Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you are all surviving the madness of the Holiday Season.  As the years go on I find the business of Christmas and the Holidays takes longer to get done and is not nearly as much fun.  I hate to admit it but I think it might have something to do with getting older!  What used to take me a day to do, now takes two or three because I run out of steam before I get through the tasks. 

This past weekend Bruce and I spent the time doing outside and inside decorating.  I would have preferred to wait until next weekend to do the inside because if I do it too early I get so sick of the decorations that I can't wait for the Holiday to be over so I can take them down and put them away. 

Do I sound HumBug?!?  Perhaps I am a bit.  I find it very hard to be jolly when we are inundated daily with the daily negative press.  I find it hard to be happy with a government who thinks "bailing out" mismanaged organizations is the answer to everything, and with all the TV ads urging us to "spend spend spend" for the Holidays, when in the next breath they are telling us how bad everything is and about the economic downturn and all the people who are losing or have lost their jobs, etc. etc. etc.  I don't know about you but I don't need media reminders about how tough things are, I think we are all experiencing it first hand!  

There is an upside to all of this though.  If you are in the market for Real Estate, this is one of the best opportunities you will ever have to get in to a home at a reasonable price.  Truthfully when prices started climbing about six years ago, I thought affordable housing really was a thing of the past.  I felt terribly sorry for young folks just starting out or seniors looking for an affordable place to retire.  But affordable housing is back! Prices keep dropping and the inventory out there is amazing. 

Now mind you, I am not saying that these properties are the show places of the neighborhood.  In many cases the truth is exactly the opposite.  Many need work and some fix up but with proper guidance you can find one that is workable and livable and it can be your family project for the winter.   If you want a place to call your own, it really and truly is a great time to buy.  If the economy improves in 2009 and mortgage rates stay low, that inventory is going to drop quickly and these prices are not going to last long. 

So think about it.  If you really would like a home of your own and would like that rent payment you are making every month to build equity for you instead of your landlord, get out there and start looking around.  Stop by and have a visit with your friendly neighborhood Lending Organization, get pre-approved so you know how much you can comfortably spend on a home, and then give us a call.  

We know our community and where those great bargains are to be found.  We can help you stop the rent-drain and start building something for yourselves.  

Have a great week and we'll check in again soon.

---REMEMBER OUR MOTTO---

"WE WORK FOR YOU!"

SANDRA & BRUCE PAULOW, GRI'S

YOUR HIGH COUNTRY REALTORS®