Each and every day, I meet with Realtors to discuss the market, the challenges they face, the tools they need, the opportunities they face. My approach with these agents is to be a resource for them, to answer questions, coach and consult them, be a sounding board, and help them as much as I can. Many of these agents are already with Keller Williams Realty, though a fair number are not with us. My approach with the agents from other companies is to be a friend first. Keller Williams Realty is not always a match for another agent, and that's okay.
Agents typically join Keller Williams Realty for our education and training... we are very well known for teaching classes that support the models in Gary Keller's best-selling book The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. This book is phenomenal. If you do not yet have a copy, run to Borders or Barnes and Noble and get your hands on it immediately--or call me and I will get you a copy right away!
Agents stay with Keller Williams Realty because of our culture. We call it the WI4C2TS (why four cee two tees).
The Keller Williams Realty
Belief System
WI4C2TS
Win-Win or no deal
Integrity do the right thing
Commitment in all things
Communication seek first to understand
Creativity ideas before results
Customers always come first
Teamwork together everyone achieves more
Trust starts with honesty
Success results through people
If I can answer the questions that an agent may have, I can grow in relationship with them, help them make smart business decisions, watch their career take flight... that's a great reward. If they determine that KW is the right environment, all the better for us!
If you'd like to learn more about KW in Tampa Bay, visit http://www.whyKWnow.com or call me and we'll grab a cup of coffee and talk: 813-830-8008.
Save these important classes on your calendar for next week!
Monday November 9th
11:00am to 12:00pm - Performance Coaching with Lisa Spencer. Topic will be the Buyer Control Sheet. If you are a new agent or are signed up for the Performance Coaching Program, please attend. Even if you are not enrolled in Coaching, you are encouraged to come.
12:00pm to 1:00pm - Success Series with Kevin Cahill. Bring your own lunch. Solidify your foundational habits that really drive your success!
Tuesday Novemer 10th
11:00am to 12:00pm - 1031 Exchange Class. Come learn all about doing a 1031 like-kind exchange. We have an out of town speaker coming for this one and I encourage you all to attend so that when your client asks you about a 1031 exchange, you know what they are talking about!
Wednesday Novemer 11th
9:00am - 10:00am - Office Meeting Breakfast sponsored by Eric Most of Most Insurance. Great information, and October awards!
11:30am to ? - CARAVAN: Come out and support your South Tampa Realtors and see what's new on the market! We are all Realtors!
Thursday November 12th
11:00am to 12:00pm- Tech Thursday: Blogging 101
5:00pm - (Tentative) KW Happy Hour - details to come soon.
Keller Williams Realty leads the way in Tampa Bay!
Looking over the year-to-date statistics, Keller Williams Realty has more agents in the top 125 list than any other brokerage or brand. When it comes to closed sales, through September, Keller Williams Realty has 24 agents in the top 125; Coldwell Banker has 23 agents, and Smith & Associates has 10. This just goes to show you that the models, systems and strategies of Keller Williams Realty are powering our agents through this SHIFTED market.
This market, more than any other markets in recent memory, requires a commitment to lead generation and lead conversion. Agents who shy away from short sales, REOs, pre-foreclosures, and other distressed sales are missing the market of the moment. Right now, over 40% of transactions in the greater Tampa Bay area are distressed sales of some sort... and the rest of the real estate market is impacted.
Keller Williams Realty agents are focused on education, training and coaching to survive and THRIVE in this market.
The Keller Williams Realty model, and inter-dependent agent-centric approach to training and productivity, has attracted some early adopters in Summit County:
Janet Hornik is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland, and lives in Macedonia. Janet is a member of the Mike Ferry Organization coaching program, and is involved in the SHIFT Coaching program thru Keller Williams Realty MAPS Coaching... janet@janethornik.com 216-276-1529
Jacqui Camara is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Tri-County Properties in Medina, and lives in Stow. Jacqui is an industry veteran, and just recently made the move to KW from a local brokerage in Stow where she was a top producer... jacqui.camara@gmail.com 330-687-7300
Stacey McVey is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland Southeast, our newest market center in Solon, opening this spring. Stacey lives in Hudson and has been in residential real estate for 17 years, and understands the opportunity to grow with Keller Williams, having recently joined KW from a merged mid-size regional brokerage... smcvey@kw.com 330-592-2051
While the recent Shift in the real estate market has changed the way we do our business, it has also forced local and regional brokerages to cut commissions to agents, change their support programs, scale back on training, and consolidate offices... many smart brokers are exploring new approaches to helping their agents, and have found that merging with other brokerages could be a smart move. Keller Williams is excited that some of the best agents and brokers across the country are exploring merging with Keller Williams Realty as a way to provide better training and consulting to their agents, a proven method of sharing profit with agents, and better models that allow brokers to return to profitability faster in this difficult market.
Most real estate companies operate on a dependent model where the broker provides leads to salespeople and then offers them a commission, or they operate on an independent model where agents receive minimal support from the broker but keep more of the commission. In contrast to these traditional models, the Keller Williams model fosters a synergistic environment where both parties succeed through teamwork, by encouraging agents and brokers to share their best practices with each other and reward associates who help the company to grow. It is these industry-changing philosophies that have fueled the recent growth of Keller Williams Realty past older, more established companies to claim a top-four spot in the real estate industry.
