Back on the Saddle

Hey everyone. (All 3 of my readers)

I am sorry that I haven't been blogging the last two/three weeks.

I am getting back on the saddle and will be reporting as usual soon.

I apologize to all who have been anxiously awaiting my posts.

The video of the week will be posted tomorrow and updates will be more regular once again.

That is a promise.

Thanks again to my loyal reader...okay readers...maybe. :-D

-Topher-

Video of the Week.

Maybe a few of you have felt this way before. If you ever find yourself struggling at the end of a long work day, find a co-worker that has as avid an imagination as you do, and have some fun.

My Mama

My dada says that today is a special day. He says that it is the day that we need to tell our mamas that we love and appreciate them. He says that of all the days, it is important that we be nice to mom today. I think it is important that we do those things every day, but I thought I would do something extra special for my mama today. I don't have a job, and I don't have any money, but I want her to know that I am grateful for her and tell her some of my favorite memories I have had with her.

I remember the day that I was born. It was a really taxing day for my mama. She had to work so hard to get me here, because I wasn't being very cooperative. It was so late at night (or early in the morning) too. I remember how happy she was to see me though, and she held me close and told me that she loved me. I am grateful that she suffered what she suffered, in order to bring me into this world. I know I will never fully understand or appreciate it, but I am so glad that I am finally here.

After I was born, mama stayed home to take care of me. She had to go back to school to finish teaching for a few weeks, but ever since, she has spent almost all day of every day with me. Even when I was too little to do anything but eat, sleep, cry and poop. She never got mad at me or sick of me. She is my best friend. She reads me so many books and takes me to do interesting things. I can say a lot more words than a lot of kids my age, thanks to her. She takes time to talk to me and sing to me. I can say a lot of things, like "apple, ball, book, bye, hi, that, this, spider, dinosaur, uh-oh, boom boom, happy, num num, baby, blue, yellow, amen, dada," and my favorite word, "mama". I can say other things too, but I haven't learned how to spell them yet.

One of my favorite things to do with mama is go swimming. Sometimes, she will take me to an indoor pool close to our house. It has a big dinosaur slide that I love going down. It is so much fun. Sometimes we go there with some friends, and sometimes it is just with mama and dada. Sometimes I forget that I am just a little boy still, and I want to go off swimming by myself. Maybe my mama will teach me how to swim this summer. I sure hope so, because I still have a lot of swimming to do in my life.

On of my favorite places that I went swimming was in Hawai'i. We went there in February with my dada's mama and dada. My mama took really good care of me on the plane. The plane that took us from California to Hawai'i was delayed for three hours and forty five minutes. They wouldn't let us off of the plane, and I had fallen asleep in mama's arms. She sat there for two hours without moving, so that I could get some sleep. When the plane finally took off, I'd had enough, and I wanted everyone to know about it. My mama kept playing with me for 5 more hours, as the plane took us to Hawai'i. She was so patient with me and took really good care of me. When we got to Hawai'i, it was a blast. We played in the sand and ocean a ton. I thought the sand tasted really good, and I would get a few mouthfuls in when no one was looking. We got some really tasty snow cones and mama let me have some tastes of hers. I wish that she would feed me food like that all of the time. I like the oatmeal and peaches she gives me, but there is nothing like a Matsumoto's Shaved Ice.
Sometimes I try to help my mama with things around the house. One day, I saw her wiping up my mess off the floor. Her phone rang, so she went out of the room to answer it. I decided that it would be nice of me to pick up the rag and start wiping the floor for her. That way, she wouldn't have to do it. She came back and thought that I was so cute that she took a picture of me. I also like helping her put the wet clothes into the dryer. I am glad that I am getting big enough that I can start helping out around here. Dada says that I have to go find a job soon, to start helping pay the bills around here. I don't think that I am ready for that yet.If you can't tell yet, I love my mama. I couldn't dream up a better one for me. She is teaching me so many things. I hope that I can grow up to be a man that she is proud of. I know that if I don't it sure won't be her fault. Thank you for everything that you do for me mama. I love you and I will always be your little bear, no matter what. I will try to be nice to you every day of the year; not just on days that dada says are special. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

You Can Find ANYTHING on Youtube

Holy cow! I don't know why I thought of this commercial, but it is one of the funniest in the history of the world. My family are probably the only people that will really laugh hard at this, but I remember this was my favorite commercial when I was like eight years old. We even tape recorded it, so that we could watch it whenever we wanted. Who needs tapes when you have Youtube?

8 Reasons to Invest in Real Estate in 2008

1. The Market Is Down
As most of you are probably aware, houses are staying on the market longer. This has pushed the more desperate sellers to drop their prices well below where they were in the recent past. One of the first rules of creating wealth is "Buy Low, Sell High". Many people are afraid of the down market and are sitting on the sidelines, when things are cheaper than they have been for a long time. Your competition to purchase these properties is decreasing every day.

2. Foreclosures Are On The Rise
For a number of reasons, more people are unable to make their mortgage payments and banks are taking them back through foreclosure. Banks do NOT want to have ANY real estate in their portfolio. It drastically decreases the amount of money that they can lend out. In many areas, they are selling these repossessed properties at discounted rates. With families being removed from their homes, rental rates are on the rise. People still have to live somewhere.

3. As A Buyer, You Have More Options
Increasing inventory of houses, with a decrease in potential buyers, means that you have more control in your purchasing process. If one seller isn't willing to work with you, on your terms, there is probably another one down the road that will. You can be extremely picky about the investment that you are making and structure the deal closer to how you want to see it structured.

4. Interest Rates Are Low
This is the first time in history that we have seen a low market together with low interest rates. In the past, a slow economy was greeted with high interest rates. I'm not sure if we will continue to see rates as low as they are now. Why wait to see if interest rates will go up? If you take advantage of them now, then it doesn't matter where they go. Money is cheaper to borrow right now, than has been the case through recent history.

5. Mortgage Brokers Are Working Hard For Your Business
There are fewer transactions taking place in the market, leaving smaller pieces of the pie for each mortgage broker. Competition between mortgage brokers is becoming tougher, resulting in the cream rising to the top, with the ones who were not taking the job seriously leaving the business. The ones who are still around, are more likely to know what they are talking about, and are better equipped to help you get the best terms available.

6. Real Estate Agents Are Working Hard For Your Business
Like mortgage brokers, with fewer transactions taking place in the market, real estate agents are competing more for the business that is out there. The agents who are surviving are the ones providing exceptional customer service to their clients, and the ones who are becoming creative and embracing the changing market. They are more willing to do what it takes to find transactions that work for you.

7. You Have More Education Available To You
In this age of technology, information is readily available, wherever you are. You can easily educate yourself on markets around the globe and make educated decision. Educate yourself or join teams with someone that understands the market and can be creative in changing strategies, based on changing markets.

8. You Live In The United States
The United States is one of the best countries in the world for buying and holding real estate. Mortgage money is readily available to nearly anyone with ok credit and some kind of income, and property ownership rights are well established making real estate a secure investment. A lot of Americans also have investment money set aside for retirement, that can be accessed, tax free, to invest in the leveraging of real estate.

If you have any questions about why I recommend investing in a "struggling" market, I would love to talk to you. Most people buy real estate only thinking about the appreciation that the property will experience. With that mind set, it is no wonder that people call this a down market. There are several other benefits to real estate than appreciation alone. In most markets, properties have stopped depreciating. I'll end by repeating a thought that I said earlier.

"Buy Low, Sell High" Now is the time to do the former.