All posts by Settles Team

Smaller down payments pave the way for first-time home buyers

Smaller down payments pave the way for first-time home buyers
Smaller down payments pave the way for first-time home buyers

2015 has again signaled the willingness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase loans with a 3% down payment. Until just recently, most mortgage brokers asked for a 5% down payment, unless you are in a USDA area. You could then apply for a VA loan, or your state offered local housing down payment assistant help.

Continue reading Smaller down payments pave the way for first-time home buyers

Lesson to be learned from a guy who walks 21 mile to work

walking in snowWe all have heard the news about the Detroit Michigan resident James Robertson who walks to and from his job every day. When you have not heard the story, here is a link to a Business Insider article about James Robertson.

His car broke down years ago and he did not have the money to fix it. Ever since then he made the 21 mile trip to and from work on foot while keeping perfect attendance at this job.

Continue reading Lesson to be learned from a guy who walks 21 mile to work

Winter is a good time to prep your home for selling in the spring

winter_1We all heard the news that the groundhog saw his shadow, so now we will have 6 more weeks of winter.  Let’s take that time to prepare the house for selling in the spring. Its cold outside so it is a great time to work inside. We can do some of the outside work when it warms up outside. Continue reading Winter is a good time to prep your home for selling in the spring

Considering relocating overseas. Consider the cost of living.

MoveHub has published a world map that highlights each country’s cost of living. The cost of living numbers included the prices of groceries, transportation, restaurants, and utilities.

Most of us who consider moving to another country look at some of the basic information we find. Looking at this report it is a real an eye opener.

Some of the countries with the highest cost of living indexes are the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, and France. Comparing some of the countries with the lowest cost of living index are Morocco, Nepal, India, and Egypt. You can see the full report and list below.

An interesting map from MoveHub reveals living costs around the world.

Global Living Costs Map

Mastermind, a tool in your toolbox to achieve your goal.

Mastermind, a tool in your toolbox to achieve your goal.
Mastermind, a tool in your toolbox to achieve your goal.

A mastermind group can be an effective tool to help you accomplish your goal, virtually any goal. It does not matter if it is a business or personal goal.

Many of the Mastermind Groups consist of two or more people, who work together in perfect harmony, to help each other to attain a specific goal. If two heads are better than one, five or six can kick it into high gear.

Members are committed to each other

The key to a great Mastermind Group is that members are committed to each other and are willing to hold each other accountable. Meaning that you will do what you commit yourself to do and that you are attending the scheduled mastermind group meetings. Depending on the group, a meeting could be in person, video, or a phone conference call, monthly or quarterly.

The group members need to be committed to meet. Less than that will be a waste of everyone’s time and effort. One of the main goals for all the mastermind group attendees is to help each other to get things done.

Attending a mastermind group can be a time commitment depending on the group size.

Each of the members should be given 15-20 minutes of time to discuss challenges, progress, or goals. They should have another 10-15 minutes to give their feedback, thoughts, and possible discussions about the given information. The larger the group, the more diverse the discussions or exchange of ideas could take. Due to that it is good to keep the group small. Maybe 5-10 members.

It is all about accountability and trust

To keep the flow going, make one of the members a facilitator. Make certain that no one member gets stuck in the facilitator role. Have the facilitator role rotate between members.  The facilitator will keep everybody on track and make certain that no one member dominates the conversation.

When a Mastermind group is formed or new members are added, the facilitator also gives everyone the ground rules the group will work under. This should include attendance, format of the meeting, confidentiality, making decisions, and dealing/settling conflicts. When needed, outline grounds for dismissal from the group, such as after missing a certain number of meetings or violating confidentiality.

You also should meet in an area where outside distractions are limited.

Chemistry of a Mastermind Group

Many times a mastermind group is formed without it actually being called a Mastermind group. This happens through casual networking or you happen to bond and feel comfortable and great around or with certain individuals. When you are looking for a mastermind group, look for groups who give you that exact feeling and when you cannot find a group like that start your own.

You might start with one person that fits the criteria you are looking for in an individual and together build your group.

Winter is great for spring gardening planning

Winter is great for spring gardening planning
Winter is great for spring gardening planning

Winter is here and many times it is just to cold to do anything outside. This is a perfect time to plan for your outdoor projects you can accomplish in the spring, summer, or fall. It does not matter if you own your house, rent a house or apartment, there are things you can do to make your personal outdoor space a little more appealing to you.

Continue reading Winter is great for spring gardening planning

Winter is the season for the most home fires.

There are more home fires in the winter than any other season.
There are more home fires in the winter than any other season.

There are more home fires in the winter than any other season. Several reasons for this include unattended cooking stove, live Christmas trees not being watered adequately, old artificial trees with outdated and possible faulty lights and wiring, unattended fire places or candles, and space heaters to close to flammable material just to name a few.

Continue reading Winter is the season for the most home fires.

When renovating, not everything has to be bought new

When you are renovating or rehabbing a home consider reusing and recycling some of the original materials. It will many times save you money in the long run.
When you are renovating or rehabbing a home consider reusing and recycling some of the original materials. It will many times save you money in the long run.

When you are renovating or rehabbing a home consider reusing and recycling some of the original materials. It will many times save you money in the long run.

Some great items to save, restore, and reuse are fireplace mantels, handrails, spindles, or solid wood doors. Continue reading When renovating, not everything has to be bought new