John MacArthur

The music seems to change, but the partner remains

I have the opportunity to interact with many agents. Some have barely noticed a change in their success and others seem to be beaten down. Why is it that two people in the same office, in the same market, dealing with pretty much the same potential client pool realize wildly different results.

At first blush, anyone can perceive a difference in attitude between the two agents. The successful agent is upbeat and positive. The less than successful agent seems to be downtrodden and negative. It would be easy to just simply use the time worn cliche "one sees the glass half empty and the other sees the glass half full". I think the answer is much deeper than that. It has to do with self perception. It has to do with "sins or failures" from the past.

It is not half full or half empty. Whatever is inside can be used to accomplish many things!

It seems to be the nature of man to carry the sins of their past with them as they make their journey through life. It really is an added burden. Dragging all of your perceived failures along will sap the energy you need to deal with the here and now. Looking at today, through eyes clouded with yesterday, makes it difficult to accept your strengths. Dragging a ball and chain of yesterday slows down your journey to tomorrow.

There is a better way !

Take a moment and identify the guilt that you continue to enjoy as a dance partner. Picture it as the weight that it feels like on your shoulders. Close your eyes for a moment and feel that weight. Now, open your eyes. It does not have to be a weight. Everything you just pictured as a fault or a mistake was in reality a learning experience. Let the weight slide from your shoulders and picture it becoming a solid block on the ground. See it as it truly is. Every experience where you faltered, every experience where you chose the wrong path, every negative that you are carrying around inside was a building block for a sound future. We are to learn from our mistakes.................not carry them around forever. See them for the lessons they were.

The lessons we use as building blocks elevate us.

You have the capacity to change direction. You have the capacity to excel. You have the right to stare at those demons whispering in your ear and tell them "No". Whisper to yourself, seize control of your life. Believe that every bad thing has prepared you for a richer tomorrow. Accept that lessons learned enable you to deal with more things, they allow you to empathize with others and they are the building block for

If you are struggling with this concept, feel free to give me a call. If you are an agent in the DC market and would like to work in an office that will help you focus on tomorrow, give me a call. My number is 301-537-4377. My name in John MacArthur and I am fortunate to be the Branch Manager for the Olney Office of Long and Foster Real Estate.

Make Someone Happy !

I was sitting with a new agent the other day. I was trying to get a handle on why they had chosen this profession. If I can determine what motivated them to join the ranks of Realtors, I can then delve a little deeper into what might be that one factor that will separate them from those that have tried and failed and those that are still active today.

The young lad turned the question around and asked me..."Why are you a Realtor? You have had great success in other industries. Why are you still practicing this profession?"

I gave it a moments thought. I have always known the why. I smiled and said this profession offers me an abundance of opportunities to make someone happy. Everyday, I have the chance to make a difference in one person's life. Why, I often have the chance to make a difference in many lives with just one transaction. As a Realtor.........I can make someone happy!

Now I understand that there are some agents that are truly money motivated. When they think of a transaction, they immediately begin calculating how much they will earn. They will pause between different stages of a sale and gaze at the picture of the new car or new boat or new golf clubs that will soon be in their reach. They have vacation flyer's that offer tantalizing pictures of exotic places. They pause and dream.

I will be the first to admit that I have failed every test administered to determine if I were money motivated. When I was younger and moving through different career paths, more than one human resources staffer scratched their head upon reviewing the psycho-evaluation test. Money never did it for me. That does not mean that those that are money motivated are any better or worse than me. Nope, you see I have grown wiser in old age and I understand that money can provide some people with the means to be happy. If it is money you seek, make transactions and you will be happy. The collateral benefit is that those involved in the transaction will also be happy.

Some agents love the recognition and awards that come with success. I am never surprised to see the "top 1% of Realtors Nationwide" on business cards. I know that many of the best agents in my office have walls that are filled beyond negative space with plaques and awards from days gone by. I have seen the joy that recognition brings to their face. They are proud of their accomplishments.

I don't think it is unusual to desire recognition of a job well done. Agents are usually beaming a wonderful smile when that step up to receive an award. They are happy. If awards and recognition are your goal, make transactions and you will be happy. The collateral benefit is that the transactions necessary to complete to achieve higher levels will have created lots of happy people.

Maybe it is time that we set aside the dollar figures and the awards and stepped back from the recognition and admitted the base need that is being fulfilled every time we accomplish our goal. We make someone happy. The happiness certainly can begin with ourselves. The happiness may be measured in dollars and cents. The happiness may carry an award or special recognition. The happiness is our goal.

This is not the goal. This is a sign that the goal has been accomplished!

