December 2006
The z list
December 27, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · 4 Comments
If you’re looking for more great reading, check out this list, strangely titled the z list.
BrandSizzle,bizsolutionsplus,Customers Rock!,Being Peter Kim,Andy Nulman,Billions With,Zero Knowledge,Working at Home on the Internet,MapleLeaf 2.0,Darren Barefoot,Two,Hat Marketing,The Engaging Brand,The Branding Blog,CrapHammer,Golden,Practices,Viaspire,Tell Ten Friends,Flooring the Consumer,Kinetic,Ideas,Unconventional Thinking,Buzzoodle,Conversation Agent,The,Copywriting Maven,Hee-Haw Marketing,Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn,Multi-Cult Classics,Logic + Emotion,Branding & Marketing,Carpe Factum,Steve’s 2,Cents,Simplicity,Popcorn n Roses,On Influence & Automation,Servant of Chaos,converstations,eSoup,Make it Great!,Presentation Zen,Dmitry Linkov,aialone,Urban,Jacksonville,John Wagner,Nick Rice,CKs Blog,Design Sojourn,Frozen,Puck,The Sartorialist,Small Surfaces,Africa Unchained,Perspective,gDiapers,Marketing Nirvana,Bob Sutton,¡Hola! Oi! Hi!,Shut Up and,Drink the Kool-Aid!,Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together,Community Guy,Social,Media on the fly,Jeremy Latham’s Blog,SMogger Social Media Blog,Masey.com,37,Days,A Clear Eye,Alex Halavais,Blog Brothers,Brand Autopsy,Brand Soul,Creating Passionate Users,Crossroads Dispatches,Doc Searls,Drawn,eHub,FAST,Company,gapingvoid,gillianic tendencies,Good Experience,Hitchhikers Guide to the Blogosphere,Hobopoet,How to Save the World,Josh,Hallett,Joy of Six,Learned on Women,Listics,Make it Great,my topography,New,Charm School,Occupational Adventure,Orbit Now,Pause,PureLand,Mountain,Seth Godin,Simplicity,Songs of Experience,Talking Story,Time Goes By,Tom Peters,Tomorrow Today,WonderBranding,World Changing,Tertiary,Education,Joyful Jubilant Learning,Creative Think,8wishes,Movie,Marketing Madness,Blog Till You Drop!,Get Shouty!,One Reader at a,Time,100 Bloggers,Critical Fluff,The New PR,Own Your Brand!,OTOInsights,bizandbuzz,Work, in Plain English,Buzz Canuck,New Millenium PR,Pardon My French,The Instigator Blog,AENDirect,Diva Marketing,Marketing Hipster,The,Marketing Minute,Funny Business,The Frager Factor,Mindblob,OrbitNow!,Open,The Dialogue,Word Sell,Note to CMO:,KW Market Watch,Ready2Grow,That’s Great Marketing!,Shotgun Marketing Blog,Josiah Mackenzie,Creative Life Coach,People Are Ready,Build Something Great
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Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo. He voraciously tracks the Real Estate market so that he can fulfill his mission of building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions about buying a home or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
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A relationship built on honesty, service and selflessness
December 27, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · 2 Comments
About six months ago, I received a package in the mail. It was another audio program from Richard Robbins International. This program, entitled ‘Quantum Leap’ (which is a popular phrase in the real estate world) was an interview Rich was doing with Christopher Invidiata who is one of the top 2 or 3 Realtors in Canada in terms of volums sold, and probably the #1 Realtor in Ontario (last year, he was the #1 ranked team for Re/Max Canada). Christopher is an amazing person, who has several successful businesses, including part ownership in Re/Max Italy, and a luxury home building company in Oakville. He makes several million dollars a year, and leads a very balanced life – dinner at home with his family every night is a non negotiable item.
I had the opportunity to speak with Christopher when I was in Vancouver for RRi’s IGNITE achievement conference this past July, and what was amazing was that when Christopher looks at you, you can tell he loves you. He walks around with love and gratitude for everyone and everything, and his life is a reflection of that.
