I remember my early days of being a real estate agent and balking at the concept that I was in sales. I was a real estate counselor, advisor, consultant. Not a sales person. Everyone hates salespeople. I don’t want to be hated. My broker reminded me that I had spent the last 15 years of my life in sales. No, I didn’t I taught 9th graders. HA! He replied. You… Read More »The Daily RICHual #2 . The Golden Rule in Sales
Today is Martin Luther King day in America. When most people alive in the 60s think of MLK, they think of Civil Rights, peace, protests, progress, and tolerance, among others. While all of those things are still important 52 years later, I’d like to make a push for tolerance. Every 4 years two things happen in this country: the Olympics and elections. One I look forward to, the other…. Eh…… Read More »The Daily RICHual #1: Tolerance
With New Year’s celebrations barely in the rear view mirror, it’s time to sort some things out when it comes to resolutions or goals. First and foremost, how many of these goals/resolutions were made as an “I want” list? Which are really important? Which have staying power? I have this thing about resolutions. I don’t make them. To me, a resolution is made on a whim, usually vague, and often… Read More »2020 Goals: What’s Your Half Life?
“What people remember is the beginning and the end… how we start and how we finish… therefore START FAST and FINISH STRONG.” Gary Ryan Blair As 2019 heads into the final stretch, I like the idea of finishing strong. And while Gary (in the quote above) seems to have it right in most circumstances, he’s got it backwards today. Today we FINISH STRONG to START FAST. There is still business to be had;… Read More »FINISH STRONG to START FAST
After three years in the real estate business, I attended my first CRS course. It was CRS 201, Listing Strategies and it was taught by Mike Brodie. As an ex-teacher, I was impressed with Mike and the information he shared. Already having my GRI designation, I could tell I was in the middle of something better: better stuff, better instructor, better classmates. It was the best. In the subsequent years, I… Read More »CRS: Being the Best of the Best
It is estimated that over 15% of the population in the U.S. are over 65 years of age. With one of the most common fears of seniors being their money will run out early, it is understandable that downsizing may be strategy to meet their goals. Once the kids are grown, have careers, relationships and get a place of their own, parents find they may not need their “big” home… Read More »Downsizing is an Alternative
35% of respondents, in a recent annual Gallup poll that dates back to 2002, identified real estate as the best long-term investment option compared to 27% who identified stocks. The top choices included real estate, stocks, savings accounts and gold. Even with the remarkable prices of the different U.S. stock indices recorded in 2019 through April and May, homes have the highest confidence in the minds of the respondents. This… Read More »America Still Considers Real Estate the Best
There comes a time in many negotiations when progress halts and deadlock ensues. Several things happen when deadlock happens and if you know what they are, and what to do about them, success can be the result. And we all like that, right? One problem, of course, is when people involved in a negotiation become unmotivated. In a world where buyers want to buy and sellers want to sell, if… Read More »Dealing with Deadlock
I come across a multitude of salespeople who are stuck. They all seem to want to know why and most want to know the quickest way to get unstuck. Unfortunately, the “easy” way to get unstuck is often the way to just get stuck again. So, we won’t go down that road, we’ll head down the other which is this: the best way to not get stuck is to, are you… Read More »Alex Honnold, The Beatles and The Answer: All You Need Is Love
June and July are the busiest home sale months of the year. When inventory is in short supply and you may be competing with other offers, it is important to show the seller you’re serious. Make your offer look as good as possible because you may not get the chance to make or accept a counter-offer. Put yourself in the seller’s shoes. Your home has just gone on the market.… Read More »Show Them You’re Serious