**PART 5 OF A 5 PART SERIES "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE BUSINESS" Are you a  REAL Expert in your real estate area? Expertise is "Earned" not Learned"...it is a name that can not be claimed, but is awarded in the conversations of the happy clients and customers who you leave in your wake.  One thing that is not normally understood by many real estate agents is that expertise is EARNED, not LEARNED! No one is an expert simply by the number of years in the business either! Successes come from a combination of attributes that make up an underlying foundation of EXPERTISE...and there-in are the keys to the entire structure and strength of an EXPERT.   ATTITUDE PERSISTENCE AMBITION CONFIDENCE These are the ingredients of an expert's success; these attributes are always part of the per... 09/06/2010

"TO TELL THE TRUTH!"...OR: *"In these times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act!"(*compliments of George Orwell) **PART 4 OF A 5 PART SERIES: "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE BUSINESS". In this part of my series "5 Keys To A Successful Real Estate Business" I want to reveal why truth telling is at the very foundation of a successful business. TRUTH BE TOLD: What if you were counting on a friend to be straight with you regarding the most basic parts of your friendship--and that friend turned out to be an absolutely deceitful person regarding simple things like saying they were going away and can't see you for dinner. You then find out they went nowhere but went out to dinner with another friend. You find yourself feeling like you were deceived by this former... 09/06/2010

*PART 3 of the Series: "5 Keys to A Successful Real Estate Business" "APTITUDE" MAKES AN AGENT SUCCESSFUL!!!  Do you have it? ...If you don't, why should you? Your customers and clients expect you to have it!!! This is a real estate question that we all need to address. It is expected that all real estate professionals have an aptitude for real estate; there are exceptions to this however. So, I will give you the actual meaning of the word. according to the dictionary:  APTITUDE 1. capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent: She has a special aptitude for real estate. 2. readiness or quickness in learning; intelligence: . the state or quality of being apt; special fitness. r.   As you can see, Aptitude should be a prime quality to ALL real estate professional... 09/01/2010

PART 2 of My Series:"5 Keys To A Successful Real Estate Business" COMPETENCE IS GOLDEN!!! .....Well earned respect  is the goal here! Competence is a rare quality in real estate---You know very well that if awards were handed out for incompetence in real estate, chances are many agents would win it!  I do not state this in a patronizing way--I state it as a fact.  There are only a handful of agents who truly excell in the business in many market places---why???  Because many people come into the real estate profession thinking that it is all about showing houses; then the truth becomes revealed in the class room where many agents start to see how much responsibility comes with a carrying a real estate liscence.  In order for an individual to truly achieve a stature of competence in the ... 08/31/2010

*PART 1 of My Series: " 5 Keys To A Successful Real Estate Business". RAPPORT BUILDING ....Nothing else can do more for building your business!!! It is the one area that most RE professionals neglect. Most don't understand how critical rapport building is in the early stages of a business relationship. It willmake the difference between making a sale and losing one; ..will make the difference between getting that great listing or losing it to the next agent who HAS taken the time to build rapport. CHARM-- If you take a look at the most successful people in real estate, charm often comes to mind. Charming people are open and have a presence that is dominant but not overbearing. Charm is a natural part of a successful persons persona because it is at the foundation of "Rapport building". ... 08/30/2010

The "Rogue" Agent.....Our Own Worst Enemy!!!  We all know they exist, whether by intent or by desperate measure, these agents are amongst us and they are doing harm to all of us---and they are also doing great damage to the buying/selling public. "FIRST, DO NO HARM!".... it should be an oath we all take!  As I was ruminating about a very tough deal  that I am putting together--it struck me that the process of  considering what I should say and do when I am at the very beginning of a working relationship with a buyer or a seller, always looks the same: I am VERY careful in my approach, sensitive to all probable complications; I try to be informative and truthful with each and every one involved and I always make sure that I never promise anything that I CAN NOT accomplish...This is my "m... 08/22/2010

Welcome to my Hampton's Real Estate Blog! Here, you will find the most up-to-date information on Southampton, Water Mill and Bridgehampton real estate markets. I also love to keep my readers informed about the history of the area and interesting tid-bits like "What It Used To Be Before It Is What It Is".... a very good example of this theme is the Southampton Town Marina on North Sea Road--a marina which now has 78boat slips. it used to be "Conscience Point" a nightclub that lasted through the 70's and 80's and was revived again in the early 2000's. it is also the place where Lizzy Grubman, (a famous New York Socialite) ran down 9 people as she was making a hasty departure from the nightclub. Now, the town ownsthe whole complex and should be realizing hefty revenue from the marina and g... 08/20/2010

