CHAPTER 10 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 10: THE FIVE YEAR CYCLE

A deal of a lifetime comes around about every two weeks!

My dad had a theory that who we are will ultimately change dramatically every 5 years. My dad explained that what we think, believe, feel, and even how we do things radically changes every half decade to reflect the progression of time in one’s life. At the time I thought that this was just another one of his cockamamie ideas but now as I look back it seems to fit a pattern. Whether in our personal life, marriage, parenting, business, beliefs ……….there seems to be distinctive changes. These ‘new views’ come from a number of factors and influences based on accumulated experiences (both good and bad). We can choose to reflect and adopt our new ‘views’ or we can fight them or even ignore them.

I have been a model of my dad’s theory as my life has certainly taken drastic directional changes about every five years. From being single to married, from no children to 4, from atheist to Christ follower, from money focus to life focus etc….

Country singer Kenny Rogers made popular the song ‘The Gambler’ where in it were the lines “you got to know when to hold them; you got to know when to fold them”. The lyrics to this song provide great advice to all of us in our lives. We must continuously review and reflect on our own lives and what God intends for us to be used for. If we don’t we will be out of sync with who and what you we were intended to be. You can try to fight that if you want but ultimately you will fight a battle that can’t be one.

So too in real estate, there are many people who have quite the business of buying and selling real estate. The only problem is that they have not left yet!! I will repeat again, it does not matter what you do in life that matters; it is why and who you do it for that ultimately matters. If you do not love what you are doing then make changes. Start with little things that will bring you to where you are excited again buying and selling real estate.

My first career in real lasted 5 years then I quite. I closed down South Okanagan Realty a year after my father committed suicide and I began to rethink everything. I got making money down to a system but I felt something was missing. I tried many different things but nothing seemed to fill a ‘nagging gap’ in my life. So I quit real estate and drew close to my family by homeschooling our eldest two girls and working toward a degree in theology. This gave me a great opportunity to reflect on life and dig deeper into what was meaningful for me.

Two years later I started HomeStar Realty and gone 3 years and still love what I do but am taking an extended trip to write, reflect and develop other long term goals…….it is going great. Look, listen and respond to what you are called to do in order to achieve peak performance on ALL levels of your life.

Advice: Don’t get stuck in a rut. Make sure you are doing what you should be doing!!

CHAPTER 9 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 9: HIRING PEOPLE TO DO ALL THE LITTLE THINGS

How to be a small fish but get the food of a big fish

There is a Realtor from back East who has become the top grossing Realtor in North America for years on end who promotes a system of building a team to work for/with you. Ten years ago I signed up and tried his program only to realize it didn’t work for me. I was more interested in profit then I was in production. What I mean is that I didn’t care what my production was as long as my profit was maximized. At the time, this guy and his group grossed 1 million in commissions yet he only netted $200,000 for himself. Yet I grossed just over $100,000 and kept almost all of that as my expenses were minimized – and that was in my rookie years!! I prefer to make the most for the least amount of effort and headache.

During the last 5 years or so we have seen a huge increase in this ‘team’ concept among realtors. You will now see the ‘team so and so’ rather than just the realtor’s name. The idea is that you brand yourself as a team in which case you are supposed to give the customer better service for the same cost. The theory sounds good and a few realtors seem to make it work but my experience is that most teams are only as strong as their weakest members.

I have tried on two occasions to hire and train an assistant only to create more stress and less cash for me. I am a firm believer that you have to have direct control over the most important assets in your life. I don’t think anyone should entrust the services of a financial planner/broker/banker etc without your direct control and influence over your affairs as these people are handling your greatest financial assets. Based on this logic I don’t think anyone should just hand over their largest asset (in most cases) to a realtor without some very important system and controls in place for the owner/buyer’s protection. Call me crazy but I always encourage people to try to sell their home on their own and save the commission. I’m not in business to take money away from people but to make them money. I have found when I have that attitude of helping and/or making people money the deals that I do are appreciated.

As a realtor we should be in direct control of the most important components of our business. Our clients and commissions are probably the most important and therefore should NOT be trusted to anyone but yourself because nobody cares more about your clients and your money more than you do. Think about it. Why should they? You are the one making all the money and if you are not they should be scared ‘spit less’ because their job with you will be finished when you go broke.

I may be different than others in this respect because I am able to multitask and do several things at once and not necessarily better than someone else but I understand it better if I do it myself and in essence pay myself for doing it. I initially thought it would be better for me to have people perform more of the administrative tasks such as accounting, transaction record sheets, advertising (if I did any), filing reports and statements, tax preparation, submitting listings and sales etc BUT I have been able to do all this when I’m super busy or dead slow.

By the time I train someone to complete these tasks I have spent more time doing so than all the cumulative time it would have taken me to do it myself. Not only do I not save time I have to pay someone else to do the tasks that I could have done myself. So why not do the little things yourself because in essence you are paying yourself 25-$100/hour!! If you prioritize your tasks you can easily work this into your daily business saving money (in essence making money!), saving time, and having fun by learning.

Advice: Take control because you are the boss. Making money, saving time and having fun is not about how much you make - it’s about keeping most of what you make.

CHAPTER 8 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 8: BE YOUR OWN BOSS

If you don’t know where you are going you will end up somewhere else or if you don’t know where you are going how do you know when you get there?

Just after Christmas while we were on MLS ™ Tour I overheard two very busy and likely successful veteran realtors talking about their holidays they took. Each of these realtors had been in the business almost as long as I have been alive. One realtor was so surprised and ‘’green with envy” because she had heard that that realtor had taken four weeks off and stayed in Hawaii. This realtor commented that that was her goal and both realtors agreed it was important to take more time off.

