via sfgate.com
U.S. housing market’s fragile recovery | Mount Kisco Real Estate
Leave a reply
Category Archives: Mount Kisco
Forecast for steady growth, but no boom in home sales | Mount Kisco Real Estate
The national outlook for home sales next year looks “very good,” though tight credit means housing will not see rapid growth anytime soon.
That’s according to Kenneth T. Rosen, chairman of the University of California, Berkeley, Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, who spoke at the 35th Annual Real Estate & Economics Symposium hosted by the center Monday.
Interest rates at a 50-year low, job growth and low inventory mean that the housing market is recovering, Rosen said.
“It’s not a boom, but it’s recovering,” he said.
Rosen thinks the reason housing isn’t booming is because the government has responded to the economic downturn by trying to fight the wrong problem.
“The problem is not (that there is not) enough money, because the (Federal Reserve) has poured in a lot of money into the economy,” Rosen said. “We have too much money out there, not too little money. The problem is loan availability.”
Restrictive credit score requirements mean 40 percent of people can’t get a loan, he said.
According to Ellie Mae, a provider of software to mortgage originators, borrowers approved for conventional purchase loans in October had an average FICO score of 762. The average FICO score for purchase mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration was 700.
“I think the average FICO score should be back at 650,” Rosen said.
But he held little hope for improved credit availability in the near future.
“Credit is not going to get a lot looser. This administration is not pro-homeownership. They are not homeowner advocates, they are renter advocates” because their constituency is largely in urban areas, which typically have a high share of renters, Rosen said.
The FHA, whose mission is to provide homeownership opportunities for moderate-income families, particularly first-time buyers and minorities, is an exception, Rosen said.
“The FHA is doing a great job, but they’re the only ones there,” he said.
The FHA reported a $16.3 billion deficit last week, raising the specter that the agency will require a taxpayer bailout next year for the first time in its 78-year history.
Rosen said the shortfall was “not surprising,” given the FHA’s role in shoring up the housing market during the downturn. The agency expects $70 billion in future losses from loans made between 2007 and 2009.
“It’s a function of history and they’ll get through it,” Rosen said.
On the inventory front, underwater homeowners are likely to sell as prices rise next year, increasing the number of available homes for sale, said Daren Blomquist, vice president of foreclosure data aggregator RealtyTrac, who also spoke at the symposium.
But “I don’t see a flood of inventory; it’ll be slowly meted out as prices come up,” he said.
The role foreclosures will play will vary by state, Blomquist said.
In states where foreclosures are handled by the courts (judicial foreclosure states) foreclosures take considerably longer to process than in nonjudicial foreclosure states. For example, in New York, a judicial foreclosure state, it took an average of 1,072 days to process a foreclosure in the third quarter; in California, a nonjudicial foreclosure state, it took 335 days.
Though delayed, foreclosures are being processed in judicial foreclosure states such as Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and each has seen increasing foreclosure activity in the last nine to 10 months, Blomquist said.
“That indicates more foreclosure sales next year,” he said.
But in nonjudicial foreclosure states like California, Arizona and Nevada, there’ll be less foreclosure inventory to add to for-sale inventory, he said.
“If Realtors are looking for shadow inventory in those states, it’s probably not very likely,” he said.
Clouds on the horizon
Overall, the U.S. economy has many positives going for it right now, though there are some clouds on the horizon that could affect the housing market next year.
“We have very strong job creation. Private sector job creation is very good, (though) a little slow in summer. Auto sales are quite strong. Home sales are coming back. We have very low interest rates. Corporate profits are very high and cash balances are high,” Rosen said.
Rosen said the so-called “fiscal cliff” — a series of tax increases and spending cuts that will go into effect at the beginning of next year unless U.S. lawmakers come up with an alternative plan to reduce the federal deficit — remains a concern. At the moment, he said, a grand bargain seems to be more likely than congressional gridlock.
Regardless, he said, the U.S. economy could face headwinds including instability, a slowdown in overseas growth, and tax increases at home.
Rosen estimates there’s a 30 percent chance the U.S. economy will double-dip back into recession if any one of three events occur: we fall off the fiscal cliff, the euro collapses, or the supply of oil from the Middle East is disrupted.
Should we go over the fiscal cliff, taxes will rise for all taxpayers. These include a jump in capital gains taxes; tax rate increases in the top four brackets to 39.6 percent (from 35 percent), 36 percent (from 33 percent), 31 percent (from 28 percent), or 28 percent (from 25 percent); and 28 million more taxpayers will be subject to the alternative minimum tax (see “What happens to your taxes if we go over the fiscal cliff.)”
