Is There Something Lurking Hidden That Is Killing Your Goals?

There is one factor, one culprit, that destroys more goals than any other, and it is one that is talked about the least. This one thing can work for you and create a dividend that amplifies and even multiplies your efforts. Or it can create a tax that slows down or even derails your plans. That one factor is TRUST. Most people do not reach their goals because they don't trust themselves. Is that you?

 Trust either brings dividends or taxes everything we do, depending upon whether we are in a high trust or low trust environment. Trust actually is five-faceted; you have Self-Trust, Relationship Trust, Organizational Trust, Market Trust and Societal Trust. Each one is important in your business and life. However, today we are going to focus on Self-Trust. 

 Self-Trust manifests itself in your life every time you set a goal or commitment. You set a goal and your subconscious mind says, "You're a liar, you will not." It has heard too many times before when you set a goal and didn't follow through. It likely is because you didn't really know how to set a goal, so you were just winging it. Then, when things weren’t going well you gave up. Each time, you were conditioning yourself to not believe in you, and that is a tax that impacts everything you do from there. This is ultimately why many of us simply give up on setting goals. Here is a link from an earlier blog post to help you know how to set a goal that you can achieve. How to set effective goals 

 Self-Trust is an account that you can damage in so many ways, each having a downward impact on how you view yourself. Cheating, stealing, being unfaithful, not following through on commitments, not following through on promises, or deadlines, or goals all create in you a lack of trust or respect for yourself. Where most people miss, the point here is the damage is made worse if you don't get caught. The reality is, you never get away with it. Because you know, and it has a direct impact on how you view yourself. 

In my own sales career with thousands of sales transactions there were two that haunted me for years, because I didn't respect my actions in either. In the past, when I’ve told the stories, I have had many people tell me that what I did wasn't wrong, but in my heart it was, so the damage was real. 

The first one was in 1982. I was selling Cadillacs at Lockhart Cadillac. At that time, the average commission on a brand new Cadillac there was $200. They had a used Eldorado that had been languishing on the lot for a year and they wanted to move it so they put a minimum commission of $500 on it. Everyone I met got a chance to see it; it was good looking, a deep midnight, metallic blue with white top and leather interior. But, it was one of those early diesels that were unpopular for a good reason. Finally, I had someone who really liked it. While we were looking at it with the hood up, he asked, "Has this ever been wrecked?" I had never been told whether it had been or not, but looking at it with him I saw paint overspray under the hood, which is a clue that it might have been. I simply answered, "Not to my knowledge." Technically, that was accurate, but I had suspicions. To me that was a lie. He bought the car, I felt bad about it for years. 

In the second instance, I was selling new homes in Lighthouse Cove in the Geist area. I had just taken the position to see if I could turn the community around. It had been for sale for more than a year without its first sale and we desperately needed to get a new home under construction to start to build momentum. I had a client come in who had just moved to Indy from Connecticut where she had taken a very exciting ride on the inflation train on her condo. She had tripled her money on it. She wanted to pay cash for a new home and she picked one out that was so much larger than her previous condo. She was overwhelmed with what she was going to do with all the space! The garage itself was bigger than her old condo, and this was only going to cost half what she sold the previous condo for? What I beat myself up over was, I knew that if she didn't spend the same or more for another house she would have capital gain tax on her inflation gain. I have no idea if she knew that or not, I simply didn't bring it up. To me, that omission was a lie. Again I beat myself up for years. 

 If you have things that pull down your self-trust, you can overcome it. You can act your way out of it. When setting goals, set goals that are activity goals that stretch you a bit, but not so far that you won't achieve them. If you are not good at making prospecting calls, I would much rather you set a goal to make one a day and always achieve it, than to set one for 10/day and only reach 5/day. Each day you do what you said you would, you gain respect and trust in yourself. You can always stretch them as you grow. Be very careful about making a promise or a commitment to yourself (or anyone, for that matter). Don't ever make them lightly; only do so if you are absolutely certain that you will make them happen. Don't jump on a bandwagon or join something if you are not personally committed to really making it happen. Don’t set yourself up for withdrawals in your beliefs and confidence.

