus called Satan a liar.

The one thing that is more powerful than the lie, though, is the truth, clearly and forcefully stated. It is truth that sets us free and keeps us free. That is true spiritually, and certainly is true for a nation. When we receive the truth, both about our own sinfulness as well as God's great love for us expressed through Jesus Christ, we are set free. We must continue to hold to this great truth all of our life.

A nation must believe truth as well. The authors of our Declaration of Independence appealed to certain self-evident truths. A love of truth is seen as essential to our rights and liberty. In these days, it seems that truth often takes a backseat to partisan bickering and positioning. Those who pray for the nation must learn to love truth and pray for it to come forth in power.

PRAYER POINTS

Pray for truth to become valued again in American society.

Pray specifically for truth to be an established standard among all new and existing reporting outlets.

Pray for a love for God's truth to grow in the church.

MY PRAYER

I thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are the Truth! And it is You, the Truth, that sets men free. Thank You for the freedom we have in You. I thank You that so many of our founding fathers in this nation understood that freedom ultimately is a gift from You and therefore is dependent upon Your truth. Please restore truth to our nation. Help us to quit believing lies. Lord, expose lies! Bring a fresh love for truth to those who report the news. Give discernment to those who watch, listen, or read the news, so that truth might always prevail.

Newspaper Editorial Endorsements

Do you remember when voters waited for the editorial endorsement by major national newspapers and your local paper? The NY Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal have an audience that hangs on……… when is the last time you read any of these newspapers? And, the Charlotte Observer still considers its endorsement as a persuasive forum in our everyday life.

Please take notice newspapers, “experts” and political gurus, we think for ourselves, we do our own homework and we do not want to silence your opinion but your objectivity is in question. I seriously doubt your forum will be in existence very much longer regardless of the election outcome. One path will cause your demise quicker than the other. One way will be through government regulations and the other will be through the freedoms of the American citizen.

The greatest generation was made of heroes and their patriotism second to none. They read newspaper editorials and listened to Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Chet Huntley, John Charles Daly. They respected their reporting. They were a loyal audience. They didn’t switch from station to station. Now it is different and not for the better!

Can you even name the major news anchors on TV today?

When was the last time a major news story was reported on objectively?

Who is telling you the truth?

Who do you trust?

Who do you respect?

When you question the objectivity of a news report, do you question their motives from that point on?

We need to do our own homework.

We can’t rely on the national main stream news media to provide us with the truth. We are fortunate now to have alternative news sources rather than the greatest generation having only CBS, NBC, and ABC to choose from.

North Carolina Status

The source for this information is the St. Louis Fed and their website has a great interactive map to evaluate statistics by state.

                                                    2010                            2012

Home ownership Rate                   69.5%                         68.3%

Per Capita Personal Income         $35,007                        $36,164

Note: this is about a 1.6% increase per year. The personal income is basically keeping up with inflation. Remember that inflation is very low because food and energy costs are not included.

Construction Employment                    (July of each year)

2008                  236,000

2010                  180,700

2012                  174,300 ( A quarter of the workforce has been lost since 2008)

When the real estate development industry starts to pick up momentum, where will the labor come from?

Unemployment Rate by state

FOOD STAMPS

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal Food Stamp Program.

Eligibility into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (FOOD STAMPS) households must meet certain criteria, including resources and income tests:

Resources
Income
Deductions
Employment Requirements
Special Rules for elderly or disabled
Immigrant Eligibility


From 2010 to 2011, the average participation in the food stamp program increased by 11%.

                                                Number of citizens
                                          in the Food Stamp Program

2008                                                  28,223,000

2009                                                  33,490,000

2010                                                  40,302,000

2011                                                  44,709,000



Income Requirements:

Household Size                     Gross Monthly                  Net Monthly
                                                Income                           Income

1                                              $1,180                                $980

2                                              $1,594                               $1,226

3                                              $2,008                               $1,545

4                                              $2,422                               $1,863

Citizens receiving food stamps went from 28,223,000 to 44,709,000 in 3 years ------ really?????

WAKE UP AMERICA

Military Budget

Gas Prices

Do you ever remember gas being this high at this time of year?
Is it a supply issue or is it a demand issue? I am guessing it is a demand problem. Being so dependent on cars, the monthly cost for energy will erode any family financial gains.
What about fuel oil costs in the northeast this year?
I am an optimist but I can still run out of patience. After all, congress is back from a 6-wk summer vacation and they have to pass a temporary budget since a budget has not passed the Senate in 4-yrs. This takes their attention away from the problems facing all of us everyday.

Wake Up America

Are YOU Better off NOW than YOU were 2-yrs Ago?

Now that the political conventions are over, it is important for us all to concentrate on the upcoming election. I believe the question “Are you better off today than 4-yrs ago?” should be revised to a shorter time frame ----

Are you better off today than you were 2-yrs ago?

Regardless of your circumstance, let’s consider the nation as a whole and review some statistics. Obviously, I am not a researcher. I am using data found on the internet.


                                                                            2010                                          2012

Employment to population Ratio                58.5% (3/10)                               58.5% (3/12)

I am not an economist nor am I an expert on anything but the ratio is the same over the past two years!! Unless I am wrong, jobs being added match the net increase in the employed population. The unemployed number will not decrease until more jobs are added.


