Greg Snow - Southwest Florida Real Estate Expert provides real estate services to Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Islands

As mentioned here before, Jackson Browne has a song, "Running on Empty", which hosts a refrain of" in 69 I was 21, and I called the world my own", and it may be the point of reference of many of my stream of conscious thoughts on todays current events. Some years later, the Rolling Stones had a song named "Under My Thumb", that really rose to epic proportions in the movie "Gimme Shelter", http://www.imbd.com that closely parallels our local real estate market and many others nationwide.

The month of March came in like a pride of lions, and is beginning to ebb like Mary and the remaining lambs. Our thoughts here, in Lee County, Florida, turn to an assortment of mind altering thoughts ranging from maybe road traffic volume will go down, Easter is almost with us, maybe I can get a tee time soon, what am i going to do with the kids this summer, and my favorite of How many days to the National Football League draft. What ever one's thought process is, assurances abound that warmer weather is near, and HOOOTTTT is close by also.

Our local Multiple Listing Service has more closed sales in 2010, than this time in 2009 (which established records), and 71%ish are cash deals. Consumers are finding good value here in southwest Florida, and loveable Lee County needs influx of visitors and residents to keep us healthy. Many sharp money people have bought early and often with cash to position themselves favorably in our future.

"Arrive Alive on our license plates has been replace with"Bring Cash".

Being an active, licensed, real estate agent in Florida was kinda fun long ago and in a landscape that is now far away from today's environment. It used to be that agents graded out to higher scores in the public's perspective, than say politicans, lawyers, and car salesman(woman) Using a new poll conducted by the California Association of Realtors from 2004-2009, consumers responded favorably by 79% to the question, "Yes, I would use the same agent" in 2004, to a dismal 22% in 2009. Why? Have we suddenly lost favor because we "make the big bucks" No!!! Most of the respondents thought their house took too long to sell or did not get the price they wanted. Well boys, girls, and others, in case you are tunning in late, the sky has fallen ,and with Wall Street buying up so many risky real estate investments, unemployment at or above 10% (about 14% in Lee County), myriads of bank failures, and individuals greed, stupidity or naivete, it is suprising more real estate agents don't have some sort of new complex (we have many anyhow). The chance to build up our image for relying again on a professional to handle many folks biggest investment is now on the horizon. This is your big day baby, "Won't you smile for the camera", www.lyricsdepot.com/steely-dan/peg.html could mean new acceptance from the public on our value and services.

 Since over 80% of consumers looking for real estate begin their search on "Al Gore's" internet, here is where we must begin our resurrection. My first thought would be removing any type of auto response as "bots" are not the same as the real thing of instant, friendly, knowledgeable help from an expert. Don't put people on "drip-drop" e-mails unless specifically requested by the consumer. Respond very quicky or faster to all inquires with a pleasant voice and the word "LISTEN" suddenly rears it's very fashionable head. Give them what they want, if they know, and if they don't know, ask some questions that will assist you in at least Not giving them what they DON'T want. For all real estate agents in Lee County, Florida, hard work will pay off, and smiles are made out of being there for your customer.

The madness of March is not always linked to the NCAA Basketball tournament of win and you get to play "One more night", www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_More_Night_(Phil_Collins_song) or to "Bewaring the Ides of March"http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki?Ides_of_March or that Spring will appear soon, or are the Boys of Summer really losing their long held national spotlight to other team sports. Sometimes madness spills over into the local real estate market and nobody has the correct formula(s) to relieve the "Mad Hatters", http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_hatters_disease. If you have been involved in a short sale of real estate here in Lee County, Florida recently, either from a selling, buying, realtor, title company, lender, or other vendor(s) standpoint, then you may have some idea of what I mean. Although it may be a little bit short of James Donald, playing Major Clipton in 1957's "The Bridge on the River Kwai", www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai, where his last words were"Madness....Madness", the process here does require quick access to Excedrin.

The United States Treasury Department did announce new guidelines in November may help soften the use of pain relievers, and take effect in April this year. In order for a bank to participate in a Federal program (HAFA), which is Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, and be eligble for bonus money in closing short sales, the banks need an effective short sale plan, and to follow it expeditiously.

One can only hope our Lee County, Florida real estate short sale MADNESS, will dwindle away :)

As we enter the month before "the cruelest of months", our weather here in Lee County, southwest Florida, has been "cool, cold, and brisk"and doesn't feel anything like we are getting close to spring. Our real estate market has become somewhat difficult to evaluate with the lack of ideal beach and boating weather lending to many of our visitors "looking" at our local housing opportunites. If we have really "seen the eyes of the oysters", and now the market has stabilized, is this the best time to make a housing decision? Of course, my subjective view is like in "Trading Places", where it's buy, buy, buy, or sell, sell, sell.... If only it would take a wager of a single dollar to successfully promote such market activity.

