Spring Is A Time To Be Ready For Real Estate Options

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Real estate buying and selling options were way down in March 2020 as a direct result of the Coronavirus outbreak. As potential buyers and sellers watched the economy fall apart across the country, real estate suffered as people who may have been in the market to buy or sell a newly built or existing home, decided to shelter in place versus splashing out their money on a mortgage.

There is no doubt it was the right thing to do at the time. Research on Zillow shows that signed contracts on houses are about one-third lower right now than they were at this time last year with people protecting their cash and other investments. There is – though – a glimmer of hope.

Spring always feels like the perfect time to explore your real estate buying and selling options as the weather gets warmer. This year the threat of Corona is still real, but there is an added feeling of hope that comes with spring.  Retail sales for housing picked up as we moved through April.  This may be a sign the worst part of the crisis – at least from the perspective of the housing market – could be over.

Web traffic – another great indicator of housing interest – also picked up during the last two weeks of April, though the numbers are still lower than average in major metros like New York City and Boston where the virus is a bigger problem. How much of this is people being bored sitting at home versus people actually looking to buy a house is up for debate, but on the back end of this it’s entirely possible that people who were happy with their living condition pre-Corona will be looking for something a little different – a move to space in the suburbs perhaps – that they wouldn’t have considered before.

The whole real estate market has turned virtual in the last month and this is important to consider if you are looking to buy or sell. Housing values have remained steady – impressive given some of our economic markets have gone into free fall.  So if you are someone considering your real estate buying and selling options you should be using this time to get your house prepared and learning about the new methods to be on top of the situation when you decide to make the move.

Article by Vital Guidance

Kids Need Your Vital Guidance During & After Pandemic

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Good mental health is a struggle for all of us during the Covid-19 lock down. We have all lost things we love to do – be that simply going for a drink with friends or playing sports competitively – and that disruption to the norm is taking its toll on how people are able to get through their days. While this is an issue for people of all ages, it is children that really need the best vital guidance that you can give at this point as we continue to navigate through uncharted waters in life.

While adults are – for the most part – fully emotionally and mentally developed, the same cannot be said for your children. Overnight our kids were expected to be able to adjust from thinking about the next sporting event they would play in or the next play date they would go on, to being in a lock down situation with no idea when they would be able to see their friends again.

While this is mitigated somewhat by technology, just imagine where we would be as a global society if this had happened 20 years ago. Face-timing a friend isn’t the same as being able to go to the mall or the movies. This pandemic is stripping kids – specifically tweens and teenagers – of emotional development that they will need to be able to grow in a post-pandemic world.

The good news is that with the right vital guidance most kids will turn out alright. This is the view of most economists and psychologists on the subject – despite their data sets being limited at this point. The best thing you can do as a parent during this time is to give your child a safe, stress free, and stable environment to live in. Young kids will bounce back quicker – they will feel less pressure and stress from the situation – and encouraging interaction without being pushy is a really important parenting technique to master if your child starts to seem withdrawn.

Tighter finances, food shortages, and job losses are all stressful. Those vulnerable families are the ones that are likely to see their children become more withdrawn – for any number of reasons – and as such they are the families that will rely on vital guidance both now and after the pandemic,

Kids are resilient by nature and most will find a way to adapt and roll with the punches. Just try to be a little extra aware at the moment – even with the pressures put on you as a parent during this time – of exactly how your kids are doing and what state their mental health is in.

Article By Vital Guidance

Technology Expands The Way Estate Planning Is Done

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We have written before on this website that estate planning shouldn’t be something that is ranked as optional. That has been true for decades, but with a pandemic on our hands worldwide – and specifically in the United States – it should come as no surprise that there has been an uptick in people looking for estate planning services to be prepared if the worst comes to the worst in this new normal of social distancing.

While each state has different rules and regulations when it comes to estate planning.  It is interesting to see some of the changes in a process that can be antiquated at best – and out of touch to the point of cumbersome at worst – that have been bought about by the Coronavirus crisis.

