Sitting Shivah…

Yesterday was a hard day. It rained big time and on top of all the other shit I’ve had to handle my windshield was still leaking, the carpet smelled like mold and I feel worn down and beat up.

For the past 7 years I’ve worked hard to stay focused and build my “wealth”. Although its been 10 months it seems as if in a blink of an eye I find myself at the bottom having to claw my way up again.  So I decided to sit Shivah…for my life.

I’m giving myself 7 days and then burying my past. In these 7 days I’ve set about to work on cleaning my soul and working on my 2009 business plan. After the S.O. and the turmoil that followed I need a clear and focused path again.  You can’t keep a good woman down for long so I am continuing to dredge through receipts for the insurance company, I am recreating my database, outsourcing projects as much as I can and am being conscious of the Law of Attraction and how it applies to me.

Outside of my little prince, who is not so little anymore, I am uplifted by the connections that I am making with other women as I develop WBWTR website.  Women all over the U.S. and abroad continue to build wealth one home at a time and I look forward to developing the Interview section of the site.

Then and Now

One of the things that I try to put into perspective is the market. Whether real estate, T-bills or the stock market. I don’t know a hell of a lot about treasury bonds or stocks so I keep an eye out for news that’s informing while giving stats.  I read an interesting article today in the Investor’s Daily about the economy and what investors should do if we were in another Great Depression.

An investment of $100 in stocks on Jan. 1, 1928, would have been worth $98.75 by the end of 1930, but that investment would have gained 12% by the end of 1935, 9% by the end of 1940, and 260% by the end of 1948.

Short-term Treasury bills had gained only 11% from the start of 1928 to the end of 1950, and 10-year Treasury bonds returned 81% from 1930 through 1950 — an impressive growth rate, but still far shy of stocks’ climb during that period.

Investors who bought stock at the end of 1932, when the market was at its worst, their investment would have gained 86% in five years, 120% in 10 years, and 926% in 20 years. Meanwhile, 10-year Treasuries would have gained 22% in five years, 41% in 10 years, and 75% in 20 years.

In regards to real estate, I’ve always said that it’s not for everyone just as the stock market isn’t for everyone. You might be better off as a renter and you might not have thick enough skin to be an investor. I think that the successful investor  is passionate about real estate, understands that real estate is cyclical and that local markets differ from the national market.

For the past 10 years single women have been on the rise in buying homes and are viewing their homes as part of their overall investment strategy and not simply the white picket fence.

Married couples still comprise the largest percentage of home buyers, but that percentage is shrinking. According to the National Association of Realtors, married couples comprised 60 percent of purchasers in 2006, compared to 70 percent in 1995. The percentage of single men who have purchased homes has remained stable at 9 percent. By comparison, single women comprised 22 percent of U.S. home purchases in 2006, up from 14 percent.

Whether they are taking a stand for “financial independence” or investing for their future women are a force to be reckoned with. Women are interested in making solid financial decisions and those decisions definitely involve real estate. And with the current down real estate market in many parts of the country, professional women are looking to find bargains in real estate and are doing so successfully.

Bay Area Stats

Bay Area home sales up 45% over ‘07; median price falls to $400K (read article)