Gary Woltal's Blog

In the world of Real Estate you see a lot human nature. The good, the bad, the strange.

One pet peeve I am starting to have with some people is the inability to come around to a decision. Yes, having more input into a decision can make you make a better decision. But analysis paralysis is like a law of diminishing returns. More and more input does not eventually lead to a better decision. It leads to confusion and too many options. I found the following quote from Ross Perot which I think I am going to use more often now with fence sitters, and the ones who say, "I'll think about it."

If you see a snake, kill it. Don't appoint a committee on snakes.

Make good decisions. But don't take a lifetime to do it. Life is too short.

Real Estate as we all know is not fun and games.

Transactions are SERIOUS!!

I mean deals almost always go sideways. One must stay on top of things. Thank goodness we have our trusty computers to email contracts back and forth and scan our images into.

When you go to bed at night and forget to shut down your computer, I think you ought to know what actually goes on.  Imagine:  It's 2 AM.  Do you know where your icons are and what they are doing?  Click on the link to see.

     ICON WARS  : )

Must be why kids love their Playstations !!!

For those in Real Estate and life that worry about being "transparent" take heart. 

Look to nature for comfort and a sense that all is as it should be.

The Glasswing Butterfly, lives in South America.
  
A butterfly with transparent wings is rare and beautiful.

As delicate as finely blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication of high habitat quality and its demise alerts them of ecological change. 

Rivaling the refined beauty of a stained glass window, the translucent wings of the Glasswing butterfly shimmer in the sunlight like polished panes of turquoise, orange, green, and red.
 
All things beautiful do not have to be full of color to be noticed.

In life oftentimes that which is unnoticed has the most power.

There are many categories of Real Estate to look at for primary and secondary homes. Some of my favorites to explore are the rural types - Farm & Ranch, acreage, and country properties. Why is this? There is just something serene about getting out in the country and at least temporarily away from the busyness of urban or suburban life. Even if you just visit these places.

I am convinced the wide open, quiet spaces teach us much about harmonizing with what life is supposed to be about. The chirping of the birds, the nature, the breeze through the trees, the greenery, all relax us.

A very simple lesson evident to me in this setting is throwing a rock in a pond and it produces a ripple outgoing from the point of impact. To me this illustrates the ripples of kindness which I have seen so many times in my own life.

Never underestimate the HUGE impact on the world of "one" kind deed. It can affect those closest to it immediately but then goes outward into the world to others to be passed along. Ripples can be negative as well so that's why at all costs keep the negativity as best you can OUT of your life.

Ripples of kindness can last for just that day causing a brief smile when the clerk at the grocery store compliments you on your hair style, your dress, or your beautiful smile. It may be something that is remembered for a week. Or sometimes in critical moments in your lifetime especially later on when someone passes away but said something to you or did something for you beforehand, you will remember it for a lifetime.

So be those little pebbles in the center of a country pond that produce wonderful waves of kindness and love in the pond we call life. See if you can make them reach from one shore to the other shore.

I see it in the real estate marketplace with buyers who go through the phases of their life. Apartment, starter home, mid size home, very large home, empty nester home, townhome, etc. We all have the need for growth and to do the best with what we are given.

It is only natural to have some level of healthy ambition in your life. I have written much about satisfaction and counting our blessings. But sometimes each day as you get up and dust yourself off you know that you can still do better. You are just

                      NOT QUITE THERE YET.

It is very natural to want to continually improve and be better over time in all areas of our lives. I've heard if someone would show you a vision of your true potential, it would literally astound you. So try each day and never give up. You are slowly being molded into your best self. Strive for excellence, not perfection.

And as far as "others" go, have expectations of children and with adults look toward their best as well. But for some you encounter, prepare to be let down. Accept people where they are. Maybe they have not advanced as far as you yet, but perhaps someday they will. Cut them a little slack, and love them "anyway."

Like a dog does to you, love them

            JUST THE WAY THEY ARE.

In REALTOR land it always amazes me the diversity of backgrounds I find out there. But eventually despite whatever background someone starts in real estate they all learn the ropes of listing, working with buyers, using the MLS, even some blogging. People tend to trend toward the mainstream. Except those weird birds. Those who are so in tune with themselves that they march to the beat of a different drummer.

         MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN NONCONFORMISTS

I think I just relate better to them. Despite an incredibly strong technology background I don't leap at every new gizmo or savvy techie idea just because it is new. In one sense I can be an early adopter like a wireless mouse but in other areas I see that "new" is not necessarily "better."

Besides nonconformists being naturally stubborn, they see things in the world in completely different ways than the mainstream. I like that. I think they are the dreamers. The ones that get us to land on the moon.

We all need each other. But those who are themselves motivate and inspire me to remind everyone else that being yourself just might be the coolest YOU out there!

                     PROUD TO DO IT THIS WAY

I am a great student of observation and lately from real estate clients and listening to too many talking heads in the world all I hear about are

        Problems. Problems. Problems.