I am both proud and privileged to be a Realtor. I firmly believe that those of us that have chosen this profession make a tremendous difference in our communities one deal at a time. We may not be as haughty as Attorneys or Doctors. We may not have to pass multi-hour exams to become licensed. We work and live in the communities we serve. Realtors are active participants in the ever changing landscape of our society. We are called on to be counselor, confessor, adviser and friend. We are required to possess general knowledge and the integrity to direct our clients to the proper professionals. We are Realtors and we should be proud.

This may be the symbol on our lapel.

This is the symbol of a career well spent.

It is never to late to understand that your personal success is within reach every day. You need only get up, get out the door and be committed to the goal that today, you will....

Make Someone Happy !

This is a map of the continental United States

Are you with me so far? This is a broad picture and I know it does not include Alaska or Hawaii. For the sake of this post, let's just say this is America. If you pick any spot on this map and go there and begin digging, at some point you will reach dirt. It may be under concrete. It may be under a river or a bay. Regardless of the spot, there is nothing but dirt there. It was there when we founded the country. It is the third largest land mass in the world.

It is limited.

There is only so much dirt

So we founded our country and lots of people showed up. They had to live somewhere. They elected officials and the officials appointed zoning people and they got together and determined an orderly way to partition the dirt so we would make the best use of this limited resource.

They planned subdivisions

People wanted a home of their own. They came to the subdivision offices and bought homes to be built. The bankers and the builders and the developers all did their job. The construction industry fulfilled its mission. As time went by, these neighborhoods began to dot the landscape from the east to the west.

An entire economy was created

Every bit of it built on the limited supply of dirt

We had our ups and downs, wars were fought and won, we had a man on the moon. The red sox finally ended the jinx. We grew as a Nation and a world power. We changed and became a true melting pot. Even as we were vilified in the world community, people still came to America. This remains the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Then we forgot to mind the store. We created the American Dream and failed to keep our eyes on those that were aiding and abetting the process. Our elected officials kept promoting a lifestyle that was not sustainable and all the people that had to create the illusion followed the pied piper of fiscal irresponsibility off the cliff of our solvency.

We woke up and the entire system had crumbled before our very eyes.

So now there is talk of toxic assets and derivatives and all sorts of fancy terms that are related to the housing crisis. The government is going to great lengths to repair the damage that has been done. I hear that. Maybe I am just too damn dumb to understand.

We now have this.

..

This is a toxic asset

Most people would call it an empty home. I suppose I don't understand why they don't just make the purchase of this type of "toxic asset" a bit easier. I mean if someone actually buys the "toxic asset" it becomes a non-toxic good deal or look what I bought for my family.

If something is done to promote this activity, assets won't be so toxic.

I have said it before, more than one time, but I just don't understand why the brilliant people that are trying to fix this mess don't address this problem at it's core. Why can't we have a trickle up theory working here? If the focus is on getting these empty homes sold, at some point those investors holding fancy derivatives will get something for their paper. There is value. Remember, there is only so much dirt.

This should be the result we are seeking

But, then again, maybe I am just too damn dumb to understand

Long & Foster Leader to Get Top FHA Post

By: Diana Olick, CNBC Real Estate Reporter | 21 Mar 2009 | 08:01 PM ET

President Obama is planning to name the head of Long & Foster Real Estate to lead the Federal Housing Administration, CNBC has learned.

Dave Stevens

Dave Stevens, president and chief operating officer at Long & Foster, likely will be named to the post Tuesday or Wednesday, sources said.

With housing at the centerpiece of the White House's economic rescue plan, the leader of the housing agency will be critical in making sure the plan is implemented.

Among Obama's goals are to help rescue homeowners facing foreclosure and to improve the regulatory process in the mortgage industry. FHA would be central in dealing with many of the issues the president has outlined.

David H. Stevens is a personal friend of JMac while also serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Long & Foster Companies which includes Long & Foster Real Estate and its' Affiliated Businesses including Mortgage, Title, Insurance, and Home Service Connections, and David joined the Long & Foster Companies in July, 2006 as President of Affiliated Businesses. Prior to joining The Long & Foster Companies, Stevens was Executive Vice President, National Wholesale Manager responsible for all sales, operations, and finance for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage's wholesale channel.

Prior to his joining Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Stevens was Senior Vice President of the Single family business at Freddie Mac where he was responsible for all sales, marketing, affordable lending, product development, communications, and loan prospector for the firm. In this role, David served as lead spokesperson for the firm and managed all aspects related to sales, customer management, market share, and business strategy.

Stevens began his career at World Savings bank, where after 16 years; he was promoted to Group Senior Vice President, National Sales Manager for the mortgage division.

Stevens was the founding Executive sponsor of the Woman's Mortgage Industry Network, and coordinated the first Latino initiative joint venture with Freddie Mac and Latino mortgage industry leaders. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Long & Foster and the Real Estate Settlement Service Providers Council.

