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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/utility/FeedStylesheets/rss.xsl" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>Richard Chimniak CNC - Charles Rutenberg Realty : Events</title><link>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Events/default.aspx</link><description>Tags: Events</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><generator>CommunityServer 2.1 SP1 (Debug Build: 61019.2)</generator><item><title>HOW TO TURN OFF BUYERS WHEN SELLING</title><link>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/2009/07/23/how-to-turn-off-buyers-when-selling.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:24:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">2d30fcb7-5f79-4dc1-b5fe-1bb338fc80ea:498826</guid><dc:creator>Richard Chimniak</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/comments/498826.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/commentrss.aspx?PostID=498826</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;1. Overpersonalize your space - collections of dolls, beer cans, posters, toys, pictures&amp;nbsp;etc ?&amp;nbsp; Remove the clutter and organize.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. Let your pets run during showings -&amp;nbsp; although the dog is cute and harmless, this can intimidate buyers.&amp;nbsp; Put Tinkerbell in the cage, or take her for a walk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3. You attend the showings and talk to the buyer through-out their walk -&amp;nbsp; buyers want their space and if you talk you may say more than you want too soon....get Tinkerbell and boogie down the street for a latte.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4. Refuse&amp;nbsp; to get real about the price in todays market - the market has corrected beteen 15-30% from it&amp;#39;s high...and if it&amp;#39;s a short sale (lender owned)&amp;nbsp;this could add another 10-20%&amp;nbsp; You need to be at the bottom end of the pricing and at the top end of home condition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;5. Take the low ball offers - and respond back with a counter rather than just a rejection. You want to keep the communication alive&amp;nbsp; - truth - low balls have been known to come&amp;nbsp; up to respectable offers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;6. Curb appeal - overgrown bushes, cracked sidewalks / driveways, most sellers use the garage and never walk up the front walk.&amp;nbsp; Take a buyers view and look at the walk and front enterance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;7. Sellers need to share all their information with the Listing Agent.&amp;nbsp; You want&amp;nbsp;to disclose, disclose and disclose!&amp;nbsp; No suprises a or gotchas later.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;8. Make your photos and remarks stand out of the crowd.&amp;nbsp; This is what buyers are looking at first when they get a listing sent to them. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=498826" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Real+Estate/default.aspx">Real Estate</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Market+Conditions/default.aspx">Market Conditions</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Events/default.aspx">Events</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Seller+Information/default.aspx">Seller Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/West+Chicago+Suburban+Real+Estate/default.aspx">West Chicago Suburban Real Estate</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Aurora+IL++Home+Buying/default.aspx">Aurora IL  Home Buying</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Aurora+IL+Home+Selling/default.aspx">Aurora IL Home Selling</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/tricks/default.aspx">tricks</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Home+trends/default.aspx">Home trends</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/tips/default.aspx">tips</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/traps/default.aspx">traps</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Illinois/default.aspx">Illinois</category></item><item><title>STIMULUS BILL and DISTRESSED PROPERTIES</title><link>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/2009/02/18/stimulus-bill-and-distressed-properties.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:09:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">2d30fcb7-5f79-4dc1-b5fe-1bb338fc80ea:425758</guid><dc:creator>Richard Chimniak</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/comments/425758.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/commentrss.aspx?PostID=425758</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stimulus bill includes boosts for housing. &lt;/strong&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1411/0/" title="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1411/0/" target="_blank"&gt;American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(H.R. 1)&amp;nbsp;increases the first-time homebuyer tax credit to $8,000 and eliminates the repayment requirement&amp;nbsp;for buyers who purchase a home between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 1, 2009 (See &lt;a href="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1412/0/" title="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1412/0/" target="_blank"&gt;how the tax credit works&lt;/a&gt;). Other housing measures in the bill include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;FHA, Fannie and Freddie loan limits -&amp;nbsp;Higher 2008 limits will be reinstated for 2009, except in communities where the 2009 limit is already higher.&amp;nbsp;(&lt;a href="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1413/0/" title="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1413/0/" target="_blank"&gt;Link to NAR estimates&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;Foreclosure mitigation and &lt;a href="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1414/0/" title="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1414/0/" target="_blank"&gt;neighborhood stabilization&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Funding will be given to states and municipalities that are recipients of Community Development Block Grant dollars to stabilize neighborhoods and redevelop abandoned and foreclosed homes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nationally, prices drop as buyers purchase distressed properties. &lt;/strong&gt;According to &lt;a href="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1416/0/" title="http://lyris.illinoisrealtor.org:81/t/229097/6797318/1416/0/" target="_blank"&gt;NAR&amp;rsquo;s 4Q08 report&lt;/a&gt;, distressed sales&amp;ndash;foreclosures and short sales&amp;ndash;accounted for 45 percent of transactions in 4Q08, dragging down the national median existing single-family price to $180,100, which is 12.4 percent below 4Q07 when conditions were more