Archive for the ‘Tom Tognoli’ Category

Real Estate Conference

By Intero Real Estate | July 14th, 2009 0 Comments

Intero to be represented at Inman News’ Real Estate Connect conference

Intero’s Tom Tognoli is slated to be a featured speaker at Inman News’ Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco next month.

More than 1,500 leaders from real estate, technology, lending, title and financial services are expected to attend the conference Aug. 5-7th at the Palace Hotel.

Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman will deliver the keynote address. He will discuss how to build loyalty through word-of-mouth technology and how to engage a buying community.

Other speakers include:

The day before the conference, California Association of Realtor’s Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young will speak at a program called  “Gain the EDUTIZING Edge: How to build your business by giving today’s buyers and sellers what they really value—local market insight!”

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  • Intero Real Estate Services- Find Real Estate, Property For Sale, Homes For Sale
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  • Inman News
    Inman News is the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike.
  • California Association of Realtors
    The California Association of Realtors is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 155,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate.
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Monday Morning Mojo

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

Every time you see this person you try and avoid them like the plague because they are so negative and draining.  To them everything is a crisis, everyone and everything is out to get them.  Nothing works and everything that is not going right in their world is someone else’s fault, never theirs. They never smile and they always seem to find the negative in everything and everybody, never the positive.  Anytime there is a small setback it’s like the world is coming to an end.  They treat life like it is a WIN/LOSE game and trust me there is no such thing.  Whenever someone wins and someone loses, both lose.  Does this type of person sound familiar, do you know people like this?  I sure do.

Then there are those people you love being around because for what ever reason they just have this positive energy about them which makes you feel good.  They are always fired up, have a smile on their face and having a good time. When there are small set backs, they seem to find the positive side or don’t even acknowledge it and they just keep moving forward as if it is an expected part of the process.  They are the ones who keep their emotions under control, they don’t yell, they don’t scream, they don’t attack, they don’t fight and they don’t blame.  Now don’t get me wrong – they are passionate and fired up they just don’t fight it and they seem to always find a way to use the flow to their advantage.  Instead of pushing their way through life, they seem to be getting pulled. They are WIN/WIN people who are always looking for ways to WIN with no one losing.

The interesting thing about these two different types of people is the positive ones almost always seem to win in all aspects of their life: Personally, Professionally, Business, Health – you name it.  They actually say people who smile and laugh a lot (the positive ones), live longer and are much healthier and happier.  The negative ones always seem to look unhealthy and anxious, and struggle in business and relationships – they physically look run down.

My question to you is which one are you?  Be honest. Is your energy good energy or bad energy?  Fired up energy or draining energy?  If you asked people around you to describe your energy, what would they say? Fired up and infectious or exhausting and draining.  Are you positive or negative?  Do you fight life or do you use those people and things around you to propel you to success.

It is a choice, another one of those small choices I write about every Monday morning, and the cumulative effect of all your small choices will get you what you want and where you want to go in life.

Make it a GREAT week!!!!


Monday Morning Mojo

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

Every time you see them you try and avoid them like the plague because they are just so negative and draining.  To them everything is a crisis…everyone and everything is out to get them.  Nothing works and everything that is not going right in their world is someone else’s fault…never theirs.  They never smile and they always seem to find the negative in everything and everybody…never the positive.  Anytime there is a small setback, it is like the world is coming to an end.  They treat life like it is a WIN/LOSE game…and trust me, there is no such thing.  Whenever someone wins and someone loses, both lose.  Does this type of person sound familiar…do you know people like this?  I sure do.

Then there are those people you love being around because for what ever reason they just have this positive energy about them which makes you feel good.  They are always fired up, have a smile on their face and having a good time.  When there are small set backs, they seem to find the positive side or don’t even acknowledge it…they just keep moving forward as if it is an expected part of the process.  They are the ones who keep their emotions under control…they don’t yell, they don’t scream, they don’t attack, they don’t fight and they don’t blame.  Now don’t get me wrong, they are passionate and fired up.  They just don’t fight it…they seem to always find a way to use the flow to their advantage.  They aren’t pushing…they seem to be getting pulled through life.   They are WIN/WIN people…always looking for ways that they can WIN, but so can everyone else. 

