Stallion Habit 105 - Can you get out of debt faster

I had Country Wide call me telling me that they could save me lots of money by refinancing. At first, they were going to hardly charge me anything and give me a really good deal.

As we get into the deal, they started adding all kind of junk fees onto my loan.

I sent the good faith estimate over to my banker KC Kuttler at Patriot Lending 208 406 3834 http://www.patriotlending.org/ to see if he could do better. Not only did the interest rate drop from 4.67 to 4.375 but all of the junk fees were gone.

I raised my payment $300 per month, but I knocked 13 years off of my mortgage. Now if I was smarter when I first got married, I would have got a 15 year mortgage right from the get go and I would be out of debt. But over the last 15 years, I have refinanced 6 times.

Can you believe that? I would always do a 30 year loan. I really do believe that being out of debt is the 4th leg of retirement that people never talk about.

I am also going to be so bold as to say, if you can't afford the payment on a 15 year loan, you probably should buy the home. Why would you pay for the home 3 times?

I am only going to save $250,000 in interest by refinancing, and I am getting rid of 13 years of financial bondage. Whose the man now?

Thanks Burke Bennett Licensed Broker/Realtor of SE Idaho Homes
http://www.seidahohomes.com/
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 104 - Be a Yes Man

My family and I watched the clean version of Yes Man with Jim Carey.

One of the things I thought that was good was that he opens up his opportunities just by saying yes to every opportunity that presents itself.

In the movie, he starts to have success and later he has problems because he has to say yes to everything.

In real estate, although there are tons of good deals right now here in SE Idaho, not everything is a good deal. One of the best ways to find a good deal fast is to take the list price and divide it by the square footage to get a cost per square foot.

I once paid $50 for a CD that stated this one simple truth.

So let me help you find a "Yes deal." Some homes scream buy me because the price is right, but chances are if you like it so do 5 other people and so we need to jump on it fast.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 103 - Use your church members to network

Times are getting tougher and more and more people seem to be out of work.

The good news is that people realize that they need a social network group more than ever to provide for their family

I advised a close friend recently who didn't have a belief in God to go to church even if they don't believe in God just so they could meet people that could help them find a job.

If he would, church goers would ask him what he is doing with his life. He is bound to respond, I am currently unemployed and looking for work.

The church has a network of people who are willing to help people accomplish whatever it is they are in need of.

The scripture, knock and it shall be opened unto you will certainly come true if he would follow this advice.

As a realtor, I have a network of people that I have developed over the 10 years I have practiced real estate.

I look forward to helping you network quicker using some of my connections to help you with your housing needs.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
burkebennett@hotmail.com
208 589 5599

Stallion Habit 102 - Break it down in to doable goals.

One thing I have learned over the years that I am trying to teach my children is to break down a project into smaller parts so that you feel that you accomplish something.

One of my kids is working on his eagle project, and I am trying to get him to do one thing per day. He gets frustrated because he thinks he has to do all of it right now and it has to be perfect, but he sits there and does nothing.

This has been going on for several months. I refuse to do this for him because the whole point of the eagle project is that he does all of the work himself.

Just like the old saying. "You eat an elephant, one bite at a time."

What can we accomplish in this life, if we would break large goals into smaller achievable goals.

The same goes into finding a home. I think people think they are going to find the home they are looking for with one house hunting party, but it usually takes several trips.

Once you decide what you are looking for, I can use the computer to narrow down the choices very quickly my typing in what it is you want.

I can search by almost any criteria you can think of.

I look forward to working with you in helping you find the perfect home.

Thanks Burke Bennett

http://www.seidahohomes.com/

208 589 5599

burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 101 - Get a filter on your internet

Holy cow there is a lot of crap on the internet! We found out through a family meeting that some of our kids had pulled up some inappropriate websites.

We are working to get a filter and limit internet usage.

I believe the images that some of these websites have can distort healthy relationships and expectations of marriage.

We really need to be careful what we put into our minds. Filthy images can destroy marriages, and cause depression and other addictions.

I have had some really messy real estate deals that have taught me many lessons on how to prevent them from happening again.

Just like you need a filter for your family, you need a realtor who has had numerous real estate deals to guide you through the pit falls of a deal going south.

I look forward to advising you of the pit falls of any real estate deal here in SE Idaho.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com/
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 100 - Keep your laptop away from your 2 year old

I love my two year old Kache. Twice in the last few weeks, I have come home to find out that all my keys have been pulled off my laptop that I use to to my real estate work here in SE Idaho.

I have also found that my key have been lost or broken, and all because I haven't prevented this.

Anticipating problems before they happen are the key to happiness.

When buying a home in SE Idaho, I always recommend you get a home inspection.

Having an expert look at what you are buying before you buy it is always a good idea.

I have even had a home inspection cause the sellers to come down an additional $2000 in price because of problems that needed to be fixed.

I look forward to helping you find the perfect home here in SE Idaho.

Thanks Burke Bennett
burkebennett@hotmail.com
208 589 5599
http://www.seidahohomes.com

Stallion Habit 99 - Listen to successful old people

Today I spent the day listening to one of the most inspired people on the earth Thomas S Monson, leader of the The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

People who give service and who are older seem to always have good wisdom.

