BloodhoundBlog

There’s always something to howl about.

Author: Alex Cortez (page 1 of 1)

Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

March 8, 2012

Two Years

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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real estate newbie

Two years. How quickly time goes by. Today is my two year anniversary into the wonderful world of real estate. Initially, I was baffled by what I considered to be the industry’s loose professional standards, success without merit (seemingly so), and what appeared to be utter, blind luck on the part of some ‘top producers’. How have I changed my mind since then.

There aren’t many industries in which if you don’t produce results, you don’t eat. Period. No gimmies, time outs, or breaks. We have all seen too many get a free lunch, a pass through a life of effortless mediocrity – particularly painful to see in the military/government sector, sucking on the taxpayers’ tit. There are too many free passes in today’s America. Yet real estate as an industry is completely cold, uber competitive and unforgiving, a paycheck being the only worthwhile reflection of hard work – and very often, even when you ‘work hard’, the results are minimal if any. Although the low entry requirements (“hey, do you have a pulse and can you blink your way through an entry exam”) will continue to allow a questionable level of buffoons into the industry, the harsh realities of the real estate usually weeds them out: Either you sell or you look for another job. Sure, there are plenty of agents who are complacent being average and are doomed to a career of sub-ordinacy. Sure, some agents have luck, whether it is by family/friend connections, etc. but that does not typically equate to a successful real estate career. Sure, some agents boast of having been in the industry for 30 years, yet this is an industry in which time in service in it of itself does not translate into prosperity – or even expertise.

But to be successful in real estate, well, that takes an individual whose work ethic is only matched by his/her determination and perseverance. The best in real estate, such as Jeff Brown, are among the best in ANY industry. Success in the real estate industry reflects hard work, intelligence, and expertise earned through years of having boots on the Read more

November 11, 2010

Veteran’s Day

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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I was standing in line at Starbucks when I overheard a young girl (around 4 or 5, I would guess) ask her dad about a man wearing a ‘funny hat’. He responded ‘it just means he was in the navy or something’. The man in question was an elderly gentleman proudly wearing a baseball cap that said ‘Retired Marine’. As we were standing waiting for our coffee, I asked him about his military background and he said he is a 3rd generation Marine, giving 30 years to military service. We sat and I was happy to listen to his stories, some of which dated back to the Korean War.

Regardless of political affiliation, religious beliefs, profession, etc. Veteran’s Day is a day to be grateful for the sacrifices that have been made by our men and women who have donned uniform to serve our country. Not only are our service members asked to give more and more (longer, more frequent deployments), but also face a populace in which anti-military sentiments are common.

Having grown up in a third-world country in the midst of a civil war, where suspicion was given equal weight as facts, I know firsthand that freedom isn’t free. Regardless of my opinions about Obama, today, and everyday, I give thanks to those who selflessly serve for principles and values that transcend all.

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George Orwell

September 10, 2010

A Moment of Remembrance

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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On the fateful morning of September 11, 2001, I was a student at New York University commuting to class (hungover, but well, tuition is too expensive to actually miss class). When we heard something was happening at the World Trade Center, a friend and I started jogging down Broadway to see what was going on. We were a few blocks away when the first tower started crumbling down. We didn’t know what to do, how to help, or even what was really happening. We just wanted to do SOMETHING. We ended up helping a local store owner as he was distributing water to emergency workers and met a number of heroes that day. It was a day that changed how we, as Americans, felt. For a while, there was a sense of patriotism that had been missing for far too long. Sure, with time, that sense of unity has faded (whether as a result of our foreign policy or leftist agendas or our fickle nature, it could be a million different reasons).  This anniversary, take a moment to remember where you were when you heard, how you felt, what you did. I know I will.

Sorry, this post isn’t about NAR politics or how to better convert leads or the future of SEO, it is merely a random rambling from a Bloodhound. Mahalo.

August 27, 2010

It’s Not My Fault

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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I pride myself with being a fairly understanding person, yes, sometimes to a fault. But I just can’t understand how so many sellers are unwilling or unable to accept any responsibility for their current situation. Sure, facing a short sale is not a position in which any one would want to be in but at some point we all need to take responsibility for what we do (or don’t do).

