Keith Strawn

Many home owners are like voters.

In the run-up to the 2008 Congressional elections, the nationwide approval rating for the U.S. Congress sunk into single digits. I don't know if that was an historic low, but I hate to think we've ever had a Congress whose approval rating was less than 9 percent.

And, yet, on Nov. 4, more than 93 percent of U.S. Congressman and Senators running for re-election prevailed in their individual elections. In other words, "Everyone else's Congressman is a bum......except mine."

This mentality can apply to homeowners, as well. A lot of you agents may have already seen the new 3rd Quarter Zillow study, which reveals that Americans overwhelming acknowledge the real estate downturn.

Many just don't think it applies to them.

In fact, 49 percent of American homeowners polled believe their home has either retained it's value or increased in value over the past year, according to the poll, which was conducted for Zillow by Harris Interactive. This despite the fact 74 percent of homes nationwide lost value over the past 12 months, according to the Zillow study, released Nov. 12.

Moving forward, individual homeowners are equally as confident, with 61 percent believing their own home will retain its value, or increase in value, over the next six months. However, 57 percent of homeowners believe overall values in their individual markets will decrease over the next six months.

And people think selling real estate is an easy way to earn a living.

I got out of the crystal ball business a long time ago, so I don't profess to know what is to come. I do know the market is tough right now. And I read an interesting question today, in regards to homeowners' confidence in their own home.

Is this optimism a good thing, which might kick start the market, or is it just something that is just going to lead to unrealistic expectations and Realtor teeth-gnashing over the next six months?

A sports agent can teach you a lot about selling real estate.

Maybe you've never heard of Drew Rosenhaus. He represents professional football players. One of his better-known clients is Terrell Owens, of the Dallas Cowboys. When Owens had a falling out with his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, Rosenhaus took center stage, alongside Owens.

I thought Rosenhaus came across like a complete jerk -- arrogant and abrasive.

Just last week, while listening to an ESPN podcast Ipod while exercising, I heard Mr. Rosenhaus introduced on the Collin Cowherd Show, aka The Herd. I was in no mood for Rosenhaus, and I was sure the segment would be a workout killer. I was wrong. It was fascinating, and -- I have to admit -- enlightening.

Mr. Rosenhaus shared thoughts on his business model that made me raise some questions about my own, particularly in the communication department. It was almost like someone using a sports agent to tell a modern-day parable about a Realtor.

On being brutally honest, Mr. Rosenahaus said, ""That's part of the key to being a successful agent."" Well, that certainly applies to real estate sales, doesn't it?

Earlier today, I listened to the podcast again. I'm going to let Mr. Rosenhaus' comments speak for themselves. I hope you, like me, can find some applicable material inside.

If you go through these comments, and swap out nouns, Rosenhaus could be talking about the real estate business.

"I have had clients in the past that I've had to disagree with, because I thought they were taking an approach that wasn't good for their career....Every day, I'm on the phone with eight different clients saying, 'Hey, you're going about this the wrong way.' See, you're not getting paid to tell guys what they want to hear. You're getting paid to give them advise that is going to help them find success."

"If I have a client who is not getting along with his coach, instead of me being a cheerleader, and saying, 'rah rah, that's right, don't get along with your coach... he's a jerk, etc., etc.....No, no, no...I say to the guy, 'Look, you have to take care of yourself and your family. You need to swallow your pride. Put your ego aside, and start getting along with your coach, because that's going to help you be more successful......"

"Guys get upset with you.....It's hard do do."

Indeed, it can be.

My web side has had more facelifts over the past year than Cher and Joan Rivers combined. Gary Busey seems downright "au naturale" compared to my site. Like Jennifer Grey, of Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, my website this morning looks nothing like it did yesterday. And when I say "nothing," I mean nothing.

I wish I could I had saved the "before" pictures. That way I could have done a before and after feature, like the National Enquirer does with it's celebrity plastic surgery photos. Here's Michelle Pfeiffer before the knife, and here's Michelle Pfeiffer after the knife.

"Here's my website before the redo, and here's my website after the redo."

The good news about a bad website redo, though, is that it's a lot easier to fix than a bad nose job.

There is definitely a lot to be desired with my site. I have made a commitment, though, to do it myself, because for eight years I had a web company handle it. It was stagnant and boring. Every time I wanted to so much as change out a photo, which I now know takes about 3 minutes, I'd be socked with a $75 bill. And that's no exaggeration.

If I'm getting creamed for 3 minutes of labor, how in the world am I going to have a site which reflects the day to day goings on in the Beaufort, SC real estate market? It would be impossible. I'd be bankrupt by the time Water Festival rolls around.

I have also committed to driving web traffic myself. I have managed to do this with a decent amount of success over the past year, but I know there is much more work to be done.

I get a call or email every week or so from a web traffic guru who promises to put me right at the top of the search engines. I just can't get past the fact, though, that he's telling every Realtor in Beaufort the same thing, and the last time I checked, there's only one #1. By the way, I just Googled "Beaufort, SC Real Estate," which everybody seems to agree are the top search words for this area, and the first agent I found is my friend Cherimie Crane, who has blogged her way onto Page 2, which is absolutely fantastic. Cherimie has earned a little free publicity with all the Active Rain assistance she's given me in recent weeks.

A couple of years ago, a little Scotsman came through Beaufort, with his magic search engine potion, which would put one lucky Realtor at the top of the search engines. He sat right down in our office, and with his wonderful Scotch brogue gave us a very convincing demonstration, and said he had a single $2000 package to sell in Beaufort. Just one.

I've got to admit, this little guy could sell. He was very good. There was a part of me that said the $2000 he was charging would be worth it. After all, he did give us a demo, right there in the conference room. We saw that it worked, right?

But there was another part of me, though, that pictured this fellow driving around the United States, picking up a couple of hundred checks from Realtors around the country, and then disappearing into the Scottish Highlands forever.

I happen to know very well the agent who bought the exclusive package from the Scotsman. I have yet to see this Realtor on any of the search engines. So, thanks but no thanks. I'll do it myself.

Old Man Winter (kind of) paid a visit to Beaufort, SC last night. Balmy weather turned chilly yesterday after the passage of a storm system through the area. It's clear and cool, wind chill of about 40 right now. So it looks like whatever pushed that rain out of the way yesterday is going to give us a very pleasant autumn day in Beaufort. A Realtor friend of mine in Eerie, PA was anticipating show up that way. Definitely a matter of perspective. We've seen snow twice since we moved here in 1996. If you ever talk to a Beaufort "old timer," tell them about the snow storm of 1989, when the Lowcountry got blanketed. Just for the record, I was living in south Florida (Hollywood, to be exact) when it snowed in Miami, on January 19, 1977. Yes, it snowed in Miami, more than 30 years ago. Now, I Googled, to confirm the date, but I didn't need to Google the actual event, because I was there. I don't know if there have been other reported snow falls in that part of the world, but it was a big enough deal in 1977 that an impromptu recess was called, so all the kids could go play in the snow, which melted as it touched the ground. I know a lot of long-time South Florida residents remember.

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