December 20, 2009

Hoff & Leigh’s Weekend Market Report
Hoff & Leigh, Inc.
Leasing, Sales, Management, Buyer or Tenant Representation
4445 Northpark Drive, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO USA 80907
December 20, 2009

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All Market Average Office Building Sale Price PSF = $106.47 (DOWN from $106.48 last week.)
We are currently tracking 148 office buildings for sale.
This is 1,577,562 square feet, which represents a total market value of $167,968,533.

All Market Average Industrial Building Sale Price PSF = $81.52 (DOWN from $81.68 last week.)
We are currently tracking 138 industrial buildings for sale.
This is 1,727,086 square feet, which represents a total market value of $140,790,256.

To View Tim Leigh’s ad, please click below!
http://hoffleigh.com/Doc/Tim%20Leigh.pdf

To view our most recent Colorado Springs Business Journal Ad please click below
http://hoffleigh.com/Doc/12.16.09.pdf


Tim’s Market Report

I was walking The Freedom Fighters (Belle & Lindsay) through Monument Valley Park a few hours ago. It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk except there were no squirrels in sight. I guess they were all fast asleep, dreaming that St Nick would soon be delivering fresh bundles of acorns. I mean, squirrels dream, too, don’t they? I admit it; I was breaking the law; The Freedom Fighters were “off-leash”. Now don’t get all wound-up. We’ve started calling Belle “Angry Tiny Tim” because after she was hit by Rackley’s car, she’s been fairly crippled and can only keep pace for short distances. Lindsay on the other hand is just old, slow and has bad hips; but she’s got a great bark. She’s a deep baritone!

We made the round to the end of the sidewalk and on the return we encountered a cleanly shaven man dressed in a camo-green jacket with a 50 gallon, black plastic bag draped over his shoulder. He looked like a hobo; except clean. Now, I know I’m a known wall-flower but I was compelled to ask “Hey, Buddy, are you a homeless guy?” Turns out he was (and is). His name is John Robert Rohlfs Bruffett. And turns out he’s somewhat of a celebrity homeless guy. He brags about having met the Mayor and being on local TV and national TV. I asked “Would you tell me what it’s like being homeless?” and before you knew it, we were at Denny’s over a hot cup of Joe – no sugar please.

I was interested in learning how he became homeless and what a typical day looked like. John said he’d be happy to tell me all about himself, but that I should be prepared, it wasn’t pretty. This is his story.

You know how some people “come from money”? John Robert comes from “no money”. In fact, he likens his background to “Roman families”. He says that “back in Roman days, there were families that were groomed for politics or riches or to be poor. Surely, our family was groomed to be poor.” According to John, everybody in his family is poor.

One of his early recollections was the time he testified that a particular German Shepard was really a friendly dog. Because he was a kid; and from a poor family, his testimony carried no weight and the dog was killed as vicious. Then somebody offered his parents $100 for their collie and they sold it. His dad was put in jail for passing bad checks. While his dad was gone, he was told to “run-out and fetch donuts for breakfast”. He did, and on his return the social services people were waiting to take him to a “better place”.

That’s when he went to Gene & Louise Hick’s place in Galena, MO. He was in the 1st grade; he went to 1st grade once and 2nd grade twice; said he injured his head in a fall and couldn’t quite “get 2nd grade the first time”. That’s also when he first encountered sexual abuse. He could recall the room; where the mirrors were; the drawer where the “sex-toys” were kept; the red & black velvet wallpaper. Gene liked little boys and the little Philippine girl. There were 6 of them; boys and a girl. He could remember the colors and sounds and smell. He still can, and it still haunts him. He always wondered what happened to the little girl. The older kid, Jesse James was abused too, but he ran away.

After about a year with the Hicks’, John was “adopted-out” to Dr. Rohlfs and his wife. Dr. Rohlfs like to use the wooden paddle; a lot. John recalls he got “lots of boards”. He stayed with the Rohlfs until he was picked up for burglary and sent to prison – the 1st time. He was probably around 14 years old. He was sent to “Kiddie-Camp” (otherwise known as “Gladiator School”) for 5 years; it was where you learned to fight. He was released after 18 months. He didn’t learn to fight. He is an artist. He doesn’t like violence.

After his release he fairly immediately burgled another home, was caught and sent to “The Bighouse” in Cameron, MO for 7 years. The Bighouse was a level 4 correctional facility. He did his time; got out; and you guessed it, burgled another home. This time he was sent Algoa State Penitentiary. This was where they housed sex offenders and “bad people”. He was eventually “rolled” from Algoa to Farmington, near Boot Hill.

While on his “3rd time around” he experienced mental problems. He said “he became insane but he’s better now”. Said they put him on drugs “worse than the Ritalin”. He finally “pulled his time, did his rehab, got work release” and became an electrician’s tech. When he got out of jail the last time, his natural Mother picked him up with his uncle, who is about his age. (John was born July 24, 1972. I think it’s important to note the date. In many cases it seems we don’t associate an age with homelessness. Over the past month, I’ve met young kids, who I’m told are the “mean ones” and grandfathers who are all homeless. John was 2 years old when I graduated from high school. He considers himself “old”.)

While employed as an electrician tech, he got an apartment for $295 per month and he got a girlfriend. She was into drugs. He wasn’t. He told her to leave. She wouldn’t. He ran his truck into her car. I asked if he ever hit her and he said he didn’t dare. She would have beaten him.

He made his way to Colorado Springs and professes, “I love this place, man.” He bought an ’86 Chevy Suburban for $4,100 and is working for LUCE as a call center employee for $9.00 per hour. He’s living in the car. He says it’s safer than living along the rivers or in the camps. “Where do you park?” I asked. “Anywhere I can so I don’t get into trouble. Right now, I’m in the Safeway parking lot but have to move every day or so.”

He normally wakes with the sunrise and retires with the sunset. He normally sleeps in a sleeping bag with another wrapped around and a blanket over the top. The blanket normally whisks away the moisture. He normally cleans-up at ESM and does his laundry with the Oriental guys on north Weber Street. “I can do all my laundry for less than $3.00”.

As chaotic as this year has been for many of us, as Bob Hoff used to say, “Even when it’s bad, it ain’t so bad.”

Merry Christmas and may God Bless us all!

Sincerely,

Tim Leigh
Imagine The Possibilities!

719-337-9551
Tim@HoffLeigh.com