There was a time when having a job meant having a job.  Today, having a job is more like a temporary assignment. I’m not saying this is good or bad.  My point is that in order to buttress your ability to make a living you need to see yourself as an entrepreneur - YOU, INC. - an entity that is self-dependent and always looking to add value to its “product line.” In this rapidly changing and increasingly demanding world, the only real safety net you have underneath you is what YOU, INC. can supply the marketplace.  Your ability to survive and prosper depends upon your singular skill set, your knowledge and information, your network and access, and how you are perceived and believed. After watching survivors and succeeders for twenty-five years, and reading everything on the subject I coul... 04/06/2009

My office is on the perimeter of a golf course.  I enjoy watching the golfers. There is a member of this club who is a world-class, amateur golfer.  He has won several international tournaments.  And here is what I have learned from him:  success is earned in the shadows.  Let me explain.This man is out on the golf course practicing every day, usually at dawn or at dusk.  In fact sometimes there is hardly enough light to see.  But, he is always there - before or after his work day (he is a stockbroker).    This man's example is a metaphor to me and how I feel about success.  If you want something really badly, if you want to excel and be the best you can be, then ready yourself to earn your success in the shadows.  Understand that you will need to get up early to practice, study, prepar... 03/30/2009

Part I - Troubled Waters Over A Bridge  I hate being late.  Scenes of rushing across an airline terminal, with just enough time to make my flight, are not my idea of fun.  So, when I arranged for a limo to take me to the airport, for my trip to the Prudential National Sales Convention, in Las Vegas, I left plenty of time.  The limo company suggested a 2 o'clock pickup should easily get me to the airport, an hour before my flight.  I opted for 1:30, knowing that the driver would likely show up 15 minutes early.  That gave my 2 hours and 15 minutes for a trip that typically takes less than an hour and a half.  It should have been more than enough cushion...or not. The ride started out uneventful.  My driver, Barry, opted for the Merritt, saying that early afternoon, southbound, it was usu... 03/28/2009

Taking a new direction in business or life is really really scary.  Inertia is a powerful force and it pushes us to do today what we did yesterday - for better or worse. While I would never advocate “ready, fire, aim,” I do believe that there are times when you need to stop the analysis, take your best guess and go for it.  Or, as made famous by a former Nike campaign:  “JUST DO IT.” No matter how much we plan, debate or labor over plusses and minuses, the fact is that we can never anticipate every factor of a prospective decision.  Life is just too serendipitous or, as John Lennon said “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.” The way I figure, once I have done all the homework I can, the best strategy is to just jump and presume that I will have the wherewit... 03/26/2009

Westport Goes Green.  Plastic Bags Banned from Most Retail Use. On September 2, 2008, The Representative Town Meeting (RTM) passed an ordinance to ban the use of plastic bags for retail checkout of purchased goods.  Yesterday, that ordinance went into effect, making Westport the first town in Connecticut to institute a plastic bag ban.  The ordinance passed by a vote of 26 to 5, with one abstention.  The six month delay in implementing the ban was put in place in order to allow time for establishments to use up their supplies of plastic bags and to prepare and educate Westport residents to the change. The RTM is Westport's legislative body.  Their stated purpose for the Retail Checkout Bags Ordinance is to encourage the use of reusable checkout bags.  The new ruling applies to all retai... 03/20/2009

Last week’s blog entry was about the mindset and strategies we all need to bring to the economic crisis, the goals being both survival and prosperity. I would be remiss in discussing any challenge without focusing on the subject of persistence. In both good times and bad, an unwillingness to give in to circumstance is critical for success in any endeavor. But, let’s take a deeper look at persistence and analyze what it is and why it is so critical. Persistence is not the doing of the same thing over and over and hoping for a better result. In fact, that is one definition of insanity. Rather persistence is an adaptive refusal to quit in pursuit of a goal, the operative word being “adaptive.” Are you a golfer? Have you ever noticed that when you hit a bad shot and then drop a ball to take... 03/11/2009

No one knows when the meltdown is going to end. I am predicting 24 months. My guess is as good as anyone else's. However, after studying successful people for 30+ years, I do feel I have insight into the approaches of those who will survive and prosper during and after the meltdown. Here are four of my top ten (more to follow): 1. Yesterday is yesterday's news ... whatever your business was may no longer be relevant. The world is changing amazingly quickly. Major institutions that existed for more than one hundred years have failed or are failing. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Circuit City and Linens and Things. The United States automobile industry. Established communications products: newspapers and magazines are dying, DVD's aren't selling, network TV is losing viewers in droves.... 03/02/2009

