Advice From My Mentor - Make Me Look Good

When I think about the advice I have received from my various mentors one of the earliest was from a first line supervisor at Kraft Foods back in 1972. This is one of those words of advice that I still follow today. His name was Dick and he would tell me every chance he got:

“Your main job at this company is to make me look good.”

I used to laugh at him and continue doing my job, not paying much attention to him. Over time I begin to realize what a golden nugget these words of advice were. I have tried to apply them to every company I have worked for and every position I have held in those companies. No matter how you apply this advice, your job will be made easier and your chances of success improved.

I apply this rule in both directions of the hierarchical chain of command by equally trying to make my boss look good to his boss and making the employees who work for me look good. By applying the rule in both directions I am the one who ultimately looks good.

There are many benefits to be earned by making your boss look good. The most obvious is if your boss looks good to his superiors then he is more likely to get promoted out of your way and you can take his job. Another benefit of this approach is that your boss’s boss may notice your hard work and realize you are carrying the operation and again promote you in recognition of your effort. I have successfully used both of these tactics to gain a promotion on several occasions.

When applying the rule in the other direction to those who report to you and making your direct reports look good there is nothing but positives to be gained. One of the first positive results are that you develop a sense of trust and respect among your employees. Having the trust and respect of your employees is an extremely important aspect of achieving success. I have seen good managers fail by not earning the respect and support of their employees. They can make your life miserable and sabotage all your efforts if they do not feel you support them.

There are many ways to make your employees look good and they are easy to apply. One of the best is to offer training in all aspects of the job and helping prepare them for the next position or level by sharing your knowledge and expertise. Encourage them to share their ideas and motivate them to learn all they can about the operations. Most importantly give your employees the recognition they have earned for their efforts and share it with their fellow workers and to your superiors. Not only do you win the support of the employee being recognized but of all the other members of the team.

Once you make your employees look good your superiors will notice and therefore you look good in their eyes. You will develop a reputation among your superiors as a good trainer and leader. Your employees will work hard to ensure you meet your goals when they know you are supporting them. One of my greatest achievements that I look back on, is the employees that I have helped encourage, train and develop for promotion.

In both of the situations described I have helped create a positive leadership environment for the entire team. By making your boss look good, you look good which makes for a win-win situation. By making your employees look good, they will work to make you look good and once again you have created a win-win situation. This is a sign of true leadership; when all parties can achieve their goals and meet the companies goals together.

Even as I write this advice I am following the words of my mentor because my goal as a leader is to “make you look good.”

Advice From My Mentor – Problems vs. Opportunities

As I continue to reflect on the advice and sayings of various people who have mentored to me over the years I can’t help but notice how their words have helped shape and mold my leadership skills and life in general into what it is today. Tony, the Plant Manager of the Kraft Foods plant I worked at, was one of my earlier mentors I find myself quoting often. One of his favorite sayings was:

“There is no such thing as a problem, only an unsolved opportunity.”

When I would come to him with a problem I can still clearing remember him saying, “Now Larry, you know there is no such thing as a problem only an unsolved opportunity.” Then he would say “What we need to do is work on this opportunity.”

I can remember getting so frustrated with him that one day, in a management meeting, I fired back at him; “No Sir, This is a DAMN problem” He looked at me and said we would deal with it later and continued with the meeting. After the meeting was over he called me to his office and we dealt with it.

Tony was the kind of mentor that you really learned to appreciate. Every moment to him was a teaching moment and his calm demeanor would put you at ease and in a frame of mind to learn. Once again he proceeded to explain to me what he meant by problems vs. opportunities.

A problem is something or someone who presents a difficulty or obstacle for you to overcome. It has a negative connotation and tends to direct your actions to a negative response. Most often this also leads to less than desirable results.

An opportunity offers you a chance to achieve or excel in accomplishing a task. By defining the “problem” as an opportunity you change it from a negative to a positive and you begin to approach the solutions from this positive point of view. Usually this will result in a positive and successful outcome.

