With all due respect, I have to say that the media sometimes gets on my nerves.  Or maybe it’s the people who take everything that the media has to say as the gospel truth that really gets my dander up.  And in the last year, it’s been worse than ever-and the effect is profound.

Lately, I have spoken with a lot of people who have started to turn off the news, the talk radio commentators and anything else that smacks of a media outlet.  And the reasons have been pretty much the same: With every broadcast, they get angrier, and more worried and even physically ill because, as they put it, “everythig is so bad right now.”

And what’s sad about this is that the people that I’m talking to don’t live in Phoenix, where home prices have tanked, or in Michigan where unemployment is up and there’s a glut of existing homes.  These are folks in areas where there are plenty of jobs, home prices have remained solid, and things are looking good.  But they’re so inundated with the stories of foreclosure, angry politics and name-calling that they think everything is headed into the dumpster.

I also think that it’s made a lot of folks in this country doubt anything that either the media or the political leaders are saying.  In the last year, we’ve continually heard the phrase “from Wall Street to Main Street” and how the economy will absolutely tank if we don’t agree to do one thing or another.  There have been so many cries of wolf that Americans can’t discern-or are no longer willing to learn-what constitutes a real crisis and what does not.

In my opinion, the $700 billion bailout bill was not passed, in large part, because politicians were afraid of losing their jobs.  I know a lot of folks who called their representatives in Congress to express their displeasure with yet another D.C. weekend agreement and Monday morning vote.  They had the same questions that a lot of us do-tell us the details, look for other options, and for heaven’s sake, stop the partisan fights and do something that’s right for the people for a change.  The pressure, and perhaps those same partisan politics, resulted in the bailout being voted down initially.

The media then went crazy, and we were kept informed with every downturn tick of the market.  There wasn’t a media outlet around that didn’t have the 700+ point drop as their lead story.  They were a little quieter today, when the market rebounded up over 400 points.

Like I said before, some sort of program is needed to reassure market investors and stem the bleeding.  Now, Congress and the White House have some breathing room that will hopefully result in some form of helpful legislation that will give some relief and some confidence without selling taxpayers down the river.

Now, for all of you like my friends, who are caught up in the media whirlpool and walk around in the doldrums as a result, take heart…and a deep breath.  I cannot stress enough the fact that while there are some downturns in the mortgage and real estate markets, there are still some great things happening out there.  In fact, this is a great time-as I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion-for some people to buy a house.  One of my good friends, with whom I work every day, just bought her first home last week.  Trust me when I say that there is no way I would have allowed, much less encouraged, that friend to purchase real estate if I didn’t believe that things are going to be just fine.

And it’s okay if you don’t want to watch the news or listen to talk radio.  Just check out my blog, and I’ll be happy to tell you the truth about what’s happening in our marketplace.

Questions?  Comments?  Post your thoughts.

This blog is intended for informational/entertainment purposes only and is not meant to provide any financial or legal advice.