The Tipping Point in Real Estate - Use the Newspaper to Fight Back!

I just finished reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and I'm beginning to see how we got into this turbulent real estate market that we are in. For at least ten years real estate skeptics kept preaching that we were in a real estate bubble and that anyone who was looking to buy a home was CRAZY. Meanwhile, the market held strong and people kept buying homes and prices kept going up. At some point however the preaching of the real estate naysayers caught on and all of a sudden the media caught on, and then prices started tanking and buyers ran for the hills. If you read Gladwell's book this pheonomenom is explained as the Tipping Point where the words and influence of some (Gladwell categorizes these few as the connectors, mavens, and sales people) causes an epidemic that spreads just like the flu, a fashion trend, or even the crime rate. I find Gladwell's point of view to be quite profound and I thought to myself as I finished the book, why couldn't I be one of those few that causes a real estate Tipping Point to go the other way. So, that's what I'm going to set out to do. I am owner of eight real estate offices and I think the first key to start a new Tipping Point trend is to educate agents about how to start this trend. The first key area that all of us should look at is with the mode in which we are advertising real estate that's on the market. What's really crazy if you think about it is that we spend millions and millions of dollars on paper advertising to show the world all the inventory we have. After reading The Tipping Point, I think this is a HUGE waste of resources. What we need to realize is that the people who read newspapers are the same people who think this is the WORST time to buy a house. Just the fact that they read the newspapers indicates that they subscribe to what the media has to say about the housing market. By us loading the real estate section with our inventory we feed the media hype that the market is terrible and that there is too much inventory. HERE IS MY IDEA AFTER READING THE TIPPING POINT.... We need to re-educate those that read newspapers. Let's collectively take all of our FOR SALE inventory out of the paper because anyone that reads the papers believes the market stinks... instead let's fill the newspapers with our advertisements of success stories about buyers who just bought their first home, or families who were able to up-size or downsize into a better situation. In The Tipping Point Gladwell points out that the word you're trying to spread as an epidemic must be STICKY... it's sticky if there is a compelling reason for people to read it and pass it on. Therefore, let's not just load the papers up with pictures of SOLD properties where people just turn the page... let's fill the real estate advertising columns with photos of buyers and their realtors in front of their new homes with a small success story from that buyer. People love reality... that's why reality shows are sticky... so let's make our new wave of paper advertising sticky by showing the nay-sayers (those that believe, read, and subscribe to media periodicals) that there are millions of buyer success stories because it is truly a GREAT time to buy a home. That's my 2 cents.

It's going to be GREAT in 2008!!!

We are really excited about the New Year at RE/MAX Prestige. We had a fantastic group of agents join our firm for the new year including Len Lochrie, Barbara Miller, Angela Zhang, Dawn Billingsley, Eileen Emerson, Matt Moisan, Maureen Roberts, and Diane Marcolongo, to name just a few! Agents keep joining because we are keeping busy at RE/MAX Prestige. We are busy because we are keeping our agents educated and motivated. What has been a key to our success in that in 2007 and 2008 we have been able to demonstrate to buyers that the people who are getting the BEST deals in today's real estate market are those that don't follow the media. If you listen to the media, there are no good deals in real estate right now, and that's just NOT the case. Check out all the listings on the market right now... it's a FANTASTIC TIME TO BUY. Many of our own agents including Mary Alcorn, Dan O'Connell, Meghan Maraghy, Angela Harkins, Jim Harkins, Dave Nicholaou, Kathy Mamos, and Michelle Rivera purchased homes in 2007 because the market is just that good! Who else is buying homes? Probably the media workers!! Anyone who can understand that the media continues to promote hogwash about today's real estate market is out searching for a good deal. Anyway... we are keeping busy for 2008. We look forward to the RE/MAX Winter Sales Rally which is taking place January 9th and the RE/MAX International Convention in March. It will be the BEST year RE/MAX Prestige has every seen.

