This is what I remember about the game last night. The winners wore red socks. It used to be a REALTOR® who wanted success was encouraged to wear a red tie and red socks. Maybe the Giants were reading the "dress for success" book.
You can tell I'm not an avid football fan when the thing that really impressed me was the red socks. My attention was broken during the half-time performance, but the half I watched was pretty impressive for football. Sometimes the Superbowl guys are so polished that every play seems choreographed like a dance. But last night's game was fun to watch. The quarterback kept getting smashed before he could throw the ball. The ball kept getting "whacked". I like whacked. It reminds me of the Minnesota Swarm (lacrosse) who constantly whack their opponents with their sticks . The game last night was unpredictable and full of surprises. It was entertaining. Here are a couple links to YouTube highlights of the game for your viewing pleasure.
How does this relate to St. Paul real estate? My point today was that in Minnesota the Superbowl marks the end of cocooning that Minnesotans do in the winter. Only the short month of February stands between Minnesotans and spring. Cabin fever has taken hold and we're longing for the spring thaw. We start coming out of our houses and St. Paul home buyers start shopping. By now the frigid temperatures of January have passed, sidewalks begin to clear, and roads are easily traversed. We've partied through the holidays and through the Superbowl. Real estate sales begin their upward trend after the Superbowl.
That was my point, but Inman News had an even better description of the relationship between the Superbowl and real estate. Avram Goldman, big wig in a San Francisco real estate brokerage, wrote a truly funny article on how the Superbowl is a predictor of which way the real estate market goes. Here is Avram's take on why it's a good thing the Giants won last night.
"More impressive is when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl in 1986, and in 1997 the markets rallied 25.8 percent on average. Now we are talking. It is a good thing the Patriots lost last night because the last time we had a team go undefeated (the Miami Dolphins in the 1973 Super Bowl) it preceded the 1973-74 economic recession where the S&P 500 dropped 14.5 percent.
Finally, the two times that the Giants won the Super Bowl economic conditions were similar to our current situation. The 1987 win preceded the October stock market crash, and the 1991 victory was during the last major housing recession. The good news is that in both cases the markets moved higher (1987, +5.1 percent; 1991, +30.6 percent).*"
Choose whichever predictor you like. Either way the real estate shopping season is upon us in St. Paul.
Carole, I'm already itching to get into the garden. Besides, the bunnies are out there eating something from the garden already and it's still frozen. If only I could have rabbit stew!
Posted by: Bonnie Erickson | February 08, 2008 at 02:38 AM
You Minnesotans are a tough bunch; only four weeks to hybernate? I didn't realize I was invested in that game until I got to the second quarter. I even chewed my hair a bit! lol Good analogy, Bonnie
Posted by: Carole Cohen | February 07, 2008 at 02:57 AM