Q1 - Word of the Year Recap - Focus

This 2022, my word of the year is FOCUS! I've been choosing a word since 2015, and every year I learn the ins and outs of the exact word that I feel like my life is lacking, in some way.

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Here's what I've come to discover, thus far:

F - find the time and make sure to prioritize your day

O - offer yourself grace while learning what works for you and pivoting how you structure your calendar, because like the seasons, our needs change and morph over time

C - cultivate a schedule that feels good to you

U - understand that you can do more than you think

S - sleep. As much as you can.

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As it may, these insights could change over the next few quarters of the year, but all I know is - focus on your daily actionable tasks and your future you will thank you :)

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Links: @seasyourhome

@EricTalksMarketing is going to absolutely kill it in what he's doing for real estate agents on social media. I cannot wait for you to hear Eric share his passion about all things digital marking for real estate agents!

We discuss how real estate agents can create a highly targeted and strategic outreach plan in order to connect with the people interested in relocating to our areas using YouTube, specifically, thanks to SEO optimization.

Eric teaches us SO much in such a short period of time about getting in front of the right people on social media in order to monetize our services.

There are numerous amounts of wise, information-filled nuggets in this conversation about how and why this system works.

Links:  Eric's TikTok //  Instagram // YouTube // @seasyourhome

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THANK YOU HIALDA ALPIZAR FOR THE INCREDIBLE NEW ALBUM ART & JESSE HOUSE FOR THE MUSIC!

This one is for YOU, MILLENNIAL WOMEN IN REAL ESTATE!! My friend and clubhouse co-host, Giselle Bartolo, talk all about what we’re doing to bridge the gap for millennial women in real estate who understand collaboration over competition.

Giselle has been in the industry longer than I have, and she an I have been sharing our experiences on a consistent basis as a sounding board, since we’re in completely different markets.

This journey is all about building relationships and creating country-wide friendships with like-minded women, learning from each other and connecting on our challenges, and getting to a place where we have an entire map full of us interested in growing our businesses outside of our market.

We talk about our mission, the topics we discuss on our weekly chats with the group, future conversations we’re excited about having, and the reason for starting this and putting so much energy into it in the first place.

Giselle and I recently started this space, this year, January of 2022, and so far we have a handful of incredibly wonderful women that I feel so insanely lucky to be connected with during this time and hopefully for years to come! However, we need you, too. If you’re a millennial woman in real estate, please join us!! Reach out to me on Instagram and swing by on Friday's to see what we’re about! We would love to have you.

It’s truly been a game changer.

Links: @sellwithgiselle // @seasyourhome // Clubhouse Room

Rafay is a real estate agent out in the Chicago area, and he’s building a brilliant opportunity for agents over there to thrive in a collaborative, fun and expansive team that’s structured and highly successful.

Rafay and I discuss what it took for him to go from no mentor for brand new career in real estate to becoming the top 1% of real estate agents in Chicago running a fast growing team of 20+ agents.

We talk about the future of teams for real estate agents, because so many fail in the first few years due to a lack of guidance!

Rafay dropped ALLLLL the gems and was not holding back from sharing any secrets. In my opinion, it’s not only Rafay’s hard work and dedication to his craft, but it’s his willingness to share and connect that has likely gotten him to where he stands today.

We touch on for sale by owners, from the point of view of prospecting as a real estate agent, as well as the essential importance of working with the right team of inspectors, attorneys and mortgage lenders who won’t kill the deal, but WILL have the wherewithal to critically think around the challenges that inevitably pop up in the home buying or selling process.

Links: @rafay_qamar // The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod // The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents by Hal Elrod // The 5 am Club by Robin Sharma // Landvoice // RedX // @spirituallynutritious // @seasyourhome // my website

Sayonara, 2021!

As we wrap up the year, we have our final solo episode!! I decided this time last year that the end of every quarter would be a solo wrap up of how my word of the year is coming along.

In this final episode of the year, I talk about how choosing a word for the year helps me exponentially expand my understanding of that word. Generally, I pick a word I feel like I could embrace more of, myself, and then I tend to open up the flood gates of that word and the year progresses. The year becomes this, "case study," let’s call it, where I end up exploring the entire spectrum of that word.

