#50 Your Happy New Year is up to You!


It is so tempting to launch into the New Year with enthusiastic “resolutions” that often come to ... well, not much!   Right on the heels of “...making a list and checking it twice, gonna find out who’s been naughty or nice...” come promises, promises, promises!

How about considering something new?  How about trying the softer, more manageable, more attainable path of planning, considering and intending!    Resolve is part of any sensible plan, of course, but it can sometimes feel like setting hardline goals implying daunting effort!

From my perspective as a professional home mortgage loan officer, I see two very important New Year perspectives for new homeowners and wannabe homeowners!  Either scenario invites many planning and “intentions” opportunities.

In one case, you may be a person who has been thinking about -- and seriously considering – starting the process toward buying a home of your own...but.   And, maybe, this New Year is the year to convert all that dreaming and speculation into action!  Isn’t it time to make some follow-through commitments?

On the other hand, maybe you recently realized your dream of home ownership, and spent the December holidays celebrating!  You were finally in your home with all i’s dotted and t’s crossed.  It was quite an adventure; it took a lot of work, it was time consuming.  You learned facts about the advantages of home ownership and you acquired new insights concerning the importance of sound financial planning and money management. There were some “mysteries” involving credit and the critical differences between earnings, income and assets that became clearer as they relate to acquiring a home.

Either of the above scenarios easily presents rich opportunities and possibilities for reasonable New Year planning – and good intentions!   (OK! Resolutions!)

If you are that person who is gladly and finally in your new home, it’s certainly OK to relax, breathe easy and feel that special pride of ownership.  But, make no mistake; the responsibilities have only just begun!  That’s not a negative, but it is a serious reality.  You now have a considerable and valuable asset to maintain, protect and enhance – as well as to enjoy.    Now it’s time to address that other list!  

Yes, there is one; you made it along the way, throughout the acquisition process.  Remember those things that you decided could wait until “after?”   Well, “after” is here.  And, now, once the fun and festivities calm down, it’s the right time to bring out that after list and do some strategizing.  Trust me, it is also the perfect set-up for procrastination!  There are rationales a-plenty for giving yourself a break and for putting things off.  What things?  I could make a list for you, but I’d rather leave that up to you, and instead, suggest a strategy or two.  Get into Calendar mode; realistically plan for one or two items from the “after list” to be tackled each month.  You might have to modify as your year unfolds, but at least you will have given yourself some guidelines that took seasons and other important factors into consideration as you plotted your plan.

What about that other situation?   You may be that individual who has been thinking and considering and dreaming – and putting off the big decision to start the process of acquiring a home mortgage loan for buying your own home!  What better plan to launch as the New Year begins than that of just buckling down and really finding out what’s possible?  Remember, contacting a home mortgage loan specialist and getting some preliminary information and guidance is basically just an investment of time!  You may have inaccurate information concerning the path to that loan possibility.  You may believe you could not qualify.  How about giving yourself the gift of accurate information!

I look forward to a New Year full of opportunities – and I wish the same for you!

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