 Take it as baby steps. Keep one commitment at a time. Have a commitment every day or week that you know you can make happen - then make it happen! The perception you have of yourself will soar and then the sky really is the limit to what you can do and believe you can do.

What Is Your Lighthouse?

Today I had an “Aha" moment. Last night I had one of those vividly real dreams. You know the ones - the dreams you feel like you’re still in even after waking up? I had one of those dreams, woke up, then struggled to go back to sleep - I was so caught up in all the drama of the dream. The dream had me in a firefight in the Middle East, not really sure who I was fighting, ISIS, Al Quida, Hamas. I couldn't figure out what my role was, I just knew we were fighting for our lives. Probably read too many books like "Lone Survivor and "American Sniper" recently. Finally through my dream-muddled mind, I remembered my alarm clock would be going off at seven. Then it dawned on me that it would do so no matter what. It didn't depend on geo–political contingencies; it just is a steady beacon. It became my anchor that I used to wrench my mind out of the confusion of the dream, and fell back to sleep.

The alarm eventually went off. When it did, I thought back to my experience and I realized that it was a metaphor for a story I often tell to help people understand how to reach a goal or dream. The idea that most of us don't reach our goals because we don't have a big enough WHY to see over the obstacles that are sure to get in our way. Whenever we start on the path to chase a goal we are fired up! Then the realities of life pop up in our way. Personal challenges, family challenges, work challenges, money challenges, time challenges all spring forth to clutter our minds, destroy our focus, and distract us from our goals. It is for this reason that your WHY needs to be big enough to see over your obstacles. That is what I realized the alarm clock was. It was the beacon that reminded me of the desired reality that helped me cut through the clutter that had taken over my mind. Your WHY is that Lighthouse, that Beacon that you must focus on to get past whatever storm.

As Jesus said in Luke 9:62 "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God." Anyone who grew up on a farm understand what this means. When you plow a field you first walk it off to measure and mark a spot to plow to to make a straight "headrow" or first pass. If you turn your head back and take your eye off your mark you will see exactly when you did it because you won't be straight there. Your WHY is your Lighthouse, your Beacon, your "alarm clock" to help you see past the obstacles in your way.

How Could F.O.R.M. Change Your Business?

As an industry we are always looking for that next buyer or seller. We invest significant amounts of money buying leads, paying to drive our SEO higher, and trying to capture more eyeballs which will hopefully turn to leads. All that is great, if what you are doing is giving yourself a good return on investment. If you are, then by all means continue, and keep your eyes open for new opportunities as they arise. However, don’t let yourself be caught up in “the way you’ve always done it” and allow yourself to be blind to the freebies that might be right in front of your eyes .. Or hamburger.

 Keep your eyes and ears open to what is going on around you, wherever you happen to be. Personally, I like wearing shirts and jackets that have our company logo on them. They are excellent conversation starters (plus, who doesn’t love a little brand pride?). Just yesterday, I popped into McDonald's to grab and go, or at least that was the plan. I was waiting in line another customer saw my coat with the RE/MAX Ability Plus logo and asked me, "How is the market at RE/MAX?" We talked a bit while waiting on our food before he told me he wanted to sell his home. He’s on the South right now, but wants to be closer to his grandkids on the North side. He’d like to buy a new house, too. We sat down together, ate lunch, and just visited. He now has an appointment with one of my agents to get things started. 

 Over the years, I have sold millions of dollars of homes standing in all sorts of lines in all sorts of businesses. Some of the time it was because I’m a natural salesman, natural speaker; most of the time my branded clothing did the work for me. If not wearing a logo, I engage my "Three Foot Rule” and it also works well. If you come within three feet of me you are going to hear my story. Rather, I will hear yours.

