Craig Zuber

In real estate, communication goes much deeper than telling people what you want them to know. It’s not about interrupting to get your point across or broadcasting an uninterrupted stream of information. In real estate, communication means LISTENING.

True communication goes both ways. It is not a one-way barrage. If you want to be heard, start by making a real effort to understand what the other person is telling you, whether they’re saying it in words or nods or stony silence. Why? Because unless they trust you and believe that you care about their side of the story, they will tune you out no matter what you say or how you deliver it.

In every real estate interaction, the formula for real communication is: A.L.L. or nothing—Ask, Listen, and Learn.

Ask questions for clarity and listen to the answers instead of assuming you’ve heard them right.

If you say to me, “I’ll meet you tomorrow at six o’clock p.m.” Does that mean at your house or at my office? If you don’t specify and I don’t ask, how will we know? I mean, I could assume you must mean your house because we plan on meeting about the listing, but whose fault is it if I show up at your house at six o’ clock p.m. & you are waiting for me at my office? We’re both responsible, and we both suffer the inconvenience of not having that meeting. And all it would have taken to clear everything up was five seconds to ask one simple question. The true real estate professional makes sure there is 100% complete understanding before walking away or hanging up.

So, in rethinking communication, we’re establishing that it’s not about telling people what you think they need to know or do. It’s about finding out what they want. It’s about listening.

Craig Zuber- Story #20 of 100 over the next 100 days

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Unrelenting Real Estate Truth

Deep down, people want the truth. Yes, of course they want quality & service & value & entertainment …

But above all, they want someone that they can trust.

… and if they don’t, why would you want to do business with them?

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#19 of 100: Clark, We Can't Sell The Home With Cousin Eddie Here

A house in disarray increases stress, depletes energy & is downright overwhelming. When a potential buyer walks into a home for the first time, and every room looks like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation just moved in and brought all his knick knacks with him, they will not be able to envision how their belongings or themselves will fit into that space and the sale will be lost at the door.

The 73 magnets on the refrigerator, the 27 magazine subscriptions, the two extra couches that you didn’t need but couldn’t resist at the garage sale down the street two years ago, the 33 cookie jars that you painted, the 19 plants on little stands placed in every room of the house, every family portrait taken over the past years … including the one of you in your nightie with a whip, and your husband in handcuffs … it all needs to go!

Hire a truck or storage shed and remove everything. That's right; take everything out the front door that you’re not using every day & open the space up & create some positive energy & harmony throughout the home!

Removing clutter will reduce stress & increase your chances of selling the house 100:1

That anxiety, stress and angst is not what you want the potential buyer to feel when they walk through the door. The buyer needs to be able to see their furniture throughout the house and feel as though they could embody the space with comfort.

Seriously sellers, if your real estate agent isn’t coaching you to remove the clutter that is creating so much stress & chaos throughout the house … don’t hire them! And the same goes for you REALTORS, sellers that aren’t willing to listen & cooperate & continue to make excuses … don’t take the listing!

You only get one shot at a first impression … so before you list the home for sale or set up any open houses … eliminate all excuses, remove the clutter, remove the stress & highly increase the chances of selling the home.

Craig Zuber- Story #19 of 100 over the next 100 days

100 Stories 100 Days

Unrelenting Real Estate Truth

Deep down, people want the truth. Yes, of course they want quality & service & value & entertainment …

But above all, they want someone that they can trust.

… and if they don’t, why would you want to do business with them?

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#18 of 100: Are You A Trusted Real Estate Advisor or Annoying Salesperson

As a real estate professional, you have a responsibility to educate your clients. That does not mean you bore them with long stories about yourself that nobody on this planet gives a flying crap about; the idea is to help them understand what they need to know about the real estate market to make decisions that are in their best interest.

Keep in mind that you are suppose to be the expert, not them—that’s why they need you. You are supposed to have the background and know the ins and outs of the industry—not them. It’s your job to help them get comfortable enough to move forward with confidence—or to decide not to move forward if that turns out to be a better decision for them.

In the real estate business, we sell our services every day. We work with clients who might only buy or sell 2 -3 houses in their entire lives. Unless they’ve done their research, they may not even know what escrow is, or what a short sale is. They don’t know what they don’t know, so a big part of our service—and the main reason our service is so valuable—is educating them about what they need to know to take part in the game. Buying or selling a house can be a complicated process. It’s a decision they’ll have to live with for years to come, so we owe it to them to make sure they know what they’re doing and signing.

If you’re well educated and well informed, you are able to give your clients and prospects GREAT value without having to sell them anything. They can let down their guard and build a genuine relationship with you, completely free of any nagging obligations. So when it does come time to buy or sell, guess who they’ll turn to?

Let’s face it—we all avoid salespeople. Most people these days are suspicious of advertising and can smell a sales pitch coming a mile away.

But—we seek out trusted advisors.

