real estate success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: Making a Living in the Practice of Real Estate - 10/01/16 09:55 PM
There are real estate agents barely eking out an existence in their chosen profession, and there are agents who are actually making a living in the practice of real estate.  Then there are the few who are not only making a living in the practice of real estate, but who are living much more comfortably than they could by doing something else.
 
Most real estate agents enter the practice with high expectations and a desire to be better than the average real estate agent.  They soon learn that to become successful in the practice of real estate, there are certain steps that … (2 comments)

real estate success: 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 success: Are We Entering a Slow Season? - 09/26/16 10:25 PM
I hear it all the time.  Fall is when our numbers fall; Fall is the worse time of year for real estate; and my absolute favorite one, Fall is so close to Christmas that nobody wants to spend any money on a house.  So, truthfully, are we entering a slow season?
 
Admittedly, there are markets that truly suffer during the late months of the year.  For TEAM Hughes Real Estate School, over the past two years we’ve shown declines in student population in the Fall, and checking the MLS stats, you can see a decline during November and December.  Instead of looking … (6 comments)

real estate success: 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 success: When Leadership Fails - 09/21/16 09:16 PM
Many real estate agents enter their practice with exuberance and great expectations.  They’ve been promised a rose laden path to success with assurance of a brighter tomorrow.  Unfortunately, many agents are not told the truth up front.  This is a numbers game, and when leadership fails, it’s usually because leadership has its head in the wrong game.
 
I’ve witnessed agents with lots of potential hang their license with a brokerage, only to find them disillusioned within a short time, and they either change offices or get out of the business.  The high attrition rate of first-year agents can be, in part, a … (3 comments)

real estate success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: 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 success: Alabama Here We Come! - 09/11/16 10:33 AM
Our school considered it a huge compliment when someone approached us about expanding.  Being a South Carolina and Florida broker and having taught licensing courses in both states, I must admit the challenge of another state was huge.  After devoting about six months, however, Alabama here we come!
 
Alabama is one of those states that continually attempts to hone the licensing procedure and to keep real estate agents doing the right things.  I find their process is much more detailed and the presentation of a pre licensing course is more intrinsic than some states.  I think I’m going to like helping people … (1 comments)

real estate success: 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 success: Leave a Mark - 08/29/16 10:30 PM
Granddaughters, Grace and Anna, visited recently with their Mom, and after a week of little ones running inside and out and after getting them home safely, it was time to get the house back in order.  While making things “normal” again, I couldn’t help but notice someone had left a mark on the doors going out to the screen room.  In my house, we never leave a mark on glass, and I am a freak about wiping them off immediately.  This mark was different, however.  Upon close inspection, I could see that this mark was left by a little girl’s hand.  … (0 comments)

real estate success: 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)