Real estate know your product

One of the primary responsibilities of a Realtor is to know their product.  The Realtors product are homes and properties.    With technology, one can view homes with a click of a button from the comfort of your home or on a smartphone or tablet.  Yet nothing compares with actually going to see the property in person.  It is the Feet-on-the-Street observations gained with experience.  Just doing a drive by tells volumes about the nature of the neighborhood and house. 

Another strong aspect of inventory knowledge involves prospecting for future business.  When viewing homes a professional Realtor can think of someone in their database who might be in the market to buy a home in that area or with those specifications.  Furthermore if you have past clients in the area it is a great "warm" call to pop by and touch base and gain opportunities in inquiring if they happen to know anyone in the market to buy or sell.

The actual knowledge of inventory keeps the agent current on the market and with comparables.  Professional Realtors upgrade their knowledge, skills and abilities to stay abreast of the market and industry changes when they have their Feet-on-the-Street.

There will always be business for Realtor's who are true neighborhood specialists and posses strong market expertise.

PREVIEW HOUSES TO STAY KNOWLEDGABLE ON INVENTORY AND FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT !

WE CAN & WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL !!

The mind is a powerful tool.  Our minds help us develop our strengths and/or our weaknesses.  If we constantly focus on the positive outcome of all our dealings we can develop a more powerful mind geared towards our strengths.

Use this tool to help you develop Self confidence, Motivation and Will.  If you set your mind to the "I Can" or the "I Will" part of the brain you will always be able to see the positives of every outcome.

"I Can" send out 100, 200,300 emails and "I Will" receive at least 1 positive response.  "I Can" pick up the phone and call 20 people because "I Will" get at least 1 person that will have a conversation with me.   "I Can" show 5-10 homes, because "I Will" get one person to put in an offer.

If you dwell on the negative outcomes you develop your weaknesses and you FAIL 

  WE CAN & WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL !!

Are you average?

The definition of "Insanity" is continuing to  do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  Hmmm, where are your expectations?  Do you expect your business to succeed?  Then, you need to realize that some things need to change.  UP YOUR GAME!

The mindset of our Insanity comes at us from many directions, but one example I see far to often when working with Real Estate agents is they fail to bring successful ideas into their business, that's definitely insane.   CHANGE IS GOOD ! 

The changes we need to make need to come from areas where you have never thought to look.  The decision you have to make is if You Are going to be Content with Low Expectations? or if You Are Going to Challenge the Status Quo? and find a better way.

This is where accepting being average is "just fine"  winds up destroying far to many agents.  Average is not something anyone should aspire to.  Prospects aren't looking for average, they want to excel.  The only agents whom prospects want to work with are the ones that share their same drive.

Get out of your comfort zones, change things up, be creative and step it up.  Follow the 3 C's of successful agents - Choices, Chances & Changes.

YOU MUST MAKE A CHOICE TO TAKE A CHANCE OR YOUR BUSINESS WILL NEVER CHANGE !

ARE YOU READY, WILLING & ABLE ???

We are constantly asking our customers if they are Ready, Willing & Able.   In yesterday's All Hands Meeting, I discussed the importance of why We as Real Estate Professionals need to be Ready, Willing & Able too.

Are you Ready, Willing & Able to sit in front of a computer and phones and start prospecting.  Are attitude determines how successful we are in prospecting.  Are you mentally Ready, are you Willing to communicate the right message and are you Able to answer responses properly.

Are you Ready, Willing & Able when out showing homes.  Are you Ready to properly address the positives in the home, are your Willing to "Ask for the Sale" and are you Able to negotiate on behalf of your customers.

Are you Ready, Willing & Able when accomplish the steps when under contract.  Are you Ready to follow through with the process and are your Willing to check all the boxes to get from point A to point B.   And are you Able to overcome hurdles during this process.

And Lastly, Are you Ready, Willing & Able to become their Realtor for Life after closing.   Be Ready to ask for a referral at the closing table, be Willing to extend your service beyond closing and be Able to start the process again
ARE YOU READY, WILLING & ABLE ???

You have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs

It is true "You have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs" before you find your handsome prince.   This quote from the fairy tale "The Frog Prince" carries a lesson for home buyers and sellers.

From the buyer's perspective, it may take viewing quite a few homes before "true love" is found.  Each time a buyer visits a home inside their minds they put it through a "kiss test".   Could they fall in love with this house, does it meet their needs, in terms of price, location, floor plan, school, etc.?  Just as the princess evaluates the attributes of a potential prince, buyers evaluate the benefits & drawbacks of a potential home.

From the seller's perspective, it's like being a gentleman in waiting.  The gentlemen (seller) may feel rejected if the princess (buyers) kisses him and moves on to the next guy (oh boy, lol).  Unfortunately the buyer may view the home as an unattractive frog,  Remember, rejection can hurt.

