Embrace the change...

Embrace change...

I was looking for the clip in Wayne's World where Rob Lowe's character asks Garth (Dana Carvey) what he thinks of the changes to Wayne's World as it goes corporate.  In the clip, Garth replies to Rob Lowe, "Change? We fear change."  I see that as all too true. But, change is here to stay.

It is a constant.

Don't fear the change.

Embrace the change.

Momentum is a mightly tool... and a terrible handicap.  When we encounter a ledge in the trail, keeping momentum can propel us over the obstacle.  But, when we are stuck in the mud, the momentum is gone.  And now, it must be created. 

When the trail is slick, momentum keeps us on the same path... even when we really want to change directions. 

Embrace the changes, and harness your own momentum.  Don't fear the change, and don't let the momentum carry you too far down the wrong path.

Real Estate and Restaurants...

Does it seem odd to compare the disparate industries? 

Real Estate and Restaurants...

It is actually more of a contrast...  There is something that the real estate industry, from the giant franchises all of the way down to hyper-local "Mom and Pop" shops, could learn.  And it comes from all sorts of restaurant models. 

I love McDonald's...

It isn't that I think that the food is amazing (ok, I DO have a weakness for the Bacon and Egg Breakfast Bagel)... no, it is more about the fact that I can drive ANYwhere in the United States, from Lilburn, GA, to Moab, UT, or St. Paul, MN, and I know that I can get a 1/4 Pounder Value meal... and it will be the same.  (although the Bagel isn't available everywhere).  It will be made the same way.  The french fries will be cooked in the same oil and taste the same.  It is always the same.  Every time.  Always. 

I love Chili's...

The food is much better... especially the chicken fingers.  A Skillett Queso appetizer and then their chicken fingers... Very Nice!  And, while not as widespread as McDonald's, I know that I will probably be able to find on most places... but not Moab, UT.  But, the point is that there is pretty good food, it is at a pretty good price, and it is pretty much the same anywhere I go.  It is actually MORE consistent than McDonald's, but less widespread. 

I LOVE Moe's...

Even Matt Fagioli at Diamond Dwellings knows (after ONE lunch) that I like a Joey Bag of Donuts with just Steak, Cheese and Rice (I don't know where the name comes from, but it is a burrito).  But I can't get one in many places outside of the Atlanta area... although they are in Hampton, VA now.  But, my Mom called me the other to ask what it was I ate there because my stepfather wanted to try it.

And I love Fuji Ya...

Sushi and Hibachi.  Steak and Shrimp... bring it on.  Can't forget the Nigiri Maguro.  Wasabi.  Oh yeah.. and the fried rice.  Better food and better price that Benihana.  And there is only one location.  And there is another Japanese place that is closer to us, and the food is lousy.  But, Fuji Ya always seems to deliver the promised goods. 

Real Estate, Lane, Real Estate... Remember?

I sure do.  McDonald's is like many discounters.  You know what you are going to get going in.  MLS, in a bag and you are out of there.  Don't ask the person at the counter what is good. 

Chili's is what the big franchise companies WANT to be.  But they fail.  And they fail because of the business model most of the owners operate with.  The local operators want to fill out the desks, so they take anyone with a pulse and they don't make them live up to the standards of the company.  The franchisee makes money with desk fees... not closed sales.  Not happy consumers/clients... desk fees for agents.  And there is NO standardization. 

Moe's is closer to where the big guys started.  They are small enough that the "home office" still can see what is going on, even though they don't have a procedure for everything (like McDonald's), most of the people on the floor have been trained by the people that started the place.  Many regional brokerages are like Moe's.  They haven't grown to where they need to have a checklist for the staff to use to get something out of the freezer. 

And then the local "Mom and Pop" shops...  Even the big name franchises, as well as the "not a name brand" brokerages, are in this boat.  There are some GREAT ones.  Excellent service and a wonderful experience... and then there are some that I wouldn't send an out of work politician. 

So, what is a consumer to do?

