The Asian Economist

Our first interview was with PaperMonster (Click here for the inverview) a very skillful stencil artist who has done many shows in NY, NJ, and PA area. For our next interview, we tried really hard to get in contact with Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, but to our suprise neither Palin nor Clinton have yet returned our calls. I am guessing they have heard about how The Asian Economist are unmatched when it comes to using “trapdoor questions” and “gotcha journalism”. Today, a courageous soul from Cleveland is brave enough to get interview by us. Her name is Cecilia, a real estate agent from Cleveland, Ohio.

Who is Cecilia? “I’m a buyer, seller and relocation specialist servicing Cuyahoga, Medina and Lorain Counties… Helping my neighbors and community achieve their Ohio Real Estate goals is my priority and why I love doing this.” - youshouldown.com

Let’s look at her credentials:

• Rookie of the year 2002
• Scholarship award 2002
• Office top producer 1/03
• Top 3 in office out of 60+ agents
• Multi-Million dollar producer
• First time buyer specialist
• Exclusive Realty One RealE Agent
• Voted most preferred Realtor 2005
• Office certificate of appreciation 2005
• Realty One award of achievement 2005
• Bronze Award Winner 2007 - Ohio Association Of Realtors Presidents Award For Outstanding Achievment
• Bronze award 2003-2006

What we are most interested here is her view on the economy from a real estate agent perspective, but with the hidden journalist inside us, we also try to pound her with the toughest questions out there.

Asian Economist: How many years have you been in this business? Why did you choose this business?

Cecilia: I’ve been a Realtor for almost six years. My father was a successful broker and was one of the first to flip houses. He ran a successful business employing over 100 people and he loved it. I grew up walking rafters in homes being remodeled and in the office playing on the typewriters. I was born to take his place.

Asian Economist: What are the trends that you have witness in the past 5 years?
Cecilia: In the past five years we went from conventional lending to seller funded down payment assistance to sub-prime garbage. Now we’re back to the conventional aspect again. I’ve seen the boom, the rise and the fall. I’m used to changing markets.

Asian Economist: How is the real estate market doing locally where you live?
Cecilia: It’s somewhat slow just like most major cities in the country. We have our areas that are hot and not. Where I live, the market is pretty stable. We’ve seen about a 7% value decrease but homes are selling.

Asian Economist: Are you afraid about the financial crisis we are in? How do you feel about the government spending tax-payers money in helping the financial firm in distress?
Cecilia: No. Money isn’t my main focus for living. What will happen will happen. As far as I’m concerned, people will always need to eat and will always need a roof over their head. If Americans would just slow down and not be so materialistic and credit crazy, I think less would be affected. I’m all for living in a smaller home and spending less. I say let the banks fall and we can all start all over again. The government has better things to put their money into besides war and bailing out banks.

Asian Economist: How does the slowdown affect a small time Realtor like yourself?
Cecilia: Small time? I resent that. My business has never primarily been dependent on local purchasers. My team and I help those who relocate. People will always need to relocate due to jobs, etc. While I’ve seen many Realtors fall in the last couple of years, we’ve actually been busier than ever.


“Trapdoor Questions” Don’t know what a trapdoor question is? Watch the Video:

Asian Economist: What do you think of Sarah Palin?
Cecilia: She’s just as capable of doing the job Bush has done if McCain happens to pass away during his term.

Asian Economist: Do you think your foreign policy is up to par with Sarah Palin since you live across a lake from Canada?

Cecilia: Yes, I can see Canada from my house and Cleveland keeps a close eye on them. We protect the rest of the country and always carry sling-shots in case their planes fly over the border. I can also see Michigan from my kitchen.

I can see the UK from my rooftop. The Atlantic is a pretty big ocean, but my house is a pretty big house too.

Asian Economist: On your blog Cleveland is listed as the most stressful city to live in, so are you stress right now?
Cecilia: Nope. I think most are stressed because they allow themselves to be. They get into situations they could avoid and bring on problems that shouldn’t exist. It’s almost the American way now to be stressed and overly spent. While watching Canadians my whole life, I’ve developed a different way of thinking. If I do start to get at all stressed, I hunt polar bears and wolves. It’s very peaceful.

I tried my best to trap her with these questions, but as a clever real estate agent, she grab the trap door and banged it on my head.

“Gotcha Journalism” Don’t know what “Gotcha Journalism” is, watch the Video. We threw a random question to her to catch her off guard, and we got what we wanted!

Asian Economist: Is Lebron James going to leave Cleveland when he can opt-out of his contract in 2010? Cecilia: Yes. He’s going to New York and I’m selling his mansion.

It’s official, Lebron James will be a Brooklyn Nets in 2010! Season tickets here I come. GOTCHA!