"Daytona Bike Week - 2009"

If you live anywhere near Daytona Beach and you've never experienced the phenomenon known as "Bike Week"... well, you don't know what you're missing. It would be like living in Orlando, never having been to Disney World... or living in Niagara Falls, never having actually visited The Falls!

Early last week, I saw a vendor featured in the Daytona Beach News Journal. "L.A. Lites" is an installer of LED lights, which illuminate your bike at night with "ground effect" reflection. Now a hard core old schooler would say, "Not for me," but I really like 'em. Not only do they look cool, but you can justify the expense to your significant other, by hawking the "safety benefits!" The truth is that many bikes are just plain hard to see on I-95 at night (not good) - and LEDs (see the middle photo above) light up the show (good).

Understand that Bike Week has a Rating System - just like the movies. If you want the "PG-13" version, just drive your family down International Speedway Boulevard and then up A1A to Granada and go back home. (We could keep this one "G," however, you'll have to be alert to block your kid's eyes, as the occasional thong, hiked up on the back of a Ninja or Hyabusa, speeds by). If the "R" rating sounds more intriguing, include a cruise up Main Street and then Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard. You want "XXX?" Repeat the "R" cycle after 10:00 PM and include late night stops at Froggy's, the Iron Horse Saloon, and Sopotnick's Cabbage Patch Bar. Don't you think that the sight of rather large women, wrestling in cole slaw, is sexy?

Well, I went to L.A. Lites on Saturday and got my LEDs installed. The vendor was on Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd. and it took about three hours to complete the work. To be honest with you, I never realized that there was a "Black Bike Week" within the "Bike Week" event. I spent those three hours in the middle of it and it was a hoot. I truly got to know the meaning of "minority," as I was only one of about three white folks I saw all afternoon. The "show" was amazing. An abundance of tricked out bikes of all kinds... and an abundance of tricked out people, as well. It was a friendly and festive atmosphere. I kept my eyes peeled for Viet Nam Veterans... I approached each one with our mantra, "Welcome home, brother!" "Who were you with?" "82nd Airborne - 1967." "Cool. I was with the 196th Light Infantry - 1968 & 69." "Long time ago, right?" "Yeah, but sometimes it seems like yesterday." "Lost a lot of buddies..." "Hey, man, nice to talk to you..." "You, too, brother - welcome home."

The food was a combination of "Southern" and "Island," with lots of collards, fried fish, ribs, and both fried and jerk chicken. Music poured out of many speakers - From Sam Cook and Wilson Pickett - to Bob Marley and the Wailers - to JayZ and Lil' Kim... (no Allman Brothers, Foghat, or ZZ Top here!) The smells and sights and sounds were pure sensory overload. The element that really got my attention was the tremendous and overwhelming ethnic pride in President Obama. Half the T-shirts and souvenirs were "Bike Week" and the other half? "Obama!" I think I finally got it... what his election means to black Americans. Personally, I'm a Conservative Republican, but I'm sure rooting for this guy, now that the people have cast their votes!

By comparison, when I cruised up Main Street on my way home, things seemed a bit tame!

"Father Tom's Sunset Cruise"

How to begin? He lived an Awesome life... Father Tom Zedar... and he was my brother.

And to be sure, I am my brother's brother. When we were together, we would scare each other with our fraternal and familial sameness. But when we were kids, we grated on each other's version of happiness. He was a "good" boy and preceding me by six years through St. Ambrose school, created certain challenges for me. The nuns, you see, remembered him. Sister Honorine, the school's unspoken matriarch, was also the Latin teacher. And guess who the President of the Latin Club had been? Hint: not me! "Rambunctious" would be a good word for me back then... and the coup' de grace' came when she asked, "Franky, why can't you be more like your big brother, Tommy?" "Oh, Sister," I thought... "If you only knew what I know!"

This short piece is not about Tom's life, as there's no way to do justice in such limited space. This is more of a short "farewell." I cannot, however, imagine a life more full than was his. He was a giver - caring and compassionate to a fault. He gave his life to the Priesthood. His lifelong ministry touched thousands with the unimaginable grace, forgiveness, truth and love of God. Those who were near him knew that there was something very special about him... and the love that he lived was real.

This is also a "Thank you" to the staff and parishioners of San Antonio Catholic Church in Port Charlotte, FL. Sister Colleen, Linda, Renee, Father Jacek, Father Christopher... You will never know the fullness of what my family and Tom's visiting friends experienced at your hands. The entire staff convened quickly and unselfishly created the most beautiful wake and funeral service that we could imagine. To use my daughter's words, "We were wrapped in a blanket of constant love for two days."

This was my brother's church, from which poor health forced him into early "retirement" in 2006. He started it as a mission from another larger church in September of 1992. He was the founding Pastor and always so thankful for the amazing assistance he received from his talented and giving parishioners. He used to quip that "the seminary never taught us much about real estate development." He was so proud of what you all, as a team, did over the years.... as you "welcomed all - proclaimed the gospel - celebrated the Eucharist - and shared the laughter and the tears."

