Never ask, "How are you?" (Someone might actually tell you!)

Ewk!  That awkward moment when you nonchalantly pass someone and ask, "hey, how are you doing?"  You, of course, expect the normal "fine, and you?" response.

But have you ever had someone stop you and say, "I'm glad you ask.  Oh my gosh, I've had so many problems.........blah blah blah."  Did you really mean to ask that?  Or did you simply use "how are you" as a standard greeting?

A good test of this is to go to a state convention.  I just returned from the annual big brand state convention in Tourist Town, Texas, having stayed indoors for 3 days at Shady Pines Resort . . . sort of prepares me for my future assisted living days, but oh well, it was as nice a hotel "resort" as there is around anywhere.

This place was so spread out, it reminded me of the Greater Houston Area where you can drive for 2 hours and still be in Houston!  I walked from one end to the other.  And with Stage 5 Kidney Failure, this is no minor feat!

"Oh, how am I doing?"  "I'm glad you asked!"  (Now is the time you can safely click to another screen because I'm about to tell you.  But when you're face-to-face with someone, you have to -- albeit painful -- listen to their crap.)

OK, so here's my list, directly from the internet (so you know it's true!):

Symptoms that can occur in stage 5 CKD include:

• Loss of appetite - I force myself to eat!  lol
• Nausea or vomiting - none yet
• Headaches - regular - tend with Tylenol
• Being tired - this is the worst. Being a "high-energy" person saves me somewhat.  But even after a night's sleep, I wake up tired.  I also treat this with regular workouts, which help.  Strangely, sometimes alcohol gives me a lift, but it takes two days to recover!  lol
• Being unable to concentrate - I can't travel alone; I can remember answers when prompted.  Meeting customers after 2 pm is difficult.
• Itching - constant, body-wide.  I've been to the dermatologist and have all the cremes and emollients that money can buy.  The best way is "mind-over-matter."  Much of the itch is controlled with my mental stability.
• Making little or no urine - quite the contrary - I pee all the time, every 30-45 minutes.  This is how I've stayed off of dialysis so long, even with very little to no kidney function.  
• Swelling, especially around the eyes and ankles - swelling in all the wrong places!
• Muscle cramps - second-worst.  These can be so severe as to make me jump out of bed at night in excruciating pain.  I've found that the workouts help, as do PCS-style Rockport shoes.  Air Nikes also help minimize the inevitable cramps.  
• Tingling in hands or feet - nope.
• Changes in skin color - age or kidney disease?  lol
• Increased skin pigmentation - I don't even know what this one is!
• Irritability - really?  You have to ask?  lol

So, now you know.  And I feel much better now that I've vented.  Just you wait 'til I get a new kidney . . . I'll be a new man!  Fiddle-dee-dee . . . tomorrow IS another day!

Most everyone is born with two, but you only need one.  I am seeking a live donor.  If you would consider donating one kidney, please call Methodist Hospital at 713-441-5458 and tell them that you're interested in donating a kidney to Sam Ferreri.  They can advise you of the risks and benefits to you.  You can read more at my old blog, www.MyKidneysSuck.com, but please do NOT call St. Luke's Hospital (ewww).  I'm switched to Methodist.  Thanks, and God Bless you.  

Homeowner Tax Tips

Even if you’re having a professional help you with your income tax return, you need to provide them with information on the money you spent that might be deductible.  Look at the following list to see if any of these things need a little more investigation to determine if they apply to your situation.

• If you refinanced your home for the second or subsequent time in 2014, there may be points that can be taken as an interest charge.
• Compare mortgage interest, property taxes and other eligible itemized deductions to your standard deduction to see which will give you a larger deduction.
• If you’re paying mortgage insurance premiums with your payment, you may be eligible to deduct them.
• If you purchased a home in 2014, there may be some deductions found on the HUD-1 form you received at closing.
• If you purchased a home in 2014 and the seller paid points on your behalf in order to get a mortgage, you may be able to deduct them.
• If you purchased and installed in 2014 qualified residential energy efficiency property or improvements, you may be eligible for tax credits.
• If you have dedicated, exclusive space in your home for a home office, you may be eligible for a deduction that may include a pro-rata share of insurance, utilities and other things.

For more information, see IRS Publication 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction; 2014 Instructions for Schedule A.

