Golden Realty Blog

Laughter may really be the best medicine after all. At least that’s what researchers at the University of Maryland believe after studying the science behind a good old-fashioned belly laugh. Following are some of the things that laughter does:

• Reduces stress and anxiety.
• Increases circulation, which also helps improve the supply of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, and increases lymph circulation, which helps the immune system.
• Produces a long list of good brain and body chemicals, including endorphins, serotonin and interleukins, and improves mood.
• Boosts energy and diminishes pain.

Another study estimates that the chemicals manufactured by the body during one hearty laughing session are worth roughly $10,000 if you purchase the same compounds from a laboratory or pharmacy. Since your body produces the chemicals for free, it’s clear that laughing more is a good investment.

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The United States of America, a nation where freedom includes a promise of prosperity and success and is rooted in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence - that “all men are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Homeownership has been the measuring stick for achieving the promise of prosperity and success; a status symbol that indicates if you are living the American Dream. But, times have changed, and today’s rising housing costs coupled with a challenging economy begs the question, is the American dream of homeownership still alive?

I think it was summed up best  by James Truslow Adams, the historian who coined the phrase “the American dream, “That dream,” he wrote in 1933, “has always meant more than the accumulation of material goods.” Home should be a place to build a household and a life, a respite from the heartless world, not a pot of gold.

Regardless of a “Dream”…Home will always be where your heart is.

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Today, Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of REALTORS speaks about the current status of the real estate market.

Yun cautioned that there would be a long recovery process. “Home sales will remain soft in the months ahead, but improved affordability conditions should help with a recovery,” he said. “But the recovery looks to be a long process. Home buyers over the past year got a great deal, and buyers for the balance of this year have an edge over sellers. For those who bought at or near the peak several years ago, particularly in markets experiencing big bubbles, it may take over a decade to fully recover lost equity.”

Yun added, “Affordability could reach a generational high in the second half of this year because of rock-bottom mortgage interest rates, helped partly by the Fed’s very accommodative monetary policy. The loan underwriting standards are tighter, but home buyers can improve their chances of getting a loan by staying well within their budget.”

Watch the short video of Lawrence Yun Here.

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