Archive for October, 2008
San Diego homeowners face decision dilema
October 31st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Community News, San Diego county Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO–I have written posts in the past here regarding my belief that homeowners who were capable of making their mortgage payment but were walking away from a “bad investment” were acting irresponsible and actually feeding the depreciation of the San Diego real estate market. However, with the new programs that seemingly spring up weekly, it is getting harder to not side with this decision.
In an article from the New York Times News Service, Todd Lawrence of Norwich, Connecticut was featured as a homeowner struggling with the decision to continue paying his mortgage on his upside down home.
If the banks, which frequently lent irresponsibly, and many homeowners, who often borrowed irresponsibly, are getting government assistance, Lawrence believes sober souls such as himself are also due for a break.
“Why am I being punished for having bought a house I could afford?” he asked. “I am beginning to think I would have rocks in my head if I keep paying my mortgage.”
But the benefits of a bailout for Lawrence’s neighbors seem ephemeral to the 45-year-old, especially because he figures the cost of helping them will come, one way or another, out of his pocket as a taxpayer. “I’m basically financing my own financial destruction,” he said.
I am starting to feel the same way.
As the real estate market changes I think it is safe to say that my income as well as my homes value have gone down and to some extent, this trend will continue. So, do I wait to see how bad it gets, or do I get rid of the “rocks in my head” and make an investor focused financial decision and do what is necessary in order to meet assistance guidelines? If you look back through this blog, you will see I have never been an advocate of this. Guess the electoral year is having an impact on me as I morph into a “flip flopper”.
While the goal is to keep homeowners in their homes, the programs can not entice capable homeowners to forgo making payments on their mortgage in order to qualify for their piece of the pie. Remember, some of these programs could potentially rewrite a new mortgage for you at 90% of TODAY’S value, essentially putting the depreciation on the bank and resetting the level where your appreciation starts. This could easily be a few hundred thousand dollars.
Paul McCulley, a managing director with investment firm PIMCO summed it up this way. “If the lunch truly is free, the demand for free lunches will be
large.”*
While the government position is stated by Michael Krimminger, special adviser for policy at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp this way.
“This is not about trying to create fairness.The goal is to keep people in their houses.” – *San Diego Union Tribune,October 31,2008
Another consideration facing Larry the Homeowner in the decision process goes beyond the homeowners benefiting from the government programs. It’s about a perception of fairness and why the heck we’re bailing out the millionaires. So let’s look at the banks.
While probably the craziest thing of late is the last CEO of Washington Mutual walking away with $19 million for being in the position 17 days, this really is just another indicator of what is happening with executive compensation. I wrote about the CEO’s of Fannie Mae and Freddie getting $9 million and $14 million when they were given the opportunity to get the heck out of dodge before things got really ugly.
Viewed in comparison with worker earnings(of their own companies), the ratio of executive pay to average worker pay went from 24:1 in 1965, to 42:1 in 1980, and to 364:1 in 2006.*
But this is not about executive compensation, it’s about what part this corporate mindset plays in our decision making. If the govenrment is going to use my tax dollars to bail us out; Great. Unfortuantely it appears to be business as usual in the boardrooms of the financial institutions.
I read an article published MSN today that reported approximately $50 BILLION dollars of the $125 billion dollars given to nine banks participating in the bailout plan is already earmarked for BONUSES!!! On September 15, 2008, CNN.com had a article headlined, “Lehman Brothers collapse stuns global markets.” Yet former Lehman boss Dick Fuld, was paid $485 million in salary, bonuses and options between 2000 and 2007!!! That’s less than year prior to the collapse of what was the leading US investment bank.
Additionally, many of the institutions receiving government funds are still budgeting to pay shareholder dividends using this “bailout” money. Remember the bailout was suppose to be used to make the banks more liquid, thus giving them the ability to lend money. Unfortunately interest rates are up and the money seems to be going to bonuses, dividends and purchasing other banks.
Lastly, JPMorganChase announced today that they were going to suspend foreclosures on loans it owns for at least 90 days while it puts new policies in place. Additionally they will be opening 24 counseling centers and hiring 300 employees to work with borrowers to cut monthly payments, by lowering interest rates and temporarily reducing loan balances, which I do see as a good thing. But what’s to consider here for those of us still trying hard to do the “right thing” is homeowners are seemingly guaranteed free living for at least three more months. Many of these same homeowners most likely have already stopped making their payments already.
