Author: Wade Webb

A gratitude list probably feels like the last thing you want to create at the beginning of the year. I am always reminded that a person cannot be sad or mad when they are in a state of gratitude and a powerful reminder to us all. I know all of these things may not apply to you. Still, I hope this list will inspire you to remember the things to be thankful for in 2024. Here are 101 things to be grateful for in 2024!!

1. Sight. I know there are a lot of people in this world who are blind. Even if you are, there are still other things to be grateful for. Those of you who aren’t blind, even if you have to wear glasses or contacts, you can be grateful that you can see. Even if everything you see in the world isn’t as pleasant sometimes, still be grateful for the pleasant things you can see, like the nice green colors of nature outside.
2. Hearing. Similarly, to sight, many people in this world are deaf. They’ll never be able to enjoy the sounds of music or hear the voice of someone they care about. Be grateful that you can listen to relaxing music when you feel stressed.
3. Smell. As small as this may seem, I’ve heard of people who’ve lost their sense of smell and it completely changed their life. Have gratitude for still having your sense of smell.
4. Taste. When one loses their sense of taste, they lose their ability to enjoy all the flavors of food. We can be grateful for still being able to enjoy the taste of fruits, vegetables, and all of the foods we enjoy in the world.
5. Walking. Being able to get around is more of a blessing than we realize sometimes. There are people who have to use canes, crutches, and wheelchairs to move around. Be grateful for being able to walk on your own two feet with relatively little pain.
6. Lungs. If we don’t have any lung issues or have to use any machines to breathe in oxygen, that’s something to be grateful for.
7. Hand movement. I have to type a lot to make these articles on here. I’m grateful that I have hand movement that’s free of any arthritis. Whatever you use your hands for, be grateful you can still use them.
8. Teeth. Be grateful if you’ve not lost any of your teeth, and they’re not in any pain.
9. Neck movement. As someone who deals with neck pain from time to time, even I’m grateful that I can still move my neck from one side to the other. If you can as well, you can write that on your list.
10. Memory. As we get older, our memories may not be as good as they are now. Be grateful you can still remember the things that you want in your day.
11. Heart. There are people currently waiting for heart transplants in the hospital right now. We can be grateful that we have a working heart that still beats normally.
12. Bladder. Leaky bladders are an inconvenience that we can be grateful we don’t have to deal with.
13. Stomach. As someone who’s had stomach challenges, it’s something to be grateful for when your stomach isn’t in pain. Burning inside of it is definitely no fun. I’m grateful for when my stomach doesn’t experience that, and that I’ve been able to improve it little by little.
14. Bones. I once saw a commercial with a little kid who was born with brittle bone disease. He’d broken his bones hundreds of times. There was also an inspirational speaker who had this disability but managed to live an extraordinary life. It goes to show that not only we can be grateful for having healthy and strong bones, but we can be inspired to do more with the abilities that we’re lucky to have.
15. Overall health. My health hasn’t been the best in the most recent years of my life, and maybe yours hasn’t either. Nonetheless, no matter our health challenges, we’re still alive. We can be grateful for our overall health still keeps us here. I’m grateful that my health is good for the most part.
16. Health insurance. I know not everyone reading this has health insurance. Those of you that do, be grateful your insurance helps to reduce your medical bills.
17. Meditation. There are many simple activities in life that can help improve our overall health. I’m grateful for meditation being one of those things that’s easy to do and helps us feel better.
18. Medicine. There have been many advancements in technology that have helped to heal many sicknesses that couldn’t be healed decades ago. Medicine is one of the top health things we can be grateful for in life, especially if you can afford it.
19. Doctors. In these times we’re living in, there are few people more deserving to be on this list than doctors. We can be grateful for all of them that dedicate their lives to making people feel well.
20. Exercise. It may not be the most fun thing to do for some of you, but be grateful if you’re physically able to exercise, and help keep yourself healthy.
21. Therapy. Mental health is just as important as physical health. We can be thankful that there are mental health professionals available to help us cope with the stress of the times.
22. Sickness. Yes, we can even be grateful for sickness. Going through it in a way makes us more appreciative when our health is good.
23. Fruits and vegetables. Some people are not in position to afford fruits, vegetables and other meals that keep us well. Be grateful you can enjoy the proper number of fruits and vegetables you need in your life.
24. Having money. While we may not have much in our wallet or our bank account, we can always be grateful we have some money to buy some things. There are a lot of people that don’t have any at all.
25. Earning money. You’ve probably seen how many people have had their jobs lost recently. If you’re still able to earn money for yourself, that’s a lot to be grateful for.
26. Little (or no) debt. It’d of course be nice not to have debt at all, but some people have 100’s of 1000’s of dollars in debt. If you’re one of the few who has low debt, it’s worth being grateful for.
27. Paid bills. Sometimes people reach a point where they can’t pay their bills for the month and their whole world is about to fall apart. It’s a blessing you can count if you can still pay your bills.
28. Shelter. Homelessness is an unfortunate crisis around the world. Be grateful if you stay in a home protected from the elements and able to live comfortably.
