Be Blessed in Real Estate

Most Podcasts don’t wait until episode 17 to introduce themselves, but that is what we are doing in this episode of self discovery. We think that as one year closes and one begins, it is a good time to take a break and get to know yourself.

We will be using the VARK model of learning styles to determine how we absorb information best and then we will expand that knowledge into how it can make us better real estate agents.

The acronym VARK stands for the four VARK modalities – Visual, Auditory, Read/write, and Kinesthetic – sensory modalities that are used for learning information.

According to the VARK website: VARK tells you something about yourself that you may or may not know. It can be used to understand your boss, your colleagues, your parents, your workmates, your partner, your customers, your teacher, your relatives, your clients, and yourself. It is a short, simple inventory that has been well-received because its dimensions are intuitively understood and its applications are practical. 

You can take the VARK questionnaire here.

As you begin to make your goals for 2025, we hope this exercise in self discovery will help you set more realistic goals and to document them in a way that will encourage and motivate you to have a great year!

Please share your results with us on our FaceBook Page.

Stacy mentioned the GrowthDay App and you can find it here.

Brenden Burchard is a best-selling motivational coach.

Our prayer is that this episode will encourage you to get to know yourself and learn how you can become an even better real estate agent. You will also learn how to communicate with your clients according to their sensory modality.

Be Blessed in Real Estate!

Our prayer for you this Christmas season is that you find blessing in the break from the normal flow of business. We recorded this brief episode to share the blessing of Christmas and to encourage you to take a breath to enjoy the Bliss of the busyness.

A few of the encouraging tips will include subtle changes like changing your voicemail greeting to be a blessing but to also set a boundary for you to be free from the phone on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas from Stacy and Danielle!

Let us know how you change your boundaries to make time for Christmas cheer with a comment on our Facebook Page.

Having an excellent partner in the real estate business who can tackle the closing issues of title is paramount to every successful transaction. In today's episode, we have invited Sherri Johnson of Legacy Land and Title to help us untangle the many aspects of title and title insurance.

Not only is it important to understand the title portion of the transaction; it is also important to have a relationship with the title company. We recommend finding a title company you can build a relationship of mutual benefit and then make it stronger with repeat business.

We discuss several personal stories around the title portion of the transaction and help bring clarity to many of the issues that can sidetrack our transactions as real estate agents.

We do not have to be the experts on title but we do need to know who to turn to for expert work. Find the title company in your market who holds the same guiding principles you hold dear.

Let us know how this episode blessed you by reaching out through our FaceBook page.

Until next time, Be Blessed in Real Estate.

In this episode we discuss the importance of the time for the buyer to investigate the property they are preparing to purchase. Whether you call it the Due Diligence Period, Inspection Period, Option Period, Termination Option, or Amendment Period, this span of time from 5 days to three weeks can be the most emotionally charged time of the entire transaction and the most vulnerable. We will dive into the details and help bring professionalism and calm to this part of the real estate transaction.

The key elements of Due Diligence are property inspections, title searches, reviewing neighborhood trends and zoning, understanding HOA rules and restrictions, ad financing considerations.

You, as the real estate agent, do not need to be an expert at any of these components, but you need to know the experts and be able to refer to your resources for the benefit of your clients and the transaction.

We hope this episode smooths out the roller coaster of this time period. Share this with other agents in your sphere and let us know how it helped you.

Message us on our Facebook Page.

Home Ownership is the American Dream:

Unlocking Your Best Move!

There are so many factors to take into account before making this most important financial decision. Today is full of so much data. We are simply going to list the data with their sources for you to use.

Home Ownership has always been a sacred American right of passage.

Reasons to Invest in your own home

Because you build equity, you build wealth….over time.

Stability - home ownership 

Emotional Benefits

You can work on your home and improve it, or just give it your personality.

1. Mortgage Interest Deduction

2. Property Tax Deduction

• How It Works: Property taxes on a primary residence can be deducted from federal taxable income, within limits.

3. Capital Gains Exclusion

4. Potential for Wealth Building

5. Tax-Free Use of Home Equity Loans

The graphic from our social media regarding this episode can be found on our FB page.

