Ok, I've been on a roll lately with planning for my future. Along with needing to excercise more, I have a need to save for my retirement. It still seems so far away. I've got a 4 year old. Yikes, it seems that I'll never get a minute to relax, let alone retire someday. Well, I've always heard that you need time on your side to let your money work for you, I just don't know how much time I need to have enough money to feel secure in retiring some day. Check out this free downloand for a Retirement Savings Calculator. It's free at www.Vertex42.com - one of my favorite sites in the last few days. So, after playing with the calculator a few different ways, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to retire someday, barring Princeton, or something like that!
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I found a great tool to get your budget under control, and keep those finances in order. It's detailed enough, as well as being customizable, to handle most household budgets. After using the Debt Reduction Snowball Calculator to see what it would take to get myself out of debt by the end of 2009, I found this Family Budget Worksheet at www.Vertex42.com. This spreadsheet template saved me so much time. All I needed to do was fill in income (variable from month to month in this business) as well as all my expenditures and I was able to come up with a budget that will help me plan for changes in my income as well as those months that have extra expenditures like November and February for property taxes, April for the TAX MAN, August to school shop for 5 kids, and of course that holiday shopping too! Now that I have a budget, and a plan to pay off debt, I feel confident I can put together next years goals and business plan and know what my motivation is!
I've been working on my 2009 Goals, both personal and professional. One of things I like to do is see what I need to acheive personally so that I can be motivated to push myself professionally. So, one of my personal goals is to get out of debt by the end of 2009. In my planning for that, I discovered this cool tool that helps you decide which bills to pay off first. It's called the Debt Reduction Snowball Calculator. The Snowball Effect, as they call it, is that extra amount that you have each month to put towards paying off debt. As each debt gets paid off, that amount gets applied to the next debt, hence, the Snowball Effect. Did I mention this is a free downloand? I like free stuff! Anyway, I plugged in all my balances, the corresponding rates, and the minimum payment amounts. You can have it sorted by either paying off the lowest balance first, or by the highest interest rate first. Paying off the highest rate first saves the most, but I have to admit, I need pretty regular positive reinforcement, so I chose to pay off the lowest balances first. Either way, I found that if I double the total amount I am paying for those bills now, I can be debt free by the end of 2009. Very cool!
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I just went out to my garage and got my flag out of the closet and stepped outside to put it in it's usual spot right outside the entrance to my house. As I did that, I looked around to my neighbors to see if anyone else had remembered to display their flags. Not yet, maybe they are still sleeping.
On that day, and for weeks afterwards, all my neighbors had flags displayed outside their homes. I remember driving through town and seeing people with flags affixed to their cars. But somehow, today, as I looked at the flag, I was left thinking that there must be something more I could do to pay tribute to those families that lost loved ones in the most terrible of ways. As I watch the images on television today, tears come to my eyes. It still evokes such a strong response in me that I wonder what those families must be feeling on such a tragic day of rememberance. I can't imagine. As I go through my day today, the victims of 9-11, their families, and those that risked their lives in the rescue effort will be heavy in my thoughts. Stay strong America, and never forget.
Housing affordability in Ventura County has increased dramatically according to the California Association of Realtors. C.A.R.'s First-time Buyer Housing Affordability Index measures the percentage of households that can afford to purchase an entry level home in Ventura County. C.A.R. reports that the Index is the most fundamental measure of housing well-being for first-time buyers.
In the second quarter of 2007 First-time Buyer Housing Affordability Index shows that only 25% of Ventura County residents could afford to buy an entry level home. The most recent Index numbers show that there's been a dramatic increase in housing affordablility in Ventura County. In the second quarter of 2008, the number of Ventura County households able to afford an entry level home here in Ventura County increased to 48%!
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I am committed to providing my clients with a high level of service and negotiating expertise! I commit myself to learning something new everyday. I love what I do, and it shows!
I've been a resident of the beautiful city of Ventura for 20 years, and a real estate agent for 10 years. I've helped hundreds of home buyers and sellers buy and sell homes in Ventura County. I am a strong negotiator, and I really listen! I have experience negotiating short sales, as well as foreclosures. Ventura County is a beautiful place and I wouldn't choose to live and work anywhere else! The weather here is ideal with most days, winter or summer, in the hight 60's or low 70's. The quality of life is apparent with many jobs right here in our county giving residents the opportunity to work close to home. Spend a little time in our beautiful county and it will be evident why so many fall in love with where they live. Homes in Ventura County haven't been this affordable in years. It's a great time to buy!
