Bill’s Blog

Remembering Mr. Lincoln

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:04:11 -0500

1960 was when I received my first book about Abraham Lincoln. After I read that story, I was hooked and I have been a Lincoln fan ever since. When I was 14, I saw a bust of Lincoln at the local drug store. It cost $8 at the time. I immediately told my parents about it. Days later, when I went back to the store, it was gone. I was very disappointed, because it was the first time I had seen something like that and it was done so nicely. Imagine my surprise when one of my gifts at Christmas turned out to be that Lincoln statue... and though I have many more now, it is still my favorite.
Why is Lincoln such a beloved leader? It has been told so many times in over 14,000 books that have now been written about him. Maybe it was his rising from his humble beginnings to become the greatest U.S. President. Maybe it was his never give up attitude even after the many tragic events in his life. He is beloved for the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of slavery. His keeping the Union together through the Civil War and his ultimate sacrifice of being assassinated certainly earns him a place in the hearts of all Americans. But what I love most about Lincoln is his writings, his speeches, his giving us some of the most inspirational words that ever came from a leader of a nation. He lives on in his thoughts and words, so well spoken at crucial times in our nation’s history. Abraham was a gift from God to us all. And all America is fortunate that he was born 200 years ago this very day.
As for me, my Lincoln fascination continues. When my wife stops at antique stores, I follow along, hoping to find another piece of memorabilia. So far I have collected three other large busts, two statues of the Lincoln Memorial, a Mt. Rushmore statue, eight other small busts, four sets of Lincoln bookends, eight framed Lincoln portraits (my favorite is one that my son drew for me in 1999, it is amazing), over 60 books of which two were published in 1866, several bronze plaques of Lincoln, and even a bronze Lincoln pipe rack, plus many more knick-knack items. Carol and I are planning a trip to Springfield, Illinois this spring. In the celebration of his 200th birthday, a trip to see the Lincoln Museum and Presidential Library is a must. It is good to know that President Obama sees Lincoln as the model President. He is going to need to draw on Lincoln’s wisdom in his own efforts to serve the country. I think he knows how to do it, too... some reading of his speeches should give him some inspiration.

An Instant World

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:40:39 -0500

Monday’s news once again proved to me how our world is becoming too focus on the short term and has little tolerance for the long term. As I read the headlines on Yahoo at 11:00 there was a bit of good news, it read: Wall Street Up At Home Sales Jump. Great, I thought, a little good news to start the week out. Then I busied myself for a half hour with office communications. When I went back to read the good news story, it had vanished. It was replaced with, Wall Street Turns Negative which had to deal with two drug companies merger stalling out. Then, Wall Street Rises Buoyed by Drug Sector Deal (obviously it was on again...or was it ever off?). This was followed by Stocks Fluctuate On Anxiety Over Earnings Reports. Honestly, is someone responsible to create these headlines and if the headline does not have some sort of major drama, will he or she lose their job? There has certainly been an over-reaction and then over-correction in the financial, stock and real estate markets due to the unending dire headlines for the last 18 months.
We have become an instant world. Our meals are fast food and restaurants are open 24 hours. Our television is on demand. Everything has to be convenient and at our fingertips, or else we don’t have time for it. We don’t take time to relax, there is always something to do. We don’t go for walks, we have to park our cars right next to the place we want to go to. Yesterday as I had breakfast in a restaurant (not fast food), I watched a man circle a block for over 10 minutes, looking for a parking place in the lot next to the establishment. Finally he gave up and parked in the opposite corner’s parking lot and had to walk a half block to the where the restaurant is. He could have done that to begin with and saved himself 9.5 minutes! Maybe he was relaxing while he circled the block.
The point is this. We make our decisions, sometimes very important decisions based on the moment. We need to concentrate on the long term. Instant gratification is just that, here for an instant, in most cases. But, if we take the right approach, we will realize that we should not put too much emphasis on the hourly headlines. We should make that decision about buying a home or an investment property based on facts that state the obvious...prices are at all time lows and so are the mortgage rates. If we consider the long term benefits, we need not make our decision and then second-guess it based on what happens tomorrow. Oh, and one other piece of advice, eat at Angelo’s restaurant at Catherine and Glen Streets in Ann Arbor. The wait was 20 minutes, but the Raisin Toast with my breakfast made it all worthwhile.

I am Mad as Hell and I am Not Going to Take it Anymore!

