I was going to write about the weekly foreclosure listings in Greensboro, but huge news is taking front seat right now: Bank of America will stop the foreclosure process in the entire country. Several other banks have announced the same for several states.

What does this mean to our area?

Heck, I’m not going to say I know when people who are paid great sums of money to know, predict and analyze these things obviously are unsure themselves. (If they know so much, howzcome we’re in this fix?)

I can say what *my* predictions are:

• In the short term, at least, the inventory of properties on the market will shrink. In Greensboro, foreclosures have consistently comprised about 8% of all listings. And our inventory is about 10% – 20% higher than it should be. The laws of supply and demand being what they are, it can be guessed less inventory will help shore up prices for those non-foreclosure sellers. A good thing.
• But there are going to be pending closings that get jacked up by this, so there will be some disappointed, angry buyers. A bad thing.
• Then again, this “break” may give those homeowners who are on the bring of being foreclosed upon a chance to get things together, or find a job or whatever will help them get caught up on payments. Another good thing.
• It may just be a delay of the inevitable and in a few months – or however long it takes to for these giant, overfed, overpaid institutions to get THEIR acts together – we’ll have another rush of properties hitting the market. A not good thing.

So, today I see 2 “good” things, 1 “bad” and one “not good” thing. I’m calling it a net plus for “good things” and going to have a glass of wine to celebrate.

The weekly Greensboro foreclosure numbers will have to wait. Just like Bank of America will have to wait before booting people out of their houses.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Well, it’s actually Winston-Salem. But as it’s just down I-40 a ways, jobs in Winston impact Greensboro.

The News & Record and other outlets are reporting that Caterpillar will be opening a plant in Winston, bringing hundreds of jobs. This is another “get” for the area, along with HondaJet and an American Express data center is good news.

One step at a time, right?

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

If they only knew! June was the hottest month we’ve had around here.

Of course, Money Magazine is referring to things economical, not climatological. In this case, it seems our city has a hot housing market, and they provide a map of the country with comparisons:

Click to view larger image (PDF)

This may come as something of a shock to the owners of the 3200+ properties currently on the market in Greensboro, but it indicates that, as rough as things may feel now, we’re better off than many other places in the country.

And we take good news however we can get it.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Greensboro is becoming a center for words that didn’t exist recently. FIrst it was “aerotropolis“, with HondaJet, TIMCO, FedEx and the like finding homes here. And now it’s “nanoscience”.

No, it’s not the study of grandmothers.

It’s the study of other tiny things.

Greensboro is where two universities – NC A&T and UNC Greensboro – are joining to create a school offering degrees in nanoscience and nanoengineering. This article in the News & Record explains it all very well.

I’ll just say that this is another milestone in Greensboro’s transition from mills and tobacco fields to industries that are just starting out. We like that.

Maybe the next thing will indeed be a center for the study of grandmothers. They sure can be odd little creatures.

Thanks to the News & Record, we can see Greensboro burglaries plotted on a map every week. It’s available in the both the print edition and online. It’s a nice tool.

Here is this week’s map. Click on it to see more details.

I’m not exactly sure why, and it’s surely an indication of my transition into aged irrelevance, but the above headline is a big deal.

I will say that I’ve heard of Justin Bieber. But that’s because I heard a story on BBC World Service on (via WUNC, the NPR station to which I listen) that an American has developed a program that will erase or block all references to the young Mr. Bieber from a computer. He must be a big deal if the BBC is talking about him and if there are people actively trying to escape him.

At any rate, the fact that the Greensboro Coliseum has snagged the pop star is great.

And I’m thankful I don’t have a 12 year old daughter right now because it’s going to be a long wait until December.

(BTW, according the The News & Record, he performs December 15th and tickets go on sale June 12th.)

I’m just sitting here in my kitchen, sipping coffee my sweet husband has poured for me, starting my day and what do I see on the front page of the News & Record? A story about what could some very important and exciting news for Greensboro’s future.

For decades, most of the denim worn in the world came from right here. Cotton was King and thousands of people worked in the mills, supported their families and went about their lives. But it’s been a minute since those mills put out the miles of threads, yarns and fabric that clothed the world.

Now, it seems, data is the new denim. At least around here. At least maybe.

I wrote a few days ago about some of the things happening around here that make for a nice balance to all the dreadful news we get. One of those things is the fact that American Express has chosen Guilford County for its new data center. Now, reading the paper, I learn that some folks who know about these things think this might be just the beginning of a really BIG DEAL for this city.

Apparently data centers like to be around other data centers and having the substantial one from Amex may attract others.

We like that about data centers. We dig it very much.

Some days it just feels good to be here. And by here, I mean sitting in a lovely bookstore cafe, watching engaged people reading, laughing, figuring out the world’s problems. And sometimes the world outside is an alright place to be as well.

Granted that over the last couple of years things haven’t been much fun. From fiscal shenanigans in billion dollar corporations to photos of innocent wildlife covered in gooey oil in the Gulf of Mexico to having to cry through the series finale of “Lost” – it’s been tough out there!

But Greensboro area has gotten some cheery news of late:

• American Express has chosen Guilford County for its new data center, a coup indeed. And with IBM’s data center to the east of us and both Google  and Apple data centers to the west of us, The Old North State just may grow to be one of the most wired places around.
• Vitacost.com is adding 250 jobs at its Lexington call center
• And our wonderful Children’s Museum has an edible schoolyard! Whilst this is not going to be featured on CNBC, it’s an honor as it’s the only one licensed in the country.

Things are still tough for many, but a few folks will be getting hired, some spirits will be lifted and our next generation will be learning the joys of learning that veggies don’t actually grow inside shrink wrap.

So, be of good cheer.

I am not a super technophile. But I do know that in the race for Google Fiber between several communities, Greensboro is in the top 10 according to one blog.

Some may be surprised. I’m not.

Some communities have opted to make temporary name changes to themselves to show their enthusiasm for getting super high-speed fiber. But even with out taking such measures Greensboro has precisely the environment that can highlight the positive potential for fast, faster, fastest internet speeds. To whit:

• there are 2 universities and 3 colleges and a school of law in Greensboro. And UNC Greensboro and NC A&T are poised to make some real noise with the joint effort in nanotechnologies.
• the arrival of FedEx will lead to high tech industries in the area
• Greensboro-based RF Micro has just announced it will develop solar cells and is way ahead of the curve on this.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out this video. (I love it when smart people agree with me).

Here is the city’s draft of it’s application to Google.

So, we don’t need to change our name to make Greensboro and Google a good fit. Hey! We won’t even need to change the monogram on the towels!

Photo Credit: Jerry Wolford (News & Record)

The topic of FedEx coming to Greensboro has been news for a long, long time. And it’s been noted in this space a few times.

Time for another update.

Looks like the package delivery company’s operations will be ready to hit the road – or sky – running as soon as the economy is clearly on the way back up. The huge construction job of getting an additional runway in place to accommodate the planes and all the safety and navigation systems required are just about done.

Not only will this give FedEx the facility it needs for operations, but the enhanced systems will help Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI)the goods it needs to give Charlotte and Raleigh a run for their money.

This News & Record article about it gives good details.

And, not for nothing, but didn’t I tell you to learn the work ‘aerotropolis’? Cause, like I wrote before, whatever that is, we’re one.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.