So how do you change a problem to an opportunity? As always the first step is to define the issue. You need to break it down to it’s fundamental parts and clearly state each one. This is an important step because you do not want to focus all your efforts solving the symptoms while failing to identify and address the root cause of the issue.

Once you have defined the issues you need to identify the opportunities that are associated with them. By changing your focus from problem solving to opportunity capitalization you change the goal from a negative to a positive solution. Granted, this is not always an easy exercise. This is one of the times when you may need the help of a peer, supervisor, or a mentor. I have often found another person’s viewpoint and/or questions will help me come up with the best course of action.

Once you have developed a plan of action then implement it, emphasizing the positive aspects and outcomes. This can turn what was a “problem” into an opportunity to excel and achieve your goals. If the issue is employee related then you both have the opportunity to grow and achieve by turning a potential win-lose situation into a win-win victory.

This was Tony’s goal in making his problem vs. opportunity statements when you came to him with a “problem”. His plan was to make you dig for the opportunities in every issue and work toward solving them. He was always there with thought provoking questions and directions to help you work through any issue.

This is how I have tried to approach issues throughout my career in management. Usually I have been very successful at turning negatives into positives with the results being recognized as achievements and accomplished goals. As a manager I have tried to apply these same principles when I am working with my team attempting to overcome an obstacle. By teaching them to view “problems” as opportunities they can achieve their goals with a lot less stress and a lot more success.

By focusing on the positive you can easily see how “There is no such thing as a problem, only an unsolved opportunity.”

Advice From My Mentor – Bad Employees

Throughout my career I have had lots of people give me words of advice on how to enhance my career and how to be a better manager. Some of it has gone in one ear and out the other but a lot of the advice has been beneficial and helped my career and management development. Here is one of those great words of wisdom that has stuck with me over the years.

“There is no such thing as a bad employee, only bad supervisors!”

In the 1970’s I was working for Kraft Foods and starting my career in management as a first line supervisor. The plant manager for that facility, Tony, was one of my mentors that I still find myself quoting all the time. This was one of his favorite Tonyism’s, my term for his sayings, that he would tell the supervisors every time they brought up an employee issue.

I remember getting so mad when he said this to me because I had come to him looking for a solution, not to hear how bad of a supervisor I was. Fortunately he was very understanding and would sit and talk me through the issue. I soon came to realize this was his whole point in making the statement, to get me to think and work through the issue.

Over the years I began to understand the deep meaning of the statement and began applying it to my management skill set. There are two broad lessons that can be learned from this statement.

The first is that new employees do not come to work on their first day with the preconceived notion that “I am here to goof-off and cause trouble.” They come to work with high hopes and optimism of doing a fair days work for a fair days wage. They are taught, on the job, how to be a bad employee. No, this is not part of their orientation or part of the supervisor’s training program, but it is there. They learn it from the attitude of other employees and the general work ethic of the facility.

How does this apply to management? When management allows a negative environment to foster in a work place then they are responsible for the outcome, thus it is not due to bad employees but to bad supervision. Address issues and do not let them grow and take root in your organization and you will find you have fewer “bad employees.”

The second lesson to be learned, from this Tonyism, is associated with the first and that is to take action. If an employee starts to have performance issues it is up to the supervisor to address the issue with the employee and not let it continue to grow worse. Most performance issues have a root-cause that may or may not be associated with the job. By addressing the issue early and helping the employee see the problems that are occurring; you may be able to uncover the root-cause and to turn the performance issue around with minimal intervention. One thing I have learned over the years is ignoring issues will not cause them to go away.

Our job as managers is to develop employees and help them achieve their work related goals. By working with our employees we can develop a positive and productive work relationship that will be beneficial to both the employee and the organization. Also, remember it is hard to achieve your goals without the willing and positive support of your staff; they can make or break you.

Throughout the years I have found myself using the same statements that my mentors would say to me in various business situations. Now I have an advantage in that I know they work and have benefits in all areas of business life.