I understand there are many members of our community that have found themselves in financial hardship and I do have empathy for their plight and I certainly wish no ill will on anyone. It is a tough position however to be the Humpty Dumpty. You are in a very fragile position working hard and making sacrifices trying to stay on the fence. You didn’t buy the RV, Boat or fancy trips and you never used your home as an ATM. So you 
reflect back at what we have looked at and the voice in the back of your mind there is telling you that just maybe “all the kings horses and all the kings men” can put you together again if you can get your piece of Georgie (W’s) Porgie’s 700 billion pie. You just need to hop off the wall.
“From a purely economic standpoint, there’s not a whole lot to be gained from staying,” said Rich Toscano, a San Diego financial adviser.*
Lastly I love this, found on the Wall Street Journal Blog.
The U.S. government has a far uglier budget than any U.S. bank, with a deficit expected to more than double to $407 billion this year from last year’s $161 billion. It also is the home of $640 toilet seats and $1 trillion in missing transactions. No bank in the U.S. has been as irresponsible as that. So who is in a better position to push the banks into more responsible performance–the government or the markets and shareholders?
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Challenged Athletes Foundation SDTC 2008
October 27th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO– When I started my real estate business, one of the first decisions I made was to try to use my resources to benefit the triathlon and endurance sports community. I try to direct my marketing dollars towards sponsoring events and clubs and my time as well. The two things I am most proud of is the time I spend with the Triathlon Club of San Diego, but mostly my involvement with the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
The Challenged Athletes Foundation was founded here in San Diego by three guys, Jeffery Esakow, Rick Kozlowski and Bob Babbitt, looking to help a fellow triathlete gain more independence by purchasing him an adapted vehicle. The first Tri Challenge was held in 1994 and the foundation was formed in 1997. According to the website the Foundation has raised more then 11 million dollars and funded more than 2,100 grants.
These grants are given to individuals to not only help them pursue new dreams, but to also give them the ability to participate in an active lifestyle. Funds are given to athletes of many sports, ranging from snow skiing legs for my buddy Jonah Vandever, pictured with myself and his mom, to handcylces for my good friend Erica Davis. Funds are also used to help cover travel expenses, coaching and clinics to help athletes get to the next level of competition. At the 2008 Paralympics, CAF athletes took over 25% of the hardware!!!
In 2004, CAF stepped up HUGE in support of our veterans and soldiers suffering permanent physical injuries while participating in the global war on terror. In 2008, that program, Operation Rebound, was extended to include all military persons past and present as well as the first responders of the 911 attacks. As a veteran of Desert Storm, I am proud that CAF has taken on this mission. Many of these recipients are young men and women who have a long life of accomplishments awaiting them.
As the current President of the Triathlon Club of San Diego, I am trying hard to get more of our local “challenged” athletes involved with our club. I invited below the knee amputee, known as a BK, Tracy Moore come and speak to the club at one of our monthly meetings and it was very moving. She shared how a life of drug and alcohol abuse with a failed suicide attempt turned around when she was bitten by the running bug. However, it was her exposure to the programs and with help from CAF, as well as triathlon that really have brought about the many positive changes in her life. With her new running leg, she has many great accomplishments both in triathlon and running events. 
Another great CAF/ TCSD story involves our long time member Andy Bailey.
Andy, while starting our sport later in life, was able to string together some pretty impressive finishes including several age group wins. What I was most impress with and why Andy was a special member of TCSD however, was that while he lived in Irvine, he was a very faithful and giving member of our club. Specifically what made him special to me though, was his participation at most if not all the local triathlon expos manning the TCSD booth at some part of the day. He is what every club could hope for from a member. An active caring and sharing member who exposed those he came in contact with to the best of our community. It is his love for the sport and community that makes him this way. Unfortunately in 2006 a freak accident in the driveway of his home gave Andy a temporary set back, but CAF a chance to make a difference in this athletes life. This weekends CAF event was Andy’s return to triathlon competition. I am sure this is only the beginning of a great new chapter in Andy’s life.
Another club member and good friend Erica Davis has also been the benefactor of CAF and those who help raise funds.
Erica, who was also participating in triathlon as an “able bodied” athlete, had her life changing injury in December 2005. A physical education teacher in Hawaii at the time, Erica suffered a ruptured vein in her spinal cord that caused a build up of pressure and eventual atrophy of her spinal cord. What started as a back ache 5 days later turned in to paralysis from her belly button down.
