Brian's Journal

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Brian

We have all heard this expression before, "Laughter is the best medicine." Is it rue? Could laughter really help a person in need of healing? We believe so. Belief is a powerful force in the universe. I have seen countless times, in my experiences with others, that what we believe to be true becomes true for ourselves. Here's a thought: Could changing our life be as simple as changing our beliefs? Ask yourself what beliefs that you have that are not serving you well. Simply change those beliefs and if what we believe to be true is true, you will be on your way.

A belief that laughter is the best medicine is a belief that would serve you well. Let's look at this excerpt from Psychology Today written by Hara Estroff Marano:

     At this year's meeting of the American College of Cardiology, Michael Miller, M.D., of the University of Maryland reported that in a study of 20 healthy people, provoking laughter did as much good for their arteries as aerobic activity. He doesn't recommend that you laugh and not exercise. But he does advise that you try to laugh on a regular basis. The endothelium, he explains, regulates blood flow and adjusts the propensity of blood to coagulate and clot. In addition, it secretes assorted chemicals in response to wounds, infection or irritation.

We, Sandy and I, also believe that one of the best things we can do is to help others. One of the reasons I am in the business of representing folks Buying  and Selling homes, is that helping others is a strong belief that I have. A belief that serves me well.

Sandy is going in for a very major surgery on Wed Sept 5th. Her recovery from this surgery will last approximately 6 weeks. We need your help.

We believe that laughter is the best medicine. So, I thought that a way that you could help would be to search your VHS and DVD collections for movies that make you laugh. E-mail me at sybnrn@yahoo.com  with some that you would be willing to lend to us for this recovery period. I want to keep Sandy laughing for the entire six weeks.

In your e-mail please indicate the best way for us to get together with you to borrow the movie(s). If you are long distance, you can mail them with media mail rates at the Post Office. We will mail them back. If you are local, perhaps you could drop them off at the house or at my office. Please have a label of some sort with your name on them so we will know who to return them too. It's important that you   e-mail me first so that we don't end up with 5 copies of Animal House.

I look forward to receiving your e-mail and borrowing one of your favorite funny movies to help Sandy recover from her surgery. I believe that the laughter will help in her recovery and I believe that the universe will return good things back to you for your generosity.

P.S. Help spread the word. As you are out and about, have this web address with you, BriansJournal.com, and refer folks who want to help to it. Tell them to look for the post "Laughter is the Best Medicine"

Thank You!

That Time of Year Again

By Brian

One of my favorite past times has arrived for another season. Fantasy Football 2007 has officially kicked off. Yesterday I participated in two drafts. One at 10AM and one at 7PM. I had the eighth pick out of twelve in the morning draft and the second pick out of eight in the evening draft.

I'll cover the AM draft first. When you have the 8th pick in a twelve team league you pick again 9 spots later, the draft goes to twelve then twelve also picks thirteen and back up until the guy who had the first pick picks 24 and 25 then back down again, then I have to wait 15 picks to draft another player, then 9 and so on. My first pick was RB Rudi Johnson of the Bengals. I then shocked the gathering hoard by picking TE Antonio Gates of the Chargers. Gates is by far the best TE in the NFL as far as scoring points in FF. I didn't think he would still be available when I picked again 15 picks later. With the 8th pick I need to be dominate at least one position and I think I accomplished that.

Coming back down with the 32nd overall I nabbed QB Tom Brady of the Patriots. I believe Brady will finish as the number one QB in this league. We get bonuses for 300 yard games and 6 points for TD's. Brady also doesn't throw many INT's which are a minus two points. My projections for Brady are over 4,000 yds and 30 some TD's with around 10 INT's. Throw in 7 ,300 yard games and I like my chances to dominate at a second position,QB.

I'll spare a blow by blow account of my draft, but some interesting picks transpired as my draft went on. I stole a very good WR in the fourth round in TJ "whose your mama" from the Bengals. Chris Henry, the Bengals other top WR is out until week nine. He caught 81 passes last year. Some of those have to go to TJ from Carson Palmer. I rattled my competitors again when I drafted your Baltimore Ravens defense with my fifth round selection. In my eyes I have the dominant player at three positions, TE, QB and Team Defense, picking in the number eight hole.

