Phuong Ha

It seems there are two types of Realtor in this market. There's the pessimist who's perspective is tainted only by the negative remarks when asked how his/her business is doing, while on the other side, there's the optimist, who when asked, will tell you everytime that things are great, couldn't be better.

I'm a stubborn type of person. When finally deciding to do something, I stick with it, sometimes not always giving it my 100% focus, but I stick with it. I remain stubbornly loyal to the idea that I will commit to it and see it through, come hell or high water.

Now, that may not be the greatest of traits to have considering that sometimes you just have to know when to say when. But, like I told you, I can be a bit stubborn.

Now, I've been in the real estate business since 2004. Since then, it has certainly been a roller coaster ride. First, you question why you didn't get into the business sooner, then you question whether you got into business in the first place, then you catch a second wind, then a third and fall in love with the business all over again and again. Then you fall out of love with it again and again. It's a constant love/hate thing. Kind of like a relationship that you know you have to work at it or just let it go. But, did I tell you I was stubborn?

So, here we are years later and I just got off the phone with a friend I grew up with who is now a Realtor in California. I ask him, "How's the California market where you are?" And he says, "The Market here is just cranking. It is doing great. Picking up steam." And I wonder, is that optimistic attitude the same one I had going into to this? Or is the market down in his area really picking up steam?

As I'm going on line to research his attitude for proof, I realize, who cares! The market is doing great wherever you are as long as you think your market is doing great! It's your business that is going to determine your market, not your market determine your business.

So, instead of researching if his market is on the upswing or not, I start cranking out emails to my clients and get the handwritten letters started for the next day.

I love this business...

I don't know if this will get me in hot water with ActiveRain, however, I am sure everyone is aware of the catastrophic earthquake which has hit Haiti near Port au Prince on Jan 12, 2010. I am writing this to urge each and every one of us that even in tough times as ours, there will always be someone worse off then us.

The people of Haiti needs our help right now. The Center for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance has setup and donation link. Read below:

CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at:

http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/

You can also text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.

Please, understand, I DO NOT have any relations with this organization other than I willingness to spread the word to help people in need right now. We had a very dramatic time with Hurricane Katrina, please help others in their time of need now. Thank you.

Phuong

Yes, you read that right, 2010 is now. Don't believe me? Read on...

Though it may be less than 2 weeks til Christmas, 2010 is already here from most of us. Let me explain.

While eating turkey during Thanksgiving, I was already thinking what will be needed to produce income for 2010. It was then that started the yearly ritual of revamping my business plan. I would start to adjust what was needed to produce the goals I would set. It was basically a goal setting time for 2010.

Most people will agree that if buying or selling a home is not an event, like going out buying a phone. When the time comes, the phone no longer works, it breaks and you simply walk into the nearest (insert your phone carrier here) and you say, "Hi, my phone broke, what are my options. Great, I would like that new cool silver one there!" Then you walk out with a new phone.

Buying or selling a home is more like a process. Much like planning for a vacation. You start by figuring out when, where and how much you plan on spending. You start doing research, you get excited about the results and then you work on the details. You call experts in the field, you do massive research and then you start making hard purchases.

So, the goals you set for 2010 really start in 2009. How early you start if really up to you. I usually start about the beginning of November. I goal set, I plan out how to make my business run better faster and more productive. I also play the "delete people from my list" game. You know the game...

You go through all the people you receive emails, solicitations from and all the people you have added to your smartphone (just in case) and you begin to see just how much they are worth to your business.

You start to see how much coffee you have had with these people but yet none of them have given you leads. How many cups of Starbucks does it take to get lead from people who say they want to work with you? 3, 5 12? I answer would be about 2 or 3. After that, you should know if they are simply have an interest in strong coffee but not in the growth of your business.

I delete these people from my (insert your CRM system here) and my smartphone. I also do not exclude past clients that tend to take up more than 80% of my time. Because I can justify using that time obtaining more leads into the pipeline.

So, by the time Christmas rolls around, I have my action plans in place, I know my goals, I know my numbers and how much work will be needed from me the following year in order to achieve those goals.

This especially helps when after Christmas, the bills for all the presents start coming in...

Merry Christmas to all. Have a safe wonderful blessed Christmas.

