I think more experienced agents might be able to expand the conversation more, but at the end of the day, you should not allow yourself to be badgered into making a deal because you feel indebted to them.
good Job and nicely done your works.

John

Thanks
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mls listings

Regarding use real estate as a hedge, I tend to think real estate is different from hard asset such as gold or oil.

I think it’s inevitable that the Fed will need to raise interest rate sometime down the road. As interest rate go up, I think the demand for housing will go down, which will drive down the housing price. This might be partially offset by people’s investment in real estate in fear of a major currency collapse. But, I’m afraid that the downward pressure on housing price due to raising interesting rate will be more severe than the impact of US currency collapse.

A site you might like to keep an eye on is Altos Research. For Seattle/Portland specifically take a look at http://blog.altosresearch.com/year-end-2009-trends-pacific-northwest-housing-market/

Your comments around the US dollar and hard assets is fine but they will likely be easily outweighed by higher unemployment and less labor participation (people want to work full time but can only get a part time job). That means more foreclosures and less rental demand.

Additionally, there is a tremendous amount of ’shadow inventory’. That is, homes that aren’t paying their mortgage but the banks, because they are so busy processing other delinquent homes, haven’t even foreclosed on. That can be anywhere from 6-12 months of inventory in some places at the moment.

Seattle and Portland are growing cities and any population growth supports rising home prices but that fact is getting out-weighed by the above at least at the moment.

In the end, you bought because you needed to live somewhere and it will always be a personal utility decision but I wouldn’t be surprised if prices go down from here in the short term.

Redfin I love for the information they provide. However, the information they provide tends to be more statistical rather than experiential. When negotiating on a new construction condo, that information can be fantastic. When buying your dream home, not so much so. There will always be a place for different models, but I don’t think Real Estate agents are going to gone like a fart in the wind , at least, not the good ones.

I’m glad to read your meanderings… Saybrook is an interesting investment, but it seems you sheltered yourself a bit with the joint partnership… nicely done.