Back to the Cold

Today is my first day back from vacation. I just finished going through my 600 emails and dozen papers, and tomorrow I will start writing articles that I've promised to people. Like a lot of people, I hope that the new President and his administration will bring a new beginning for our industry and others. The government is certainly pumping money into the economy--it just has to find its way down to the real estate market. And, in the Northeast, the weather isn't helping! Every day seems to bring snow, ice, or freezing temperatures. We know from other years that people don't look at property under those conditions. We also know that it can lead to a nice pop as the spring market blooms (pun intended), and never before have we needed that so much.

Vacation post

Just a quick update from Scottsdale. It feels mean to say that it's 77 degrees and sunny here every day, when there is so much cold and snow in Connecticut! But everybody needs a break, and this is mine. I run a lot, read a lot, and just generally chill out. We've played golf, shopped, and fiddled around.

Phoenix has been very badly hit by the economic downturn, and it shows how lucky we are in our region not to have the tremendous overbuilding that exists here. There are shopping centers and restaurants on every corner; it's hard to imagine where all the business can come from to keep them afloat. They've had phenomenal job growth here as well, but now they're just ahead of Detroit in new job growth, so the party's over. Our education and health care-based economy looks pretty good in comparison.