-Excerpt from Jim Rohn’s Blog

I’M TAKEN!

Address  |  815 W Arnaz

MLS  |  98480978

5 bed  |  3.5 bath  |  3093 square feet

Builder  |  Tahoe Homes

Community  |  Paramount

Talk to us about building this floorplan again for you! 208.871.5288

I’M TAKEN!

Address  |  406 W Valentino

MLS  |  98469912

Price  |  $210,800

3 bed  |  2 bath  |  1860 square feet

Builder  |  Tahoe Homes

Community  |  Paramount

PRICE JUST REDUCED!

Single level living in a park setting! The Redford by Tahoe Homes is a masterfully designed single level plan with a beautifully laid-out open living area and lots of daylight. The master suite includes a corner soaker tub and full walk-in shower. Split third car garage bay makes room for potential shop space. Designer finishes throughout: granite, hardwood, stainless appliances. The open space and upscale finishes take this home to the next level.

This is one of the last new Paramount homes available that back up into the park and swimming pool- and that means no rear neighbors- so don’t let this premiere location slip through your fingers!

I’M TAKEN!

Address  |  401 W Valentino

MLS  |  98483378

Price  |  $174,900

3 bed  |  2 bath  |  1303 square feet

Builder  |  Tahoe Homes

Community  |  Paramount

PRICE JUST REDUCED!

The Willow by Tahoe Homes is a must see craftsman-style alley loaded home w/granite countertops, stainless appliances, full tile back splash, custom cabinets, and gorgeous hardwood floors. A generous use of windows maximize light, the inviting open floor plan is perfect for entertaining, and extensive craftsman trim work is continued throughout this beautiful home. The Willow offers a low maintenance yard designed with privacy in mind. Don’t miss the 18′ garage door, extra shop space & attic trusses designed to maximize storage. Smart and lovely single level!

I told him I wanted to add something special to my end of year retrospective and asked if he could send me “a couple of anecdotes that I could include”….Boy did I get more than I expected.

Here then, courtesy of Frederik, a look back at the role we’ve played…enjoy.

1908: NAR’s first political act was taken on May 13, 1908, one day after the association had been created.   The members of the newly-formed organization passed & sent to the White House a resolution expressing support for President Theodore Roosevelt’s environmental conservation measures:

“…We view with dismay and alarm the present needless waste of our natural resources.  We are also displeased with the unnecessary slowness with which our legislators grasp the great importance of the development of our waterways and harbors. We are pleased and delighted with the broad view and the comprehensive grasp of these matters with which our President in endowed….  Resolved, that the members of the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges, without regard to party affiliations, do pledge to our President, our Governors and legislators, our hearty and unqualified support, and we do urge and entreat our representatives to do all in their power to speedily bring about such legislation as will conserve our resources, develop our waterways, and improve our harbors.”

1912: Nathan William MacChesney, NAR’s general counsel from 1908-1942, wrote the first model real estate license law, which was eventually (beginning in 1919) adopted by nearly all of the state legislatures.

1912: Three NAR members, all from Winnipeg, perish in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

1917: The association offers the services of its members to the federal government for the purposes of procuring land for the war effort. President Woodrow Wilson later sent a letter to NAR thanking Realtors for their services to the country.

1930: Real estate associations around the country organize special divisions to work towards establishing fairer property tax laws.

1931:  NAR published an article in the Magazine of Wall Street calling for the creation of a central mortgage bank to help stabilize long-term mortgage credit.  The idea caught the attention of President Hoover and eventually went on to become the Federal Home Loan Bank Law of 1932, creating the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

1934:  The NAR-backed Federal Housing Administration is created.

1938:  NAR lobbies Congress to pass amendments to the Federal Housing Act of 1934, creating the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and ensure a steady flow of low-cost funds for mortgage lending.

1945:  By the end of World War II, 1,143 Realtors had served in the armed forces and 19 died while in military service.

1952:  NAR establishes the Build America Better program to help revitalize depressed urban neighborhoods.

1953:  Ronald Chinnock, NAR president in 1954, establishes a committee within NAR to assist cities in preparing for the hydrogen bomb.

1961:  As the Berlin Wall is being built, NAR sends a call to action to its 70,000 members to contact the government expressing their support to “help our President act in confidence to ‘Break Down the Wall.’”

1965:  NAR President Maurice Read speaks out on the beginnings of a new problem affecting many areas, urban sprawl.

1975:  President Art Leitch and other NAR leaders work with HUD officials to clarify REALTORS’ responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.

1976:  In honor of the U.S. bicentennial, NAR leaders present an original painting of Uncle Sam to President Ford for exhibition at the Smithsonian.

1977:  During the national energy crisis, NAR begins a program to promote energy conservation in the home.

1989:  NAR begins lobbying state legislatures to establish seller disclosure and agency disclosure laws.

1999:  ”Within These Walls,” an exhibition on the history of housing at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is sponsored by NAR.

2001:  Within 48 hours of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, NAR establishes the Housing Relief Fund, which raises and distributes over $8 million to assist with housing costs for families of the victims.

2004:  NAR opens its new Washington building, the first newly constructed, LEED-certified green building in the capital city.

2006:  15 months after Hurricane Katrina, NAR holds its annual conference in New Orleans, where thousands of REALTORS take part in rebuilding projects around the city.

…and my own postscript…

2011:  NAR redefines its mission…”We will save housing and homeownership in America”.

Happy New Year!

