Archive for February, 2012

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Healthy Saturdays: More Chemicals?!

By Kira Olson | February 28th, 2012 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, Yahoo News revealed the gruesome truth about ammonium hydroxide (aka pink slime) in McDonald’s hamburger meat.  This week, the public talk is about arsenic, a poisonous chemical classified as a Class 1 carcinogen, often used in herbicides and pesticides.  According to the EPA, “arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate.”  Other side effects of consumption can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, partial paralysis and blindness.

Where is arsenic found?  It exists not only in meat products but also in the American water supply.  In animal products, the purpose of using arsenic is to reduce production costs and create aesthetically pleasing meat.  According to labels on chicken feed with arsenic, the products claim “increased rate of weight gain, improved feed efficiency and improved pigmentation.”  Unfortunately, some arsenic stays in the environment, meaning vegetable crops can also be affected by unsafe factory farming practices.

According to a recent Dartmouth College study, products sweetened with brown rice syrup such as organic infant formulas, cereal bars and sports foods may contain unsafe arsenic levels.  Brown rice syrup is a common alternative to high fructose corn syrup, especially in “organic” products.  The contamination is believed to be a result of “traditional cultivation of rice products previously used for pesticide-reliant cotton farming.”  In the study, one infant milk formula containing rice was found to contain 6 times the arsenic allowed in drinking water (10 parts per billion)!  This is of particular concern, since the lower body weight in infants may increase exposure risks.

Earlier this year, a Consumer Reports investigation uncovered significant levels of arsenic in apple and grape juices as well – out of 88 samples tested, about 10% of juices (from 5 brands) were found with excessive levels of inorganic arsenic.  In response, U.S. Congress introduced a bill to limit the amounts of arsenic allowed in juice products (“APPLE Juice Act of 2012”).

Although changes are being made and the word is getting out about these chemicals in our foods, more needs to be done to advocate for health and safety issues.  Currently, there are no U.S. regulations for arsenic in food.

Be the Difference
Tell the FDA: Set Arsenic Limits in Fruit Juice – http://www.change.org/petitions/commissioner-food-and-drug-administration-set-arsenic-limits-in-fruit-juice-to-protect-kids

Come hear ProAnox speak about Why New Years Resolutions Don’t Work and learn strategies for success this Tuesday, 2/28, at 6pm at Intero Santana Row!

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The Consigliere Files: The Fannie and Freddie Mortgage Forbearance Program

By Christopher Moles | February 27th, 2012 0 Comments

This month, Freddie Mac instituted a revised policy which offers 12 months forbearance to certain borrowers who fall behind on payments after losing employment. A similar revised program will be rolled out by Fannie Mae on March 1st.

Forbearance and the Program

Forbearance is a special accommodation made by lenders to borrowers which temporarily postpones the borrower’s contractual duty to make a payment. Forbearance is not debt forgiveness. Interest accrues as dictated by the contract and the debt remains. However, borrowers are not required to make periodic payments during the forbearance period.

The mortgage forbearance programs of Fannie and Freddie each grant a 12 month forbearance period to certain unemployed borrowers. The program is not guaranteed, and there are specific criteria that must be demonstrated before a borrower may qualify for forbearance consideration. Those criteria are as follows:

  1. The mortgage must be secured by the borrower’s primary residence (second homes and vacation/investment properties will not qualify);
  2. The borrower must document recent loss of employment;
  3. The borrower must demonstrate that forbearance can reasonably prevent default;
  4. The borrower’s monthly expenses generally must exceed the household monthly gross income by more than 31%;
  5. The borrower may not have cash reserves in excess on 1 year’s estimated expenses; and
  6. The home cannot be financed with an Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured, Veterans Affairs (VA)-insured or Rural Housing mortgage.

If a borrower qualifies and is granted forbearance, the borrower is relieved from his duty to make payments for up to 12 months. During that time, the borrower is not considered in default and credit agencies are informed that the borrower is “paying as agreed.”