balanced&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=425758" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Real+Estate/default.aspx">Real Estate</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Market+Conditions/default.aspx">Market Conditions</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Announcements/default.aspx">Announcements</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Events/default.aspx">Events</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Industry/default.aspx">Industry</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Finances/default.aspx">Finances</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Buyer+Information/default.aspx">Buyer Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Seller+Information/default.aspx">Seller Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Community+Information/default.aspx">Community Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/West+Chicago+Suburban+Real+Estate/default.aspx">West Chicago Suburban Real Estate</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Aurora+IL++Home+Buying/default.aspx">Aurora IL  Home Buying</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Aurora+IL+Home+Selling/default.aspx">Aurora IL Home Selling</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Illinois/default.aspx">Illinois</category></item><item><title>WHAT LENDERS ARE LOOKING FOR IN A BORROWER ?</title><link>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/2008/02/08/what-lenders-are-looking-for-in-a-borrower.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:01:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">2d30fcb7-5f79-4dc1-b5fe-1bb338fc80ea:251931</guid><dc:creator>Richard Chimniak</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/comments/251931.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/commentrss.aspx?PostID=251931</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:20pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;CURRENT MORTGAGE REFOCUSING - FEB 2008&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Pare;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Pare;"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;During the refinance boom, lenders would get back to you whenever&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Bust of the sub-prime market has eliminated a good percentage of buyers 40-50%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 18pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Traditional buyers with good credit (&amp;gt;720), little debt, and equity in their primary residence are in the drivers seat.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 18pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Lenders are climbing over each other to get your business. You can count on better service.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;You now have leverage to possibly waive fees and negotiate a lower interest rate.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Beware of thin profit margins with the lenders that are left.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 18pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Mediocre credit scores and not much equity can still get a refinance, but it may take more time and higher rates.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Do your homework, talk to a least 3 lenders, compare rates and costs, look for room to negotiate. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 18pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;The lender doesn&amp;rsquo;t want you to take a good loan to a competitor. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 18pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 36pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Symbol;"&gt;&amp;middot;&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;PROFILE OF A WANTED BUYER&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 72pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 72.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:'Courier New';"&gt;o&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Solid Credit scores &amp;ndash; (720- 850)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 72pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 72.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:'Courier New';"&gt;o&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;EUITYT &amp;ndash; At least 20% of equity or down payment on a new home&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 72pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 72.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:'Courier New';"&gt;o&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Good Debt-to-income ratio&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Debt needs to be less than 42%-45% of income&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 72pt;text-indent:-18pt;tab-stops:list 72.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:'Courier New';"&gt;o&lt;span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;Cash reserves equal to six (6) months of living expenses. (Bank, 401K or brokerage accounts)&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 18pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Pare;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=251931" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Real+Estate/default.aspx">Real Estate</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Market+Conditions/default.aspx">Market Conditions</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Announcements/default.aspx">Announcements</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Events/default.aspx">Events</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Industry/default.aspx">Industry</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Finances/default.aspx">Finances</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Buyer+Information/default.aspx">Buyer Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Community+Information/default.aspx">Community Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Homes+for+Sale/default.aspx">Homes for Sale</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Aurora+IL++Home+Buying/default.aspx">Aurora IL  Home Buying</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/tricks/default.aspx">tricks</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Home+trends/default.aspx">Home trends</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/tips/default.aspx">tips</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/traps/default.aspx">traps</category></item><item><title>Ten Traits That Make You Rich</title><link>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/2008/02/08/ten-traits-that-make-you-rich.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:45:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">2d30fcb7-5f79-4dc1-b5fe-1bb338fc80ea:251912</guid><dc:creator>Richard Chimniak</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/comments/251912.