The interesting thing about these two different types of people is that the positive ones almost always seem to win in all the equities of their life…Personally, Professionally, Business, Health…you name it.  They actually say people who smile and laugh a lot…the positive ones live longer and are much healthier and happier.  The negative ones always seem to look unhealthy and anxious…they seem to struggle in business and in their relationships…they look run down.

So, my question to you is which one are you?  Be honest. Is your energy good energy or bad energy?  Fired up energy or draining energy?  If you asked those around you to describe your energy, what would they say?  Fired up and infectious or exhausting and draining.  Are you positive or negative?  Do you fight life or do you use those people and things around you to propel you to success.

It is a choice…another one of those small choices I write about every Monday morning.  It is the cumulative affect of all those small choices that will get you are looking for in life.

Make it a GREAT week!!!!


Monday Morning Mojo

By Intero Real Estate | May 25th, 2009 0 Comments

A three day weekend…we all love it!!!!!!

But don’t forget why we have this three day weekend.  Today is Memorial Day.  Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868…over 140 years ago.  Today we ALL need to pay respect, honor, and remember those who died defending us.  Think about it…they died so we could have the life and opportunities we have today.

So, today as we remember those who gave up their lives so we could have ours, here is the question we need to ask ourselves.  Would those who’ve died so we could live say it was all worthwhile if they where to be with you today…to see how you are living your life…to see how you are making a difference?  They died so we could live…they left their families behind…they were only kids.   Don’t let them down…make them proud of what you do and the difference you are making in this life…make the most of it…they gave their lives so we could!!!!

So, when things aren’t going our way, when we are tired, and when the going gets tough, close your eyes and think of them…ask yourself, what advice would they give me?  Would they think it is so tough? Would they tell you to give up…hit the snooze bar and stay in bed a little longer…make excuses?  Is that what whey would have done?  I don’t think so….what do you think?  I’m sure they would gladly trade places with you!!!!

We owe them to give it our ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!!!

Commander Kelly Strong, USCG (Ret.) perhaps said it best in his poem “No, Freedom Isn’t Free”:

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He’d stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, freedom isn’t free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant “Amen,”
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn’t free.”

Make it a GREAT life…they gave theirs so we could!!!


Monday Morning Mojo

By Intero Real Estate | May 17th, 2009 0 Comments

“Hmmm…should I do it or shouldn’t I?”

“I’m going to wait and think about it for a while before I make my decision…I need to get more information.”

“I will get back to you on it.”

“I will do it tomorrow…next week….next month…next year.”

…Yeah right…sure you will.  Does this sound familiar?  Does it sound like you?

Well, this is how most people make decisions…they don’t make them at all because they are risk averse…afraid of making the wrong decision…afraid of change.  They just wait and wait and wait and never actually decide to do anything.  That is why they continue to get what they have always gotten in life and don’t get what it is they really want.  Not being decisive and making quick decisions is one of the biggest success killers in life and business…because one of the most important components to getting what you want is making a lot of decisions quickly with very little information…it’s about going with your instinct.  Successful people understand that to get what you want you must operate with a strong sense of urgency.  Because to get what you want…especially in this day and age, you must accelerate in all aspects of your life, even if it means living with a few more ragged edges.  You have to be 100% focused on ACTION. Successful people don’t get bogged down in endless preparation and evaluation trying to get things perfect before making a decision.  Of course making smart decisions and high quality is crucial, but it must come quickly. You can’t sacrifice speed.  Learn to fail fast, fix it, and race on.  This is how you create radical breakthroughs.

