MAR convention

So, after my first deal fell through with termites up to the roof and second one hit really sketchy ice when the financing commitment turned out to be based on the lender making some false assumptions.  That one may still work out, but it looks doubtful.  It is a harsh reality of this business that you can bust your butt doing your job exactly like you are supposed to but not get paid for it.

 

Meanwhile, I was at the MAR convention last week.  It was in Ocean City, where it is every year.  Overall, it was a good 3+ days of continuing education, networking, getting to know my colleagues a bit more, and running into some of the other Realtors that I’ve come in contact with over the past 8 months.  On the one hand, I am very glad I went…however, on the other, it definitely left me scrambling at the end of the week to get back on top of business (even though I managed to stay quite on top of everything by cell phone, the lack of readily accessible internet was really problematic in a couple of instances).

 

Well, if anyone wants to know more about the MAR and/or the convention, check out www.mdrealtor.org.  Don’t forget that one of the primary purposes of the MAR (as a sub-branch of the National Association of Realtors) is to “protect the public,” so you can actually find a surprising amount of consumer information and resources on that website.

 

For now, I am going to unwind with a bit of online poker.  I'll try to post again before the week is out.

 

Peace,
Greg

"Are you sure?"

So, it's been a tough week.

 

Things you don't want to hear on a home inspection: "In 14 years as a home inspector, I've never seen termite damage up this hight."  Excellent.

 

Well, that was one thing.

 

The other real bad thing (on top of some more minor nuisances) was this:

 

So, Tuesday night I am sitting desk duty, which I use more as a tool to get in the office and do paperwork and such more than as a mode of growing my business.  As normal, no real good leads come about, but a guy does walk in just before 6pm.  The dude is huge, standing around 6'7" or so (yes, I am 6'5", but 6'7" looks huge even to me because I never look up to anyone).

 

The guy introduces himself and he wants a print out of listings under 250K in the area.  I tell him to sit down in one of the conference rooms.  At that point, he says, "Well, let me get my girlfiend."  Okay.

 

So, the girlfriend, and they sit down in the conference room, as she is on the phone with an agent that I believe they called off a sign.  She gets off the phone and I start asking some questions.  Actually, she is the buyer by herself and she is looking up to the 300K range.  Okay.

 

I open up my buyer conversation book (yes, I have a "buyer conversation book"...it's incredibly exciting I can assure you :) ).  I get through the introduction about me and the part about Long and Foster.  Then, almost simultaneously, the two customers start laughing.

 

The guys says, "Well, actually, both my brother and my mother are Long and Foster agents, so they'd probably be pissed if we didn't use them.  We really just want a list of listings."

 

What the...?  Letting the obvious questions subside, I say, "Well, in that case, you can call them and they can access that info from any computer with an internet connection."

The customers are somehow surprised by this information and go to leave.  I let them for a second, but then, not able to help myself, say, "Well, trust me, I understand family pressures.  But, not for nothing, you came in here for a reason.  Are your relatives full-time or part-time agents?  How experienced are they?  How's their service?  Honestly, you might want to listen to the rest of my spiel just to be sure that you really want to go with your family here."

 

They think for a bit, and say, "Well, okay."

 

Then, I spend the next 30 minutes going through everything I normally go through.  At the end I say to the girl, "Well, that's that.  That is why I have been successful in this business, even as a rookie.  Again, I understand family pressures and you need to do what you need to do if you have to go with your boyfriend's mother or brother, but, honestly, the arrogant part of me wants to say, 'I'm better'."

 

The girl decides that she will make a decision on which agent to use by Friday, and so I ask if it would be okay for me to follow up with her on Friday.  She says, "Sure," and gives me her cell phone number and e-mail.

 

They leave, I pack up my stuff at the office, and get to my car to get to a meeting in Baltimore that I am already late for (I called my clients ahead of time to work it out).  As I am putting my key in the ignition, my phone rings...a number I don't recognize, which is unusual, because I store every number in my phone (I mean, EVERY number).

 

"Hello...this is Greg."

 

"Hi, Greg.  It's (the girl).  I want to work with you."

 

"Wow...are you sure?  I know how family can be."

 

"Yes...you'll do a great job for me."

 

"Okay."

