Matthew O'Shea - The O'Shea Group at Prudential - 402.310.5977 - Matt O'Shea

Be careful the next time you walk through a vacant home, because it may not be so "vacant." Between the squatters in the foreclosures, to the undesirables that previous seller's have left behind, there is no telling what you may stumble upon. Either way, it is best to be safe when entering vacant homes!

In addition to being a Realtor, I also invest in rehab properties. A recent purchase almost proved deadly when upon opening a closet door, a loaded gun fell out into the room. No, it did not discharge, although there was a bullet in the chamber. The gun fell out into the room, seemingly in slow motion, before it landed in front of my brother on the floor. I could not believe what I had seen, and had to remind myself to breathe after fearing that the gun may discharge, and fire a bullet into my brother.

Thankfully, the gun did not fire. And upon investigation of the weapon, the police believe it may be linked to a number of cases still being investigated.

Vacant homes can be a sacry thing. Whether you're going into a home alone, or walking buyers through and empty home, take special precautions to make sure everyone is safe. You never know what could be waiting behind those closed doors!

Safety First...

An unusual conversation happened upon a gentlemen and myself while standing in the check out line in a Cracker Barrel Restaurant. He noticed that I had purchased for myself a product that was very familiar to him. He tapped me on my shoulder, and proceeded to explain that after his father came home from work he would often take him to a soda fountain where he grew up, and share this "old-time" favorite, a Skybar. Now, I am very much a youngster as it concerns this gentlemen; he is mostly white hair and walks with a cane. I could not help but to sit with him a while outside the restaurant in their famous rocking chairs, and let him divulge on his reminiscence. So, we sat for a while, and I listened to a wonderful story. He and I now make it a point to get back to that restaurant every so often where we swap " I don't cares" back and forth.

So where is the edge? It's the product. I realized that this relationship was created by a simple candy bar that conjured up old memories of a father and son sharing an afternoon together as friends. The value is not the candy bar, but the familiarity of such a wonderful feeling that I recreated by purchasing the product, and listening to another person's feelings. Sounds kind of sappy, I know. But creating deep relationships with your clients will also create trust and keep you at the front of your clients memory when they think of real estate.

For Example: I took note that a client who recently purchased a home with me had spoke of a certain band that he was so impressed with. So, the next time I picked him up to go view homes, I made sure to have a brand new CD of that band that he loved playing in the CD player. As we drove he spoke about the band members and their songs, and had a really relaxed experience as we went from home to home. At the end of the trip, I ejected the CD, placed it in its case, and gave it to him. He was very grateful, and told a number of his friends what I had done. By creating a relaxed atmosphere, and creating a focused and deep relationship with my client, he has expressed his intent to buy and sell with me in the future, and has been a wonderful source of buyer and seller referrals.

Thanks to an older gentlemen, I learned the value of creating focused and deep relationships, and how there is a great value in hearnig what your clients interests, and connecting with them. I think that when we get caught up in the daily grind of showing homes, setting ups open houses, meeting with new buyers, or doing listing presentations we sometimes turn into selling machines oblivious to our buyers and sellers needs. I speak of creating a sense of fulfillment with my clients, and I mean to do just that.

Give this idea some thought. If you want to be successful for years to come, you want to start now to create those lasting relationships for return service. And it is a great way to set you apart from other Realtors in your area. Remember, you want to create value for your clients, otherwise they will find someone else who will.

Introducing Ryan Ford of The O'Shea Group at Prudential Ambassador Real Estate

As the lead agent of The O'Shea Group at Prudential Ambassador Real Estate, I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of our team, Ryan Ford. A native of Alabama, Ryan has found quickly that your network is contact list are very much tied to your success. Having just graduated from college, Ryan really did not have a contact list other than his peers, of which most are hardly able to purchase a home at this point (the "Poor College Kid" cliche). So Ryan began to market himself.

As I said, he just graduated in May (Congrats!!!), had a new job, and went and bought himself a brand new suite. You may be thinking, "Okay, this kid has no client contact list, no family in town, is living on a prayer, and just took a job as a Realtor in a very difficult market!!!" Is he crazy?!?! Maybe...

I have seen this young man take it upon himself to make a client list from scratch, farm FSBOs and Expireds, and walk until the leather under his shoes has worn out; and he is making it happen! I was amazed at his creativity. He actually picked up clients from walking from garage sale to garage sale meeting the neighbors and passing out his literature. He actually picked up a few clients, and one lovely lady even sent him on his way with a free set of pots and pans!

Ryan Ford is the next big name in Real Estate in the Lincoln area! He majored in Marketing, and has all the right tools to make it as a Realtor, in any market. His drive to be the best has truly shown in his humble will in his actions to create his client list. his integrity and character are solidified through his action. Ryan Ford is on his way to the top!

Good luck in 2009 Mr. Ford, from your peers at The O'Shea Group at Prudential Ambassador Real Estate.

Here is my idea about being involved, and reaping the benefits. When I first started as a Realtor, for about the first two weeks I thought I would never close a transaction. I had no clients, no family in town to refer clients to me, I was lost. So, I decided to sit with a veteran Realtor and ask some questions. The most helpful suggestion that continues to resound in my head was this:

"Get Involved"

What, you say? Two words helped you? The answer is yes, two words helped me. They helped me to earn the award of "Rookie of the Year" and Prudential's "Multi-Million Dollar Embassy Club Award" in my first year. So, how did these two words help me you ask? I'll tell you.

To me, "Getting Involved" meant going to functions, becoming a member in certain groups, becoming active on certain committees, etc... All I had to do was get involved. And I had one goal. At every function I was going to gain at least one client. It's just that simple. Go to one function a month, gain one client per function, and you have 12 new clients on the year. The frequency of your involvement will define how many clients you add to your already growing list of clients.

Golf is a wonderful sport. And how many chances do you get to participate in golf outings? I had the opportunity to sponsor a 1 Million Dollar Life Insurance Hole in One Prize at a gold outing through a networking group i was involved in. There must have been 100 golfers in that outing, and every one of them knew about the Million Dollar Hole. I was able to speak with a number of golfers about their businesses and services, and got to talk about myself a little too. This is networking people!!! I gained a number of clients that day, and guess what? They referred me to people, who have since then referred me to more people. So, by getting involved in one golf outing, I was able to gain, and continue to gain clients.

Not quite sure how or where to involve yourself? For those of you reading this blog reply with helpful hints or different communities, committees, or functions that you have inveld yourself in, and how you have reaped the benefits.

I am a fulltime Realtor as a seller's and buyer's agent, and spend a majority of my day focusing my marketing campaign, showing homes, doing listing presentations, and going to closings. I pride myself on having expert knowledge of the markets I operate in, and give 110% to my clients. You can say that I love what I do.

So it came as a huge surprise to me that I lost a client because when they asked me to rebate a percentage of my commission I was unwilling to do so. I am sorry folks, but I am not going to give away a hard earned commission because the economy is bad, or because other agents are offering rebates. I AM NOT A PART TIME AGENT. The hours I spend away from family and home to fulfill the needs of my clients to their ultimate satisfaction is a testament to my success. I will not give away comissions because other Realtors offer a rebate. I do not know of another fulltime Reator that justifies giving away hard earned money just to gain a sale.

I am not against part time Realtors. Sure we all have to take a test and pay our dues, but success defines the top Realtors from the rest. Their are a number of part time real estate company's in my local markets, and they do well. But when I avergae 8-10 hours a day working for my clients and get lumped in together with the part timers, I get a little upset by this.

I am against buyer rebates. If you want a rebate, go to a rebate Realtor.

Tell me what you think...