INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

ON MY HONOR . . . !

The Boy Scouts have long espoused the same set of principles. It goes like this: "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent." How simple life could be if we all practiced just that short list. Each in itself denotes a wonderful trait. When put into action, all can make the world a better place.

So, what happens between the age of scouting and age 30, 50, or 75? How is it that we turn from being a friendly 12-year-old to a suspicious, stand-offish adult? How do we turn the corner from being obedient to our elders to challenging the authority of our employers or government? Why won't we open the door for someone who can't? Did simple courtesy die with our youth?

Perhaps experience has taught us that others are not always friendly, courteous and kind. "Turn-about is fair play," we may respond. Why should we be thrifty, taking care to save for our future, when everyone around us has "maxed out" their credit cards? Reverence for all we know to be of value seems to have become the victim of political correctness. Why should we be any different?

The greatness of our country was built on the solid rock of "principles." The soft, easy life of an affluent society may be our undoing. Our forefathers had it tough. Most of us living today had a cake-walk, comparatively speaking. Our forbearers had to live their principles - or face the defeat of poverty, ill-health, and despair.

Our children can bring us back if only we will take the time to teach them those simple principles. More than teaching, we might help them practice those principles in their daily lives until habit makes them permanent. Begin while they are still playing in the sandbox. They will grow soon enough into men and women who live principle-centered lives!

Have a great week!

Rob

Palm Springs Real Estate

THIRTEEN THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me,  it's an invitation.

8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey,who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis,
who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job 

Protection for you and your home

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. 

I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.

Wasp Spray

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection.  She asked the local police department about using
pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray,
they have to get too close to you and could overpower you.  The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they
get to the hospital for an antidote.  She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from
people like a can of pepper spray would.  She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection... 
Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE

On the  heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that
could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School.  For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.

Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes".  It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear.
If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

THE WAITING GAME!

The well-known Nike commercials have hammered into our heads the phrase "Just do it!" Regardless of how you view their advertising, there is magic in the words "just do it." The real key to the message is "doing it," a.k.a. taking action. Anything you have ever desired is available to you if you will it.

Now, consider those who are constantly washed over by the "tide." Note that the lyrics in Jim Croce's song say, "I'm WAITING for my ship to come in . . ." and then, "but all that comes in is the tide." That sounds like a victim's lament, as in, "Oh poor me, here I am ready and excited, waiting for my ship to come in, and I get dumped on by the sorry tide. Bummer. How unfair." Duhh! Helloooo!

It's easy to see that "action" is the opposite of "waiting." Yet, it's so easy to do nothing - waiting passively. Action requires energy, enthusiasm, movement, and objectives, while waiting requires not even a thought.

Whether your desire (your "ship") is a relationship, wealth, a healthy body, or a new car, you must be the captain, not the port - the "master of your fate," not a tide-washed, sand-covered beach ball. Life is great! On your next trip to the beach, buy a boat, a map, and a compass, and then choose your own port of call. You'll dine at the Captain's Table every day!

http://talkrealty.com/robzwemmer

Palm Springs, California Real Estate Podcast

http://talkrealty.com/robzwemmer

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!

Walk into a totally dark room. What do you see? "Absolutely nothing," you say. Now, turn on the light. Where did the darkness go? Really - where is it now? Hopefully you will agree that darkness cannot exist in the face of light.

During a lifetime, we experience many types of "darkness." It may appear in the form of discouragement, fear, hopelessness, grief, ignorance, or poverty. Yet, in every case, there is a "light" in which such darkness cannot exist.

Fear, for example, cannot exist in the face of courage. Education denies ignorance any chance of survival. Grief disappears in the presence of peace-of-mind. Discouragement ceases when hope prevails. Wealth denies poverty its chance.

No matter what form darkness takes, it cannot exist when faced with its opposite. That also means we have the ability to send darkness on its way at any point in time. No matter how overwhelming the darkness appears, it is our thoughts and our minds that ultimately control the outcome. How powerful is that?

In the words of several favorite authors: "Think you can, think you can't, either way you're right." "Your life is what your thoughts make of it." "We are what we think about all day long." Finally, in the words of Tom Bodett, from one of his Motel 6 commercials: "We'll leave the light on for you!"

       4  REASONS I AM OPTIMISTIC  ABOUT Real Estate IN 2010

Increasing Sales:

The market absorption is underway. Last year we clocked at 27% sales increase here in the Palm Springs area compared to 2008. Prices don’t have to fall further by a large percentage (as they already have from 2004/2005 high ) for sales to be generated. The window of “best opportunity” is closing.   

 Nothing - good or bad – lasts forever.

sellers Are Starting to Get It! :

Seller are realizing more and more each day that proper pricing at time of listing is their best marketing tool. This is still a buyer’s market. Unless you are the lowest priced, best maintained, best located property on the block it’s not a fair fight. buyers have more cash and time than sellers. Plus even if you are lowest and best --- the marketis still not on your side.

buyers Are Starting to Get It! :

Banks/Lenders are not looking at first offer received. They are imposing waiting periods such as 5 or 10 days +/- , from the day the listing first hits the market to seek multiple offers. buyers are getting the message: You may need your best offer up front – and all cash offers beats financing. The Banks / Lenders are more likely to choose one rather counter back and forth with everyone.