He has hundreds of stories about how he has reached out to others. I have even heard people in my own family say, that they can't believe he has given so much service, but for me, that is the ultimate goal in life which is, when you give service to others you forget about your own selfish problems.

Other older people who I respect are of course my grand parents on both sides of the family. They have lots of real life stories and their examples of course are a model for the younger generation.

I have been through over 100 plus real estate deals. I have had lots of experience, and I can give you pretty good advice on what could happen depending what your real estate situation in SE Idaho is.

I look forward to working with you.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 98 - Avoid Scams

2009 sure seems to be the year of the scam. I am bombarded by wire scams. I get probably 100 emails a day that are just wire scams.

Then you have people stealing your identity, people just trying to get your money, and Ponzi schemes.

I invested with a local trustworthy guy to buy and sell silver for me. He kept giving me really good returns. I told 7 other people who also invested with him.

Today he was on the front page of the news as a Ponzi scheme. I really feel stupid and trusted him because he was a friend of a friend.

I have been trying to get my money out of him for over a year.

It isn't looking very promising.

It seems like people's treasures are becoming more and more slipery.

Investing in a home in SE Idaho has always been a good investment.

I look forward to working with you.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 5895599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 97 - Break every Yoke

One of the ways that we can break addictions, depression, or whatever we seem to be struggling with is my the simple act of fasting 24 hours without food or water.

You should always fast with the purpose to become more disciplined and with a goal to use a power greater than yourself to overcome whatever "yoke" you are trying to break.

You always begin and end a fast with prayer and meditation.

Also, you should donate the proceeds of what you would have spent on food to your favorite charity or church.

In Isaiah 58:6 it says "It not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

I really admire people who are disciplined in what they eat, say, or behave. We all have this power within us that can be obtained through a life time of fasting and prayer.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 5895599
burkbennett@hotmail.com

Stallion habit 96- Be positive and upbeat

I heard on the radio that people who suffer from depression are more than twice as likely to suffer from heart attacks.

Over the years, I have come into contact with a lot of depressed people. There are lots of things that can cause depression such as poor health, divorce, financial problems etc.

Although, some people naturally have a disposition to be depressed, this is not a permanent disability. Some take medicine to cope with it and should.

However, most people just need to change their diet, the way they think, and exercise.

Exercise should help a depressed person get lifted out of the routine of feeling sorry for themselves. A lot of depression is because a person is sedintary, and in a rut. A rut in a grave with both ends knocked out of it.

So the song, don't worry, be happy has a lot of wisdom. You will live longer, and all aspects of your life will be better.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 95 - Get rid of the parasites in your relationship

One of the things while watching the movie fire proof is that you need to get rid of the parasites in your relationship with your spouse.

A parasite is anything that takes away from your relationship that is unhealthy such as flirting with someone who is not your spouse. Or watching or participating in things that encourage your heart to be else where.

What you put your time and efforts into will become your focus.

In the movie, Kirk Cameron takes a love dare and as soon as he starts focusing on doing small things for his wife each day, is when he truly changed and his failing relationship was saved.

I highly recommend this movie even if you think your relationship doesn't need help.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion Habit 94- Power down Debt

This has really become one of the most important principles in my life. It is called power down debt or snowballing debt. Just like a snow ball gets bigger and bigger as it gains momentum, so can your debt be reduced using a similar principle.

First of all, you have to track your debt. Can you examine how much money you spend every month and identify at least $100 in money that is just wasted?

Now you take that $100 and put it towards your lowest pay off bill. Say you have a credit card with a $2000 balance, you would make your regular payment of $100 and take the $100 that you found and make a $200 dollar payment. Instead of paying this off in 20 months, you have cut this to 10.

Now that you have this paid off you take the $200 per month that you were paying, and you apply that towards your next credit card or bill. Let's say you have one for $4000 and your payment is $200. So you make a $400 payment and you pay this off in 10 months instead of 20.

Next you take your next bill of say $6000. You were making a $400 payment. You now take make a $800 payment paying it off in 6.2 months. You get the idea?

How many people just make the minimum payment and pay the maximum interest?

You can free yourself from bondage. Is a home still a good investment? You bet it is. And if you use this principal, you will have it paid off quickly. Then you can really start to build real wealth.

I look forward to working with you.

Thanks Burke Bennett

http://www.seidahohomes.com/

208 589 5599

burkebennett@hotmail.com

Stallion habit 93- Take a family vacation

I am pumped to be flying into Puerto Vallarta for a week in January 2009.

We are taking all 7 of our kids. Just the passports alone were a $100 a pop.

My wife's family has 4 of her sisters and all her kids going. Also, her mom and dad is going. There should be quite a lot to do since I have about 20 nephews and nieces.

We usually fly into Puerto Vallarta and then ride a bus up to a little know town called Guayabetos. It is off the beaten path, but still has plenty of restaurants and things to do.

Mostly you swim and play on the beach. You can do lots of shopping. You don't get harassed by the beach vendors as much as being in Puerto Vallarta.

My wife and I have been down there 7 times now, and Julie's parents go down for over a month every year in the middle of January.

Idaho is a great place to leave and go some place warm in the winter. If you hang out here though, there are lots of places to ski and snowmobile.

Let me know if you want to buy a home in the Idaho Falls Idaho real estate market.

Thanks Burke Bennett
http://www.seidahohomes.com
208 589 5599
burkebennett@hotmail.com