Some other players to keep an eye on from my morning draft are WR Reggie Brown of the Eagles. Eagles throw on roughly 60% of their plays and he is the number one WR for them. Jerious Norwood an exciting second year RB with the Falcons. I don't see Warrick Dunn being able to carry a full time load, and this kid can flat out get it. If you get a chance to see this kid play, check him out. I reached at number 12 pick for rookie RB Tony Hunt of the Eagles. Tony was awesome at Penn State and looks to get goal line carries for the Eagles and will likely back-up Westbrook should he get injured, which he always does. Homer note:I grabbed Raven WR Mark Clayton in the ninth round. Mark my words, pun intended, Clayton will have breakout year this year.

Now to the evening draft. This league has only eight teams so we are all loaded. I, however, totally dominated this draft and should win the Championship easily. I just threw that in there in case any of my competitors reads this. Seriously, I did well in this one. For one thing I drew the second spot which helps. I got one of the true FF superstars in Steven Jackson of the high potent Rams offense . This player alone could carry me to the promised land. I then took five WR in row. Check out these names:Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Anquan Boldin and Reggie Brown. I threw in Braylon Edwards in the 12th round in case Brady Quinn lives up to his Notre Dame pedigree this year in Cleveland. Are you kidding me. Against most of my competition, I will win every week at five out of the nine roster positions available each week. Four WR's and Steven Jackson at RB. The rest of my team is average at best, but with the Fabulous Five I've got going to battle every week, I should come out as the winner most weeks. Homer note: With my last pick in the draft I took Matt Stover. We get penalized minus points for missed field goals and Matt doesn't miss many FG's.

So there you have it. FF 2007 is underway. I have another live draft party on Sept 4th and I'll possibly join an online league or two.

Check in regularly during the season to Brian's Journal.com and I'll keep you posted as to how I am doing in the fantasy world. We all have our fantasies. Don't we?

Watching the News

by Brian

As a general rule I do not watch the news. I get the newspaper primarily for the sports section, coupons and comics. I also like to solve the word jumble. I am currently letting my subscription run out, because I just can't stand the bias in our local fish wrap. Attitude is so important, especially for the self employed, and the news does nothing but bombard you with the negative.

I do, however, need to keep up with what's going on. There are several blogs that I subscribe to and I also keep tabs on what is going on locally by keeping in touch with local business leaders and politicians. I'm not saying that I never watch the news, but I just found out about the hurricane last night.

In the good old days, the news was reported on. Reporters would ask who, what, when, where and why questions. They found out what was going on and reported it. There were also opinion commentaries as there are today. Unfortunately, today the opinions have filtered in with the reporting.

In order to get both sides of the story we have to watch the conservative news channel and any of the many liberal channels in order to get both sides of the story. We have to have a discerning ear to determine which is fact and which is opinion. Not always easy to do, after all, we're all busy.

Take my industry, for example. The facts are that 2005 was the most awesome year ever in home sales. 8.4 million houses sold that year. Of those 1.4 million(est.) were sub prime loans. The average home price was around $219,000. Mortgage rates were 5.9%. There were about 133.7 million jobs in 2005.

Now let's look at where we are now. There are 138.0 million jobs, or 4.3 million more jobs now then in 2005. Mortgage rates  are at around 6.5%, modestly more than 2005, but historically low. The average home price is still right around $219,000. If we predict a 50% reduction in sub prime lending, that would put us about 700,000 fewer sub prime loans. The projection for home sales is 6.9 million homes sold for 2007, or 1.5 million less than 2005. If the entire sub prime market dries up, which no one thinks will happen, then we have already reached the bottom in terms of the credit tightening standards affecting home sales.

Turn on the news and what you will hear is that the housing market is nearing its demise. Seriously, the lenders who incorrectly priced high risk loans need to be weeded out of the marketplace. High reward almost always comes with high risk. Especially with money. There is no such thing as high returns on easy street. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

It makes no sense that the housing  market is in such a funk based on the FACTS in the above paragraphs, yet it is. I believe it is lack of confidence due to most Americans being glued to their TV sets for 4.5 hours a night. Bombarded with bad news and negative energy.