One obvious change is that the ability to create important documents in the estate planning process are now accessed and completed online in many states. While there are still very strict rules and guidance on how this must be done – such as what legal services to go through to have these documents be valid – it is a huge step in a country where many are locked down and the vulnerable are often frightened to leave their houses.

One vital tip here is to be careful about what you do and who you go through to get it done.  If you are going to use online estate planning services be prepared to ask questions about credentials and experience. Scammers love a crisis and the number of Covid-19 related scam artists and schemes will likely increase over the next few months. If you are unsure about the authenticity of a firm or company that is offering estate planning, talk to a family member that you trust as a second pair of eyes and ears on the situation. Be sure to do your research and only go through law firms, banks and trust companies that have your best interests at heart as you make big decisions for your estate.

Creating an estate plan is not fun at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. It is, though, a task that you will feel accomplished and it might just give you one less thing to worry about in a time when anxiety and stress are higher than ever.  Call your advisor and take advantage of these new and improved ways of getting your estate plan completed as soon as possible.

Article By Vital Guidance

Quit Smoking, Exercise To Boost Your Health

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Coronavirus is causing problems around the globe that’s impacting people’s health in a way unlike anything we have ever seen. There are certain sections of society – namely older people – who are more vulnerable to infection, but another way of being more vulnerable than the general population – according to new research – is by being a smoker.

Though more research needs to be done on the subject, early reports show that both traditional smokers and those who vape are more open to the chance of catching the virus than those who don’t. This is thought to be because smokers have elevated levels of ACE-2, a vital enzyme that helps the virus enter their lungs and replicate more freely.

There are plenty of smokers who want to quit. They know their health is at risk by smoking in general, and with Covid-19 being a disease that attacks the lungs it only makes sense that it would be a torrid problem for smokers. Quitting isn’t easy – if it was more people would be able to – but here are three ways to protect your overall health by getting smoking out of your life:

1 – Share a quit date
Getting that information out there will keep you accountable. Tell your friends the day you want to quit by and then build up the resources and the support network you will need to get to that point. Getting some sort of nicotine replacement is going to be important, as is filling your days with things to keep you distracted from the cravings. This is a mental game as much as anything and having friends in the right places at the right time is vital to helping you meet your quitting goal.

2 – Boost your overall health
Quitting smoking and keeping your lifestyle the same is admirable, but potentially kind of pointless. This is a huge change – a change that will open up your world and your health – so use this time to change more about yourself than no longer needing a smoke break. Maybe get back into the exercise game; yoga is an ideal option as it will help you focus on your spiritual health and your breathing techniques.  Running is also another great exercise that you can do alone or with others.  Plus, you can run at any time or place.   Whatever self-care you are interested in you should give it a try.

3 – Know the cravings will pass
This is the hardest part of quitting smoking. The cravings are real and they are intense. They will hit you and they will hit you hard. If you expect the hard cravings and know they will come before long the cravings will pass and the process will get much better. However, don’t fight the cravings, just ride them out and have a strategy for what you are going to do when they get bad. Replacement products are out there and they will be needed for you to kick smoking and vitally improve your health.

Article by Vital Guidance

Couples Must Work On Careers and Vital Relationship

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Managing your relationship during the Coronavirus crisis can be tricky. As much as we all want to think we are the perfect couple in the perfect relationship, the truth is that most of us have never lived in each other’s back pockets for weeks on end. Even if we share the same hobbies and the same workplace, there are usually other people around and separate events that we will go to without our partner be it gym, golfing or simply going to the hardware store.

Now – thanks to social distancing and stay-at-home orders – that has all changed. More than that, it changed very suddenly. Many couples are now working from the same home no matter if they are working the same job. This is fine – or at least better – if you have a big house with multiple spaces that can be used as an office, but much less fun if you are in a smaller apartment where finding your own space is a little more difficult.

