Weekly GungHo Real Estate E-Zine
January 19, 2010
In this Issue:
Walter’s World: New Construction off Ramsey Road in Jacksonville NC
Special Report: New IRS Form released for home buyer tax credits
Featured Article: How to stay motivated and stick to your goals
Recommended Resources: Financial Resolutions for the New Year
Walter’s World
If you have been by the Carolina Forest Elementary School on Ramsey Road in Jacksonville NC, you may have noticed some new construction. The Village at the Glen Townhomes and the Ivy Glen Patio Homes are starting to be framed up and some units should be finished in April.
The 2 bedroom townhomes are listed at $116,900 and have about 1000 sq ft of heated space, while the 3 bedroom townhomes are listed at $144,900 with over 1500 sq ft.
The Ivy Glen Patio Homes come in 4 models: The Woodbine, The Ivy, The Parker, and The Riverwood. All the models have over 1250 sq. ft. with The Woodbine model listed at $147,900, The Ivy at $149,900, The Parker at $151,900, and The Riverwood at $159,900. Each of the floor plans have 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, fireplace, and a 2-car garage.
This townhome and patio home development is part of the Carolina Forest Community and is located between Western Blvd. and Ramsey Road in north part of Jacksonville NC.
Special Report
New IRS Form released for home buyer tax credits
There’s some good news for those who purchased homes after Nov. 6, taking advantage of the extended first-time homebuyer tax credit or the new “move up” tax credit: You can now file for the credit.
The IRS has released its new Form 5405, which is what is used to claim the credit. It took two months, however, for the agency to get the new form to the public, which left those who closed AFTER the deadline was extended unable to claim the credit.
You can download the new form at the IRS Website.
Reports say, however, to expect delays if you are filing for a home buyer tax credit. According to a CNNMoney.com report, it could be up to four months before you receive your credit.
Also keep in mind that as you get ready to file your 2009 federal return, if you are claiming the home buyer credit, you will have to file a paper return. The IRS e-file system cannot be used if you are claiming a home buyer tax credit.
Featured Article
How to Stay Motivated and Stick to Your Goals
It’s hard to believe, but we’re now closer to February 1 than January 1, which means the New Year’s resolutions that were so easy to be excited about at first are probably losing steam. It happens every year.
Everybody tells you to set goals, so you’ve probably gotten good at that over the years. The problem is, it’s easier to set them than to stick with and ultimately achieve them. But there are a few tricks you can use to stay motivated and on track to achieve your goals.
It may be too late already, as you probably have already set your goals for 2010, but hopefully, you set realistic goals. Your goals don’t have to be easy — but they should be realistic.
It is extremely difficult to stay motivated when your mind knows you really have no shot at achieving whatever benchmark you have set for yourself. If you want to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year, for example, but the most weight you’ve ever lost in 12 months is only 10 pounds — you might want to re-adjust your goal. You cannot trick yourself into staying motivated to accomplish something that, deep down, you know is nearly impossible.
Once your goals are in line with reality, here are some other mechanisms you can use to stay motivated:
Visualize: Try to see yourself not just having achieved the goal, but also enjoying whatever REASON you had for the goal. This is big-picture focus, and it will require you to think deeper. But sometimes our goals are not really THE goal, but part of a larger plan we have. Visualize the result. For example, if your goal is to invest $10,000 toward retirement this year, picture your ideal retirement, lying on the beach or playing golf…whatever. That will motivate you more than watching zeros on bank statements.
Share: Make your objectives public. Tell people what your goals are. It’s no secret we hold ourselves more accountable when we have broadcast to others our intentions. If you want to run a marathon this year, tell everyone you know. You’re much more likely to push yourself when you know that you’ve made your commitment public.
Measure: Keep track of your progress diligently. That which we measure improves. Get on the scale regularly. Write down every dollar you spend. When you track results constantly and consistently, you are more likely to stay on the right path. When your measuring gets lazy, so you will your commitment.
Piece it together: Instead of one big goal, figure out all the little goals that might lead you to a larger goal. We humans stay engaged when we can take action in many small steps rather than a couple of big steps. Lose a pound every two weeks throughout the year, and you’ll lose 25 pounds. And a pound every couple of weeks is more manageable than the bigger, more abstract goal of 25 pounds.
As you head into February, keep in mind that 2010 is still young. You have time to accomplish the things you want to accomplish this year, and it doesn’t hurt to take a few moments to figure out if you can use a few tricks to stay more motivated!
Recommended Resources
Online: Ways to Help Haiti
As you know, a huge earthquake devastated the island of Haiti, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and even more homeless. If you’d like to help with the relief efforts, here is a good site that explains how you can:
http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake
Have a great week!
Walter Whitehurst
Keller Williams Realty
(910) 340-5524 Direct
walter@HomeSearchJacksonvilleNC.com
www.HomeSearchJacksonvilleNC.com