Simple notes from a simple guy

For those of you who care enough to read my prattling, (and don't already know), you're going to discover that I am a pretty simple guy. A "friend" informed me once that "the world got complicated and I stayed simple". I'm sure he meant it as a compliment, anyhoo, that's the way I take it.

My focus for the last couple of years has been on helping folks who either are getting ready to buy their first home or, have done so in the past and this time really want to do it right. So, I'm going to be posting little titbits of information that, hopefully, those of you who fall into this category can use. As I explained in both this blog and my book "House Hunting the Smart Way", my knowledge comes from previous experiences and mistakes I made in buying and selling many, many houses in my life.

I invite you to ask questions, make suggestions, give testimonials and even criticize or dispute things I have written. All I ask is that we stay on track, keep to the subject, and obey the rules that these fine folks who provide this opportunity set before us.

Finally, let me be very clear...I AM NOT A LAWYER NOR A LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENT. Since fully one third of our U.S. Congress is made up of lawyers, they have developed very harsh penalties to anyone who passes themselves off as a lawyer. Having said that, allow me to strongly urge you potential home buyers (and sellers) to not only engage the "right kind" of real estate agent (I'll explain more later) but the "right kind" of lawyer as well.

One of the points I'm going to be dwelling on abit is that until you sign that buy/sell agreement (and in some extreme cases, after, you have the power. You call the shots! (Huh, where did I hear that before)? At this point in time, there is a tremendous amount of flexibility to be found in the cost of big ticket items. Cars, boats, wives (no, no, no, I didn't mean that...just checking to see if you're paying attention...oh, lighten up), and of course homes.

Again, I realize that there are some of you who are just absolutely in no position at this time to go out and buy a house. But you know what? If you start watching for the opportunities that, not "might", but will come your way and learn how to grab them and work them, you will probably be in a position to buy one sooner than you think.

I do hope that you will consider checking in on me occasionally. Who knows? In all my prattling, there might just be something that you can use.

Oh yah, my comment about using the right kind of real estate agent...keep in mind that when you see a property advertised by an agency, that agency and in particular that agent is employed by the seller. Unless the agent is working for you under a Buyer Agency Agreement, that agent is working for the seller. That does not mean that the agent is going to do anything dishonest or shady just to get that house sold. What it does mean is that, being reputable that agent is duty bound to represent the seller to the best of his/her ability. If you find such a situation, my advice is to make some calls and find an agent that is willing to function as a buyers agent, to represent you when dealing with the listing agency.

Enough for now. I look forward to any comments. Take care and God Bless. Goodbye Walter Cronkite...you are the last of a special breed..a newsman who reported the news as it was, not as he wanted it to be.

You have the power damnit! Grab it and use it!

I believe power comes to us in a cyclical way.

No, I'm not talking about planets and stars and old Sputniks lining up in some special way. What I am saying, is there are numerous times during our lives that certain situations present themselves. It is during these times, these places, these circumstances, that, if we could recognize them and know what to do with them, we could work them far to our advantage.

And therein lies the problem. Failure to recognize the telltale signs that are shouting out to us to grab hold, take charge and make ourselves better for having done so.
And that is exactly what this blog is about. It is to teach you, as was taught to me, what to watch for and how to handle it.

For starters, I'd like to refer you to my latest book called "House Hunting the Smart Way". It is an eBook and yes there is a charge if you want to download the whole thing, but the introduction and the first chapter are free. From that alone, you can get an idea of what the heck I'm talking about. But let me warn you. If you have no room for humor in your life, then this book is probably not for you (or maybe it actually is what you need). Anyway, check it out. Just go to smartwayservices.com.

In the days and weeks ahead, I 'll be posting more ideas and suggestions to this blog. Some will be from House Hunting the Smart Way, some will be from my present project, a book tentatively titled "Never Burn Your Bridges". "Bridges" is about the interpersonal relationships amongst blue collar, middle echelon workers. The focus is how to deal with the sometimes moronic and silly obstacles that are handed down from upper management and again, how to turn these situations to your advantage. On the surface, this sounds rather boring, but in reality, it is turning out to be one of the funnest, and funniest works I have ever done.

Another reason this book is so much fun is because it is the culmination of my fifty plus years of learning different trades, working for over twenty different companies and creating my own little world in each of these. I've been everything from a professional photographer to an accountant (handling over a million dollars a week), to a technical writer for an international IT company to a forklift driver for a trucking firm. I've been a newspaper feature reporter, a lab technician, a field representative for a federal government program, as well as a go-between with the country's largest railroad and GSA in Washington D.C. And the thing I'm most proud of is that, although going into these and other jobs, for the most part without a clue, I learned how to work the job (OJT) and grab the opportunities that came my way. And (although threatened a couple of times), never once got fired from any of them. And guess what? I'm not that smart!

So this is where we're going. But a word of warning...I am getting old, (I may be dead, but I don't have the time to check it out), I still have two businesses, I work full time for a major home improvement chain and a bunch of other stuff. So please forgive me if I'm not adding to this or replying to you as quick as you would like.