New Medicare taxes will kick in next year regardless for for high-income taxpayers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). Married couples with adjusted gross incomes over $250,000, and singles with AGIs over $200,000, will face a 0.9 percent increase in the current Medicare tax and a 3.8 percent tax on investment income. All taxpayers who itemize will also face more restrictive limits on deductions for medical expenses.
A payroll tax holiday that has reduced workers’ share of Social Security taxes from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent for the last two years is set to expire at the end of 2012. Reuters reports support for an extension of the tax holiday is growing in Congress, particularly among Democrats. The tax break has provided workers with an average of about $1,000 a year in extra cash, Reuters said.
At the state level, in California, the newly passed Proposition 30 will raise the sales tax for everyone, from 7.25 percent to 7.5 percent, and also raise income taxes for those earning more than $250,000 a year.
A deal to avoid the fiscal cliff could include limits on the mortgage interest tax deduction. Also, if the Mortgage Debt Relief Act is allowed to expire, mortgage debt forgiven in a short sale, loan modification or foreclosure could be considered taxable income next year.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we do know taxes will be higher,” Rosen said. “A lot higher or a little higher we don’t know.”
“It will hurt the housing market because there will be less money in the system,” he said. How much it hurts depends on the tax increases themselves, which are as yet uncertain, he said.
On a global scale, the eurozone sovereign debt crisis and recession as well as economic slowdowns in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) could blunt U.S. exports and increase the trade deficit, which fell to its lowest level in nearly two years in September.
Rosen predicted the euro would not last due to a lack of homogeneity among European countries.
“One currency requires an integration level that I don’t think is going to happen,” Rosen said. “So, I think within several years we’ll will have shadow currencies and country after country will say they don’t need one currency.”
That doesn’t mean other eurozone policies, such as open borders, can’t remain in place, he said.
As far as oil prices, Rosen noted oil and gas booms in states like North Dakota and Ohio, but said the technologies that are creating those booms, namely hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), would be exported to other countries, who would then have their own energy booms.
The result may be a $10 or $20 drop in the per barrel price of oil, though it may only be a 10-year phenomenon as supplies run out, Rosen said. Alternative energy is a better bet for the long term, he said.
For now, oil prices are still very high, he said, and “if the Middle East blows up, we could see $150 a barrel overnight,” he said.
via inman.com
Half-built dreams in still-shaky Southland housing market | Mount Kisco Realtor
via suntimes.com
The Weekly Online Video News Round Up – Final Cut Edition | North Salem Homes
This week I’ve got to get the final cut of the pilot episode over to the contest people. But, as always, I’ve been keeping an eye on the industry to see how things are going and this week there’s some interesting stuff from the likes of Comcast and Verizon of all places. Check it out and enjoy your morning coffee.
Comcast Adds Offline iOS/Android Viewing To Xfinity TV Player
Comcast has brought video on-demand streaming to subscriber’s mobile devices since early last year, but now an update has added the option to download (some) content for offline viewing. Arriving simultaneously on iOS and Android, the Xfinity TV Player apps support downloads from premium channels Showtime (which was also one of the first up for streaming when that launched), Starz, Encore, and MoviePlex.
Source: EngadgetVerizon Makes 75 Channels Available Via Its iPad App
Verizon Communications is making 75 live networks available through its updated app for iPad tablets for FiOS TV and Internet customers — but unlike services from competitors like Cablevision Systems and Time Warner Cable, the telco’s tablet TV lineup currently lacks broadcast networks and local channels. The updated FiOS Mobile app for iPad was published in the Apple iTunes App Store on Wednesday (last week).
To use the feature, customers must subscribe to both FiOS Internet and TV service, and must use a Verizon-provided router. Live TV on the iPad is accessible only within a customer’s home over Wi-Fi.Rovi TV Guide Listings to End
Rovi has started shutting off the TV listings data it has provided in over-the-air broadcasts to dozens of consumer-electronics device models in North America — and will completely end the service by April 2013 — a move that has infuriated consumers who claim it will render their DVRs useless.
The company said its agreements with data broadcasting partners CBS and National Datacast Inc. (NDI), a for-profit subsidiary of PBS, are coming to an end.
