Home is what you make it

 This home has had such an adventure. The large addition where the garage is was actually an old barn that was resembled on the property. It has been a labor of love for decades and is ready for the next owners to take over so they can enjoy their family.

When you want to walk out your door to go snowshoe or cross country ski, this is what you think of. It has neighbors but they are far away. Not sure they would hear you if you yelled to them.



MLS 4398414

Desires

I'm doing this daily meditation thing with Deepak Chopra and Oprah. https://chopra.com/ccl-meditation/resources.html

Today was about desire. I had never thought about it before. Prior to this morning I thought desire was a 4 letter word. Even though it's actually 6. Play along.

If you had no desire, what would your life be like?

What do you desire? If you desire something enough you will make it happen no matter the obstacle.  As my buddy Deepak said, "The highest desire you can have is to grow and evolve."

#Deep right?

Desire is not selfish. "My desires make me feel alive." said Chopra. I get it.

If you desire to happy, if you desire to be a mother, if you desire to be healthy, if you desire to be a home owner...it's all possible if you believe you are worthy of the desire to manifest.

I have been in a place with no desire and I tell you what, this view is a hell of a lot better.

If you desire to dress up like a belly dancer and swing it around in the park, then have at it. You matter and so do your desires.

Rosy the Riveter Wins

No kidding! I won 1st Place for BEST COSTUME at the KW VERMONT company Halloween party! I went as Rosy the Riveter.

Here I am after receiving my prize!

KW VERMONT knows how to promote a life of balance. Whether it's real estate or personal goals, the leadership here provides every possible opportunity to me. They believe in me and expect me to be great so why wouldn't I be? No wonder they are the #1 Real Estate Agency in the country.

They make me feel like Rosie the Riveter, the WWII icon who represented the American women who replaced the male workers who went to war. Her motto was, "WE CAN DO IT!" They helped me to believe I CAN do it and I AM doing it. There is no try. Only do. And boy, I sure do!

Don't know who Rosie the Riveter is? Learn now here:
http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/rosie-riveter.htm  She's pretty awesome. Woman Power!

Hope you have a Happy Halloween and have many chocolates left over just for you.

KEEP GOING!

I run. In between walking.

My feet. They take me places.

Two years ago a dear friend invited me to a program called First Strides. It's a program for women to learn to run. It teaches you how to build up from walking to running. Very cool and very good at accomplishing the goal and empowering women to move. http://firststridesvermont.com/ 

Anyway...I had not been running all summer. Too hot, too much to do, too unmotivated, too ____ (fill in the blank with any excuse you want). Then, after a week straight of rain and depression, I decided that the best medicine was to move my feet and listen to some kick ass motivation music. I plugged into a Taylor Swift mix on http://www.rockmyrun.com/  and headed out the door. It hurt like hell. I was back to the beginning. How appropriate. I was also in the rain and feeling cathartic as I let it rinse me in my symbolic one woman parade. It felt great!

I was changing the way I looked at things and the things I was looking at were changing. Yesterday was a particularly challenging schedule so I headed out with this post to Facebook:

"Have so much opportunity in today. Where to begin? It just takes one step to get moving. I will start my day with a run and a sound track that releases my inner warrior. Here's to waking up this morning and Tylenol. Do something today that makes you feel something."

This is on my fridge.

As my feet hit the pavement and my body fell into step with the music I noticed it was easier than it was last week. My GOD, I felt GREAT! Then the phone fell out of my little pocket in the back of my pants because my pants were falling down! WOOHOO! I was melting that fat mister!

At the corner of the big hill to home I stopped running and went to a walk. There were a few kids at the corner waiting for the bus. One 11 year old boy who goes to school with my boy was there. He was all full of a toothy grin and big, wide eyes. (He had never seen me running so may have been afraid I was going to drop from a heart attach) He said something so I removed my bud and said, "What's that?"

"How far have you gone?" He asked while giving me the thumbs up.

For some reason I felt like I needed to impress this little boy and I did a horrible thing, I lied to him. "Two miles" I said. Thinking that sounded admirable. How far IS it around the big block? A half mile maybe? Yes, I lied to a kid to make myself sound better. What's wrong with me?

He gave a little eye look up and to the right as if calculating or judging that distance. I must have picked the right number because he kind of nodded and smiled again with another thumbs up. "KEEP GOING!", he yelled!

No one has ever made me feel better. That kid motivated the shit out of me. I wanted to run over and hug him. Then, halfway up the hill, I found THIS!

Warrior accessory.

No kidding! It was lying in the gutter on the side of the road. At first I walked by it and thought it was unfortunate some kid had lost it. Then I stopped, turned around, and picked it up. It was clearly a sign from the universe that I WAS finding my inner warrior. I picked it up and held it to the sky like I was some crazed cartoon about to transform into an action figure. It was EPIC. In my mind anyway.

