Real Estate Survival Guide

Today’s episode is all about dreams. We’ve talked about dreams before on the show and about working hard for our goals, but today I want to encourage you to have a big dream. While doing real estate coaching in the membership I see so many people talk about the dreams they have, but they don’t have the goals to get there. I love the quote, “A goal without a dream, without a goal, is just a wish.” So many are just wishing for success. Today we check into our Airbnb here in Florida for a five-week stay and I’m pumped. My in-laws are coming down to visit and we’ll check out a few spring training baseball games. We have several family members coming down at different points and we’re really excited. But how did this get started? I’ve mentioned my friends Vincent Pugliese and Ken Carfagno in previous podcasts. I watched Vincent and his wife Elizabeth build a life of freedom where they could travel every day and I told myself I wanted that for my family. I dreamed about it, but I didn’t do anything about it. I worked a W2 job where I got maybe three weeks off a year…I would never have been able to spend five weeks in Florida like I am now. I had the dream, but I didn’t have any goals to get there. So, I encourage you to dream big, but have big goals to go along with them so that you can make it happen. Remember, a dream without a goal is just a wish. Once I got into mastermind and had some success in real estate, I told my wife that if we could pay off the house, we could book a month in Florida. At first it seemed crazy, but the more success I had the more the dream seemed possible. We worked hard, paid off the house, and booked the Airbnb in Florida. We’ve dreamed about being here for the past nine months. I love real estate and the opportunities that it’s presented to me. I love that I can take time and be with my family. I’m here for five weeks, but I’ll still work every day—maybe an hour or so in the morning or evening. I’ll still record podcasts and still be interacting with real estate clients. The cool thing I learned from Vincent was total life freedom—time, money, and location freedom. This is one of the reasons I’ve doubled down on the efforts to grow the membership, because if I’m providing value and the membership is growing like it has been, I can build the membership to the point where it produces a decent income. I would have the freedom to be on a beach in Florida, the mountains in Poconos, or travel the world and go to Italy. I’m able to work anywhere I go. In a span of three months the membership went from making very little money to having a recurring $1,500 a month. That amount hasn’t changed my life, but $1,500 a month is $18,000 per year—and I did that in just a few months. Imagine if I continue to double and triple down on growing the membership—imagine multiplying the current amount by 5—then I go from $18,000 a year to $90,000. That sounds impossible until you start. That’s why we’ll talk more in the next few weeks and months about building things to have multiple streams of income. That dream you have is possible if you have the right goals. I see myself continuing to grow the membership, I’d love to be at $5000 by the end of the year—and that would be $60,000 a year. That would allow me to sell less houses and to be able to pour more into my members and growing the community. I want to encourage you to have a dream and a goal—remember you need to have both. Our dream was to pay off the house and have money to travel to Florida. The goal was to save the money to pay off the house and still have money left over to be able to take a month off. The thing I love most about the business I’ve created is that I can work from anywhere. I can still talk and work with clients, still rate contracts, and still do my membership calls from the poolside or the beach. I have the freedom to do those things, so let me encourage you—your dream may seem like a long way off, but it’s not too far off. Remember, I was broke and feeling like we weren’t going to make it just a few years ago in 2020. Your dream is possible—put it along with the goals on a vision board and then work hard. You’ll make it. Thanks for listening. Feel free to reach out if you have questions and I’ll talk to you soon.

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

We’ve been talking about Chick-Fil-A this week. This past Monday we talked about Chick-Fil-A putting their emphasis on leadership (rather than investing), and Wednesday we interviewed my brother-in-law, Brad Burkholder, an operator. Today we’re going to talk about how we don’t have to be on the clock 24/7. So many Realtors feel they must be on the clock 24/7—always answering their phone, always available. But this isn’t the case. I have a cut off time where I no longer answer calls for the night, and I often sleep in because I stay up late working in the evenings. It all goes back to setting boundaries. Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays. Truett Cathy wanted his employees to be able to go to church and spend time with their families, so he was committed to being closed on Sundays. He got a lot of flak for it with people telling him he wouldn’t make money or that he wouldn’t survive, but if you look at the numbers today, Chick-Fil-A is making more money in less days per week than the other restaurants. I really feel like a lot of this success goes back to the operator and the fact that they are often involved in supporting their community. When a business supports the community, the community wants to support them. That’s something that can be applied to your real estate business as well. If we look at some numbers, we find that the average McDonald’s franchise does about 3 million a year in net sales. Burger King does around one and a half million a year and Wendy’s brings in about 2.17 million. So, McDonald’s brings in the most of the three. If we compare McDonald’s with Chick-Fil-A—the average freestanding Chick-Fil-A makes more than 8 million dollars in sales a year. Many of the operators I personally know who own stores bring in way past 10 million, but even on the conservative side of 8 million a year, Chick-Fil-A is doing more than two and a half times the volume of McDonald’s. Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonald’s are open seven days a week, sometimes 24 hours a day and don’t bring in the sales Chick-Fil-A does while being closed Sundays and being open less hours daily. So, when you get frustrated as a Realtor and feel like you have to work constantly to have success—think again. Chick-Fil-A’s business model has shown that you don’t have to work 24/7 to be successful. Even if you’re only open six days a week and have limited hours, you can have a lot more success than your competitors. I hope you can think about this with your real estate business and learn to say no to working all the time. You need that balance. Thanks for listening to the podcast and I’ll see you guys on the next episode.

