I flew into Denver airport this month and as usual hit bumpy air over the Rockies. As you fly east, warm and cold air meet to create a unique weather pattern that almost always results in a fastening of seat belts! Thing is, because I know it’s coming, I always fasten my belt ahead of time and when the turbulence hits, it’s not such a shock to the system.

Working in the real estate industry requires this kind of forethought to prepare for the possibility of turbulence and offset the gusts of a fickle market.

Contrary to current news reports, the real estate and lending business is not coming to an end. But there’s still some choppy air ahead. There are short sales and foreclosures, difficulties in getting people loans, and buyers who are waiting for the market to bomb out. But the truth is, people need to move, people need to live somewhere and people are going to buy and sell homes.

So strap in, work hard, and keep your head down…smoother air is ahead and after we pass through the turbulence it’ll be blue skies and great views as our businesses once again soar.

It’s a good life!

Brian

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.           

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.            

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.             

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.            

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.            

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.            

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.            

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
         
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.

- Attributed to a number of sources.

Well-said.

It’s a good life!

Brian

Inman News just reported the first decline in NAR membership since 1998. From 1998 to 2007 membership was up 89.6%. However, there are 100,000 fewer members today than there was 12 months ago.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

People who got into this business because they thought it was easy money and not a lot of work have now woken up to the fact that it requires determination, perseverance and a whole lot of character. I expect that this business will lose 200-250,000 agents in the next two years.

Although I don’t wish hard luck on anyone, I have too much respect for this business and what it takes to be a true professional to feel bad about people who came into this industry, stuck their toe in the water, and treated it like the gold rush without truly making a commitment to their clients or the good name of this industry.

It’s time for all of us who view this as our career and profession to knuckle down, work hard and be there for our clients who need us more than ever before. For those of you who make the cut, your market share will increase and two years from now, you’ll have a business you can be proud of.

It’s a good life!

Brian

Pessimistic, optimistic, cynical and satirical people all have one thing in common; when it comes to our schedule, we’re all overly optimistic. We overestimate what we can get done and underestimate what it takes to get it done.  

The biggest problem with this is that we set ourselves and others up with false expectations. With our schedules so tight it’s easy to be constantly late for appointments. With so much to do we often don’t execute very well on the task at hand. I’m all for optimism, but I’ve had to learn the discipline of developing a healthy skepticism for my own schedule. 

What helped changed my perspective on this subject were the words of a late mentor of mine by the name of Dr. Alex Lackey. He shared that “Every time you’re late, Brian, you make a small withdrawal out of your clients’ trust account.” When we break promises at home, we do the same thing. 

I still struggle with this on a regular basis but if I find myself stretched to the max, I need to choose realism; not optimism. 

It’s a good life! 

Brian

Humble pie is the pastry that’s never tasty. I don’t know where I heard that but I like it. The word humility has its roots in the Greek word, humus. Humus is the soil that is 6 to 9 inches below the surface. Typically this soil is nutrient rich and extremely fertile. That’s why when a farmer goes to plough his fields, the blades on the plow will dig 6-9 inches deep and turn the soil. This way, the most fertile soil is now on the top ready for planting, fertilizing and optimal growth.  

Personal humility seems to operate the same way. When we’re in a state of not having all the answers, not feeling completely confident or if we are full of ourselves, it seems we are then most primed to grow. Sometimes we do things in life that bring about a humbling experience. Sometimes circumstances conspire together and turn our world upside down. Whether self-inflicted, or a consequence of circumstance, know this; coming to the end of yourself can be the best place to be.  

I’ve been on both sides of this equation. Today, my mindset is to try to put myself into a state of humility so that I’m constantly learning, questioning and growing. I must admit, humility has never been a natural state for me. But as I like to say, be humble or get humbled because that’s the only way to truly grow.

It’s a good life! 

Brian  

You’ve heard this expression many times before but in owning your own business, this may be the difference between success and failure. There’s always something to do, tasks unfinished, deadlines to be met and opportunities for improvement everywhere. And as a trainer, I’m often guilty of pointing those areas out. However, sometimes we’re so busy in our lives that we forget to have one! 

At our corporate HQ at Buffini & Company, we have this beautiful 87,000 sq. ft. building which sits atop the famous Carlsbad Flower Fields – a spectacular display of nature’s repertoire of colors with row upon row of red, yellow, orange and white tulips. As you stand there taking in the view of the fields, your sprits are lifted by the additional backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and buoyed by its fresh breezes.  

As fantastic as that sounds, I had a conversation with a staff member the other day who in the four years we’ve been at this location has never once taken the thirty yard walk across the street to take it in. “I’m just so busy and I have so much to do.” As his boss, I’m glad he’s working hard, but I know one simple truth: by May 1^st, the tulips are gone and his opportunity of seeing them again won’t come for another ten months.  

There are seasons for everything in life – whether it is kids’ or grandkids’ ballgames, weekend trips, vacations or just five minutes to take a break and smell the tulips. 

It’s a good life! 

Brian

The three opportunities in today’s market are first-time buyers, move-up clients and investors: 

• First-time buyers. Many people have a desire to buy a home almost as a rite of passage or that fulfilling sensation of having a place to call your own. No matter what the market conditions, first-time buyers are always going to try to break in to home ownership.

• Move-up clients own a house but it either doesn’t fulfill their current needs, or it’s not the house or neighborhood they want.

• Investors who are looking for a long-term play in real estate are enthusiastically looking for properties right now because it has a built-in discount and an investor who’s smart enough to hold onto a property will have a nice piece of built-in equity.

My hope for people in the real estate community is not only will they help their clients skillfully through the transaction process, but they ultimately get to participate in real estate as an investor themselves. Become your own best client…and your fortune is assured. 

It’s a good life! 

Brian 

Recently at a Turning Point, one of our cameramen, Mario, gave me a couple of containers of his home-made honey. He gave me a colorful description of how his bees fly miles and miles every day, flower to flower, to gather the pollen…how they bring it back into the hive, and then the extraordinary process of how their labor over time yields one of nature’s greatest foods. For the size of the bee and the amount of work, it’d be the equivalent of running a marathon every day and then lifting weights for six hours. 

Thank God we don’t have to work that hard to provide for our families! But this noble insect is a role model for work ethic. It’s time to bee busy so you can bring the money home to your honeys. 

It’s a good life! 

Brian

That was the phrase I heard most growing up as a child. My mother was consistent and relentless in encouraging me to believe in myself. As a young boy, I was very small and slight for my age. (I’ve filled out nicely in recent years!) I was also put into school early and I was typically a year and half to two years younger than my classmates. My mother didn’t want me to know I was small or young or had any other potential shortcomings or excuses. She just consistently championed me to believe in myself.

A funny thing happened. I guess it worked! I can never remember a time when I didn’t believe in myself. In fact not having many pictures of my youth, I don’t ever remember being small or thinking of myself as small. Today, one of my youngest children is very small and slight, but I’ve kept up my mother’s winning ways by telling him he’s unstoppable and there’s nothing he can’t do. At every turn, his stature is an advantage to him. When he plays basketball, we remind him of the diminutive Spud Webb who at five foot seven was an all-star in the NBA.

Maybe you didn’t have a cheerleader growing up, but there’s nothing to say you can’t be your own cheerleader today. Not only that, but I have found it even more empowering to become other peoples’ cheerleaders. A word of encouragement spoken at the right time can be life-changing for someone.

The words we say to ourselves and others can make all the difference in the world. Make sure you’re building up; not tearing down, encouraging; not discouraging, strengthening belief and not causing doubt. You can do it…

It’s a good life!

Brian