Many of us set out on a career path some time after high school or college. This path is often not of our choosing, but one we more or less stumble into.

In the middle of fourth year of what was looking like a six-year degree, I fell into a job selling skis. There are always many sales jobs available as selling is a ‘not for everyone profession’. I observed that in sales, you could actually make more money, at least more than my friends were making right out of school.

‘Commission based sales’ jobs are harder to fill than salaried jobs. The reason for this is obvious. As one friend said to me when I asked him to join me as a salesman, “My daddy and my daddy’s daddy got a pay check every Friday, and I’m going to do the same.” Ah yes, Security.

What is security anyway?

Robert Kyosaki wrote a best selling book on exactly this subject, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Its premise: Poor Dad says, “Get a good education, find a job, work for the man, get a paycheck every week or two weeks, and after 40 years, retire with a gold watch – pension – and social security.” And, Rich Dad says, “Don’t depend on anyone else but you, have an entrepreneurial spirit, learn to make your money work for you by building equities with strong return, be open to change, set achievable goals, plan every day, maintain a positive winning attitude, give to productive people and charities, and retire by working when you want to, at what your want to, with whom you want to, without the fear of not having enough money to afford what you comfortably enjoy.”

Okay, so I embellished the Rich Dad thing, but it’s how I read it. And, it’s how my wife and I strategized our goals and dreams to form our Plan A.

But first Plan A

Yes Plan A, the framework you build your life around. It’s cast in sand, not concrete, to provide flexibility, but the theme remains true. It can be stretched, remodeled, updated, appended, and or reduced in size. Plan A becomes the core of your work ethic and work life.

Both my wife and I built our career in sales, real estate sales to be exact. We listed, sold, managed, owned, educated, trained, and edutained in real estate. Personally, I have taught real estate sales and marketing in all fifty states, as well as Mexico, Canada, and Europe. Our Plan A has provided travel, great friendships, investment opportunities, financial reward, and a wonderful life for our family for almost 40 years. Our footprint in real estate was so large that we didn’t even consider a Plan B, as we had our bases covered.

Plan Z – What?

We had a Plan Z. Win the lottery, give away a million, and buy an island in the Pacific. But a Plan B, if forced to think about it, was to live off our nest egg until we figured it out.

About a year ago, a very successful high-end homebuilder friend of ours asked me, “What’s your plan B?” I weakly give him my above answer. He then asked, “Okay, let’s say you’re forced to go to plan B, how long will you last?” Note he didn’t say how long would the plan last, he said you. Gulp, the little voice inside me answered, “Not long enough.” But my facade spoke up, “Long enough,” funny how the subconscious avoids the word ‘not’.

How long can you tread water?

He said, “Good for you. I’ve figured that the wife and I and the three kids under 11, with seven sports, the big house, the lake house, the cars, the boat, two companies – I can survive a little over 5 years. So with the world’s current economic condition, I’m a little nervous. I was prompted by the number one luxury homebuilder in the Carolinas, and my mentors, to actively look at a Plan B. We’re screening it tomorrow afternoon at our house, you and Bobbi be there.”

“What is it?” I said. “I can’t tell you over the phone, you got to see it?” he said.

I said, “Give me a mirror, how dumb do I look! I’m sure you can give me a brief explanation.” He said, “No – it’s a great business opportunity and you just got to see it.”

Now my mind is negatively charged, ‘great business opportunity…’ “Is this Amo-Life or some other multilevel scheme?” “No Rossi, you have to trust me. It’s something you’ve never seen before – no warehousing products, no changing people’s buying habits, working with the top companies in the world. Just be there and bring Bobbi.”

Okay, I have trusted him for 23 years, what’s another afternoon? But I knew there was no way Bobbi would come with me.

To be continued

Rossi’s goal for this class is for you to walk out ENERGIZED, REFRESHED, and EDUTAINED. So come early and stay late to get all the extras.

Attitude
Attitude – not just positive and negative, it is all points between
Are you A) motivating or B) de-motivating?
There is no C – And why we ask this question.
What is the value of Attitude?
“Regret is a darkroom where we develop our Negatives.”

