Copy for Real Estate Guide Column for 12-21-07

REAL ESTATE PATTERNS
By Ken DuVall

“YES, VIRGINIA. THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS.”

“Is There a Santa Claus?” read the headline that appeared over a New York Sun newspaper editorial on September 21, 1897. Written by Editor Francis Pharcellus Church, the response has become a part of the Christmas Holiday. "Yes, Virginia" has become a well-known phrase when answering that question. Here is the reprint of the entire letter and the reply for you to enjoy, written 110 years ago.

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in the SUN, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth: Is there really a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon, 115 West 95th Street, New York, NY.

The Editor’s response: Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, and no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus?! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody ever actually sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and un-seeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in this entire world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus?! Thank God! He lives, and He lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, He will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

And I add: Remember: He is the Reason for the Season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all. See ya all next year.

Ken owns Ken DuVall & Associates, REALTORS at 3rd Ave. & Mangrove in Chico. Ken was the 2001 President of the Chico Assn. of Realtors and the 1995 Chico Realtor of the Year. See Chico MLS listings at www.KenDuVall.com and call Ken at 345-3700 for all your real estate needs. Free consulting.

Copy for Real Estate Guide Column for 12-14-07

REAL ESTATE PATTERNS
By Ken DuVall

I GIVE IN!

As our Nat’l Debt grows by $1 million a minute, even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t find any good news this week! Since everything’s so grim, I’ve decided to give you a couple of inspirational happy ending stories instead. At least there’s some genuine “real estate” involved in each of them! Enjoy.
The Broken Pot
A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot felt guilty about its imperfection and to be only able to accomplish half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it decided to speak to the water bearer one day. The pot said, "I’m sorry I can only deliver half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you do all this work and don't get full value for your effort. I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you ever notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? Because I have always known about your flaw, I planted flower seeds in the earth on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace my house."
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots- me in particular! But it's the cracks and flaws each of us has that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

The Farmer's Donkey
One day a farmer's donkey fell into an old abandoned well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was too old and the well needed to be covered up anyway so it just wasn't worth retrieving him. He invited all his neighbors to come help. They all began shoveling dirt into the well. Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly.
Then, a few shovel-fulls later, he quieted down. The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovel-full of dirt that hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt! This went on until finally, to everyone’s shock and amazement, the donkey just stepped right up over the edge of the well and trotted off!
Life’s always going to shovel dirt on us, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to stop wailing, and not let the dirt bury you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each one of our troubles is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by just not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up, my friends!

Ken owns Ken DuVall & Associates, REALTORS at 3rd Ave. & Mangrove in Chico. Ken was the 2001 President of the Chico Assn. of Realtors and the 1995 Chico Realtor of the Year. See Chico MLS listings at www.KenDuVall.com and call Ken at 345-3700 for all your real estate needs. Free consulting.

Copy for Real Estate Guide Column for 12-7-07

REAL ESTATE PATTERNS
By Ken DuVall

THE GOOD & BAD

I read all the bad news too but I still managed to find some good news. If one digs deep enough in the muck of mainstream media reports, there it is. For openers, only 15% of all home mortgages are subprime loans, and only 10% of that 15% are in foreclosure. And to boot, only 3% of all U.S. mortgages are over 30 days late on their payments. You find that buried back on page 27 as an “Oh, by the way….”

Plus, borrowers with credit scores high enough to qualify for normal loans totaled fully 61% of all the subprime loans made last year, choosing them to save money. These borrowers can also afford the payment resets. Also buried deep is the fact that 80% of all subprime loan borrowers are current on their payments, suggesting to analysts the crisis won’t deepen as much as some now fear. From the Wall Street Journal.

And now here comes the Lone Ranger (maybe I should say the “Loan Arranger!”) to the rescue as our housing crisis deepens. A Washington bailout is definitely in the works. Banks are sure to freeze the teaser rates for some subprime borrowers facing increased payments to stave off more potential foreclosures. Congress will also see that red tape is trimmed, enabling the FHA to help back up more of the refinancings that may be called for. From all over the media.

From Kiplinger: A larger subprime bailout can’t be ruled out at this point as Congress feels added pressure. Pictures of people being forced out of their homes would be very powerful in an election year. But the economic effect would have to be much worse than now expected for lawmakers to hit the panic button. Yet this week Treasury Secretary Paulson called the housing market downturn “the biggest challenge to our economy” and that the Administration is moving swiftly to limit further foreclosures.

Again, there are no national real estate markets, only local markets. Business may be tough in many places but it’s not tough all over. For example, in the West: Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, Ore, Charlotte, NC, San Jose and San Francisco prices have climbed relentlessly. In the Northeast the biggest gainers are the gritty cities of Buffalo, NY, Pittsburg, PA, and Philadelphia. Business is brisk there with price gains ranging from 5.2% all the way up to 14.1% in the last quarter. From Forbes Magazine.

Sometimes I quote my sources just so you can verify them for yourselves. Courtesy of Dan Hunt, President of Mid Valley Title: Through September, Butte County’s foreclosures are only 25% of the state’s average and only 54% of the national figure. As I see them coming online, the vast majority are outside of the Chico Urban Area. Chico sales and inventory levels are still in quite good shape. So far, so good, one more time. Count your blessings.

Ken owns Ken DuVall & Associates, REALTORS at 3rd Ave. & Mangrove in Chico. Ken was the 2001 President of the Chico Assn. of Realtors and the 1995 Chico Realtor of the Year. See Chico MLS listings at www.KenDuVall.com and call Ken at 345-3700 for all your real estate needs. Free consulting.