Gary Woltal's Blog

Let it never be said that "I" don't have a sense of humor or don't care about other areas of the country. Today, my tribute to the wonderful weather in lovely Chicago in the wintertime. You Chicago Realtors send all your referrals to sunny and warm Dallas my way -- 

 CHICAGO TEMPERATURE CONVERSION CHART - Please hang in there for the Punch line!

60° F: Arizonans shiver uncontrollably; people in Chicago sunbathe.

50° F: New Yorkers try to turn on the heat; people in Chicago plant gardens.

40° F: Italian & English cars won't start; people in Chicago drive with the windows down.

32° F: Distilled water freezes; Lake Michigan 's water gets thicker.

20° F: Floridians do winter coats, thermal underwear, gloves and wool hats; people in Chicago throw on a flannel shirt.

15° F: New York landlords finally turn up the heat; people in Chicago have the last cookout before it gets cold.

0° F: All the people in Phoenix die. Chicagoans close the windows.

10° below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico . The Girl Scouts in Chicago are selling cookies door to door.

25° below zero: Hollywood disintegrates; people in Chicago get out their winter coats.

40° below zero: Washington DC runs out of hot air; people in Chicago let the dogs sleep indoors.

100° below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Chicagoans get frustrated because they can't start 'da car.'

460° below zero: All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale); people in Chicago start saying, 'cold 'nuff for ya?'

500° below zero: Hell freezes over. The Cubs win the World Series!

I must say from what I've seen pools have come a long way. No longer just a basic gunite design, they have Pebble-tec and rock decks, lagoon like bottoms, water falls, salt water based filtration systems, lush landscaping and tiki lights. In northern climes I'm wondering if they still have the above ground pools. It seems somewhat like the formal dining rooms disappearing, I am seeing less and less diving boards and slides these days.

But should a home have a pool?

The answer is a yes and a no. It seems like you should not install a pool for investment purposes but rather for lifestyle. Rarely does owner number one who installed the pool get "half" his money back.

Pools can be a negative on resale if new buyers don't want a pool and its upkeep.

In warm climates, and for socializing, and for just the sheer enjoyment of jumping in the darn thing on a hot day or enjoying the whirlpool or spa you can't beat them. But another alternative could be the community city pool or clubhouse pool provided by the neighborhood.

I would appreciate everyone's take on pools, when it is good to put them in and when to steer clear of them. One Realtor told me that in certain lower price ranges even with big backyards they didn't make sense. Sometimes I think a pool can be like buying a boat, that it's fun on day one when you buy it but maybe five years down the road you're thinking of filling that hole in your backyard back in. There's also the safety consideration with children around pools too. All in all, pools look great, but there are other options, and they are not for everyone.

In an earlier post I spoke about one of the boxes of life relating to how we spend our days. I see this in the faces and actions of those around me in the real estate world and life in general every day. I talked about giving more of a percentage of your life to the Non Urgent Yet Very Important things in your life. Surely, we have to take a big chunk of our effort to pay for those higher gasoline prices these days. But life is not about making a living. It is about a contribution. It is about a shift from success to significance. This is the reason so many people at mid life have epiphanies and go on to second or third acts in their life. From bouncer to nurse, from truck driver to real estate to nursing home volunteer. Somewhere along the way you decide you really were supposed to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa.

So what I have concluded is you have to understand with clarity your values. What do you REALLY believe is important in your life? In the end it should be about people and also your spirituality. With people what is the most precious gift you can give to them?

                      GIVE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR TIME

That is what will forever be remembered. Who the true you is and the "precious" hours and minutes of YOU that you dedicated, without distraction, to them. How do I know that is important and true? Because I have talked with many grandchildren at various ages, teenage and young adults and they all tell me how now deceased grandma or grandpa baked this pie for them or picked blueberries near the railroad tracks, or some other life imprinting memory.

Put yourself with all your focus into others lives. They will never forget you took the TIME to LOVE them!!

This is probably already old news to the mortgage experts in the group but for Realtors and consumers the government backed FHA loan limits changed recently and they vary depending on the price of homes around the country. This on one hand makes securing these loans more achievable in higher priced home areas but adds to the confusion of what the new loan limits are.

Also FHA financing can come to the rescue in many compromised credit situations. Bottom line is it opens the door to obtaining good financing for many more buyers. Work with your mortgage professional to see if FHA is a program that will work for you as a buyer or buyer representative.

Here is an informational web site to get the limits for your particular area:

FHA Mortgage Limits

Many years ago on TV they had short segments of music played and you had to guess the title of the song. The show called Name That Tune reminded me of a secret a Stager told me once about presenting homes and home buyers reactions. It's called

                    NAME THAT HOUSE

It's a little game you play whether you are a caravan of Realtors, a buyer, or a Stager that sees the problems with why a house is not selling RIGHT AWAY.

For example, a common one is the smokey house from the cigarette smoke. The house with the chipped sink. The house with the pool with the dirty water and the leaves in it. You get the picture. I had one in an earlier post called the Moosehead house.

Why do people let their houses get labeled and not use great common sense or a Stager's approach to making them presentable? Cause they fail to understand they are not selling a place where they are living but a "product" that is in competition with others.

Don't be labeled. Be neutral. Be a GREAT product and then when priced right your home will have a very good chance to sell much quicker than the average one.

If you have any of your favorite NAME THAT HOUSE stories, please share. I'm sure there are thousands of them.

