Tell me if you see yourself in this scenario: you’re scanning the MLS for expired listings. You find more than 20. It’s a good day.
You then grab the phone and start dialling.
Expireds Can Be Time Wasters
This is not an uncommon scene played out in real estate offices around the country. Unfortunately, chasing expireds this way is a huge time waster.
Nothing against expireds.
In fact, expireds are a great source of leads. I highly recommend agents pursue them. These are people who are motivated. They’ve demonstrated they want to sell and move.
And actually, I believe you can make a pretty good living off of expireds when you approach them the right way.
But the problem is timing.
Real estate agents often approach expireds too soon. Like the moment the expired is out of his old contract.
That’s the wrong time because hundreds of agents are knocking down that poor guy’s door. And did you know that an expired listing gets anywhere from 15 to 25 calls a day?
In that kind of environment you’re liable to get trampled, frustrated and ultimately lost in the crowd.
Expireds Probably Hate You for the Moment
And don’t forget about the feelings of the expired.
Most likely real estate agents ARE NOT one of their favorite  people. In fact, they more than likely have a sour taste in their mouth towards you. These people are upset because they did not get what they wanted: a sold home.
It’s a time when emotions run high. What you need to do is back off and wait. Let the homeowner re-group and consider his next moves.
How long should you wait? About a month.
Expireds Will Wait for You
I hear you screaming foul right now. You’re afraid the expired will be gone after waiting so long.
Nonsense.
Homes tend to stay off the market for months. And trust me: expired home owners shun and shut out agents every day. In my experience, I’ve learned that expireds are not going to fall right back into a new contract.
Besides, you won’t look like a desperate agent if you wait a month. Desperate agents are dangerous. And nobody wants to hire them.
Give it time. Let the fruit on that tree ripen. And when it’s ready, it should fall into your lap.
This does mean that you’ll need to create a database of these expired listings and engage software that reminds you when the month is up and it’s time to give them a visit. Any contact management software will do.
Your Turn
So tell me, what’s been your experience when it comes to working with expireds? Have you had luck contacting them the day their listing expires? Is 30 days too long to wait? Should agents wait longer? Let me know what you think. I look forward to your thoughts.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
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Lure Buyers in with Out Reducing the Price
RealityTimes.com reports that for the first time in a year fewer sellers slashed their prices. Trulia.com is the company tracking the numbers.
In the RealtyTimes.com report Trulia CEO Pete Flint said this:
Consumer engagement on Trulia remains at an all time high, but home sales have dropped nationally during the past few months because there has been a lower sense of urgency to ‘buy now’. As we get closer to the government incentives running out, we expect price reductions to increase as sellers begin to feel the pressure to lure buyers in, in advance of the tax credit expiration.
It’s that line “we expect price reductions to increase as sellers begin to feel the pressure to lure buyers in” I want to focus on.
Here’s what I know: While necessary [and something, by the way, you can do near pain-free with this method], price reductions are no fun for your clients.
That’s money they lose and you lose.
In fact, unmotivated sellers may simply resist the suggestion and let the home expire. You don’t want that. So how do you lure in buyers without having to drop prices? Here are a few suggestions:
10 Home Staging Tricks to Attract More Buyers
Here’s the single best piece of advice I can give you about staging homes: People are looking for things in a new home that they DON’T have in their current homes. Your job is to make the house look that way. These tips will help you.
Capitalize on This Buyer Quirck to Sell Any Home
In a slow market, a typical bidding war begins–if it begins at all–with the marketing of a slightly undervalued home. That means selecting a price that is at the low end of the expected selling price range. This may not please your seller one bit–but it may result in multiple offers. And naturally, multiple offers tend–no promise, though–to drive the selling price up.
Find Buyers in Just 25 Minutes and 25 Seconds
This is a five step plan to tackle all the leads you’ve accumulated with IVR or any other method you use…you know those leads that you haven’t called back. [Unless you work strictly work off of referrals, which is the sweet spot you want, you need to work ALL the leads you get. It will eventually lead to success. But interestingly enough, most agents who fail at IVR don't call the leads back. It's a shame.]
Conquer Call Reluctance Once and For All
Now the thought if calling people you don’t know makes your heart jump out of your chest…please read this post. Do it for yourself. For your career. For your family. Go for it. I know you can do it.
What about you: How do you lure buyers in without lowering the price? Is it even possible? [I argue it is because I've seen it happen using the above tips...but I'm curious to know what you think.]
