Good News From the Housing Market!

Since starting this blog back in 2005, I've always been of the notion that things really aren't as bad as mainstream media would have you believe. Yes, the economy appears to be in horrible shape right now. But, as I heard this morning on the morning news, we are not in a depression, and we are not in a recession. The rule of thumb is that a recession occurs when real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is negative for two or more consecutive quarters. Currently, the GDP hasn't even been negative for one quarter.

I'm not ignoring the state of affairs, but I am choosing to dig deeper to find positive stories that are going on right now. One of those stories is on the front page of CNBC.com as I write this post: Pending Home Sales Jump As Buyers Grab Bargains.

This shouldn't come as a surprise. If you've been thinking about selling your house and upgrading, now is one of the best times to buy a new house in recent memory. Here in Atlanta, home prices have skyrocketed over the last ten years to unbelievable levels. The market correction over the last year has actually brought prices back down to a level that is reasonable, but still above average.

So, to grab a statement from one of my favorite financial teachers Dave Ramsey, "The only economy that really matters is your OWN!" How are you personally doing? Don't worry about your IRA or 401K right now. They'll come back. But, if you're personally carrying a lot of debt, I recommend you spend 100% of your time working on getting yourself completely out of debt. Because, even when times are tough, if you're not in debt, you don't really have anything to worry about. You can weather the storm, AND, you can get a new home loan without any problems. Even during these tough times, banks have no problem loaning money to consumers with good credit and low amounts of debt. Which means, you can take advantage of the incredible bargains on homes right now!

You see, there is always a positive spin on every negative story. And, if you're like the 95% of Americans who are carrying way too much credit card debt (I've been there and know how you feel), I've got a suggestion. If you truly want to change your financial situation, you need to get one or both of the following programs. I have listened to them both and am currently implementing the programs. They work. They're not quick fixes and they're certainly not easy, but THEY WORK!

Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover: You can buy the book, but I recommend you either get the book on CD or you get Dave's Financial Peach University kit because you need to hear Dave speak. He's a fantastic teacher.

John Cummuta's Transforming Debt Into Wealth System: Mr Cummuta's system is so simple, yet so effective. Following his program, you can be out of debt completely including your mortgage in about seven years. And, with no more money than what you're already making right now. It sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Believe me. It's the way people have always built wealth in this country until about 20 years ago when we all decided that's it's better to charge it that actually buy it.

Until later, relax, take a deep breath, make smart decisions and make it a great day...

Sign up to be notified when a new post has been added to PositivePelham.com

Forward this to a Friend

Want To Live Longer - Do What The Blue Hairs Do...

Well, not exactly, but a researcher has found four areas of the world where there are a large number of centurions (over 100). And, he recommends following some of the same habits they do, and you just might live to be over 100 yourself. The four areas are: the mountainous Barbagia region of Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy; the Japanese island of Okinawa; a community of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles; and the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, in Central America.

So what are some of their secrets? One that I know a lot of my friends will like is drinking a glass of red wine on a daily basis. It's full of antioxidants and has long been known to promote better health.

To me, the most important trait he mentioned is having a sense of purpose and a strong support network. I can personally vouch for this one. The Director of Marketing at my company is 73 years old, but you wouldn't know it. He looks and acts 20 years younger and is showing no signs of slowing down. As long as you have a purpose in life, enjoy what you're doing, surround yourself with friends and family and keep yourself physically active, there is no reason why we all can't live to be over 100. To read this complete article and find out more about how these people are living to be over 100, please visit this page on Yahoo.com.

One piece of advice. I've recently been following the financial advice of John Cummuta. He advocates eliminating all debt from your life including your cars and homes, and he has a proven system to do this in 5-7 years. If you're planning on living over 100, then you might want to look into John's system because you're going to need a lot of money in retirement since you're going to be living a lot longer than the average person.

Good luck and make it a great day!

Sign up to be notified when a new post has been added to PositivePelham.com

Forward this to a Friend