Optimism – Pessimism
Nature / Nurture
Take the Learned Optimism test by Dr. Martin Seligman

Personal / Business Planning
Why combined Personal / Business.
A Plan must be congruent with our Values – Values Prioritization Sheet.
Prioritization – One of life’s best lessons
Life Goals – Business Goals
Five Sensing the Future
Income is not just a Goal, it’s a Direction

Technology
Why NAR’s e-PRO Certification is a Deal
Smart Phone – Dumb User
Contact Management System
Don’t leave home without it.
Social Media is a Place – not a Destination
Strict Do’s and Don’ts

Marketing
Understanding the Evolved Consumer
Today’s 95% Rule
LOOK
HOOK
COOK
Marketing is Everything
Marketing is a Generational Thing
__ __ __ __ Generation that is
Back to the Plan
What’s Hot vs. What’s Working

This may be an opportunity of a lifetime I told him. An opportunity for professionals to earn money, something we’re all interested in, but there is a bigger picture. We can help 25 million Americans who were caught up in the subprime and predatory lending practices of the last four plus years. For the past several weeks, I’ve been in due diligence regarding this important industry. One that promises so much for so many, I have stepped slowly for the fear of the old adage, “If it looks too good to be true, it is!” The following are the results of my study. I will uncover the good, the bad, and the ugly. But most of all, I hope to uncover the truth, as I want more than anything for Mortgage Modification to be real and for it to help those who, for the first time ever, are faced with the threat of losing their homes.

What is a Mortgage Loan Modification?

A loan modification is an adjustment to an existing loan made by a lender in response to a borrower’s long term inability to repay the loan. Loan modifications typically result in a reduction of the interest rate, or an extension in the length of the term, or a reduction in principle, or any combination of the three. A lender may be open to modifying a loan because the cost of doing so is less than the cost of default or foreclosure. Typically, a loan modification can save hundreds of dollars monthly on mortgage payments.
It is important to understand that this is not a refinance and thus loan modification is available to everyone regardless of credit history or equity position. Even if more money is owed than the home is worth, Mortgage Modification can possibly help reduce the mortgage payments. Lastly, a loan modification has NO effect on credit scores.

With the passing of President Obama’s Financial Stability Plan on March 2nd, 2009, anyone who can demonstrate a hardship is eligible to take advantage and participate in Mortgage Modification. Go to the Government site, Making Homes Affordable Program, http://www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov/, which offers a self-assessment tool using a questionnaire to determine qualification for Refinance or Mortgage Modification. There is also a very informative video in which the government strongly suggests personal negotiation with the mortgage lender or the use of the free services of a HUD approved housing counselor. The site further suggests that if one or more mortgage payments have been missed, an immediate call to the lender or a HUD-approved housing counselor at 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) is imperative.

I personally called this number and was connected to a well-spoken support person. I told her that I was doing research for an article. She politely answered my questions regarding mortgage modification and directed me to http://FinancialStability.gov. She said that if I were a homeowner seeking assistance, my call would be forwarded to a HUD counselor stating that the HUD counselors were very busy and patience would be needed. When I asked her what the approximate wait time would be, she said, “I do not know. However, these lines are open 5 days a week from 9:00 a.m. until midnight EDT. I might consider calling late when there is less traffic.”

The above sites and counselors offer the following two options to homeowners who qualify:

Refinance –
• This is a good option if the home value has not declined. Many individuals seeking assistance have uncovered that their home is worth less than the current mortgage. Therefore, the refinance value would be less and not cover the pay off of the existing mortgage.
o As of April 6, 2009, refinance of existing loans can be made even when the loan amount exceeds the home value. However, full doc loan application will be necessary.
• Debt to income ratio is the same or better than when last mortgaged. We know this to be a problem for 25 million Americans.
• A strong credit history is a must as a fully documented loan application will be taken.
While assistance in refinancing is welcome, it is not probable for most who find themselves in the ‘long term inability to repay’ category.

Mortgage Modification –
The Government set out a plan to assist homeowners who are ‘upside down’ in their home mortgage; that is, they owe more than the home is worth. Said plan allows the lender to modify the existing loan to better suit the borrower’s current financial position resulting in a reduction of the interest rate, or an extension in the length of the term, or a reduction in principle, or any combination of the three! In my 38 year real estate career, I have never seen anything that offers more help to the consumer. It’s a win/win for the troubled borrower, the mortgage servicer/lender, and our current US financial market.
To qualify for Mortgage Modification, the applicant must have income as a fully documented loan application will be taken. This applies to jumbo and commercial loans as well.

Yeah, what about, “If it’s too good to be TRUE – It’s probably not!”

Yes, that’s what I said when it was brought to me on the 5th of March this year. Since that day, I’ve been deep in due diligence to uncover not only the truth about its promises, but the pitfalls the plan has relative to a new industry that has sprung up around it – that of Mortgage Modification Services.

Pitfall #1 – Lack of Manpower and Systems

The government’s published information strongly suggests that the borrower negotiate directly with their lender/mortgage servicer. With the current state of the financial institutions, they, like most companies, have greatly reduced their staffs. They simply don’t have the manpower or systems in place to handle the millions of calls they are currently receiving leaving the consumer on hold and out in the cold.
To top this off, homeowners living in fear with ‘Toxic Loans’ and are just not savvy enough to negotiate with lenders. It’s a no win situation.

