My 2024 Unexpected Lesson About Mindset

Last year, I was disgruntled.

All year I remained focused, but didn't reach the business milestones I aimed for. Then.. by the end of the year something shocking was announced.

In 2024 - "49 percent of the agents sold either zero homes or only one and 70 percent sold five or fewer homes." (1)

I was astounded that I had surpassed the performance of 70% of real estate agents in the entire USA.

But how and why is one thing I already knew and the other "why" is an unexpected lesson.

1. The Thing I already knew to be true - Authenticity - My Business is my activism.

My Top Business Advice is this - Every person in business is an individual and should shape their business around them. Yes, you should seek to improve self but just like in a romantic relationship, there is NO FORMULA. There are guidelines but there is no one-size fits all approach to any thing in life.

My business is shaped around my life philosophy and my passion for improving our society in a most fundamental way - guiding others to secure home and foundational economics.

There are so many people seeking opportunity to own a home or investment as a financial foundation and there are also several people living in shelters or uncomfortable housing situations who just need a little guidance along the way.

I have shaped my business to provide caring guidance to all seeking to buy, rent, sell, invest or build homes or businesses.

2. The Surprising Lesson was Mindset - I was not paying attention to the business of other real estate agents.

I was only focused on my clients and my business structure. As a result, I outperformed 70% of US real estate agents

- essentially because I was not trying to.

I was only trying to do my best work and build toward the beautiful goals of my clients and my household as well as our shared community.

For those still reading - here is an exercise that has helped me continue to improve every year.

1. What is that thing you are working to Build?

2. What is your core philosophy?

3. What are your habits? (sleep schedule, diet habits, location preferences etc)

For example - I know I function at my best between 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM so in that time frame is when I focus on the most foundational and vital components of my business. If I try to focus on something vitally important before 10:00 I will be more likely to make an error than if I had just waited.

Does that mean I don't do anything before 10:00 AM?

No. I absolutely work on tasks before 10:00 AM, such as checking emails, reviewing my calendar for the day, reading over documents if needed, etc. But I know when working on tasks that cannot have any errors, my best energy and focus occurs between 10:00 - 2:00.

I learned this from several business mentors and books and videos - self awareness is basically what it is. Just like you cannot force a rabbit to live like a squirrel, you should not force YOU to work in ways that simply are not natural to you.

Do you need to change anything about your habits?

Maybe so. For me, I recognized that asking for clarity when clients share something often gives them space and time to explore their needs more thoroughly. For example, when a client stated that they did not like the tub in a home, instead of just rolling on through the house, I paused and asked, "What specifically bothers you about this tub?"

They explained, "It doesn't have enough space for me to truly lay in a bubble bath. It looks like I would feel cramped and I prefer baths over showers."

By asking that simple question, I was able to more precisely find the right home for their family and we did! In fact tomorrow (the day after I am writing this) my client is getting the keys to a home with a truly luxurious bath tub!

Of course there were more benefits than just the tub, but that 30 second conversation allowed me to do my best for my client.

What did I change?

I changed my strategy years ago. I had a polite habit of not prying for information that folks did not volunteer on their own. That's always been my trait. I respect privacy maybe almost to a fault.

And so I learned that it is okay to ask for more information. Asking gentle questions and pausing to learn the nuances of each client was a skill I have developed year after year.

4. and last question - What will you need to change or improve for your goals this year?

I would love to hear from you in the comments. Share an answer to any of the 4 questions.

.....

Consumer Federation of America - explains it in this report - https://consumerfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Real-Estate-Report-Part-3-Final.pdf

There was a rush of people getting real estate licenses in 2020 - 2022 when interest rates dropped and there were so many buyers. Those years were not typical years so by 2024, when the market slowed back to a little less busy than normal, those "pandemic era" agents did not understand HOW to sustain a business in real estate.

In any business, there is education, self awareness, diligence and much more involved with building a stable business to weather year after year.