How does "affordability" (sales price + interest rate) influence market direction

Greetings from fabulous Mississauga!

I received a couple of insightful questions from an avid reader and thought I would share the questions and my thoughts on them

The questions were:

Mark,

I really enjoy receiving your emails with the latest POS properties and all the real estate information that you include.

I have a couple of questions:

     1. The average house price fluctuation we see on a yearly basis, is that price when the property is sold or is it the closing date? This would shift the cycle by a couple months depending.

      2. I can’t help wonder the influence of interest rates on price. I have a suspicion that “affordability” (sales price + interest rate) has a lot to do with the market direction? Have you ever graphed the house prices vs. interest rate?

Keep the great information flowing!!

Thanks again

BB

My answer was:

Hello BB

Thank you for your email.

Regarding your first point, the sold price is as of the date the property was sold, not the closing date.   

Your second point about the relationship between interest rates and prices is interesting.  I suspect here is a relationship, but not sure how closely one follows the other.  When rates increase it seems there is often a slight pause or lull in sales and then it continues again.  On the other hand, sometimes when rates go up there is a sudden surge in sales as the people who are pre-approved and locked into the lower rate end up purchasing.  When rates are trending downwards and there is a drop in the mortgage rate or an expected drop in rates, purchasers often go into a holding pattern waiting for rates to bottom out.   It really depends upon the “mood” of the market and which direction rates are going.  I’ll see what I can find with the numbers and let you know if I find a good relationship and high confidence value.

You also mention affordability and market direction.  Yes, I believe there is a relationship between these two factors too.  Again, there seems to be a tipping point where when rates and prices get too high, affordability becomes an issue and the market slows down.  The converse is also true.  I’ve found that the trend and the mood of the real estate marketplace and the press has more impact on the market direction than the actual numbers.  There are many instances of fear influencing the market far more than a change in interest rate or price.  When the government introduced the foreign buyers tax which ultimately affects less than 4% of all sales, our market collapsed.  Conversely, the fear of missing out on the rapid and sustained rise in prices caused many people to get into the market sooner than they otherwise would have (or should have) during many periods over the past 30 years.

Depending on where we are on the “Market Cycle”  greatly affects the marketplace.  To read more, see this page: http://www.mississauga4sale.com/Market-Emotions-Cycle.htm  I see that I need to update that page!

There are many more aspects to the real estate market that one can analyze. 

All very interesting factors to consider! J

Thank you,

Mark

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve

I received this email and thought I would share the contents with you.  

I am a firm believer that 'whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve'  This has been my credo since I can remember.  

I firmly believe that you have to visualize your success in order to become successful in life or any venture you undertake.

Some of the "words of wisdom" that came across my plate recently are shown below.  The key is that you can't afford to be an average leader.

Enjoy!
Mark

So, how do you become the great leader that you want to be?

One method is by studying, learning and teaching the principles that Dr. John C. Maxwell shares in his powerful program, Lessons On Leadership.

He talks about LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, SUCCESS and TEAMWORK.

This is a comprehensive program for self-training, teaching and mentoring.

Some of the key aspects of leadership are
* Growing yourself and your team
* Learning the role of serving in leadership
* The importance of modeling
* How to connect with others
* Causing people to learn
* Gaining ideas for effective teaching
* Ways to sustain motivation
* Establishing trust
* Rebuilding when trust is gone
* Challenges of leading from the middle
* How to keep the leadership pipeline pumping
* Learn principles leaders practice to lead up
* The principles of leading peers
* Becoming a person of influence
* Competing vs. completing
* Making your attitude your greatest asset
* How to deal with discouragement
* Dealing with change
* How to profit from failure
* The four major benefits of listening
* Moving others to action
* How to avoid losing touch with your people
* Leading on the basis of trust
* Avoiding inconsistent leadership
* The pitfalls of personal insecurity
* Making the tough calls
* And many more!

