Archive for February, 2009

Industry Advice

By Intero Real Estate | February 26th, 2009 0 Comments

REALTOR® Emeritus offers advice for making it through a market downturn

Geary Jones, a REALTOR® Emeritus with 50 years of experience in real estate, knows a thing or two about market downturns.

In 1966, the worst year for him, interest rates jumped from 4.75 percent to 7.5 percent within months and he made $3,000 for the whole year.

“It wasn’t easy. People had just stopped buying. I don’t know if that downturn was as severe as things are today, but it was hard for families,” Jones said in a interview with REALTOR® Magazine.

For his part, Jones said just kept working and talking to as many people as he could, and he encouraged his salespeople to be optimistic and prepared.

As for those in the real estate industry who are struggling today, he urges them not to complain or to be discouraged. And, he encourages them to keep searching for clients.

“Peaks and valleys are part of the real estate world. That’s easy to say, I realize,” Jones told the magazine. 

Read the full Q & A from Realtor® Magazine here.  

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Monday Morning MOJO

By Intero Real Estate | February 22nd, 2009 0 Comments

In every situation…in every difficult time…in every challenge there is always an opportunity Good Morning MOJO ,

In every situation…in every difficult time…in every challenge there is always an opportunity , we just need to find it. The hard part is when the going is tough we often find our heads in the gutter with everyone else saying “why me”…”when is it going to stop”…”poor me”.But as crazy as it sounds , right now is a once in a life time opportunity. If you can find the courage and strength to pull your head out of the gutter and dig deep…I mean real deep , there is more opportunity out there than ever because your competition is all down in the dumps , just waiting for “it” to change. Now is not the time to wait for “it” to change , it is time to make “it” change…at least change those things we have control over. And those things we have control over are our actions , our attitudes , our work ethic and our mindset.

I know what many of you are saying….”Tom , you are full of…” Think about it though….what is your competition is doing right now? That’s right…they are sitting on the sidelines. And because they are waiting and not doing anything , is exactly why now is our opportunity to strike. The key is don’t get sucked in to the doom and gloom and start focusing on those things you have control over…your actions , your attitude , your work ethic and your mindset. Remember in every breakdown there is an opportunity to have a breakthrough for those who have the courage to grab it.

Get the MOJO and make it a breakthrough week!!!!!


Housing Market

By Intero Real Estate | February 19th, 2009 0 Comments

Homeowner and Stability Affordability Plan praised

President Obama’s plan to help the housing market drew praise this week.

“The administration’s proposed plan, combined with provisions like the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit in the just-enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will help minimize foreclosures, shrink housing inventory, stabilize home values and move the country closer to an economic recovery,” said Charles McMillan, president of the National Association of Realtors®.

The Obama administration outlines the following as key components of the plan:

  • Refinancing for up to 4 to 5 million homeowners to make their mortgages more affordable.
  • A $75 billion homeowner stability initiative to reach up to 3 to 4 million at-risk homeowners.
  • Supporting low mortgage rates by strengthening confidence in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

John A. Courson, president of the Mortgage Bankers Association, also had praise for the effort, noting “it provides crucial refinance opportunities to borrowers whose mortgages are held or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.”

However, he noted the association had some concerns. Specifically, he said the plan doesn’t seem to offer much help to borrowers whose loan exceeds their property value by more than 5 percent.

“This will limit the plan’s success in some of the hardest hit areas in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona, as well as some areas on the East Coast,” Courson said. 

You can find the executive summary of the plan here.  

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Monday Morning MOJO

By Intero Real Estate | February 15th, 2009 0 Comments

Never underestimate the power of your actions…with one small gesture you can change a person’s life, for better or for worse.

Good Morning MOJO ,

Someone sent this to me and it hit me right in the heart.  I know it is a bit of a long MOJO , but it is definitely worth it…

One day , when I was a freshman in high school , I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school…his name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself , why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?  He must really be a nerd.

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon) , so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking , I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.  They ran at him , knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.  His glasses went flying , and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.  My heart went out to him , so I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses , and I saw a tear in his eye.  As I handed him his glasses , I said , “Those guys are jerks.  They really should get lives.” He looked at me and said , “Hey thanks! ‘” There was a big smile on his face.  It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.  I helped him pick up his books , and asked him where he lived. As it turned out , he lived near me , so I asked him why I had never seen him before.  He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

We talked all the way home , and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends.  He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle , the more I liked him , and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came , and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said , “Boy , you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!” He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years , Kyle and I became best friends.  When we were seniors , we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.  I knew that we would always be friends…that the miles would never be a problem.  He was going to be a doctor , and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn ‘t me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day , I saw Kyle.  He looked great…he was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.  He filled out and actually looked cool in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.  Boy , sometimes I was jealous.  Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech.  So , I smacked him on the back and said , “Hey , big guy…you ‘ll be great!”  He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. “ ‘Thanks” he said.

As he started his speech , he cleared his throat , and began. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years…your parents , your teachers , your siblings , maybe a coach , but mostly your friends.  I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.”

“I am going to tell you a story”…

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.  He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn ‘t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.  He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.  “Thankfully , I was saved.  My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”  I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome , popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.  I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.  

Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions…with one small gesture you can change a person ‘s life , for better or for worse.

God puts us all in each other ‘s lives to impact one another in some way.  Look for God in others.

Make it a POWERFUL week!!!!!!


Business Development

By Intero Real Estate | February 12th, 2009 0 Comments

Business coach suggests steps to attract more clients

Maya Bailey, the author of Law of Attraction for Real Estate Professionals, is offering up some ideas on how to attract more clients. She laid them out in an article over at RisMedia.com this week.

First, she says, focus. She says she has her clients imagine where they want to be professionally in a year. Next, she says, come up with strategies on how you want to get there.

Another part of the equation is discovery. "What I find is that everyone needs to reprogram some inner self-limiting beliefs, like ‘I don’t have what it takes to succeed’ or ‘I don’t deserve to have a lot of money.’"

She also says support is key if you are in business for yourself. “It is invaluable to have a support team or a committed ally in your corner,” she said in the article at RisMedia.com

Finally, she says, celebrate! Learning to celebrate your accomplishment keeps the process fun and exciting, she said.

“It is one of the joys of my work that I get to help people truly celebrate themselves,” she said.

You can read the full article about all of the steps Bailey suggests you take to get more clients at RisMedia.com.

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Monday Morning MOJO

By Intero Real Estate | February 8th, 2009 0 Comments

Make it a Powerful week and kick some Success Killer ass!!!!!!!

Good Morning MOJO,

Fear…Anxiety…Worry = Success Killer

Now days, those 3 feelings are what most of us are living with every day.  Unfortunately, many are totally consumed with them everyday.  Trust me…I know it is tough and can be exhausting, but if we let these 3 feelings control our life and our decisions, we will never get what we want…and worse yet, the more we focus on them the worse it gets.  Now more than ever, we all need to work on our mental toughness and that starts with taking care of ourselves…taking care of our health, our minds, our relationships, our spirituality, etc.  We need to take care of those things we actually have control over instead of obsessing about those things we have no control over, because if we are feeling good about those things we have control over it will carry over into the other areas of our life and help squash the Success Killer.   

Don’t let the Fear, Worry and Anxiety consume you or it will disable you…it will not only stop us from moving forward, but it will actually cause us to slip back.  So, focus on your mental toughness…focus on improving those areas of our lives we have control over and don’t let the Fear, Anxiety and Worry hold us back.  Because if we do, we will never get what we want and the success killer will win.

Make it a Powerful week and kick some Success Killer ass!!!!!!!


Real Estate Marketing

By Intero Real Estate | February 5th, 2009 0 Comments

Survey Reveals Trends in Real Estate Advertising

A new survey shows that real estate agents spend about 75 percent of their marketing funds on specialty media, personal Web sites and Internet marketing.

“Real estate agents understand that it is critical to maintain their visibility in a very confusing and shifting market, and to do that they are using multiple targeted media channels to stay out in front and relevant to consumers,” said Scott Dixon, president of The Real Estate Book.

The Real Estate Book, which publishes real estate information, conducted the survey.

Here are some more findings from the survey:

  • 57 percent of respondents spend more than $500 a month on advertising and related items.
  • 86 percent of respondents say they have a personal Web site.
  • $196 is the median amount spent on Internet marketing a month.

 

Daniel McCarthy is the chairman and CEO of Network Communications Inc., which publishes The Real Estate Book. 

He says: "We have discovered that real estate agents who spread their marketing messages between efficient print and Internet resources experience significantly more impact in driving leads than using one medium or the other solely.”

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Monday Morning MOJO

By Intero Real Estate | February 1st, 2009 0 Comments

Play hard and loose this week…play like a winner and you will be one!!!!

Good Morning MOJO,

When I was in high school and ran track, our track coach always had us keep our index finger and our thumb touching each other during our event, because when you do that, you cannot clinch your fist which is a natural tendency when you are sprinting. Why not clinch your fist you ask.  Because you waist energy and effort…it actually makes you slow down.

2 times a week I workout with a group of people (Boot Camp).  One of the things we do is run quarter mile sprints.  Usually about ½ through the quarter mile our trainer will be yelling at us from across the track to relax, relax, relax…  He is yelling at us to relax so we don’t struggle.   When I relax, the most amazing thing happens, I actually run faster…while when I grit and try to run faster, I slow down.

Relax….

Looking at these hands, which one do you think is more at peace and more likely to get what it wants in life?  Is it the fist or is it the open hand?  Which one most represents you?  How does that apply to us in our lives?  Are we more likely to get what we want when we are threatening, intimidating, tense, stressed, and uptight….or are we more likely to get what we want when we are compassionate, relaxed, at peace and loose?  I think we all know the answer to that question.  Now don’t get me wrong…we still need to work our ass off…we may need to be discipline…we need to be organized…we need to be focused…we need to be accountable.  However, in addition to those things we need to relax.  If you are a runner, golfer, skier, tennis player…, any coach will tell you to be successful and play at the highest level you need to be able to play loose during process.  With one month already behind us in 2009, remember as we attack our goals and ambitions that to go faster we must relax…to hit it farther, we must relax…to accomplish our goals in life and in business, we must relax…to win, we must relax!!!!

Play hard and loose this week…play like a winner and you will be one!!!!