Greensboro Triad Real Estate Blog

Maybe I should clarify.  When a client is asking you for advice and there is an option that does not include as big a payday for you as the other option which road do you take?   I would consider this the old High Road vs Low Road issue.  Too many Realtor's have one thing in mind and that is their bottom line (otherwise taking the Low Road to a paycheck).  We have all met them.  Let's face it many of this type of Realtor is the reason we fight everyday to prove our worth and our character.  We fight and work for a long time to establish our reputation and the value of our business.  When representing your seller do you have THEIR best interest in mind or, are you just looking for a sale.  I am reminded of this much too often when I take over a listing from another agent that has not (what I would say) properly done their job.  That is to educate, and counsel your clients as to the best way to achieve THEIR goal.  One of the first steps to that is ASK THEM!  I went to a listing appointment a few days ago.  Now this is possibly going to be a short sale but, I asked them what was it they wanted to achieve?  They said that they wanted the most economical solution to their problem.  OK now I have a direction.  Luckily for them they have a FHA loan.  I will meet with them tomorrow night to discuss their options.  Only one of those includes selling.  Now with the H4H program and other HUD programs we may have other options.  I see myself as more then just a person that helps people sell and buy homes.  If I can help someone to have a better life themselves I jump at the chance.  I do volunteer work in the community which does make a small difference but, if I can help someone to stay in their home and not be affected in a negative manner that makes me feel good. 

In this time of financial crisis there are many families out there that need our help.  They rely on their Realtor's for advice and honesty.  Granted sometimes that answer is not a pleasant one but, how good would you feel if someone told you that you were not going to lose your home.  Not that it is the reason but, you will also find that you reap what you sow.  Every time I have helped out a person or family I find that the referral business I receive far outweighs the little bit I would have made off of one little sale. 

So as a farmer what type of seeds are you out there planting?  Do you find yourself surrounded by thorns or a bountiful harvest? 

OK I have been going over and over this in my mind for days.  I heard this phrase on the radio in a commercial for Accenture.  The concept is that you create an environment that forces you to think ahead of the curve.  To stay out in front.  You never get "comfortable" in your business model or in a rut.  I love being in Creative Discomfort!  I want to always be on the lookout for the newest thing to get me more business.  I want to be looking down the road for that change in the market that is coming.  Earlier this year I switched to cultivating and working with more buyers then sellers.  That is one of the main reasons I am still busy today. 

I am the first one to always preach that you need to be proactive not reactive.  Are you always putting out fires?  Do you find yourself constantly playing catch up?  These are all ideas and theories that are not rocket science.  It is a mindset a way of life and business.  So are you working for tomorrow or today? 

OK I will put into the language that many of you have heard over and over again from your Broker in Charge.  Where is your business plan?  Do you even have goals?  Don't tell me that they are to make more money.  Are you looking for ways to get it.  When the market is shifting is too late many times.  We know that our market like any other capitalistic model is constantly changing.  Whether it is the cycles in world, technology, or one of many other aspects the one constant is change.  So don't get comfortable!  We must breed discomfort in order to encourage creativity.   I always use the love the saying "Necessity is The Mother of all Inventions".  So if you don't feel as if you need anything and are comfortable you will never invent or come up with the next great idea.  I use to never really think of myself as a creative person.  I was use to be the one person sent to fix something or to come up with the solution to turn around a situation at one location or another.  Then one day in my office I started thinking.  That was CREATIVE!  Now all I had to do was to point my thinking forward instead of backwards.  Watch the market and what is happening.  What is going on with interest rates, where are home values headed, how about the economy as a whole?   There are so many indicators that you can tap into to give you a glimpse of where you business will be in the future.  No I am not saying we are fortune tellers but, wouldn't you like to be busy right now?  Wouldn't you like to be the one looking forward to what is going to happen next quarter instead of sitting there sulking wondering what the heck happened to all the business this past year.  Well, I will tell you it is still out there.  Just like water it will always find it's way.  Pour water on a small hill and then watch it go down.  If you look ahead of the flow you can almost predict it's path.  So in closing do you want to be the one watching the ground go dry wondering where the water went, or do you want to be able to see where it is going and reach out and get some anytime you want it.