Not only does being decisive get you in action toward accomplishing your goals, but it gets it out of your head.  Think how many unmade decisions you have floating around in your head right now that are taking up space and your time.   Instead of making a decision and then actually doing something productive to accomplish your goals, you are debating all of those unmade decisions in your head all of the time whether you know it or not.  Unmade decisions are the parking brake of life…let it go!!!!!  Imagine how much more productive and happy you would be if you would just make the commitment to be decisive and not waffle ever again….FREEDOM!!!!!!!!

Here is a great piece of advice someone gave me several years ago.  Don’t go with your head and don’t go with your heart because more times than not they are in conflict with one another and you will never be able to make the decision…GO WITH YOUR GUT!!!!! Don’t over think it because your first instinct is almost always right.  If it feels right JUST DO IT and do it with focus and intensity.  What does your gut tell you to do about each of those unmade decisions floating around in your head right now?  Quit procrastinating…JUST DO IT!!!!!!

And yes…if you think I am writing this to you, I am.

Make is a Powerful week!!!!!

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    One of the premier real estate brokerages. Find real estate, properties, homes for sale in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada , Texas, and Mexico.

Monday Morning Mojo

By Intero Real Estate | May 11th, 2009 0 Comments

Become a “Quick Change Artist”

“…sounds like a great idea, I will get started tomorrow.”

Yeah right…like that is really going to happen…just like that last thousand times he said “I will start tomorrow”.

“Wow, I can see how that will have a hugely positive impact on my life, but I just don’t have time to deal with making the necessary changes right now…I will try and implement that next month when things settle down.” We all know things never “settle down”.

“Why is it that no matter what I seem to do…not matter how much I work or how hard I try, I can never get ahead, physically, financially, spiritually, personally, or in my business? I am trying hard everyday, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day.” Here is the first thing we all need to get real clear on…no matter how hard you try, if you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. So, to get more of what we want in our lives, the key is not doing more of what we are currently doing harder, but doing different…changing the way we look at things….the way we do things. Sounds easy…right? NOT!!!!!!!

Becoming a “QUICK CHANGE ARTIST” is not something you become overnight…it is something you need to train yourself. Because, most of the things we do in our life and our thoughts are a routine that have been engrained in us over YEARS. So, we plow on, mindlessly doing the same old things in the same old way. Whether these routines or thoughts are good or bad…like a drop of water which continuously hits on a rock, our habits create a hole or a rut. And the longer the drop of our habits hit the rock, the deeper the hole…And over time as that hole gets deeper and deeper, the harder it is to get out of the rut when we want to make a change.

So, why haven’t we forced ourselves out of the rut before now, when we know changes are going to make us happier in the long run? Most of the time we don’t change because we are afraid…it makes us uncomfortable…makes us feel exposed…or we are just plain lazy. And the older we get the harder it is to make changes because we tend to become less and less flexible (try to touch your toes and you will see this physically). And because we have been doing things one way for such a long time, the hole in the rock becomes the size of the Grand Canyon. So, the key is to train ourselves to become “QUICK CHANGE ARTISTS”…someone who actually embraces change…someone who actually gets a rush from being innovative and doing it different. Because thinking and doing things different is the road to freedom and to fulfilling our destiny.

So start challenging your routines. Stop running into the brick wall…stop beating your head against it. Pause…Think. Find a new way that goes around the wall, or maybe over it. Rest assured, the new way is there. It does exist. Changing your habits can itself become common place. The first time you defy “your way” and climb out of your rut in nearly kills you…the second time, it’s real tough…the third time, it’s merely hard. And eventually, it becomes, if not easy, then reasonably comfortable. Your confidence grows, and the tyrant loses a large part of its hold on you. Then, the magic of having a life that is unbelievable…pure magic starts to unfold!!!

Here is to you becoming a “QUICK CHANGE ARTIST”…make it a great week!!!!! Go BIG!!!!!!

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  • Intero Real Estate Services
    Intero Real Estate Services, one of the premier real estate brokerages. Find real estate, properties, homes for sale in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Mexico.

Entry-Level Home Affordability

By Intero Real Estate | August 21st, 2008 0 Comments

C.A.R. says affordability of starter homes doubles

A new report from the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS@ says the percentage of households that could afford an entry-level home in California doubled in the second quarter of 2008 compared with the same time the previous year.

