Real Estate 12/21/14 by Colorado Springs Gazette, LLC

RealEstate Sunday, December 21, 2014

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FEATURE:

Woodcraft suggests plan for year of ‘dream home projects’ COURTESY OF METRO SERVICES

HELPFUL PRODUCTS • General Finishes Water-Based Milk Paints include a 28-color base selection of premixed acrylic paints that can be combined to create even more colors suitable for indoor or outdoor projects. Use the milk paint with the six translucent Glaze Effects to create eye-catching decorative PROJECT IDEAS finishes, such as distressing, • Use paints, stains, dyes, finishes, antiquing or shabby chic. and related products to reinvigorate • General Finishes Gel Stains and the wood throughout your home, Topcoat are easy to use — simply including doors, shutters, walls and wipe on with a rag and wipe off furniture. the excess. Stains are available in • Add molding or other trim to give 12 shades, including the popular walls an upscale look. Java and Georgian Cherry. A perfect • Expand storage space with wallsolution for attractive redesigns at an hung or free-standing shelving in as affordable price. many rooms and areas as possible, • OneTime Wood Protector is a matching shapes, hardware and color proprietary acrylate resin blend that to each room’s decor. penetrates wood’s cellular structure • Replace or upcycle kitchen, bathroom and cures it by exposure to UV or garage cabinets, as well as radiation. It protects new wood, outdated bathroom vanities. old wood, pressure treated wood, • Add a wood deck, patio or porch to or wood that has had the previous your outdoor area, and repair/revive coating removed — for seven years! or build outdoor benches and other Great for outdoor wood projects such furniture. as wood shake roof, deck, chairs, picnic tables, fences and more. ‘If the changes you envision involve • Festool’s Rotex RO90 Multiunfamiliar tasks, do some research,” Purpose Sander switches easily says Woodcraft product manager between three sanding modes — Ben Bice. ‘We offer books about aggressive, random orbital finish home improvement topics, as well sanding, and delta detail sanding — as ‘Woodcraft Magazine’ technique that will handle a host of tasks from downloads and how-to videos for many stripping stubborn paint to creating a products online. Or get some expert smooth finish. advice at your nearest Woodcraft store.” • Earlex Gemini HVLP Sprayer can be Spend some quality time with your house, and make a list of the pluses and minuses as if you were considering whether to buy it. Use this list to develop projects that will create your ‘dream home’ over a year’s time. To help you, Woodcraft offers some ideas for projects and products.

Woodcraft product manager Ben Bice applies finish to a cabinet door, using a single QuikBENCH.

used as a cup fed gun to spray fine power strips. finishes and paints, or with a pump to • The EZ Pro Crown King Crown push water-based paint/stain directly Molding Jig from General Tools from the can via a 13’ hose to the works with a mitersaw to cut crown gun for covering large surfaces. molding joints precisely without • The QuikBENCH Portable difficult angle calculations and Workbench holds 300 pounds alone; compound angle cuts. add another to form a sawhorse • 3M PSA-Backed Veneer is real to hold 2,000 pounds. Or connect wood veneer permanently bonded to several for a larger workstation. 3M Pressure Sensitive Adhesive. It If you need a scaffold, choose the can be applied to MDF, particleboard, portable Vika Twofold Workbench plywood, and drywall with excellent and Scaffold. Both benches include results. The veneer is used for

furniture repair, countertops, shelves, and architectural applications. • Fein’s MultiMaster Q Start Kit is equipped for sawing, rasping, scraping, removing grout, sanding, polishing, and cutting, all powered by a 250-watt, variable-speed motor. • “Transforming Your Kitchen with Stock Cabinetry” is a 160-page softcover book by cabinetmaker Jonathan Benson and his wife, Sherry Benson, a chef, that shows CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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THE MORTGAGE PROFESSOR:

A new approach toward selecting a mortgage loan originator BY JACK GUTTENTAG  THE MORTGAGE PROFESSOR

FEATURE:

Woodcraft suggests plan for year of ‘dream home projects’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

how to transform a kitchen using money-saving stock cabinetry and a well-thought-out plan. • Grex 18-Gauge 2" Nailer — Green Buddy is a precision nailer that fires 1/2" to 2" 18-gauge nails for trim and moldings, cabinet assembly, furniture and cabinet finish work, jig fixtures, light wood assembly and more. • The Kreg Jig¨ K5 Pocket Hole System offers an easy way to use pocket hole joints in your furniture

and home projects, such as decks and porches. M1 Tape Measure features patented Sight Scribe that allows you to measure and mark without a pencil. Lock your measurement with the M1 blade lock, and take it wherever you need to mark. To learn more about these products and others that can help you update your home call (800) 535-4482 or visit www.woodcraft.com. 

