Striving to create a better life for everyone by sustainably solving real estate problems

(512) 807-8777

Category Archives: Our Team

I Finally Got My Shoe Tied!

This is the final installment! (See the first and second one by clicking the links.)

This is pretty important

How could anyone be mad at rich people like Thurston Howell III and his beautiful wife, Lovey? I’m sure he earned his money by hard work.

I see so many people who are angry with others who they believe are rich. Why are they angry? Usually it stems from jealousy, or on the surface it appears as the person didn’t earn what they have.

Here’s a personal example. I’m a single mom, single-income family of six people, six dogs, 3 cats, and 2 birds. I accept second-hand clothing in very good condition from people I know. I just got a whole bunch of name brand, business casual clothing (some with the tags still attached) from my good friend and soul sister, Kayla. I’ve received several compliments! I dug my make up out, and I’ve been dressing up a lot lately. It makes me feel better. Now the downside of this is also that some people think I went on one heck of an expensive shopping spree. Because of that, they think that I am rich all of the sudden. Bless their hearts!

I have earned (by working hard even when people don’t see it) what I have. The Rattlesnake house was not gifted to me, I pay for it (sorry to burst anyone’s assumption bubble), my van and car are my personal purchases not the company’s. I work hard for what I have.

This is not what Sue Ann and Lee do all day. Believe it or not, they’re regular people with bills and stuff.

What really irks me is to hear, “Well it must be nice!” from someone who thinks it was handed to me. Well the clothes were because Kayla loves me, and I love her and her style! So, it is nice. It is also nice to work hard and earn something. It isn’t nice for people to treat me or anyone else as if it wasn’t earned.

The people who do that are prime examples of the poverty mentality. They assume I am Lee and Sue Ann’s pet and now just get handed everything. That is their own poverty mentality not allowing them to see that I do work for what I have. They assume others have a rich relative or some bundle of money somewhere that provides what they have. Maybe the people who do this would have something nice, too, if they took accountability for their actions, were careful with spending and really tried. At least they’d not have an ugly view of the world.

More poverty mentality hang-ups

Complaining about other people on social media is not a highly paid profession, either.

Also, if you are stuck in the poverty mentality, being a landlord IS NOT the job for you! To be a successful landlord, you have to be able to save money and have patience. You can’t touch any of the rental income for a minimum of 10 years. You can’t live off of that rental income. Read that last sentence again. You have to build that rental account up for paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, advertising, vacancy, repairs, etc.

Plus, you have to remember that the deposits people give you have to just sit somewhere for when they move out to be refunded as appropriate. If you meet a landlord with a poverty mentality, RUN! Chances are they won’t keep that house and you will never have any maintenance issues addressed!

If you believe that you will just never have as much money as someone else, you’re correct. Stop comparing where you are to where someone else is. Make a savings account, get serious, stop blaming people who have more than you for you not having everything you want.

So I am asking our readers that have overcome this mentality, how did you do it? What made that change happen? Grow your prosperity mindset everyone! Throw that poverty mentality in the trash where it belongs! Oh and BTW, the lottery is not a retirement plan. But that’s a whole other blog.

Hermann says please like and share!
1Shares

My Shoe Is Still Loose!

Last time, I left everyone hanging with the news that my car was almost repossessed. So, here’s the story and why it is my fault that it happened.

Gosh, that call center lady was so friendly!

I started making extra partial payments above what I owed every month so that in November and December, I wouldn’t have to make a car payment. Smart, right? Right. I called in August, bypassed the automated system and spoke to a representative. While their computers were running very slowly, I explained what I was doing with the extra payments. She thought it was a fantastic idea. She then told me that I could do that over the automated system. The automated system would give me the option of applying the extra money to the principle payment, or the next month’s bill. “Just press 2, and you won’t have to wait so long on the phone.” How convenient!

So I called another time in August, twice in September, paid what was left of the payment to cover December, and I was so proud of myself! So, I’m ignoring all of these weird phone numbers that never leave a message, only dead air.

