Buy Alexandria Real Estate: September 2008

About a year ago, I posted Waiting for the Bottom: Don't Bother.  The advice in that post still holds true and I'll repost the content of that article here.  At the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS Economic Summit the other week, area economists stated that we are now "Scraping the Bottom of the Market" both regionally and nationally.

Here's a graph tracking average homes sales prices for the past year:

It does indeed appear that after a precipitous drop from December 2007 to January 2008, the market has been "scraping the bottom" throughout 2008, presenting a buying opportunity.

Here's the rest of that article I wrote from last year:

Everybody wants a good deal!

That's basic human nature and the basic rules of real estate, investing, the stock market, and finance.  Buy Low -- Sell High.  You don't make money by buying an item -- whether it be a commodity like gold, a house, Google stock (boy I wish I bought shares a few years ago), baseball cards, or tulips -- at a higher price than that which you end up selling it.  

People always want to time the market and try to get in at "the bottom"  This happens in the stock market as well as in the real estate market.  Stock market gurus are unanimous in advising against market timing.  Instead they suggest that investors dollar cost average by investing a consistent amount on a regular schedule.  Some times you'll be investing at the peak of the market, some times at the bottom, but most times at somewhere in between.  This way you avoid the fluctuations of Wall Street and maintain a consistent investment that grows whether the market goes up or down.

Real estate is a bit different.  Unless you are a hardcore real estate investor, you are likely purchasing your home for more reasons that mere appreciation and return on investment.  You home is a place to live, a way to become a part of the community, and for lack of a better phrase "Home Sweet Home."  Additionally, you can't "dollar cost average" your home as you are only buying it once.

Yet almost every day, I (and Realtors across the country) hear homebuyers say that they are on the fence about buying a home, because they are waiting for the bottom of the market.

Well how do you know when the market has reached the bottom?  There's only one way: when it starts going back up again.  When you wait for the elusive bottom of the market, you have to consider the opportunity costs.  If you are planning to live in the home that you purchase for a few years, then you are not shifting any real dollar costs, but rather just shifting the amount of time that you own the house.  The opportunity costs of not buying now and "waiting for the bottom" include the lack of tax writeoffs, paying rent, the possibility of higher future mortgage rates, and the possibility of missing "the bottom" and buying at a higher price.

None of us has a crystal ball and finding the bottom of the market is impossible except in hindsight.

The lesson is that hindsight is 20/20.  But trying to time the real estate market is an effort in futility. 

Buy a home when you can afford one and when you feel it is time for you to make a move.  Don't buy a home based on market fluctuations.  In the long run, Northern Virginia home prices have appreciated 7% per year over more than 30 years.  Coupled with living in the Greater Capital area and enjoying all the benefits of the region, that's a great return on investment.

When you are selling your home, there are typically three things that you want to achieve:

1. the best price
2. the least hassle
3. the fastest sale

Let's examine the dynamics of "the fastest sale."  The best way to accomplish this is by pricing your home right.  The best place to start is by reading my following blog posts:

Come on Down! You're the Next Contestant on The Price is Right

But... But... My Neighbors Got $X for Their House

If you want my love then take my advice... Adjust Your Price

"We can always reduce the price later" -- Price Reductions are NOT A GOOD MARKETING PLAN for Northern Virginia Homes

Nothing indicates how long a house will remain on the market more than how it's priced.  You want to make sure that your home is priced to sell... not to sell your neighbor's home.

The other major indicator of how long a home will stay on the market is its condition.  Clear out the clutter; touch up the paint; make sure all the appliances are working; and stage the home for maximum showing appeal.  If a buyer can't picture themselves living in your home, they won't buy it.

When a buyer looks at homes on the market, one of the first questions they typically will have about any particular home is "How long has it been on the market?"  A longer "days on market" usually indicated more negotiating room and a more motivated seller.

So, are home sales fast or slow in Northern Virginia right now?

It depends where you are.  Here's a chart that shows the average number of days that homes sold in August 2008 were on the market in various jurisdictions.  While homes in Falls Church City sold in about 6.5 weeks, those in Prince William County lingered on the market for 111 days!

