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The trouble with Real Estate...

By
Real Estate Agent with Owner - RE/MAX Access - KristinMoran@Remax.net

Yes, I said trouble.  Everywhere I look there's trouble, conflicting information, mis-information, lack of information & too much information.  Confused? So am I.

I listened to a life coach yesterday for a couple of hours spew his wisdom to a crowded room of Realtor's and Loan officers.  Wisdom & experience that I am sure has worked for him but in the process he knocked what everyone else was/is doing & what might be working for them. 

His first piece of advice was to "stay off the internet", he went on to say that "the percentages of what folks have made on the internet aren't impressive".  I beg to differ, because of my love affair with the internet I feel I have furthered my business, bringing it to a level I wouldn't have reached if I didn't explore the square screen that sits on my desk & calls my name.  I do admit there has to be limits with your internet usage, there has to be boundaries of when you actually decide to pick up the phone & call someone as opposed to a text, tweet or f/b message.  Yes, boundaries are important, boundaries set by the individual & what works for them & what doesn't!

Another piece of advice I didn't agree with?  You must have a HUGE personality to be successful.  You must be LOUD, original & stand out from the rest.  If you aren't already?  Become those things!!!

Seriously?  I don't think I am any of those things nor do I feel you need to be in order to be successful.  Who want's a loud & obnoxious Realtor who's not being themself?  Or a car salesman or a loan officer or a CPA? 

There were a few other things I didn't agree with but won't lay them all out here.  I just started thinking about all the events & speakers & seminars & luncheons & meetings & well, you get the picture.  You attend these things & you hear "you must do this" & "stop doing this" to the point that it is OVERWHELMING your noggin' with "what the heck do I do & where do I start?" 

I'll tell you what i'm gonna do, i'm gonna do what's worked for me so far, being me, being honest & treating folks the way I want to be treated.  Yes, I will listen to other successful folks talk about what they are doing & how it works but I will not be overwhelmed by what they have to say, rush to change something that is working for me & always take others advice with a grain of salt. 

If you end up listening to all the things you MUST do, all the tricks that you need to do & all the things you ought to do you will end up CRAZY!  Yes, there is too much information out there, too many folks talking about what works & how you should go about doing YOUR business.  It's your business! Do what work's for YOU!

 

Photo courtesy of www.Flickr.com

 

Posted by

Kristin Moran

Specializing in San Antonio & surrounding cities
-------------------------------
RE/MAX Access - Realtor®/Owner

KristinMoran@Remax.net 210.313.7397 www.SistersThatSell.com

Buy a home from me, use the truck to move for free!

 

                

Comments(97)

Iris Shamas
ITS Realty - Scottsdale, AZ

Great post.  You are absolutely right, what works for someone else, may not work for you.  You have to be you and do what works for you.

Mar 25, 2010 01:22 AM
Jenna Dixon
Momentum Real Estate Group LLC - Marietta, GA
55 & Over | New Constructions | Horse Farms

Be yourself...something we all hear repeated over and over.  Yet something that most people really struggle with.  Even if they won't admit it to themselves.

Mar 25, 2010 01:39 AM
Rob D. Shepherd
RETIRED - Florence, OR
RETIRED

This guy isn't in touch with the real estate business, maybe not in touch at all.

Mar 25, 2010 01:51 AM
Ann Cordes
Century 21 Randall Morris and Associates, Waco - Waco, TX
Home Ownership is Not a Distant Dream

Kristin,

Great decision. Yes you could become loud and obnoxious like he said, but you would not like yourself, your clients would not like you, you would be unhappy and it would kill your business in no time.

Mar 25, 2010 02:32 AM
Shirley Parks
Sands Realty 210-414-0966 - San Antonio, TX
Broker, 210-414-0966, San Antonio TX Real Estate

I wouldn't want a loud, obnoxious realtor representing me.  And if to be successful, I must be LOUD, then that leaves me out.  LOUD I am not, never have been, and never will be.

Mar 25, 2010 04:31 AM
Matt Stigliano
Kimberly Howell Properties (210) 646-HOME - San Antonio, TX

Kristin - I think this is one of the best posts you've ever written.  Simple, straight forward, and tinged with a hint of "seriously?"  You know how I feel about speakers, as I'm sure you remember our time together, heads buried in our phones, trying to find out if a certain speaker actually knew much about what they were trying to tell us about.  I remember we both looked up the same time and said, "Only nine? Seriously?"

One of the problems I see and I had a brief conversation on Twitter the other day about is that the people who hire these speakers don't know enough to vet the speakers properly.  There are so many choices we can make - Google or Bing, Foursquare of Gowalla, Chocolate or Vanilla, buyer-agent or seller-agent, Wordpress or blog-in-a-box solutions...every moment we can choose something new or different.  If it's not working for you, but you're being told by everyone else it's working - guess what?  It's still not working for you.  That's all that matters.

