If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear does it make a sound? Certainly the same vibrations are sent out, but in essence with no ear drums to vibrate against they are just vibrations. I have often wondered this about the news. The news affects us in so many ways. Listening to our nightly broadcast can affect whether we refinance our home, buy a car, or even smaller purchases like our Christmas budget.
Would it also be true then, that with reporting “good news” we would recover from our economic woes? I wonder. I am not saying that reporters should start flat out lying, I am only making a suggestion that with all of the millions and millions of people in the world, it seems that the percentage of actual bad news has to be pretty small, yet that is what we are drilled on each night. It puts a new perspective on “fair and balanced” doesn’t it? By those odds shouldn’t we get a larger percentage of good news?
With the twenty four hour news broadcast of all this bad news, there would have to be an effect created. Should I buy that sweater? No, the market in Greece is falling I just heard it on the news last night. I better hold on to my cash. Has the market in Greece fallen ten times in the past and I just didn’t know about it? Probably, but this story carried over weeks and weeks has kept the attention of many investors.
How our news is reported leaves open the possibility that markets and our money can be influenced by corporations. Why would anyone do that? Pretty simple stuff, if you can get people to stop buying sweaters for a bit, the price will fall. You can then go in and pick up a few million of them and sell them for a profit. If you are really good you can get the people who make them to work for less, because after all sweaters aren’t selling for what they used to.
Always question and put the information you receive in context. Before you react, the next time you hear that proverbial tree falling in the forest; determine how many are still standing, and how many times in the past trees have fallen without a sound.
Have we reached the bottom of the real estate market? Many people think it has. As the unemployment rate drops people have a revitalized confidence in their financial future. The economic upturn goes hand in hand with interest in buying a home. AP reports that sales of homes between 100,000 and 250,000 are up 19% over the first quarter of last year. Home prices are down 34% over their record highs, and interest rates are at or below levels of the 1960’s. Information on current interest rates can be found at va home loan.
Uncertainty in the stock market also has driven investors to return to real estate. With foreclosures and near foreclosures accounting for almost half the properties on the market, those who can afford to invest are taking advantage of the depressed market. Homes are being purchased and converted into rentals or resold. Savvy investors are willing to purchase these underpriced homes sometimes in lots of 25 to 50!
Another indicator of the market is the number of days it takes to sell a home. This number is dropping in various markets across the country.
Real estate websites offer market information along with their listing so it is easy to check your local market conditions. Whether you are looking to invest or taking advantage of the market to upgrade, there may not be a better time to invest in real estate than right now. That is something that we haven’t been able to say for that last 4 years!
Maybe we haven’t reached the absolute bottom, only hindsight will tell us that. We have however seen lowered interest rates, and drastic home price reduction. We have seen unemployment numbers fall and purchases of homes up almost 20%. All of these are vital good indicators of a market on the rise.