The Real Estate Sage at The Real Estate Investment Institute - REII

Pragmatic: in it's simplest form: "dealing with things in a practical rather than theoretical way" according to my WordPerfect 12's built in dictionary.

It's time to vote and again there is no good choice. No clear cut convective. No one promoting the American Dream. No one that believes in our Constitution. No one that excepts our children and Grandchildren to be better off than their parents and Grandparents. No one that puts principle above personal power. No one that holds good over evil.

No one that understands that compromises, enable evil and are there for evil themselves. No one that understands that racism is racism regardless of who hates who.

Again the logical voter has to make a practical choice.

That's a lot to except in a society that has allowed hate to replace logic, under-educated ideologues to teach our children, and demigods to run our government.

The only sure thing is that as a society we'll get what we detersive! If you don't vote, you'll deserve what you get.

Bill

If a tree falls in the forest

and no one hears it

did it make a sound?

 

If you post a blog

and no one reads it

did you express yourself?

 

If 50 will get you 200

and 1 get you 25

did you improve your self?

 

If written babble equates

with contemplative thought

does it really matter?

 

If you sincerely believe

if you truly care

if you have something to say

do you share?

 

If you blog for the masses

if you regurgitate the PC

do you matter?

 

Bill

Responding to More Thoughts On Networking my friend Bill Roberts wrote: "That was the same methodology we used as Exchangors back in the '70s. Most of the younger people in this business get very defensive when you ask questions about their clients. I guess they don't understand that in a "normal" market the property isn't going to sell itself. A little "creativity" is called for if we want results."

He's right, that's where and when I was taught, five days a month networking, one on one and in selected groups

Networking one on one, or in groups allows you to do things that you could never do on the MLS. Back in the 70's commercial brokers faced the same kind of fluctuating unstable market that residential salesmen are facing today. Values and asking prices often had little or nothing in common. Traditionally, you determined the value of a property, listed it close to that and waited for a buyer. Often waited and waited and waited and waited. Waiting was all right for some. Many even list at outrageous prices and simply wait for their ship to come in.

Today home owners find themselves waiting and waiting, not only has their ship not come in, it sank at sea!

What those commercial brokers did together, was to over look asking price and look at the seller's problem. No one really wants cash, they want the benefits cash can get them. We forget this! We also forget we're in the people business! Marketing houses has gotten to be like selling new cars, you want a red Ford there are 57 of them on role 93 section G, go get one.

At a time when asking prices, values, and mortgage balances, again have little in common, it's time to take another look at solving the people problem.

What I learned so long ago, was to do the impossible. They taught me how to sell a two percent return!

So how do you sell a two percent return? You find someone making one percent and double his money. Today like then, you need to solve the people problem!

So what does all this have to do with professional networking? You can't explain your clients problems on the MLS, at least you shouldn't! So networking with other real estate people allows you to get help. Solving the problem requires two people and having them both in your own office is even less likely than selling your own listing!

I hope to see you at the Barcamp in Houston October 22!

Bill

William J Archambault Jr

The Real Estate Investment Institute

There are things you can do at a networking session that simply can't be done on the MLS or in an open forum. Most of this I published 3 years ago:

Back in 1974 I went to my first meeting with Chapter Number One of the Farm and Land Institute a division of the NAR, now called the REALTORS® Land Institute. At that time they were the dominant commercial arm of the NAR, Unlike the better known and better educated CCIMs these were people, people. They taught me was you don't need to talk about the property, leave that to the CCIM's!

Yes, I did say that you don't need to talk about the property!

At FLI marketing sessions we rarely talked about the property we talked about solving the people problem! It's not that we don't need to know about the property we do, but facts are facts, put them in writing. Print a flyer, a hand out sheet, a copy of the MLS print out. Don't except us to take sufficient notes about the property to sell it to our investors when we get to a phone or back home!

Here we are thirty-four years later and that's still great advice, but what does it have to do with networking?

Networking gives us access to people like those old FLI brokers who can help, people with hard earned experience, people that will with-in reason share freely. Give them the facts about the property in writing, so that they can have them in hand while discussing your problem. When talking we're going to look for solutions which more often than not have much more to do with the buyer and seller than the property.

If you're looking for help, be prepared to discuss both of your clients needs wants, desires, and assets, because that's where the solution lies.

One more thing remember that "within reason" there is a point after which we should be paid.

Often, problems really only needed an idea or a simple referral.

Networking allows you to solve the people problem!

Bill

William J Archambault Jr

The Real Estate Investment Institute 

Yes, it' convenient that every one has determined that besides the evil bankers, it's the poor who are causing our current financial debacle!

The poor, poor, poor, poor! Where are these right wing talk show host living? I've seen a lot of foreclosures in the last few weeks in both Las Vegas and Houston South to what remains of Galveston. With a few notable exceptions these REO's were never owned by the poor! Working middle class yes, but not the poor.

But, I keep hearing these talking heads spouting about, lying poor buying houses they should never have been allowed in, except as domestics! I can understand the "left" they haven't told the truth since Roosevelt The Second. It's the "right" that concerns me, these fools must never have seen an REO! They must be wearing blinders!

Even using the infamous "Option Arm's" negative amortization these homes were never owned by the poor.

No one seems concerned about facts. No one questions the explanation "du jour!" There are problems with the CRA, Community Reinvestment Act, but it's not our current problem! Simply put the majority of foreclosures and the REO's are not in areas involved in the act.

Bill

William J Archambault Jr

The Real Estate Investment Institute

 

Some of you have ask about the Avatar that I've been using to promote the Upcoming Barcamp in Houston, October 22. I'm using an online subscription service called SitePal. You can find it at: https://vhost.oddcast.com/admin/index.php?q=login

 

I'm editing the sound through Audacity which is the free shareware program I use to repair my pod-cast at: http://www.realestatesage.info You can get Audacity at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

I've been trying to make my bloggs look more interesting and it was either a new photo of me or this talking caricature. I'm open to suggestions as long as they're anatomically possible.

Those of you without speakers or head-phones will never know what you're missing!

Have fun with the program!

Bill

William J Archambault Jr

The Real Estate Investment Institute