The association says the percentage of households that could afford a starter home was 48 percent, compared with 24 percent from the same period a year ago.

“The minimum housing income needed to purchase an entry-level home at $329,120 in California in the second quarter of 2008 was $62,870, based on an adjustable interest rate of 5.69 percent and assuming a 10 percent down payment,” C.A.R. reports this week.

C.A.R. says first-time buyers usually buy a house “equal to 85 percent of the prevailing median price. The monthly payment including taxes and insurance was $2,100 for the second quarter of 2008.”

Click here for the full report.

In other news, Tom Tognoli, Intero’s chief operating officer, will be speaking at RISMedia’s annual Leadership Conference next month. RISMedia says the two-day conference “focuses on building stronger real estate and relocation businesses and the future of our industry.” The conference will take place Sept. 3-4 at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York.

Click here for more information.

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Intero Leadership Says: You’ve Got to get Up Earlier

By Intero Real Estate | July 11th, 2007 1 Comment

Success comes with good old fashion hard work in real estateDerek OverbeyGuest written by
Derek Overbey,
VP Marketing, Intero Real Estate Services

Do you ever wonder how some people do it? How do they manage a successful career, volunteer for the local food bank, make it to their kid’s soccer game, get in a workout with a personal trainer and still have time to sit down with their family at the end of the day? We wondered about this as well, and so asked Tom Tognoli, Gino Blefari and Bob Moles of Intero what time they got up in the morning to start their day. After all, these guys have been pretty successful in the business. Their answers were eerily simple (and similar): very early.

Tom Tognoli, our COO who’s known for his high-energy personality, says that he follows the philosophy of “Monday Morning MOJO.” Which means what? If you want to walk into the office on Monday with the kind of energy and passion you need to be successful, you have to start creating it before you even step into the building.

“Success is about commitment,” Tom explains. “Don’t wake up in a crisis, or the rest of your day will be one big crisis. If you are getting up at 8 am, you’re getting up too late. Start yourself on a schedule of waking up 30 minutes earlier each week until you are waking up at 4:30 a.m. Quit hitting the snooze bar! Ten years ago, I was getting up at 7:00 a.m. It’s much easier today. Waking up that early allows me plan my day, get in a workout and do what I need to before most people even roll out of bed. It’s definitely an advantage. ”

The Early Bird Gets the WormCome on, Tom. The birds aren’t even chirping. Do we really need to wake up before the sun? We asked Gino what his secret was. Surprise— getting up early.

He wakes up at 4:45 to greet his dog (a Lab) and then goes through several meditative exercises and a physical workout to prepare for the day ahead. He says these morning rituals help to re-focus his mind so he can concentrate on what needs to get done. “Your average person will simply get through the day. I’m going to take the day. I’m not going to head to the office without knowing exactly what I want to accomplish in the hours I’m there.”

With a schedule that keeps him going nearly seven days a week, he says it’s can be difficult to balance his time between personal and professional life. Discipline is the key. That’s why he’s made it one of Intero’s core values.

“There’s no getting around it. If you want to be successful, you simply have to put in the time, sweat and hard work, to make it happen. You have to get up earlier in the morning, and if you’re doing it right, you’ll come home and crash into your bed at night.”

And Chairman Bob Moles, what does he do?

“These days, I get up at 6 a.m. on the ocean side of the mountain (Santa Cruz). I get my workout in, wait for the traffic to clear and then head into the office. Getting an early start has been my routine for years. When I was working on the East Coast, I would get up at 4:30 and work until 6:30 or 7:00 at night, but the truth is, if you go at that pace forever, it will kill you. In my role today, I have a little more flexibility.”

There you have it. It seems to be true that the early bird does, indeed get the worm. We’re wondering about others? Do you think it’s necessary to get up this early in order to be successful in real estate? Or, is there another way to do it? We’d love to hear your stories. Leave us some comments.

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