That is the problem.  I know about Fuji Ya because I've been there.  And I have been to enough of the "less than great" places to know where I want to go... and I still experiment with new places.  But for a real estate consumer, there isn't that same opportunity.  We eat a few times a day, every day.  But most people only buy or sell a home a few times in their lives.  So, it is tough to build that experience database.  And getting a great experience from Brand R in Philly doesn't mean that Brand R is going to deliver in Atlanta...

Blogging, though, has become a great tool.  Consumers can look over the writings of an agent and/or brokerage and see who they are.  Of course, there still is a need to talk to them to find out if they match what they write... but the list can be shorter... and probably high in quality. 

Thanks for sticking around through a LONG post.

Changing Brokerages? Focus? Just Keeping Up?

If you are, you might not have thought about something that is VERY important...  Social media and online ads... the old ones. 

That's right.  I sat down and started looking at everywhere I had promoted myself... and the list started to get long.  And when I ran a search in Google, I started noticing that there were other places I had self-promoted and forgotten about. 

Now, the problem is that most state Real Estate Commsiions require us to disclose our brokerage name and contact info for any advertisements we place.  And, if we change companies or the contact information changes, we might find ourselves running afoul of those rules.  And we don't want to run afoul of REC rules! 

So, I decided that I needed to do a little house cleaning and preparation. 

Housecleaning...

Two years or three years ago (or more!), I didn't have a blog.  A year ago I wasn't targeting my marketing efforts to the level I am now.  So, looking back on those ads, they often don't mention my blog, or my website.  I started with a company designed site, and then went to a private domain running the company site... and then to a seperate domain... and then a completely different site (keeping all of the others active with mentions of my primary sites). 

So, the second step is to go over the content of each of these ads to update contact info and make sure they are still on target. 

Preparation...

Did you notice that the previous step was the second?  There is a first step.  You need to know where you are promoting yourself. 

As mentioned, I ran a Google search for me.  And then I broke out the spreadsheet software and started trying to figure out how to edit all of those old ads.  Usernames, passwords and any other information I needed to access the data and change it. 

Even if you aren't changing brokers...

Think about it for a minute.  Do you have ANY idea of all of the places you have a presence?  Do you remember what all of the ads say?  How many profiles do you have on social media sites?  MySpace, FaceBook, RealEstateWebmasters, Kudzu, LinkedIn... getting the idea? 

I've found 100 ads and profiles so far.  The vast majority of them are almost abandoned... but I still have info there. And much of it is terribly old...

Mission Impossible?

Mr. Bailey, you did a pretty fair job creating a listing blog for a listing that was almost $1m.

So now we have a challenge for you...

Your mission, should you decide to accepti it is to take a more normal priced property... priced under $200k, and create a similar type of marketing product.  No big budget. No Jack Nicklaus designed Golf Course and Country Club.  No tennis courts...

So, follow along while we build a WordPress2.5 blog for a 1BR with a Den condo unit in the Tuscany Condos in mid-town Atlanta.  Instead of a $969,000 executive home, we will look for a way to bring excitement for a condo priced at $198,888.  

It is going to take several posts, and several days to get it all together. 

The first step will be to settle on a domain name.  As soon as I have the domain set up, I'll give the address here in a member's only post (the only reason it will be member's only is that I don't want it indexed by Google until it has some of the content loaded).

Of course, through it all, I would love to have suggestions, critiques, and impressions.  The goal is to create a marketing tool for clients that is a step above. 

Why share?

There are a couple of reasons...

• Even though there are over 51,000 real estate agents on A|R, and even though there are over 2300 of them right here in GA... there are really only a few that I am actually going to ever compete with. 
  
• There is plenty of business for those of us that are motivated.
• Despite the numbers I quoted above, there are really only about 300 agents in the entire state that are actually active on A|R... and as a team we can dominate the market.  
• I have learned SO much on A|R, that passing this along (almost all of which was gleaned or born here) is barely scratching the surface. 
  
• I know that the interaction with other agents AND consumers while building this property blog will raise my game.
• Finally, only a few agents will ever go to these lengths to promote a listing.  

Let's do this...

What does today REALLY mean?