Solution #1

Option #1 – Understanding that this will take time and patience, free access to HUD approved counselors (1-888-995-HOPE (4673) is offered. They are more than willing to help negotiate with lenders, as it is their job to do so.

Option #2 – A borrower may contract with an attorney-based Mortgage Modification company that will mitigate for a fee.

Pitfall #2 – The Offer of Forbearance

When contacted by borrowers seeking help with mortgage modification per the government’s instruction, lenders are currently reverting to the old way of doing business, which is an offer of forbearance. Forbearance simply means they will forgo the borrower’s payments for a period of time, let’s say three months, to help relieve the pressure and add (re-amortize) these payments back into the mortgage payment later. That’s right, the borrower gets three months reprieve so they will have bigger payments later. How in the world will this help? If they can’t afford the payments they have now, what makes the lender think they can make bigger payments later? So the offer of Forbearance only delays the inevitable!

Solution #2

Do not accept forbearance, it is not in the best interest of the borrower and only delays default or foreclosure.

Pitfall #3 – The Offer to Refinance

When a borrower reaches their lender by telephone, the first question is “Are you currently in default of payment?” If the answer is YES, they are deferred to another department and have to go through another wait period. If they answer NO, the person answering the phone is instructed to say, “It looks like you may qualify for refinance.” They verify the contact information and then say, “Thank you for calling. The refinance process of your existing loan #—– has been requested and you will be contacted shortly. Due to the large number of calls regarding this program, our officers are very busy. Please be patient with us. If you haven’t heard from us in ten working days, please feel free to call us back. Again, thank you for calling.”

With no response in ten working days, the homeowners call again and find themselves back in the same broken feedback loop they started on day one. This looks and sounds like a stall to me. Can you imagine the number of loans that are now in this ‘possible refinance’ hopper? This alone could end up being backlog hell. Again, this is only good if the borrower can qualify (see Refinance above); however, most cannot. The homeowner may not know or understand that this process will stall the inevitable – default or foreclosure.

Solution #3

Option #1 - Accept the offer of refinance if:
• The current home value is higher than the mortgage balance.
• The current credit score is solid enough to qualify for a new loan.
• Personal income is the same or higher.
• The annual interest rate offered (for refinance) is significantly lower than your current rate.
• The new payment PITIA (principle, interest, taxes, insurance, and association fees) will be lower than the existing PITIA payment.

Option #2 – Reject the offer of refinance

Pitfall #4 – Telephone Communication with the Mortgage Lender

The information provided by the government regarding Mortgage Modification tells consumers to contact their current lender by telephone and negotiate a Mortgage Modification. In other words – ‘do it yourself’. Picture this, hundreds, if not thousands, of calls to mortgage lenders have already stressed their phone systems by those seeking refinance. When their phones are answered, it is by Understaffed, Under-Qualified, Under-Enthused, and Over-worked employees. The stressed caller has just spent hours on the phone listening to Muzak, or a commercial advertisement, “Which card do you not have in your wallet”, or worse, “Your call is very important to us. Someone will be with you in a moment. In an effort to improve our service, this call may be recorded…” Oh please, if this last statement was true, there would be enough recordings to fill the Library of Congress! Just in case you don’t believe how difficult it is to talk to someone in regard to Mortgage Modification, watch this January 21, 2009 ABC Nightline video interview with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2G5XiHP6ls. It’s a real eye-opener. If a US Congresswoman can’t get through, the consumer doesn’t have a chance.

Solution #4

Hire an attorney-based Mortgage Modification Company whose knowledge base is the ‘how to’ of Mortgage Mitigation. Their job is to stay in contact with the lender/service company until the offer to modify is received or rejected. These Professional Mitigators usually require an upfront fee or deposit, which they hold in escrow until the loan is approved for modification or denied. Ethical (see below) companies offer a 100% money back guarantee. This means that if the borrower or loan does not qualify for mortgage modification, the upfront fee will be returned in full.

Pitfall #5 – Predatory Modifiers

It was only last summer that the government launched HOPE, the Homeowners Foreclosure Prevention Program. According to a January ‘09 article by Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer, in the five months since it (HOPE) has been in effect, HOPE has helped exactly one homeowner avoid foreclosure. This, despite Congress making $300 billion available to back these loans and estimates that the program would benefit as many as 400,000 families. “As it stands now, we’ve only gotten 752 applications,” said Federal Housing Authority spokesman, Brian Sullivan, “and only insured one loan. Needless to say, the program isn’t working terribly well.”