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/commentrss.aspx?PostID=251912</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Patience&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Patience is one of the most important traits when it comes to saving money.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This means waiting until the first wave of product hype has passed, keeping a car for an extra few years before getting another one and waiting until something you want fits into your budget instead of putting it on credit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Patience is often the difference between creating savings and being in debt. Having the patience to wait until you find a good deal is a cornerstone of good finances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Satisfaction&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you&amp;#39;re satisfied, there is no reason to spend money on nonessentials. The sole purpose of commercials is to make you believe that buying a product or service will make you happier, wealthier, better looking or improve whatever isn&amp;#39;t bringing you satisfaction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;People spend because they want to capture the excitement shown in advertisements. When you are satisfied with what you have and your life (not trying to live like those on TV), your finances will be in a lot better shape.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Organization&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Being organized can make you more productive and ensure that all the many issues pertaining to personal finances are addressed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It means not paying late fees, not buying two of everything, knowing deadlines that can affect your finances and getting more done in less time. All these can greatly benefit your finances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Discipline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You need the discipline to continue to save money for specific, long-term goals every month.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personal finance isn&amp;#39;t a way to get rich quick, but is a disciplined execution of your lifetime plans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Reflectiveness&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s important to be able to look at your financial decisions and reflect on their results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You&amp;#39;re going to make financial mistakes. Everyone does.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The key is to learn from those mistakes so you don&amp;#39;t make them again, or recognize if you keep repeating them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Creativity &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The economy and our earnings don&amp;#39;t always match our expectations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unexpected developments wreak havoc to elaborate financial plans. When this happens, changes are needed to deal with the new circumstances. Creativity is essential to accomplish this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Creativity allows you to make something last longer rather than purchasing it when you don&amp;#39;t have the money. It means juggling money to stay out of debt rather than simply paying with a credit card. It means finding a cheaper alternative when money is tight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In these ways, creativity plays a large role in keeping finances in order.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Curiosity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Having curiosity helps you learn, study and improve yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The curiosity of wanting to know more, to take the time to study and then take what is learned and put into practice is an important process that is driven by curiosity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. Risk-Taking&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To build wealth, one needs to be willing to take risks. This doesn&amp;#39;t mean uncalculated risks. It means weighing all the options and taking calculated risks when appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The stock market has risks involved, but over the long term, history shows that it provides good returns on money that is invested wisely. Those who fear risk altogether end up saving money in accounts that likely lose money to inflation in the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9. Goal-Oriented&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The importance of setting and working toward goals is obvious. If you don&amp;#39;t know where you are going, it&amp;#39;s difficult to get there. It helps your personal finances immensely if you have money goals and are motivated to reach the goals that you have set for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those who lack goals don&amp;#39;t have a road map to take them to the financial destination they want.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;10. Hard- and Smart-Working: &lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Creating wealth and staying out of debt rarely comes about without a lot of hard work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many people might hope that the lottery will solve all their financial problems. The true path to financial freedom, however, is to work hard to earn money while educating yourself to continue to have more value and increase your salary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may not possess all of the above traits. But knowing them can help you make changes so that you nourish the ones that you have and obtain the ones you&amp;#39;re missing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately they will help you with your personal finances and create a plan to accumulate the wealth you desire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="ft"&gt;Copyrighted, TheStreet.Com. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=251912" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Announcements/default.aspx">Announcements</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Events/default.aspx">Events</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Finances/default.aspx">Finances</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Buyer+Information/default.aspx">Buyer Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Seller+Information/default.aspx">Seller Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/Community+Information/default.aspx">Community Information</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/tricks/default.aspx">tricks</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/tips/default.aspx">tips</category><category domain="http://richardchimniak.point2agent.com/blogs/richard_chimniak/archive/tags/traps/default.aspx">traps</category></item></channel></rss>