One of Tom's unique legacies was his ability to turn the sadness of a funeral into a celebration of someone's life. He'd ask everyone to picture a beautiful shoreline and to feel the warmth of the sun on their faces. "Look," he'd say, "There is your loved one now... on a magnificent sloop - sails full with the tropical breeze... cruising toward the horizon and the enviting sunset." He'd have them waving goodbye, as the boat sailed out of sight. "But, wait," He'd say, "Beyond the horizon, there are others also waving." Only these were waves of welcome on a distant shore... the waves of those who had gone before... but now were waiting with open arms... to welcome them home to their eternal reward.

Well, we did that for Tom. The photo at the top, left, is Father Tom's Sunset, as seen from the shores of Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda. If you look real close... just under the setting sun... you can catch a glimpse of his farewell wave...

"The 2009 Real Estate Reality"

If Yogi Berra had a shot at this, he'd say, "Ya know, 90% of a recession is half mental!" Now the truth is that our current situation is a cocktail of Wall Street Greed, Banking Ineptitude, Consumer Foolishness, Global Economic Confusion, and good old fashioned Fear, fueled by the media's incessant need to print garbage... all shaken, not stirred. That having been said, it's a mess and we need to consciously work our way out of it.

I've been a Real Estate Broker for the past 22 years and I've seen some ups and downs. Prior to that, as a career Army Officer and a housing consumer, I once was the proud owner of a 16.75% Veteran's mortgage in 1981, near my job at the Pentagon. And that wasn't half bad, considering they had topped off at over 20%! Makes today's rate of 5% seem pretty good, hmmm?

If you are a buyer today, prices are low, rates are low, and inventory is abundant. And you are operating from a position of vengeance... getting back at the way sellers treated you from 1995 to 2005. Most, however, are being fooled by the saturation of so-called "short sale" listings, most of which are presented at unrealistic prices. These are predominately nightmare transactions and not for the timid. It's a chaotic market, comprised of angry, emotional sellers, ill-advised agents, and uncooperative banks. It often seems that the bank's strategy is to run in circles, hoping for some magic "bailout money" to save the day. Shame on them - They were the ones just 2-3 years ago, giving 120% ARM financing, at 3% initial interest, on $500,000 homes... to people making $30,000 a year! About 75% of current Flagler County MLS listings under $200,000 are "short sales." The bad news is that they play havoc with "real" market pricing and nationally, fewer than 10% ever close.

So now you are a seller in this chaotic quagmire. What to do? Here are some thoughts, based on a great deal of "hands on"experience:

1. If you don't have to sell now - Don't! If you can wait it out, real estate equity rewards the long term.
2. If you're "moving up," say, from a modest home to a larger, nicer one - to accommodate a growing family - Good timing! It always pays to move "up" in a "down" market. You may take a big hit on your sale, but think of the "net gain on equity" when you let me help you negotiate a great deal on the new house!
3. Keep emotions out of your sales mix. Although Duke's basketball team often beats my Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, I admire their coach, Mike Krzyzewski (how do you get "Shashefski" out of that?)... Why? Because he is a master of objectivity. His system of recruiting and coaching is based on logic... and it works.
4. There are far more homes for sale, than there are buyers to purchase them. The supply-demand curve is quite steep in the buyer's favor. If you bought IBM stock for $200 a share, you won't like today's high of $96, but that's the market. Simply put, it is what it is!
5. Don't be angry at the market. It will only keep you from selling.
6. Remember "Location, Location, Location?" Well, it's been replaced by, "Price, Price, Price."
7. Fix it up! It used to be that you fixed it up to get more money, and to en extent, that's still true. However, the real reason is to stand out in a market crowded with old, dirty, ill-maintained, trashed properties. You don't have to renovate the whole house, but cleaned carpets, fresh paint, and landscaping go a long way to separate you from the crowd (whatever your price range). Your mantra should be, "It's Showtime!" There is a reason why model homes look so good... They make you want to buy them!
8. The rules are the rules. If you live on the Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway... or on a Salt Water Canal... or in Hammock Dunes/Island Estates... or Hammock Beach or Ocean Hammock, etc., your situation is not exempt. The crazier that prices got on the high side... well, that's the crazier they may get on the low side. Those stories about $750,000 building lots on the golf course selling at auction for $250,000? They're true!
9. Don't be guilty of these classic seller stances:

• "We don't want to give it away."
• "In order for us to do what we want to do, we need $________ at closing."
• "Let's just try it at this higher price and see what happens."
• "We expect our agent to run lots of ads and hold open houses."
• "Let's try this on our own... Let's be For Sale By Owner."
• "The market is so bad that an agent can't really help us."
• "Well, another agent said we could get a whole lot more for the house."
• "Our home is better than all the others."
• "We heard that the house down the street sold for $________."
• "Our price shouldn't be affected by all the distress sales."
• "If it doesn't work out, we'll just give it a rest and try again in a few months."
• "We can always rent it out and sell next year... when the market is better."

If you are thinking of selling, test your "motivation mindset." Where is your need to sell, on a scale of 1 - 10? Today's reality? It's all about price and motivation. How's this for a cautionary closing statement:

"If you're not at least an 8... Wait!"