Susan Schneider’s Blog

In One Year and Out the Other

This is how I, and about 70% of the population feel about New Year’s resolutions. They always seem like a good idea, especially when they are being made while you are filling your mouth with appetizers and washing them down with a glass of champagne. Honestly, most resolutions require a whole lot of discipline, and usually involve fighting someone for a treadmill or eating fat free cookies. None of this even hits the “tolerable” quotient in my life.

So this year, my resolutions are not going to be physical changes, but rather focused on behavior and thinking. Some of the ideas swirling in my head (I still have a few hours to perfect) are:

• To give as much attention to being Proactive as I do to being Reactive
• To accept the “unanticipated” and realize that the past 12 months of not knowing what lies ahead has taught me a lot and…I survived
• To remind myself regularly that I have choices, and one of them is going to be staying optimistic, even if not everyone agrees with me
• To ride in the Canoe, instead of the Row Boat; always looking forward rather than behind
• To follow the 80/20 rule of listening vs. talking
• And for my final resolution...I hope to get at least 10 written blogs in the hopper, so that I am not always writing at the eleventh hour

Here is wishing you a safe and Happy New Year!  I look forward to a "much better" 2009!

‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the Season for remembering those we love and for finding gratitude in all that we have been given. It’s time to take a reprieve from those things that occupy our minds throughout the rest of the year. While it is not always easy, the coming days give us the opportunity to remove ourselves from the whirlwind of our jobs; the real estate market, the volatile economy, and the challenges of serving in tough times. These days give us the chance to think about things much more important. For many of us this represents faith, family, and friends.

I can’t help but think of the many relocating employees who have faced challenges, our client’s who have had to make difficult decisions, our partners who are doing all they can with the resources they have been given. My thoughts and prayers are with these individuals as I hope they find peace during this season.

I also want to take a few words to say thank you to all of the loyal readers of this blog. Many of the ideas I have put to paper, are really your thoughts. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and continuing to give me the drive to be a part of your day each week. So, whatever this holiday means to you, whatever your beliefs, I send you the warmest wishes.

Go Ahead and Eat the Frog

Mark Twain once said, that if the first thing you do every morning is eat a live frog, you should be able to go through the rest of your day knowing that the worst part of your day is over. Whether it be a seemingly overwhelming item on your to-do list, or hitting difficult issues head on, you are always better dealing with them first thing and then moving on with your day.

Each day, I begin by reading the headlines and listening to the news. Lately, the content has been a bit of a large frog to swallow, but it shouldn’t stop us from getting on with our day. For the past 24 hours, I have spent my time with leaders from our industry, projecting some of the challenges we have in our short-term future. There have been a few frogs to eat along the way, but more importantly, we are aggressively collaborating on new solutions for new opportunities. As I said last week, this is the time to get creative, reinvent yourself, and retool the old ideas to fit the new times.

So from today on, I am going to commit to eating the frog first (thankfully they say it tastes like chicken) and then look for the positives.  I already see opportunities developing due to yesterday’s Federal interest rate cut – now that could spur some great activity.

Paralysis Thru Analysis -- A Time to Lead

Metrics, dashboards, percentages, ROI…at times the sheer quantity of analysis can be so overwhelming, we forget what we were looking at in the first place. Before you know it, paralysis sets in. This in turn causes an inability to make a decision. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for looking at the data to find trends, or more importantly, the truth behind the information. But there are times when we need to pull ourselves away from the data and focus on the larger objectives and purposes. Now is that time. It is time to lead!

If you look at the facts of the real estate market and mortgage rates, it is time for wise home buyers to buy. It is time for smart people to upgrade, and for companies to get the right people in the right place. This will allow them to be ready to take advantage of the recovery that wants to happen and will happen, as soon as people figure out that it is mainly fear itself that is holding us back. The bottom feeders are getting nervous as we speak, afraid time is running out to make a steal.

So, it is time for clear thinking and decisive action. What are our needs? What is the objective? What is our purpose? And how can we take advantage of this unique market situation to make it happen? Fear causes paralysis, and paralysis leads to no decision and no action at all.

Large problems mean large opportunities. Let's face the issues, keep our eye clearly on the objective, and get creative. By doing this, we will find the opportunity, take advantage of the situation, and take the lead into the future. And who knows, we might even have some fun doing it. 

Watch Your Forecast

Not for sleet, snow, or icy roads, but for real estate listings that are going to become permanent fixtures in their neighborhood or worse yet, liabilities on your balance sheet. While I have always thought it would be nice to forecast like a meteorologist, especially because their job only requires them to be right about 50% of the time, we don’t have that luxury in today’s real estate market.

We all know that we are about to hit the “winter slump.” Please don’t take this as a doom and gloom statement, we see this even in the best of markets. Everything slows down now, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t buyers out there ready to buy the perfectly priced house. And the current interest rates sure give this market a nice boost.

So, what do you need to do? You need to get your facts together. What is the financial forecast to carry a house for the next 60 or 90 days, or until the next thaw for properties in the cold weather zones? Add the numbers up; mortgage payments, taxes, maintenance, winterization, etc. Let’s say it is $15,000 over the coming months. Is that incentive enough to take a price reduction today? As we always say in our office, “let’s make sure our properties are the next to sell!”