Don’t take my car! I paid extra!

Finally last Sunday, I answered the phone for this weird number. I was prepared to really mess with these scammers! It was my lien holder informing me that my car payment was 87 days past due, and my car was going to be picked up at any time. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!! I explained what happened, and the nice young man explained to me that the excess payments had gone to principle and not to the next payment. So I haven’t made a payment since September. There was no way to change this. The only thing I could do was promise a payment when I got paid on the following Monday.

He did put a hold on my account that would stop it from accruing another day, more fees, and interest since the payment was coming the next day. That would bring me down to only 57 days late. I only had enough to make one payment since I planned on the January payment being the one that was due. I was furious! I’m still not very happy, because I REALLY do not like being this far behind. I am working on building good credit after all, and this does not help! Plus, I just have this terrible, nauseated feeling that I will wake up and my car is gone. I have a plan to fix all of this, and by January 15th, I will be completely caught up from 70ish days late by then.

Continue reading →Hermann says please like and share!
1Shares

I Can’t Go on Vacation Because My Shoe Is Loose.

My shoe is loose!

That title doesn’t make much sense, does it? I’m using it as an example of poverty mindset. I know many people who have this mindset, but aren’t actually that bad off. They say, “We just can’t afford a vacation this year. We just don’t have the money.”

Do they really not have the money, or do they not have the ability to save money?

As I have pointed out before, I am not super wealthy person. I am overcoming the poverty mindset myself. I read a great article, found here that states, “38% of American households making $40,000-$100,000 per year could not cover $400 for an emergency without going into debt.” They got their information from a report found here.

But, I LOVE my fancy phone!

You probably can afford a vacation, but you will have to save money. I see a lot of people not wanting to do something if there is not instant gratification.

But consider this! Saving money can provide instant gratification if you reward yourself for every deposit.

It is becoming more rare to find people who are good at saving money. I’m guilty too! But I am working on that.

“Well, Mandi we just can’t have vacations, nice things, or nice Christmases because we just can’t afford it.” Yeah, you probably can. It might mean that you can’t upgrade your phone every 6 months (seriously, not joking); it might mean that you don’t get to eat out 6 times per week (again, I see it happening); and you’re going to have to open a savings account and leave it alone!

Consider This

Let me ask you some questions, but don’t answer them here. Just think about the answers to yourself and be honest with yourself.

  • Do you dislike/are you jealous of wealthy people?
  • Do you assume everyone who has more than you must be wealthy?
  • Do you feel like you will never have enough money to do anything?
  • Do you feel like there is just no way to save any money at all, because your bills are too high?

If any of these are a “Yes” for you, answer these next:

  • Are you willing to shop thrifty, possibly wearing second hand clothes?
  • Are you willing to do without cable?
  • Are you willing to do without internet?
  • Are you willing to do without all of the subscriptions out there that have spoiled us to movies on demand?
  • Are you willing to drive a way older car (in condition, mind you) that may not look very good, but payments and insurance are cheap?
  • Are you willing to live in a place that is sort of small and cramped, but rent is cheap?
  • Are you willing to stop habits that cost you money like smoking?
  • Are you willing to give up going to the coffee shop everyday to save money?
  • Are you willing to buy store brand instead of name brand for groceries and other products?
Make it an Abundance Mindset, not Poverty.

If you answered “Yes” to these (some may not apply to everyone), then you are ready to overcome the mindset that you have created.

“Wait! What? Hold up Mandi! I didn’t create this mindset for myself!”

Yes you did. Every bit as much as I created mine too.

Step 1: Hold yourself accountable!

Here is a rather embarrassing story that I am going to share because it was a valuable lesson for me, and I hope someone else will benefit from it as well.

