I’ve been fighting it for a few years now, but I’ve had to give in…

When I turned 40, everyone said that my eyes would start to fail, and that I would need glasses.  So, I went off for the obligatory eye test.  No problems.  Better than average eyesight, they said.  Come back in a few years.

About a year ago I had a few problems with light flashes in my eyes, and headed off to the specialist.  Just one of those things, will probably never happen again, don’t know why it happens.  No problems.  Better than average eyesight, he says.  Have them checked again in a couple of years. 

A couple of months ago, almost overnight, I started to have trouble reading small print.  What had been easy to read instructions on labels, cans & bottles suddenly became difficult. 

So, off I went for an eye test.  And yes, my still “better than average eyesight” has finally decided to let me down – just a little bit!

Glasses, they said.  Just for reading, and computer work.  Nothing else.  Better than average eyesight, they said – for your age… ouch.

Well, I picked up the glasses and decided that I really should test this all out.  Within 24 hours of wearing them – just for close up, I noticed some amazing things happening.

First of all – I could read the small print!  Secondly, my eyes, which had been sore for weeks, stopped being sore.  And thirdly, I suddenly wasn’t so tired.  Turns out that all the squinting and staring had actually been wearing me down more than I realized. 

Investing in property is a bit like my eyes.  You can go for a long time without any problems, and without any check-ups, and then, all of a sudden, things seem a bit vague.  A meeting with someone who knows what they’re doing – a mentor, or a wise friend, and a different perspective, can suddenly reveal problems you didn’t even know you had.

However, the really great thing about all of this is that they can give you a new set of solutions to help solve the problems.  Suddenly, it all becomes much clearer, the “fuzz” clears, and you’re energized to move forward.

This happened to me recently in a property deal I’ve been working on.  Things had become a bit blurred, and I wasn’t sure which way to move forward.  So I talked to some knowledgeable, helpful, wise people, did a “check-up”, and found some solutions that had been staring me in the face.  There all along, they just were not obvious because my “eyes” weren’t focusing.  With the fresh perspective, I’m now moving forward.

If you’re wandering around in property investing and are not sure what to do, maybe you need a bit of a “check-up”.  After all, as I found out, the solution is often right under our noses!  Speak to a mentor, someone who can give you fresh eyes, a new perspective, and options.  This will allow you to make informed decisions, and give you a new, clear path forward.

And, of course, look after your projects so you know when you need a “check-up”.

The “Jennie Brown’s Real Estate Investing Bootcamp” is coming to Melbourne on 11 & 12 July, and the Gold Coast on 7 & 8 November!  More information can be found at http://www.jenniebrown.com.au/bootcamp.html

This weekend I’m going to have what I think is a well deserved rest.  I’ve been working long hours for weeks and I’ve finally gotten to where I want to be – on just one thing!

About a month ago we decided to put our property on the market, and we started working on preparing it.   

This meant all manner of things – finalizing gardens, having turf laid, finishing fences, house washing, pressure hose the drives and paths, packing up clutter, putting everything neatly into cupboards, moving some furniture out, cleaning windows and tiles, and more cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning …

It didn’t help that the day we had the bobcat and the turf ordered, it started to rain, and rain, and rain – for about a week.  Everyone had to be put off.

However, it has all happened, and now, everything is finished.  The gardens look amazing, we have a fully turfed backyard and the fences are all complete.  The glass balustrading is in, and the place is sparkling.

After a crazy weekend of completing all the last minute things, including the massive amounts of cleaning, we were ready … Well, not quite.

We had a few more things to do.  First of all, there’s Deb, my amazing friend, brilliant home stager and owner of Mink Home Staging.  Deb came in and worked for a whole day on staging the house.  What started out as piles of cushions and nick nacks and vases and flowers and rugs and throws and linen and who knows what else slowly evolved during the day into a beautiful, stunning, staged home.

At 4pm in the afternoon she put the last item into place, and declared that it was good!  Just in time for the photographer to turn up to start photographing at twilight.

Time for Deb and I to collapse, exhausted.  What a day!