Gary Woltal's Blog

One of my favorite U.S. Presidents after Abraham Lincoln has to be Theodore Roosevelt. Although late 19th and early 20th century was his time in the sun, he could teach us a thing or two today.

How about getting through a negotiation? How about getting to the point and clearing through the clutter?

There is a term in communication where everyone talks around a problem. You can see it in real estate where parties to a transaction don't really find out what the other wants. In life, people can dance around marital problems, talking about finances with elderly parents, the birds and the bees talks with young children (although with that last one they might be teaching you these days).

In communication they call it the elephant in the room, but for the sake of this post it will be

                                        HAVE YOU SEEN A PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM?

You see pink elephants jokingly when we've had too much to drink. But seriously in many families with an alcoholic or addiction or abuse problems, no one talks about the elephant. It is a silence that needs to be broken, though not easily without assistance from others.

That's where old T.R. comes along. He had a policy in negotiating with other countries to "speak softly but carry a big stick." Meaning you can change things with strength. No one said change was easy. Harnessing resources to open communication, to change situations takes courage and help from others. Find the big sticks in your life to conquer those elephants, pink or otherwise that may reside in your living room.

Or else, things just might Festus (fester) on you.

BTW, Teddy Roosevelt may have been a man of action and strength but the world of his day loved him still. Where do you think we got the Teddy Bear and the national parks from?

Same guy that road his horse up San Juan Hill in the Spanish American war. Quite a character, that Teddy.

Oftentimes in real estate we encounter babes in the woods, whether they be REALTORS, buyers or sellers. In case you haven't heard this one in the past I'll happily bring you up to speed. Afterward, you can add Joke Master (JM) to your professional designations.

When a young Real Estate Buyer met his untimely end, he was informed that he had a choice about where he would spend his eternity: Heaven or Hell. He was allowed to visit both places, and then make his decision afterwards.

"I'll see Heaven first," said the Buyer, and an angel led through the gates on a private tour. Inside it was very peaceful and serene, and all the people there were playing harps and eating grapes. It looked very nice, but the Buyer was not about to make a decision that could very well condemn him to a life of musical tediousness.

"Can I see Hell now?" he asked. The angel pointed him to the elevator, and he went down to the Basement where he was greeted by one of Satan's loyal followers. For the next half hour, the Buyer was led through a tour of what appeared to be the best night clubs he'd ever seen. People were partying loudly, and having a, if you'll pardon the expression, Hell of a time.

When the tour ended, he was sent back up where the angel asked him if he had reached a final decision.
"Yes, I have," he replied. "As great as Heaven looks and all, I have to admit that Hell was more of my kind of place. I've decided to spend my eternity down there."

The Buyer was sent to Hell, where he was immediately thrown into a cave and was chained to a wall, and he was subjected to various tortures. "When I came down here for the tour," he yelled with anger and pain, "I was shown a whole bunch of bars and parties and other great stuff! What happened?!"

The devil replied, "Oh, that! That was just the Model Home."

I read alot. I talk to a lot of people within and outside Real Estate. One buyer reminded me with my cheery attitude of how many people have much pain in their lives. I have read many surveys of what makes people happy. I tried to condense it down to a few bullet points in what I call the

                  THE HAPPINESS FORMULA

In particular, pay attention to that last bullet item. People and/or animals in your life draw you out. With people, cultivate these relationships everywhere you go. Locally, family, across the Rain, business. You will find people for your life who will do wonderful things for your well being. They will love you and laugh with you. Find them, and cherish them. Good luck with your happiness.

I know some of these photos have circulated around on the Internet but they arrived back in my InBox again today and I thought I would share with all the interior designers and painters within the group. These kind always have me tripping and I don't know if they are real or some kind of Photoshop illusion but if you were to do these in a house I KNOW your visitors would be tripping.

   YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS ONE.

       THIS IS A CEILING MURAL IN A SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

Now, imagine you are at a party. It's the tenth floor of a high rise building. And then you have to visit the bathroom. Let's say maybe you've had a drink or three.

              YOU OPEN THE DOOR

             NOW, REMEMBER

                       THE FLOOR IS JUST A PAINTED FLOOR.

                   KINDA TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY DOESN'T IT??

Would this mess up your mind? Would you be able to walk into this bathroom? The amazing power of paint and the mind!!!

All right, I admit I've got a bee in my bonnet with this one and I need your help. I am always trying to improve my craft in selling houses and some Realtors have as a core part of their marketing tying balloons to everything. Not just doing an OPEN HOUSE. I'm talking the entire weekend on For Sale signs and directional signs. So help me.

           Do Balloons Help So More Houses?

I used to think this was tacky and old school. Then I thought it would attract attention to the signs and property. Now watching days on market soar and "new" reduced prices coming out I am back to thinking this whole balloon man thing is hokey. But I know they are using it in their listing presentations against me. We do balloons. He doesn't.

Tell me the scoop with your collective wisdom so I can inhale the remaining helium gas and sound like Mickey Mouse for you.

I've got to admit it. Touring some people's homes impresses me. I don't know if it is the lady of the house, the man, or both, but some people have their houses neat as pins. Maybe it is from their REALTOR'S or Stager's advice.

Which begs the question,

           TO BE OR NOT TO BE ORGANIZED?