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

Brad Burkholder has been a Chick-Fil-A operator for 11 years and been with the company for 12 and a half. He is currently the operator of the freestanding restaurant off Lindle Road in Harrisburg. He is a wealth of knowledge with a lot of wisdom to offer entrepreneurs. He is also my brother-in-law and a big supporter of the show.

“I'm really grateful for my time at Cairn University, which allowed me to understand I could do business for the glory of God, and that's really where it came to life for me.”

“I always say the valley is where we learn our character and our true commitment.”

“I always encourage entrepreneurs, find someone that you can delegate the things that you don't want to do or that you're not good at, and find those people, delegate to them—usually they're way better at it than we are.”

• How being an entrepreneur can be a calling
• Brad’s introduction to Chick-fil-A in college
• What it is like to be a Chick-fil-A operator — in good times and hard times
• How Brad balances work and family
• Lessons on generosity and character that he passes on to his team members
• Hard times he endured and his advice to Realtors who are struggling
• How his faith carries him through the struggles
• The importance of rest and recovery when you’re working hard
• Characteristics that entrepreneurs and leaders share
• Tips for managing a team and delegating
• The benefit of being part of a coaching group
• What is your legacy?

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

Today we’re talking about leaders versus investors and the differences between the business practices of Chick-Fil-A and McDonald’s. There are several different companies I have always felt have great lessons that can be applied to real estate, and today we’re going to talk about Chick-Fil-A and McDonald’s—specifically the process to own one. I’m a big fan of Chick-Fil-A. I spent several years there and dreamed of being an operator, but it wasn’t a good fit for me and didn’t work out. It did get me into banking and then real estate though, so I am forever grateful. I love the company and love a lot of people that work there, but today I want to talk to you about the process you go through to own a Chick-Fil-A versus the process for McDonald’s. How much do you think it takes to own a McDonald’s or Chick-Fil-A? To qualify to own a McDonald’s, you need a net worth of around $500,000 in liquid assets and pay a $45,000 franchise fee. If you want to open a completely new McDonald’s franchise, you will need upwards of 1.3 to 2.3 million, and even if you are buying an existing franchise, you will still need a million dollars. There is no mention of any leadership skills required, no program you must attend, just the money—you basically must be a millionaire to own McDonald’s. Now what does it take to become a Chick-Fil-A operator? Here is where the difference lies—Chick-Fil-A is looking for leaders and McDonald’s is looking for dollars. This difference isn’t necessarily good or bad, just the difference in how they run their business. McDonald’s doesn’t care how often you are in the restaurant. You can own the business and be there every day or not at all, it makes no difference to their business model. Chick-Fil-A requires you to be there full-time, or a little less if you have a great team—Chick-Fil-A is your primary income. I’m not saying one of these models is any better than the other, but it’s interesting to look at the differences. If you want to be a Chick-Fil-A operator, you apply for their leadership development program. They send you all over the country to help different locations with getting up and running, or you might work at the support center in Atlanta until they send you to your new restaurant. That’s how I met my friend Jonathan. A friend in Pittsburgh had left to open his new Chick-Fil-A restaurant and Jonathan came to work as an interim manager and ran it as if it were his store. It’s extremely hard to become a Chick-Fil-A operator. In fact, it’s much easier to get into Harvard. Harvard has an admittance rate of 3.2%. You are guaranteed to get McDonald’s if you meet the financial requirements, so there isn’t an admission rate at play there. Chick-Fil-A only plants 75 or 80 new franchises each year because they’re doing it all in cash. So, they’re admittance rate is basically 0.5% to become operators. You can see there are some differences between becoming a Chick-Fil-A operator and becoming a McDonald’s owner—it all comes back to leadership or dollars. I hope this makes you think about what you value in your real estate business. Are you trying to grow as a leader and become better? Or are you an investor who doesn’t really care about the leadership skills? I hope you lean more toward it not just being about the dollars. You want to focus on the leadership. You want to give your clients the same kind of service they give at Chick-Fil-A—where everything is their pleasure. You know you get terrible service when you walk into a McDonald’s—that’s because owners don’t have to be in the restaurant making sure their employees have a good set of core values. Even 15- and 16-year-old team members go through a pretty rigorous hiring process with Chick-Fil-A. They want the best of the best and as a result, they end up with employees that stick around. Make sure that you are invested in the success of your business. Be passionate about your business and make sure you’re working it full time. This is why I believe Chick-Fil-A operators have so much success. We’ll be talking more this week about Chick-Fil-A’s business model and how it can help you create success with your real estate business. I’m looking forward to it.