In the interview, Christopher was telling the story of how he started selling real estate in Oakville, Ontario (which is a ’suburb’ of Toronto; it’s a short drive outside of the GTA). One of his first clients was a gentleman who was selling a large house, and had a conditional offer to buy a piece of waterfront property (Oakville has some of the nicest waterfront property in Canada… there are listings on the market in the $40 million neighborhood). Another offer came in, and Christopher’s client couldn’t firm up (with his current house still on the market) since he had just bought his partner out of their trucking company.
Christopher told the client to let the property go, and that they’d find another one. The client was relieved that he hadn’t tried to pressure him into making the sale (as a ’salesman’ would have done), and a bond was formed between the two of them because his client knew that he had only the best interests of the client at heart, and it wasn’t about the fee, or closing the sale etc.
I’ve listened to this interview at least a dozen times. I keep it in my car (although it’s currently on loan to my good friend Dave) and listen to it while I drive (it’s one of a few dozen audio programs that are in my CD changer at all times), and I always learn something new from Christopher. He’s built business that I aspire to own, and he is an incredible role model.
This afternoon I had a ‘Christopher Invidiata’ moment. A client of mine put in an offer on a duplex last week. A counter offer came back signed back, and we decided to meet this afternoon to discuss the strategy for our negotiations. When my client came in this afternoon, they said that they were no longer interested in the property, but wanted to buy 4 or 5 smaller properties in Hamilton (a nearby city with lower prices and better cash flow – but less upside appreciation). After they laid out their vision for the next few years, we spoke about the best way to get there, and I agreed that this property isn’t right for them, at this point. We spent another 20 minutes talking about investments, and their five and ten year goals.
When our meeting was over, they told me they were relieved that I didn’t try to ’sell’ them on the property they didn’t want, just to ‘close the sale.’ They saw that I put their interests (what is best for the long term portfolio) above my short term interests (a large fee on the sale), and a bond had been formed. Even though we’ve only known each other a few weeks, they now know that they can trust all the advice I give them on growing their wealth, since they know I put them first. I’ve committed to them, and they’ve committed to me. It’s an awesome win-win.
My enduring purpose, which can be found on the top left of my website, is to build relationships with and contribute significant value to my clients while attracting success with my integrity and actions; to help people I have relationships with achieve wealth, be it financial, emotional or spiritual, while living a balanced life of my own; and to give back to the world before it gives to me.
This afternoon was a good example of how my Enduring Purpose – which is both a reflection of how I want myself to act and how I currently act (sort of the standard I hold myself to) – has shaped my character. Thanks to looking for the true win-win I have strengthened a relationship with awesome Clients who wants me to build their wealth to a very high level over the next several years – and I’m ready to do it.
If you’ve ever wondered about how you can start investing in Real Estate, email or call me, and I will gladly sit down and explain how you can get started. I also put on regular educational events where you can come learn how to start your real estate portfolio. Both the consultations and educational events are free, so come out and bring a friend. It could change their life.
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo. He is passionate about building wealth for his clients, and loves nothing more than to help people start building equity and get on the road to financial freedom and abundance. He wakes up each morning excited to fulfill his mission of building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions about buying a home or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
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Should I buy with Zero down?
December 18, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · Leave a Comment
Interesting Q&A going on over at Inman News:
Q: “We are purchasing a $400,000 home that we want to finance with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. While we can more than afford the cost of a 20 percent down payment, I would prefer to keep my money in my investments instead. I was thinking of financing 100 percent (using an 80/20 to get out of paying PMI) but was unsure whether this type of loan structure would result in a higher interest rate on the first mortgage?”
A: Taking a 100 percent loan with a piggyback — a first mortgage for 80 percent of value and a second mortgage for 20 percent — would result in a higher overall cost than an 80 percent loan with a 20 percent down payment. In part, the higher cost will be in the higher rate on the second mortgage. But in addition, either the rate on the first mortgage will be higher, or the total loan fees will be higher.
