Real Estate Information

Sedona's Heavenly Hike: Bear Mountain (5.6 miles roundtrip)

South Mountain Park: National/ Mormon Loop through Hidden Valley and Fat Man's Pass.

A tribute to Richard Wolkis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hUmFhWiHi0

 Real Estate Data and Trends

Active Listings: 35,204; Short Sales, 26.5%, REO, 15.5%;

AWC/Pending: 18,311, an increase of 1,100 over last week; Short Sales, 54%; REO, 22.5%;

Sold: 1/8-2/8/2010; 6,297, a 23% increase over same period 2009; Short Sales, 22%; REO, 43%, Cash, 43.5%; Conventional, 24.5%, FHA 27%

New Listing: 1/1-2/8/2010, 15,953, a 63% increase over same period 2009; Short Sales, an increase of 1.55% over same period 2009 (4,528 vs 1,778); REO a 14% decrease over 2009 (4,253 vs 4,956).

Current Mortgage loan rates at approximately 5%, 30 year fixed.

• Mortgage loan rates expected to increase in late Spring. 

30 year fixed rate amortization, Principal and Interest

Loan Amt   5%          6%        P/Mo     7%       P/Mo       +2%P/Yr

$50,000     $268       $300     +$32    $333     +$65       $780

$100,000   $537       $600     +$63    $665     +$128     $1536

$150,000   $805       $900     +$95    $998     +$193     $2316

$200,000   $1,073    $1200   +$127  $1331   +$258     $3096

$250,000   $1,342    $1500   +$158  $1663   +321       $3852

• Less than 80 days to contract for tax credits

Wow, look at those diamonds!

Paul Simon wrote a song a few years ago that spoke of a woman who had, “Diamonds on the soles of her shoes”. On Super Bowl Sunday I was introduced to a woman who had the largest collection of big stones I had ever seen. My first reaction was, “Holy crap, are those things real”?

She had a diamond pendant that was the size of a small bird’s egg. I was amazed that her diamond earrings didn’t distort the shape of her lobes. The stones appeared to be the size of large blueberries. Her diamond ring looked like she could have borrowed it from Liz Taylor. And, the tennis bracelet had gems that children could use in a game of marbles.

My first reaction was it’s too bad such a pretty lady had to rely on her jewelry to make her feel beautiful.

Big stones, big boobs, big hair, in my opinion can hide some big wounds.

Earlier that day I paid one dollar for a rubber bracelet that I put on my wrist. It says, 32B – worship, grow, serve. It’s the theme of a set of sermons from Cornerstone church in Chandler, Arizona. When I first heard that theme I was mesmerized by its simplicity, sincerity, and significance.

At that same Super Bowl party I met a single mom who grew up on a farm in Nebraska. She was pretty, personable, and fashionably dressed. But, she eschewed the heavy jewelry. Guess which girl I asked to play billiards? Guess which girl I plan to ask to a dance this week?

When Stephen Covey said you should place the ‘big rocks’ in the jar first as you plan and prioritize your life; I don’t believe he was speaking about gem stones. Christianity was built on a rock, but it wasn’t a sapphire or a ruby.

Personally, I’m more impressed with a yellow ‘Live Strong’ rubber bracelet than a diamond tennis bracelet. I’m impressed with a woman wearing a pink breast cancer ribbon who raise money and ran in the Susan B. Koman race. To me, planting an aspen tree is more impressive that owning a ski chalet in Aspen.

How to be a Better Speaker

            Is there one thing any speaker, regardless of their experience, can do to become a better speaker almost immediately? I believe the answer is yes. And, that one thing is to video tape your speech and evaluate your own presentation.

            One of my friends and best speakers in District 3 is Michael Desiderio. He is a member of Dobson Ranch and has won several district speech contests. I have never seen Michael give a speech that he did not videotape. He attributes his success to being Italian, and contracting exotic diseases that he can speak about (lol).

            When I was in high school I enjoyed playing chess. At that time there was a chess program on the local PBS station on Saturday dedicated to becoming a better chess player. One week the host said that if you tuned in next week he would offer a tip guaranteed to make any player better by 50%!

            The following Saturday I was waiting in front of the TV with baited breath. The host introduced the concept of ‘blindfold chess’. This esoteric game of chess has two opponents playing the game mentally as a third person moves the pieces on the board which is out of sight. Needless to say, this is a very difficult exercise and will dramatically improve your game if you master the frustrating version.

            Fortunately, as Toastmasters we have an easier way to improve our speaking ability. The new Flip video cameras are inexpensive and easy to use. They are the size of a package of cigarettes. They have built-in USB port so they can plug directly into a computer. They are virtually plug and play. The videos can be stored on your hard drive, uploaded to You Tube, emailed for a friend to review, or posted on your club website.

            Make it a New Years resolution to improve your speaking ability by videotaping your presentations in 2010.

Lose Weight & Live Longer

Hopefully, one of your 2010 goals is to become more physically fit. Anthony Robbins said, “We will make time for wellness now, or sickness later”.  Below are ‘ten tips’ to help motivate you to move more & munch mindfully.

1)    Reduce your body weight by 10% and cut your risk of heart disease by 50%.

2)    Vigorous, frequent  exercise cuts your risk of heart attacks by 50%.

3)    70% of premature deaths are lifestyle related.

4)    The average American consumes 134 pounds of sugar each year.

5)    View processed foods as your enemy.

6)    Stop eating ‘UFO’s’: unidentified fried objects.

7)    Train your brain to read the labels.

8)    Obese is over 30% fat. Don’t eat anything that contains over 30% fat.

9)    Know your numbers. Weigh yourself frequently. Get a blood test & study your LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

10)                       Subscribe to fitness e-newsletters such as www.sparkpeople.com & www.drmercola.com

Bonus tips: Get a workout partner, accountability group, and a heart rate monitor for cardio workouts. Read Younger next year, The end of overeating, Fit or fat, and Discover wellness. Keep a food journal and count calories until you know how many calories you consume & how many calories you need to maintain or lose weight. Rent the video Super size me.

Did you know a western diet of processed food is loaded with fat, sugar, and salt? Stay away from the center of grocery stores. Shop the perimeter. If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, don’t eat it.

Did you know a 200lb man requires about 2200 calories each day to maintain his weight? The Claim jumper restaurant has a chocolate mother load cake. One slice is 2150 calories. Hardee’s has a hamburger called the monster thick burger. It has 1420 calories.

Fitness and wellness are conscious choices. Obesity, diabetes, premature death & disease, and overweight children are avoidable.