I discuss giving ourselves Grace in the face of a learning curve. It’s a tricky place to be when you’re basically the Freshman of an industry. I decided not to be so hard on myself in the midst of becoming what it takes to serve my clients: professionally, seamlessly and successfully.

The most challenging part, I came to find, is giving Grace to those who hurt you, challenge your patience or ignite some unwanted emotions out of you. Grace allows us to open up and get to the bottom of how we feel, but it also teaches us when to let certain people go from our lives when we feel fit. If that person is in a position where you can’t let them go physically due to outside circumstances, you let them go emotionally so that their attempt to control you is far less powerful than your ability to refrain from reverting back to immature responses.

Living through Grace is allowing for the mistakes to guide us and being OKAY with fucking up, essentially. Shit happens. If we live and learn through it, we become a smarter version of ourselves.

This 2022, I want to remind you to focus on your WHY and not so much the HOW. I don’t mean leave the how up to your wildest dreams, but do whatever it is, in your power, to make change and be the trailblazer in your life. The HOW will unfold as you put in the work.. I promise. A fun example of that is getting started with a podcast, almost 3 years ago now, and having an episode with the Borough President of Brooklyn, at the time. Now, this incredible man, is the Mayor of New York City and I had the chance to speak with the most respectable politician, in my opinion, because I continued doing the work. Then, not long after, I had one of my favorite podcasters of all time on my show, Stephanie Simbari, from That’s so Retrograde. I literally slid into her DMs with a voice note after being engaged with her work for years, seeing her live twice in NYC, introducing myself and giving the two co-hosts a little gift, and asked if she would come onto the show. She was more than happy to support me and connect. I took bold risks, stepped out of my comfort zone and interviewed people who were WAY out of my league in terms of “success” in numbers, and it continues to blow me away when I receive an incredible opportunity.

This 2022 is yours for the taking! Little changes in our daily routine can go a long way.

What's your word for 2022?!

Links: @lalahdelia // @seasyourhome // @spirituallynutritious

Bekah Nugent, with Dwell House, came on to help talk us through what it takes when creating the perfect home, rather than expecting to find one!

We go over the psychology behind what "home" means and the emotional connection we have to it.

Bekah shares how and why staging a home makes such a huge impact on the ROI for a seller, and how all the changes 2020 has had on what home entails, regarding the systems we need in place for having a multipurpose space.

Lastly, we dive into the virtual world and how these services don’t even necessarily need to be done in person, anymore! Take a look at their work and sign up for some help to elevate your home.

Links: Dwell House website // @dwellhousedesign // @seasyourhome

What is resale and why should I consider it, you ask? Wonderful question!

Is getting a home you absolutely adore and love worth a few extra home cooked meals versus date night out on the town or a little less avocado toast from your favorite local cafe?

In this episode, Deb Sprung and I discuss how markets are cyclical and ever changing, so it’s important to consider that the house you’re shopping for will be desired by others in the future whether you plan on moving out or not.. we never ever know what curve ball will be thrown at us next.

We also talk about how getting more of what you want may come at a cost, but when you calculate with your lender the monthly price difference between paying $350k for a house and $360k, it’s actually quite small when you break it down that way!

Another topic we touch on is how clarity comes over time with exploring the market and seeing what’s out there. Sometimes, we don’t know what we want or need until we find it. Other times, we discover what it is we truly want or need because we found something great, but it doesn’t have x, y, or z and suddenly you feel like you couldn’t live without it. My mom, Deb Sprung, goes over ALL of it.

Obviously, one of the most pleasurable aspects of homeownership is having the freedom to do WHATEVER the hell you want to your home, but all we suggest is that you do so with intention.

Links: @debsprung // @seasyourhome // @spirituallynutritious

In this episode, I talk you through the step by step process of buying a home and ~almost~ everything that happens within a transaction.

I share the journey it takes to find the right home, how clarity shows up in different ways for every buyer, and my perspective on how shopping for a house is like dating and looking for the right partner.

