- The first rule of real estate is you do not become emotionally involved in real estate.
- The second rule of real estate is you do not become emotionally involved in real estate.
- If an inspection brings up unknown concerns and one party says stop or taps out the accepted offer is over.
- Two parties to an offer.
- You can have more than one offer at a time. It’s actually encouraged (I guess a buyer wouldn’t encourage multiple offers though).
- No shoes. I don’t want the responsibility for dirt on the new carpet…
- Accepted offers will last as long as they need to. Have you had experience with the new lending regulations? If you have, you know how true Rule #7 is.
- If this is your first time engaging in real estate you do not need to buy or sell a home.
Even after all these years you can remember the first two rules of Fight Club, right? It *has* to be the same in real estate.
So repeat after me: The first rule of real estate is I will not become emotionally involved in real estate.
The quickest way to sabotage the purchase or sale of your home is to begin to take things personally. And things means anything that can, and often, does crop up. From a delay in closing to a misunderstanding in contract language. Or an offer you deem to be waaaaaaaayyy to low.
The worst way to handle any circumstance beyond your control is to get upset. When you become upset/angry/emotional it becomes difficult to rationally attack and solve the problem.
When faced with a difficult situation step one is to relax and calm down. This may take awhile. 
Step two is to try and understand the perspective of the person who just made your life more difficult.
No where does it say you need to like the choices of another person. But if you can step back and remain emotionally neutral, you may be able to salvage whatever it is you’re currently facing.
Photo Credit
This post is an “I couldn’t have said it better myself” post…
For the most part real estate is a planning activity. It’s not like buying a candy bar or a magazine while you’re waiting in the check-out line at Copps.
And because you have to go through a process to get to the point when you’re ready to buy or sell a home you’re also very curious about what will be happening next, or a few months from now, or next year.
Will it be better or worse? Will mortgage rates continue to remain this low? How much will my credit score go up in 4 months? Will this cause my interest rate to be lower?
Ken Haedrich, a Realtor in Annapolis, Maryland recently wrote a post hypothesizing what the real estate market will do in the upcoming year. Click here to read his Trends and Predictions article.
Two thumbs up for numbers 2 and 3 in his list.
Regarding his point that there will be fewer Realtors in the upcoming year… Yes there is. Our database of area Realtors took a huge hit when the new list came out a month or so ago. One area company seemed to lose 2/3 of their staff. On the other hand the Wisconsin Rapids First Weber office has gained 2 new Realtors in the past couple months. These agents transferred from other area agencies.
Why? I believe it’s because in their effort to create a real estate career they knew they needed to align themselves with a forward thinking real estate company. As Ken states in his article, real estate is “technology driven,” and Realtors who can best handle this new technology will steam-roll agents who can’t or won’t embrace it.
Sidenote–Last year I was going to email a listing sheet (probably something else, but it doesn’t matter what) to another area agent. I had his email from their website. He said I shouldn’t because he “doesn’t do email.” I didn’t know what to say. How can you not “do email?”
Anyway, have you checked out Ken’s super-interesting article yet?
Well, hi there! Thanks for checking out my website—hope you find things here at “The School” helpful…
I will admit that sending out mailings to 400+ strangers is a bit nerve-wracking, especially when I realized that not only was I mailing to strangers, but I was sending a personal bit of writing to people I knew in high school or friends of friends.
So, before continuing, I’d like to say hi to all the people I’ve known through the years… And if anyone wants to say hi to me, you can go here.
Back to my story–
As I was working to finish the mailing I kept thinking– “What if they think my Hannah Montana analogy is lame?” “What if they don’t even read it?”
Yes, these are the thoughts that reverberate when folding and stuffing hundreds of pieces of paper. My wife and daughters helped with the editing, the stuffing and, of course, gave me prime fodder for the mailing you read. I’m glad my take on real estate spoke to you in a way that convinced you to check me out even further.
There are lots of posts here—as of 1/12/10, nearly 160 pages worth! I’m the only Wisconsin Rapids real estate agent actively writing, interacting, informing and sharing information with great people like you.
As you know, nationally, real estate has taken a huge hit in the past 3 years. Luckily, Wisconsin Rapids hasn’t been hit as hard as other states, or even other cities in Wisconsin. I started The School as a way to help educate buyers and sellers so they can make an informed decision on the best time to enter the market.
And you’re here because something in your brain is telling you now *might* be your time…
Following is a sampling of many of the topics discussed here in the past year and a half:
Without sellers we can have no buyers…
And without buyers we can have no sellers…
I’ve also talked about a Flying Spaghetti Monster, elk sightings, and for good measure, birds pooping on my car… Oh, and I was even part of this article written for Wisconsin Realtors.
Before 2 years ago I never fashioned myself a writer, I guess even today, I’m not really a writer… But I love what I do and I love creating these articles for you to read.
I hope your day is better for coming here…
What next?
- Are you thinking there’s a better home for you? Email me at holberga [a] firstweber[dot]com or give me a call at 715.572.8372.
- Do you like what you’ve read? Sign up to have all new articles delivered to your email inbox.
Did I miss anything? Something else you’d like to know? Seriously, get in touch.
But first I must admit that I got the title to this post from the newsletter that Chris Brogan writes. Seriously, sign up for it. At the end of each of his newsletters he lists a few people who are doing it right… he’d be at the bottom of mine…
No doubt you’ve been bombarded with very personal emails from everyone you’ve made a purchase from in the past few years.
Chris made a few very insightful points about these holiday emails:
- They always end up trying to sell you something. Yes, it may be at a discount. But the email still is a marketing message.
- At this point in the game, you’ve purchased everything you’re going to.
And that’s the same problem I face when talking with you. I started this blog to help with my marketing. To be able to interact with you. To be able to provide you with a little local real estate education. But you knew all that.
But, here, now, I want to say Thank You. Thank you for being here in 2009. Thank you for being here in 2010. Thank you for your feedback. Thank you for your suggestions.
And above all, thank you for being you.
In conclusion, I hope this finds you taking a few well earned days off. Success in 2009 meant you needed to make a larger personal investment in everything you do. From work to play to personal.
We all need to recharge in order to hit 2010 running. To continue to strive to be the best. To provide more. To educate more. To lead more.
I’ll see you on the other side.
To your success,
Adam
P.S. Stay safe in this storm we’re about to get. I cancelled my plans with my parents tonight for fear of icy road conditions. And this was our annual seafood dinner, something I take very seriously…
Earlier this week I posted an article showing how huge the Internet has become…
One ginormous aspect of the Internet is our ability to connect with others. Gone are the days of big business and hiding away behind corporate walls.
People are connecting on a more personal level. Trust is earned. Partnerships are formed. Knowledge is gained.
I’m also looking to connect and learn from you. Are you on any social networks?
I’d love it if you’d connect with me on one or all of the following social platforms:
I know I’m missing out on thousands of really cool people…
Do you have any recommendations on people I should follow? Are you aware of any local businesses that are embracing social media that deserve to be followed? Love to hear from you.
In an upcoming post I’ll provide a list of First Weber agents who’ve created real estate fan pages on Facebook. It’ll be fun to look and see what other agents feel is important/cool/interesting/off-beat in the world of real estate. Click here so all new posts are delivered directly to your email inbox.
PHONE: (608) 542-0178
My name is Adam Holberg and I’m a Realtor with First Weber of Wisconsin Rapids. This website is designed to inform and help bring conversation to a topic I love, real estate.