Well it really is amazing how many SLO opportunities are out there currently. I’d kind of written them off as too hard initially but since learning Roger Hardies spin on them and with the market turning, man it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

I met a lovely family today needing to exit their property and briefly discussed SLOing their property as a way of paying them more money for the property and providing immediate debt relief. They were overjoyed to think such a thing was possible.

Until interest rates drop there are going to be lots of people needing help, we need to be helping them.

As an aside I was also reminded of the need for really being careful when you are doing property, especially if you are not a seasoned investor. The people i met today had purchased a property to live in and their broker had said he had gotten them the mortgage and “I’ve given you 65K on flexi”.

Now these were an ESOL family and not experienced with mortgages etc. They thought what their broker had done was get them a mortgage and an additional 65K that they could use to top up their loan till they get on their feet. In reality he had simply left 65K floating so they had no additional funds to go on. They would never have bought on that basis and sadly have to leave after less than a year because of the financial pressure.

So when you are dealing with stressed vendors or helping people into their own homes make sure you are both transparent in your dealings AND that the other party completely understands what you are doing. Win ~ win or no deal!!

I’m in OZ till the 7th and not sure of my internet access so if I am blogless I apologise in advance and hope you will forgive me. I will make up for it on my return.

Stay Safe Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz (AKA Dean Leftus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz)

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Well had an awesome time today with the girls. I found a new activity on the net this morning situated at the old Kingseat Hospital. It’s a huge outdoor maze, an indoor 3D maze and a huge horror themed house.

It was fantastic fun, reasonably priced, and all the better for being something I knew nothing about and had never heard of.

So if you want to be scared briefly but have a great time with your 10 year old plus kids I thoroughly recommend it. There were plenty of younger kids there but the house might freak them out. Just the outdoor maze is worth the trip IMHO.

I was also struck by the ingenuity of the people running it. They have taken a rundown semi abandoned property and turned it into a wonderful business. Because it is primarily a night time horror theme they haven’t had to spend big money doing the place up, in fact the more trashed it is the better the effect

So thought for the day for those of you finding cashflow an issue…..

What ideas do you have that could be brought to fruition cheaply that will help you create cashflow till your properties become positive? Write down a list of ten things and then PICK ONE AND GIVE IT A GO!!

Stay Safe Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz

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I was blessed with a fantastic memory. In fact prior to my teen years and the introduction of drugs and alcohol to my life when I didn’t need it I virtually had a photographic memory. I attended school when I felt like it and still passed everything because once I’d read a text book I could recall the detail.

I still have a very good memory and it is something I rely on very much. I am increasingly aware however that our society now runs on information overload and even we just can’t keep everything in our heads.

I realised this with a jolt just in the last 24 hours. I have for the first time in my life really started keeping a journal of my bible reading and associated thoughts. Reading it the next day I was amazed at what I had written and how much I had forgotten in just 1 day.

Jim Rohn rates keeping a daily journal as one of his life’s highest priorities and so I decided to try it. Well time will tell but after 2 days I am already a believer. If you struggle to order your thoughts, prioritise things or just remember important stuff when you want to why not join me in my journal experiment. I can tell already it is going to become a part of my daily life.

Stay Safe Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz

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I took my 3 younger daughters to the wave pools today. If you go to where the most activity is you float there over your head waiting for the waves to start. You then have several minutes of being plunged under the water with brief opportunities to breathe as the wave recedes.

I am a total water baby so I love it, but some people move away as fast as they can.

As I pondered this I was struck by how much like the wave pool is like an investing journey.

Some people, like me, jump in over our heads and enjoy the ride, knowing we will only be able to breathe every now and again. However we also know that we can swim and that the waves will end.

Some people are so afraid of the unknown nature of the waves though that they race for the shallows. Some of them are oblivious to the fact that they are missing out on something exciting but many sit there watching and their faces belie the fact that they would love to be in those waves. Fear or lack of ability keep them out.

I was thinking that I will never get a second chance to see my kids grow up so I try and create memories that they will take with them into adulthood. Same with PI. You may well look back in 20 years and go “I wish I’d” or “If only I’d”.

You only have one life to live and no amount of encouragement from myself or others who love the waves will change a thing for you unless one day you
A: decide to go and get some swimming lessons and
B: Stay in the pool when the waves come.

I trust you have a wet and wavy break over next few days.

Stay Safe Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz

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I hope you are all too occupied to even read this today. Christmas is talked about as a “time for family”,a “time to be thankful”, a “time to relax” etc.

However the reality is that for many people Christmas is incredibly stressful and lonely.
So lets put aside the fact that Christmas is actually about the birth of the saviour of the world and think about the giving, friends and family.

Firstly if you are alone or stressed this Christmas then my heart goes out to you. I trust that you will be able to step back over the next few days and find a place where you can make some decisions to change that. The best way to solve loneliness is to befriend someone else. IS there someone else you know who may be alone this Christmas? Well why not ring them and share this year with them. They may be sitting at home hoping and praying that their doorbell would ring or their phone go.