Even within each jurisdiction, there can be lots of variance.  In Alexandria, for example, homes in Del Ray sold in just 48 days, while homes in Stonegate were on the market an average of 162 days before they sold.

Need to know how long a home has been on the market or are you ready to market your home so that it sells quickly?  Give me a call.

Contact Brian Block, REALTOR/Attorney, RE/MAX Allegiance: Licensed in Virginia & Washington D.C. (703) 626-0715. If you are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia including Arlington County, Alexandria City, Annandale, Burke, D.C., Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Lorton, Springfield, Washington D.C., contact Brian today.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."

-- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Re-reading this 149 year old quote today, I realized that it is as appropriate today as it was in that historical novel. 

Think about the real estate market.  Think about the economy. 

Look at it from the perspective of a homebuyer.  Look at it from the perspective of seller. 

How about those losing their homes to foreclosure?  And those swooping up deals on properties for $200K less than they cost just 3 years ago?

How about the perspective of a REALTOR or a mortgage lender?

Classic books and classic quotes are classic for a reason.

Here's another classic quote: "May you live in interesting times."  This Chinese saying was as much a curse as it was a blessing.

No one would argue -- interesting times indeed.

Everyone is looking for a deal. 

A dozen or so times a week, someone tells me "look out for a good deal for me," "I'm looking to get a great deal," "let me know if you see a deal."

Such a deal.  Everyone wants to wheel and deal when it comes to real estate. 

To quote a local area diamond merchant, "Nobody pays retail anymore, why should you?"

When looking for a deal in Northern Virginia real estate, there's one statistic that you need to track more than any other.  That statistic is the sales price to list price percentage.  These numbers will show you how much negotiating room there is in a particular area.  (If you are planning to sell your home, you need to know these numbers too to get a realistic view of what buyers will offer.)

Have I got a deal for you! 

Review this chart below that shows the figures for August 2008 comparing final sales prices with listing prices of homes in Northern Virginia jurisdictions, then contact me for more information on a specific zip code or local neighborhood that you are considering.

Contact Brian Block, REALTOR/Attorney, RE/MAX Allegiance: Licensed in Virginia & Washington D.C. (703) 626-0715. If you are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia including Arlington County, Alexandria City, Annandale, Burke, D.C., Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Lorton, Springfield, Washington D.C., contact Brian today.

For too many homeowners, the threat of foreclosure has become all too real a reality.  Owning a home is a big part of the American Dream and nobody wants to see someone lose their home. 

Some unique information about a way for homeowners to learn about preventing foreclosure and have some fun for the whole family this Saturday came to my attention and I thought I'd pass it along for anyone in the community who might be able to benefit from this event.

A special non-profit foreclosure workshop, “Save the Block Party” (www.savetheblockparty.org – official event website) will be held Fairfax, VA on Saturday Sept. 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.  This is a unique event that relieves the stress involved in foreclosure with family fun, wholesome activities, free food and a friendly atmosphere.

The event is co-sponsored by the HOPE NOW Alliance (www.hopenow.com) and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (http://www.ncrc.org/).  The block party style event will feature family activities, barbecue and a relaxing atmosphere in which homeowners facing foreclosure can meet in-person with representatives from dozens of the nation’s leading lenders. 

I viewed the website for the event and noticed that the following performers will be entertaining families while they learn how to save their homes:  David Benoit (renowned pianist), Honky Tonk Confidential (country band), Ka Chi (reggae and Afrobeat), and The Swimmers (indie rock).

Besides the music, in these meetings, homeowners at risk of foreclosure can find out the many alternatives available to foreclosure and potentially save their home.

HOPE NOW and PMI have successfully helped hundreds of families in this event series targeting the nation’s most at-risk real estate markets.  Homeowners seeking more information on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac take-over  – and how this might affect their individual mortgages – are also encouraged to attend.  The event is free of charge but everyone is strongly advised to arrive early.

Full details are as follows:

What:               “Save the Block Party” Foreclosure Prevention Workshop 

                        www.savetheblockparty.org

                        Questions and Directions: 1-800-846-0140

When:              Saturday, September 20 2008 – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST

Where:             Fairfax County Government Center

12000 Government Center Parkway

Fairfax, VA 22035

Lenders:          Representatives from most of the nation’s leading lenders

RSVP:              First-come, first served – arrive early, space is limited!  Suggested early arrival two hours BEFORE the event begins without reservations. 

