Joe Duenas with JZD Properties

AS A PARENT, THIS PHRASE HAUNTED ME! When my kids were very young we got invited to the lake with a family friend. They had a wakeboard boat and they enjoyed the summers skiing, rafting, wakeboarding, and making family memories. Needless to say, my wife and kids truly enjoyed it and the talk always turned into "Why don't we get a boat, DAD"? Well, I had all my reasons why we shouldn't have one but I would think about it.... We repeated this for two more summers and I always felt like the bad guy having to tell my family NO, I don't want to buy a boat but I would think about it. We could afford it, we all enjoyed it, I just wasn't ready to pull the trigger on it. However, on the last weekend trip, I drove into town for some supplies and decided to fill up my car with gas. As I was filling up my tank an older gentleman pulled up next to me and I was admiring his boat on his trailer. We chit chatted and I told him my story of our trips and even mentioned how I have been thinking about getting one for a couple of summers now. (Something he has probably heard a million times.) He smiled at me and asked me a question. Do your wife and kids like coming out here in the summertime? I said, yes of course! Then he looked at my kids and said, "How many summer vacations do you have left with them"? Then he drove off. That question haunted me! As I was driving back to the lake I was thinking. On the way into town, my kids were only 8 and 10 years old - so young, babies. However, on the drive back to the lake I couldn't help thinking how fast time is going, they are growing up so fast, I already had myself convinced there be off to college soon. Much to my family's surprise I immediately informed them that we are buying a boat. We got home, my wife and the kids did all the research and gave me a stack of dealers, people, and websites to see. 31 days later there was a beautiful Master Craft X9 wake boat on a trailer sitting in my driveway. I didn't know where I was going to store it, didn't know how to drive it, didn't know much about safety either. But we will figure it out! That was many years ago and it by far was one of the best decisions we ever made. We have had and still have years of memories with great friends and families! The stories are endless that even my kids can tell their grandkids one day. Funny, it all started with a haunting phrase every parent should ask themselves. "How many summer vacations do you got left with your kids"?

YOU DON'T GET A 2ND CHANCE AT PARENTING. One of the greatest joys, I remember is bringing my babies home from the hospital after they were born. Yup, feels like yesterday. ... After many milestones like sleeping through the night, eating their first meal, and their first day at school I was finally starting to feel that I knew what I was doing. However, as the years quickly passed it seemed that the responsibilities and decisions got harder to make. Mainly because there was so much subjectivity and the final decision was up to my wife and I. Then we started to get those thoughts, you know, are we doing the right thing? Will the kids be happy? Is this the best school, sport, or community for us? I remember saying, "this parenting thing is harder than I thought". When my kids got to be 3 and 5 years old our cute little beach bungalow started to feel much smaller than my wife and I remember. Toys everywhere, no way to add another bedroom, we loved the upgrades we had done but in the end, we had just outgrown it. That’s when we started seriously discussing where we wanted to raise our kids for the long haul. Like all of our friends, we started researching schools & communities in a different way. Constantly wondering, what did we want in our future and why? There were so many things to consider that my wife and I even got into some arguments about it. (Ha Ha) But, like most families, we just pushed our way through it However, I was always so grateful for that perfect advice, support, and knowledge that came along at just the right time. Well for over 30 years I have walked this road with so many families. I clearly understand the roller coaster of emotions that can go through your head and yes, it is easy to get stuck. That is why I created the "2nd Story Process". It is a framework that helps you navigate your family through trading up from your current home to your new home. Feel free to download to see if it can help you. www.joeduenas.com

How will the shut down affect home values?

How will the shut down affect home values? When it comes to answering that question we always had some sources that gave us a clear picture of what was happening in the market. However, there are so many unknowns variables that the story hasn’t been fully written yet in order to answer that question with confidence or accuracy. Let me explain. Would love to hear your comments or thoughts below, thanks