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Your lack of organization and systems is hurting you. What are you going to do about it?

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

This is not really a real estate post. It is not really a post about homes in Tacoma Washington either. So what is this post doing here?

Glad you asked.

Everyone needs systems and organization. Without systems and organization life becomes much more complicated and stressful. Stress is our enemy and we need to be proactive in our efforts to reduce and eliminate all unnecessary stress. Below this paragraph you will see a photo of how my home office looked today October 18th 2011. I am not showing this photo to impress you. I am not showing you this photo to ask for your sympathy. I am showing you that I am as disorganized as you are. Perhaps, and most likely even more so.

Home Office Before Systems and Procedures

My Home Office October 18th 2011

Starting today I will be working getting my systems back in place. I used to be more organized that I am currently. I moved into my current home in July of this year and I still have not gotten my home office put together. I feel like I am always looking for files and contracts and that they are never in the place that I think they should be. Of course this is because I do not have any systems in place. Things just are set down on any available surface and then I move on to the next thing. No wonder I am stressed out about paperwork!

There are many resources out there for people who want to become more organized and less cluttered. I am going to document my process throughout my efforts to become more organized and less stressed out. It is my hope that someone will stumble across these posts and find some help in getting their lives organized and streamlined. If one other person benefits then the effort to document the successes and setbacks will be worth my time and effort.

My goal is that by the end of July 2012 I will be able to work remotely without having to be tethered to my office or my home office. I want to be able to travel and continue to provide great real estate related services to my existing clients and all of my future clients. Having to be in Tacoma is not going to be required of me. I have a vision for a virtual real estate business model based on systems and processes that allows me to deliver a consistently high quality level of service and meet 100% of my clients needs. Location will not be a factor.

What are you doing to streamline your life? What are you working on to make your vision of your life a reality? Please share your comments here so that anyone that reads can benefit.

Posted in Ramblings, Systems & Organization | No Responses »

Happy 5th Birthday Bloodhound Blog

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

One of my favorite blogs turned five today! Bloodhound Blog is a thought provoking, cutting edge real estate blog. Hosted by Bloodhound Realty in Phoenix BHB is one of the best sources for anyone who is either looking to buy or looking to sell a home. That statement is true if your a professional Realtor or a person who wants to buy or sell a home. Learn what to expect from an agent. If you’re an agent raise the bar and learn to be a pro!

Happy Birthday Bloodhound Blog!

Posted in Ramblings | No Responses »

Resistance

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Seems like my good intentions to post here are not nearly as good as I intend!

 

I found a book the other week that I downloaded for free and read in less than a hour. It is called Do The Work and it is written by Steven Pressfield. Another real estate blogger who writes much more frequently than I posted about the book today. Here is the link to his post I think you should take the time to read his post and then go and download the book for free and read it.

If more of us would learn to overcome resistance the world would be a better place.

Until my next post (and we all know how long that could be!)

 

Best wishes,

 

Scott

Posted in Ramblings | No Responses »

Victorian Open Houses this weekend. Do you want to see some cool homes? Come to Port Townsend.

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

On Saturday March 19th. The  Port Townsend Realtors ®  will have a open house tour of homes of historical significance open from 11am to 3pm.  This is part of the weekends Victorian Heritage Days.  There will also be walking and bus tours of Historic Port Townsend.

In addition to historic homes being held open there will be lectures on Understanding Old Homes and Weatherizing Old Homes. Both presented by the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. Costs for each lecture is a donation of $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Both lectures will be held at the Seminar Building at Fort Worden. You can order your tickets by following this link.

I am going to be attending both lectures on Friday and going to the open houses on Saturday. There are a lot of other activities happening all weekend. You can out more about the Victorian Heritage Weekend by visiting Explore Port Townsend.  You can also visit the  Victorian Heritage Days site by following this link.

Posted in Puget Sound, Ramblings | No Responses »

Anderson Island Washington Zero Down Homes are Possible!

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

Are you tired? Tired of the commute, neighbors dogs barking, tired of being bombarded with so much static that you do not know what end is up any more?

Have you thought about dropping out and getting away from it all? I know good luck with that. Yet, in Pierce County that’s right Pierce County you have an opportunity that you most likely have not thought of. Anderson Island.

View Larger Map

Anderson Island is the southern most island in the Puget Sound. A 20 minute ferry ride from the mainland. 30 minutes from JBML and 45 minutes from Tacoma. At this time (2/12/11) there are 37 homes for sale on Anderson Island with a median price of less than $185,000. Imagine living on an island for less than the median price of a home on the mainland. How can this be possible?

Anderson Island has its’ charms that is for certain. It does not have a lot of development. There is a small general store that has a couple of gas pumps. There is a coffee shop that serves sandwiches and pastries. There is a 9 hole golf course and a restaurant. The elementary school goes to grade six. There is no big box retailer, no home improvement super store, no theater showing the latest 3d movie. There is an abundance of peace and quiet, community, and calm

Could Anderson Island living be for you? I don’t know but if you want to look at a couple of homes for sale I would love the opportunity to show you the island and help you find out if island living is right for you. Take a look at the featured listings page. I have 2 listings for sale right now on Anderson Island. I am always happy to answer questions and to help you make a decision on what is right for you. And since it is considered rural USDA financing is a potential! That’s right zero down loans!

Take a look at Explore Anderson Island to find out more about the community and the island itself.

Posted in Buying a Home, Puget Sound, Ramblings, USDA Financing | No Responses »

Is the Government Getting Out of the Home Mortgage Business?

Friday, February 11th, 2011

The Obama administration released today (2/11/11) a framework to reduce and eventually remove Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae from the mortgage guarantee business. From The Wall Street Journal :

The steps, outlined in a “white paper,” are likely to mean higher borrowing costs and more-limited access to home loans for consumers. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said establishing a new system could take five to seven years.

“This is a plan for fundamental reform of the housing market,” Mr. Geithner said, cautioning that “we’re going to proceed on this path of reform very carefully.”

What will this mean to potential home buyers? At this point I doubt it will mean a whole lot. Interest rates will rise and we will see the end of government supported pressure on rates. This will not happen over night so I do not feel it will make a significant impact. In our market in the short term.

It will make for a lot of chatter and noise in the media as it does make for a topic that creates headlines and sells advertising.

Listen to your local market. You will see that real estate is beginning to make a move back to less of a national sensation and more of a local conversation. This in my opinion will make the overall health of the housing market improve over the next 5 to 10 years.

Listen closely to your local news sources and fact check the media outlets that cry out from the headlines. If you want to follow the conversation on a national real estate site that does not pull punches visit this article on Bloodhound Blog and see where the conversation goes.

Posted in Buying a Home, Ramblings | No Responses »

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