It is the wise agent who recognizes the feelings that both buyers and sellers can experience throughout the process.  Use stories to help people understand & manage the circumstances.

USE THIS FAIRY TAIL AS A SCRIPT TO HELP CLIENTS WITH EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF BUYING & SELLING A HOME

2017 Will be our Most Productive Year - EVER

Lead Conversion is our Formula for your Business Success!

Realtors must Appreciate how special you are!

Appreciate how special you are !!  There will never be anyone exactly like you.  You were given special gifts and talents to share with your clients and prospective clients, and even though everybody has special gifts and talents, nobody will use theirs quite the same way you do. 

You have a way of being a true professional and a perspective that's unique to you.  You are the only one who thinks your thoughts the way you think them.  You have created your own unique reality and you are working your business according to your unique path.  (but work it).   You are the "only you" that will ever be.

YOU ARE KIND OF A BIG DEAL !!

There are NO Perfect Houses

There are NO Perfect Houses !!!  Actually this applies to everything, this applies to jobs, children, no perfect "you fill in the blank."

As Real Estate Agents we should frequently share this line with our buyers and sellers.  It is a home inspector's job to evaluate the property and provide detail of all the defects and issues discovered in their report.  It is our job to help our clients to not "Freak Out" and become unduly concerned that they are purchasing a money pit.  Reality is that "No Home is Perfect."

Successful and Experienced agents know that even brand new homes can have imperfections. 

Sit with your buyers and identify the deficiencies, 1st communicate there are no perfect homes.  Next determine if the defects are of such nature that they can be corrected. If so, determine a monetary value, remember there are risk associated with all purchases it is not possible to eliminate entirely.  What is achievable is an informed assessment of the risk.

Get guidance from experienced inspectors & contractors.  Consult with your manager or experienced peers about whether the issues are common.  In some cases negotiate repairs, replacement and remedies.

If you represent the sellers, sometimes it can be an uncomfortable and challenging experience for a seller to find out his home isn't perfect. Take the opportunity to tell them not to take it personally.   Prepare sellers for the probability the inspector will uncover situations they weren't aware of.  Being proactive is a better course of action than waiting to deal with the after burn of an upset customer.

FIND OPPORTUNTIES TO USE THE "THERE ARE NO PERFECT HOUSES" TO INFLUENCE CLIENTS THROUGH THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ! 

The Roller Coaster of being a Realtor

The business of Real Estate can be a lot like riding a roller coaster with lots of Peaks and Valleys.  The most common reason is that an agent gets a client and executed a contract, they get very busy with that buyer or seller, spending a great deal of time either finding a home for the buyer to purchase or marketing the home for sale for the seller.  The agent is fully engaged and focused on that transaction.  

Once the deal closes, the agent has more time to get busy finding another client to work with.    This is definitely a "Feast for Famine" way of doing business.  If you find it challenging to handle many aspects of the business, you tend to discontinue your Lead Prospecting activities.  What happens feels very much like riding a roller coaster, with huge up and down swing in activities.

Successful and Experienced Agents know that lead prospecting must be a daily ongoing process.  It never stops, even when busy dealing with other aspects of the business.  It's like a roller coaster sending off a new train every 5-10 minutes.  This way there is always one train (lead) entering the station (your business).  Thus, the best way to smooth the rises and fall in your business is to constantly Lead Prospect

CONTINUE TO LEAD PROSPECT DAILY

Act as If...

The most common application of this is to empower self confidence. It is known most commonly as "fake it until you make it." 

The most practical way is to "Act As If" is to take the next logical step in the process, "Brining Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges", it takes the concept one step further and states.  "Fake it until you Become It."   Remember our bodies change our minds, our minds change our behaviors and our behaviors can change our outcome.  There are numerous ways for a Real Estate Agent to change the outcome of a scenario by proactive thinking and preparation.

"Act As If" demonstrate that you as the agent have thought of the next logical step or steps in progression and that you will make it easy for customers to navigate and process with you.   Agents who achieve and sustain success "Act As If" the opportunity and business is theirs for the taking.  And then it is !!

"SET THE STAGE" IN YOUR BUSINESS BY ACTING  "AS IF"  UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS

YOU HAVE BECOME IT.

4P's of Motivation

There are primarily 4 forces that motivate people to make change, and conveniently they all happen to begin with the letter 'P':  

PUSH, PULL, PAIN & PLEASURE

Real Estate agents are really change agents; we help people navigate the change of buying and selling a home and the process of moving.

A PUSH - motivator is an event or factor this "pushing" the person to move.  "moving out of / in state, new family member (baby), loss job, etc.".

The client feels the "PULL" when there are circumstances that are "pulling" them to make a move "empty nesters, retirement, moving warmer climate, etc."