The Goal

Of course, the idea is that these types of programs will help keep people in their homes after unexpected job loss. All lenders who offer forbearance do so with hopes that the forbearance period will be time enough for the borrower to get “back on his feet” and in a position to pay his debt as originally agreed. However, forbearance in this housing market has become much less common amongst private lenders because the issue is not so much under-employment but over-leveraged property. After forbearance, many borrowers end up right back where they were 12 months earlier – stuck making payments on a loan valued much more than the property, plus 12 months of accrued interest.

Time will tell whether these programs have any meaningful impact on borrowers and the housing market. More information on the programs can be found here.

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Monday Morning Mojo: Do It, Delegate It, or Delete It

By Tom Tognoli | February 27th, 2012 0 Comments

Do It, Delegate It, or Delete It

By Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Intero Real Estate, Inc.

Come on….You have 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 emails in your inbox.   Like you are ever going to go back to email number 3,498 and deal with it.  I know we have the best of intentions to go back and deal with it, but you are dreaming.  It is not going to happen or by the time you do, it is going to be too late and the person who sent you the email is going to feel like you have blown them off.

I find it completely mind bogging the number of emails most people have in their inbox…not to mention the number of saved voicemails. I know some of you may find this sick, but I go to bed with my email and voicemail inboxes empty everyday…and I get over 300 emails and probably 20 voicemails a day.   I know this may not be a typical Monday Morning MOJO topic, but this is truly one of those things I see holding so many people back in life and business.  People are completely overwhelmed and behind because they fail to act and instead procrastinate…not just on email, but on everything.  Ladies and Gentlemen, today with the amount of information we have coming at us each and every day we need to be able to evaluate information quickly and act on it…not procrastinate on it.  Because if we do not evaluate and act we continue to bury ourselves deeper and deeper until we eventually suffocate ourselves, our businesses, and our lives.

We are in the information age, and information is coming at us like a rushing river.  It is never going to slow down…it is only going to increase and get faster so get over it and quit complaining.  Embrace it and look at it as an opportunity, not a detriment to your business and life.  To succeed in business and life we need to DEAL WITH IT!!!!  I hear many people say if you really need something call me, don’t email me.  Give me a break.  I am sure the same thing applied when the phone was first discovered.   People would say if you really need something jump on your horse and come see me or send me a letter, but don’t call me.  Does that make any sense today. No Way.  Neither does not doing it, deleting it or delegating it NOW.

Here is a little trick I do to keep on top of my emails.  I focus on deleting the not so important emails and spam throughout the day.  I don’t necessarily try and deal with everything that needs my attention immediately.  I simply try and whittle down my inbox throughout the day so that when I do sit down to work on replying and dealing with my email I can focus on things that really need my attention and not the junk or the things that I am simply cc’d on that do not require a reply…I just simply scan those throughout the day so I know what is going on and then delete them in the spare minutes I have between calls, meetings, and other stuff.  Reality of it is of the 300 emails I get a day probably only 30 to 50 require some kind of a response.   The rest are junk and/or things I am getting cc’d on.  I am sure the same thing applies to you.

Information is power, but only if we do it, delegate it or delete it.

Make it a great week!!!!!!

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Cool Apps: CloudOn Transforms Your iPad Into a True Mobile Workspace

By John Thompson | February 24th, 2012 0 Comments

Have an iPad but still struggling a bit with how to turn it into a killer on-the-go, anywhere and everywhere work station? You know, the kind in which you can seriously do anything, and access anything you need to get your work done without ever picking up another device to make that happen?

There’s a new productivity app for iPad that just may be your kismet calling. It’s called CloudOn, and it launched in the U.S. iTunes store in January. The cloud-based service offers full Microsoft Office capabilities and Dropbox integration, turning your iPad into a mobile workspace for those of us who use Microsoft programs (um, nearly the entire business world!).