I spend a great deal of my time visualizing and determining that there is no other outcome in my life other than SUCCESS and the methods of achieving success are:

* Adding value to yourself and others
* Knowing your purpose in life
* Growing to your maximum potential
* Sowing seeds that benefit others
* How motives matter
* Characteristics of people who influence others
* Evaluating what you do with your time
* Doing the right things right
* Living with integrity and leading by example
* Developing a winning strategy or "big idea"
* Building a great management team
* Inspiring employees to achieve greatness
* Creating a flexible and responsive organization
* The 10 traits successful leaders have in common
* Four strategies that will keep you moving
* Leading from the front
* Holding others accountable
* Building on strengths
* Forming relationships
* Making good decisions
* How to prioritize decision-making
* Avoiding decision-making traps
* And many more!

TEAMWORK is another area that I focus on:

* Understanding the value of unity
* Diversity in skills
* Gathering and growing a team
* Creating an environment that rewards creativity
* Motivating your team for unpleasant challenges
* The four stages of training
* Commitment that inspires results
* Communication that increases effectiveness
* Adding value to team-mates
* What a coach should communicate
* What a coach should look for in players
* Adding value individually and collectively
* Coach John Wooden's nine promises to make and keep
* Motivating players to fulfill their roles as part of the team
* Paying attention to fundamentals and details
* Five steps of teaching
* Players vs. pretenders
* Having a servant's mindset
* Why hard choices are hard to make
* And many more!

One of the benefits is that you will experience significant impact on your own growth and the growth of those around you

Read more about:

• Interest Rates
• Power of Sale Properties
• Price Trends
• or Search the MLS and more at my website

Thank you for reading my blog and if there is anything else I can help you with please don't hesitate to contact me,
Mark
A. Mark Argentino
P. Eng. Broker
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate

Thinking of Selling? | Best Mortgage Rates | Current Home Prices | Search MLS
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.

Providing Full-Time Professional Real Estate Services since 1987
( BUS 905-828-3434
›mark@mississauga4sale.com8 Website : Mississauga4Sale.com

• Thinking of selling in the next 3 to 6 months?  Would you like a Complimentary & Quick Over-The-Net Home Evaluation ?
• On-Line Real Estate Newsletter sign up
• See seasonal housing patterns

The Rest Is Just Sand - great way of thinking to become Inspired

This is a very good article and puts things into perspective - it's very true and inspirational!

This was a re-tweet that I just read and copied here for you to read and enjoy!

To your success!
Mark

So here is the article.....


"A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained,
your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else--the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

'If you fill your life with only beer, you wont find room for anything else.'

__________________
My son Evan read this and responded to me and said " The fortunate part is that you can definitely empty out the jar and fill it again in a different way."

.... and I never thought of this, but it's so true, you can start over at anytime in your life with new goals and aspirations, love it!
Have a great day!
Mark

David Attenborough - BBC - 2 minute video on what a wonderful world that we live in!! :-)

this is a great 2 minute video on what a wonderful world we live in!! :-)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WHKRzkCOY

Did you hear about the huge gas price increase in Ontario?!

Massive gas price increase overnight

by Sympatico.ca Staff

Brace yourself. Gas prices in Canada are set to shoot up dramatically tonight.

Gas is set to rise by an unprecedented 30 cents a litre, as world events drive prices up across the country.

Furnace oil and diesel are expected to follow suit, rising by 35 cents and 26 cents, respectively.

In light of the current global situation, Canadians are already feeling the pressure at the pump. And many have had enough.

"It's just ridiculous," says Matt Hennessey. "They can't honestly expect us to keep paying more whenever they decide to raise prices."

As bad as the situation sounds, experts worry things could quickly get much worse. Canadians could see everything from the cost of food to the cost of public transportation rise as a result.

"These prices may have been triggered by events beyond our control, but it's going to cause unrest in Canada," says Tom Schaefer, editor of The Petroleum Post. "I'm expecting protests, riots, and strongly worded letters to Parliament."

People in Canada, naturally, will look to the Tar Sands to help curb skyrocketing prices. Unfortunately, Canada lacks refinery capacity and is already at its peak for production.

"For now, people will just have to open up their wallets and pay these outrageous prices," says Schaefer. "I'm not happy about it either."

Click here to find out how much gas will cost in your city.

Good Luck!
Mark

10 Rules of the Universe

When I was researching the internet yesterday I came across the follow 10
Universal principals, these are all pretty good!

Rules of the Universe

1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

2. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

3. Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

4. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

5. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

6. If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.

7. The things that come to those who wait will be the scraggly junk left by those who got there first.

8. The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

9. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

10. When you go into court, you are putting yourself into the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

All the Best!

