Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I recently had a meeting for the Metro YPN committee of the St. Paul Association of REALTORS®. Ron Covert, chief executive officer, joined us to see what was going on with our newly-revamped YPN.
One of the questions he asked us was, “How do we get the younger generation involved with the association?” Seems like a relatively easy task from my eyes, however, I also remembered my perspective about committee involvement in the past.
Prior to ever getting involved with any committees, I always felt intimidated by the thought. I didn’t think that I could become involved or even how. Thankfully, after I became a blog contributor for the YPN Lounge, I was contacted by our fearless leader, Nobu Hata, asking me to come to a YPN event with the Minneapolis Association of REALTORS®. One thing led to another and I became one of the task force members for that YPN. It was from this involvement that my passion grew for being involved. I now serve on several local and state committees.
If you ever had any doubt about involvement, let me just tell you this: The association WANTS you to be involved. They need different perspectives. Whether you are a rookie or a veteran, getting involved is always within your reach. Your association wants and needs you!
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
It seems that every time I blink there is some new “expert” telling me that I need to take some course, read some book, or attend some webinar. I often have a hard time finding a course to take on something other than “How to use Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.” I don’t understand how some of these courses still exist. I was born in 1980. I know how to use “social interneting” <–(This is an actually a term I heard on an infomercial about using the internet for business…no lie.)
I took a little poll on Facebook asking the question “How many of you are burnt out on social media trainings?” Everyone who responded had the same feelings about it that I do. I think the majority of people these days get how to use social media. It’s time to focus on the basics and improve on the skills that you use outside of social media.
You might be skilled in the ways of the internet, but you still need to have the ability to meet someone in person and actually shake their hand. You need to get out there and show people how you are going to be the agent to sell their home.
Take the time to learn something new and non-social media related. Connect with fellow agents and talk about successes. Simply unplug!
To all the trainers out there…please help me by giving me something new to learn…I really need to get some continuing education and I really can’t handle another class on using social media.
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
Most have us have been hearing lately that prices have hit bottom. If you are like me, you are almost scared to say it. I say it quietly, so if I am wrong, maybe nobody will hear me.
Many of us have been nervous to say anything. Looking back over the past several years, how many times did we hear “it will happen”? Then some statistic would come out that would shoot that idea completely out of the water.
What I can say is this: My average sale price in 2011 was around $90K. I had many buyers looking at homes in this general price range. I still do in 2012. What is different in my market this year is that I have hardly any inventory to show them. Just today I looked on behalf of a client seeking a single family home under $100K. In the city they were looking, only six out of 42 listings were not pending or contingent. If you are lucky enough to get your clients to offer on one of the few properties left, you end up in multiple offers.
I am a believer in numbers. To me, they do not lie. In my four years as an agent, I have never seen it like this. I can’t speak for every market, but I am feelin’ it here in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
If the conditions are similar in your market, get the word out. It’s time to sell! The time has never been better to go after those listings. Please! I need some more houses to show my buyers!
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
This year was truly amazing for my fellow YPN’ers. I don’t think I have ever been so proud to be a part of YPN. The Young Professionals Network has grown so much and our presence has become very well known. Nobody can deny the fact that we are leaders in the real estate world.
I remember when I first got involved with YPN and having to explain to people what it was all about. Well, that’s no longer the case. Now anytime I mention YPN, I get this sort of celebrity-like feeling. People get excited about it. It’s inspiring what we have become.
We are actively involved in our industry. We’re rounding out the year with 227 YPN networks nationwide – that includes nearly 100 new groups formed in 2011. There are more YPN’ers involved in their local and national associations than ever. The leadership is amazing. We have this influence in the world and we are recognized for being able to share, mentor, and motivate people. We are the definition of what leaders should be.
I can honestly say that in 2012, we will be unstoppable. We have a lot of potential. Not to sound cliché but the sky is the limit. We are the elite. Congrats to all on another fantastic year! Cheers and let’s rock 2012!
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I arrived home yesterday from the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Anaheim, Calif. I felt invigorated and yet somewhat overwhelmed. I had taken so much in while at the conference and my REALTOR® A.D.D. kicked right in. All the information I received while at the conference was amazing and I really didn’t know where to begin implementing the things I learned.
There were many sessions I attended where I learned valuable tools to use in my business. But I have to say, I learned the most from the fellow agents I met while at the conference. I never realized how much other agents would be willing to share with me.
On my plane ride in, I met Deanna Wiener, Broker/Owner of Cardinal Realty in Oakdale, MN. We spent a good amount of time while in flight discussing our business. It was terrific to hear about her business as she was a veteran agent and had so much insight on our real estate market. I was able to share some things with her as well. It was a great start to the weekend.
I met some really amazing people while at the conference. Fellow agents were so willing to share information with me. At times, I was really taken back by other REALTORS®’ generosity. Continue reading »
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I recently moved to a new brokerage. It was an amazing change for me and I fell in love with my fellow agents and co-workers at the office. I’m the kind of person who really appreciates all the little things people do for me. I can honestly say that I have never met such a great group of people who are all in one office.
