Tag Archives: Inspiration

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

“You can not always control circumstances, but you can control your own thoughts.”

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This quote from Charles Popplestown came to mind as I received a very long email from a possible Real Estate recruit. This explained to me why she hates doing certain tasks in her current function and why she thinks she will not be doing them later.

Do you know who your customers are and where they come from?

 It is easy for all of us to complain about this or that and/or maybe him or her. It is so much harder to look at the problem and offer a solution. When a company is recruiting, that is exactly what they are looking for. There are times when a company is hiring because they are faced with a situation (opportunity) they could not solve and they are now looking for the solution externally.light

In our business we strive to receive referrals and also to give referrals. Before we receive the referral business we have to earn it. Referrals, and the referral business, do not come without hard work, dedication, and offering of solutions to our current customers and clients.

This not only holds true in the world of our business, it holds true for all types of jobs and employment.

Be the solution to an issue and don’t become the issue. When you have an issue, offer a solution or an idea to a solution.

buying, commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, selling, Team work, tips

TYPES OF LOANS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS FOR PURCHASING A HOME

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Coin Dropping Into Piggy BankIt would be great when we could all pay cash for a home. Unfortunately most are not in the position to do this and must obtain a loan to purchase our home.

There are so many types of loans that it can be very confusing as to which type of loan to use. Some loans require you to have some sort of down payment. There are others that don’t have down payments. There is the conventional loan, loans for rural areas, for public servants like teachers, police officers and fire fighters. There are loans for veterans and their families and also rehab loans.

Here is some information on the more common used loans:

Conventional loan

This type of loan comes has multiple terms to choose from, between 15 and 30 years. You have a consistent mortgage payment for budget planning purposes. You must have a down payment and depending on the lender you are working with it can be up to 20% of the purchase price.

VA loan

A VA loan is a loan guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. If you are a veteran, member of the military, or a surviving spouse of a veteran, you can apply for this type of loan. There are some stipulations the VA puts on a veteran or their surviving spouse to be able to qualify for this loan. You should speak with a VA approved mortgage servicer/lender about your specific situation.

FHA loan

An FHA loan is great for a first time home buyer but you DON’T have to be a first time home buyer to qualify for this type loan. Many times the down payment is less than the 20% required for a conventional loan and the qualification and credit requirements are not as stringent. The FHA loan is an insured loan that is backed by the US Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance organization. Only FHA-approved lenders can provide this type of loan to you.

USDA loan

This loan is for rural areas of the US. You can find out if your rural home purchase qualifies for a USDA loan by contacting the local USDA office within your state. With the USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program there is no down payment but you need to buy a home that is in a USDA eligible area.

There are many more types of loan programs. You can find out what type of loan would be best for you and your family by contacting your favorite loan officer, or you go to our resource page where we have several of them listed for your convenience.

buying, commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, tips

Vacation time is a great time to scope out retirement areas.

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DSC_0002This winter has been brutal and ruthless to all of us and we are seeking the warmth and relaxing times of spring break, or just a plain vacation.

Many of us who are in the colder climates are talking about retiring in a warmer area but many just don’t take action until the clock hits 5 minutes until noon.  How about getting an earlier start on choosing places where you think you may like to retire and vacationing there to so you can see what they are like ahead of time.

A retirement area may look great in their advertising but as soon as you take a weekend or longer to spend time in the area you might find out that it is really not as good as you had hoped. It happened to me. I picked an area that sounded like it might be a great spot to retire. They had a lot to offer and many things to do so I decided to spend a weekend there to scope things out. I discovered that the traffic in the area, even in an off season, is so horrendous that even going to the grocery store just down the road would take over 3 hours.

You might also find out that home prices are affordable but the overall cost of living is much higher than advertised. Things like this you only find out when you spend time in the area and see what they are not telling you.

Another example I can think of right now is an area that is located at the Atlantic. I visited another beautiful historical area but found out the hard way with my dog at the veterinarian clinic that the area is heavily infested with flees. Dealing with this would be a constant battle. Do you think you find this out by just looking at pictures? No. You have to go there and find out for yourself or find someone who has already been there and are willing to tell you.

When you find an area you like, you might want to return several times for vacation and scope out areas where you may like to buy or rent a home. Just be sure to visit the area during different times of the year. This will give you a more well rounded picture of the area.

Inspiration

How to get beyond the fog in your head

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Staring at a blank piece of paper after having another unsuccessful recruiting call completed this morning and taunting with the feeling that the negativity form yesterday has spilled over into today I run across this article written by FC Expert Blogger Kaihan Krippendorff called “Where To Find Inspiration When The World Tells You To Give Up” 

Reading what he has written about the struggle a 40 year old company had to find their mojo helps me understand that I am not the only one at times struggle with the lack of energy and enthusiasm.

Now where do I find my inspiration from to push through rough times?

Do I read more books?
Do I just take a quick break and take a short walk?
Do I set a small goal and reward myself when I reach this goal?

Then I remembered my own favorite saying: “You can lead them to the water but you cannot make them drink. When you force them to drink they may drown.”

Or

“To reach the top you have to take one small step at the time”

Picking up myself by my own boot straps and reminding myself that Rome was not build in one day and to look at what is in front of me right now and not what is down the road or returning to the past I push on the next phone calls.

This is a new call a new opportunity to recruit and was a thought I had a chance to put on paper.