Until now, using Microsoft and accessing documents made in Microsoft programs has been a sort of “hacked together,” less-than-awesome experience. But CloudOn enables you to access, create, edit and save all your Office documents while on the go. You’ll have to set up a Dropbox account (which is free for basic storage) if you don’t already have one as this is where your documents will be stored. Dropbox is a cloud-based service that enables users to save their documents and back up work that they can then access anywhere with an Internet connection.

With CloudOn, you can do most basic editing and creation functions in all Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. For example, you can edit and track changes in a Word doc, create pivot tables and formulas in an excel file, and view and edit presentations in PowerPoint. It’s not going to be as a robust experience as you’d get using the program directly on your laptop or desktop computer, but it’s pretty much all you’ll need for on-the-go work and productivity.

Imagine changing contracts and getting signatures on the fly – moving things along without being tethered to a full computer or hamstrung by location or circumstance. This business is about service and volume: master those and you’re golden. This is the type of app that can aid you tremendously in achieving that goal.

Microsoft is likely to come along and release an iPad app for Office at least by next year. In the meantime, you can check out CloudOn free in the iTunes app store. Embrace mobility!

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: Alain Pinel on Leadership

By Gino Blefari | February 23rd, 2012 0 Comments

After our recent Powertalk with the President feature Alain Pinel (see link below), I thought it’d be nice to switch things up a bit this week and discuss some of the leadership philosophies within our company.  Who better to highlight than a man whose 30 years in the real estate business have made him a leader with a solid track record.  Alain has an immense amount of experience building businesses in the real estate industry.  To accomplish what he has, he needed more than just experience; he had to be – and is, I might add – a great leader.

Here are some of the great leadership guidelines he follows to be successful every day:

  1. Dare to be different. Followers are legion; leaders are rare.  You need to distinguish yourself from others in your vision, your style and your message to have a chance to inspire people to follow your lead.  When you can convince not just a few but all those concerned, you have won.
  2. Don’t confuse leadership with management. We can only manage one person at a time and even then, we really manage activities, how to’s or numbers more than the person.  Leadership applies to groups of people who, together, deliberately choose to follow their leader.
  3. Be fair and considerate. You need to inspire trust and respect, two necessary leadership ingredients which you cannot win if your management style is divisive or discriminatory in any way.  Again, leadership is not for a few, it’s for all.
  4. Be consistent and sincere. You can change tactics and tweak strategy but you cannot easily – or should not- change your vision.  When you take that chance, you transform believers into skeptics and out goes your leadership.
  5. Be inspirational. Motivation comes and goes; inspiration lasts.  It is the engine that builds faith, transcends people and reshapes the world.  It makes believers and breeds commitment and mobilization.
  6. Challenge people. Leadership must be demanding or the leadership goes away progressively.  People do not respect and follow leaders who are not holding them accountable for what they do and coaching them to be better at what they do.
  7. Know your stuff. It is possible to fake knowledge for a while and train people to do what we cannot do ourselves, but watch out when people call our bluff.  Inspiration too may run short of steam when our industry knowledge is weak.
  8. Praise for a living. Never miss an opportunity to congratulate people for an achievement no matter how small.  When you do, those people develop a sense of pride and loyalty which often drives them to perform at a higher level just as a way to thank you for your attention.
  9. Focus on the strengths. Don’t waste much time trying to get a person to be good at what they hate doing.  It is smarter leadership to get a person to be better at what they are already good at.  It’s a win-win formula.
  10. Don’t forget to smile. It is contagious.  A happy environment is conducive to a productive environment.  It breeds happiness and confidence which further solidifies the desire to associate with you as a leader.  Nobody wants to bond with a sad face.

Thanks, Alain, for your contribution.

Check out more about Alain in our most recent Powertalk with the President where he goes in-depth about his past experiences and his view on the future of our business.