I listened and smiled to myself as I had taken about 12 weeks off just one year before planning to take 14 months off! (Note: I have only been back in business less than 3 years!!) I know for a fact that both of these realtors grossed way more in sales than I did but I grossed way more in being my own boss and enjoying the rewards that being my own boss provides.

The limitations most of us face are those that we place upon ourselves. I meet so many people that work for others and are constantly complaining about their bosses, their work, or just about anything they can that anyone will listen to. Even realtors (believe it or not) are chronic complainers. Realtors are supposed to be independent business people also known as professionals yet so many are tied into a cycle that will see them making their franchisors’ richer and richer. The best thing I ever did was getting my Agent’s license and establish my own firm.

The first two years I had to work under another Agency and it was hard for me to be in the office with a bunch of other realtors ‘hovering’ over perspective people who would peer at the house listings posted on the front exterior windows. Not only that, negativity breeds negativity. The office was a great place to go and get ‘depressed’. Positivity breeds negativity in a real estate office because realtors not making money don’t want to hear about someone else’s great month of sales. If you are a realtor, have been a realtor, or know a realtor, you have heard some of the stories – there are no shortages in that department.

It behooves you to begin thinking for yourself. To not do so is nothing short of insanity. Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting a different outcome. That is exactly where most realtors get stuck. It is a vicious circle. Admittedly, I am one of the laziest people around. Yet most people wouldn’t necessary describe me as such. Admittedly, I will look for the absolute easiest and quickest way to accomplish a desired result.

I know myself better than anyone else and therefore know my strengths as well as my weakness. I am the best person to decide how I can achieve the most and ultimately that is what life all about – utilizing your God given gifts to their fullest. For example, I’m a morning person and I am most productive at that time so don’t tell me to do most of my work in the evenings when I value my time with my family and have little motivation to do business.

To be your own boss you need to know what needs to be done and just do it. Cut out all the other things that are time wasters. I won’t mention examples at this time because what may be a waste of time in my opinion maybe valuable to you. You must focus on what you must do and how to get it done. After all, it is you who has to make the mortgage, car and credit card payments and not Mr. REMAX, or MR. COLDWALL BANK, OR MRS. SUTTON.

Real Estate is a perfect profession to be your own boss. For example, the two veteran realtors mentioned at the start of this chapter (and all franchised realtors) have to sell 300% more than I do to produce the same net income!! For a lazy guy like me, those are pretty good odds to making good money, saving time and having fun!!

Advice: If you want to be your own boss and decide for yourself how things are going to be than start your own firm and pay yourself – not the franchisor! Not doing so will keep you ‘spinning’ in the cycle of ‘why am I not there yet’!

CHAPTER 7 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 7: LIVE, LIVE AND KEEP LIVING

Don’t spend money you don’t have, to buy things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like!

(Excerpt from my book “Same Same but Different” age 16)………

Because I had expenses and did not receive my family allowance, I had to again enter the ‘slave market’ (work force).

I found my first job about four days after arriving in the 'Big City,' which ironically was about a week after being told that I could not just go to the city and find a job. Well, I did. I was employed pumping gas and propane at the Husky Station where Save-on-Foods is now located at Metrotown in Burnaby.

I was forced to work weekday graveyard shifts, which made life difficult because I was attending junior high school. I would go to school until 4 p.m., run home, do homework, sleep about two hours, and then work from midnight to 8 a.m. I immediately had to rush back to school for another day. After two months of working every third day, I felt myself becoming emotionally and physically undone. I forced myself to quit after getting a job as a bus-boy at the Spaghetti Factory on Water St. in Vancouver. This time the hours were much better: I would work weekends and some weeknights until midnight.

As time past my rent increased, which forced my reserve funds down, and in turn forced me to increase my income. The only way I knew to increase income was to get another job. I did not only get one job, but five new jobs to total six. Besides the Spaghetti Factory, I cooked chicken at Kentucky Fried Chicken, I became a custodian for Blanche Macdonald Modeling School, a stage manager for The Bay fashion shows, and I danced on the streets wearing a sign for Waterhouse Waterbeds and Elite Dry Cleaning. I also appeared in my first professional television commercial in April.

I held on to most of these jobs until I found I was killing myself. On June 1, 1985 I quit all my jobs except for Kentucky Fried Chicken and moved into a Volkswagen Bug.

My manager at Kentucky Fried Chicken offered to let me stay in her husband's Volkswagen car because I was planning to live in a large moveable garbage container. (This probably sounds crazy but believe it or not I was given the idea from my junior high school librarian.)

I had a few things I had to do before calling a 1968 Volkswagen Bug my home. I parked it in a safe place - outside the owner's apartment and across from a fire hall on Marlborough Street seemed to be the best. This location was very convenient because the car was one-and-a-half blocks from where I worked.

The hard task lay ahead after I removed the front seats. I found a wooden pallet in the debris discarded in the early construction of Metrotown Shopping Centre. I wanted a base to level the driver's side floor to make a bed. I did not have a saw to cut the pallet to size so I bought a hand saw for about $10 at Sears, carefully used it, and returned it to get my money back.

I soaped the windows for privacy and put up a shelf for extra comfort. I was now set!

Living in this car saved money, but also had drawbacks: try showering or going to the washroom in a car. I used a nearby service station washroom to wash, brush my teeth, comb my hair, and use the toilet. I usually did my laundry at work in the bathroom sinks and showered at school before classes.

Another major problem was doing homework by the dull beam of a borrowed flashlight late at night. I did not eat very luxuriously. I was always scrimping and saving for "tomorrow." My manager's husband brought bran muffins, blueberry pies, and bread for me regularly for three months.

