Realty World Northern California & Nevada

Over the last eighteen months there have been so many shifts in the real estate market, the usual negative media coverage, plus the mortgage meltdown. But, now is the beginning of a new era to become a professional “messenger” and move away from the sales characteristics we’ve built over the years.

The real estate industry has finally transformed the true, committed professional toward an elevated mindset of “service” rather than “sales.” It’s the real estate brokers and agents who are educating and guiding buyers and sellers, most of whom are probably shell-shocked with the blitz of media negativity that they may be concerned with making a move.

Based on all indicators, the market is bouncing into a stable recovery mode. This is indeed the opportune time to be positioned in front of past clients, buyers, sellers, first time homebuyers… even those in distress situations as well as investors to arm them with the information they need to make a sensible decision. Be the leader in this forthcoming recovery, not the follower. Differentiate yourself by the expertise you display in your blog and Q&A communities, and your website.

A fresh addition to your professional arsenal should be a video presentation of you, your listings, success stories, your communities, and your satisfied customers. This gives anyone who visits your site a visual journey! I enjoyed a video the other day where the realtor narrating the presentation gave his audience something I’d never seen before. He spoke about the sounds he heard outdoors, the smell of the mountain air, showed an area where you could relax next to your own stream. Oh, and by the way, he also presented the home, but it was shown with a unique perspective.

Don’t find your direction, know your direction. How will you present rising interest rates to your client base? It’s going to happen, so you’ better start learning how to convey this to consumers.

Be the messenger… the clock is ticking, and the time is now!

Dennis Stewart
Vice President & Regional Director
Dennis.Stewart@rwnc.net

The term ‘differentiate yourself from the rest’ is bandied around so much today in the real estate industry as if it’s the magical solution to being successful.

Many years ago a very significant mentor in my real estate career introduced me to ten small words that, over the years, have given me the direction I truly needed. These ten small words have become very significant in their meaning:

“If it is to be, it is up to me!”

The real estate market is coming out of eight years where money was easily made and so many picked up on the opportunity to grab hold of it with little to no direction. You did not have to differentiate yourself; you just needed to be in front of people and have a heartbeat. Now that a stable foundation is being formed in the real estate market, many must choose to step up to the plate or change career paths. It takes a strong commitment to remain in this profession.

As you formulate your business model, take into consideration that you need more than something that rejuvenates and motivates you as those attributes are short-lived. Move from ‘differentiating’ to being ‘directional’ in your business model.  What this means is building your future with books, seminars, and blogs that provide a clear mindset. Be accountable and have a well-designed action plan.  Become confident with the tools and systems that serve you the best.

Blog! Allow others to learn from your expertise. Enhance your standing in your community and offer a positive impact in people’s lives. Give of yourself and, above all, give service.

Being directional in your business model will push you to attain a higher level and you’ll soon find yourself differentiating naturally.

Dennis Stewart
Vice President & Regional Director
Dennis.Stewart@rwnc.net

An analogy taught many years ago by a very successful football coach applies to the commitment of real estate professionals today. 

If an individual takes a 2 x 4 that is ten feet long and lays it on the floor with the 4 inch side facing up, it takes nothing to per se ‘walk the plank.’ I would venture to say that the reason it is so easy to walk the 2 x 4 is more the fact that it is on the floor which many interpret as ‘being safe.’ Confidence in our abilities, knowledge, and attitude allows us to see beyond the challenge.

Texas Tech Coach, Mike Leach, uses this board during warm-ups, expecting his team to walk the length of the board without losing their balance. But what if this plank was suspended 10 stories high? Would you still have that same confidence walking the plank? In Mike’s words, “If you eliminate distractions, you can still walk the board if it’s suspended. The board doesn’t change. Anybody can still walk the board if you develop the ability to eliminate distractions.”

I know… now we’re going to compare a board to real estate? 

Every moment real estate professionals need to understand their market. A suggested way of accomplishing this would be to develop a regimented schedule of obtaining information that gives the following information: average days on market of homes; number of new listings for the week; number of new sales for the week; ratio of new listings to sales; average listing price of homes; and average sales price of homes at close of escrow will allow clients to see the trends, many times before the true shift in the market takes hold.

Maintaining a working knowledge should be defined to up to five or six areas, neighborhoods, in the real estate professional’s area of service. Armed with this, you will have the improved confidence and abilities to educate your clients, better able to help them make defined decisions in a transaction.

As we further develop our knowledge and our mindset, gain the confidence in our abilities and eliminate outside distractions that hinder us from improvement, we can suspend that 2 x 4 ten feet high and, with steady balance, ‘walk the plank’ of our profession each day.

Dennis O. Stewart, GRI
Vice President & Regional Director
Dennis.Stewart@rwnc.net