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REALTOR®: Year of Rat, One for Building Relationships, Chinese Astrologer Tells Realtors Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Now is the time for Realtors, and for that matter, everyone else, to focus on teamwork and nurture relationships, according to Chinese astrologer Y.C. Sun. At a recent tour meeting, Sun told members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors in a year when the housing market isn’t a boom, like the rat, real estate agents must be as clever and learn to get by in the meantime – improve themselves, practice TLC in relationships, build trust, and wait out the tough year. “2008 is the Year of the Rat, an animal that is smart, clever, versatile in getting around obstacles,” said Sun. On a positive note, the Bay Area I-ching Master announced, “Every time there is a housing crisis, it doesn’t last very long, perhaps three years, and then it booms.” He cautioned his audience to prepare with rat-like frugality for late-2008 and 2009. He explained the U.S. is one year ahead of a looming global recession that will come in the second quarter of 2009. He sees the market hitting rock bottom around the third quarter of next year, and afterwards, the market will boom as the subprime issue finally evens out and the credit crunch eases. Sun said China’s economy will be hit hard with inflation after the Beijing Olympics. He predicts major stock markets will sell-off in China and Hong Kong, causing panic and dumping of real estate and cash-outs of investments. “The Bay Area is a real special area. High tech is doing good. When China is not doing well you will see money coming out from China because we are cheaper,” Sun said, referring to the value of the dollar in the global marketplace. “For now, hide out, work hard, build relationships,” he advised. “You need to work out, be more positive, and like the rat, exercise cleverness. Make sure you have a Plan B, so you can weather out the storm. Things will work out with teamwork and collaboration.” Sun also predicts the Dow Jones Industrial Average will rise towards the end of 2008, as it has in the past seven Rat Years, which come at 12 year intervals. He recommends investment in heath care and agriculture, as well as in the telecom, technology and service sectors. Make smart moves this year, he chided, since next year, the Year of the OX, may be a tougher year to plow through. The son of a popular fortuneteller, Sun is a physics graduate in Taiwan, came to the United States in the 1970s to study computer science, and is now a successful San Jose-based technology consultant by day and a Chinese astrology expert in his spare time. The local trade association regularly invites Sun to share with members his predictions on the economy and the housing market, in particular. Mark Burns, past president of the Realtor association, said while Sun does not give Realtors specific details about investments and sales, “Mr. Sun can be inspiring. He gives advice that makes a lot of sense and can lift up people’s spirits and give them positive energy.”
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley. The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers. For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, e-mail , or phone (408) 200-0109. |
