Two Tried and True Fundamentals for Real Estate Success
As Donald Trump is inaugurated today, our country will be headed in an entirely different direction from the last four years. Today’s CoachingClues provides insights about what is ahead for the real estate industry. Regardless of what is happening politically, the core fundamentals in real estate remain constant.
Here are two tried and true fundamentals to anchor you back to the basics of real estate success.
1. You’re not selling real estate — you’re selling the dream of homeownership 
When you work with first-time buyers, they are seeking to fulfill their version of the American dream. As you work with them, use the word dream often. Help them create their vision of a bright future. Also use the word dream in your marketing wherever possible.
2. Fix-it is your friend
When something goes wrong in a transaction and you’re facing an angry client, defuse the situation by saying, “It was never my intention to make you angry — what can I do to fix it?” Notice that there is no apology, only an attempt to address the issue and move on.
The Palisades Fire—the Nightmare is Just Beginning
The Palisades fire has hit me hard emotionally. I’m a Southern California native. I spent 20 years in the Brentwood Office at Jon Douglas Company. Pacific Palisades and Brentwood probably represented about 60 percent of our transactions in our office. I attended UCLA as well as living in six different homes within the areas currently in or near the path of the fires.
The apocalyptic photos and videos coming out of L.A. can’t begin to capture the horror of not only seeing your house go up in flames, but a huge part of your community—the businesses, the restaurants, the schools—all the elements that were part of what you considered to be home gone.
There’s a high probability that a huge proportion of those coastal communities will never be rebuilt, not only because of the cost, but there’s no way the roads and infrastructure can support that level of construction.
While you may think this doesn’t impact you, we just received our insurance bill for our home here in Austin—it doubled and will probably go up next year This is tied partially to the Florida hurricanes and the resulting devastation, especially in Asheville, North Carolina.
Sadly, insurance price increases are only the tip of the iceberg of what’s coming. The domino effect may bankrupt major insurance carriers and may result in California going into bankruptcy. If you can’t get insurance, you can’t get a loan to buy a house.
My heart breaks for all those who have been impacted by these unimaginable events. Today’s CoachingClues outlines what you can do to be prepared—please take the steps needed to protect your property, yourself, and those you love now by being prepared.
Start 2025 with a Clean Slate
Have you ever set a goal and not completed it? If so, are you still hanging on to that goal or have you let it go? If you would like to achieve what is really important to you as well as creating more space and time in your life, now is an ideal time to begin anew by letting go of the goals you haven’t achieved.
For example, you may have a goal to weigh 10-20 pounds less than you have for the last five years. The energy you spend feeling guilty about the foods you eat, discussing how you need to go on a diet, and condemning yourself for not taking action, could be diverted into achieving other important goals.
Because “nature abhors a vacuum,” letting go of unachieved goals allows new energy and new opportunities to come into your life. It also makes it easier to take action because the energy wasted on these old goals is now free to be used elsewhere. Consequently, having clarity about what really matters is critical.
Once you have cleaned your slate of the old goals you need to release, take a few moments to identify the three or four most important aspects of your life.
In other words, what really gives your life meaning? What is it that you can’t stand to live without? The answers to these questions represent your core needs and values. Thus, when you write your goals for the upcoming year, do so with the idea of bringing your goals into alignment with your core needs and values.
Remember, while there are many possible ways to “clean the slate,” how you do it is less important than taking steps to do it. Be creative and focus on activities that feel right for you.
Wishing you the best of everything in 2025 including your most productive year ever—we’re here to help!
Focus on What You Can Do, Not What You Can’t Control
Do you find yourself worrying about things over which you have no control? The truth of the matter is that there’s nothing that you or I can do to stop what is going on somewhere outside of our immediate lives.
What you CAN do is to help those with whom you interact with in your life. For example, Byron makes people smile and laugh everywhere he goes. He listens and has fun.
That’s a gift each of us can give to each other. Say “thank you” to the people who pack your groceries at the store, smile at a stranger and say, “Good morning” or “Good afternoon,” tell the people who do a good job for you how much you appreciate their work—you get the idea. You may never realize it, but on some days, your smile may be the only one that person experiences that day.
As we have said many times before, you attract who you are. If you want wonderful, happy people in your life, be a wonderful, happy person starting with a smile, a thank you, and a sincere feeling of gratitude.
Stay Healthy over the Holidays
Have you noticed how many people are sick around holiday time? The reason is that people rush too much and fail to take good care of themselves. To avoid having this happen to you, make sure you’re getting your full 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
To reduce your stress, leave a little early for your appointments. If you arrive early, listen to your favorite music that makes you want to snap your fingers and tap your feet. This releases beta-endorphins that strengthen your immune system and reduce Cortisol. (Cortisol is the stress hormone that makes you susceptible to illness.)
Finally, eat well (but not too much), schedule time off for you, and laugh often. That’s the best way to have a terrific holiday season and to keep those nasty bugs and viruses away.