Marc Lebowitz, ACAR

I realized that no matter how hard one works, there will still be work waiting for you the next day. This led me to think about prioritizing and using my time more wisely next year so that I can enjoy these quiet moments more.

I had time to think about of my friends that I’d really like to spend more time with this year, and so I will be sure to schedule further in advance so as to not let time just slip away with our busy days, weeks and months.

I’ve decided to schedule my mornings even more efficiently. With small children, it’s easy to get carried away in the chaos of getting ready for work and school each day. If I can capture an hour or two before the house begins to stir, I might start the day a little less harried and enjoy the silliness that breakfast typically brings.

I realized how important it is to see my family more often, and I think they realized it too. The kids grow up fast and the moments are gone before you know it. I think we have pretty firm dates already for a visit from my parents, a repeat trip to Florida with her grandparents for my daughter, and my sister is trying to nail down a date for her family to come to Boise this summer.

And then, the crème de la crème of the week. At the tail end of our trip, we decided to visit Washington, D.C., the place where my husband and I met, to show our children the city they hear so much about, and for my daughter to be able to actually see the landmarks we’ve shown her in books. This was the most defining moment of my trip. My 4 ½ year old daughter, Maeve, taught me more in this 24 hour period than I’ve learned all year. Here’s what I learned:

• Running up and down steps 25 times at any given memorial or large building can be exhilarating. I think of that as exercise, she thinks of it as pure joy and giggle worthy.
• Things are much bigger in real life than in books. No matter how much we all read in our family, it’s totally worth traveling to see what the world really looks like. She was in awe of how big everything was and how beautiful the buildings are in D.C.
• Jumping on a hotel bed is really, really fun. And just ask your 19 month old brother, how much fun it is to play with a phone that has a cord. Who would’ve thought that phones could actually have cords! Life changes fast, technology is amazing, but sometimes, the old stuff is pretty great too.
• Even at 4, a person can be moved by the statues of our soldiers. “They probably missed their children, Mommy.”
• “Washington is a very important place, Mommy”. Yes, it is, and I understand now why it’s so important for our Country to be run by leaders who understand that it’s not about them, it’s about the people of the country.

I could go on and on about all of the clever things I learned from my children during that brief visit, but what I learned mostly from them is to savor the moments of each day. Life is short, we only get one shot, and with all of the connectivity we have today, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly running around like a chicken with your head cut off.

My vow for 2012 is to work on my balance. Still work just as hard, but pay attention to life’s happiest moments: jumping on beds, running up steps, looking around at the beauty the world offers and finding the simple joys in just living.

I wish for balance for you too, and that in 2012 you laugh a little more, worry a little less and find the joy in almost everything.

Happy New Year!

Kit

Assorted tips, hope they help

1. No stranger or unknown company will ever contact you by mail or by phone with an actual method for making money easily or in your spare time. And if the person or company contacting you asserts that they are someone you know, double check before taking action.
2. Don’t have back surgery. See a physiatrist first, then exhaust all other options before wondering if you should have back surgery.
3. Borrow money to buy things that go up in value, but never to get something that decays over time.
4. Placebos are underrated by almost everyone.
5. It’s almost never necessary to use a semicolon.
6. Seek out habits that help you overcome fear or inertia. Destroy those that do the opposite.
7. Cognitive behavorial therapy is generally considered both the quickest and most effective form of addressing many common psychological problems.
8. Backup your hard drive.
9. Get a magnetic key hider, put a copy of your house key in it and hide it really well, unlabeled, two blocks from your house.
10. A rice cooker will save you time and money and improve your diet, particularly if you come to like brown rice.
11. Consider not eating wheat for an entire week. The results might surprise you.
12. Taking your dog for a walk is usually better than whatever alternative use of your time you were considering.

Told you they were assorted.

Visit Seth Godin’s Blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

View our available Cedar Edge homes here!

Pending home sales rose strongly in October and remain above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, surged 10.4 percent to 93.3 in October from 84.5 in September and is 9.2 percent above October 2010 when it stood at 85.5. The data reflects contracts but not closings.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said improved contract activity is a hopeful sign. “Home sales have been plodding along at a sub-par level while interest rates are hovering at record lows and there is a pent-up demand from buyers who normally would have entered the market in recent years. We hope this is indicates more buyers are taking advantage of the excellent affordability conditions,” he said.

“Many consumers are recognizing that home buyers in the past two years have had one of the lowest default rates in history. Moreover, continued inventory declines are another healthy sign for the housing market,” Yun added.

The PHSI in the Northeast surged 17.7 percent to 71.3 in October and is 3.4 percent above October 2010. In the Midwest the index jumped 24.1 percent to 88.7 in October and remains 13.2 percent above a year ago. Pending home sales in the South rose 8.6 percent in October to an index of 99.5 and are 9.7 percent higher than October 2010. In the West the index slipped 0.3 percent to 105.5 in October but is 8.1 percent above a year ago.

“Although contract signings are up, not all contracts lead to closings. Many potential home buyers inadvertently hurt their credit scores and chances of getting a mortgage through easily averted actions, such as cancelling an old credit line while taking on a new one,” Yun said. “Such actions could unwittingly prevent buyers from obtaining a mortgage if their credit score is close the margins of qualifying, or they might get a loan but with less favorable terms.”

NAR encourages consumers to be aware of their credit score and actions which could hurt or enhance it. HouseLogic.com, the association’s consumer website devoted to all aspects of homeownership, offers tips for improving credit scores at http://buyandsell.houselogic.com/articles/7-tips-improving-your-credit/.