In 2006, I was sent an email from CAF asking if I could help an athlete with the swim portion of the Encinitas Triathlon. With out hesitation I said yes and was told to meet Erica at the venue. When I met Erica, a beautiful blonde California girl, I was taken in by her great smile. Unfortunately though, in the back of my mind were the VERY POOR conditions on the swim course that day. I was confident that we would not be swimming as the ocean, while it was May, looked like the day after one of our big winter storms. There was not a definite swell direction nor cycle, but there was definitely a swell of 3 -5 feet. On a normal day, this swell size would not bother me to much, but this day, it was so sloppy, ugly, cloudy and grey out, that I did not even bring a wetsuit. Unfortunately the organizers decided to go ahead with the swim and Erica was determined to get out there, 
so I borrowed a wetsuit from 2XU representative Richard Verney and off we went when the gun sounded. I have NEVER been more worried during an ocean swim in my life. There was never a lull in the surf and Erica does not have the ability to “ duck dive” because she can not plunge her torso while lifting her legs in order to dive, duck style. So with each passing wave all she could do was let the white water have its way with her and then try to get back to the task of swimming.
Initially I would try to force her down underwater with me, but once we got into deeper water, closer to the impact zone, this really became less effective and possibly dangerous. The possibility of slamming in to each other just became to great. So I was left to the primary role of lead worrier and with every wave came an additional wave of anxiety. Here his how it went.
A wave would approach and I would use my momentum to dive deep and forward. The last thing I would do though was make sure I saw that Erica was aware of the coming wave. If not, I would tap anywhere I could touch so that she could prepare. I would go under praying and pop up having already turned back towards shore. The process, while still praying, then turned to scanning the whitewater of the passing wave. What I was hoping for was Ericas butt to surface much like the way a sub comes up. Not sure why, but this was pretty consistently the body part that broke the surface first. Once I got her position, I would swim to her and the next thing I would see, to my relief, would be her, lift her head and give me a big smile in response to my, “are you OK?” question. At this point we sometimes had a chance to start swimming but also sometimes, we had to just repeat the process we just went through. To be honest, there were several times I was hoping to hear,”let’s get the heck outta here!!!”. But she soldiered on and while the current had driven us to far south to realistically make the single bouy, she did that day what well over half of the field did not do, and that was make it out past the surf. I saw many a “heman triathastud” humbled by the conditions and I will always remember her for her determination that day.
Since then I have helped Erica with many ocean training swims as well as escorting her on rides. One day hopefully she will achieve her dream, shared almost universally in triathlon, of making it to compete in Kona.
This is the first year I mixed business and pleasure at this event. I was asked to do the swim as part of relay with Dr. John Martinez, of Coastal Sports and Wellness, and his wife. Due to a large fog bank hugging the coast in the morning, the swim was shorten to keep the athletes closer to shore for safety sake. Instead of a 1.2 mile swim, it was turned in to an estimated 800 meter swim. Staying consistent with this shortened swim, our cyclist, Dr. Martinez, missed some turns on the open bike course and did not ride the entire 56 miles. Trying to stay honest with what should have been his course time, he decided to burn some time with breakfast at Breuggers Bagels. Fortunately his wife Laura, a strong runner, kept it honest on our anchor leg with a strong 13.1 mile run. Remember this is an event not a race became the theme of our team!!!
All and all it was a great event with over 2 million dollars raised this year when combining the triathlon with the Quallcom Million Dollar Challenge ride and the Tour De Cove spin cycle fund raiser. This is one of the great charities and causes. Please consider getting involved as a fundraiser or volunteer. You will have the opportunity to not only touch many lifes, the rewards are
Lastly, I would like to thank all my fellow TCSD members that came out in support of the event. Members of the Triathlon Club of San Diego played huge roles in support of the event by manning a run aid station, organizing and staffing the Kaiser Permanente walk and throughout the event in many capacities. It makes me proud to be a member along with so many great people!!!
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Real estate market coming in for a landing?
October 21st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego county Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO– Looking at the September housing numbers, it looks as though some indicators of a real estate bottom are lining up.
In September, the San Diego real estate market saw a jump in homes sold in excess of 56% when compared to September 2007. Looking at this number however, it is worth mentioning that last September was one of the worst months on record for number of homes sold. Additionally, the number of homes sold, 3,366, remains below the monthly average for September going back to 1988.
Looking at pricing, September saw the biggest monthly drop since DataQuick started keeping records. The over 34% drop saw San Diego’s average home price fall to $328,000 from a high of $517,500 in November 2005.
