We Changed our Son’s Diet and it has Changed our Lives

This is not a commercial for anything.  I think it is one of those things people are curious about.  So here is my anecdotal story about changing the foods my son puts into his body.

 My older son is the best boy in the world, but as is so common he struggled with all of the issues you might expect to hear me list and are commonly associated or labeled as ADHD.

  Since early on we noticed his behavior changed dramatically at the table about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through a meal.  We thought he might have diabetes or some other affliction associated with blood sugar.  His pediatrician was never concerned.

  He would become impulsive and would NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL HIMSELF.   Of course it waned after some time and we routinely went on our way.

  In the mean time, the boy caused issues amid the family and he was chided and reprimanded and told to take control of himself, often told to do so forcefully by parents who felt at wit’s end.

     It came to our attention it might be the ingredients in the food contributing to his behavior.  We believe in personal accountability so I will not say anything caused his misbehavior other than him, but let me say this: having removed many of these ingredients from his diet we noticed DRAMATIC results in only a few days.

   It is difficult but not impossible to do this.  I will not list any particular ingredients, but only go to say that natural and pure ingredients are favored over artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives.

    Choices in shopping are limited, but they are there.  We all participate in the diet to the extent we are able.  After about 6 weeks of this we find we are refining our new habits and that all of us, especially our son are taking ownership in what he consumes.  He still has a desire to eat somethings but can decide on his own at age nine that he does not wish to suffer the negatives that will surely follow.

  We have seen him benefit by a sharp reduction in the behaviors we saw before.  We noted that if they do return that he is able to control himself after being directed, and that things do not escalate out of control as they were before.

  We are happier and I dare to say a healthier family for this.  I hope this information is useful to you.  I did not want to promote any program, but if you want more information about what we do you can contact me.  We do not pay any money to do this other than perhaps a higher cost for buying particular foods at the store.  My wife did invest in a shopping guide and restaurant guide, but frankly we do not use them much.  They were about $80.

  I think this was the best thing we could have done for him, and for us as a family.  He can stay busy being a boy and move toward manhood without the guilt of being in trouble all of the time. 

Cheers!

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com

Market Bear sees Green Shoots

I have been very bearish on the real estate market going forward about 18 to 24 months.  I note several reasons prices will trend downward in other blogs, namely the large number of foreclosure properties slated to hit the market in the near future.

  However, nothing exists in a vacuum, including the local real estate market.  In this light I want to point out two significant opposing forces that are truly good signs of things to come for real estate in Williamsburg and the greater Peninsula area.

Has anchor tenants of Target, JC Penny, Dicks, Best Buy, and Kohls

  First the Marquis Shopping center in York county has been purchased and slated for continued development.  A quote from the buyer Shawn Todd in an article from the Virginia Gazette caught my eye.  It read, He said he thought the economy had improved to the point where it made sense to proceed. “We are not all the way back, but you can see an end to it, “ he said of the recession.

Here is a link to another Gazette article on the Marquis.

http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2011/06/16/news//doc4df9d7990233e347151413.txt

The bottom line is that someone with a lot of capital has decided it is time to put it at risk.  I am sure the deal he got was a tremendous one, but nonetheless the risk has been taken and it will lead to many positive things in our area, namely jobs for those people who would buy real estate.

   A less clear example is found in those Presidents’ heads.  Huh? 

A rebirth of the Presidents' Park is possible

  A defunct theme park centered around large busts of former United States Presidents has the attention of an investor from Richmond.  His take on the economy is less clear,

“Hopefully, we will see this through,” he said. “There are so many legs out there that can entangle you — the banking industry, the fabric of Williamsburg and the economy affects everything. I’m convinced we can do this, but I’d prefer it be sooner rather than later.”

I think he was spelling out the risk factors there, but it shows his trepidation-that maybe things won’t recover as he predicts.

Here is an article about the Presidents’ Park deal from a local news station out of Richmond.

http://www.wtvr.com/news/dp-nws-presidents-park-20110601,0,2716779.story

In it you will see there are some potential pitfalls to the deal that are not reflective of the economy.

  The kernel of news here is that people with deep pockets are making decisions to move their dollars from the sidelines into entrepreneurial activities.  The mindset they have is one of budding confidence the economy will mend.  We can build on that sentiment.  Those risks will translate into benefits for the rest of us such as jobs, increased tax revenues, and hopefully a foundation that real estate can rebuild.

Cheers.

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com

Guess Those Homonyms

And now it’s time for Guess Those Homonyms. No Whammies. Identifiy the 3 images & you could win a big prize. Good luck and thank you for playing.

 

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com

Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, and Mr. Pitt?

   It seems like more people are asking, “Where is Sarah Palin today?”  Her One Nation bus tour has created a buzz in the blogosphere and the traditional media.  

  To get direct updates on this tour visit Mrs. Palin’s website via the link below.

http://www.sarahpac.com/bus_tour

On a recent visit to New York City Sarah Palin visited with Donald Trump.  Details of the visit are sketchy.  One thing is for certain, however.  Both Mr. Trump and Mrs. Palin eat their pizza with a knife and fork.  Given other details of the visit are unavailable I will speculate about the pizza eating.