29. Food. I don’t have to tell you about starving people in the world. It’s sad and hopefully we can continue to improve it. Being able to have food on your table everyday can be in the top 10 of your thankful lists.
30. Clothing. It’s not just clothes we can be thankful for but being able to have clean ones through the luxury of our washing machines and dryers.
31. Clean water. Hearing about the water crisis in Flint a few years ago reminded me how lucky we are the water we drink is clean.
32. Clean air. China is one of the most heavily polluted areas in the world, with many people that end up developing respiratory issues. If you live in an area where the air around you are clean, it’s another thing to be grateful for.
33. Trees. Studies have proven being in nature is good for our overall wellbeing. Be grateful if you have lots of trees around where you live.
34. Sunshine. In some places it rains most of the time. Even if you live in a place like that, you can be very grateful the few times the sun actually comes out.
35. Animals. I find the sounds of the birds chirping and the movements of the squirrels to be peaceful. If you have these or other kinds of animals in your area, perhaps you can watch them for a moment. You might be thankful to just be able to see and hear nature in action.
36. Personality. You are who you are. There may be things about yourself you don’t like, but there are also things that you can appreciate. Whether it’s your intelligence or your kindness, find those things about yourself that make you thankful.
37. Childhood. Obviously not all of us had the best childhoods. Myself personally, I’d say mine was pretty decent for the most part. However, your childhood was, find one or two memories in that make you feel nostalgic and grateful.
38. Knowledge. We have more access to knowledge than ever before. We can be thankful to be able to learn things that improve our understanding of the world and make us better people.
39. Family. The people that are there for you and help you out in life, whether they’re related to you or not, that’s the family you can be grateful for.
40. Someone special. When you think about it, it’s an incredibly rare experience to have someone special in your life. If you have that now, that can be near the top of your list.
41. Future. You might be thinking, If the future is looking bleak, why be grateful for it? The reason we can be grateful for it is because there’s always a possibility it can get better. I’ve lived long enough to see it in my own life and other people’s lives.
42. Experiencing romantic love. Unfortunately, there are people who live long lives without having that experience of romantic love. We may not know how we got lucky to enjoy it, but we can be grateful we have.
43. Soft bed. After a long day of making through another day, be glad that you have a nice soft bed to lie in and get some good sleep.
44. Waking up. As we all know, some people don’t wake up to see another day. Be grateful that you did and those that you care about did as well.
45. Making it to the end of the day. One of the things I always reminded myself during difficult days was to just make it to the end of the day. I was and still am grateful whenever I can do that.
46. Productivity. We all can be lazy sometimes. It’s great when we have days where we get most if not all the things we wanted to accomplish done If you accomplished that, you could add it to your thankful list for today.
47. Growth and perspective. I learned a lot in my 40s, and I’m still learning a lot in this next stage of my life. No matter what age, we can be thankful for growth and perspective that helps us to be calmer about the world we live in.
48. Travels. Traveling has many benefits to our health. We can not only be grateful for what it does for us now, but the memories it gives us to enjoy looking back on.
49. Creativity. Whether you can sing, write, draw, or dance, our creative passions give us an escape in life we can be thankful for.
50. Kindness. It may seem like there are meaner people in this world today, but there are still people that are kind. Be grateful for the kindness you receive, and the acts of kindness that still happen every single day.
51. Open-mindedness. It can be a frustrating thing in society when people aren’t more open to different ideas and viewpoints. Be grateful when you come across people who are open-minded and willing to change their mind.
52. Exciting sports game. It can be exciting sports game or some other kind of live event. While there haven’t been many of them lately, we can look back at some of the ones we enjoyed most and be grateful to enjoy them all over again.
53. Inspiring speeches. I sometimes like looking back at old speeches in history. They can be uplifting in times of uncertainty. We can be grateful for all the people who had the courage and confidence to give inspiring speeches.
54. The moment work is finished. It’s always a great feeling when you finish your work for the day. Be grateful when you reach that point in your day.
55. A slice of pizza. Pizza is one of my favorite foods. Whatever yours is, it’s something you can be thankful for when you’re enjoying it.
56. A bowl of ice cream. While I’m more of a cookies and brownies person, I enjoy a bowl of ice cream every now and then. We can appreciate when we get to enjoy our favorite dessert.
57. Making someone laugh. When you make someone laugh, you make them feel good for a moment in their day. When we make people feel good, we make ourselves feel good too. Be glad when you can do that.
58. The quiet of the nighttime. Some neighborhoods aren’t as quiet as others, but when your neighborhood is quiet, stop for a moment and appreciate the peace of the silence.
59. Feeling relaxed. There are many moments in life where we feel stressed or anxious. That moment when you feel relaxed is one you should cherish and have gratitude for.
60. Faith. It’s an inspiring force in our lives, for those of us who are faith minded. If you are, have gratitude for faith’s influence and inspiration in your life.
61. Spiritual community. Connecting with a group of people who believe the same things as you can be comforting and make you happy. Be thankful for when you enjoy these times with your faith group.