Mark

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and all the best to you and your family!
Mark

For more information please contact A. Mark ArgentinoA. Mark Argentino, Broker, P.Eng.,Specializing in Residential & Investment Real EstateRE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage2691 Credit Valley Road, Suite 101, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 7A1BUS. 905-828-3434FAX. 905-828-2829E-MAIL: mark@mississauga4sale.comWebsite: Mississauga4Sale.com

Motivational and inspirational quotes - Feng Shui

Someone sent me these motivational and inspirational quotes and I thought I
would post them on my blog, great read, Enjoy!

Read more at my site at this link:

http://www.mississauga4sale.com/Motivation-Success-Ten-Scrolls.htm

Mark

　

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

I hope this finds you Happy and Healthy!

All the Best!

Mark

A. Mark Argentino
P. Eng. Broker
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.
Providing Full-Time Professional Real Estate Services since 1987
BUS 905-828-3434
FAX 905-828-2829 CELL 416-520-1577
mark@mississauga4sale.com
Mississauga4Sale.com

* Thinking of selling your home in the next 3 to 6 months? Would you
like a Complimentary & Quick Over-The-Net Home Evaluation ?
www.mississauga4sale.com/internet-evaluation.htm

* Power of Sales and Foreclosures
www.mississauga4sale.com/Power-Sales-Bank-Sales-Alert-Request.htm

* If you have not already signed up to receive my monthly real estate
newsletter, you may do so here: On-Line Real Estate Newsletter sign up
www.mississauga4sale.com/popupquestion.htm

* See seasonal housing patterns
www.mississauga4sale.com/TREBprice.htm

* Would you like me to send you a desk or wall Calendar?
www.mississauga4sale.com/Calendar-Order-Form.htm

The current state of gold, silver, gasoline and the stock markets

Gold @ 1377.40
Silver @ 24.21
CDN $ @ 1.0009 I guess that is par.
Gasoline 107.4 cents per litre (good grief!)
TSX 12,674
DJIA 11,093

It's a little surreal when you look at the numbers above, who would have believed it - all this hysteria in metals and the markets leads me to believe that the edge of the cliff or at least a dip in the roller coaster may be near...... although I am an eternal optimist, I am very concerned that things have "run up" a little too quick......... only time will tell........

Where do we go from here?

I hope this finds you Happy and Healthy!

All the Best!

Mark

A. Mark Argentino
P. Eng. Broker
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.
Providing Full-Time Professional Real Estate Services since 1987
BUS 905-828-3434
FAX 905-828-2829 CELL 416-520-1577
mark@mississauga4sale.com
Mississauga4Sale.com

* Thinking of selling your home in the next 3 to 6 months? Would you
like a Complimentary & Quick Over-The-Net Home Evaluation ?
www.mississauga4sale.com/internet-evaluation.htm

* Power of Sales and Foreclosures
www.mississauga4sale.com/Power-Sales-Bank-Sales-Alert-Request.htm

* If you have not already signed up to receive my monthly real estate
newsletter, you may do so here: On-Line Real Estate Newsletter sign up
www.mississauga4sale.com/popupquestion.htm

* See seasonal housing patterns
www.mississauga4sale.com/TREBprice.htm

* Would you like me to send you a desk or wall Calendar?
www.mississauga4sale.com/Calendar-Order-Form.htm

The HOLY GRAIL is BS

I am blessed in life because I have a beautiful family, I have a wonderful wife and two great boys. My family is complete so far and I am very balanced and happy with life. I am lucky to have a positive attitude wired into my thinking, I've always been this way.

I too am blessed with many friends who seem to care about me. It's only 9am on September 17th 2010 as I write this and I've already had about 20 birthday greetings and emails and wishes, I'm very lucky and fortunate to have such great friends who think about me and care about me, it's a nice feeling.

In 52 years of hindsight, I think that this is the case because I love to help people and if you love to help people unconditionally, then they will like to help you back. I don't expect this, it just happens.

One thing that happens as you get older, you feel that you have earned the right to talk and tell people things. This must be why old people tell such long and boring stories. I hope to tell stories, and they are usually long, but I want them to be motivating, not boring! lol

So here is my story for today, now that I've reached the ripe old age of 52, I can tell you a motivating story.

