Change! Change! Change! seems to be the mantra for 2010

The State of Oregon has made several significant changes to landlord/tenant law. We expect an easy-to-understand version of the law changes to be available soon, and with this, appropriate changes to our forms. Stay tuned for these. I’m sorry to say that none of the changes are in the landlord’s favor.

To kick off the year, COROA is hosting our first class on January 26 on the tax advantages of owning residential investment property. A registration form is included in this newsletter. Greg Fowler, a local CPA, will provide tips in accurate record keeping, depreciation, what expenses can be deducted, and answer a few questions on 1031 exchanges. Register early, as this will be a popular class.

If you are interested in the Central Oregon economy, and we all are, an excellent Business Conference and Economic Forecast Seminar will be presented by the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting on Jan. 28, 2010. Go to their website, www.oregoneconomy.com and click on Events. This will be a premier business event you won’t want to miss.

You can register on the website under the Events button, or email me at lhunter@hunterproperties.info and I will email you back the entire program with all information.

I received the following that I would like to share with you. It helps us count our blessings as we battle with the day-to-day challenges of life.

A Village of 100 People

If we could shrink the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.

There would be:

        57 Asians

        21 Europeans

        14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south

        8 Africans

        52 would be female

        48 would be male

        70 would be non-white

        30 would be white

        70 would be non-Christian

        89 would be heterosexual

        11 would be homosexual

        6 people would possess 59% of the entire world’s wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.

        80 would live in substandard housing

        70 would be unable to read

        50 would suffer from malnutrition

        1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth

1 (yes only 1) would have a college education and 1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding, and education becomes glaringly apparent.

The following is also something to ponder…If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation…you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or wrath…you are more blessed than three billion people in the world, about 60% of the world population.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace…you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married…you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful…you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

We’re a fortunate group of people…

May we all count our blessings in the coming New Year!

Lawnae Hunter