I was lucky enough to meet a very lovely girl, Janice Partridge, at the end of June of that year. She not only rid me of my loneliness, but her family, especially her mother, nourished me with wonderful meals, allowed me to shower there and cleaned my laundry. Mrs. Partridge also permitted me to stay at their home when the weather was bad and when my back was in terrible condition due to the small sleeping area I had in the car.

My back would get so sore sometimes that I would go sleep in the nearby tennis court so I could straighten my back and body by lying full out. I would often jog early in the mornings to stretch my body and because at about 5 a.m. the city would come to life, making sleep only a dream. I regularly went to bed late and got up early each day.

Living in this car brought me very close to myself because I went back to the basics. I was not attached to anything nor anybody in this 'Big Ugly City.' I was able to ponder some of 'those’ questions that have bewildered humanity for centuries, such as the reason for our existence. Too few of us from my generation do not take the time to because they are too caught up with the perceived physical rewards in life.

Believe it or not, I managed to survive one-quarter of a year in that car and lived to tell about my experiences. I would like to say this may not have been the average experience, but I think I have gained a great deal. I only wish other people my age could and would try something out of the ordinary to gain a better and more provocative view of life and their general existence. I am presently working on my first book describing a 'poor boy' from the country, who goes to the city in search of ...Life. Another reason for experiencing these things is to gain a better understanding of how 'poorer' people in Canada live and hopefully, someday work toward solving some of the problems.

I spend 90% of my time at my home office or on a laptop in another country that we may be travelling in at the time. What I don’t do is warm an office chair in a ‘main street’ office somewhere as most realtors do. 90% of my time is planning and 10% of the time is execution. Most of the time I am targeting leads and incoming requests for information. I will establish a relationship with my contacts who become clients before ever going to meet them and/or show them a property. I am not a tour service and I certainly don’t have the time nor the inclination to chauffer people around to see properties. This system seems to work for some but it seems like a poor return of the time spend. If I don’t have a solid lead yet I would rather be playing with our children or helping out a widower, or whatever.

Several years ago now a young man that I had been mentoring and meeting with encouraged me to get back into Real Estate as a way of helping people. During my first stint in real estate I was like everyone else except I was successful because I was prepared to work longer and harder than anyone else. If you asked me what my objective as a realtor was I would have said it was to contact as many people as possible and sell and list as many homes as possible and not stop until I was the number one agent in the area. This objective exhausted me and so I had retired from this way of doing real estate and trained to become a pastor at a local church.

It was what this young man said about helping people that helped me develop my career into what it is today. I have years of experience in business, read dozens of books on doing business successfully, and have a business degree that has given me all the tools to execute all the business practices necessary to be successful. However, my new perspective on life had put much of my knowledge and experience aside and allowed tremendous freedom in the fact that I was just going to focus on helping people. Although I don’t advertise and share this fact, I am now in Real Estate NOT to sell houses but to build relationships. Please don’t misunderstand; I really enjoy buying and selling real estate for people. Since I have adopted this style of looking to serve and help my efforts have always been ‘fulfilling’. If I help someone get what they want and they are happy then I am pleased and will be rewarded. Even if someone was not happy it does not matter to me now because I was successful because my intent was to help them get what they wanted and was not to make money or sell them something.

Advice: In order to live and live well don’t spend money you don’t have, to buy things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like. Find your passion and purpose and live it to the fullest. If you have to set an alarm clock to get yourself up in the morning or go to sleep at night because you are bored then you are not doing what you love. Sleep and food should just be fuel for you to be who God designed you to be.

CHAPTER 6 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 6: THE DEAL

Never offer more than you can deliver BUT never deliver less than you offer.

Soon after starting HomeStar Realty I established a bond with a Hindu orchardist from our town that has ever since then grown into a fantastic friendship and business relationship. Today, I consider Sushil Anand one of my best friends and a man I could count on for anything. Sushil is the hardest working, honest, and generous men that I know. Sushil has been a great example to me and has taught me a lot about life and business. Time after time again, I witness that chapter’s subject illustrated by Sushil in our business and personal dealings.

Initially Sushil had called me on one of my houses I had listed to get information because he couldn’t get his realtor to call him back. I base my daily business on serving people and so I always respond quickly (if not immediately) and Sushil told me that is the reason he decided to allow me to become his exclusive realtor. By returning someone’s call, I established a relationship that has brought me deal after deal and the honour to work with the model client that we as realtors’ only dream about.

The story of my friend and best client has been repeated over and over again in my business. I am really a one man ‘show’. I am a company of one yet I often outperform offices 10 times my size so I don’t even try to compete in bragging to be the biggest, oldest, newest or whatever. I don’t spend a fortune on advertising trying to make myself look better than I am. I try very hard to take my own advice.

My advice of “never offer more than you can deliver BUT never deliver less than you offer” is premised on “expect nothing and you will never be disappointed”. However, as a professional providing a service by default as soon as someone hears, speaks, or even thinks about you – you have a commitment and thus an ‘expectation’. Isn’t it ironic that what used to be known as ‘common courtesy’ has now become a business style? How far we have come in our business practices when the most sophisticated advice I could give to realtors right now is – return your calls!!

One of the most difficult words we as realtors should say but don’t is ‘NO’. For some strange reason we have been programmed to believe we are super men and women. It doesn’t matter how many listings we have or how many deals we have on the go we will always agree to more without ever considering if the request is even possible. This is not only bad business practices; it hurts your family, friends and your well being. To continue to over load your schedule resulting in you not fulfilling your commitments will only bring you less business in the long run. As stated in an earlier chapter I would suspect that you are not over loading your schedule as much as you are not scheduling the most important things first and making sure they get done.

