Why would an Oregon attorney nearing retirement, choose to leave his comfortable firm, open a solo real estate practice, and start a website and blog? Well, they say sharks have to keep moving to stay alive….
My stock in trade has been Realtors® and the real estate industry. It has served me well for nearly forty years. But it was only after the collapse of the real estate and credit markets that people began to realize that housing truly is the engine that fuels much of our economy. And commercial real estate, construction and development, are not far behind. When these major segments of our GDP faltered, the ripple effect was huge – like a tsunami – affecting employment, state and local tax bases, municipal services, construction, and much, much more.
Perhaps one of the most significant consequences of the collapse has been the “crisis of confidence” that pervades the real estate marketplace today. While interest rates have been at all-time lows and it is clearly a buyer’s market, home purchases are in the doldrums. In this website and blog, I hope to address not only the real estate industry – but also the other industries that affect – and are affected by – real estate.
So, as we slowly dig ourselves out of the worst economic and financial meltdown since the Great Depression, I thought it was high time to create a website and blog that would (hopefully) assist people, from the layperson to the professional, to learn more about real estate and its importance to our country’s overall financial and economic health.
