yourstorys realty: Believing - 07/31/10 11:12 AM
I am honored and humbled this morning to have received my fourth national feature on Active Rain in a month. I am not quite sure how this happens, because if I knew I would do more of it, but it is special. I have made countless adjustments to get things right. Studying Walter Sanford, Zig Zigler, Bob Proctor and Sandy Gallagher have been enormous help along the way. Reading and commenting on Active Rain has given me answers to questions I hadn’t thought to ask, but was glad to know. Going to as many meetings as I can in my area … (8 comments)

yourstorys realty: Thoughts on; Business and Social Media Strategy - 07/30/10 03:29 AM

Having a Facebook page with thousands of “friends” does not make you a social media expert, nor does it make you successful in business. Tweeting everyday where you are makes very little difference to anyone but you, or perhaps your boss who thought you were at your desk working. Social media is not a strategy it is a tool, nothing more. Facebook does have over 500 million people now, but that literally means nothing to you unless you know how to harness those prospects. Millions of fly’s love a big steaming pile of horse dung, can’t get enough of it, … (5 comments)

yourstorys realty: No Day at the Ballpark - 07/28/10 02:55 AM
Last night I revisited my goals for this year.  I write my goals as both pros and cons, I have them on my desk to see each day, but I do a complete review quarterly.  What I want to do and what are the stumbling blocks that might act, as roadblocks to me achieving what is on my pro side of the balance sheet are what I am looking for.  While I have achieved a great deal in these first seven months of the year I have hardly made a dent in the larger and more significant goals.  All Realtors® are … (13 comments)

yourstorys realty: Bill Barnett’s NOW=New Order of Wealth - 07/27/10 03:05 AM
It would be impossible to outline 2 days of training in 500 words or less and so I won’t try here.  Bill Barnett’s free seminar about real estate investing may have been the best 2 day commitment to learning and growing I have ever made, the proof will come over the next 5 months as I close in on my goals this first year.  Bill’s book, Are You Dumb Enough to be Rich, started this all off when I won the book for coming the furthest to a DFWREIClub meeting in Fort Worth where he was speaking.  Bill understands you can … (4 comments)

yourstorys realty: Assessing and Adjusting - 07/22/10 03:20 AM
Even Tiger Woods has a coach and he who is considered one of the greatest golfers ever.  Along the way, he has adjusted his swing on several occasions to get even better.  Yes, I have heard that story.  I don’t have a coach of my own, but have turned to books and a dizzying array of meetings to grow and learn.  Assessing what you are doing is not a weakness but a strength.  As I drive back from another showing or listing appointment I run the tape of what happened against the tape of what I wanted to happen before I … (6 comments)

yourstorys realty: Great Expectations? - 07/21/10 03:57 AM
How many Realtor® come in to this business believing they can be millionaires in no time?  How many of them take it seriously and achieve that goal?  How are you doing along your list of goals and achievements?  Is real estate a means to that money, or do you bring other skills to bear that propel you towards that success?  Do you use those skills on a daily basis?  Have you communicated to your prospects and your clients that differentiation on an ongoing basis?  Do you wake up with the excitement of delivering greater skills and information, or is it about … (7 comments)

yourstorys realty: “Dumb enough to be rich.” - 07/20/10 03:00 AM
Bill Barnett is an author, radio show host, and speaker, but most importantly he is a Realtor, investor and family man.  This weekend I traveled to Fort Worth and the DFWREIClub meeting to listen to Bill speaks on the subject “How to thrive in today’s real estate market.  This is a fascinating topic right now due to a number of factors.  The interest rates are at a low that we will never see in our lifetime.  There is a good bit of inventory on the market to pick and choose from.  Bill called this the best market in 80 years and … (5 comments)

yourstorys realty: June 2010 Trends and Values - 07/19/10 02:58 AM
Making Sense of Trends
The Interest rates are at a record low.  Housing prices are low and occasionally teetering on lower.  Foreclosures have not gone away and won’t for the next couple of cycles.  There seems to be no clear indication of anything, or said a different way, there seems to be a case that can be made for any wild interpretation of the trends.  Locally here in Texas and even closer in North Texas and the DFW area things are not as bad as they have been in other parts of the country.  So what, I say, when you are … (1 comments)

yourstorys realty: What is news? - 07/16/10 03:56 AM
News for most agencies, including my EXIT Realty Corp, is a closing.  We focus on the end; we begin with the end in mind and that is all we care about.  Along the way we present, list, market and sell on the listing side.  On the buying side we get a lead, sign an agreement search and search, submit a contract, negotiate and close.  With all these steps you would think there would be a bit more that is news than just the close.  It takes an incredible amount of maturity to work for months with only a single moment to … (3 comments)

yourstorys realty: What are we paid for? - 07/15/10 03:08 AM
It used to be that a Realtor® was paid for information.  The Realtor® owned the access to the MLS and all the listings and the homebuyer/seller needed that information.  It was also next to impossible to get comparative market values in a neighborhood for the buyer/seller without the Realtor®.  As we know those days are long gone and the consumer has all that information at their fingertips.  Quite often the consumer will show up at your office armed with far more information than you have at that moment and expect you to know it all.  Sadly that is not the case, … (7 comments)

yourstorys realty: Best market to learn; what’s your niche? - 07/14/10 03:17 AM
Yesterday I listened to an agent explain all the reasons why he was not achieving at a level to sustain himself.  His reasons were well thought out and plausible.  He was able to back them up with statistics and examples.  He was convincing to himself and to many others.  He had been successful at one point and needed to have answers why he was not at this point.  It occurred to me that all the time he spent formulating reasons and ideas on why he was not able to do what he wanted; why he was in the position he is … (40 comments)

