Bluffton, SC

I suppose like many men who are avid sports fans, I have periodically fantasized a life as a sportswriter. I've pictured myself many a time sitting in the press box wearing an old rumpled tweed sports coat and a crooked dirty hat chomping on a cigar and leaning to the reporter next to me saying something like "Sanders is dropping his right shoulder early. 20 bucks says he doesn't make it through the third."

I had my chance to play sports writer last Saturday when I attended my first University of South Carolina Beaufort Sand Sharks game. My wife, Pam Cooper Hoel, a USCB faculty member, has volunteered for the past few games ( I had always found some reason to be otherwise engaged), with many members of the faculty, student body and community, to run the whole show at the Richard Gray baseball complex in Hardeeville where the Sand Sharks will finish this season and eventually, perhaps next season, compete on a beautiful new diamond to be built on the USCB Bluffton campus.

I joined Pam Saturday as a ticket taker and after a few problems making change I was politely invited by Pam and others to go watch the game for awhile. And what a game! I was standing next to a community volunteer passing out programs, a real fan who knew the team well. It was the bottom of the third inning when the opposing Florida Memorial Lions were leading 3 to 2. My friend commented that the Sand Sharks had gained a reputation over the season for scoring runs in huge bunches. On cue, the Sharks got eight straight hits and by the end of the inning, the score was 13 to 2.

The Sand Sharks went on to win that game, the first of a doubleheader, by the score of 21 to 11. Hitters may be a bit ahead of pitchers at this stage of a baseball player's career but it made for exciting baseball nevertheless. It was also astounding to watch how well the Sand Sharks had been coached; wonderful infield play, base running and hitting the cut off men just right. This is good baseball.

I wish we'd stayed for the second game which the Sand Sharks won on a walk-off triple entering the bottom of the last inning trailing 5 to 4. They won 6 to 5 and have won their last 10 games.

I also saw, I believe, an almost triple play. I'm really not a very good reporter and was talking to the crowd around me when I looked up to see the catcher pick up what was either a bunt or a dropped third strike with opposing Lion base runners already on first and second. In any event, the catcher threw out the batter about the time he was approaching first base while the runner who had left for second returned late and was tagged out an instant later. Amidst this chaos of three players tangled up at first base, the first baseman saw the Lion runner on second streaking towards third and fired a perfect throw just missing a tag out.

While the game was exciting, what struck me was the faculty, community and team involvement in bringing great baseball to our community. For those who still believe that university faculty members are stuffed shirts (I live with one by way who dramatically disproves the point), attend a game and witness the genuine camaraderie and dare I say, rowdiness, of this group. It was always a mystery to me why about six years ago Hardeeville built a baseball complex with four fields, two of which are full major-league dimension parks. In fact it was during the period when Hardeeville was attempting to establish its image as the "Emerald City" of the south and one of the City's strategies was to draw a minor league team to the area. The Emerald City plans have stalled a bit, but things are moving in the right direction. And USCB's energy and enthusiasm has certainly helped.

Three of those fields have not been maintained by the way, but the Sand Shark field is in beautiful condition and making it so is a story in itself. I understand that many from the University, including head coach Rick Sofield, his coaches and the players themselves were all involved in grading, sodding, mowing and generally pulling it all together to put this ball park in top notch shape.

At one point during the game I had the chance to talk to USCB Athletic Director Kim Abbott who is one of those people with a perpetual positive attitude and smile who convinces one in a moment that athletics at USCB will continue to thrive. Unfortunately, we couldn't talk too long. A foul ball down the left-field line went over the fence and as Kim was running from me to chase it down, she yelled back that we need every one of these. The Sand Sharks apparently don't yet have a budget comparable to the Yankees.

To top things off, USCB's Chancellor Jane Upshaw, who has done everything and anything to turn a former swamp into a now thriving University, added another line to her vita by singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch. I always get nervous for a "volunteer" for this assignment. I've seen too many embarrassing seventh inning stretches at Wrigley Field I suppose. But I needn't have been concerned. The Chancellor pulled it off in style. Harry Carey would have been proud.

Well back to business. I'm a Realtor, among other things, and I suppose I need to tie this back to marketing my wares in some way. Here's all I'll say. To anyone who reads this who has shoveled snow or scraped ice off a windshield sometime in the past month, my recommendation is to sell your home and move to Beaufort County -- immediately. The Sun Conference baseball playoffs start on May 7.

