The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Hello all,

"The Most wonderful time of the year"

My annual tribute to the hardest working Mom's and Dad's in the industry! This business is difficult enough on it's own but summertime with the kids hanging on you can be especially trying. Thanks for working as hard as you do. Update on our kids: 

Max- Sophomore at Towson University, Education Major.

Cassandra- Freshman at Temple University, Nursing Program. 

Victoria- Senior at Blake High School, Captain Varsity Field Hockey.

Francesca- Junior at Blake High School, Varsity Field Hockey

Jackson- Freshman at Damascus High School, Lacrosse In The Spring. 

Very proud of them all and the house will be quiet every morning after 6:20 :)   

Click on the link below to celebrate the children (even though we love them) heading back to school. 

                                   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwcYbo7pjto

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are

By thought was wrought and built. If a man's mind

Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes

The wheel the ox behind . . . 

 

. . . If one endure

In purity of thought, joy follows him

As his own shadow - sure." 

~ James Allen

 

GO TO THE GARDEN!

 

The human mind is like a garden. It directly reflects the care and attention given to it. Consider two gardens side-by-side, in the same soil.

 

The first is bursting with color, gives off the most delicate of fragrances, is free of weeds, and forest green. New buds continually replace each other, and it's a delightful place to spend a sunny day.

 

Just a few feet away, you encounter a musty patch of stunted leaves, few blooms, parched soil, and insect infestation. The few plants remaining beg for a kind word and attention of any kind. They look sad from their days of inattention.

 

Why is there such a disparity between the two gardens? The first has a gardener, while the second has been totally ignored. And just as an untended garden will fail to prosper, so will an untended mind.

 

Imagine how easy it is for the mind to wither and atrophy when attention is not paid to its simplest needs. The mind can be so creative, unless it is fed passive TV drivel hour after hour. The mind can be so enthusiastic, unless powered by a body nourished by fast food, chips, sugar-filled cereal, and caffeine-packed soft drinks.

 

Just as a vibrant garden inspires, a well-tended mind can bring forth the best in others. It deserves our attention. It should be watered and fertilized with foods filled with the proper nutrients. It can be expanded greatly through the stimulation of education. It can remain viable only through the practice and application of solid principles.

 

When the care given is incongruous with the results desired, the garden is a disaster. When the mind's actions do not match its stated objectives, chaos is the result. Our minds have the potential to bloom more abundantly than any garden. They deserve our utmost attention.

Match.com

Hello all,

"Match.com"

I enjoy seeing agents using our back end office system to communicate their wants and needs to other agents in the office. I consider it a "Match.com" tool for our agents. Great way to let the agents know you need open houses covered or if you are looking to pick one up. If you have a buyer who is struggling to find something in a price range or location this is where you would reach out to the office for help. If you need to find a handyman for something this is where you would go to ask. I would like to keep listing announcements and/or price reductions off of the system, there are just too many. If you have a question on whether or not you can post something please email and I would be glad to look at it. If you are unfamiliar with the system here is the login page and Ella Ladas offers trainings on it.  

 https://rm2116-connect.globalwolfweb.com/

As always when you use a system like ours or "Match.com" there are suggestive rules you should know about... here are a few I came up with if you are trying to find a match on our system:

     

• Tradition Still Applies - Men, women Realtors still expect you to make the first move and ask a lady out, and although 41% of women Realtors would offer to pick up the check on a first date, a majority of male Realtors (37%) still feel they should foot the bill.
• Bailout Plan – Both male and female Realtors agree that 15 minutes into the date is long enough to tell if there is chemistry (31%). However, if the date isn’t going as planned, only 12% of Realtors would actually call it a night and leave within the first 30 minutes of the date.
• Thanks, but No Thanks – If your date isn’t getting the hint that you aren’t a match made in heaven, most Realtors feel that honesty is the best policy.  52% of those surveyed agree you should politely explain you aren’t interested, followed by 24% of Realtors who recommend being evasive about your future availability. However, younger Realtors are most likely to ignore your calls and send you straight to voicemail.
• Making the Call – 48% of female Realtors prefer male Realtors to make the follow-up call after the first date. A majority of male Realtors (68%) will pick up the phone between one to three days after the date, while 6% of male Realtors can’t resist following up within the first 24 hours.
• There’s No Place Like Phone - Although 64% of Realtors are open to having post-date conversations via text and email, more than 80% of Realtors still prefer conversations on the phone.
• To Friend or Not to Friend? – Younger Realtors (ages 21-34) think it’s OK to add a date as a Facebook friend after 2-3 dates (26%), while 11% of Realtors between the ages of 35-44 wait to friend a date on Facebook until it becomes an exclusive relationship.
• Meet the Guys – Yes, it is OK to introduce your new romantic interest to the ones who know you best.  Male Realtors are more likely to introduce someone they're interested in to their friends within the first month of dating than female Realtors are, regardless of their age group (nearly 50% of male Realtors vs. 35% of female Realtors).

Need to have a little fun every once and a while...

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time." 

 

~ Abraham Lincoln 

 

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! 

 

Weddings. Graduations. Birthdays. Holidays. An endless list of important occasions. We all have major events in our lives and others’ lives in which we participate. We and people close to us have sometimes exerted tremendous effort organizing celebrations with the intention that everyone involved will enjoy themselves. 

 

In other words, we actually make plans to be happy and to have a good time. We even map out entire blocks of days in which to have fun in the form of vacations. We develop hobbies in order to ensure that we can devote some hours of our week doing something we know we'll enjoy. 

 

While looking back over some of the happiest, funniest, most fulfilling or most moving experiences in your life, however, how many of them were in fact not planned at all, but completely spontaneous? 

