Real Estate Survival Guide

A powerful phrase

I want to talk to you about the power of the phrase “I decided.” This episode has been one I've been thinking about and processing about for a few weeks since I came back from the TLF retreat in St. Augustine.

In this episode, I explain why this phrase was so meaningful to me and why I think it can be a game changer for your business as well.

Entrepreneurs, including Realtors, can have mindset issues.

• We tend to doubt ourselves and our abilities.
• We think we’re not good enough.
• We tend to underprice our products and services.
• We hold ourselves back from bigger deals because we think we don’t belong there.

At the retreat, someone was talking about when they raised their prices, their business grew quickly because people suddenly saw the value of what they were doing. I wish I could give credit to that person, but I don’t remember who it was.

Then Vincent said, “Well, how did you decide what you were worth?”

And the person responded, “I decided, and it was that way.” It's such a simple thing, but it's so profound at the same time.

At the end of March I shared about a luxury listing and meeting the clients and how I felt like an imposter. But I knew if I could just get a seat at the table, I’d have a chance at success, and I did, and I did a great job with that listing.

You don't need permission to raise your prices. You don't need permission to say, “I'm a great listing agent. I can list luxury properties.” You just need to decide and believe in yourself. And that's what I really want you to hear from today's episode: the power of "I decided."

No one gave them permission to say, “You can raise your prices. You can charge what a professional would charge for this job.” They just decided.

Changing what you're saying

How often in our real estate career, are there things that we could be doing or growing in or having success in, but we are too scared. We have this imposter syndrome.

What if, instead, I decided I am worthy of these things. I am a great person, whatever the job is. Realtors, say, "I am a great realtor. I am worthy of getting these amazing big listings." What if we just decide and stop waiting for someone else to decide for us?

And so I would encourage you guys in your real estate career. What would your life look like? What would your business look like if you just stopped with the negative self-talk?

Saying, "I decided"

Just say, “Nope, I'm deciding that I'm doing this.” What would that look like? Where would your business be in a year or two years? If you just stopped waiting for permission and started deciding that you're going to do these things.

I want you to say to yourself, no, I decided, I just decided that I'm going to do this, and I'd love to hear about it. If you think about this and it helps your business, I'd love to hear from you guys.

Show notes and blog posts brought to you by HarshmanServices.com and RealtorEmails.com

A huge thank you to Jennifer Harshman and Harshman Services for sponsoring today's podcast episode. Jennifer and the team at Harshman Services do an amazing job of helping businesses grow and become more successful and organized by using blog posts, search engine optimization, and email marketing to reach your clients. I'm so thankful for how Jennifer and her team have helped me become more successful in my business. If you're a Realtor, you often get stressed and want to work smarter, not harder.

You need something that you can set and forget. So check out what Jennifer has built at RealtorEmails.com. She has an amazing offer and affordable tools to help you become more successful with no extra effort. I'm so thankful for the team at Harshman services and RealtorEmails.com for being a part of helping my business and for sponsoring the podcast.

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. 

On today's interview, I am so excited to have Jorge Avila with us.

About Jorge Avila

This episode has so much for you. Here's a little about Jorge:

• Realtor in the Dallas area
• Aims to make the real estate transaction fun, inviting, and seamless for everyone involved
• Real estate investor and founder of a realty group
• Extensive background in the industry
• Deep understanding of buying, selling, negotiating, and local markets
• Wide array of skills
• Christian
• Married father of eight children
• Homeschooling parent
• Involved in church and volunteering

Jorge and his wife are in the parenting stage where “We can actually go out on dates now and do dinner together and even get away now and then.” He gives advice to agents who are parents. Being the father of eight children, he has the experience.

Follow the twists and turns Jorge life has taken through the housing bubble, career changes, cross-country moves, and children (eight!) growing up,

Find out the following and more:

• What is Jorge retirement plan, and is it for you?
• What motivates him?
• What do real estate, marriage, and parenting all have in common?

I appreciate you guys so much for listening, and I will see you very soon. If you enjoyed this episode, we would appreciate it. If you'd leave us a review on iTunes. That helps others discover the show. Thank you so much, and we will see you on the next episode.

Show notes and blog posts are brought to you by HarshmanServices.com and RealtorEmails.com

If you're a Realtor, you can get stressed and want to work smarter not harder. You need something you can set and forget that will grow your business automatically, so check out what Jennifer Harshman built for you at RealtorEmails.com. I'm so thankful for the team at Harshman Services for being a part of helping my business and for sponsoring the podcast.

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. 

“Who are you putting over” is a phrase I heard from my mentor and friend Vincent Pugliese. If you have no idea what that phrase means, don’t worry. We get into that in this episode.

Vincent talks about this on his podcast in an episode titled Who Are You Putting Over?

I'm not going to pretend to understand wrestling. Apparently, when there was an up-and-coming wrestler, for that person to be accepted by the fans, one of the famous and beloved wrestlers had to let the new guy defeat him in the ring. They called it “putting him over.”

