real estate coach: Is Your Brand Ready for MS Publisher’s End?
- 11/07/25 09:57 AM
Is Your Brand Ready for MS Publisher’s End? Microsoft has announced that in October 2026, support for its Publisher software will come to an end and it will no longer be included in Office 365 or Office suites. If you use Publisher to manage your business collateral and, like many, have switched to Office 365 subscriptions, you will be left high-and-dry without a way to easily update listing flyers, presentation materials, or open house tools (to name just a few). You’ll lose the ability to open or edit Publisher files, unless you have prepared beforehand.
Thinking ahead and converting your materials … (4 comments)
|
real estate coach: Lessons Learned from Giants
- 10/24/25 10:51 AM
Lessons Learned from Giants I have been very fortunate in my life to have been able to benefit from the wisdom of others' greatness. When I first started selling real estate, I was young and naïve. I didn't know much about the housing market or even marketing. I had to rely on watching other agent's success to try and find clues that I could learn from.
Early on in my career, my first mentor was my trainer, Garth, who taught me early on that good old-fashioned hard work would be my key to thriving and surviving in the real estate industry. … (13 comments)
|
real estate coach: The 55+ Power Buyer
- 08/29/25 11:34 AM
The 55+ Power Buyer The 55+ power buyer demographic is reshaping parts of the market. This is a demographic that is wealthy; they have just experienced the largest passing of wealth in the history of our country. They are a demographic that knows what they want and they are extremely discerning.
They aren't just downsizing - they are right-sizing. They are trading in larger yards and larger homes for better location, more manageable yards, and better design. They have had years of experience with home ownership and home maintenance. Their decisions are also shaped by the things that they love to … (2 comments)
|
real estate coach: Stop Assuming Silence from Your Leads Means "No"
- 08/26/25 09:05 AM
Stop Assuming Silence from Your Leads Means "No" How many times have you nurtured a lead only to be met with silence? Or tried to stay in contact with a past client only to be ignored for months?
Now think about this - how many times have you been surprised when a lead DID reach back out and indicate they were ready RIGHT NOW after months of silence and feeling like your communication was going into a black hole? OR how many times have you learned that someone you had discounted as a lead actually DID move forward, but with someone … (12 comments)
|
real estate coach: 10 Things You Need to Know About Middle Housing
- 08/08/25 09:00 AM
10 Things You Need to Know About Middle Housing Middle Housing is going to radically change real estate as we know it. Here in Washington State and in more and more places across our nation, many residential sales are no longer just traditional residential sales. We will be seeing more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), more sales that are influenced by the potential for an ADU, and more kinds of middle housing like duplexes, four-plexes, townhomes, cottages, and more. We are going to see the influence of middle housing change the way that we value, market, and assess a property's buyer pool … (2 comments)
|
real estate coach: August Is the Time to Connect!
- 08/01/25 10:43 AM
August Is the Time to Connect! We are coming into August and today I want to discuss selling and time-of-year. A lot of times, agents think that August is not a great time to be out there working with clients, but I could not disagree more!
If you go back in time and look at the last ten years of September sales in many markets, they are really comparable housing markets to those April-May months of sales. The reason is simple: people are away during the summer and then in September they come back, the kids are back in school, … (1 comments)
|
real estate coach: 5 Pitfalls to Watch for When Researching Niche Markets
- 07/17/25 08:05 PM
5 Pitfalls to Watch for When Researching Niche Markets If you haven't taken a dive into your MLS stats and tried out its powerful market data tools, you're really missing out on an incredible opportunity to identify niche markets for growing your business, trends that will help your buyers and sellers, and so much more. Plus, it just gets better from there as you become more familiar with your market.
However, when it comes to new market segments like middle housing, you'll find that while MLSs have incredible tools you need, but reality is going to create challenges that you should … (10 comments)
|
real estate coach: 5 Reform Issues Faced by Housing
- 07/11/25 09:00 AM
5 Reform Issues Faced by Housing I am back from Spokane where I attended our state legislative meeting for Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) and I am here to give you an update on what we have been focusing on and what you can expect over the next year.
Everything I'm going to talk about today affects housing and today we are talking about the top five issues that we are going to be facing in the next few years. This is so important because we are all at such a disadvantage when it comes to housing inventory. Don't let … (3 comments)
|
real estate coach: Get Plugged-In to Your Local Housing Movement
- 06/06/25 09:55 AM
Get Plugged-In to Your Local Housing Movement If you are not plugged-in to your local, regional, or national housing information centers, you need to be! In other words, where do you get your information to give to your clients about what is happening in real estate, nationally and regionally?
For example, here in Washington State, we recently passed legislation that increased access for building more middle housing. This is creating a big shift in our housing markets. It matters because our market here has become overpriced - our kids can't afford to buy homes because home prices are so ridiculous - … (5 comments)
|
real estate coach: Have You Boarded the Middle Housing Train?
- 05/14/25 10:30 AM
Have You Boarded the Middle Housing Train? I know it sounds like I have been harping on middle housing, and you know, I am! Here's why. Today I am in California and what am I doing? I am researching middle housing everywhere in California just like I have in Nevada, in Oregon, and Washington State.
If you are not up-to-date on middle housing, you need to start building your knowledge of what is going on. If not, you are going to be left behind.
You can no longer go to a home and do a traditional comprehensive market analysis. You need … (0 comments)
|
real estate coach: Stressed About Tariffs? Time to Fix Your Focus
- 04/11/25 10:11 AM
Stressed About Tariffs? Time to Fix Your Focus I cannot let this week go by without addressing what everybody is seeing in the news and that is tariffs. Although tariffs on Canadian lumber have not increased further at this time, the reality is that the impact of expansive, across-the-board tariffs is starting to be felt both in our economy and on the housing market.
