real estate schools: Today’s Real Estate Market Seems Familiar to Me - 10/05/16 09:23 PM
When I first entered the practice of real estate, interest rates were double-digit, the City of Houston had more vacant commercial real estate than it had ever experienced, and buyers were under the assumption that agents working with them “represented” them.  We’ve certainly come a long way, Baby!
 
Today’s Real Estate market seems familiar to me in that it reminds me of a period shortly after the  1980’s.  Reagan, among others, worked to shore up the country’s economy, to reduce those double-digit interest rates, and to guide our country into more stable times.
 
No matter when the bubble may have personally affected you, … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Real Estate Reminds Me of a Hurricane - 10/04/16 09:56 AM
With the weather so precarious this week, I was thinking about the effects of it all, and I realized real estate reminds me of a hurricane.  We’ve been watching Hurricane Matthew do its devastation, and we’ve reminisced about other storms we’ve weathered, such as Hugo, Katrina, Floyd, etc.  The thing I always found interesting about each one was the eye.
 
Real estate reminds me of a hurricane because like a hurricane, the practice of real estate sees an eye coming.   The eye represents the calmer side of a hurricane.  The storm is raging around us and then, almost without warning, everything stops, … (1 comments)

real estate schools: November Alabama Class is Forming - 10/03/16 10:04 PM
Every first and second week of each month TEAM Hughes Real Estate School presents a Two-Week Fast Track Real Estate Class, which is an accelerated version of the Alabama required 60-Hr. Pre License Salesman Class.  This two-week class has been successful; however, it leaves many people scratching their heads in wonder. 
 
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School does not advertise its success rate; we would rather let the students do that for us by word of mouth to their spheres of influence.  We can tell you our pass rate is high, and that is because we teach exactly what the syllabus instructs … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Choosing a Real Estate School - 09/30/16 10:02 PM
Once you’ve made the decision to change careers, choosing a real estate school is the next step.  One would think that would be the easy part, but not so in many cases.  Real estate schools are similar to real estate agencies – they all offer the same courses, but the courses are taught differently.
 
Choosing a real estate school should be an important consideration.  As a Florida student, you will have to attend and pass a 63-hour real estate course called a pre sale class.  Even though 63 hours doesn’t appear to be a huge undertaking, that real estate school you choose … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Honing Your Skills - 09/27/16 09:26 PM
Sometimes we’re pretty sure of ourselves, and we think we’ve pretty much arrived in our career and can now rest a little.  I don’t know if that’s always a good idea.  There’s always something nagging at the back of my brain that tells me I’ve got to be about the business of honing my skills.  Do you believe in honing your skills?
 
Honing your skills should come about as a pretty regular function of working.  Refining one’s talents, sharpening one’s abilities all lead to more professionalism.  Even at my age, with 30+ years under my belt, I still feel the need to … (0 comments)

real estate schools: I’d Love You to Meet Some of Your Fellow REALTORS® - 09/26/16 09:55 PM
I'd love you to meet some of  your fellow REALTORS®.  First off, Laura has been a REALTOR® for about two years.  Her first career is at a local bank and she is a people person.  Through her many contacts from her first career, Laura has been able to make as a high an income in her second career of real estate, as most other agents who profess to be “full time” agents.  We don’t call Laura a part time agent because the proof is in her production.  Laura has no children, but does have a partner, so there are some family … (2 comments)

real estate schools: What’s It Going To Be? - 09/25/16 09:43 PM
Have you ever met a real estate agent who has nothing good to say about most everyone they meet?  Have you ever met a real estate agent who looks down his nose at people who aren’t making as much money as he?  Have you ever met a real estate agent who willingly helps as many people as possible?  Have you ever met a real estate agent who encourages others by telling them it only takes a little time and they, too, can make it?  What’s it going to be?  Are you the negative or the positive in someone’s life?
 
Success comes in … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Just Because You’re Self-Employed Now… - 09/18/16 08:45 AM
Just because you’re self-employed now doesn’t mean you can stay home on Monday to recover from a tiring weekend.  Just because you’re self-employed now doesn’t mean you do not have to keep a work schedule.  Just because you’re self-employed now doesn’t mean you will never put in “overtime” again.
 
Many new licensees, especially those who come from regimented former jobs, find it difficult to budget their time in such a way as to accomplish everything needing to be done in one day.  Sometimes it’s easier to just not think about it, stay home for an extra day, and promise yourself you’ll get … (4 comments)

real estate schools: When Success is a Mystical Concept - 09/18/16 07:48 AM
Many of us have lived our lives in comfortable acceptance of being in the middle.  When success is a mystical concept to us, we don’t really believe we can achieve it.  Yet, along comes someone we least expect to be any more than “vanilla,” and lo and behold, they become successful.
 
When success is mystical concept to us, we don’t truly believe we can ever really become successful, and that success is reserved for others.  Yet, even though it feels like half the world is in the practice of real estate, we can always find success stories that tend to amaze us.  … (1 comments)

real estate schools: What Does it Take? - 09/14/16 08:35 PM
What does it take is one of the first questions someone will ask me when it comes to practicing real estate.  The next question I usually get is something to the effect of wondering who will pay his or her salary.  Consumers seldom understand that most real estate agents pretty much pay most of their own expenses and are considered to be self-employed.  We quickly quash the notion that a typical real estate agent is an employee!
 
