Kimberly Fowler

Growing your real estate business in Texas or any market. I work in Temple TX and Waco TX and the surrounding Texas towns. We are in one of the hottest real estate markets in the nation. I am excited to be a part of the bottom and I am looking forward to making it to the top. Some things that have blessed me in this business are things that I learned from some great real estate coaches, christian teachers and others. But the one trait that has helped propel me above the rest is my desire to help others.

I know a lot of really great Realtors and I believe we all have a desire to help others in this business. It is not all about the money, because most of us just barely get by and don't really make a lot of money in selling homes. Until you are in this field you have no idea how hard and yet fulfilling the job can be. That being said, I thought I would post a little about what I have learned in the last few months and years. I hope it will help someone in their business whether it is Real Estate or some other service industry.

F - Focus is key to your success. I want to encourage you to focus on yourself as a whole person. For instance for myself, I am Kimberly Fowler, Christian, Wife, Mother, Realtor, Daughter, Sister. I took a look at my entire life a Piece of Pie. I divided my life into the sections I just mentioned. I then looked to see how satisfied I am in each of these areas of my life. Once I focus on what I want to change or don't like about my life, I then focused on how I can benefit my life by changing my daily schedule to get the best out of each of these areas. If you were to see my pie. You would notice my slices are not divided equally. Because some things I desire to have more time invested and are more important to me than in others.

O- Others are more important than yourself.I hope I can get this point across to you the way I am thinking it. When I started thinking about helping others and looking to find people that needed something. I noticed a shift in my business and personal life. Each day I began with a new goal. Do my prospecting, followup, office work, etc. But I added this Secret Ingredient "Others"

I searched with each phone call and each appointment for that persons need. I looked to see what benefit I had to offer them. You know, what do I have they need. Is it a product, a service, a prayer, a smile, Hum, what? A Prayer? I know you may be thinking I am not doing this to find someone who needs a prayer or a smile or an encouraging word. I am in business to make a living.

Well, let me explain, I took the focus off myself and began looking for ways God is at work. Come on, you know God is always at work around us. Since I am a Christian and want that area of my Pie to grow, I began to look for why God brought me into that person life. Was it to sell their house. Was it to give them an encouraging word. Or did God allow me to go on that appointment just to see their need and pray for them. So my moral of making others more important than myself is that I took the focus off myself and that made me more desirable to that person and people liked it and now my business is growing.

C- Change daily if needed. Okay, I have learned to change with the flow. I schedule and project to follow my schedule. But I am in a people business and people are ever changing and their needs are always changing. In a perfect world nothing would change at the drop of a hat. But in this world, I have found you have to be able to change. Adjust your mind to know that sometimes you have to bounce when the ball bounces, jump when you don't want to jump, stop and listen when you need to go fast. Whatever the need. Just change and adapt to that need. Stop letting change rule your life. Begin each day with the expectation that you can and will adjust where needed. Simple. Just Do It. Stop Grumbling. Just Adjust!

U- Understand people needs. This goes for clients, family, friends. Always look to have a clear understanding of what the person needs or wants. When someone tells you something. You probably are not hearing the whole story. So seek to Understand and get to the bottom of the need. This requires asking lots of questions. Like, who, what, when, where type questions. This will show them you care, plus people like to talk about themselves. So give them a chance to express themselves. Ask questions to seek to understand.

S- Safety First.Besides the obvious, be safe, safety first also means know the laws. Know your contracts. Know your code of ethics and your licensing act and keep up to date on all classes that will help you to stay current on all legal issues. Become knowledgeable and look to protect your business and life.

WACO, TEXAS

McLennan County Seat, North Central Texas
I-35, US-77, US 84 and Hwy 6
22 miles E of Crawford
105 miles N of Austin
36 miles N of Temple
97 miles S of Dallas
87 miles S of Fort Worth
Population : 113,726 (2000

The Waco Texas area is a great community to buy and sell a home. Our McLennan County housing market has not lagged depressed like some of our neighboring states. However, it is sad that we do have some foreclosures in our area and they are foreclosing at a higher rate than in the years past.

A total of 147 properties have been posted to sell on the first Tuesday of this month, April 7th. So if you are an investor of this area, show up at the local McLennan Court House.

The National Association of Realtors stated last month that home sales have increased by about 5%. However, they also said it was due to the fact that homes are being sold by Realtors at a deep discount. More homes on the market at discounted prices means more buyers shopping for that one or more good buys.

With interest rates being at a all time low, since the history of our nation. I am surprised that more buyers are not out. I think it may because most media is not reporting that this would be a great time to shop for a home. That being said, as i watch my favorite new lady "Robin Meade" and of course my favorite stock channel. I have noticed a slight increase in some of their news, regarding the Real Estate industry.

I told my husband the other day. I am on the front lines. I am seeing more and more buyers in my two markets. Waco and Temple Texas. I am curious to see when the national news will catch up with what is actually going on in our community.

While sales in Waco rose in January and declined a little in February, we still have a pretty HOT market for the buyers in Central Texas. About 45 percent of sales nationwide are foreclosures or other distressed property sales, says the Realtors' group. Those properties typically sell for about 20 percent less than non-distressed homes.

So far in 2009, about 458 properties have been listed for foreclosure in McLennan County. That's up, according to the Waco Tribune Herald, from the 360 during the first four months of last year, when the county set a record with 1,110 foreclosure postings, according to some Forclosure services.

http://www.hillcrest.net/

Waco Hillcrest Medical Center.