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Seattle. San Francisco. Pittsburgh. Rochester. Memphis. Oakland. Birmingham.
What do these seven towns share in common? If you said they’re all predicted to post gains in average home price, then you are correct.
What accounts for these predictions? For places like San Francisco, a roaring comeback is expected because much of the cities inventory will have been sold.
For a city like Rochester a come back is likely since it hasn’t been burdened by toxic mortgages, has a unemployment rate below the national average and has a healthy stock of good-paying jobs.
If you’re a real estate agent in one of these cities, your future looks bright.
But what if you don’t live in one of these comeback cities? What if you live in a city that looks to suffer even more foreclosure losses?
Well, one way to approach this problem is simply to attack it at it’s source: Go after pre-foreclosures. That’s good advice.
But there’s also another way to boost your production this year: Systematically employ the 10 most effective marketing strategies for real estate agents [based upon Homegain's survey]:
Need a Damn Good Referral System to Save Your Career? Think about it: what’s it worth to you to find and nurture a handful–say, I don’t know, 100–clients who love you to death? Referrals
Stage the Home to Attract New Buyers Want a couple of easy tips to help you make a home look attractive to a buyer? Then you’re at the right place. Featured Listings
Nine Things That Make Email Effective Despite the endless talk about social media–Twitter or Facebook, for example–-emails are still the workhorse of online prospecting. Email Campaigns
Postcards: Why Your Adverting Never Works The reason your advertising doesn’t work–whether it’s a billboard or email newsletter or postcard mailing–is simple. Postcards/Mailers
How a Cocky CEO of GE Can Make You a Better Blogger How can Jack help you in blogging? Easy. Figure out what market you can enter where you are guaranteed to be #1 or #2. Blogging
Gimpy Website? 5 Techniques to Create a Killer One Okay. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you’re a real estate agent, you probably have a website. The question is, is it any good? Hm.
Why I Use Twitter [It's for the Cocktails, Stupid!] But let’s get one thing straight: I don’t have any delusions on what Twitter can accomplish. So what can you hope to get out of Twitter? Good question. Social Media
Social Media Matters: Selling Houses During Hard Times Second only to over-priced home, no internet marketing strategy is the biggest reason homes don’t sell. Here’s how to change that. Social Media
How to Make Emotion Your Most Potent Weapon Why is emotion so important to your advertising? In the end, every decision–to list, to sell, to buy, to call–boils down to how a decision makes a person feel. Let me explain. Outdoor Ads
Cheatsheet on How to Make Your Ads Stick in People’ Mind How do you create ideas that are sticky? You use these six principles found in the book Made to Stick. Print Ads
Did you find this article helpful? If so, leave a comment or subscribe to thereal estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
How to Ride the Third Wave of Foreclosures to Your Best Year Ever
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The Daily Beast tells us that a third wave of foreclosures looms. What, with unemployment expected to jump from 8.9 into the double digits, even homeowners with solid financial histories will find themselves going under.
However, while it might be raining in the front yard, it looks like the sun is trying to peek through the clouds in the back.
Maybe.
Realty Trac tells us that it’s “premature to declare victory yet” [February was a considerably slower month for foreclosures] since foreclosures were still at record highs.
In fact, 2.8 million households stood on the brink of foreclosure in 2009. That number is expected to rise to 3 million this year.
Welcome to the third wave.
What does that mean to you? Opportunities to help some people out. Before they lose their home. Yes. I’m talking about the pre-foreclosure.
Now, remember, working pre-foreclosures is less about padding your pocket and more about helping another human being.
I can’t stress that enough.
So, when approaching pre-foreclosures for the first time use these ideas to prove to them that you are truly their to help can save their home:
- You can sell their home. Goes without saying, but some people need to be reminded.
- You aren’t out to fleece them. Just the opposite. You want to help them save equity. Credit. Face. And you must mean it. You must have a heart. That means listening liberally and talking conservatively.
- You are a legal expert: You know all the contracts, forms, disclosure statements backwards, frontwards, inside and out. If they did it solo–or worse, not at all–chances are high they’d miss something.
- You are a professional: Like a doctor or lawyer, you’re an expert. You live and breathe this stuff. Ask them how many people would defend themselves in a court of law? Or, how many people feel confident performing surgery on themselves? Tell them this is your bread and butter.
