The Mortgage Crisis and the Silver Lining
The mortgage crisis in America has created a huge challenge for many families and individuals who are now at risk of losing their homes. Bloomberg.com reports that California had the most foreclosure filings in the U.S. last year and the biggest fourth-quarter decline in prices. The state had a staggering 481,392 foreclosures
Other states like Maryland, Florida and Ohio are also feeling the pressure. Carol Cohen of Cleveland Real Estate News.com is maintaining an ongoing report on homes for sale and in foreclosure for both urban and suburban communities in this north eastern Ohio region.
Many states have since put in place measures to ease the stress and provide some assistance that may help homeowners to hang onto their homes. There is no doubt that this is a sad story – let’s hope it comes to an end soon.
In the meantime this is also an opportunity for others to enter the housing market and contribute to the rejuvination of the economy and the neighborhoods impacted by the current economic crisis. Do you know that there are many homes in very desireable neighborhoods across the country from California to Ohio that are within the $100-200K range (see Carole Cohen’s link above)? These are homes that in some cases may have been double or triple the price only a year or so ago.
There is a risk that prices may drop even a further so if you are going to see if this is your opportunity to enter the housing market or make a move to neighborhood that you’ve always wanted to live in, do your research and time your entrance into the market accordingly.
Whether communities hit by this mortgage crisis are in affluent or struggling areas, they all can likely benefit from the investment that may come from those who can take advantage of this affordable housing market AND make a contribution to the communities that they will be calling home.
Earth Hour 2008 – Fine Family Dining by Candlelight
On March 29, my family and some close friends joined other families and individuals across the world in making a statement about our environment and our role in it. We were part of the thousands (hopefully millions) who as part of Earth Hour 2008 turned off our electricity from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to emphasize our ability to change our behaviors and find solutions, like conserving energy, to help reduce the damage we are doing to our environment.
I’m not always that punctual when it comes to meal preparation, yet on that night everything was done by 7:40 p.m. The Tilapia fish in herb and butter sauce, pasta, brocolli and tossed salad in Raspberry Wine Vinaigrette – all complete, nothing overcooked or burned (miracle!!).
My family and guests were seated by five minutes to 8…my son lit the candles as and we sat down to one of the most enjoyable dinners and conversations we’ve had in a long time.
Detatching ourselves for an hour from some of our unnecessary creature comforts like TV, video games, radios, etc. meant that a lot of us had to make plans to do things differently…like planning to eat together at the same time in one room in order to share the candle light. It was like we all couldn’t get to the dining table fast enough. And while I’d love to say the urgency was related to my scrumptious cooking, I think it had more to do with the notion and excitement that we were doing a very little thing that was part of a big thing for our world.
We were activists by candlelight! We all should take 60-minutes like this more often don’t you think?
New Podcast Coming Soon!
For your listening pleasure I’m happy to announce that there is now a new podcast in town…it’s the New Urban Mom Podcast. The podcast will officially launch in April but this post and our brief promo show will give you an idea of what’s ahead.
What I like about podcasts is the 24-hour access and the ability to get more of what you like about a subject. I think a lot of us are inclined to read a brief post but not a long one – depending on our schedules and daily priorities. Yet there are those topics we like and want to know more about or need to know more about. Bingo – the 30-minute or 60-minute podcast fits the bill for the “need to know more but have little time” group.
You can listen at your leisure, as you exercise, drive or while you’re simply relaxing in your home.
I’m so excited about this podcast because there is so much information that other colleagues and I want to share with you about new urbanism, career planning, work opportunities, entrepreneurism, family life, community activities, seasonal ideas for your home, buying a home, vacation planning and so much more.
Until we launch in April, I hope you’ll take the time to share your comments, questions and suggestions for upcoming topics as I’d love to read, learn from and act on your ideas.
Ex-Apprentice Hauncho and Yahoo! Believe in Women Online Biz Owners
If you’ve got a business idea or if you are running your own company and could use an injection of cash you’ll like this announcement.
