5 Things Most Realtors Won't Tell You (Part 2)

Yep, I finally did it...Part 2!  Sorry for the delay.  I know you must have been eagerly awaiting.  I'm sorry...I was out selling real estate!

Do you ever wonder about the secrets of the real estate industry?  I probably would if I wasn't a Realtor myself.  I'm sharing some of our secrets with you here!

And there you have it.  Leaving room for negotiating isn't always best!  Price your property within the market to avoid becoming a stale listing.  Stale listings lose money!

Contact me today to get a free value of your property!

5 Things Most Realtors Won't Tell You! (Part One)

Ever wonder the inside scoop on real estate?

Here it goes.  Here are 5 things that are a reality in the real estate industry and that most real estate agents won't tell you!

Visit my website for more Seller and Buyer tips and to search for properties: www.indyreexperts.com.

Stay tuned over the coming days and weeks (I don't do car videos regularly...just when I feel really inspired!) for tips 2, 3, 4, and 5!

Looking for stuff to do in Indy?  Visit www.interestingindianapolis.com

Always Best Care is Always the Best for Seniors in Northeast Indy!

I'm sitting here with Paul Roberts, President of Always Best Care, a home care service for Seniors on the northeast side of Indianapolis.  Paul is pasionate about helping Seniors inside the home, but what makes his company unique is that Paul also helps to place seniors in senior communities once they can no longer stay in the home.

Paul has developed relationships with Senior Communities in Indianapolis and continues to build those relationships.  He told me that he has even eaten in most of the communities in his service area!  This is important b/c not all food is created equally when it comes to Senior Communities in Indianapolis and Surrounding Areas!

If you or a loved one is considering a move into a Senior Community in Indianapolis, contact Paul Roberts right away!  He is pasionate about what he does and knows the Senior Communities in Indianapolis.

   

Paul Roberts, Always Best Care, Indianapolis, Indiana

Contact Paul Directly at 317.219.0420

REAL Indianapolis Senior Real Estate Experts are Hard to Find!

I'm a Realtor in Indianapolis and I specialize in the Senior Market.  You won't meet many of us who specialize in this market because there aren't many.  Not many of us who TRULY specialize with Seniors, anyway.

I've spent lots of time studying Seniors, their habits, their likes and dislikes, and their common issues and concerns.  I've also spent a lot of time getting to know professionals who work in the Senior Housing Industry.  Building theses relationships has been crucial to my business because this is how I add value to Seniors who are looking to downsize into lower or no maintenance living environments.  I'll be honest, I don't have all the answers, but through the professional relationships I've built and continue to build, I'm able to direct my clients to professionals who have answers on specific topics.  This is very valuable because Senior Citizens are taken advantage of the most among other demographics.

In the video below, I've outlined three reasons why its best to hire me as the Senior Move Expert for yourself or for a loved one.  I have a heart for seniors and so does everyone else on my team of experts.

Part 5 of 5 on Balance, Balance, Balance!

We've finally come to our last part of this 5 Part Series on Balance.  It's sort of sad, huh?  :  )  I'll have to think of a 5 Part Series on something else to share.  We would have been done with this series days sooner, but you know what?  Life happens and there are some days when the last thing I want to do is write a blog.  

There I said it.  That was pretty easy, right?  Which leads me to the last tip on Balance:

Be honest with yourself and with others.

No, I mean REALLY be honest.  Take off that mask you're wearing that tells others "I am great!" "I'm so happy!" "My life is perfect!" "I can do it all, I can have kids AND a career!" "My marriage is fantastic, I have the BEST husband EVER!"  Shut up, because while we may be great at a few things, there are things that we flat out SUCK at, we're not ALWAYS happy, our lives AREN'T perfect, we can't do it all and do it all well, sometimes MARRIAGE STINKS, and sometimes HUSBAND'S SUCK!  How's that for honesty?

This topic has been hitting me hard lately.  I've heard sermons on it, read blogs about it, attended a seminar last week on it.  Now more than ever is the time to be 100%, walls down, masks off, completely and utterly honest with ourselves and with others.  Do you know that it is a FACT that people prefer honesty even when it means not hearing exactly what they want to hear?  And that honesty can actually improve your health?  Its true.

Of course, there is always a gentle way to say about everything while being honest and not hurting anyone's feelings or cutting people down.  Yet, the main person honesty is important to most is to ourselves.  When we're honest with ourselves, we are loving ourselves, respecting ourselves for who we are-who we've become and what we are becoming.  Is there something you're not being completely honest with yourself about?  Take a moment and really think about it.  Is there?  How does that area of your life make you feel?

When I'm honest with myself and with others, I usually see things clearly.  I can easily find solutions to problems.  

So that's it.  There's no GRAND FINALE to the end of this 5 Part Series on Balance.  Here is a summary, though, on the 5 Tips I've shared over the last several days:

1. Be okay when things fall through the cracks.  We're human.  Don't beat yourself up over it.
2. Take a nap!  Know your body and give it some much needed rest, for cryn' out loud!  Even if it means sleeping in your car. :  )
3. TIME BLOCK!  Time block everything.  This might be one of the most popular, yet under-used tips out there.  IT WORKS!
4. Pray, Meditate, and Journal.  Let your feelings out.  Pray about issues you're having, meditate to clear your head of the nonsense, and keep an online and/or private journal to let your feelings out (instead of posting passive-aggressive status updates on Facebook, perhaps!) 
5. Be honest.  With yourself first, then with others.