- You are a master of the market. You know the market and can price the homes competitively. Explain to them the importance of pricing right the first time and the danger of over-pricing. The last thing they want to do is waste time.
- You are a expert on financing. You know how to pre-qualify, qualify and point prospects in the right direction for financing. But with those who want to buy pre-foreclosures, in my experience, have normally got the cash. Let them know people with ready money can buy their home.
- You are a specialist: You can handle criticism, objections and demands objectively and professionally…a must when trying to persuade someone to buy a home that is close to foreclosure.
- You are a negotiator. You know how to balance offers, counteroffers and negotiate contingencies that often will drive a FSBO bananas. Offer your batting average for selling homes at full asking price. If you’re good, they’ll think you’re a genius.
- Finally, you are a network. Develop a list of the tasks that must be completed before closing, including all the inspections, insurance, permits. Then explain to them you know all the right people and could have everything arranged in an afternoon. They’ll get the point.
Listen: I think you’ll agree, if you step out there and help some good people sell their homes and save face…it will be your best year ever.
Besides, put yourself in their shoes. There’s nothing better than doing for others what you’d want them to do for you.
So tell me…have you been working pre-foreclosures? Any success? Any tips to help improve this list? I’m looking for ways to make the first encounter a lasting impression.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog by email or news feed.
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What a couple of easy tips to help you make a home look attractive to a buyer? Then you’re at the right place.
Understand, most buyers are looking for things in a new home that they DON’T have in their current homes.
Maybe it’s nothing more than a master bedroom. Or a fireplace. Or simply space. Then again, they may be nosing around for a showcase living room…you know, a living room you’d find in a major magazine.
If you can make the whole house look that way…then you should be looking at multiple offers. Here are a few steps
1. Everything should be clean. The furniture. The window sills. The appliances. All parts of the house should pass the white glove test.
2. Simplify. Every room should be expansive and airy. No clutter. If it’s a living room, keep the sofa, coffee table and flat screen. If it’s a bedroom, keep the bed and a dresser. That’s it. Put everything else in storage.
3. Remove family photos. Nothing personal, but you never see family photos on the walls of the homes in home design magazines, do you? You only see art.
4. Borrow some great paintings and large photographs of nature or an urban region from friends and families. And decorate the walls.
5. Paint. You can work some serious magic if you paint. This is a must do. But keep it neutral.
6. Bed linens. Borrow or buy some plump, fresh linens and pillows for the beds.
7. Remove the blinds and drape over-sized curtains from poles.
8. Invest in some large rugs. Rugs are great for covering up spots and anchoring a room with some depth and color.
9. Minimize the landscaping. Too much of it and you’ll give the person who doesn’t like to landscape an excuse to put this home on the back burner. Yes, good landscaping creates great curb appeal. Too much of it, though, and you create fear in some people.
10. Buy a kick-ass cool front door. Buyers are going to spend a minute or two at your front door while the agent fumbles with the lock box. You want that first impression to growl and say, “You know you want to come in.”
Staging a home might sound like a lot of work. But it’s worth every penny. In fact, you might stage the home and not want to leave. Better yet, you might sell the home in record time. Which is what you want.
Like what you read? Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
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The Sales Suicide Quiz: Are You Sabotaging Your Real Estate Sales
7 Ways to Cut Loose from Old Sales Thinking
Four Questions to Rapidly Disqualify Unreasonable Sellers
With the housing market not expected to bottom out until mid-2010, you could probably use a little jolt of laughter to shake the blues that’s plaguing us in this distressed economy.
And after you read this top-ten list, why not share one of your own frigthening comments you’ve heard homesellers make.
1. “This House Pretty Much Survived the Explosion.”
Yes, houses do blow up. Some by gas. Some by fires. Others by meth labs. It’s that last one that should raise a red flag.
2. “The Neighbor Was Released from Prison Yesterday”
Your response to this question should be, “Oh, so…what did he do?” Even if it runs along the gamut of white-collar crime [you know, embezzlement or extortion or tax evasion], nobody wants to live next door to a criminal. Be careful.
3. “Cars Only Drive Fast Down This Road in the Evening”
The operative word, of course, is ONLY. The rest of the time the road is mild. Perhaps there’s the rare Monte Carlo that zips down the road and doesn’t make the turn and ends up in your yard…but no worries. That ONLY happens once a year.
4. “Those Homeowners Back There Just Sold to a Guy Who’s Going to Build Some Apartments”
Hear that sound? It’s the sound of property values dropping. Fast. Run. For. Your. Life.