Source: Multichannel News
RedBox Instant Set for Holidays
The online video joint venture Redbox Instant by Verizon is set to launch sometime before the end of the year. The service is currently being tested in private beta, and Verizon and Redbox have kept mum on some key details. Subscriptions start at $6 a month. An $8 a month membership adds four Redbox credits to the streaming package that can be redeemed for Redbox DVD rentals. Redbox Instant is using Silverlight for streaming on the web.
Source: GigaOm
Chill Direct’s New Platform Empowers Artists to Distribute Content Directly to Fans
Chill (www.chill.com), the Web’s premier video discovery portal today launched the entertainment industry’s first turnkey platform for artists to produce, own and distribute content directly to their fans, dubbed “Chill Direct.” The self-service platform is the first of its kind and makes it dead simple for artists to globally distribute premium video to all desktop, mobile and Internet connected televisions.
Chill Direct is a fully socially integrated platform that allows any filmmaker, comedian, musician, or artist to directly release premium video to the fans who love them. Building on the success of content creators who have made specials and albums directly available to audiences for personal download, Chill Direct expands on this emergent model, empowering artists to engage their fan bases and build full-scale customizable community hubs where fans and artists can interact.
Unlike releasing content through app stores, music stores, a broadcast network or film studio, Chill Direct imbues artists with creative control and flexibility over their material and allows them full ownership of Intellectual Property. Chill Direct also helps artists build powerful social communities around their work through integration with Facebook and Twitter and world-class page creation tools.
Source: Press Release
Test the Encoding.com Private Cloud and enter to win $1000 of free encoding credit
At Encoding.com, we all agree that building the world’s most powerful private cloud transcoding platform is a good time. Even more fun is watching our resident stunt goat Clive take it for a test drive. Unfortunately, even the great Clive went from goat to chicken when he overheard the roar of 32 core multi-threading servers and 1Gbps ingest/egress usingAspera fasp 3™ technology.
Therefore, we are offering a reward of $1,000 in free encoding credit to the Encoding.com community member willing to brave unprecedented speed, put the pedal to the metal, and encode the largest volume of video in December using Encoding.com private cloud!
Using the Encoding.com Private Cloud is easy, you can keep all of your encoding settings the same and simply specify a new region in your API request. Click here for complete instructions.
The rules are simple:
– Only one winner will be selected
– Encoding credit will be awarded to the primary account holder
– Encoding credit may only be redeemed by the primary account holder
– Encoding credit must be used by 1/1/2014
– Encoding credit is not applicable for discounts on existing contractsSource: Blog Post
via reelseo.com
Why’d You Choose That Domain Name? | Mt Kisco Realtor
Let’s admit one thing. We all started this web thing honestly, naively.
Our first site was designed to help people, to fill a gaping void we saw in the online world.
We wanted to do so much good.
Where, then, did it go so wrong? And why? Why did we end up with a website like “www.how-to-earn-money-online.com” that we can barely mention across the dinner table without blushing?
In this post, I’m going to target the psychology behind our seemingly harmless paths to web domination. I’ve been curious for a while about why a few of us start the Zygna.coms and Digg.coms while others go a, well, different path. It all dates back to the mid 1970s, when a man name Albert Bandura, the guy behind Social Cognitive Theory, examined how we seek to replicate success we see in our surroundings and in media, often at all costs. It gets a bit creepy.
Day 1: A new beginnning
It all began with GoDaddy.
“What is GoDaddy?” we ask Google. And Google responds with a full tutorial on GoDaddy.
“Thank you, Google. Now I’ve got my first domain and I have no idea how to use it.”
Well at some point, no thanks to GoDaddy, we find Blogger or WordPress. Your first domain name most-likely had a .blogspot or .wordpress in it. Hello, new blog.
“Wow, this is so interesting,” we think. “I can write posts, post images, create links, and put things in my side bar. And what exactly is a sidebar? I’m going to grow this blog to be huge! I’m getting 100 views a day! Wait, I was tracking my own views. Shut that off. So this actually is difficult … okay, I can handle that.”
We set up our first Google Analytics profile and hardly use it. We’re too focused positioning Adsense ads and garnering Facebook likes.
“Suggest to friends? I think so. Why did he not like it? Not my friend anymore! Write posts, write posts, write posts. Write even more. How am I ever going to have as many posts as that other site? Three a week, that’s it. Must happen. Three great posts of 500 words at least. More coffee. You can do this! Backlinks. Backlins! Need more. Alexa tells me I don’t have enough. Must network. Got one! Got a tweet too! Oh my dear god prepare yourself for traffic! Traffic didn’t come…why not? More posts … more domination!”