Interviewing: Asking the Right Questions – When Yes and No Is Not Enough

Have you ever finished an interview and realized you don’t know any more about the person or event than you did before you started. How would you rate the interview pass or fail? Before I realized what I was missing, this happened to me all too often. Whether you are interviewing a new employee candidate, a potential client in real estate, a service provider professional or your children the type of questions you ask will determine the answers you get.


Early on in my career I learned there is a simple solution to this problem and once I found out about it I realized I did it all the time. The key to a successful interview is not to ask “yes or no” question. Simple, but listen to yourself the next time you interview someone.


If you ask only yes or no questions you will get only yes or no answers. When I am on the other side of the table I have been taught not to provide too much information and I love yes and no questions. All I have to do is answer the question and I have provided the interviewer with exactly what he asked, albeit not what he may have wanted.


Never ask a yes and no question, always ask for more information, opinions, descriptions, explanations, etc.


Let’s look at some examples:



A. Have you ever been terminated or laid off from a job?

B. Explain why you left your last 3 places of employment?



A. Do you want to sell you house?

B. Why do you want to sell you house?



A. Did you see the accident occur?

B. What did you see happen?



A. Can you cut down the tree in my yard?

B. How would you cut down this tree hanging over my house?



A. Did you kick your brother?

B. Why did you kick you brother?



Even though these are simple examples you can see where in each case the “B” question will provide you with a better picture and more information from which you can form an opinion.


Yes this is a simple solution but as I said earlier listen to the questions you ask and I believe you will be amazed at how many are yes and no questions. I still have to watch myself to avoid this trap and practice it every day. When I do it right it makes my job a lot easier and successful.

Real Estate - Buying a Short Sell or Bank Owned Property – Be Prepared

Remember the old Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared." As in most aspects of life this is especially true when you decide to get into the short sale and/or bank owned real estate market. There are a lot of great deals out there but, you must be prepared to move quickly when you find the property you want.

In most real estate transaction the seller requires the perspective buyer to have a pre-approval letter from their financial institution and/or proof of funds to submit with their offer of contract. This is especially true with short sales and bank owned transactions. They do this to protect the seller by giving them an indication of the buyer's credit/financial worthiness prior to them taking the property off the market by putting it under contract.

A smart buyer who has done their homework prior to beginning their search is a buyer who is ready to jump on a good deal when one comes up. Not only does it allow the buyer to move quickly it also lets them know what the can and can not do upfront, thus avoiding issues later in the process. This is a win-win necessity.

In our local market there is an abundance of low priced bank owned houses becoming available everyday. This has brought out the cash investors who are looking for great deals and have the cash available to move quickly to lock up these opportunities. As an individual buyer trying to break into this market either as an investor or to purchase your personal home you have to be ready to compete with the cash investor.

During the last several weeks I have seen several buyers lose great deals on a possible new home because they were not prepared to make a quick offer on the property. By the time they got there paperwork ready the listing agent said he already had, in one case, five offers on the property and 3 were cash offers. This could have been avoided and may have resulted in a contract if the buyer had done their homework and been prepared.

It is relatively simple to seek pre-approval from a financial institution. If you have a preferred financial institution or bank that you like dealing with go to them and request it. If you don't have one then ask your real estate agent and they will be able to refer you a reputable financial institution. In either case you will have to answer questions about you income and financial status and the institution will run a credit check on you to help determine if you meet their credit standards. Typical they can have you an answer within 24 to 72 hours.

There are two important caveats to this. The first is this is only a pre- approval and not a final guaranty of credit. A more in-depth approval process will be completed once you have a contract and the mortgage lender has all the information on the property and any additional information on you they may require.

The second is that there is a difference in a "Pre-Approval letter" and a "Pre-Qualification" letter. Generally a pre-qualification letter is not worth the paper it is written on and often used as a sales gimmick. Be sure to specify to your financial institution that you want a "Pre-Approval Letter."