There is a lot of talk about fireworks and hot dogs and parades on the 4th of July... but there is a deeper meaning and much of it has been forgotten or pushed to the back burner. 

Today is Independence Day!

We are celebrating the 232nd Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Despite military actions actually starting in 1775, in 1776, we declared our independence from Great Britain.  That wouldn't be cemeted until the finish of the War of 1812, although the hostilities died down from 1789 to 1812... 

But, the point is that we fough our Revolutionary War for 14 years... and then had a reprise 23 years later to fight again for a few years. 

But now...

There are a few things to keep in mind as we enjoy our Independence Day. 

• Would the American Society today be able to accept the hardships and pain of birthing our nation as it did 230+ years ago?  Or have we become a bunch of wimps unwilling to stand for what we want?
• At no point during our War of Independence were there a majority of citizens that were in favor of the revolution... until it was all but a done deal (everyone wants to join a winner)... and yet, the men that hatched this plan and launched this great country were LEADERS.  They didn't follow the polls and see what the voters might think. 
  
• Would the current crop of politicians have the guts to stand up against the polls to do what they think is right?  Could they take a wildly unpopular stand to press for freedom?

On my LaneBailey.com blog today, I reprinted the Declaration of Independence.  I also listed all of the signers, and linked to their Wiki Biographies.  And there is a link to the Snopes article about the signers and the actual hardships they may or may not have endured. 

And finally...

As we wander into election season, take a moment to read the Declaration of Independence... and the US Constitution.  Look at the political rivals.  See who stands up to the ideals of our Forefathers.  If you find yourself with a little time, you might also want to check out Alexis de Tocqueville and his book Democracy in America. 

Tocqueville speculates on the future of democracy in the United States, discussing possible threats to democracy and possible dangers of democracy. These include his belief that democracy has a tendency to degenerate into "soft despotism" as well as the risk of developing a tyranny of the majority. .

The bold is mine.  This is a quote derived from the Wikipedia entry linked earlier. 

Enjoy this most important day!

The "blossom" of Social Marketing...

For many types of marketing activities that are performed over time, there is a blossom. 

If you have done direct mail or blogged for a while, you might have noticed it.  As Satch Carlson like to say... "nothing.. nothing... nothing.... JET BLAST."  You know.  You are putting it out there for a month... and then two months.  Nothing.  Three months.  Four months?  Nothing.

And then one day the phone rings.  I saw your blog.  And then again.  I got that newsletter you sent me.  It isn't linear. 

This isn't just for real estate.  I am in a 4x4 club, and we host a pretty big blood drive each year.  I've written about it here.  I chaired the event last year, and handed it off for this year's event.  Last year, I was calling vendors and trying to get prizes and swag.  I did pretty well, too.  It was the 4th year, and this year's event was the fifth.  As I was calling last year, many of the vendors were ready for me.  We had been "back to the well" before. 

This year, it was different.  Vendors we hadn't heard of were calling us.  Vendors we had lost touch with were calling us. We weren't begging.  We were picking. 

And I am starting to get the blossom from my marketing.  I don't have to beg clients to work with me... but I have trouble getting to the point where I can pick and choose.

Do agents think when inputting listings?

There are things that I find hilarious as I wander through the listings... 

I'm working on a market whiff... kind of a pre-CMA to see if the property will be priced in the ball park... and I am looking through a bunch of listings.  And I keep thinking that in some cases there are too many agents that went to the same school... and a few that just skipped all school. 

• Too many options to list.

Ya' think?  I bet that almost EVERY house on the market has too many options to list in the limited space we have... So, hit some highlights!

• Winter (dormant grass) pics.

I just looked at the calendar, and it is June.  I just looked at my unwatered front yard, and it is green... has been for a few months.  Take some new pictures!  It really won't hurt you.

• Hard surface countertops?

Ok, I know that she meant to say solid surface countertops... but this makes it sound like foam was an option.  That would be kind of fun... foam counters. 

• EVERYTHING IS ALL CAPS!

Why?  I had to constantly ask to have my listings input NOT in all caps.  Only a small percentage of listings aren't all capped.  And "tradition" isn't an excuse.

Keep in mind...