 

With me late to a meeting in Baltimore and her running to Virginia that night, we decide to meet the next day to sign the papers and get everything started with the lender.  Sweet.  I'm excited, glad to see someone so blown away by my presentation (honestly, it's a good presentation, and it's for real; I don't mess around as an agent and I have a very good system to get my buyers exactly what they want), and feeling much better about the "over-ambitious termites" that were encountered that morning.

 

That night, I e-mail the girl the following:

 

(the girl),

 

No, I don't make a daily habit of sending off e-mails at 1am, however I did want to touch base with you before our meeting tomorrow, thanking you for giving me the chance to work for you over the next couple of months (and beyond).  Your quick phone call was a pleasant surprise that ended up really putting a really bright spot in a rather hard day.

 

So, I will see you at 1pm tomorrow.  Thanks again, (the girl).

Peace,
Greg

 

I go to sleep shortly after writing the e-mail, just to get a call at 7am the next morning...it's a different number that I don't recognize...

 

"Hello...?"

 

"Oh...um...Greg...it's (the boy)."

 

"Yeah."

 

"I just want to let you know that we've decided to go with my brother, so you don't waste your time going to the office today."

 

"Well, you gotta do what you gotta do."

 

"Yeah."

 

I hang up, steam for the next 30-minutes, eventually fall back to sleep, only to wake up feeling unrested and crappy.

 

Mid that day, I wrote the following e-mail:

 

(the girl),

 

I must say that I was surprised when you called me last night, and I was extra surprised by the phone call I received from (the boy) this morning.  In the midst of everything else I have been doing, I have been pondering all day whether or not to write you this e-mail, but I guess I feel I have nothing to lose and you might have a lot to gain.

 

I don't know (the boy)'s brother, but the very fact that you called me last night gives me evidence that you have some reservations about hiring him as your buyer's agent.  This doesn't mean that you don't like him as a person...however, a client really ought to have full trust in their agent.  I assume that you consider this the most important purchase of your life, and you want to make sure that it is handled by someone that is readily accessible and who can provide you with top notch service while getting you exactly what you want/need.  (the boy)'s brother might have your best interests at heart, but his ability to deliver for you is honestly more important than his intentions to do so.

 

Maybe (the boy)'s brother is a great agent who has a good track record.  I don't know...but, if you haven't found this out yet, you need to.

 

How many transactions has he done of late?

 

How accessible is he (ie. will you be able to call him at 7:00am and have him actually answer the phone if that's when you need him)?

 

What is his track record in securing closing costs for his buyers?

 

How does he show you properties?

 

Will he be able to get you to settle in the timeframe that is best for you?

 

How does he deal with listing agents in negotiations and in nursing a transaction to closing?

 

Who are the referral partners that he works with, and how reliable are they?

 

He is able to write a strong, complete contract that will get accepted in a competing situation?

 

He is able to make sure that you are protected in the contract should something go wrong with it?

 

If you don't like the service you are getting, how will you feel firing your boyfriend's brother?

 

All of these things are important.

 

(the girl), you heard my speil yesterday.  I have been on the buyer's side of 11 transactions since April, and half of these transactions were from clients that I obtained by referrals from previous clients.  I am not saying that I am the absolute best agent out there, but my track record has shown that I am one of the better agents out there and I stand by my work 100%.

 

In short, I would ask you to reconsider and make sure that you are doing what is best for you.  If (the boy)'s brother is worth his weight as an agent, he should be able to answer all of the above questions in a manner that is acceptable to you and he should respect your decision if you decide that another agent (whether it is me or someone else) is better able to serve you.

 

Sincerely,
Greg

 

Yes...quite the week.  $4,000 that was never mine to begin with is handed to me and then ripped away.  Trust me, I would have busted my butt for the girl to earn every bit of that $4,000, and she's just going to give it to her boyfriend's family who I guarantee will "get" it more than he will "earn" it.  She hasn't even e-mailed me back.  Don't get me wrong...I firmly believe that few people intentionally act out to completely screw people over, but "innocent" incidents of intentions turned into misleadings are wrong.  When your word means so little that you will break it just to keep a little bit more peace in your life, you really have to evaluate yourself a little deeper.  Of course, that's just my opinion...

Peace,
Greg

the stupidity of the 6 1/2" envelope

So, I send out this newsletter every month in two batches.  The first batch is people that I know, business leads, former clients, friends, and a few random acquaintances from here, there, and everywhere (in marketing speak, this is my "sphere of influence").  I send this out the middle of every month.