5. “The Basement Gets Damp When It Rains”
Translated: “Water levels reach about to my knees when it rains…but it’s all gone within a day or two.”
6. Â “I Think Somebody Died in the Bathroom”
Drug overdose? Murder? Natural death? Help me here. HOW they died is just as important as THAT they died. Though the creepy factor still remains.
7. “My Husband Got Busted Growing Pot in That Room”
The follow up statement from the homeowner might resemble a fumbling recovery, something like, “My eyes. My eyes. I have really bad cataracts. The marijuana helped me…not that I smoke it any more.”
8. “Michael Jackson Was Born Here”
Or, insert any famous, historical person. If that’s the case, you’re likely to get a lot of unwelcomed visitors pausing in front of the house to take pictures or snooping in the backyard or peeping through a window. At least that’s what a potential buyer is probably thinking.
9. “You’ll Be Close to the Airport”
Wonderful, if you’re a commercial pilot. Everyone else, welcome to Camp Insomnia.
10. “Sure, The House Is Settling a Little”
Will it settle more? Maybe. Maybe not. Are you certain about everything in life? Have a little fun. Live large. Take life by the horns. Seize the day. Live over abandoned mine shafts. Besides, it’s a great topic for cocktail conversations.
So, got any juicy zingers homesellers floated your way? Please, share. And if you haven’t already, check out R. U. Darby’s gold mine story. And see what it means to you and your real estate career.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog by email or news feed.
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What do you do if you need to sell 1.5 million homes before they foreclose?
Well, if you’re a real estate agent who’s got a bead on homes about to foreclose…you short sell.Â
Short selling is nothing new. Especially with the collasping home market, and all. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to gather all the best ideas on short selling I can find.
Think of this as the unofficial guide to short selling. Enjoy–if that’s possible. And have a great Friday. Â Â
8 Irresistable Reasons Why Pre-Foreclosures Can’t Live Without You. Use these ideas to prove to sellers that you are truly there to help save their home.
Did you know there were 4 good reasons to work foreclosures? Discover ‘em: Quick and Dirty Guide to Foreclosures.Â
Short Sell Your Home–7 Steps That Helped Avoid Foreclosure. DebtKid shares his personal story on how he avoided foreclosure.Â
Businessweek proclaimes short sales “The new exit strategy.” A short sale tale. Â
Group moves homeless people into foreclosed homes. Won’t teach you anything about short selling. But a great idea to solve one problem with another. Â
Ever gone after a pre-foreclosure and had it fall flat on your face? Maybe you broke this pre-foreclosure maxim.Â
A beautiful alternative to foreclosure: strategies for short sales. Question and answer article that will cover most of your concerns.
Another worthless article not about short selling that I thought I’d share nonetheless. House prices plummet in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland. And when I say plummet, I mean homes for sale under $3,000. $1,000. Even $500.
How foreclosures changed the election. Intriguing turn-around.Â
Getting naked in short selling. The skinny on the stock side of short selling by Marketplace Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch. Useful? No. Fun? Yes.
Got any great links on foreclosures, short selling or pre-foreclosures you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments.Â
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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8 Irresistible Reasons Why Pre-Foreclosures Can’t Live Without You
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For a while there–middle of last year to be exact–I was on a foreclosure/pre-foreclusure streak. I gave you a quick and dirty guide to working foreclosures. I pointed out the most common cause of pre-foreclosure failure. Followed up by a very similar guide to the 2 lethal mistakes you can make when working foreclosures.Â
Now, I’m going to add that list.Â
Why? Foreclosures haven’t gone away. In fact, there’s no end in sight to the foreclosure nightmare. And don’t forget this: working pre-foreclosures is less about padding your pocket and more about helping another human being. I can’t stress that enough. Â
So, when approaching pre-foreclosures for the first time use these ideas to prove to them that you are truly their to help can save their home:
- You aren’t out to fleece them. Just the opposite. You want to help them save equity. Credit. Face. And you must mean it. You must have a heart. That means listening liberaly and talking conseratively.Â
- You can sell their home. Goes without saying, but some people need to be reminded.
- You are a legal expert: You know all the contracts, forms, disclosure statements backwards, frontwards, inside and out. If they did it solo–or worse, not at all–chances are high they’d miss something.