What the heck, this is a blog and I can write what I want, can't I? :-)



A friend of mine wrote me yesterday and said that he ran into a friend who summed up his day nicely with "Well, this is just another day of searching for the Holy Grail"

Many subscribe to this philosophy, but not me. I don't believe in the Holy Grail. I think the Holy Grail is BS.

If you want something bad enough, you make it a goal and then you work towards it, that's the Holy Grail for me. I have many Holy Grails, about 50 big one's and 100's of little ones.

If you think that winning the lottery will allow you to reach your Holy Grail, you are dreaming and you will be very disappointed in life.

If you need or want something bad enough, you will likely just have to change something in your lifestyle to reach the goal! There is no Holy Grail

So, bottom line is that I don't think that way,

I don't feel there is a holy grail or a pot at the end of the rainbow, my mission is to work every day and do the things necessary every day and over time those things will accumulate and continue to add to the pile and the pot just gets bigger and bigger - we have short and long term goals and things we would like to accomplish and as we accomplish those task and reach those mini goals I get to reach my mini "Holy Grail" ." very often and this brings pleasure and satisfaction almost daily

the Equation of Life is

actions x time = long term accomplishments

what you do every day x time = your long term results

in anything and everything and every aspect of your life, work, wealth, relationships, everything

notice it's actions, you actually have to do something, not just sit around and hope!

You can dream and visualize, but eventually you have to start working and do something that takes you towards your goals and mini Holy Grails

The other great thing about the equation of life is that it's absolutely infallible, if you do it - it will happen, your end result goal is absolutely certain to occur if you work at it every day

It does not matter how old you are or where you are in life, if you want to accomplish something then you have to do something towards that goal and over time you'll reach that goal

Every day of my life as far back as I can remember - I constantly reward myself. Sometimes it's just silly little rewards and other times it's big rewards like trips we go on as a family and the boat we just bought and things that I like, but regardless, I ALWAYS reward myself someway every day for what I have done every day. It's a nice feeling, it's selfish, but it too keeps me going.

So, what's my point in all this? You have to act differently to get a different result, otherwise you will have the same result.

I think you should have many Holy Grails, not just one and you must work at it every day to reach your Holy Grail

(isn't that the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result!)

I'm hopeful that YOU can find one little thing in what I say or do and that helps you towards reaching your goal and maybe you should reward yourself with some little things so that you can feel that you have accomplished something every day that takes you toward your holy grail and then you can sleep very well every night!

So here's to your health and your inner thoughts and goals and may they all align so you can have a healthy and happy life!

All the Best!
Mark

The Truth - Saving is the key to wealth!

Regardless of what anyone has told you, this is the truth:

Saving is the key to wealth - The rich are not rich because they earn a lot of money; the rich are rich because they save a lot of money.

If you do not spend less than you earn, and if you do not save the difference, you cannot build the wealth you desire.

You have to have a system. The easiest system is a percentage system.

Let's say you use the 10% system.

Pay yourself first, take the first 10% from your paycheck and bank it, invest it, squirrel it away, skim it, transfer it to another bank, take the cash and put in a savings deposit box, whatever you like, I don't care what you do with it, but put it away somewhere and just watch it grow over the upcoming months and years. It's that simple. And that difficult. Just do it.

To your success!
Mark

Must see video on motivation and believing what you do

An agent I know sent me this link to watch a motivating video on youtube.

Watch this only when you have 6 minutes of spare time. If you don't have the time today, make the time to watch it sometime today anyway.

This video really sums up what life is all about and how you can push yourself to limits that you never thought were possible and even surpass them.

This is why I always tell you to set your goals very high. The reason is that you will achieve your goals, eventually, as long as you work hard towards them.

Someone told me this saying or I read it somewhere and it stuck in my mind at an early age. As long as I can remember, I have always thought this way since I was about 20 years old (and I have even told you this phrase before):

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve"

This is a super important concept in your life no matter what you do or attempting to do.

Whatever you think in your mind, whatever your self-talk is, over time you become what you think and believe. I have visualized owning small apartment buildings and investment real estate for many years, someone has to own them, why not me?

