Posts made by author 'David Horn, Managing Broker - Eastern Shore'

OK, made you look. This year has been a little slower than the last few, and there are many reasons for that. However, there are even MORE reasons to give us hope for near-term improvements. There is so much positive news out there about the economy, the slowing of inflation, employment news . . . but, is anyone seeing it? Are you seeing it?

Now, I intentionally misled a little bit with my negative headline. I mean higher interest rates have slowed down our "on fire" Mobile/Baldwin real estate markets, but I'm not going to be negative here, just wondering . . . have you guys heard of "Negativity Bias"?

You see, us humans are hardwired to spend more time and focus on negative images and messages than neutral or positive ones. Weird, huh? It's true. In fact, in 2014 a European newspaper decided to make the change to positive-spin stories only. And in ONE day, th...

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Some thoughts and figures….

• You need to be the first agent they think of! (You have amazing tools available to you.)
• They prefer to use you again and to use a referred agent!
• If they can remember you and find you, they will use you again and refer you.
• The public needs You. And they want to use You.

BUYERS:

• 86% of Buyers used an Agent to find the right home and negotiate for them.
• 89% said they would recommend their Agent and use them again.
• 86% called their agent a very or somewhat useful source for information.
• 91% were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their home buying process.
• 12% did use the same agent again. Only 12%! (this is 100% the Agent's fault.)
• 38% used the Agent referred to them by friends a...

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There has been a lot happening on both sides of the Bay lately at the association and MLS level. This week I'll give you guys the "what to know" about the recent changes at BR and with Paragon. Next week, Annette Oden will fill us in on MAAR and FMLS/Matrix.
 
First, a few quick reminders:
- BR MLS dues have been invoiced. Payment is due (through the portal) by June 15^th to avoid late fees.

- When you are a member of an MLS, you are obligated to put any listings you take into that MLS. It is an actual contractual agreement between the MLS and your Broker, who must be a member in order for you to be.

- The MLS Input Sheets have Seller Signature lines at the bottom of the last page. The Seller is supposed to sign these. The signature is their approval/consent to publish the info...

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Sometimes the simplest things are the most profound. 

Sara Blakely founded Spanx in her late 20s. The company made $4 million in sales in its first year and $10 million in its second year. In 2012, Forbes named Blakely the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world. 

In an article about Blakely in Inc. magazine in 2017, she discussed how the best career advice she ever got came from conversations with her father as a child.

Blakeley is clearly a successful businesswoman. But the best advice she ever has received is not about success at all, quite the opposite. 

In the article, she talks about how, as a child, her father would sit her down at the dining room table and ask her the same question: 

"What did you fail at this week?" 

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You guys are used to hearing, "you need to stay in regular contact (FLOW) with your sphere of influence". Some of reasons you've heard before are:

• This is how you build long term relationships with them.
• You need to stay top of mind, so you are their first choice.
• You want to be their real estate resource for any related needs.
• They will refer you to their friends and family. 

I have one more reason for you to consider: We owe it to them to keep them informed!

We need to adjust our mindset to add this perspective because we do owe it to them! Why? For one, all the classic reasons above are good and true, but they are about you. But the people we know and love NEED us to be their Trusted Advisors. They deserve it. Be of service to them. 

Let's play a little game of Perception vs Reality:

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