So, I got my hair cut this weekend…why is this enough for me to post a blog about it? Because as I was drying my hair this morning, I realized I HATED IT!

I have always been pretty experimental with my hair. I’ve had it short, long, blonde, red, streaked and at one point in my life, I even had it purple! You would think that with someone who is so unafraid of trying new things, my hair cut this weekend wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s just hair, right? WRONG!

The gal that has always done my hair has moved, so I’m stuck trying new stylists. I walk in with a clear vision of what I want, describe it as clearly as I can, and everyone nods their head “yes” as if they really understand. They start off doing what I ask, and then midway, when it’s too late to do anything about it, they change it all on me!

I’ve been growing my hair out for the last 6 months, and was just getting it to the place where I wanted it….I went in for a trim, and came out missing almost 2 inches! It’ll grow back you say….that’s not the point I’m going to make here. In fact, you may be asking yourself, how does this relate to Real Estate??

I have always been passionate about Real Estate…I love it and in my business, I’m not at all ashamed to say, I’m good at it! Having taken the Journey to Mastery™ Training has taught me how to LISTEN. Really listen…not shake my head and say, “Oh, yes, I understand that”, but to really pay attention to what it is my clients want and need!

Now as a recruiter for Quantum Systems ™, and Seven Gables, I pay attention to those who want to have Real Estate as a Career, not just nod my head and say “Sign here, you’ll be fine…Trust me!”

Here’s how I’m going to tie it all in on all avenues!

When you go to a stylist, you sit in a chair and conduct an “interview”. You talk about what you’re looking for, and then trust that the stylist will listen to you and do what you’re asking. For myself this weekend, I was looking for a modern flair, and ended up with a Victorian Style!

As a Real Estate agent, you interviewed (at least I hope you did) different company’s, asking questions about training and support, and then when you felt it was right for you, you signed on.

As a person looking to buy or sell a home, you also “interview” Realtors, looking for a match. Someone that will listen to you, and actually do what they say they’re going to do!

At the salon, you sit in the chair, and once the cutting has begun, it’s too late to get up and run out the door screaming when you notice its gone wrong! You think to yourself, “Maybe this is how they start…I’m sure they’ll fix it!”

As a Realtor, you’ve signed on, ordered business cards, told all of your friends and family this is where you’re going to be hanging your license, and just like sitting in the chair, when you notice things aren’t what they said they were going to be, you think to yourself “Maybe this is how they start….I’m sure they’ll fix it!”

As a client, you start looking at houses, or sign the listing agreement, and when the agent isn’t doing what they said they were going to, you also think to yourself, “Maybe this is they start….I’m sure they’ll fix it!”

The thing is, THEY WON’T AND THEY CAN’T!

The process has already started, and you’re told in all three situations: “I’m the expert, Trust me”. So you wait it out, hoping for a great end result.

In the chair, you cringe every time the scissors take off more than you think should be taken, but you sit and wait it out.

As a realtor, you cringe and think, “If I wait it out, I’ll be okay”

As a buyer, you possibly get put into an escrow that isn’t going smoothly and settle for less than you bargained for, and as a seller, your house sits on the market, losing value everyday, no offers in, and an agent that tells you “It’s the market, don’t worry, you’re going to be fine”.

In all three cases, I am led back to this: STOP!!!

Stop cutting my hair!

Stop wasting time in an office that isn’t giving you the training and support you were promised!

Stop that escrow before the contingencies are removed if you’re really not happy, and Stop holding your home open week after week, hoping someone will show up that will buy your home!

We have the power to change all three situations! I myself, stood up, and said, “Please stop, I can already tell this isn’t what I want. I’d like another stylist to fix what you’ve done”

As a Realtor, you can start interviewing other company’s and talk to agents there and ask about what kind of training and support they are getting, and how they feel about the company. Your friends and family will understand that you are taking your Real Estate Career seriously, and this isn’t just a part time venture!

As a buyer or seller, stop working with someone who isn’t listing to you and is still showing you homes that you were clear you didn’t want to see, or holding your home open every weekend, knowing that is all the agent is doing to sell your home.

My hair is shorter than I wanted, but it will grow back…in the other situations, time is of the essence!

Loan programs that are here today, may be gone tomorrow. Foreclosures and REO’s come into the market and affect your bottom line!

If you want to stop the madness, CALL ME! We can talk through it, and see about getting you out of the “chair” and into something that really works for YOU!

Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714/837-7753
Email to: amandaw@sevengables.com

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