 For those who are thinking, "Well maybe it will work for you, but I am not that outgoing," let me assure you it is much easier than you might think. If your concern is you don't know what to say to start a conversation, or worse, to continue a conversation let me give you a great tool. It is called F.O.R.M.: Family – Occupation – Recreation – Message. Everyone wants to talk about the first three topics, and you might be surprised to find how many people are starving to find someone who will give them genuine interest in hearing their stories. The ice breaker can be almost anything, weather, something you see while standing in line, anything. Then you ask about themselves, their family, kids, etc. When they tell you show true interest and ask follow up questions, of course share your own quickly, then back to them. Keep the focus on them: often times you’ll find that people will share things you wouldn’t believe. Within minutes you’ll know more about them that you may have wanted to. After you’ve covered their Family, Occupation, and Recreation, offer your Message. Hit them with your elevator speech, the Buffini Mayor’s Speech, if you like. Sometimes, its as simple as being asked what you do. That might be all someone needs to ask you, "How is the market?" or "I have been thinking...." 

 You are likely walking right past clients every day who are people who you would be able to meet face to face. Develop a relationship instead of complaining about how hard it is to get an Internet lead or to respond to your emails or calls. 

Don't be a Secret Agent: remember the Three Foot Rule and F.O.R.M.

What Will The Real Estate Business Look Like In Coming Years?

There are many who predict the demise of the REALTOR, that one of the portals like Zillow will bypass agents and brokers and deal directly with the consumer. Just last week Zillow added a partnership with Uber to drive prospective buyers to listings. However, I think the death watch is way premature and unfounded.

 Statistically the numbers show a very different picture than one of people moving away from REALTORS and going to the Internet to do it themselves. National Association of REALTORS Study of Home Buyers gave us these examples:

Average Search Time By Buyers:

2001 - 7 weeks.

2013 - 12 weeks.

Percentage of Buyers Who Used A Real Estate Agent:

2001 - 69%

2013 - 88%

Average Commission Paid:

2008 - 5%

2013 - 5.4%

Research makes it pretty clear that consumers want someone to help them through the complicated process of purchasing/selling a home.

 Does that mean that nothing will change? No. I believe you have already been seeing a dramatic change in how business is being done. I believe you will also see a polarization of business models to fit different wants and needs in the market place.

In the REALTrends book,  "Game Changers" beliefs on what the real estate landscape will look like are discussed. 

The general idea is that you will see two distinct business models, the Counselor and the Facilitator. The Counselor is the agent who is a top professional, knows the market, knows how to interpret the flood of data and becomes that guide to maximize his/her client's experience. This is almost a concierge service level experience and will be valued by the consumer at a higher commission rate for the higher level of service. The other will be the Facilitator who will be there to serve the client who is comfortable doing most of his/her own research and processing of the data without expert guidance. They simply want someone who can facilitate the the buying or selling process to make sure things happen when and where they should. These consumers will choose this level of service expecting a discounted rate. 

Today, both service levels are easily identifiable, but at present the fees are not distinguishable. That is likely to change. Think in terms of Nordstom vs Wal-Mart. Both are very successful business models but cater to different consumers and at different fees. Both the Counselor-approach and the Facilitator-approach could find that their businesses and incomes increase dramatically as they better market and brand themselves to the consumer who wants the type of services  they provide. The Facilitator might end up charging less in fees per transaction but may find they have a greatly increased amount of business. Teams will likely continue to be a growing trend in both models as well.

 There is one group that may find themselves on the outside looking in, and those would be the Generalists, those in the middle. Generalists are those who aren't keeping up as the experts or aren't creating operating systems to allow them to be efficient with the facilitator transactions processes. We can look to the retail world and see what is happening to the retail generalists like Sears, J.C.Penny's and Kmart to see how the world is moving away from that model. 

 Bottom-line is this: if you have survived and thrived in the Real Estate industry over the last ten years, you should continue to do so over the next ten years as well. If you study the opportunity and position yourself to help move the ball on these changes, you will likely see serious growth. 

Is Good Good Enough? What If Great Is Possible?

 Something that a mentor taught me many years ago is that Good is the greatest enemy of Great. We can easily become complacent with doing good.  Our business is good. Our families are doing good.  Our lives are good. To move to Great might present a risk, is it a risk worth taking?