62. Spiritual growth. Living a life of faith is a journey. Be glad for how far you’ve grown in your spirituality.
63. Prayer. I personally find prayer to be comforting, even if I’m not always sure it makes a difference in my life.
64. It’s a nice feeling to believe you can ask for good things and good things may eventually happen. You can have gratitude for being able to pray.
65. Religious text. The words of a religious text can also be comforting. We can be thankful whenever we read something that comforts and inspires us in these difficult times.
66. Technology. We’re more able to connect with people and get information than ever before. If you have working internet and a device that easily accesses it for you, you can be very grateful for these things.
67. Heating and cooling. The weather can be very harsh in some places in the world. Some live without access to heating and cooling to make their home comfortable. If you have that access, add that to your list.
68. Your own room. Lots of people don’t have the luxury of sleeping and being in their own room. Be glad if you have an area where you can be alone and completely yourself.
69. Shower. That moment that warm water hits your skin, have gratitude for the comfort of a working shower.
70. Clean floors. You can clean your floors and be happy to be able to comfortably walk barefoot in your home.
71. Happy moments. Even if the happy moments are few and far between, have thankfulness for when they do come. Cherish the happy moments.
72. Sadness. A study on crying shows that it can make us feel good and reduce the pain we feel. Hopefully you won’t be sad for long, but you can appreciate your tears help improve your well-being.
73. Mistakes. No one wants to make mistakes in life, but they’re one of the few ways we learn lessons in life. Be glad that your mistakes help you to grow into the better person you’re becoming each day.
74. Accomplishments. There are things you’ve done in life that you’re proud of. You can have thankfulness for those moments you achieved something great.
75. Hobbies. Everybody has something in life they enjoy doing. You can do those activities you enjoy and be thankful you get to enjoy them.
76. Favorite movies and TV shows. I like looking back at old TV shows or movies I really liked all the time. I’m grateful for the good feelings they still give me when I watch them again.
77. Thunderstorm at night. Sometimes thunderstorms can help us peacefully fall asleep at night. If it helps you, add this to your list.
78. Peaceful neighborhood. Living in a peaceful neighborhood where you feel safe is definitely a top thing to express gratefulness for.
79. Social media. While social media rightly gets criticized for the harm it can cause to our mental health, we can be appreciative of the good it gives us in staying connected with people that aren’t near us.
80. Car. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to get on the road and go wherever you want. Be glad if you have the luxury of doing that.
81. Instrument. I haven’t played my guitar in a long time, but I’m thankful for still being able to do that. Perhaps you can grab that instrument you haven’t touched in a while and have gratitude for still being able to play it.
82. Books. While I’m not much of a book reader, I know many people are. Be happy for the books that you can enjoy reading right now.
83. Shoes. We can be thankful to have shoes that protect our feet from the dirt, grass, and rocks when we walk outside.
84. Pest-free home. Believe it or not, some people live in apartments with rats, roaches, and large spiders. If you don’t, that can be added to your list.
85. Things that are still the same. We so often get frustrated with everything that goes wrong; we forget how much continues to go right for us every single day. The bus still shows up to take us to work, our phones and computers still work, etc.
86. Think of the good things that keep working the same every day and add them to your daily thankful list.
87. Things that change. Even when things change in life, we can be glad for that too. Changes can bring about new experiences and new opportunities that can potentially make our lives better.
88. Heartbreak. While heartbreak is never really pleasant, we can appreciate it’s making us stronger than we were before.
89. Chairs. We really don’t think about how much of an inconvenience it can be to not have chairs in our home. We can be glad that we don’t have to sit on the floors.
90. Tables. Similarly, with chairs, not having tables can be an inconvenience as well. Be thankful you have something to set things on when you need to.
91. Plates. We can be thankful we don’t have to hold all of our food in our hands.
92. Utensils. We can be thankful we don’t have to eat all of our food with our hands.
93. Naps. Appreciate the naps that you get to enjoy in the middle of the day.
94. Sleeping in. There are many people that have to wake up early for their specific jobs. I’m grateful that I don’t for mine, and you can be as well if that’s true for you.
95. Deep conversation. One of the things I enjoy most about talking to someone is having a deep conversation. Those long thought-provoking dialogues are something we can continually be glad for in 2024.
96. You had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, some people can only have one meal a day. We can all be glad if we’re lucky enough to get to enjoy three or more a day.
97. Making progress. Even if the progress you’re making is small, you can appreciate it getting you closer to where you want to be in life.
98. Indoor plumbing. In some places, people have to go outside to use the bathroom. Being able to use the bathroom in the comfort of our home is another luxury we can be appreciative of.
99. The past. We can be glad for our past helping us to become the best of ourselves that we are today.
100. Mondays. A lot of people tend to not like the start of the work week. Nonetheless, Mondays are something we can be thankful for because it’s another chance to put in work for the future we want someday.
101. Freedom. Last but not least, we can be glad to have freedom. While some of us might have it more than others, just to be able to make some of your own choices is something that should give us gratitude.

