Four letter words | 03-22-10 Bob Zartarian’s Housing and Economy News and Views
For the last year the national discourse centered on health care reform. Now it’s time to turn to what few disagree with –we need to quickly spur national and international commerce. It’s time to harness the energy that didn’t prevail on one side and the invigorated winners on the other – America needs to get back to work now. Their energy needs to be directed toward telling all elected officials to modify tax law and to make our country competitive on the world market.
Activists from both sides need to press the administration to quickly send long stalled international treaties to the Senate that will create trade. They need to demand programs that stimulate business across the board and eliminate job programs targeted for political gain.
It’s time to put away the rhetoric and demand JOBS of our elected officials. Tell them to stop increasing the national debt and focus on increasing employment. Tell them to legislate the return of Free Enterprise and then get out of the way.
JOBS and WORK – the four letter words to embrace now. The future of our country depends on it.
Bob Zartarian These views are strictly my own
$2.739 Gasoline, not pretty | 03-15-10 Bob Zartarian’s Housing and Economy News and Views
What does $2.739 gasoline have to do with Housing? Plenty and it’s not pretty.
Prices as the pump have jumped about 10% in Metro Atlanta over the last couple of weeks. Even if this were the result of increased demand that would signal a stronger economy (which I don’t believe), higher fuel prices will put a damper on a fragile employment situation (understatement). My crystal ball forecasts a cloudier future that doesn’t bode well for job creation.
It’s pretty clear that the consumer will have less disposable income in 2011 than in 2010. With gasoline prices again “water cooler” talk it’s likely that both the consumer and those responsible for making hiring decisions will be hesitant buy and to add new /recall laid off workers respectively.
Housing sales have been driven by low mortgage rates and depressed housing prices along with $8000/$6500 tax credits and a large inventory of unsold homes. With the tax credits due to expire in 45 days, mortgage rates likely to rise next month when the Federal Reserve will stop buying Mortgage Backed Securities and higher prices at the pump there is really just one way to restart Housing and the Economy. JOBS. More people have be employed each and every month from next quarter going forward (not fewer people losing their jobs) else we’re not going to see an improvement. The answer?
Encourage your elected officials to focus on real job creation – pass legislation NOW to unleash the power of Free Enterprise to again make this country “exceptional”. Congress is coming home for their Easter break. Tell them to revise our tax, energy and trade policies to restore the U.S. as the world’s dominant economic power. This is not a political issue – survival of our country and our position in the world is at stake.
These views are strictly my own Bob Zartarian, Marietta Ga.
What’ll it take? – Housing Economy Views and News 3/7/2010 – Bob Zartarian
What’ll it take to pull us out of the malaise that is Housing and our Economy? Will it be Health Care Reform, Cap and Trade or Environmental mandates? How about HARP and HAMP and the other well meaning but thus far ineffective housing programs intended to stop the decline in property values? Will it be higher fees on government services or higher taxes? I think not.
What’s needed is a fundamental change in the way our nation does business. Let’s put the energy we’ve expended in the health care reform debate and instead allow America to restore its position as the world leader in commerce. Let’s focus the energy of the American people on business and admire innovation. Let’s conclude trade agreements and reduce corporate taxes to allow our industry to compete on the world stage. Let’s harness the fundamental industriousness of our people to work. Let’s allow Americans to create wealth for a better and richer life for themselves and their families.
No, tinkering with a tax credit here and there or giving a bank $1000 as an incentive to approve a short sale will not return America to prosperity, it’ll take a national policy that recognizes what America does business best and business begets jobs. It’s jobs that will create real demand and that will lead us out of our malaise. Tell your elected representatives to pave the way for business to thrive and do it now before our overspending thoroughly weakens us as a nation. That’s what it’ll take.
These views are strictly my own
Bob Zartarian
Choose a New Insurance Agent – Marietta Based Chris Jordan – Atlanta Insurance Live
I met @thechrisjordan at a tweet-up at @fuegomundo sponsored by @toddschnick and @stephaniealloyd. Chris is an insurance agent and I had already started following him on Twitter. After the social Part of the tweet-up a number of us stuck around for dinner and Chris and I sat next to each other. Chris is a really bright guy who is using Social Media as the fundamental backbone for his marketing process. I’d spend time writing about how well he is using social media but another friend @NotEasyToForget James Ball has already done a wonderful job and I’ll simply refer you to his article, Social Media: Selling Insurance from the Bathtub Since 2009.
