real estate career: Do You Ever Feel Alone? - 01/25/17 05:00 PM
Practicing real estate is usually a team effort between real estate agents, consumers, closing professionals, brokers, and a myriad of other people involved for inspections and closing services.  Do you ever feel alone in your practice?  Some days it seems as if you are the only one swimming in your direction, while everyone else is going opposite of you.
 
The practice of real estate can sometimes be challenging, and just when you need help, it seems as if everyone has left the building.  Do you ever feel alone in the challenges of practicing real estate?  It shouldn’t be that way, but try … (1 comments)

real estate career: Our Market is Steady - 01/25/17 01:59 PM
Our market is Pensacola, FL and surrounding areas, Daphne, AL and surrounding areas, and Shalimar, FL and surrounding areas.  When you put all of them together, you get some impressive names, such as Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley – all shapes and sizes and all experiencing a good real estate market.  The market, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, has slowed down nationally.  Fortunately, our market is steady.
 
TEAM Hughes tries to keep current on real estate happenings in each of our market areas.  Since Bob and I no longer practice real … (0 comments)

real estate career: Let Us Help You Soar - 01/25/17 01:07 PM
I read a motto the other day, “The higher we lift our people, the higher our company will soar.”  That got me to thinking about TEAM Hughes Real Estate School and why we are becoming so popular among consumers who have made the decision to pursue a practice in real estate.  TEAM Hughes tends to lift our students to as a high a level as they can reach in the early days of their real estate career.  We mentally take each student by the shoulders, look them in the eye, and say, “Let us help you soar!”
 
So many real estate schools … (1 comments)

real estate career: Does this Happen to You? - 01/25/17 05:00 AM
Tuesday started out nicely.  We leisurely got out of bed knowing we had no appointments.  After working on numerous projects, we went to lunch at one of our favorite haunts.  So far, so good and even the errands were okay.  Does this happen to you?  The day starts out nicely, the day proceeds fairly well, the morning passes into afternoon with all positive things happening.
 
And then the afternoon comes in.  Could this even be the same Tuesday?  What happened to all positive things happening?  We had real estate class registrations, we had phone calls from prospective students, and we had lots … (3 comments)

real estate career: This is the Right Time! - 01/22/17 01:07 PM
People are always asking us whether or not they should get a real estate license.  This is the right time!  There is no time like the present.  We tell them they should not put off getting a license, and it’s not because our economy is cyclical.  It’s not because interest rates are still low.  It’s not even because the market is still hot.  This is the right time because it’s your time.
 
Putting off a goal is never a healthy thing to do.  Anyone who plans to get a real estate license has a goal.  For that reason, this is the right … (1 comments)

real estate career: HOPE IS NOT A PLAN! - 01/19/17 06:00 AM
I recently chatted with an instructor who I admire very much.  As we were visiting, one of her agents came in and casually chatted with us because she was on “floor duty.”  As she was leaving, she said, “Well, I’m here until 5:00 and I hope that big call will come in!”  When she said that, my instructor friend answered, “Remember, hope is not a plan!”  That statement resonated with me, and as instructors, we try to get the message across that new real estate agents need a plan.
 
Many times in class, as we go around the room and each student … (0 comments)

real estate career: Practicing Real Estate Never Gets Boring - 01/17/17 05:00 PM
When I first graduated from high school, I took a job in DC with a government agency because I thought it would be exciting.  After a while, though, boredom set in, I left the agency and found myself working with attorneys, which is where I stayed for over 15 years.  Working as an administrative assistant and then as a paralegal was a challenge at first, but over the years it became pretty boring, and being relegated to an office all day just wasn’t fun.
 
What I discovered when I got my real estate license in 1983 was that every day was different.  … (2 comments)

real estate career: Swimming Upstream - 01/14/17 10:42 AM
In the practice of real estate, you must be consistent, you must have patience, and your resolve must take you through the times you feel you are swimming upstream.  The practice of real estate is not likely to be consistent, its consumers sometimes have little patience, and again, we battle swimming upstream.
 
So, how do others do it?  There are some remarkable real estate agents in this country who have been licensed longer than I have!  They were consistent, resolved, committed, and even though there were times of swimming upstream, they didn’t give up.  They are the truly successful ones along with … (2 comments)

real estate career: Blogging Can Be a Challenge - 01/10/17 03:59 AM
Blogging is therapeutic at times, especially when I am passionate about the subject matter I am addressing.  Sometimes, however, blogging can be a challenge.  I have blogged 240 times in the past two years or so.  My blogs are then posted to the TEAM Hughes website, to our Facebook page and also on ActiveRain.  I originally began blogging because our web developer explained that blogging would raise our standing on the internet.  Real estate blogging was essential for a real estate school to attract real estate students who wanted a real estate license.
 
A few times I have stressed because my creative … (3 comments)

real estate career: If You Want a Real Estate License - 01/03/17 07:41 PM
The holidays are over, the tree is down, the kids are back in school, and now it’s time to get down to business.  If you have a real estate license, STOP!  This blog is not for you!  If you want a real estate license, continue on.  This blog is especially for you!
 
I was first licensed in 1983, so I know stuff.  Some of the stuff is good and some of the stuff is worthless.  What I do know is that if you want a real estate license, you need to kick off 2017 by enrolling in a real estate course with … (3 comments)

real estate career: Growth is not Always Comfortable - 01/01/17 02:44 PM
Growth is not always comfortable.  As a matter of fact, growth usually stretches us to the point of hurting!  We have to grow – we have to embrace change – we have to step up to the plate when our opportunities are there.
 