Before it was revised by Congress on March 4, 2009, the modification plan was only available to those who were behind in their payments and possibly under the threat of foreclosure. Announcement of this program brought out a plethora of waxed mustached, suede shoe, fast talking rip-off artists to prey on those in distress. Many of these unscrupulous cons collected upfront fees from the homeowners then instructed them to ‘stop making payments’ so they could qualify for modification. You can imagine what happened next; they kept telling the homeowners that they would have an answer soon. Then after collecting a bunch of money, they disconnected the phones, changed names, and moved their offices! And, of course, the homeowner’s upfront money was lost, along with their home, their pride, and the efficacy of the program. This crime was so often perpetrated that authorities could not prosecute the offenders fast enough, thus leaving a swath of devastation in their path.

Solution #5

Just like bad in every profession, dishonest Mortgage Modifiers have darkened the door of the good guys causing the media, and our government, to tell the consumers to avoid those seeking to help negotiate the modification of loans. There will always be those who prey on the uneducated, scared, and helpless. When the average citizen finds themselves upside down in the mess caused by the predatory lending practices of the last three years, they become even more vulnerable. Mortgage Mitigation is a lengthy, involved process filled with interpretation of legally binding agreements and government mandates. It does not happen casually. The following is a checklist to assist in identifying a respectable mortgage modification company:
• Are they attorney based?
• Do they have correspondent attorneys in your state?
• Do they employ professionally trained mitigators?
• How large is their staff and how many cases are they currently processing?
• How many cases have they successfully mitigated?
• What percentage of applicants has been rejected? A good rule of thumb is about 25% or more.
• Do they contractually have a 100% guaranteed refund on the up-front fee if the case cannot be mitigated?
• Do they provide references?
• What is their projected timeline for rejection or completion?
• How, and how often, will they be in contact with you?

Don’t assume that because they give references that they are on the up and up. Professional Mortgage Modification Companies have nothing to hide. Professional Mortgage Modification Companies must be transparent because, at this juncture, they are not regulated. Attorney-based companies involved in mortgage mitigation are very concerned that they operate within the confines of the law and do everything they can to remain transparent. Because of the large number of borrowers who have found themselves in trouble, it is obvious that the Mortgage Modification Industry will soon be regulated. Only those who help create the rules will survive – another reason to work with attorney-based companies.

Pitfall #6 – Upfront Fees

The Predatory Modifiers in Pitfall #5 have made everyone look bad. Even President Obama said, “If you must pay, walk away.” This leaves the consumer to believe that they must negotiate Mortgage Modification on their own. As we learned in Pitfall #1 -#5, this is easier said than done.

Solution #6

While doing it yourself is an answer, it’s not the only answer.
Some of us enjoy, and have the time, to do many things ourselves like changing the oil in the car, cleaning our gutters, reroofing the house, or cooking three meals a day. Others of us feel our time is more valuable elsewhere, so we pay to have these things done.

Money upfront is not the norm when it comes to labor; however, when it comes to attorney fees… Unless you have a case that will generate a large settlement, most attorneys request an upfront fee or retainer.

For example: Recently I got a ticket for speeding, the first in years. Here in North Carolina, the court date is printed on your ticket. It happened to be a date that I was scheduled to be speaking out of town. I called the courthouse. They informed me that the solution was not to show up and then come in on another day, give the reason I had not made an appearance on the scheduled date and then plea my case. That just didn’t sound right, so I called an attorney. He said that it was true and agreed with me though that the Judge would not look at this in favor. I told him that I was guilty of 56 mph in a 45 mph zone and only wanted to reduce the number of miles over the posted speed, as the officer suggested, so it would not affect my insurance.

He said that he would take over from here and assured me that the number would be reduced and, with court costs, the ticket charge, and his fees, it would be $350 paid up front and I could forget about it. I did as he requested and sure enough, it was done.

Attorney-based Mortgage Modification companies must have their money up front because if they don’t get it now, how are they going to get paid after the mitigation is successful – there is no closing or funding. However, the prepaid fee must be 100% guaranteed. If mortgage modification is not approved, 100% of the fee will be returned.

Mortgage Modification is a Giant Win for ALL – the Consumer, the Lender, Real Estate Agents/Brokers, and the Economy!

President Obama enacted law and allocated 700 Million Dollars to cure the ills of predatory lending (sub prime) practices that initiated the melt down of our economy. Lending institutions, overwhelmed with requests, cannot handle the projected 25% of homeowners who are in possible threat of delinquency or foreclosure and are seeking the cure of Mortgage Modification. The public needs help. Yes, the government has stepped up but the mortgage lenders cannot keep up. Professional help is a necessity and a relief. It is without doubt that America will survive this economic fracture and President Obama has designed a solution that will work. It will work only if our American Dream of homeownership survives. And it will – with professional help.