Carolyn Kepcher, former VP at Donald Trump’s company and his former on-air sidekick on the show “The Apprentice” recently announced on behalf of Yahoo! Small Business enterprises the launch of a new grant program to promote women’s entrepreneurship enabled by the Internet.
The program is called “Seeds for Success: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs” and it will award 3 women entrepreneurs with business grants including cash, mentorship and technical services valued at more than $25,000 each.
Interested entrepreneurs can apply online by clicking here. The deadline for applications is April 6 and winners will be announced at the end of April.
For you internet marketers out there, take note that Yahoo! and Carolyn are particularly interested in women entrepreneurs who have built their success using the Internet or are planning on launching a business that will be dependent upon the Internet for success.
If you’re not sure how to work the Internet into your business refer to my earlier post that provided links to a number of websites that offer exceptional information (some of it FREE) about how to launch an internet based business.
Good luck!
Religion in Our Lives
Today, Good Friday, is just about the most important day in the Christian calendar. Most of our world religions have days and periods in the calendar that have special significance. What I find wonderful is that people of different religions or no religion are still able to acknowledge these events whether as a matter respect to others or out of their own sense of interest, wonder or basic humanity.
No question that we are as a “world nation” unique people brought to levels of passion, emotion and even irrationality because of our religion. We fight in the name of religion, and we love in the name of religion. Hopefully one day we’ll get it right. In the meantime for those people that have the freedom to worship as they please and to acknowledge other religions, as they please, I hope you’ll appreciate that gift and take the time to acknowledge how important today is to Christian people.
Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus was crucified on the cross. Sunday we’ll celebrate his resurrection and have our Easter celebration. Even for people who are not Christian or even religious, the notion of celebrating life after death is one that predates Christianity.
For those who are interested, here are some traditions that will be followed today, especially in my home as we’re Catholic.
We’ll attend Church this afternoon for the Good Friday service where there will be a re-enactment of the Passion of Christ. This act is in fact the Church community’s way of commemorating the redemption of the world through Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and suffering, death and burial. The cross will be covered and all altar candles will be extinguished. Today will be a day of mourning and fasting.
But beyond the tradition and rituals above, is the very act of stopping our day to day material world “stuff” to take a moment to think and ponder about life in this world in a different way. Hopefully we will think about what we are here in this world to do, what responsibilities we have to fellow man/woman, and how special everyone of us is – no matter our color or creed or location.
There is a sense of love and connectedness that expresses itself to people around the world in different ways and in that I find hope and peace.
Cherry Blossoms and Washington D.C.
One of the truly wonderful places to visit this spring has got to be Washington, D.C. Here’s a city that literally blossoms in spring (around mid April I believe). Magnificent cherry blossoms aside, Washington, D.C. is of course a year-round destination with several world renown sites–from the Washington Monument to Arlington Cemetery
Washington is a place to contemplate the people who have sacrificed their lives for this country – both within and without – and a place to marvel at how a great nation pays homage to the known and unknown.
More than 6 million people live and work in Washington D.C. With all the excitement around the election, now just might be one of the best times to plan a family trip there.
For more information about the sites to see and hotel accommodations in Washington D.C. click here.
The “New Urban” Lifestyle
Some of us live in suburbs or rural areas, others in the city. The environments may look different, but as moms, working women, singles or retirees, we tend to want many of the same things.
By and large we want environment-friendly and culturally rich communities that support our personal, social and professional goals. This is “new urban” life at its best.
Come share your ideas and comments as we explore community life together.
Spring Brings New Opportunities – Is Your Business Ready?
This morning my son said to me that he really can’t wait for spring and that this was the first time he ever felt that he was ready to let go of winter this early. I had to correct him on that.
Just about every year at this time he and his sister start chatting about spring and all their summer plans. I told him he just can’t remember and that it’s probably nature’s way of making us appreciate each season like it was the first time.