To illustrate, on Oct. 17 I shopped for a purchase loan on a $400,000 property in California. If I put down 20 percent, I could get a 30-year, $320,000 fixed-rate mortgage at 5.75 percent, 1/2 point, and other lender fees of $4,770. If I went 100 percent and kept the first mortgage rate at 5.75 percent, the rate on the second mortgage of $80,000 was 8.15 percent, total points were 1.5, and other fees were $6,490.
Your intent is to invest the $80,000 that would otherwise go into a down payment. But a down payment is also an investment. The return consists of the reduction in upfront costs, lower interest payments in the future, and lower loan balances at the end of the period in which you expect to be in the house. I calculated the annual rate of return on investment in the case cited above, assuming you intended to be in the house for seven years. It was 15.6 percent before tax, and it carries no risk. Investments that good are not available in the marketplace.
Why is the return so high? When you take a 100 percent loan, even though you have the capacity to make a down payment, you place yourself in the same risk class as borrowers who have not been able to save for a down payment, and who have negative equity in their house the day they move in. The default rate of such borrowers is relatively high; they pay for it in the price of the piggyback (or in mortgage insurance); and you pay the same price as them.
You wouldn’t have your 17-year-old son purchase automobile insurance for your car. You wouldn’t buy life insurance and tell the insurer you are 10 years older than you really are. You shouldn’t take a 100 percent mortgage loan when you can afford to put 20 percent down.
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo. He voraciously tracks the Real Estate market so that he can fulfill his mission of building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions about buying a home or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
Subscribe to Benjamin Bach’s KW Market Watch by Email
10 Biggest Selling Myths Uncovered
December 17, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · 2 Comments
Selling a house can be a bit like raising a child – everyone gives you advice that may or may not be true for you. Here are ten myths uncovered: 1. Myth: You should always price your home high and gradually lower it if it doesn’t sell.
Truth: Pricing too high can be as bad as pricing too low.
You may think by listing high you can always accept a lower offer, but if you do, you’ll miss the buyers looking in the price range where your home should be. Offers may not even come in, because interested buyers are scared off by the price and won’t bother to look. By the time the listing price is corrected, you will have lost a large group of potential buyers. Your real estate agent will offer you a comparable market analysis. This is a document that compares your home to other similar homes in your area, with the goal of helping you to accurately assess your home’s true market value.
2. Myth: Minor repairs can wait until later. There are more important things to be done.
Truth: Minor repairs make your house more marketable, allowing you to maximize your return (or minimize loss) on the sale.
By and large, buyers are looking for an inviting home in move-in condition. Buyers who are willing to tackle the repairs after moving in automatically subtract the cost of needed fix-ups from the price they offer. You save nothing by putting off these items, and you may likely slow the sale of your home.
3. Myth: Once potential buyers see the inside of your home, curb appeal won’t matter.
Truth: Buyers probably won’t make it to the inside of the home if the outside of your home does not appeal to them.
Many buyers drive by a home before deciding whether or not to look inside. Your home’s exterior will have less than a minute to make a good first impression. Spruce up the lawn, trim shrubs and trees, and weed the garden. Clear the walkways and driveways of leaves and other debris. Repair gutters and eaves, touch up the exterior paint and repair or resurface cracked driveways and sidewalks. Place potted flowers out front, hang a wreath on the door and put out a pleasing welcome mat for added curb appeal.
4. Myth: Once potential buyers fall in love with the exterior look of your home, you put interior improvements on the back burner.
Truth: Buyers have no qualms about walking right out the front door within 60 seconds if the house doesn’t look like it could be theirs.
Remember that most buyers are looking for an inviting home in move-in condition. Spending a few thousand dollars for the right work on your home before you sell it, usually translates into a higher selling price and shorter marketing time. Your real estate agent will consult with you about the repairs and replacements that will benefit you most.
