This month, I thought I'd share Barbara Corcoran's advice to first-time buyers...
"I think you have to get in the game," Shark Tank investor and real
estate mogul, Barbara Corcoran, told Yahoo Finance. "You have to get in
with whatever house you can possibly buy, so you have a chip to play in
the game and trade up and trade up and trade up. And that becomes a
retirement fund."
There's a
lot of truth in that. Your first home may not be your dream home, but
it can be a vital chip in the game. My advice is to compare all the
options (investment, condo, buying somewhere else, adjustable rate
mortgages, cost of renting vs buying, and more). If you need help laying
out the options, call me for an appointment. I'm not just here to help
you buy, I'm here to help you PREPARE to buy...whenever that time
comes. Mardin, (408) 210-2073
Something for your recent graduate
How to create a competitive job resume with little job experience
If you've got a student who's about to enter the job market, but they haven't done their resume research yet, here's a superb primer on
how to handle such things as babysitting jobs, past work descriptions,
and weak qualifications...you know, the things everyone wonders about.
Are you "swiping" new friends?
I found this really interesting...people, young and old, are taking to
dating-style apps...not to find date, but to find a friend group. In
fact, the apps they're using aren't even dating apps. They are actual
friend-finding apps, like BumbleBFF.com, Locals.org, and Meetup.com.
Some, like Meetup, are built around finding a common interest. Others
are directly intended to match potential friends through personality
questionnaires. Apparently, these apps are not a fleeting whim...in
2021, Apple's Trend of the Year was "apps focused on making
connections."
Research shows us that friendship is a key factor in
good health and longevity. But in a post-COVID world, many people are
waking up to the fact that their friends have changed, moved, or
developed a preference for being a hermit. Or people have realized that
their friendships revolved around the workplace, which is now their
home.
Friendship apps are a logical extension of dating apps, which used to be
considered slightly desperate, but are now so common that almost
everyone under age 30 has a profile on one of them. And friendship apps
are not just for young people. Senior friendship apps, like Amintro.com are on the rise, which is especially important in a world where senior loneliness is a serious problem.
I'm curious if you would try one of these apps? If you do, let me know how it goes.
July Quiz Question
How many bananas can you eat if your stomach is empty?
Send your answer for a chance to win a $5 COFFEE CARD. Last month's Q&A:What's brown and sticky? A stick. Congratulations to last month's winner!
Nuggets of News
What to do when the home you want to buy is next to a rat trap...
You find the perfect home, but the neighboring house looks
pest-infested, or their heavy metal music would wake the dead. What can
you do? Likely nothing. If you buy with the hope that they'll
change, you may be in for a battle that could seriously affect your
mental health. However, if the problem is merely an eyesore, then you
might get by with a good fence or tall foliage. You could try
investigating a little. For instance, perhaps an elderly person lives in
the home and may soon be moved to a care facility.
Can you use 0% credit cards to pay your mortgage?
Homeowner question: "Should I use credit cards with 0% introductory
interest to make large lump payments on my mortgage to pay down the
principal faster? I have the money to pay the credit card back, so I'm
wondering if that makes sense?" See the answer here.
How our world looks to us on a map VS. how it really is
I thought this was cool. In the Northern Hemisphere, most of our world
maps are shown from a south-looking-north perspective that skews our
perception. Look at the map below. Then click this link to see a "true" world map by comparison.
The hard truth about building wealth
Among the many budgeting methods out there, I seldom see any focused on
wealth-building. Most focus on saving, which is fine. But no one ever saved their way to wealth.
Building wealth comes from spending less than you make and investing.
It's a hard truth, but you need to find a way to increase your income so
that you have enough left over to invest. If you need $4,000/mo. to
cover essentials, comforts, debt, and savings, then you need to
make more than $4,000/mo. to also invest. To make more money, you need
to get a raise, a better-paying job, or a side hustle. Then invest the
difference.
Nifty baseboard cleaning hack
If you have baseboards (and who doesn't?) then you probably clean them
every now and again. If so, you're familiar with how dirty they can get
in a short amount of time. Here's a cleaning hack you'll love: Clean
the baseboards thoroughly as usual. Then rub a dryer sheet over them.
The dryer sheets minimize static and repel the dirt that's trying to
cling. You'll be able to wipe them clean next time, rather than
scrubbing.
Just for Fun
Do you see an elephant or a village?
If you can't see the elephant, click the image for the solution.
