Dustin A. Peters ... Northend & Gardens - Ocean City, NJ

Starting the Second Week of the IGNITE Workshop ... from Ocean City, New Jersey

Ignite is a 20-day morning workshop covered in four weeks to jump-start new and experienced real estate agents through the materials which are a part of the Keller Williams Realty, Inc. This particular workshop involving about 14 participants from the "Jersey Shore Market Center is headed by our Broker, Paul Chiolo. We have participants from our Wildwood Crest and Ocean City offices.

So we have covered five sessions: Rev Up, Your Database, Open Houses, Prospecting, and Accountability ... which is always a part of the Friday session. This work includes some outstanding materials with a 30-40 page booklet for each session plus required work before and after each session. This weekend all participants were involved in "Open House" efforts plus their regular input into their data base. Our "Lead Generating" activities have certainly been challenging as well.

For me, as an older and more experienced agent; I have enjoyed comparing what I was doing before with the expectations that Keller Williams is now placing on us as a part of IGNITE. I also enjoy the new experiences for the agents just getting started in real estate.

I hope many of the readers of this posting get an opportunity to participate in IGNITE. dap

Our "IGNITE" 20 Day Workshop Begins Tomorrow for about 15 agents in our Keller Williams Realty company in the "Jersey Shore" Market Center. As everyone knows, our national company is a teaching and learning one that goes the extra mile to provide agents with the right attitude and tools to do the job right. So even an old-timer like myself is looking forward to the challenge to try a few new ideas and pick up some additional skills to do the job even better than what I have been doing.

The other aspect of our "team effort" has been to involve about eight plus different agents in the instructional role in this endeavor. I have two sessions ... one on "open houses" and the other on "blogging." That is a very exciting factor in that so many different agents have volunteered to get involved in the instruction.

It is a mixed field of new agents to real estate, a lot of new agents to Keller Williams as we begin this process. The instruction in-house is also an effort to create a "bonding experience" for our total participating team. We are on the right track.

Finally, since our #1 Atlantic Avenue (Ocean City, NJ) office is still under renovation; about 6-7 of us will be making the daily drive to Wildwood (NJ) which is now (at present) our only area with enough space to hold the daily workshop. More details after a few workshop days. dap

I'm Back ... And if I did it right, Most of you wouldn't even know I was Away !!!

So I flew out of Philadelphia with my wife, Leslie, on February 9th to Tampa. We picked up a car and drove for a short time staying in a motel further north. We toured "the Villages" the next morning so that my wife could return while I was in my week-long workshop. That was interesting ... I arrived with some questions, leaving with some positive feelings - but still not entirely certain that would be the winter location for me. But we may stay there for a week next winter.

The annual "Keller Williams Family Reunion" was held in Orlando from Saturday through Wednesday. Along with seven of us from our south Jersey Shore Market Place, we had a great time. I was impressed with the fact that over 9,000 KW agents were in attendance. Generally, I stayed in workshop sessions through about 4:00 or 5:00 most days. These were great presentations which also included meeting a wide varitey of agents throughout the country. Of course, after reading Gary Keller's first two books; I attended every session that he had. I particularly enjoyed his first session (will cover this in future postings) and his last one where he interviewed four of the top KW agents in the country.

It was also a social gathering in that we spent a lot of time with our own group as well as meeting and talking with other KW agents. On Wednesday, my wife and I head south again staying with friends for several nights below Sarasota. We then continued north stopping to meet with several realtors (always talking about property) and arriving in Tampa.

We again met six more Ocean City people for a week-long cruise in the western Caribbean. That was the most relaxing portion of our trip. So we flew back to Philadlephia last night and drove back to Ocean City in time for the Oscars.

It's back to work for me today!!! dap

A very Long House Inspection ... from Ocean City, New Jersey

It started on 12/2/2011 and ended on 2/6/2012 ... that's a very fast time frame for many contracts ... but that's also about how long it took to complete the inspection issues which dominated the entire process. In fact, I felt that I had a second full time job throughout this process. So as I pack up and leave today for Florida to attend the Keller Williams "Family Reunion" - my first visit to a KW function, I realize that I haven't made an entry into my journal for most of January. My whole body feels an awful lot like the way our present agency renovation is looking. We have all relocated from the unfinished first floor to the finished second floor for a few months. But, for me, it is a great time to be away.

The inspection revealed a lot of issues that had never been addressed ever. And the original purchase price by the Seller was no where close to what this purchase price would be. Without going into great detail, we made it work ... but I suspect that it took its toll on everybody involved.

So I now get a bit of free, open and away time in a warm place away from what might be the worst month of this particular winter back in Ocean City, New Jersey. So stand by, and I will keep you posted on all my workshop information, etc. in the coming days in Florida.

dap

The Winter Weather in Ocean City New Jersey as reported from #1 Atlantic Avenue, OC, NJ

Everyone wants to know the weather forecast at the shore ... but that's mostly during the wonderful summer season. And, of course, we respond that "it's another lovely day in Ocean City (NJ) ... it will hit the high 80s today ... but with a wonderful ocean breeze to cool you off wherever you might be on the island."

But in the winter, we mostly just report that we are still all alive and well here on the barrier island in Cape May County, New Jersey. And when it snows, I like to let people know two important factors ... "just that we get some snow on the beach ... and that's right ... with so many absentee owners, no one has to shovel their sidewalks."

Well, let me give you one more interesting weather report for yesterday, January 24th: "it was generally warm all day long hitting the 60s in the afternoon." I started out with a winter coat and scarf for my morning trip to the office. By mid-day when I returned home, I changed into a light coat and no scarf. And just a bit later, I ditched the second coat as well. As that old song goes: "I love the winter weather ..." here in Ocean City, New Jersey. Wish you were here!!! dap