Griselda's Blog

Search terms, that is. With all the exposure real estate agents are having to foreclosures, you’ll think we would have learned how to spell this term by now. But no, that’s not the case. Just look at our MLS and you'll find at least a couple of variations. Missing the first “e” seems to be a favorite one. So including these misspellings in our searches is almost a given.

                                                      

"Foreclosures”, “short-sales” and “pre-foreclosures” are terms that have entered most everyone's vocabulary by now. The media talks about them…writes about them and analyses them. We talk about them at the office. Our customers ask for them.

Some areas are more affected than others. But it seems that here in Miami-Dade County no area or neighborhood is "foreclosure" free, including Miami Lakes. I believe that in one way or another most real estate is affected by the "foreclosure" wave that we are going through. I also believe that we are where we are because of greed. The kind of greed that fueled mortgage fraud and that made real estate speculators out of people who didn't even know how to calculate their own mortgage payments. Everyone wanted to get rich...quickly!       

Numbers relate information in a way that often seems devoid of emotion. But many emotions rush to my head and to my heart when I read the statistics below. I don't think they need any commentary. They do speak for themselves.

Miami-Dade County Mortgage Foreclosure Filing Statistics

Year                   Filings

2002                  14,567

2003                  11,605

2004                   9,606

2005                   7,829

2006                   9,814

2007                  26,391

2008                  20,508 (from January through May)

Pictures are even harsher than numbers. They bypass our rational thoughts and hit you with not much warning! Just look at the picture below.

This map shows an area of Broward County, Florida. Each black hammer symbol represents one property in the process of foreclosure. This is a beautiful gated community built around a huge lake.

It is a very sad picture.

But it is what it is. We need to face it and work with it.

By the way, there is a new study done by Harvard University that points at the current housing slump as the worst in the last 50 years. You can download it from this website. The whole version of the report is over 40 pages and covers a lot of interesting information. You can also opt to download only the parts of the report you are interested in.

“Father Knows Best” is an annual fishing tournament that’s becoming a family tradition. The event takes place in the Town of Miami Lakes, at Graham Dairy lake. This year it’s scheduled for June 14th, from 7:30 am to noon.

                                         

This popular fishing tournament will award prices for the first fish, biggest fish, smallest fish, youngest fisherman, oldest fisherman, most fish caught, best fishing team (father and child), and best overall fisherman. This surely sounds like a lot of fun!

The deadline to register is June 12. For more information, and to register for this event e-mail mlcac@miamilakes-fl.gov or call 305-364-6100, ext. 138.

I mendioned in previous posts other events like the Senior Games, and the Poker Walk. Our town is always building community by regularly offering activities such as these. Just one more reason for anyone to want to call Miami Lakes their "home."

Until a few days ago I had never heard the term "meme", and now I'm supposedly writing one!

Bonnie Westbrook tagged me to write this "meme" thing. I hope I got it right, because here it goes...ready or not

1. Who's your favorite musical artist?

There are so many artists that I listen to depending on my mood... I listen to The Beatles, Elton John, Mozart, Pavarotti, Julio Sosa, Bobby Darin, Bon Jovi, Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Gardel, Billy Joel, Sarah Brightman, Barenakedladies, Paul Simon, Rosemary Clooney, Joan Manuel Serrat, Frank Sinatra, CCR, Mina, Enya, Elvis Presley, La Lupe, Johnny Cash, Loreena McKennitt, Edith Piaf, Dean Martin, Maria Callas, and the list could go on...

But if I have to choose just one, then "the one" has to be Elton John...no wait! It has to be The Beatles! Well, I don't think I can decide between these two, or is it five? Both (the five of them?) are at the top of my list!
                

 
2. Who is your favorite artist?

One of my favorite artists is the graphic artist M.C. Escher. I find Escher's creations endlessly fascinating. His pieces often play with perspective and symmetry. It seems as if he is playing games with us. I believe his work shows this artist had a great imagination, a good math education, and a very good sense of humor. Do you recognize some of these?

3. Who is your favorite blogger?

So many great bloggers...and only one choice? I have at least 30 I could mention. But if for some reason I was able to read only one, the blog I would read is TLW's. She is full of energy, sincere, and has a great sense of humor. TLW's posts are always a lot of fun to read. Sorry Broker Bryant, I have to choose your wife...but you are my second favorite!  ;-)

Here is the lovely lady herself!


4. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would it be and what is the most interesting thing about them?

Florence Nightingale I simply admire this lady for everything she accomplished in her life. She was a pioneer in many fronts, including medicine and math, at a time when women where expected to just get married and produce children. She was definitely  a courageous woman by any measure. It would be wonderful to be able to meet her.                                                                
 

5. What did you want to be when you grew up?

A chemist. I don't think I really understood what chemists did but from an early age that's what I wanted to do. We had a friend in the family who was a chemist and that's probably where the idea came from.

 
6. What is the most interesting piece of trivia you know?

I'm usually inclined to remember what my daughters call "gross stuff."  Do you know this one?

There are some types of tape worms that use humans as their host (this means they live inside your body) that can grow as long as 30 feet! I've seen some of these really long creatures inside huge formaldehyde jars. This kind of tape worm is commonly called in Spanish "la solitaria" which I believe it would translate as "the loner." Because only one of these parasites will grow inside each host. Other worms don't mind company. But this one wants you all for themselves...

When you have one of these "solitarias" inside you they basically eat everything you do. As they grow you become hungrier and hungrier but the solitaria is eating your food, so you become thinner as time goes by (don't be surprised if one of these days somebody comes up with the "Solitaria Diet").

So the longer this worm remains inside its host the larger and longer it grows, and it can live inside you for years...

     Are you hungry yet?

 
 

7. If you could live in any point in history what would it be and why?

    
I would choose the present time. It could be fascinating to make short visits to other points in history. But this is my time and I’m happy to be living in it.


8. What is the most interesting job you have ever held?

One of the most interesting jobs I had was working on a market research project for the Argentinean Consulate.

I was a student at the time and this was a summer internship. I learned new things and met many interesting people. It was also a time when we were just starting to use the Internet for research, even if it was not as friendly as it is today. It took a lot of work to get where you wanted to go and to gather the information you needed. There was no world wide web (WWW) at the time.

My daughters went with me to all the places I needed to go to and they also accompanied me when I had to conduct interviews. Then we would go home and have some summer time activity and I would work on the project at night when they were asleep. It really didn't feel like work. The three of us had a lot of fun during those summer months…
 
 

I'm done

So here they are. If you are in this list you've been tagged! 

Denise O'Dell

Sharon Paxson

Charlene Sandoval

Dale Baker

Peggy Edwards

April Hayden-Munson

Elaine Manes

Roberta LaRocca