At some fateful point after much deliberation we decide to hack off the .blogger/.wordpress and basically think the world will rejoice over our decision.
“Sigh, they don’t. People don’t care. They’re focused on their own websites. Oh well, more networking, more Facebook marketing! Backlinks!”
Day 2: Day 1 got old
At some point in blogging, we become jaded. It just isn’t like it was on Day 1. Our community blog, our niche review site, and our Google Adsense landing page just didn’t work as planned. It wasn’t all we were told it would be, but we did learn in the process.
So, we start a new blog. We suck up our pride. We hobble back over to the computer. We probably woke up later that day because we were up late making it big the night before.
This is where it gets interesting.
The day we start up a second website defines us in our blogging careers.
Why? Because (in case you didn’t realize yet) everyone starts a semi-successful-yet-pretty-mediocre website at first, then moves on to another project. It’s in that second project that we either:
- show the world we’ve learned from our mistakes and are ready to build something useful, or
- totally sell out and continue down the path to eventual existential failure.
I’m sorry, but it’s one or the other. Which path are you on?
Maybe you’re on a different path?! If so, let’s hear about it in the comments.
Day 3: Pick a new domain
It may not be on actual day 3 of blogging, but the “third day” in your blogging career is the day you choose your next domain name. On Day 1 you made your first website, on Day 2 you decided to build another one, and on Day 3 you picked this new domain. And on Day 7 s/he rested.
So what did you pick?
The brandable domain
If you picked a brandable domain then I’d like to buy you a beer. I’m proud of you. A brandable domain is something like “Twitter.com”. It’s something like “Coursehero.com” or “Koofers.com”. It’s a brother of “Problogger.net” and a cousin of “Alexa.com”. Its recognizable. It stands out.
It holds its own in a conversation across the dinner table. (Should that be the new standard?)
People learn not just from trying and failing, but from observing, sometimes subconsciously, sometimes for means of survival, what works for our peers.—Albert Bandura
The importance of a brandable domain is five-fold:
- Unique: It stands out.
- Recognizable: People remember it.
- Bizarre: It’s weird enough to generate some intrigue the first time someone hears it.
- Worth mentioning: People want to talk about weird things.
- Worth putting on a t-shirt: Yes, you would consider wearing that logo with it’s branded image on a t-shirt.
If you picked a brandable domain I commend you because, while you won’t get immediate “direct match” traffic from Google, you will get many more returning visits because you have a pretty cool concept.
These websites are more likely to get blog comments and will inevitably build larger email followings. They may not be the best at making a quick buck, but they do have a long-term trajectory to success. Props to you for choosing this option!
The keyword-rich domain
If you picked this type of domain, you may want to watch this short video as Matt Cutts talks about how Google is changing the algorithm.
Short summary: A lot of noise and competition exists among keyword-rich domains. Google is altering the algorithm so websites with keyword-rich domains won’t get as much an advantage over similar websites with less keyword friendly domains.
If you picked a keyword-rich domain, this is my advice for you.
- Check out onlineprofits.com: It’s a successful community that makes online profits.
- Check howtomakemyblog.com: It’s actually an awesome how-to site by Marko Saric.
- Check out onlinecolleges.com and literally every other domain name with some variation of the phrase “online colleges” in it. You’ll begin to see just how competitive things are getting.
- Learn some on-page SEO: It’ll help you immensely against the waves of others like you.
- Get used to being #2: Hey, look at how well Monster does in the shadow of Redbull.
It’s okay, as a few of these examples will show you. With your keyword-rich domain your blog might actually make that six-figure annual income you dreamed about on Day 2.
However, as time passes I can’t help but think keyword-rich domains will become a dime a dozen, and will get sifted out to the bottom of the blogosphere while unique, original concepts rise to the top. It’s a process that may be happening as you read this.
Why did we choose one option or the other?
We’re human. We don’t want the things we do to eventually lead to failure.
We want to succeed, sometimes badly, and will often consider every means necessary to do so. Sometimes this means selecting a domain we at first would have scoffed at.
Albert Bandura was a renowned Canadian psychologist. He examined the characteristics we learn in our adolescence that leads us to success or failure. From the existing Social Learning Theory, it was known four key factors affect how we learn new behavior: drives, cues, responses, and rewards.
What Bandura found, in plain words, was that those of us who are more aggressive often skip a couple steps to get to the “rewards.”
This can be dangerous.
When our aggression outweighs our engrained moral compass, we exhibit “lapses in judgement,” as Bandura called them, where we totally avoid “cues” and “responses.”