I think some people are naturally organized. I am very well organized with work and slack off on the home side a bit. I think it has to do with chillin' out, and I don't need to store files for seven years. The fellas in the locker room after a recent basketball game had this to say about one of their wives, "She knows on Tuesday, what's for dinner on Friday. And it's typed up." Wow. Talk about organization. Now you know what guys talk about in locker rooms too.

I am comfortable about my level of disorganization in part of my life but I know I take guilt trips over it and think I should do better. I traverse the school supplies row of the local grocery store and want to load up on rulers, new pencils, notebooks, and staplers and want to somehow get a fresh start. But it always eludes me.

So the question I have for you, is how comfortable are you with how you are organized? I know it is supposed to make us more efficient in life and that we always know where our car keys are and where we stowed away the Corn Flakes. But please tell me I'm not the only one out there who builds piles like I'm trying to stair step my way to the moon.

Finally, this little poem has given me perspective and comfort that being a little messy in our life might not be all bad. I await to hear your life story.

DUST IF YOU MUST

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.

Remember, a house becomes a home when you can write
"I love you" on the furniture.....

In driving up to my Realtor office of late, it seems like I have to park around the back, or go back and forth, up and down the rows to get a spot. Boy, there must be a lot of people working on contracts, checking the MLS on the in office computers, or having client meetings. Then it dawned on me,

          WHY I CAN'T FIND A PARKING SPOT...

A newly released study shows that in 1950 there were 2.6 billion population on the planet. Today there are 6.7 billion. By 2012 there will be 7 billion. By 2050 there will be an estimated 9.5 billion! The U.S. alone is 304 million, third in people behind China and India. They are all after my parking spot! : )

With this comes competition, a potential downside for any of us in business. And that's competition for housing, a piece of the American dream, healthcare, retirement, and even food.

But you know me, I see a bright spot even when it is raining. With more people comes more opportunity. More opportunity to "touch" other people. And for me, much more opportunity for me to find new friends.

So the next time you are stuck in traffic or can't find a spot on the beach or lakeside at that waterfront location, it's not all bad. There are many more people to find and explore all that is good in life. Your InBox will just be more overloaded with jokes from those fun friends you find. You will have more hugs to give and receive, and more barbeques to share. More people to love and to love you. 

Yes, we may be getting bigger as a planet in a sea of humanity. But it can make us better too.

In a recent discussion I got to pointing out how some in the real estate industry were not hard working types. We all have different goals and who am I to judge? That got me to feeling bad about myself. Then one pointed out to me that there were many hard working REALTORS and despite all the hard work, at times due to down economic cycles, it could be a tough go of it certain years. Now I really felt bad.

So in a reverse motivation sort of way I wanted to praise all the hard working REALTORS out there and point out one thing I know they have in their hearts about this business. And that is PASSION! They are the types who

         DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY.

You remember, dance? That's the thing you do with your dance partner and your tippy toes and feel the rhythm and all that jive! People with passion, like in dance, LOVE what they do. I so admire it. They love life. They put life into what they do. You can see it in their eyes. There is a sparkle. There is an energy. It is a feeling that you love to get out there and do it. I've heard people with high passion say, I can't believe they actually pay me to do this.

So know if you find a person with passion they will naturally be a hard worker. Tip your hat to them, because they are very much aligned with what's in their heart.

Their type so impress me all the time. I'm going to go up to them and ask for the next dance.

     LA ISLA BONITA

In looking at Internet search by buyers for homes you would think it would be easier. Plug the parameters in and BAM, there is your home. Who needs REALTORS? But somehow the reality of the search process is much more complex than that and you have to venture off on the journey and see what is real. You have to use other senses like the smell of the cookies in the kitchen or the sound of a stream out back to say YES, this is home. But as with any kind of path

            THE DESTINATION IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE JOURNEY.

You pick up experiences on your road. You meet new friends. Some stick, others don't. You laugh. You cry. You learn lessons. You get hurt. You are inspired. You get dirty. You clean up yourself the next day. You get tired. You get nourished. You get motivated. You come back to the road for another go of it. You find places you don't want to return to. You find places you come back to time and time again for filling up on the joy. You can't wait to be on the road again with that person or with that feeling.

I am sometimes convinced in life, from buying houses to just plain old living life, that it has never been about the destination. It has ALWAYS been about the journey and each day keeping your eyes wide open to watch what is in store for you.

"There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching..."

In driving around married couple buyers as a REALTOR there are some days when you witness relationships not exactly made in heaven. I stick to the house part and refrain from the marriage counseling practice. Although I am sure some REALTORS could give classes on helping the two communicate better in this process which would help sell more homes.

I recently learned from a study that in addition to exercise, nutrition, and stress management as factors to maintain a high level of health and well-being, another factor was MORE important: SELF-REVELATION. So I pose the question:

     HAVE YOU FOUND YOURSELF A DELICIOUS PERSON?

The concept that goes with this thought is that in your life you need at least one "nutritious" person. They are someone who you can consistently, deeply share your thoughts and feelings openly with. The need for being seen, listened to, acknowledged, and understood makes or breaks your biology and is your lifeline.

This naturally could be a spouse, or evolve to a brother or sister, parent, or a close friend you find along the way. This relationship has to be tested for its trust, safety with your vulnerability, perpetual respect, and honesty. You have to be able to lower your shields (with someone) to grow.

So look around in your life for these delicious people, and find one or two.

They will make your life SWEET!!

P.S. Sorry for the graphic for my readers on diets : ) I didn't intend to be cruel, just illustrating a point here.