I hope you've enjoyed my series.  Come back often for other fun and informative topics.  Contact me for questions, and leave comments if your are so inclined.  Only HONEST ones, though!

    

Part 4 of 5: Series on Balance, Balance, Balance!

Let's get one thing straight: I am FAR from perfect.  I'm no "Super Mom" or someone who effortlessly juggles it all.  TRUST me!  You could even ask some of my close friends and family members...they will probably tell you  I'm a complete scatter brain, I have a horrible memory, and I'm a weirdo half the time.  

So when I'm writing on Balance, its partly b/c I KNOW (at least I hope!) there are others of you out there who feel stretched to the max at times and wonder how you will get through the day let alone the weeks, months, or years.  I want to help you...and I also want to help myself.  I learn best when I write things or go over and over and over them 100's of times!  This isn't my first rodeo on Balance and I'm positive it won't be my last.  We all have to continually remind ourselves to balance, breathe, relax, and enjoy life.  This is just one reminder among many for myself and for you, too.  I hope you get at least one nugget from this series.

So...#4.  

Are you ready for this?    

Meditate, pray, and journal.  Okay, that's it.  Thanks for reading.  Ha!  You wish it were that simple, right?

Meditation is described in Wikipedia as:

a practice in which an individual trains the mind and/or induces a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit, although it can be argued that meditation is a goal in and of itself.

You see that last part?  ..."a goal in and of itself."  The Mayo Clinic even says meditation is a stress reliever.  When we reduce stress in our lives, so much other stuff falls into place.  

Take running late, for instance.  Over the last year (and yes, its taken me a year and even now I'm still working on it), I have been focusing on not over booking myself b/c I have a horrible habit of over booking myself, running late, speeding, getting speeding tickets, having the rest of my day run late, being flustered, having crazy road rage, and screaming at everything and everyone in my path.  Imagine the stress relief I've found in restricting my schedule to a few key appointments with plenty of drive time in between appointments and even arriving early sometimes!

Those times when I'm running early?  That's when I meditate!  It only takes 2 minutes to STOP EVERYTHING, close your eyes, focus on breathing, and clear your head of the madness. Someone really smart taught me we have to clear the clutter to make room for the new blessings in our lives.  Meditation clears the mental clutter.

Praying is very similar to meditation.  Its a personal thing, and depending on a person's spirituality, prayer may mean something different.  Whatever or whoever your Source is, your Inner Voice, your Spirit, Conscious or whatever else It may be called...that's who we pray to.  I pray to the Lord, each day to be in control of my thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.  It is a minute by minute thing and there is no doubt I need Him to be in control of my life b/c I certainly am not!  

Journaling is similar to writing a blog.  Blogging is a web log of whatever someone wants to write about.  A journal may be something a little more personal.  I find that when I journal, I've figured at least one thing out-I've self discovered, that is.  Its a wonderful thing and a safe place to turn to for an outlet. This is the online journal I use and I love it!

Remember: Meditate, Pray, and Journal!  You're on your way!

   

Guest Blogger, Lorraine Ball, on TAKING A BREAK!

My Guest Blogger today is Lorraine Ball.  Lorraine usually focuses her blogs on business development and marketing, since that's her specialty.  I was struct when I ready her blog post below about taking vacations b/c it goes right along with my 5 Part Series on Balance.  Thank you, Lorraine, for the reminder to TAKE A BREAK!  

I love going on vacation. I love going new places and seeing new things. But in the early years of Roundpeg, I let the fear of being away from the business keep me from going away for more then a few days at a time.

Skipping vacations is a a common mistake business owners make. What is the point of running your own business if it doesn’t give you the freedom to enjoy your life along the way?

You need to take a vacation.  Why?  Well besides the obvious benefits of rest and relaxation, here is a list of my top reasons to take a vacation:

1)   Clear your head – Bogged down with the day-to-day of running a business, you don’t have time to step back and think of the big picture. A long plane flight gives you a chance to unplug and think about your business from a distance.

2)   Inspiration – The brain works in mysterious ways when you let it. Seeing something completely unrelated to your business, a beautiful painting or amazing architecture, will sometimes start of stream of consciousness that allows you to come up with something out of the box.

3)  Grow your team -  When you are in the office it is easy for your team to bring every problem and decision to you. When you are not there, talented professionals will step up and handle things. This works well if you have given them guidelines before you left, and told them you would back their decision

4)  Get feedback – as your team handles your job, they often see things you have just accepted. Returning from a vacation is a great time to talk about systems and processes.

So after eight years, I started taking vacations. Of course technology has made it easy to stay on touch. With my iPad, I can forward emails that have to get handled right away, or chat with my team via Skype form anywhere in the world. The trick is to plan quick check-ins and then get back to your vacation

I wrote this post as I was resting my feet after a long day of touring. I found a strong WiFi signal in a street corner cafe in Madrid. I wrote as I  enjoyed the view and a great cup of cafe con leche, both of which I will miss when I return home. But only for a little while, until it’s time to take my next vacation.

If you need help with Marketing, Lorraine is your girl!  Call today at 317.569.1396