Big City vs Small town

The big city. The bright lights. The big buildings. The masses of people from all nations moving briskly along city streets. Horns honking. Street performers. Festivals. Shows. Culture. It can be exhilarating and overwhelming. In a city like New York or LA or Chicago (or Beijing or Tokyo or Mexico City) it is hard to keep up. Hard to make your mark as an individual.

Many of my friends who live in big cities are always bragging about how much they love it. I heart NY.

Yet most people choose to operate within a couple blocks of where they live. They create their own small town within the big city. Because of the vast amount of choices, they self-limit their selections and revert to what is safe. What is close. What is convenient.

We have a global society that is expanding faster than ever before, and it is shrinking just as fast.

12 Predictions for 2012

My 12 Predictions for 2012 (in no particular order of importance or relevance)

1. Apple begins development of the iCar.

2. Facebook surpasses 1 billion users.

3. I will buy a new watch.

4. The US Mens basketball team will not win the gold medal at the Olympics.

5. Colin Powell will announce he is running for US President.

6. Someone from Kansas will win American Idol.

7. Tiger Woods wins the Masters.

8. Richard Branson will fly to the moon.

9. LSU will win the national championship in football and baseball.

10. HUGE breakthrough in contact lens technology. (think terminator movies)

11. US unemployment falls below 8%.

12. The world will not end on December 21, 2012. (sure hope I’m right about this one)

The Quiet Cube

My 3 year old daughter Emma needed to start her day in the quiet cube. The quiet cube is 3 foot x 3 foot x 3 foot wooden box lined with pillows in her daycare classroom. It is, for lack of a better a term, a safe zone. It allows the children to take a few minutes for themselves, to just simply have some quiet time. It is not for sleeping, and it is only large enough for one child so there is no tomfoolery. Emma had a big weekend - soccer, two birthday parties and lots of Christmas festivities- she had a case of the Mondays. She needed a few minutes to herself before tackling the week.

What I realized earlier this year is I needed a quiet cube too. Actually, I have two. We have one of the coolest offices in the Triangle at Go Realty but even that isn't enough to keep me energized some days. My first cube is a place called Cafe Helios. It is a local coffee shop in Downtown Raleigh that serves some of the best brew in town. This is where I go when I need people around but also need to be productive.

My second cube is the NC Museum of Art. This is when I need total quiet. It is one of the most serene settings in the area- think of a huge outdoor spa without the robes. It is close enough to stop for 15-20 minutes and just decompress. The phone stays in the car, computer stays closed and eyes remain open.

Don't put up with a case of the Mondays. Or Wednesday afternoons. Get a quiet cube.

When we need it...

Last night, I dropped my Macbook charger on my big toe. And it hurt. Alot. It still hurts. So I got to thinking..."With all this fancy technology, why don't we have a more advanced way to charge our devices? Why am I still carrying around this clunky charger?"

I asked this question to Jim Garman, and his answer was amazing. He said, "When we need it, Apple will give it to us."

Silence.

What a reputation to have! Apple has become known as the company delivering simple, beautiful, intuitive technology we didn't even know we needed, and now can't live without. I wonder what else I don't know I need?

Nostalgia

There is a new community being built in Raleigh called Inside Wade. The advertising campaign is very compelling, it plays on a nostalgic theme- "Remember the way things used to be..." kind of deal.

In case you don't know me, I am a very nostalgic person. I love looking through old photos and home videos, I have trouble throwing things away and I absolutely cherish my family.

Nostalgia is a funny thing, though. We are drawn to things that remind us of the good times in our past. But can we actually recreate them? Are we constantly searching for an unattainable feeling? We travel around the world and marvel at the old buildings and we say "they just don't make em like they used to..."

Why are we so ashamed of the present? And afraid of the future? Instead of recreating the past, why aren't we trying to build great things now so the next generations can say the same thing about our era? Why are we scared to step outside our comfort zone and build things like the Nautilus House? Maybe a little extreme but since when did "creativity" become the number of pieces of crown molding you can tack on a formal dining room?

Dear world, please send us an imaginative builder for the uninspired middle class.

"I have a new home," said the blog.

I will be transitioning this blog to my new website which can be found at www.zachschabot.com. Hope you will visit after it moves!

Market Update

Here is a quick market update provided by Brad Arendt with PrimeLending- More good news! Are you going to wish you had, or be glad you did?


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INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE The Pending Home Sales Index recovered from its November slump, increasing 1.0% in December, putting it 10.9% over its level of a year ago. National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun sees "...a broad improvement over year-ago levels. December activity was the fifth-highest monthly tally in two years." The slump was attributed to the rush before November to grab the tax credit set to expire at the end of that month.

We now know the tax credit was extended to buyers who can sign a contract by April 30 and close on the home by June 30. It's also been expanded, adding a $6500 credit for repeat buyers to the $8,000 credit for first timers. The NAR's Yun estimates 2.4 million households should take advantage of the credit this year.

The NAR also released their adjusted overall outlook for this year and next. They estimate existing home sales will grow from 5.19 million in 2009 to 5.66 million in 2010 and 5.7 million in 2011. They see new home sales growing from 375,000 in 2009 to 446,000 in 2010 and 637,000 in 2011. They believe prices have bottomed, projecting a 3.4% hike in the median price for existing homes to $179,800 this year and then a 4.3% rise to $187,500 in 2011. New homes should go up 3.7% this year to a $221,300 median price and then 4.7% in 2011 to $231,700.