Wondering where to live?

Money goes further some places in the United States than it does in others.Housing, in particular, has remained most affordable in the South and the Midwest. That’s because of less stringent building, an abundance of land and growing populations in the South, says Daniel McCue, a research analyst at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.To determine the cities that offer the best quality of life for the least amount of money, Forbes magazine calculated the ratios between a city’s median home price and its median household income. It also factored in projected job growth. And it compared median income to Moody’s Economy.com’s cost of living index.Here are the 10 cities that it found to offer the best value, and the cities that it believes offers the worst value.Cities Where Residents Get the Most for Their Money
Austin, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Indianapolis, Ind.
Houston, Texas
Charlotte, N.C.
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Denver
Portland, Ore.Cities Where Residents Get the Least for Their Money
Los Angeles
Providence, R.I.
New Orleans
Philadelphia
Cleveland
New York
Milwaukee, Wisc.
St. Louis, Mo.
Washington, D.C.
Sacramento, Calif.
Source: Forbes, Abha Bhattarai (10/10/2008)

The high road or the low road?

I don't know about you, but I am really tired of listening to the news. All the negativity promotes fear and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy if we let it. It is time to counteract all this, think positively and search out the facts from the experts in the local industries.

With so much happening, everyone has a myriad of common questions: Will the 'Rescue Plan' work? How will it affect me? Can I still sell my house? Will someone buy my house? Can anyone get a loan these days? These questions and more will be addressed on this Blog over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, it is wise to keep a positive outlook. The average person has between 12,000 and 50,000 thoughts a day with up to 80% constantly repeated and most of them negative. There are 1440 minutes in a day, which means there are 525600 minutes in a year, so let's not waste them.

There are various strategies to help manage your outlook:

• Turn off the news. Repeated negative comments will destroy a positive attitude. Realize that much of the news is generalized. What is happening in Florida or California is not necessarily the case here in Oregon. Ask an expert his or her opinion.
• Be careful who you associate with. Surround yourself with positive people. Nothing will bring you down faster than someone who only sees the negative side of something. RUN!
• Simplify your life. If you are stressed and worried about what is happening, stop doing so much. Cut back. Clean up your surroundings. It helps to clarify your thinking.
• Find a support group. This can be, but doesn't have to be a formal group. Just make sure you have like minded, supportive people to talk to. Don't isolate yourself!
  

Now that we have laid the ground work to a healthy outlook, we are ready to tackle the real news. Next article will address the health of the Portland Real Estate market.... which is healthier than you might think!