After we collectively "get over it" I think the housing market, nationally, will take off. Probably some time next year. I think there are alot of folks who are sitting on the sidelines who need to move for one reason or the other, and will not be able to wait much longer. Once you realize that you would not be applying for a sub prime loan anyway, you will be able to move forward with your plans.

Watch the news at your own risk. Remember that all Real Estate is local. Before making a decision to move-up or go from renting to owning, be sure to meet with me and let me consult with you. I will ask you insightful, thought provoking questions. Based on your answers, I will advise you on a wise course of action, tailored specifically to your personal situation. All consultations are private and confidential. You wouldn't represent yourself in court. Why would you want to represent yourself when buying or selling a home? 

Armchair QB 8-20-07

by Brian

Lately I have received many requests via e-mail, phone calls and in person, to regularly comment on the Baltimore Ravens. It seems many of you enjoyed my review of the April draft and anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan. I will strive to write a column after each Ravens game.

You may also know that I am a huge fan of Fantasy Football. Last year I was in three leagues. I have played fantasy football for,I believe, six years now. Participation in Fantasy Football (FF) has helped me to develop an unbiased eye when evaluating NFL players and teams. I must confess that my success in FF has been moderate at best. Statistically I am due this year. Last year I would have won one of my leagues going away until Donavan McNabb went down with a season ending knee injury. I still finished in the money.

Anyway, how 'bout them Ravens. First of all, I place almost no stock in phony, excuse me NFL, pre-season games. I'm not saying I don't watch the games. We grilled some bratwurst last night and settled in on the couch to watch our boys in purple go at the G-Men from my home state of NY. The Giants are my Uncle Mike's favorite team as well as his son Matt, my cousin. Mike's other son, Michael, somehow was led astray and has been a Cowboys fan most of his life. So I don't hate the Giants. I watched the game for what it was worth.

Like many or most of the teams in the NFL, we are in trouble should our starting QB get injured. Kyle Boller still looks hurried and still throws into double coverage too often. I can't stand how he pats the ball and how he has to rear back to throw the long ball. Still, he throws a good long ball and with him in the game we at least have the threat of a vertical game. Neither of the other two QB's looked like they will be able to replace Boller should both McNair and Boller get hurt. The Ravens are not unique in this regard. You might say that we have one of the better back-up QB's in the league really. Boller is 18-16 as the starter, so at least he has plenty of game day experience. You know never know when the light bulb will go on. He could be something special. Then again he could fumble the snap at the goal line. Drives you crazy.

McGahee and Anderson look to be the primary ball carriers. Hard to tell from pre-season games. Timing is not really there yet and these guys are not risking injury in a meaningless game. If we had any running game, we might be talking about the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens right now. McGahee will be an improvement over Jamal, but don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks for the running game to really start to gel. As for McGahee's ability to catch out of the backfield, he does not have a history of receiving success.

Let's compare our recently departed RB Jamal Lewis to McGahee as far as their receiving ability. Jamal has played 91 games and has 168 receptions for 1,365 yds for an average of 8.5 yards per catch. McGahee has played in 46 games and has 68 receptions for 503 yards an average of 7.4 yards per catch. Jamal has caught 2 TD passes and McGahee none. Of Jamal's 91 catches 12 went for 20 or more yards. McGahee has stretched it out over 20 yds a whopping 3 times. Jamal's longest reception was for 77 yds and McGahee had a 56 yard scamper. Let's hope that McGahee has the talent and just needed a change of scenery and that Billick utilizes his talents.

I thought Ngata looked great. Amazing how nimble he is for his size. Looks like he had a very good off season training program. With Ngata and Gregg clogging up the middle and Suggs and Pryce getting after the QB this could be a dominating line. I like there depth at the defensive line positions as well.

We got a slight glimpse at Figurs' speed with his return late in the game. It looks like BJ Sams is the return guy though. Don't forget that the Ravens were one of the best return teams in the NFL before Sams broke his leg. Special teams is an area that I like to see steady progress made all season and peaking at the end of the year and into the playoffs. They can be the difference when two evenly matched teams meet in the playoffs.

Gotta run. I have the eighth pick in the FF Draft Sunday. McGahee could be there and I think I like him enough to take him with the eighth pick. Whether he catches a lot of passes or not, the Ravens will still be a "run first" team with him getting the bulk of the carries. Coming back up with the 17th pick I hope to land another starting RB. Maybe Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins. RB's are the key to success so it kind of stinks that I have such a late pick and I'll miss out on the stud RB's like LT and Steven Jackson. Oh well. I'll have to make due.

