REALTOR® Connection
Newsletter for San Benito County Association of REALTORS®

From the President's Desk
Renee Kunz
July 2008

It’s hard to believe we’re already in July!  The good news is it appears as if sales are finally increasing.  We have to believe we are at the bottom of this market cycle.  Closings are increasing, and inventory is decreasing at long last.  With all the great programs available to buyers, hold onto your hats for a powerful six months to come.
You have survived the hardest times.  You are a dedicated professional and will make it through!
But having said that, I bring your attention to the falling attendance of the weekly marketing meetings.  As you know, this is a great opportunity to network with other agents, discover wants and needs, and expose your new listings.
I also encourage you to support one another.  You want agents to come when your house is on tour.  Please come to the meetings regularly, not just when you have a new listing.  I applaud all the agents who attend on a regular basis.
And do remember the tour etiquette.  Show up on time, complete the tour, provide constructive feedback on condition and price.  Remember never to say anything negative when you’re in a house:  You never know if someone is listening.
If you have suggestions on how to increase attendance or have changes you would like to make to the existing tour protocol please e-mail sbcaor@pacbell.net. 

From the President's Desk
Renee Kunz
June 2008

I recently had the pleasure of traveling to our nation’s Capitol to represent our Association at the midyear meeting of the National Association of Realtors (NAR).  It is amazing to see the “Realtor” in action.  If you get the opportunity, attend an NAR event.  I attended a meeting during which the NAR president interviewed a 97-year-old woman named Ebby Halliday.  She is a successful business woman.  The interview can be viewed on the NAR website, giving insight into the importance of being a Realtor with a Code of Ethics and Standard of Practice.  She gives new and seasoned agents the following tips:  Become an expert in your market;  Prospecting is gold.; Price the property to sell; and Play psychologist and address the fears of the client.
I also listened to chief economist Lawrence Yen as he predicted an improved second half of the year for the nation as a whole, though local conditions vary.  California remains a problem area.  He noted the pent-up demand from buyers on the fence.  Though we are at a 10-year low in sales, there are 25 million more people and 13 million more jobs created in the past 10 years. 
Though low consumer confidence, the sub prime issues and jumbo loan qualifying remain issues, he believes the stimulus package will nudge consumers off the fence.
I met with Congressman Sam Farr who remains a true friend of the Realtor.  We discussed the importance of maintaining the loan limits and affordable health and flood insurance.

May 2008

I recently purchased a book entitled The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.  You may have heard his presentation on Oprah within the last 6 months.  Randy Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.  He is married, the father of 3 small children and a responsible citizen.  Not much different from you or me.  But he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, 10 tumors in total.  In September of 2006 he was given 3 to 6 months to live.  The book is his story on how to overcome obstacles and how he chose to live out his shortened life.  Why am I telling you about this?  Because the book started me thinking.  I pondered the question, “If I had only a few months to live, how would I live my remaining life?”  My first thoughts were of my family and their financial well being.

I must say, “WOW!”  This is so hard to imagine.  I think God programmed our brains not to be able to conceive of this until it is actually fact because certainly if we lived our lives as if the remaining time were short and precious we would live differently.  Can you imagine how the world would improve if everyone lived every day of their lives with purpose, passion and conviction?

Randy spoke to living your dreams, enabling others dreams, and seizing every moment.  Do you live this way?  Do you conduct your business as a business with energy and enthusiasm?  Do you spend quality time with your spouse, kids and friends?  As I read the book, I found myself questioning how I live.  Over the past several months several close friends have experience real-life health scares.  Each one has said it has taken them to a new emotional place and things are different now.  How lucky are these people?  A second chance at life and relationships.  A new clarity.

I encourage you to stop and think, then take action in your personal and business life.  Take steps to meet your goals, exercise and eat right.  Do what you know you should with enthusiasm!

Randy Pausch is still alive.  For information on him, or to view his last lecture, go to www.cmu.edu.

From the President's Desk
Renee Kunz
April 2008

Do you ever want to know what the answers are to what you want in life? Look in the mirror…there is the answer 
Let me tell you what you need to do….
The market is just too tough….
It’s the schools fault, my kid……
You are doing it wrong…..
It’s my spouses fault…..
You need to do it this way……
 The list could go on and on forever….These are just a few of the excuses we all use instead of being accountable. I am currently listening to a book on tape called Servant Leadership.  This really brings home the above.  We all know actions speak louder than words. Hence, I think one of the keys to success at anything in life is the ability to accept personal and/or professional responsibility for your success’s as well as your setbacks and failures.  I feel very lucky!  There are so many people who have provided inspiration in my life.  The one commonality I have found among these talented people is their ability to admit and accept their weakness, not only to themselves but those around them. Until you are strong enough to look in the mirror and acknowledge your weaknesses and do something about them, you will never be able to truly get what you want in life….those who are winning in all areas tend to be giving back to those who support them, while at the same time being accountable for their
actions.
 Look in the mirror and ask yourself the hard questions?  Am I on plan for 2008? If not, what actions can you take to get back on plan?  I want all of you to have success!  I believe there is enough business for everyone!  Do not look for the reason why things are not going your way or why you are not getting what you want in life.  Go out on a limb and look into it.  Look in the mirror and I bet you will see the answer.  The good news is I believe in all of you!  I know you can make changes if you set your mind to it. 
As the saying goes….April showers bring May flowers…..I just see lots of rainbows for you, the members of our Association.  Get out there, think big and April will be a new beginning.

