Just TALK About It

If you talk about something enough it will become the focus not only of your attention but subconscious. This holds true whether you are thinking about purchasing a new car, television, or even a new set of tires. All of a sudden you begin to notice every sale, all the different prices; you can even begin to talk specifications with people. Before too much time passes you become a real expert on the item. If you wait long enough you will get the best deal possible and exactly the right item.
This is true! Recently I watched my wife transform from a person needing a new laptop to a full computer expert. She doesn’t just talk brand names and price anymore. She talks about technical stuff that I don’t care or need to know. Last night I fell asleep while trying to understand why Dynamic Video Memory was insufficient when Hyper Memory was available at the same price. Unfortunately I have no idea what she was talking about. I wasn’t listening because I don’t need to know that information.
Recently, I have been studying the culture of successful real estate offices. At first I was shocked when I noticed that the agents in those offices don’t focus on sales. I thought it was an anomaly. But I was mistaken. The more I observed other successful offices the more I realized that this was the norm in all of these highly productive offices. Instead of focusing on solds, the agents in these offices always seem to focus on prospecting activities. They talk about it with each other. They bring it up in meetings. They have discussion groups and action groups about it. In other words, by focusing on prospecting activities these agents have become prospecting experts. They know the ins and outs of how prospecting affects their business.
What happened to my wife and her computer buying adventure is the same that has happened with productive agents. They have become experts on a subject. They know what level of activity is necessary to produce the results they desire.

Will the Market in 2009 be good or bad?

I copied this review from an email forwarded to me. It was written by a Weichert Broker in North Carolina.

Will the market in 2009 be "good" or "bad?"

It simply doesn't matter! Salespersons and brokers who survive this and any market are those who are willing to go out and make any deal that can be made in prevailing market conditions, and make no mistake, there are always deals being made.

One problem is that the deals are being made by go-getters who are out working, not by the hangers-on who stay in the office (home or otherwise) and wrap themselves in a warm blanket of defeatism. Therefore, your role models for success are conspicuous by their absence from your lives.

The other problem is that you can't make deals in today's market using strategies that worked in a boom market. Scavenger buyers who choose to capitalize on the mistakes made by individuals who bought at the top of the market ARE NOT stealing. They are, instead, astute students of market conditions who deserve to be treated as though they are saving your bacon, mainly because they might well be. Don't hate them because they're better at reading business situations than the comparatively "nice" folks you sold to during boom times. Yes, they will work you harder than your boom buyers, and yes, they will actually negotiate far beyond the normal offer-counter offer-meet in the middle norm. Most of all, yes, they will take a lot of your time. If you are too busy to help them, get out of the way and let someone interested in learning from actual business-minded buyers while earning money help them out.

You say you just HATE dealing with banks on repos because they don't offer the safety nets of inspections, repairs, etc. to which you have become accustomed? Either learn to work without them or find more acceptable employment until boom times return.

Boom times always return, but would you really want to wait to make a sale until they do? This is a time when you can learn more in six months about what makes the real estate sales and finance businesses work than you can in six years in a boom market. What you learn in hard times you can use to good advantage in the good times that are sure to follow. You just have to put yourself in the way of the learning.

Vince Lombardi taught his players that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, an excellent axiom. Our job is a little more difficult than that of Mr. Lombardi's scholar athletes. We can't wait for opportunity to meet us, we have to go out and hunt it down! Get prepared to work in today's market, get out and work and you will find opportunity.

Buying Signs

When showing homes to buyers it is important to watch for signs that buyers are ready to buy. Buying signs come in many different forms from verbal statements and questions to nonverbal actions. Some signs are more subtle than others. Veteran agents are masters at recognizing buying signs and moving in for the close. With practice, new agents can learn to recognize these signs as well.

Pre Open House Activities

This four minute video clip reviews the essential

pre-open house activities necesssary to implement

a successful Weichert Open House.

http://genykert.com

Planning Day Introduction

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Houston's Market

Reflecting on the past two years of Houston,s real estate market makes me thankful that I reside and work in this fair city. Though I was jealous of other markets and the incredible jumps in price and more than ample pool of buyers many markets had in the early and mid 2000's, I slowly became thankful that I work and live in the Bayou City. Even as of late with the financial turmoil the banking industry has caused in the home loan industry, we still see steady increases in prices and low absoption rates, meaning buyers are still not only intrestested in homes here but are buying them! Hurrican Ike only impacted our local markets for a very short time. Though volume of sales is down over the last two years, 2005 and 2006 were record years. Steady growth may not be exciting but it always is safe! Bottom lines, what a time to be a seller in Houston. As a buyer, however, there are many fantastic deals to be had.

A Perfect Fit...Weichert Realtors