I do, however, have a hard time knowing how to thank people. I got to thinking… How is it possible to explain to someone how much you appreciate them? I wonder if my clients know how much they mean to me, and that I genuinely appreciate that they decided to use me as an agent.
I began to think about the things I do when I say thank you. Whether it’s sending a card, an email, or a phone call, I always thank people somehow. I think to myself, “Is my thank you genuine enough?” I always tell clients thank you face-to-face at some point. This way I know they can see how true my appreciation is. Even after I thank them face-to-face, I still send them a card or email telling them “thank you” again.
I think sometimes the art of saying thank you gets forgotten. If you think that you are owed something or that things will always come your way, you are wrong. You have to remember that in our business, our whole framework for making a buck relies on others. It’s our clients, our brokers, our loan officers, title, office staff, etc. They all have a part in how we become successful. Be thankful. Appreciate the people who help you along the way. Say thank you and really mean it!
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
You may wondering what science has to do with sales…really what I am referring to is the chemical reaction that happens in your clients brains that ultimately leads them to begin a relationship with you. What mental perception does your client get that triggers a spark?
You can look at the beginning process of a client contacting you for the first time. What initiated their contact with you? There are several levels a client could be at in the process, all stemming from how they initially contacted you.
- They randomly came across your name somewhere, but they really don’t know much about you.
- They came across your name and have done a lot of research on you and are ready to sign a contract with you.
- They were referred by a friend or business partner and may or may not be sold on you yet.
Realistically, you can look into these three things to “get inside their mind.”
The person in #1, it’s still up to you to sell them your services. What you should be doing is researching your competition and finding out what led them to you. You can really figure someone out by their impulse decisions. You can think of it like when someone is standing at a cash register and they end up grabbing something close by the register. Was it just because it was there or was it because they needed it? Continue reading »
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I have had the opportunity over the past couple of months to take a real look at myself and my business. I dug deep and picked at myself. I knew I could do better. I can tell you that taking that close of a look at my past wasn’t pretty.
I can honestly admit I made a ton of mistakes. I let my business decline and I lost the will to make it better. I let the current market conditions get the best of me. I was scared to take the necessary risks in order to improve my business. It was all on me. I caused this but I was more than ready to what I needed to in order to make it better.
In business in general, people tend to look at their mistakes and think that it’s temporary. You get in a rut and sometimes it’s tough to get out. It’s often a lot harder than most would assume. It’s important to look closely at your failures and decide whether or not you have truly learned from them. From there you can take the proper steps to improve and create some new energy to move forward.
In my case, I learned my lesson. I am moving on and taking a fresh look at my future. I have set goals and know how I can achieve them. I have the inspiration I need and it’s not something I will let slip away. I can not go back in time and change what I have done before. All I can do is move forward and know that if I stay focused, I will have the redemption I am looking for.
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I recently attended and volunteered at the Minneapolis RE BarCamp. I was a BarCamp virgin. I knew the concept and felt excited about it. I also anticipated excitement among fellow agents. I didn’t, however, realize how amazing the atmosphere would be.
Agents came in early and could wait to view the session board. I saw many popping in and out of sessions just so that they could get a taste of everything. You would see excitement in their eyes once they realized the concept. The event was free and you learned way more than you normally would learn in the traditional CE course.
This made me look back at educational events I attended throughout the year. I remember just a few months ago realizing that I didn’t have all my continuing educations credits even though it seemed like I was constantly training throughout the year.
I chose the events that I attended based upon what I would learn. Not the CE credits I would receive. Many of the events were not even focused on real estate at all. I chose them to learn something I didn’t know or because of who was speaking.
My point is, don’t focus on your continuing education hours. What you learn should benefit you and your clients. Look into other business areas. There is a ton you can learn from other industries. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box!
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Edina Realty, Hastings, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
How to Handle Negative Blog Comments
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I recently received a really negative comment on one of my YPN Lounge posts. When I first received word of the comment, I was really taken aback. It seemed as if the person who commented had some personal issue with me. I was honestly very offended.
I debated over the weekend whether or not to address the individual who wrote the comment. Being the person that I am, I would normally address the person directly, in a professional manner. I could explain that I understood this reader’s opinion and not everyone feels the same way about this topic.
I never expect that everyone is going to like what I write or that they even understand where I am coming from. I completely understand that things of this nature could and will happen.
If I could give any advice to those of you who have a blog, I would say allow the comment to be published and address the comment directly on the post. I think this will show your readers that you have some class and that you can be professional when dealing with less-than-pleasant people or those who simply disagree with you.
Don’t get offended by how others feel. You can’t force anyone to understand your perspectives or opinions. Cherish the fact that what you have written has caused someone to be passionate enough about it to debate the issue.
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.