I am convinced that you risk losing more business than you could possibility gain if you don’t do what you say you are going to do. As realtors, we can make hundreds of thousands of dollars in an increasing market without providing much follow up service. However, when (not if) the market turns down we will get hit so hard we won’t even know what hit us. Many realtors, mortgage brokers and trades people have gotten involved in the booming real estate market making lots of promises and when they don’t deliver they don’t care because there is lots of business. Eventually when the tides turn ‘the customer’ that was treated poorly will remember how they were treaded and will ‘stave’ us for not providing what was expected of us.

If you can’t return your calls then you are too busy or most likely too unorganized. You may want to reconsider where and how you are spending your time because your business practices are making guys like me rich. Thanks a million!!!

Advice: The lesson here was that if you say you are going to do something – DO IT!!

CHAPTER 5 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 5: WORK, WORK, BUT KNOW THE LIMITS.

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. (Mark Twain?)

After working for over a year on a land deal with a long time friend and client I was forced to make a decision. It was not an easy deal nor was the decision I faced; because the deal had just netted me my largest commission cheque in my professional career. Not only was it a lot of money but the future was potentially much more financially rewarding because my client/friend/developer suggested that I would get all the work selling a multi-phase, multi-unit, multi-million dollar (you get the idea – lots of multies!!) residential development that would ‘set me up’ for the rest of my real estate career. But, and there is usually a ‘but’ in these fairy tale type scenarios.

Let me back things up a ways. Even before this deal I had been searching and sending ‘deals’ to my client for about 3 years. I couldn’t figure out why he was always choosing other realtors to work with yet never had anything good to say about any of them. Not that I thought I was anything special, but my client always called me when he wanted something and wanted it NOW. I am very efficient and always looked at my role as a servant and messenger. I served by getting whatever was asked of me immediately and provided current and relevant information when it was requested.

This client had contacted me with very specific criteria of what he wanted and I worked hard and found exactly what he wanted. I sent him all the details only to find out two weeks later that he purchased it thru another realtor. It was not a big deal, but I asked him why and he said “he could not reach me”. Now we all know that the easiest people to contact and hardest to get ‘rid of’ are real estate agents. Okay, I let this one go.

Not long after that I got another request. This one was, as we call in the profession a ‘big deal’. Again I searched and found what he was looking for and sent it to him.

He called me up to go over the building plan for the multi-family development he was going to build on the property and wanted my feedback on the initial drawings based on a business plan I developed for the proposed site. However, before we got down to business I enquired about the piece of property I had sent him and he said “nothing”.

This would have been the end of it if I hadn’t got a call from a close associate from one of the largest real estate franchises who I had introduced to my client and was going to work together on selling the residential development. My associate called and asked why my client had gone to his office and contacted another realtor (who was partners with my associate) in his office to write the offer on the property I had sent to him. I didn’t have an answer for my friend and fellow realtor so I thought this was a perfect time to confront my client on his response.

Again, I asked my client what was happening and he said “nothing”. I quietly handed over the bundle of business plans and said “I don’t work with liars” and as his face reddened I turned and walked away.

I may have walked away from more deals with this guy but the cost to my own conscience and morals was far greater. How do I know I did the right thing? I know I did the right thing because not only did it feel good to be released from the ‘falseness’ of our relationship, that deal didn’t close and later I heard of others being treated like this. Therefore, there are times when one must focus less on the success and more on the happiness.

“Money is money my little sunny

A rich man’s joke is always funny”

I just turned 40 years old and I don’t know how many times I have reminded myself and others that it doesn’t matter how much money you make – YOU CAN ALWAYS SPEND MORE. I have also learned that it does not matter how much money you make it is how much you save that will make you a millionaire. If you don’t get anything else from this book, get this: being satisfied with whatever you have is the secret to success, happiness, joy………it the answer to the proverbial $64,000 question!!

Okay, so you want to be a millionaire. Don’t let that be your focus. Your focus should be to do what you love and love what you do. Just go for it………..the money will follow. Anyone born in the West or 1^st world has been given a ‘free’ ticket to be a millionaire. Our biggest problem (and curse) is that we are burdened with a bad case of consumerism that sucks up most of our million to make us millionaires. I don’t know how to explain the concept that ‘less is more’ except that if you can spend less than you make over a period of time – you will be a millionaire.

Advice: Never work for money because it will never be enough. Do what you love and love what you do. Spend less than you make and don’t think that saving up for something is wrong.

CHAPTER 4 to: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN

CHAPTER 4: THE PLAN

PEOPLE DON’T PLAN TO FAIL, THEY FAIL TO PLAN.

One of the best examples of this concept of failing due to a lack of planning was so grossly evident in a couple who started out as clients then became friends through myself and family reaching out and trying to help in trying times. It was only later did we learn that most if not all their problems had been and continue to be caused by their own poor decisions.

I had met this couple when they called to view a home. They were anxious to view a particular home so I made immediate arrangements and met them there an hour later. As they approached the driveway in a brand new Mercedes SUV I couldn’t help to think this was ‘it’. This was going to be a good day in real estate. To confirm my wishful thinking they told me to prepare an offer even before finishing our tour of the property.

Well our offer was too low and so we didn’t get it. This continued for several weeks, and then months then a year had gone by. In that time I found out that although one of them was a professional with a high paying income they had NOTHING that they owned; everything was on credit and the banks owned everything.

Normally we would find very little in common with a couple that spent so recklessly but we felt we were providing some guidance and support during some very troubling personal relational issues. As I am a trained tax accountant they asked if I could help them prepare their taxes as they were several years delinquent. I reluctantly agreed against my wife’s wisdom and advice only to find out they were not really interested in getting them done. They were professional procrastinators.

