Your Million Dollar Year Day 13 No Fear and it might not even be fear that is the problem, it could be something else.  In real estate there is always the "something else" that is unanticipated but must be dealt with in that moment. Agents are often people who will say they can get something done even though at that moment they don't know how to.What they do know is that they can find out and understand and consult on the subject when next asked.  It is not about always knowing the right answer but always knowing that your answers must be trustworthy. Trustworthiness is earned. How you measure success is personal and private, how people in real estate measure success is in closings, Net and life style.  It is a numbers business and the industry measures closings and Gross Sales numbers ... 03/31/2019

Your Million Dollar Year Day 12 Affordable Housing. This week in the MA State House they are discussing rent control again.  It was in 1994 when rent control, still popular in Boston, Cambridge and Brookline, was voted out and so it died.  On the one side is the landlord, owner, developer of a property setting reasonable market rates for a property and reaping the benefits of their labors. On the other side is the market rates going up and up and squeezing out people who have lived in this properties and communities for years who can no longer afford market rates. Where does that put the real estate industry?Both sides, the developers and the renters deserve their say.  It is the community and the legislature that will bring forth their arguments to make their points and the public wil... 03/30/2019

Your Million Dollar Year Day 11 Intentions. Let's flashback to Jan 2010 and Walter Sanford's book, If I Could Start Over when I first got into the business. Training is crucial to your growth and experience and will hone the desire to get more training and experience. Surround yourself with people who are smarter and more successful and learn from them. That is what I remember of those first couple of days and I would say that is true today. You can never have enough smart people to talk to. Your Million Dollar Year Day 11 IntentionsIn real estate core driving emotion is such a crucial part of this process. The why someone wants to buy or sell demonstrates to the agent their will to buy or sell. This is not double speak. The intention of the client is what drives the agents best behavio... 03/29/2019

Your Million Dollar Year Day 10 Who Are You Kidding. You can't make a million dollars in a year even if you are typically a "capping agent".  And then up pops some story about how it has been done by someone else and that means, yes you can do it. And then you don't know which voice in your head to believe. "Fake it until you Make it" is a phrase with too little installation instructions for most.  The faking it is not faking it at all. You do what you know, have observed or read or been instructed to do as a daily habit and system and after a while of doing what you are supposed to be doing you make it.  That is true, but you have to know that the faking it part is no fake at all, it is about the doing, always about the doing. The pundits said 28 days to build better habits, then 66 d... 03/28/2019

Your Million Dollar Year Day 9 Annoying people are everywhere and many people consider most agents annoying.  I had a conversation with another agent on Linkedin recently.  He was doing his thing of pontificating (some may say that about this blog) about dual agency. Dual agency is where one agent handles both the sale side and the buy side clients.  While the times I have done this it has always been one of my listings when a buyer comes in and wants to work with me as well. The rules are clear with this and, by the way, it was not too long ago in our industry when there was only dual agency. The buyer's agent is a new phenomena and a good one I think.As a listing agent you have a fiduciary relationship with the Seller and the house. Your Seller must agree to dual agency as must the Bu... 03/27/2019

Your Million Dollar Year how to survive how to succeed is both simple and hard work.  Getting your license to sell real estate in most states is not rigorous. In Massachusetts it is 40 hours of study then a test followed up with 12 more hours of study every two years with no test.  So, if you are not a student you can still get your license because there is not much heavy lifting in this regard.  The sad part about this is the consumer does not differentiate between the bad student and the PhD in real estate, they are one in the same in their minds.  People will never care about you until you show them how much you care. Caring on a daily basis in the real estate business is usually connected to making mistakes and finding answers. Answers can come from training, from coaches or broker... 03/26/2019

Million Dollar Year Day 7 how I'm doing. In the first week I got my new cards, my new signs, my new email signature. I took all the contents and contacts from my old system and they are in my new system, I have met with prospects, I have met with clients, I have no new listings, that is how I am doing. In real estate it is all about the listing. It is said list to last. And so I have been talking to my real estate colleagues to see what is up with their progress.People talk about the Spring market like it is something to wait for, it is not. It will come along every year, there is no waiting in real estate.  People get married every day, people have children, get new jobs, loose their job every day.  People move close to their family, or as far away as they can, they get new jobs in ne... 03/25/2019