This is a tough market for both sellers and buyers with stiff competition on all sides. But, you can help level the playing field by doing your homework upfront and being prepared.

Just remember; "If you snooze, you lose."

Dressing For Success In Today’s Business Environment

Several years ago the latest buzz in the business world was “Dress for success.”  It stressed that part of being successful was looking successful, talking successful, acting successful and basically emulating success in all aspect of your life and actions.

This all revolves around how others perceive you and react to you. The old expression “you only have one chance to make a first impression” is very true. Whether we want to admit it or not we judge people by their appearance. A successful person looks successful and we use this impression as bases for our decisions.

Have you every looked at kids walking down the street with their pants dragging on the ground and trying to hold them up with one hand. I have often thought how ridicules they look. This is my perception of them and this is the perception that will determine how I interact with them. Right or wrong my opinion of them and there abilities is based upon this impression. In most cases this is the only impression I will every have of them so any future interaction will be limited.

Then I look at the way some “professionals” look, dress, and talk. I am amazed at the lack of professionalism in appearance when they come to the office; go out into public and worst of all when they met with clients. Whether we like it or not we are always on display and need to act accordingly.

I look at what they post about themselves on social media and other public outlets. Social media is becoming one of the top sources of initial business contacts which includes real estate, service providers at all levels and other contacts. When I think about it I have to wonder what kind of image are they trying to put across?

When you are thinking about buying or selling what may be the largest single investment of your life do you want some party animal handling your business or do you want a professional working with for you.

Something to think about.

Today in Business - Decision Makers Need to Make it Happen

In today's environment teams, groups and committees are all the rage of the modern corporate structure. It is all about empowerment and flattening out the hierarchy and with more acronyms describing how to do it than sand in an hour glass. Every year new gurus come out with their programs, which are just warmed over last year’s programs, but with a few new letters put together to make the latest and greatest acronym ever. Yet, sometimes you have to step back and remember past advice and apply it today.

When I thought of myself as a young corporate ladder climber and the team concept of management was just starting I had a manager who gave me two pieces of advice on how to implement these practices.

1. “A committee of 3 gets more done when 2 people are absent.”


2. “You don't call a committee to kill a rattlesnake, just kill it.”


In our daily business lives there are times we just need to make a decision. Not stand around and wait for others and see which way the wind is blowing today. There comes a time when we need decision maker who can step up and is not afraid to make decisive decisions. True leaders in business are becoming a rarity. I believe this is in part due to the way we are teaching our young people that everyone is equal and everyone deserves a trophy even if they lose. Leaders lead and should be recognized as such.

In the end we are the only ones responsible for our success or failure and as leaders it is time for us to step up and lead in our area of expertise.

Make it Happen Today!

Thought For Today - Life Goes On

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” Robert Frost



Life does go on and no matter how bad it may seem now, life continues and is constantly in a state of change. In this day and time it would be easy to get discouraged and depressed, but we have to weather the storm as the sun will surely come out.



With all the news about the economy, the war, and the environment how is one suppose to stay positive. Every one of us knows people, friends and/or family members, if not ourselves, who have been directly affected by the hard times we face today. Whether it be lose of job, lose of a home, de-valuation of your assets, or the rising financial cost of living, the present economy has impacted our lives in some fashion. Unless you are totally hard hearted it has to hit a nerve somewhere.



The stress on our families is growing everyday but take heart and a new day is coming. Here are a few tips to help you get by.



1. Turn off the TV and stop watching the news.

2. Set personal goals to overcome your present situation.

3. After step #2 put the plan into action and do not get discouraged even if you have to adjust your plan.

4. Have fun. There are lots of free things to do with your family which are fun. Get off you rumpus, get out and have fun.

