I first met Janine Bolon a few years ago and have been a fan of her newsletter and writing ever since. Janine doesn't sell real estate. She's not an investement counselor and she doesn't have a program to sell. She does have a very different and workable philosopy about building wealth. This column gives some practical advise on what to consider when selecting a home. Please enjoy along with me.
My 2Cents!
A Newsletter all about Living with Abundance, Ditching Debt and Collecting Cash.
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Janine Bolon, Editor janine@smartcentsinc.com janine@smartcentsinc.com
boyerel@msn.com Welcome to MY 2Cents!
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Today's Newsletter is a continuation of the 10 step process to wealth.
Step 2 on the path to abundance is knowing what you want out of life.
Now this is a tricky step. Most people think they what they want, but if you are really honest with yourself you'll realize that your desires are mostly foggy. You may say things like, "I want to be Rich" or " I want to live a comfortable life" or " I want a new car." Whatever it is that you want at that moment...it is surrounded in a haze of uncertainty and lacks clarity in your mind's eye. (Imagine walking into a steam room!) You must refine your thoughts so that you get not only what you need out of life, but also what you want. If you want to be rich, how rich? Assign "Rich" with a dollar figure. Is rich for you defined as $10,000 in a long term savings account? Is it $1 million, is it $4 million? Just because your current bank account registers $10 at the moment doesn't matter. What is the amount of "Rich?"
Success in any enterprise is knowing what you want-Exactly. Having a mental picture so clear and bright that you can tell someone detail after detail of what you want. If you want to buy a new car, do you know the make of the car? The color? What accessories do you want it to come with? Passenger air bags? Cargo net? Little rain wipers on the headlights? A trailer hitch? You get the idea. Whatever it is you really want out of life...you have to define it in detail!
This is the basic thought process I use to achieve my goals, both financial and general life.
Brad and I were looking for a new house in Colorado. Before we ever looked up what houses were available, before we ever looked at a map to figure out where in the Denver Metro Area we wanted to live, before we ever assigned a top-end pricee we would pay for it, we asked ourselves the following:
What do we need in our house?
Easy maintenance (Brad and I are NOT fixer-uppers)
Easy-to-clean
Room for Brad and I's offices (3-4 bedrooms)
Large common room
2 bathrooms
Woodstove
Gas Utilities
After we had a clear picture of what was NEEDED, we then moved to what would we LIKE:
Ranch style construction
Older neighborhood with large trees
Nice sized back yard-room for a garden
Low traffic along street
It was only after we had this list of Needs & Likes that we moved on to looking up the available houses in the area of our choice. We then managed to get a Fantastic Realtor !(Thank you Cassia) She did an amazing job finding us the house we bought. Wow! How long did it take use to find our house? Four days with a realtor. It was a three story, 22-year old home on a semi-cal-de-sac with a wood stove, fireplace, gas utilities, landscaped back yard and low traffic. Wow! Most of the residents of this neighborhood moved in right after the houses were built twenty odd years ago. Cassia told us houses on this side of town almost-NEVER come up for sale. We found out after moving in that she was right this was the first time in 10 years a house had opened up.
Most people call Brad and I lucky. Yes, luck does have a part to play in our good fortune, I won't deny it, but I also know that the reason we are so successful in so many areas of our lives is due to the fact that we know what we want in DETAIL.
Okay, you know how I like to give you list of questions to help you along your path to abundance. Today is no exception.
Once you've decided what you want from life here are the questions to ask?
What does it (the dream, house, car, idea, business) look like?
What is its purpose?
What sorts of things will I be doing with it?
What people will I need to bring it to me or work for me?
What resources will I need to run it, obtain it or maintain it after I have it?
Can I get what I want by renting it rather than buying it outright?
Do I have storage space for it?
Do I need to get rid of something before I get the new thing?
That is a short list, but you get the idea of the things I run through before I purchase any item that will take up space, need cleaning, or require my time.
Realize that most of the purchases you make are due to you NOT knowing what you want. You are spending money because you are unhappy, bored, tired, angry, stressed...you name it. This is not only impulse buys, but also extra purchases of gifts, projects and items to decorate your life (whether it be the house, car or you.) Merchandisers are counting on you not truly knowing what you want out of life....beat them at this game and keep that money in your savings account until you find out EXACTLY what you want....down to a wood stove in the family room!
Good luck and Much Abundance to You!
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Reprinted from "My 2Cents newsletter," a free ezine offering financial systems for debt reduction, wealth accumulation and the conserver lifestyle.
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