I thought I'd take some time away from work today and play some golf. A sport I love and really the only thing that gets me away from working. I play a lot, so today wasn't a "Special" day by any means. I would play regardless of who I am playing with, the weather conditions or how well I was playing. I make it a point to calendar this golf time every week and not let anything get in the way of "my time on the golf course". (We live in Minnesota, so our season is limited, we're getting snow and cold weather early this year and I have no other interests in the winter so I work all the time)

I don't quit playing for any reason because I love to play. Except for today. I walked off (for the first time) after only six holes. Not mad. Frustrated. I didn't want to be on the course. My game has been great until the last week, then it's like I have never held a club. Golfers know what I am talking about and would say it happens to everyone. I agree as it has happened many times to me. But I always kept playing. Always. But not today.

I lost my drive and ambition for the game today. You expect some satisfaction from what you are doing. Today there was none. Today is the nicest day in the last three weeks, and probably will be for the rest of the winter. I don't care. I just wanted to get off the course. Nothing I did helped. I got mad. I was frustrated. I laughed and joked with my buddies. I messed with my swing. I did all the mental exercises I could to get me out of this 'funk'. It didn't work.

So what do I have to share with you from this experience as I am sitting inside looking out at this beautiful day watching my buddies continue to golf and have a great time? I'm not sure, other than sometimes it's okay to quit. Sometimes it's okay to take yourself out of the moment (or off the golf course) if you really don't have your heart into your work or play.

Think back at how productive you really are when your heart is not in your work or play. When you lack drive and ambition and would rather be anywhere else than where you are, doesn't it make good sense to just back off for a while and regroup? Your attitude has a direct correlation to your productivity. Many times, even if you know you can't quit and try to trudge through your task with the best intentions of falsely changing your attitude to make you more productive, you fail.

I don't claim to know how to win back this lost drive and ambition. I just know that sometimes, it's gone for no known reason. Try as you may, it's not there and isn't coming back. This is the time I would change direction. Do something else and get your mind off the task at hand (even if it means missing out on the best day in the next six months!). It helps, believe me.

I'll be golfing again. This isn't a permanent loss of drive and ambition, just a 'funk'. Kind of like the 'yips' when you putt. Time seems to be your enemy. Don't let it be. Just go do something else.

No, I'm not talking about the current downturn in the Real Estate market. I'm actually bringing you useful information concerning a home's aging components such as windows, appliances or roofing. These, along with many other items which make up a home, can be pricey, so knowing their approximate lifespan can give you an advantage when formulating an offer for purchasing your dream home.

Kudos to the Realtor Magazine for publishing the National Association of Home Builders study (the full report can be found at www.realtor.org/realtormag in the Home & Design section). Here are just a few items in this report: 

100 Years or more... 

Brick siding (Lifetime of home)

All wooden floors (Lifetime of home)

Cellulose Insulation Material (100+ years)

50-100 years...

Slate, copper and clay concrete roofs (50+ years)

Copper gutters (50+ years)

Kitchen cabinets (Up to 50 years)

Modified acrylic kitchen sinks (50 years)

Vinyl floors (50 years)

30-50 years...

Thermostats (35 years)

Wooden windows (30 years)

Wood shake roofs (30 years)

French interior doors (30-50 years)

10-20 years...

Built-in audio system (20 years)

Aluminum windows (15-20 years)

Asphalt shingle roofs (20 years)

Faucets, kitchen sinks (15 years)

Gas ranges (15 years)

Cultured marble countertops (20 years)

Dryers and refrigerators (13 years)

Air conditioning units (10-15 years)

Lighting controls (10+ years)

Interior and exterior paints (15+ years)

Electric or gas water heaters (10 years)

Furnaces (15-20 years)

5-10 years...

Security systems (5-10 years)

Heat & smoke detectors (5-10 years)

Dishwashers (9 years)

Microwave ovens (9 years)

Carpet (8-10 years)

This is great information The Kelly Domaille Team uses every day to help formulate offers for our clients! Let us help you, too!

The next 365 days in the Real Estate market will be the worst we have seen. We need four major key things to happen before we can confidently say that we are actually in a housing recovery.

The first thing we need is stabilization in the home prices. This will only happen when the massive amount of foreclosures are dealt with which may hit the market within the next 18 months.

The second is the stabilization of our banking system. Banks need to tighten back up, start turning a profit again and start paying back stimulus money to the Government.

As the first two are accomplished, the third becomes a natural fit...creating jobs. Confidence needs to be restored for the businesses in our country to grow and prosper.

When these three things come together, the economy gets stimulated. This is the fourth piece of the puzzle and the most exciting. When confidence is high, people spend, which means they have jobs they believe in and trust they will be at for a long time.

Entrepreneurs will emerge and new opportunities will appear. Our economic recovery will then be in full swing.

For now, invest. Now is the best time to buy.

Are you afraid to fail? 

If you are, then chances are you won't be successful. Everyone who has ever succeeded has failed. Many times. Some even miserably. 

If you aren't afraid to fail, you welcome crisis with open arms. You know its definition: 

Crisis = Danger + Opportunity 

You see the opportunity within the crisis and take full advantage of it. Sometimes it may not be very obvious or quick to show itself, but you have patience. You know it's there and you look and wait for it. When you see and realize what your opportunity is, you capitalize on it and make it the best it can be. Every step of the way, with every opportunity you run with, you are taking huge leaps toward your ultimate success. 