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

While attending PodFest a week or so ago, I had the TV on in my hotel room and caught some of the analysis on for the AFC Championship game. As I listened, I thought how they spend so much time, so many hours preparing for the games that they almost run out of things to talk about. I’m an Eagles fan, so I’m thrilled that it will be the Eagles against the Chiefs for the Super Bowl, and I’m really hoping the Eagles will win. There have been thousands of hours of analysis to prepare the fans for the Super Bowl—imagine if they did all the analysis and had all the conversations, but didn’t play the game? That would be crazy—but this is a struggle I see Realtors having a lot. They think about what they can do to improve their business, but that’s ALL they do. They have talked and prepared and prayed and planned, but at some point it becomes time to stop preparing and take action. The time for analysis is over—it’s time to play the game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about dreaming. If you’ve listened to my podcast for any length of time, you know I’ve probably got more ideas than anyone in the world. Even with all the plates I have spinning, there comes a time where I’ve processed enough and it’s time to get moving. I encourage you to do the same. Don’t have so many ideas that you don’t take action. I hope you can apply this to your real estate business. If you’ve been discussing and thinking for a long time, maybe you need to make that jump–make that decision. Make sure you’re moving forward. The biggest struggle is overthinking, and the only bad decision you can make is not making one. Stop overthinking and start making decisions. I hope this helps you in your business and I hope the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Go Birds.

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

Katherine’s background is in management, medical administration, and she is an agent service coordinator for one of the largest real estate brokerages in the world. Her desire is to help agents and entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves by getting organized, mastering their mindset, and by helping them accomplish more. Katherine has recently launched a podcast called Real Chat with Kat where she brings in a variety of coaches to give people a different approach to growing their business.

 “I think the biggest piece of advice that I give people is really focusing on how they view themselves.”

“You need to establish what am you are willing to put up with and what is not worth your time.”

“I personally think that success is moving forward, whether that's an inch or a mile. Success is different with every single person, and I think that's a word that we get stuck on wholeheartedly because we look at other people's success—we measure their success, and we feel bad because we are not there.”

• How and why she transitioned into real estate
• Helping with “The Startup Agent” and what she loved about the book
• What Katherine looks for in the people she works with
• The importance of investing in people
• How she encourages her Realtor clients
• The problem with perfection
• Why you should only take clients that align with your avatar
• Establishing boundaries—what to say yes to and when to say no
• What to do when you don’t know all the answers (and how to find them)
• Mirror and Matching—how to read your clients
• Katherine’s advice to a new Realtor

