The Long View in Real Estate

A hallmark of a great Realtor is the desire to question and investigate the long view of any piece of property.  Someone just wanting a sale will only look at the immediate need; but a Realtor with a good head for planning and desire for life long clients will be looking ahead and advising of long term possibilities and/or limitations of the property you have in your sights.

What do I mean by this?  When I look at homes with a newly wed couple, I'm already thinking of resale value for them once their family outgrows their starter home.  Is it a good location?  Is it an improving location?  Are their amenities within easy reach?

When I look at acreages with people I discuss access to the home and outbuildings, not just on the beautiful summer day we're seeing the property, but in the middle of a raging snow storm when one of them is out of town.

When I look at a property with crops or livestock we have to consider long term water availability.

Before selling a tenanted property, a great Realtor will have a discussion with the prospective buyers about their tolerance for stress!

A great Realtor is a resource with your long term interests foremost in mind -- not a one hit wonder pressing you into a quick sale!  Kind of like a great financial planner who is not merely selling you today's hot stock but taking an overall view of what will best serve your needs over time.

Look for such a Realtor (well, if you're in the North Okanagan you already found me, but in other areas...) that is, in fact, looking out for you!

Curiosity didn't kill the cat!

Pondering during my gym workout, which is a great pondering time, I was thinking about how much most people like to help others.  And, how closed many people are to receiving help.  Odd.  In my real estate office we recently had a woman doing holiday coverage.  She was extremely competent, but also a wee bit nervous and not afraid to ask opinions or for help with a question.  The result was that she was adored across the board and the Realtors couldn't do enough to help her.

Why is it some of us feel we need to single-handedly have everything under control?  Is it the gold stars we got in grade school for knowing the right answer?  Are we afraid that others won't view us as competent unless we know it all in our fields?

I think education should focus on stimulating curiosity and questions!  Lots of questions!  But that's another blog!

Back to what I see as the smartest way to operate in any area one has expertise:  with great humility and the awareness that there is SO much more to learn.

One thing that always impressed me about the best horse people I've known is that the great ones are always aware of how much they DON'T know...and they're life long learners interested in what other riders and trainers are doing.  They never feel they've arrived and that all horses are the same.  They always know that each situation is different and merits respect and attention.

So too with the best Realtors.  They are never afraid to ask questions and consider options.  A home sale is never "same old, same old."  Great Realtors don't begrudge going to educational and motivational seminars; they crave them.

While experts in any field carry a wealth of knowledge and experience perhaps their greatest asset is their continued desire to learn from others.  One of the things I love about the real estate office where I work is that there are no "stupid" questions -- either from clients or from colleagues.  And often you'll hear conversation about "how to" between Realtors.  I mean, it's a no-brainer to realize that 15 brains are better than one!

Onward and outward!  Collaboration is the word of the day.

If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room!

"If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room!"  I saw or heard this recently and it led to a great pondering on the implications of this statement. 

Likely from our school days when we got a gold star and praised in front of the class for "right" answers most of us like to appear intelligent and learned.  The trouble with this of course is a.) that nobody likes a know-it-all and b.) if you're busy seeming smart, you're not asking "dumb" questions (which may hold the key to unlocking all measure of success!)

How teachable are we?  I know some people in the real estate field that I never thought would make it because of the vast amount they did not know or seem to understand.  But, you know what?  The ones that were not afraid to ask questions and were not afraid to ask for help are doing very well indeed!

Who doesn't like being asked for help?  Don't you willingly share your ideas and experience when someone genuinely wants help?

Pride can be a very two edged sword.  Proud people tend not to ask questions -- especially ones that might sound stupid.  Proud people would never consider asking someone with less experience then them how to do something, or for another view on how to succeed.

Floyd Wickman (great veteran real estate trainer) once commented that one of the reasons women sometimes make out better than men when showing a home is that they don't think they have to know everything.  A client asks a man, "so what do you think that wire is for?"  Most men feel it a measure of their manhood to come up with a plausible explanation for the wire.  Most women might rather say, "I'm not too sure, what do YOU think it could be?" 

Our answers can either come across as a lesson or the beginning of a conversation.  Another example my broker mentioned the other day speaks to this.  She heard a trainer mention that rather than say "great or lousy" or launch into a training session when someone merely asks what the market is like try simply saying "it depends."  Because it does depend on many things!  And because that answer invites a two way conversation!

I'll venture to say that the happiest and most successful people in any profession are the ones who are the most humble about what they know and the most hungry about learning.  Learning from anyone about anything; being genuinely curious about how someone is generating more business or their approach to the tasks of the trade...this marks an interesting person to be around!

This take me full circle to Steve Jobs admonition that I have my calendar bring up each and every morning:  "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

And it makes me laugh about another statement on learning my cowboy pal, Wendell Monical, said.  "You know Beth, there's something you can learn from everyone...even if it's how not to do something!"