About Tippecanoe County, IN

As a business or just running as fast as you can hoping that it is working? I hope that your answer isn't the latter! As a trainer and coach for agents, too many times I discover that they know it is a business , try to set it up to run like one, but never quite get it. You can't build a beautiful well built home without a blueprint so what makes you think that you can build a successful real estate career without one?

My advice for 2010, get a business plan in place now and then write the action plan to work it successfully. Be realistic and don't set your goals so high you can't attain them, but do aim high enough to reach them. Start with how much money you want to make, how much did you make this year..Now if you want to make the same amount of income or more income, then figure out what you need to do. Are your expenses going to be the same or have they changed. Do you need to run mean and lean or are you able to spend more next year... All important questions to ask your self.

If you have never done a business plan, find out where you can go to learn how to do one. I know Keller Williams offices around the country are holding one day courses, anyone can attend, check in your area.

You know the buyer who after you closed with them and put your check in the bank, you just went on to the next client and forgot all about them. We call these orphans and are easy pickens for that next savvy agent who is smart enough to keep in touch. According to the latest NAR 2008 "Profile of Buyers and Sellers", 43% come from being referred to you by a friend who used your services. Someone you worked with that was happy with your service. So what does that tell us?. Maybe we should spend a lot more time on the clients who we already made happy rather than spending alot of money ontrying to find new clients. 11% used the same agent that they had worked with before. I bet these agents didn't let them forget who helped them either buy or sell their last home.

NAR also reported that 67% of the buyers only meet with one agent before choosing who they want to work with. So they said it is the first one to the table, not the agent's company. Great news for my company, Keller Williams, as JD Powers said we were for the second year in a row number #1 for working with buyers. You rock Keller Williams Lafayette.

Stop complaining..Today at the last day of the Keller Williams Mega Camp, I got to hear the most amazing young woman, Liz Mathews. You might have heard of her, they did a movie of her young life. "Homeless to Harvard" She has appeared on Oprah,, 20/20 did a 30 minute segment on her. Liz doesn't want our pity, she has moved on in her young life. But I have to wonder if it was "I" who had her life, would or could I have done what she did. Can you imagine being home less, for 2 years, at the young age of 15, living on the subway, while going to day school, night school and even school on Saturday's? How about maintaining an 4.0 average while doing it.

Liz also said that while she grew up hungry, poor and living on the streets, she came from a loving family. She knew her mother loved her, but she also knew her mother was sick.

She graduated from Harvard, with love and grateful for her life. She only asked today that we do our part in society. To reach out to others because if her teacher didn't reach out to her as her mentor , if the New York Times had not given her a scholarship to Harvard and if her friends and the strangers did not reach out to her after hearing her story, she might not be the person she is today. I am grateful that I got a chance to see and hear her today. Liz MAthews..."you are an awesome young lady"

Just saw a news feed that announced that Keller Williams was rated number one for working with buyers.

Not bad for a company who only a few years ago, didn't even register. Read on;

J.D. Power and Associates is best known for their ratings on cars, electronics and other products. But for the past two years, they have also rated the top real estate brokers. In the study released this summer, Coldwell Banker was the top-rated agency for home sellers, and Keller Williams was the top rated agency for buyers. The 2009 Home Buyer/Seller Study includes more than 3,100 evaluations from 2,801 respondents who bought or sold a home between April 2008 and June 2009. The study was fielded between April and June 2009.

So next time you are thinking about buying a home call a Keller Williams agent, they get the job done. In LAfayette Indiana it's the Keller Williams Signature Partners office located right behind Lowes on 26.

Good News....according to Indiana Association of Realtors Tippacanoe County is not doing too bad. In 2008 Tippecanoe County had 222 closed sales in the month of July. This year we had 199, a 10% difference. Compared to the rest of the state , not bad in this economy. Tippecanoe Counties average sales price dropped from $130,000 to $122,000. Overall the state as a whole only saw a 6% decrease in our home sales. Not bad..