One important reason the home loan market works so poorly is that borrowers have no reliable way to select the loan originator — the individual who takes the borrower through the loan process. LOs are loan officer employee of a lender or broker, or a broker herself. The problem is that LOs have a financial incentive to use the large knowledge gap between themselves and borrowers for their own benefit. In other markets, consumers acquire the information needed to select a service provider through experience. I tried numerous barbers before I found one who cut my hair exactly the way I wanted it. In my 51 years as a homeowner, however, I had only two mortgages, spaced 15 years apart — not nearly enough for the trial and error approach to work. The most widely-used tactic is to follow someone else’s recommendations, but those of other borrowers are typically based on a single episode that is often misinterpreted. Referrals from real estate agents are based on multiple transactions, but the interest of agents is not entirely the same as that of borrowers. Agents recommend LOs who can be relied on to show up at the closing table with a fullyprocessed loan. Whether it is the right loan for the borrower, and fairly priced, is not their concern so long as the borrower doesn’t complain and blame the agent. This article describes a new way for borrowers to select an LO: certification by an unbiased third party. I plan to use this approach on my own web site in connection with reverse mortgages, where the need for disinterested advice is the greatest. Reverse mortgages are more complicated and less well understood than standard mortgages, and despite mandatory counseling, the potential for abuse is enormous. When this approach is fully implemented, seniors will be able to select an LO from a list of certified LOs in their zip code. The listing will include biographical information about each LO. The LO certification process focuses mainly on two objectives: decision support and price integrity. Regarding the first, seniors who take a HECM reverse mortgage must choose between mortgages with fixed interest rates and those with adjustable rates. In many cases, they will also choose between a high mortgage insurance premium and a low premium with reduced borrowing power. Seniors who take the adjustable rate mortgage, and most of them will because of its greater flexibility, must also decide on a particular combination of draw options: upfront cash, monthly payment and unused credit line. The number of combinations has no limit.

To make sure that these decisions are as good as they can be, we will require that the LOs we certify take seniors through a 4-step process using my powerful HECM calculator. The calculator shows, among other things, how the allocation of borrowing power to one option affect s the amounts available of other options. For each combination of options considered, furthermore, the calculator shows the consequences for the senior’s future financial status. This includes her remaining equity in the home, and options to convert from one way of drawing cash to another. Reverse mortgage counselors do not do any of this. The price integrity objective is equally important because the dual interest rate system that is used on HECM reverse mortgages makes it relatively easy to over-charge the borrower. The “expected” interest rate used to calculate the amounts the senior can draw is locked for 120 days shortly after the borrower submits an application. The actual interest rate on the mortgage, however — the rate the borrower will end up paying — is not locked until the processing is largely completed, which typically occurs shortly before closing. A change in that rate from what the borrower might have been told earlier – assuming that the matter came up at all — will not affect the amounts the borrower can draw, and therefore may not be noticed. To prevent that and other possible abuses, we will require complete price transparency by the LOs we certify. They must maintain up-to-date prices on my web site, where they will be accessible to any senior dealing with them, at any stage of the process including the day that the price is locked. Certification of LOs in the standard mortgage market will be based on the same principles, implemented with powerful on-line calculators. The LOs will be required to provide decision support on the type of mortgage and on the combination of interest rate and points that best meets the borrower’s needs. Price integrity will be guaranteed in the same way as in the reverse mortgage market. The promise of the certification approach is that it will make the market work better for consumers without adding new players to the loan origination process, or slowing down the process.  Jack Guttentag is professor emeritus of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Comments and questions can be left at http://www. mtgprofessor.com.