If you’ve got a business this is the time for you to prepare to take advantage of all the fresh opportunities, excitement and potential for growth that a new season brings.
Here are some opportunities to look out for in your community:
- Spring Fairs and Festivals – If your community is putting on a spring festival – book a booth to promote your business. There’s bound to be great traffic and the price is usually very affordable considering the reach and exposure you’re likely to get.
- School Sponsorship Opportunities – is your local elementary school or high school looking for sponsors for the spring play, graduation program or some other spring fundraiser? This is affordable advertising that reaches a pretty prime consumer audience – PARENTS.
- Local Newspaper Advertising – check to see if your local paper is offering any great deals for small business display ads. Spring is a time when folks are looking for great garage sales, home sales, renovation contractors, etc. Given the potential for increased readership at this time, this might be one of the best times to run an ad in your local paper.
- Website Promotions – Why not run some spring specials and promotions on your website? Partner with another colleague and trade services and products. Lynette Chandler of Techbased Marketing is doing a promotion along those lines. Take a moment to read about it.
Community Tourism: Good for Your Business, Your Economy
So many of us love our communities and want to do what we can to make our homes, lives and businesses thrive IN our communities. One of the concepts that has helped many communities and larger cities thrive is community tourism.
How many times have you visited friends in different cities and had them yawn as you marveled at different local sites that they found boring. There are many things in our own communities that we may find ho hum and others find interesting. Community tourism capitalizes on a community’s strengths and promotes that to visitors and tourists who might like nothing more than to visit a community with those particular attributes.
I grew up near a large metropolis. I have a fascination and affinity for small towns (under 2000 people). My husband and I even lived in a town of under 2,000 people for a few years and we loved it! As a traveler, I have at the top of the list many places that are right here in the U.S. and Canada. There really is so much to discover in our own backyard!
I’ll be sharing some more information about community tourism in upcoming posts because I think many struggling towns and larger cities across the U.S. should be looking to community tourism as a way to jump start the local economy. Who knows…one of those visitors might be the catalyst for a new employer coming to town or a helpful feature in major media outlet that might help attract more visitors and investors to the area.
While I’ll be focusing on American towns and cities, the pictures in this post feature community tourism pictures from Jamaica. I was first introduced to the whole notion of community tourism by an advocate of the concept who is Jamaican entrepreneur, Diana McIntyre-Pike. Thanks for the indulgence – it’s cold here and pictures of Jamaica are just what I need! Click on pictures to enlarge.
New Urbanism Offers Choices for Commuters, Entrepreneurs – Everyone
When I talk about new urbanism there is sometimes some confusion about whether I’m referring to brand new communities or older ones. New urbanism is about both. My own particular experience is about the transformation of an older bedroom community into a vibrant new urbanist haven where people live and work.
It’s been more than 20 years, but the concept behind new urbanism (work and play where you live) is finally taking root. The community I live in adopted the concept as part of efforts to save what little of the village lifestyle we had after the old rural community was bulldozed and redeveloped by new home builders. I live in one of the old nearly half centry post war homes, but there are thousands of new homes built and being built in my town of over 200,000.
Saving our village/community lifestyle required active lobbying by citizens to deliver passionate arguments in favour of keeping historic districts and forcing builders to incorporate into their developments street landscapes and neighborhood designs that nurture a sense of community, and encourage residents to walk, stroll, socialize and do BUSINESS where they live.
Today we have a thriving village housed in century old heritage buildings. Our streets and buildings are overflowing with young people and retirees buying coffee, visiting with consultants, lawyers, graphic designers, hairdressers, accountants and a whole host of other people and organizations who have set up businesses in our community.
We’re no longer a useless bedroom community – we are a thriving urban center where people live, work and play. That’s the new urbanism that I hope spreads like wildfire across the U.S. and Canada. As entrepreneur and work at home advocate, Kelly McCausey points out in her blog, we really can’t afford to be a nation of car commuters anymore. There are choices out there that we need to consider. New Urbanism is one of them.
I’m Also Here…