As always you can contact us on our FB page, or you can visit our newly launched website!

We continually strive to improve our podcast and become a better resource for you. Send us a message at [email protected]

#beblessedinrealestate

Welcome to "Real Estate Negotiation Unlocked," in this episode we explore the strategies, insights, and stories behind successful real estate negotiations.  Whether you're a seasoned investor, an aspiring homeowner, or a real estate professional looking to sharpen your skills, you belong here.

We want to credit the most famous negotiator, Donald Trump, who wrote the book, "Trump: The Art of the Deal".

Key negotiation skills essential for real estate professionals include:

As always, we would love to hear from you. Follow our Facebook Page and leave us a comment or question.

We want to thank Shaunna Lee for her help in making this podcast come to fruition.

Turning Pet Peeves into Best Practices:

How to Be the Agent Everyone Wants

Comment on our ⁠FaceBook⁠ page.

In this episode we discuss some of our pet peeves in the real estate industry. But, instead of just venting and complaining, we have decided to turn these pet peeves into best practices. We are going to improve our communication skills, response times, and other ways we conduct business by becoming the agents we would like to work with.

As we discovered a more excellent way to conduct businesses and cultivate relationships, we realized that we were striving to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit from ⁠Galations 5: 22-23⁠.

Here is what we decided to do:

1. Practice Empathy and Patience: Try to view things from the other agent’s perspective. Maybe they’re overwhelmed or new to the field. Empathy can help reduce frustration, and patience can keep the process on track.

2. Use Clear and Proactive Communication: If an agent has poor communication skills, set the standard yourself. Be clear and direct, reiterate expectations, and ask questions that guide them toward the outcome you want. Proactively sharing updates can also model good communication.

3. Set Boundaries Respectfully: If an agent is aggressive or inflexible, stand firm on your boundaries while remaining polite. For example, if they’re pushing for unrealistic pricing, provide data or examples to back up your stance.

4. Offer Guidance Rather Than Criticism: If another agent’s lack of preparedness or mistakes are causing issues, gently offer helpful advice. For instance, you could say, “I noticed we missed this detail in the contract. I found a quick solution if that’s helpful!”

5. Shift the Focus to Solutions: Rather than dwelling on the problem, aim to discuss how to move forward. A simple, “Let’s focus on what we can do next to make this work,” can redirect the conversation and keep things positive.

6. Give Constructive Feedback After the Transaction: Sometimes agents aren’t aware of their shortcomings, especially if they’re newer. Consider offering feedback after the transaction is complete—focus on what would improve future transactions rather than rehashing past issues.

7. Celebrate Small Wins and Progress: When a tough deal makes progress, acknowledge it—even if it’s just in your own mindset. Recognizing small steps can make challenging interactions feel more manageable.

8. Use Learning as a Tool for Growth: Reflect on what the experience has taught you or what you’d do differently next time. For example, if an agent was disorganized, maybe it motivates you to refine your own processes or document expectations more clearly.

9. Create a “Next Time” Strategy: If an agent continually misses details, decide how you’ll handle similar cases in the future. This could mean revising your checklist to prevent missed steps or deciding on phrases you’ll use to address issues diplomatically next time.

10. Keep Perspective and Remember the Big Picture: Real estate transactions involve a lot of moving parts. Sometimes focusing on the ultimate goal—helping clients achieve their dreams or getting deals closed—helps keep frustrations in check.

Approaching difficult situations this way can often help you feel more in control, and you might even end up building positive relationships with agents you initially found challenging. In the end, this is how you are "blessed in real estate".

As always, you can send us an email to ⁠[email protected]

Your database is the beginning, middle, and end of Success

It can be super simple, or as complex as you want or need. Let's dive into what a database is and how it can provide the pathway to success for your real estate business.

As always contact us at [email protected] with comments, questions, or topics you would like us to present in future episodes.

You can also find us at BeBlessed Podcast Facebook Page. We would love to hear from you!

What is a database? It is simply your contacts and a way to maintain relevant with them. You need to stay in front of them so the next time they need your expertise you are the one they call, text, email, or message.

