Tuesday, February 26, 2008

There seems to be a full court press on the local blogs to try to hold a positive light to the real estate situation in Bend.

Fine. As long as everyone remembers that these were the same arguments they used to say that there never would be a slow down in the first place. These are many of the same people who sold subprime and dubious loans without a inch of warning. The same people who made no effort whatsoever to put the purchase of a house in Bend in any kind of perspective. The same people, in other words, who dug this hole in the first place.

Ironically, it's not my credibility at stake here. I own a comic shop, for goodness sake. What do I know?

But I've learned that one of the most dangerous things I can do is over-promise something to the customer. Either they will be a unhappy non-returning customer, or they will return and nail me to the wall. Possibly cost me more in the long run because I have to take the product back.

I want the customer to get what he really needs and wants. Promise them that the comic or card will be worth more in the future?

Never, ever.

The collectable market is what happens after they leave the store, is what I tell them. Buy it because you want it, and you want to keep it, otherwise, don't.

So, remember what you say may come back and bite you, folks. But....I suspect you don't give a damn, which is why we're in the pickle we're in.

7 comments:

Duncan McGeary said...

Besides, I never wanted to be a cheerleader of doom.

I wanted to be the little boy who points out the emperor has no clothes.

But...I swear, we stab it with our steely knives, but we just can't kill the Beast.

Anonymous said...

Duncan,

We're all optimists.

I'm here for the long term, I know you are, I'm sure BEM is, I don't know about Homer, ...

Most of us didn't want this to happen, we beat our chest, we're still beating our chest.

Bend can't fix itself until the the fraud is admitted, and the fraud-sters are ran out of town.

Sadly most people in Bend, we're party's to the Fraud.

So now the pain, and the finger pointing.

Truth be told, we're the optimists, most of these people that have FUCKED BEND, and I MEAN fucked BEND, have NO intention of sticking around, they'll be gone soon, as they hear of another town to fuck on the grape-vine.

Now where is the next Aspen happening right now??

I wouldn't waste my fucking time reading/writing this shit, if I didn't think that having people who care about Bend speak their minds mattered. It does matter.

Anonymous said...

There seems to be a full court press on the local blogs to try to hold a positive light to the real estate situation in Bend.

*

Can you give some examples of this assertion? I haven't seem them.

Duncan McGeary said...

Probably should be more specific. I was speaking of the Bend Economy Bulletin Board. I have not problem with BendBB trying to keep things real.

But almost every thread has people popping up putting a more 'positive spin' on things very quickly.

To the point if I wonder if it's organized.

Or maybe we're just getting a healthy debate, finally.

Anonymous said...

BENDBB has always been status-quo,

I think BENDBB as a person has lightened up, he's not deleting material and blocking like he used to, now the SORE they delete and block almost 90% no matter what you say.

BEND or some there really does try to put a 'positive', but it could be a joke, like someone like Homer.

I note the other day on the debate, the positivist used "best in 20 year" quotes as proof that the recovery was near.

The 'positivist' lacks so much logic on BEND, I'm assuming the person is just trying to use RE straw logic to make them look like MORONS.

The fact is every realtor, MTG broker, ... Title Person, that I know is in tears. We're down 90% in volume, and its now been going on for a long time, no I don't think their are any insiders to speak of on BENDBB, just people mind fucking one another.

Look at our OWN marge, she's caustic, and RIGHT-ON, and speaks the truth, every RE woman that I know personally is a MARGE 100%.

There is NO real person that talks like Dana Bratton in private, thus in summary I think that someone at BENDBB is just trying to be funny.

Most of what you'll ever see on the net is PURE BULLSHIT 99% of the time, always been this way, always will.

Bewert said...

Bilbo, those are some good comments.

Duncan McGeary said...

This whole idea that discussing a downturn causes a downturn is a big crock.

Over on the Bend Economy Bulletin Board, they even pop up and say, oh, you're just jealous that you didn't make money.

Huh? And us talking about it, is keeping you from making money?

I went through this with sports cards. I was making lots of money, up to 30K a month in my four stores. But there were systematic problems in the industry that got worse and worse.

But if any one tried to bring them up, they were shouted down.

You can't DEAL with a problem, or correct it, if you don't admit there IS a problem.

I spent two, three years reading the trade publications as one moron after another moron after another moron would say:

"Gosh, if we could just be more positive, everything would be fine. If we could just get rid of the negativity."

And 15 years later, I'm still here still selling cards, because I DEALT with the problems. Those positive folk. They are gone. All of them. Every single solitary moron.

It's a bit like have a big tumor on your lip and thinking that if you just think positive it will go away. The guy who goes to the doctor and gets it removed, painful and costly as that is, may survive. The guy who refuses to acknowdge it has his face eaten off...