Monday Morning Coffee

Hello all,

“Short Sales”

Everyone get their heads out of their hands, whether we want to or not we need to talk about it every so often. As we went through the spring short sales were about 20%-25% of the business in the office. Heading into the slower fall and winter months it looks like it will be around 50%. Not so much because the short sales are picking up but because the normal sales are slowing down, we currently have 47 short sale contracts in the office. We all need to eat during the winter so we need to embrace short sales one way or another. The somewhat good news is the short sale process of today is not the short sale process of two years ago, especially with the help of a company like ATC. I am going to use a recent example from Lisa’s pipeline. Referral call comes in from a client, friend of theirs is in trouble and would like Lisa to meet them. Lisa meets with prospective client and explains the process, puts client in touch with ATC. ATC (no charge to the client) goes through everything with the client and helps them to get the package together for the bank. Lisa meets with client again to get listing papers together, property is listed. Contract comes in and is ratified with the seller, contract sent to ATC. At this point Lisa is 95% done and free to work towards getting more business instead of trying to negotiate with the banks. ATC will send weekly updates to all parties involved and the deal should realistically settle in 60-90 days from contract. It just does not get any easier then that so if you get a lead from your pipeline please do not shy away. If you need any further help please do not hesitate to ask.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe     

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"Learning is the fountain of youth.
No matter how old you are,
You mustn't stop growing."
 

- Taoist Meditation, Deng Ming-Dao

KEEP A YOUNG MIND!

Don't believe the phrase "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Creativity isn't only for artists, writers, or musicians. Creativity isn't just what is represented by a canvas or a novel or a song. We can all be creative in our own way, and the most common way that we can all do this is through learning.

As long as we continue to learn and to try new things, we keep our minds fresh and young, and we engage in the act of "creating ourselves" continually. Today's world presents plenty of opportunities for learning, especially about the environment, other cultures, and technology. Technology itself provides ever-easier ways of accessing knowledge through computers and the Internet. And no one is too young or too old to start!

Look around you at the most vital and energetic seniors you know. What do they have in common? A continuing interest in learning and sharing their knowledge and experience with others - so they are engaged constantly in the process. They keep their minds challenged and young, and in so doing, feel younger in body and spirit. They are certainly different than in their youth, but they continue the learning that began there.

Each new phase of our lives brings us new challenges and opportunities for growth. Growing older necessarily means learning new things. We are constantly creating ourselves in this way, and we can adapt ourselves to any situation by that continuing act of creativity that keeps us young.

Monday Morning Coffee

Hello all,

“Success Story”

Everyone knows  that 75%-80% of the top agents business comes from referrals. It is imperative that you are working your sphere in some form of referral system. Lisa hosts several client parties a year, one of them being a summer baseball game at the Frederick keys for the families in her data base. This year, taking a leap of faith Angela Lefevre decided to host the same party for her client base. The reason it was a leap of faith is that the total cost was going to be around $1,200 which can be a little difficult to stomach in this market. So about a month ago Angela hosted her party and 43 of her clients were able to attend, she and they had a great time. This past week Angela received a referral from one of her clients that can be directly accounted for from the party! it is a 500K listing… so on a $1,200 investment she will earn a $12,000 commission and there could/will be more referrals to come. Not everyone has $1,200 to spend but you can come up with less expensive alternatives. If you need some ideas there are plenty of people in the office that can help. The most important thing is that you do something. Remember Real Estate is a contact sport, if we are not reaching out to your people they will not be reaching out to you.

Please remember sales meeting tomorrow 9:30 at the Black Rock Center. We will be talking a bit about the market and where things might be heading, please feel free to share your thoughts.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe  

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life.
They take the images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself."

- Hermann Hesse

JUST ASK DOROTHY!

You've probably seen it a dozen times - "The Wizard of Oz." It's a delightful tale of fantasy, complete with munchkins, a scarecrow in need of a brain, a yellow brick road, a wicked witch and a mythical wizard with the imagined power to send Dorothy back to Kansas.

Regardless of the fantasy, the beautiful color, the unusual characters, and the whimsical plot, there is a powerful message that comes as one of Dorothy's last lines as she prepares to leave Oz. She says, "If ever again I go looking for my heart's desire, I won't look any further than my own backyard." It's such a simple statement, yet it carries a lesson for all of us.

How often do we look outside our own world of home and family for "our heart's desire?" There are so many distractions that lure us out of our own backyard: careers, shopping, powerful people, sports, clubs, TV, committees, the Internet, and the list goes on. There's so much to do and so little time. Then one day we look and our own backyard no longer seems to exist.

