Oh, what a day!
Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 08:03PM 
Today's been a whirlwind. One thing about real estate -- every day's different. The beauty is the day to day challenges. I've been working on several different deals that look good one minute and bad the next.
Being in the middle trying to stay calm is taxing somedays, other days its easy. I was wondering today what my life would be like if I'd taken a different route. Who knows?
I do think the market is improving, despite the fact that fundamentals are still weak. Hell, I'll be an optimist to the day I die. I can be pessimistic for about 10 mintes then I'm sick of myself. It's like life is being wasted when anxiety creeps in -- it steals the enjoyment. Staying centered and downloading hope when needed is a great way to stay focused and alive.
All the possibilities are staggering when you give it a moment to sink in. This great change we're going through in real estate is a constant source of energy. As I read daily about new ideas and new marketing angles it motivates me to continue thinking fresh and to experiment. I'm starting a listing campaign tomorrow and I'll report back on the success or failure. I'd quit going after listings for about six months now, but it seems time to crank up again, but this time the offer will be different.
I want to test my theories about service and price. Without giving details, it'll be based on right selection and sales price. I believe for a little guy like me, the best strategy is to go after high end homes with tailored services at a lower price to the seller for services. I've crunched the numbers, taken into account potential days on market and it works out.
Perhaps this will be the way many agents find their way, through tailored offerings that are personalized -- less volume just to have a lot of listings on the book, better quality product to sell, focused, all based on an analysis of need and cost of marketing for each particular seller. A true boutique offering, placing the agent in a position of unique services that are designed to meet each unique situation. Being small and independent I can do this without pressure to conform to a certain model. I won't know how to structure the compensation or marketing plan until I've analysed each listing, then I''ll design a plan to meet the needs as closely as possible -- sort of like the cafeteria-style but with no preset menus.
I'll let you know how it works.
Reader Comments (2)
Mike,
"It's like life is being wasted when anxiety creeps in -- it steals the enjoyment."
I'm with you all the way on this comment. I'm reminded of something that Einstein wrote - Life is like a bicycle. You have to keep moving to stay balanced. Recognize the anxiety, then push it aside and keep moving - sometimes away from the source of the anxiety, and sometimes toward it.
"placing the agent in a position of unique services that are designed to meet each unique situation."
I think you're really on to something here, and you recognize that your "smallness" gives you the freedom to do so. The real fun will be to see how the big franchises and major independents deal with this. We may be seeing the tip of the iceberg on this subject already - the mega-teams within the confines of a franchise or major independent. Only time will tell.
Thanks, Vance. I do think flexibility will be key.