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Weekend Wellness: The Power of Positive Thinking

By Tammy Parkinson | February 21st, 2012 0 Comments

This past weekend my husband and I rode the Tour de Palm Springs Century.  We were told it was one of the “easier” centuries bike rides (is that an oxymoron).  We got up at 5:30 in the morning and were anxious to get on the route.  We needed to drive a bit to the race start then navigate our way into town amongst the hundreds of riders to get the route map.  In all the hype we ended up starting at about 7:30…right when the winds were starting; then all of a sudden we were in a high wind advisory.  Well, one should be concerned if the first 20 or so miles were around wind mills…hmmm…that says something doesn’t it?!

Here we are at mile 10 or so with 30 mph winds at times…some gusts in the area up to 60mph.  I cannot remember being that frightened in quite some time.  I had to ride sideways as the wind was blowing across my body.  We saw some riders turn around saying “there is no shame in quitting”…which there isn’t.  Many were blown off the side of the rode!

Here is a valuable lesson I learned…there is an amazing power in the ability to tell yourself “you’re going to be alright.”  For about 90 min or so I kept repeating “you can do this, it is ok.”  My husband kept saying “this is no problem” to me; each of us focusing on mind over matter and believing it.

After 70 miles or so, we were close to where we were staying over the weekend,  and were seriously considering stopping and calling it a day.  It was always in us to finish, but admittedly there was a little voice encouraging me to stop!

After some food at the rest stop, we got our legs back and starting riding with some other riders who said they knew the way (side note: the route markers were only on half of the roads).  Unfortunately, they didn’t know where they were going and we ended up riding about 5 miles out of our way and had to double back; only after my husband stopped under instinct, and reviewed the map again.  Riding even an extra 2 feet is not something you want to do at that stage of the game!  I don’t know how much further the other couple rode! Thank goodness for Brad’s instincts!

Finally we were on a direct route and had about 18 miles to go…one problem though…the sun was going down in the high desert and it was getting dark!  In our day glow (which isn’t all that glowing at night I realize now), we decided to find sidewalks to navigate on.  This was the safest but slowest way back.  Unfortunately, at times, we did have to get on the road, keeping as far to the right as possible; praying cars would see us.

The happiest moment of my year (maybe decade!), I think, was seeing our car…we were alive, not blown over by wind gusts, not blinded by sand storms, not exhausted by cycling about 110 miles and not hit by a car or pedestrian in the pitch black night!

All I could think was “I am a stronger person” and wiser!  There is a lot I won’t try again; like starting a long ride late or riding without reflectors.  One never knows what will happen.

At the end of the day though, I held on to the power of the mind and what we tell ourselves sinks in to our soul and our cells.  We believe what we say in our head.

When we tell ourselves what we want to believe, then it quickly becomes our reality.  This goes for everything in our life.  I can think of daily choices where the words “no, can’t, hard, challenging, stop, quit, and I don’t want to” are ever present on the tip of my tongue.  This was and is a lesson to me that I want to pass along in hopes that we all can realize the power of “I can do this.”  And then do!

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The Consigliere Files: Reducing FHA Interest Charges upon Sale or Payoff

By Christopher Moles | February 20th, 2012 0 Comments

Congress has taken up a bill which would change the manner in which the FHA charges interest on its loans after final payoff. S.488, more commonly referenced as the “Reduce Excessive Interest Payments Act,” was recently introduced in the Senate and forwarded to committee for review. The Act could greatly reduce the final charges imposed on FHA borrowers when they pay off their mortgages. It may also eliminate the stress faced by agents and sellers who feel compelled to time their closings for the end of the month.

FHA Interest Charges upon Payoff

FHA borrowers pay extra interest charges when they pay off their mortgage before the end of the calendar month. This is because the FHA uses a unique and somewhat unfair method for calculating final interest charges. For most mortgages, a borrower is charged for interest up through the date that the loan is completely paid off. The interest due is calculated based on a “per diem” rate which is determined according to the interest rate on the loan and the remaining balance. This is fair because the borrower is only paying interest for the exact amount of time that the loan is outstanding.