We should take time to smell the roses in our own garden, rather than looking over the fence and down the yellow brick road to see the roses of others. We need to let go of the imagined - the tin man, lion, and scarecrow of our own making - and appreciate the real Auntie Em's in our lives. If we don't, we may wake up one day to realize we're "not in Kansas anymore."

Monday Morning Coffee

Hello all,

Quick coffee this morning, we are on our way to MAR to make sure none of our agents get in trouble…. I have a call in to the tech company to come out as early as they can this morning to fix the copiers. Carol will send an email out when everything is up and running.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come."

- Victor Hugo

BE IMPULSIVE! 

There seems to be a lot of anger in the world today.  Forget the national and global squabbles, and just take a look closer to home - on your TV, in the schools, among fellow employees - right in your own backyard.  

There's another attitude issue that could stand some help - disrespect.  It seems like the days are gone when youngsters (even 20-somethings) value their elders, social customs, even the laws of the land.  Common courtesy and politeness, even among adults, seems non-existent at times.

Want to be a changing force in your personal world?  It's easy, costs nothing, and goes a long way towards making a meaningful contribution for the better.  It's accomplished with an electrical impulse.  Really.  Consider your brain.  Everything you think of, each idea you have, each action you take begins with an electrical impulse - a single thought.  The thought required to cause change is called an "expectation."

Teachers use this thought daily in their classrooms.  They EXPECT students to listen, to observe silence, to walk single-file, to not cut in line, and to learn.  They EXPECT not to be challenged, disrespected, or ignored when they speak.  The best among them EXPECT nothing less than excellence.  Know what?  Their students respond positively to those expectations.

The electrical impulse called "expectation" is simple to enact, yet more difficult to enforce.  You have to really mean it.  As a country, a people, even families, we've grown soft on expectations - and it shows.  Fear of offending someone seems the rule.   Why not be "impulsive" for the next 30 days with those you love by setting a new, higher standard of expectations.  The results will both amaze and delight!

Monday Morning Coffee

Hello all,

“Coaching”

Having Mark & Teri around is a luxury to us all in many ways. However I believe one of their best attributes is their ability to work with agents, or “Coach” them. Coaching is an interesting notion in our business, you go to a seminar, buy into the system then end up in coaching. Buffini, Proctor, Ferry… all good systems with proven success and coaching. What usually happens is you stay in the coaching for 6-8 months then drop it because you have the “system” figured out, so why pay the money. What you lose at this point is probably the most important part of coaching, “accountability”. Accountability can be a scary word, it forces us to commit to someone, open up to our plans, do the work then show that the work has been done. If you can get over the fear of having a coach/accountability partner your business will be certain to reach another level. In Mark & Teri we have two skilled technicians who having been coaching agents for many years and they cost, well, hmmm, Nothing for you! This is a benefit for us that other Brokerages simply do not have. I strongly encourage each of you to have a heart to heart with yourselves and make the commitment to work with them. Once a month, once a quarter, twice a year… make it part of your business plan to sit down with them so you can elevate your business.  

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe          

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"The greatest pleasure I have known is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident."

- Charles Lamb (1775-1834)

GIVE IT AWAY!

Here's a "feel good" idea that pays big dividends to both giver and receiver: "Give something away every day!"

We all get caught up in our day-to-day routines and responsibilities. Between family and home, work and leisure, our daily schedules are usually packed with the things we do for ourselves. Managing to squeeze in a little time for others is often out of the question.

In the big picture, however, it is not what we do for ourselves but for others that really matters in life. We're not just talking about those who are "less fortunate" in this context. The world of "others" includes family members, associates, the elderly, those experiencing illness, those in our geographical, social, or church community, or the less fortunate.

So . . . what do you give away? Are we talking big money to charities or an endowment to the local university? Nope! What you give away is up to you. It might just be your time - something as simple as taking your grandchild for a walk, offering to take an aging neighbor grocery shopping, or donating a Saturday to Habitat for Humanity. On days when you lack ideas, just give away a smile, a compliment, or some encouragement.

Maybe you give away some of your material possessions. That might include a piece of furniture, an antique, a piece of family heirloom jewelry, or the like-new clothing in your closet that never fit right. Why not donate some of the kids' toys to a day-care center?

Whatever you decide to give away, do it quietly - and anonymously when possible. Make it a habit. It will bring you the special joy of knowing you've made a difference.