real estate: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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)

real estate: 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: 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: 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: 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: THIS BLOG IS FOR YOU IF YOU ARE NOT LICENSED IN FLORIDA - 09/28/16 09:51 PM
Here is some good news for you! Florida has mutual recognition with 8 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Brokers and Sales Associates may qualify for an equivalent type license in Florida if they meet the following qualifications: Must be licensed in one of the above states; and Applicant must not be a resident of Florida, at time of application.
Applicants from Georgia and Mississippi must have obtained their real estate license by completing the educational requirements, satisfying the experience requirements, if any, and passing the Real Estate licensing examination of a state with which we have mutual … (1 comments)

real estate: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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)