Heath's Blog

This explanation was offered by a mortgage professional.  After searching the Net, I can't tell who's explanation it was originally, but it clearly explains what happened.... 

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).  Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.  

Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.  

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit.  He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.  

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer marketable assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.  

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager of the bank decides that slowly the time has come to require payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.  

However, the debtors cannot pay back the debts. Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %.  

The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.  

The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties. The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.  Finally an explanation I understand...

Happy listing and selling real estate!

Can you believe May is only a few days away.  The sun is shining and the weather is improving and the Red Sox are beating the Yankees...  (I'm a Texan, but here in New England, you have to mention the Red Sox when they are doing well.)

I will be posting the monthly results that we prepare from the search activity on REindex.com.  Because the average "real estate researcher", sometimes called a buyer, is now looking on the net for over 6 weeks before they schedule anything with a broker or agent, this surfing data is interesting.

When the data is sorted, many interesting places are uncovered as having search activity.  In the past we have seen Detroit, Iowa, and cities in Alabama appear on our lists before they start showing closing.  Keep your eyes peeled for the April report.

Happy Listing and Selling!

I drove to work by the beach this morning.  It is a 4 mile drive and a lot of it goes right by Nantucket Sound.  I saw boats going to the Vineyard, and seagulls, and the sun was shining.

I also saw license plates from New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and others I can't remember.  All this made me remember, "I live in a resort!"  I have been watching the increased traffic on Main Street in Falmouth all day from my office windows.

I was on the Vineyard (Martha's Vineyard) yesterday for an overnite with the family.  Saw friends and a brother-in-law.  And, we got the secret word that maybe the new prez and one of the old prezs will be on the Vineyard this summer in Oak Bluffs.

Sometimes I forget that I get to live in a place others only get to visit - the resort called Cape Cod.

Happy selling and listing!

What makes Hollywood East a better place to film movies and produce TV shows?  Well maybe it is the state of the art facilities.  Or it could be the fresh attitudes of the people and businesses in New England.  Or it could be the tax incentives that can transform a one million dollar budget into a one million two hundred fifty thousand dollar budget.

Whether it is the tax incentives, the self contained facilities, or the fresh faces of the people, the Plymouth Rock Studios is building the future at Hollywood East.  With over 200 Colleges and Universities in the Boston area alone, new talent and creativity abounds. 

With fresh ideas, and with the opportunity to construct a "made to order" production facility that will be the central location for movie and tv production in the Northeast.  The facilities are scheduled to be available in the fall of 2010.

Money!  On a recent visit to the Massachusetts Film Office, Nick Paleologis explains the tax credits available to movie makers in MAss.  His explanation is that $1 is actually $1.25 in MA.  So the million dollar budget gets stretched much farther in MA.

Which business CEO doesn't like to get a 25% bonus!? Are movie makers different from other businesses?  And, the facilities being built at the Plymouth Rock Studios in Plymouth MA are state of the art and soup to nuts.  From back lot, to sound stage, to offices, the site has it all!

And you get to enjoy Cape Cod  while you are here!  Tax credits, high tech facilities, and the beach!  Could it get better?

Happy listing and selling real estate!

Hollywood East's new video explains the importance of a a sound stage to us uninformed easterners. Westcoasters, experienced in producing movies and tv series, already know the importance of a sound stage. But Hollywood East is improving the sound stage location in ways that have never been done before with their new development in Plymouth MA.

Because they can start from scratch, the Plymouth Rock studios can include the wish list from other sound stage locations. The incorporation of all aspects of production into one location is innovative and attractive. Watch the video and see how all encompassing their plans are.

Find more videos like this on Hollywood East TV

Happy listing and selling!

It was a cold and windy morning on Sunday at the Hyannis harbor.  But, the sunrise was colorful and the singing was in tune.  We met once again at the beach for the 6:05 am sunrise and sang and read in Easter morning.

We were cold, but warmed by friends, voices, and remembering why one sunrise changed the world.

There were some new states that appeared in the Top Ten States Searched in the month of March. While the large states gathered the most numbers because of their large land area and population sizes, there were many small to medium states that had lots of search activity. When the size of state is taken into account, some of the smaller states had a lot of activity.

We use this information for a few things. One is to see if there is an area of the country that is developing faster than others. Another is to see if the activity from previous months is staying consistent. And the third is to find areas that we didn't know about for investment.

Texas, California, New York, Ohio, and Missouri were the top 5 states that people were searching in March. Pennsylvania, Illinois, Alabama, Minnesota, and Massachusetts complete the Top Ten List for the month of March. These states have been in the news, have some of the largest populations, or have many more towns than most other states.

When we take the size of a state into account, Delaware, Nevada, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Mexico, top the list. Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Utah are the remaining Top Ten. It is interesting to us that Rhode Island, the smallest state, is in this list for the first time since we started these reports a few years ago.

Delaware could be there because of administration changes. Nevada deals on foreclosed property are becoming attractive again. Massachusetts is the largest state in New England and there is a new movie production complex being built there among other things.

New Mexico has been battling border issues. It is unclear to us if news reporting has created interest in information there, or if there is business and job growth. As a border state there are many influences on its real estate market that other states won't experience.

Alabama still has a lot of repairing to complete. There are still companies and jobs moving to the Mobile area. That market may keep growing.

Hawaii real estate is always interesting to look at. We have not been able to find anything other than average seasonal interest to explain it's inclusion on the list. It has an attraction that just continues.

Louisiana is also still rebuilding. Many college students on spring break and other volunteers are still going there to help. The Go Zone investment advantages were scheduled to end this year so we'll keep watching that area.

South Dakota is a curiosity. Here is another one that is interesting. Who is moving there? Are businesses looking to get away from the high water lines that global warming is supposed to produce? We are still looking for info on this one.

Utah has had a real estate market that operates uniquely, too. Many telemarketers are in Utah. Many real estate investment seminars come from within the borders of the Salt Lake state. This market has risen and fallen a little in advance of the rest of the US in the last few fluxuations.

Of course all states had real estate activity. If you want to know where your state fell in the ranking, send us a note.

Happy listing and selling!