I specialize in residential real estate in the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Port Hueneme, Somis, and Piru. I feel it is important that I continue to assist both buyers and sellers because this helps me understand current market conditions that affect both sides of the sale. As a top producer for the past 10 years, I bring the experience of hundreds of transactions, giving you the peace of mind that comes from dealing with a professional!
In addition to having a total understanding of the current market, I put the extra effort forth to market your home where buyers are looking - on the internet! Seller's will find their home listed on both of my websites, which rank high on the first page of Google for a few of the most popular search phrases used by home buyers looking for a home in Ventura County. In addition to this, I will make the effort to keep listed homes on Craigslist, as well as sites like Trulia, Oodle, and Zillow. Of course it doesn't end there. I will market your home through direct emails to more than 400 local agents and more than 1500 possible buyers. I do what it takes to get your home sold!
I can't believe it has been almost a month since we closed, time is going so quickly! I meant to send this sooner, but life keeps getting in the way. I just wanted to thank you for everything you did to help us with the condo. I really appreciate all the time you put in with the advertising, the showings, working with Kathy, making arrangements with the broker, fixing the fence, etc., etc., etc. I know you work a lot, sacrificing personal time and time with your family to get the job done. Thanks for meeting with us at 8 at night and doing weekend open houses on top of the many hours you spend at the office.
Sara Wall
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Hope Goss has been my Realtor for several home purchases and sales over the past 5 years. During each transaction she was always professional, and reliable. Her experience and knowledge of the complex real estate business is excellent. On numerous occasions she readily provided valuable guidance which helped me make some critical decisions. What I also enjoy about Hope is her keen ability to make a potentially stressful experience a breeze. I can whole heartedly recommend her.
Christine Landen
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My wife and I felt in control and we were never forced or coerced to make snap decisions. We were educated and supported throughout the process. We didn't know we could afford to buy and we certainly didn't know what kind of house our money would buy. We weren't very good at putting into words what we wanted in an actual floor plan and neighborhood. Hope listened and did all of that and more. What could have been a scary and enormous undertaking was in fact fun, and very,very gratifying.
Bill and Laurie Wilson
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This was a tough move for us. We were moving into our first house from a condo. My husband and I had a very different idea of the perfect house. Needless to say Hope worked for her money when it came to us. She was always avalibile when we needed her. We were house hunting for weeks. She listened to our needs for everything. The perfect neighborhood, schools, ect. Then we came across this house that seemed a little out of our reach. We called Hope on a Sunday and she got us into the house. She helped us to understand how we could afford this house. It was everything I was looking for and my husband loved it to. Hope was great, she did everything in her power to make the process as painless as possible. All issues were addessed promptly and she made sure we were happy with everything before we signed anything. If ever we buy again we will be calling Hope. Also we refer all of our freinds to her. She never pressured us into anything. The one thing she said to me that really stuck was "I am not here to spend
your money". She truely is an honest and great person. Sad to say you don't find many people with a heart like hers in her profession. Truely, thank you for everything!!
Anthony, Heather & Amanda Ciccone
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Thanks for all of your help, we really couldn't have done it without you. I don't know a lot of folks buying homes, but if I do, (or we get the itch again) we'll give you a call. Thanks!
Anthony and Mallory VanLeeuwen
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I first met Hope when I was in the market for an investment property. Hope provided me with several options and ideas. She was patient and supportive in assisting me in finding a property that made sense. Hope made the extra effort to keep in touch and make me feel comfortable with the process. I have total faith in her expertise and continue to seek her help when I am in need of a real estate expert. She has since listed and sold multiple properties for me.
Connie and Gregory Brose
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When getting ready to purchase our first home we met with Hope. She worked with us for three years before we finally purchased. She was sure to keep in touch, and continued to contact us after the sale to make sure everything was going well. She is the BEST when it comes to helping folks find their first home.
Tanya and Todd Bauguss
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When I first contacted Hope, I had little thought that I really could find anything I could afford or would like. After all, I had such unreal expectations! Hope never gave up, continued to look for me, and offer suggestions, and eventually found THE house that fit me perfectly! It was literally on the market only a few hours when she contacted me about it. Since I was out of town at the time, she did a preliminary check to ensure it was exactly what I was looking for. After she told me about it, I cut my trip short because I knew that she had something that was real. She stuck with me throughout unexpectedly long closing and walked me through all the paperwork and procedures. Her expertise and professionalism cannot be challenged.
I guarantee that when I start looking to upgrade, I WILL be going through her for all my real estate needs!
Paul Mayfield
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