I remained patient with them for months of writing and preparing ‘low ball’ offers on properties that stained my relationship with my fellow realtors as well as trying to encourage them to spend less then they made. However, as much as I tried nothing seemed to ‘sink in’.

Admittedly, the closer we got to leave on our trip around the world the more ‘I just wanted to sell them anything’ and be done with it all. They wanted to buy a place and I wanted to sell them something so I committed and continued to work very hard finding them places and writing offers. I should also mention that several months into our relationship I had them sign an Exclusive Buyer’s Agency which basically committed them to working exclusively with me and me with them.

As time passed and their lease term ended the same day we left on our trip around the world I was very busy searching for properties. There was no shortage of properties that met their criteria the problem was them offering a fair price. I was looking everywhere: multiple listings, exclusive listings, for sale by owners and I even canvassed by phone and feet!! I was getting very worn down and weary.

The ‘straw that broke’ my back was when I had got information, previewed and negotiated a selling commission of a home listed privately and then passed it on to my clients only to be asked why I expected to collect a commission as this property was listed privately. I explained that if I didn’t negotiated a selling commission paid for by the seller then they (the buyer) would have to pay the commission. My client/friend said they wanted to save the commission so they could purchase at a lower price. After working for them for a year, writing offers, helping with their finances and counseling they wanted nothing to do with me.

I basically fired them on the spot and have not heard anything from them in months. The moral of the story is that when you don’t plan and match your income with your expenses and your relationships are based on an ‘advantage’ then you will make poor decisions that will just cause you a whole world of trouble. I strongly suspect that these people will be chased by Canada Revenue Agency for tax evasion, immigration for breach of their status, and the banks for delinquent payments.

As a parent I think to myself and sometimes remind my children that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. This is a great line for all of use to remember. Whatever the situation, problem or dilemma we won’t see clearly the answer until we are ready to learn. Most of us have already concluded that we know everything and that we shouldn’t even be confused with facts as our mind is already made up. This type of attitude causes many problems and difficulties. All one has to do is think back over the past six months and the problems faced. I will guarantee that those problems could have been avoided, minimized or handled differently.

In Real Estate as in anything, one has to be deliberate in his or her actions because based those actions (or in-action) one will get a result. Everything you do, or don’t do in life will keep coming back to a basic truth and ultimately the most important question any of us will ever have to face. Many of us I’m afraid never get to the point of even asking this important question. The question: What is my purpose or why I am alive? Whether we search for the answers or not we are still faced with the ‘question’. We can go thru life acting as though we know without determining the answer BUT you must face the fact that at the end you may have been wrong. Some advice: don’t wait!! If you wait then everything you do up to that point may have been for nothing.

Without a plan’ there really is no purpose. We can be busy doing things and keeping extremely busy as most of us are right now but we better be certain that all that ‘busyness’ is worth it. Hopefully this is just a refresher of the earlier chapters and you now know the ‘why’ to life and now we can be sure we keep on the right track.

Most of what our culture teaches is the OPPOSITE of how we must operate our businesses and lives. For example, we are taught to take care of ourselves first. However, the truth is we can’t be taken care of until we take care of everyone else first. A quote I often think of and reminds me of the order of priorities is “People don’t care what you know until they know you care.”

Once you have determined what your purpose is then filter everything you do through that purpose. Decide before-hand how hard you want to work and then keep to that plan. You have little control over how much money you make but you do have control over the amount of your efforts. For example, I would go out and door knock to find out what is really happening and what was important to my potential customers. Admittedly this is not necessarily the most productive method to real estate sales but it is a great way to best understand your market.

If you do the same thing that everyone else does than you will get the same results as everyone else. I support the old adage that 10% of the people make 90% of the money AND THAT 10% IS NOT DOING WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING. I remember that while training for the Ironman Triathlon that everyone I met didn’t like the swim portion as it was their hardest event. Initially I was worried because when I decided to do Ironman I couldn’t even swim!! As my swimming ability was nil I could only improve with practice. So I trained and trained and trained until I knew I could go the distance AND that few others really looked forward to the swim. The most important thing I did with respect to the swim was accepting it and even welcoming it. On race day the swimming event was my best event.

In real estate, for example, nobody likes to knock on doors or solicit direct business. We as realtors and ultimately people are afraid. The reason I continue to knock on doors and call people is to get over the ‘fear’ factor. Another example is advertising. There are two components to this rather large expense. As realtors we are trained by our home owners who are trying to sell that they want to see their ‘castles’ in print (ie, newspapers, internet, radio, and television). On the other hand, as realtors our egos make us promote ourselves so we say things about ourselves in print (and pay through the nose) that make us look and sound good.

Unfortunately, in Real Estate there are lots of realtors that look and sound great but at the end of the year do not have much to show for that ‘look’. It must be a little known fact that the return on newspaper advertising is about 1%. I can tell you very clearly that the best advertising you can do is your last deal. In three years I have not advertised once nor can you find me in any phone book. I also say this with authority as I write this book in Mexico while on a 14 month trip around the world with my family – it works if you do! Don’t be afraid to march to your own drummer. Determine who you are and maximize your strategy based on your strengths – not your weaknesses.

I should clarify something before moving on. Like me, most people can be busy enough without advertising, (even with the little payback it provides) so that when they do advertise they cannot service the commitments they have already made. And guess who benefits from you not being able to keep up? The guy who returns the call right away – meJ

Another practice realtors do out of fear are Open Houses. In our market Open Houses don’t work. In large centers they most likely will. It is so important to understand your market so that you are able to meet the needs of the customer and not your perceived needs. I live and work in a small town so why would I think systems that work in huge cities must work here too?

