Those who have been following my blogs or have known me for a while probably think I am off my rocker and have lost my mind. Well, maybe, but that’s another story for a different blog. I am writing to let you know that there are some people that should not use a Realtor. In fact, if you are this type of person, I beg you – DON’T USE A REALTOR! I have explained how Realtors get paid but what about how they DON’T get paid. Here’s a question: Should they always get paid? Let’s explore some scenarios.   Scenario One: Buyer hires Realtor. Realtor finds the property, writes and negotiates the offer. Property closes. Realtor gets paid. Scenario Two: Seller hires Realtor. Realtor markets the property and gets a contract on the property. Property closes. Realtor gets paid. Scenario Three: Buyer hires Realtor. Realtor finds the property, writes and negotiates the offer. Property does not close. Realtor does NOT get paid. Say what? The Realtor does their job, and, due to no fault of their own the property doesn’t close and they don’t get paid? Right. Scenario Four: Seller hires Realtor. Realtor markets the property and gets a contract on the property. Property does not close. Realtor does NOT get paid.   OK – I know what some of you are thinking. The Buyer buys another house and that Seller just sells to another buyer and the Realtor eventually gets paid, right? WRONG. If that Buyer walked away because of an inspection contingency then got cold feet, decided to rent, lost their job, moved to another state, failed to qualify for a loan, etc. they may not buy again. And that Seller, may have got cold feet. They may have decided to remodel and stay in their home because the process made them realize what they had. But wait, there’s more!   Scenario Five: Buyer hires Realtor. Buyer doesn’t really know what they want or in what area they want it in. Realtor shows Buyer different things in different areas and buyer doesn’t make a move to buy anything Realtor shows them. Buyer walks into a model home of a new development in an area they have never looked and writes a contract with the onsite agent to build a new home. Realtor does NOT get paid.   Again, I know what some of you are thinking. “The Realtor didn’t find the property for them – they shouldn’t get paid!” Maybe not. But think about all the hours that Realtor spent networking, scouring online resources, driving neighborhoods, the late nights they spent catching up on other things because they dropped what they were doing to make sure...

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  February is the month of love. It’s also Spay and Neuter Awareness Month but that’s not what this is about ? I occasionally get calls from hopefuls who are thinking of getting their license and becoming a Realtor. I always take the call or meeting because I think it’s important for people to know the good, bad, and the ugly about the profession that a lot of people think is easy and easy to get rich and sometimes gets a bad rap. While I do tell them all the reasons why they may want to reconsider, I also tell them the good parts, the great parts. I tell them what I love about being a Realtor. The people I get to meet. I have met some of the most warm, wonderful, genuine people in this business. Clients, vendors, and other Realtors. My friend list is a lot longer since I began selling real estate because of the people I have had the pleasure to meet along the way.   Handing over the keys to a first-time homebuyer. It never gets old. They are scared but they are excited and they are so appreciative for the help in getting to that point.   Helping people build wealth. Real estate is a great way to build wealth if you do it correctly. I love working with investors that understand the value that I bring and all the work that goes into finding a property that fits into their portfolio and is going to make them money.   I am not stuck at a desk all day. I have worked from the beach, the airport, my living room, the hospital. I can do a lot of my job from anywhere and I don’t have to sit in a chair surrounded by four walls with no windows and fluorescent lighting.   I get to see some beautiful scenery. Nature is an awesome wonder. I love driving to a property and passing farms with cows, horses, and especially baby goats. The fields of green. Hills. Blooming flowers in the Spring. Colored leaves in the Fall. Birds greeting me as I get out of my car and the warm sun coming in the window as I drive.   Yes, there are days, like most of you, where I want to throw in the towel and go live on a deserted island. But most days, I am excited to go to work, solve problems and help make dreams come true and lives better. I hope you love your job as much as I love mine. Happy Month of...

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  A neck massage before a haircut. Free returns – no questions asked. The staff rushing to clean off the best table even though there are others available. A glass of wine with your pedicure. A mint on your pillow. Any product sample you’d like, to take home and try before you invest. The call to tell you that item you have been eyeing has gone on sale. An extra gig of data just for being a loyal customer. The bubble wrap from the back office when your child with sensory issues walks in to their establishment. The all-natural treat when you go through the teller line for your dog who has a sensitive stomach. A lender who sits at the social security office for a client who is out of the country so the process will be streamlined when he gets into town. A real estate closing attorney who goes to the hospital because the client just had a baby. These are all great examples of excellent customer service. This is what most of us would consider a step above the masses. But what about calling customers back in a timely manner? What about setting proper expectations? What about actual communication? How about finishing the job and making sure the customer is happy? I don’t think most people would consider these to be acts that would win any awards. So why do so many companies practice these on a regular basis? Why is it that when we actually get a call back or someone to do what they say they’re going to do, we rejoice and shout it from the rooftops? I don’t have the answer to this, but what I do know is that a lot of consumers will seek out and even pay more for not only a job well done, but a job “overdone.” They will frequent the establishments that not only treat them well when they are there, but the ones that make sure they know they are special. If you are in the people business – most of us are – what are you “overdoing” for you clients? I am amazed at the number of business (I use the term loosely) people who will answer their phones in meetings, consistently arrive late for appointments, constantly talk about themselves and their problems, don’t follow up, etc. You’ve probably heard the quote from the late Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Focus on the other person and their needs. If you can solve their problem, and do it well, they will not only pay for it, they will...

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  I am in the middle of reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. He explains how a penny that doubles its value each day for 31 days is worth over $10 million! I can barely comprehend that. It doesn’t seem possible that a single penny could be that significant in only 31 short days. We have a container that we drop loose change in. We didn’t miss those few pennies or quarters from day to day. We even forget it’s there until it gets full. I took it to the bank last week and it was $285.00. Granted, it’s not $10 million, but that pays bills, buys groceries, is a day or two at a hotel sitting by the pool – not bad. I heard a remarkable man speak on Friday. His name is Mike Schlappi. He told a story about a girl named Wendy, who with something that may have seemed insignificant, created a pivotal moment in his life. She told him she wanted to dance one more song. This may seem like nothing, but Mike is paralyzed and had never slow danced before. Well, I won’t give the story away – you should buy his book, watch his videos, or find out where he’s speaking, but Wendy made a difference in his life and he went on to do incredible things. Do you know about the Chinese bamboo tree? When initially planted, you may likely think that it is not going to sprout. You will water and fertilize that baby for 4 whole years. Then, in year 5, guess what happens? It grows 80 feet in six weeks – BAM! It goes from “nothing” to something virtually overnight in our eyes. So what is all this about? Well, I’ve been thinking about how, today, when I pass by a newsstand, scroll through social media, or turn on the television, it’s so easy to get sucked into the negative that surrounds us. It’s easy to think that I can never make a difference, that my goals are outrageous and my dreams are ridiculous. It’s easy to think that even though I do not eat meat or buy leather goods anymore, that I won’t make a difference in the way animals are treated. It’s easy to get discouraged when we work on a project day after day, week after week, year after year, only to see little or no results. But what happens tomorrow? What if you make one more call? What if you slow down and open that door for that mom with her hands full? What if you stop your car, get out, and shake the hand of the homeless man on the corner. I know...

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