 No matter what you do there will be decisions to make and consequences to those decisions. In our company goals at RE/MAX Ability Plus, we have chosen to pursue greatness in one area and know that requires us to abandon others. For us, our goal is to be the very best place for top producing REALTORS and teams to practice their businesses. To do that we knew we had to not follow normal real estate business models where you hire large amounts of new agents and help them start their careers. New agents require a large amount of time and resources, both financially as well as human resources to help them get off the ground and protect them and their companies from liabilities. Under that traditional model, there is a heavy allotment or resources directed toward those new agents, and the top producing agents get a very small amount of the time and resources from their broker because they are already self-sufficient without a lot of help. 

 What we wanted to do was to turn the model upside down and allocate all our resources to those top agents to help them be even more productive, to grow their businesses to levels they had never dreamed possible. We choose to do one thing great rather than many things good.

 How about you and your business? Your family? Your life? Are you trying to be good at everything, or are you looking to be great at the really important things? That is ultimately the choice all of us must make.

Fishers Property Maintenance Ordinance And What It Means To You

Fishers Property Owners are about to get a very big surprise when they unwrap the pretty package being presented to them as a program to protect their property values. When they open it, they will find that they have lost many of their property rights. It is being fast tracked to try to pass before the end of the year so that the new council won't have a chance to look at it.

The City of Fishers, Indiana is joining a long list of local governments who are trying to address the concern of empty bank-owned houses and properties that are not being kept up and tidy. The challenge is that so far, most of these plans attack the rights of those who are taking care of their property, while not impacting the bank-owned or truly derelict properties at all. Noblesville recently passed one nearly identical to it, but like many things political it happened completely under the radar. If anyone knew about it, they only knew it was to "protect property values."

"An Ordinance Of The Town Of Fishers, Hamilton County, Indiana Concerning Property Maintenance" will be given its first reading at the Town Council Thursday November 17th, a few days from this writing. However, if not killed by then, you will want to engage.

 This ordinance will make the Town Of Fishers a massive and Omnipotent HOA superseding all other HOA's. It gives authoritative power to the Building Commissioner who then becomes sole arbiter on what is or what isn't a violation and the penalties involved. The Policeman, Judge, Jury, and Executioner all in one sets the table for future abuse of power and possible graft. 

 What would it look like for a home owner as writing?

 Imagine this: Your dog has a bad day and digs up the neighbors roses. Your neighbor is ticked and uses this new law to get back at you, so they call in a violation against you. You then get a call from the Fishers Building Commissioner to say they have a report that your home has violations, maybe even gross violations of the law. 

Building Commissioner: "Hello Ms Homeowner, we have a report that your house might be in violation and we need to set a time to come see it."

You: "Who reported this? What are they saying is wrong with my house? There isn't anything wrong, there is no need to meet."

BC: "Ms Homeowner, we need to meet to review possible violations."

You: "No!"

BC: "I will simply get a Search Warrant."

Building Commissioner arrives with Search Warrant while you are at work and now you get a letter from the Town Of Fishers.

"Dear Ms Homeowner;

 We have used a Search Warrant and have inspected your home and found it to be in violation of these provisions of the Property Maintenance Ordinance of the Town of Fishers. These issues come with a fine of $100.00 and we demand that these repairs be made in no less than 60 days and are reinspected by Building Commissioner to sign off that they are complete and in compliance.

• There were two live ants found in your kitchen, as well as evidence of a mouse at some time behind your refrigerator. 

 (This violates Section 9 paragraph E: Foundation Walls; All foundation walls shall be maintained and free from open cracks, breaks, tears and holes and shall be kept in such condition as to prevent the entry of rodents and other pests.)

• Your windows in your 2nd and 3rd bedroom and your back door do not seal properly and there is air infiltration. 

  (This violates Section 9, paragraph M; Windows to be tight. Every window sash shall be in good condition and fit reasonably tight within its window frame.)

• Your windows, we feel, were not easy enough to open from the inside, and a there was one that had fogged glass in one pane. The hall bath room window mechanism also did not hold up the window when opened without being propped. 

 (This violates Section 9, Paragraph N; Windows to be tight. Every window other than a fixed window, shall be capable of being easily opened and shall be held in position by window hardware. Also Paragraph P, Q, R and S.)

• There is faded or peeling paint on your West side exterior wall of your Mini barn. 