I suspect this abrogation of eating via hand, where as it is commonly accepted was lifted from an episode of Seinfeld.  In the episode, Elaine’s boss Mr. Pitt unwittingly causes rapidly growing trend by eating his cookies or candy bars–with a knife and fork. 

 

Observers of this activity, uncertain of their chicness, feel confident enough they are raising their social stock and adopt the method.  By the end of the episode, people around the city are seen eating handheld deserts as burgeoning sophistacites.

   And that is what I suspect is at foot here.  The two politocos in question are trying to make a play on the social ladder and appeal to the northeastern blue blood country club Republicans. They both have suffered in their respective dances with a presidential run by attracting a only a populist crowd of conservative voter, likely found in southern and midwestern states.  However, the establishment Republicans grouped in the 95 corridor of cities starting in Washington DC and stringing up through the mid Atlantic and into the coveted Northeast have proved to be elusive and evasive when offering their support.

  This idea of eating pizza by knife and fork, rather than by hand was polled and workshopped prior to the event and is expected to increase their support in the highly sought after demographic.

   Disclosure: this post is filled with a high degree of speculation and borderline humor.

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com

Big Bang for the Buck in Denbigh

I’ve listed a new bank repopper in the Denbigh area of Newport News.  Condition is better than you might expect.  Only problems I noted were a couple of water stains on first floor ceiling from second floor bathrooms (suspected) and evidence of carpenter bees in the trim board. 

   As a foreclosure I know very little about this house so any interested buyer is strongly and heavily encouraged to hire a professional home inspector to kick the tires.  After you take the time and expense to uncover the ugly, then get the repairs quantified by a contractor.  Subtract that from the List price of $139,900 and make your offer.  Tax assessment is only an indicator of value, so do not bank on the city’s value of $217,000.

MLS # 1122166

  My broker opinion would place it in the high 100s, say 185 to 195k.  Look at it this way.  Get in low, swing the paint brush around, pay a plumber $1000 to fix the ugly.  Now you are protected for the next 2 years if values dip more.

   The home is big, over 2100 square feet.  With 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a fireplace, fenced yard, and attached garage there is little left to want or need.

  This is a classic set up for sweat equity.  Were I the buyer I’d want to nail down the source those plumbing issues, but then I’d be pretty comfortable about the place assuming the bank provided me a clear termite letter.  Other pitfalls could be the heat and air system.  If that worries you, it is possible to ask for the bank to pay for a home warranty to cover any unforeseen eventualities.

Big Bang for the Buck in Denbigh

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com

Did Sarah Palin buy a flipped house?

       

    Pretty interesting story. I am not interested in the political angle of this (although I bet some GOP presidential candidates are interested), but thought it would be interesting to the REO crowd and BPO completers if Palin bought a rehabbed REO.

    It looks like she paid twice what the investors paid for the foreclosure listing. I hope they did more than paint and change the carpet. At $211/square foot, I hope there is some land involved or a lake. That is a meaty price for sticks and nails these days. Anyone work Scottsdale?

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/05/21/20110521sarah-palin-home-scottsdale-arizona-brk.html

 

Imagine the values in the community and how they might be impacted.  I would bet the impact would be positive on values.  Place your political ideas on the side for a moment and imagine you live in a community that attracts such high-profile names.  In Williamsburg we have high-profile visitors frequently.  Many presidents have visited.  Recently President Obama was planning a trip with his family and hosts of debates swirled around the visit.  In the end a consensus sentiment was that we were fortunate to live in a town that such important people felt inclined to visit.  As business people high-profile vacations float all of the boats in the harbor.

 

  I will sign off by reminding you this is all speculative since nothing is known for sure about who is an officer for the Safari, llc.  It could be Joe the Plumber, not Sarah Palin.

 

Cheers.

 

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com

The Importance of Feedback

      Feedback is an exceptional tool in real estate, but it can be elusive, miscommunicated, or ignored.    Sharp listing agents go after feedback from buyers and their agents by soliciting the information after a showing.  At that time the information is passed onto the seller and important adjustments to the marketing plan can be made as appropriate. 

     The importance of this information cannot be underscored enough.  A seller trying to make business decisions about their real estate listing, likely has to overcome a strong emotional hurdle to see clearly.  The advice of the listing agent goes a long way in helping them, but feedback from qualified buyers and their agents can be equally influential. 

       I once showed homes to a buyer who offered feedback to me as a courtesy for the seller.  I was impressed at the thoughtfulness, made notes, and passed along the information to the cooperating agent.

      Along those same lines, a sharp buyers’ agent will be seeking buyer feedback from the moment of first contact with a client.  This information is useful to the seller, but also to the buyer’s agent and the buyer too.  It allows them to proceed in the most efficient and productive manner possible.  There is no greater frustration than to witness a buyer miss a chance of obtaining a dream home, especially when the cause of the delay could have and should have been avoided.

     Like all communication, this feedback process is a 2 way street.  Agents will observe, listen, and pepper clients with questions.  Buyers must also put forth relevant information, important criteria, and honest reactions.  The dutiful buyers’ agent will process the knowledge and forge ahead creating the path to a home that fits the buyer well.

    Cheers!

Bobby Jankovic, Associate Broker
RE/MAX Capital
1166 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
cellular 757-291-1114
Facsimile 757-564-0885
Office 757-564-1557
email rrjank@aol.com