5. Myth: Your home must be every homebuyer’s dream home.
Truth: If you get carried away with repairs and replacements to your home, you may end up over-improving the house.
At some point, improvements that you make to your home can exceed what is customary for comparable homes in your area. For instance, there may not be another swimming pool in your entire subdivision. After spending $20,000 to install an in-ground swimming pool that you hope will lure buyers, you may find that it only raises the market value of your home by $10,000 because there are no other comparable properties to support the market value of the pool. As a rule of thumb, if your improvements push your home’s value higher than 20% above average neighboring home values, don’t expect to recoup the entire amount of improvements. Your real estate agent can advise you as to the scope of projects you might consider in preparing your house for sale.
6. Myth: Buyers are never swayed by sellers that offer creative financing options.
Truth: By offering flexibility in financing options, you may lure more prospective buyers.
You might consider offering seller financing, paying some of the buyer’s closing costs, including a one-year home warranty, or other buyer incentives. Your real estate agent, who has professional knowledge of local market activity, can help you decide what incentives, if any, to offer.
7. Myth: You are better off selling your home on your own, thus saving the commission you would have paid to a real estate agent.
Truth: Statistically, many sellers who attempt to sell their homes on their own cannot complete the sale without the service of a professional real estate agent.
Sellers who sell their home without a real estate agent often net less from the sale than sellers who use one. You visit a doctor when you’re sick and take your car to a mechanic when it needs repairs. It makes sense to contact a real estate professional when you are preparing to sell your biggest asset!
8. Myth: Good sellers should be available to guide prospective buyers through the home, giving the whole process a more personal touch.
Truth: Prospective buyers will feel more like the house could be theirs if the current owners are not there.
The presence of homeowners during a viewing can make buyers feel like they are intruding. They need to be able to visualize your house as their home, which can be difficult to do when they are acutely aware that it is still your home. Your real estate agent will be happy to look out for your home during open houses or showings.
9. Myth: Successful sellers insist that the terms of the sale happen their way or no way.
Truth: If you approach the sale of your home as the buyer’s adversary, you risk losing a perfectly solid buyer for no good reason.
Both you and the buyer have the same goal: for you to sell your home and for the buyer to buy it. Work with your real estate agent to approach negotiations positively and with a win-win frame of mind.
10. Myth: When you receive an offer, you should make the buyer wait. This gives you a better negotiating position.
Truth: You should reply immediately to an offer!
When a buyer makes an offer, that buyer is, at that moment in time, ready to buy your home. Moods can change, and you don’t want to lose the sale because you stalled in replying.
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo. He voraciously tracks the Real Estate market so that he can fulfill his mission of building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions about buying a home or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
Subscribe to Benjamin Bach’s KW Market Watch by Email
Top 10 Signs That It’s Time To Own Your Own Home
December 17, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · Leave a Comment
10. You’re ready to stop paying your landlord’s mortgage payment, and start building wealth of your own.
9. You could use the property tax and mortgage interest deductions.
8. You want a vested interest in your community.
7. It’s mid-August and you can no longer tolerate waiting for your landlord to send someone to fix your air conditioner.
6. You are working at a job where you won’t leave the country every other year.
5. You want to provide your family with a sense of stability and plant roots.
4. There are more than twice as many people as bedrooms in your current residence.
3. You want to paint the walls of your bedroom any color you please.
2. You are tired of saving all your quarters for the laundromat.
1. When you say you are “going home,” you want to really mean it!
FIRST TIME BUYER ALERT: There are condominiums on the Kitchener Waterloo real estate market for less than $100,000 and single detached family homes starting in the $160K range. Contact me if you want to know if you can qualify for a mortgage. It’s probably cheaper than renting!
