Proud Papa

Hello all,

"Proud Papa"

RE/MAX International does two main events each year. The Realtor conference which was in Vegas and the Broker/Owner conference which is being held in Washington DC this August. It is a two day event that features networking, guest speakers, but mostly it is training sessions for the Broker/Owners on business practices, Re/MAX Systems... Our Mark Strosnider was contacted by RE/MAX International and was asked to sit on a panel at the conference to discuss and train other Broker/Owners on recruiting. Mark's skill set in this field has been has been a tremendous benefit to the company and I am so happy to see him get the national recognition that he deserves. Next time you see Mark please give him a pat on the back for a job well done. Best part for me is I get to sit in the audience like a "Proud Papa" watching my competition in awe of Mark on the stage!

If you have clients looking for new construction Clarksburg is where it is happening. Below is a flyer for an open house there tomorrow. Good stuff and I encourage everyone to get there if they can.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

  

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

~ Carl Bard

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Sometimes we look back on past events and wish that we had a "do over." While we should try to avoid regrets, it's still a good idea to analyze what we've done and try to understand how we might have done things better. Of course, there's no changing the past, but that doesn't mean that the past can't or won't change our future.

Maybe there's a relationship that has deteriorated over the years. Perhaps by now you've forgotten who was right or who was wrong, or maybe it's just a question of having lost touch. This is not a case of needing a brand new start, but of reworking the ending.

Since you can't "edit" the past, start writing a new chapter right now! While you have no control over what you have done, you do have complete control over what you are going to do. It can be very empowering when you realize that you actually have it in your command to create the future and the relationships that you want.

And it's not just about relationships - it can be about building wealth if you've squandered opportunities in the past. You simply have to make a commitment and forgive yourself for actions you cannot change. If your dream is to retire in comfort in ten, twenty, or thirty years, analyze your past spending and saving, educate yourself or consult a professional, and take steps now to create the results you want.

Whatever your goals for the future, your real power comes from letting go of the past. Stop worrying about what you have said and done (or haven't said or done) and start focusing on what you will say and do. Turn your negative energies toward positive actions and you'll amaze yourself!

Popular writer and adventurer Louis L'Amour said it well, "Everyone has it within his power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow." Here's to the future!

Absorption Rates

Hello all,

"Absorption Rates"

As everyone knows we have a serious issue when it comes to inventory levels through out the area. We had a steady climb in both offices at the beginning of the year but since we peaked our inventory is down about 20%. We are entering the summer  slow down so I do not think it will change in the next month and a half, however we need to keep a close eye on this for the second half of the year. One of the best ways to monitor movement in particular areas is with Absorption Rates, it can also be a very useful toll while working with buyers and sellers. Here is a reminder on how to calculate them.

20874 (Zip Code)

643 (prior 12 months sales)

643/12 = 54 (prior 12 month sales divided by 12 gets the sales per month)

135 (active listings)

135/54 = 2.5 (active listings divided by the sales per month)

2.5 Months of Inventory (if nothing else were to come on the market we would be out of houses in 2.5 months)

20854

518

518/12 = 43

246

246/43 = 5.7

5.7 Months of Inventory

Obviously this shows the inventory issue is much more severe in the lower end, 6 months of inventory is considered to be a balanced market between buyers and sellers. 

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe           

 

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"When roadblocks, locked gates, and unexpected turns sprout up along the path we've mapped out, we can quit on the spot and progress no further. Or, we can build a new path and follow it in whatever direction our imagination takes us. For those who dream, the choice is simple." 
~ from Country Living magazine

A NEW DIRECTION!

So . . . you've done all those things the greatest minds have suggested - you've planned your life's objectives and created a career/life/family path, and have no doubt where it will lead you. You're on your own "Yellow Brick Road" to happiness and prosperity until . . . ZAP! . . . there appears a sign on the path that reads, "Road Closed."

You peer past the sign to determine the road condition. It looks OK, so you veer around the sign and continue. The road turns to gravel, then dirt, then narrows to a walking path. You leave the car, and continue on foot. Soon your arms are scratched by briars, you begin to tire, and the path abruptly ends at a sheer 200' cliff. Your trip is over. There are no more "yellow bricks" to follow. What now?

If you've ever come to the end of such a road in your life, you well know the sinking feeling that came over you. No matter how much you felt like giving up, the situation was no doubt resolved by creating a new road, a new path leading in an entirely different direction.

You may have had to hack at the briars, trim back the trees, and even bulldoze your way in a new direction. It may have taken time, with compass and hiking shoes, to blaze that new trail. It may have been exhausting work, but in the end you reached your destination.

You have two choices when faced with a roadblock. You can quit, or you can put your imagination to work finding an alternate route. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill "Never give up. Never give up."

