One hobby I have taken up letely is enjoying watching tennis.  That's watching, not playing.  I have seen a tremendous win streak by Roger Federer and it appeared that this guy wasn't going to lose anytime soon. Well, that all changed this past weekend......... Guillermo Canas snapped Roger's 41-match winning streak yesterday, beating our star 7-5, 6-2 in the third round of the Pacific Life Open. I didn't actually see this match, but some highlights on T.V. I bet you Guillermo is really excited.       03/12/2007

"Play every game as if your job depends on it. It just might." -Casey Stengel "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine De Saint-Exupery "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." -- Abraham Lincoln "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." -- Eric Hoffer 03/12/2007

"The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something." -- Carl Sandburg "Where there is love there is life." - Mahatma Gandhi "Give the American people a good cause, and there's nothing they can't lick." -- John WayneMany having been responding to my quote posts with inspirational quotes of their own.  For that, I say thank you.  I could never hear these words enough. 03/07/2007

Well it's that time of year again.  The time I like the most, when it's daylight longer.  It seems like I get more out of my day this time of year. Remember to set your clocks forward one hour. Due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Daylight Saving Time starts earlier this year -- the second Sunday in March, which is March 11, and lasts until the first Sunday in November, which is November 3. 03/04/2007

Daily Thought:: Silence is a text easy to misread. -- A. A. Attanasio"It is very rare that you meet with obstacles in this world (that) the humblest man has not the faculties to surmount." -- Henry David Thoreau"Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier." - Albert Schweitzer 03/04/2007

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it." -- Thomas Paine, patriot___________________________________________________________________________________________"We've got to have a dream if we are going to make a dream come true." -- Denis Waitley___________________________________________________________________________________________The best remedy for puffed-up pride is a pinprick.___________________________________________________________________________________________Call people back immediately. One of the biggest challenges most salespeople have is that they don't want to pick up messages and call people back. Return calls now. It's the only way you can build up a solid clientele._________________________________________________... 02/26/2007

Well I was able to get through my 1st Day of Broker's Class on Friday.  I was surprised that I was able to sit still that long.  For those who know me, they could understand that.It seems like forever since I have been in a classroom environment like that.  Actually it was probably when I took my real estate sales class.All I know is I will have to work at disciplining myself to do the reading in between classes.I went with a not so demanding program that meets just 1 day a week for about 10 weeks.This approach would allow me to continue with the demands or my real estate duties.Stay tuned and I'll let you know the 1st time I fall asleep in class where someone has to wake me up :-)    02/24/2007

This article recently emailed to me was amazing news to be awrae of.  I saw it happening in my own business, but wasn't aware of the satistics.Fewer buyers are making down payments on their purchase of a new home, and even fewer are forking over the 20-percent sum that was once the norm, according to a new study by the California Association of REALTORS®.Nationwide, nearly 30 percent of buyers and 45 percent of first-time buyers nationwide no longer make down payments, the study said.In California, the trend is less pronounced. While 41 percent of home buyers there put nothing down, a solid 20 percent finance every dollar of their home purchase, up from 4.5 percent in 2000. Buyers blame rising home prices, which make raising even a 10 percent down payment a challenge for many people."Ho... 02/23/2007

Deductions in the Loan Process: A lender that I use sent me these  I thought I would share Write-offs are the government's way of rewarding taxpayers when they've done something the government likes. And to judge by the write-offs, the government likes it when people borrow money to buy a house. There are write-offs aplenty, many of which people often forget.Make sure your clients take advantage of every break the IRS will give. Here are a few they tend to forget:Points:According to the IRS, origination fees charged as points must be paid for the use of money, (for example, to obtain a lower interest rate) in order to be tax deductible. Origination fees that constitute a "service fee" are not tax deductible. The question must be asked, "Does the fee apply to the use of money, or is it a... 02/22/2007

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." -- Milton BerleMy riches consist not in the extent of my possessions but in the fewest of my wants. J. BrothertonMistakes are a fact of life: It is the response to the error that counts. -Nikki Giovanni"Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. 02/22/2007

Dough Ingredients 2 sticks of margarine3/4 cup of sugar3 cups of flour3 egg yolks1 tbs. of baking powderTop Layer Ingredients 5 egg whites1 cup of sugar6 flat tbs. of potato starch2 tbs. of flour1 tsp. of red food coloringDough: Combine all ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Divide the dough into 2 unequal parts. Place the smaller portion in the refrigerator until it hardens. Spread the larger portion evenly in a 9" x 13" cake pan. Cut 6 to 7 fresh apples into thin slices and place them on top of the dough. Sponge: Whisk the egg whites until firm, then slowly add sugar. Keep beating then add potato starch, regular flour and food coloring until the mix turns pink. Pour the cream on top of the prepared dough, spread evenly. Take the smaller portion of the dough and crumble over the ... 02/22/2007

