New Year’s Resolutions in Real Estate

The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions can be traced all the way back to 153 BC. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar, and thus the first month of the year was named on his behalf.
Today, those of us that use the 365 day solar calendar celebrate New Years January 1, whereas the Chinese for instance use a lunar calendar and their new year begins sometime between January 19 and February 21.

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Regardless of when various , it appears that all cultures have a universal day of new beginnings with good luck rituals, some of which are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

In researching the internet, it appears that the most common New Year solutions have to do with health issues such as losing weight, exercising more, and quitting smoking. Financial considerations such as getting out of debt, moving or buying a new home and saving more money. And finally matters of the heart, such as helping others, spending more time with friends and family, and spiritual improvement.

Research has shown that by making too many resolutions, (as most overachieving Americans do), we set ourselves up for failure: the fewer the resolutions the higher the success rate. However, I believe that even with one resolution, we easily commit ourselves to an unobtainable goal because deep down inside one of two things exist: we truly don’t believe we deserve to succeed, or we aren’t educated on what action we need take in order to succeed.

For example, if one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to loose weight, there are hundreds, if not thousands of nutrition and diet books and personal fitness trainers out there to educate you on how to accomplish your goal. However, on a much deeper level if you don’t believe you deserve to have a slim and fit body, and believe how that fit and slim body will change your life, then you will not succeed.
As Realtors, if one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to improve your living situation or purchase a new home, we can show you the steps you must take in order to buy your home.

As in loosing weight, you will need to make sacrifices such as keeping your old car and having one bathroom, you will need to take steps (getting pre-approved for a loan and cleaning up your credit file), you will need to explore options (consider other neighborhoods where homes are more affordable), and you will need to take action (writing an offer and closing the escrow). However, just as in loosing weight, if you don’t believe you are deserving of a new home, then all assistance your Realtor can give you will not give you the strength and courage to purchase new home.

You may wonder why a family that has an adequate down payment, the income and job security to qualify for a loan, all the resources at their fingertips to buy a home, chooses not to and remain renters for years upon years. Well it happens, and it happens a lot. It’s my opinion you must believe you deserve whatever it is you are wishing for. If you truly believe you deserve something- then that knowledge gives you the strength and courage to step outside the box, and go out and get it. Buying a home is a scary thing to do- it’s a lot of stress, anxiety and work. Loosing weight, quitting smoking, spending more time with friends and family, believe it or not, are equally frightening. May you have the strength to achieve your goals in 2006, to affirm your resolutions, and if buying a home is one of them—call a Realtor for help.