Real Estate Survival Guide

Business is good. I had a bit of a lull and enjoyed it, as my last settlement was the end of June. It gave me time to build my membership, podcast, and relationships with clients. I have a couple listings coming up and six or seven active buyers. Some have been putting in offers and we've just missed a couple times.

As I was thinking about this episode, I thought back to last year when I shared my October business update with you guys. I was happy with where my business had gone. I think at that point, I’d doubled my income. That had been the goal. And then from October to the end of December, I made enough money that I then had tripled the income from the year prior.

The membership continues to help people grow and develop in their business, and I'm super excited about that. We have about 20 people in there now. I'm seeing the potential for this to be something that really helps Realtors. I am offering 30-day free trials to the membership. You know how to reach me to get one.

I continue to be excited about the progress of the podcast. I've really invested a lot of time, energy, and resources to grow the show to improve it in terms of editing, done by Kenny Carfagno, who does an amazing job; and show notes, where Jennifer Harshman does a great job, and that's a way to reach people.

I never thought I would have a “team” building my podcast, but that's what happened. I’ve hired someone to book me on other shows, and September was our first month doing that. I’ve been on quite a few already, and the goal is to be on five to ten a month. It's a great way to get the word out and grow what I'm doing. I’m very thankful for the team and how Jen has kind of taken over that role of booking me on podcasts.

I continue to be very thankful for how our family has been blessed. We’re all a little sick with a fall cold right now, but it’ll be fine. You know how it goes.

Thank you for being a part of this and 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, really, anything I can do to help you in your business and help your business thrive and grow, support you 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.

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. 

Summary:

The amazing opportunities are through open doors. I am constantly encouraged and energized by watching the people around me and how they get to grow. Amazing opportunities and platforms and through all the different things they're doing through books, memberships, communities, podcasts, all those different things. And almost every time I talk to successful people about what they're doing, I am constantly encouraged by how they walked through open doors, how they took opportunities not knowing where it was going to take them, but just trusting themselves, trusting God, trusting the situation, and just knowing that it was the door they should walk through.

On today’s episode, I share a story about a friend of mine who has been podcasting for several years with no monetization on his shows, and suddenly was approached by one of the biggest networks. He is now making $300,000 a year for doing what he was already doing for free!

I asked, “What were the numbers like at the beginning? And he told me, “Oh, you know, I had a couple downloads on each episode, and it usually was me making sure the episode posted or a family member trying to support me.”

He could have gotten discouraged those few years ago that no one was listening and stopped, but instead they remained consistent and continued walking through open doors. So this person now has more than a full-time income from it. Almost all of us would be super happy with $300,000 a year and would have no complaints.

I just started doing things, walking through open doors, and who knows where it goes? Will it be a $300,000 a year thing? Probably not. Will it be a $100,000 a year thing? Probably not, but I won't know that until I walk through those open doors.

If you are out there doubting yourself, I just need you to hear this. I don't care whether you're five years old or 50 or a hundred, I don't care if you. Or a realtor or a writer or a construction worker or a police officer. I don't care what it is. What I know is that there's opportunities through open doors to build successful. Again, platforms, memberships, podcast, books, et cetera.

All of those things come through walking through open doors and taking those opportunities. Just start taking steps, stepping out in faith, and beginning to build something. You have the wisdom and knowledge to build something unique and special, where you can really serve people and help people and wake up excited every day.

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. 

Jeremy Allen is a great friend of mine who runs No BS Branding. Jeremy has 22 years of experience as a designer working in various industries including publishing, advertising, internal marketing, and design. He uses his expertise to work with small businesses through a simple and straightforward process to improve their brand and elevate their design so that they can make their businesses run better.

Quotations

“Each block builds upon the others so that the decision-making process gets faster, easier, and clearer so that I don't have to show you five different versions and allow you to be the decision maker—because what I've done in the beginning stages set the foundation so that you don't have to make the hard decisions.”

“Ultimately, I give you the ability to take everything out of your brain, put it down on paper…where it's there for you to look at for you to reference or for anybody you interact with.”

Branding is such a huge part of being a successful Realtor. Are you the agent who is known for leaving no stone unturned when helping a buyer find the right property? Maybe you're the fun one who makes the whole process less stressful.

Listen in to find out what Jeremy has to say about the importance of branding in your real estate business.

• Why it is important to have branding and not just a logo
• How to discover what you have to offer.
• What your brand is saying when you're not in the room
• Why Realtors should hire someone to do their branding

Total Life Freedom

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Jeremy Allen’s Website

Jeremy's Facebook profile

Summary:

Have you checked the fluids? That is how the conversation starts every time I call my mechanic, the amazing J&C Auto in Lancaster, right off Whitmore road. They’re the best mechanics I’ve ever known.