Lenders Are Starting to Get It:

The Process of getting a REO / foreclosure / bank owned or Short Sale to closing is improving. Everyone is simply getting better over time at making these transactions work. It’s still slower than anyone would prefer – but if you do something enough you just have to get better at it.

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

HOW'S YOUR CREDIT?

Ever hear someone say, "I have good credit"? They are probably referring to their credit "rating" - a score bestowed upon them by creditors, banks or rating agencies. Simply stating, "I have good credit" changes nothing, nor does the statement merit the attention of creditors. Credit can only be given by others for service to them, i.e. paying them on time.

So, credit is the result of serving others - in many ways. You cannot claim education, victory, experience, success, reputation, or a suave demeanor. Each of these is a gift from others, as a result of your service to them. Friends recognize your courage as a result of your being cool under pressure. Your success is recognized by others only once you have served them well. Knowledge of your career field is recognized by others only after it's been applied to situations in the form of more service.

In the accounting world of income and expense, a debit is something paid out, while a credit is something received. Thus all credits are received from others - not by our own making. The debits - what we pay out - are our efforts, persistence, and service. How they are rated is not under our control, but is determined by those served.

Without service, there are few rewards. Yet, you've seen those who insist on getting more attention than they deserve. They feel they're being short-changed, that they are not appreciated, that they are always the victim. If you look more closely at their contributions, you are also likely to see the dearth of service they are offering.

With service, credit follows. It may be subtle or quite visible - but it always follows. Concentrate on what you have to offer and forget the rewards. Those who are served will pick up the tab!

Have a great day !

Rob Zwemmer

The New Extended Home buyers Tax Credit.

We are already at years end, and what a year 2009 was.  The beginning of the year we got off to a slow start because of lack of inventory and uncertainty under homebuyers. When the summer came around not only the temperatures starting to heat up but also the Home sales here in the desert.

More foreclosures, low interest rates, first time home buyers and a strong Canadian dollar where the causes for the high number of sales we have accomplished in the second half of this year.

In the last 6 months we have seen more buyers coming off the fence and taking advantage unbelievable opportunities here in the Palm Springs Area.

What will we see for 2010?

Interest rates will stay the same, the first time home buyer credit has been extended to mid next year, and a new wave of foreclosures will hit the market in the second and third week of January. We continue to get positive news on home sales. Real Trends reports that markets roared in October with the best year over year showings in all 4 years. The report shows that all regions were up in unit sales. Price declines are measurably less than they were than in the first 9 months of the year with every region showing improvement.

Much of this good news is the result of near record low interest rates and the federal and state first time homebuyer tax credit ...they are doing a great  job of assisting the housing economy.

The extension of the credit through next spring should have a positive impact on housing sales through the 4th quarterof 2009 and the first quarter of 2010. And...the tax credit extension to move up buyers should provide additional stimulus to keep the housing market on the road to improving results.

What this means to buyers is that it is a sweet time to buy and for sellers, this is the critical point to make sure your properties show their best. Ladies Home Journal magazine just published a great article advising sellers to Donate instead of dumping their home goods to local charities.  Streamlining the look of the property will help buyers, will help keep the economy green --and assist others in the process.

Let's talk about the new Extended Home buyers Tax Credit.  It's NOT just for first time buyers

This program will touch a lot of people - it is very exciting!

Congress has extended the tax credit program to include current homeowners and repeat buyers, so expect to see some terrific opportunities in the months ahead. As you know, tax credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax bill, so it's like getting free money from the US Government

Here are the  program details.

Between now and April 2010, first time buyers are eligible for a tax credit of 10 percent of a home's purchase price, up to a maximum of $8,000. And as I mentioned earlier, current homeowners are also eligible for a tax credit when they sell and purchase another home. The homeowner tax credit tops out at $6,500. I know a lot of people will take advantage of this program.

What's the catch?

Well, there are a few conditions that buyers need to know about, including a couple of income restrictions:

The full tax credit is available to buyers earning up to $125,000 a year, or $225,000 for married couples filing jointly.  If you make more than that, you may still qualify for some relief.

A partial tax credit is available to buyers earning between $125,000 and $145,000, or for married couples earning between $225,000 and $245,000. These increased limits allow more middle-income buyers to participate.

There are also a couple of limitations on the homes being bought and sold.  First, the tax credit is only awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less.  And second, homeowners who plan to take the $6,500 tax credit need to have lived in their current home for 5 of the past 8 years.  This is a limited program that runs through the end of April 2010, which is only a few months out.

Fortunately there is a grace period -- Under the rules, as long as a written binding purchase contract is in effect on April 30, 2010, the buyer has until July 1, 2010 to close.  So buyers and sellers need to get moving if they're going to take advantage. 

Folks need to strike while the iron is hot! sellers - you have the best opportunity in years to attract motivated buyers! Price your home according to its CURRENT market value, not above it.  And make sure your property shows extremely well, especially during the holidays and winter months. 

To everyone who reads this:
May your holidays be filled with Family, Health, Love, Joy, and Football .

For those Men and Woman who are overseas and are not able to be with their families during this season.
Thank You for allowing me to do the things that I love so much.   Come home soon and be safe.

Rob Zwemmer