This morning I read that the man who killed his family in Baltimore "may" have been in debt, which means that he also "may" have been just a sick fuck who beat and then suffocated his family before killing himself.

Being in real estate, I have to tell you that I couldn't believe how bad things were. I could go WEEKS without a voice mail, and if it wasn't for Spam, I wouldn't have gotten any emails either. I have noticed a surge in activity. While many of the calls and showings are with bottom-feeders looking to snap up a bargain from a desperate seller, at least the phone's ringing again. I actually even had a bidding war on one of my listings!

Although I sell only commercial real estate, which is very, very different from residential, a resurgence in consumer confidence is what it often takes. I think that part of this recession is in people's minds. They're afraid to spend.