Million Dollar Year Day 6 Just like high school, you can work with an A student, or you can work with a C students, those are your options. The public believes it is easy to buy or sell a house without engaging a professional.  This very important transaction in a life, quite often the largest transaction in your life, these people go it alone. There are people who thinks this is no biggie.  And maybe it isn't, you might not know right away. There may never be anything wrong with the deed, or survey, or permits for repairs, a cloud on the title, you get the idea. And then, there might be something wrong that you didn't think of because you don't do this ever day as a professional. It was the first day of Spring this week and the weather has been inspired by the calendar. the market is ... 03/24/2019

Coldwell Banker's new look won't help. Million Dollar Year day 5. Every day we are seeing moves in the real estate industry. This move is an attempt for this aging franchise to stay relevant. We will see how it plays out for them.  For me and for so many working agents I think we don't really care about the logo, we care about the splits, the support, the technology and the return to us the compensation for our efforts. Franchise brands want to build themselves up and regularly talk about how they are the number one in this category or the next.  Often you hear of an agent spouting off the marketing marvels fed to them by their franchise. Saying you are number one does not mean you are, it means you have found a way to position your results this way. Switching for a moment here to what... 03/23/2019

What Agents Need Million Dollar Year Day 4. The real estate industry and the professionals who serve it are wondering what is next.  The Franchise system of Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Realogy offices and others are reeling from the onslaught of the virtual systems of eXp, Compass, Refin and Zillow.  To the agents the virtual model is offering a reduced "cap" number (the amount an agent pays the franchise for the privilege of doing business with them) and other incentives like referral money for bringing them fresh agents willing to pay the fees. Agents need a lot of things to be professionals. Training, technology, successful techniques for communication, a functioning CRM system for the ongoing communication and systems that pull it all together for them.  These items come at a cost and ... 03/22/2019

REMAX and Redfin Really Million Dollar Year Day 3. It was announced today in the press that RE/MAX, a franchise system, is collaborating with Redfin, the discount internet based brokerage system. Is this not another sign of the changing real estate industry?  There are forces at work here disrupting the business.  The internet provides the consumer with information about houses, neighborhoods and valuations. These were and still are a province for the professional agent.  While the consumer is armed with a plethora of information trying to find an answer that is fully informed by someone who is not a daily professional in the field is a daunting task. The value to the consumer with the internet based brokerage like Redfin is that you pay 1% less commission on average.  Commissions are a... 03/21/2019

The true cost of not owning your home is financial security. Are you master of your economic life, or are you subservient to your landlord's economic life? The steps are daunting for the first time home buyer, but the brave will step up and step forward to find out if they qualify. Speak to a professional Realtor® to find out, they just know more of the ways you can take back control of your own economic life.Owning a home has great financial benefits, yet many continue to rent! Today, let’s look at the financial reasons why owning a home of your own has been a part of the American Dream for the entirety of America’s existence.Realtor.com reported that:“Buying remains the more attractive option in the long term – that remains the American dream, and it’s true in many markets where renti... 10/09/2018

Are your yearly goals in sight? How is your market share? This is the time of year when we begin writing new goals for next year, but I think it is important to check in with what you wrote last year and to see how you are doing.  Personally I am having a good year, but I am no where near the year I set out to have at this time last year.  I set some scary high goals I have yet to achieve.  Am I disappointed yes in that I did not achieve and exceed the goals.  Am I unhappy with what I have achieved, no.Goals and records are set to give you a mile marker along the way.  Getting to these mile markers is a daily task.  This year I hired, then fired a coach.  I worked in my home office, I worked in my office and in all honesty was not as consistent with my activities to achieve my goals. It... 10/02/2018

Just another day in real estate Day 34 of 90 in a Realtors® life. Working in this business all real estate agents know there is never just another day, they are all significant and varied. What a professional does with their days impacts how they feel and what they make. Wake up, dress up and get up for the game is part of what professionals do on a daily basis. Checking on your thoughts and your attitudes each day makes the difference. What do you want?  How do you get what you want? These are seemingly easy questions, are they for you? These postings have not been sequential.  I am now about to start my third month of coaching and I have yet to find my way completely. That is all right, it is not supposed to be simple as I bring my bad habits to the forefront so that I can once and f... 06/07/2018

