With the news media in full throttle, using terms such as “MELTDOWN”, “CRISIS” and “RAVAGED” to describe our industry, it’s easy to understand why buyers and sellers feel a little skittish. With terms like "recession", "stagflation" and "global slowdowns", it’s easy to understand why so many people lack confidence in the market.

News flash! More millionaires are created in downturns than upswings.

Bulletin! The goal of economic gain is to buy low and sell high.

This just in! While your competition is shrinking and pulling back, this is the time to strategically grow.

At times like this, you need to lean into the most innovative and creative parts of your nature, let out your inner entrepreneur and build a plan for success.

Nelson Rockefeller was, in his time, the wealthiest man in the world. He stated that the time to buy real estate was when the blood was flowing in the streets. That was as true for the turn of the 20^th century as it is today in the 21^st. This is what opportunity feels like; lean into it, embrace it and conquer it.

It’s a good life!

Brian

In 1974, Morris Albert recorded this Grammy award winning song. At that time, it was considered one of the most strongly emotive and moving melodies. As time has gone by, when viewed in hindsight, the same lyrics that won a Grammy have often been lampooned as the sappiest song ever written.

Whether you like the song or not, feelings can be very dangerous for your business. In today’s market, there are lot of emotions; fear, anxiety, frustration and regret. Maybe you don’t know where your next commission check is coming from. Maybe you’re consumed with fear about where the economy and this market are going. Maybe you’re dealing with frustrated sellers who constantly focus on how much their home used to be worth as opposed to what’s it’s worth today. Perhaps you even have a ready, willing and able buyer who’s just afraid to pull the trigger because they don’t want to pay too much for a house.

The answer for a professional is to manage their emotions by keeping perspective. You need to know the historical trends of this business, how good of an investment real estate is (check out www.housingmarketfacts.com), and keep track of your own daily activities so you know you’re doing your best each day.

Feelings are great things. They let you know you’re alive. Personally they deliver the highs and the lows of the human experience. When it comes to your business, feelings don’t help at all. Manage your emotions, manage your business and manage your success.

How many calls, notes, Pop-Bys and business to business meetings are you having?

It's a good life!

Brian

Recent data distributed by Realtytrac, a company that compiles data on home foreclosures, showed that foreclosures are not a national crisis, but more of a regional problem.

There are pockets, places such as Stockton, CA and Las Vegas, NV where the foreclosure rate is in excess of 4%, however, the national average is 1.033%. Considering the fact that 30% of all homes are actually free and clear of any mortgage, the true foreclosure rate is actually seven tenths of 1% of all homes.

Although the media loves bad news, organizations such as MSN, Time Magazine and others are now starting to report factual data such as this to give the market some perspective. They whip everybody up into a frenzy and are then able to present a counter balance story. Either way, know your facts, know your numbers and give your clients perspective.

Great sources for data on the web are NAR, AARP and MSN Money. In print, check out Realtytrac, Swanepoel Trends Report, and Money Magazine. I’ll also be doing my best to distribute solid data so that you can keep perspective and help your clients do the same. Keep your head down working hard.

It’s a good life!

Today, many of you are dealing with clients who are hesitant about getting into the market, or wary about moving up to a new home. The reason these people are on the fence is because they are afraid of paying too much for a house. They feel like they’re at a store and want to make a purchase, but they’ve been told the store is having a sale next month. Fact is nobody knows where the bottom of the market is. We’ll only know after it has already corrected itself and is on the way back up.

Ask your clients why they are buying a home. Determine what their motivation is and help them through any concerns they have. Let them know that now is a great time to buy because:

• There are a lot of homes for sale which means buyers have many choices and they’ll be able to find a home they really love.
  
• Prices have adjusted approximately 12% - more in some markets, less in others. So let your buyers know…the store has already had its sale!
  
• Interest rates are good.

Waiting often doesn’t pay. Buyer opportunities have never been better so help your clients build long-term wealth with a home and watch your own business grow at the same time.

It’s a good life!

Brian

I’ve always had fun with technology over the years; I appreciate its possibilities, and am excited to be moving into cyberspace with this new blog. This space will be a great opportunity for me to connect with you on a more frequent basis and to share some of my thoughts on business and the market. It’ll be a new dimension to our relationship.

If you’ve ever been to one of our nationwide events, you know how strongly I believe in cultivating relationships as the way to build a rock solid business. Relationships are the cornerstone to working by referral and the surest path to a long-lasting and fulfilling career.

This blog will be somewhat conversational and written in more of a stream of consciousness. If you’re interested in receiving it automatically, click on the RSS Feed button at bottom right and you’ll receive the blog automatically as we update it.

So I’m glad to finally join the blogosphere and keep in touch on a regular basis.

It’s a good life!

Brian