Great example of putting someone over

On his podcast, Vincent often talks about Seth Godin, who is huge in the entrepreneurial and marketing space. Vincent had given Seth Godin a copy of Vincent’s first book, Freelance to Freedom. At an event that evening, Seth was taking questions from the audience, and he held up a copy of Vincent’s book and asked him to tell the audience about it.

He did such a great job of putting Vincent over. That was a big part of growing what Vincent has built.

Vincent puts people over. He’s mentioned me on his podcast when I really did not deserve it. He didn't do it for any other reason than to help me. As a result, people who might not have known about me are finding me and my podcast.

I think about the amazing people in the mastermind community that I spend Tuesdays with:

• John Stange
• Ken Carfagno
• Kent Sanders
• Wendy Norman
• Michelle Williams
• Jennifer Harshman
• Courtney Wisely
• Vincent Pugliese

So many of these people have put me over. And I am so, so thankful because they didn't have to do it. You've heard their names before because they are helpful people.

That inspires me. I want to do a great job of putting people over. I am trying to do this more. When I have people for interviews on the podcast, some of them have never done a real estate deal, or they have a smaller platform than mine. I don't care. I just want to help them and be a small part of helping their business grow.

Takeaways

If we want to be successful Realtors, there are some things we must do. Here are two. 

1. Remember to reflect with thankfulness on the people who have helped us along the journey and brought us up to a level where we really didn't deserve to be at the time.
2. Give back or pay it forward.

Think about this in your real estate business. Whom are you putting over? Who has helped you?  Who has really brought you up without expecting anything in return?

If you can put people over, if you can really serve their needs and just try to give and help others just like those wrestlers who put someone over.

Show notes and blog posts are brought to you by HarshmanServices.com and RealtorEmails.com. Grow your business on autopilot with the Realtor email package from 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. 

Realtors can struggle so much with self-doubt, feeling like they're not good enough, smart enough, or experienced enough. I want to share with you the mindset shift that I've had over the past few months and why I started to believe that all I need to be even more successful is a seat at the table.

The mindset shift

I had been thinking, John, you're not good enough. You don't normally list properties like this and. You just don't have the skills required for a listing like this.

I shifted to thinking, I just need a seat at the table, and I’m halfway there. Then, all I have to do is show the client I am the one for them, and then deliver in a way that makes them want to scream my name from the rooftops.

Here’s how it happened.

• I had been in the mindset of being a hundred-thousand-dollar listing kind of agent. There was a ceiling to the price of the listing I would take, although I didn’t even realize it was there.

• There was an opportunity for me to ask for a million-dollar listing, but I was too scared to ask, and I missed out.       

• My limiting beliefs about listing size started to become apparent to others and to me.  

• I decided that never again would I miss out on an opportunity due to fear. I would take the next shot.     

• The chance came not long after. I borrowed confidence from my mastermind peers, and I took action. I told myself I just need a seat at the table. Once I’m there, I can win the client.

• At the meeting, I presented confidently and showed the potential client what all I would do for them and made it clear that I was the one for them.  

• Leaving the meeting, I told myself that I don't need to be the best Realtor, and that I didn’t necessarily need to get that listing. I just need to get a seat at the table. I just need an opportunity to have the conversations.

• I realized that If I can sell one home in the million-dollar range, I can sell 100, and that would change my life.

• The client listed with me, and I'm so thankful. We listed a few weeks ago and it sold. It all went well.

Takeaways        

• If I can do it once (I can—I did!), then I can do it 10, 50, 100 times over.         

• If I can do that with million-dollar-plus listings (I can!), I’ll be closer my goal that I've shared with you of making more money this year but working less.

• If I can do it, you can do it!

Wherever you're at in your real estate career, whether you just became a Realtor and haven't done any deals yet, whether you're making millions of dollars a year in real estate, I want to encourage you to get a seat at the table. It all starts there. If you can get people to meet with you, then you have won half the battle. If you just get to the table, you've given yourself a great opportunity to land the client.

Then you just have to be you and be a great Realtor. I hope this helps.

Show notes and blog posts brought to you by HarshmanServices.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. 

Interview with Money Honey Rachel Richards

Real estate investor and author Rachel Richards is part of the Total Life Freedom community that I'm in. She is an amazing entrepreneur. At the age of 27, Rachel quit her job and retired. Living off over $15,000 per month in passive income, she has made a name for herself in the personal finance realm.

She has been featured on Penny Hoarders and The New York Times and contracted to speak at colleges. She is a former financial advisor and a real estate investor with almost 40 rental units. Her valuable lessons have helped thousands of female millennials work their way out of financial despair, and she has successfully done what no one has done before: made the topic of money management, fun, entertaining, and simple.

Rachel has also been featured on amazing top podcasts, like the FI show and Bigger Pockets. She has also been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, and in Forbes.

In this episode, find out these things:

• How she was able to retire at 27
• How she published her first book and why it sold so many copies
• What her main source of income is
• Things she learned from going viral on TikTok
• Six strategies for investing
• How long you have to stay consistent before you’ll be successful

Lessons Learned

• Almost everyone experiences impostor syndrome sometimes. It’s normal. Focus on the next step.
• Consider the gifts you’re withholding. How might those gifts help others?
• Keep going despite any doubters or detractors. The opinions of the people who aren’t in the arena like you are don’t matter.
• Have empathy and compassion for your haters. It’s a sad person who has nothing better to do than harass someone online.
• Start as soon as possible. Rachel said even though she started real estate investing young at 24, she would have started even earlier if she could do it over.
• Be patient; be consistent, do the things you are doing. Never give up, believe in yourself.
• Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission. You have permission. Just do it.