If you imagine that you are sitting in a boardroom of your own company and you are running the meeting and everyone else is listening to you and taking your advice and you are running the company, then it will eventually happen, guaranteed. If you imagine that you are in an operating room and you are the chief medical doctor doing micro-surgery on someone's brain while all the other doctors, nurses, staff and students in the gallery watch you perform the surgery because you are the worlds best micro surgeon, it will happen. If you visualize owning a 37 foot powerboat cruiser and sitting on a lake enjoying your time on the boat, it will eventually happen.

If you visualize your goal and work hard towards that goal and save your money that you would have otherwise spent on other items, eventually it will happen. If you visualize sitting down on a beach with warm breezes blowing over your face in January and February of every year when you are 53 years old, it will happen.

If you imagine and create very specific images of your goals in your mind at a young age, and you constantly work towards those goals and strive to reach your images in your mind, no matter what they are, and if you put in the effort and streamline your thinking and your everyday tasks towards that goal, you will eventually achieve your goal. It is inevitable. It is the law of the universe.

Whatever you imagine and conceive in your mind and believe in your mind, it will come true in your mind, and it will also become true in reality. This dream, vision, goal or conceived idea has to become reality because all you do is tell yourself that it will happen over and over and over again and all your do is work towards that goal and dream and it will eventually happen. It has to.

The video below will show you in dramatic fashion that it is your mind that blocks you from achieving your goals. If you let your mind believe you can accomplish your tasks and reach your goals AND you work towards those goals every day of your life, you will achieve them.

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve. It is inevitable! :-)

I truly wish you success and happiness in everything you imagine yourself doing and dare dream to do! :-)

Mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vB59PkB0eQ

Should I lock in at 5 year or variable mortgage interest rate?

Another great question from an interested reader, and my answer below

Hi Mark,

After looking through a whole bunch of Google results, I found yours the
most intelligent and sensible. So, if you don't mind, I would like to ask
you this at this point in time, as your posting is somewhat old:

I am being offered these two options before my March 2 renewal date on a
$202,000 mortgage with 23 yr. amortization:

1). 5 Year Closed @ 3.81% - 23 Year Amortization with Weekly Regular
Payments: $252.77

2). 5 Year Variable @ Prime Minus 0.35% (currently 1.90%) - 23 Year
Amortization with Weekly Regular Payments: $208.32

Which one would YOU choose?

Thanks.
--
H.S.A. Harry, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Hi H .,

I am a firm believer in paying that mortgage off. We may never see today's'
rates again. I would go with option 2 and have your bank lower your
amortization on renewal until the payment is $250 per week. This should
reduce your amortization to about 18.2 years, see the calculator here:
http://www.mississauga4sale.com/mortgage-amortization-creator.htm

Then in 5 years when it comes time to renew, you will only have 13 years
left to go on your mortgage.

Even if the prime rate increases, which it is supposed to, the 5 year
variable has to climb to about 5.5% for you to be even compared to the 3.81%
mortgage for 5 years and you will still be ahead of the game. Reason is, it
may take 2 years to reach 5.5%, if ever, and then you have saved a pile in
interest in the first 2 years of your mortgage. You should be earning more
in 2 years from now and look at it as an investment in yourself.

Also, in 3 years, you can renew that 5 year mortgage and who knows, there
may be some good specials out there that you can take advantage of.

You should be better off in the long run going short term, read my
experience here:
http://www.mississauga4sale.com/Lock-In-Short-Term-Long-Term-Mortgage.htm

All the best!
Mark

Longevity and long range planning

Hello:

This article just came through my email and I thought I would share it with you. It's very interesting. Makes you think that you had better make a "longer' range plan than first anticipated. I still feel real estate investment is the way to go, but many will not agree.

Only time will tell and by the looks of it, we'll have lot's of it!

All the best,

Mark

---

Tomoji Tanabe died in his sleep this past June 19th. A resident of Japan, he was the world's oldest man at 113. He drank milk every day, avoided alcohol, and did not smoke.

His successor as the world's oldest man was Henry Allingham, a resident of England who was also 113. Henry attributed his longevity to "cigarettes, whiskey and wild, wild women".

I'm pretty sure the secret to a long life is a large measure of luck.