PAIN often occurs with a life event that is deemed negative at the time "divorce, death, loss of job, financial reversal, etc."

PLEASURE in most cases is associated with joyful events or circumstance, such as "marriage, welcoming a child, a new career, financial abundance, etc"

These forces occur in some combination for example "A divorce Pushes family to sell their home, which is Painful for everyone.  And yet somewhere along the journey there is the Pull of a new life and the Pleasure of moving on".

Awareness of our clients motivator is the 1st step in understanding the four P's.  As a Real Estate Agent, being cognizant of our clients motivators to buy or sell a home is how we can meet their true needs.  On the surface it looks like a financial and legal transaction, yet underneath there are multiple levels of emotions present.

UNDERSTAND & USE THE 4 P's OF MOTIVATION TO HELP YOUR CLIENTS NAVIGATE CHANGE !

TGIF...

TGIF to Realtors...

TGIF !!!  This acronym has a whole different meaning when it's said by a Realtor.   On Friday's is when we should be starting our busy time of the week.  Most of our consumers are available on the weekends. 

Today is when you make sure you have appointments for this weekend.   If you don't, I recommend you go on to your platforms and go into your advance searches now.

1st start out by searching for leads that have phone numbers, call & or text all these leads and let them know your availability for this weekend and coming week.   2nd - Do an advance search of any leads that have saved a home this whole week and ask them to set up a time with you to go see these homes.   3rd - Also do an advance search for any leads that have logged on this week.  Sign in as a consumer to see if they have Recently viewed a home and again ask them for the appointment.

PROCASTINATION IS SELF DISTRUCTION  !!   TGIF....

You have to get up every morning!

Success thinking begins every morning.  If you are blessed to be alive, you have to get up anyway, so why not with a positive attitude or like I do with a song on your lips?   When I was younger my mother used to wake me up to the song "Beautiful" by Carole King.  This is the song I remember every morning.    Lyrics "You've go to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart...."
The truth about this attitude is that most people you come into contact with will mirror your disposition.  Then people gonna treat you better, You're gonna find, yes, you will.  It becomes reality.  That you're beautiful as you feel.

As Realtors we have our share of stress and frustration.  Sellers can be difficult and unrealistic.  Buyers have been known to run us all over the place and end up not buying or using another agent.  The market, lending & contractual requirements are continuously being modified, which makes our jobs difficult and challenging.  And in our PBZ world the internet exponentially increases competition.

Yet PBZ,  in all the frustration, there is abundant opportunity and the potential for great accomplishment.  You must do the things you think you cannot do.  Make it a part of your daily habit to not only overcome negativity but actively pursue the positive.  If you want to see where someone develops into a champion, look at their daily routine and mirror it.

You do have a choice.  If I can do it, you can too.  If you need encouragement today I suggest you do as I do break into a song.  It will raise your spirits.

CHOOSE TO START EVERY DAY WITH A GROWTH MINDSET AND INTEND TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TOWARD THE FUTURE

Understanding Central Florida Flood Zones

 Realtors must learn to understand flood zones.

Flood Zone Questions

Definition of a Flood:

• A flood is a general and temporary condition where two or more acres of normally dry land or two or more properties are inundated by water or mudflow.

What is a Flood Zone?

• According to FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, any building located in an A or V zone is considered to be in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and is lower than the Base Flood Elevation. V zones are the most hazardous of the Special Flood Hazard Area. 

What is BFE flood?

• BFE = Base Flood Elevation.
• The computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during the base flood. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and on the flood profiles. The BFE is the regulatory requirement for the elevation or floodproofing of structures.
• 100-year floodplain means there is a 1% annual chance of flooding at or above the base elevation.
• FEMA states there is a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30 year mortgage for structures within the 100-year floodplain.

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Flood Zone Definitions Zone Description V 100-year floodplain with wave action, no BFEs determined. VE 100-year floodplain with wave action, with BFEs determined. A 100-year floodplain, no BFEs determined. AE, A1-30 100-year floodplain, with BFEs determined. AH 100-year floodplain, with ponding, with BFEs determined. AO 100-year floodplain, with sheet flow, with BFEs determined. AR 100-year floodplain, previously protected by flood control structures and being restored. A99 100-year floodplain, that will be protected by a flood control project under construction. IN 100-year floodplain, no BFEs determined. B, X500 500-year floodplain (0.2% annual chance of flooding) C, X Outside 100-year and 500-year floodplain.

Flood Insurance Quotes

In order for us to do a flood insurance quote outside the B, C, & X Zones, we will need a copy of the FLOOD ELEVATION CERTIFICATE which is done by a surveyor.

