It’s this thing called “community” or “family” if you will.  Yesterday I watched a Stadium JV soccer game, and looked down the line of parents.  Great people.  People who support their kids, want the best for them, and take time off of their day to be there for their daughters.  My kids play for Premier teams and the cost is not cheap, but they are great people.  My little people get good grades, are committed, devoted and hold themselves to high levels of expectation.  The weeks of training go by, the seemless endless games and the triumphs and heartache, yet, I know I need to enjoy every moment.  I must try anyway!

I’m told by those wiser than me that eventually it all ends.  That the endless scheduling, carpools and activities come to a halt and there is a void that comes from leaving your community behind.  I’ve made friends, business deals, and strengthened my own family on the soccer sidelines.  I value and treasure each relationship I’ve developed.   I can’t imagine one Saturday waking up to no soccer.   I’ve become the master juggler and have learned to balance my work life (yes, I work weekends), and my family life.  It’s a joy to do both and the exhileration of doing both well is something I strive for daily!

I guess the answer is to enjoy the ride, live it fully and try to keep up!  I realize now, I can’t imagine it because I don’t want it to end!

Real Estate is no different.  I am firm believer that real estate is the best investment you can make for yourself, however, the thrill of my job comes from when I hand a buyer keys to their new “home” or listen to a seller talk about their “neighborhood”.  It’s hard to leave behind a familiar community and for a buyer, so much of the choosing of a home is a reflection upon the kind of community they want to surround themselves with.  We are “LOST” without our community and find ourselves forever searching to connect.  When I work with buyers I try to help them define their lifestyle so that I can best help them find their community.  With sellers, I want to hear the story of what they love about their home…..chances are that story will touch their buyer or give me a better perspective on how to make this a successful sale.

I love the community I live in.  I love the community of professionals I work with and I love the community of friends and family I surround myself with.  I find a thrill in expanding my community and learning more about others communities.  What does community mean to you?  Would you be “LOST” without it?

Even as prospects for the American economy brighten, consumers are about to face a new financial burden: a sustained period of rising interest rates.

That, economists say, is the inevitable outcome of the nation’s ballooning debt and the renewed prospect of inflation as the economy recovers from the depths of the recent recession.

The shift is sure to come as a shock to consumers whose spending habits were shaped by a historic 30-year decline in the cost of borrowing.

“Americans have assumed the roller coaster goes one way,” said Bill Gross, whose investment firm, Pimco, has taken part in a broad sell-off of government debt, which has pushed up interest rates. “It’s been a great thrill as rates descended, but now we face an extended climb.”

The impact of higher rates is likely to be felt first in the housing market, which has only recently begun to rebound from a deep slump. The rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage has risen half a point since December, hitting 5.31 last week, the highest level since last summer.

Along with the sell-off in bonds, the Federal Reserve has halted its emergency $1.25 trillion program to buy mortgage debt, placing even more upward pressure on rates.

“Mortgage rates are unlikely to go lower than they are now, and if they go higher, we’re likely to see a reversal of the gains in the housing market,” said Christopher J. Mayer, a professor of finance and economics at Columbia Business School. “It’s a really big risk.”

Each increase of 1 percentage point in rates adds as much as 19 percent to the total cost of a home, according to Mr. Mayer.

The Mortgage Bankers Association expects the rise to continue, with the 30-year mortgage rate going to 5.5 percent by late summer and as high as 6 percent by the end of the year.

Another area in which higher rates are likely to affect consumers is credit card use. And last week, the Federal Reserve reported that the average interest rate on credit cards reached 14.26 percent in February, the highest since 2001. That is up from 12.03 percent when rates bottomed in the fourth quarter of 2008 — a jump that amounts to about $200 a year in additional interest payments for the typical American household.

With losses from credit card defaults rising and with capital to back credit cards harder to come by, issuers are likely to increase rates to 16 or 17 percent by the fall, according to Dennis Moroney, a research director at the TowerGroup, a financial research company.

“The banks don’t have a lot of pricing options,” Mr. Moroney said. “They’re targeting people who carry a balance from month to month.”

Similarly, many car loans have already become significantly more expensive, with rates at auto finance companies rising to 4.72 percent in February from 3.26 percent in December, according to the Federal Reserve.

Washington, too, is expecting to have to pay more to borrow the money it needs for programs. The Office of Management and Budget expects the rate on the benchmark 10-year United States Treasury note to remain close to 3.9 percent for the rest of the year, but then rise to 4.5 percent in 2011 and 5 percent in 2012.

The run-up in rates is quickening as investors steer more of their money away from bonds and as Washington unplugs the economic life support programs that kept rates low through the financial crisis. Mortgage rates and car loans are linked to the yield on long-term bonds.

Besides the inflation fears set off by the strengthening economy, Mr. Gross said he was also wary of Treasury bonds because he feared the burgeoning supply of new debt issued to finance the government’s huge budget deficits would overwhelm demand, driving interest rates higher.