When we are young we tend to think of life as a long journey with no end in sight. It is something we look forward to and we don't worry about it. As we approach retirement we still look forward to a long life but we start to worry about just how long it might be.

You are going to hear the word "centenarian" more and more in the future. It refers to those who have reached the age of 100 - a milestone we think of as being quite rare. In the 1950s there were only a few thousand people over the age of 100 in the world.

Some experts are predicting that there will be one million (1,000,000) centenarians in the US by 2050. This means that one million people in the US in their early 60s are looking at another 40 or more years of life. On a global basis it is expected that there will be more than five million centenarians by 2040.

While luck definitely plays a role in longevity so do advances in medicine, technology, food supply and physical fitness. The one element that may impact longevity the most is that of nano technology - literally microscopic intelligent machines that may be injected into our bodies to address a myriad of health issues.

All of this begs the question: just how much life can I afford to live?

It looks like Spock had it right when he said "Live long and prosper".

---

I hope this finds you Happy and Healthy!

All the Best!

Mark

A. Mark Argentino
P. Eng. Broker
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate

Thinking of Selling? Best Mortgage Rates Current Home Prices Search MLS Newsletter
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.
Providing Full-Time Professional Real Estate Services since 1987
( BUS 905-828-3434
2 FAX 905-828-2829 ÈCELL 416-520-1577
› E-MAIL : mailto:mark@mississauga4sale.com?subject=Mississauga
Website : Mississauga4Sale.com

• Thinking of selling your home in the next 3 to 6 months? Would you like a Complimentary & Quick Over-The-Net Home Evaluation ?
• Power of Sales and Foreclosures
• If you have not already signed up to receive my monthly real estate newsletter, you may do so here: On-Line Real Estate Newsletter sign up
• See seasonal housing patterns
• Would you like me to send you a 2009 Calendar?

The Power of Persistence as learned from Rocky Balboa

I thought that this was pretty good advice so I will share it with you. Although Rocky is a little corny, there were some great scenes and lines from the movie that have to motivate you. Geez, I remember jogging all around the McMaster campus after Rocky was released with grey sweats and a white towel stuffed into the collar, just like Rocky! LOL

Enjoy

Mark

This was passed along to me this morning

After years of extensive study into the key determining success factors of self made millionaires, Brian Tracy concluded that amongst the most important were the twin characteristics of persistence and determination.He quotes, “Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel. The quality of persistence is the absolutely indispensable quality that goes hand in hand with all great success in life. The courage to persist in the face of adversity and disappointment is the one quality that more than anything, will guarantee your success.”

As we all know, the one thing that is inevitable in our lives is the recurring crisis. If you are living a busy life, it is highly likely you will have a crisis of some kind every few months. In between these unavoidable crises will be a continuous succession of problems and difficulties. And the more things that you attempt, the bigger your goals, the more determined you are to become successful in your life the more problems and crises you will experience.

The good news however is that you can control is how you respond to those difficulties and setbacks, and your greatest personal asset can be your willingness to stay at it longer than anyone else.

Now although it is easy to grasp this intellectually, and rationally, it is another thing altogether to live this mantra or creed on an emotional level, when we are in the midst of crisis, or when we feel at our most vulnerable. This is where it can be useful to have an analogy to draw on - something which inspires and motivates us in times of difficulty.

Perhaps one of the best and most stirring analogies I have seen In this context comes from the 2006 movie, Rocky Balboa starring Sylvester Stallone. In one particular scene he is dispensing the above advice to his son, only in his own inimitable style of course! He says,

“Then the time came for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for someone to blame.”

“Let me tell you something you already know; the world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.”

“But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward - how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! You gotta be willing to take the hits and not point fingers, saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody! Cowards do that, and that’s not you!”

Click on the link to watch this scene from the film…

click here

I hope this finds you Happy and Healthy!

All the Best!