I go over so many little fun facts about purchasing real estate that most millennials don’t know if they’re not in the industry; for example, did you know that buyers don’t pay the commission here in NJ? That is fully the responsibility of the sellers. Another surprising factor is that despite our offer being accepted and in the attorney review process, some sellers might still be open to other offers and cancelling the deal before being under contract. Once we’re under contract, we can breathe a little bit better knowing that we’re in a safe zone.

This episode paints a picture as to the extensive work and detail that goes into buying a house; it’s not as easy as finding a cute home on Realtor.com and using PayPal - that’s for SHORE! ;) #seasyourhome

Steps:

1. Choose an agent to represent you
2. Connect with a mortgage lender and get pre-approved
3. We start the search and begin touring homes!!
4. Put in an offer, get accepted and commence the Attorney Review process before being Under Contract
5. Inspections of the home
6. Appraisal
7. Closing day!! Keys are received

Links: Episode 78 (Mark Demetriou) // @spirituallynutritious // @seasyourhome

If you or anybody you know and love is looking to buy and/or sell real estate in the near future, reach out HERE with your questions!

Marianne Jones, a mortgage lender in the business for THIRTY EIGHT years, gets real & raw regarding the reality of buying a home with a significant other prior to marriage.

To be more specific, we talked all about the legality of purchasing a house with a significant other before being married - and that includes being engaged!

We discuss the risks of purchasing a home together without doing your due diligence, as well as the steps that Marianne believes we should take in order to be well educated and prepared. All of this advice is for anybody buying property, preceding the act of signing a contract of sale with a boyfriend or girlfriend, before being legally married.

Take out your pen and paper, ladies and gents, (or the notes app on your phone), because this is something you'll want to turn back to when the time is right.

Links: @mariannejones_grarate // @seasyourhome /// @spirituallynutritious

-Definitions from Google-

Martial property: "In New Jersey, just about any items that are obtained during the course of the marriage are considered marital property. ... Even if certain items acquired after the marriage have only one spouse's name on the title, a court typically still considers it marital property."

Title: "Title refers to a document that lists the legal owner of a piece of property. Titles can be issued to depict ownership of both personal and real property. The different types of real estate title are joint tenancy, tenancy in common, tenants by entirety, sole ownership, and community property."

Deed: "A legal document that is signed and delivered, especially one regarding the ownership of property or legal rights."

Note: "A real estate note or promissory note is a promise to pay a certain amount of money for a set time to purchase a piece of real estate. It essentially is a contract between the lender and borrower for a real estate transaction."

Mortgage: "A mortgage is a loan typically used to buy a home or other piece of real estate for which that property then serves as collateral."

Equitable distribution: "Equitable distribution is a legal theory whereby marital property is distributed equitably in a divorce proceeding. Property assets are classified as either separate property or marital property. ... If willing and without dispute, parties to a divorce can decide how to allocate assets and debts without a third party."

Marianne Jones

VP of Mortgage Lending

Guaranteed Rate Affinity

Marianne.Jones@grarate.com

grarate.com/MarianneJones

Cell 973.722.1173 - f: 669.221.6877

106A E Main St, Mendham, NJ, 07945

NMLS ID: 65355

If you or anybody you know and love is looking to buy and/or sell real estate in the near future, reach out HERE with your questions!

Ethan Waldman is a Tiny House enthusiast who has a podcast of his own called, Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast.

I don't know about you, but the Netflix show Tiny House Nation really got me thinking a few years back in 2019 and I've been inspired ever since!

In this episode, Ethan and I discuss: Ethan’s journey with his tiny home, how rules and regulations are slowly changing in regards to tiny houses, the evolution and benefits of going tiny, some of the cool projects Ethan’s learned about over the course of having a podcast of his own where they discuss tiny houses in depth, as well as where we can find resources for more details of the tiny house movement.

Links: Ethan's website where you can find his podcast and all of his other resources // Tiny House Engage on fb // Living Big in a Tiny House on YouTube // @ethanwaldman // Tiny Home Industry Association // Tiny House Alliance // Appendix Q Tiny Houses // @seasyourhome // @spirituallynutritious