Let's think for a moment about economic factors that can affect the real estate market:

Supply, demand, interest rate, affordability, credit, incentives, prices...

Then let's think about the one thing that affects a region's economy and in turn the housing market more than just about anything:

JOBS

"J" is for Jobs; That's Good Enough for Me!

(inspired by C is for Cookie)

And it should be good enough for you too.  Jobs, job growth, and unemployment rates are the leading indicators of the strength of a region's economy and without a question, the strength of the job market determines the strength of the real estate market.

Here's a few numbers you should know about the Washington D.C. metropolitan area when it comes to jobs:

35,400 -- the number of jobs added to the D.C. metro area between July 2007 and July 2008

4.1% -- the unemployment rate in the D.C. region -- the lowest of all major metropolitan areas in the United States and well below the national average of 6.0%

Look at the chart below provided by George Mason's Center for Regional Analysis.  It compares job growth in the 15 largest job markets in the country. 

Job growth indicates population growth.  Population growth determines housing demand.  Create jobs and the housing market will benefit.  Lose jobs (like Detroit) and the housing market will suffer.  It couldn't get simpler than this.

The Washington D.C. metropolitan area continues to benefit from the large number of employment opportunities with the federal government sector, government contracting, military, high technology, tourism, professional services, legal, lobbying and legal services.

Pondering the future direction of the D.C. area housing market?  Follow the job market and sing along with me:

"J" is for Jobs; That's Good Enough for Me!

Got a job in the D.C. area? Or moving here for a job?  Click here to start your home search.

Undoubtedly, it's the number one question that I hear every day.  Week in and week out.  Clients ask it.  Potential clients ask it.  Friends, family, even strangers ask me.  A dozen Kiwanis Club members asked me last week when I spoke about real estate to their group.

Yes, that question is:  Where's the real estate market going?  What will the future bring?  Are we at the bottom?  Are prices going down?  What about foreclosures?  How's the general economy effect the real estate market?  Are you keeping busy?  Times must be slow?

Okay, that's actually 8 questions, but in reality they're all encompassed in that first general purpose query.

This past week, I attended the 12th Annual Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS Economic Summit held at George Mason University.  Since I've been in real estate, I've attended this summit every year and in the past have been active in helping to plan and organize the meetings.  It's a don't miss event for real estate professionals seeking to understand where we've been, where we are, and where we're heading in the economy and the regional real estate market.

Four economists spoke this year at the Summit:  Dr. David Seiders (Chief Economist of the National Association of Home Builders), Dr. Jed Smith (Managing Director of Quantitative Research for the National Association of REALTORS), Dr. Doug Duncan (Chief Economist of Fannie Mae), and Dr. Stephen Fuller (Director, Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University).

Each of them presented their views of the current U.S. economy and the economy of the Washington D.C. area.  While all of them agreed on where we have been, there was some disagreement of where we are and where we're going.  All predict a recovery for the economy and the local housing market -- but disagree on when, how quickly, and how robust.

Here's a few quotes from my notes on the Summit:

"Stability in existing home sales has been achieved" -- Dr. David Seiders

"Supply and demand is mostly in balance and we're getting to the end of the tunnel"  -- Dr. Jed Smith

"The economy is in position to quickly turn around and grow" -- Dr. Stephen Fuller

All in all, despite some fog within the crystal ball of each prognosticator, the mood was one of overall optimism.

View the PowerPoint presentations from the Economic Summit

Several days ago, I wrote Everyone and Their Cousin is a REALTOR -- Is That Really True? It Might Be in Some States! detailing the reality about the number of REALTORS per capita around the country.  In Virginia, we have one REALTOR per 213 people.

One of the most frequent questions asked on that blog post was how much business does each agent transact per year and many commenters suggested that a large number of REALTORS do very little business each year, leaving real estate sales up to the 80/20 rule.  20 percent of agents conducting 80% of the sales.

I decided to look a little closer at how the pie is split up in Northern Virginia.

The membership of the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS (NVAR) stands at approximately 11,574 REALTORS. 

