real estate schools: The Weather Affects Your Market - 11/20/16 07:22 PM
Sitting in Maine as I write this blog, feeling the draft around my feet, I am reminded how the weather affects your market.  You practice in Florida and Alabama, so there is no way to relate to real estate agents practicing in New England.  The weather affects their market in such a way that they must plan their strategies around snow, ice and cold.
 
The weather affects your market because even in the most bitter temperatures, you are still able to practice real estate.  We seldom see a shut-down in south because of winter weather albeit things do slow down a bit.  … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Exercise by Walking - 11/16/16 08:26 PM
I know a guy who lost tons of weight and got his exercise by walking.  He looks great and can eat pretty much anything he wants because every day he walks his allotted miles and it seems to be keeping him healthy. 
 
Real estate agents sometimes don’t get enough exercise, especially when they spend hours at the computer.  If they could get exercise by walking, it could serve a two-fold purpose.  In today’s technologically advanced real estate industry, you don’t hear as much about walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and getting to know people.  This is part of the process they … (3 comments)

real estate schools: A Time for Refreshing - 11/13/16 06:22 AM
My father was a down-home Southerner who married during his Army military service.  He met my mother through one of his Army buddies.  She was an Italian from Boston, and though I’ve never understood the match, they were married almost 50 years before passing on.  During my childhood, I was between both worlds, finally ending up in Florida during high school years.  I tell you this because as you read this blog, Bob and I are on our way to Maine.
 
Thanksgiving is a great time for eating lots of food and being with family and friends.  My family is scattered throughout … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Sometimes It Gets Crazy! - 11/13/16 06:01 AM
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School now has two campuses, runs three pre licensing classes that overlap, is expanding further, and sometimes it gets crazy!  When we have three separate pre licensing classes going at the same time, things get a little hectic.  We try hard to remember students’ names and which classes they are attending, but we’re not always successful.
 
Sometimes it gets crazy when registrations come in at the same time.  We get lots of credit card registrations, and it’s easy to forget a step in the process of registering and posting payments.  When that happens, it can take a long … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Fishing - 11/12/16 05:55 AM
Today is Saturday and we just got back from fishing.  The weather was perfect, we took the boat and we settled in for the duration.  Fishing is a little of a science and a little of an art.  Fishing helps clear the mind and offers excitement, anticipation, fun and sometimes boredom.  Today was not boring.  Fishing today was great fun because we caught fish.
 
My Dad taught me that fishing requires patience.  Sometimes that patience isn’t easily found and is difficult to sustain.  Today wasn’t so bad in the patience department.  We were lucky enough to find an area where the fish … (2 comments)

real estate schools: What Makes a Good Real Estate Agent? - 11/07/16 07:45 PM
Real estate agents come in all shapes and sizes, all ages, all political and religious persuasions and all types of morals and character.  The question at hand, then, would be what makes a good real estate agent?  Regardless of all the differences between them, is there some similar trait that you should look for if you need a good real estate agent?
 
Some consumers want a real estate agent who is outgoing, gregarious, can sell anything; while others aren’t concerned about personality and would rather have a real estate agent who studies the market, does lots of research and knows the inventory.  … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Stop Sitting on the Fence! - 11/05/16 05:53 AM
Time is passing way too quickly for me!  I need to stop sitting on the fence about a few things I want to get accomplished.  In thinking about my personal goals, my mind wanders toward our business, which is teaching people how to get a real estate license or furthering their real estate education.  I love what we do, I wish it could last forever!  I know, however, that as each day passes, my career has one less day in it.
 
I hereby resolve to stop sitting on the fence!  I hereby declare 2017 to be the year when I get it … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Integrity Will Win! - 11/02/16 11:12 PM
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School has a policy to assist students with their tuition.  We try to make it as painless as possible for them because we know that there are many more expenses they will be facing as they get further into the process of getting a real estate license.  We also do this because even though money is necessary to pay the bills, our first priority is passing on the knowledge we have attained over the years.  We believe integrity will win out every time even though some students appear to lack it.
 
The other day a student asked us … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Your Vote Counts! - 11/01/16 09:33 PM
Election day is next week, and everyone’s attention is turned to uncertainty as to whether or not their candidate will be elected.  Your vote counts in the election obviously, but regardless of the outcome, it is important that you take control of your business.
 
The best real estate agents are those who have an entrepreneurial spirit and who view themselves as CEOs of their own company.  Your vote counts in your career because without it, you cannot be captain of your own ship.
 
One of the greatest advantages of getting a real estate license is that you can control your hours, your business … (1 comments)

real estate schools: The Modern Student - 10/30/16 06:27 AM
TEAM Hughes offers a one-week fast track real estate class in Florida and a two-week fast track real estate class in Alabama.  The modern student of today doesn’t always want to sit in a classroom four days a week or four nights a month or even have to attend class for a couple of months.  We looked at the modern student demographics and found some interesting information.  Google research suggests that demographics is not as important as consumer intent, and for a real estate school, we are trying to attract the person who intends to get a real estate license.  Another … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Please Do Not Do This! - 10/29/16 02:22 AM
Our school has been trying to find someone to handle our website.  We’ve been looking for a while, and although we are able to maintain most of it ourselves, there are changes that must be made periodically and class schedules that must be updated.  It seems to be a continual battle.  In our quest, we have emailed, texted and called numerous website developers, designers and gurus.  Only one person, who came through a personal referral, has gotten back to us.  Please do not do this in your own real estate business!
 