This is a post from one of my other Blogs, "Finding Work in Tough Times"' http://jobsintoughtimes.blogspot.com, but the message has universal value for those who want to build their real estate business the "old-fashion" way, by calling people and asking for their business.

Find Opportunities Your Competition Doesn't Even Know Exist

I don't have the statistics, but my experience in the business world has taught me that many if not most of the jobs you would like to have aren't even posted on all of the sites we spend so much time scanning on the internet. Why is this?

1. Companies are always in the process of assessing their needs and positions are available long before the "posting" process is completed.
2. Many companies first look internally to find the right person for a position. But this doesn't mean the company is wedded to this process if the right applicant from the outside catches someone's attention.
3. Many businesses don't really know their staffing needs but can be taught by an aggressive job applicant.
4. Businesses are always on the look-out for talent that adds real value. One who impresses might just cause a company to create a position and figure out just how you can help later.
5. Timing is a curious thing. You may just catch someone's attention the day before a position is scheduled for posting.

The bottom line is that any business in this environment is always looking for real talent. The key is to show someone you have it before others do.

Many years ago, I left a law firm that specialized in litigation and decided to take that experience and look for a position as an in-house corporate attorney. I was fortunate because one of my best friends was a recruiter and also had a big heart. He truly thrived on helping people. In fact he always had a few extra desks at his office where he would let friends work while looking for a job. I called Bill and told him what I was looking for and he told me to stop in the following Monday.

When I arrived, I honestly expected Bill to hand me a list of companies who were looking for people with my experience and say something like, "I've spoken with these folks and they'd like you to call and schedule an interview."

This is not what happened. Instead, Bill pointed to a desk and told me I could use it, the phone on it, and a book sitting there listing information about all of the companies in the Chicago area. Surprised, I asked, "Well, what do I do with it?"

Bill didn't hesitate, "You go through it, make a list of all the companies that would be large enough to employ in-house attorneys. Then get the name and number of the person in the company at the highest level who will make the final decision on hiring an attorney. If the company has an in-house staff, get the name and number of the General Counsel. If it doesn't yet have an in-house attorney, but is large enough to need one, get the name and number of the President."

"And then what," I stammered.

"Call them," Bill said and walked away.

Over the course of the next couple of days, I very reluctantly did make a list, obtained the right names and numbers to call, in some cases calling the main number to get that person's name and number. I spent a lot of time doing this, pushing off the inevitable moment when I would need to pick up the phone and actually call these people.

When I'd completed the list, I asked Bill what I should say. He told me I would figure it out along the way but to essentially tell the person briefly who I was, what I had done, why I could be of value to his or her company and ask to make an appointment to see them.

Scared straight, I wrote out my "pitch" and started calling the smallest companies on the list first. I'll talk tomorrow about some of the results of these calls in more detail and the benefits of even a flat out refusal to take the call, though there were few.

But to make today's point, over the course of a week, my confidence in delivering my proposal increased and my fears lessened but never flat out left me. Eventually I got to the big companies and at the very end of the day on Friday, I called the General Counsel of one of the largest companies headquartered in the Chicago area, a Fortune 100 company with a global presence.

The General Counsel was not in, but the receptionist was nice enough to put me through to the Assistant General Counsel. I told him who I was, what I had done and why I could help his company. Expecting a "send me a resume" response at best, I got a surprise.

"This is quite a coincidence," the Assistant General Counsel said, "I have had this proposed advertisement for an attorney on my desk for three days for approval and was going to send it to Human Resources to place in the papers on Monday. Frankly, your background doesn't sound like an exact fit but call Mr. Brown on Monday and set an appointment to see him. I'll let him know you will be calling. Have a nice weekend."

I won't describe the emotions that I experienced after that call but will tell you that I called Mr. Brown on Monday and eventually got the job.

I framed the title of this post as a question because I'm not certain I have the answer. I have ideas however, and would invite others from around the world to comment. I'm certain that many of the factors impacting our market, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, South Carolina, are similar to those affecting other markets, and yet we all likely have our own unique problems.

