Blessing of the Animals and DOGnut Reception

Bring your beastly friends on over to the Dennis Village Green on Sunday, September 18 at 10:00 for the annual Blessing of the Animals at the Dennis Union Church. With all of the various animals that show up (I've seen cows, bees, ducks, chickens, cats, and of course dozens of dogs) it is a great event for the family.
After the blessing I will be hosting a Coffee and DOGnut reception at Drummer Boy Park on Route 6A in Brewster, the best unofficial dog park on the Cape. I hope to see you there! Call or email me for more info.

What Will Your War Story Be?

Here's the deal: we are in a recession. Granted, we are on the tail end of it at this point, but the reality is that our national economy took a face plant, and that's the truth. I've talked to a lot of clients lately who--God love 'em--think that the recession doesn't apply to them. Somehow their house is the only one that held its value from when they bought it in '05. I talked to one client today who has an investment property on which they have a 4.5% mortgage (albeit an interest-only balloon), and they are presently breaking even on it, with the best tenant on planet earth. They were considering selling or refinancing until I broke the news that the property is worth 20% less than they need it to be. Worst case, they sell it in 2 years and break even or maybe make a dollar. That's pretty good I say, in these times. Broke is the new rich. At least you're not in debt!
Compare that to another house that I just sold. A gorgeous, radically renovated beach cottage with all the bells and whistles. We sold it for above market value (go me!), and still the seller came up short at the closing. Yikes. That one hurt.
Listen, friends, nobody is immune from this national crisis. Most of us have already taken it in the shorts in one way or another. If you are one of those, congratulations, chances are you can move on now and rebuild. If you haven't, don't be too smug. It might not be as harsh as a foreclosure or short sale, but if the worst that happens is that you walk away with the shirt on your back, you're doing alright.