"Goal Setting for Realtors, Buyers, and Sellers"

My wife and step daughter and I went to a church service Wednesday night.  The pastor there is a gifted speaker and always brings biblical truth into modern day relevance.  But make no mistake about it - I'm no preacher.  So I'll skip the religious and spiritual lessons, epitomized by Paul's words in the gospel, whereby he states that he is "Pressing on toward the GOAL..." and "Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead!"

Now that was written over 2000 years ago... and it sounds like Paul of the gospels graduated from the Dale Carnegie course!  As a Real Estate professional, the past few years have been rough... really rough.  And yet the lessons learned from a thousand classes - both as a student and as an instructor - stay in front of my eyes.  It's stuff like this that keeps me going and "spitting in the eye of this recession."  Not just "surviving," but in the pursuit of "thriving!"

Here is a summary of the life lessons the pastor taught last week:

1. Winners are Goal Setters!
2. Without goals, our efforts lack a sense of purpose and urgency!
3. Goals are the objects of our ambition!
4. If we keep making progress and chipping away at our goals, we get to say, "I may not be where I ought to be, but I'm sure as heck not where I used to be!"
5. If you can get the goal on your own, it's likely too easy!  Most big, bad, bodacious goals require teamwork and synergy!
6. Goal setters study worthy role models and emulate them!
7. Accomplishing a goal requires hard work and focus... if you try to focus on everything, you end up focusing on nothing!
8. Look forward to the goal... Don't dwell on the past... Learn from it and move on!
9. Goal accomplishment requires excitement!  And you can't be excited with slumped shoulders and pessimistic self talk!
10. The prize tastes better, when there is pressure to be overcome!
11. Goal accomplishment requires that we set priorities and schedule our time accordingly!
12. It helps to write them down and review them often... to see what progress is being made!  As sometimes changes are needed.  Be flexible!
13. Goals require a leap of faith.  Without this element of risk, it's not much of a goal!  (Now, to be fair to the source, the pastor would surely say that faith provides assurance - not risk)
14. To be a worthy goal, it must be congruent with your moral and ethical standards!
15. Winners are goal setters, trend setters, and pace setters!   
16. Winners create their future, before it creates them!

• Fellow Realtors, this recession will be over when we decide it's over. We have to walk that line, where we understand the challenges of this market, yet we don't allow the negative aspects to dominate our actions!
• Sellers, if you really want to sell, you absolutely must get your head out of the sand.  Today's market is a Price War and  Beauty Contest.  Spruce your place up before you list it with me... and let me help you price it to sell... not be in the overpriced 70% that never sell!  Get in front of the market, so you don't end up chasing the market down from behind!
• Buyers, be specific with your price ceiling, wants, needs, location, etc.  If you tell me "Let's see 100 homes and we'll know it when we see it," I'm no good to you.  If you don't know the differences among short sales, foreclosures, REOs, etc., Ask!  It could take 6-8 months to close a short sale (or get a counter offer... or a flat out "no"), so if you don't have the stomach or patience for it, don't do it.  By the way, there are plenty of "normal" sales from motivated sellers, from which to choose!  Palm Coast, FL and Flagler Beach, FL are "For Sale" and it's a great time to buy!