Who is in a better position to help the homeowner than the real estate professional?

Real estate agents and brokers have a direct line to the twenty-five million homeowners who are eligible for mortgage modification. They are our past clients, customers, friends, neighbors, and family with whom we’ve established trust and communication. We can assist in education, knowledge, and help in keeping their home – and getting back on their feet. Attorney-based Mortgage Modification companies need assistance in directing applications, verifying and collecting data, and delivering the package to the mitigation department. Attorney-based Mortgage Modification companies have already asked for assistance and are more than willing to share their fee and pay for our services. Of course our fee disbursal will be predicated on completion of the loan modification.

I believe that this involvement would further our client – customer – community service and take our 100 year legacy of helping Americans build their dream to a new level.

The satisfaction an agent/broker would receive in assisting homeowners in keeping their property is awe-inspiring and no one could fault us in collecting a fee for what we’ve been doing for over a century – helping homeowners.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail the author at MtgMod@RossiSpeaks.com. For more information on ROSSI, go to http://RossiSpeaks.com. Rossi now has a 2.5 hour presentation on the Value of Mortgage Modification, call or email for stimulus pricing.

The Evolution Of The Real Estate Consumer

Rossi Tells Real Estate Agents: ‘Stop it! The EGO Marketing Mania’

WOW, I’m not sure that the real estate public is aware of just how big a WIN the fusion is of InternetCrusade®, RealTown® ,and RISMedia®. It is an overwhelmingly powerful statement solidifying in my mind The EVOLUTION Of The Real Estate Consumer.

In my presentation at the National Assn. of REALTORS convention in November, “Stop It! The EGO Marketing Mania,” I delivered my perception that we are now in the age of the Evolved Consumer. First by defining the difference between a Fad and a Trend – a Fad is revolutionary and a Trend is Evolutionary. And, second, uncovering three identifiable stages of evolutionary trends overlaying these trends on today’s real estate consumer to illustrate that the real estate industry is in a far better position to assist the Evolved Consumer than it has been in the past 100 years.

The Predictable Model

Evolution is inevitable when it follows a distinct model; that of; Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence. For example:

Start in the 12th Century.  King John, (1199 – 1216 ad) sovereign ruler of the realm, claimed all within his boundaries from the center of the earth to the zenith of the sky. Everyone, and everything within, was Dependent on him, including their existence. Not everyone liked this, however. So to enforce his laws, collect taxes, and protect his chattel, he called upon his mightiest warriors.

It didn’t take long, after a taste of power, for their egos to get in the way and they began to distrust his lead. Seeing this, King John played to their egos and knighted them. He also expanded his boundaries allowing his Knights to build castles on his parameter giving them rule of domain and privileges in his name.

Understandably, they relished this power. And, as a result, they pushed for more Independence. In a further attempt to appease his Knights, he bestowed a higher title, that of Baron. This backfired. They began to squabble among themselves as to which Baron was the most powerful and, you guessed it, a fight broke out!

King John was not only at war with his own Barons, but with France and the Pope as well. His lands became battlefields – stripped of game, crops, livestock, and, hence, value. His people were killed in battle or famine and his economy collapsed.

The Barons, in the same shape, finally had a light bulb go off! Hey, wouldn’t we be stronger as one? Sound familiar? So they banded together and called King John, “We’re meeting at Runny Mead for a beer and to create a united front. Would you join us?” He, of course, said no, and they said, “Okay, we’ll kill you. After all, we have you surrounded.” He then agreed and the rest is history. On June 15, 1215, they created the “Great Charter”; i.e., the Magna Carta – a document of Interdependence and the Evolution of Democracy.

Okay, But How About Today’s World?

Let’s take it closer to home: Children. As babies, they are totally dependent on their parents for everything – food, shelter, clothing, love, care, attention, knowledge, and diaper changes. But as they mature, they constantly test the boundaries of parental hold.

Then one day they become TEENAGERS and they lay claim to the world, as they know it. And the fight for independence is on! Their words are, “Why?” “You don’t know.” “You don’t care.” “My friend Jessica said, “Then they get their ‘perceived ticket’ of independence, a driver’s license – and off they go!”

After what seems like forever, they return home (some permanently) as Adult Children. Their words are, “Dad, I love you.” “You’re so smart.” “You were so right back then.” “You taught me so much.” “Wow, a home cooked meal!” And, with an education, jobs, and a solid love interest, they sit at the family dinner table to express their Interdependence of love and mutual respect. Again, the Evolution model of Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence shows the trend.