For 2007, there were 19,363 home sales totalling $10,463,391,838 of volume in the area covered by NVAR (Arlington County, Fairfax County, Alexandria City, Falls Church City, Fairfax City).

Here's a breakdown:

Consider that each home sale has two sides of the transaction and most frequently involves a REALTOR on each side of the transaction.  Thus, there were a total of 38,726 transaction sides to be divided amongst the REALTOR population.

38,726 divided by 11,574 = 3.34 transaction sides/Northern Virginia REALTOR

The average Northern Virginia home sales price in 2007 was $540,380, equating to about $1.8 million in sales per REALTOR.

A few things to consider:

• The membership of NVAR was likely larger in 2007 than the current membership.
  
• Many homes that sold in Northern Virginia could have had the buyers and/or sellers represented by REALTORS who are not members of NVAR.  They could be members of the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS, the Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS, the Prince William Association of REALTORS, or other associations.
  
• Many REALTORS completed many more than 3.34 transaction sides.

Thus, it is likely that the average amount of transaction sides/Northern Virginia REALTOR was much lower than the above numbers.

Interesting things to consider when choosing a REALTOR.  It's not necessarily crucial to choose a REALTOR who sells dozens and dozens of homes each year and operates with an enormous team of backup support.  However, I'd suggest finding a REALTOR who does some business -- something more than the small average seen above.

An agent who sells one home every 4 months is just not properly equipped for advising you in today's market.  At RE/MAX Allegiance, our average agent sells 12 homes a year.

Ready to buy or sell in Northern Virginia?  Make sure you make the right choice.

Contact Brian Block, REALTOR/Attorney, RE/MAX Allegiance: Licensed in Virginia & Washington D.C. (703) 626-0715. If you are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia including Arlington County, Alexandria City, Annandale, Burke, D.C., Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Lorton, Springfield, Washington D.C., contact Brian today.

This is reposted from last September 11th. 

If you haven't already read it, please read Part 1 where I detail my personal experience on September 11th. 

Part 2:  How September 11th launched my real estate career 

Yesterday, I posted my personal story about September 11th.  Today, I tell the story of how I transitioned after September 11th from a career as an attorney to my current career in real estate and how September 11th was a catalyst.

We left off yesterday at my wedding on September 30, 2001.  What a wonderful day!  I was thrilled to be marrying the woman of my dreams, Deborah.  A beautiful, intelligent, articulate, and adoring wife.  She’s a ballroom dance teacher, who shortly after our wedding started her own business, and now has 6 or 7 teachers working for her and a full-time administrative assistant handling the phone calls, scheduling and billing of clients.

As you might expect, there is a bit of pressure when someone marries a dance instructor for the first dance to be a spectacle.  It was.  We practiced for close to a year.  We changed out of our wedding attire and into our Argentine Tango outfits and put on a show! 

September 11th had us worried that many of our out of town guests (90% of the invitees) would not be able to make it.  They all did and more, including my parents from Florida, my sister from Colorado, and Deborah’s grandmother and uncle from England!  A very special day indeed, especially in the shadow of such tragedy.

Rewind:

I graduated from law school at George Mason School of Law in 1998.  After graduation, I worked for 2 years for one law firm handling banking litigation, and then moved to a very small firm handling securities law issues and some general practice.  There were only 4 attorneys including me at this small Washington D.C. law firm.

Around late July 2001, we were starting to get our paychecks late, and then later, and then starting to wonder whether we would be getting them at all.  I was getting increasingly frustrated.  I was working way too many hours and way too hard to worry about getting paid!

And then 3 days before my wedding, I found out that our boss had not been paying our health insurance premiums for several months even though he was deducting it from our paychecks.  I only discovered this because one of the attorneys tried to get her prescriptions filled and was denied coverage at the pharmacy.  I confronted Mr. Boss about this and expressed extreme dismay knowing that I was heading out of the country on my honeymoon for two weeks w/o health insurance. 

Upon returning from two wonderful weeks in Montreal and Quebec City, I went back to work in mid-October.  I met with the senior partner (boss) and discussed the future.  Was he going to be able to pay me or not?  From the gist of the conversation, I decided that it was not worth taking that chance.  So that weekend, as I packed up a moving truck with my wife’s stuff, I had the pleasure of telling my new in-laws that I was a newly unemployed lawyer son-in-law.  That was fun!