My car was almost repossessed right after Christmas. That stings. Man, I hate even seeing that typed out! But why? You will have to tune in to my next blog to find out! I’ll tell you this much now though, it wasn’t because I wasn’t making the full payments, but it absolutely was my fault…

Hermann says please like and share!
170Shares

How to Be Kind to the Unkind

This post is excerpted from a longer one on The Hermits’ Rest blog. We are sharing it here, because trying to be kind when not treated kindly applies to our real estate work, too!

I have been struggling with kindness in some areas of my life. Since being kind is important to me, I’m trying to build new patterns and attitudes toward people I come across. To be honest, there are always people we find hard to be kind to, whether it’s someone who treats us or another person rudely, the person whose driving puts you in danger, or a coworker with no boundaries (made-up examples; please don’t worry if I am referring to you).

I’m not referring to these guys, either.

The book I am reading for the work book club, Happier Now, has a chapter on this topic, and I happened to read it right when I was already thinking about how to be kind to people who aren’t kind to you. When I read their suggestions, I realized I already practiced their ideas to some extent.

The book invites you to think up some reason that the irritating person’s behaving that way. Do they have a sick relative they are worried about? Did they just get fired? Are they upset with someone else and taking it out on you? Are they feeling insecure about the situation you’re both in?

I used to drive my friend Jeff crazy by telling him the car that cut him off hadn’t set out that day to make his life miserable, but might be thinking about something else, in some huge hurry for a good reason, or just distracted, not malicious. I do that when people are rude in stores, too.

I consider Penney rude when she makes it very difficult to use the Surface in my lap to write blog posts.

Some rudnesses are harder than others to react in kindness to, and sometimes, in the moment, I blow it and express my raw feelings, unedited. That pretty much never helps. Yes, of course I am allowed to let the other person know that their behavior bothered me, hurt me, embarrassed me, or whatever, but there is always a way to react with kindness as well as truth. That’s just the way I want to BE in the world. I want to state my truth without putting others down or straining relationships. I want to build relationships, even with difficult people I’m going to place boundaries around.

For the past couple of days, I have been working on some relationships in my life to try to figure out underlying reasons they behave how they do and I behave how I do. It’s been hard as hell, but very useful. In the long run, I figure I’ll get better and better, and be more of my “higher self” when interacting with all kinds of people.

Expectations

One more thing: I do not expect others to act from the same principles that I do. For example, Lee is not at all into finding kinder ways to react to people. He finds that is not a part of his goals, which are to be truthful and, as he puts it, blunt. He expects people to take him at face value, and is not overly concerned if he hurts anyone’s feelings, as long as he makes his point clearly. As a hermit, he can deal with any consequences, and feels like he is treating people fairly.

Lee, hermitng away, writing his own damned blog post. Such a sweet curmudgeon.

I know that about Lee, and bear it in mind when interacting with him, just as I take most things said by people I know well with an understanding of their personalities and preferred communication styles. I can’t do it with everyone yet, but by golly I’m working on it.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on challenges to kindness, or whether kindness is worth it. I happen to know many people who find it a waste of time, so I’m curious.

Hermann says please like and share!
1Shares

Scammers and You!

Here is something that I want to blog about, because I see people get scammed so often. It is really a plague to me. I get calls very often that I don’t know if they are trying to reach me, or the office number. The office phone is forwarded to my personal phone when I’m away.

Ooh! The phone is ringing! Maybe it’s another cool scammer! I especially like the ones in Chinese! Ni-hao! Photo: @Mariapom via Twenty20

Sometimes I do answer the calls just in case it is legit, but I know by now which area codes are probably a scam. I typically do not even respond and just hang up immediately because I don’t have time.

However, there was one very recently that actually called Sue Ann first and had her all upset because they knew many personal things about me, including my employer. They told her I was going to be arrested. It may not seem this way, but I am quite protective of Lee and Sue Ann, so I was pretty… perturbed to say the least at them upsetting her. So I of course called them back, and quickly the tables turned.

Continue reading →Hermann says please like and share!
146Shares