Mark

A. Mark Argentino
P. Eng. Broker
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate

Thinking of Selling? Best Mortgage Rates Current Home Prices Search MLS Newsletter
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.
Providing Full-Time Professional Real Estate Services since 1987
( BUS 905-828-3434
2 FAX 905-828-2829 ÈCELL 416-520-1577
› E-MAIL : mailto:mark@mississauga4sale.com?subject=Mississauga
Website : Mississauga4Sale.com

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Motivational quotes for real estate agents and everyone!

http://www.mississauga4sale.com/Motivation-Success-Ten-Scrolls.htm

This article came from some of my internet reading, and I have changed it a little, cannot even recall from where, but I’ve put it into my blackberry and have it remind me once a month that this is the way to succeed in real estate

You have to Create Daily Success in Real Estate and in your personal life to succeed in life

The journey to a successful life should be enjoyed. True success comes from accomplishing the daily activities that will lead you to your ultimate goals in life. Failing or neglecting to accomplish the daily disciplines will lead you down the path of lost opportunities and lost income.

If the penalty for not accomplishing your daily activities or disciplines was implemented or assessed today, we would look at neglecting them differently. The truth is the penalty for neglect is more visible in the future than it is today. The person who eats fried foods does not pay the penalty at 35, he pays at 55. The person who fails to save 10% of his income for retirement is not penalized at 40, but at 60.

If we were zapped today from neglecting the daily disciplines rather than in the future, our daily disciplines would change. We have to make the neglect more painful than the activity. There are three disciplines that must be done daily in real estate for success;

1. working on Growth

2. Administration and

3. working On your business.

1. Growth

Growth is the part of the business that brings in the revenue for your business. The more time you spend of your day in growth, the more income you will make. Most Agents work on growth activities at the last minute, when they are running short on funds. The problem is that is too late. To have a steady business income you need a steady approach to growth.

Growth is the prospecting that you do daily. It is the listing appointments that you have for the day. It is the lead follow-up that you are doing on the people who want to buy or sell. It is the meeting with your lender to work on your competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Growth is the critical part to any business. Without growth a business will fail. I know a lot of Agents who are highly skilled in growth and poorly skilled in administration and working on their business, who earn large amounts of money. I know of very few successful Agents who are not highly skilled at growth. You can have huge deficiencies in administration and working on your business but still win the game. You cannot be deficient in growth and win.

2. Administration

There is a huge amount of daily activities that complete with your income stream, such as processing the listing so Agents can find it in the MLS, completing trade record sheets, communicating with your clients on a regular basis, dripping on your clients with emails or paper campaigns, etc.

These activities, done well, will enable you to turn clients into fans who will look for new business for you. You will need one to two hours daily for administration. If you create a good system or purchase good software or have a highly trained and skilled staff, your time spent in this area will be reduced. In the perfect system, administration gets done well, but the Agents spend little personal time on it.

3. On your business

This is the time that most people neglect. This working on your business really separates long-term success and growth from just running faster on the treadmill of life. Long-term financial success lies in this section of your day. The ability to earn more profit is also located here.

We are all really employees of our own little real estate business. We are the ones who bring in the business and make the system go. The more time we plan, read, strategize, practice, role-play, and implement our ideas, the more ownership we gain. Becoming the owner of your real estate business only happens through diligent work on your business. Instead of being the employee who works to draw a salary and pay the bills, why not become the one who orchestrates the company? Be the one who has something to sell when he wants to try something else and/or retire.

What do you think your business would look like in 90 days or even six months if you were to implement an effective daily routine? ……

A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.
A goal broken down becomes a plan.
A plan backed by action makes your dream come true. It’s as simple as that!

Do you want to read more motivation like this: http://www.mississauga4sale.com/Motivation-Success-Ten-Scrolls.htm

I wish you all the best! Mark Argentino mark@mississauga4sale.com

Positive thinking... your key to success in this market

Good day to you!

And I mean "Good Day" Today is a great day for doing business! Your attitude is everything and when your attitude is positive or negative, you feel differently in the direction of that thought.

By feeling differently, you act differently and project differently. This is why positive thinking works and is the whole formula for the 'law of attraction'. It is not your thoughts that create your world around you, but that is where it starts.

Your self talk and your thoughts create the way you feel. The way you feel affects the way you act and the way you act will have a direct impact on your success in all aspects of your life. This is why some people will struggle in a slower market place while others will thrive.

As I am sure you are aware, many potential homebuyers are hesitant to make a decision in these times. Mostly because of what they read in the papers and what the see on the news, regardless of its accuracy.

