Realty World Northern California & Nevada

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Is that what your clients or the individuals needing your expertise are asking themselves right now?

There is a game out there that has to do with finding “Waldo.” Through the way that the maze is laid out in colors and shapes it is very hard to find good old Waldo. However we know that he is there so we keep concentrating to the point of devising every imaginable way to seek out and locate Waldo.

Are we a “Waldo” in the Real Estate business that we chose as a profession? Do our clients or future clients have to devise every conceivable way to find us? I would ask you to truly analyze your business model as it is at this very moment.

Many of the “colors” and “shapes” that we are hiding in are such things as cutting back on our marketing each day, improvising something new everyday and specializing in nothing, or spending all of our time in short sales and REOs and forgetting the true real estate market that is gaining traction everyday!

No matter what is going on in your life right now you need to wake up everyday knowing that there are people outside your front door that are looking for the professional that is knowledgeable and professional enough to get them through the present slowdown in the market. There are people that want a professional that will call it like it is. Quit promising falsehoods and work with an action plan that with make things happen! Now is the perfect time to increase your visibility so that you stand out from the masses. Today is an open opportunity to show your wares and prove your value as a professional. Consumers crave pure knowledge and the understanding when it comes to real estate right now, yet above all they want someone to just take the time to enlighten them!

The real estate profession qualifies you! Move away from the pathway of criticizing, being judgmental, and being pessimistic.

You know politicians do not own the concept of “Town Hall” meetings! Politicians use them to get close to the public and give the public the opportunity to ask the questions that are important and maybe personal to the individual, the community, or the families. Neighborhoods need the real estate professional talking to them, not “hiding” totally behind flyers. Families need the real estate professional talking to them in their homes not “hiding” totally behind a newsletter.

Where are you?!

Know that Trust, Integrity, Loyalty, and Responsibility cannot be built by hiding; it is built by being face to face with the public.

The truth of the matter is the fact that if you are not in the best of health both physically and mentally, your business is going to suffer, especially in today’s new business model.

For your own sake and for the sake of your business you need to put in place a very strong action plan to take control of those things that you can control.

Day in and day out I hear from individuals that are totally frustrated and overpowered by the stress they are under due to the pressures that the real estate profession that they chose as a vocation is placing on their lives. Many times it comes from those that are very organized, have direction in their personal lives and business. Many of those that I talk with are on the threshold of a panic attack, if not worse!

Take A Break!

In so many cases we are our own worst enemy. It is not the Lender, Title Company, Appraisers, nor work associates, it is us! We tend to find ourselves loading ourselves with too many ‘to do’s’ on our ‘To Do List’ and not allowing time to recharge our inner soul that drives us. Achievement in our lives needs to be on a scale that allows us to shut down from time to time.

Do not allow your ‘To Do List’ to be the all controlling factor in your life. Instead turn it around and list those things that Do Not Need to be completed each day. This also pertains to behaviors and individuals that consume the force that allows you to be the best that you can be.

By the way those ‘electronic devises’ that we rely upon so much today need to be controlled. They ensnare us into thinking that we are productive and it does not allow one to shut down because we fall into the thinking that we are ‘busy’ when it is only a perception of being busy.

Refine your schedule for ‘your’ time! Everyone needs to be free from the pressures of the daily grind. This is so important, that if necessary, schedule your shut down time in your day planner and respect and hold it more hallowed than the time we put aside for our clients and business!

Live in the present and complete each undertaking well before moving on to the next one. The word ‘multitask’ handicaps so many in today’s business world. You need the ability to clearly see each undertaking, complete it fully before moving on. You need to be able to be organized and have the ability to sort out and define each task so that it can be completely accomplished.

And then there is my biggest pet peeve that chips away at the foundation of our lives, families, and business. Learn to say ‘NO.’ Yes, it is very hard to learn how to say ‘no’ to someone, however this goes back to the point made earlier, concerning behaviors, individuals, and undertakings that consume us. Don’t lie when you say ‘no’ state the facts and reasons even to the point that you just need some free time to organize your thoughts.

Once again, for your mental and physical well being: Take A Break!

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I am truly stepping out on this one, however in my many years, and believe me there have been many, I have learned that the best way to control your life is to understand and have a working knowledge of those things that will allow you to meet everyday prepared with a sword of defense.

In raising six children, who are all gone from home now, I have always wanted to arm them with information so that they can have a great life and enjoy within reason those things that they need, not want. At the present time I caution them on unneeded purchases, watch out for any debt, yet invest wisely as we live in very unstable times.

I was emailed an article that gave me some great understanding of where the economy truly stands today.  A major concern pertaining to the economy and any hopes of a recovery is the unemployment figures. I learned more in depth about the degrees of the “U” (Unemployment) factor released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Did you know that the U-3 rate is 9.7%?  Of course you do as it is on the news and in front of us constantly.  Here is my new area of knowledge:  “U-6.”

The U-6 figure of unemployment is as close to the true realistic unemployment figure as you can get.  This figure contains the official unemployment rate, and then includes discouraged workers, who are people that are available for work but have stopped actively seeking work.  It also includes the marginally attached workers who are able and willing to work but is not actively seeking work.  Now, the last additive to the number are those that are forced to work part-time because they are not able to find a full time job.

My concern in educating my children and attempting to stay on the leading edge knowledge wise in order to keep my sword of defense as sharp as possible is driven from many things, however, more so being that the U-6 figure presently sits at 17.9%, a far cry from the 9.7% that we are told on a daily basis.

Be sure you are keeping up with this, and other statistics, that affect your world and those around you. This will help you make informed decisions and help you inform others who rely on you to make theirs.