The first thing to realize with your relationship is that you are 100% going to get on each other’s nerves at some point during this lockdown. Maybe it hasn’t happened yet, but it will. Often the pandemic itself is the cause of this, especially if the two of you aren’t completely in line with your thinking on how serious the situation is. Given that everyone thinks differently, this is likely to be a bone of contention at some point.

It is more than okay to get on each other’s nerves. The problem is that unlike pre-pandemic, there is likely no outlet for the feelings other than stewing in a different room. When these fights happen both of you need to avoid the “Four Horsemen” of relationship enders as proposed by psychologist John Gottman.

These four ideas are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. These four, which include attitudes with “always and never” statements, insulting verbally or with actions, counterattacking when feeling victimized, and measures to avoid interaction, will all see this pandemic claiming your happiness and relationship from you. Talk to your partner as soon as possible – knowing that fights may come –on how to avoid these specific concepts when upset at each other.

Instead, look at this time as a chance to build your relationship and cut down on stress. Be positive in all interactions – Gottman suggests a 5:1 positive to negative ratio or better – to keep each other happy. Practice your listening skills when you are upset and when you are both happy, showing empathy for the situation towards one another. Make your partner feel safe and happy and find new ways to enjoy life together that break what is already becoming a mundane daily routine.

The options here are endless for ways to improve your vital relationship by not letting the Four Horsemen create stress and bring down everything you have built over the years. See this as a time of opportunity and emerge on the other side stronger than ever.

Article by Vital Guidance

Seven Vital Foods To Help Fight The Coronavirus

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We have already mentioned on this site how one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a COVID-19 infection is to have an immune system ready and raring to fight the virus. In that article, we offered guidance about the basic vitamins and minerals that would provide vital nutrients for fighting Coronavirus as well as any pathogen you might encounter. This time around, we are going to get a little more specific and look at foods that you should be eating to maintain that nutrient balance during the pandemic.

Here are seven foods you may want to have in your house at this time:

1.  Mushrooms:  We know that Vitamin D is a huge immune system booster. While it is most often sourced through sun exposure, there are also some foods that are a reliable source of the vitamin. Mushrooms are one such food and they are so versatile that they can be incorporated into almost any dish.

2.  Yogurt:  It’s known for being a source of probiotics – think good bacteria – and it will provide a great boost to your immune system. When deciding which to buy, go as basic as possible by getting a good, plain, probiotic filled yogurt and throwing some fruit into it.

3.  Strawberries:  Vitamin C protects against cell damage and about half a cup of the delicious berries will give you half of your recommended daily need. You can do plenty with strawberries – there is nothing wrong with eating them plain or with cream – but add them to a spinach salad for something a little different.

4.  Broccoli:  This could really be titled the ‘Green Leafy Catchall.”. This is another Vitamin C source and with the amount you have to eat (only half a cup) to get half of your recommended daily amount, there is really no reason to be slacking. Broccoli should be one of your go-to vegetables to add in any stir fry.

5.  Red Bell Pepper:  The red peppers contain double the amount of Vitamin C of the famed citrus fruits. Throw in their high levels of beta carotene and you have a very powerful little vegetable. They are another versatile workhorse veggie, too, as eating them raw on sandwiches or cooked on a pizza are just two ways to enjoy them and get their vital nutrients.

6.  Sunflower seeds:  They may seem simple, but sunflower seeds are a great snack for the immune system. Vitamin B-6 is one that is important, as is the Vitamin E, magnesium, and phosphorous that these power pellets provide. Just salt them and eat them (or throw them onto that broccoli based stir fry).

7.  Papaya:  So, you want your recommended Vitamin C in one dose? A single papaya has 224% of your daily need.  In addition, Papayas have an enzyme called papain that helps with inflammation.  They also have potassium and B vitamins and they are delicious.

There are many other foods that will give your immune system a boost or keep it operating at peak levels.  Partner them with some exercise and appropriate rest for your best chance of fighting off any infection.

Article by Vital Guidance