- You are a professional: Like a doctor or lawyer, you’re an expert. You live and breathe this stuff. Ask them how many people would defend themselves in a court of law? Or, how many people feel confident performing surgery on themselves? Tell them this is your bread and butter.
- You are a master of the market. You know the market and can price the homes competitively. Explain to them the importance of pricing right the first time and the danger of over-pricing. The last thing they want to do is waste time.Â
- You are a expert on financing. You know how to pre-qualify, qualify and point prospects in the right direction for financing. But with those who want to buy pre-foreclosures, in my experience, have normally got the cash. Let them know people with ready money can buy their home.Â
- You are a specialist: You can handle criticism, objections and demands objectively and professionally…a must when trying to persuade someone to buy a home that is close to foreclosure.
- You are a negotiator. You know how to balance offers, counteroffers and negotiate contingencies that often will drive a FSBO bananas. Offer your batting average for selling homes at full asking price. If you’re good, they’ll think you’re a genius.
- Finally, you are a network. Develop a list of the tasks that must be completed before closing, including all the inspections, insurance, permits. Then explain to them you know all the right people and could have everything arranged in an afternoon. They’ll get the point.
Now remember, working pre-foreclosures is a sensitive issue. But if they’re highly motivated, lightly but persistently hold their feet to the fire for the next couple of weeks, emphasizing the above points. As the frustration builds, their tipping point will get lower and lower. Eventually they’ll accept your offer and thank you for helping them.
So tell me…have you been working pre-foreclosures? Any success? Any tips to help improve this list? I’m looking for ways to make the first encounter a lasting impression.Â
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Take Advantage of This Psychological Buyer Quirk to Sell Any Home Now
Filed Under Real Estate Listing Tips, Real Estate Marketing | 3 Comments
Once upon a time a seller could price her home with the promise that she would get the full price.
She would review each offer as it came in. She would work with her agent to make a careful and calculated decision about which offer she should take. Then, she would select her buyer–normally above or at full price.
Unfortunately, in most markets today, this doesn’t–or can’t–happen.
The Death of the Typical Bidding War
Hot markets meant buyers made absurd, exuberent offers for just about every home that was priced. That doesn’t happen anymore.
In a slow market, a typical bidding war begins–if it begins at all–with the marketing of a slightly undervalued home. That means selecting a price that is at the low end of the expected selling price range.
This may not please your seller one bit–but it may result in multiple offers. And naturally, multiple offers tend–no promise, though–to drive the selling price up.Â
However, if you choose a low-pricing strategy, make sure that the property is adequately exposed to the market before you entertain offers. (And make sure you use the seven natural laws of prospecting I wrote about in August.) That’s the key to taking advantage of the psychological buyer quirk I’m going to share with you in a minute.
The New, Slow-Market Approach to Pricing a Home
Typically, sellers using this approach wait 10 days to two weeks before they entertain offers. During this time there is a broker open house and one or two public open houses.
Without this exposure, your home could sell at the low end of the range because only a limited number of buyers will have seen the property.
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But if all the pieces come together, you’ll have an environment for a multiple offer situation–which can be very lucrative.
How to Correct Pricing Misconceptions of a Home Seller
In addition to stressing the benefits of setting a lower price to your sellers during the pre-listing stage, this time also affords you the opportunity to correct sellers’ misconceptions on pricing.
Some sellers might be tempted to choose another salesperson who quotes them a higher asking price.
This shoud make you ask: “Does the salesperson want your success or a listing?” A salesperson who gives an unrealistically high price is making an empty promise.
Why Overpricing Doesn’t Work
Other sellers believe that overpricing will work to their advantage because it will give them ‘bargaining room.’
If you run into sellers who want to overprice their home, tell them that althouhg overpricing in a rising market may be appropriate, no one has ever had a successful client overprice in a falling market.Â
Leaving bargaining room isn’t as valuable a negotiating tool as bringing in a greater number of highly motivated buyers.
The Secret to Creating Irresistable Demand for a Home
How do you lure in the greatest number of motivated buyers? By setting a competitive price. Seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t know this.Â
Explain to your client that an attractively priced home pulls in buyers. This sometimes means a home below market value.
Tough sell. But remind them, more buyers equals more competition. And more competition means that the home will actually sell–which, in reality, is the most important thing to keep in mind.Â
Tap Into This Psychological Quirk of Buyers
Did you know that a home usually gets the most attention from buyers just after it’s put on the market? That’s right. Immediately after a home is listed, its flooded by buyers.