 

If you stop and think about it, you'll probably find that your life is full of these moments, these small events during the course of an otherwise average day that you will retain in your memory as meaningful and recall with pleasure. 

 

It may be as simple as a gathering around the proverbial water cooler that evolves into a joke fest that you later remember as the time you laughed harder than ever before. Or it could be as complex as a first meeting with a person who eventually becomes extremely prominent in your life. 

 

Every single day is full of opportunities to become a day that you'll remember, a day with moments that add up to a lifetime of memories. The trick, of course, is to make yourself aware of that NOW, and to enjoy these moments while they are happening. 

 

The chances are excellent that today... or tomorrow... or this week... will bring you many of these moments. Be open to them. Plan to enjoy this day, and have a great holiday! 

Full Speed Ahead

Hello all,

"Full Speed Ahead"

I talked about this a little bit earlier in the year and I wanted to revisit it. As the housing recovery continues the one thing that is still lagging is the number of transactions. Which is wonderful however we all need to be prepared for the future business. As home prices increase it will allow more people to make decisions on their homes based on their lives not whether they are upside down or not. We saw this same cycle from around 1998-2002 as far as number of transactions. 2002 is my favorite year to look back upon because I believe it was the last time we had a normal real estate market in a normal economy. Things went way to high from there and fell way to far after. From January 1 through July 31st in Silver Spring, Potomac and Germantown (chosen because that's where are offices are...) in 2002 there 3,838 transactions. In the same time period in the same locations this year there have been 2,523 transactions. Math tells us over the next several years we should experience a 50% increase in opportunity's to get more transactions. I would also like to point out the average 30 year fixed rate in 2002 was 6.56% compared to 4.625% at the moment, we have some room here. The point I am getting to is the housing market has legs and will continue to move forward. We should all look at our business model, put the foot on the marketing/prospecting gas pedal a bit to have the opportunity to get this future business and start thinking "Full Speed Ahead".

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe  

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." 

 

~ Michelangelo

 

ELIMINATE THE NEGATIVE!

 

"You can't do that! You're not smart enough to accomplish such a thing! Your grades aren't high enough. You're too short (or too tall). You'll lose everything if you try that. Are you crazy - it won't work."

 

Ever have a relative, friend or business acquaintance who used those types of negative comments to influence you? Being on the receiving end of such dismal drivel doesn't do a lot for your self-esteem, does it?

 

As Wayne Dyer has said, "No one knows enough to be a pessimist." Do the ones who make negative comments have a positive record of life successes? Are they happy? Can they back up their dreary outlook on life with proof that "the sky is falling?" Does their knowledge level inspire you to follow their low aim? Are you drawn to them as positive role models?

 

Ever notice how winners like to be around other winners? It's uplifting, isn't it? Their aim is high. They believe in themselves, their abilities, and their future. Their smiles encourage growth and peace. We're not just talking about financial winners here. Think of those around you who love their families, encourage their children in school, and uphold high principles in a world of low morals

 

Aiming low, or refusing to take aim at all, encourages, promotes, and justifies mediocrity. Don't ever be afraid to reach high or aim for the stars. Eliminate the negative from your relationships. It will free you to see the beauty that abounds in this unlimited world.

Interest Vs. Committed

Hello all,

"Interested Vs. Committed"

Borrowing this concept from someone else but it really hit home so I am taking advantage... As we work with agents on their careers the main difference we see is in their approach, they are either interested or committed. To be honest the higher percentage of agents in this business (not necessarily in our offices) are interested in being a real estate professional not committed. Interested agents only take action when it is convenient, phone calls, marketing, floortime, open houses...  the office is more social than work and can't let anything get in the way of the latest reality show. Agents that are committed have no excuses, they are full of passion and purpose. They have developed the disciplines and habits of success and put them to work everyday, failure is not an option. The big "Why" is usually the difference between an agent that is committed as opposed to interested. The big "Why" comes in many forms, family, fear of failure,  proving your self to others, pride, buying a beach home... I would like to ask of you two things moving into the second half of the year. Have a heart to heart with yourself and decide what your big "Why" is then approach your real estate career in a way that you can achieve it. 

Hope to see everyone at the sales meeting today.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy." 

 

~ Eric Hoffer 

 

ARE YOU A BARGAIN HUNTER? 

 

When’s the last time you went to shop at a store because they were advertising a big sale? Or pulled over to check out the offerings at a weekend yard sale? Or spent an hour browsing through listings on eBay? 

 

We all love to get a bargain when we shop, but remember that value is determined not by what you pay but by what you get. Even if it’s a bargain, how ultimately satisfying is your purchase? 

 

It seems to have become second nature to accumulate stuff – call it collecting, if you will. How many “treasured pieces” do you have stored away in your attic, basement or boxes in your closet? Sometimes what we can’t seem to live without ends up becoming “treasure” for the next bargain-hunter who comes to OUR yard sale! 

 

In our acts of acquisition, is it possible that we’re actually looking for something more meaningful, more precious? Are we overlooking gifts of much greater value? Albert Camus once wrote, “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” Happiness will find you if you simply stop trying to find (or buy) it. 

 

Those who always want more (of anything) will never have enough of it. There is no end in sight once the search begins, until finally the search turns inward and we realize that we can be happy with what we’ve already got. With so many people who are so much less fortunate than we, how could we possibly want more for ourselves, unless it is to help others? 

 

The next time you reach for that irresistible bargain, reconsider its value in The Big Picture and the satisfaction it will offer over time. Maybe something of even greater value is already within your reach...