Go Easy on the Pedals - Jackrabbit driving is a killer when it comes to burning fuel. Remember that slow and steady wins the race in more ways than one.Avoid Long Idles - The bottom line is idling burns more gas than restarting an engine. Shut your car off when your in the drive through at a bank, etc.No Junk in the Trunk - Clean out your trunk and the rest of your car for that matter. Excess weight bogs down your vehicle, causing it to burn more fuel.Drive the Speed Limit - The higher the speed, the more gas your car will use and you could avoid some of those unfriendly tickets :-)Go Easy on the A/C - Air conditioning burns gas. Before turning it on, ask yourself if rolling down a window or two might do the trick.Use Overdrive and Cruise Control - Most automatic transmissions have thes... 02/20/2007

Daily Thought: "Great talents are the most lovely and often the most dangerous fruits on the tree of humanity. They hang upon the most slender twigs that are easily snapped off." - C. G. Jung, Psychological Reflections"When life's problems seem overwhelming, look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself fortunate." -- Ann Landers, columnist 02/19/2007

Tax time is nearly here. Anyone renting out a property to a tenant - either as an investor or as a reluctant owner who can't find a buyer - shouldn't forget to deduct depreciation expenses from income taxes.The idea is that property loses value as it ages, so the IRS lets landlords subtract some of the value of their property every year for 27.5 years and use it to reduce the income received from the tenant. That reduces the landlord's tax bill. Depreciation is complicated - and calculating it often requires professional help, experts say. Some people are overwhelmed by a depreciation schedule and opt to ignore it. But that's a mistake, experts caution. The government assumes landlords deduct depreciation whether they do or not. Landlords who don't claim depreciation will pay higher tax... 02/18/2007

Only approximately 2% of all listings nationwide are sold by the listing agent. When you list your house with me, I will try my best to sell it myself, but more importantly, I will simply get it sold.Colleagues in my firm or real estate agents who are affiliated with a cooperating broker may sell my listings. This is why I work hard to maintain a reputation for being very professional and easy to work with. I make the homes I list as easy as possible for other real estate agents to preview or show to buyers. When you select a real estate agent to market your property, you are hiring them not only for their list of prospective buyers, but for their ability to tap the lists of other people in the business. I constantly lobby among my competition, asking if they have seen my listings, gett... 02/16/2007

1. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction.2. Focus on the solution instead of wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.3. Assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger t... 02/16/2007

If you promise less and do more, your boss will eventually put your name on the door."It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." -- Napoleon Hill"Leaders aren't born they are made.  And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.  And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."-Vince Lombardi 02/15/2007

In The Art of Happiness*, the Dalai Lama shares this powerful insight into life:"I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. [Regardless of religion], we are all seeking something better in life. So I think the very motion of our life is toward happiness."But how are we to achieve this happiness that we all seek? What common factor can we rely upon, regardless of our health, wealth, appearance, family, etc? The Dalai Lama goes on to discuss how the mind can be trained for happiness, despite a lack of material wealth and success. It's that whole idea of "wanting what you have versus having what you want."Stephen Covey refers to this as "responsibility," or the ability to choose your response. Tony Robbins calls it "reframing your perspective". James A... 02/15/2007

When we help prospective buyers locate a new home we listen carefully to their goals. What are their criteria for selecting a neighborhood, what style of house do they prefer, what price range and floor plan meet their needs? Will any special considerations go into making the homebuying decision? When we have a good picture of what the buyer wants, we will go to work to find the best property on the market that will accommodate those needs.Our real estate agents succeed when they can make the buyers' goals their goals. Finding the perfect home is a collaborative effort. The buyers communicate what they want, why they want it, and where compromise might be possible, and the agent listens carefully and selects the homes that come as close as possible to meeting the needs expressed. When t... 02/14/2007

Pheromones are mysterious little chemical sensors that are supposed to have a lot to do with whether or not we are attracted to people. They may also play a big part in the way people react to houses.If you have a house on the market, it will be important to ensure that the pheromone factor is as high as possible--so that the prospects who come inside will involuntarily pull out their checkbooks and offer to pay your asking price. A good real estate agent can give you some important hints about maximizing your home's ability to attract buyers. This could mean completely airing out every room to eliminate musty odors, or allowing enough time for freshly painted walls to lose that telltale toxic smell. Unless you are already compulsively neat, you may need to make temporary changes in you... 02/12/2007