Is it the extreme weather or the inauguration?

Well, the day is finally here and our city has come to a halt. Is it the extreme cold weather that is keeping people home or is it a preoccupation with the final days before we have a new President in the White House?

No matter where you are, conversation centers around the historic swearing in ceremony in Washington. Many friends and neighbors are making the trip, in some form of travel, just to see and be a part of history; no matter what the accommodations, or frigid weather they will have to endure, or form of travel needed to get there.

On the local streets and in the office, people are happy and the atmosphere is excitable. It's hard to focus on real estate. Tomorrow, I'm sure the office will be quiet, as people watch the swearing in ceremony.

In New Haven, the day will end with a Gala Inaugural Ball at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. I am particularly excited, because my granddaughter, Justine and her friend Roberto,will be joining me for an evening of dinner and dancing. The music of Phil Brown's Top Notch, 12-piece orchestra and Aqua ha Chocolate, a 10 piece salsa band, will provide the music and entertainment of dance exhibitions that will include Kenyan dancers and a performance by the Latin Heat Dancers. A large screen TV will show the festivities going on in Washington and the Inaugural Ball, all happening at the same time. A portrait painted by Tony Falcone, of Obama titled "Acceptance" will be auctioned to raise scholarship money, later in the evening.

Meanwhile, people are beginning to call the office for appointments to talk about - has the time finally come to list their home? I do think that we have bumped along the bottom of the housing market long enough and people are ready to get on with their lives.