5. Find positive friends and associate with them. Negative, complaining people will only bring you down.

6. Put what Satchell Paige once said, "Seems like the harder I work, the luckier I get." into practice in your life.

7. Get out and help other people. Volunteer and be apart of the solution in someone else’s life.



It takes work but you can overcome and survive these trying times. Just remember:



"This too shall pass"

Your Central Florida Real Estate Professionals

Check out Sara Gray's new Real Estate blog at http://saragray.realtyworldcentralflorida.com/uncategorized/underwater-upsidedown-there-is-help/




When it comes time for needing help with any real estate needs in Central Florida the Gray's have you covered.

If you need help or a referral in Residential real estate contact:

Sara Gray, Realtor, CDPE

863-232-2987

saragraysells@live.com

http://www.saragraysellslakeland.com/


If your needs are in Land and/or Commercial contact:

Larry Gray, Realtor

863-205-20814

larrygraysells@live.com

http://www.larrygraysells.com/




We will gladly work with you to make all your real estate dreams come true.  Call us today.

Words From A Master

My Wish for My Grandchildren

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.



For my grandchildren, I'd like better.



I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches, I really would.



I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty

by being cheated.



I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn, and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.



It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.



I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.



I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.



When you want to see a movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.



I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.



On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.



If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.



I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.



When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.



I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.



May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.



I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.



And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.



I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.



May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.



I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.



These things I wish for you -- tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.



Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.



-Paul Harvey

Economic Experts

The news is not good on the real estate home front as the recovery seems to be staggering while trying to get back up on it's feet.

The US Commerce Department announce today that new home sales have had the biggest drop in history during the month of May by dropping 33 percent.

Couple with this the fact that mortgage applications also drop 1.2 percent, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, it appears the heralded housing recovery has not started yet.

Experts are now saying the recent increases in sales and activity may have been the result of the tax incentive.

Aren't you glad we have experts to figure all this stuff out. DAH!

Price To Fall Another 3% to 5%

Daily Real Estate News

April 29, 2010

Investment Bank Predicts Rising Foreclosures

Foreclosed homes owned by banks, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other mortgage investors topped 480,000 at the end of February, Barclays Capital estimates in a new study.



Barclays expects housing inventory to rise further over the next 20 months, peaking at 536,000 homes in January 2012. Barclays also predicts 1.6 million sales of distressed properties in 2010 and 2011, declining to 1.5 million in 2012, with about 30 percent of all home sales this year and next foreclosure related. Normally, only 6 percent of sales are related to foreclosures.



Barclays also expects home prices to fall another 3 percent to 5 percent over the next two years, assuming that unemployment will decline to 8 percent within the next two years.



Source: The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty (04/28/2010)

 
Copyright National Association of REALTORS®. Reprinted with permission
 

Focus On Today

Hump day, I know a lot of my friends are longing for the weekend but don't pine for tomorrow or wine about yesterday BUT live for today. "This is the day the Lord hath made we will rejoice and be glad in it."


The older I get the more this becomes real to me. I and many people like me have spent to much time on the "woulda, coulda, shoulda's" of life and not enjoyed each day for what wonders it brings. This is especially true in these troubled times in real estate. Sit back and focus on today and make the most out of it.

The Ecomomic Stimilus Bill and Plan Explained

I recently ran across this explaination of the Stimulus Bill and Plan. 



Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?"




The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you."

The student agreed.



At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool.



They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed.



The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told.



The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.



The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"



The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper.



The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough.



However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad.

The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!"



The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."

70+ Acres of Lake Front - Lake Walk In Water - Lake Wales, Florida

Your dream land come true. Watch the sun come up on your 70+ acres of undeveloped land located on beautiful Lake Walk In Water (Weohyakapka). The lake front is one of the highest points around the lake. This 7,528 acre lake is nationally known for trophy large-mouth bass fishing. From the paved road drive back approximately 1 mile through the beautiful wooded lane your private home site. The cabin on the lake has no economic value. The electricity for the well, cabin, small window a/c on cabin, and bath house works on a generator. Cabin has a propane water heater and stove. Electric service is to the site but was disconnected several years ago.