There's a great lesson in every conversation I have when I call the mechanic. Now you might be thinking, well, that's kind of a silly question. Of course, he checks the fluids. Why would the mechanic ask? And let me just say, I'll have to give a special shout out to my stepdad, Rob.

Rob spent years and years trying to teach me how to fix cars, change my oil. I was not interested. Some people have different interests and gifts. I just was never interested. Even now when there's an easy fix, I would much rather pay the mechanic to do it because I don't wanna mess something up. I don't really have the time, and I don't enjoy it. I want to do the things that give me energy, that I enjoy. The reason that Jerry or Colin or Ethan or whoever answering the phone at J&C auto always says to me, have you checked the fluid is because for so long, I did not check the fluids.

I would drop off a car and say, it's making a weird noise. For years I thought my transmission was going every single time that I called them. Oh, it's shifting weird. No, John, you just don't have fluid. Imagine, every time these guys answered the phone, they were like, oh, here's John again. He hasn't checked the fluids.

I was not doing those basic things. I was not checking the fluids. Often, this happens in the real estate business. I chat with Realtors all the time now through the membership community and just talk to them about what they're doing, how I can help. And they are not doing the basic things. They haven't even told anyone they're a Realtor. Well, how, how can I help you grow a business when no one knows you are Realtor?

So many Realtors are not doing the basic stuff.

And when I talk to you, and you tell me you're not doing the basic things, I think to myself, you're crazy. It's stupid. Just like it's stupid that I wasn't checking the oil or adding transmission fluid. A car needs to have their fluids.

Maybe you are not having success because you haven't checked the fluids. You haven't done the routine maintenance on your vehicle.

I would really encourage you to think about this in your business. Have you check the fluids? If you haven't start doing it, start regularly, checking the fluids, start regularly, making sure you know the basics of how your business runs, and make sure you analyze them. Check those things to make sure that you are a well-oiled machine.

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. 

Summary:

We’re going to talk about aces in their places today. Aces in their places means having the best people in the best role and best position for them. One of the things the team leader and I do is talk about growing a team and being leaders on that team. I've learned recently in the past couple months that there are certain things I'm good at and certain things I'm not good at. I'm super good at the sales, the relationships, and those kinds of things, but I'm not super great at details or paperwork. I’ve been going back to aces in their places, and I want to share the story of where the term came from and how I’ve been using it in my business. Hopefully it will help you in yours.

During my time working in management at Chick-Fil-A, "aces in their places" was a phrase I had when someone would want to learn a new position. I told them to come in midweek when it was slow, and I would train them. See, I needed aces in their places during our peak times—it really meant the best people were in the best position for them to create success.

Let's bring it back to your business. What are the things that you're doing that you're not the best at. Maybe there’s something you really want to learn, but is the busiest time of the day in your busiest time of real estate the time for you to be learning the stuff that you're not good at? That's the time to have ACEs in their places—you in your best position. What are you sacrificing if you're not in your best position? I know I’m good at relationships and people, but not details and paperwork. So, I hired someone to take care of those things so that we could have aces in their places, and I was able to do what I was best at for the business.

So, what are you doing in your business? Where do you need to practice this?

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.

A real estate agent in the Englewood, Colorado area, Alexis works at eXp Realty, LLC. She helps people reduce homebuying stress as she educates them about the housing market. Alexis is a 25-year Wall Street veteran who has held key roles with several of the nation's top financial firms. She moved from New York to Colorado in 2018 where she is crushing it in real estate as a leader in luxury listings.

I'm excited to bring Alexis on the show, as she's in a completely different part of the country than I am, and she's so knowledgeable. Join us to find out what she has to say about our industry and how you can be more successful as a Realtor.

Quotations

“Align yourself with people that are doing what you're doing and just model whatever it is they're doing.”

“You have as much success as you prepare yourself for.”

“Now that I'm mentoring agents, I'm trying to really figure out how to give them my ‘secret sauce’—which is just work ethic.”

“You cannot sell real estate from inside your house.”

• How Wall Street prepared Alexis for success in real estate    
• The importance of trusting your instincts        
• How Alexis transitioned from finance to real estate            
• How to get out of your head and make the important decisions       
• The importance of hard work and preparation·        
• Alexis’s advice to struggling Realtors

Facebook and Instagram: Keeping It Real Estate

YouTube Channel (Upcoming): Keeping It Real Estate

eXp Realty, LLC Office

9800 PYRAMID CT STE 400

Englewood, CO 80112

(888) 440-2724 Phone

Her website

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.

Summary:

This episode is about foolproofing your business, steps you can take to protect yourself against any economic downturns, serious illness, or unfortunate circumstances. I love getting into discussions about real estate, finances, financial peace university, and Dave Ramsey's program and plan. When I get great questions, I love including them in podcast episodes. Normally they are from Realtors, right?

