Three keys to Happiness
Yesterday I was listening to a local radio station in Seattle in my car. The host had a guest on that was talking about what makes a person and country happy. This was in response to a recent report listing the Happiest Countries in the World. A recent study from Britain's University of Leicester came up with a range of statistical data they devise to rank the world's happiest nations.
Denmark ranked number one, then Switzerland, Austria, Iceland, Bahamas, Finland, Sweden, Bhutan, Brunei, and Canada, round out the top 10. Zimbabwe and Burundi were at the bottom. China came in No. 82, India ranked 125, and Russia was 167. The U.S. came in at 23. According to the study, the countries that are happiest are those that are healthy, wealthy, and wise, with the most important factors being health, the level of poverty, and access to basic education. Population size of the country also played a role. Smaller countries with "greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of national identity" scored higher, while those with the largest populations scored far worse.
Now this guess, I didn't get his name or where he was from other that I think he graduated from Yale University has his opinion on what makes people happy. His list were: #1 Purpose in Life, #2 Success Level, and #3 Control of their Life. He went on to say that people that are doing things that they consider to be significant, things that help other people tend to be the happiest. The the success level of ones career or endeavor will make a person happy and lastly the amount of control a person has over their life is very important to ones happiness.
Now some you may be asking how we are going to turn this into something to do with real estate...well read on!
This guy belongs to some research group that I don't know the name of but they have done a lot of research regarding peoples happiness. What they found in questioning thousands of people is that the time these people are the least happy is during their morning and evening commutes to and from work. He said this was the case because during this time you are "not in control, the traffic is." He even said something like "so people that have moved out into the suburbs to live a quite peaceful life are finding that they are not as happy as those that live closer to work and the commute time a a lot less." See we got there. :-)
We have always believed that homes that are located in the "close-in" Seattle neighborhoods will have greater value now and will continue to have greater value over the long run from those homes located father out from the center of the city. Now with gas prices, a growing population, and more traffic issues with little to no good and economical solutions for them, "in-city" homes should continue to be the best investments. And, there are some of the best opportunities we have seen since 1999 to buy homes in the city right now. Inventories are high, you don't have the pressure to make a quick decision, there are NOT bidding wars anymore, and prices are down by as much as 10% to 15% from where they were in at the peak in May of 2007.
Denmark ranked number one, then Switzerland, Austria, Iceland, Bahamas, Finland, Sweden, Bhutan, Brunei, and Canada, round out the top 10. Zimbabwe and Burundi were at the bottom. China came in No. 82, India ranked 125, and Russia was 167. The U.S. came in at 23. According to the study, the countries that are happiest are those that are healthy, wealthy, and wise, with the most important factors being health, the level of poverty, and access to basic education. Population size of the country also played a role. Smaller countries with "greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of national identity" scored higher, while those with the largest populations scored far worse.
Now this guess, I didn't get his name or where he was from other that I think he graduated from Yale University has his opinion on what makes people happy. His list were: #1 Purpose in Life, #2 Success Level, and #3 Control of their Life. He went on to say that people that are doing things that they consider to be significant, things that help other people tend to be the happiest. The the success level of ones career or endeavor will make a person happy and lastly the amount of control a person has over their life is very important to ones happiness.
Now some you may be asking how we are going to turn this into something to do with real estate...well read on!
This guy belongs to some research group that I don't know the name of but they have done a lot of research regarding peoples happiness. What they found in questioning thousands of people is that the time these people are the least happy is during their morning and evening commutes to and from work. He said this was the case because during this time you are "not in control, the traffic is." He even said something like "so people that have moved out into the suburbs to live a quite peaceful life are finding that they are not as happy as those that live closer to work and the commute time a a lot less." See we got there. :-)
We have always believed that homes that are located in the "close-in" Seattle neighborhoods will have greater value now and will continue to have greater value over the long run from those homes located father out from the center of the city. Now with gas prices, a growing population, and more traffic issues with little to no good and economical solutions for them, "in-city" homes should continue to be the best investments. And, there are some of the best opportunities we have seen since 1999 to buy homes in the city right now. Inventories are high, you don't have the pressure to make a quick decision, there are NOT bidding wars anymore, and prices are down by as much as 10% to 15% from where they were in at the peak in May of 2007.
posted by David & Karen Bell at 1:50 PM
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