Realtors are a lot like movie stars. What I mean by that is that most movie stars spend years trying to be ‘discovered’ so that everyone knows and loves them but once they do get ‘discovered’ they do everything they can to be ‘invisible’. Realtors spend wads of cash on billboards, newspaper ads, T.V., radio and the list goes on, but then they drive around like Secret Service agents in unmarked cars. Why not let people know who you are and what you do? For the price of one ad in the local newspaper you can get artwork put on your car that will market you and your services year round.

I drove an old Suzuki Swift and my wife has a minivan that had matching art work with company name, my name and contact information on each of our vehicles. Remember, I’m really a ‘small’ fish in the real estate game but I am constantly told that they see me and my vehicles and signs everywhere.

The reality is that there are 24 hours in each day for all of us but it rarely seems to be enough time to get the things done we consider necessary for our success. So the second reality is that we have to make due with what we have because whether we like it or not, it is enough time.

One of the most effective ways I have found to get things done is to ‘think smarter rather than work harder’. I could go into great detail as to what ‘think smarter rather than work harder’ means but let me ‘cut to the chase’. Do those things that get to quickest and closest to the goals you have set for yourself. For example, I am a computer ‘nut’. Anyone who says they can live without a computer will have to live and work a long time because there is now way to reach the efficiencies necessary to automate your tasks. I have proven time and time again that I can go away for weeks, months and now over a year and keep my businesses running. They may not run at 100% all the time but that is okay because sometimes time can work to your advantage. Time for me is taking a step back and reviewing everything so that I can take my own advice from this book that I am writing for you.

So whether I’m on holidays or working my butt off, I keep my day organized by way of computerized planners. This way I decide (not a client or anyone else) when and what I will do. I take charge of what I do and when I do it. So if I don’t get something done like return a call or send an e-mail it’s my own fault that resulted from my own poor planning.

Advice: Have a plan based on a holistic understanding of why you ‘get up each day’ and make sure that plan is arranged so that you save more money than you spend in direct proportion to how much money you want to have left over at the end of each year.

CHAPTER 3 OF: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE: YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY, SAVING TIME AND HAVING FUN.

CHAPTER 3: LEARN, LEARN AND KEEP LEARNING

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

During my retirement from Real Estate (age 33) I hired the services of a realtor that had just opened up a Re/Max franchise and was struggling to get started. I considered this person a friend and because we attended the same church felt it was the right thing to do to use him to market and sell a family owned business. Now, I know as a realtor, the worst people usually to work for are ex-realtors because they think they know everything. I didn’t want to be a part of that group so I decided to let him do whatever he wanted with our property.

Very little was done and no feedback was given for months during the time with listed an apartment building with this realtor. After many months of nothing, the realtor brought what he called “a very good offer”. The only problem was that it was his own client’s offer and for about 20% less than the list price. I was not upset because it was an offer and that I was a place to start. However, I began to question in my own mind my realtor’s motives when he told me that this was a ‘good’ offer and that I should ‘take it’.

I soon realized that my ‘friend’ and realtor was ‘out of his league’ when the offer didn’t make a condition for an environmental assessment and a request to get the pertinent financial statements. When I questioned my realtor about his offer he presented to me he said that was not important. From here I could see things were going to go downhill so I contacted the realtor and told him we were no longer interested in selling the building at this time. I didn’t want to upset him as I considered him a friend but not someone capable in commercial real estate. The realtor refused to grant me an ‘unconditional release’ from the listing and so began the battle of how I was to get free of this guy who didn’t know what he was doing.

To make a long story short, I never did get out of the agreement until it expired 6 months later. The moral of the story is that I felt for the first time had how sellers feel when considering working with a realtor. It was because of the way I was treated and how I felt I swore that if I ever got into real estate again I would never hold anyone hostage like I was. It was a terrible feeling.

When I did come back into the business I formed what I called my “unconditional guarantee”

UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE: - I'm so sure that you'll not only be just satisfied, but actually delighted....I guarantee it!! If for any reason we do not provide 100% satisfactory service, just let me know and I will promise to remedy the situation within 24 hours. If you are still not satisfied, I will release you unconditionally from the agency agreement with no further obligation

I have always enjoyed learning. However most of my learning has come from doing. I have needed to experience the lesson: be it endurance, patience, love, or whatever. Below is a list of activities, experiences and lessons that have helped me relate to the person I am trying to satisfy – the customer.

· TRAVELLED Around the world twice (currently on the 3rd)

· Iron Man Triathlon 1996

· Cycled 3300 km in Europe (7-10 countries)

· Trekked 21 days in Nepal

· Taught English in Japan

· Raised as a farmer

· First business at age 7 – selling goats milk

· Investing in stock market for 15 years

· Advanced Toastmaster

· RCMP Auxiliary Officer

· Business Degree

o Accounting, audit and taxation

· Theology Degree

· Ran for City councilor and Mayor of Summerland, British Columbia.

· Married 17 years

· 4 children

· Worked as Pastor in Church

· Lived in a car

· Lived on a bench

· Studied in China – Mandarin, history and archeology

· Owned and operated 2 real estate firms

· TEFL certification (Teaching English as Foreign Language)

o Teaching Business English certification

· Lost my father to suicide

· 2 brothers caught in drugs

· Lesbian sister

Many of these items listed above afford a story in themselves; however the point here is that if we look at what we have done and reflect on it we will receive life’s many lessons from them. When our client senses our sincerity we will then earn their trust, respect and finally their business. What I want you to take away from this chapter is don’t stagnate. Keep learning, keep up to date, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or make mistakes. We all have so much to learn so when we are ready the teacher will appear. Life is about being wrong and admitting it and making mistakes and learning from them.

