Welcome to the inaugural post on my MODIRT.COM blog. They say that all journeys start with the first step……. and here we go!
Why MODIRT and why a blog? First on the MODIRT name. Short, easy to remember and very descriptive of what it is we do. In farm and ranch appraisal, often times most of the value is in the land or dirt component (as opposed to building improvements) and most of what we do is in the State of Missouri. Since we are experts on Missouri dirt why not go with that as the name?
I must admit from the outset that the concept of the Internet “Blog” has been a difficult one for me to grasp. About the time I finally had the basic blog concept down, the whole thing struck me as humorous that someone would presume to think that anyone would care what they thought about anything (reminds me a little bit of those street corner preachers), or that anyone would even find a blog to read it. Akin to a “shout” in the forest…..if nobody is around to hear you, does it matter? To some, it does. And what I find surprising is that more hear that shout than you might think.
So what I’ve decided to do with this “Blog” (if we insist on calling it that), is to provide thoughts and information on three broad topical issues:
1. Opinion pieces on appraisal, economic and political issues relating to real estate.
2. Humorous observations during my travels
3. Updates on land values.
On the first topic, while I have some thoughts on political issues, for the most part, I tend to keep those to myself. But politics is so ingrained into our lives that in many ways some discussion of it is unavoidable. For now, I’ll only say about politics is that in my opinion what we need in the way of elected officials are more statesman and fewer politicians and if you don’t know the difference, I’d encourage you to look it up. On the opinion pieces, I’m viewing these as being similar to Letters to the Editor that you might read in your local paper. As such, they are my opinions, and we all know opinions are like hind ends…..everyone has one. If you have a different opinion, feel free to share it as a response. You have that opportunity. As long as you remain civil, I can take it. Heck, I might even learn something.
On the humor side, one of the joys or benefits of doing this type of job is being outside a great deal. I normally have a camera at my side and find myself taking some interesting photos. Shame to keep those to myself, so I’ll be posting those along with some humorous observations…on what I find and see and anything else that interests me.
Lastly, one question I get more than any other is what are land values doing? It’s a real and valid concern. Fun and exciting when it’s going up, but serious as a heart attack (with the very real possibility of causing a heart attack!) when values are going down. So when possible and when appropriate, I intend to post information on land value trends. As there are often privacy concerns, most of these reports will be based on public auction sales and those where the public has free access to sale prices. Don’t expect real specific information and as a liability disclaimer, don’t hold me responsible if you act on information you find here. It’s free information and worth every cent!
And so the journey begins. Stay tuned!
