real estate courses: Prediction from a Pro - 08/04/16 07:44 AM
The sky is falling!  The sky is falling!  Chicken Little is convinced doomsday is here and he’s bound and determined to put everyone into that very same spirit of fear.  Because the prophesy never came to pass, everyone in the town mistrusted Chicken Little, and finally, when aliens do begin to invade, the task is set before him to convince people he is telling the truth.
 
Such a sweet children’s story carries with it huge amounts of analogies for today’s world, especially within the practice of real estate.  When Chicken Little announced, “The sky is falling!  The sky is falling!” … (0 comments)

real estate courses: Newbie, Read a Blog or Two! - 07/30/16 10:40 PM
New real estate agents have a myriad of tasks to do in their early days of training.  Newbies are asked to contact their sphere of influence, to send emails, make phone calls, meet people and all sorts of other tasks in order to achieve name recognition.  My advice to them is simple:  Newbie, read a blog or two! 
 
A newbie has any number of training programs available today; a newbie has an opportunity to use technical skills that go way beyond my capabilities; and newbies have templates available that I would have killed for years ago.  These resources are … (1 comments)

real estate courses: We Are a People Business - 07/30/16 10:20 PM
We are a people business.  Sure, practicing real estate can be fun, it can be challenging, it can make us money, but when you get right down to the nitty gritty of it all, it’s all about people. 
 
For those of you who remember Andy Rooney's commentaries on 60 Minutes, you’ll recall that Andy would pick a subject and give his opinion about it.  Whether you agreed with Andy or not, most of us found him to be entertaining, if nothing more.  I’m kind of like Andy Rooney – I like to tell you what I think, and sometimes … (2 comments)

real estate courses: Buzz Words Spoken Around Here - 07/11/16 06:45 AM
The TEAM Hughes office is located in our home, which makes it really convenient.  On any given day, you’ll hear lots of  buzz words going around, and it occurred to me that, while we no longer practice real estate, we still speak some of the same language.
 
Buzz words spoken around here can include “value-added,” “We are who we are,” “leverage,” “make it pop,” and “passionate.”  These buzz words may mean something different to you, but no doubt you’ve either heard them before or you’ve used them in the practice of real estate.  We believe TEAM Hughes Real Estate School … (2 comments)

real estate courses: Why Many Real Estate Agents Drop Out - 07/09/16 11:58 PM
The practice of real estate has a huge attrition rate.  Some statistics indicate over 50%, others say over 80%, of all new real estate agents will fail.  Why many real estate agents drop out may come as a bit of a surprise to some.
 
With the real estate market improving, there are newer, less seasoned agents coming into the industry, and some of these agents come in with the wrong mindset.  We’ve always seen new agents who come in with the hopes of “making it big.”  Some view the practice of real estate to be relatively easy and they, therefore, … (1 comments)

real estate courses: What Gets You Pumped Up? - 07/03/16 09:36 PM
What gets you pumped up?  Recently, I began a mental inventory of some of the paradigm shifts that have occurred in my life over the last 60+ years, and I realized one of the major shifts is in the area of excitement.  You can well imagine some of the things that may have excited me, as well as you, in our youth so we won’t venture into the realms of sexual excitement, partying, etc., although I could tell you stories!
 
As time managed to drift away from youth and into some sort of intellectual maturity, I found what gets me … (1 comments)

real estate courses: You May Need to Blog - 06/29/16 10:52 PM
If you are fairly new to the practice of real estate, you may need to blog.  Blogging is a way to express yourself and to bolster name recognition within whatever social media appeals to you.
 
If you have been practicing real estate for a long time, you may need to blog.  Some experienced agents have a tendency to rest on their laurels.  I practiced real estate many years, and became pretty well known in the market place.  I achieved lots of awards, much recognition from my peers, and was considered a successful REALTOR®.  Unfortunately, none of that matters now.  Out … (1 comments)

real estate courses: Hold On To Beliefs - 06/19/16 04:28 AM
No belief will automatically remain alive in our minds.  We need to hold on to our beliefs.  If we commit to a belief and we are never reminded that the belief is true or real in our lives, the belief will eventually fade.  For instance, someone with a particular religious belief must exercise that belief at some point or the belief will change, reduce itself or disappear altogether.
 
In order to hold on to beliefs, we have to practice those beliefs.  Many people believe they can be successful in real estate, but if they don’t pursue their license and begin … (2 comments)

real estate courses: Winning Isn’t Everything - 06/19/16 04:25 AM
We recently visited a casino for a little R&R.  Bob and I are light-weights when it comes to gambling.  For us, our lives have been about the biggest gamble we’ve been willing to take, but every once in a while we want to do something silly, and our visit to the casino was just that.  We told ourselves before we left home that winning isn’t everything, and that even if we lost the money we had allocated for gambling, the fun was in the act.
 
Winning isn’t everything is probably true in many situations, but I doubt you would agree … (4 comments)

real estate courses: The Latest Storm - 06/17/16 10:02 PM
The latest storm hit us the other night while we were having dinner with some friends in a local Italian restaurant.  I only describe the restaurant because it was relevant to the events of the evening.  The food was good, conversation was the best, and the subject of weather came up.  Bob informed our friends that a storm was approaching, and we probably had about 15 minutes before it would hit us.  Our friends were amazed that Bob could be that precise, and sure enough, about 15 minutes later, the latest storm hit.
 
