I believe defining oneself is difficult. Am I the way I am because of my genes? How about my personality and where did that come from? What about parents, family life and culture? Could society be a factor? Education? Do we ever stop becoming who we are?

Trying to define one’s self can bring about many interesting memories.

To this day, I actually remember playing at daycare with my brother and the other children. I credit my babysitter with giving me courage. I remember playing with my younger brother and I thank him for teaching me love. I have been a fairly independent person and I thank my father for that trait. And, my mother, I thank her for many things, but her greatest influence was purpose. She would refer to the 211 degree theory. 211 degrees is hot water – adding one more degree to that water can power a locomotive! Be your best, have a purpose.

Along with my Cousin Mike and his wife, Randi, I recently attended this year’s super bowl in Texas and made some great memories while rooting on our team, the Green Bay Packers. As I reflect on the time I have spent with Mike over the years, I realize that he has been such a great mentor to me, and the time I have spent with him has helped develop the best parts of the man I am today. Mike is an entrepreneur with a strong sense of leadership. Every time we converse, I learn something – he helps me grow by sharing his ideas and experience. Both Mike and Randi have inspired me to one day have a family as wonderful as theirs. I thank Mike and Randi for the super bowl memories, but most importantly, I thank them for helping shape my character.

Today, I want to thank all of you who made me …….ME. All of you have played a huge role in what makes me ME.

Take a few minutes this week to remember fond memories of people and experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today. Take time to thank those who are, or have been, a part of your life. Call that special high school teacher or that coach that positively influenced your life. What about your former neighbor from long ago, or your uncle who you haven’t talked to for such a long time?

The more we reflect on the people and experiences that have helped shape who we are, the better we can define what makes us the best of who we are today.

Here is a video that my marketing department did on my cousin, it is pretty funny.

This is the remix video he made. Thanks Nate!

I’m taking a needed break with my workers this week but I just wanted to take a second to pose a question:

Are you operating at your full potential?

If not, then what you are waiting for? Challenges only serve to make us stronger and help us groove some new gears – like so many of us have done through these difficult months. And even if they get a little rusty, we must continue to engage them and keep our skills sharp. If you have some uptapped potential then it’s time to get after it. Now would be a good time to be running on all cylinders, don’t you think?

Get ready for the Holidays and make every effort count!!!

Tyler Smith % Team make TOP 50 IN THE NATION

re here to serve!!!

For once California’s economy looks good compared to that of some other states.

A foreclosure crisis that has dimmed the state’s golden glow with images of financial ruin and broken government is beginning to wane, says a leading trade group for the U.S. mortgage industry.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday that California foreclosure starts have fallen from a year ago – even as problems grow in Midwestern Rust Belt states such as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

“California is showing signs of improvement. We are seeing it on a quarter-to-quarter basis and year-over-year basis,” MBA Chief Economist Jay Brinkmann said.

Consider:

• In the past year California moved from fourth place among U.S. states for foreclosure starts to seventh.

• Mortgage delinquencies, while up from early 2009, fell slightly in early 2010.

• The percentage of California mortgages in the foreclosure process fell, too, during the past year.

California’s fragile improvements come as the national picture is less clear. Collectively, the longtime mortgage disaster areas – Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada – are becoming less of a problem nationally, MBA data showed.

“A year ago they had 45.3 percent of the problem loans,” said Brinkmann. “That’s down to 37.9 percent.

“We’re looking now at Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. They’re climbing back into the list of problems,” he said. Those states have longer-term structural problems as their manufacturing economies continue to decline.

The new data confirmed improvements in California and the Sacramento area recently cited by researcher MDA DataQuick. Last month the firm said mortgage defaults have fallen for a year straight in the state and region, with foreclosures dropping now as well.

In hard-hit Sacramento suburbs such as Natomas, Lincoln and Elk Grove, residents see dwindling evidence of the crisis.

“All those houses that were vacant before were sold in the last year or two,” said Tyler Smith, a Keller Williams agent in Sacramento “A year ago it seemed every other house on some of those streets were vacant.”

Homeowners in distress are increasingly using short sales to unload their properties rather than losing them to foreclosure.

That’s helping preserve neighborhoods, because these owners stay in the homes until they’re sold rather being evicted and leaving an empty house behind.