If you need another copy of your closing statement for the home you purchased or sold in 2014, contact your real estate professional.

Pearland Real Estate is now Houston Real Estate???

So last week, I had to be at the world-famous Methodist Hospital -- you know, the one where President George H. W. Bush goes periodically -- for a 7:30 kidney appointment.  Since I live just down Highway 288 in Pearland, I projected that leaving at 6:30am would give me ample time to find my way to a parking spot and arrive early.

In fact, the instructions from Methodist Hospital advised me to "arrive 30 minutes early or risk having to be rescheduled."  ("Alrighty," I thought, as it had taken a month to get this appointment and my kidneys won't last forever!)  So, I left "early," remembering that the drive from Pearland to Houston up 288 only takes 15 minutes.

To make a long story short -- contrary to my usual making a short story long -- I arrived at my destination at 7:45.

Wow!  When did Pearland become Houston?

Now I'm not complaining, mind you, because property values across our fine area have increased steadily for the last few years!  Demand out here is strong because it is relatively close to town.  So, I learned some things.

My transplant coordinator remembered me from 30 years ago, and after reminding me of our past relationship, I woke up and realized that he and his wife are fellow Pearlanders!  "So, Russ, how do you deal with the traffic?" I queried, expecting a grunt and a sigh.

But no!  Russ had a plan!  He leaves at 5am, goes to the medical center gym, works out for an hour, then goes to the hospital.  Duh.  Of course!  There is a way!  

Why don't more people follow this plan?  It may be simple rethinking.  I am sitting here writing this blog at 5:30am . . . I went to bed at 9pm last night, got up at 3:30, went to the gym at 4.  Then I came home, had some tea, and began writing.  If I worked in the medical center, it would have been easy!

So, a plan would help make the commute easier.  Yet I turn on the TV -- the morning news -- and watch the traffic jams daily.  And yet, flex-time has been around as long as I can remember.  So, why don't more people have a good plan?

Yes, my blog went into a different direction -- maybe because I listened to the founder of RE/MAX this morning on my iPhone as I worked out, who explained that a step-by-step plan toward a big goal is required for success and a good attitude.  And I saw that living in Pearland -- with its amazing schools and quiet lifestyle -- could be reality even for commuters.  I mean, at night, should you wish to go to the theatre, a ball game, a club, or whatever -- the 15 minute drive returns.  (Try doing that from Katy or Cypress.)

Pearland has simply become the southern border of Houston.  And it's a good thing.

To find your Pearland home, call TheSamTeam.com at 832-200-5656.  Sam Ferreri is a 40-year veteran of the Houston real estate market, and leads one of the most successful teams in the area, year-after-year.  RE/MAX Top Realty.  

Oil . . . Oil . . . Oil . . . All my life, all this talk of Oil and its effect on Houston and Pearland Real Estate

And so I have customers asking me, "is the drop in oil prices going to have an effect on our house values?"

"Are we moving into another real estate recession?"

Hmmm . . . let me get my crystal ball . . . nope, doesn't look like it!

Let's examine the indicators:

Sure, the oil companies are planning layoffs whilst at the same time, Exxon has built a huge campus-facility up near The Woodlands.

Builders are continuing to build, buyers are continuing to buy!

Land sources for new construction are drying up . . . unless you go "wayyyy" out.  And the developers do keep moving out, making the Greater Houston Market the most expansive territory ever.  The other day, I drove out to a new community in Cypress called "Bridgeland."  It was nearly an hour from my office, and I'm on the beltway!  Where else in the world can you drive for an hour and a half and still be in the same place?

In the entire Houston MLS (a/k/a Har.com), there is a 2.7 months supply of single family homes! That is the lowest in recent memory, making Houston a seller's market.

Frankly, Houston has added more jobs than it's lost, making the oil price drop appear as more of an "adjustment" or "market correction" than anything.  And I always think that politics are involved....hmmmm.....

Nonetheless, it's a great time to sell . . . and buy in this market.  It looks like we're in for some great real estate market periods ahead.

Want to get into the market?  Call TheSamTeam.com at 832-200-5656 and put us to work for you!  RE/MAX Top Realty.

1/2% Could Make a Big Difference

Over 50% of homebuyers don’t shop to find the best interest rate for their mortgage.  While a buyer would rarely purchase the first home they look at, they will accept the rate and terms offered by only one lender.

