Monday, June 23, 2008

The Real Estate Industry

I work as Design and Marketing manager for a real estate firm and we are hurting badly. The market has stagnated and sales have all but dried up. This could adjust itself quite quickly or it might drag on for a few years. No one can see into that crystal ball.
My firm, as many others, have had to make a few decisions to ensure survival and these have not been popular. We have lost both our General Manager, (see lady with flowers in the photo - that's me on the left) a wonderful Russian immigrant, who it has been a pleasure to know and also our IT manager. He has since travelled to Australia and fortunately has found a great job there.
Fingers crossed there are no more redundancies.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your visit to my blog Brookville Daily Photo this morning. I hope you enjoyed my post today showing the honey bee and the hollyhock flower.

I saw a special last night about the disappearance of honey bees and it is sad to think that most of the fruit, nuts and vegetables we eat would disappear with them. So governments are busy trying to find the culprit before it is too late and one huge problem is the use of insecticides.

Anyway, I wanted you to know I was here to repay your visit and comment with one of my own. Kind of like "Kilroy" was here... remember those drawings everyone used to make?

I enjoyed reading your blog post for today and I thought the photography was good too.

It is not for me to lament the times we live in. Gasoline is way too high here but a lot higher in Rotterdam where they pay $8.65 a gallon or its equivalent.

People in this country are spoiled rotten. They want stuff and use credit cards to get it and then complain about the payments.

Here where we live we are in the highest foreclosure county in the state of Ohio. GM workers and lots of others who worked for companies who supplied GM are out of work and losing their shirt plus their homes. Gas hog autos are not popular and that means a big loss of jobs here where we live.

Real Estate here is sick. You can sell a house but a lot of people know they are going to have to go into foreclosure so they try to sell out for what they owe but nobody is buying.

I remember my old neighbor who was a blacksmith. He cried when he went out of business and no more farm horses and oxen came to have new shoes. Real estate might go that way soon.

raine said...

Yes, it is very bad here too, Suzanne. I hear brokers complaining, foreclosures are rampant, and even the best prospects for sales are having to go at a loss sometimes.
The economy's at a very bad place right now. Here's hoping it doesn't hit you, hon.

Suzanne said...

Thanks Abraham for your very interesting comments. The problem with the bees is a little like that with frogs. Wherever frogs are dying out is cause for great alarm environmentally. Just imagine no bees - tragic.
Most people are spoilt here too but are learning very quickly to pull their heads in because the cost of living is sky-rocketing.
I really feel for individuals like your blacksmith, who lead decent lives, do their duty as citizens and then lose it all. So sad.

Suzanne

Suzanne said...

Raine, unfortunately it has hit us. Food prices are through the roof, petrol is out of control and jobs are scarse. People are being forced into morgagee sales all over and firms are going under too. We very much follow along behind what happens in your country. So thank your leaders for their poor leadership. LOL.

Suzanne

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

My husband and I both have worked in real estate. When the market is slow, it's the pits. We live on a street where traditionally a house sold in about 3 weeks or less. Up until a short time ago, we escaped the nationwide crunch, but we are now feeling the effects. Houses are staying on the market longer and the prices have just begun to be reduced. Prices in stores are skyrocketing here now.

Suzanne said...

Sandpiper, it's a sad time for many people. A lot overcommitted themselves when times were buoyant and now they are losing everything so they can pay back their mortgages. Let's hope this recession bottoms out quickly.

Suzanne

Nature Nut /JJ Loch said...

Suzanne, I am sorry you had to say goodbye to co-workers and pray the economy swings back the other way.

How beautiful you look in your photos!!!

My project has been sent out and I am enjoying the fact that I figured out what I had to as I walked my way through the whole process.:D My website will be up shortly.

Jeff and I just had a great time having a glass of wine and floating around on plastic lounges in the swimming pool. The water still is too cold to dip into. Wish we had a solar heater. Maybe next year. It feels like a spa visit floating around on the calm water while watching the leaves whispering in the wind. AHHH!!! I haven't been in our pool for ten months.

Suzanne said...

Thank you, Nancy. I hope as well that the economy turns around quickly but I doubt it.
I envy you lying out in the sun on a pool. I couldn't imagine that right now. We have had brief storms on and off all day.
I look forward to seeing your website.

Suzanne