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Definite Signs of Life, Real Estate is ready for a Comeback!

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:42:22 +0000

We have become so accustomed to bad news in this and neighboring industries that we often draw the long sigh of despair before we’ve had a chance to digest all the information. Thankfully, there is some good news.

We all know the market will recover; it’s just a question of when and although the first signs are much like those of an impending spring bloom, hardly noticeable at first, they are present. Home sales were up by as much as 5.5 percent in the Midwest with the entire nation showing improvements between 2 percent and 4.6 percent. Condo sales were up as well, showing an improvement of 5.5 percent nationally. Read More Here

Bank of America and Countrywide Jobs

Dessert Chef — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:20:12 +0000

As if we needed more bad news, pretty soon there will be less bread on the table after the merging of Bank of America and Countrywide. The combination of two power houses will ironically eliminate a bevy of positions. If you’re one of these employees, how do you plan on securing your next position?

See how jobs plan on being sliced in the upcoming merger.

Parched for Gas?

Dessert Chef — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:32:00 +0000

{democracy:2}

How highly experienced workers can rebound from a job loss

Dessert Chef — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:53:57 +0000

At first, you were the new guy (or girl), eager to absorb all information from your peers, superiors and surroundings. You made your way through the rankings and eventally climbed to intermediate, then the senior executive level. You ruled and your income reflected those many years of experience. You trusted the organization and it’s long term success. Then 2007 hit and suddenly, your company along with your position, evaporated! Oddly enough, you’re dusting off that floppy disk and re-editing your resume. Like a nostalgic, trendy slang word, “groovy” and “far out,” you thought you’d never have to use this one again.

So why aren’t the employers biting on to your well-experienced resume? Well, if this scenario above fits the bill and you’re still starved for work, then help is on its way!

Here’s how highly experienced workers are rebounding from job losses and getting back to enjoying picnics at the park.

Giant real estate partnership files bankruptcy

Dessert Chef — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:18:42 +0000

BK is not only known for the “royale with cheese” and ”have it your way;”
nope, in our financial real estate world, it’s the infamous two-letter ‘F-word’ for a myriad of troubled and distressed real estate/mortgage companies of 2007-2008.

My guess is that companies would rather not “have it this way.”

See who bit the BK burger this time.

..and if you’ve worked or are currently still working with any of these BK companies, what measures have you taken to secure future employment?

Gas prices and your commute

Dessert Chef — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:46:45 +0000

It’s times like these, I really wish the freeway had a
separate bike route. Not only are we famished for real estate work, but now our tanks are running low and we’re parched for fuel!

With gas prices costing an arm and two legs, how far are you willing to drive for work?

Real Estate Stock on the Rise

Dessert Chef — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:48:55 +0000

For most real estate professionals out there, business is slow (non-existent for others). The industry is our restaurant. For the sake of this mental imagery, let’s call it our Italian restaurant. The buyers, sellers and investors are our patrons. We are the chefs, sous-chefs, and maitre’d’s of our establishments. Customers used to pour in through the doors. We would even give them pagers to wait in line, having them wait 45-60 minutes for the next seating.

Well, times have changed, but don’t tell that to the piece of yeast-filled dough growing in the kitchen. Where does this all tie-in? You’ll see in a second. The dough, a simple and yet integral ingredient to many of our pasta dishes. Without it, we would have soupy messes. The dough in this illustation are our builders! Yes, even in this woeful market, there are builder stocks on the rise!*

Have you considered employment in this “rising” segment?
(*Not to be considered a stock tip, but if you happen to secure a position, earn a lot of dough and want to “do the right thing,” we will humbly respect your decision to break bread and will offer you a free large drink at our “Italian restaurant.”)

Where’s the BEEF?!

Dessert Chef — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:49:51 +0000

Remember that commercial back in the 80’s with the little old lady hollaring, “Where’s the beef?!” I have a feeling she’s not the only one these days asking that question. So where is the beef? Better yet, where’s the bacon? The cheddar? The remaining REAL ESTATE JOBS that bring home the money and help you put filet mignon on the table (tofu steak if you’re a vegetarian). The answer might involve the good olfactory bulbs working in high gear with the solution being right… under… our noses. That’s right! We are inundated with news of increased FORECLOSURES happening in most of our major metropolitan areas.

If every cloud has a silver lining and lemonade is made from lemons, then call a foreclosure a lemon and see if your experience and skills are easily squeezed and transferrable into one of the hottest growing sectors of our industry!

Foreclosure Filings Over The Past Two Years

The Top Ten Foreclosure Rates:
1. Nevada
2. California
3. Arizona
4. Florida
5. Colorado
(6-10 see below)

More freshly squeezed foreclosure stats and metropolitan hot spots here.

No-money-down loans for 2008?

Dessert Chef — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:53:24 +0000

You would think that while we are STILL in the middle (and hopefully, tail-end) of this real estate debacle, all exotic and zero-money down loans would be relics of the past. Isn’t that the initial thought? Lenders have tightened up their guidelines and many of today’s loans are plain vanilla, original cake donut, full doc only loans. But wait! Bust out the sprinkles on that donut because there’s a new form of NO-MONEY DOWN LOANS that you should be aware of. Do these loans really help us stimulate employment and real estate value? Or are we just shooting ourselves in the foot, arm and gut with this new, simple carbohydrated, but delectable offering?

Take me to the donut..err, No Money Down Loans!

Mortgage Employment Declines For 13th Straight Month

Dessert Chef — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:51:20 +0000

Mortgage Employment Declines For 13th Straight Month
Graph: In Thousands, Mortgage Employment since Jan. 2002 Although the rate of job losses in the mortgage industry has leveled since it began dropping precipitously last fall, industry employment has declined for more than 13 consecutive months.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 360,100 full-time mortgage positions in the month of March, down from 364,700 in February and 465,800 one year ago. Employment reporting at the Bureau generally lags one month for the mortgage industry. The mortgage industry has lost 144,600 jobs since employment peaked at 504,700 in October 2006. The BLS breaks down mortgage employment into two categories.Under “real estate credit,” the BLS reported 249,100 million jobs, compared to 251,400 a month earlier.For the “mortgage and nonmortgage loan brokers” sector, there were reportedly 111,000 positions, compared to 112,700 one month ago.

The national unemployment rate remained at 5.0% for April.

Representing the fourth consecutive monthly loss, the number of non-farm payroll jobs declined another 20,000 for the month as the number of unemployed people stood at 7.6 million.

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