What should I put on my list? You should put whatever makes you feel genuinely thankful. We all have unique things that we can express appreciation for that are specific to our life. Think about what those things are for you and put that on your list.

What are examples of gratitude? Examples of gratitude include being grateful for your family, your friends, your possessions, and the life that you have. You can look around you to point out the people and things you have in your life to be glad for.

What are 3 things you are thankful for? Now that you’ve seen this list of things you can express thankfulness for, think of three things you’re happy to have right now. As I write this, I’m happy to have my bed, my laptop, and being able to write these articles. How do you express sincere gratitude? If you want to express sincere gratitude to someone, tell them exactly how you feel about what they’ve done for you in life. It’s as simple as that.

Why you should be glad for your life? Gratitude helps to make us feel good. Countless studies have shown that. Being grateful for your life can help keep your mood boosted. You don’t have to be happy about everything in your life, but you can always find one thing to be glad for.

Strength and courage,

Wade

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. Hoping this coming year is filled with love, joy, fun and success. 

Here’s to the best in 2024

Wade

On the first day of real estate Christmas my true love gave to me… Spend some focused time on your real estate database prior to 2024. Statistics say your database if mined properly is on average a 20% return on your investment of time, money, and energy. Now if you don’t have an assembled database, then assemble one. Input names from your phone, emails, social media, and client files. Take the time to build a monthly database touch system for 2024 making specific activities each month to add value and deepen your relationships with your database. Treat your clients like they are first class passengers on your own airline and not like their sitting in the back of your plane tossing them a bag of peanuts and charging them for luggage. The “give to get” activity is the best way to increase repeat and referral business in 2024.

On the Second Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Create an online lead generation system. These landing pages capture a seller who is curious what their current property value is or a buyer who wants to be notified of hot new listings and beat other buyers to them. Check out Prime Seller Leads, Bold leads, Zillow or Agent Locator real estate leads for this. Create a system on your own with www.fiverr.com assistant creating FB ads and www.carrd.co for your landing pages. A nice steady stream of buyer and seller leads from a good landing page keeps you from those peaks and valleys in your business. This is a great way to create more buyer and seller leads all year long while you are busy serving your active buyer and sellers and when you don’t have the time to prospect.