And for those of us who have family around, who can’t wait for Christmas to be over so we can relax and get away from everybody, can I leave you with this challenge.

There will be people within walking distance of where you are right now who are terribly lonely. There are women all over New Zealand being beaten this Christmas. Domestic violence is at its annual peak over the next ten days. There will be young children being emotionally, physically and sexually abused right in your campground or street. Suicide peaks as well over Christmas.

So what are you willing to do about that this year?? Most of these issues come out of stress, alcohol abuse and an absence of decent role models. IF you take the time to visit the old lady you see struggling out to their letterbox with no cars in the driveway you may be able to give someone a gift of much more value than anything you can buy.

Striking up a conversation with that tattooed smelly guy with 8 kids at the campground may open a door for you to speak life and hope into a family that simply doesn’t know how to be “normal”.

You may not be able to accept what Christmas is really about, the birth of Jesus Christ, however you can choose to make it something of real importance this year. So do me and yourself a family, find one person or family in the next week who are lonely, afraid, dysfunctional, depressed, broke, addicted, just one, and take yourself and your family into their world and bring the life, skills and love you have in your heart to that person or family. You will never be the same and I guarantee this will be more memorable than any gift you have received or place you have visited. This is offering the gift of life to someone who needs it. You could literally save a physical life, prevent a child losing her virginity or enable a family to see someone model real love, and permanently change their future.

Now that’s what I call a Merry Christmas!!

Stay Safe ~ Dean and Raewyn Letfus and Family!!

I have in recent times been the subject of unwarranted character assassination and also seen it happen to other people I know, particularly in one of my favourite forums.
It always saddens me, not just because I feel hurt and rejected because i am too soft, but some of the people who get attacked are friends or acquaintances and it simply isn’t fair or right that people get crucified unjustly. Sadly there is quite a ground swell of obnoxious back biters around at the moment really destroying my 2 favourite forums. Fortunately my OWN forum is bereft of this nonsense, the benefit of it being subscription based.

Anyway I was reading the Vine today and thought it had some real wisdom to bring to bear on this unfortunate malady. Italics are my own addition.

“An old Quaker bought a cantankerous dairy cow and every milking session became a battle of wills. Determined to demonstrate grace under fire the old man refused to react when Bessie stomped on his foot, whipped him in the face with her tail, and knocked over the milk bucket. Finally she kicked him against the barn wall and that did it! Glowering, he growled, “Thou knowest I’m a Quaker and cannot strike thee back – but I can surely sell thee to a Presbyterian!”

When you are the injured party, it’s hard to be gracious and finish the job at hand. That’s when you need “more grace,” and to keep in mind a few important principles:

(a) Conflicting viewpoints help you to grow. If you’ve ever been around teenagers you can relate. They’re experts at coming up with unconventional, off-the-wall opinions that challenge you and keep you honest.
We need to be open to new ideas and analyse them for value without simply discounting them because we don’t like the messenger

(b) Never resort to character assassination. Disagreeing is one thing, destroying somebody is another. Some of the most vicious personal attacks, public and private, have been waged over religion and politics. If you must fight, fight fair.
This sadly is a big issue today. I see it especially on forums where people are maligned for their weight, their wives appearance or any number of other irrelevant issues. This is a real curse!!

(c) When you lose, take it on the chin. Instead of endlessly rehearsing old grievances, “Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault” (Romans 14:14-19 TM).

(d) Sometimes it’s necessary to go separate ways. When Paul and Barnabas argued over whether or not John Mark should travel with them, “There followed a sharp disagreement between them” (Acts 15:39 AMP). End of story? No, just the beginning of two different ministries!
So be gracious! What’s happening to you right now may well be God’s way of moving you into a new area of blessing.

So remember there is always good in every situation if we look for it. But we have to be willing to actually look for it. It is unlikely to drag itself into our lounge and announce its arrival. Are you willing to look for the good in an apparently bad situation today?? It will forever change your world view, for the better.

Stay Safe ~ Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

As I spend time with my kids and watch how my first grandchildren are being raised I am glad and proud that the Letfus household is a Santa free zone.

I could never understand why supposedly honest and intelligent adults would want to tell lies deliberately to their children for 4 or 5 years knowing they would be found out.

So we made sure our kids knew that Santa didn’t exist, but that he had become a character based on a real person, Saint Nicholas. The truth of St Nick is far more interesting than the nonsense we feed kids anyway.

You see I don’t believe you can compartmentalise your life, you either uphold truth or you don’t. White lies don’t exist. So why not research the truth and share that with your children so they don’t grow up wondering how many other things you lied to them about!!

Here’s a starter for you……

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers.

After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra.

His devotion to God and his commitment to the poor caused him to be “canonised” or made a saint in the Catholic Church. There are thousands of wonderful stories of what he actually did and these make incredible story material to pass on to our kids, instead of drivel about reindeer and elves.

So do you and your family a favour this Xmas, Pay Truth Forward!!

Stay Safe ~ Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz