Turn on any news station and you are likely to see coverage of the financial crisis. The stock market is down, unemployment is up, and we still aren't through the worst of the recession. As if that wasn't enough, the big automobile companies are falling apart. And, by the way, there is a housing crisis. Have you heard?

As consumers, you have been bombarded with news about companies that are wasting government money and laying off workers by the hundreds, if not by the thousands. Nothing is being given back to the communities, and to the hard workers, that helped the company become successful in the first place. With all of this negativity in the news, not much is being said about the companies who are trying, through their work, to have a positive effect on their local, or the national, economy.

At Jason Hall and Associates, we are trying to do our part to help the area that has seen to our success. We have been selling Gilbert and Chandler real estate for several years, and our commitment to putting you into the home of your dreams hasn't waivered, despite the economic hardships this country is facing. Through helping you buy a home, offering whatever advice and assistance you may need, we would like to believe that we are doing our part.

Every time a home is bought or sold, money goes into the economy. Repairs and inspections, along with other pre- and post-sale services, also send money into the local community. An increase in home sales, such as seen in the past few months, improves both the national and local economy. Phoenix real estate has always been popular; as home sales in the area increase, investors around the country, and even around the globe, are given more confidence to keep putting their own money into the economy.

The sale of new homes provides perhaps the most efficient way to help our local economy. A single new home sale equals thousands of dollars poured into local businesses. From designing the home, to building, decorating, and landscaping, a new home gives work to dozens of workers, reducing unemployment rates. When a buyer purchases a brand new piece of Arizona real estate, the whole state, not just the local economy, is affected.

A growing percentage of Arizona real estate is in short sales. Not only do short sales give home buyers a chance to get into a home at a great price, they also have a huge effect on the local economy. For one, a short sale means that the previous home owners were able to avoid a foreclosure, which can have a huge impact on their credit score. Short sales also minimize the loss felt by the banks that hold the mortgage. In a short sale, the lender looses a lot less money than they would stand to loose in a traditional foreclosure.

Even in the case of a foreclosure, we can help our local economy. Foreclosed homes sit empty in our neighborhoods, and bring market values down even further. By helping buyers purchase these foreclosed homes, we can bring hope to some of the hardest hit areas Phoenix and the surrounding vicinities.

I may not be donning a cape and mask to go out and save the global markets, but here at Jason Hall and Associates, I would like to believe that we are doing are part to give back to the local economy. My associates and I go the extra mile to make buying, or selling, a home easy. We've seen the effect this has on the local economy, and we're glad to be a part of it. Saving the world? No. Just our own little corner of it.