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Has Trump's War slowed down your business?

I am trying not to make this political, however:

Trump has caused a lot of uncertainty in our industry. He will go on TV one day and say that he's going to direct the Fed to lower interest rates. Everyone will get excited. The Fed will refuse to lower rates, people will get skeptical.

Our President is saying things that either get people excited or nervous on the daily and I think the end result is people just sit around and wait for some consistency or normalcy.

A perfect example- I watched his State of the Union where he bragged about gas prices being low and referenced an area of the country where the average sunk below $2. Not two weeks later we're in a war with Iran and gas around me here in North Jersey is approaching $3.50 per gallon.

However you feel about his policies or him as a person, that's not what we are discussing here... but his volatility and daily back and forth makes people nervous to spend money.


I conclusion, we still have enough work... between my father and I (both appraisers, family business) we have 4 inspections per day. Where we can see it slowing down is where we'd at this point (today is Friday) like to have our schedule full up til Tues/Weds next week and we're still looking for appointments for Monday.

Also getting a crazy amount of quote requests for foreclosure drive bys.
 
ilsindaco2628 said:
I am trying not to make this political, however:

Trump has caused a lot of uncertainty in our industry. He will go on TV one day and say that he's going to direct the Fed to lower interest rates. Everyone will get excited. The Fed will refuse to lower rates, people will get skeptical.

Our President is saying things that either get people excited or nervous on the daily and I think the end result is people just sit around and wait for some consistency or normalcy.

A perfect example- I watched his State of the Union where he bragged about gas prices being low and referenced an area of the country where the average sunk below $2. Not two weeks later we're in a war with Iran and gas around me here in North Jersey is approaching $3.50 per gallon.

However you feel about his policies or him as a person, that's not what we are discussing here... but his volatility and daily back and forth makes people nervous to spend money.


I conclusion, we still have enough work... between my father and I (both appraisers, family business) we have 4 inspections per day. Where we can see it slowing down is where we'd at this point (today is Friday) like to have our schedule full up til Tues/Weds next week and we're still looking for appointments for Monday.

Also getting a crazy amount of quote requests for foreclosure drive bys.
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Agree. Discussing the effects on the economy from the constant chaos is part of assessing market activity. The chaos started on day one and never let up - he chases headlines and attention rather than stability, which roils financial markets. It makes people nervous, and they hunker down and keep their money ( fewer purchases ). Now add to the mix the uncertainty about how long the war will last and rising prices due to higher energy costs.

Even if this war ends relatively soon, a best-case scenario, Trump's pattern of endless reckless aggressive actions is taking a toll, combined with no plan to pay down the debt or reduce the deficit. Owners needing cash will refinance or get equity loans- but if prices decline, banks cut off equity lines of credit, which is what sparked the last housing market crash. Hoping for the best - it was moderately busy but this week one order was cancelled and new orders slowed.
 
Business has been way down the past couple weeks. Don’t know why. I DO know it is NOT because homebuyers/homeowners are thinking, “I know we need to buy a house (or refinance) but that war 7 thousand miles away, I just don’t know.”

Know what else is way down over the past 2 weeks? The snow pack outside. Can’t tell if it is because of the war or the temperature.
 
Tom4value said:
Business has been way down the past couple weeks. Don’t know why. I DO know it is NOT because homebuyers/homeowners are thinking, “I know we need to buy a house (or refinance) but that war 7 thousand miles away, I just don’t know.”

Know what else is way down over the past 2 weeks? The snow pack outside. Can’t tell if it is because of the war or the temperature.
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Sadly, Tom, I suspect I know the REAL reason for your slowdown (or at least a PART of the reason for it), Its right there on the left side. underneath Curly's mugshot and the logo "Certified Residential Appraiser".

And the reason Tim Hicks and I are chasing our tails the past month is, likewise, underneath the same logo on the left side of our posts.

It is what it is. Some places are growing like crazy ... some are going in the other direction ... and that affects a lot of things, including our business workloads, I suspect. :unsure:
 
Tom4value said:
Business has been way down the past couple weeks. Don’t know why. I DO know it is NOT because homebuyers/homeowners are thinking, “I know we need to buy a house (or refinance) but that war 7 thousand miles away, I just don’t know.”

Know what else is way down over the past 2 weeks? The snow pack outside. Can’t tell if it is because of the war or the temperature.
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Really? You can't tell why snow melts or why buyers make certain decisions? How do you manage to appraise?

The economy is always mentioned as a factor in appraising. An uncertain way out of a costly and rapidly spreading war with rising oil prices ( combined with a pattern of reckless decisions from day one ) makes most people nervous - outside ot the cult MAGA who can't tell the truth if their lives depend on it. My business seemed unaffected until this week -probably due to deals that were already in the pipeline. Got a cancelled purchase order two days ago and only one new order in the last week

I live in a state that has been "growing like crazy." Tom4value and others report being busy until very recently, and they live in states that are not "growing like crazy." Is it all a big coincidence that across the nation, most appraisers are slowing down?
 
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Gotta bring DOGE back and leave them alone because of the deficit. Can't be giving all the money to illegals, Somali style fraud and NGO money laundering operations that should go to social security and Medicare. The deficit is our biggest problem and all items outside defense, ss and Medicare need to be slashed.

That will lower rates and solidify refinancing as well.
 
OSU Beavers said:
I have more orders this month than last month, so no.
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I have been steady the past 2 months. Unfortunately it started just as the snowstorm hit. So I was out there measuring homes in a foot+ of snow and 15 degree temps.
 
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