Power went out as a result of … (1 comments)

real estate courses: Mickey Mantle's Quote - 06/13/16 06:21 AM
Mickey Mantle’s quote inspired me the other day while watching “Moneyball,” a movie about the Cardinal Athletics’ general manager and how he changed the way ball clubs now view statistics and recruiting.  The quote used in the movie was, “It is unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.”
 
Mickey Mantle’s quote extends far beyond baseball.  If we think about it, the game we’ve been playing all our lives is the game of life, and it truly is unbelievable how much we don’t know about life.  Used in the movie, it referred to … (2 comments)

real estate courses: Be Prepared! - 06/13/16 12:25 AM
“Be prepared” is the Boy Scout motto.  That motto has so much depth to it, although most people rarely think deeply about those two words.
 
Be prepared is not only a motto, but it is also some really good advice.  The economy over the past few years has been precarious, to say the least, and the prognosis for an improving economy is uncertain, depending on who is giving their opinion.  Being prepared, no matter what the economy does, is the best advice you can have.
 
In thinking about being prepared, I realize that type of advice runs deep into … (2 comments)

real estate courses: Puny Goals Equal Puny Rewards - 06/11/16 10:23 PM
I remember the Hulk’s line, “puny god” from one of the Avenger movies, and it always stuck in my mind because many of us do have puny gods.  In the real estate industry, many have puny goals.  Puny goals equal puny rewards.  If we are afraid to aim high, we will only ever achieve less than greatness.
 
In 1983, as a single mother of two small daughters, I was thrown into real estate as a matter of survival.  Working on one side of the desk for a broker taught me quickly that I could do better for myself and my … (4 comments)

real estate courses: The Market is Still Hot Here - 06/04/16 09:26 PM
We were gone for a couple of weeks recently, and when we came home, we saw the market is still hot here.  Facebook is covered with posts form local agents touting their success in seeing contracts put on their newly listed properties within just a few days.  Market time is dropping, buyers are still plentiful, and I ask myself how this is possible.
 
The market is still hot here, and I can only speak to our own market.  We teach real estate licensing classes to people in the Pensacola/Milton, FL area, and what I see is exciting!  Students still want … (0 comments)

real estate courses: The Love of Your Life - 05/10/16 11:47 PM
An episode of Modern Family depicted Phil talking about, “the love of my life.”  Needless to say, his wife wasn’t too happy when he began talking about the practice of real estate!  What’s the love of your life?  As a believer, I am very aware that in my own life, the order of priorities is God, family, church and then business.  I must confess, though, sometimes the love of my life is my career!
 
So I can identify with Phil Dunphy when, against his wife’s permission, he equates selling real estate to the love of his life.  I can understand … (0 comments)

real estate courses: Show Me the Money! - 05/10/16 01:56 AM
Do you remember it?  Watching Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) on the phone with football player, Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) asking Rod, “What can I do for you?”  Rod thinks for a second and says very calmly, “Show me the money.”  That completely threw Jerry off because he didn’t understand what Rod was trying to do.  After several attempts, Rod insists that Jerry say, “Show me the money” as if he believed it, and in the end Jerry Maguire was yelling it from the top of his lungs.  It was at that point that Rod Tidwell let Jerry Maguire off the … (2 comments)

real estate courses: Today’s Blog is About Dreams - 05/08/16 06:28 AM
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School is more than a real estate school.  Because today’s blog is about dreams, we want to help fulfill yours by becoming your dream maker.
 
Since today’s blog is about dreams, let’s talk about your dreams.  Some of you dream about success, some dream about wealth, and some dream about happiness.  It’s exciting to know that all three of those dreams could be achieved if you have a passion to practice real estate.
Many men and women work to pay the bills, and they aren’t working in a career that satisfies them.
 
Today’s blog is … (1 comments)

real estate courses: You Might Not be a Good Agent if… - 05/08/16 06:22 AM
You might not be a good agent if you cannot talk with people.  You might not be a good agent if you can’t get along with people who are different than you.  You might not be a good agent if you have an anger issue.  You might not be a good agent if you aren’t good at follow-through.
 
On the other hand, you might be a good agent if you love to help people and you enjoy talking with them.  You might be a good agent if you embrace other people’s difference, knowing each one of us is unique.  You … (3 comments)

real estate courses: The Jungle Book is Part of our Lives! - 04/28/16 10:21 PM
We recently saw the Jungle Book, and it was an outstanding movie with lots of action.  Believe me when I tell you that the Jungle Book is part of our lives right here at TEAM Hughes Real Estate School! 
 
So the basic story line, if you’ve never read the book or seen the movie, is that a black panther rescued a little tyke, brought him to the wolves in the jungle and they raised him.  A tiger that killed the little boy’s father got wind of the man cub and wanted to kill him.  From that point on, the … (1 comments)

real estate courses: Imitation Should Flatter Us! - 04/24/16 07:46 AM
Imitation should flatter us because it shows we are doing something right.  The other day I was surfing around the internet and, as most humans do, I checked out our competition.  It was exciting to see one of our competitors has decided to try his hand at offering a one-week real estate class.  He even varied  spelling to call his class the same thing we do.  The problem, however, is that he is not TEAM Hughes Real Estate School.
 
As I see it, when you do something right, people will attempt to imitate it, and that imitation should flatter us, … (2 comments)