In working with buyers of real estate over time you definitely get to learn about life as well. Not only do you learn the specifics of the next home they are seeking but you learn about their dreams, families, even whether you intended to or not, problems in their daily lives.

We all have issues and problems we have to deal with on a weekly basis. Our career issues, health related situations, repair problems with the automobile, etc.

With relationship difficulties whether they be with spouses, in-laws, children or friends, they tend to be the most challenging to navigate.

Listening to many talk with me about such things I have concluded that one technique of those who are better with relationships have discovered the force.

I call this AN UNDERRATED FORCE IN OUR LIVES.

What is that you may ask? It is the power of FORGIVENESS.

We don't naturally want to forgive anyone. Why should we? They have wronged us. Also, how can you forgive someone when the pain they caused us hurts so much? The only answer I have to that one is it may take time. The time is right when you are ready for it. The revelation I have had from listening to others and practicing forgiveness myself is it is all about freedom. Forgiveness is not about THEM at all it is about YOU. I am a big believer in letting go and steering clear of negativity in all facets of life. Because negativity just eats away at your inside. Forgiveness sets you free from the attachment to the pain.

So my recommendation: When the time is right, PRACTICE FORGIVENESS!

Biblically, it is said that if you show mercy then mercy will be shown unto you as well as to continue to forgive, like seven times seventy.

Forgiveness is not something we do for other people, we do it for ourselves to get well and move on.

Tap into this underrated force and discover freedom and peace.

The news media is pounding us lately on the foreclosures and the continuing decline of the housing market. Bad news happens. Not only in real estate but if you look around in life (or turn on the evening news) it just seems to be in abundance everywhere you look. Many in real estate who struggle are wondering if this is the business they really want to stay in.

Storms happen in life. They always have. And they always will. But rainbows and good things follow storms. Did you know that a rainbow was a promise? Darkness would not be forever and that goodness will always remain with us.

In a metaphorical sense we need to carry the image of the rainbow with us in our hearts always. Even in the midst of tremendous strain we can be ok. We have friends and family that love us. We have a God that loves us. Hang on to those things in your life that are a promise. Things that are a rock. Build your foundation on rock where the storms of life cannot wash you away.

       Are You Having a Rainbow Day?

If you have that rainbow inside where no darkness or storm can ever get at it you will have all the beauty you need to make your way through anything that life throws at you.

Some great musicians have come and gone who knew this. Listen to the beauty sung by the late great Hawaiian Israel (Iz) Kamakawiwo'ole

Somewhere Over the Rainbow (What a  Wonderful World)

I came across a Texas specialty builder in my backyard that I wanted to bring to your attention. It's called Monolithic Dome Institute out of Italy, TX. They make dome shaped buildings and homes and this is a little bit about what I learned about them.

The construction costs are similar to custom homes and a little higher than tract homes. They give you about 75% savings on the energy costs which translates to about 50% savings on the bill. They have even in the Pensacola area been known to survive a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan. They have good insulation across the roof with a composite of rebar and concrete laid on it.

My question for many, is I wonder how the resale is on these, because while they have many advantages, they are VERY different! I wonder.

I know I am thinking too much lately but that has been a strong suit of mine - reflection on life. I asked myself why do I love working with buyers and sellers and have a passion for real estate?

It came down to three reasons:

                     SMILES

I just love seeing people achieve their dreams. A home to sell or a home to buy is a big move in your life and when it all comes together it equals big smiles. Who could not help liking facilitating that?

Then there is the next reason I like this business and activity:

                           GOOD FEELINGS

Where else can you partner with others on an emotional level to generate such good will?

Helping people come up with good feelings in their life just makes the world a better place to live in.

And finally, the thing I most enjoy about real estate is

                 MEMORIES

You launch people into hopefully many years of joyful living in a home where they raise families, invite friends over, share their home with grandparents or new in-laws, the list goes on and on.

It doesn't get any better than providing people with the potential and possibilities of wonderful memories.

Do all you others in the real estate industry share similar people related highs some days about this focus of work we have chosen? It amazes me the richness that is there for our experience.

In reading many articles in newspapers and blogs about various Realtor's backyards I am one to note and learn about each one of them. I never dismiss the words about the snow in Idaho, the flowers in Central Park, the skiing in Utah, the historic homes in Buffalo Grove, IL, the job market in Maple Valley or Bellingham, Washington, or the beauty of Charlottesville, VA. Mainly a) I might live there someday, b) I have a passion for all living areas and c) I need to know some basic information about other areas of the country for relocating people into or out of my area.

So today's post is a little bit about Texas, Dallas-Ft. Worth in particular, and a little bit about FUN!

For those who aren't that familiar with the "Metroplex" it is the fourth largest metro area in the country, comprising four major counties and eleven or twelve counties in all.

To make this short, it is a VERY affordable area of the country with lots of things to do. Our job market also is strong here. A recent informational web site (besides all those REALTOR web sites) was set up to get some quick facts out on DFW.

It's called DFWHousingFacts.org

One other fact about that "affordability" I mentioned - in 2007 a report released this week by Global Insight and financial holding company National City Corp ranked Dallas with its $134,500 median home price as 30% undervalued nationwide. On the other end of the scale, Miami with a $293,100 median home price was 43.1% overvalued. So you do get a lot for your money here.

Another thing, Texas and the DFW area is a FRIENDLY place. We all don't own oil wells but natural gas well mineral rights are getting to be a new thing around here. We're so friendly, even our horses are part of our family.

Enjoy.  Patches The Coolest Horse    (3:29)