Look And Dream

There is a huge movement in this country to go back to the land.  People are moving to farms and acreage properties where they can grow their own food, be more independent of the economy, and basically get off the grid.  When life gets complex and stressful,  people get the desire for a simpler lifestyle, an escape from the noise of modern society.

As part of my real estate practice, I promote properties in unique places such as the mountains of East Tennessee.   I recently visited the area and got some nice photos of some great buys on tracts of mountain land from 1 to 500 acres.  Even if you are not interested in land right now, you should go to my site and look at the photos.  It’s free to dream… and it may make you feel better.  

I also feature properties in Florida, Waterfront, Mini-Farms, Fly-In Communities, and great deals on home sites.

I specialize in helping people to locate special properties nation wide.

 Go to this website by clicking on the link:                                     http://lookanddream.com/

Reconnecting With Social Networking

It wasn’t that long ago that I was intimidated by the idea of learning to send emails.  I made myself learn because it was costing me sales in my real estate practice not to.  Then I got hooked on chat rooms and political debate.  Just when I thought I was getting good at computer stuff, blogging became popular followed by My Space, Face Book, and Twitter.  I skipped My Space and went straight to Facebook.

I re-connected with an old buddy I had lost track of.  He lives in Hawaii and plays music.  I bought and downloaded one of his songs from a website.   I found new friends through some mutual friends.  I got hooked.  Friends who have moved all over the country are popping up on the screen and maybe even a few I wasn’t exited about seeing.

Then on to Twitter…. I’m still working on that one.   It can connect up with Facebook and some other things.    I found a few politicians that I like and followed them along with some real estate tycoons.  Some people I’ve never known are following me….. why, I don’t have a clue.  

About the time I get Facebook and Twitter figured out,  something new will come along to challenge me. You see, an old dog can learn new tricks ….. it just takes us longer.

Whatever Happened To Mental Patients ?

The mother just accused of a kidnapping hoax is obviously not in her right mind. She stole money from work, fled the state with one daughter, left two children at home, and was found (where else?) in Disney World. This woman is more of a mental case than a criminal, but after she goes into the system she’ll be a crazed criminal.

As someone who has worked for many years with the homeless, I have observed many mentally ill and mentally handicapped people wandering our streets with no idea how to get out. We have to accept the reality that everyone is not like us. We were not all born with the same tools. Not everyone has the ability to figure out the next logical step.

My twin sons, 25, were born with Down Syndrome. They couldn’t survive the streets. I see a lot of street people that are obviously mentally handicapped and wandering the streets, sleeping in the woods, harassed by deputies who regularly shred their tents in an attempt to get them to travel to the next town and be somebody else’s problem.

Laws were changed several years ago that made it harder to have someone committed to a mental institution. Patients who demanded freedom were loosed to the streets and the churches and social services have been maxed out ever since. One former patient pitched his camp behind our church. His collection of debris included large knives, dead squirrels (for future meals), and stolen property. When we finally got him placed in an old folks home, his pile of stuff weighed over 2,000 lbs. at the county dump weigh-in. And ….. he demanded a release and this old veteran of foreign wars with a 24 hour memory bank is now roaming our community again.

The Bitter Pill Of A Bad Economy

When things were booming it seemed there would be no end to our prosperity.  Our business grew.  We got involved in a second business.  Our income was the best we had ever experienced.  But with our success came the ability to borrow large amounts of money.

But, no worry, we had plenty of real estate equity and if things ever got tight, we’d sell the house and pay it all off.  Besides that, our account always seemed to have a comfortable cushion.  In a situation like this, it really wasn’t even borrowing – just a reallocation of funds.

As things tightened the cash cushion went flat.  And as we tried to sell our house the equity disappeared before our eyes.  The cash, the equity, and the ability to profit vaporized as quickly as a summer shower on a blacktop road in Florida.

It was terribly uncomfortable… and still is.  With financial failure comes phone calls engineered to shame you, create fear, and move you to find a way to pay.    They’ll push you and cajole you to borrow from relatives, friends,  or credit cards to make their collection call a success. 

As banks and manufacturers get trillions in bailout money (our tax money) the small business owners and the working men and women get the shaft.  With destroyed credit scores come rejections for new employment, limitations on housing rental options,  increased public utility deposits, and increases in auto insurance.   And to add to our pain and disgust, the only solution offered by the government is a grand scheme to borrow and spend more money than any government in known history.

It has been said that most families live one or two paychecks from the street.  Homelessness is no longer the unfortunate end to a life of alcoholism or drug addiction.  Former corporate executives are now among the homeless.  There are invisible homeless persons who can be found sleeping on the couches of relatives or friends.   

Positive life lessons have been learned from this time of leanness.  For the first time in recent history, Americans have a positive savings rate.   Like our grandparents who survived the Great Depression, the way we think about money is being impacted in a way that we will not soon forget.  My personal lessons learned from the last few years are:

1.  Stop borrowing.   Not, stop borrowing temporarily, but stop borrowing forever for anything.  My wife and I have agreed that if we have to live in a 1946 camper trailer, we will not borrow ever again…. for anything.

2.  Save money out of every paycheck.  Pay yourself first.  If we save enough and things slow down in the future, we can just go on vacation.

3.  Live more simply.  Keep overhead low.  Travel light.  Our lives have become much more complex than they have to be. 

4.  Relax.   Don’t fear.  We’ve been to the bottom and back.  Ask yourself in each situation, “what is the worst that can happen?”  Fearless people can accomplish great things.  Take liesure time to decompress and retool.  An ancient Chinese proverb says, “The bow that is always bent will soon cease to shoot straight.”

5.  Invest.  Be forward looking.  Be proactive.  Build your future success through investing.  Don’t be afraid to dream big dreams and implement bold plans.  

6.  Grow.  Further your education.  Get a new professional designation. Read books on personal growth, success, and new ideas.   Keep an open mind for positive change.  Improve your health through a healthier lifestyle of fitness and nutrition.

7.  Give.  All of our getting, growth, success, and money means nothing if we are not helping others in need.  Our investment of time, energy, and money into others really defines who we are as people.  This is one of the big things that will matter at your funeral service.   Did you positively impact the lives of others?   Giving is loving and loving is living.

The negative experiences of life can make us bitter people or better people.  We choose our destination in life by the way we respond to our problems.