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School is in a growth mode, and some things about it are very uncomfortable.  To grow means to find good instructors who are willing to step up to the challenge.  In order to ensure our classes grow, we have to spend more money on marketing, which is not always easy to do.
 
One of our instructor … (0 comments)

real estate career: Real Estate Courses Should Never Stop - 12/30/16 05:27 AM
Real estate agents must complete continuing education as mandated by their respective real estate commissions.  We at TEAM Hughes Real Estate School believe real estate courses should never stop and should not be used only to fulfill state requirements.
 
Whether you have had a real estate license many years or you are a new real estate agent, one of the most important tools of your real estate career is superior knowledge.  Your real estate courses should never stop.  You can hone your real estate skills regularly, and as your real estate skills become sharper, your value to the public becomes greater.
 
For those … (3 comments)

real estate career: SOAR WITH THE EAGLES! - 12/28/16 10:04 AM
Now that 2016 is practically behind us, it’s time to think about the direction you want to go in your career.  You can either soar with the eagles or you can keep on groveling with the turkeys!
 
That sounds direct, but in this case, it needs to be.  The practice of real estate has many levels.  Just because you may not be a super-agent producing more money than ten agents put together, that doesn’t mean you are not successful.  Success is in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes it may not be about money.
 
To soar with the eagles is all about … (1 comments)

real estate career: Daphne, AL is Where an Extraordinary Opportunity Awaits! - 12/28/16 04:26 AM
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School operates its courses from several different locations, one of which is Daphne, Alabama.  Daphne, AL is where an extraordinary opportunity awaits those who want it.  TEAM Hughes is now offering a two-week Fast Track Real Estate Class to the Daphne, AL area, as well as Orange Beach, Fairhope, Mobile, and all of Baldwin County, AL. 
 
It’s tough getting the word out when you open a new location, and blogging about it should bring attention to readers, and hopefully, the word will spread.  TEAM Hughes is well known in the Pensacola, FL area because we offer a … (1 comments)

real estate career: Moving Into the New Year - 12/18/16 04:07 AM
We at TEAM Hughes Real Estate School hope you had the most wonderful Christmas ever!  Now, we are moving into the new year with great expectations.  This week may find people still celebrating or recuperating from celebrating.  We were in Illinois for the holiday and hated to leave so quickly, but this week is a banner week for us!
 
Although our classes are done for the year, TEAM Hughes is moving into the new year in style!  We are announcing another campus opening, and are thrilled about it.  If you are in Crestview, Navarre, Destin, Niceville, Ft. Walton Beach, Shalimar, Niceville or … (3 comments)

real estate career: Your “One Thing” - 12/17/16 11:25 AM
Our Daphne, AL campus is in a Keller Williams office, and as my class was taking their final exam last week, I set up in the training room to grade them.  There was plenty of time to kill, so I began reading the different posters on the wall, and one caught my eye.  Gary Keller was asking, “What’s your one thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary.”
 
I don’t know much about Keller Williams’ training and I certainly don’t know the context within which Gary Keller made this quote.  I do know, however, … (17 comments)

real estate career: Resolutions Are Not for Me! - 12/14/16 04:24 AM
It’s that time of the year when people begin looking back and contemplating the new year that’s right around the corner.  Many are thinking about their new year resolutions, but quite frankly, resolutions are not for me!  Years ago, I used to make tons of new year resolutions, but became frustrated when I was unable to carry even one of them all the way out to fruition.  A few years ago, I “resolved” to never make another resolution!
 
Resolutions are fine for people who can really stick to their guns, but resolutions are not for me.  The frustration that follows the inevitable … (2 comments)

real estate career: Wandering in the Desert - 12/13/16 04:24 AM
Today’s world of technology makes life easier, but many people seem to be wandering in the desert.  Things have gotten so hectic that they don’t know how to slow down and enjoy their career.  Working and getting a paycheck is their first priority, rather than happiness or passions.  Wandering in the desert can take different forms for different people.  For some, wandering is being generally unhappy with life.  For others, they are wandering because they don’t feel the flames of excitement or anticipation.
 
Wandering in the desert can be a dangerous place to be.  It can put off decisions being made that … (1 comments)

real estate career: Dancing With Your Past - 12/10/16 03:17 PM
I’ve found dancing with your past can be debilitating.  Most people don’t even realize that they’ve allowed their past to lead them through the present.  Dancing with your past can determine the choices you make and can affect the roads you travel throughout life.
 
As a woman of faith, I try to lay my past aside.  Sometimes it’s not a very easy chore and I begin dancing with my past once again.  We’ve all made mistakes, we’ve all had our own dysfunctions, and sometimes we’ve all allowed our past to dictate how we react to life’s situations.  I’ve heard people say they … (2 comments)

real estate career: Mondays Need Not be That Way - 12/07/16 04:39 AM
Here it is again, the dreaded Monday.  Recently I’ve discovered that Mondays need not be that way.  You know which way I’m talking about.  We all seem to hate Monday, we all seem to dread its weekly arrival.  Let’s face it:  having a weekend off naturally makes us wish for more.  We’re kind of a lazy bunch when it comes to time off because it’s so darned enjoyable to not have to go in to work.
 
Mondays need not be that way anymore.  We can mix it up a little, making Monday a day we look forward to.  It may not be … (2 comments)