It’s these tendencies which lead us to choose a certain domain and make larger, more long-term business decisions. It’s pretty hard to say a domain doesn’t hold vibes and messages that follow our website throughout its entire existence. So next time you’re sitting at GoDaddy about to make a purchase, remember Bandura and think about the long-term implications of your choice.
Bandura became the endowed chair of social psychology at Standford University in 1974 and is believed to be the fourth most cited pyschologist of all time. Go find more of his related work on Wikipedia.
The Blogger is a 25 year old guy from Manhattan who answers 150 blog questions before breakfast and holds a world record for comment response time. Sign up to his email club if you haven’t already (jeez) and find him on the Twitter.
via problogger.net
6 wrong-headed ideas about remodeling | Mount Kisco NY Homes
After 30 years in architecture, I still hear the same tired old wives’ tales circulated about remodeling. It’s amazing how long it can take to stamp out a wrong-headed concept. Here are some of my unfavorites:
1. Bathrooms should be planned back to back to save cost. Rubbish. This chestnut goes way back, and probably stems from the practice of placing apartment house bathrooms back to back. You’re not building apartments, however, so the meager savings in plumbing cost — something on the order of a few hundred dollars — doesn’t justify straitjacketing your floor plan with a bathroom arrangement you don’t like.
2. The best way to improve your home’s energy efficiency is by installing new double-glazed windows. Poppycock. In most houses, windows represent a very small fraction of the total heat loss. By far the most heat is lost through ceilings, so attic insulation is the best place to put your energy-efficiency dollars. Once that’s done, consider installing a higher-efficiency furnace and ductwork. Replacing your windows is far down the list of cost-effective energy improvements.
3. Granite is the best choice for kitchen counters. Balderdash. Granite is definitely durable, but it may not make economic sense to install a 100-year countertop on cabinets that will last only 30. In any case, there are lots of other interesting countertop materials out there, from other types of stone slabs, to butcher block, tile, and yes, even plastic laminate. It’s worth taking a look at them before you choose granite by reflex.
4. Skylights are the best way to get daylight into your house. Malarkey. Skylights are a good last resort to improve daylighting, but adding windows should always be your first choice. Why? Because they’re passive solar devices naturally attuned to the seasons, letting in more low-angle sunlight in winter when you want it, and excluding it in summer when you don’t. Skylights do just the reverse. They also look out of place on many styles of homes, particularly those built before World War II.
5. Point-of-use (“tankless”) water heaters are the most efficient way to heat water. Maybe, maybe not. Tankless units can be just the thing for certain applications, such as bathrooms that are remote from the water heater. But their efficiency is typically oversold, with efficiency ratings based on rarified laboratory conditions that are seldom reflected in actual installations. They’re also complex and subject to erratic response under low-flow conditions.
What’s more, if saving space isn’t your primary concern, there are a number of conventional storage water heaters available with efficiencies in the mid-90s, some at surprisingly reasonable cost.
6. Recessed “can” lights are the best way to modernize a home’s lighting. Piffle. Recessed lighting is useful for very specific purposes — highlighting permanent objects or architectural features, for example — but they do a lousy job of general illumination. This is because cans are inherently directional, creating a pool of light beneath them, rather than diffusing light throughout the room. They’re also terribly overused, leading to the notorious “swiss cheese ceiling” effect seen in so many remodeled houses. Be sparing in your use of recessed cans — and if you have a house predating World War II, think twice about using them at all. They’re literally a glaring anachronism in most older homes.
via inman.com
Why no carpeting? | Katonah Homes
Q: I read something you wrote saying that wall-to-wall carpet is a buyer turnoff. Call me old fashioned or out of step, but what is with all the hating on carpeting? Like anything else, it needs to be cleaned occasionally, but I will take the warmth and quiet of it over hard surfaces any time.
The nylon wall-to-wall in my house is more than 20 years old and has worn like iron. Who can say that this type of flooring won’t be back in fashion in a couple years, with people buying it in droves to cover up their faux wood floors or even the real thing?
A: Allow me to be clear: I don’t hate carpet! In my own home, I have carpet in my bedroom, on my stairs and in my office, which has an unlevel floor that was nearly impossible to finish with wood. The rest of my home, though, is finished with hardwood floors, which studies have shown to be the increasingly overwhelming preference of homebuyers.