Christmas Eve at RE/MAX

The phones are quiet today and a few agents are popping in and out of the office as I sit here and update the blog. Yesterday I read a fantastic book, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and I encourage anyone who has not yet read it to go get it TODAY! It's a quick read. I read it in just a few hours and it's life changing! It's a perfect book to sit by the fire and read this holiday because it's easy to get so wrapped up in this somewhat commercialized holiday, that it's easy to forget what is really important in life. Anyway.... read this book if you can find some spare time. It's truly awesome. Coincidentally our agents will be getting to see Mitch Albom speak at an upcoming sales rally on January 9th. Now that I've read this book, I can hardly wait. So, a lot has happened since I last updated the blog. The season took over and there are many things I didn't get to, including my blog. Some of the highlights this month include the RE/MAX Prestige & Unlimited Mortgage Adopt a Family. Our companies adopted 25 local DSS families for the holidays. Andy and I made 6 trips to DSS with car loads of presents for local families. We want to thank our team for helping us with that. We also had an unbelievable holiday party on the 14th. We had over 120 guests and it was held at the Wyndham in Andover. Our ver own, Joanna Dendrolivanos, did an unbelievable rendition of Silent Night to our gracious crowd. As well, we had a visit from the YMCA carolers and a pop-by by good old St. Nick himself. It was a great time. Anyway, Andy and I wish everyone a fantastic holiday. Take advantage of this time and spend it with loved ones and if you're feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, pick up a copy of Tuesdays with Morrie, grab your favorite blanket, go to your bedroom, shut the door and read. Enjoy!

WOW.... WHAT A MONTH!

Ok... it's the last week of the month at Prestige and what a week it is! We were very excited this month to unveil our new recruiting website. There are so many agents that call us every day and they want to learn more about RE/MAX Prestige... well now they can get a glimps of what we are all about by going to www.remaxprestigerecruiting.com. Also, we announced this week that we are, for the seventh year, helping DSS families for the holidays. So far, we have 15 agents who have committed to taking care of the holiday wishes for 15 families... our goal this year is to help 25 families in total for the holiday! We thank our lucky stars every day for all of the blessings we have been afforded. The biggest blessing is our group of agents. It's great to work with such wonderful people!

RE/MAX Prestige Turkey Drive

We are fast approaching Thanksgiving week. Can you believe how time flys? Every year at RE/MAX Prestige we gather Thanksgiving food baskets for DSS. Our agents go out and purchase complete Thanksgiving meals for 30 local DSS families. So.... this week... in addition to showing houses, negotiating contracts, listing homes, and finding new and innovative ways to market every property, our agents are out doing some major turkey day shopping. It's a lot of work, but boy do we have a good time!

WOW... WHAT A WEEK!

I know... it's ONLY MONDAY... but we are having a FANTASTIC week at RE/MAX Prestige. We are starting our November off right with some GREAT new additions at RE/MAX! We are so excited to welcome Tom Courtney and Pat Courtney back to RE/MAX! Both come to us from Keller Williams. Tom will be working as Director of Business Development where he will be working one on one with our agents to grow their careers to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL!! Pat is a LEGEND in the real estate business and she's helped thousands of people buy and sell homes. She's good at her job and a fantastic person. We're psyched to have her! Then, in Chelmsford we are very happy to announce the the M&M Team from Coldwell Banker just joined! Matthew and Michelle Keats live in Billerica and sell houses all over the Merrimack Valley! The cherry on top this week is our new family members in Lawrence. Vivian Garcia and Julie Duran, formerly of Coco Early, have joined RE/MAX Prestige. When other offices are shutting their doors in the great city of Lawrence we are still on the grow... so we are so pleased to have Vivian and Julie with us. Jeezzzz what next? It's only Monday.... can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the week!!!

A Spooktacular Halloween at RE/MAX Prestige

Every year our Chelmsford RE/MAX office gets a visistor. We are not sure who it is, but every year for the past three years, somebody comes to the office late at night on the eve of Halloween and decorates like you can't even imagine. This year, the office was decked throughout with ghosts, goblins, spiders, body parts, skeletons and more. Every square inch of the Chelmsford office was decorated. Who did it? We have our guesses but nobody knows for sure? This year we even had a costume contest in all of the offices. Three of our unbelievable administrators won the contest. Check out some of the great costumes that our agents and staff came up with. Even the loan originators at Unlimited Mortgage and one of the attorneys at All American got into the spirit. Some days I wake up and just think to myself, that I must be the luckiest person alive to have such great people to work with each and every day. Thanks for a great Halloween RE/MAX! Check out some photos by clicking the following link: http://marketing.remaxdesigncenter.com/email/45070/443529/index.ipv