Happy 2018

As the new year approaches it is always good to reflect on the past year and think about how you can create a better future.  A New Year is a new beginning and it always  good to take an assessment of where you are emotionally, physically and financially.

I have been thinking about what is most important to me this week and the areas I hope to focus on over the next several months.  Sadly my last remaining Aunt on my Mother's side of the family just passed away this week.  Her death makes me the oldest surviving female on my Mom's family line and now gives me the role of Matriarch.  As such I have created a list of areas where I hope to improve and share my thoughts to make the world a better place for my heirs. (  As we grow older we realize life is like a puzzle with many different components.  )

My short list includes:

Health and fitness-a healthy body and mind are critical to everything I do.  I feel much better if I do yoga and walk when I feel some stress.  This allows me the strength to be in the right frame of mind to engage with my social and business spheres.
Social-my family and friends keep me going and they are the reason I feel the next two areas are vital.  Likewise I thrive as a realtor by building my business network
Knowledge-It is critical to be aware of the world around us and the history that got us where we are today.  I constantly read newspapers and social media to better understand the political and social climate of our environment and demography.  When I am able I take courses in the real estate area to increase my market knowledge to better serve my clients.  I also have been specializing in senior clientelle and have been trying to keep up to date in issues concerning the needs of seniors for housing, healthcare and transitional living stages.
Advocacy-given our current government I find it vital to be aware and make daily phone calls Daily Action and  5calls to elected officials to fight for and preserve our democracy.  I try to watch a variety of newsstations, listen to podcasts and read the NYT, WSJ, Boston Globe and twitter feed of leading issues (liberal and conservation posts)  and the comments to better understand where we are as a country and what I can do to preserve those values I deem important. 
Organization (Business Plan and House/Declutter)-A major goal of mine is to keep my work environment and home clutter free.  I work better when I can focus and need to have my surroundings in a ready "to go" position.

Below are some great articles and ideas that I found helpful with great suggestions and links to kickstart your 2018.

1) NY Times tips for a better 2018
2)Boston Globe-tips for a happy and healthy 2018
3) Family Circle January 2018  Online Pursuit of Happiness
4) NYT-A Year in Fitness
5) Huffington Post- The Best Financial Moves You Can Make in 2018
6) Advocacy - Daily Action or 5 Calls


If you have time I also recommend reading The Happiness Project by Gretchin Rubin.  It has a month by month ideas to a happier you.  There is also a podcast available now on itunes.  see Happiness Project

I hope you enjoy these suggestions and have a wonderful start to your New Year.   As the "Matriarch" I hope to lead my family by a good example.  Happy 2018.

Wendy is a realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham.  She always feels happiest when she is helping her family, friends and business contacts.  She can be reached at www.wendybcb.com,

Due diligence in a home purchase and health insurance coverage

If you were buying a property and found that it had a pre-existing condition during an inspection, would you go forward with the purchase prior to getting cost repair estimates?    In today's blog I am going to discuss the importance of due diligence in real estate transactions as well as in making legislative decisions.  I try not to be political in my writing but when an issue will impact each of our lives, as does the proposed new health care bill,  I feel it is my responsibility to comment.

As a real estate professional when I work with buyer clients, I always recommend they do their due diligence before committing to the Purchase and Sale "P&S" for a home or condo.  Know the rules and regulations of the home owners association if the property is a condo.  Get all the documentation and review it.  Once an offer is accepted call a home inspector, as well as any other specialists who can independently teach you about the property and evaluate its condition.

If anything of concern arises during the inspection process,  bring in professional contractors to further evaluate the situation and get cost estimates of needed repairs where applicable.   Once cost estimates are obtained the buyer can then intelligently negotiate with the seller to repair, replace or in a worst case scenario "repeal the offer".  Most often a reduction of their purchase price is negotiated.   

How can a health care bill be passed without full review by all members of the house and without cost details?  Did anyone look at the impact on the budget numbers?  This vote was rushed through yesterday without a CBO score.   Do we know the number of people who will lose their insurance or become part of a high risk pool.  Will the $8B  Upton Bill even go near the implicated cost?  

