All of us should know and recognize by now that "if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." The holidays are over and I trust all survived the end of the world, fiscal cliff, New Year’s Day, and feel blessed to be here and have a renewed appreciation of your friends and family. Now it’s time to start implementing the goals you have by establishing a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly game plan.

Business wise, I’d suggest taking an entrepreneurial approach. Our market has changed and we must change along with it. An entrepreneur, by definition, is a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.

Focus on what you can make happen. To minimize that risk one must take action. Over the holidays I re-read the book "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson, M.D. A great read on how to deal with change in your work and in your life. I tend to over-analyze and resist change just like Hem and Haw in the book, instead of just adjusting and moving on like Sniff and Scurry. I recommend this book to all ages and anyone facing a change, which is everyone.

Several new laws took effect on Jan. 1 that will impact real estate brokers, agents, and their clients. Applicants for a broker’s license must now meet an experience requirement of being actively engaged in real estate business Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] for two of the last five years or have a graduated from a four-year college with a major or minor in real estate.

AB278 and SB900, in the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, prohibit lenders from dual tracking foreclosures and loan modifications for an owner who occupied one to four residential units.

Lenders cannot record a Notice of Default or trustee sale if a foreclosure prevention plan has been approved in writing by all parties. The key words there are "approved in writing," as in a bank approval letter. In addition, lenders must provide borrowers with a single point of contact during this process.

SB 1069 extends the current anti-deficiency protection for refinanced loans. This does not include cash out in a refinance. These are only a select few of the new laws that took effect.

For details, please contact a trusted real estate attorney and/or CPA to see how these new laws will affect you and your business. Have a plan, then adjust and move on just like Hem and Haw did in "Who Moved My Cheese."

If you have questions regarding available inventory to purchase or other bank service incentives contact Mike Mason, Broker/Owner of Mason Real Estate DRE: 01483044, Board of Director of Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors (SRCAR), and Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource certified by National Association of Realtors (NAR). Contact him at Mike@GoTakeAction.com or call (951) 296-8887.