On the Third Day of real estate my true love gave to me… from the book fanatical prospecting book 3 – 6 Separate twenty-minute sessions daily prospecting and lead generation. Who doesn’t have 20 minutes? High-volume agents don’t just service existing business and then start lead generating once they have closed most of their transactions. Instead, they block time (usually in the morning so it gets done) to do something each business day that gets them closer to earning a new client. In a nutshell, there are two ways to be successful in real estate: By Default: live in the same area for years where everyone knows you and eventually sends your business; or By Design: time-block a relatively small portion of each business day to proactively generate for new leads.

On the Fourth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Listings is the name of the game. Send unsolicited CMA packages to all your past clients over the next few months which will trigger listing appointment calls. The power of the spin is where a listing can generate up to 15 other pieces of business, if done right! If a real estate agent is working more than 65 hours a week and not closing more than 45 transactions annually, the agent either has a time management problem and/or is working with far more buyers than sellers. You can handle four times as many listing sides than buyer sides at the same time. So, top producing real estate agents always focus their lead generation activities on the listing side. Top listing sources are your sphere (complimentary equity analysis unsolicited every year), open house, FSBO, expired or door knock looking for a bona fide buyer.

On the Fifth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Face to Face and belly to belly activities like coffee, lunch, door knock, open house, kiosk, floor duty, networking, volunteering and a “pop by” are all great. We know conversion is higher when you are face to face and the prospect can tell if they like or trust you quickly and want to do business with you. Although many agents are reluctant to reach out to people. This is a full contact sport. Make sure you sanitize, wear your mask and keep a safe distance when needed!

On the Sixth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… An Agent-to-Agent referral system with other agents working the areas where the people and business is coming from to buy real estate in your market. Contact them once a month and stay top of mind and be that referral agent source of choice in your market area. Share tips and ideas with other agents to keep top of mind and make them feel like they want to refer you their clients moving to your area. This is a lucrative business opportunity if done consistently.

On the Seventh Day of real estate my true love gave to me… The power of words. Scripts and dialogs are important. Successful real estate agents understand whether they use someone else’s scripts, dialogs or their own, they’ll eventually start saying the same things they know will work. Using tested real estate scripts created by others simply eliminates the trial-and-error process and enables agents to start seeing desired results more quickly. Sound like your planned and engage and attract the clients to want to work with you with your powerful words of persuasion.

On the Eighth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Have powerful sales presentations and visuals. Pre seller and buyer packages. Don’t tell them but show and sell them. Have a visually powerful presentation for listings, buyers, and pricing. Don’t just wing it and leave things to chance but engage people to want to do business with you, your company and NOW! Talk alone is cheap. The most powerful visual sales tool is a pad and pen and being able to show prospects and tell them has greater impact than words alone. Remember some of us are visual and some of us are auditory but we don’t know which one they are.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me… Know your “why”, purpose and vision. My goal that drives me every day is to impact and improve people’s lives personally and professionally every day. Real estate is the vehicle that makes this happen. We all need to be part of something bigger than ourselves. If your why is big enough, then the how takes care of itself!! I love having a vision board with images of the things that drive me, move me, I want and need to experience each year. Never underestimate the power of a vision, purpose or why! Create that vision board and place it on your screen saver.

On the Tenth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Be a servant and focus on helping others get what they want and you in turn get what you want. Listen for the need and be aware of others fears, challenges and offer to help. To not “bother” the public when prospecting for new business, top real estate agents always tie the reason they’re contacting people in with providing some type of value at the same time. Always come from a mindset of contribution. Helping you is what we do. Listen for the need. Take care of people and the cash takes care of itself.

On the Eleventh Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Be a lean mean appointment setting machine. The money in sales is in the conversion to the appointments. No appointments then no presentations. No presentations mean no contracts or agreements. The lead generation is great but not having the skill to convert to the face-to-face appointment is a real estate killer. Know what you have and what you can offer for them and engage them to want to sit down and meet with you. What is your value proposition for a buyer and seller? Why you? Why now?

On the Twelfth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Leverage by systemization and delegation. When real estate agents consistently do not have time to prospect for new business because they are too busy servicing their existing business it’s time to hire someone to help. The first hire should be an administrative assistant, not a buyer’s agent. Administrative assistants help agents make more money by freeing up time for agents to perform more important revenue-generating activities. 3D test everything in 2024. “Do I do it? Do I delegate it? Do I just dump it?”