Now tariffs aren't anything new, but the aggressive push for tariffs and the widespread application of them has greatly increased global awareness of them into overdrive and freaked-out some of our financial institutions like the stock market. … (9 comments)
|
real estate coach: Sure, the Empire State Building Can Fit on That Property
- 04/10/25 02:29 PM
Sellers Who Think They Can Build the Empire State Building on their Property Sellers usually have an inflated idea of the potential of their property, especially when it comes to price. Couple that with zoning changes brought on by comprehensive plan updates and middle housing initiatives introduced by Washington State House Bill 1110 and what we have are thousands of homeowners who have no idea what their property is worth now, what it may be worth when these changes are implemented locally, but they are sure that the new highest and best use of their property means they can retire and … (1 comments)
|
real estate coach: Tariffs, Real Estate, and You
- 02/14/25 01:47 PM
Tariffs, Real Estate, and You Tariffs are back in the public consciousness in a big way since our newly elected President Trump has begun using them to drive policy. For my longtime viewers, you know I am not for the left- politician or the right- politician. I am for smart government decision making. However, today I am leaving politics off the table and I just want to focus on tariffs, how they affect the housing market, and a timeline for how quickly they may impact homebuyers.
So, I first want to explain why we should be concerned about tariffs in the … (5 comments)
|
real estate coach: A Conversation with John Wilson, King County Assessor
- 01/31/25 09:54 AM
A Conversation with John Wilson, King County Assessor This week, instead of my usual Zebra Report, I'd like to share with you an important interview that I recently held with Washington State King County Assessor, and long-time friend, John Wilson. John and I go back many, many years and I've had the honor of getting to know him and witnessing the work that he has done.
Here in the State of Washington right now we are experiencing a crisis in housing. We have never before seen the challenges that we are seeing today. Homelessness has been on the rise, safety in … (1 comments)
|
real estate coach: You Need an Edge
- 01/17/25 10:41 AM
You Need an Edge I get asked this same question every year, "Denise, why are you so passionate about doing an entire analysis of everything: real estate, housing legislation, new construction, jobs, transportation, migration, infrastructure, and more?"
The answer is simple. When you know more, you are able to share more. When you are educated about things related to our occupation - and real estate affects and is affected by nearly everything - you have an edge. That's why I do it.
I do it so you and my clients can have an edge over the competition and serve your clients … (3 comments)
|
real estate coach: A Different Perspective on Business Planning for 2025
- 01/10/25 09:09 AM
A Different Perspective on Business Planning for 2025 It is the beginning of 2025! Hopefully, you have done some business planning and have some things you want to achieve by the end of the year. Most real estate agents focus their business plans on some sort of growth - growth in transactions, growth in commission dollars, and growth in the amount of free time they have due to more-efficient processes.
However, when was the last time you focused on quality and your "why"? It is natural to want more, but sometimes having more in one area means having less in another. … (5 comments)
|
real estate coach: It's Real Estate Business Planning Season
- 12/06/24 10:14 AM
It's Real Estate Business Planning Season This time of year, I can hear the rustle of new business planners, the click of gel pens getting ready to jot down long to-do lists, and the mouse clicks of shoppers on Amazon finding new organization systems.
Planning for a new year is exciting! Essentially, we get to wipe the slate clean and begin again - for agents who didn't have a great 2024, this is a welcome thought.
But I have another perspective to consider - the real estate agent who needs to do a minimum of business planning every year. Why? Because … (8 comments)
|
real estate coach: The Most Important Trait Agents Need to Succeed
- 11/22/24 10:16 AM
Personal Self-Discipline The single most important trait a real estate agent has to master isn't great selling skills, it's not being able to show a house, and it's not being able to do a great listing presentation. Don't get me wrong, all these things are useful skills that will improve your business. The single most important trait is personal self-discipline.
We get in our own way, preventing our own business from growing. We don't have systems that are working because we are missing the personal self-discipline to create them, engage with them, delegate them, and more.
Personal self-discipline is something I … (5 comments)
|
real estate coach: The Election is Over - What's Next for Housing?
- 11/08/24 10:26 AM
The Election is Over - What's Next for Housing? It has been an interesting few days, weeks, months, and even years leading up to the election this week. Depending on whether you have been cheering for team red or blue, you may be celebrating, welcoming in a new era, a bit bewildered, or even accepting and looking ahead.
As a real estate professional and steward of homebuilders in this country, my first inclination when anyone is running for any office that has an impact on housing is to determine what their mission is pertaining to it. Housing is currently flirting … (5 comments)
|
real estate coach: Consistent Action Creates Results
- 10/25/24 09:12 AM
Consistent Action Creates Results I've worked with thousands of agents over the past three decades and every agent experiences a market or a time in their career where business isn’t coming in at the pace that would keep them comfortable. When agents don’t have enough business in their hands, it’s usually because they aren’t consistently investing effort into paths for growth.
Today's message is about creating that consistency. It's about having faith that your actions will lead to result. It's about moving your business story forward whether that's through mailing campaigns, staying in touch with past clients, or by daily … (8 comments)
|
|
|
|
Is Your Brand Ready for MS Publisher’s End? Microsoft has announced that in October 2026, support for its Publisher software will come to an end and it will no longer be included in Office 365 or Office suites. If you use Publisher to manage your business collateral and, like many, have switched to Office 365 subscriptions, you will be left high-and-dry without a way to easily update listing flyers, presentation materials, or open house tools (to name just a few). You’ll lose the ability to open or edit Publisher files, unless you have prepared beforehand.
;)
;)
;)