Stay tuned to Brian's Journal for all of the latest on FF and the Ravens.

Credit Crisis

by Brian

By now you have read and/or heard that we are in a credit crisis. Many lenders had eased up on lending standards and now have clients with loan payments that can not be made. With an increase in the number of foreclosures the crisis has spilled over into the mortgage securities market as well.

What does all of this mean to you? Depends on your situation. I'll go over a couple of possible scenarios here. If you would like me to consult with you specifically, please feel comfortable giving me a call or shooting me an e-mail. Confidentiality insured.

If you currently have your home listed for sale or are trying to sell your home yourself.
Lenders have tightened their credit and the number of mortgage products will likely continue to diminish. This means that buyers with marginal credit may not get approved for their loans. It also means that those with good credit have fewer choices. These two factors will reduce the pool of qualified buyers. Depending on your particular market, you may have too few buyers chasing too many homes. If you are thinking about selling your home, you need me to consult with you. I know how to help you sell quickly at market price, even in this market.

If you are a Buyer or are in the market to Buy a home.
The credit market is changing daily.  You may be approved today or pre-qualified for a particular loan program, only to find out later that your loan program is no longer available or that tighter lending requirements have bumped you out of a particular loan. This scenario is particularly upsetting if you have found the house of your dreams already. You may well loose it.  If you are looking at Buying a home, you need to consult with me. I know how to help you find the home you are looking for and help negotiate the most favorable terms. Best of all, in most instances the Seller, not you, pays my fee.  Expert consultation for FREE. Whats not to like?

If you currently have an Option ARM loan.
You may be in for a surprise. You're payments may go up. Alot! I'll be happy to put you in touch with any number of mortgage professionals to go over your loan with you and see if refinancing now is good option for you.

If you have any questions about real estate or mortgages, feel comfortable getting in touch with me. The world is not coming to end. You can still buy and sell homes. It just makes sense to let me help you. If you were in need of surgery, would you make the incisions yourself? Of course not. Then why venture out into the uncharted waters of the Real Estate market without a competent, confident , consultant such as myself.

Keep at it Until

by Brian
Just got back into town after spending two days in Reston, Virginia. I was there with about 500 other Realtors and Lenders sharpening my skills to serve you better.

You may have already noticed, I am a Real Estate agent who takes his training and education seriously. I feel that it is my obligation, to you and to those you would introduce to me to help with buying or selling a home, to always be on the cutting edge. To keep up with advances in technology and the Real Estate market are tall orders.

My attendance at these high level training sessions and the books and trade magazines I read, help to ensure that I maintain sharp skills in consulting, negotiating and overseeing all of the transactional details for you. There is always room to grow.

Why does the Indian Rain Dance always work?
Because they keep dancing UNTIL it rains.

The word UNTIL is a word I have thought about lately. We have all seen an ant scurrying along and placed an object in front of it. How long will the ant try to get around, up, over or under? UNTIL. How long will we wait for children to walk?  Do we hold them by their hands and let go and if they don't walk right away say "Forget this walking business"  No!  We will help them UNTIL they walk.

How many times have we given up on something, maybe a dream, or somebody, instead of waiting or working at it  UNTIL? Granted some things and some people take longer than maybe they should, but haven't we all been that somebody at one time or another in our life?

We can have anything we want in life if we are willing to work at it UNTIL.

I will continue to learn and practice the skills that will help me be the best Consultant, the best Negotiator and the best Overseer of all of the details in your Real Estate transaction. For how long? UNTIL!

What are the things in your life that maybe you haven't persisted UNTIL?  What can you do today to make forward progress, however small, towards a worth while destination UNTIL?

Good news

Sandy is home and doing well. Yesterday we received the good news that the tumor was benign. That means that it is not cancerous. We are, of course, overjoyed at this news. Here is Sandy at home resting in the chair with our little black dog, Annie.

We have felt all of  the positive thoughts and are grateful for all of the cards,flowers and well wishes that have come our way. We especially appreciate the prayers. We still have a long way to go, but thanks to friends and family, we are not going down the road alone.