Of course, we need to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things, but we also have to learn when to say "I'm going to do this a little differently than you, Mr. I-Know-It-All Speaker."

Even more frustrating are those that speakers that gave up the career they're speaking about, so they could be full-time speakers and they tell you how successful they were...in California or Florida during the early 2000s!  Uh, any agent could have been successful there, most agents needed to sell one or two houses to equal what an agent in any other market would be making yearly.  Somehow that one always gets to me.


Anyway, excellent post Kristin, definitely a favorite of mine from your blog.

Mar 25, 2010 05:06 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Hi there Kristen:

I do not believe in formulas for living life. I do support the uniqueness of an individual and how they present themselves. Honesty, integrity, innocence, effort and humility go along way in getting and keeping my attention. There is nothing more satisfying that experiencing the realness in someone. Hey, we are all learning and until you find what works best, searching for it is acceptable to me. Thank you

Mar 25, 2010 05:40 AM
Daniel J. Hansmeier
Rochester, MN

You learned you don't want to be loud and obnoxious like him. lol  Be yourself and use your own style is the only way to go.

Mar 25, 2010 07:45 AM
Lani Stallings
Covenant Partners Realty - San Antonio, TX

LOL! That is great!

Mar 25, 2010 08:02 AM
Susan Brown
Keller Williams NE, Kingwood Texas (Humble & Atascocita too) - Kingwood, TX

Kristin - Stay off the internet, huh?  I'm thinking my reply would have to be, "Whatever, dude!"  That advice is the crazy part.

Mar 25, 2010 09:34 AM
Dean Carver
United Brokers Group/Carver Home Team - Ahwatukee, AZ

Be authentic. Be careful with the net -- lots of garbage leads. Be into what works for you!

Mar 25, 2010 10:07 AM
Team Honeycutt
Allen Tate - Concord, NC

Iagree with what you are saying. You have to learn new things but you also have to be yourself.

Mar 25, 2010 10:23 AM
Lori Liveston
Virtual Homes, Real Estate - Waltham, MA

Great post Kristin!  I had a similar discussion with one of my colleagues this week since neither of us have a background in sales prior to real estate.  All that matters is that you find your own style and you will attract clients who work with you (without you having to fake it). 

Mar 25, 2010 03:06 PM
Christianne O'Malley
Dickson Realty - Reno, NV
Exceptional Service - Delivering Results in Reno!

As a board of directors member of our local Realtor association, I have been spending more time looking into the quality of speakers we have for this very reason. When the information presented is out in left field, it wastes everybody's time.

Mar 25, 2010 03:26 PM
Kris Fox
Fox Real Estate - Rockport, MA

Mar 26, 2010 12:42 AM
Kathleen West
Trademark Realty Group of Palm Coast - Palm Coast, FL
Flagler County & Palm Coast Realtor

I think you bring up great points about varying opinions coming from a lot of different sources.  We all are faced with sifting through all of that.  What I found is important is to find someone (or a core group of people) who understands the business from an objective viewpoint and the technology tools that play a role in our business and use them as a resource.  For example, my husband is comfortable with the technology tools and is a manager by trade.  So him and I work together to formulate our staregy and operations.  When it comes to unique real estate things (i.e. contractual) I have a great relationship with my broker and others in my office which I am able to go to as a resource for some advice. 

Mar 26, 2010 02:39 AM
Lisa Heindel
Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Real Estate Broker

I know others have said it, but I sure do hope you didn't pay for this poor, poor advice!  Every association needs to be sure that they know who they are hiring to speak, including the basic premise of their presentation. 

As for his advice, well, I think we are all in agreement that he has not a clue about our industry and where potential buyers and sellers are.  Anyone can call themselves a coach, very few actually have the skills to pull it off.

Mar 26, 2010 09:00 AM
Kristin Moran
Owner - RE/MAX Access - KristinMoran@Remax.net - San Antonio, TX
San Antonio,TX - Real Estate - 210-313-7397

What does comment #102 mean?  I don't get it.  :D

Mar 27, 2010 11:01 AM
Samantha Davault
Alexander Chandler Realty - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth, TX

Kristin,  I didn't get number 102 either.  Maybe she means think outside the box.  Anyway, we aren't all going to be loud and in your face.  Everyone is different and someone that responds well to you may not like that loud pushy type at all.  You just have to be you and don't let someone try to tell you differently.  Take the tips that are of use to you and let the rest go.  Stay off the internet...might as well get yourself a cardboard sign and pick a corner, because the internet is where the majority of buyers start their home search and if you aren't on there someone else will gladly take that lead and sell them a house. 

Mar 30, 2010 03:29 PM
Pam Guthrie
Seaside Realty Company - Myrtle Beach, SC
Seaside Realty Co. Owner/Broker In Charge, REALTOR

cRAZY PHOTO IN THE BLOG BY THE WAY... i HOPE YOU DIDN'T pay for the advice of "mr. life coach".

Mar 30, 2010 03:32 PM