Six tips to consider before buying a home BY DANA DRATCH  BANKRATE.COM

Whether you are a first-time buyer or an experienced owner, buying a house requires a “preflight check,” in the words of Barry Zigas, director of housing policy for the Consumer Federation of America. STRENGTHEN YOUR CREDIT SCORE “It’s a brave, new world with respect to credit requirements for mortgages,” says John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at CreditSesame. One old rule still applies: The higher your credit score, the lower your monthly payments. “Below 660 or 680, you’re either going to have to pay sizable fees or a higher down payment,” Zigas says. And that’s pretty much the cutoff score for getting a mortgage, he says. Vicki Bott, a former official at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, says that her office noticed much the same thing. “While there are many qualified borrowers in the 580 range, the market today is probably (looking for) 640 to 660, at a minimum,” Bott says. On the other end, a score of 700 to 720 will get you a good deal, and 750 and above will garner the best rates on the market, Ulzheimer says. Improve your chances by: pulling your credit reports and ensuring you’re not being unfairly penalized for old, paid or settled debts, Zigas says. Stop applying for new credit a year before you apply for financing. And keep the moratorium in place until after you close on your home, Ulzheimer says. FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD There are various rules of thumb that will help you get an idea of how much home you can afford. If you’re using FHA financing, as almost onefifth of buyers get FHA-insured loans,

come up when you own a home. While repairs are sporadic, items such as a new roof, water heater or other bigticket items can hit suddenly and hard. Improve your chances by: setting aside money every month. A good rule of thumb: On average, you’ll spend 2.5 percent to 3 percent of your home’s value annually on upkeep, repairs and maintenance, says Joseph Gyourko, professor of real estate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. If you’re buying a $250,000 home, aim to save $520 to $625 per month.

your home payment can’t exceed 31 percent of your monthly income. But with some mitigating factors, FHA will let you go higher. For conventional loans, a safe formula is that home expenses should not exceed 28 percent of your gross monthly income, says Susan Tiffany, director of personal finance information for adults for the Credit Union National Association. For a rough assessment of how much house you can afford, check out Bankrate’s new house calculator. Improve your chances by: trying on that financial obligation long before you sign the mortgage papers, says Tiffany. Before you home shop, calculate the mortgage payment for the home in your intended price range, along with the increased expenses (such as taxes, insurance and utilities). Then bank the difference between that and what you’re paying now.

SAVE FOR DOWN PAYMENT, CLOSING COSTS Depending on your credit and financing, you’ll typically need to save enough money for a down payment — somewhere between 3 percent and 20 percent of the home’s price. If you’re using FHA financing, then you need a credit score of 500 or higher. And in the 500 to 579 range, if you can find a lender, you’ll have to put 10 percent down instead of 3.5 percent. Another cash expense: closing costs. Whatever your loan source, you’ll also need money to pay closing costs, which run (depending on where you live ) from $2,300 to $4,000. Get the average closing costs in your state at Bankrate’s closing costs map. Improve your chances by: banking your own money and seeking down payment assistance, Tiffany says. Often it’s location-based or tagged to a certain type of buyer, like first-timers, she

says. Search online with the city name, then the county name, along with word combinations such as “down payment assistance,” “first-time homebuyers” and “homebuyer’s assistance.” In a buyer’s market, you can also negotiate to have the seller pay a portion of the closing costs. BUILD A HEALTHY SAVINGS ACCOUNT Building your savings is something you should do over and above saving money for the down payment and closing. Your lender wants to see that you’re not living paycheck to paycheck. If you have three to five months’ worth of mortgage payments set aside, that makes you a much better loan candidate. And some lenders and backers, like the FHA, will give you a little more latitude on other factors if they see that you have a cash cushion. That money will also help cover maintenance and repair issues that

GET PREAPPROVED FOR A MORTGAGE For serious home shoppers, “the No. 1 thing is they better have everything in order,” says Dick Gaylord, broker with Re/Max Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif., and former president of the National Association of Realtors. That means that, before the real home shopping begins, you want to get financing in place, he says. Improve your chances by: getting financing in place “before you walk through the first house,” Gaylord says. Otherwise, he asks, “How do you know how much you can afford?” BUY A HOUSE YOU LIKE If you’re buying today for yourself and your family, you want a home that will make you happy for the next few years. Gone are the days when you could count on a quick sale, Tiffany says. And depending on how much you put down, and how much you have to shell out to sell and relocate, short-term ownership can be a pretty expensive proposition. Improve your chances by: stepping back, Gyourko says, and making certain “you like the house.”  Dana Dratch writes about mortgages and other personal finance topics for Bankrate. Visit Bankrate online at http:// www.bankrate.com.

