Education & Careers » real estate

Top 5 stressful American cities

Diane — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:58:38 +0000

Psychiatrist Stephen Dwindle has done a recent study of the top 40 metropolitan areas within the U.S. and has determined the 5 most stressful cities. Based on the data, the most stressful city in America is Chicago, Illinois, followed by Los Angeles, New York City, Cleveland, and Providence. Residents of these cities are finding that life isn't as easy as it used to be.

A number of factors were taken into consideration in the study. For one thing, quality of life factors were studied. Unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics were also considered. Researchers also included cost of living through figures from the Community and Economic Research Council in addition to population density, the number of sunny verses cloudy days, and air quality.

Based on these same factors, in a huge endorsement of the Lone Star State, San Antonio and Austin, Texas were ranked as the two least stressful of the 40 metropolitan areas included in the study.

Researchers concluded that the cities ranked highest in stressfulness were hit hard by the recession and heavy unemployment. Dropping home values and mounting foreclosures were also considered to have added greatly to stress levels in these cities. In San Francisco alone, the housing market has dropped 43 percent compared to a national median home price dip of 14.7 percent.

Participants in a National Sleep Foundation report, also considered in the study, said that they sleep less because of economic woes. Not only are people sleeping less, but they are trying to reassess their lives and cut down on what are viewed as unnecessary expenses. Over 53 percent of individuals surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that they had cut back on health care costs by avoiding doctor visits, skipping checkups, and not refilling prescriptions.

The stress in these cities can sometimes be difficult to bear because of the traffic, air pollution, not seeing the sun, rising unemployment, and falling home prices. There are many aspects that make these cities stressful, but, when you're dealing with these circumstances and very expensive living costs, it can be difficult to stay afloat financially.

Most troubling, researchers say, are the ill effects of such rampant, extreme stress. High stress levels are known to increase patients’ risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, stomach cramping, insomnia, and irritability.

Even worse are the cumulative effects of high stress levels in an entire population. Historically, such collective stress levels have run parallel with crime waves, large-scale civil unrest, and pandemic domestic abuse. Given this trend, researchers recommend that these cities take action to reduce population stress levels. City-sponsored exercise programs, time management programs, entertainment, arts programs, or noise reduction programs have been advocated.

Recession-Prone Careers Headed for Disaster

Marcus Varner — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:53:40 +0000

There comes a point in the movie Titanic when it finally dawns on the fated ship’s passengers that they’re going down. Of course, by that time, it’s too late for most of them. They scream, fight, fall from incredible heights (like that propeller guy… ouch!), and overturn lifeboats, only to suffer the same watery death in the North Atlantic. Like the Titanic of old, our economy is heading for an iceberg, if we have not already hit it and are taking on water.

Not all job sectors will sink to an icy doom. As has been reported and regurgitated across the internet, some job sectors are supposedly “recession-proof,” like health care and information technology. That’s great- the flood of people switching to careers in health care will probably neutralize any benefits that might have been had. Perhaps of more concern, however, should be those careers that are most likely to get hit hard by the recession. You know, give those folks time to get to the lifeboats.

This list is based on two simple economic assumptions. First, tighter regulation and control, particularly in lending institutions, will severely limit the number of loans made. Second, when jobs start disappearing, people stop spending on things they don’t really need. Even if they hold onto their job, they’re still spooked enough to hit the brakes on those shopping sprees. Based on these assumptions, the following job sectors are most likely to get hit hard by the recession. Consider yourself forewarned:

1. Mortgage Lending – I know, I know. No big light bulb on this one. These people have been getting sent to the slaughter in droves for months. With mortgage standards tightening up, the number of loans approved will drop, taking loan officer commissions with them. Needless to say, it is no longer the kind of business where you just have to get your license and some cute business cards and watch the money roll in.

2. Real Estate Sales – Your local realtor would tell you that now is a great time to buy a home. “It’s a buyer’s market,” they would say, and they would be right. But that’s good news only for first-time homebuyers. If you think about it, most people need to sell their existing home before they can get into another one. If it’s a buyer’s market, that means more houses are being sold than there are people to buy them. And that means most people won’t be able to get into their new home because they won’t be able to sell their existing home. Also, during a recession, consumers get very nervous about throwing their money around. That means they may forego buying that house until things get better. Add in tougher loan guidelines, and you’re looking at a rough ride for real estate agents.

3. Retail – Specifically, retail of luxury goods, things people don’t necessarily need. People will always need basic food and clothing. But when inflation goes up and people’s financial futures are in doubt, you can bet that the first things to get cut from the old budget will be plasma TVs, Coach handbags, luxury cars, and other nice-to-haves. This translates into instability for those who work in retail (unless they are selling necessary goods).

4. Leisure – Tourism and other leisure industries are likely to take a hit. When extra spending money dries up, so do family cruises, visits to the spa, and Disneyworld vacations. People will forego the body peel, the upper lip waxing, or jet skiing in Tahiti in favor of saving for a rainy day, which could come sooner than later. Ironically, many people may find themselves less stressed knowing they’ve got their backs covered than they would have after that Swedish deep-tissue massage.

5. Entertainment – Unfortunately, concert tickets, movie tickets, and music CDs are considered luxury items. And Hollywood has never been shy about downsizing its workforce in lean times. Rest assured it won’t be Tom Hanks or Angelina Jolie taking a pay cut. Movie extras, production assistants, and stagehands, beware! Your chances of really making it in the biz never were very good. So now is a great time to jump ship and find stable ground.

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Real Estate’s “Ticking Time Bomb”

adam — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:39:06 +0000

Real estate investments are risky no matter what people say. A lot of land does just go up in value like the majority of people seem to think, but some land is grossly overpriced and may never be used while you are alive. This may scare some people, and it may be keeping a lot of people out of the market, however, you can find excellent real estate if you are diligent. It takes a lot of work to find a worthwhile investment and it should. There is no free lunch when it comes to real estate and the market in general, so expect to put a lot of thought into your investments if you are going to make any money.

Real estate has been in the news quite a bit too recently. In fact, many people still feel that real estate, especially commercial real estate, can still go down quite a bit. One market expert was quoted as saying the commercial real estate sector is a "Ticking Time Bomb," and in global news Dubai's largest real estate company posted a 69% drop in quarterly sales. Real estate really is risky, so buckle up your seat bealt.

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