Golf Tournament

Hello all,

"Golf Tournament Day"

Thank you weather Gods!

 Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"Half the failures in life arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping.""

-J.C. and A.W. Hare

GIVE SUCCESS A CHANCE!

Have you ever tried to accomplish something, but given up before your plan or actions have come to fruition? Maybe you're just trying to organize a huge stack of paperwork, or perhaps you're trying to build up your database of leads or increase your sales by a certain percentage within a certain amount of time.

Of course, you feel a degree of frustration if you don't achieve the results you were hoping for. Frustration points you in one of two directions: either you'll be defeated, or you'll be pushed to try even harder to succeed. The surest way to guarantee failure is to quit before you've given enough time or effort to get the job done.

Also consider by whose standards you are measuring your success. Are you trying to live up to someone else's unreasonable expectations or goals? Then it might be time to approach that boss or spouse or instructor and let them know that your progress is guaranteed, but perhaps not on the established schedule. Bill Cosby once said, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

Chances are that whatever goals you've set for yourself, you can achieve them, but setting reasonable goals in the first place will go a long way toward success. Maybe you should "pull in your horse" BEFORE he leaps if you feel he's not going to make it over the hurdle. Also remember that it's your effort to achieve that is ultimately the most important part of that success (kind of like the old adage about the journey vs. the destination). Don't forget the words of Lloyd Jones, who said, "The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed."

Success can be a relative term and depends upon the perspective of yourself and others. Do whatever you can to accomplish your goals or the goals that others set before you, but regardless of the outcome, you should ultimately be satisfied with the work you've done.

Marketing Department

"Marketing Department"

We announced this at the Potomac Sales Meeting last week. I wanted to make sure everyone knew of a new service that will be available in the offices starting this week. We have formed a partnership with Vatsana Brundage and Indrani Murukutla to help the agents with marketing in the offices. Starting tomorrow and every Tuesday moving forward Indrani will be at the Potomac office from 9:30-12:30 and the Germantown office from 1:30-4:30. Their prices are very reasonable and the quality of their work is top notch. Please stop by when you have a chance to introduce yourself, here is a link to their website.

  http://vatsanadesign.com/ 

Some of you have been talking about the golf tournament, party bus or dinner but have not signed up yet. Everything needs to be in by Thursday this week so we can give a final count to the club. Love to have as many of you involved as possible :)

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe 

 

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"The manner in which it is given is worth more than the gift."

~ Pierre Corneille (1606-1684)

JOIN THE VOLUNTEER BRIGADE!

Back in the '70s, CB radios became popular, especially among the nation's truckers. You could tune in Channel 19 and listen to a constant chatter among truckers and others with radios. If you were traveling on an interstate highway, you could get info on traffic, weather, wreck scenes to avoid, radar traps, and other useful tidbits. It was like there was a whole other world of activity going on around you IF you had a CB radio. Those who didn't were oblivious to the activity - yet it was still there.

The same is true of the volunteer brigade - those who offer their time and talents to worthy causes without reward. In any given community, there is a work force that operates 24/7 without any expectation of reward. If you're not one of them, you are probably oblivious to their daily actions to serve the community - but they are out there working whether or not you know it.

One example that comes to mind is a recent wreck scene. At 1:00 AM a vehicle traveling at over 90 mph left the road, went over an embankment, and hit the bottom upside down. A witness to the crash was amazed to see about 15 firefighters, EMTs, and rescue squad volunteers on the scene within 5 minutes after the wreck was reported. The witness asked in surprise, "Where did you guys come from?" One minute traffic was normal, and those 15 volunteers were in their warm beds. Five minutes later they were saving a life.

There are many ways to make a life-altering contribution to others as a volunteer. Most are not as glamorous as saving a life, yet all contribute to the many unmet needs of community members. Each of us has talents that can be put to use for those in need. A little self-examination will help identify your potential contribution. With all the blessings we enjoy in this country, each of us should make an effort to reach out to others. Why not join the volunteer brigade today?

I'll Have Another

Hello all,

"I'll Have Another"

We can find motivation and inspiration for our personnel and business lives in many places. I am a big sports fan so it is one of the areas that gets me going. Saturdays running of the Preakness Stakes was one of those moments that get's me fired up. If you did not see it here is a link to a you tube video of the race.  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AAivdpjiV0

Bodemeister was/is arguably a superior horse, but sometimes you can't measure the size of the heart until you are in the heat of battle. Across the board everyone agreed that Bodemeister ran the race he needed to win, both horses beat the field by 9 lengths. However down the stretch it was clear that "I'll Have Another" simply had a bigger heart and wanted it more. This is a characteristic that we should all strive for in our lives (I understand he is a horse). We may not win every battle and "I'll Have Another" may not win the Belmont. But one thing I will know for sure, it won't be from a lack of effort.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority."