Let me share a bit about Dave Stevens.

I have had the good fortune to know Mr. Stevens since he came on board in July 2006. He has worked tirelessly to revitalize the company from the ground up. His leadership led to Long and Foster leading the way in returning the focus of real estate sales where it belongs....on the consumer. Long and Foster has rolled out a new campaign ... "Buy with confidence" that has at it's foundation a focus on the individual buyer.

It has been a long time coming, but finally one man asked the question "It is a great time to buy, but is it a good time for you?" The slogan and question are at the heart of developing a responsible attitude as we move forward in the real estate industry. The program responds to the questions that all consumers have when faced with conflicting information and data that is difficult to comprehend.

I, for one, happen to believe that his appointment will lead to the FHA performing as all Americans expect it to. His focus has always been on seeking a fair and equitable solution to any problem. He has been willing to involve people at every level in creating the companies direction.

This country, long suffering from bureaucratic strangleholds, will now enjoy the service of a truly great leader. My firm will suffer a loss, but he will leave behind a focus and direction that will result in our continuing to be a prestige brokerage. The country will have a man at the helm of the FHA that understands all sides of the housing market and has the capacity to make tough decisions to resolve our current dilemmas.

I am fortunate to have had his counsel and will support him in any way that I can.

I was reading blogs this morning. I came across one offered by ABC News Senior Political Reporter, Jonathan Karl. You can read the entire entry here.

It shares this opening salvo..."The AIG Bonus Tax:"Give the money back or we'll take it away".

Now this is an interesting concept. The public is outraged that these employees are being rewarded. Elected officials are patiently standing in line, waiting their 2 minute soundbite opportunity.

The angry mob has gathered.

Do you really think let this throng loose will stop at AIG?

One of the ideas offered is that the employees that received these bonuses should just give back the money that is contractually theirs. The thought is that the contract they signed and the work they have done should be tossed aside and they should just - GIVE IT BACK.

Another idea being tossed around it to have the tax code changed so that the bonuses can be taxed at a rate of "95%". This would certainly put the money back into the U.S. Treasury.

The only thing missing from all this uproar is a very bright caution sign.

Caution !

Slippery Slope Ahead

Once we get past those nasty derivative creators, who should be next on the list? Once we trash the Constitution and get the nasty rule of law out of the way, which is the next group that will we vilify?

How about we move down the line. Let's target the lenders. They made money on every loan. Some of them made lots of money making bad loans. It would make perfect sense to parade their greed over the television via all the talking heads. Don't let anything like the facts get in the way. The public could become enraged and all the politicos could stand before microphones and denounce the actions and demand that all lenders and mortgage brokers return the money they earned on any loan that has defaulted.

GIVE IT BACK.

Give back those fees. Give back those points. Give back the money you were paid. It can go right down to the loan processors. Publish their names. Print every dollar earned in all newspapers. Release the home addresses. Send in the crowd. If that doesn't work, well we will just change the tax code and tax earnings on loans that went into default at 95%. This will certainly put money back into the U.S. Treasury.

Don't stop there. Next we should move to those greedy real estate brokers and agents. They made money on every transaction. Some of them made lots of money representing buyers that have since defaulted on their mortgage. In the spirit of continuing to trash the Constitution, we should parade their greed and avarice on all the major networks. Let the talking heads continue to share outrage. Give the elected officials another chance to rail against the horrible greed of someone accepting money that was contractually obligated. They could demand that all brokers and agents return any money earned on a transaction that involved a buyer that has since defaulted on the loan.

GIVE IT BACK

Give back those commission earnings. Give back that money earned to process paperwork. Give back those dollars paid at the table. Print the name and earnings by transaction of every broker and agent that represented a buyer that has since defaulted. List the home address of all those involved. Let the world know how much money was pocketed representing buyers that defaulted. If that doesn't work, well we will just change the tax code again and tax all those earnings at 95%. This will certainly put money back into the U.S. Treasury.

Finished Product?

The country as we know it...goes up in flames.

I suppose we can keep going down the list. We can gather in everyone in the entire cycle. I think if we play the hypothetical game, we will eventually reach the elected officials. They will have no one else to blame. It seems that they will be left with but one option.

They will just have to stand alone and fall on their sword.

Hmmmm.................maybe we should rethink our outrage. Maybe we should see if we can not quell the angry mob. Maybe we should focus on the solution and stop taking our eye off of our goal. Maybe the crowd should be sent home and told........let's get on with the business of correcting our faults.

This is no way to resolve anything.

Allowing this......

(the flag representing the Constitution) will only lead to something like this.....

If we keep saying GIVE IT BACK

soon

There will be nothing to GIVE