Educating your clients is an indispensable part of the business relationship, and one that many, many REALTORS fail to take advantage of. So start doing your damn job! Learn everything you can that will equip you to be THE go-to resource for your clients, and pretty soon they will be asking for your help, instead of you having to close them!

Craig Zuber- Story #18 of 100 over the next 100 days

100 Stories 100 Days

Unrelenting Real Estate Truth

Deep down, people want the truth. Yes, of course they want quality & service & value & entertainment …

But above all, they want someone that they can trust.

… and if they don’t, why would you want to do business with them?

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#17 of 100: Why Recycling Cans is Better Than Being a Realtor

If you jump right in the first second you meet somebody and say, I’m a REALTOR! First of all, who on this planet hasn’t been a REALTOR at one time or another? Secondly, the public perception of real estate agents, more times than not, is related to being: Liars, Crooks, Worthless, Useless or a Joke.

Being a REALTOR is about building relations & connecting with people. So, when you meet someone for the first time, you need to start conversations off about them. How? By asking about their family, their occupation, their recreation, or their dreams. It’s called F.O.R.D.

F.O.R.D. – Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams

We talk about their family. I ask how their career is going, whether the economy has had an impact on them. If that doesn’t get much response I’ll go to recreation. “Do much skiing this year?” “Catching any fish these days?” “How about those Cowboys/Steelers/Broncos, etc.?” Or move on to dreams. “When was the last time you took a vacation? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Really? Why?”

It’s simple compassion. Succeeding in real estate means genuinely caring about the people you do business with. That does NOT mean you have to be best friends with every client or call them up and invite them to your house every weekend. It just means you take the time to settle in and focus. Tell a joke. Talk about the weather.

Engage your listener by opening up with something other than your message to see how they respond.

When someone who has never met me before, asks what I do for a my career … I always say: “I collect & recycle cans, you should see the new shopping cart I just got in my garage, it has awesome rims and rolls nice & smooth”.

I bet you’re asking, why in the hell would he tell anyone that?

Simple … because it’s unusual, it’s not boring, it’s unexpected and it usually gets a good laugh.

The funny thing about using this getting-to-know-you approach is that the conversation always leads back around to business and to what I really do, which is: Build relationships, provide out of this world service, connect with people, use creativity & communication skills for marketing strategies, negotiating & closing … Which all relates back to being a professional REALTOR.

… and now they can’t wait to start referring their friends, colleagues, family members etc.

Craig Zuber- Story #17 of 100 over the next 100 days

100 Stories 100 Days

Unrelenting Real Estate Truth

Deep down, people want the truth. Yes, of course they want quality & service & value & entertainment …

But above all, they want someone that they can trust.

… and if they don’t, why would you want to do business with them?

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#16 of 100: Why Should I Buy The First House You Showed Me

This is a question that gets asked a lot when you are a Professional real estate agent. Notice how I said Professional. Other agents get asked, why have you shown me 40 homes and we still haven’t found one that we like yet?

Getting back to the original question, Why Should I Buy The First House You Showed Me?

Because I Listen! Because I took the time to ask you very in depth questions! Because I cared about the answers you gave me! Because I spent lots of time getting to know you and your family: your needs, you wants, and your expectations. Because I wrote everything down, when I was insure, I clarified everything with you.

You are only going to purchase one property, right? Buyer: Yes!

Mediocre agents ask mediocre questions: price range, area, beds, baths & square footage (which usually return somewhere around 68 properties matching your criteria) … It’s confusing, it’s overwhelming, it causes frustration & chaos.

Professionals sit you down and ask: What are the most important qualities that you’re looking for in a home? They have the buyers create a wish list on a standard lined piece of paper, and have the buyers describe in detail their ideal property and how it makes them feel.

Maybe it’s the gourmet kitchen because of the weekly cooking classes you provide to your friends or the outdoor fire-pit, hot tub, park like setting, stamped concrete and covered patio because you entertain monthly. Maybe you need a separate game room with built in cabinetry & bar & sound proof walls because your husband hosts a weekly poker night. Whatever it is, a professional Realtor will help you pull all of the necessary information out … before charging off to look at properties that will piss you off in the end.

A professional will narrow your search down so finite that there will hardly ever be more than three to five properties that truly best describe your realistic expectations.

And it just so happens, that because they listened so carefully and spent so much quality time with you in the beginning … the one they decided to show you first, can magically happen to be the one you can’t live without!

Professional Realtors Produce Professional Results!

Craig Zuber- Story #16 of 100 over the next 100 days

100 Stories 100 Days

Unrelenting Real Estate Truth

Deep down, people want the truth. Yes, of course they want quality & service & value & entertainment …

But above all, they want someone that they can trust.

… and if they don’t, why would you want to do business with them?

Subscribe . Comment. Request Topics.

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#15 of 100: How Much Would You Pay For Your House Mr. Seller