In preparation for Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas, Bev and I ventured out several times this week to do some shopping. Believe it or not we’re still replenishing items lost in last year’s fire. Much to our surprise, five stores we went to had closed signs in the windows – cleaned out and gone out of business. By the same token, we went to three places - Best Buy®, Costco® and Walmart® - where crowds were enormous, cash registers were ringing and the service was excellent. These stores were very busy and people were buying high volume.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit to you that good companies are not only going to stay in business, but increase their market share in times like this. Bad companies are all going out of business. Well-run real estate practices will thrive in this market; poorly run ones will go broke.

That’s why at Buffini & Company we’re committed to your success. On Jan 15th, 2009 the Buffini & Company Blitz begins. Our goal is to have all our Members have a good first quarter, which will lead to a really solid year.

Stay tuned for more blogs, emails and video clips so that we can make sure you can be the Best Buy, Costco and Walmart of your local community.

It’s a good life!

Brian

Have you been living vicariously through the candidates, checking the polls, and watching the early returns? Well it’s time for us to get back to work. Just think...if we can apply ourselves and do just 2% of the Pop-Bys, handshakes and mailings these candidates did trying to get people to vote for them, we’d have such a big business we'd need help taking care of all the leads.

Reality is, the election is over and whether your team won or not, America is an eagle: it needs its left wing and its right wing in order to fly. We all need get down to work. Whether we’re euphoric or we’re down in dumps, let’s go flap our wings by doing our calls, writing our notes and getting out to see our best clients.

Working by referral is a trailing effect, so store up for the winter and get ready for a blitz in the New Year. Our goal is to help your business fly in ‘09.

It’s a good life!

Brian

I just returned home from a week in the fabulous city of Toronto. I’ve said this many times, but I truly believe it’s vital to get out of our environment on a regular basis. Visiting another country helps expand your thinking and broadens your horizons. It invigorates you by introducing you to a variety of new experiences…from different foods, different phrases to a different way of looking at the world. Getting out of the country also gives you a great appreciation for the things you enjoy most about your own city, town or neighborhood. And in that leveling of our perspective grow the seeds of contentment.

Right now, with so many people worried about their finances, the market etc. it’s very easy to forget all that we have and all there is to be thankful for.

So, my encouragement to all of you is sometime in the next 12 months, get out and about - as the Canadians say - and go visit a foreign shore. It’ll expand your horizons and be good for what ails you.

It’s a good life!

Brian

Oh, by the way…people have been requesting the fun facts and figures I’ve been talking about recently so they can respond to this market. Feel free to utilize these numbers and maybe together, one client at a time, we can educate the market!

Some facts to know:

• More than 1000 banks closed in 1930 – only 14 U.S. banks have been taken over in 2008
• There are 76 million households in the U.S. that own their home - 24 million of these homes are free and clear
• There are 52 million homes with mortgages - 97.2% of these are not in foreclosure, 93.8% of these homes are current on their payments
  

On a sobering note:

• Over 20% of homeowners with a mortgage owe more than their home is worth
• 40% of all foreclosures are non-owner occupied

How did we get here?

Decade    Homes Sold High    Homes Sold Average

1970’s      3.9 million               3 million
1980’s      4 million                  3.3 million
1990’s      4.9 million               3.9 million
2000’s      7.1 million               5.6 million
Resale numbers – the above does not include new home sales.

Sources: Wall Street Journal / Moody’s Economy.com / RealtyTrac / NAR / Forbes

For some compelling stats on the Canadian market, visit the Economics Publications section on http://www.scotiabank.com

This year has been the most politically fascinating season I’ve ever witnessed. We’ve had wall-to-wall media coverage, been deluged with political ads and campaigns and the rhetoric has been ratcheted up the closer we got to the election.

In the midst of an economy in recession and a stock exchange in turmoil I’ve witnessed a lot of people get paralyzed by fear and become spectators watching the news, surfing the net for stories and checking the market by the hour. It seems to me there’s a lot of people who are in a personal recession. So here’s what we can learn from all of this: can you imagine if you canvassed for your own business the way the presidential candidates have done so for your vote?

Can you imagine if you were as focused in your daily endeavors as these two guys have been? Now that the election is decided, how about turning off the tube, stop surfing the net for stories and get out the vote. With slogans such as, “If you know anyone who’s thinking about buying or selling a home please give me a call with their name and number,” “if you know anyone who’s in need of the level of service I provide I want you to know I’m never too busy for their referrals, or the most famous of all the campaign slogans, “Oh, by the way…I’m never too busy for any of your referrals!”

So it’s time to get out the vote, mobilize your database and let them know you are the person they can count on in times of turmoil and that you’re available to help them or any of their friends make a move. If you do enough of this, you too might be able to relocate into a larger white house!

It’s a good life!

Brian