Most recently I was on the listening end of a tete-a-tete in which the potential seller blamed EVERYONE but himself. “It’s the government’s fault!”. Yep, the government is an easy one to blame, whether it was Bush’s foreign policies or Obama’s socialism. “I didn’t know what I was signing.” Want to blame the mortgage broker who helped you get financed? Sure, every homeowner is a victim of unscrupulous lending practices. “I thought property values only go up!” Or was it the Realtor who didn’t have the Magic 8 Ball to tell you property values would decrease? Yes! How about NO! How about accepting life, successes and failures, as they come? When did accountability go out of fashion? Is it fear or embarrassment that keep people from saying ‘yes, it was my mistake’? Is it a learned skill or an inherent attribute? Oh well, I better get used to it.

July 2, 2010

Happy 4th of July Weekend.

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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I wanted to take a brief moment to extend a Happy 4th of July greeting to all in the BH community.  I was born and raised in El Salvador in the midst of an infamous civil war (infamous for its use of children as pawns in the war machine), migrating to the US in my teen years and becoming a citizen while serving in armed forces.  I have had the opportunity to travel the world for work and leisure and I can wholeheartedly say that there is no other country I’d rather call home than the good ol’ US of A.  Regardless of what cynicism is thrown out there about American greed, blah blah blah, I believe and embrace the principles and values on which our nation founded.  Have a Happy Independence weekend.

american flag

June 10, 2010

Are we losing our competitive edge?

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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With the start of the World Cup just hours away,  I am reminded of the unrelenting competitive spirit that makes such events worth the wait (and trust me, I have been counting every single day since Germany in 2006).  God-given talent can make one successful, but without that unwavering fire within the highest plateaus are unreachable.   Although Michael Jordan had an amazing ensemble cast to support him, you could see the determination in his eyes to single-handedly turn his team into a basketball dynasty.  Lance Armstrong had insurmountable obstacles on his path, yet his blind determination led him yet again to the greatest of success in his sport and his place in history.  There are countless stories (in sports, business, life) to illustrate this point, but I digress.

Real estate is obviously a highly competitive field in which individuals are publicly recognized for their accomplishments, everything from Top 40 under 40, to Top 100, to Realtor of the Year, Inman 100, etc.  But does it accurately reflect the competitiveness of the rest of Americans as a whole?  I recently took my 10 year old nephew to his Tae Kwon Do tournament, in which trophies were handed out, not on the basis of merit or skills, but rather on a rotating basis (the ones who took ‘silver medals’ this time, will inevitably get ‘gold medals’ next time).  Or have you been to those soccer/baseball games where they don’t keep score?  Sure, every person, whether a kid or adult,  wants to be acknowledged as special, a true champion.  But in so doing, are we embracing mediocrity?  Is there something wrong with accepting being average without unnecessary accolades?  Are other competing countries (i.e. China) teaching the same values to their future leaders?  Your thoughts/comments are welcomed.

competitive spirit

May 21, 2010

What does it take to be a successful real estate agent?

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

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Being relatively new to the real estate industry (coming from a military background, followed by some time in the NYC finance sector), I came into it wide-eyed, green and full of expectations, realistic or not.  I believed that in real estate, like most facets of life, you could succeed through hard work, perseverance and a healthy dose of common sense.  Now I’m beginning to question if I had any of that right.

Intelligence.  An asset that will guarantee your success regardless of what you do.  But is that applicable in real estate?  I’m not saying I’m the smartest person in the room (even when I’m alone), but I have met some real estate ‘professionals’ who really push this issue to the brink.  And I’m talking about top-producing agents!  Just a few days ago, I overheard a conversation where an agent, who just got a listing for over $2.4M, asked another if he knew what ‘TMK’ meant. Really, I am not making it up.

Hard work.  Sure, most successful agents are hardworking.  But in it of itself, hard work does not guarantee even the slightest bit of measurable success in this industry.  Sure, having systems in place to ensure efficiency should make the work load a bit easier to handle, but I’m finding more and more than even when you do all the things that the experts say you should be doing, success is not necessarily within reach (at times it seems to be the opposite, actually).

Professional appearance.  Well, this one may be more touchy to me since I live in a tropical area where casual attire is the rule of the day. But really, how is it that people look like they just rolled out bed, slapped on whatever dirty clothes were on the floor, slipped some beach flip flops and land multi-million dollar deals?  Sure, I get it, ‘Aloha Friday’, but that could mean a number of things (i.e. nice shorts with a tommy bahama shirt) besides just being plain sloppy.

