Realtors, in this challenging market, find the opportunity!

Anthony Lamacchia:

Find the opportunity. That’s something that you have to do every single time. There is a downside to something. There is also an upside somewhere else. At least in business maybe not all the time in life. Bob Proctor talks about this whenever there’s a downside, there’s also an upside. Folks, the market is obviously in a state of change. In a state of flux. There’s a substantial decrease in the total amount of sales. It’s a frustrating period but I’m still hearing way too many realtors beat themselves up over it and think it’s all about them doing bad.

I actually just replied to an agent and said this is a macro-level problem. This is not a you problem. It’s a macro-level problem. Now I said this to this agent that to this agent because this agent’s hustling. This agent’s trying as hard as they possibly can. Sending out mailers getting in touch with everyone on offense all the time but still having a hard time doing quite as much business as last year. I said to this agent nothing to feel bad about. The whole market’s down 30, heck, West Coast market’s down close to 50%.

You can’t have a market change that much and not have it affect your business to some extent. That’s normal but what you have to do is adjust pivot find the opportunity in it. Where are there opportunities? In any phase of economics, in any industry whenever there’s a downside there’s an upside. Whenever there’s a downside there is a certain segment of people, albeit a small group that are taking advantage of the good part of the downside. I always put myself in that group. Right, Jackie?

Jackie: Always.

Anthony: Right, Millen?

John: Correct.

Anthony: Okay. They don’t even know what I’m talking about. They’re probably zoned out but just hear me out. Market went bad a long time ago. What did I do? Went on television and said if I don’t sell your home in 70 days, I will buy it. Of course, there were stipulations and restrictions but guess what? I got lots of leads. I sold lots of homes because I recognized that days on market was going up. People were starting to feel like it was very difficult to sell a home. Guess what? I got lots of leads.

Then a bunch of the leads started turning into being people who were upside down on their homes. They were calling me but they were in positions where maybe they owed 400 and their house was worth 380. Guess what I did then? “Ah pivot.” Another pivot. Figure out where and or how to do short sales. How do I get these lenders to forgive the difference so that my clients can sell? Here’s what’s funny about these two examples. Stay with me here. I’m getting to a bigger point. When I did the Sold in 70 Days program, I heard agents say, “Oh that’s unfair, that’s wrong.”

They complained all the way. Then I get into short sales, “Oh I don’t do short sales. I’m above those.” Guess what? Two years after I started doing short sales every realtor was reaching out to me either asking how to do them or asking me to take on their client’s short sale because they didn’t know how to do it. Why? Because I got to the good niche of the bad market. Now we’re in a market where there’s just dramatically less sellers. There’s not a lot we can do about it. There’s just not enough product on the market to do the same amount of business.

This is a macro-level problem happening across the country. What do I do about it? What am I doing? Pivoting in what? Working with other broker-owners to absorb their companies into ours. Here’s the truth folks. These situations we’re working on they’re not all people in a money problem. They’re not all people that are having some hard time but they are people at times that are like, “You know what? I’ve done this for 30 years. I want to enjoy my years with my family and friends and things like that. I don’t necessarily need to deal with this market.

I know your company has a lot that will help our agents deal with this market.” Boom. Guess what folks? That’s why we’re pouncing on that. That’s why we’re out working on a Sunday. Jackie, am I right about this?

Jackie: You definitely are. Always find the opportunity.

Anthony: Imagine if she was like, “No, you’re totally wrong.”

Jackie: [laughs]

Anthony: Millen.

John: 100%. Absolutely.

Anthony: Folks, this is what we do and we’re driving somewhere. I’ll give you all a hint. We’re in New England today because we just had a great meeting with a great group of agents at a great company that we’re talking to about doing something. Why is that happening? That’s happening because when I get faced with adversity I find a way to get us in a position that we can take advantage of the situation. I don’t mean take advantage in a bad way or take advantage of anyone. I don’t mean that at all.

What I mean is I’ll find the niche area that we can grow our company and eventually dominate. We’re not dominating this yet. We’ve only closed two of these. Folks, we got more on the way. If you are a realtor listening to this you might be thinking, “How does this apply to me?” The way that it applies to you is without a doubt, here’s a couple things that are going to happen in the next couple of years. Number one more realtors are going to get out of the business.

A lot of the buyers and sellers that you would’ve gotten in the last 2, 3, 4, 5 years that you didn’t get that you don’t even know they you didn’t get because they went with someone else they knew, you’re going to get them. You’re only going to get them if you go on offense and grow your market share. Get more people in your database. Reach out to more people. Educate more people. Here’s something else that’s going to happen. It is not going to stay like this. It is impossible for the market to stay like this.

It is impossible for sales to be down 30 to 50% nationally for an ongoing. This is not the new norm. It can’t stay like this. It’s not possible. People have to move. People have to buy. People have to sell. Okay? In time as this goes on, this will loosen up. As it loosens up and as time goes on of it being tough, the pent-up demand grows and grows and grows and grows. The pool of people that are going to need to sell and need to buy because they’re not finding a home is growing. When we get through this bubble which truthfully I think is another– you want to know what I really think?

Should I tell them what I really think?

Jackie: Yes.

Anthony: Folks, we’ve got another 18 months of this. I think it’ll get a little better next fall in a year. I think we’ve got another 18 months of this situation. This is folks, a situation but you have to deal with it. You can’t go crying home to Mama. No one’s going to care. No one’s going to give us any pity. No one’s going to feel bad for our industry because we just went through two of the busiest years that our business has had in 16 years. Folks, step it up. Have a crush-it mindset. Watch my Crush It Mindset videos over on Instagram to help get your head on straight to help get you focused.

Think about the future. Think about the long game. Don’t just obsess with right now and oh, right now sucks. It’s not great but guess what? I don’t mind it because it’s bringing opportunity. Find the opportunity. Get on offense. Never stop. You can only do the right things for so long before they start working. That’s all folks. John, say bye.

John: Bye.

Anthony: Jackie?

Jackie: See you.

Anthony: Anything I forget.

Jackie: I don’t know because the work you’re putting in now is going to pay off when things turn back on so don’t stop. Keep going.

John: Saturday, Sundays nights.

Anthony: Don’t stop. Folks, look at us. No days off. It’s Sunday. I love these two, like family but you think I want to be with them in the middle of the day on a Sunday when I have a pool? No, I want to be in my pool and I get another hour and a half to get there.

Jackie: One of the nicest days of the summer.

Anthony: Literally one of the nicest days of the summer and we’re in a car driving– I won’t say where. Have a good one, folks.

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