Make no mistake: California’s long journey into a financial meltdown is nowhere near its conclusion, economists say.

They foresee prolonged trouble for the state economy and government revenues. At best, said Los Angeles economist Chris Thornberg, “The worst is behind us.” He added, “We have years yet of dealing with this.”

Like everything about the foreclosure crisis, even explaining a sense of improvement is open to interpretation. Thornberg said a fall in California foreclosure starts shows only that banks are taking longer to deal with late mortgage payments.

Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific, said simply, “This suggests we’ve reached the point where the number moving into delinquency equals the number moving out.”

Even that might be declared victory. More people are moving out of delinquency through short sales – selling their homes for less than they owe. And despite criticism of government loan modification efforts, the U.S. Treasury Department reported this week that 5,400 homeowners in the eight-county Sacramento region received permanent loan modifications since December 2009. Regionally, banks foreclosed on 4,300 more in the first quarter of 2010.

Any slowdown of last year’s frightful rise in delinquencies, said Michael, “indicates we’re close to a peak.”

The state still has a long way to go before it regains a healthy economy, 6 percent unemployment and a budget in the black, Thornberg and Michael agreed Wednesday. But for once, California is falling off lists of the worst performers.

Eventually, the supply of distressed properties will simply be exhausted, Michael said, adding, “The fire will burn itself out for lack of fuel.”

More people bought pricier houses in April, signaling the end of Sacramento’s bargain basement-only sales scene.

Buyers picked up the pace from last year in Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills and older neighborhoods near downtown Sacramento, researcher MDA DataQuick reported Thursday. Simultaneously, buyers dwindled in Oak Park, North Highlands and other repo zones of the past two years.

What gives?

There are fewer available repos after a long blowout sale, market trackers say. There’s also a sense at the higher end that this market is as good as it’s going to get for a while.

He said he sold three houses this week valued between $350,000 and $800,000.

The shifting sales mix tugged Sacramento County’s median sales price for resale houses nearly 10 percent higher than the same time last year, DataQuick reported. The median, where half cost more and half less, was $175,000.

Resale home prices also beat April 2009 levels in Placer, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.

Less than half of Sacramento County’s April sales were cheap bank repos – compared with two-thirds a year earlier. With fewer repos this year, sales in the $200,000 to $400,000 range grabbed a larger market share.

“We’ve had 70 people coming through open houses in the $300,000 to $400,000 range,” said Bob Bronswick, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.

“That’s the trend across the state,” said DataQuick analyst Andrew LePage. He said sellers are cutting prices and buyers are still getting low interest rates to make deals work.

Sellers are not thinking about 2005. They’re thinking: ‘We might have to take it back to 2003 or 2002 prices and sell it at that.’

This doesn’t mean expensive is back. LePage said homes priced above $400,000 are only a tiny percentage of Sacramento-area sales.

But the shift is part of restoring balance to a market where repos accounted for a majority of sales for much of 2008 and 2009. Banks have cut repossessed homes on the market.

“The way banks are managing it now will probably keep prices from falling much further,” said Rick Sharga of Orange County foreclosure analyst RealtyTrac.

Overall, 3,255 homes changed hands during April in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties, DataQuick reported. That was down slightly from March – and fewer than April 2009.

Analysts attributed the slight drop to fewer repo listings for first-time buyers and people delaying escrow closings until May. The state began offering homebuyer tax credits of up to $10,000 May 1.

New homes accounted for 5 percent of sales in the region.

The Housing Group Fund, small-scale local builders, remodeled the house, and SMUD turned it into a energy efficient model demonstration project.It’s a tiny piece of the $3.9 billion federal Neighborhood Stabilization Plan that sent $32 million to Sacramento County earlier this year.

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency contributed $86,000 from the allocation to bring back a house nearly destroyed on its way to foreclosure. Said Diana Tate at a ribbon cutting marking the accomplishment Thursday: “It’s been a long time coming.”

In another moving scene, husband Ken said they’d looked at houses for a year.  ”We finally finished the race,” he said.

Here’s a look at the ribbon cutting held in their front yard:

 We took the most listings in the office for the month of September. Thanks to all of our clients who supported us and to my great team who worked very hard. Our hope is to continue giving great service to our clients.

Thanks everyone.