What I’d like to do in this article is sell you on going to Chris’s site and requesting a quote. Fist let me say I am not being paid to do this article and Chris is not currently aware that I’m writing it. This article is consistent with this site’s main objective of promoting small businesses in Marietta and Roswell and I have recently become a Life Insurance customer of Chris’s and I will be switching my home and car insurance to Chris as well. Let me explain why.
Atlanta Insurance Live is Chris’s site and his business is based out of his home in Marietta. On the site he provides copious amounts of information about insurance and insurance issues. He begins to build trust through providing information about his industry and by giving the reader a sense of his personality. Chris is a friendly and funny guy as you’ll see in his entertaining video’s.
Another important point about Chris is his availability. I was working late one night and on Twitter. I saw Chris get on and said “hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a quote” This was at 12:00AM in the morning. He readily got on the phone with me, took my information and provided a quote by the next day. You can’t ask for better or quicker service than that. Additionally when I asked about my insurance needs he did not try to up sell me to a crappy whole life product I didn’t need and he was honest about how, when and where one might need a product like that.
I have a busy schedule. I work 40+ hours per week, I blog, I’m training for a 1/2 marathon and I have 3 kids and a wife. I’m busy! Chris actually when out of his way to come to my house on a Saturday afternoon and spent 2 hours with me going through paperwork and making sure I was comfortable with the transaction. Chris is the real deal. Many insurance agents spend all their time acquiring new customers but don’t do jack to service them. I have no doubt that Chris will continue to be excellent as an insurance agent.
So if you are here in Georgia and you need insurance, spend a few minutes asking Chris to help you out. He will make the process painless, ensure you get the services you need and most likely save you money. He saved me $40/month and increase the value of my Life Insurance plan by $250,000. Chris is a independent insurance agent and will be able to help you out. Go ask him for a quote. or Talk with him online live at Insurance Live.
They Both Got it Wrong – Housing Economy Views and News 2/24/2010 – Bob Zartarian
First it was New York, now it’s Washington. Unfortunately both got it wrong.
It’s not controversial to say that overzealous Wall Street types created fancy financial instruments that blew up Housing and ultimately the Economy. Let’s also remember that Washington types jumped in and instructed banks to make loans that didn’t make sense either. So Wall Street with Washington’s “encouragement” worked together to bring it all down.
Now the music’s stopped; we’re faced with high unemployment for years to come except now Washington is the old New York. Instead of Wall Street derivatives bringing us down we have massive Washington spending programs led by Health Care Reform and Cap and Trade looming. And then there’s taxes – old ones, new ones and those old ones ratcheted higher that will drain the pocketbooks of consumers. Without a vision of a solid future past job creators are holding back – with what’s going on why do otherwise? Turns out those Wall Street types aren’t so stupid after all. This time banks aren’t following Washington’s lead with easy credit and catching lots of heat for it.
Both got it wrong before. Hopefully Washington, the new New York will listen to the American people who appear to be saying our lawmakers must stop spending in a no growth, high debt and deficit, no job creation economy. We need years of good old fashioned common sense – that will restore confidence and the jobs that will lead us out of this morass we’re in now.
Bob Zartarian These views are strictly my own
DADvocate Header Design
As I mentioned in my post The DADvocate Project Branding Contest – Win a free Twitter Background! I wanted to open up this branding process to the DADvocate community at large and and gain some feedback. Admittedly I also want to give my designer some exposure since I think she is AWESOME. So please leave some comments about your thoughts and you’ll have the opportunity to win a free twitter background designed by Havana. Check out her web site Kokographix.com
The design process starts with the interview:
Havana Interview – The DADvocate Project Branding from Kevin Metzger on Vimeo.
After the interview Havana spent some time drawling and brainstorming with me so she could be sure we were thinking along the same lines.
DADvocate Header Design Brainstorming Part 1 from Kevin Metzger on Vimeo.
One of neatest things about this process was her introduction of children into the design during her creative process. It was something I would never have thought of but I really like how she worked it in. What do you think?
DADvocate Header Design Brainstorming Part 1 from Kevin Metzger on Vimeo.
There is a third page of work shown here which i hav not posted video for.
All this work resulted in the four following ideas. What do you like about them? what would you change?
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