I heard a great question the other day from my friend, Jonathan, who operates a great Chick-fil-A up in Reading. Jonathan and his wife and their kids were over at our house. He had just heard my business update for August, and he said, “So you had no clients, right? You said that it was nice to kind of have a break right now. Can I ask you, when would the break go from relaxing  and enjoyable to stressful, from a financial perspective?”

I loved the question. I don't know that I gave a great answer at the time as we were sitting there having dinner.

In this episode, I share with you guys what foolproofing my business means to me. So I want to know that if something happens to me, right, my family's not gonna be destitute. That's why we're still saving money.

One way I foolproof my business is living way below our means. Listen to the episode for more.

Summary:

On this episode, I talk about something that recently shook me and really made me think. “You're being selfish.” Those were the first words out of Vincent Pugliese's mouth on a recent mastermind call in Total Life Freedom. His words were directed to another member who was thinking about starting a community or a podcast—coaching and training people to do what it is that they do. And when the topic of a membership or a podcast came up the member said, “Well, you know, I, don't really want to do that. I just don't have the time—I've got so many other things going on.” There was a little bit of a shock at first, but then we got into a great discussion about what happens when we don't do things.

The basic point is that you are being selfish by not sharing what you're doing. You are doing a disservice to others by not being willing to share your knowledge. I’ve been guilty of it as well. Maybe I was feeling inadequate or maybe it was imposter syndrome—there were all these reasons and excuses for why I pushed back on the membership and community for so long.

We’ve talked about how to pitch and how not to pitch. I didn't want to be salesy. But it’s a disservice to not tell people about what I’m doing—a disservice to those people by not being willing to share how I have grown my business, my podcast, and the membership. I am being selfish.

Whatever it is, you are being selfish by not sharing the valuable information that you have. What you have to offer may not be a big deal to some people, but it will be very special to others. Listen in for more.

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. 

Christina Diehl is a Realtor in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She knew she wanted to be a real estate investor since she was a kid. She now owns a portfolio of short-term and long-term rentals that contribute to her financial freedom. At the age of 40, she has been a full-time Realtor since 2010. In her free time, she stays involved with the community by volunteering in various governmental and nonprofit organizations. Recently she published an Amazon bestselling book, Money Girl, that aims to provide a financial education and inspiration to children all over the country. It is her goal to change the trajectory of future generations by ensure their understanding of debt and how money works.

“Once you start buying investment properties, you become addicted to it and you just want more and more and more because you see how that passive income just becomes part of your life and you see how easily it can be made. My dad was a landlord, so that's what kind of showed me that I wanted to also be a landlord. I saw how that worked, and once I started buying properties, I couldn't stop. I remember even at one point telling my friends like, okay, I'm done now. I'm not buying anymore. And then the one day I was sitting for coffee with a friend, I was like, so guess what I did, she's like, you bought another property. And I was like, yeah, it almost became a joke. And that was a few properties ago.”

"Your time in the market is way more important than timing the market."

• Why it makes sense to buy a property that is cash flowing only a couple hundred dollars a month
• What made her decide to write the book and what that process was like
• Which things Christina considers before she makes investing decisions
• How to run the numbers if you’re risk averse
• What she advises landlords to do about the horror stories
• How to decide on properties in a crazy market
• Why you can’t have a “job on the side” if you want to be a Realtor

Money Girl

Facebook page: Lancaster Homegirl

Her website

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.

Summary:

On today’s episode, I want to talk to you about becoming good at hard conversations. Some conversations, especially about money and compensation, can be hard and awkward, but if you aren’t going to stand up and advocate for yourself, who will?

When I was young and applying for a W2 type job, I asked for more money than was typically paid for that position. It wasn’t because I was greedy, but I knew the experience and familiarity I was bringing to that institution, and I felt I deserved more money. I felt the value I was bringing the organization was worth more money. I became a good advocate for myself—because I got good at hard conversations. I got good at saying, this is the value that I bring to the company and the organization. I think a lot of this comes down to how much you believe in what you're doing and how much you believe in yourself.

As a Realtor, you will encounter hard conversations in your business. Suppose you were to change companies and ask for a higher split than their normal percentage. They will want to know what value you bring to the company that deserves a higher split than the norm. What will you say? You can’t just sit and stare back at them—you have to be your biggest advocate and get good at the hard conversations. What if a client comes to you asking why they should list with you when there’s a discount broker that has a lower commission? You need to be prepared to advocate for yourself by telling them what you bring to the table and what your company brings to the table. Tell them that you deserve their listing because you know the quality of the work you do, know that you’re going to communicate well with them and outwork any other agent. Then provide your client reviews to prove it. Don’t run away when people question your value and don’t try to change the subject to avoid hard conversations.

Real estate can be very hard. If you embrace the difficult, stretch those muscles, get better at the things that are hard, get better at talking about the hard stuff, talking about your value, and talking about what your compensation should be—get better at having those kinds of conversations—you’ll have more success in your real estate business.

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.