So why does this equal a possible landing?
First, the jump in homes sold in September over August bucks the seasonal drop off of activity traditionally seen as family settles in to their new homes.
Secondly and probably most importantly, is that a large number of investors are seeing value in the market and investment dollars are a great indicator of confidence.
“That’s a good thing, because these are the guys who will determine where the bottom is,” Thornberg said. “When they think prices have reached a point where they can buy stuff and rent it out and sell in three or four years and make money, they’ll move in. This was never an if, it was always a when, and now it’s starting to happen.”
He added, “It’s the beginning of a recovery – it’s not the recovery . . . There’s a bottom ahead, we’re not there yet, but it’s clear we’re coming in for the landing.” -San Diego Union Tribune, 10/12/2008
Thirdly, number of listings has fallen to levels that are more indicative of a balanced market. Currently the number of active listings, 17,447, in San Diego is down 16% and represents a market inventory of 5.6 months. The benchmark for a balanced market is 3–6 months.
At one time we were seeing market inventory approaching 13 months in some areas.
Fourthly, agents on the street, including myself, are seeing more activity at open houses and in response to advertising. The caveat being, these homes are generally distressed sales, such as short sales or bank owned, or owner occupied homes that have the ability to be agressively priced. Foreclosed home sales continue to trend up, 20% from a year ago, and accounted for 47.3% of resale home closings.
Lastly, the economic strategies implemented by our government and the world leaders seem to be starting to have some impact. The LIBOR rate, which is am international benchmark borrowing rate among banks, had it largest drop in nine months. This in turn has an impact on mortgages tied to the LIBOR. After a sharp jump last week, local 30 year fixed mortgage rates have come down but are still above the 6% mark.
To accurately close this post, I feel I need to mention that all of this information reflects a period prior to the recent meltdown of Wall Street and financial markets worldwide. If we can see a continuation of these trends We need six consecutive months to indicate a trend.
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Economic news driving you crazy?
October 20th, 2008 Categories: San Diego County Community News, What to do in San Diego
SAN DIEGO– If all the economic news of late is driving you crazy take comfort in the fact it is costing you less to get there.
After spiking at $147 a barrel earlier this year, oil is now under $75 a barrel and while OPEC maybe looking at cutting production, analysts think that we could see oil as low as $35 a barrel.
“Oil demand in the U.S. will be a bellwether,” Pervan said. “If the US, Europe and Japan go into a major recession, there’s no reason we can’t see $35, $40 a barrel.”-Associated Press, Stevenson Jacobs, 10/20/2008
So, if there are bright sides to all this turmoil, one could be gas prices back in the mid to low two dollars. Currently the national average is $2.92 with 
San Diego averaging $3.23. This already is a significant drop from our early July high of $4.58 a gallon.
At the time of this writing, Dion and Sons at 11427 Woodside Ave in Santee is coming in at $2.85 and represents the lowest price in San Diego!!!
Will this lead to the return of the Hummer?
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New “Hope” program to help homeowners… seriously
October 14th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Fixer of the Week, San Diego county Real Estate News
“Hope never abandons you; you abandon it”– George Weinberg
SAN DIEGO– I track notice of defaults to use as an indicator of future trouble for areas. See, this is the first step of the foreclosure and usually, if a notice of default is filed, the home will be going to bank owned. The exception to this are properties that are listed and the owner is actively trying to short sale the home.
However lately, I noticed a drop in the filings and while my head told me the economic picture hasn’t improved, I could not deny what I was seeing. Facts are facts.
What I had forgotten about was new state legislation that requires lenders to spend 30 days attempting to workout a loan modification before filing the notice of default.
Sean O’Toole, the founder of Foreclosureradar.com summed up this new legislation correctly;
”It’s probably less immediately painful, but I think you get to the same point,” O’Toole said. “It kind of comes down to how you prefer to take your medicine —- do you want to have more pain up-front and recover faster or have less pain and take longer to recover?”
When asked if the new legislation would help stem the tide of foreclosures, O’toole went on to say;
“It doesn’t change any of the fundamental facts, which are that homeowners stopped making the payments” because the loan’s principal —- the amount of money borrowed —- was too high, he said. “It’s all about the principal balance at the end of the day, and they aren’t addressing that problem.”
Here is the good news for those that can qualify.