Let me start by talking a bit about why our southern resort location was touted as one of the best real estate markets in the country several years ago. At least that's what we, here, were saying. The economy was moving along smartly; baby boomers looking for second homes and eventually to retire were to be leaving on the next train from the north for our beautiful year-round climate; cash flow was still available for investors; and even at the peak, many of us said (me included) that compared to other resort communities, Miami, for example, our resdiential real estate was still undervalued. And Bluffton prices were, on average, 20% lower than prices on Hilton Head Island.

And then everything went the wrong way. It's complicated, but let's face it, we learned once again, that home prices can't go up for ever and yet, the whole economy was tied to that fantasy. Arguments will go on for years about Wall Street greed and corrupt CEO's, etc. but to blame our current global economic problems on these factors alone is a bit like blaming an air plane crash on gravity. The real genesis of our global problems was that people chose and, yes, in some cases were improperly drawn, into buying homes they could only afford if prices kept going up and they could continue to pay with equity drawn from those very homes. Couple that with the ability to lend with no money down and a statement that "I have a business but little income" and that mysterious pool of global investment money, always looking for places to put it for the right return, saw American housing as one of the last best remaining spots to invest. This global pool of money logically welcomed the system here that would lend easily,draw equity from homes after intial loans, package them up in neat investment securities and sell them. We were off to the races.

This all started with a noble idea - everyone in our country should have the opportunity to own a home. Gravity, and a regulatory system that couldn't or wouldn't keep up, took it from there.

So where are we:

1. Prices in our area have declined by as much as 40%, in some locations more. If we argued that there was good value three years ago, nobody can say there isn't good value now. The fact that no one can say for certain how low prices will go certainly keeps some buyers on the sidelines, but for first time home buyers, or investors in for even a "short" long haul, a buy today will be a good investment at some point in the future.

2. Folks up north can't sell their homes in order to be able to move to the land of milk and honey in the Lowcountry. The trains south have been derailed for the time being. But this has been a big factor from the beginning of the downturn here. The baby boomers are holding their ground.

3. Loose, reckless lending practices have swung way too far in the opposite direction and I have heard that many potential buyers, even with excellent credit, can't get loans without in some cases 40% down payments.

4. But the most significant problem, from my vantage point, is just plain fear. How can I buy a home, even at fire sale prices, when I'm just not sure I'll have a job tommorw. I think this is the biggest factor and yet the most difficult to tackle in the short term.

It would seem logical to tackle the jobs problem first and there is no doubt it needs to be addressed, but the best way out in my view is to go back to the root cause and step by step solve the problem that started this mess, clear up the foreclosures and get banks lending on reasonable terms. From there confidence will return and gravity will lose some of its pull.

These are thoughts from one not too well versed in the details of finance and credit default swaps and other devices that simply created more opportunities to "buy into" a fantasy; so I welcome comments from others who undoubtedly understand this better than me, here in the Lowcountry and elsewhere.

Here is an excert from my Blog, "Finding Work in Tough Times" http://jobsintoughtimes.blogspot.com/

This is a pretty simple story to stress a very important point in any endeavor.

I was married in college and my wife and then one year old daughter, Jenifer, needed to find a plagh timesce to live during my senior year. I saw an ad in the paper for an apartment that offered a tremendous discount on rent for a resident who would also take on the responsibility for maintaining the grounds. It was a big complex and mowing the lawn in itself was a challenge.

But, we were poor students and I jumped at the opportunity. I did what the many other interested renters did. I called the number on the ad and told an answering service of my interest. The woman on the line politely told me that she would take my number and I should expect a call. She also mentioned that many others had called for the same reason.

When I got off the phone, I thought that I had probably already missed my chance. I was young though, 20, and I didn't over think things too much. I was more prone to act impulsively and I really wanted and needed this. So without much thought, I drove to the complex and started walking around the perimeter of the grounds. Eventually, a man saw me and came over to see just who was trespassing on his property.

I introduced myself and explained that I was very interested in the resident maintenance position and always liked to understand any job I applied for in as much detail as I could. I didn't know that I was talking to the owner until he introduced himself and told me he had received a number of calls and would make a decision by the end of the week. I said that would be great and did he mind if I could call him directly during the week if I had any questions. He somewhat reluctantly gave me his number and I ended the conversation by nervously telling him that "I want the job and will do a great job for you". I explained that my father had a true "green thumb" and I had learned to love taking care of yards as well. I confess that this was perhaps a bit of a stretch since, in my earlier years, Dad usually had all he could do to get me out of bed on Saturday mornings to help in the yard.