These are the buyer’s who are highly motivated. They have agents. They have instant notification via email and text when homes go on sale. They scour neighborhoods weekly. They’re primed.
And they flock to new homes on the market–ready to make a bid on the drop of a hat if necessary.Â
If you could view the number of times a home is seen during the first four weeks, what you’d see is a spike in activity in the first two weeks–then a sudden drop.Â
That’s why it’s necessary to encourage sellers to take full advantage of this phenomenon by showing their home in the best condition and…setting it at the best price during the first four weeks of the marketing efforts.
You want this home to be something buyer’s won’t forget–even if they’re not ready to buy just yet.
Here’s why.
Let’s say you did this for two weeks…but no takers. After your careful research, you and the sellers decided it’s still priced too high because you got plenty of activity…but zero offers.
If you use a tool like Showing Feedback, all you have to do is log into your Email Center on your account and send an email blast to all of the agents who have viewed the home. This includes every single person who was in the first wave of buyers.Â
If the home is priced accordingly, then there’s a good chance that you have laid the foundation for multiple offers.
What to Do Next
Now, if you find that you still don’t get the activity that you expected–lower the price even further.Â
You’ll eventually get to a point where the house is priced at an acceptable rate for the market. Send out another email blast…and kick back…and wait for the calls to come in.
Because they will. It never fails
Remember: There are enough people in this world who are interested in your client’s home. As long as you have chosen your clients carefully.
You just have to make sure the price gets to a point that they crave. Then they’ll come out of the woodwork.
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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How to Win (Almost) Every Listing Presentation
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Long ago I believed that winning listing presentations meant having a mental toolbox full of witty comebacks, sly counter objections and a persuasive delivery that would allow me to deflect arguments, shut down concerns and steamroll the prospect into signing with me.
But then I kept coming across successful agents who weren’t particularly well spoken and failing agents who rocked the crowds at the local Toastmasters. Obviously, something else was at work here.
After two decades of analyzing why some agents grow while others die–and why–I realized that surplus or scarcity thinking had more to do with how well agents do in listing presentations or negotiations than any training ever did.
Now, let me ask you a question: Are you a surplus or scarcity thinker? If you don’t know, make sure you know before you’re next listing presentation.
The Psychology Behind Success at Listing Presentations
We have 50,000 thoughts a day. That’s about 2 thoughts a second.
Most of them don’t matter, though. They’re of the this breed: “Message light blinking on phone,” “Air conditioner just started” and “Breeze is cool this morning.”
And because of the randomness of some of our thoughts, some of us don’t focus on any of our thoughts. And that’s a problem.
If we ignore all thoughts, we could miss out on great ideas when we have them. Like taking that much-needed vacation or placing an ad in that new homes magazine.
Worse, however, is when many of us do focus on our thoughts, but only on the negative ones. This can literally cripple us at the negotiating table.
My question for you, when approaching a selling situation is this: where are your thoughts pointing?
Are you thinking scarcity, such as…
- “I don’t deserve this listing when I’m going up against that agent.”
- “I bombed my last presentation, I’ll probably bomb this one.”
- “If I don’t get this seller, I’m sure to foreclose on my own house.”
Or are you thinking surplus…
- “I deserve this listing.”
- “I can’t wait to deliver a killer presentation!”
- “I love real estate and the thousands of opportunities to make thousands of dollars!”
As a rule, never believe your negative thinking…especially if it limits what you think is possible.
If you tend to be a scarcity thinker, stop right now and admit that your habit of thinking needs to be changed.
You’ll need to do this because just being aware of limiting beliefs and thoughts is a major step in the right direction. And awareness alone can be curative.
Then begin to work on affirmations like the ones above in the surplus category.
Also simply doing something different that counters limiting thoughts can work wonders. For instance, if you typically avoid or neglect selling situations, hunt them down. And throw yourself at them.
You’ll be amazed at the level of confidence you gain from simply doing something you’ve always dreaded. Even if your initial results are less than you expected. Practice makes perfect.
Only when we weed the limiting beliefs from our subconsciousness is it possible to plant the seeds of new beliefs.
And new beliefs are the pathway to prosperity. Abundance. Surplus.
To help you on your new journey, I recommend you pick up two classics:”Awaken the Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins and “Think and Grow Rich” by Napolean Hill.
Both can be read in a weekend. And both will have you climbing the walls, hungry to make big money.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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