Real Estate – What’s the deal?

In my opinion financial wisdom is the KEY to real estate. Understand what you need as a buyer or a seller and make goals to start taking action. Neighbors helping neighbors is a very good thing to help each other out once you do commit to a community as a home owner.

I’m a realtor and represent clients buying and selling homes here in Utah. I’ve bought and sold personally and represented folks professionally for a long time now. I love working with real property buying and selling because having a place to call home is one of the most important factors in a person’s life. Having a place to call home is one of the basics of caring for yourself and family. Far too many people are in situations of “couch surfing” and policies on low income housing always need attention from the entire community.

People ask me what I think of the market and how things are going in general now (mid 2008). I’m not an economist or a professional lender, but I do know that people will continue to want to have a place to call home. If you are able to buy a home, excellent! If you are not quite there, how can you make your financials stable to ensure that you will always have a place to call home. Young and just starting out or older and starting over? How can you live within your means to have a place to call home for the short term and long term? Or, worst of all, in trouble? How can you meet or mediate your financial obligations to those you’ve made promises to?

Teach children and young adults about valuing what they have and planning for the future. I have met too many people that were caught in the consuming trap and didn’t think about tomorrow. Financial distress happens to the best of people. I’ve visited with many folks that you would think are in just fine shape on the outside and are simply falling apart slowly financially.

I started tithing very seriously in the last few years. It was hard to swallow at first because the money just seemed to whither away down to zero each month. Then when I reflected on my income and spending habits, I considered what I really needed and wanted. All was possible and completely within reason when it became habit.

So, there are my two cents on real estate (and tithing). Didn’t sound very “real-estaty” of a lecture, right? Well, whatever a person decides in buying or selling has to be right for them – not the lender, not the realtor, not the parents or siblings. It has to be right for you for now and at least 2 – 5 years in the short term and hopefully much longer!

I read a book a while back about the Delany Sisters. Actually, there are two books. Both are fabulous. Two sisters, both over 100 years old passing on their knowledge of living wisely through a century of adversity and change being black professional women in the Southern US. They talk about the basics of living on next to nothing through the Great Depression and simple living wise choices that are completely within reason in our modern lives. I remember they said their father (a minister) taught them that the first 10 cents goes to God, the second 10 cents goes to savings and the rest of each dollar is up to you to use wisely. They ended up living on their savings for about 40 years of their life. I wonder how many of us would be able to live on what we save today for the final 40 years if we are as lucky? The Delany Sisters also talk through their book about tolerance through some of the most turbulent civil rights history we’ve ever seen. I believe they give good lessons on how to live with tolerance and live well in general.

Happy planning everyone and visit my home for sale if you are looking for a beauty in Colorado Springs.