Gary Woltal's Blog

Someone accused me of being the master of the analogy. So I will come up with another one this day. The process of buying a home and going through the whole transaction and settling in your new place is like being part of a campfire.

You remember those fun events from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, family camping trips, or visits to Jellystone.

Like in real estate, many people contribute a twig or some kindling to build the event with some small branches and then logs thrown on the fire to get the whole thing going. Supporters and contributors all, to make the final product a great lifestyle.

You move into your new place, it is warm and inviting. There is a sing along perhaps, children running around their new rooms, or playing with the neighborhood kids. This is what I think the American Dream and all those that work so hard in the housing industry do to make this event possible. It's all about getting to that happy place and enjoying that happy feeling. 

So there you have another analogy from me. Just make sure all those good people, like your dedicated REALTOR and team, are invited over to toast those marshmallows as the fire's embers die down. We like to taste a little bit of that sweetness too.

The amount of information pouring into our brains from the media lately about the real estate market is incredible. Regional prices up or down, number of foreclosures, current interest rates, builders earning numbers, avg. square footages, latest amenities.

Like life in general, going into the future seems more complex each day.

They say we all in our mind think we had our lives all together at some ideal age in the past. For the sake of this post for me I am going to say age 4 or 5. Playing with blocks, learning to tie a knot on old Mother Hubbard's big shoe, fingerpainting - ah those WERE THE DAYS. Come home from kindergarten to milk and cookies. LIFE WAS GOOD.

From this little reminiscence of past life I have concluded that in addition to gratefulness a key to your happiness is to remember the simple things and simplify.

It allows you to hear your inner rhythm, your inner voice. You don't have to subscribe to every on-line zine you come across. You really don't need to answer 500 emails a day. Learning to simplify can lead to a better sense of overall happiness. Do you need all those gizmos on that new car you are thinking about purchasing? I've had some comment back to me they wish they could go back to cars without electric windows so they wouldn't eventually break.

Even though this example is high tech, my latest example of simplifying was to create more folders with categories to store my files in. Now I don't have random icons all over my desktop. It feels so much better.

I even think texting and instant messaging can stress us out cause it takes so darn long with all thumbs to type that message out. How about picking up the phone and having a real conversation? Much simpler!

Maybe if we can keep that K I S S rule in mind all the time, Keep It Simple Stupid, we would be much better off, and much happier too.

As consumers we all think we are junior REALTORS. Look at all the For Sale By Owners out there. Fact is, there is a lot to learn about selling a house. What if you live in an area like Texas that may have mineral rights associated with a house? How do you structure that deal if you want to keep the mineral rights? Not so easy.

Think of hiring professionals in the real estate industry as a paint by number painting. They guide you to creating your masterpiece with their directions. They outline the colors, the steps, and hand walk you through the process. When buying properties they can point out that you don't know what you don't know. Never had granite countertops? Here's the range to choose from. Or, what are the latest pool designs?

They continue to assist you in your "Paint by number" painting with advice on lenders, repair people, title companies, inspectors, stagers - another color here, another color there. Now, your painting is done and guess what? Everyone thinks YOU'RE the expert. Wasn't there really a sense of accomplishment as we did a paint by numbers artwork? But all along remember, you needed that support and the boundaries and the choice of colors. But in the end I must say it turned out quite beautiful. You really are an artist, aren't you? We just won't tell anyone about all those little helpers that assist you in making your life oh so colorful!