yourstorys realty: Open House How To’s success - 07/13/10 03:22 AM
Let me share this week’s new distinction and go over what I took from my last Open House that worked.  You may remember I had 28 people come through my last open house in 2 hours.  Most of them spoke of the card that I had left at their door and called me by name.  I prepared an Open House Invitation and personally asked them to come on each card, in my own handwriting.  I have learned that when you write on a card the person is more likely to read just that portion.  I did the same with this new … (2 comments)

yourstorys realty: House or Home, and at what price? - 07/12/10 02:46 AM
We have lots of tools today to market the properties we list.  With interest rates dropping to the level not seen since 1950 you can lock in long term low rates which means you spend less for your property.  With more foreclosures being released by the banks by asset managers there is more property becoming available.  This industry is a huge engine and it is poised to deliver value today that will be equity tomorrow.  This should be great, but it isn’t yet.  The banks are making it difficult for the borrower.  They are demanding credit scores considerably higher than ever … (9 comments)

yourstorys realty: Perspective Gained - 07/09/10 03:02 AM
I am back; did you miss me?  After six straight months of working seven days a week I took a week off and visited my family.   It was wonderful.  I am working this hard for my family and our future, so it was especially good to get the perspective of my wife and son first hand.  Turns out they both fully understand the work and sacrifice, but that is not enough.  With any large goal you need to assess and reassess where you are.  It is difficult to get a personal perspective in the heat of the battle and so I … (6 comments)

yourstorys realty: 2508 Waterloo Lane, Mesquite, TX 75181 - 06/29/10 03:13 AM

Now here is a home that is move in ready.  The sellers have meticulously taken care of this home since it was built and purchased.  They have updated almost every aspect of their home over the years and it shows.  Last month they replaced an air conditioning unit, put on a new roof, upgraded the roof over their carport to heavier grade material, put new gutters in and painted.  In the community of Creek Crossing this is one of the larger homes in the subdivision, but clearly one of the nicer homes.  The seller spent a lot of time and … (4 comments)

yourstorys realty: Women’s Council of Realtors-Dallas and Grand Homes - 06/28/10 02:35 AM
I had the pleasure of attending the Women’s Council of Realtors-Dallas event the evening of June 23.  My pleasure was increased by staying the whole time and winning a cash prize at the end, but more on that later.  The event was an open house for Grand Homes Enclave at Bluffview.  Whenever I leave an event like this I think I should get out more. There is nothing better for your head or your business than to get out of your office and routines to hang with others and see some new homes. Photo of Presidents, Holly, Cathy and Shelly
Grand … (5 comments)

yourstorys realty: Technology is multi-faceted not one dimensional-That’s the issue! - 06/24/10 02:56 AM
I had applied to deliver a break out session at the annual EXIT Convention on blogging.  Blogging is one of the principle ways to delivery valuable information to your clients, prospects and industry colleagues.  You use technology, but it is not technology, it is story telling; it is shared and useful information.  What I was told yesterday is that EXIT has awarded the breakout session to someone who will discuss all aspects of technology, not just blogging.  So, augmented reality on your smart phone, creating and posting video material across a variety of platforms, the EXIT Resource Center with its ability … (4 comments)

yourstorys realty: RISMedia Social Media Summit - 06/21/10 03:50 AM
I have been writing about the new school of real estate for a long time.  I am thrilled that RISMedia last week has a summit of the top leaders to discuss this topic.  Social media is impacting every aspect of our culture these days and it is just at the beginning.  User generated content is often more valuable than media generated content, it is certainly more interesting in many respects.  Allan Dalton, president of The Top 5 in Real Estate Network® and RISMEdia’s chief marketing officer had much to say.  One comment stuck with me, “social media isn’t a fad.  It’s … (0 comments)

yourstorys realty: Persistence pay off - 06/18/10 02:42 AM
Do you do things on a daily basis that don’t serve you or your career?  Well, most people do.  I have been guilty of harboring some habits that I hold dearly but have never provided me success.  The habit of working hard and getting near the completion and thinking “enough is enough” really never is, is it?  Knowing what to do and not doing all of it is a recipe for mediocrity and mediocrity is never very satisfying.  Persistence is a habit and a skill that can be developed if and when you choose a goal that has meaning for you.  … (3 comments)

yourstorys realty: How I won. - 06/17/10 03:25 AM
This week I had a listing presentation with some people outside my farm area who had been attracted to call by a relationship a friend of theirs had with an agent of EXIT, but not my office.  The office the recommended agent was from was geographically further than the seller believed the agent could properly market.  When the seller went looking for another agent they googled my agencies name and "real estate agents".  My name came up on the first page, she called me.  Lucky me. Shows what a daily blog will do.
Before I made my presentation I asked a … (6 comments)

 
Larry Lawfer, "I listen for a living." It's all about you. (YourStories Realty Group)

Larry Lawfer

"I listen for a living." It's all about you.

Newton, MA

More about me…

YourStories Realty Group

Address: 837 Beacon Street, Newton, MA, 02459

Mobile: (617) 774-8292

Office: (617) 964-3300

What would you do today, if you knew you could not fail? What actions would you take, what would you share and how would you treat the people around you. Storyteller Marketing in Real Estate by Larry Lawfer will explore the real estate industry in MA and beyond through the eyes of the community it's people and stories.


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