Katherine's Podcast: https://realchatwithkat.podbean.com/

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

Last week I was at PodFest, connecting and meeting with people and supporting my friends. When it was time to leave, I had a conversation with someone who didn’t feel like they made the connections I did—that the event wasn’t valuable. This person was a friend of mine, so we interacted a bit, and I noticed that every time we would go into a session, they would sit in the back. That’s why they weren’t making connections. I learned from Vincent Pugliese, Ken Carfagno, and John Stange that you only make connections by putting yourself out there and introducing yourself. You have to drag that extroverted side out of you at events. Justin Schenck has an amazing podcast and is considered an influencer. I’ve had him on the show, and he’s been a great encourager. Sunday when things were wrapping up, he invited me to come sit down with group of big influencers he was with, and I was able to meet some amazing people. Being willing to put yourself out there is how you make connections and meet people that will be in your corner and include you—when you don’t really have the audience or the relationships to sit with people who are influencers of that level. This friend who hid in the back of the class didn’t ask any questions, didn’t support the people who were speaking, and therefore didn’t make any connections. He didn’t have the amazing experience that I had at PodFest this year. I sat in front, asked questions, raised my hand, and introduced myself and my podcast when I was called on. I met so many people that way. At Podcast Movement this past year, my friend Ariel called me out and asked me to talk about my podcast simply because I asked a question. As a result, I connected with a bunch of Realtors and my show grew a lot. However, people who come to the events, sit on the sidelines, and don’t try to make connections leave feeling shocked that they didn’t build any relationships or get anything out of the event. If you have a platform and you’re trying to build it like I’m trying to build mine, let this be a lesson for you. This is a lesson for Realtors as well. Why are you not making connections and meeting people? Are you spending too much time hiding in the back of the class? Of course, you don’t want to be that person who comes in like a bull in a China shop—dominating the conversation—there has to be balance, but get out there. Don’t sit in the back, staring at your phone. Introduce yourself to the speaker and thank them for their time. Put yourself out there—go out in your community, serve at church, serve for nonprofit organizations, or just go sit at the coffee shop and have conversations with anyone who comes in. Ask to buy them a cup of coffee. There are so many ways to grow your business and if you are continuing to struggle, you are not using the resources available to you. I told my friend that if you hide in the back of the room, the back of the class, you won’t make any connections. They didn’t like what I had to say, but it was true. I would encourage you in whatever you’re building—your podcast, membership, real estate business, or whatever to build relationships. Show up and put yourself out there. If you can do this, you will create success. Thank you so much for listening. 

Resources 

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

Real Estate Business News

It was a big month in my business—in everything I’m building with real estate, the podcast, and the membership. I’ve been inundated since the first of the year with people looking to buy or sell a home in 2023. In January, I added at least four new clients that are going to buy or sell over the next few months. I’m really excited about it—I couldn’t ask for a better start to the year. I’ve been having a lot of good conversations and follow ups with people who have been reaching out about real estate. The follow up is so important and something we will be talking more about on the podcast. It’s always a great idea to reach out through text messages and social media to wish your contacts a Happy New Year and update them on what’s happening in the real estate market. I’ve had a few clients who put their plans on hold for one reason or another, but then I added those 4 or 5 new clients, so I’m happy with how my year is going. New buyers, two settlements (including my settlement for our new home—it’s a good start to the year to have two deals close and add in new buyers as well.

Community for Realtors

I’ve been doing the podcast for almost two straight years now. I’m looking forward to putting out more podcast downloads and increasing listeners every month. I made some great connections at PodFest. I was there about a week and just got home late Monday night. It’s amazing how many people come to these events, and I always make great connections and try to help people (and let them help me as well). I always hate to leave my wife and kids, but these events are so valuable—I learn a lot and get a lot out of them. I always go to help others and serve, but when you do that others will think of you and help you grow your business as well. I’m very thankful for the people I met there and the help they brought me. I hope I can help them as well. The membership community is continuing to grow, and big things are definitely coming. We’re about 27 in the membership community right now, and add one more member most weeks—that’s a huge win. If I could gain 50 members this year, I would take that in a heartbeat. I’m doubling down on all my efforts with the membership and continuing to have conversations where I talk to Realtors. I do my best to try and serve them, but I do have a business to run. I have a family to feed, and the membership is part of that. The more I make doing that, the less houses I need to sell. If I were to add one member a week, even at the lowest tier ($50), that would be $31,000 a year from the membership community. That would be a game changer, so that’s why I’m so focused on building the membership. I’m excited about the membership, continuing to have great conversations, and continuing to do the free social media audits. I’m excited to see where this year goes.

On the Home Front

We took most of January to get settled into our new house and sell our old one—that settlement should be the end of March. In a couple of weeks, we’re going down to Florida, which I mentioned earlier this week. We’re very excited about spending that time with our families. I’m very thankful for how God continues to bless our family and thankful for my wife, Valerie. She continues to support me and takes care of the kids for an entire week while I go to events like PodFest.

Thank You

Thank you for being a part of this and for supporting the show, sharing it with people, leaving reviews, and helping the show grow. I appreciate it so much. Whether you want a free trial to the membership, social media help with your business, or if there is anything I can do to help you in your business. Anything to help your business thrive and grow, or support and encourage you along the journey, I'd love to do it. Feel free to connect with me. Thank you for listening. Thanks for supporting everything going on here. I’m excited about the possibilities of 2023! See you guys on Monday.

