Prince Ron

Forget the cigar, what the heck is that on his hat?

We is evisceration!

Steve told us about these things, and sells them on his site if you want one. How did I live without one of these before?

Who picks your president

See Zogby poll for more.

Holiday tips

Been a month with nothing, so a few pieces of holiday weirdness.

First, I see Steve putting these on the tree at the office.

Second, we should see if Mark can use this sound with Allison when she buys him a bad tie for Christmas.

Should we send these to Eric and Beth? Will they catch on? Do they ever read here? (BTW, the shorter post thing doesn't work, as you see here. But shorter paragraphs help.)

I guess I should have gone to his open house; now Ron wants me to help around the garage.

And remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Even that new spouse.

(Most stories courtesy of Fark.)

OK, guess the realtor

The following is an email I received this afternoon. Since I am instructed to reach my circle of contacts, it belongs here. We can discuss this at breakfast.

Dear Dr. Banaian, As the past president of the St. Cloud Area Association of Realtors and a person that has been selling real estate for almost 30 years I feel that the area leaders in our community such as yourself should have the best information about our market.

The media has said such disturbing misinformation lately I strongly feel we all must do something to educate the public in our area with the truth.

I will be emailing you next a summary from our MLS on our market published today.

1. Interest rates still are hovering around the 6% mark for thirty year loans.

2. There is plenty of money for loans for buyers with good credit..just ask Wells Fargo, Bremer, or Liberty Bank.

3. Yes, there are a lot of foreclosures. However, most of them are from bad decisions. When 30 year fixed rate loans were available in the 5 ½% range, why would anyone consider an adjustable rate mortgage? I have been a strong advocate of buyers not touching the equity in their homes unless they are in a financial position to cover both loans in the event the market changes. That is what has happened. Many of the foreclosures in the newspapers are on seconds.

4. The soft market creates a wonderful market for buyers. There are many many choices in all price ranges and 95% of the sellers have adjusted their prices. In the Midwest we still have the best built and best quality homes for the price. Compare new construction in California with ours!

5. With so much negativity in the press, can you think of anyway we can stimulate the potential buyers? We know many many young buyers are scared because of what they have read in the newspaper. It is not only good for the buyers and sellers but for the entire St. Cloud area economy.

I do hope you appreciate this letter and the statistics that will follow. After working the Tour of Homes a few weeks ago, I was stunned with the comments that I heard from people walking through.

Please do your best in your circle of contacts to clear some of the mistaken ideas up.