After September 11th, law firms in the area were beyond hiring freeze, they were laying off attorneys left and right.  I tried to find another law firm job, but to no avail.  I even interviewed with one or two real estate settlement companies, but they weren’t hiring either.  For a couple of months, I hung out my own shingle and handled a few small matters – a couple of wills, an eviction, some business formation, obtaining a restraining order against an abusive husband – real law kind of stuff.  The only problem is that it wasn’t paying the bills.

Then one day my real estate broker friend suggested I get my license and come work with him.  I thought about it, discussed it with my wife and decided it may be a good idea.  I could get started in real estate while trying to build up a law practice on my own (not easy 3 years out of law school).  My wife loaned me the money for the real estate course and I was off.

In the meantime, to pay bills, I helped a handyman friend out with odd jobs, painting houses, fixing doors, getting my hands dirty type of work (he was actually my first broker’s go-to handyman).  This got me involved tangentially in real estate at (literally) the ground level.

By February 2002, I earned my real estate license.  Two months later I sold my first house and I’ve never looked back.  A year after September 11th, an Alexandria, Virginia real estate attorney saw my website and set up a lunch meeting.  He ended up hiring me to work at his law firm on real estate litigation matters.  I worked there for 4 years, progressively less and less as my real estate sales business grew.  The experience I had there has helped me immeasurably in my real estate career.

I tell all my clients at our initial meeting:

“95% of real estate transactions go smoothly.  Everyone shakes hands at the settlement table.  The 5% that go wrong, go really really wrong – big money, big problems.  At the law office, I’ve seen those 5%.  As your Realtor and with my legal background, I will help prevent your purchase (or sale) from falling into those 5% and will guide you smoothly through the transaction to settlement.”

September 11th, 2001 was a horrible day for all of us, our country, and the world.  We must pause to remember, reflect, and rededicate ourselves to the cause of freedom.

In the aftermath of September 11th, my career in the wonderful world of real estate was launched.

PART 1: Read about my experience on September 11, 2001 and my personal exodus from D.C. in the midst of the confusion.

Thanks for reading!

I originally posted this one year ago today.  I'm reposting it today in commemoration of September 11th.  Part 2 will be reposted tomorrow.

Part 1 – September 11, 2001 – The story of my day and a tribute

Part 2 – (How September 11th launched my real estate career)

Where were you on September 11^th? 

Were you at home?  Were you at work?  Were you near your loved ones?  Did you have people close to you who died on that dreadful day?

Tomorrow, as you know, we commemorate as a nation, the six year anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Where were you on 9/11?

I want to share with you my personal story of September 11, 2001.

At the time, I was not yet in real estate, and little did I know that I would be just 5 months later.  On September 11, 2001, I was working as an attorney at a small law firm in Washington, D.C. (see The Difference Between Realtors & Lawyers).  Additionally, I was highly anticipating my upcoming wedding on September 30, 2001, which my wife and I had been steadily planning since we got engaged 10 months earlier.

That Tuesday morning, I woke up as usual, but instead of taking the Metrobus from my home in Arlington, Virginia to the Pentagon transfer to the metrorail, I opted to drive into town.  I was supposed to drive out to Warrenton, Virginia that evening to testify at a town meeting regarding zoning ordinances and the building of an unwanted large parking lot in a friend’s neighborhood.

Well, I get into work early that morning around 8:15 or so and settle in to start working on a legal brief.  After the first plane hit the World Trade Center, I got a call from my soon-to-be wife, Deborah.  At that point, we did not have the full story – was it a big plane, a small plane, what was the damage?

Of all places, Deborah had actually heard the news on the Howard Stern radio show upon waking up to the clockradio.  Who knows what to believe when the words are coming out of the mouth of the man who invented the term “Shock Jocks!?”  Deborah said “Sorry to ruin your day, just wanted to let you know.”  

Shortly thereafter, she called back and informed me of the second plane.  At this point, our small office was in a frenzy.  Our office was located at 1500 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C.  For those of you unfamiliar with the D.C. area – we were 2 blocks from The White House.