One of the many peaceful vignettes you are sure to encounter in Westport, CT. Mill Pond is home to over 70 species of birds, and wildlife. It is frequented by nature lovers donning binoculars and cameras with telephoto lenses looking for that award winning photo or rare bird siting.  The picturesque site overlooks Long Island Sound and various Salt Marshes. It also overlooks a hidden community that is accessed via foot. Cars aren't allowed and you will see the residents wheeling their Red Flyer Wagons filled with groceries & supplies; reminiscent of Fire Island. Mill Pond is also a launching place for kayaks and canoes. You will need a launch permit if you plan on taking off on your kayak or canoe for a day of fun. Clamming is another activity that one can partake in while at Mill Pond.... 02/24/2009

Since I hold myself out as a real-estate expert, the question that people are always asking me is “how much lower?”    In other words, how much lower will housing prices go before they hit bottom? Well, of course, I don’t know but the chart below, produced by economist Robert Shiller and excerpted from his book, Irrational Exuberance (Doubleday, 2d Edition, 2005) shows you what many economists think. Here is what this chart tells us:  that from 1890 through 1950, excepting the World War I and II periods, housing prices stayed within a fairly narrow range (adjusted for inflation).  As you can see, in the year 2000 housing values were only about 10% above Shiller’s benchmark (1890 values).  But then look at what happened in 2000!! In just a few five years or so, prices doubled - fueled as... 02/23/2009

The tree-lined streets and backyards are among the features that make Westport a scenic town.  Coupling that with above ground power lines and high winds sometimes truly brings us "back to nature", as in life without phone, cable or power.  Today, brought one of those mornings. I had heard the forecast for high winds, so it was not much of a surprise, when we lost power.  We'd been through this before, so we knew the routine.  While my husband hooked up the generator, I played with my new toy, a blackberry, and began returning e-mails.  All in all, not so bad.  The phone was still working and when the genny started humming, we found the internet was also unaffected.  Hopefully , power would be restored, shortly.  But, Mother Nature had left us another surprise. My husband and I were on ... 02/12/2009

There is so much going on these days that I am touching on a couple of topics today... Will the McMansion become a dinosaur?   The National Association of Homebuilders reports that after years of growth, new home sizes are shrinking.  This is a reflection of what home buyers want today.  Some believe that large houses (say anything over 6,000 sf ) especially when oversized to a lot, are going to be hard to sell in the years ahead.  Is there another "subprime" crisis around the bend?  It appears that Option ARMS could be the next shoe to drop in the housing and mortgage world.  These products allowed a borrower to pick the size of his monthly mortgage payment.  In many cases the payment was less than what was "owed" (what the loan rate required), and the result was negative amortization,... 02/04/2009

Have you been waiting for the right time to purchase a home?  The planets may finally be aligned in your favor.  Three factors have come together, to create an attractive buying opportunity. More negotiable home prices Historically low mortgage rates First time buyer tax credit More Negotiable Home Prices At first blush, it doesn't appear that prices have softened, in Westport.  Average selling price of a single family home remained flat, rising less than 1%, from $1,699,078 to $1,708,804, comparing 2007 and 2008.  However, we see a different story if we just look at the 4th quarter, comparing similar size and style homes. The average selling price of a 3-4 bedroom, 2-4 total baths, 2,000-4,000 s.f., not new construction colonial, declined 10%, from $1,173,631 to $1,059,532. Clearly, pr... 01/30/2009

  The Westport real estate market ended 2008 on a stagnant note, posting weak unit and dollar sales .  As we begin 2009, there are currently 252 single family homes actively listed (not including 7 with agreed to offers.)  This equates to eleven months of inventory, based on 2008 sales data.  Most of the listings are not new offerings.  The average time on market for these listings is 149 days, or approximately five months.  This figure is understated, as it does not take into account the days on market, for those homes that were previously listed.  During 2008, inventory averaged over 300 homes, with 281 active listings, in January 2008. In the final month of 2008, approximately half of the single family, unit sales were for homes that sold for $1 million or less.  Yet, in the current ... 01/05/2009