Nine months ago, United States government debt accounted for half of the assets in Mr. Gross’s flagship fund, Pimco Total Return. That has shrunk to 30 percent now — the lowest ever in the fund’s 23-year history — as Mr. Gross has sold American bonds in favor of debt from Europe, particularly Germany, as well as from developing countries like Brazil.

Last week, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note briefly crossed the psychologically important threshold of 4 percent, as the Treasury auctioned off $82 billion in new debt. That is nearly twice as much as the government paid in the fall of 2008, when investors sought out ultrasafe assets like Treasury securities after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the beginning of the credit crisis.

Though still very low by historical standards, the rise of bond yields since then is reversing a decline that began in 1981, when 10-year note yields reached nearly 16 percent.

From that peak, steadily dropping interest rates have fed a three-decade lending boom, during which American consumers borrowed more and more but managed to hold down the portion of their income devoted to paying off loans.

Indeed, total household debt is now nine times what it was in 1981 — rising twice as fast as disposable income over the same period — yet the portion of disposable income that goes toward covering that debt has budged only slightly, increasing to 12.6 percent from 10.7 percent.

Household debt has been dropping for the last two years as recession-battered consumers cut back on borrowing, but at $13.5 trillion, it still exceeds disposable income by $2.5 trillion.

The long decline in rates also helped prop up the stock market; lower rates for investments like bonds make stocks more attractive.

That tailwind, which prevented even worse economic pain during the recession, has ceased, according to interviews with economists, analysts and money managers.

“We’ve had almost a 30-year rally,” said David Wyss, chief economist for Standard & Poor’s. “That’s come to an end.”

Just as significant as the bottom-line impact will be the psychological fallout from not being able to buy more while paying less — an unusual state of affairs that made consumer spending the most important measure of economic health.

“We’ve gotten spoiled by the idea that interest rates will stay in the low single-digits forever,” said Jim Caron, an interest rate strategist with Morgan Stanley. “We’ve also had a generation of consumers and investors get used to low rates.”

For young home buyers today considering 30-year mortgages with a rate of just over 5 percent, it might be hard to conceive of a time like October 1981, when mortgage rates peaked at 18.2 percent. That meant monthly payments of $1,523 then compared with $556 now for a $100,000 loan.

No one expects rates to return to anything resembling 1981 levels. Still, for much of Wall Street, the question is not whether rates will go up, but rather by how much.

Some firms, like Morgan Stanley, are predicting that rates could rise by a percentage point and a half by the end of the year. Others, like JPMorgan Chase are forecasting a more modest half-point jump.

But the consensus is clear, according to Terrence M. Belton, global head of fixed-income strategy for J. P. Morgan Securities. “Everyone knows that rates will eventually go higher,” he said.

Is it a good time?  I haven’t known one better!  In addition, it’s an incredible time to refinance current loans and free up that money to buy some incredible investment properties!

My response?  It’s great!  It also depends upon if you are looking to buy, sell or invest!  People are buying real estate!  The reasons people buy are still there.  Moving up, change in jobs, family situations, moving to a different state and more.  Lots of sellers are selling and lots of buyer are buying.

Media has such an influence on our society, we tend to listen and hear it louder and more often.  But remember, real estate is LOCAL.  Real estate is your town, your block.  And in this town, this block, people are buying and selling.  It’t a great time to be making your investments, moving up and getting that home that a couple of years ago might have been out of reach.  I truly believe that this is a market that will change lives, build wealth and build my clients futures.

How’s the market doing?  Are you looking to buy, sell or invest?  It’s a great market and I am thrilled to be helping my clients day in and day out make the most of the opportunities presented to them!

Views aside, the community is what draws me; slower, more deliberate, filled with pride and enthusiasm.  Browns Point is the kind of community where parents gather at the busstop to talk, exercise enthusiasts are out jogging day in and day out, parents are taking their kids on a stroll and everyone seems to walk a dog, but this area is not a typical planned urban development.  Some of the homes are classic 60′s, some are brand new gorgeous homes and others are in renovation. 

Community events and the crowds it draws are the most dynamic.  Whether it’s watching the Christmas Ships pass by, the Easter Egg Hunt, or the Salmon Bake, one can always expect fun, families and familiar faces.  So different from what I always thought I liked in the anonymity of a big city…the hustle, bustle and energy.  Am I getting older?  More refined?  Or have I taken the time to live in the moment?  What can I say, this Big City girl has gotten passionate about “small town” living.  The caveat?  It only feels like a small town but I am minutes to downtown Tacoma (just across the bridge) and fantastic restaurants and museums.  I am minutes from vibrant Federal Way and all the shopping, movies, restaurants and more!  I’m not even 35 minutes to downtown Seattle when I want that infusion of Big City energy….but, as I drive that familiar path to my home town, I feel relaxed, and more in sync! 

Browns Point is a wonderful town and a great place to call home!