"FIRST, DO NO HARM!"...It may be a requirement of ALL Doctors; it should be an oath we all take!  As I was thinking about a very tough deal that I am putting together at the moment--it struck me that the process of  considering what I should say and do when I am at the very beginning of a working relationship with a buyer or a seller, always looks the same: I am VERY careful in my approach, sensitive to all probable complications; I try to be informative and truthful with each and every one involved and I always make sure that I never promise anything that I CAN NOT accomplish...This is part of my automatic response to a new client/customer...I am not saying I am perfect; I AM saying that I make sure I am not going to "damage"my relationships in business under any circumstances and I wa... 08/18/2010

The real benefits of ActiveRain? Read on and see if you  agree!!!   I was spurred on to write this post by a comment I just got from a member on my post "How do we keep the "Up-trend" going?    In that comment, Michael mentions that we have so much to be thankful for with our contacts here on AR; how we share ideas and benefit from the connections...and in my agreement with his thought I opened my mind to the things I might be doing if I were not engaged with the members here on AR. So here is the list---see if you agree?? 1. This is the Big One: What do I think about when I am not involved in an activity or working on real estate? Usually I would be pre-occupied with the deal that I am working on right now---is it going to happen? Am I going to get that offer??? is the house going to s... 08/15/2010

How do we keep the "up-trend" in Home Sales going??? I have some ideas that seem to work for me! I am currently in contract on 2 deals and will be writing an offer on Monday--so something I am doing is right!!! In many markets there has been a nice bump up in real estate sales and now it is up to the professionals of this business to keep the arrow pointing skyward....any way we can!!! I have decided that in my marketing area, which is driven by the stock market and Wall Street in general, I will do everything in my power to get the word out that business is brisk and houses are moving at long last. First and most important is pricing--I will not take ANY listing that is overpriced; in fact, one of my deals is a house that came on the market at a price that made many agents say: "You ha... 08/14/2010

Interesting how  a summer movie can be the source of real political candor! Rarely do we, as movie goers get a chance to hear and see an important Message such as this one, especially in a Will Farrell comedy!! Have you seen the summer movie "The Other Guys" yet?....DONT MISS IT'S IMPORTANT "ANTI-CORPORATE" MESSAGE!!! Take a look at this video which contains the end credits of the movie, "The Other Guys"...The message is clear and is offered up to all those who will stick around to watch the credits of this comedy. It's message is graphic in it's content (in more ways than one!) and it's background music is the "anti-corporate anthem "Maggies Farm" written by Bob Dylan.  http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/Moviefone/the-other-guys-end-credits/506998250001 We, as professionals, have an on-goin... 08/12/2010

THE NEW REAL ESTATE INVESTOR PROFILE: Where do They Come From?...Why Do They Want To Buy/sell  Now??? As we appear to be moving slowly out of the depths of the Great Real Estate Recession, there are things I think we need to ask our buyers and sellers. If we can, each of us, as real estate professionals who know what is REALLY going on...(that means all of you here on ActiveRain!!) pull this information together, USE IT FOR YOUR MAREKTING EFFORTS and put it out there for your buyers and sellers...we could actually be in a better position to serve the public in a more efficient manner.  As an example: How many of the recent transactions in your area have been new construction? This is a very important statistic that will help you in guiding anyone who has money to spend on a new home. Or... 07/29/2010

Hampton's sales nearly double in 2Q, inventories decline as the "second home" real estate market begins to stabilize from the longest and deepest housing recession in our history. The Second Quarter of 2010 is proving to be a time of stabilization in the Hampton's real estate market. Here are some of the stats that have been the lead headlines in  WSJ and The Real Deal:    GREAT NEWS FOR THE INDUSTRY???     NUMBER OF SALES ('10/'09):                                            582/307 LISTING INVENTORY (Current/prior quarter):                    2,190/2,318 DAYS ON MARKET (Current/prior quarter/prior yr.):           131/156/156 MEDIAN SALES PRICE (Current/Prior quarter/prior yr.):   $775,000/$800,000/$680,000  AVERAGE SALES PRICE (Curent/Prior yr. Quarter)                  $1,360,000/$1,... 07/26/2010