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo. He voraciously tracks the Real Estate market so that he can fulfill his mission of building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions and buying or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
Subscribe to Benjamin Bach’s KW Market Watch by Email
The Path to Abundance
December 15, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · 2 Comments
Last week I spent a bit of time in two different worlds. I was in Toronto for IGNITE, a business achievement conference put on by Richard Robbins International it was unbelievable. At the conference, I was surrounded by the most successful people in my business, and the energy reflected that everyone was dedicated to attracting success and giving before receiving.After the first day of the three day conference, I spent some time with my friends from my alma matter, the University of Toronto. Most of them are just finishing up their undergraduate degrees, and are figuring out what to do with their lives.
One of them is graduating this year and just landed an ‘awesome’ job as a researcher at a marketing firm making 40K a year plus benefits. One of them is going to do a Masters because he doesn’t know what he wants to do. Some are going to law school, because it’s what is expected of them. None of them know what they want to do.
Through speaking with a few of them one on one, it became clear that they all wanted to have a lot of money when they were thirty, but they didn’t want to work hard for it, nor did they have an idea of how to do it. They had no discipline, and no vision. They didn’t know why they wanted the money, just that they wanted it so they could have the ‘freedom’ to sit around and watch ESPN on a large screen plasma TV all day long.
I shared a message with them, one that Rich Robbins has given to me. What I shared with my friends has the potential to change their lives, and it has the potential to change yours if you grasp it. Freedom is being able to get yourself to do what you need to do when you need to do it.
For example, this past year I didn’t have the freedom to go to Italy for a month with my gorgeous girlfriend Sarah because I didn’t have the discipline to earn $200,000 in profit. Some people don’t have the freedom to play the piano, because they never had the discipline to take lessons and practice every day. Most people don’t have the freedom to send their children to a private school, drive a nice car or live in a nice home because they never had the discipline to be financially responsible.
The cool thing is that you can change this at any time. Once you make an irrevocable decision that today will not be like yesterday, you will start to do what you need to get where you want to go. I’ve made an irrevocable decision. I know that in 2007 I’ll have the freedom to continue with my dreams, because I have the discipline to build a great business.
Most people don’t success because they aren’t disciplined. Failure is errors in judgment repeated every day. Success is doing the small things every single day that will build a great business and an incredible life. Discipline is the path to abundance.
Benjamin Bach is a Wealth Building Consultant in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario, Canada dedicated to building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people attract success. You can read his business blog at http://www.benjaminbach.com and learn more about how to attract success into your life at his personal development blog http://attractingsuccess.wordpress.com. He loves getting emails from fans; you can send them to benjaminATbenjaminbach.com.
Keith Ferrazzi stopped by to chat today…
December 14, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · Leave a Comment
Today I have the great pleasure of speaking with Keith Ferrazzi, best selling author of Never Eat Alone (and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationships at a Time). Keith’s ideas have shaped the way I’ve gone about building relationships in my community. In business, your network is your net worth, and Keith is the leading expert on building a powerful network that helps everyone it touches.
Benjamin Bach: How did you get started in business?
Keith Ferrazzi: To get my very first job out of college, I had to convince someone to take a chance on me, which, frankly, is what most people have to do. Especially if you have a liberal arts degree. You’re so young and probably don’t have specific training for anything, but if you show someone you can learn quickly, you have a good attitude, and you will work hard to make them more successful, a lot of people will give you a chance.
My job at Deloitte Consulting, which is definitely where my career developed the most in those early years, came from a relationship I had began with the CEO during my summer internship between the two years at Harvard Business School. In Never Eat Alone I talk a lot about how that relationship came about, but the lesson I’d like to leave with you is that when you’re considering jobs anytime, but especially early in your career, make sure you think about the people you want to surround yourself with, and the people who are going to watch out for you and aid your development, just as much or perhaps even more than the job functions itself.
BB: When did you (and what made you) realize that networking and relationships were the most important factor in success?
