Drink to your health!
As you already know, I am a red wine lover. Unless you've been under a rock, you've probably heard about the potential 'healthy' effects of drinking red wine in moderation (yes, RED wine... TRIVIA: Who wrote the song "Red Red Wine"?). Good cholesteral (HDL's) measurements commonly rise with red wine drinkers and there are several books about "the French paradox". I actually "lived" the French paradox while spending about 2 months near Lyon, France (and lost over 10 lbs even though I ate a LOT of pastry, desserts, red meat, and pommes frites). What's it all about? Well, many French foods have heavy and/or fattening ingredients. You'd expect to see a very obese and unhealthy populace but overall they are not as fat as Americans (sad truth-I figued out which departure gate was mine due to a convergence of large people wearing sweatsuits). Red wine has large amounts of antioxidants (such as Resveratrol) which have been linked to lower instances of heart disease. Other antioxidants found in red wine are known as polyphenols. Wines from Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone, Bourgogne and Sardinia Italy have the highest levels of procyanidins-the compounds in grape seeds responsible for making red wine good for the heart. Full disclosure: you can find many of the same properties in cocoa (ooh..chocolate!) and blueberries. But a nice glass of wine goes much better with my steak!
Economic News
Thanks to our friends at the Bank of North Georgia, I got to hear a very interesting Economic Forecast for 2008. Dean Albert W. Niemi, Jr. of SMU's Cox School of Business noted that the real estate industry has a bit longer to suffer. He expects us to reach bottom by Summer and pull off a mild gain for the year. He also noted that about 40% of economists think we have a chance of the "R" word but doubts we will end up in a recession-but that is based on current assumptions. IF there are major changes, that prediction can change! Fun things ahead? He expects $180+ barrels of oil in the near future among other things (such as all the adjustable mortgage 're-sets'), but one of the biggest things that I took away from his speech is that Real Estate is a great investment (seriously!). Yes, I am biased, but he pointed out that housing prices have risen around 28% over the last 5 or so years in GA (compared to the US @ 55% and 106% in FL!). Contrast that with discretionary spending rising only 27% in that same period. Translation? GA housing is priced right about where it should be! Housing bubble? Not for Georgia! We have a lot going for us in GA, one major force being population growth. While water issues remain (a wild card), ATL will continue to grow. We still need to absorb a lot of housing inventory (he mentioned the large quantities of homes priced at $800K and above as an example). One other concept-of the highest growth cities, almost ALL have water woes!
Miscellaneous Ramblings: Buy a 3D Tree!!!
Although this image is slightly stretched, you (hopefully!) can see that this is a beautiful, full, 9 foot tree. While it did take a while (and gas!) to get from East Cobb to Gainesville, it was worth it to purchase our tree from 3D Life. PLEASE consider making the trip yourself-great trees, great young men and it's all for a great cause! Check it out: http://www.igotmytreefrom3d.com
I must also say Happy Hanukkah to my friends as well! SOAPBOX ALERT! As you know, my old home is still for sale in Smyrna. My wife and I bought our current home before selling our previous principal residences. Hers sold quickly; mine did not. While my mortgage doesn't adjust until 2010, should the government have to bail me out due to our decisions? I hate the high amounts of foreclosures and feel sorry for people who did not choose professionals to help them find homes/loans, but I am not sure it's the government's problem (though this issue is driving down our economy). Time will tell. It IS a great time to buy a home, but don't buy more than you can afford (or buy before selling?). My 2 cents... Okay, 2 other "soapbox-ish" items. The economist noted 2 things that could definitely put us into a recession: mis-steps by the Fed and if taxes are raised. Vote wisely!
Take a moment to remember the victims of Pearl Harbor again today... What started as a joke in various marketing groups (my 'memory hook' for all you BNI members out there) has now become "official". Take a look at my website: http://www.boknowsclosings.com
Have a great weekend!
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