From the President's Desk
Renee Kunz
March 2008

Mindset   Every time you see them you try to avoid them like the plague because they are negative and draining. To them, everything is a crisis. Nothing works and everything not going right in their world is someone else's fault.  These people rarely smile and the world is always coming to an end. They treat life like a win-loose game...and trust me, there is no such thing.  Do you know anyone like this?   Then there are the people you love being around because they have that positive energy. They have smiles on their faces and are having a good time. When a set back
occurs, they seem to find a message in the set back or do not buy into it at all.  They keep their emotions under control, they don't fight and they don't blame. They just look at life as a blessing and opportunity.   The interesting thing about these two different types of people is that the positive ones most of the time seem to have balance in all parts of their life. Personal, Professional, Business, Health...just name it.  I have heard people who smile a lot and laugh live longer and healthier lives. The negative people seem to struggle and find it difficult to have balance.  My question to you is which one are you? Be honest.  Are you filled with energy or do you feel the life is being sucked out of you.  Life is about choices.  We have all survived the 2007 real estate market.  I believe 2008 is already stronger than 2007.  Yes, the headlines we see in the media are there to sell papers.  The News we hear on the tv is there to obtain high ratings. Will you be part of the solution or will you add fuel to the fire?   I ask you to make the choice right now.  We are about to end the first quarter of the year. I challenge you to create a positive mindset.  We tell our children if you do not have anything positive to say, don't bother! Let us come together as a group and attempt in the month of March to see that our glass is half full instead of half empty.  Make the choice to believe in yourself. Make the choice so people want to be around you.  All of the small choices make the entire person.   
Remember, the gift all of you have is the opportunity to make a difference.  So make the right choice.

From the President's Desk
Renee Kunz
February 2008

What a great month, January!

 It is my intent to highlight member benefits on a monthly basis in this newsletter.  These are benefits which you are currently paying for on a local and state level with your dues. Did you know you can go to www.car.org and obtain member discounts. CAR has an advantage program which offers discounts on a variety of products and services we use in our business.  This includes everything from shipping to direct mail pieces, closing gifts and office supplies.

Change…Change…Change…I am not talking Nickels and Dimes!  Did you know in 1905 only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone, there were only 8000 cars in the US and the maximum speed limit in most cities was 10mph.The average wage in the US was 22 cents per hour.  I know right now you might be thinking well that is more than we are making as Realtors….just kidding…Why am I giving you these statistics?  I want to know when you woke up today were you excited, ready to tackle the world and make a difference. Did you have the desire to do your job better. Be a better husband, wife, son, daughter….Or did you wake up and just follow the same path as the day before?  Why do we fight this? Why are we scared of change?  Can you imagine how different the world would be if we all got uncomfortable.  Let’s take risks…Lets work on getting better and improving ourselves in our business and personal life.  This is the perfect month to start. February 14th is approaching quickly.  Tell someone you care and start making changes.  Don’t be left behind.  Embrace change and step outside the box.

Renee Kunz
President
San Benito County Association of Realtors®

From the President's Desk - Renee Kunz
January 2008

It is hard to believe 2007 is over and it is January 2008.  I want to start this newsletter by saying Thank you again to the men and women who provided their time and energy to the Association of Realtors in 2007.  Without their dedication, it would be difficult if not impossible to keep our local organization going.

As we enter the New Year may I suggest we clear our minds of the past twelve months. Let’s remember back to when we were first in the business. Let’s remember all the energy and passion exploding within us.  Let’s remember getting up and going into the office early. Let’s remember when our minds were like sponges and we sought out Real Estate related information.  Wow! Imagine if we collectively bundle this energy and convey it to the Community at large! What kind of impact would we have?

My point is we can be our own worst enemies.  Let’s start the year off right and positive. I believe in every single member in this Association. I know you will have success in 2008. Here are Eight Deadly Sins to avoid in 2008. Being able to avoid these sins will also help keep us all on track.

No excuses – do what you know you should do!
Not Spending time on your business daily
Not Using Scripts when in their entirety
Stopping part way through when you are uncomfortable with the response
Allowing interruptions to stop you work
Not staying focused
Forgetting one yes is all you need to make a good close
8.   Stopping on a sour note

LET’S AVOID FALLING IN THE ABOVE TRAP!  LET’S ATTACK THE DAY WITH ENERGY.

Renee Kunz
President
San Benito County Association of Realtors®
 

Website Design by CADM Multimedia Productions