Gloomy Weather and Economic News, Too

If you are a resident of Central Pennsylvania, its safe to say you've had enough rain, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornados (and earthquakes??). Most of us have never seen anything like it. By the time our basements dry out, we are battered again by another torrential late afternoon drenching.

To those residents of the Mid-State who have suffered major damage to their homes and possessions, all of us at N.B. Liebman extend our sincere best wishes ,and hope your lives will return to normal soon. We often see victims of natural disasters on TV saying things like "I've lost everything. I have to start all over again." Apparently, we have a great reserve of intestinal fortitude that we don't know we have until we have to tap into it.

Along with the gloomy weather , there is nothing to cheer about on the business pages either. Traders are worried about Europe's ability to contain its debt crisis. The economy has expanded at an annual rate of 0.7% in the first six months of this year, the weakest growth since the recession ended. If it did end!

In August, employers added zero net jobs, and the unemployment rate stayed at 9.1% for the second straight month.

Housing prices have fallen 30% or more since the peak in 2007. Some people have had their homes on the market for a year without a single offer.

About 25% of American home owners owe more on their house than what it is worth. They are "under water" as the expression goes, and not from the weather.

So it's a great time to buy a house, and mortgage rates are the lowest I have ever seen. But lenders are requiring higher credit scores and bigger downpayments than many prospective buyers can muster.

Gasoline prices have dropped recently though they are still above where they were a year ago. All the pizza chains are rolling back prices, in an effort to get our business. Be thankful for small favors.

With all of this troubling news and weather comes an increase in "cocooning," defined as a trend that sees individuals retreating into their home more, insulated from the outside world.

And that's where N.B. Liebman comes in. You didn't think I would write this without a connection to furniture, did you?

But, really, furniture values have never been better. Our current promotion, "Fall Furniture Frenzy," offers unprecedented discounts to cash buyers or long term interest free financing to those who prefer to stretch their payments over 1,2, or 3 years.

If you are going to make your home your castle, you need to purchase a new reclining sofa, a memory foam mattress, flat screen TV console, home office desk, or a counter height dining set(you'll feel like you're at a local pub.)! N.B. Liebman has them all!

We all get hassled from the outside world, and from our daily commute and pressure at work. The ability to come home to our own little cocoon is very stress relieving.

So break out of the doldrums! Come to N.B. Liebman and go home with some beautiful new furniture, and see if that doesn't make a cloudy day look a lot brighter.

Until next time,

Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/