How Does Real Estate Fit Into This?

Let’s apply this evolutionary trend to real estate brokerage. When I started in real estate in 1971, I was an agent for Doyle Pargin Realty in Albuquerque, NM. The agent commission split was 50/50 and, regardless of when a property closed, we were paid once a month. Even though, as licensed real estate agents, we were categorized ‘independent contractors’, we were dependent on Doyle. Dependent on him for everything; training, encouragement, advertising, marketing, leads, income, and, often, sellers and buyers – that was the broker/agent norm.

A new concept.  About the same time, in the early 70’s, a company with a new idea appeared on the horizon. Realty Executives of Phoenix, AZ, whose owner, Dale Rector, watched the restless fervor of high income producing agents as they left the fee split offices seeking Independence to open offices of their own. Dale Rector knew that running a successful real estate office for a profit was a difficult task, to say the least. His new concept would take away the burden of office ownership and management and charge the agents a monthly fee for a desk and office support allowing them to keep 100% of their commission! Very win/win. It not only satisfied the need of high producing agents for Independence, but let them do what they did best, sell real estate and close transactions!

One highly productive agent seeking Independence was Dave Liniger – a salesman, and later manager, for one of the largest most respected fee split companies in Denver, CO, Van Schaack & Associates. He, too, was dissatisfied with the fee split company and its control, restrictions, and market direction. And, when the company’s owner told him that he was not allowed to wear loafers, he knew he had to change. It seems that in those days, Van Schaach fancied themselves as the button-down collar, white shirt and tie, wing tipped shoe, real estate version of IBM.

Dave had heard of Realty Executives’ and their new business model and moved to Arizona to experience it first hand. Later, he returned to Denver to duplicate the 100% concept and opened a new company by the name of RE/MAX – and the rest is history.

Why must we fight it?  For years, the Dependent Brokers and Independent Brokers fought it out on the recruiting battlefield. When the dust settled, they realized that there was room for many variations of fee structures and a third model evolved; that of choice with a menu of splits and fees to fit the individual – the Evolution of Interdependence triumphed.

“What About Me?” Cried The Consumer.

For the last one hundred years, real estate buyers and sellers have been dependent on real estate agents and brokers for property information. Where did the one hundred years come from? Well, it’s a WAG (Wild A_ _ Guess), but I do own a copy of the seventh revised edition of a book published in 1910 entitled, How To Sell Real Estate At A Profit. Part 1, How To Get And Handle Clients, as you can imagine, is about being the source of all the information on properties, causing the suspect purchasers, aka prospects, to come to you, the agent. The result; the consumer was trained to be dependent on real estate sales agents.

Manipulation.  By the time I got into the business, agents and brokers had perfected the methods of withholding information. They were even trained to manipulate buyers and sellers to work solely with them. It could have been a Parker Bros. game named “Let’s Call a REALTOR.” You start by rolling the dice to see which part you would play – Consumer or Listing Agent. The Consumer moved first, they were to call the Listing Agent and get as much information about a specific property as s/he could without giving any information on themselves. If you were the Listing Agent, your job was to get the consumer’s name, address, telephone numbers, checking account numbers, and first male born child before divulging any info on the property. It’s hard to believe that some agents still play this game!

Technology Ticked Slowly

The real estate industry has been slow to accept technology. At first, it was just an easier way to obtain Multiple Listing Service (MLS) information than leafing through the books (MLS catalogs). But later, it became a threat.

The threat was in the form of public access to MLS information. The idea that the public would have access to the same information real estate agents and brokers had struck fear into their hearts. They cried out in pain, “The buying and selling public won’t need us!” And REALTOR Associations, real estate companies, MLS’s everywhere began to clamp down on what they now call “Proprietary Information”, aka exclusive property listings. After all, it was ‘their’ information, ‘they’ owned it, and, if they didn’t want to share, it was ‘their’ right.

Forced Independence. The tighter they held on to the property information, the louder the cry of INDEPENDENCE from the buying and selling public! The fight was on. And, quickly, the Internet became the consumer’s vehicle of choice for property searches for two reasons; speed and autonomy. Not newspapers, not flyers, not yard signs – all were too confining, too time consuming, and dependent on the agent. Consumers went to the Internet because they didn’t want to give their name, they wanted property information on their time schedule, and they wanted it NOW.

Agents were in the way. Besides, they had spent years on ‘Personal Promotion’. You know, the me, me, me, me, me, me, and look at me Ego Marketing Mania! Well, no one cares! It’s not that they don’t like your photos, your billboards, your “I sold Millions” marketing. Actually, the Independent Consumer appreciates the entrepreneurial spirit. They just want to know, FIRST, What’s In It For Me! (WIIFM).