Keller Williams Realty offers the greatest opportunity in residential real estate for Realtors committed to succeeding in this Shift. Call any of these Summit County agents to learn more, or call me for a confidential conversation: cahill@kw.com 216-509-6990
The current real estate market is favoring buyers in a most pronounced, lopsidedly beneficial way. Prices are back down to pre-internet boom, pre-technology bubble levels... nearly those of 1994 to 1998. Interest rates are near the lowest levels since World War II and the start of the Baby Boom. More homes today in the Cleveland area are sold by banks and HUD than are sold by private owners. Credit is still readily available to those with clean credit histories and steady employment, thanks in part to broader FHA financing.
What I see in the market today are the most serious sellers competing for very few buyers--very value and condition sensitive buyers, I might add. Those sellers who are not 100% committed to doing WHATEVER IT TAKES to get their homes sold are choosing to take their homes off the market or not list their homes at all, or are clouding, cluttering, and confusing the market with their over-priced property and their wholly unrealistic expectations.
The actual number of homes selling in the market remains steady, though at prices nearly half the level of December 2006. On Cleveland's east side, including Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Beachwood, University Heights, South Euclid, and Lyndhurst, 115 homes sold in December 2008, while in December of 2006 110 homes sold--however, prices of sold homes are down 51% in December 2008 from the level of December 2006: from a median average of $154,000 to $75,000. Ouch. The average sold is down from $207,788 to $109,650. Interestingly, inventory levels are down, as sellers realize that now, this year, this market, may not be the right time to sell. In December of 2006, we had 15 months worth of homes to sell, now we are down to 10 months of inventory. If you think it is a seasonal low level of homes, you're wrong. The seasonal low level has historically been evident in April and May, the end of the spring selling season. Fewer sellers need to sell, and they are unwilling to compete against these banks to attract and secure those finicky few buyers who are looking for ridiculous bargains, and finding wide choices!
Sadly, many agents are exiting the industry, nearly 30% over the last 24 months in the Cleveland area, unable to compete for the few buyers confident enough to buy or to find success for their sellers. This is not an environment that allows an agent to test the market with an overpriced home, and sellers persuaded to list their home at $250,000 are surprised and reluctant to adjust their price down to $189,000 to get it sold. Right now, price and condition rule.
The city of Shaker Heights is offering property available for sale from its land bank. Purchasers may construct new homes for owner-occupancy, or in some cases may purchase the property as a side lot for their existing adjacent home. Here is a link with more information:
Surely, the opportunity to build in Shaker Heights could not get much better... builders are looking for work, and the city is seeking to provide a wider array of available housing. Take advantage of the opportunities in today's market. If you would like a free, no-obligation consultation, please feel free to call me: 216-509-6990 or send me an email: cahill@kw.com.
This is an incredibly insightful article, from Michael Lewis, the author of Liar's Poker and The New New Thing, and other great books about the world we currently know.
This is so telling... Michael Lewis is such a great writer. I've known for years that we weren't facing a housing bubble, we were awaiting a Wall Street implosion!
The perfect storm in real estate had come and passed by 9/11: people sold their tech stocks and had money to invest; interest rates dropped and people refinanced; and then, realizing they could afford more, people bought up. The natural progression in the market worked its way thru by early 2001. After 9/11, there was no more natural room for the market to rise, but Wall Street had a problem: where to put the profits from all that tech stock activity? Their solution: create the sub-prime mortgage market and jump start the stalled housing economy.
Here is a quote from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in Business Week Magazine (August 25, 2008):
"Office layout reflects an organization's culture, but more and more, I think it will reflect the state of our economy. Are we going to open our doors to the best talents and ideas in a continual push for innovation? Or are we going to close our doors and rely on the 'That's the way it's always been done' approach? The global marketplace is moving so fast that in five years, those who aren't pushing for openness are going to be increasingly pushed aside."
As I read this, I reflect on the structure of the real estate industry, the facets which work well and benefit us all, and those which hinder our effectiveness and slow us down... a friend of mine is a US Air Force pilot, and he refers to these forces as "lift" and "drag". In this challenging market, we need to do everything we can to eliminate and reduce drag, and identify and encourage lift.
Look at the benefit of our Multiple Listing Systems... hugely beneficial in their openness... clearly lift.
Look at the expenses we incur which don't provide a "cost plus" return on our investment: whether print advertising, monthly desk fees, or lopsided commission splits between agents and brokers... all are major drags.
And take a moment to understand the partnership you have with your broker... it is truly Win-Win? Is your broker open with you about the decisions that affect your business, the costs you incur by your affiliation, the plans your broker has to survive this shifted market? Is your broker open with you?
I love my BlackBerry. Friends have Palm phones, and friends have iPhones... but I find the BlackBerry to be the powerhouse. Any moment now, the technology may change. What we can choose from today, I'd choose BlackBerry.
Instant email capability to and from my BlackBerry
Internet browsing
Top Producer 8i compatible
great battery life
sleek and sturdy
expandable memory
Let me know what you use for your smart phone, and why you like it best of all.
Kevin Cahill is the CEO/Team Leader of the Keller Williams Realty South Tampa market center, the most profitable KW market center in Florida, and #36 of nearly 700 market centers across all of KW!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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