Why My Dog Is So Smart

I have a Golden Retriever named Haley who spends the day at my office under my desk. The great thing about dogs is that they live in the moment. They don't worry about the economy, the "real estate bubble", whether foreclosures are on the rise in Western Massachusetts, whether now is a bad time to buy or sell, or whether interest rates will go up or down. No, Haley doesn't fret about what happened yesterday, the day she opened up the door under the sink and tipped over the trash can. She doesn't worry about what will happen tomorrow either. You see, Haley doesn't read the paper, listen to TV or the radio, and doesn't look online. It's a good thing, because if she did, she'd probably not want to buy a house right now.

Buyers, on the other hand, seem to be listening to the gloom and doom media who can't get enough of making sure we're all miserable. I don't get it. We bought our first home in 1987, when interest rates were 13.5%. Should we have waited until they came down to around 5% in order to buy? Hard to think so.

For the first time in many years we have an abundance of homes for buyers to weigh carefully. Rates are really very low and as long as your credit is good, loans can be written. As long as buyers are careful to stay within their means, home ownership is not out of the question.

Maybe buyers should turn off the TV for a while, stop reading the headlines and go to a few open houses. Sellers will be happy to see them again.

Haley is patiently waiting to go for a walk. I guess I'd better go!