I trust your holiday season is full of love, happiness, and joy.

Strength and courage,

Wade

We’ve all heard many reasons why homeowners or buyers want to wait till spring to make a move in real estate. The fact of the matter is the reasons are endless so it’s our job as REALTORS® to be equipped with facts and a strong reality check to combat these reasons we hear every day. To help you through the winter season I put together some of the top reasons a client would want to choose this time of year to buy, sell or list a home.

Top Reasons to Sell Real Estate Over the Winter

#1 – Serious Buyers

• Yes, there are fewer buyers, but those buyers are usually very SERIOUS about making a purchase or many HAVE to make a purchase.

#2 – Less Competition

• Most sellers wait until the spring or summer to list, so your home will have far less competition

• Spring = Greater supply = Same Demand = Less Money

#3 – January is the Biggest Job Transfer Month

• More corporate relocation moves happen during January than any other time of the year.

• Catch the corporate relocation buyers

#4 – High Attentive Efficient Service

• By putting the home on the market during the winter you experience better, personal, and faster customer service from movers, lawyers, banks, insurance providers etc.

#5 – More Time to Get Top Dollar

• By starting to market your home early, you may be able to secure a higher price with more listing exposure time.

#6 – Time to Shop

• If your home sells quickly, you will be able to shop for your next home during the winter, a great time to find a bargain!

• More time to look and not pressure to shop and beat the other buyers.

#7 – More Advertising Punch

• Most REALTORS® and offices have less inventory during the winter, enabling your home to stand out even more.

• Less marketing noise out there for the buyers and they see your home with ease now.

#8 – The Inexpensive Money Is Changing Fast

• Today’s interest rates are no longer some of the lowest in history. This gives buyers less spending power and decreases your buyer pool as they continue to rise.

• When shopping for your next home, you can benefit from buying now on your new mortgage rate before it goes up.

#9 – 20% of Homes Sold During the Winter

• Buyers and Sellers are usually quite motivated to get the transaction completed.

• This can mean less price haggling and fewer hassles during the process.

#10 – Non-Contingent Buying

• By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the spring, when more houses are on the market!

• Less “subject to the sale” offers from buyers and you are not one of them when you are buying your next home.

#11 – No Yard Work

• Great time for a home that needs a yard make over to sell.

• No need to worry about your yard work. Snow makes it look fresh and white.

#12 – Buyers Are Searching

• Buyers begin the search and purchase for spring moves in January, February.

• Busy move times are March Spring Break, April Easter and May long weekend

#13 – No Pricing Games

• Less choice for buyers means less sellers to play pricing against each other

• Buyers will often make more concession in their buying decision with less choice

#14 – Show Time

• Property shows well, almost staged with holiday décor adding to the ambiance

• Tis the season for your home to shine!

#15 – Quality Showings

• Little chance of quick showings and not being prepared to show your home

• Easier time of year to make appointments and give sellers advance notice.

• Higher quality showings

#16 – Right Buyer, Right Time

• The odds are the same for the right buyer looking at your home regardless of the season.

• Right buyer, right time, right home

 

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Over the Winter

#1 – Competing Offers

• Little or no chance of multiple or competing offers for the buyer

#2 – Service

• Better service from all service providers like the agents, banks, insurers etc. Not as busy now.

#3 – Motivation

• Sellers motivated at this time of year if still trying to sell from summer or fall.

#4 – Negotiation

• Sellers willing to negotiate, been on the market for some time now. Give and take.

#5 – Expired

• Buyers can shop the expired listings market, which has the largest selection this time of the year.

#6 – Closing Options

• Good time of year to make an offer and do the due diligence, buyers can move quickly now or slower in the spring if not in a rush.

#7 – Housing Options

• Easier for sellers to find alternative housing, not as much pressure finding a rental vs. the busy spring and summer season.

#8 – Subject to the Sale

• Great time for buyers to make contingent “Subject to the Sale” offers and get them accepted and movement on the price.

#9 – Moving Services

• Easier time for a buyer to move and find help and services like movers, cleaners, storage.

#10 – Completions

• Better timing for buyers on completions with lawyers, banks land registry. Not that busy and time to attend to you now.

#11 – Competition

• Less competition for the same property from other buyers on the deals that pop up this time of year.