 

The second batch I send to renters in the 5 counties around and including Baltimore City who are spending $1500+/month on rent.

 

Well, the newsletter comes in an 8 1/2" by 11" format that is folded in half.  The first 4 months I sent it out, I used 6" by 9" envelopes from staples, and it was great...the sucker is under an ounce, so it only cost the $.39/piece to mail.  This I send out the 1st of the month following when I sent out the newsletter to my "sphere of influence".

 

So, this month, I know I am running short on envelopes and instead of waiting 'til last minute to buy new envelopes (like I normally do), I decide to run out and get some when I am down visiting my mom the last Monday of August.  We go to Office Depot and I couldn't find the envelopes I needed forever and then I see boxes of 6 1/2" by 9 1/2" envelopes.  I think, "Sweet...they'll be even easier to stuff," and I buy two boxes of 1000 envelopes.  Get home a couple of days later, stuff my mailings for Sept. 1st, and get them in the mail on the 5th (Labor Day weekend messed me up a little here).

 

Overall, I'd day that I send out about 275 mailings with the "new" envelopes.  I go into the office on the 6th and 3 are returned to me saying that they need $.13 more postage.  I am like, "What the heck...?"  I really can't figure it out.  I go in the next day, I have 35 more that were returned.  Crap.  One of them has a helpful sticker that says, "Items of mail wider than 6 1/8" require $.42 postage."  Are you friggin kidding me.  So, honestly, why the crap does Office Depot not have 6" by 9" envelopes in stock, but has this ridiculously sized envelope that just serves to bend you offer when you try to mail things in it!!

 

I wait a couple of days and look for more being returned to me.  I only get one more, so I figure that some of the receiving post offices must have just allowed the mailings to get through.  Okay.  Believing this to be the case, I drop by the Severn post office with the 40-somewhat mailings that I needed to add postage on to re-mail.  For kicks, I ask the guy what most likely happened to the other 235 that I didn't get back.

 

"Oh...well, the receivers will get a notice that they owe postage and have to go to the post office to pay it."  "Are you friggin kidding me?  That's not good."  "That's not good, is it?"  "..."  Right...man, USPS can make you want to go crazy...hmmmm...

 

So, basically, I sent out a marketing piece that has really turned out to be a $.13 bill for hundreds of people.  Great...good business.  For those of you who can't understand the tragedy and/or the drama of this situation, you are probably the better for it.

 

Meanwhile, I am busting my butt with my clients.  I did have my first transaction to fall apart today, but he is an investor that will buy something else, and I picked up a new client (wow, that's a story for another time, too :) ) by day's end, so I'm not stressing.

Lots of love and all that,
Peace,
Greg 

continuing my run

So, I ended August with a 4th ratified contract for the month (I was Rookie of the Month again, a title I like and detest at the same time), and I just got my first ratified contract of September.  More importantly, the never-ending $70,000 transaction that was supposed to settle on August 15th finally settled today...thank the Lord.  Seriously, my hourly wage for the transaction has to be about $20/hour, which is pitiful for a Realtor (think about it, with the number of hours of work that a Realtor doesn't get paid for, you want to be above $100/hour for "transaction hours" no matter how small the deal).  I could say more, but I don't know who actually reads this thing, so I'm going to have to stifle some opinions.  Don't get me wrong...I am not sore towards anyone involved, but there were just some things that happened that really shouldn't have happened that made this transaction more difficult to navigate than was reasonable in my opinion.

 

Well, hmmm.  I watched Million Dollar Listing for the first time last night, and that left a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Why?  Well, 1, Realtors getting paid for one transaction what I haven't gotten paid for the 11 I've done/am doing in the last 5 months.  But, 2, Realtors that come off caring more about putting transactions together than they do on really caring about their client's best interests.  I think "2" is probably more a result of Bravo's editing, but it definitely perpetuates some of the negative Realtor stereotypes that are out there.  I go back to one of my central axioms in this business: if you care about money in this business, you will get money, but likely not as much as you could get otherwise; if you care about working in the best interests of your clients, the money will come exponentially.  I have seen this work for me already, as 4 of my last 5 transactions were referrals and/or repeat business.  If you really care about people, they can tell, and they will help grow your business by telling others about you.

 

Anyway, it's late.  I'm gone.

Peace,
Greg