Solving a Rubik’s Cube
I’ve always wanted to solve a Rubik’s cube. I’ve spent hours tinkering with it over the course of my life without any real luck or progress. Every time I’ve tried it, I’ve ultimately gotten impatient and given up.
But I’m not the first person to try and solve a Rubik’s cube. Many people have done it over the last 48 years since the cube was invented, and they have figured out formulas and algorithms that can be followed step-by-step.
My challenge for the month of October was to practice the Rubik’s Cube every single day for a month, and today I successfully completed that challenge. I started out the month completely clueless. The very first time I solved it took me almost 3 hours. Now I can consistently solve it in 2-3 minutes. My record is 1 minute, 58 seconds.
Trying to figure things out on my own is foolish when I can learn from the successes and failures of people who have come before me. If you want to do something in life, find someone who’s done it before and learn as much as you can from them. Then pay it forward and pass on this knowledge to others.
Halloween Weekend
Had a blast this weekend at Theory's annual Anniversary Halloween Party on Friday Night and a Stranger Things party on Saturday night!
Tacoma Connect
Earlier this month, we officially launched Tacoma Connect! This is a new monthly networking event at Edison Square on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. We couldn’t have asked for a better kickoff event. We had a panel of incredible Tacoma entrepreneurs, live music, delicious food, and tons of connections made.
Next month’s event is coming up on 11/9 at 6 PM! The theme is “Investing in Tacoma”, and we have another awesome evening in store. Get your tickets at tacomaconnect.eventbrite.com! See you at Tacoma Connect!
October Market Update
Real Estate time! At the beginning of every month, I spend about an hour nerding out over all the stats from the previous month. You can learn a lot about the market by simply reviewing the numbers looking for changes and trends. So here’s a little update on the real estate market for anyone interested! (This was written at the beginning of October)
The market looks drastically different today than it did 6 months ago. In March, homes were selling in around 1 week for record-breaking prices 5-10% over list price. Today, the average listing is sitting on the market for nearly a month and selling for around 1% under list price. Listings are active for about 3 times as long as they were this Spring and 2 times as long as September 2021. Prices are also leveling out, and market values are sitting around where they were at the beginning of this year.
For buyers, now is a much less chaotic time to buy a home than earlier this year. We're seeing way fewer bidding wars, and most buyers are not needing to waive all their contingencies to be competitive. However, interest rates are continually climbing, so many buyers' pre-approval amounts have been affected. For anyone interested in buying in the next 6-12 months (which I 100% still recommend over renting), my personal suggestion is to stick within a price range with a monthly payment that you can comfortably afford now, but then plan on refinancing once rates go down in 12-24 months. This will drastically lower your monthly payment down the road.
For sellers, patience is definitely needed nowadays, and price drops may be necessary if listings aren't getting sufficient showings. However, the sky isn't falling, and homes are still worth more today than any year prior to 2022. Anyone thinking about selling should seriously consider doing so soon, as the market will likely continue to level out over the fall and winter months.
I believe that this market shift is 100% necessary and honestly a bit overdue. For anyone worried about home values going down, just know that real estate ALWAYS appreciate in the long run. If you look at the last 100 years, there have been dips in the market - some big and some small. But no one out there regrets buying real estate 10, 20, or 30 years ago. That’s my 2 cents on the real estate market. Take it or leave it!
Social Media is Weird
Social media is weird.
It has tons of benefits - connecting with friends, meeting new people, entertaining yourself, discovering new things, marketing your brand, and documenting your memories and life’s journey.
But there are also some very significant pitfalls of social media - the addictive nature of it, the social comparison and jealousy, the negative comments, the increased screen time, and the very real effects on mental health.
I’m generally pretty active on social media, and I think that *overall* it positively impacts my relationships and my business. I really look at social media as part of by job, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to always be “on”.
But for the last 2 weeks, I’ve had zero desire to create or consume content. And I’m not sure why. It probably has something to do with feeling exhausted / burnt out from the craziness of life. Maybe I haven’t felt like I had anything meaningful to share. Maybe I’ve been more present in my day-to-day life. Or maybe it’s not that deep.
Regardless, I think it’s okay to take breaks from social media. I’m giving myself grace and doing what feels right.
This started as a journal entry, and ironically I felt the desire to share it on social media. Like I said, social media is weird!