Next thing you know, my Dad was calling from Florida and all he said was “Brian, They’ve Hit the Pentagon!!!”  He added “You can’t get on the internet, do you have a t.v.?”  Deborah called and confirmed the Pentagon hit.  It was true we couldn’t get an internet connection – cell phones were sporadic. 

The attorneys in the office were meeting to decide what to do.  I didn’t join them – I knew I didn’t need to decide by committee.  I was leaving – getting home – and FAST!  I was getting married in less than 3 weeks and our country was now at WAR!

I climbed the stairs to the roof of our office building in downtown D.C. and saw a huge smokebomb in the sky above the Pentagon.  I was not waiting around to see if The White House was the next target.  My Mom called while I was on the roof to shout “Get out of D.C. now.”

Now to formulate a plan for leaving the city.  I stepped out onto the street and saw the biggest traffic jam of cars I had ever seen trying to vacate downtown D.C. and knew that I had no chance of getting home in a hurry by driving.  I made a split second decision to leave my car in the underground garage.  I thought about staying in a hotel in the District but thought D.C. might be the next target and hotels might jack up their rates for the night. So, it was time to start walking!

As you recall, 9/11/01 was a blue sky day about 90 degrees on the East Coast (much like the weather this week here in D.C.).  I was wearing full lawyer uniform – suit, tie, dress shoes (which by the way is not always necessary these days in real estate).  I started walking and walk I did, along with what seemed like millions of cubicle denizens throughout the town.

I walked from 15^th and K, down to Georgetown and crossed the Key Bridge into Rosslyn (an area of Arlington, Virginia) staring in horror with the masses at the smoke and fire coming from the Pentagon in the near distance.  By this time, I was dripping sweat, and frantically trying to get a cell signal to get through to my loved ones.  After crossing into Arlington and after dozens of attempts, I finally reached my mother:

            “Hi Mom!”

            “Are you okay?”

             “Yes, Thank God, I’m alright”

“Where are you?”          

“I’m in Arlington.  I just walked across the bridge and saw the smoke from the Pentagon.  I’m walking home.”

Like any good mother, she asked “Are you alone?”

After looking around, I responded, “No Mom, I’m with about 30,000 of my best friends”

I continued walking westerly through the neighborhoods of Arlington: Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, and Ballston as the marching crowds thinned and more emergency responder vehicles appeared.

At last, I rested a bit in a coffee shop in Virginia Square, now called Murky Coffee, where I caught a glimpse for the first time of what had happened.  I shed tears when I saw the truth and the enormity of what had occurred.  My eyes could not blink as I tearfully witnessed the Twin Towers collapsing on the small coffee shop television. 

But I still had miles to go.  I passed Ballston Mall and turned South onto Glebe Road to head home.  In the air, I heard F-14s stream by patrolling the Northern Virginia sky.  I had never seen anything like this in my life.  Some passerby had no idea what was happening – I told him and he was in shock!  Reaching a pay phone, I called Deborah, my fiancée, finally.  I’m okay.  I’ll be home soon.

Several out of town friends called me as my cell signal returned and we chatted about the morning’s events.  I couldn’t wait to get home and see it for myself.  I spoke with my sister, the best man for my wedding, my ushers.

At home in Shirlington, I took off my suit, collapsed on the couch and flicked on the t.v. set and could not believe my eyes as I watched the live coverage throughout the rest of 9/11.

Luckily, nobody I knew was injured or killed in the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11^th.

I went to work the next day.  Got married 3 weeks later.  Left the law firm after returning from my honeymoon and started on the path towards a real estate career.

Part 2:  How September 11th launched my real estate career.

Thanks for reading my long story… I've had tears in my eyes as I write.  I hope it touches you in some way.

Please take some time to commemorate September 11th tomorrow:

•   Take some moments of silence or time to pray.
  
•   Thank a fireman or police officer for facing the harsh duties of their jobs everyday.
•   Shake the hand of a Marine or other serviceman or woman and thank them for their service and acknowledge their sacrifices. 
  
•   Call your mother. 
  
•   Hug your child.  
•   Do something to make a difference.

Where were you 7 years ago on 9/11?