I’ve been teaching WIIFM for years – not many have listened. It’s actually hard to hear over your inner voice of WIIFM. But, just like your teen children and King John’s Barons, they want attention, they want to be noticed – that’s a sign of Independence – the need to be recognized as Independent. I’m OK, You’re OK.

Technology Feeds Independence

How great this age of technology where, as promised, everything occurs at the speed of life. Okay, many things. However, evolution appears to be happening exponentially because of world interconnectivity. Read The World is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman. Real estate has been brought to the pinnacle of awareness by negative media and recognized at the forefront of the consumer’s mind – and it is being well fed.

House Mania TV. To accept this, simply turn on cable TV and you’ll literally see hundreds of hours of programming: Flip This House, Bought & Sold, Buy Me, Designed to Sell, Desperate Spaces, DIY to the Rescue, Curb Appeal, Double Take, Don’t Sweat It, Dream House, Find Your Style, Get It Sold, Fun Shui, Get It Together, Ground Breakers, Hidden Potential, Homes Across America, House Detective, My First Place, House Hunters, My House is Worth What?, House Hunters International, I Want That!, National Open House, If Walls Could Talk…, Offbeat America, Over Your Head, Property Virgins, Takeover My Makeover, reZONED, That’s Clever!, Rip + Renew, What’s With That House?, World’s Most Extreme Homes, Secrets That Sell, Sensible Chic, Sleep On It.

The Independent Consumer is being recognized. They have been schooled in front of the tube, coached on how to avoid the agent, buy from the owner, get the best price, fix it for cheap, decorate it to sell, and flip it for cash. Watching to reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad to Flip It, the Independent Consumer cuts a wide swath through market after market with the conquering stance of Attila the Hun.

Independent Consumers gobble up top-selling business books like Freakonomics, A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side Of Everything. You know, the one written by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. They informed the consumer of the REALTORS’ secret cipher and how to decode it. Some how, I never received my decoder ring.

Secret Decoder Ring

For example, they state that “fantastic” and “charming” is real estate agent code for the house doesn’t have any specific attributes worth describing. “Great neighborhood” signals buyers that, well, this house isn’t very nice but others nearby may be. An exclamation point in a real estate ad is bad news for sure – a bid to paper over shortcomings with false enthusiasm.

The title of Chapter 2, How Is The Klu Klux Klan Like A Bunch Of Real Estate Agents?, pushed my buttons enough to start a running diatribe with the authors. It also fueled the Independent fury of the consumer. And, furthered their disdain for ego ads, ego web sites, and ego marketing and sales pitches of any kind – like how many millions agents have sold.

Pulled in by the hype and the fact that it related to their job, real estate agents, brokers, and wanna be’s were glued to the same TV shows and read the same books. “Ah ha”, they cried, “they really don’t need us” and “Ta Da,” the surge of discount real estate companies! Yup, offices, real and virtual, opened en mass to feed the greed of the independent consumer. Three percent, two percent, one! And, still the independent consumer wouldn’t bite.

Who Was That Masked Man?

Real estate consumer awareness and consciousness had never been higher or more Independent. Lending institutions saw the light and ran to fulfill the demand for the American Dream of home ownership. With a multi-year history of rising home prices, lending institutions hired anyone who could fill out a form, rushed them through school, and “Out of the west with a cloud of dust and the hearty Hi Ho Silver, the Loan Arranger!”

They flooded the market with easily bundled and sold SUB-PRIME loans! After all, they are called sub-prime for a reason! Anyone could get a loan on real estate. “Yea,” cried the market! And EVERYONE bought – Dependents, Independents, and even a few real estate agents.

Bubble Bubble Toil And Trouble

When the housing market cooled in early ‘05, the naysayers were quick to blame everything – the Internet, over-inflated prices (true in many areas), sub-prime lending (again true), aggressive lending practices (true), and, Al Gore and global warming. I blame the naysayers and the real estate industry’s inability to respond quickly to the consumer need for independence.

Why blame the naysayers? It’s simple, 70% of the people who hold licenses make less than $1,000 a month. “Does that include part-time?” In my humble opinion, there is no such thing as part-time agents; there are productive and non-productive. I think most will agree with me that at $1,000 per month, 70% of the people in real estate are failing in business. People who fail in business almost never accept that it’s their fault. Therefore, when the bump appeared in the market, they roared their discontent. Add this to predatory lending practices and you get what we got.