I did transform. Into a raging lunatic. Dancing my but up that hill and slaying my demons in mid air with this bad ass warrior accessory. I rocked it, I tell you what.

Barging through the front door I presented my husband with my new found symbol of strength. He promptly looked behind me to see if any police had been summoned. That was followed by an eye roll and a lot of something or other about some candy and steeling from a baby. I don't know, I ran into the bedroom to take a picture of my...whatever the hell it is...to share with my warrior princesses. Here is said photo:


The moral of this story, which I apparently had to wake up at 4am to share with you, is...JUST KEEP GOING! Or, like my favorite Disney character would say, "Just keep swimming." You will be amazed at what you find along the way. By simply moving, you are forcing a change in the way you look at things and the things you look at really will change.

Go. Do. Find.

HOW much? A 5 bedroom house payment of $650 a month? YES!

Take a look at this document that Kim Negron, a Loan Originator form HomeBridge, put together to show what it would take to get into this 5 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage, home in Richford, VT. Richford may not be your first choice yet you can see how home ownership is possible!

At this price you would be crazy not to buy it as an investment and rent it out. Close to Jay Peak ski area and very close to Canadian border so a lot of Border Patrol looking for housing.

If you or someone you know wants to see if they qualify for this program, let me know and I will connect you with Kim!

Together we can get you a home.

I Have My Own App!

Look at me go!
Click on it and be amazed! http://app.kw.com/KW2LYJ2ES

This is like having a partner in the palm of your hand no matter where you go.

When you see a house for sale, whip out your phone, click on my app and find houses for sale near you. It's magic! Or science, which is the same thing to me.

Renting to Owning

Renting vs. Owning

Keller Williams Realty says that although some renters believe that renting is “maintenance free,” they are actually paying for maintenance in their rent – whether they need it or not.  Renting offers you no equity, no tax benefit, and no protection against regular rent increases.  If you’re paying rent, you’re really just paying someone else’s mortgage.  Let’s compare.*

Rent          vs.            Own
Monthly Payment	$1,000	Monthly Payment	$   855
Insurance	$     30	Insurance	$     50
Taxes	$       0	Taxes	$   260
		MIP Insurance	$     45
Total Payment	$1,030	Total Payment	$1,210
Savings
Interest Deduction	$       0	Interest Deduction	$ 175
Tax Deduction	$       0	Tax Deduction	$   75
		After Tax
Net Monthly Payment	$1,030	Net Monthly Payment	$ 960

* Approximate Payment/Cost Comparison based on estimated annual tax results.  Based on 2.5 tax bracket and on estimated first year interest and taxes.  Recommend consulting with tax expert.  Payment based on FHA 30-year fixed rate loan with 7% interest rate, sales price of $125,000 and a loan balance of $121,250.  Interest rate/rental rates, prices, terms, and availability subject to change without notice.  See a qualified tax consultant for more details.

 Yea, that's great BUT, what if you have been through hell and back and now your credit is messed up and you are one of those who have to rent because you can't get a mortgage? 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

There are a bunch of people in the market in the same boat as you.

The first thing you need to do is decide if you want to be renter. There are certain things that are good about it. For example, if you don't plan to stay in an area very long, or if you have no desire to maintain a house's mechanical needs or lawn care; then you may not want to buy. 

If you DO want to buy and are afraid you're credit is bad then you must start by taking the first step. Contact a mortgage lender and get yourself armed with information so you have the power. By knowing where you are you can create a plan to find out when you can buy. This is the first step to the home buying process. Even if it takes you a few years, you are STARTING the home buying process! Congratulations! 

Who do you go to? That's up to you. Let me give you a quick rundown of who you can call. 

• Mortgage Broker - This is like a personal shopper. You tell them all your information and they shop around for you to get the best deal and give you the options that make sense for you. They can offer more variety for you and cast a large net.
• Banks - The bank you do business with now is a good place to start. Ask them how to apply for a mortgage. A bank has control over the loan so if you have a longtime relationship with a bank this is helpful. Banks are also more likely to be used in higher priced properties (over $650,000 for example)
• Credit Union - Credit Unions are more likely to lend on mobile homes. You have to be a member of a credit union usually to get a mortgage. It's worth doing a search to see who can apply to. 

More details on the differences can be found in this NY Times article: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/realestate/choosing-between-mortgage-broker-and-bank.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

This is also a great link to more information on where to shop for a mortgage: 

http://www.realtor.com/home-finance/mortgages/where-to-shop-for-a-mortgage.aspx 

Come on, let's take that first step. Contact a lender and find out where you are so you can join me on the landing for step 2 which is talking with a Realtor.

 If you need the name of a few great lenders I have some that I would recommend so send me a message and I'll connect you.

Now tell your friends!