OK…the Super Bowl is over and the Steelers pulled another one out of the hat. Regardless of who you were rooting for, it was certainly entertaining! I don’t know if there’s a good real estate analogy there, but it’s important we keep things in perspective.

We’re all reading a lot about the economy, jobs and the real estate market these days. Why is it that 99.9% of what we hear and read is negative? I realize that people are getting laid off or hours trimmed, stock portfolios are shrinking and that as housing prices go down many of us lose equity. Those are real life and they are negative and I won’t minimize them. But aren’t there some positives factors we should acknowledge?
“Like what” you say…..

• It’s a “Buyers Market”….who says a buyers market means a bad market. Unlike the hot market of a few years ago, there is now good selection, good prices and historically low interest rates!
• 30 year Fixed Interest Rates are under 5%.
• Loans are not being handed out, but they are definitely available if you have a job and decent credit. Don’t believe the rumors that say nobody is doing mortgages.
• If you currently have an adjustable mortgage on your home your payments may actually adjust downward.
• This sluggish & declining housing market has made home ownership a real possibility again for many people that had been priced out of the market.
• As rental rates have crept up over the last couple years and home prices have dropped slightly, purchasing a rental property as an investment makes good sense.

The bottom is this….not all the news is bad. This is a time of great opportunity. It’s just a matter of what lens you are looking through.