Everything Is Getting Better: A Real Estate Fairy Tale

by Charles Feldman on April 30, 2008

  

I’ve decided to lie to you. At least, I’m being honest about it!

I have grown tired of reporting weekly, it seems, on the ever expanding, contracting global credit market and the resultant deep recession the U.S. currently finds itself on the cusp of.

Americans, perhaps more than people anywhere, love being in denial. We deny we are getting fatter and fatter by eating McDonald’s 15 pounders; we deny that our kids are getting dumber and dumber even if high school seniors often can’t point to the U.S. on a world map; and, we deny that we are in denial, even though we clearly are…about a lot of things.

So, why not be in denial about the alleged mortgage/credit crisis (note, I said, alleged!!).

Here Goes

Home prices are now actually at an all time high! I know, if you read “the news” you’ll be told that prices of existing single family homes fell another 2.6 percent in February for an annual decline of 12.7 percent.

Just deny it!

That’s right.Who is to say that “facts” have to screw up your day? Ignore “the news” and, take a page from George W.–just keep saying things are getting better and they will…for him.

What’s that? You say you read that consumer confidence has fallen to a five year low this month? Nonsense.

Just deny it!

It will go away. We don’t have to face any “fact” we think will make us loose sleep. Just keep telling yourself–and others–that consumer confidence is at a 175 year high!. There, doesn’t that feel better? Of course it does.

The cost of food, medical care and gas going up,up and away? No freaking way!!!

Just deny it!

In fact, convince youself food prices are lower now than anytime since the turn of the century–the 20th century; that everyone has health insurance that even pays for free liposuction; and, that Saudi Arabia has decided to donate a decade’s worth of free gas and oil to each and every American simply because they can!

Bet you REALLY feel better now!

Yes you do!!! Don’t deny it!

Related posts:

  1. A Tale of Two Markets: A Look at the Sin City Real Estate Market
  2. Investor War Stories: A Fishy Abandoned House Tale
  3. Greenspan and the real estate bubble
Got questions about this or other real estate topics? Ask on the BiggerPockets Forums.

You May Also Be Interested In...

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Brecht April 30, 2008 at 8:25 am

Its only a recession if you have no money.

Reply

2 Tom Lindmark April 30, 2008 at 8:59 am

What’s the point? I thought this was a real estate blog.

Reply

3 Joshua Dorkin April 30, 2008 at 11:25 am

Tom –
It is indeed a real estate blog. From time to time our contributors make commentary on other things that are related, such as the economy.

I see that you also have what I’d call a real estate blog. In it I see that only a few days ago you made a post where you shared quotes about the devil. ( http://blog.metro-real-estate.com/?p=314 ). Do those have anything to do with real estate?

Before coming to another blog and discounting the posts with your comments, perhaps you should be sure that your site isn’t doing the same thing that you’re discounting elsewhere.

Reply

4 Tom Lindmark April 30, 2008 at 6:38 pm

Point taken, Joshua, though I would note that the quotes you refer to on my blog are a regular feature (not always related to the Devil) that just throws a little diversity into the daily postings. My point in my previous comment, which I did not artfully make, was that the post seemed to me more politically slanted than business or real estate oriented and was one I would expect to find in a different forum.

No disparagement of the author or his writing was intended.

Reply

5 Joshua Dorkin April 30, 2008 at 6:53 pm

Politics is at the root of many of the issues we’re facing in the real estate marketplace, and a discussion of it is just as valid as anything else, real estate.

Reply

6 David Klaff May 20, 2008 at 10:15 am

Politics directly effect are economy witch directly effects our Real Estate markets.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Comment Policy:

• Use your name and only your name in the field designated for your name.
• No keywords allowed as anchor text in the name or comment fields.
• No signature links allowed under your comments
• You may use links in the body of your comment, but it must be relevant to the discussion at hand, and not merely be some promotional link.
• We will have NO reservations about deleting your content if we feel you are posting merely to get a link without adding value to our discussion.
• If you add value, but still post keywords, we'll use your post, but remove your link and keywords.
• For more information about acceptable practice, see our site rules.

{ 1 trackback }

Previous post:

Next post:

Copyright © 2004-2012 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
BiggerPockets® is a registered trademark of BiggerPockets, Inc.