Kelowna, BC

Do you have a favorite hobby? How do you relax and unwind after a long day? What is "Life Giving" to you?

Even in a slower market like most of us are experiencing today, it is so very important to take time for oneself and recharge your personal battery! Trying to balance the life of a real estate agent, husband, father, friends and church to name a few leaves little time for myself. Can you relate? Being stressed out or overtired can lead to health issues and can even make it hard to focus on your tasks for the day!

Personally, I have a couple of hobbies that I thoroughly enjoy doing in what little spare time I have. The first is bowling! Initially, this started off as a kinda "goof off" thing to do with some of my buddies. I found myself starting to really get into it and wanting to learn about the technical aspects of the game. If you have ever bowled competitively then you know what I mean when I say this game can be really frustrating. Perhaps an analogy to the real estate industry might be in order in a future post?!

My second hobby is something that I call "life giving" and really does help me forget about the negatives of my day and that is...SHOPPING! Not the type of walking around a mall just for the sake of it, no I enjoy antique and bargain hunting at discount shops and my personal favorite...GARAGE SALES! There is something about the negotiations that take place in this type of shopping that get me pretty amped up. Besides, who doesn't like to get a deal and tell their friends about it? Specifically, I look for toys when I go out on one of my excursions. I have 2.1 children (.1 represents current size of our latest edition due later this year) and they love the toys that I find for them. Not to mention that they can play with them, lose interest and I typically resell the toy for more than what I paid for it by selling it at my own garage sale! I feel another real estate analogy coming on, "Buy low and Sell high!"

So what makes either of these hobbies of mine life giving to me? In the case of bowling it is the community that is there each night . You get to know people that may not meet elsewhere and stay up to date on their lives. Very similar to the community here on AR! On New Year's day I even witnessed a 300 game, that was a real treat. In terms of garage sale-ing as I call it, I love the negotiation process and trying to get a read on what people hope to get for their stuff. Suffice to say, I really enjoy it and that it is what really counts!

Sincerely,

Jason Neumann

Child - Daddy, which is it better to be a grownup or a child?

Father - Uhhhh...That is a great question son! I would say that being a grownup at times is better and then there are times that being a child is better!

Child - Why???

Father - Well, being a grownup means a lot of responsibility and having to make tough decisions. A child doesn't have to be concerned as much as they need to play and have fun everyday

Child - Okay Daddy!

To commemorate the inaugural blog post of this new group I thought I would share a conversation that I had tonight with my eldest son. He has a very keen sense as to how things work even as such a young boy. It is questions like these that keep me on my toes and remind me just what a huge responsibility I have with my wife in raising him. One day, one question at a time is what I try and remind myself.

Feel free to comment, share your own stories or simply enjoy reading this post as seen from a child's perspective!

Sincerely,

Jason Neumann

Have you ever looked for inspiration to start off your day?

Have you ever wondered what happened to your energy levels?

Have you ever lost that positive outlook on things?

Have you ever needed motivation but couldn't find it?

Have you ever thought that maybe you just can't do the business of real estate anymore?

If you answered yes to one, some or all of these then I have a humble suggestion on how to kick start your day! Write a list of seven truths about yourself in order to help you feel more like...YOU!!! Of course you can modify the list to be more or less than seven ultimately, you just need to sit down and write it out. Just write out that list as it will effect how you look at yourself and everything around you

I have included my list below as an example:

Seven Truths About Jason Neumann

•· I am the best at what I do! - If you don't believe it then how can others?

•· Sales come to me because of me! - Your reputation counts for something for sure!

•· I have no real enemies, just fear! - How many times has this monster reared its ugly head at me!

•· Centurion status is easily achievable! - You must have goal(s) to strive for no matter how big you dream!

•· I am a positively contagious person to be around! - Your personality draws people to you and that's why they will continue to do business with you!

•· Century 21 Assurance Realty is the best brokerage! - You must believe that you work for the best company in town or it will show in every one of your actions!

•· I begin and end each day a very successful Realtor ® ! - What's left to say here??? BELIEVE IT, ACHIEVE IT!!!

I read this list out loud to myself each day to get myself in the right frame of mind and get the juices flowing for the day! Notice that I said "out loud" because hearing is also believing! This is a simple little way to remind yourself that you are a successful agent! On another note I am big on spending time with my family and building those relationships stronger. As my best friend puts it..."I will always be a happy man if I have a wife that loves me and children that respect me!" Great words of wisdom and ones that I have taken to heart! The real estate business can beat a person up at times and make you feel less human if you let it. Don't let negativity or trials get in the way of being a success, rather rise up to the challenges of this industry and come out on top!