Sunday, Dec 21, 2014

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GIFT GUIDE:

Home products come with connectivity BY ANICK JESDANUN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK – Do you really need an app to tell you to brush and floss? It seems every household appliance is getting some smarts these days, meaning some connection to a phone app and the broader Internet. But then what? To give you a feel for what that connectivity brings, here’s a closer look at a few “smart” products for the home. There are plenty more if you look around. As I tried these out, I kept thinking to myself whether these products really needed that connectivity. You’ll need to decide whether the benefits are worth the higher prices. THE SMART TOOTHBRUSH: I tested the Oral-B Pro 7000 SmartSeries electric toothbrush with Bluetooth connectivity. A free app that goes with it has a timer that tries to make sure you spend two minutes brushing — 30 seconds on each quadrant of your teeth. The app then reminds you to brush your tongue, floss and rinse with mouthwash. It sends me notifications when I haven’t been doing that consistently (oops!). The app also offers weekly and monthly charts on your brushing activities. I was skeptical when I started using this toothbrush. It relies a lot on selfreporting. Although the toothbrush will warn when you’re putting too much pressure on your teeth, it can’t tell whether you’re actually brushing your entire mouth. You can spend the entire two minutes on one area, even as the app tells you to move on. And flossing? I was pressed for time getting to my dentist appointment, so I told the app I flossed that morning — even though I didn’t. But after I switched back to a manual toothbrush, I found myself gradually reducing my brushing time. I also stopped flossing and doing all those other good things. The connected toothbrush won’t go beyond what you can do with a timer and self-discipline, but it proves useful when you lack both. The model I tested isn’t out in the U.S. until next month, likely for about $220. A cheaper model, the 5000, retails for $159 and does most of what the 7000 does, with the exception of an extra mode for tongue cleaning. Both are more expensive than the $65 to $100

ONLINE: TOOTHBRUSH: http://www.oralb.com/ bluetooth-toothbrush COFFEEMAKER: http://www.mrcoffee.com/ coffeemakers/BVMCPSTX91WE.html SCALE: http://www.withings.com/us/ smart-body-analyzer.htm

Withings Smart Body Analyzer health tracking scale AP Photo/Withings

retail prices for standard Oral-B electric toothbrushes. It’s possible for family members to share the device — with different brush heads, of course — but it’s cumbersome and not really designed for that. THE SMART KITCHEN: A Smart Optimal Brew edition of the Mr. Coffee coffeemaker lets you schedule brewing or start the machine remotely, such as when you’re still in bed or a few minutes from the front door. It won’t do the more annoying tasks of refilling the water and replacing the coffee grounds, though. I find it takes more work to unlock the phone, open the app and launch the brewing than to walk over to the coffeemaker. If I hit the brew button just before jumping in the shower,

the coffee’s ready by the time I’m out. What would really make the coffeemaker smart is to observe when I shut the snooze on my phone alarm, as that’s when I’m ready to get up. I recognize that most people have bigger living spaces than I do. So if the coffeemaker is downstairs, it might be useful to start it remotely before the shower. But you can already do that with timers. To justify the smart coffeemaker, your sleeping patterns would need to be so unpredictable that you’d need to change that after you wake up. The device costs $250, or about $20 more than a comparable model without the smarts. That’s not a huge price difference for the benefit. The coffeemaker uses WeMo’s app from Belkin, which means the coffeemaker

might one day coordinate with light switches, motion sensors and other WeMo-enabled products. Another such WeMo product is a $130 Crock-Pot slow cooker. It allows you to adjust cooking times and temperature remotely, if you’re running late from work, for instance. It’s more than twice the price of a regular Crock-Pot, so it’s a tougher sell than the coffeemaker. I feel uneasy about leaving a cooking appliance on all day, but the manufacturer points out that people do that with timers already, and the app lets you verify whether you remembered to turn it off. Both of these kitchen products feel first generation. They’ll need more functionality through software updates in the future.