The newest government program, Hope for Homeowners, h
as the best chance of impacting our situation in San Diego and because it addresses the free fall of equity we have experienced. If you qualify, “the new mortgage will be no more than 90 percent of the new appraised value including any financed up front Mortgage Insurance Premium.” -HUD.gov
Let’s say you purchased your Clairemont home in the summer of 2005 for $610,000 and it is now worth $475,000. You like most people used a 100% or a very low down loan. Your payment on the $610,000 @ 6%, interest only, is roughly $3100 and it’s killing you.
Under the HOPE for Homeowners program, your new refinanced loan would be at 90% of your current homes value, $475,000, which in this scenario would be $427,500. At the same interest rate of 6%, your interest only payment would be $2150, which save you roughly $1000 a month. An additional savings would be your tax base value change of $125,000 saving you an additional $120 a month, approximated.
Now while in my opinion this is a GREAT option, there are many guidelines that have to be met and one big condition of the program is equity sharing with the previous lender and /or FHA. It is on a sliding scale but this is from the HUD website.
If the home is sold or refinanced, the homeowner will share the equity with FHA on a sliding scale ranging from a 100 percent FHA share after the first year to a minimum of 50 percent after five years. The lien holder that previously held the highest priority will receive payment up to a proportion of its original interest, not to exceed the amount of available appreciation. This type of delayed payoff will take place until all prior lien holders are satisfied or the amount of available appreciation is exhausted. All remaining appreciation is remitted to FHA.
For all the information on this program go to the HUD website here.
If you are not able to keep your home and have looked in to loan modification, please give me a call to discuss all your options.
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Hey San Diego, call your lender
October 10th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Fixer of the Week, San Diego county Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO– I have been writing a lot lately about the need to be proactive when you find your finances under pressure do to job loss, loss of income or rate increases in your mortgage.
I came across an article on MSN today that answered a question from a reader that owes more than their home is worth and are starting to miss payments. The article starts off with a testimony to the human condition.
“You should contact your lenders right away. If you are like most folks, you aren’t answering the lenders’ mail or returning their phone calls. Most think they don’t need to speak with their lenders about their situation, or think they can take care of their problems, if they recognize them as such, without involving the lender.
But a large percentage also believe their lenders can’t or won’t be any help, or are simply too embarrassed or scared to ring them up. But all these people are wrong — on all counts.”-By Lew Sichelman, MarketWatch, MSN
If you are experiencing a financial hardship or can see one coming, you really need to get your lender involved as quickly as possible. With all the 
changes taking place recently in the financial sector, there is so much pressure on lenders to try to workout a resolution. In a recent post I noted that approximately 20% of the time, homeowners received either loan modifications or forbearance and that percentage has stayed consistent through July 2008. This is the first step in saving your home. Additionally this is something you can do yourself. Call the customer service number on your statement. If you feel you are not getting anywhere this way or just would like more information, check out the information on the HUD website.
Here is the entire article.
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How to ruin a training week, or..
October 8th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Community News, San Diego County Fixer of the Week, San Diego county Real Estate News, Triathlon Club of San Diego Race Reports
… no good deed goes unpunished!!!
SAN DIEGO– The beginning of 2008 started out a bit rough for me health wise. On January 25th I had to have a second back surgery which is the bad news. The good news is it went very well and I have been able to complete four tri’s so far this year. I added the Carlsbad Marathon to my “to do” list as it is pretty close to the one year anniversary of the surgery and I have DNF’d this race twice. It’s a tough Boston qualifier. I am using the FIRST training program which is based on a three workout a week philosophy. The program seems to work well for me as I have a tendency of overtraining and often get injured. Tuesdays are speed work, Thursday is tempo work and Saturday we go long. I fill in with swims and easy bike rides.
This week however I volunteered at a Habitat For Humanity construction project near my home in Carlsbad and IT KICKED MY BUTT!!! I worked with a team of young ladies from Palomar College and we were a hammer swinging, wall framing machine. We beat the Navy guys 4 walls to three and these were not easy walls. Two of our walls were exterior and had window placement so we were breaking out the “headers” and “cripples”. It 
really was a lot of fun and I will be back out there next week.
After seven hours of construction work I was going to go for my speed workout to stick with my program. FORTUNATELY in a rare moment of brilliance for me, I knew that even though I felt fine NOW, it probably wasn’t a good idea. Between being in the sun all day with the heat wave we are currently experiencing and a day full of squats, I decided my body was taxed enough. GREAT CALL!
I have to be honest and humble here. For all the training I do, it really is specific to running, biking and swimming.