Median Income                                                $49,445                                    $50,020

National Debt as Percentage of GDP             86.4% (1/10)                         101.7% (6/12)

Inflation Rate                                                  1.24% 97/10)                         1.41% (7/12)

Note: remember the inflation rate does not include food and energy costs

Median price of Ex. Homes                                $177,900                               $171,250

Gas / gal                                                            $2.68 (9/10)                           $3.78 (9/12)

Ground Beef/ lbs                                                   $2.49                                     $3.08

You have to draw your own conclusions.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Top 10 Reasons Home Buyers Prefer New Homes vs. Used

Article from Builderonline.com
By Jay McKenzie
Jay McKenzie heads up content and social media for NewHomeSource.com.

Today's new homes offer more benefits than ever before. Here's a quick list of the Top 10 Reasons why so many home buyers prefer new homes to used houses:

6) Low Maintenance: New cars today are computer-designed and computer-equipped and they perform far more reliably than a 10 or 20 year old car. Homes are the same. Today's new homes not only have open floorplans and high ceilings to reflect the way we live today, they're also made of state-of-the-art building products that require less care and maintenance.

7) Community Amenities: Many new homes are built in lavish, Master-Planned Communities with state of the art Community Centers, Pools and Clubhouses. Many new home communities feature hiking trails, protected open lands, and some of the best new schools and shopping nearby or even within your new home community.

8) Advanced Technology and Design: It's possible to replace all of the single-pane windows in a resale home with state of the art high performance windows. It's also possible to add insulation to a used home. However, it is very expensive to replace out of date appliances, cabinets and counter-tops in that used home. And it's simply not realistic to dream of high ceilings on the first floor of a 10 year old two-story home. All the more reason to build it your way for the way you live today.

9) Safety: State of the art circuit breakers. Electric garage door openers with infrared beams that stop if a tricycle or child is too near. High-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners that use the latest environmentally-friendly coolants. Cabinets, carpets and paints that use fewer Volatile Organic Compounds so you and your family can breathe easier.

10) That New Home Feel: A used home was someone else's dream, reflecting someone else's choices, and someone else's family memories. You may love avocado-green appliances and you may be willing to scrub stained countertops or grease-encrusted ovens and cooktops but more and more people prefer that never lived-in feel.

When was the last time you went to a department store and selected used clothes? Or visited a car dealer and paid more for a used car than a new car?

New homes offer the latest designs, style, comfort and quality and provide a care-free lifestyle so that you can enjoy your home, not work on it. Start shopping now on NewHomeSource.com, the world's largest and most complete new home website. You'll be glad you did.

Jay McKenzie heads up content and social media for NewHomeSource.com.

Top 10 Reasons Home Buyers Prefer New Homes vs. Used

Article from Builderonline.com
By Jay McKenzie
Jay McKenzie heads up content and social media for NewHomeSource.com.

Today's new homes offer more benefits than ever before. Here's a quick list of the Top 10 Reasons why so many home buyers prefer new homes to used houses:

1) Design Your Dream Home Your Way: Why settle for someone else's choices? Select your favorite cabinets, countertops, appliances, carpets and floor coverings, bath and kitchen fixtures. Your new home will reflect your taste, not someone else's.

2) Choose a Floorplan and Room Layout that Meets Your Needs: Want a Master Bedroom on the first floor? With massive his and her's walk-in closets? Done! With high ceilings and a luxurious, resort-style Master Bath? Would you like a sitting room with fireplace in your Owner's Suite? French Doors opening to a private patio or the pool? Build your Master Suite, your way.

3) All New, Under Warranty: A used home has tired products that may soon need replacing. Your new home -- and the products that comprise it -- are brand-new and under warranty. What's the cost to replace a roof, appliances and countertop or water heater on a used home? Those same components of your new home feature the latest designs and building materials -- and they offer years of comfort and enjoyment before needing replacement.

4) Energy and Cost savings: Today's new homes are far more energy efficient than homes built just five years ago, and no comparison to homes that are 10, 20 or even more years old. New homes offer much higher levels of performance in heating, cooling, and insulation. Why settle for drafty, energy-wasting single-pane windows in a used home? Many new homes offer double or even triple-pane windows with special coatings and inert gases between layers of glass that save energy in both heating and cooling season.

5) Comfort and Indoor Air Quality: Today's new homes meet stringent energy standards and codes not in place in the past. They combine high-performance energy efficiency with state of the art ventilation and air filtration. The result is year-round, consistent and draft-free comfort with higher indoor air quality.

Charlotte Office Rents

For four years and counting, the office average rent seems to be level. Why wouldn't the average rent change as economic conditions have changed?

This graph doesn't show the vacancy rate. Office building  development is a complex business. It would be my guess that the consistency of the average rent is a direct result of:

1. No new office buildings are being built
2. The vacancy rate is probably at a normal level and thus owners do not have to lower rates to attract leasees.
3. New businesses are being created and office space utilized but not at a robust rate. It seems to me the number of companies going out of business are being replaced by new businesses.
4. Rents will dramatically increase as the economy improves. Simply because of  the time it takes to bring an office building online from vacant land. A strong office space demand with a finite office space availability will drive rents higher.
5. Financing for an office building must be almost non-existent.
Prediction - as the economy improves the average rent for office space will dramatically increase.

Charlotte Area Retail Status