Doug Jones's (dougj) Blog

The first human relations rule in the Dale Carnegie Book How to Win Friends and Influence People is; Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.  The person we criticize the most is usually ourselves.  That we make mistakes is obvious, but we need to also be our best cheerleader.I like myself and I am ...

 This morning, I am writing from the beautiful mountain near Yosemite.  The viewis majestic; tall straight trees, patches of snow and deer beginning the day.Everything in the world is successful and I can be too…… Today I choose to be happy and calmI associate myself with positive peopleI watch m...

 Good Morning.  It is raining in San Jose, and it is wonderful.  “The difference in power between a loving thought and a fearful thought is so enormous as to be beyond the capacity of the human imagination to easily comprehend… a few loving thoughts during the course of the day more than counterb...

This area of Pleasanton is one of the quietest areas in the Bay Area. This 2 BR, 1 BA condo offers a comfortable layout, ideal for first-time buyers or downsizers looking for a low-maintenance lifestyle. Located on the west side of Pleasanton and only a 30 minute commute to Silicon Valley. The Co...

I am posting 45 days of affirmations that I wrote in 2006 and recently found them in my garage. This is day 2.Sometimes to win we just have to be persistent and tireless.  My Favorite persistence book and a favorite sales book is (ready for this?)  Green Eggs and Ham.   The closing question is as...

In my garage I found a stack of  papers that I wrote back in  2006 . They are daily affirmations and personally I like them. This first one is shorter than the others but it is sufficient. There are 45  daily affirmations and I will be posting one a day. Maybe they will help someone. Today is Mar...

 Mortgage Magic started as a wholesale lender. The first loan we funded was $150,000 in 1991 and immediately we got a message that the loan was a fraud loan and we needed to buy the loan back. That was a shock and besides that I did not have $150,000. I called the mortgage broker who represented ...

We have been open for 34 years and have had many unusual situations in lending and real estate.We once got a loan approved that I thought the lender would turn  down because the property was poorly maintained. The banker was in my office and I mentioned that, and he said the property was beautifu...

How the industry has changed.33 years ago we ordered credit reports on the telephone and the report was delivered to us in one or two days. We ordered an appraisal and the appraiser had to take pictures and develop the pictures and then glue them on the report. For verifications we did not only a...

I have been in Real Estate for a long time but 99% of my sales have been SFR's on lots, not acreage. I have sold all over California but my sales have always been in cities or towns. It is easy most times to price the home and know who the buyers will be.Once I had a really unusual listing in dow...