A Little Real Estate Humor

In this time on high stress and hard work a little humor goes a long ways to make the job more bearable. It is good to know that the banks are hard at work trying to correct and stabilize the current marketing and mortgage situations. Their efforts to make major improvement are reach far and wait and having a positive effect on your ability to stay in your home. Isn't it great to know the banks are working for us? LOL

Do You Ever Have One Of Those Days

Do you ever have one of those days when you just know you are missing something? Today is one of those days for me. Every since I woke up this morning I know there is something I am suppose to do but to save my life I can not remember what it is. Is there someplace I am suppose to be or something I am suppose to do or someone I am suppose to see or call, I can't remember.

This will nag at me all day until I remember. Let's hope it is not too late.

Footprints In The Sand

A Quote From Jay Leno:

'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"



Sometimes you just have to step back and think. I have always liked the following poem and it describes my life.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints in the sand,

is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

Thought For Today

"When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment, I told them they didn't understand life."


I ran across this little saying today, not sure who to credit, but I found it to be very deep. I wonder how many of life's trials would melt away if we just tried to be happy instead of all the other goals we strive to achieve.

Like the song says "don't worry, be happy."






Be Happy Today

Credit History vs No Credit

Recently I have run into several first time buyers with a unique credit problem.


In our initial discussions prior to looking at homes one of the questions I ask is "How's your credit." Often I get the following answer "My credit is credit; I don't have a mark on it."


I always suggest they get a pre-approval letter, as it gives them more leverage to bargain with and let's them know what they can afford. I will refer them to several loan brokers I trust or suggest they check with their preferred financial organization.


Three out of the last four I referred came back with the same response from the mortgage company,


"Yes, you do not have bad credit. In fact you have NO credit."


A lot of people do not understand that having no credit history can be as bad as having "bad" credit when it comes to financing a house. Establishing a good credit history is a very important part of modern day life. This is especially true today when your credit history is used to determine so many things in life such as mortgages, insurance, job offers, etc.


Responsible credit takes work and does not just happen. Begin building your future today.

Thought For Today - Life Goes On

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." Robert Frost






Life does go on and no matter how bad it may seem now life continues and is constantly in a state of change. In this day and time in our  Real Estate industry it would be easy to get discourage and depressed.


No matter how much you say you are helping people with "short sales" and helping other people get great deals, the fact remains people are hurting and losing their homes. Unless you are totally hard hearted it has to hit a nerve somewhere.

Our best recourse is to continue to attempt to help as many people as we can, both buyers and sellers while remembering life goes on.



"This too shall pass"

Now Is The Time For Action

We are always getting ready to live, but never living.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

How much time do you spend each day planning. We have 5 year plans, yearly plans, monthly plans and daily plans. If you go by the books you have thoroughly schedule and plan out ever move you make. We hold meeting to plan when we will hold the next meeting. We schedule time to plan our schedules.



It all reminds me of an old saying:



“You don’t call a meeting to kill a rattlesnake – JUST KILL IT!”



There comes a time in every plan and schedule where you have to take action.



NOW IS THAT TIME!

Pants On The Ground and Real Estate

It is an off beat way to look at the tune on America Idol, “Pants on the Ground” but there is a moral for Realtors.

Have you every looked at kids walking down the street with their pants dragging on the ground and trying to hold them up with one hand. I have often thought how stupid they look.

If you were to say something they would take offense because they want respect and think they have it all together.

Then I look at the way some professional Realtors look, dress, talk and present themselves and I have to wonder…….

Something to think about.

OMG!!! There is frost in Frostproof Fl.

This is getting ridiculous. This morning I had to scrape ice off of my windshield before I could leave home.

If this keeps up I am going to move to Florida. Wait a minute I live in Florida!! What the heck.

Reality check! Even with a few days of cold weather you can not beat the weather for the rest of the year. This just makes you appreciate living in the Sunshine State more.

So stop dreaming and come on down.










The pool will be open soon!