To become a licensed real estate agent in the State of Alabama, you must first complete and pass a 60-Hr. Pre License course.  That course can … (0 comments)

real estate schools: The Challenge of a Blog - 09/13/16 08:52 PM
When all recommendations to boost your SEOs tell you that you must blog, it appears to be the thing to do. The challenge of a blog, however, is coming up with something to write about.
In the real estate industry, we see all kinds of blogs, e.g. how to capture leads, conduct profitable open houses, overcome objections, show property, etc. Before all that, however, comes the real estate school. Yes, we are part of the industry, but we’re the preparation part, the continuation part, and the development part. To appeal to the portion of the general public who might need us is … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Today’s Real Estate Market Reminds Me of Yesterday - 09/12/16 08:59 PM
When I first began to practice of real estate, interest rates were double-digit, the City of Houston had more vacant commercial real estate than it had ever experienced, and buyers were under the assumption that agents working with them “represented” them.  We’ve certainly come a long way, Baby!
 
Today’s Real Estate market reminds me of yesterday that came well after the early 1980’s.  Reagan, among others, worked to shore up the country’s economy, to reduce those double-digit interest rates, and to guide our country into more stable times.
 
No matter when the bubble may have personally affected you, I think it’s safe to say everyone … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Are We There Yet? - 09/12/16 08:51 PM
Children have such little patience; they don’t understand the concept of time and miles, so along the trip, they always ask, “Are we there yet?”  The trip is long and arduous sometimes if Mom didn’t supply a myriad of travel activities to keep them entertained, and then, after what seems to be forever, they fall asleep and gently wile away the hours without even knowing it.
 
Real estate agents remind me of my grandchildren on a car trip, forever asking, “Are we there yet?”  Even though the stops along the way are many, they still have no comprehension that they must go … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Even Agents Need to be Nudged - 09/08/16 09:44 PM
When you were in school, you put off doing your homework until the day before it was due.  You wait as late as possible to file your tax return.  You still dislike having to do certain things by deadlines.  Procrastination is something you’ve experienced many times.  If you can relate to some of these scenarios, then you can understand even real estate agents need to be nudged.
 
At the time Florida real estate licensees are issued their license, they have anywhere between 18 and 24 months to complete an additional 45 hours of post licensing education.  That’s a year and a half … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Analogy of a Baseball Game - 09/08/16 09:41 PM
Bob and I went to a baseball game last night in Pensacola.   Our team lost, and as I was watching this not-so-exciting game, I began thinking about the analogy of a baseball game compared to the practice of real estate.
 
You might ask why an analogy of a baseball game came to mind while watching what was hoped to be an exciting playoff game, but that’s just it.  I was not exciting; it was rather disappointing, and if you think about it – the practice of real estate can sometimes be the same.
 
In baseball, if the players aren’t hitting the ball, running … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Walk in a Real Estate Agent’s Shoes - 09/06/16 08:25 PM
A real estate agent’s world is unlike most other people’s worlds.  It’s terribly difficult to walk in a real estate agent’s shoes unless you are actually in real estate or have knowledge of the real estate industry. 
 
Once licensed, a real estate agent’s world pretty much changes from their former norm.  Training is the first order of business after a license is achieved, and without the proper training, a real estate agent could be setting himself up for failure by not properly establishing the right kinds of habits needed to be successful.
 
In my first year of real estate, I spent as … (2 comments)

real estate schools: Our Labor is not in Vain - 09/03/16 10:38 PM
Today we observe Labor Day  to honor workers in this country who have contributed to our economic growth.  Reflecting on our economy, I have to believe our labor is not in vain.
Without getting into a political brouhaha my opinion is at this point in our history, we are facing questionable possibilities of our country’s growth or decline.
 
If our labor is in vain, I would think we will all suffer.  History has a way of showing that.  The economic depression of 1920 saw gross national product decline to 6.9% and unemployment over 11%.  Normally, a depression occurs after decline … (3 comments)

real estate schools: If Our Labor is in Vain - 09/03/16 10:04 PM
Today we observe Labor Day  to honor workers in this country who have contributed to our economic growth.  Reflecting on our economy, I have to wonder, if our labor is in vain.
Without getting into a political brouhaha my opinion is at this point in our history, we are facing questionable possibilities of our country’s growth or decline.
 
If our labor is in vain, I would think we will all suffer.  History has a way of showing that.  The economic depression of 1920 saw gross national product decline to 6.9% and unemployment over 11%.  Normally, a depression occurs after decline … (1 comments)

real estate schools: Myths - 08/28/16 10:51 PM
Before you get a real estate license you are a consumer who thinks all real estate agents make big bucks while doing very little.  That is one of the first real estate myths that quickly dissolves once you are no longer the consumer, and now become the agent.
 
Another real estate myth is that most real estate agents were quite financially comfortable before they even got their license, so they didn’t need to worry about money.  You can find many agents who struggled their first few years, but through consistent work, they managed to survive and even began making a … (0 comments)

real estate schools: Real Estate Myths - 08/28/16 10:48 PM
Before you get a real estate license you are a consumer who thinks all real estate agents make big bucks while doing very little.  That is one of the first real estate myths that quickly dissolves once you are no longer the consumer, and now become the agent.
 
Another real estate myth is that most real estate agents were quite financially comfortable before they even got their license, so they didn’t need to worry about money.  You can find many agents who struggled their first few years, but through consistent work, they managed to survive and even began making a … (0 comments)