Co-broke not Go broke Day 31 of 90 in a Realtors® life. Co-broke is the process of two real estate professionals working together to accomplish differing goals. Each is tasked with the goal to get the best deal for their clients. It may feel combative when you want the least and the other side wants the most, but it shouldn't be, this is natural. When the shoe is on the other foot you desire what that foot wants.  The definition of a win-win situation is when both give a little to get what they want.  This is never combative, this is compromise.  You never get to compromise without listening, truly listening to what the other person wants and needs.You can never negotiate in a vacuum, you end up sucking as your job.  Negotiations are between people and people with differing goals and ob... 05/21/2018

Today Now Present Day 26 of 90 in a Realtors® life. It is Spring, the weekends are busy, so with details galore and various properties to juggle the here and now gets lost. I think this is normal, I don't know.  I do know I like the Kellerism, "you can have results, or you can have reasons, you can't have both." So I won't try with any reasons, today is Day 26 of 90 in my Realtor® life and rebooting the reboot of the reboot.Constant change is something you can depend on.  Constantly all over the map is never efficient nor leads to success. Spread too thin is a caution I am finding.  What gets lost is the routines, the habits, the things you know will set you straight on the path. Today, now and present of the implementations of those best practices often gets lost in the today's, here'... 05/02/2018

Afraid of Change,Why? Day 24 of 90 in a Realtors® life. Change is inevitable, change is imminent, change is constant and yet often are we afraid of change.  The discount brokerages like Zillow and Redfin are coming for your jobs is one fear.  The lack of inventory, another fear gripping the country and it's home buyers and sellers. Changes in compensation, changes in technology, changes in the practice of professional real estate are discussions I hear on a daily basis.  I wonder why?  I wonder why we are afraid when this is all part of the process.I have embraced the no fear mantra. Really, what is the worst that can happen?  If I am not getting what I want, if I am feeling fearful, angry, frustrated and stuck then change is necessary.  Drop the fear and pick up the desire.  This 90 da... 04/26/2018

Day 14 of 90 My Best Practices Real Estate 2018. Big Breakthrough day yesterday, let me share.  Like many working agents in the field I am good at some things and need to become good at others.  The process and best practice in real estate are simple, not easy.  Following the steps of selling or assisting in buying a property are laid out every day in our communities.  How to get those listings and those buyers is another skill all together.  Each agent learns early on that they need to prospect for clients.  "Don't be the secret agent" we are told and by that it is stated that to be successful you need everyone to know you are a real estate professional.  Those with outgoing personalities have no difficulty in doing just that.  The bigger question is, what about those who do not have ... 04/13/2018

Day 11 of 90 My Best Practices Real Estate 2018. I changed the title of this blog again.  Instead of Best Practices I will say My Best Practices. It is a little presumptuous of me to think there is only one set of Best Practices in real estate, there are many. That being said, there are far more horrible practices.  Let's start with...Not answering your phone, not getting back to people, not returning calls, not doing what you promised to do are just not great real estate practices. One of the most often cited complaints is bad communication from the agent. Don't be that person. Making an appointment to see a house with your buyer and then not showing up and not calling the listing agent who is meeting you there.  That is immediate Hall of Shame material.  The process of buying and sell... 04/09/2018

Day 9 of 90 Best Practices Real Estate 2018. Today I get started with my coach.  I did finally hear from the first coach I contacted who has been incommunicado for 8 days while the coach I chose has been actively and consistently sharing information and opportunity.  How is this not like our real estate game.  He hire the people who have the most passion and desire to help us as individuals. It is never the reputation of the fact we are friends.  When I see agents complain that their friend has chosen another to represent them I know that that agent friend did not do enough to convince the Seller/Buyer that their friendship was the reason to hire you for the job. Real estate best practices are written down and discussed daily. Any question any agent might have can find multiple answers ... 04/04/2018