(This violates Section 9, Paragraph E)

• The hose bib in the garage didn't work. (This violates Section 27, paragraph F)
• There was a drywall crack, a nail pop, and a corner bead break in your living room. (This violates Section 27, Paragraph M.)
• Your hall bath tub faucet had a slow drip. (This violates Section 28, Paragraph E.)

We have found these to constitute a Gross Violation and as a First Offense the fine is $100.00.

Unpaid Gross Violations shall be referred to the Fishers's Town Court. Every day that a gross violation continues after due notice has been served, in accordance with the terms and provisions hereof, shall be deemed a separate offense. 

Second Offense with one year: $100.00

Third Offense and each additional offense with one year: $250.00"

 If this fabricated letter and exchange would concern you in real life, then make your voice heard. 

Contact you MIBOR Political Director, Chris Pryor and let him know your concerns at 317-956-5240 or ChrisPryor@mibor.com. 

Also call the Fishers Town Council and Mayor. http://www.fishers.in.us/index.aspx?NID=292

The Proposed Ordinance:Fishers Property Maintenance Ordinance

 

Does Getting A Real Estate License Erase Your Individual Rights?

Contrary to what many seem to believe, when you get your Real Estate license you do not relinquish your rights as an American. You may have noticed that our rights today are under attack from all angles, by both those who wish to strip them from us and those whose "good" intentions have unintended consequences.

 This week, we have seen two drastic examples of attacks on our freedoms. One directly upon us as REALTORS, the other as property owners.

 MIBOR recently had a speaker in to teach Social Media. This speaker allegedly told the agents in  attendance that if they, as REALTORs, posted one-sided political or religious posts on Facebook, this could be a Fair Housing or Code of Ethics violation. That is absolute nonsense, and the speaker actually broke the "Chilling Effects Law" by making that suggestion to the group. It matters not what label you claim politically, you should be equally outraged.

Chilling effect is a term in law and communication that describes a situation where speech or conduct is suppressed by fear of penalization at the interests of an individual or group. It can affect one’s free speech. Since many attacks rely on libel law, the term libel chill is also often used. The term chilling effect has been in use in the U.S since 1950.

 It is up to you to know your rights and to stand up for them or one day wake up and mourn their passing. We lose them incrementally, we lose them because we don't know them, or we lose them because we don't understand what our rights are to begin with. One of the greatest minds this nation has ever had, John Adams told us, “And liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people who have a right from the frame of their nature to knowledge...” 

 Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

If you read the First Amendment, you see that Congress shall (“shall" means “mandatory") make no laws. So NO law can prohibit the free exercise of speech or press or assemble. Today, Social Media is simply an extension of the old Town Square.  

“Be not intimidated...nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice.”   John Adams

 Of course there are restrictions for Commercial Speech, unlike personal speech, this would include advertising. You cannot in any way discriminate, or be exclusive, or favoring one group over another in any of your commercial advertising. You also may not slander or disparage competition. Those are the Fair Housing and Ethics violations that are possible with speech. Not making political or religious comments on your personal posts.

The second attack this week is against property owners in Fishers with the Fishers Property Maintenance Ordinance to be read at 7 pm at the Fishers Town Hall on December 1st. This ordinance is written for a "good” purpose. It is designed to protect property rights from abandoned properties falling into disrepair. However it goes too far. The Ordinance impacts every single property in Fishers. It gives omniscient powers to the Fishers Building Commissioner as Policeman, Judge, Jury, and Executioner to decide what is or isn't a violation and how much it will cost. 

You could potentially be in violation if the Commissioner "had reasonable cause" to search your home, if you refuse a Search Warrant, if you have windows that aren't sealed against air infiltration  or don't open as "easily" as they believe they should. You could be in violation if you have ants that get into your home, or a mouse, or even have cracks in your drywall. Or, if you are a snowbird and have winterized your home, you could be at risk of violation. It’s likely if you live in Fishers, you are already in violation of the proposed Ordinance.

“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” John Adams

It is up to you to protect your freedoms for you, for your clients, and for your children. To protect them, you must first know them, understand them, and have to courage to stand up for them.
Remember the words of John Adams once again.

"But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."