The turmoil in the housing market took a bit longer to hit Westport, CT, but by the end of the year, the market downturn had firmly taken hold.  Annual home sales were off by a third, compared with 2007, for both units and dollar volume, with average selling price, essentially flat.  As the year came to a close, the trend was definitively down.   Quarterly Recap The Westport housing market held its own, for the first quarter of 2008.  While unit sales dipped 28%, compared with the first quarter of 2007, prices continued to climb.  The average sale price of a single family home, rose 16% to $1,748,446.  Half of the homes sold, during the first three months of the year, sold for more than $1,339,000. As Westport's moved through the spring market, its traditional insulation from housing do... 01/03/2009

As we near the end of the year, retailers are marking their merchandise 20%, 30%, 40% and more, off list price, in an attempt to rescue the Holiday Season.  Everything's on sale, from clothing, to electronics, to housewares and toys. In Westport, CT, bargain hunters can also find deals in the real estate market. There are currently three dozen homes, in Westport, listed at less than 90% of the town appraised value.  Some of the homes may have been reduced in price to overcome less than perfect condition or location.  Others may be in pre-foreclosure or short sale situations.  Still others may already have made a pretty profit for their owners and just need to be sold. Whatever the reason, now may be a perfect time to make that deal.  Mortgage rates are low and homes are on sale.        ... 12/20/2008

Perhaps the best part about being a Westporter is knowing that, when you come home from work, you're in Westport.  However, in this mobile society, it's also nice to know that, wherever your commute may take you, you're in a convenient location to get there. Commuter train   For many Westport residents, their weekday daily commute takes them tojobs in "the city", also known as Manhattan, to the uniformed.  For the vast majority, that means catching a Metro-North train, for the hour ride to Grand Central Station.  There are two Metro-North stations in Westport; the primary Westport station and the historic Greens Farms station.  For most of Westport, that means the station is no more than a ten minute drive away.  Railroad parking stickers are in great demand and there is currently a mul... 12/05/2008

I don't know about you, but my real estate market is centered right in my own back yard.  It includes Westport and the immediately surrounding towns.  It does not include communities on the other side of the country, throughout the south, across the Midwest or even in the neighboring states.  So please, stop sending me emails with your listing flyers. In my market, I know the locations of the schools, the train stations, the major highways and shopping areas.  I know or can find out the price of comparable properties.  I can look up listing histories and tax records.  In other words, I have the knowledge and the tools to represent my buyers.   When you send me an out-of-state listing, I have to believe that your goal is to build your real estate network.  I'm impressed that your builder... 11/28/2008

Simultaneously, buying and selling a home can be a tricky proposition, especially in the current "Buyer's Market."  Kinda like "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"   Do you find the home you want to buy and then put your home up for sale or do you put your home on the market before you start looking? Let's assume you don't have to move,  You just want a bigger, smaller, more expensive, less expensive home, or a different location.  First you want to make sure that the home you desire is out there.  So, you decide to start with a home search.  Amazing  - there it is - the home of your dreams...but...you haven't even taken the first step to listing your house and you need to sell it, in order to buy. Okay, maybe the way to go is to make sure you can sell your house, before you star... 11/23/2008

Remember practicing for those dreaded SAT analogy questions?   You know, the ones where they give you a set of words and ask you to pick out a pair that have a similar relationship.  Teaching us to find the correct answer was not only meant to help us score better on standardized tests, but was also meant to sharpen our thinking skills.  Here's an example:  (note: I cheated a bit and used phrases as well as single words) Choose a lettered pair that best matches the relationship of the original pair. JOB APPLICATION : EMPLOYER a) real estate agent : homeownerb) listing : buyerc) house for sale : sales priced) buyer : real estate ad The correct answer is b. When you fill out and submit a job application, you are hoping the prospective employer will select it, giving you a chance to compet... 11/03/2008

Looking to buy a new construction home, in Westport, CT?  Now may be a great time to play "Let's Make A Deal" with the local builders. Westport's new construction homes currently make up a disproportionate segment of the market.  Of the active listings, on the MLS, 92 are identified as some form of new construction.  These listings include proposed, under construction and completed properties, as well as torndown and rebuilt homes.  This represents 28% of total active listings.  Looking at 2008 sold properties, year-to-date, 19% of Westport's single family home sales, were new construction.  In 2007, new construction accounted for only 17%.  If we annualize the year-to-date sales, we can project a twenty (20) month inventory of new construction homes, currently active, on the market.  T... 10/25/2008