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

The podcast is edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails.com. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

Andy Welk leads our team and is a full-time firefighter and paramedic. Thanks to his schedule at the firestation, he is able to put in full-time hours with his real estate business. The knowledge and information Andy has gained over his 14 years in real estate will help you create success in your real estate business.

 “My biggest focus with my real estate career is that it isn't my success—God is the one that gets all the glory for all of this.”

“You have to watch out on your social media pages, the audience that you're playing to.”

“…it's a long game. It's kind of like a 26.2-mile marathon…you don't go one mile in and give up.”

What led him to pursue a second career in real estate

How he has the time to work two full-time careers

Why it’s hard to do real estate part-time

How he handled the crash of 2008

Why having conversations creates success

What Andy does special for first responders who refer to him

The importance of creating relationships where you are

The value of social media as a free resource to promote your business

Making the most of your drive time

A Realtor’s biggest tool

Tips to make connections

How to prepare buyers for buying a house

Advice for Realtors who are building teams

The importance of writing things down

Why you should have a business plan

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener. 

What’s next? I’ve been asked that question frequently over the past month. Some thought I was stopping the podcast, or changing the format or length, etc. First of all, things are not changing—I’m so excited with what we’re doing with the podcast, how we continue to grow, and am thankful for all of you. I took a break from recording new episodes the last couple of weeks in December as we moved to a new home. We took January to get settled in and take a mental break. It was a fun break, but I couldn’t wait to get back to it. This is the longest I’ve gone in the past two years without recording a podcast episode, so it feels weird, but I’m fired up about the things that are coming. The biggest thing for us right now is the move and getting settled in the new house. We listed our old home, and after three weeks, we got a great offer and are looking forward to settlement in March. The next big thing for us will be a month-long trip to Florida the middle of February. We’re excited about having real estate in a good enough place that I can take time away with my family. It will be a nice few weeks away from the cold and it’s really been a dream of ours that has come out of paying off our house and being debt free. Our families will come down to visit with us during that stay, so it’s going to be great. This is exactly the freedom Vincent Pugliese taught me about. I’ve watched him and his family go for a month here and there, enjoying time together, but I never thought it was possible for me. But here we are, so that’s a big “what’s next” for us. Even though I’ll be away for a five-week vacation, I’ll still have responsibilities for the team that I’ll work on every day, and I’ll still be recording podcast episodes. I’ll be sharing what we’re learning in our season in Florida and our journey there. Maybe I’ll go to a Phil’s game one afternoon, work a couple of hours in the morning or evening. I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy being in Florida with our families. The only thing I won’t be doing is showing houses—I can still make offers, write contracts and send them, and be on FaceTime or Zoom looking at houses with them. The cool thing about real estate right now is that so much of it is done digitally. My clients have been super supportive of it. I’ll also be exploring opportunities that have come out of the podcast and exploring the membership, which is growing and up by about 25-30 people. What’s next for that is to double down and help people grow their real estate business with low cost, but high value membership through the Real Estate Survival Guide membership community. We’re also going to have that second-tier people were asking for, the Real Estate Survival Guide Mastermind Community. I’m going to continue coaching, although I’m super limited on that. I don’t want to coach all day, every day, because it takes up so much time, but it will be a small part of what I do. We also hope to explore opportunities in our family of rentals. I’ve been looking at places in Pennsylvania and some in Florida—Airbnb’s and things like that with higher risk, but higher reward. The biggest thing remains helping people—helping Realtors find success. That’s what I love doing, so I just want to continue having great conversations with people about real estate and putting out that free content three times a week. I really appreciate you listening, and if you want to help me out, think of one person you can share the podcast with and pass it along. I would really appreciate it and it would help the show tremendously if each of the hundreds of people who listen every month share it with just one person. I’ll see you guys on Wednesday with our first interview of the year, and it will be a great one. Looking forward to it.

Resources

Free social media coaching calls are back! To schedule your free social media coaching call go to: https://calendly.com/realestatesurvivalguide/social-media-strategy-for-realtors

Podcast edited by Kenny Carfagno.

Show notes and blog posts are created by Jennifer Harshman and RealtorEmails. John Schuchman is a licensed REALTOR® in Lancaster, PA, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty and a part of the Andrew Welk Group. The opinions shared on this show represent the opinions & values of John Schuchman and do not necessarily represent the opinions & values of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The opinions & ideas shared in this podcast do not guarantee or promise any results of success to the listener.