Phuong

While driving back 6 hours home from Eastern Oregon, I had time to reflect on some things in the car while everyone was sleeping.

On the trip back, I received several angry messages from a client (who is soon be an ex-client) about some points she wanted to bring up with me.

Point 1: You never answer your phone calls. You never call me back when I call.

Answer: I don't answer every phone call just because they are from my clients. I have learned that over the years, the more you answer their calls when they want you to, the more you trained your clients into thinking they are your only clients and more importantly that your time is of no or little value. I especially do not answer calls that say, "YOU MUST CALL ME NOW! IT"S AN EMERGENCY!"

I have also learned that in all the years I have been in this business, never has there been truly an "emergency".

Point 2: You told me what to do and you didn't even ask me.

Answer: I never tell anyone what to do. You are my client. I am working for you. You ask me what the options are, I tell you your options. You pick the option that best suits your needs and situation at the present moment. If you ask for an opinion, well, I will give you my best professional opinion. That opinion may not be the one you want to hear, but you asked.

Point 3: I wanted to walk with some money so I can start my life over after the short sale/foreclosure.

Answer: Sweetheart, I can't make the debt go away. I didn't take out a second against the house for fun stuff. I came to you after you were already in debt. We didn't run to Mexico or on some 8 day cruise. You spent the money. Now, there's no more money. You lost your job. I can sympathize but you owe more than the house is worth. Maybe call the President for a bailout. Sorry can't help you but to help you sell your home before the auction date.

Point 4: Hope you had a great holiday.

Answer: Strange thing is, that just brought me back to my childhood days (from what I can remember) when Mom and Dad would fight and then suddenly act as if nothing had happened. Sorry, I don't work that way. You have been a difficult person to deal with from the get go, even though I may have overlooked it then, I really can't overlook it now. Let's just part ways. Better yet, how about I fire you as a bad client for not helping you make a bad situation better.

Moral of the story...You are the boss. You choose the clients you want to work with. They must work with you to help the transaction through. It's not just a one way street. You give, I give, You take, I take. That's how relationships work. We talk about stuff as adults. We don't place blame just because today you feel upset. I want to work with the 20 percent who make me 80 percent of my income, not the 20 percent who take up 80 percent of my time.

As the Donald would say, "You're FIRED!"

As I was driving today on my way to Eastern Oregon to celebrate Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I realized a couple of things.

First, the phone was vibrating off the hook. I was trying very hard to not check so I put the phone on silent knowing that I can always check it later. And besides, I truly wanted to live in the moment with my family in the car.

When we got to our first rest stop, I checked the phone and soon realized how many comments were posted on my last blog. That feeling, you know the one, where it feels your chest, not with anxiety or pain, but swelling of warmth. It was from the out pouring of support for something I simply wrote mainly for self therapy. I want from the bottom of my heart say, Thank YOU to everyone on the ActiveRain community. I want to say thank you for making decisions come easier now. They come clearer.

As we got into the car again, I started to see my career with this in mind. I saw the vehicle as my own vehicle on the road to success. I saw the side mirrors as my way of helping me see blind spots, see obstacles that may be hazards to me. I saw the rearview mirror as my past. I can't change it, I can only see it and learn from it until it gets further and further until it vanishes into the horizon. You see it and can only learn from it. I perceived the road ahead of me, my future. I was in the drivers seat. I make the decisions. I control my path. I can take my vehicle any direction. There may be obstacles ahead but I know with good tires and a well maintained engine (my mind and body) I can go anywhere. Sometimes I may have to detour a bit, but I still have my eyes on the road.

I also realized that that the vehicle I choose will only have a limited amount of seats. These seats are only for the people in my life that matter the most. The rest of the crowd are either friends or acquaintances. Not that I don't like them or don't care about them, just that there's a limited amount of seats. And as I looked around, I saw my wife, the most supportive, most beautiful person in my life. Next were my wonderful two boys. The next most beautiful people in life. My wife's younger brother whom we took in as a teenager, a wonderful person, very smart and talented. And then there was that individual in the mirror, staring back at me.

That was when the emails from ActiveRain and the love from my family made me tell myself that this holiday season, I have much to be thankful for.

Happy Holidays to everyone on ActiveRain. Happy Holidays to everyone not on ActiveRain.

Phuong