7 Ways to Avoid Mistakes and 3 Things to do when you do

Nothing slows down productivity like a mistake. We all make them, and we all hate having to spend the time and effort going back and correcting them. Here are 7 simple things you can do right now that will help you avoid making another mistake.

Slow Down
Even though we have so much technology in place to help us, it seems as though we are always in a hurry to complete one project and move on to the next. What happens is that we get so caught up in what we are planning, that it is so simple to have a careless error in what we are doing right now. When we make an error like this, it is so aggravating to think we could have avoided it by simply slowing down and doing what we knew to do. Read more

Lessons From a Wise Man

I was fortunate enough to spend over 25 years of my life working with my dad. During those years I learned several lessons that have benefited me in my life and business. My Dad never really sat me down and said, “Son, this is how you do it,” but it was more in the way he lived what he believed. I no longer have the option of going to him for advice, but what he ingrained into me lives on. Read more

Win $100 gift certificate to The Oar House . . .

To be eligible to win a $100 gift certificate to The Oar House in Rockwall courtesy of The David Ray Team.

All you have to do is submit your name, email address and what you like about Rockwall in the COMMENT AREA below. The winner will be announced via email on Sunday, April 13th.

Note: If your property is listed with a Realtor this does not constitute a solicitation of your property or listing. Your submission will also add you to the online David Ray Real Estate Magazine.

Rockwall Independent School District

Need information on Rockwall Schools — Click here

Good News for Texas Veterans

You have served your country well and here is a little something that you may be glad to know in return. I have a daughter and son-in-law who are currently serving in active military duty and are going to be completing their current contracts in the next year. They are planning on buying a home here in Texas, so I got motivated to find the best deal all around for them when I came upon the Texas Veterans Land Board. This is a great deal for those have completed the necessary eligibility requirements. Here are a few of the highlights.

You must have serve at least 90 cumulative days of active duty, completed all required training, not have been dishonorably discharged and have had Texas as your home of record prior to entering the military or have lived in Texas for at least one year after discharge and the property has to be in Texas. You can still be on active duty and qualify.

Now for the good part. The interest rates are typically lower than the current rates. These change every Friday and can be checked at the Texas Veterans site www.TexasVeterans.com along with other helpful information. A couple of other quick notes. If you take a 15 year note, you can deduct .25% from the interest rate and if you have received 50% disability, you may take another .35%. The big one comes for anyone who entered active duty before 1977 and has been out less than 30 years, you get to deduct 1.12% from the rate which could put you as low as 4.3%.

You may have all three types of loans at the same time - Home Loan, a Land Loan and a Home Improvement Loan. Unfortunately, Texas Veterans Land Board does not do re-finances.

I hope this helps and thank you for serving!

Dachshunds go better in pairs

 Well, we have had these two lovely ladies now for about three days now and are loving every minute of it.  Before they came along, I had two dachshunds, a male and a female that lived to be 12 and 14 years old respectively and definitely were a part of the family.  I spent the last eighteen months taking care of my daughter’s Jack Russell Terrier (or terror as the case may be) while she was stationed in Germany.  But now, she has been reassigned to Ft. Polk, LA and I was glad to return her dog back to her.  Anyway Dachshunds are very loving dogs and need to be either with their owner or another dog at all times.  Having two puppies at the same time can be a challenge as far as housebreaking  and teaching the rules, but the rewards are greater.  Watching them together is better than anything on tv.  When they eat, even though we have two bowls of food out, they have to eat from the same bowl.  When they play, you can have ten balls in the floor, but they want the same one and when they sleep, they are curled up together.  They are best friends not only with each other, but also with their owners and they are very loyal.