While the borrower and the property affect the rate and terms that a lender may offer, it is not to be said that all lenders will offer the same terms and rates to the same buyer.  Credit score, home location, home price and loan amount, down payment, loan term, interest rate type and loan type all affect the interest rate but different lenders can interpret this information differently.

Shopping around to compare rate and terms for a mortgage is a reasonable exercise considering that a half percent lesser interest rate could not only lower the payment but the cumulative interest that is paid while that loan is outstanding.

Some borrowers don’t shop the mortgage because they are concerned that having their credit checked multiple times could adversely affect their credit score.  The credit bureaus take this into consideration when several requests are made by the same category of lender in a short period of time.

Check to see the difference 0.5% could make in the mortgage you’re considering by using the calculator provided by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  Contact your real estate professional for a list of trusted mortgage professionals to consider.

Would YOU buy a house from an Uber Driver?

I keep reading these Inman News stories -- stories about the real estate industry, written by "credible" authors.  One of them was recently in an Uber cab and realized that the driver was a real estate agent. Wow!  Imagine, your Uber driver could show you a house you've been eyeing on the way to the airport.

Of course, you found this house on an app that interpreted your feelings and desires, and suggested it to you.  The Uber driver conveniently arranged for you to see it.  You quickly got a mortgage on another app (or perhaps the same one), and voila!  Home Sweet Home.

Sorry, this old school skeptic doesn't buy it.

I mean, it sounds like a good idea!  It sounds so easy!

But it's not.  There is a wild world of offer and negotiation, inspections, crazy sellers, crazy buyers, stressed-out crazy agents, title companies, weird lending practices, goof-ball builders, and other not-so-simple complexities in a home purchase.  How in the world would all these emotional areas be managed by an app?

The truth is, they won't.  These are pipe dreams.

I've listened to similar stories for 40 years, and yet, real estate buying and selling still needs a qualified transaction manager -- a licensed agent -- to handle the details.  Even (and especially) buying a brand new home requires a third party fiduciary (great word) for the buyer.

The consumer wants lower costs of buying, yet the costs of real estate brokerage go UP, not down. And broker profitability goes down with the cost of doing business.  

So, without radical changes in how buyers and sellers react with one another -- I mean, the core root of human behavior will have to change before Uber drivers become successful real estate agents.

I doubt I'll be buying or selling a home with my driver anytime soon......will you?

Technology Conference? Tablets? Does that include my Big Chief Tablet?

Actually, I love the changes that technology has brought to our world.  My MacBook Air, My iPhone, my iPad . . . yes, I replaced my Big Chief Tablet and Big Fat Pencil with an iPad.

But now I have to get appy.  And I have to master SEO . . . I did do that a few years ago, I even went around the country teaching it, but I need some brush-ups.

So where is it going?  To Zillow and Trulia?  To Realtor.com?  To Remax.com?  To Redfin?

I just read an article on Inman that describes how the BOF ("brokerage of the future" for all you knuckleheads like me who aren't into acronyms) will be built around sophisticated agents who "bid" for the business from the brokerages, bringing only the elite producers together into 1,000 square feet of technology-laden space, suitable only for reporters.

Ok, wait a minute.  The internet will suggest which home you will love based on your input emotional needs?  And you'll buy it, based on Mac's suggestion?  In fact, this is in direct contrast to every existing brokerage model in the industry?  And this will be the BOF in 2 years???

Holy cow!  I think of myself as being somewhat "forward thinking" and a "sophisticated" Realtor.....but......can I get a grasp on that concept in 2 years?  OK, maybe, if I get a grasp that I'm in the "home-selling" business, a concept I never understood either.  That's not what I do.  Rather, I enhance people's lives and bring them family comfort by providing exceptional representation to them when buying or selling............can I become a 'bot?  Is that what BOFs (buyers of the future!) want?

Now I find myself in the training business.  I help buyers, sellers, and agents build their personal business and family life by providing counseling and consulting to provide solutions.

It's a good thing that I stay "learning-based," because it sounds like I'll need it.  Learn and grow in our creative, collaborative culture.  I got this.  I'm on it.  Let's do it!  Onward through the challenges! (May I please have my Big Chief back?)