As Ducks fans, we don’t want to get too chummy with a colleague from “the true North, strong and free,” but it’s nice to hear from someone not yet affected by this crisis who recognizes that ultimately we’re all in this together!

As for Leslie, we said we liked her–how easy do you want us to be on her? She does her job very well, and if all Realtors had her intelligence and clarity we wouldn’t have to spend so much time following up on buyers’ agents.

But it was one of her top assistants who pointed out to us years ago that they were aware of who paid their salary. So sometimes her perspectivew, like that of all of us, gets warped.

Take this example, from an article on interest only loans in The San Francisco Chronicle, May 20, 2005:

California Association of Realtors economist Leslie Appleton-Young admits there are some troubling potential scenarios for interest-only borrowers. But she argues that the loans are just the latest advance in the mortgage market. Little outright speculation is occurring, she said. The popularity of the loans reflects the fact that they allow people to get into homes they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.

“Given the performance of the housing market over the long-term, instruments that help people get into the housing market are a good thing,” she said.

But she’s still one of our favorite economists, and the only one we know who focuses primarily on real estate in California.

You are right, however, that she can’t be faulted for not batting 1,000 (a baseball term) on her predictions, because nobody really knows what may come next (“How Low Will Prices Go?“)

May your economy remain strong, may ours begin recovering soon, and may the Ducks keep Lord Stanley’s Cup right here in Southern California.

Hey, agreeing on 2 out of 3 ain’t bad!