Knowledge of the market.  I can’t wrap my head around this one as I thought for sure this would be one area Read more

May 8, 2010

Mastering the Art of Active Listening

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

Author website

Yesterday I was in a meeting in which relevant information was disseminated yet some people just refused to LISTEN.  I know they could hear what was being said, but for whatever reason they either chose to ignore it or don’t have the mental ability to understand (I really hope that it was the former of the two).  This is not meant as a rant, a diatribe, a denunciation (or whatever other label can be attached), but rather as a reminder to those who hear what others say but still don’t listen.

It takes much more to be a participant in a discussion than to just spout off opinions.  To some, being a good communicator means being able to speak in public or BS’ing your way through a conversation.  Well, actively listening is becoming a lost art.  And let’s make clear the difference between “listening” and “hearing”.  Hearing, in a nutshell, is having the ability to perceive sound.  Listening, on the other hand, is understanding, interpreting, and assessing what is being said.  Sometimes you can even see when a person stops listening, you can see the wheels turning in their head as they prepare a rebuttal and just wait for their turn to speak.

Well, for those people, I have a few suggestions:

*  Start out with blank, neutral slate and let the speaker have their say;  it might even be something that you agree with or new ideas/information that could benefit you.  In doing so, give them your undivided attention (yeah, that means no doodling or daydreaming, at least not for now).

*  Use non-verbal communication, it will let the speaker know that you are listening.  Maintain eye contact (no, not in a creepy stalker way), nod and gesture as appropriately, and use body language.  And this is much less disruptive than interrupting.

*  When appropriate, ask relevant questions.  This allows the speaker to explain their points further (in case they were not clear in their Read more

May 2, 2010

Professional Development, Are You Doing Enough?

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Realtor, Surfer-in-Training

Author website

First, I must say that it is an honor to be able to share my thoughts with such a distinguished audience.  This site and its members has been essential in my professional growth and development.  As such, I found it fitting that my first post should be about professional development.

As real estate professionals, we have a duty to develop our real estate expertise and industry knowledge in order to keep up with the changing markets and best serve our clients.  Yet everyday I am seeing (both online and offline), professionals who are content spouting off ‘advice’ (and I use the term loosely here) on topics about which they apparently are ill-informed.  For example, a few days ago I overheard an agent telling their client about a ‘real estate investment opportunity of a lifetime’ (that’s an actual quote, I couldn’t have made THAT up).  However, in their cashflow worksheet he failed to take into account property taxes, estimated repairs, projected vacancy rates, etc. which when calculated would make this cash cow into quite a money pit.  In addition, although as professionals we are expected to have a certain degree of industry expertise, we are NOT an attorney or a tax adviser so refer any questions outside your scope of expertise to the appropriate party!  I saw a post on a national real estate forum in which an agent answered a potential buyers question:  “I am considering buying a $52K property that I intend to rent out to bring in income, do I qualify for the $8k tax credit”.  The agent’s response was an unequivocal YES, “Yes, you qualify and it’s the perfect time, I am a Realtor in your area so give me a call”.  Does anybody see something wrong with that answer?  I won’t go into detail as to the many ways in which he is wrong, but you get the point.  Don’t pretend to be an expert in something you are not!

I fully realize that this is not applicable to BH members/subscribers, as by nature Bloodhounders are professionals who seek to raise the standard by continuously pursuing self-improvement and knowledge.  Read more

Inventing Real Estate 2.0

Welcome to BloodhoundBlog, the national real estate industry marketing and technology weblog written by, for and about real estate professionals. Better yet, welcome to the wired world of real estate. We are busily inventing Real Estate 2.0 – technology, marketing, service and salesmanship. Like all Bloodhounds, we are smart, frisky and fiercely independent. We've built a spot on the earth – beloved over all – where each one of us can be who we are, no matter who that might be. We are committed to an idea of excellence that will flush the bums, the con-men and the crybabies out of the real estate industry. If you yearn to have your failures excused, your moral lapses absolved or your boo-boos kissed, seek elsewhere. But if you are sick to death of mediocrity – welcome home. Read all about us, subscribe to our feed and steel yourself for the hunt. We work hard, we play hard, we learn everything we can – and we bow to no one.

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