I woke up Wednesday suffering. Stairs were a killer and forget about bending over to pickup something dropped. There was sincere contemplation between just how important the dropped item was versus the pain that will accompany the retrieval. I tried an easy ride on the trainer, a foam roller and stretching, but I have to admit that I was hurting. My office mates received great pleasure in my pain and when asked why I 
was hurting so much when I should be in such great shape, I had to remind them that at no time during the day was I asked to ride a bike, run anywhere or swim.
Going to bed last night I took all my supplements, stretched the best I could, rolled on the roller and on a ball and went to bed with the hope of fresh legs in the morning. Afterall, I had a tempo run today and heaven forbid I miss two of three workouts!! No such luck. Surprisingly going up stairs and anything I need to do vertically is no problem, but throw in a trip downhill or bending over and my quads and butt are still screaming!!! I’ll I can hope for now is fresh legs for Saturdays long run, but the reality is I do not want them too fresh. In order for the workout to be effective they need to be somwhat fatigued. What a paradox!!!
It was a great time working with all the other volunteers and it is for a very worthy cause. If you 
or someone you know is in a low income job but a rock solid individual, they should look into these programs. H4H currently has projects in Carlsbad, Oceanside and El Cajon. Here is more about them.
I guess all and all, missing a couple runs and leaving several things on the ground for later is a small price to pay to help some else in the long RUN!!
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Write about what you know
October 6th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Fixer of the Week, San Diego county Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO– This was a the title of an article I came across last week while searching for other blogs and this morning I pondered how it relates to me and what I can try to accomplish here.
I have been a bit quiet this last week as my head was busy spinning from the continuous bombardment of information about the economy, the local real estate market, job losses, Presidential campaign and on and on and on. I would sit down to start to write and just could not get a string of continuous thoughts to form. A friend of mine coined the term “spunked”, a compound of “spun” and “in a funk”, and that is certainly where I and maybe you have been.
At one point last week I tried to put into action the “do not worry about that which you can not control” philosophy. I worked for a few hours in the morning on meeting my responsibilities to clients and then went for a nice 2 hour run on the coast followed immediately by a 3 hour surf using my office as T1.
After my run, my officemates, still hunkered over laptops with increasingly long faces, looked at me as if I was crazy when I grabbed my surfboard and said to them, reaffirmingly to myself, “let’s not worry about that which we can not control. Unless I get a phone call from D.C. asking for my input or 
vote on the bailout, I’m going surfing!!!”
I would love to tell you that all the worries of a small business owner and provider washed off me with that first duck dive and I spent three hours in tranquil and serene bliss, but this was not the case. Don’t get me wrong, the surf was a super fun 3–4 feet, nice and glassy and I certainly got my share of waves. The problem was in those breaks in between waves when you can just peacefully sit staring out at the horizon contemplating just how fortunate you are, the peace and gratitude that I normally feel were still being replaced by worry and uncertainty. Try as I may I could just not seem to turn it around.
It went like this. You grab a wave. Nice little drop in, get back on the tail, bottom turn, lip, cross step to the nose for a little speed section, back to the tail for one last bottom turn and maybe one more cutback, then out the back. As I would start paddling back to the lineup, the first thought usually is something along the lines of either total happiness or the thought of a missed section. Then you just get back out there, sit peacefully with maybe the occasional interruption of a dolphin or a seal, maybe a pelican crashing into the water scooping fish, but all and all it is just peaceful 
introspection. These days though, that introspection keeps turning towards the uncertainty of the times and unless I win the lottery soon, I do not think it is going to go away. Can’t win if you don’t play!!
However today while walking my dog Dave, I tried to think about my part in this and what I could do. What do I have to offer, what’s my part. What I have decided is that I am a resource. No, I do not have all the answers, but I have resources and partners and collectively we can be a valuable team. If you are finding yourself in a negative financial situation regarding your home I want to HELP YOU!!! That’s my part.
I know the worries and uncertainty that make up the fear. I understand that sometimes negative things happen to good people and I understand confidentiality. Sometimes in order to “protect” ourselves, we do not reach out for help. We are not ready to let down our guard, accept our situation and seek help. 
There are solutions when it comes to your home. Some obliviously better than others, but they are out there. Whether it’s seeking a loan modification, trying a short sale or “handing over the keys” you need to seek answers and solutions and the sooner you realize your situation the more options that should be available to you.
If you need help please feel free to contact me. I promise you confidentiality and personal service. That’s my part and what I know.
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