Advice: Keep learning, keep up to date, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or make mistakes.

CHAPTER 2 OF: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIX FIGURE INCOME IN REAL ESTATE

Chapter 2: LIKE, LOVE, AND LOVE SOME MORE

Love: the ingredient for life & Business!

Recently a client/friend called for my advice about selling his home. His dilemma was that he had 4 friends that were realtors and he didn’t want to upset anyone by choosing one realtor over another. Of course my natural tenancy was to convince him that I would be his best choice BUT I didn’t. I explained his options and told him up front that whatever he chooses I would be okay with and that if I ‘had a problem’ that was my problem. I also explained that whatever his decision was he was going to upset the very people he wanted not to.

For realtors with egos and pride just like everyone else it’s hard to ‘step aside’ and allow things to happen that are ultimately out of our control. Through many years of experiences (bad) I have come to realize that you are still going to have bad days when it seems everything goes ‘their’ way and not yours. However, now that I have discovered ‘my purpose’ which is also my plan then I can ‘walk away’ from things that I have little or no control over. Have you got your ‘walk away’ strategy?

I begin the title of this chapter with the word ‘like’ as it is a weak affirmative to beginning the process of loving. We must begin with a positive view on things, especially ourselves. Unless we like ourselves we cannot love ourselves and if we can’t love ourselves we can’t love others. Love is the ingredient to life.

Love is very difficult to define. Most people have many different ideas what love is and what it means. I would argue that love is the absence of hate. Just as light is the absence of darkness and comfort is the absence of pain and so on. One can not love and hate at the same time. It only follows the same logic then that hate is the absence of love and therefore one cannot hate and love at the same time. Therefore, you have a choice to make; which will you choose? Take my word for it; it is far more productive at all levels to focus on love. The more we focus on love the more we keep hate out of our lives and minds. Love begets love and unfortunately hate begets hate.

Most of us who come to Real Estate have had past professions, vocations and experiences yet for some reason we become what we are. Even before our time in Real Estate we were most likely more associated with what we did then who we really were. It is this fact that makes or breaks someone who lasts or leaves their career in Real Estate. The entire world sees us as Realtors. As in my previous professions of Auditor, Pastor and now Realtor, we are seen as almost ‘subhuman’. It may be more in our minds than we think but we have to ‘step out’ of that way of thinking and see ourselves as who we are and not as what we do.

This is critically important because the world paints us as ‘blood thirsty’ greedy people (perhaps there are grounds for that but that is another discussion). That is why a critical step in being ‘happy’ is to have your heart and mind focused on loving. It is quite easy to be successful as defined by ‘getting what you want’ but it is not possible to be happy without loving others as you love yourself.

For most people ‘love’ is one of those ‘touch-feely’ words that we try to avoid (especially us men). It was finally accepting that love is the ingredient for life that made all the difference in my life and also my profession. As described earlier, my father did not have love in his life and I had never heard him even use the word. My father’s life was ruled by how he saw others and that ultimately killed him. My father was hated because he hated. We must choose to love others so that we may love ourselves and then whatever you get will be accepted and appreciated.

A great example of this ‘choice’ to love in action has been made clear during my Thursday mornings with Peter. Not only did I learn about the ‘choice’ to love but also how to love. Ironically, I had been attending a local church for 8 years but it took a handful of dirty, drunken and homeless street people to teach me how to love.

I came across Peter about 3 years earlier while managing a building in downtown Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. Here is an article written by a local reporter that describes my friend Peter.

By Tracy Clark – Penticton Western News – February 17, 2008

Anyone walking through downtown Penticton at about 8:30 on any given Monday or Thursday morning is likely, on at least one occasion, to come across Pastor Peter. He is probably within close proximity to the Tim Hortons, sipping on a coffee and chatting with someone, or maybe he is just standing alone.

On the day he met with this reporter he was doing just that. The pastor, also known as Pete or Street Pete but never anything more formal, was leaning against a lamppost on the corner of Nanaimo Avenue and Main Street, his long blonde hair tucked under a black toque and his black leather jacket hung open drawing attention to the shiny black cross strung on a black rope and sitting close against his sternum.

At first Peter is a looming figure — his large stature makes it easy to imagine his former life as a Harley-riding bar bouncer. It’s difficult to know what to expect. Then he smiles — his warm, kind blue eyes lighting up his face and, in most cases, follows that up with a hug. It’s not difficult to determine that Peter is more teddy bear than grizzly.

His hugs, among the people who live or spend their days in downtown Penticton, are legendary.

“I get the toughest guys in the whole wide world giving me hugs,” he said, adding with a laugh that many of them wouldn’t even hug their own mother.

It’s because, in most cases, Peter is their friend and as he puts it, their brother.

Peter is a 49-year-old street pastor and founder of Another Chance Street Ministry. It’s a job he has been doing for five years and one he doesn’t get paid for. He does not work out of a church. In fact he is not of any denomination and does not consider himself religious.

“I am just Peter,” he told a congregation while guest speaking at a church last year.

But that doesn’t mean his faith is not solid. Rather than going to a church to hear and speak about God, Peter brings God outside. The streets, parks, benches, door jams and alleyways are his church.

“It’s not a jump up on the street corner and do the hallelujah brother stuff,” however, he cautions. Rather Peter’s mission is about sharing his love for God. He compares his work to that of Paul, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible.

“They wanted us to understand their walk, their relationship and then take that someplace and then take your own walk. They were the example and so be an example yourself,” he explained.

“Literally, that’s all I do is I walk around with my relationship and wait for someone to either throw a rock at me or get a hug from me. It’s up to them what they need. You can use me as much as you want.”

