SAVE YOURSELF FROM RESOLUTION EXHAUSTION.....

 ..... with a goal setting session that will set you up for success!

 

Today, we’re borrowing from a newsletter sent by Stacey Cerniuk, a Vancouver entrepreneur who, over the past decade, has built a sizeable business placing consultants. Annex Consulting now has more than 4,000 consultants on its roster.  Stacey didn’t get there by accident. He has been a life-long goal setter and learner, and has applied everything he’s learned.

Here are Stacey’s Nine Steps To Goal Setting.

Step 1: Find a quiet place

Focus and concentration are required, so schedule some time in your favourite "thinking" place.

Step 2: Understand the ground rules

Each goal should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound). You've heard it before, but this time do it. Vagary doesn’t make it.

Step 3: Define goals

Think about what must happen in the next 12 months in the seven main areas of life (personal, health and fitness, relationships, business and career, financial, fun, contribution) to make you feel that the year was a good one.

Step 4: Write down your goals

Record your goals in whatever format you prefer – i.e., a goals notebook, Word, Excel, the notepad on your phone, etc.

Step 5: Share your goals

Research shows that if you share your goals with people close to you, it provides extra motivation to achieve them.

Step 6: Review your goals

Review your goals regularly. Keep copies of them everywhere so you are constantly seeing them and reminding yourself.

Step 7: Take action

When you identify and write down your priorities every day, make sure to include tasks that will move you closer toward your goals. High achievers take action daily to reach goals.

Step 8: Track your accomplishments

When you achieve a goal, record it. It is very satisfying to mark a completed goal as "done."

Step 9: Celebrate!

When a goal is achieved, reward yourself. You deserve it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE MACINTYRE & COWEN TEAM

As the Holiday Season is upon us and the year comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and on those who have helped to shape our business in a most significant way.  We are grateful for relationships we have formed with our clients – navigating a home sale or helping clients purchase a new home.  From all of us at the MacIntyre & Cowen Team we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of your lives.  We wish you a very happy Holiday Season and look forward to working with you in the year to come.

“[I]t is the one season of the year when we can lay aside all gnawing worry, indulge in sentiment without censure, assume the carefree faith of childhood, and just plain "have fun." Whether they call it Yuletide, Noel, Weinachten, or Christmas, people around the earth thirst for its refreshment as the desert traveller for the oasis.”

~D.D. Monroe

MAC FACT! Home Ownership!

Watching the daily news, reading your local paper or perusing the web these days, we are inundated with news about the housing market.  Most of it isn’t so pretty.  We hear about research and trends, history and facts.  The most common:  “research has shown that renting has been less expensive than owning.”  This week’s Mac Fact focuses on Home Ownership – dispelling the myth that home ownership is not out of your reach, nor a bad investment.

Today’s real estate market has created a fountain of readily available homes at greatly discounted prices, interest rates are at historic lows and down payment assistance programs abound.  For example, MSHDA’s Homebuyer Assistance Grant Program which kicked off December 2012 has $15 million in funds available to assist first-time homebuyers with their home purchase. Non-military homebuyers are eligible for grants up to $3,000. Active military and veterans are eligible for grants up to $5,000. In today’s market, your mortgage payment is more than likely going to be lower than a rent payment.

Truth be told – in most areas in the country, renting is actually more expensive than owning a home and by owning a home; it is no more expensive than renting.  When you decide to purchase a home, you are making the decision to replace RENT, which has no return on investment IN EXCHANGE for a house payment, which does give you a chance for a return.  Studies have shown that if you invested the entire difference between the rent payment and mortgage payment you may have done better financially.

Now let’s move on to the tax advantages of home ownership.  Currently, you can deduct the mortgage interest you pay each year on your home, helping to reduce you tax liability.  For many of us this “mortgage interest deduction” opens up the opportunity to “Itemize” our deductions.  Just renting, we would most likely to be stuck with the standard deduction.  On the flip side, when you sell an investment you are likely to be hit with “Capital Gains”.  This is the tax charged to you on the financial gain you received from the investment.  This tax doesn’t apply the same way when you sell your primary residence.  Under current IRS regulations, you are allowed to exclude up to $250,000 of the gain on the sale of your main home if you meet certain tests.  You may be able to exclude up to $500,000 of the gain on the sale of your main home if you are married and file a joint return and meet the requirements. (Special rules apply for joint returns.)  Please consult with your tax preparer or CPA to determine what IRS rules and regulations apply to your specific situation.

In conclusion, every investment has pros and cons, including real estate.  If you are considering home ownership, I urge you take another look at real estate as an investment.  Feel free to give me a call if you have questions along the way.  MacIntyre & Cowen Real Estate Consultants would be happy to help you navigate through the process, call us today at  517.999.2675.  www.pmachomes.com

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Why We Do What We Do!!

Wonderful testimonial from a recent client - the reason we strive to provide the very best service to our clients!

“Please pay attention because I'm going to save you a huge amount of time and money and frustration and trouble if you just take the advice I am about to give you. My advice is to run, don't walk, into MacIntyre and Cowen's RE/MAX office to list your current home and/or to search for a new home.

I made the mistake of going a different route, and it cost me over 3 years with 3-4 other realtors. I thought the delay was just the sign of the times and that it was normal, and that everyone was experiencing the same thing, but I was wrong. I finally did a smart thing and called Peter and asked for help. Folks, this guy and his team were awesome. Immediately, they kicked into high gear and got the ball rolling. I know they have many customers, but they take care of you, and you will feel special with them, like you are the most important customer they have. But the proof is in the putting. To make this long story short, our house was sold in 11 days. ELEVEN DAYS! It was unbelievable. And, as happy as I was I had to ask myself, why on earth did I not go to him in the first place and save all this trouble? Why did I wait so darn long?

Please don't be like me and go through what I did. I learned a valuable lesson the hard way, and I am posting this so you won't have to go through it too because it's not worth the time and money and headache. I'm telling you as honestly as I know how that this agency IS AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP. They will get the job done. Period. “

Thank you for listening, and good luck. Scott and Eleni Butzin

MAC FACT! Time to List!

MSHDA Downpayment Assistance Program!

FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS - YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!    

MSHDA Homebuyer Assistance grant program is slated to start Monday December 3, with $15 million in funds available to assist first-time homebuyers with their home purchase. Non-military homebuyers are eligible for grants up to $3,000. Active military and veterans are eligible for grants up to $5,000.  If you have been thinking about purchasing a home, NOW is the the time to buy with this great program!  Please call the office at 517.999.2675 for more details!

MAC FACT! Good News for Sellers!