THE SMART SCALE: Although I wanted to call Withings’ Smart Body Analyzer dumb for telling me I gained 5 pounds, I verified that with a scale at my gym. Sigh. Once I got past that, I found it to be one of the more useful connected products. You have to stand on it for longer than a typical bathroom scale as it logs your weight, body fat, heart rate and air quality. That data will automatically transfer to an app — the same one used by other Withings’ products, including a fitness tracker. The app also takes advantage of Apple’s HealthKit system to sync with Apple’s Health app and data from rival vendors. Even without all that syncing, it’s great to be able to track your weight over time (the heart rate, not so much, as that changes depending on whether you just exercised). I’ve tried over the years to track my weight with a spreadsheet, but I keep forgetting (perhaps on purpose) after stepping off the scale. Up to eight people in a household can use the same scale. It will send readings to the right profile, based on a comparison with past weights. There’s an extra step if you’re similar in weight to someone else. The multi-sensor scale retails for $150. A version that does only weight goes for $100. Although you can get a regular scale for much less, connectivity makes sense here. Manufacturers need to give consumers a good reason for having that connectivity — and in this case, Withings does. 

RIGHT AT HOME:

Holiday sleepover solutions BY KIM COOK  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

One of the nicest things about the holidays can be the chance to see friends and family from far away. In some cases, that means finding sleepover space in your home. Even those short on space can make guests feel welcome and comfortable, says New York interior designer Elaine Griffin. “I’m a native of the Deep South, so hospitality — and its cousin, sociability — are never far from my mind, especially during the holidays,” Griffin says. “The more the merrier! I live in Manhattan, land of the notoriously cramped and tiny apartment, where one can’t let a minor detail like the absence of a dedicated guest room derail the pleasure of hosting overnight guests.” First, she says, consider your guest’s age. “Asking seniors to sleep on air mattresses, for example, is cruel and unusual punishment. If you don’t have a pull-out sofa bed, hotel-style folding cots are inexpensive and are sold in the mattress department.” If you can afford it, consider investing in a chair bed — a smaller version of a sofa bed that can pull double duty in an apartment or home office. Crate & Barrel’s new Karnes chair has classic midcentury lines, including high tapered legs and a tufted back, upholstered in a tight menswear woven fabric. The mattress is covered in stain-, odor- and microbe-resistant Crypton. (www.crate&barrel.com) The Sharkfin Armchair from J.C. Penney is available in many upholstery choices. (www.jcp.com) And Ikea’s Solsta is a slim-profile, under-$200 sofa bed covered in a smart gray cotton, and is available online. (www.ikea.com) There’s also the hip Color Block futon sofa at

Wal-mart that comes in fun flannel colors like pink, chocolate, orange and blue on a black base for under $200. (www.walmart.com) High-density foam covered in sleek white leather on a steel base make a comfortable and stylish contemporary option from Abbyson Living, at Overstock.com. And Castro Convertibles offers a clever option: an oversize ottoman that converts into a single or twin bed. You can choose from a wide range of slipcovers. (www.castroconvertibles.com) Hertel Klarhoefer’s cleverly designed stacking bed is available at Suiteny.com. Two twin beds stack on top of each other without the need for any hardware; when night comes, just lift the top one off and position it to make a nice big bed for one or more guests. The bed, which can be used as a sofa during the day, is available in a variety of solid wood frames. For regular 84-inch sofas that don’t pull out, provide nice crisp sheets; Griffin makes sure hers are starched and ironed to give a luxe touch. There’s no denying the convenience of an inflatable mattress that can be stored away easily. Aerobed has a new luxury version that stands 22 inches high instead of the standard 9 inches, making it more like a real bed, and easier to get on and off. The raised headboard adds extra comfort, and helps keep pillows in place for late-night lounging and reading. (www.aerobed.com) Griffin advises making some closet space available to guests, as well as a small table. A nice floor basket can corral essentials. Include a few toiletries and some bottled water. And prepare a binder with instructions on how to work the tech appliances in your home in case you’re out or asleep; include Wi-Fi passwords, too. 