What has happened to the business culture in our country?  I … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Get Ready for Winter - 10/26/16 10:37 PM
As children, we learned about the ant and the grasshopper, one storing and one having fun.  There were also many stories about squirrels scurrying around in the fall of the year to get food for the winter scarcity.  We’ve been told time and time again as adults that we should save for a rainy day.  All of these idioms have great morals designed to tell us to get ready for winter.
 
We used to be a nation of savers, but that trend has fallen off over the years.  We lost our way and credit became the norm rather than the exception.  There … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Change May Be Coming - 10/25/16 09:25 PM
Like the change of seasons from autumn to winter and the change of time from light to dark at 5:00 PM, change may be coming to the practice of real estate.  Every real estate agent should be making plans to accommodate this change.
 
Change may be coming in the form of buyers’ market to sellers’ market.  Change may be coming in interest rates.  Change may be coming in the number of new home start-ups.  We need to look down the road to see what changes may be coming that will affect our industry.
 
 Historically, elections have affected house prices with slightly lower increases … (6 comments)

real estate schools: This is a People Business - 10/23/16 08:41 PM
Before the time of technology, real estate was practiced out of thick MLS books, photocopying listings to mail prospects and physically visiting the recording office to track down potential clouds on a certain title.  Lifting huge plat books onto a table to get a good look at a parcel of land was seldom done without a strong man around, and heaven forbid if a page was missing from the book!  Those were the days where you absolutely could not practice real estate without everyday contact with people.  As the business has evolved, real estate agents have gotten more efficient with their … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Time is Moving Quickly! - 10/19/16 09:25 AM
I’ve noticed recently that time is moving quickly.  Maybe as I get older, it appears to move faster, but nevertheless it seems as if we go through a year without even blinking.  Just yesterday it seems as if we were celebrating a new year, and now we are looking toward yet another one.
 
Time is moving quickly, and there is no disputing the fact that each one of us is allotted a certain number of days within which to accomplish whatever he or she feels led to stand for.  I feel badly for the people who go through their lives without goals, … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Changing Seasons - 10/18/16 09:44 PM
Have you noticed it getting darker earlier?  That’s because in a couple days we’ll be changing seasons.  Goodbye summer, hello autumn.  If you live in Florida, you may not notice it so much during the day as we continue to enjoy warm weather.  We recently visited Illinois, and although the days were still pleasantly mild, evenings were chilly, which reminded us we’re changing seasons for sure.
 
As the days grow shorter, changing seasons also includes changing seasons in our careers.  Every career will have paradigm shifts as every life goes through their own shifts.  Change is good and changing seasons seems to … (2 comments)

real estate schools: We Do What We Do Because We Want to Do What We Do - 10/16/16 07:07 AM
We do what we do because we want to do what we do.  There are many miserable people in today’s workforce.  Every time I go into a department store, some cashiers are less than friendly, they appear to be beaten down by life, and there is no joy in their demeanor.  Grocery store employees are sometimes the same, as are gas station/convenience store workers.  I guess you could find unhappy employees everywhere you look.  So, if we do what we do because we want to do what we do, why don’t they do what they want to do?
 
Life isn’t always about … (0 comments)

real estate schools: A Gift That Keeps on Giving - 10/13/16 09:56 PM
Most professionals operate under a set of goals.  This holiday season is well known for giving, and as I was thinking of year-end goals, it occurred to me that there is a gift that keeps on giving.
A gift that keeps on giving would be the completion of one of your goals.  Many people tell me they have a goal to achieve, but they carry it forward each year because it's not attainable.  Why have a goal that is not attainable?  Why not make your goals something you can reach so you don't feel badly about yourself?
This is a real estate site.  … (3 comments)

real estate schools: Students Learn Differently - 10/11/16 10:04 PM
We’ve come to realize that all students learn differently.  Depending on their age and where they received their education, TEAM Hughes attempts to adjust its teaching techniques to meet each student’s needs.
 
Because students learn differently, it is important to us to reach each student on the level he or she can learn.  That is why we don’t just lecture to them.  It doesn’t make sense for students to pay to watch instructors work.  We want our students to take ownership of the class they are attending so that they can become part of the process toward their success. 
 
TEAM Hughes uses … (2 comments)

real estate schools: How Do You Take Time Off? - 10/08/16 10:38 PM
How do you take time off in the real estate industry?  I remember the days of practicing real estate, and sellers and buyers were always in my life.  Transactions were always pending, and I had two small children who needed some quality time with their single mother.  I managed to block time when life got way too hectic and family needed to take their turn.
Teaching real estate isn't that much different.  It's still a challenge to figure out how to take time off, but we manage to do it.  Right now we're in Illinois to be with our grandchildren and our … (2 comments)