Here’s the skinny on why carpets are falling out of vogue:
1. Think like a buyer, to understand why carpet is falling out of fashion. Today’s buyers are seeking low-maintenance, high-performance home finishes that allow maximum versatility and healthfulness for their families. And wall-to-wall carpet triggers many of those concerns:
- Maintenance: By and large, buyers see carpet as something that requires regular, professional cleaning — or labor-intensive self-cleaning — at a couple hundred bucks a pop.
- Performance: There are certainly high-end carpets that wear well over time, but many of the carpets that are installed by sellers just prior to putting a home on the market do not qualify. These light-colored, inexpensive carpets often look old and worn relatively early in their lives, and buyers know this.
- Versatility: A buyer of a home with carpeting everywhere is somewhat limited in their decor and design choices by the preferences of the seller before them. By contrast, hard flooring finishes allow the buyer a near-infinite range of decor palette choices.
- Healthfulness: Buyers see traditional carpeting as something that off-gases toxic fumes and traps dirt and allergens that may exacerbate family members’ allergies or other respiratory issues. Many see hardwood and other hard flooring finishes as more healthful and sustainable for their families — and for the planet. To boot, buyers who have pets and children know that these little wild family members can be very hard on carpet.
2. But buyers share your concerns, too. Buyers also crave warmth and noise muffling — and many install area rugs over their hard flooring finishes for precisely that reason. Also, buyers who like carpet often enjoy selecting their own (so they can choose the color, select nontoxic materials or even choose those versatile carpet tile systems) or may want to install carpets in certain areas (e.g., bedrooms) and not others (e.g., living and dining rooms, and hallways).
3. Don’t let buyers be the boss of you. The article you read was about buyer turnoffs, and I stand by my designation of wall-to-wall carpet as one of those. However, if you don’t plan to sell your home anytime soon, there’s no reason for you to let what might turn buyers off down the road stop you from enjoying the carpet you love in your own home. If you’re planning to stay put in your home over the long run, put carpet on the walls if you want to! Your home is more than just an investment — it’s the place you live, and your largest monthly expense — so you should enjoy it.
If, on the other hand, you are planning to sell your home in the next few years, and you are contemplating an investment in carpet, it might make more sense to take buyer preferences into consideration. Consider just placing it in your bedrooms and leaving the rest of the house finished in hardwood — perhaps placing area rugs down to get you the warmth and sound dampening you seek. Or go ahead and put carpet everywhere you’d like, but make sure you either (a) invest in a high-grade carpet and maintain it impeccably, or (b) be willing to pull it up before you sell the home.
via inman.com
Quick Tip: 5 Things to Do to Jump-Start Your 2013 | North Salem NY Real Estate
After the long Thanksgiving holiday, it’s tempting to take your foot off the pedal and coast into 2013. But, I encourage you to make the most of these last few weeks of the year. Don’t wait until January 1st to get started for the year – the time is now.
Here are 5 quick and easy things to do to jump-start your 2013:
1. Shed your problem clients
I have witnessed first-hand agents who are so desperate for a paycheck that they hang onto the wrong type of client until they are completely drained and end up comprising way too much. The sign of a successful agent is the ability to walk away if needed. Ask the tough questions: “Are they worth it? Are they being realistic? Are they keeping me away from other opportunities?”
2. Clear your schedule
–>
Your time is your own, but it’s also easy to let your schedule get out of hand because of other people’s needs. From now until the end of the year, time block time during the week that is just devoted to thinking about 2013. For true planning, brainstorming and dreaming – you need more than 10 minute chunks of time. You need long drawn out time blocks without interruption!
3. Be honest
What do you love about your business and what do you want to change? Make 2013 the year you work with the clients you really want to work with, the year you truly have the year professionally and personally that you want to have. Been meaning to take a vacation? Plan it out! Nothing happens by accident. Be honest about where you are and where you want to be in 12 months!
4. Get your finances in order
Do you have a professional helping you with your accounting and/or taxes? If not, now is the time to talk to one before the end of the year. Don’t try to do it all yourself – get a professional to help! Also, now is a great time of year to update your software or invest in a system like QuickBooks or Mint.com.
5. Schedule 5 phone calls a week
Don’t forget, one of the best ways to reach out to someone is with a quick phone call. Nervous about calling out of the blue? Then, email them first and set up a time to chat and then schedule the call using a calendar appointment. Make sure you have a reason for calling – is it a market update? Recent sales in their neighborhood? After you call, search them out on LinkedIn and connect there as well as Facebook and/or Twitter if appropriate for you and your business.
These are just a few things to get ready for 2013. I would love to hear how you are getting ready for the New Year. Leave me a comment below!
via next.inman.com
