Luxury Real Estate

By Robert Lockard

I’d like to talk about a topic that is not necessarily a pressing matter for people buying luxury real estate, but which I still find very important: Debt. It is very sad to me to see so many people struggling with the enormous burden of debt.

I recently read a wonderful editorial in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer entitled “The great seduction,” in which author David Brooks points out the astonishing truth about debt. Brooks notes that for the past 30 years Americans have forgotten our noble heritage of frugality and living within our means. We have even forgotten the lessons of the Great Depression that we should not overextend ourselves on credit.

I have heard people argue that easy credit is a good thing because it leads to additional economic growth and a wealth of new capital to expand business operations and ventures. I politely disagree. Yes, debt gives us more money in the short term to grow, but it is a false growth based upon a false sense of stability.

Debt has a way of perpetuating itself. Years ago, homebuyers paid off their home loans as quickly as possible because they understood the disadvantages of being indebted and paying interest. However, now we are encouraged to stay in debt and use our unpaid-for assets as leverage to go into even more debt.

I am not desirous to abolish all debt because it serves a useful purpose in moderation. But I would like to see debt portrayed as less of a convenience and more of an obligation and hardship that should not be undertaken lightly.

Many people who declare bankruptcy do so after facing unexpected medical issues, job loss or other life-changing events. I think that people are smart and that they can make it through these tough times if they are prepared. But many of us are not saving money and we are drowning in ever-growing debt.

I want to see this change. No matter if you are rich, poor or somewhere in between, simply living within your means will help you avoid the unhappiness and stress of living in debt.

The above picture is from www.anxietyculture.com/debt.htm.


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of Luxury Real Estate’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more. Feel free to share your thoughts on what can be done about this sad issue. I definitely think that people are smart and I hope that we will figure out a solution to this problem.

By Allyson Metters

Every morning I walk through the historic Pike Place Market on my way to the LuxuryRealEstate.com office. I get in really early in the morning, so most days it is just me passing by the produce vendors who are setting up for the busy day of shoppers and tourists.

Today was a bit different. As I turned the corner onto Pike Place, I noticed that the entire street was closed to traffic and there was security everywhere. I asked the produce vendors what was going on, and they told me that Aaron Eckart and Jennifer Aniston are in town to film a movie called Traveling.

As someone who lived in Los Angeles for awhile, and even worked for a time as a nanny to a family with very close connections to the industry (that could be a whole series of unrelated blog entries!), the actual sight of a film set is not incredibly fascinating to me, but I was excited to see that Seattle is going to be showcased.

Seattle is truly an amazing, beautiful city. In fact, according to “Talent Markets: the Importance of Location in the Competition for Human Capital,” a collaboration of the Human Capital Institute and Monster.com, Seattle was in the top 10 preferred U.S. metropolitan areas of job relocation. Judging by the number of transplants that we have in our office alone, the city’s appeal is quite evident.


Editor’s Note:
Allyson Metters is the Relocation Manager for LuxuryRealEstate.com. She helps people who are moving to find a perfect broker to meet their needs in their new area. By the way, you can find some more information on this new movie in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. I hope that this movie turns out to be good! The right place for you to live is based upon many factors, and this list by the Human Capital Institute and Monster.com could be quite useful for many people as they seek a new home. Luxury Referral Services is another excellent resource for you to find a top broker in new areas.