Despite the power of other outlets, the MLS is our most powerful marketing tool.  Most buyers, whether they find the property through an agent or some other source, get to see an MLS listing first.  IDX, listing syndication... those base off of the MLS listing.  Make it count.

iTeam Investigates... at MY listing!?!

And it wasn't a bad thing.  

The story won't air until next month (July), but they were filming in one of my listings.  Specifically, they were showing a property that was staged with a live-in home manager.  Showhomes of Atlanta is the vendor that is doing the job correctly in this story. 

Somebody else didn't.  And instead of saving the seller money and making their home more attractive and available. They did exactly the opposite.  

I don't want to go into details, because the story isn't released yet, but I will say that it seemed Randy Travis (not the singer) was pretty impressed with the house, the furnishings and the professionalism of the folks from Showhomes of Atlanta. they are the counter-point to fly-by-night operations that don't properly investigate the people that they put in their clients' homes... and by extension, our clients.

As always, I am willing to make myself and my listings (with the client's consent) available to the media.  In this case, I only had to show up.  Everything was arranged through and by Showhomes.  But, when I know that a vendor is doing a good job for my clients, I have no problem promoting them.  When they are doing a bad job for my clients... I make it tough to hide. 

It was a lot of fun meeting the crew from Showhomes, as well as a couple of the folks from The iTeam.

Blog Anthology, Posts dated 6/15-6/21

Welcome to my almost, roughly weekly recap of the prior weeks blog posts at LaneBailey.com.  I am not nearly as consistent wit hthese updates as I should be... but they are all chronicled here. 

Video Sunday... Racing in 3 Dimensions.  I love desert racing.  It is one of the things on my bucket list.  I'd love to run a truck across the desert at 100+mph.  So, watch clips.  

When you are Looking for the Gwinnett real estate expert? you might find me.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did.  I have a lot of posts about the state of the market in Gwinnett. 

There are some experts that think there might be an Oil Bubble? forming in the price of crude.  Those experts think that what might be needed to pop it would be the US Government opening a few places up for drilling. 

Finally! An eNewsletter... Mailing... Tomorrow!  Ok, that would make it 6/19... but I will have another one every month.  Sign up at the link.

Every once in a while I just have to say... Could I ask for a nicer day?

Obeoman from here at A|R has done an incredible series of posts about the floods in Wisconsin.  From our friends fighting rivers... is about the great way he has told this painful story.  You owe it to yourselves to visit Steve (THE Obeoman) on his blog and see for yourselves. 

We all need to examine our systems.  There is always room for improvement.  Disassemble, rebuild, test fit, repeat...  Whether it is selling real estate, building street rods or operating heavy equipment, it isn't just the parts that can be tweaked.  It is the way we go about the job.

Would $1M be a good price?

I talked with a home owner (potential seller?) not long ago about listing their home.  It was a beatiful home.  Nice neighborhood.  Good schools.  Well decorated.  I was not talking with them specifically about listing.  It wasn't a house I wanted to list...  No garage space.  But, this particular person wanted me to give them my "honest impression" of what they had been hearing from other agents. 

They had talked with a couple of agents, and were about to sign.  They thought their home was worth about $300k... and were surprised when the LOWEST listing price that was suggested by any of the interviewed agents was almost $350k.  But, all three agents also wanted to have built in reductions.  None of the agents tried to push them down on the price. 

Keep in mind, the CMAs were sketchy... and the highest price EVER paid in the neighborhood was close to $350k... almost 2 years ago.  And the more recent comps were closer to the $275k to $300k range.  In talking with the home owner, I would have suggested that the list in the $300k range...

This isn't a hot neighborhood.  And it isn't an anomaly. 

And these are people that are fairly motivated. 

But has it come to this... agents bid up the list price in hopes of getting a listing?  Then what?  Wait for the automatic price reductions?  Refuse to market the property until the price is inline?  Or just go broke tilting at windmills? 

Be realistic.  While there are some sellers that are not realistic, there are others that are.  And you aren't doing any favors to the unrealistic ones pumping them full of sunshine while working to cut their legs out from under them later.