For example, if a borrower is current on his mortgage and he sells his home on the 2nd day of a 31 day month, that borrower’s final interest payoff will vary depending on whether the borrower has an FHA loan or a non-FHA loan. If the loan is non-FHA, the borrower will only be charged 2 days worth of interest for that last month – or a “per diem” interest charge. However, if the loan is FHA, the borrower will pay interest for the entire calendar month in which the loan is paid off. Essentially, the FHA borrower will be charged as if he held his outstanding debt for an additional 29 days.

This problem equates to hundreds and sometimes thousands of lost dollars for FHA borrowers. If a hypothetical loan balance upon sale is $200,000, and the interest rate is 5%, then the per diem interest fee to the borrower is $27.40. This means the non-FHA borrower in the above example would pay about $54.80 in interest upon final payoff, while the FHA borrower would pay closer to $849.40.

Close at the End of the Month

Experienced lenders and agents are usually aware of this unique FHA inequity and advise clients with an FHA loan to try and close their sale at the end of the calendar month. However, extensions, delays and other normalcy’s of the everyday real estate transaction often make it difficult to successfully time a closing. As such, many in the housing industry have looked to Congress to change things.

The Act

The “Reduce Excessive Interest Payments Act” will require the FHA to charge interest on a strict per diem schedule. However, the Act will probably not change our industry or practices anytime soon because it is trapped in committee during an election year. Until Congress acts, agents and lenders should be aware of the FHA interest trap and be able to intelligently discuss the benefits of closing transactions at the end of the month with clients.

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Monday Morning Mojo: I am so busy you can count on me to get it done

By Tom Tognoli | February 20th, 2012 0 Comments

You ever notice when you really need someone you can depend on…someone who you know will come through no matter what, it is the busiest person.  The person who on the surface seems like there is no way in the world they can handle one more thing.  You know why?  Because the idle ones have too many excuses…to many substitutes…too many shortcuts.  Almost everything in life is that way. Unfortunately most of us will never know our true capacity for achievement because we never challenge ourselves to perform at our best every day.

This is most obvious when we are presented with an opportunity that really interests us.  No matter how busy we are, when there is something we want to do…something we like to do, somehow we will find the time to pursue it…right?  On the other hand, those things that we don’t like or those things we don’t want to do are easily postponed and eventually forgotten.  Successful people are not procrastinators…the most successful and effective people have a sense of urgency.  They just grab a hold of it and get it done!!!!  They set deadlines and force themselves to establish priorities by what is most important and not by what they like to do the most.  Deadlines….that is the magic word.  Unfortunately, way too many people never set a deadline to accomplish those things which are most important.  They put it on the proverbial “list”.  You know “the list” I am talking about.  The one you write crap down on that you never have any intention on doing.  Because those things we don’t put on “the list”, we usually just dive in and get done…usually before the deadline…right?

Remember, we are not naturally wound to do all the things we need to do to be successful in life…personally, professionally…health…etc.  Because usually those things required to be successful at any area in life, involve doing something we don’t naturally like to do…at least not in the beginning.  Otherwise everyone would be getting everything they want in life…right?  Here are a few examples…

  • Exercise versus Watching TV
  • Saving Money versus Spending Money
  • Salad versus Cheeseburger and fries
  • Showing up first and leaving last versus Showing up last and leaving first
  • Getting up early versus waiting until the absolute last minute like the rest of the world
  • Making that tough phone call versus blowing it off until…

Here is the interesting thing though…if you make a commitment to do what is required to be successful, you will eventually become addicted to the success and then the pain of doing what is required will actually become something you thrive on.  I think it takes 90 days to make this happen.  At 90 days, it has been my experience that is the point when you go from feeling good that you accomplished it to the point that you feel like crap if you don’t.  That is the key and that is when you know you have changed that area of your life.  It’s at that point when if you don’t do it, it would be like not brushing your teeth or taking a shower…that just would not happen.  At least I hope!!!!

When you see other people that have what you want…it is not that they are more gifted…it is that they are more disciplined and accountable to doing those things required to be successful.  So, here is what we all need to do…if there is something we need to get done, even if it does not require a deadline, SET ONE!!!!!!  You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time if that is all the time you have.  Remember, work/life expands to meet the time allotted.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day.