#12 – Rising Interest Rates

 

Rates continue to move up and the cost of borrowing is exceeding the pace of price corrections so waiting really doesn’t save the buyer getting into the market.

Now that you’re equipped with ammo to overcome any objection, go out there and list and sell some real estate this winter season.

 

Strength and courage,

Wade

We are approaching the single most important time of year as it has been for each of my 30 years in the real estate business.

As the listings and sales season start to temper, we have the tendency to want to take it easy and relax but I am here to say… NOT JUST YET!!!

This was the time of year where I took full advantage of my time and made the most of the market season. This time of year can be for some a difficult time in real estate or a time where the market gives you the greatest gift which is TIME.

The time for you to do the things you know are important, but the year has just been too busy to do those important activities. One of my most impactful and meaningful activities for my business is what I called my “Holiday 100”

My holiday hundred is my goal to personally visit 100 of my best clients and see them during the holiday season. 3 clients a day for 33 days.

Christmas Holiday Visit Plan Checklist – Nov 23 – Dec 23, 2023

Create the client visit list (anyone who bought, sold, asked for help in 2023, service providers, A clients )

Gift – baking, wine, coffee mug, turkey, gift wrap, chocolate, etc. $15 budget

Calendar or Day Planner or Christmas Card

Year in review letter on holiday letterhead ( photo of the year on letter )

Call in advance and book 45-minute visits. ( Max 4 visits a day )

Rest of database just gets letter and Christmas card in mail.

So, in November, I would sit down and write out my year in review letter. I made a list of all the events and activities personally and professionally that happened to me and my family. I would write about my hobbies, my travels, my children and their activities, my wife and her year and all our successes and challenges in the past year.

Find a favorite photo and place the photo and letter on holiday letterhead for my upcoming visits.

Think about it, we are in the relationship business and this letter invited my clients in to my personal and professional life. This helped deepen our relationship and find more items we have in common.

They loved to read the letter every year. The next item was to have all my calendars delivered into the office by the middle of November to put my holiday letter and a calendar into large white envelopes.

Then I would take my database and make a list of names and phone numbers of all my A and B clients. These are the people I would want to personally see from Mid-November until Mid-December… this was usually about 100 clients. Print their address labels out and place them on the envelopes with the holiday letter and their calendar.

If you prefer it also works well to write a Christmas Card or order a Day timer instead of a calendar with your year in review letter. Keep in mind the calendar is not the secret weapon to my success.

Feel free to be creative too… it’s all about the relational contact and something to put in their hands to be Top of Mind. The final item was to find and purchase a hundred small holiday gifts. I chose Poinsettia flowers or homemade spiced apple cider mix, scented candle, bottle of mini bailey’s, holiday scratch and win ticket, homemade peanut brittle or Purdy’s chocolates… I tried to maintain about a $15 item budget.

Now I have my Santa client pack ready and then came the most important part of all…

…Booking the appointments.

I would then take the time to personally call and set up a “pop by” holiday visit to their home in hour segments and I would stay for 45 minutes per client. I would let them know when I arrived that I had another visit within an hour so couldn’t stay too long. TIP – when booking appointments let them know why you are coming.

If I called and left a message they wouldn’t call back?! When I called again, I said I had a little something for them for the holiday season and they would say “oh, we thought you wanted to sell our house and were not interested so didn’t call you back.”

The 33-day festive client visits were amazing. Clients were so surprised and would tell me they never thought they would see me again after our last real estate transaction. They were so pleased with the letter, calendar and small gift but most important was the gift of my time!!

Ken Blanchard wrote in the book “The Generosity Factor” that we all have gifts to give. Our Time, Touch, Talents and Treasures. Never underestimate your greatest gift of “TIME”… your most precious commodity. Don’t just swing by and drop the items off.

Stop and give the client your gift of time. This activity alone would set me up for a good month.

If you don’t think it’s worth the bother, consider my February with 27 deals in 28 days and all of it from these appointments, leads and referrals for real estate from taking the time to share with my clients prior to the holiday season.

I can’t tell you enough what this will do for your waistline, all those treats …..I mean you and your business but most important your relationship with your clients.

Strength and courage,

Wade

The landscape of real estate looks a lot different now for a lot of us and I am sure we are all asking the question to ourselves, NOW WHAT?

We are beginning the last quarter of the year and for real estate sales professionals there are only two outcomes for us all. Will you finish in the red, or finish in the black?

