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If You Love Your Freedom, Thank A Vet

kuwait_burn_oilfield

I can be your favorite veteran today, if you like. Otherwise, if you know someone who received an "Honorable Discharge" from the United States Armed Forces, then remember them today while you are enjoying your life. Veteran's Day is a day of honour. For the record, you can thank me for your "free flow of oil at market prices." My 11 months in Saudi Arabia during the Logistician's War, Operation Desert Storm preserved cheap gas for all of you Hummer drivers in the suburbs reading this. Ahhh... the air South of the Fertile Crescent in 1990-1991 was always so refreshing... My message to you on behalf of The Rootdown Group in the waning days of 2008 is "move Intown, and sell your Hummer." If you seek the help of a professional real estate agent with field grade expertise in Intown Atlanta and Decatur who is a trained logistician, then give me a call! This next paragragh about logisticians parallels today's real estate mission in an apt way. What do I mean by that? … [Read more...]

The Taproot of the Credit Crisis

slick-willie

Just because I've written a few positive posts about the results of our US Presidential Election doesn't mean that I'm letting the profligate, two-party dominated greed culture of Washington D.C. off the hook. Fannie Mae Eases Credit to aid Mortgage Lending is one of the first mentions of the "taproot" that I feel is the primary element of the credit crisis. This article from the New York Times on September 30, 1999 is the first notice about the potential "disease" that I can identify. The genesis of the "credit crisis" began in the lame duck Democratic congress of 1999 and the impeached presidency of Slick Willie. Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending is an early call for caution. Caution that many did not take. "If they fail. the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry."     There ya go...what a shame.     The entire system of government is at stake right now. Capitalism is at … [Read more...]

Marketing Lessons From The US Election

seth_godin

Seth Godin has a very interesting take on the campaigns that led to the historic election results last night. Read his article from yesterday on "Marketing Lessons From The US Election" Here's an excerpt: "We get what we deserve. The lesson that society should take away about all marketing is a simple one. When you buy a product, you're also buying the marketing. Buy something from a phone telemarketer, you get more phone telemarketers, guaranteed. Buy a gas guzzler and they'll build more. Marketers are simple people... they make what sells. Our culture has purchased (and voted) itself into the place we are today." … [Read more...]

Barack Obama Has Got A Posse…

shepfobammma4

I got a game changing e-mail this morning. After reading the New York Times headline "Barack Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls" on my Blackberry, I opened my e-mail and got this:   “The bottom of our market, I think, just hit.  Be among the first to believe this, not one of the last to hear.” Shaun Rawls, Operating Partner for 6 or 7 Keller Williams Realty market centers (I’ve lost count)  and a national leader in sales and profits among all real estate brokerages.   He’s not even 40 yet and he has been in the Atlanta real estate agency business for about 20 years. I've known him since 1999 - he was one of my real estate professors in the "Prerequisite Course" for a "Georgia Real Estate Salesperson" License.   He and I share a similar worldview, and that’s why I work with him. Being in business with Shaun Rawls is the singular reason why I am a licensed real estate salesperson with Keller Williams Realty, and not with some other brokerage … [Read more...]

The Biggest Enemy of Change

Seth Godin, in his new book "Tribes - We Need You To Lead Us" makes a huge, timely point on page 119. Seth states: "The largest enemy of change and leadership isn't a "no." It's a "not yet." The statement serves as a valid basis for how to look at what happens this week. Because, this week seems to have true "turning point" change potential for the United States of America. This week could have true "turning point" change potential for many individuals too, way beyond the "exogenous" treasury and commerce factors that I brought up last week. Unfortunately for us individuals, the person selected to be the President of the United States of America for the next 4 years happens to be one of the exogenous factors that will mix up and affect our lives. Many Intown Atlanta real estate purchasers, particularly first time buyers, can decide that this is the week that will be their turning point. It's a key week for momentum as a purchaser because if you decide to make up your … [Read more...]