The bill allows states to exclude pre-existing conditions from their health insurance coverage offerings and removes the federal mandate of employer coverage.  Many employers will now be able to opt out of offering health care as an employee benefit to save money.   If you are reading this chances are, you or someone you love has at least one pre-existing condition ( do you wear glasses?).  Click here for a partial list .

As I have been reading the newspaper and listening to various interviews today with elected officials it is obvious that many voted just to appease their political party politics.  Click here to see who voted to pass the bill by a slight margin of 217-213.  vote    This is a short sighted win and hopefully will go under better scrutiny when it reaches the Senate floor.  There are items in the bill that will impact all of our lives.  Many who voted to support the bill today admit they did not read it in full.  This is irresponsible leadership.  

If I did not disclose something to my client or if I advised them to do something detrimental to their real estate transaction I would be held accountable and could possibly be sued.  It is my fiduciary duty to protect the interests of my buyers and sellers.  

Shouldn't our elected officials bear a greater responsibility to their constituents?  I ask all of my readers to become aware of how they are being represented by elected local representatives and officials.   If you learn they are making decisions that hurt your interests speak up and let them know they risk re-election.  I was in Washington DC this week and actually stopped by my State Representative Joe Kennedy III's office on Capital Hill to put a face to a name as I often call his office when I see a proposed bill I disagree with.  Advocacy starts at the local level.  

If you don't do your due diligence no one else will advocate for your health care rights.  Before the ACA was introduced many Americans were uninsured.  Many at risk patients were not getting the essential medical care needed and now may lose their coverage once again.  Many may become ineligible for coverage due to pre-existing conditions exclusion clauses.  See #IAmAPreexistingCondition.  

Please do your homework if you are considering a job change, interstate move or a new insurer before changing your existing healthcare coverage.   Check the new health care policy options that will be offered and make a change quickly to prevent any lapse in coverage as this can cause an increase in premiums.  Under the new bill proposal things you have coverage for may no longer exist.  A mistake in a real estate transaction can cause monetary damages.  A mistake in health care coverage can have much graver circumstances.  

  
Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

It all starts at the local level

I started this blog to talk about local life in the area in the place I call home.  I have been immersed in the "local" Needham, Newton, Dover and Metrowest area most of my life albeit a detour to New York City for a few years.  I am proud to call Massachusetts my home and have been involved in all aspects of community life since birth. The values my parents instilled in me and my brother included respect, honestly, loyalty and a high level of ethics.  They always said we need to be able to look ourselves in the mirror each morning.   In fact, my mother told this to my daughter as one of her last words of advise while near death last year. This philosophy has always resonated with me and perhaps sparks much of my inner MO.  I am not one to sit back and let things happen around me, particularly if I am bothered.  I need to get involved and have been told that the word "rest" is not in my vocabulary.  That is why I am proud to be a local one.  I am constantly reading local newspapers, blogs and social media in my community and embrace opportunities to volunteer and participate in events as deemed interesting or important to better daily life.

Although this blog is not a political focus,  since the 2016 election I have learned that our voices start at the local level and we need to speak up if change is warranted.  It is our freedom and first amendment right to speak up but it is also our obligation to keep informed.  I have expanded my reading habits to include the New York Times, Twitter feeds, the Slate, CNN and other forms of social media to keep a balanced informed overview of what is going on in our rapidly changing world.  

Many changes are initiated at the top level but in a democracy, citizens at the lowest level have the right to be heard.  Town Halls and local representatives want to know their constituents concerns .  They are our representatives and their jobs are to represent our interests.  It is up to us to keep informed and be able to advocate for our interests in a well informed respectful way.  This means engaging in conversation.  Violence and rudeness to our opponents is not only harmful but it also makes it difficult to work together toward progressive change. 

One easy way to make your voice heard is to subscribe to the DAILY text feed.  A DAILY text each morning informs readers of relevant issues impacting U.S. policy and then based on your zip code  will connect you to your local government representatives where you can voice your concern.  As a result of this activity Senate offices are getting an avg of 1.5 million calls/day.  This week alone Senate offices have cited calls as an influencer in their votes. Local voices are being heard and this only takes about 5 minutes a day.  If you would like your voice heard text DAILY to 228466.  Join the "locals" to make a difference.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.