Have we evolved in the United States from a service -based economy to one that is permeated with experienced-based as our final decision making tie breaker? If this is the case, then we may still be in a hold mode for buying real estate in southwest Florida. "What is past is prologue" is from "The Tempest", and is also on a satute in front of our National Archives building in Washington, D.C.  www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/pa14.cfm, and is very accurate in our world of real estate here. Life is shorter than we would want and choices are an every day opportunity for us all. Our concern should be on creating new experiences that will leave the consumer smiling and sharing their fun times with everyone on Facebook, Twitter, and all the social networking sites. Our real estate product is out there, deals to be made, so let us improve on our customer service, because the world can now see how we interact with the consumer..good..bad..or really ugly :(   :):):)

My oldest daughter, Jaclyn Snow, sent me an old movie a couple of years ago called "To be or Not to be", http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Be_or_Not_to_Be_(1942film), with Jack Benny, Carole Lombard(released 2 months after she died in a plane crash), and Robert Stack. I recently re-viewed this Ernst Lubitsch's movie with some bemusement as many of the principles were so pre-occupied with their status and egos, they almost missed opportunities to assist in trying to prevent Nazi's occupying Poland. This theme seems very appropriate as I gaze out on our political landscape for this year's posturing for being elected. Has our political system gotten to the point of no return by electing homo sapiens (here is a great place to debate that:), that have zero to none acumen of what is the golden rule (O.K. another good place to debate if this is Wall Street). My impression is the leasing real estate agents in D.C. will BE very busy for a while with all the polticos, and selling agents may NOT BE.

(The old to Be or Not to Be Syndrome)

The pitchers and catchers for the Boston Red Sox are scheduled to report to Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida Today. Wonder if any of them know any Shakespeare. Next episode, "Taming of the Shrew(D)"..also another Comedy!

One of our distinguished Founding Fathers was Thomas Paine, who said in "The Crisis", published in 1776, that "These are the times that try men's souls", www.ushistory.org/paine. He also is the author of another aptly named work called "Common Sense" that was a strong defense of our independence from jolly old England at the time. Both works, over 230 years old, seem to outline todays Lee County, Florida's housing market. We, and the rest of the country, are rapidly approaching the current deadline ,for a tax credit in purchasing a home, for both first time buyers and certain non first time buyers.

With the Federal Reserve, www.federalreserve.gov, in the mode not to sell any of its security holdings, and the fragile economic landscape still here, interest rates should remain stable and low for this year. It would seem this is one way to say " the trying of men's souls" and "The Crisis" is behind us and lets move forward with the business at hand. Our local real estate market here in southwest Florida still has many good opportunites to find your home in Paradise. Tonight, as we watch the torch of the Winter Olympics being kindled, and "Let the games begin" thoughts being lended to words, think about sunny Florida while people in the Northeast still are under feet(s) of Snow.

There were certain mind frames in my cranium of events that told of an outcome of a sporting event. If one heard "Dandy Don Meredith, www.famoustexans/donmeredith, crooning"The Party's over..", you knew the Monday Night Football game was decided or watched 'Red" Auerbach light up his cigar (on the bench as the game was still ongoing), http://celtics.com, you knew it was all over. Maybe the Crisis is over for the brink of disaster economically in the U.S.

Our cities in the "S" states (sand, sun and often suds) dominated the foreclosure rankings last year with the top twenty worst hit areas concentrated in Nevada, California, Arizonia, and yes, our own Sunshine state of Florida. Here in Lee County our own Cape Coral was second in foreclosure filings (about 12% of households) to President Obama's favorite city of Las Vegas (wages) The good news is that all twenty metro areas declined in filings in the last three months of 2009. The not so good news is that foreclosure filings disease is spreading beyond these favorite spots to places like Provo, Utah, Seattle, Wasington, Honolulu, Minneapolis, and other previously untarnished areas of our land.

"Should I stay or should I go now", http://www,theclash.info is rapidly becoming a new mantra for many homeowners who are considering a "strategic default" on their homes. Many reasons abound for homeowners to be in foreclosure from properties they couldn't afford, job losses, and huge loss of equity in their properties. Some have the means to pay, but rather choose to "Go Now", www.moodyblues.co.uk, from a 1964 song by the Moody Blues. These people believe (as 588,000 did in 2008) it is best for their personal finances. Since 2006 peak prices, the prices for homes have dropped more than 30%, and more in our market here in Lee County, Florida, and other hard hit markets. One in four homeowners in the U.S. have negative equity in their homes and rather than continuing to make payments on their "losing" investment, many are going now.

"Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, a nation turns it's lonely eyes to you", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graduate_(soundtrack) brings back myriads of memories from the 1960's. This reference to the once rock solid American image we relied on brings to my mind the once rock solid profile of an individual whom would be buying property in Lee County.  I am afraid that "Say it ain't so Joe,en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson - 116k - Cached is our only real hope of a return to the early part of the first decade of our 21st century. What I really mean to say is 'The times they are a changing",www.bobdylan.com/albums/times.html - Cached

Let us look at our aging baby boomers (OMG, I am one of them). Take the 55-65 year olds, nearing what should be their retirement age(s). Many will still want or need to work, and may be stranded until real estate values recover. Probably would feel more comfortable in mixed age, active, urban "feeling" town centers. The younger boomers in their peak making money years (46-54) got really hosed with non rising income and loss of home equity which means "when" they are able to sell and buy, they will be searching in similar communities as the older boomers.

The 85-88 million Generation Y (why not?) may be disinterested in the American dream of home ownership. These tech smart ones may rent forever or finally choose a "smart", green, energy efficient, close-in community to lay their weary heads down. Then, the over 40 million immigrants whom favor "clustering" in multi -generational, larger homes, if they can afford them, in community conscious neighborhoods.

These are are "new" buyers. Could mean we are heading for "urban", rather than "suburban", purchasers.  Be prepared as they used to say in the Scouts:)