JUST DO IT!!!!!!!

Have a Powerful week!!!!

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Intero Cool Apps: Simplify Your To-Do Lists With Clear for iOS

By John Thompson | February 17th, 2012 0 Comments

Sometimes even to-do lists can get out of control. The one beacon of cut-to-the-chase action items we use to guide our productivity can and will creep into an overcomplicated, disorganized mess – if we let it. Even worse, sometimes those lists get scattered in different locations: post-it notes at your desk, notes here and there on your phone or computer.

That’s why I like Clear, one of the simplest, most stripped down apps I’ve ever seen for to-do lists. Clear works only on iOS for iPhone and can purchased from the iTunes App Store for 99 cents.

You may be thinking: but my iPhone already has a built-in Notes app and a Reminders app. Why would I need or want something different? Again, it’s all about the simplicity. This app was built with pure “getting things done” mantras in mind. Clear out the functionality. Clear out the fancy organization. It’s all about the action items.

And Clear even forces you to be more action-focused and no-frills about your to-dos, limiting your items to just 30 characters. I like this because it forces you to pare down the details and get to the heart of what needs to get done. It sort of forces you to edit out obstacles and also to break down more complex tasks to shorter, easier ones that you can easily conquer.

You can create just one list or break them up into multiple lists. The basic functions are: pull down to create a task, type it in (obeying the 30-character limit), swipe to deem it complete, and pinch to switch to a different list.

If you’ve been looking for a way to simplify your daily tasks, or bring your to-do lists all into one place that you’ll always have access to, give Clear a try. Your “getting things done” list couldn’t be simpler.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Leading Above the Death Line

By Gino Blefari | February 16th, 2012 0 Comments

“As soon as there is life there is danger.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chapter 5 of Great by Choice by Jim Collins explores three key dimensions of productive paranoia:

  1. Build cash reserves and buffers to prepare for unexpected events and bad luck before they happen.
  2. Bound risk – Death Line risk, asymmetric risk, and uncontrollable risk – and manage time-based risk.
  3. Zoom out, then zoom in, remaining hypervigilant to sense changing conditions and respond effectively.

Today, I’ll be breaking down these three dimensions as they are extremely important in being successful when your path to success changes unexpectedly.  This chapter is particularly interesting when thinking about the real estate industry over the last few years.  In 2005, there were roughly 80,000 real estate companies and by 2009 that number had dwindled down to about 43,000, a loss of 47%.  Many real estate companies just didn’t have the cash reserve to survive.

Build cash reserves and buffers to prepare for unexpected events and bad luck before they happen.

10Xer’s know that they can’t always predict future events, therefore they over prepare for every potential scenario that could occur.  This way, if something does come up, they’re ready for it.  Determining your plan of action ahead of time – and sticking to that plan – is really what makes all the difference when you are in the situation.  It is the difference between pulling ahead, falling behind or dying when the storm hits.

When it comes to managing risk, 10x cases are extremely prudent paying special attention to three categories of risk:

  1. Death Line risk (which can kill or severely damage the enterprise)
  2. Asymmetric risk (in which the downside dwarfs the upside)
  3. Uncontrollable risk (which cannot be controlled or managed)

Zoom out, then zoom in

Before making a move when changes occur in their environment, 10Xer’s continue to execute but adjust accordingly to those changes instead of freaking out, or feeling like they have to continue with their original plan.  They do this calmly and methodically taking as much care in the new plan as they had in the original.  When there is a potential for danger, they zoom out to assess the situation appropriately, considering how quickly it might affect their motion.  Only after that will they zoom back in to refocus in executing their objectives.

Through all of this, it is important to be disciplined with your decisions and your actions.  Your contingency plan is no good if you don’t stick to it.  Asking yourself every possible question before environmental changes happen will keep you prepared for those changes.  Weigh the risks appropriately and be prepared to adjust your original plan calmly and efficiently.

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