Getting Back on the Balance Beam

WOW, it has been over a year since I have written anything on my blog! A lot has happened in the past year, but more so in the last few months. Rather than go over the details of the past, I am going to write about the events of today.

I am sitting in my husband's parent's family room watching my 86 year old Father-in-law fade away. He has had a good life, raised nine beautiful children and has a lovely wife of 60+ years.

As we wait for him to pass, life goes on for the rest of us but in a different way. I answer emails and texts, post on Facebook, communicate with clients, little things that I can manage while tending to the patient and family. Working out has not been a priority this past week but I did manage to squeeze in a short run yesterday. My eating habits, well I am trying to eat healthy and for the most part I do. I am watching my fellow Crossfiters blog about their meals. I am not nearly as disciplined as they are. I had coffee, 2 eggs and Ezekiel toast with a drizzle of honey for breakfast, a few peanut butter pretzels and half a ham sandwich for lunch, and will probably have left over chili for dinner. Not much snacking in between. Perhaps I could do without the wine that I drink in the evening to help me “chill”, but now may not be the time to stop that ritual. LOL

I should mention that I am coming off an injury, partial tear of my hamstring, and am anxious to get back to tennis and be in full workout mode. In the meantime, the coaches at Urban Warfit Crossfit have been so helpful in scaling the WODS for me. A positive: I am getting better performing pull ups! I will be doing my hamstring strengthening exercises today and go for a long walk, Lord willing.

Thankfully, Real Estate has slowed down for me this month. I had two closings in December which is not too common during the holidays. I have a few good prospects in the near future who are taking advantage of the still relatively low prices and interest rates. It has been a blessing that my work has temporarily decreased as I have been able to be available for family.

And do I dare talk about the fact that Chris and I are going to be empty nesters soon? That will be another blog.

Getting back on the balance beam!

FHA Limits Lowered as of October 1

FHA loan limits for Maricopa County have gone down from $346,250 to $271,050 as of Oct. 1st . Congress raised the conforming loan limits in 2008 and has extended them annually through 2011, but no action was made to meet the Sept. 30 deadline, therefore, the limits have decreased.

The effect on the marketplace began in August when major lenders stopped approving jumbo loans in anticipation of the decrease in loan limits. With the lower limits, many buyers will now have to put down at least 20 percent compared to the 3.5 percent previously available to them.

Despite the drop in conforming loan limits it is still a good time to purchase a home as rates are still extremely low. According to Freddie Mac, the average on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4.01 percent from 4.09 percent this week.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call! 602-318-5341

Maintaining Balance?

It is time to check back in again, time to evaluate how I am performing on the balance beam. Am I living a balanced life, balancing work and family, building great relationships, making good decisions, and remaining basically happy? It is easy for me to evaluate this from my current position, as I am forced off the beam, for reasons beyond my control. (Thankfully God is in control and I am not –another topic.)

This past month I truly made an effort to focus on things that matter. When my kids called, I tried to immediately make myself available which resulted in special times: lunches, shopping, packing, exercising, but most importantly, exclusive conversations. I learned things about my kids that I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t spend that special time with them. I intentionally left my work at work and spent quality time with my husband which created an environment for better communication. However, valuable time spent with my friends was much too infrequent, an area I definitely need to work on.

Real estate has certainly kept me busy. I have some wonderful clients and have been working with some great agents, but the daily schedule has been wearisome. I am constantly responding to emails, calling clients, speaking with agents, evaluating the market, doing paperwork, and most recently, keeping up with social media. I am starting to figure out that I can work hard and enjoy the pleasure of running my own business as long as I make time for important personal relationships. When I prioritize those relationships, my work as a real estate agent becomes less invasive, more manageable, and definitely more enjoyable.

Time to mount the beam again and work on maintaining the equilibrium I am so carefully trying to obtain.