Will you finish strong, or will you miss your targets and goals? Winning near the end of a game, final quarter or the year is a trait of all the best salespeople I’ve ever met. Closing out strong is primarily the effect of a consistent quarter, there are still a handful of things you can do to strike off checkboxes in the win column to finish your 2023 strong.

1. Be Active – There’s no substitute for being pleasantly persistent and respectfully blunt. Get out there and be straightforward. Acting and getting after it is a choice and work on the high-quality leads and not the low-quality leads. Ask yourself “If you were me, would you forecast this listing or buyer prospect to buy or sell this month or in the next 90 days?” Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Being direct will help you get real with your buying and selling customers and align yourself with the true sales cycle. It might also enable you to pull out a quick win.

2. Be Relational – For more than two decades now I have heard from thousands of top producing agents and almost 60% of their business comes from repeat and referral business. Focusing first on the people we already know, like and trust is working effectively and efficiently in this business. If you don’t have enough people that know, like and trust you then get out there and “S.T.P. – See the People” If you have a list of relationships in place that have not “felt the love” then get out there and see them and find ways to add value to them. Give them a call, email, text, handwritten note, small gift or even a coffee and just watch and see what happens with your last quarter.

3. Be Face to Face – Sales is a contact sport, and we need to be belly to belly. Anyone of us making a large buying decision needs to know the person we deal with is someone we like and can trust. The only way we can sense if we like or trust someone is meeting them in person. Commit to the final quarter on sales activities that are primarily face to face and belly to belly activities like Open house, door to door, kiosk, networking, office duty, coffee, lunch, pop by, volunteer, client appreciation event or convention. This is a relationships business so get out there to create and deepen those relationships.

4. Stack-Rank Your Leads – We will never be able to manufacture more time, but we can manufacture more focus. I recommend looking at your pipeline and grading each opportunity on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being “highly closeable by the end of the quarter.” Then, focus your closing efforts on the 3’s and 4’s ONLY. You don’t have time to waste. If you don’t have enough 3 and 4 prospects in the funnel then act and increase your marketing plan and daily prospecting, lead generation with planned marketing, activities that bring the level 3 and 4 prospects into your pipeline to finish Q3 strong.

5. Purge Your People – Almost every sales pro has them. They’re those big opportunities in the pipeline you’ve been working for months. The one deal that constantly disrupts your focus or the need to act. The buyer or seller who is the time and energy vampire, but you let them suck the life out of you because you don’t have anyone else to work with. Every time you think about punting them, you get a glimmer of hope from them. It’s time……Remove them!! They don’t deserve to be on your radar right now. Coming clean with yourself will open new vistas and invigorate you to add more productive opportunities to your pipeline.
6. Start Planning for 2024 – How much revenue do you plan to book in Q1 2024? Exactly how many new deals do you need to earn that amount? Knowing exactly what you plan to earn acts like a magnet to attract business your way. Having this exact number also allows you to project your required activities into month one of the new quarters. If you’re accurately measuring your deal metrics, you’ll be able to predict with some certainty how many calls, emails, appointments, presentations, or opportunities you’ll need to make it rain. Ask for a review by management. Knowing your numbers is one thing, but to positively affect the business, it’s equally vital to understand your “why”, purpose and goals and have someone hold you accountable to them.

Bonus Tips: What NOT to Do in the last Quarter Of 2023

1. Don’t Work with Any Clients Just to Make your Numbers – Any client outside of your ideal customer profile will complicate servicing, produce a higher likelihood of churn or failure, and ultimately cost you more time and resources than it will be worth. Instead, focus on filling the pipeline with high quality leads for next quarter. It’s never too early to start filling the funnel.
2. Never Give Away More Than You Should – It’s just not worth it. You only have one reputation for your brand and offering, treat it respectfully. Concessions can quickly become a crutch that hides other issues. Sell on value, not on price. Don’t cut your commissions, offer cash backs or any other silly incentives just to get something before the year is done.

The key to closing out your quarter strong is to keep up the momentum that got you to where you are now. If you’re struggling to meet your numbers, it’s a time to embrace new sales insights and start building effective rhythm. Take the last-minute shots on goal listed above but remember to always be thinking about the bigger picture: Your reputation is the product of your past actions. Sales that allow you to produce predictable revenue are the future. Finish the last quarter and your year strong. I dare you!!

Strength and courage,

Wade