Rickie Fowler

My favorite PGA rookie, Rickie Fowler is T-3 and only 2 strokes out of the lead on the final day of the “Waste Management Phoenix Open” at Scottsdale Ariz.

With a brand new PGA Tour Card and a hard hitting go-for-the-hole attitude, Rickie is ready to burn up the 2010 Tour. 

Rickie has a proven knack for “firsts”. After all, which other professional golfer has a background not in competitive golf, but rather motocross racing? Fortunately for fans of the new golf generation, Rickie traded in his dirt bike for a golf cart at the age of 14. And he hasn’t looked back since. Read more about Rickie…

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More news for the housing market…I found this article today on Recordnet.com 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new homes plunged to a record low in January, underscoring the formidable challenges facing the housing industry as it tries to recover from the worst slump in decades.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new home sales dropped 11.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 309,000 units, the lowest level on records going back nearly a half century. The big drop was a surprise to economists who had expected sales would rise about 5 percent over December’s pace. Read more if you like bad news…

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Most real estate firms think that a statewide MLS (Multiple Listings Service) is a good idea, but the question remains can or will all the local AOR (Association of Realtors) and the profit earning MLS’s be able work together for the benefit of the public and the real estate agents. Several years ago the CVAR (Central Valley Association of Realtors) had a significate dispute with MetroList MLS when the local AOR attempted take back control of their MLS territory in the Stockton / Tracy / Modesto area.

The California Association of Realtors® appears to be in support of the statewide MLS and cal REDD

 In my opinion real estate agents and brokers should support the CAR and take back their MLS for the good of their clients and their own future as a small business professional. Also, brokers need to take back and fix the realtor.com website.

California:

Press Enterprise: Inland foreclosure pressure eases; short sales rise
By Leslie Berkman
2/11/2010
In January, combined filings for defaults, trustee sales, and bank repossessions declined more than 24 percent in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties region. It was led by a nearly 50 percent decline in notices of default. Also, from December to January the amount of all foreclosure-related filings declined almost 13 percent.

National:

Los Angeles Times: U.S. aims to stop backing mortgages
By Walter Hamilton and Jim Puzzanghera
2/11/2010
The Federal Reserve plans next month to end a $1.25-trillion mortgage-bond-purchase program that has helped keep mortgage interest rates near a record-low 5 percent. 

Inman: ZipRealty: Fewer sellers slash prices
2/11/2010
Sellers reduced the asking price on 40.4 percent of available homes in January, down from 44.8 percent in December, to an average discount of $21,925, a rate of 6.54 percent lower than the month before, according to ZipRealty. The report covers 27 of 36 U.S. metropolitan areas in which the company operates.

• A successful and internationally recognized brand name
• A structured business operating system with proven technology, marketing, advertising and training
• The most successful online advertising program available in real estate
• Economies of scale on all types of products and services that are absolutely affordable for even a one-person office

The power of a brand name!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The month of January is over and we have already seen four events on the PGA tour. Last weeks winner at the Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torrey Pines was Ben Crane by one stroke, but I was pulling for the rookie Rickie Fowler who is almost sure bet to win this year. 

No disrespect to Troy Merritt or Alex Prugh, but Fowler has that certain look about him, that swagger that usually accompanies tremendous talent.

Fowler may even win a PGA TOUR event (or two) before ballots are cast this fall. Playing in just his 11th PGA TOUR career event Sunday, the 21-year-old contended for the second time, settling for a fifth-place finish in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. It was the third top-10 of his brief TOUR career.

Fowler was just a shot behind eventual champion Ben Crane until his youthfulness showed with a short-sided double bogey at the 17th hole. From the middle of the fairway, it took him three shots to get on the green, then he missed a 6-footer.

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