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:50:06 -0500

The new year has begun and all Januarys bring a new beginning. I think this year has a different feel to it than last and I will tell you why. There is hope amidst the media’s constant negativity and some signs that 2009 will be better than what we are being told. It is amazing that Americans even listen to the so-called experts who have been preaching doom every day for the last several years. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy when we listen to so many saying how bad the economy is. We can be talked right into changing our plans, stopping our purchases, selling our stocks, telling everyone else how bad it is going to get and then sit there and wring our hands and make ourselves sick over what may happen. If we expect the worse and do nothing then we have given up and we will fail. This is true with anything we encounter. Why don’t we choose to succeed? Don’t accept what media bias is telling us. The mess America has fallen into is because we have stopped believing that we can make a difference. We are told the problem is too big. The experts tell us the way it is going to be. If the experts were so smart, why didn’t they figure this mess out a long time ago and come up with a solution. They have been wrong as much as they have guessed right and truth be told, I don’t believe that anyone knows what will happen. So why don’t we choose to make our own destiny.
2008 was a year of change in the Bay County real estate market. Prices of homes dropped due to a variety of factors all converging at the same time like a perfect storm. It is time to move on and not dwell on “why it happened”. I think that there is a different feel about 2009 and I am looking forward to the challenge of seeing my plans being fulfilled. Last year was my best since 2005. I had more sales. The sales were for a larger average sales price. The total volume was larger and I met my goals that I set a year ago. I will have added four sales or pending sales in the first two weeks of this year. My skills are constantly improving and I have more to offer my clients than I did even a month ago. America is going to have a new President and Congress in one week. Initiatives and stimulus programs are sure to begin to make a difference. We have to fight back against the doom and gloom and if we do, then we can expect success.
All this price correction in the real estate market was bound to occur. In the Bay County MLS, there had not been a real price correction since they began keeping track in 1991! The 10%+ price appreciation experienced in 2004 was due to greed, not fundamentals of supply and demand. Americans had excess money and treated real estate purchases like a short term investment to get more money. Wall Street, banks, mortgage companies and yes, real estate agents contributed to the environment where investors treated homes and property like a can’t miss opportunity to strike it rich. So much more went into making the perfect storm occur and compounded the ability for the nation to overcome it. If the media had not magnified the housing issue and pounded into us how it was going to drastically affect all the other facets of the economy, I wonder if the automobile industry would have suffered so much. I wonder if retailers would have sales suffer so much at Christmas. I wonder if the stock market would have fallen so dramatically. As individuals we cannot control a lot of what we see on television and read on the internet and in the newspapers. Sensationalism sells and that is the media’s job. But, we can choose to not listen. We can choose to not read negativity. We can choose to be positive. Perhaps, we should be like Albert Finney from the 1976 Academy Award winning movie, Network. Perhaps, we should stand up and go to the window and say “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore!” He was talking in the movie about how bad the economy was and how rampant crime had become. He chose to stand up. Perhaps, we should do the same.

Branigan Moves to Harris/Bush Realty

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 20:19:31 -0400

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 ushered in a new era of Bay County real estate business, one without Hollister Realtors. Hollister, created by Gordon Hollister almost thirty years ago and owned the last two years by Gordon’s sister-in-law, Nancy Glaza closed its doors as Nancy joined forces with Top Producers Real Estate in Bay City. Agents of real estate firms are independent contractors and can at any time move to other real estate companies.
Bill Branigan was invited to join Harris/Bush Realty of Bay City and accepted their offer the previous week. Branigan joins the longest established firm in Bay County and one that has high ideals and an exemplary record of proven sales and community involvement. Harris/Bush is owned by Arlene and Laurie Bush, brokers of the firm and both well-known throughout the State of Michigan in real estate circles. The Harris/Bush main office is located in downtown Bay City at 311 Center Avenue and has a satellite office in Auburn.

Sales Activity Remains Strong

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:50:29 -0500

Thursday, January 10, 2008, the Bay County Association of Realtors published the sales totals for the calendar year 2007 for the local market. The surprising figures for residential sales totaled 1415 properties with a volume of $131,249,073. This equates to an average sales price of $92,756. The 1415 properties sold beat the previous second-best mark achieved in 2004 and is only outranked by the 1437 units sold in 2005.
Years of statistics had continuously shown the Bay County Realtor Association registering 1000 to 1200 residential sales during the years 1992 through 1999. The average home sales price jumped from $57,975 $92,392 during that time. The new millenium started with a bang and 1221 homes were sold for an average sales price of $98,502. Sales and average home prices (except for 2002) increased every year during the next 6 years to where 2005 ended with 1437 homes and an average price of $106,789. That marked a tremendous cycle of home appreciation and activity that was 15 years in the making, as long as records were published by the BCRA.
Knowing that real estate is a cyclical business, not unlike the stock market, wasn't it logical to assume that there would be a correction period? The excesses of the mortgage industry is the leading reason for the collapse of the housing industry from the fall of 2005, but why would anyone assume that there would not have been some correction soon anyway? Without some dips, there would not be opportunities for buyers. In fact, with continuous sellers' markets, buyers would eventually be priced out and would quit buying anyway. This cyclical chain of events happens in the stock market on a regular basis throughout every year and across sectors.
The forecast for 2008 is not a rosy one. Goldman Sachs just has said that a nationwide recession will occur in the second and third quarters of 2008. The National Association of Realtors has said (January 8, 2008) that existing home sales are expected to hold fairly steady in the year and continue to improve in 2009. Indeed, after the March round of resetting of adjustable rate mortgages (1.4 million are scheduled totalling 110 billion dollars) light should be seen at the end of the tunnel.
In the past, the media has contributed to sending the country into a recession. Remember when the senior George Bush became President, the country listened to the negativity and the self fulfilling prophecy became reality. The nation talked themselves into the downturn. History may repeat itself, but wouldn't it be nice if we could look at some positive signs and limit the pain to what has already been experienced? Bay County's home prices are a bargain. The quality of life is excellent. The family atmosphere, throughout-the-year events, places for worship, exposure to the arts, school systems, medical care cannot be beat for a town this size. Life's "ups and downs" present opportunities and what Bay County has to offer should not be missed.