Peter spends his day giving of himself all over the valley. Mondays and Thursdays are reserved for Penticton. Tuesdays and Fridays he spends on the streets of Kelowna and Wednesday is spent in Oliver, helping to serve warm clothing and hotdogs, doughnuts and coffee with other volunteers at the food bank there.

His weeks end just as they begin, in Penticton, where he holds what he dubs a “situational” church service on the lawn of the Penticton Courthouse. Chairs and tables are set up, hot coffee and snacks are served and socks and other clothing gathered from donations or purchased by Peter out of his family’s pocket are there for the taking while he delivers his unplanned sermon. It is one that is based on the immediate needs of his congregation, a group that is always evolving and changing depending on who is in need at that time.

The Sunday service is like a metaphor for the rest of his life: unplanned, holy and based on whatever comes his way. Much like his days, no church service is ever the same, save for the hot coffee.

“The Lord puts things in front of me,” he said, adding that he knows most of the people on the streets of Penticton, Kelowna and even Oliver. While not all of the people whom he meets live in the street — there are about five permanent residents currently living on Penticton streets, he estimates — many spend their days there.

While there are more people in Kelowna and fewer in Oliver, what they are doing there is often the same — many have addictions, live in poverty, are involved in a cycle of crime and have somehow seen their life spiral out of control. But like everyone, they need someone to hold onto, someone who does not judge them but accepts them for who they are. They need relationships, he said, and that is why he continues. The morning of this interview, he was interrupted every five to 10 minutes by people he considers family, seeking these relationships.

Dixie, wearing her bright pink toque and colourful pink and purple snow suit was one of the first to approach Peter on the cool winter morning. She asked if anyone had a cigarette and when no one could help, she swore and then quickly apologized. She gave Peter a warm hug and then told him about her plans to spend the day panhandling.

Dixie said she doesn’t live on the street, but times are tough and she is just living day to day.

“I am really on the outs with my ex and I have no money and I am going down to panhandle,” she said, adding that a hug from Peter is enough to brighten her spirits even when things get difficult.

“He has the greatest hugs in the world and I adore him.”

“I adore you,” she said laughing and turning to Peter for another hug, adding that she would see him at the Soupateria for lunch later that day. The rest of the day is filled with similar encounters, lots of hugs, smiles, a few laughs and conversations and promises to see one another later. Relationships with people like Dixie didn’t come easy. In fact getting to this place of comfort and trust on the streets took years of work and tests of faith.

It was just eight years ago that Peter himself found God during a chance encounter. He had been walking near a park when he noticed a group of people serving hamburgers and asked them what they were doing. They indicated they were a church group who was serving food to anyone who wanted it. He asked to help. The man serving the burgers later told him that he never let anyone help but there was something about this big, tattooed biker that made him say yes that day. After that it all happened very quickly.

“I found myself sticking my nose into everything and trying to help anywhere I could and that was my teaching point,” he said, adding that he quickly discovered he was better at talking to people than flipping burgers.

“I could relate to the people coming.”

Then five years ago, three years after finding God, he realized his place was not inside the church and he left the secular world. Despite concerns from his family — he is married with five children, three who still live at home — he quit his job and went out onto the streets. His plan was to have no plan, just to let things unfold and take them as they came.

“For me ... everything is a new experience, but I have the Lord to guide me in everything that I do,” he said.

But that doesn’t always result in positive experiences. It has led him to question his faith on more than one occasion. One such “faith walk,” as he calls it, took place in that first year. It was the middle of winter and he had been standing outside for about an hour-and-a-half, all alone in the freezing rain.

“I am just freezing and soaked and (wondering) what am I doing here? I haven’t talked to anyone this morning, nothing’s gone on. What am I doing here? And so I prayed a little bit ... and the clouds cleared and I just felt uplifted all of a sudden, just a feeling inside. Maybe I just needed to stand there for an hour-and-a-half in the pouring rain to understand something,” he said, adding that lack of finances at home, death of people on the street and fatigue have also caused him to question his faith.

Over the years he has seen a lot, and learned even more about some of the issues facing people living on local streets — a lack of proper affordable housing and of treatment centres for addicts are some of the most trying issues.

But it’s this knowledge, this ongoing need, that has forced him to carry on. There is more work to be done and until God directs him otherwise, he says he will keep walking.

“It’s my whole life. I am wasting time here (on Earth) if I am not doing this. I’m just filling up the couch at my house,” he said.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I don’t belong in mission work in Mexico.... This is where I belong. This is where I fit.”

Okay, so now you are thinking “Great, nice story of someone who is doing something good and learning from it”. And then you ask, “so what about me”. Great question!! What about you? You are not what you do……….so you are you?

I can tell you who I am (or at least think I am) but that is not you. You must know beyond doubt who you are or life as a realtor will be tougher than it already is. I sign all my correspondence with “Please let me know how I may serve you……..” this little phrase may not mean much to most people but for me it is a constant reminder of my purpose. This doesn’t mean you are my master and I am your slave. It means I am servant to the greatest Master and to honour Him I must do my best to serve you.

One of the most important tools in my business has been my car. I have been driving a $2,500 Suzuki Swift decked out with my company logos, name and phone number ever since I started HomeStar Realty three years ago. I have been asked by only a few people why I don’t get a better car but my pride has asked me the same question many times more. My answer is usually the same. I tell people I sell houses not cars – you should see my house. But more importantly, I tell people that I drive this little car to remind myself that I am no better than anyone else and that for me to get their business they must choose me and not my car!

Please continue the journey with me to discover who you are so that you may become your full potential.

Advice: Focus on loving and everything else will fall into place.