Coaching Businesses and Life

I had one of my regular one a month call to “join our exciting growing team” at a local big house Realtor company.

They were sad in the beginning but now they are just plain old insulting. I had this bubbly enthusiastic voice who was telling me I wouldn’t have to pay desk fees for 6 months. And she was really happy about that fact. Unfortunately, I never paid for desk fees at Robert Weil Associates. Then she said I would earn 100% of my commissions. Unfortunately when nothing sells, 100% of very little is still pretty much nothing.

All of that is just marketing, and we understand that about these struggling high profile real estate companies but what ticked me off came after. I politely declined saying I would wait to see how the market goes in a year. And some people just don’t get it. I guess you are either a smart sales person or you shouldn’t do it. This person told me things were picking up! I was flabbergasted. Any news will tell you otherwise and certainly all the experts who have been correct over the last decades agree, the real estate market is going into a bottomless pit.

It made me mad to think this person would pull the same hype on someone else. Too bad I was in a hurry or I would have asked her to explain “things are picking up’. Then I would have asked her to give me numbers, and of closed escrows versus how many agents they have. Then I would have given even the simplest Schiller numbers as a final nail in this ridiculous hyping coffin.

I’m just flabbergasted that big national companies are still relying on old tricks like this to get people all hyped up. What is the long term plan here? They will end up with more disillusioned people who will not represent the profession in a very good light. And, who are they attracting anyway? Certainly not real, real estate professionals. These big corporations cater to make-it-big-quickly type of minds that will not add much quality to the profession. It really is sad that even in the midst of this mess, some of these high-profile real estate companies still try to hype a market that is just following its course to normalcy.

More than ever I want to coach Realtors. I never felt a need for them to align themselves more than the present situation.

Calculated Risk picked up on the S&P/Case-Shiller house price index for Los Angeles. And prices have dropped by almost 9%.

To put things into perspective: After the peak in December 1989, prices in Los Angeles fell 41.4% over about 7 years, in real terms (adjusted for inflation)… In 1990, real prices had declined 9.3% during the first 12 months after the price peak. For the current bust, real prices have declined 12% for the same period.

We are far from those levels so far. However, the next few months should prove interesting as retails have been less then stellar with the holiday shopping and gas and food still take a big chunk out of individuals’ economy.

We had out last Robert Weil Associates Christmas party on Friday night. It was sad and fun. You know, the usual mix of feelings.

It was overwhelming at times seeing all these people in one room, la creme de la creme of Long Beach. All wonderful people I would trust with any real estate transactions and good friends. It made me realize how special the office was and how it can never be replicated. It was the right time for the right people to come together under one roof.

I see the light bulbs go off with other brokers minds from other companies wanting to cash in on this unique team. They just don’t get it. They can’t get it when their main interest is bottom line. It wasn’t about making a killing, it was about nice people having fun with something they feel passionate about. It’s something I haven’t found in most other offices.

The party was great. Many said they will use me as a coach and I can’t wait to get some of that feeling back.

It’s kind of strange thinking I won’t sit in those surreal plush big red leather chairs. Why can’t other offices look so elegant? We had a unique team. No one came close but onwards to greater and bigger things. And anyway, isn’t it time to spread our ethics, standards and wonderful team spirit to the rest of the world?

Rumors are spreading faster than a bad case of gonorrhea in the real estate scene of Long Beach. (Yes, the Stephanie Plum books are effective my writing ) Things are moving and happening in the forever changing landscape of our city.

I won’t make any real official announcements until Saturday but the rumor mill is active. We have had yet another agency come in to the office to see if they could buy the company out. It’s been a recurring theme for the last year. RWA is not for sale. It can’t be sold. The people made it. There is nothing to sell. It’s an incredible team of incredible people put together by life. But Boy, did that company lack class. The cutsie girl sent from the head honcho barely acknowledged us and was all smiles and perfect blond. You could see she worked very hard on her pleasant facade. The problem is you can’t fool everyone all the time. People see through smiles and make up. I caught a moment of relaxation on her face and the true face showed. To think a company like that would hope to catch the team is laughable. The thing I love most about my fellow Robert Weill Associates is that they are real. A far cry from the smiling people I saw walking in.

No I’m not drunk and I am not making little sense. More about this on Saturday…