They tend to ignore the positive and pay closer attention to the negative and the media knows this. After all... it is the negative information that sells newspapers and gets ratings, right? In no way am I saying the market is perfect right now, but what I am saying is there is tremendous opportunity out there for buyers who are in the marketplace.

If you have a positive attitude, it will affect the feelings of not only yourself, but the people around you, namely.... your clients. Your positive attitude will most certainly affect they way they feel, in turn, affecting their buying decision.

This is not a false feeling, because there is plenty of reason to think positive in today's market.

Make them aware of all the reasons why it is a great time to buy right now... which it is! If they are a first time homebuyer, tell them about the amount of inventory on the market. More inventory, equals more choice and much less chance of running into a 'multiple offer' situation.

There is also a much greater chance they will encounter a motivated seller and end up with a real bargain. If they are holding off because they think they will get $20,000 more for their house in the spring, well, the house they are buying is probably $20,000 less, so it is all relative. Mortgage rates are low right now as well with a 5 year fixed available for as low as 5.40. The lowest variable rate is 5% even and I have a special running on a one year fixed at 4.35%.

So be positive, make some changes in your marketing efforts, adapt, and keep your options open. Start looking at possible clientele that you may have overlooked before.

Is there anything I can help you with today?

To your personal success!

Mark


http://www.mississauga4sale.com/Motivation-Success-Ten-Scrolls.htm

How to Get An Extra Hour Out Of Every Day for the Rest of Your Life!

How to Get An Extra Hour Out Of Every Day for the Rest of Your Life!
How can you get an extra hour from each day? This is a basic challenge for all of us.

We've come up with many practical ways to secure one more precious hour from each day. (Remember that each of these tips is probably adaptable to your particular situation.) Here they are...

1. Make up and follow a detailed, daily schedule.

2. Get up earlier.

3. Do less passive reading, TV watching and the like.

4. Avoid allowing others to waste your time.

5. If you commute to work, use the time to study or plan.

6. Organize your work; do it systematically.

7. Make creative use of lunchtime.

8. Delegate authority if possible.

9. Spend less time on unimportant phone calls.

10. Think first; then do the job.

11. Do instead of dream.

12. Work hardest when you're mentally most alert.

13. Eliminate activities which make little contribution to the best results for your life.

14. Always do the toughest jobs first.

15. Before each major act, ask: Is this REALLY necessary?

16. Choose interesting and constructive literature for spare-moment reading.

17. Learn how to sleep. Sleep soundly, then work refreshed.

18. Skip desserts.

19. Stop smoking.

20. Write notes or letters while waiting for others.

21. Always carry an envelope with paper in it, stamps and a few postcards.

22. Combine tasks which are done in the same area.

23. Be prompt for all appointments.

24. Lay out your clothes the night before.

25. Relax. Ready yourself for the important jobs in life.

26. Concentrate on the specific task you're doing.

27. Make constructive use of those five- or ten-minute waiting periods. Carry with you magazine article clippings on helpful subjects.

28. Always carry a pencil and paper to capture important-to-you ideas.

29. Learn to do other "unnecessary things" while watching TV or listening to the radio.

30. Call on specialists to accomplish work you cannot do efficiently.

31. Learn to read more rapidly.

32. Nap an hour after dinner. Then take a shower. Begin the evening hours relaxed and refreshed.

33. Avoid making a "production" out of small tasks.

34. Avoid interruptions.

35. Tackle only one job at a time.

36. Search out job short-cuts.

37. Know your limitations.

38। Work to your top capacity.

Search the MLS or read more about Interest Rates, Power of Sale Properties, Price Trends and more at my website.

Thank you for reading my blog and if there is anything else I can help you with please don't hesitate to contact me,

Mark

A. Mark Argentino
P. Eng. Broker
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate

Thinking of Selling? Best Mortgage Rates Current Home Prices Search MLS
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.

Providing Full-Time Professional Real Estate Services since 1987
( BUS 905-828-3434
2 FAX 905-828-2829 ÈCELL 416-520-1577
› E-MAIL : mark@mississauga4sale.com
8 Website : Mississauga4Sale.com

• 
  
  
  Thinking of selling in the next 3 to 6 months? Would you like a Complimentary & Quick Over-The-Net Home Evaluation ?
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  On-Line Real Estate Newsletter sign up
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  See seasonal housing patterns