I am so happy about the new hospital. The location is great and I believe it will be a great benefit to our community. Although the new hospital is located across town now along I 35. I thought you may find it interesting to know what was going to become of the old hospital location. Well, here's the rundown on what is hoped to be happening at the down town building.

Current functions that will remain include:

• a 29-bed inpatient rehabilitation center
• home health care
• hospice care
• sleep clinic
• some business office and medical records operations
• the Fentress Cancer Center, until another one is built at the new campus, a process likely to take two years.

I also hear that their may be a 20-bed skilled nursing facility that will serve people who are told they no longer need hospital care, but are not well enough to go home. There are dreams also of being an inpatient traumatic brain injury program, and also a program to serve people with brain and spinal cord injuries.

I look forward to seeing the future programs in place in our lovely city.

What do you think about this real estate market? I live in Gatesville Texas and work the Waco and Temple areas. I have not seen a decline in home selling or home buying. Business is good in the Heart of Texas. But the media, scares me almost everyday. So I cut the TV off and remember this scripture. "Be Still and Know that I Am God." Psalm 46:10. I remind myself that God is in control and as long as I keep my focus on doing good, and loving Him, He will take care of me. What helps you get up and keep going?

...and my son said, "My mommy is a real-estater!" This group is for Moms and Dads who are also, Realtors. How do you do it? How do you balance both a career and children? We are looking for positive comments and advice. ...I have included my story and why this is an important subject to me, and explained how this groups name was born...

When I started in real estate my two children Cody and Brooke were very young. My son Cody told everyone he met that I was a Realtor in the most enthusiastic and remarkable way. My son was so excited and loved to tell people about how special his mom was, because she was a Realtor. I never knew why he was so happy for me to be a Realtor, or how he know he was supposed to tell everyone he met about his mom's new career, but I did know that I would use his quote, someday.

Today I read a blog about a mother/Realtor who mentioned her children, and that is when it hit me. My son's quote, "My mommy is a Real-estater!" With great joy I smiled and thought about the ups and downs of being a "Real-estater." A few years ago, I sat down at my kitchen table and just cried and cried. Surely there was someone that could help me. How could I put a career above and beyond my children's needs. I couldn't. I had to be with my children and not miss those important times in their life.

The important times, for me, were and are still, taking them to school, picking them up after school, sporting events and church events. It became so hard for me be a successful realtor because if I was making a lot of money I was missing my children grow up. So, I would slow down my business to spend more time with my children and then my husband would want me to make more money, so I would have to hit the business hard again and make good money and then when I began to miss my kids I would slow down the business again and it has gone on like that for years and years. I lived a "yo-yo effect" of making money or making memories. I guess I should mention that I love Real Estate; it is my life's greatest passion as far as work goes.

Well, I wiped my tears and sat up straight and decided that I would have to make one the most important decision of my life, and I needed to do it soon. You see, my husband wanted me to quit being a Realtor and get a "Real Job." But how could I do that? I needed the freedom that being a Realtor gave me. Or did it? To be honest it seemed to me like if you were going to make money as a Realtor you lost your freedom. Oh, I know what some of you are thinking, TIME MANAGEMENT. Well, I took that class and it isn't that easy to do, if you are a stand alone agent. Or at least it wasn't for me. Back to the kitchen table, I decided to call the Texas Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors and ask for help.

I thought for sure with all the Realtors in the World that they would have some group or book or something about how to cope with being a Realtor and a Mother. No, nothing, not a thing, they did not have any advice for me at all. No resources, no books to read or any help at all. I felt I needed a specific book. about a being a Mom and being a Realtor. After I cried a little bit more, I made a big decision. I was going to stay in Real Estate because I loved the job and I loved my family, too. My decision was to go part-time Realtor, full-time "Real-Job." But I was only going to try this for one year, just to make my husband happy, and to see if he was right. And it made him happy, but I became very depressed. So I made another very important decision.

I was going to find a way to be a success at Real Estate, make money in Real Estate and raise happy children. I vowed that some day I would help other parent Realtors cope with balancing business and family. Today I found my opportunity on AR. I hope you don't mind if I mention one more life story. I thought it was interesting that I couldn't find a Realtor or a Realtor's family member to give me any good advice. I have asked a lot of Realtors and nobody wanted to share with me how they balanced happy children and success in Real Estate. How were all these Realtors having successful careers they loved and raising happy children? In 7 years I found one person who was honest. He is the husband of a top agent in our market. He was the only one that would give me a real answer. This is what he said, "Yes, Kim. Our children hated growing up with Realtor's as parents. But they sure love all the trips we pay for them and there kids now, like Cancun." He smiled and then he walked away.

That was an answer, but not really the one I was hoping for. I wanted to hear that their children loved it and that they never missed any of their children's life changing events. My answer to not having my children hate having a Realtor parent, was to not be that successful. Even if it meant I couldn't send my son and daughter and their families on fancy trips. Last year I hired a coach and started a team. I believe my coach is the best in the nation.

Finally, I am getting some balance in my life and I owe much of it to God first, my family second, my coach third, and my new "Family" of Realtors at Active Rain. I hope you join my group and share as much as you want to help all us young up and coming Real-estater's. Have an awesome day! Kimberly, Heart of Texas Real Estate Group