  Real Estate in The Hamptons: ...A repeat of the 1993-94 Market?  Hampton's real estate (Suffolk County, East of the Shinnecock Canal) is not the same as many other markets--it is a market driven almost entirely from the stock market and it's related financial businesses.  But, ask most homeowners who bought in the early nineties and they all say there is a similarity now that is hard to ignore. 1993-94 was the beginning of a real estate market that launched a historical housing boom....and a record housing crisis in 2008-'09! THE KEY TO HOMEOWNERSHIP: LOW RATES, LOW PRICES, WLLING INVESTORS! Similar circumstances to the late '87 stock market crash  and the resulting dive in home values gives many in-the-know a sense that we may be on the threshold of a period of escalating home prices... 06/19/2010

If you have a taste for America's earliest history and you yearn to live near the water, especially the bays, then you have found the right place! ... It's all about the Hamptons and a place called North Sea:  A VACATION  Wonderland of authentic History and  beauty! North Sea (Originally called Nord Sea) is made up of a chain of tiny bay front communities that rim the water ways of the Great Peconic Bay and Little Peconic Bay and their tributaries. Miles and miles of protected wild life preserve link the grassy wetlands and calm, slow moving canals that identify this area for the visitor. Waterfowl, wild turkeys, cormorants and Long Island ducks populate these grasslands in abundance. Small rodents and other wild life populate the wooded areas and are found in great numbers as well. Her... 06/06/2010

Feng Shui Long Island Exploring Southampton New York on Memorial Day Weekend Exploring Long Island New York It is that time again, time to fire up the grills, play in the sun and hit the beaches to get that long awaited tan! This Saturday I took a trip to Southampton New York for a Feng Shui consultation and to kick around the well furbished South Fork Long Island town.  A brief history of the Southampton's community. The Village of Southampton settled in 1640 and became an incorporated village in 1894.  It is the oldest English settlement in the state of New York and is named after the British Earl of Southampton. Other villages around the Southampton's boundaries you can visit are, Sag Harbor, North Haven, Quogue, Westhampton Beach, West Hampton Dunes and the Shinnecock Indian Reserv... 05/29/2010

DO YOU KNOW HOW To Prime the business pump to get your business FLOWING again?    Real Estate is just beginning to rumble again; there is a new sense of what the new RE business is like but how do we get there from here? How do we make it happen? How do we get it going again??? Since I have a tremendous amount of very strong competition here in the Hamptons, I look for as many ways to differentiate myself....Southampton, New York has been hit VERY hard by the housing downturn and Bernie Maydoff too! So it is critical for me to be at the top of my game. ANALOGY HAS A WAY GETTING A POINT ACROSS: I love to use analogy when I have a point to make---SO I AM GOING TO USE ONE HERE: Many of us have a hard time "getting" it when it comes to instructions; or we resist good advice when it may just... 05/21/2010

In these times of great difficulty, I have some things I want to share with all of you: THE DOWNSIDE HOLDS AN UPSIDE; if you can find the good things, focus on them.... I know some of the laws and theories of physics---Not well, but I know them by reading and listening to people who are physicists or scientists or people who are just plain aware of what Descartes, Newton, Einstein, or any of the leading theorists of times long gone have come up with. These laws are familiar to all of us in one form or another: What goes up must come down... Persistence causes resistance... Stimulus; response... The Theory of relativity The ideas of Carl Jung on "Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle", Gary zukav on the "Seat Of The Soul", Deepak Chopra on "Creating The Life You Want", Belitz an... 05/19/2010

IF YOU WATCHED 60 MINUTES LAST NIGHT ON CBS, YOU TOO CAN SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL! Homeowners are considering walking away from "underwater" homes---and they are doing it in great numbers. These are not your "subprime" mortgage foreclosure---they are average homeowners who have been making payments and CAN AFFORD to keep paying! They choose to move on because they do not see a future in their homes!!! FALLING HOME VALUES. This is still A REAL ISSUE TO CONSIDER......prices are still falling , and may fall further! Let's not put our heads in the sand---we need to act now! With attention on the seriously underwater middle class homeowners, walking away from their obligations, we now have another possible situation that will cut into the already lower home prices. Falling home values hav... 05/09/2010

LET'S HAVE A COMPETITION!!! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU OUT THERE WHO LOVE TO BLOGAfter reading a featured post today about how Activerain has been such a valuable source of business for Susan Goulding ("What A difference an Activerain Blog Makes--a Retrospective") and responding to her inspiring post I decided to consider something: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I TOOK MY LOCAL POSTS AND PUT THEM  TOGETHER IN A SORT OF HYPER-LOCAL TRAVEL-LOG? Then I discovered/realized something: I have been BLOGGING MY WAY TO WRITING A BOOK!!!... SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO! I have been blogging since 2007 and it has been a challenge to get a lot of public attention, especially since I live in a resort/second home area--so, finding that I am not on the radar that the person looking for a primary residence... 04/22/2010