Write that list today and you just may find it was some of the best time you spent on yourself in a very very long time!!!

Sincerely,

Jason Neumann

The little BIG news for me personally in 2009.

Just before 2009 arrived my wife had some "news" for me on Christmas Eve morning, we would welcoming a new addition to our family. We had recently been discussing the idea of another child and then there was nothing left to discuss,LOL! Every child is a blessing and I can't wait to meet the newest addition to our already crazy family. She is due right around my birthday so I just may get the best birthday gift a father could ask for! Lots of rest and peanut butter blizzards from our local DQ are in order.

My other BIG news in 2009 is...

MARKET SHARE!!!

Historically, when real estate markets shift from "hot" to "cold and slow" is when the top agents gain the most market share. As a market tightens up and selling a home takes much longer and buyers seem to have all but disappeared...so do agents. The first wave of agents to drop by the wayside are typically the lowest producing ones and then agents who were close to retiring anyway. With less agents to compete with that means more potential business for you! Our local market is experiencing this exact thing right now and my intention is to capitalize in this and gain market share.

Here are some practicle ways I plan on achieving this goal:

• Call expired listings as they can be a gold mine for business (some restrictions may apply in your area).
• Spend your advertise $$$ wisely in order to maximize your ROI, Google and Facebook Ad words are a great way to reach a target market.
• Call your Sphere of Influence as you never know who they know that might be thinking of buying or selling.
• Network with other agents, idea sharing helps everyone (isn't that what makes ActiveRain so great!?!)
• Most importantly...Stay Positive! No one gets excited about Real Estate talking to a doom and gloom kind of agent!

Okay, enough talking about it...I have some calls to make!!! Thanks for reading this post and happy blogging!

Sincerely,

Jason Neumann

COMMUNICATION!!! (Sorry I yelled that out loud, I just wanted to illustrate my point!)

This word alone will revolutionize the way that your clients perceive and value you at the end of the day!

A Seller's Perspective- The #1 reason that any expired listing gives me for not renewing with their previous Realtor® is...lack of communication! I have heard this so many times that I decided I would call my Seller's once a week (typically after our office meeting) and do something really out there, talk to them! Crazy notion? Glutton for punishment? Not at all, usually the first words I hear from my Seller's is "Nice to hear from you!" or "Thank you so much for calling!" Instead of agonizing at the thought of having to answer questions as to why their house hasn't sold, I welcome it! Be sure and take the necessary time to arm yourself with market statistics and trends to help your Seller understand what is really going on in the marketplace. Interesting to note, that not once have I ever been told by a Seller that "You call me too much, quite bugging me!" By opening the communication lines you build a stronger relationship with your client and here's a shocker, loyalty too! The cold hard reality as to why certain agents grow their businesses and others sit on the sidelines and watch is due to poor communication skills. The old 80/20 rule applies here, where 80% of the business is done by 20% of the agents. Think about it for a minute, would a pro football team execute plays effectively if the coach, QB and the coaches watching from above didn't communicate well together?

My challenge to us all is simple, don't be afraid to talk to your Sellers about their concerns. You just may be surprised as to how good those conversations can really be.

A Buyer's Perspective- Buyers obviously require the effective communication skills of an agent as well. If a Buyer has questions about a particular neighborhood and you don't say much, then are you communicating? Buyer's like Sellers rely heavily on the professional and expert opinions that they come to expect from a Realtor®. The whole process of purchasing a home can be quite daunting, especially for a first time buyer. There are a multitude of questions to be answered (and re-answered a lot of times) to instill confidence in the Buyer that they are making the right decision. Let's not forget the dreaded "Buyer's Remorse" syndrome and now we have to put on our counseling hats on as well. These are the times when an agent really earns his or her keep and why communicating with Buyers every step of the way is so imperative. Same rule applies here as well, don't be afraid to answer the tough questions because that is what were there for after all. It is wise to discuss questions and/or issues you know will come up at some point before a Buyer even brings them to your attention. Also, if you are working with Buyers that are what I term " long term investments" then be sure and keep them up to date on everything that meets their search criteria.

Buyers want to know that you have their best interests at heart and the way to prove that to them is answering their questions with honesty and integrity.

A Parent's perspective - A simple but often ignored rule is to listen first and speak later! My mother and father instilled in me that I had two ears and one mouth for a reason. The math does tend to make sense when you apply it to everyday communication skills.

Thanks for reading this post and now go on and get out there and start talking to your clients!

Sincerely,

Jason Neumann