Who is on your Database?

You do NOT need to put every individual from every transaction into your database.  It is perfectly fine to delete entries from your database who were not a joy to work with and you can put people into your database who you hope to do business with in the future.

Examples of databases:

Now, how do you keep in touch? Consider birthdays and Christmas cards. When you are scrolling on your social media and the birthday notification pops up, do you send that person a “Happy Birthday”?  If not, you may take them off your database.  That is okay, if you are not comfortable reaching out, give them a last birthday gift and “unfriend” them.  The same with Christmas cards, if you are not comfortable sending them a Christmas card with your family portrait, maybe they are not a necessary member of your business.  Remember, your database is the BASIS of your business and it should work for you and not be a burden. We love our database and we are truly thankful for EVERY entry!

Start keeping your Real Estate Business alive with Database!

When you think about onboarding to a new real estate office, it can be overwhelming.

Today’s episode will be an open discussion about onboarding processes and the lack thereof.  This is by no means an exhaustive study of the intricacies of onboarding, but this episode will give you a great overview.

One real estate agent at our office said the hardest part of onboarding is re-networking with a new office. It doesn’t matter how nice, accommodating, and helpful, the exercise of reintroducing to a whole other group of professionals can be daunting.

Danielle thought she would NEVER leave her first brokerage. So, when the decision was made she had to recreate myself: logo, Letterhead, Signature, etc. And, she had to complete it quickly as she was in the middle of several transactions.  Here is a list she created to help her be thorough.

Website recreation

New Email

Database - our next topic will be all about database, for now 

Social Media updates

Professional Profiles

Other Applications

Items most likely on Dani’s list

Current Transactions

Google yourself and see what comes up.

"How to Choose a Broker" is the true title to this episode as we will discuss all the issues around finding the perfect match for you.

As always email us at [email protected] with comments, questions, or ideas you would like to hear about on future episodes.

Stacy has never chosen a broker as she was literally "born" into real estate with both parents managing their own brokerage for decades before Stacy joined them. However, she has been interviewed hundreds of times by agents choosing a brokerage. She feels that she has given her business to the Lord as a "Kingdom Business" so her view is when agents choose her office, it is truly meant to be and when people choose to leave, it is still meant to be. She does not fret over the numbers or feeling rejected because the Lord will always take care of her. She currently does not operate in the brokerage position as her team is part of a the World's First Cloud-Based Brokerage, eXp Realty.

Danielle has chosen a broker twice in her real estate career. She explains that it is important to understand the demographics of the brokerages you are interested joining:

* The mix of new and veteran agents

* The on-boarding process (see episodes 9 & 10 for this topic)

* The training programs

* The lead opportunities

* The commission split

As a new agent you may not even know what you are looking for so interview at least three brokerage offices before choosing. Questions to ask:

* What tools do you recommend?

* What support do you offer as a broker?

* What are your core values for the office?

* Do you meet regularly?

* What is the emphasis of office meetings? Are they driven strictly on performance or do they encourage giving back to the community and personal growth?

* The commission split discussion will need to be addressed before the interview is over, but it does not need to be the first question.

There is more to know about the numbers than just the commission split.

Real Estate has many specialties. Residential, Commercial, Farm and Ranch, Luxury, Multi-Family, andResidential Leasing are some of the most common. You need to know if the broker supports the specialty you desire to promote.

It is a good idea to go to a sales meeting before choosing and meet a few of the agents. You want to understand the 'vibe' of the office and it needs to be compatible with the environment you enjoy.

Most importantly, you are interviewing the brokerage, not being interviewed. Every brokerage is looking for production and wants you to join them. You need to make sure you will be encouraged to perform at your highest potential.

On the other hand, if you find that you have changed brokerages several times, you need to evaluate the real issues. It is costly, both financially and in terms of time, to switch brokers. Rebranding yourself takes energy as well so make sure you are changing for the right reasons.

The obvious reasons to change:

Ultimately, you need to way many issues before choosing a broker and the weight of the decision is multi-faceted and should not be taken lightly. We hope this episode has helped you in your decision or at least given you something to think about.