KF: My dad was teaching me this lesson all the time while I was growing up. Maybe I didn’t realize it all then, but later on I certainly did. Whenever I look back at my successes and failures, they all involve people. People being generous to help me and people caring about me, and I’m so grateful for that. And the times when I fell on my face, it was usually because I didn’t build the genuine relationships I needed or I may have messed up a relationship in some way. If you’ve read Never Eat Alone, no doubt you’ll remember how I ticked off William F. Buckley, Jr., in college. It’s a perfect example of how relationships can also be your downfall if you don’t treat people the right way.
BB : How did this change things for you?
KF : The more I realized that relationships and people are the key to success and more joy in our lives, the more I had hope and confidence that I could achieve anything I set my sights on in this world. Some people struggle because they don’t have the information or advice they need, or they don’t have the motivation they need, or they feel like outsiders to worlds they want to get inside of. Well, once you understand how to connect with people and build real relationships for mutual benefit, you’ll always believe you can reach and connect with the people and resources you need to make your life better. It’s very empowering. People write to me all the time saying that Never Eat Alone has made a lot of things possible for them for the first time in their lives.
BB : In a review of Never Eat Alone I wrote a few months ago, I described it as the ‘definitive guide to Networking 2.0′; can you explain how the Never Eat Alone method differs from the traditional way of networking?
KF :Well, if you’re going to call it Networking 2.0, then it’s because it’s a new take on the concept altogether. I don’t like to use Networking as a verb. When people hear that, they think of the smarmy guy with a martini in one hand and business cards flying out the other, his eyes darting around the room always looking for a bigger fish to fry. No one likes people like that. No one likes Networkers.
I focus on building relationships. Real relationships based on having genuine interest in people, really wanting to understand what drives them and what they need and being extremely generous to make them successful without worrying about yourself.
So there’s that side to it, the mindset of giving without keeping score, not expecting a direct return on your investment, but believing in sort of infinite network that will give you back 10 times what you give others.
Then there’s another part of Never Eat Alone that’s more tactical and process-oriented. To be successful you need to go a few steps beyond just setting goals. You need to say Who can help me achieve those goals? And when you know those names, you can put more focus and effort into starting and building the relationships that will help you reach your dreams.
BB : Can you explain what the Relationship Action Plan is?
KF :I guess I already started to answer that question. A Relationship Action Plan is comprised of four things:
1 – Your goals
2 – The people who can help you reach your goals
3 – If you don’t know those people, how you’ll get in touch with them
4 – What you’ll do to make those people successful
You can do this in a spreadsheet, on a piece of paper, on the back of a napkin, wherever. I think this should become the new To Do list. I keep updating my RAP all the time, and I’m always making new ones for small things here and there. When you start looking at the world with a relationship mindset, you can’t help but make a Relationship Action Plan whenever you want to achieve something.
BB : Where do most people go wrong in their attempts to network?
KF :They try to Network rather than build real relationships. They aren’t purposeful and when it’s an empty attempt to talk to someone new, it’s difficult for both people. I said in Never Eat Alone there’s nothing I dislike more than when people e-mail me and say “Hey, Keith, I like networking too. Let’s meet for coffee sometime.”
I put that in my book, and I still get emails like that. Don’t do that. Building relationships will be much easier for you if you get focused on what you want to do, you have something interesting to say, and you show that you’re trying to make other people successful.
BB : What is the most important thing a young entrepreneur can do right now?
KF :Build the relationships you need before you need them. Go through the process I outlined above. Figure out who you need to spend time with to make your business more successful in the future. The thing that got my consulting firm started was personal relationships. No question. My first clients were people I had gotten to know years before and had invested a lot in them over time to show them I was there to make them successful. Then, when it was time to start my own firm, they were eager to work with me. So build it before you need it. I think Never Eat Alone will help you do that.
BB: Keith, I know our readers will benefit from your ideas and systems. I understand you just released a new tool to help people implement some of this?
KF:Yes, I just released a free online tool called LifeCoach 1.0. It will walk you through the same three steps I use when I advise people one-on-one to get started towards achieving your dreams. Check it out at http://www.keithferrazzi.com/lifecoachtool.
