A few nice real estate jobs images I found:
into the light
Image by buckshot.jones
Light. The word conjures up so many phrases and images we hold in common. It can signify life and death, hope and the final end. Is there light in this city? Over the past few years it seems what little light remained was fading and failing to poke through the economic gloom. Spending much of my life as something of a contrarian, I think that is an indication the light might be at its brightest. You see, once all of the experts and the pundits declare something as settled and final, change is afoot. Detroit is dead, a relic of the 20th century, is how many of these experts would have us believe. They back up their position with reams of data and trend analysis. The problem with all of their facts is they are backward looking. They do an excellent job of placing context around what has happened, but their value in predicting the future is limited, if useful at all.
What cannot be accounted for in economic models is innovation and emotion. I figure if these models offered any type of reliable method for predicting innovation and the next big thing, their work would never be published. Instead they would keep their formula secret and get in on the ground floor of these new industries before the pesky public runs up the price. This all leads to the contrarian in me to say when all seems lost the turn around is probably near. Of course I offer no insight as to the nature of that turn around other than this; at some point housing and real estate in Detroit will become so cheap as to make it a no brainer for a variety of investors and entrepreneurs. We are already witnessing some this as Detroit is becoming something of a magnet for the creative class. This is a good thing. Innovation is often spurred by the renegades amongst us. Innovation leads to new opportunities, new businesses and new jobs. There is a light peaking through the Michigan gloom, it is a creative light.
My Co-Workers and Me, 1991
Image by A.Davey
This is a photo of some of my co-workers and me at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon in September, 1991. I'm in the center with the beard.
The occasion was an AIDS fundraising walk. We were all working at US Bancorp Mortgage Company's Real Estate Services division then. The work involved servicing mortgages. Fortunately, this was back when the bad boys who thought up the subprime mortgage mess were still pulling wings off files during recess in elementary school. To her credit, our head boss strongly supported participation in the fundraising event.
I wonder where the rest of the gang is now. I left this affiliate for a job with the parent company about two years after this photo was taken.
Some time after that, the corporate parent shut down or sold US Bancorp Mortgage Company. Any of the people in this photo who were still with Real Estate Services had to find work elsewhere. I know several of them found jobs in other parts of the US Bancorp enterprise.
Then, in 1997, First Bank Systems of Minneapolis acquired US Bancorp. First Bank Systems already had one of me in their HQ, so I received a golden parasol (you know, the kind that comes in Mai Tais), a gig with a terrific outplacement company (really) and was sent on my way.
The wheel of fortune turned again a few years later when the combined First Bank/US Bank enterprise was acquired by another bank holding company, an event I can only hope resulted in making some of the people who ousted us pound the pavement looking for new jobs.
On the whole, the folks in this photo, and scores of others not shown here, were a really nice group of people to have worked with.