Shaded Zone X are areas that have a 0.2% probability of flooding every year (also known as the "500-year floodplain"). Properties in Shaded Zone X are considered to be at moderate risk of flooding under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood insurance is not required for properties in Zone X

According to FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, any building located in an A or V zone is considered to be in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and is lower than the Base Flood Elevation. V zones are the most hazardous of the Special Flood Hazard Areas
 

Converting Leads into Customers

Converting Leads into Customers

Prospecting systems fail due to "User Error" rather then due to "System Error".  Things take time.  A new converted customer is not going to suddenly pop out of thin air based on one phone call or one email.  If Prospecting were that easy, we wouldn't need Agents.

In prospecting, the key is to avoid becoming discouraged when something doesn't go right.  You must be able to withstand being rejected time and time again.  Keep in mind that if prospecting were easy, your potential to make big bucks would not exist - Somebody would have created an APP to do instead.  The reason why Real Estate can be such a profitable profession is due to the reality that many agents cannot survive the rejection in this profession and aren't willing to stay focused.  The 1st excuse is "My Leads are Junk"  Yes they are if you don't pay attention & communicate with them !

The Top Agents have high levels of focus and drive. These high achievers not only have the attitude to keep going prospecting call after prospecting call, email after email, but they also are able within calls & emails to keep things moving forward.  .

Are these agents successful every time?  Of course not.  But over a period of time, they will put together enough wins to come out on top .

It's like running a marathon, it doesn't take much to start the marathon, but it takes a runner with a commitment to finish a marathon.   Your attitude is the difference not the system !

Procrastination is Self-Sabotage

Procrastination is Self-Sabotage

Procrastination is one of the most popular forms of self-sabotage because it's really easy.   There are many fun thing you can do in order to procrastinate, and there's no lack of other people who are totally psyched to procrastinate with you.

And while it can be super fun in the moment, eventually the naughtiness buzz wears off and your sitting there sometime later feeling like a loser, wondering why the heck you haven't gotten your act together.  And why are others are putting in deals and making money.

If your serious about changing your ways, you will find a way.  If you're not, you will find an excuse.

Remember DONE is better than PERFECT.   So get off your Seat (lol) and get started... NOW !

Sales is an Art

Sales is an Art: Is failure and option for you?

If sales were a science, then it would be much easier for Realtor to be successful.  All they would need to do is follow the process perfectly.  But I say Sales is an Art, and that's why so many people struggle to be successful and is especially why so many agents struggle with prospecting.  They have an attitude about prospecting that they will only do what is necessary to make their numbers and nothing more.  An attitude like that will ensure only one thing - one day you will wake up and see no sales and no pipeline.

Prospecting is not an optional activity if you want to be successful.  It's an essential one.  The level of motivation you bring to this task at hand is going to determine the results you achieve.

Let's get something cleared up right now.  Prospecting can be difficult.  Successful agents know there will be tough times, but they also know tough times don't last.   Do you think Steve Jobs would have stopped all work on the iPhone just because somebody said something he didn't like or never responded to his ideas?  Nope, Failure was Not an Option for Steve Jobs.

So I ask, Why should you stop prospecting?  Is Failure an Option for you?

STOP THE EXCUSES - IT'S NOT A SCIENCE - CREAT YOUR OWN ART IN PROSPECTING

Real Estate Do-Re-Mi for Realtors

Do-Re-Mi of Real Estate

"Let's Start At The Very Beginning, It's A Very Good Place To Start" are lyrics of the song "Do-Re-Mi" from the movie The Sound of Music".

Often Real Estate Agents just don't know where to start.  "Let's start at the very beginning.," which is lead generation,  The fundamentals of prospecting are like the notes Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So and so on,

Consider "Do" as a customer lead.  It's interesting to note that "Do" has another meaning when used in a different context.  To take action means to "Do" something.   Once a real estate agent has a customer or a client lead then the agent has something to "Do".  "Re" could be the houses they are interested in, which leads you to preview the home.  This leads to "Mi" where you find out more information about your clients. "Fa" is the agent finding way to be of service to clients.  And "So" is the follow through involved.

Just as in the song, the step in the process are the tools agents can use to build a business. Once you know them well, be creative and mix them up to build a business through lead generation.

"DO" THE ACTIVITIES TODAY TO GENERATE LEADS AND BUILD A BUSINESS

Procrastination is Self Sabotage

Procrastination is Self Sabotage

In sales, procrastination is your enemy. Procrastination is one of the most popular forms of self-sabotage because it's really easy.   There are many fun thing you can do in order to procrastinate, and there's no lack of other people who are totally psyched to procrastinate with you.

And while it can be super fun in the moment, eventually the naughtiness buzz wears off and your sitting there sometime later feeling like a loser, wondering why the heck you haven't gotten your act together.  And why are others are putting in deals and making money.

If your serious about changing your ways, you will find a way.  If you're not, you will find an excuse.

Remember DONE is better than PERFECT.   So get off your Seat (lol) and get started... NOW !