The more crises you have, the more opportunities you have. You've heard the old adages "Pushing the Envelope" and "If you're not getting rejected, you're not doing enough". These aren't just some lines made up by a person sitting on their couch; they are actual truths about success and what it takes to get there. 

There is no "Security" - don't chase it - take a chance and do what you love to do, even if you're not good, because if you love it, you will do it all the time. If you do it all the time you will get better and as you get better, more people will notice you. They will then spend more money with you and you will eventually become a success. 

So, don't be afraid to fail.

Analyzing the current market for first-time home buyers and factoring in the massive incentive opportunities available to this market segment, we are inclined to believe that if any of you, whether you're a real estate agent or first-time home buyer, are searching for homes, there will be no better time than today, and I mean TODAY, to find that home.

Here are my thoughts...we have a huge inventory of homes on the market today which are available through either price or financing for the first-time home buyer. That said, any and all savvy real estate agents are finding ways to convince (and rightly so) these buyers they must act now to locate the home they want and buy it now. As this market grows for interested first-time buyers and the window of opportunity closes fast on the December 1, 2009 deadline, the number of homes available to this market segment will diminish quickly.

If your buyers are waiting for that perfect home to come on the market, think again. Traditionally, mid-summer and fall are not hot times for multiples of new listings to flood the market. If your client waits, their choices will dry up and, to take advantage of the tax credit, they may have to "settle" for a home they really don't want. They then end up unhappy, not with themselves, but with you, their agent.

With this unhappiness may come disgust within a few short years which may lead to another terrible cycle, another foreclosed home.

You can eliminate this by taking the lead, guiding your first-time home buyer through the process, and laying out their future dependent on their self-proclaimed time frame. If this is to wait, you need to change their thinking or prepare them for the inevitable - a smaller inventory and only left-over homes no one else wanted.

If you're a first-time home buyer, take heed. Your best time to invest in and find the home you want is NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next month. The home you find today will be the best of what will be out there through the rest of the year. And if you are relying on foreclosures to come on the market, be aware that closing these may take some time. They also may not be approved for certain types of financing, all of which will eat up precious time you may not have to meet the December 1, 2009 deadline should you chose to "play the market".

The Kelly Domaille Team is Leading the Real Estate Revolution and can answer any and all real estate related questions for you. Please contact us at bruce@kellydomaille.com with any questions.

Can anyone tell me about a new web search engine called Leapfish? What do you think their future outlook for success is?

New Years reSolutions are, at best, a yearly exercise in futility and frustration. Requiring discipline, willpower and determination, these reSolutions are implications that you need to improve, fix or repair something that's broke or not complete. These requirements are not exactly energizing words and enthusiasm soon goes away to continue these reSolutions.

You need to set New Years ReVolutions...actions that lead to results. Goal setting as you've never done it before. Just like your business, you need goals and you need a plan to get these. You need to take ownership of these ReVolutions. They will be personal and more focused. They will inspire you to continue them instead of dragging you down and making you feel like you need to consistently be disciplined to get them done. ReVolutions vs. reSolutions...you chose!

To see more in-depth information concerning these ReVolutions, please click on the link below...

http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-12-28/transform-your-business-with-2009-new-years-revolutions/

Your USP/UVP. Yep, your Unique Selling Proposition/Unique Value Proposition. (I like "Value" better)

Do you have one? 95% of you don't. Do you know what one is? Chances are you don't. Don't worry. It's easy (and essential) to develop one.

Why do you need it? Because your clients need to know, in a short, concise verbalization, what you can offer them. That's right. What you can offer them. Not how good you are or that you're #1 (#1 in WHAT?!?), but what they get out of hiring you versus the sea of other Realtors out there. Why are you different?

The problem is that most Realtors have never sat down and asked themselves some important questions: 

· What distinguishes my company or business from my competitors?

· Do my homes sell faster? For more money?

· Do my buyers save money or time?

· Am I more expensive, less expensive?

· Do I have a better system to attract customers?

· Am I more aggressive in my marketing programs and strategies?

· Do I give better value? A better guarantee? Make it easier to do business with me?

When you can answer these questions, you are ready to begin developing your UVP. As you put it together, make sure you are covering the following criteria: Be Unique, specific, relevant, believable, focused and concise.

Until you can convince yourself why you would work with you and can verbalize it quickly, you can't start convincing others to work with you. It's that simple.

Start now. It's not an overnight process. Send me what you have, and I'll let you know what I think. We'll get there. Just remember it takes time.

I have a question...

Where are the best people found? Before I dive in more, I will tell you that this will end up being one half blog and one half inquiry.

I am currently looking to expand our 5 person Team, needing both a Buyers Specialist and an Administrative Assistant. Where is the best place to look for talented people? There are too many "lookers" out there who don't and will never meet the criteria of the high achievers we are looking for, so how do I not waste my time?

I don't believe I'm looking for a diamond-in-the-rough. I believe there are many hard-working, loyal, self-motivated people who are always looking for an opportunity of a lifetime. I know if you have gotten this far reading this, then you have gone through, or are going through, the same thing I am.

We need to help each other to build our Teams and its success. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know, as I'm sure there are many people out there who are looking for the same thing I am...qualified, talented, people-oriented, self-motivated people to share in the future success of an already successful Team.

Waiting your reply...