BB: Awesome. Thanks Keith!
Benjamin Bach is a Wealth Building Consultant in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario, Canada dedicated to building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people attract success. He lives by the principles laid out by Keith Ferrazzi in Never Eat Alone, and he loves building mutually beneficial relationships with people he meets. You can read his business blog at http://www.benjaminbach.com and learn more about how to attract success into your life at his personal development blog http://attractingsuccess.wordpress.com. He loves getting emails from fans; you can send them to benjamin@benjaminbach.com.
Real Estate Prices in Canada Still Going Up
December 14, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · 1 Comment
via http://www.inman.com/inmannews.aspx?ID=60137
The Canadian Real Estate Association reported today that a seasonally adjusted 27,630 homes were sold via the Multiple Listing Service in the nation’s major markets in November 2006, down 5.6 percent compared to November 2005 and up 1.5 percent since October 2006.
For the first 11 months of the year, unit sales via the MLS in Canada’s major markets dropped 0.2 percent compared to the same period last year, while the average price of homes for the first 11 months of this year rose 10.7 percent compared to the same period last year.
The seasonally adjusted number of new listings, meanwhile, rose 4.7 percent for the first 11 months of the year compared to the same period last year.
The November 2006 average price, at $257,488 (in U.S. dollars at the current conversion rate) was 9.4 percent higher than the November 2005 average price.
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo dedicated to building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions about buying or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
Five things you should know about me
December 2, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · 4 Comments
Troy Worman is a super cool guy. Among other things, he’s a prolific blogger and my newest mentor. Phil Gerbyshak tapped Troy (as well as Liz Strauss, Jodee Bock, Ted Demopoulos, and Kammie Kobyleski) to tell us five things about him, and in turn Troy has tagged me (as well as Stacy Brice, Hans Henrik, John Koetsier, Mike DeWitt, Jennifer Warwick, and Steve Portigal).
Hmmmm…. what should everyone know about me?
1) I believe that we create our own future. I see a lot of people who are resigned to life. ‘Things happen for a reason;’ ‘It wasn’t meant to be’ etc. I don’t buy into that at all. Watch The Secret.
2) I am Quebecois (well, a Montrealer at least), and according to the Canadian Parliament, this is a separate nation onto itself.
3) I’m younger than most people think. I attribute this to the fact that I am wise beyond my years.
4) I am one of the few people living within 200KM of Toronto that knows that the best hockey team in the world doesn’t play in this province.
5) I’m a Toastmaster – this means I get up really early once a week and practice bloviating in a room with a bunch of other Toastmasters.
Since I’m a big believer in always giving more, here is number six: I started a software company in high school. I designed CRM software (before everyone was using CRM software) for high end financial advisors.
Now for the fun part… I’m tapping Josiah Mackenzie, Scott Ginsberg, Eitan Pinsky, Mark Graham, Chris Newell, Lois Raats, and Ian Ybarra over at Never Eat Alone. You’re it!
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo dedicated to building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions and buying or selling a home, or wnat to know some more things about him, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
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Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Market Update
December 2, 2006 by Benjamin Bach · Leave a Comment
Kitchener Waterloo Heat Index: 0.40
November brought us cold weather, and a slight downturn in the temperature of the market. New listings coming on the market slowed, with 3% less active listings on the market this month than last (which is a good thing when you’re selling your home!).
Buyers have an opportunity to get a great deal. The large inventory means better selection, and with a good number of homes to choose from buyer’s often have the upper hand in negotiations.
More detailed analysis to follow…
Benjamin Bach is a Real Estate Consultant with Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty in Kitchener Waterloo. He voraciously tracks the Real Estate market so that he can fulfill his mission of building wealth for his clients through smart Real Estate investments, and helping people achieve success. If you are interested in how you can start your Real Estate portfolio, or have any questions and buying or selling a home, you can email Benjamin (benjamin AT benjaminbach.com) or reach him at 519 772 4376.
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