It’s a rhetorical question but who does the media listen too? The loudest voice – and, when that voice says, “Oh, the market’s down. Listings aren’t selling. I can’t find buyers. I’m starving. Sellers are in trouble.” The media quickly jumps in. Agreed, there are struggling areas of the country, but more areas are holding their own. And it’s business as usual. After all, it’s called the market not the sure thing! The market is ALWAYS up and down. However, negative media generates consumer reluctance. And that, too, is normal. Remind you of King John?

Acceptance Of Consumer Independence

Real estate professionals slowly learned that when suspect buyers or sellers land on their web site, they don’t want to jump through hoops, they don’t want to fill out forms, they don’t want to disclose what they are looking for, who they are, or how much they earn. They want to see HOUSES and they want to see them NOW! If a real estate web site doesn’t give them what they want, they leave and never come back.

Companies and associates that didn’t understand this, and some still don’t, lost valuable market share. Still relying on brand loyalty, many dinosaur companies lumber about claiming that the Internet will be the downfall of the real estate industry like it was to the travel industry. To this I say, “STOP IT!”

Real Estate Information Is Everywhere

Look at REALTOR.com, Zillow.com, Google.com/Base, Trulia.com, and others that provide real estate information on every city, village, and town at the click of the mouse. These companies don’t want to be in the real estate business like the real estate community feared. They are in the information business, a model whose revenue is based solely on ad sales. In an open forum with Saul Klein at last year’s NAR convention, Rich Barton, Chairman and CEO of Zillow and Justin McCarthy of Google said they want to be the real estate information source for the real estate industry and the consumer. Why not! It’s not the agent’s job anymore.

According to a recent California survey, 86% of buyers use the Internet as part of the real estate purchasing process even before they start looking for specific homes. And 100% said they started looking at houses first, agents second.

‘Second’ is good news. At least they are looking with agents. Here is what is happening – with ALL the information available to ALL the consumers, the FED’s clamping down on mortgage lenders predatory practices, negative media, consumer reluctance, and non-productive agents falling out of the business like flies, those remaining are banding together in Interdependence.

A New Dawn Of Consumer Interdependence

Real estate finally caught up with what’s happening on the Internet. Face Book, My Space, RealTalk, ePROTalk, and Personal Blogs, People; i.e., consumers, gathering together in a ‘Community’, a ‘Social Network of Knowledge’ – an open sharing of information, available for discussion, and input of others. Wow, did we just meet at Runny Mead for a beer?

Look Out Meteoroligists – It’s Time For The Realoligist

No more coveting information and knowledge – a transparent real estate market! I want to have a morning show on television that gives daily real estate market updates. Imagine me with a big map of the US showing population gains and losses – area by area, city by city, housing prices, what’s selling and what’s not, and what’s in demand. The number of homes sold, newly listed, average days on market, and market absorption rate.

Talk about a social network of knowledge, it’s Interdependence to the fullest. Each morning, we highlight a different city. Divide the city into sections, like most cities are already, and give the same information we have been giving for areas of the country. Add another feature on employment figures, specialty job markets, and cost of living indexes – wow, what a show. A real reality show, I guess I’ll call Trump.

Gifts From The Evolved Consumer

Let’s look at the bottom line of this Consumer Evolution. A huge percentage of the population of America has the dream of Home Ownership. Because of this Evolution, real estate is now more accessible to more people. This free market, built around a social network of knowledge, will make buying, selling, speculating, leasing, renting, and developing real estate easier than ever. And, no one person or industry will hold the keys to the kingdom. Productive real estate associates will get out of the information booth and step up in stature to that of real estate advisor, and consultant.

The numbers of non-productive real estate associates will dwindle as offices become smaller and brokers refuse to support them with desk space. Every time the market staggers, the industry loses a great number of non-producers and those who just age out. But this time will be different; smart connected agents will take their place, polish the profession, and prosper.
The Evolved Consumer knows the value of the real estate professional. Yes, they have the information, but they don’t have the time and knowledge to put the transaction together. Their demands are strong. They want fast response – e-mail isn’t fast enough – text messaging is. Your smart phone is the office of the connected agent who can be and live anywhere. What once was a 24/7 profession is now more like a 4/7. The time agents save with virtual transactions, text messaging, and fewer showings pays off BIG.

Dependence, Independence, Interdependence

It’s not a Fad for a fad is revolutionary. It’s a TREND which is EVOLUTIONARY! Viva the Evolution, where smart hard working people pool their knowledge and information for the betterment of all.

(Rossi, Certified e-PRO Trainer, ROSSI Speaks, inc. Edutainer, Humorist, Coach, & Bon Vivant, and author of Dog Eat Dog & Vice Versa: 9 Secrets To Put the Bite Into Your Marketing.)