Walmart’s armless flannel-upholstered futon sofa comes in a variety of colors including pink, chocolate, blue and orange in a black base. It’s a great contemporary option that combines smart styling in an everyday sofa with a comfortable sleep solution for overnight guests. AP Photo/Walmart

Featured Houses Open House of the Week BRAND NEW UPGRADES in this fabulous Woodmen Valley Walkout Rancher! 7325 Woodmen Mesa Circle | $515,000 Open House: Call for Private Showing Directions: Right on E Woodmen Rd off of E Rockrimmon Blvd. Right on Woodmen Ct. Left on Woodmen Mesa Cir. Agent/Company: Lori Jones, 719-337-3955, Cliff Johnson Realty

Looking for a sophisticated home w/the perfect combination of trees & mountain views? Look no further! Breathtaking views from the front of the home; expansive private deck w/hot tub in the back. .83 acre lot. Brand new roof & fresh exterior paint were just completed! One-level living is easy here with a main lvl laundry room, 3 living areas, 2 FP’s, lg kitchen, formal dining room, mstr suite & secondary bdrm. 2 more bdrms, rec room w/bar, full bath, workshop, and a storage area complete the walkout bsmt. Add’l upgrades include the elegant mstr bath & second full bath remodels featuring granite counters & custom tile, plus a new walk-in master closet, fresh interior paint, new refrig. & updated lighting. Elegant quality and custom finishes throughout. www.7325WoodmenMesaCircle.com

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1585 Gold Hill Mesa Drive

$359,988 Open Sat & Sun 1-4 Kelly Price 719.650.1778 Kelly@VanguardNewHomes.com

boasts a plush 5 piece Master Bath and spacious walkin closet. A powder room and laundry complete the Main Level. The upper level enjoys 2 large bedrooms, a full bath, and a cozy loft which overlooks the Great Room! A full unfinished lower level has 9’ ceilings for room to grow! Our model home Available NOW in the desirable Gold Hill Mesa Community! Don’t Miss Out!

Aaward-winning lowaward-winning maintenance community connected by green spaces and A low maintenance community connected by green spaces and Featuring Featuring 4 local, 4 local, builders: builders: minutesCharming from downtown. Charming architectural walking paths, justwalking minutespaths, from just downtown. architectural CreekStone, CreekStone, Hi-Point, Hi-Point, JM JM Weston, Weston, and Vanguard Vanguard Homes. Homes. styles and plans thatand fit any lifestyle. styles and floor plans that fitfloor any lifestyle. Featuring 4 local, award-winning builders: Featuring 4 local, award-winning builders: • •Townhomes Townhomes from from thethe $180s $180s to $230s to $230s and and REIMAGINE YOUR CreekStone, Hi-Point, JM Weston, and Vanguard Homes. CreekStone, Hi-Point, JM Weston, and Vanguard Homes. single single family family homes homes from from the the $260s $260s to $500s. to $500s. DREAM HOME. • Townhomes theand $180s to $230s and • Townhomes from the $180s tofrom $230s LIFE SIMPLIFIED.

single homesto from thespaces $260sand to $500s. single family homes fromfamily the $260s $500s. A low maintenance community connected by green walking paths, just • •Models Models open open daily. daily. minutes from downtown. Charming architectural sytles and floor plans that fit any lifestyle. LIFE SIMPLIFIED. A low maintenance community connected by green spaces and Featuring 4 local, award-winning builders: • Models open daily. paths, just minutes from downtown. Charming architectural • Models open daily. CreekStone, Hi-Point, JM walking Weston, and Vanguard Homes styles and floor plans that fit any lifestyle. • Townhomes from the $180s. Family Homes from the $260s. Featuring 4Single local, award-winning builders: CreekStone, Hi-Point, JM Weston, and Vanguard Homes. • Models open daily.

WWW.GOLDHILLMESA.COM WWW.GOLDHILLMESA.COM WWW.GOLDHILLMESA.COM WWW.GOLDHILLMESA.COM • Townhomes from the $180s to $230s and single family homes from the $260s to $500s.

INFO@GOLDHILLMESA.COM 719.633.2202 719.633.2202 INFO@GOLDHILLMESA.COM INFO@GOLDHILLMESA.COM 719.633.2202 719.633.2202 INFO@GOLDHILLMESA.COM • Models open daily.

