I’ll bet you thought I was going to tell you to Take A Class, or Mail Out Postcards, or Beef Up Your Social Media Presence….didn’t ya?  HA!  Fooled you again.  Here’s what you do first:  Examine yourself.  Ouch!  That might hurt some folks.  Still true.

Hey, Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living.  And yeah, that’s a bit harsh, but I’m guessing he was surrounded by narcissists and psychopaths.  I feel his pain if that was true.  Those types can definitely make you feel that way.  And they’ll make terrible real estate agents, but they’ll be great owners and managers.  That’s statistically proven.  Apparently many CEOs are psychopaths or have psychopathic tendencies (what’s the freaking difference at the end of the day, is my question).  Probably why I’m not a psychiatrist.  And can I just say?  I agree with Socrates.  Self examination is the easiest thing you can do.  DOING something about the things you find is the hard part.  Acknowledging that you have things to fix is important.  If you don’t find any, you’re a narcissist.  Don’t go into real estate.

I have probably said this before, but real estate agency is about RE-LA-TION-SHIPS. Relationships, for the slower brains.  Listen, it doesn’t matter how many classes you take; if you’re an ass, you’re going to fail.  Why?  Because you will not make connections. Connections; that’s the key.  If you make good connections, real ones, the client will come back later and bring their friends.  

But here’s the key: Learn to stop chasing the almighty dollar and LISTEN to your client and CARE about what they want and need.  Real estate is a service business.  Service.  All of my clients can spot moneymongers a mile away.  And then they call me.  I actually care about my clients and guess what, if I cannot care, I don’t work with them.  Why?

Because I cannot be a good real estate agent if I can’t connect. My clients very often become close friends, similar to family in some cases.  It never fails that several of my clients invite me to their holiday dinners!  Touches my soul, I’ll tell you.  Such a compliment.  But my clients know they are heard, that it is THEIR needs at the forefront, not mine.  Take off the hardhat, put down the clipboard and cattle prod, put down your CALCULATOR, and listen to your clients.  

How do you examine yourself?  Well…let’s start with coping.  How do you cope with stress?  What are your coping mechanisms?  In real estate, you’re going to have to cope yourself, and also help your clients cope.  This is a stressful business.  If you end up in some kind of conflict with ever single real estate transaction, then the common denominator is…wait for it…YOU!  Figure out what you do, every single time, that upsets your clients so much that sometimes they just outright fire you.  You need to do this; you need to know it and you need to FIX IT.  Meaning fix YOU, not them.  I you’re a narcissist you’ll blame it on them and ultimately you will fail at being a real estate agent.  There are no secrets in real estate; it’ll get around the your are a tasmanian devil.

If your modus operandi is to start pushing your clients to do things your way, you are wrong wrong wrong.  You work for them.  NOT the other way around.   Show some respect, get to know their fears and stressors and try to HELP them.  If you can’t do that, you are in the WRONG business.

Notice I’m not talking about logistics.  New agents have to learn the ropes, post classes.  The real world is not what you learn in class.  The PEOPLE part isn’t taught because it’s complicated.  I’m not sure why people rush to be real estate agents, because many fail at it, but if it’s all about money…too bad.  There’s more to it than that.  You need to know yourself, and learn to read people.  It helps to study age cohort influence on behavior.  That is golden.  It will help you a LOT if you actually study it.

Let’ talk about social media.  First LinkedIn has become an ad spot.  So I ignore it now.  People do not shop for homes on Facebook; are you kidding me?  If someone wants to connect with me it’s for the sole purpose of loading my inbox with ads.  Nope, not gonna happen.  You can tell people you are a real estate agent and they will promptly ignore you.  There are tens of thousands of such messages out there.  Post cards? What do you do with the ones YOU get?  I toss them, ESPECIALLY the narcissistic huge ones.  Those go in the bin first.  Pop-bys?  That’s a 20 year old concept.  Doesn’t work.  MAKE CONNECTIONS, PEOPLE.  And THEN give a gift if you like.  

By the way, I said social media is not effective; I did not say the internet isn’t.  MOST clients go online.  I’m going to say 99%.  So definitely have a website, and please, remember it is for business, not tictok, not Onlyfans, not look at me look at me.  Be a professional, a leader…but only if you want actual clients.  No way I’m hiring you if you’re probably going to hit on my spouse.  There, I said it.  And some people are not impressed by expensive, matching handbags and shoes.  They’re gonna imagine themselves not being able to afford those things and giving their money to YOU so YOU can afford them.  See how this works?

And listen, the minute I figure out I’m a JOB to you, or I’m on your checklist?  You’re out.  In other words, be genuine.  Does this take time?  Yes.  News flash: You’re going to have to put in the work. Don’t treat clients like homework.  They will know.  

Wanna chat about this?  I’m with Coldwell Banker Advantage at 919-210-6113.  

We live in an age of DON’T YOU DARE STEREOTYPE.  In case you were wondering.  But somehow picking on older people is okay?  No, it is not.

It seems baby boomers have been discovered by a new generation, one who never knew anything about boomers until now and hey, we need a new group to bash.  Plus, the name is kinda cool, because creativity was alive in the age of the boomers.  Younger buyers have a letter. But let’s say it, let’s make fun, let’s attack, let’s act like all boomers are 90 years old and have no value.  That’s stereotyping and it’s also wrong.

I just saw a headline about ‘younger buyers’ wanting baby boomers to redecorate.  Deep breath.  Calming down.  Don’t tell other people to redecorate.  You’re not shopping DECOR.  Your agent should tell you that, unless they are inexperienced and not good at their job.

First:  Younger buyers have no business telling anybody else how to decorate their home.  I dare anybody to come in my house and tell me to redecorate.  Wow.

Second:  Who made you an interior design specialist? Stacking stuff on the floor and building a colorless, characterless home is not decorating.

Third: Do NOT dare to tell anybody how to live their cultural social existence.  As long as they are not chasing you around with big old knives or shooting at you, it’s NONE of your business. 

Let me clue you in on real estate wisdom, younger buyers.   You are not buying decor.  You are buying real estate.  If you do not have the ability to look beyond some else’s decor, maybe you should wait a while before you try to buy a house, because you are shopping decorations and that’s not actually ‘home buying’.  In case you were wondering.  

I get it.  Jewel tones and dark red paint are out out out.  SO buy some PAINT.  And if you don’t know how, well I just don’t know what to tell you: It’s not rocket science.  I did rocket science; this ain’t it.  But if you absolutely can’t do it, then ask the seller to make a concession so you can HIRE someone.

And let me also say, boomers who ARE on the front of the generation, might just tell you to kiss off, only in more colorful language.  Boomers don’t whine and cry.  They hit back.

You know, insulting an entire group of people out loud, in print, is wrong, unless you are God and I’m thinking you’re definitely not.  Real Estate agents writing articles, I’m calling YOU out on this.  Boomers  might want to block all ‘younger buyers’ from viewing their homes.  And it is your job to encourage your buyers to ‘look at the bones’.  And if they like the house, for God’s sake, don’t insult the sellers.

This is the most important bit of information:  EVERY generation of sellers AND buyers has its own needs, behaviors, goals.  New agents, you CANNOT treat older buyers like they are dumb and out of touch.  They are nuclear physicists, doctors, attorneys, scientists.  Don’t insult them; rather, learn how to RELATE to them.  Insulting them should NEVER be done.  Never.  Chances are you can’t hold a candle to their body of work and life.  

I’m incredulous about that article.  Incredulous.  It’s an out loud, in print sign of stupidity and lack of professionalism.