Despite my fears, I did call the owner everyday that week to both ask a question and tell him again how much this would mean to my family. Finally on Friday, he called me and asked me to stop by. When I approached him a little later at the complex, he had an unreadable expression on hi s face and I thought that perhaps I'd pushed too hard. He then spoke with a somewhat exasperated tone, "Son, if you work as hard at this job as you have at getting it, it's yours. I like your persistence."

The lesson is obvious and every old school sales person knows it - get in front of the "customer" and ask for the sale. You can't do this very well on the internet. In the next few entries, I'll elaborate on ways that this simple truth still applies today and can be employed in today's high-tech age.

A final bit of advice - buy an old paperback copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. Read a chapter or a few pages a day and when you are done, start over again, and again. . . . Getting a job is about people and how you relate to them.

I havent't given up on real estate, not by a long shot, but over the years I have had many jobs and learned some valuable lessons and techniques for setting oneself away from the crowd in job searches. Many of the principles apply to building a real estate business. So I've created a separate blog to help those who are looking for work in today's difficult environment. Your are welcome to take a look -

http://jobsintoughtimes.blogspot.com/

Here's the first entry:

Do You Really Want to Find a Job?

I have had many jobs in my life - lemonade stands, Evanston Review delivery boy, newspaper deliverer, golf caddie, an egg route (yes we delivered eggs door to door but did so more gently than with the newspapers), summer camp maintenance and kitchen crew worker, camp counselor, lifeguard, bookstore salesperson, bartender, gauze factory packer, night shift movie theater cleaner, lumber yard truck loader, janitor, hod-carrier, electrician apprentice, taxi-cab driver, hospital pharmacy technician, cardio-pulmonary technician, teacher, law-clerk, attorney in private practice, in-house corporate counsel, international attorney in Hong Kong, real estate Broker/Realtor, Master's Degree instructor, adjunct college professor, hotel front desk clerk, photographer, freelance writer and more.....

I've lost jobs, been re-hired at some, quit and left some for personal reasons to seek a better opportunity. From the haywire career path above, you might think that I haven't really found my "passion" in life quite yet. This blog is not really about job passion though it will talk about the need to have a passion for life. It is primarily designed to share some lessons and a large bag of tips and tricks that I've picked up over the years during my own job searches.

I've read most of the popular books about finding one's true passion and certainly do believe in the old-adage that "if you find something you love to do, you'll never work a day in your life." You may not want to, or have the luxury these days, to spend the time creating the intricate charts designed to identify the perfect career for you; you, like many, just need to find work. If you want to spend the time first looking for that niche that best fits your personality, I'd suggest that you talk to your 5 closest friends and/or former employers and ask them candidly what they see as your strengths and weaknesses, what your good at doing and areas you may want to steer clear of. This will do for now.

This blog is going to tell some stories of persistence and good luck and share a wide range of techniques and strategies that I've picked up over the years on how to stand out from the crowd. If you are content sitting in front of the computer all day and submitting resumes with well-crafted and moving cover letters, this may not be the blog for you. If you are interested in more aggressive and unique approaches, read on.

I also want everyone to know that I am at this point in my career looking for a particular job myself. But this blog is not intended to be a job searching tool of my own. It is not a way to market myself for this position. In fact, I'm not going to even mention the goal I have in mind. But I will commit to everyone that I will follow every bit of advice that I give to you and hope to learn more from readers' comments.

You have probably gathered from the above job history that I've been around for awhile. Much of what I talk about here has been gathered from various sources - good friends, great books, advisers, mentors and free spirits. Much of this information has become part of my own life philosophy and at times it will be hard to fairly attribute a specific piece of advice to a single source. But I'll try my best to do so.

Finally, I have had a great deal of help in my life overcoming struggles, self-doubt and landing in positions I never dreamed possible. Many of those who have aided me in my journey are no longer with us. My goal here is to offer the help I can to those who are struggling today. It's a form of pay-back to the many who've helped me along the way.

I welcome comments, questions and requests for specific topics.

Tomorrow - "My Greatest Lesson."