WWW.GOLDHILLMESA.COM 719.633.2202

INFO@GOLDHILLMESA.COM

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YourCareer

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The Gazette · springshouses.com

Sunday, Dec 21, 2014

FEATURE:

7 secrets to getting more done

BY SCOTT LOVE  BUSINESS2COMMUNITY

You can have the greatest attitude, a strong telephone presence, and the best recruiting and client-development skills. But if you lack strong work habits, you are destined to failure. Work habits are comprised of the following seven components: 1. THE PLAN The plan is how you are budgeting your time. Your time is fixed, limited, and deserves to be allocated in blocks of time. Think of your day starting at 4 p.m. You spend the time late in the afternoon divvying up the hours of the next day into segments where each hourly focus is fixated, with laser-beam intensity, on one type of activity. If you spend the block of time on one type of activity (such as only recruiting calls from 9 to 11, or only qualifying calls from 11 to 12) then you synergize your efforts and increase your effectiveness. 2. THE GOALS Start each day by finding the answer to this question: What are the two or three things that I need to accomplish today in order to consider it a successful day? Write them down. Congratulations, champ. Statistically, you have just tripled the odds of your achieving those goals because you invested seven seconds in scribbling them on a sheet of paper. Personally, I write these daily targets on a dry erase board next to my desk, where I also have my ultimate career goal, my annual billing goal, my monthly goals, and weekly targets. 3. THE START INTENSITY How soon do you start your day? Do you tackle the morning or do you let the next day sort of ooze into existence? The way you perform all day depends upon how you start it. Be aggressive in the start time and you’ll see a significant

improvement in your end time. And if you start doing administrative items instead of making phone calls, then you never seem to get around to making phone calls. How you start your day is the way you’ll end up finishing it. 4. THE EXECUTION Most of us are successful in spite of ourselves, not because of ourselves. You can always get better. You can always improve how you do what you are supposed to do. The energy of your execution, doing what it is you are supposed to do the way you are supposed to do it, should always be an increasing challenge for you. This will keep you from getting burned out, washed up, and overall tired of the business. If you ever feel this way, then start seeing how much more you can get done in a day. 5. THE HOUR-BY-HOUR FOCUS Things started clicking for me several years ago when I heard Brian Tracy say that each day should have an hour-by-hour focus. I took his advice and created a tool that helped me to stay focused on the phone and strive to reach a certain number of conversations per hour. 6. THE DISTANCING OF DISTRACTIONS The biggest distraction that a recruiter used to have was his cubicle neighbor. Now it is email. I heard a six-month rookie share with me how she doesn’t check email except when she has it scheduled in her plan. Think about it: normally you’ll check your emails in between phone calls and think that you might as well respond to them because they might be urgent. It will just take a few seconds, you tell yourself. Forty minutes later, you have carefully crafted only two responses and

lost all track of time and have screwed up your plan. Rapture of the email will keep you out of focus and out of balance when it comes to getting things done. Schedule time in your day to check your email, to make your personal calls, and to chat with your friends in the office. By distancing the distractions during your precious prime time, you will have more energy and more concentration on the task at hand.

7. CONTINUOUS OBSERVATION During the day and throughout the day, ask yourself this question: “What is the best use of my time, right now?” Observe how you are spending your day and question the best use of it. You will always bring yourself back in alignment with doing those things that need to get done and not those things that distract you and keep you away from you achieving all that you truly deserve to achieve. 

Sunday, Dec 21, 2014

The Gazette · springshouses.com

SH 7

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Sunday, Dec 21, 2014

Win: New Year’s Eve Gala Tickets 4 tickets to this one of a kind, all-inclusive event at The Pinery at The Hill ($500 value) Includes a dinner, dancing and a celebratory champagne toast at midnight! Event: The Pinery at the Hill Wednesday, December 31, 7 pm – 1:30 am

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Red, White & Blue New Year’s Eve Celebration: • 1-Night Stay At Hotel Eleganté On New Year’s Eve • 2 VIP Tickets to Concert Featuring Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer & Local Favorite Big Jim Adam. • Breakfast For Two On New Year’s Day Concert: Colorado Springs City Auditorium | Wednesday, December 31 at 6 pm

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