~ Ralph W. Sockman 

 

A LEAGUE OF YOUR OWN! 

Have you sometimes felt like you were “out of your league” when reaching toward a lofty goal or competing against others for the “brass ring”? Imagine being a 5-foot-5-inch tall player in the National Basketball Association! Every time Earl Boykins of the Denver Nuggets walks onto the court, he hears jeers like, “Look at the little guy!” and, “Who decided to let the ball boy play?" 

Although diminutive in size, Boykins always dreamed of playing in the NBA. Obviously, it took heaps of courage, determination and hard work to make that dream come true. In a year when many college players now recognized as “underachievers” were selected in the first and second rounds, Earl Boykins went undrafted. 

But if you do not doubt yourself, you can either ignore the doubts of others or use their disbelief as a tool to motivate your achievement. When you set your goals a little bit higher than what you can reasonably accomplish, it’s surprising how far you can go. 

Boykins started his professional career in Canada, and then began a series of short-term contracts with several NBA teams. While no one offered to keep him, he did not give up. In and out of season, he worked out, ran drills, and played every day. He explains, “There are no days off for me. I have to work longer and harder than everyone else to be successful.” 

Then he set another goal and refused to waiver from it: He would only join a team that offered him a position as the top backup – setting a reasonable goal, but “kicking it up one notch.” 

Now he plays for Denver, with his statistics and playing time on the rise. Another lesson from this? Be aware of the promise in others, recognize greatness in unexpected places, and seize the opportunity to nurture the success lying just below the surface.

Speaks for its self

 Hello all,

"Speaks for its self" 

 

 

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"Trouble creates a capacity to handle it."
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. "What one has to do usually can be done."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

 

A BLUE RIBBON EFFORT! 

Have you ever surprised yourself with a moment of creativity or lucidity, just when you were sure you didn’t have it in you? Last fall there was a garden club show, and one of the members who always performed well was considering not entering. She had just returned from vacation the day before to discover that unwelcome pests had ravished most everything in her garden. 

Trying to back out, she explained that there was nothing in her yard but weeds, but a friend insisted, “I’m sure you’ll find something.” Lacking inspiration, she headed out to the yard with her tools and bucket anyway. She worked, recalling the words of her mother. “You will not always have the things you would like, but you can always make do with what you have.” 

She discovered a vine with little blue flowers crawling up the trellis. She realized how pretty the bright yellow dandelions were. Wild daisies and pansies appeared in unexpected places, “sown” by bird droppings. 

She headed back to the house and began her arrangement, hiding a coffee can pot inside a sewing basket. She then rushed over to meet the submission deadline. Glad that everyone else had already deposited their entries, she sneaked in her less-than-blue-ribbon quality candidate. She didn’t even stick around for the judging. 

Party Bus

Hello all,

"Party Bus"

Thanks to everyone who came to our Cinco de Mayo party on Friday, always good to let loose a little bit... This business can take it's toll on all of us and we need to have a party every now & then. Speaking of which the golf tournament & party bus is right around the corner so we need to start getting a head count for the bus, golf & dinner.  Part Bus- For $75 you have lunch at the club, fun day on the bus, then return for dinner and raffle. Dinner- For $30 you can join us for dinner and the raffle. We do not need the money yet (will be bugging you in a couple of weeks) but we need to get a head count for both the dinner and bus. Please reply to me with how many you might have in your group. Thanks.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking." 


- William James (1842-1910)

 

YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! 

Walk into a totally dark room. What do you see? "Absolutely nothing," you say. Now, turn on the light. Where did the darkness go? Really - where is it now? Hopefully you will agree that darkness cannot exist in the face of light.

During a lifetime, we experience many types of "darkness." It may appear in the form of discouragement, fear, hopelessness, grief, ignorance, or poverty. Yet, in every case, there is a "light" in which such darkness cannot exist.

Fear, for example, cannot exist in the face of courage. Education denies ignorance any chance of survival. Grief disappears in the presence of peace-of-mind. Discouragement ceases when hope prevails. Wealth denies poverty its chance. 

No matter what form darkness takes, it cannot exist when faced with its opposite. That also means we have the ability to send darkness on its way at any point in time. No matter how overwhelming the darkness appears, it is our thoughts and our minds that ultimately control the outcome. How powerful is that? 

In the words of several favorite authors: "Think you can, think you can't, either way you're right." "Your life is what your thoughts make of it." "We are what we think about all day long." Finally, in the words of Tom Bodett, from one of his Motel 6 commercials: "We'll leave the light on for you!"