I also am a person of solutions and I know about how to create good feelings. Someone said once that we know we haven't reached peak happiness yet because there still wasn't a shortage of fishing poles at K-Mart and Wal-Mart.

Another form of connecting to the "rhythm" of your life is to listen to or play music. Really get into your favorite tunes. And how about this? Dance. By yourself. With another. What happened to dance? Get out there and FEEL the music. Just a little tidbit for something of an idea to do tonight or this week.

           DANCE THE BLUES AWAY!!!

As I have gotten older I have learned to be a better listener, something that was very much not natural to me. Working in Real Estate with buyer and seller clients you will learn a lot if you stop talking so much of the time.

You learn that behind all the masks we wear, even though everyone admits to not having masks, we carry certain burdens we have to just live with. It's normal. It's life. But throughout the day I've found to better offset these underlying struggles you really need to pay attention to a certain opportunity. No, it is not an opportunity to make another buck or become famous or the center of attention by getting some award. Do not miss this opportunity as it comes by.

        IT IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LAUGHTER.

Whether you find it in yourself, in others, in the comic pages, in children, in your dog, in something you read, in the irony of a situation, or just concluding how dumb you are in the moment, take full advantage of the instant in time and just laugh. It is very freeing. When laughing with someone else it doubles your own joy.

We are built in life not to be sad creatures but to be happy and find joy. Live life abundantly and laugh often. Find the treasure that I have found that is laughter.

Down our way we have a saying about Don't Mess With Texas. A country song by Carrie Underwood every time I hear it reminds us men, even though the song is about getting even to,

DON'T MESS WITH A WOMAN (It makes me laugh all the time)

The life of a REALTOR can be considered a "fun" ride on a rollercoaster. Fun is all relative of course, and some days are not as fun as others. But these personality types thrive on the emotional swings of buying and selling real estate and serving people who are anything if not, far from perfect in the process.

One element that pops up in doing these transactions of 192 steps is

                                    DISAPPOINTMENT.

So often, we encounter it. People don't do what they say. People lie. People don't show up for appointments. Other agents don't return your phone calls or provide feedback on the showings. Clients wig out and drop you like a hot potato like it was your fault the house didn't sell even though they haven't lowered the price in nine months or got the weeds out of the backyard.

Beyond real estate, life dishes out its share of disappointments to all of us too. Children don't do what we expect of them. A relationship falls apart right before our eyes, when we didn't want it to happen. Someone loses a job for nothing wrong they did, just the economy. You are felled by an illness that came out of the blue and you wonder what you did wrong in your life to deserve this hand you've been dealt. You are back stabbed by a co-worker. Someone you thought was a friend during tough times disappears. They say adversity always lets you know who your real friends are. Endless accounts of disappointment can be found. It's just part of life and what happens to us.

But have hope. I am here to tell you all is not lost. There is a SUPER phrase you can use when that little critter called disappointment comes calling. Like seeds that are planted that don't all bloom into wonderful flowers, some just shrivel up and die or get blown away by the wind.

The phrase?                                    ISN'T THAT INTERESTING?

Simple as it is, it lets you know its no fault of your own. It is just life. Areas out of your control. Disappointment. Surprising to you? Yes. Uncomfortable? Surely. But not your reponsibility. Say this phrase often when disappointed. Sometimes even laugh after saying it, because it will remind you that disappointment is not meant to be a kryptonite to you in your life. YOU are meant to be happy despite disappointment. 

 We all can't be SUPERMAN, but with saying that little super phrase you will

          FIND THE BETTER PART OF YOU!!!  

Hanging around Stagers with all their talents as a Realtor I have learned a thing or two. First off their biggest value add is that their gift and special touch allow homes to be sold faster. Second you can choose from many plans from them: home selling consultation, staging of occupied homes, staging vacant homes, and Open House/Home Tour preparation.

As a reminder from Marketing 101 and the four P's - Place (Location/floorplan), Price, Promotion, and Presentation, the Realtor works on Price and Promotion while the Stager works on the Presentation.

You can increase your business significantly with staging. It gives you a competitive advantage, less days on market, increases your closing ratios, obtains higher/multiple offers, have satisfied/repeat customers and promotes goodwill of you the agent.

Stagers get buyers attention by:

* Impressing them with curb appeal, neutralizing throughout, creating an open floor plan, going back to the original design, and highlighting features

Stagers create homes that impress by:

* De-personalizing them, setting the mood, having no more than four pieces of furniture per room, go out with the old, and have the owners pre-pack extras

Stagers provide reminders to the home sellers to:

* Keep the property squeaky clean, breathe freshness into the air, hide the pets, make it light and bright, and perform all necessary maintenance

Staging works! Associate yourself with these talented folks and let them work their magic. Is a Stager one of your Buddies? They need to be part of your successful Realtor team. Let Staging be your competitive advantage.