Pony 4 Precious: Where Compassion Meets Connection for a Life-Changing Experience

The unemployment rate for April 2020 will be released by the  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  It will hit a peak this country has never seen before, with data representing real families and lives affected by this economic slowdown. The numbers will alarm us. There will be headlines and doomsday scenarios in the media. There is hope, though, that as businesses reopen, most people will become employed again soon. Last month’s report indicated we initially lost over 700,000 jobs in this country, and the unemployment rate quickly rose to 4.4%. With the release of the new data, that number will climb even higher. Experts forecast this report will show somewhere between a 15% – 20% national unemployment rate, and some anticipate that number to be even greater  (see graph below): What’s happened over the last several weeks?   Here’s a breakdown of this spring’s weekly unemployment filings: The good news shown here indicates the number of additional unemployment cla...

Given how we have seen more unemployment claims than ever before over the past several weeks, fear is spreading widely. Some good news, however, states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott, that more than 4 million initial unemployment filers have likely already found a  new job , especially as industries such as health care, food, and grocery stores, retail, delivery, and more increase their employment opportunities. Breaking down what unemployment means for homeownership, and understanding the significant equity Americans hold today, are important parts of seeing the picture clearly when sorting through this uncertainty. One of the biggest questions right now is whether this historic unemployment rate will initiate a new surge of foreclosures in the market. It’s a very real fear. Despite the staggering number of claims, there are actually  many reasons  why we won’t see a significant number of foreclosures like we did during the housin...

With businesses starting to slowly open back up again in some parts of the country, it’s important to understand how housing can have a major impact on the recovery of the U.S. economy. As we’ve mentioned before,  buying a home  is a driving financial force in this process. Today, many analysts believe one of the first things we’ll be able to safely bring back is the home building sector, creating more jobs and impacting local neighborhoods in a big way. According to Robert Dietz in  The Eye on Housing :   “The pace of new home sales will post significant declines during the second quarter due to the impacts of higher unemployment and shutdown effects of much of the U.S. economy, including elements of the real estate sector in certain markets. However, given the momentum housing construction held at the start of 2020, the housing industry will help lead the economy in the eventual recovery.” The  National Association of Home Builders  ( NAHB ) notes ...

With the release of the latest  Economic Pulse  Flash Survey  from the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR), results show that people selling their houses today are holding strong on  price . According to the most recent data, 74% of real estate agents noted that sellers are not dropping listing prices to attract more buyers states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott. Lawrence Yun,  Chief Economist  at NAR, noted:   “The housing market faced an inventory shortage before the pandemic. Given that there are even fewer new listings during the pandemic, home sellers are taking a calm approach and appear unwilling to lower prices to attract buyers during the temporary disruptions to the economy.” This  inventory  shortage, which spread widely throughout the housing market going into today’s economic slowdown, created an environment where there were not enough homes for sale for those who wante...

A big challenge facing the housing industry is determining what impact the current pandemic may have on home values states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott. Some buyers are hoping for major price reductions because the health crisis is straining the economy. The price of any item, however, is determined by supply and demand, which is how many items are  available  in relation to how many consumers  want to buy  that item. In residential real estate, the measurement used to decipher that ratio is called  months supply of inventory . A  normal market  would have 6-7 months of inventory. Anything over seven months would be considered a  buyers’ market , with downward pressure on prices. Anything under six months would indicate a  sellers’ market , which would put upward pressure on prices. Going into March of this year, the supply stood at three months – a strong seller’s market. While buyer demand has ...

In a recent survey by  realtor.com ,  people thinking about selling their homes indicated they’re generally willing to allow their agent and some potential buyers inside if done under the right conditions. Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott states They’re less comfortable, however, hosting an open house. This is understandable, given the health concerns associated with social contact these days. The question is if you need to sell your house now, what virtual practices should you use to make sure you, your family, and potential buyers stay safe in the process? In today’s rapidly changing market, it’s more important than ever to make sure you have a digital game plan and an effective online marketing strategy when selling your house. One of the ways your agent can help with this is to make sure your listing photos and virtual tours stand out from the crowd, truly giving buyers a detailed and thorough view of your home. So, if you’re ready ...

There are two crises in this country right now: a health crisis that has forced everyone into their homes and a financial crisis caused by our inability to move around as we normally would. Over 20 million people in the U.S. became instantly unemployed when it was determined that the only way to defeat this horrific virus was to shut down businesses across the nation. One second a person was gainfully employed, a switch was turned, and then the room went dark on their livelihood. The financial pain so many families are facing right now is deep. How deep will the pain cut? Major institutions are forecasting unemployment rates last seen during the Great Depression. Here are a few projections: Goldman Sachs – 15% Merrill Lynch – 10.6% JP Morgan – 8.5% Wells Fargo – 7.3% How long will the pain last? As horrific as those numbers are, there is some good news. The pain will be deep, but it won’t last as long as it did after previous crises. Taking the direct projection from...