Remember that old Paul Maisson wine ad? The tagline was "We'll sell no wine before it's time."' This was, of course, parodied in numerous comedy skits, where the comeback was "It's time, it's time!" However, anyone who's ever made homemade wine knows that fresh made wine is virtually undrinkable; hence, the wisdom of the famous line...
This has application when considering calling expireds from the MLS hot sheet. It's tempting to call as soon as the time is up. Expireds are hot prospects who want to sell. They are low handing fruit. But, is it time to call as soon as they hit the list?
The problem is timing. Take careful note here, most agents are picking the fruit before it's ripe. Repeat after me, "I will pick no fruit before its time." What happens when you join hundreds of your fellow agents all jumping at and reaching for the same apple? You get trampled. You get frustrated. You get lost in the crowd.
What's worse, you incur the wrath of the homeowners who wanted to sell their home quickly but didn't. They may be angry and feel that the last agent didn't perform. They have that bad sour apple taste in their mouth. They need to get another agent to do the job but the timing isn't right. Some 15 to 25 agents a day may be calling so a bunch of agents are jumping, reaching and clawing, for one apple that's not ready to be picked or enjoyed...yet.
Expired listings are a perfect target for agents because these are people who've proven that they want to sell and move. Actually, I believe if you approach expired listings the right way, you can make a darn good living on them and them alone. The key is to WAIT! Wait and let the fruit ripen before you start picking. Let homeowners get their bearings back. Let the wound heal. Then make your call.
For additional information and guidance on this topic we have posted an article on our website entitled "Picking the Ripe Apple" for you to review.
Commitment for the Week:
Show us your commitment by commenting with your thoughts, plan and deadline below!
Make A Commitment: I will be patient when following up with Expired listings.
Deadline: _________
Labor Day marks the end of summer. In many places, this summer was cooler than usual, which makes it harder to believe than usual that it is all over.
In the old days, when real estate was "normal," fall marked the beginning of a slower season. Many buyers gear their housing purchases to the school schedule. This year, with the first time homebuyer's credit, part of the target market is families buying their first home. Eagerness to get the credit may supercede the desire to wait for a school break! This means a couple busy fall months for agents.
For agents who don't particularly target first time buyers, the tax credit time line is not so important. Mautr eadults, singles, investors, relocated buyers buy all year round. What is crucial is gearing up for a great fourth quarter. No matter what your real estate year has been like, it's still possible to close it out on an upbeat note.
Sometimes things strike you funny but they are so true. As I was reporting some of the span comments that are plentiful on Active Rain these days, I noticed this gem among the nonsense the makes up these comments.
Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality
What do you do with milk? You drink it, you spill it, you keep it too long and let it spoil and throw it out. No matter how delicious it is, especially when teamed with chocolate cake, you seldom ever think of it after it's gone. It's the cake you remember.
Cheese, on other hand, is memorable. Though originally milk, cheese is fermented , processed, and aged through a little art, a little science to become a delicious food product in its own right. Cheese wins blue ribbons at county fairs and adds a unique flavor to many prized dishes. Even kids want their fluorescent mac and cheese to be the cheesiest.
So what do you want to be in you personal and professional life? Milk or cheese? A flash in the pan or someone with integrity that stands for something?
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
Henry Ford
I ran a variation on this blog in January. Now it's September. Summer is gone, the kids are back in school, and a whole crop of buyers are realizing that the $8,000 first time buyers credit might be for them. Fall can be slow for agents in some markets, but not this fall.
Can you believe it? Two thirds of the year has passed. Time flies when you're having fun! Now is the month that's a peak in our lives where we can view the year so far and be hopeful that the future will be better. Things are picking up in many areas. So we have to pick up our paces and make the best of the year.
If this year has been mediocre so far, take time to write down why and learn from your answers. Then focus on next year. Use these five tips to get a great jump start:
For additional information and guidance on this topic we have posted an article on our website entitled "5 Ways to Jump Start Your Year" for you to review.
Commitment for the Week:
Show us your commitment by commenting with your thoughts, plan and deadline below!
Make A Commitment: I will remember this - It's a good thing to be busy in real estate!
Deadline: _________
Question: What happens when you put a couple of mortgage companies, a top real estate agent, a design firm, a major league coach, and 125 dedicated real estate agents in a room for 2 ½ hours?
Answer: You get an amazing Mastermind that leaves its participants with new insights into how top agents succeed!
On August 12, 2009, Alpha Mortgage, Cunningham and Company, Wilmington Design Company joined top Coldwell Banker agent Buddy Blake and me to present a Mastermind for top agents. Designed to give agents a renewed sense of focus, the program discussed topics like converting leads to customers, technology, what agents are doing wrong, and how to become the CEO of their business. Agents who attend the program at Wrightsville Beach, NC came away with valuable insight into how the top agents in the country are succeeding and with ideas of how they could put what they heard into practice at their own firms.
As founder and president of Corcoran Consulting & Coaching, an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching, and the implementation of sound business systems into agents' existing practice, I have coached the Top Agents & Teams for ReMax, Coldwell Banker, Keller Williams, Prudential and more. Living up to my nickname of "Dr. Wakeup" I pull no punches when I train agents to be successful. My real estate coaching team uses my proven methods to train real estate professionals reach the top of their production.
We are an international consulting company that specializes in Performance Coaching and the Implementation of sound business systems into the Brokers' or Agents' existing practice.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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