Resources

Read her books, Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement, and Money Honey 2nd edition (proofread by our own Jennifer Harshman). They're both amazing. Thank you again, Rachel, and thank you all for listening. I’m very thankful to have you guys along this journey, and I will see you on our next episode.

Show notes and blog posts brought to you by Harshman Services 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. 

If you have listened to the show for a while, you heard the episode titled "You Miss 100% of the Shots You Don't Take." If you did not hear that, please go back and listen to that episode.

Opportunities

• A friend had listed a million-dollar-plus home in the Philadelphia area and was asking me questions over the course of a few months. Because I was too scared, I never asked for the listing. I missed that shot because I didn’t take it.

• Then an amazing friend referred me to a client who was listing a home in the $1.4 million range. That would be a game changer for my business. If I was ever going to earn more while working less, I’d have to get listings in the million-dollar range. This one is worth probably five to seven listings in the Lancaster area.

Building trust with a prospective client

The seller interviewed multiple agents. I did what I could to build trust with them.

• I talked about all of the things I would do to sell their home.

• I showed them how I would go above and beyond.

• I sent them videos Steve Glick and Matt Peet shot of my clients saying things like, “John's a bulldog. He'll work hard for you.”

Then the client asked me a fair question: “Are you going to do a great job or just collect your commission check?”

I told them that the commission would be nice but wouldn't change my life. What would change my life and my business is doing such a great job that they refer me to 10 friends in the area and scream my name from the rooftops.

Remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

The verdict

They hired me, and the property listed a couple of weeks ago. I took the shot. I’m very thankful and happy with the results so far.

Show notes and blog posts are brought to you by HarshmanServices.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. 

Who is Shā Sparks?

Shā Sparks is the CEO—the chief excitement officer—of Sparks of Fire International, a certified fearless living coach and trainer. She hosts The Power of Investing in People podcast. She's the author of How to Get Your Voice Back and cofounder of the Firestarters book project.

Shā grew up with two parents and two older brothers in a seemingly normal life. She says it was awful, emotionally unavailable, and draining. It was not nurturing or loving. Now she is looking back and realizes she overcame much:  

• addiction
• anger
• depression
• being bullied
• being a bully
• low self-worth
• a 12-year abusive relationship
• the death of her mother, father, and brother in the span of 6 years

Despite all that, she was a high achiever, a top salesperson in about 15 salons for nearly 30 years. She now helps veterans turn trauma into treasure.

Shā had a tumultuous relationship with her father growing up but built a good relationship with him in the last few years of his life and learned a lot about him before he passed away. He often said, “I had no choice.”

That made Shā realize that she used that exact phrase often. She decided to become aware of and change how she spoke to herself. When she did that, great things happened.

Lessons learned

This amazing woman shared so many wonderful things, and we talked about so much. Here are some of the things:

• We need to get out of this mindset that says, “My worth is my job.”
• The law of reciprocity says that if you serve enough people, someone will come to serve you.
• When we learn, it's knowledge, and when we share, it's wisdom. Share more.
• Hoarding knowledge doesn’t do anyone any good.
• God whispers to us, and we follow through on that, and there's no time wasted. It's an opportunity.
• Continue walking through open doors, continue sharing our stories, and give people that tiny spark of hope.
• Everything is a learning experience. Everything that we do, every conversation we have, every single showing or thing in our real estate career is an opportunity to learn.
• Have a growth mindset.
• A huge mindset piece for Realtors and entrepreneurs in general is “No” means “next opportunity.” Something bigger is on the horizon.
• Look at what we're saying to ourselves, what we're listening to. If your team is not boosting you up, that’s too bad. How can you reframe it?
• Any business is based on relationships. You build that up by just being you, and then everything else will fall into place.
• Do something fun every day.

Remember: You can create success in this business. Don't try to be like me; be you. Be authentic. Be who you are, and it's going to come together.

Show notes and blog posts are brought to you by HarshmanServices.com. I'm so thankful for how Jennifer Harshman and her team have helped me become more successful in my business. If you're a Realtor out there, I know that you often get stressed and want to work smarter not harder. You need something that you can set and forget, so check out what Jennifer has built at RealtorEmails.com. She has an amazing offer and affordable tools to help you become more successful in your business. I'm so thankful for the team at Harshman Services for being a part of helping my business and for sponsoring the podcast.

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.

Cara is an amazing Realtor and a great example others can learn from. Here are 5 lessons from Cara:

• Communicate well and create great relationships.

This applies to your clients and to other agents. There are so many bad Realtors out there that if you’re good, you will succeed. There’s enough work out there for everyone.

• Keep learning and growing constantly.

This involves listening to others and asking questions. When I’ve said certain things on my show that Cara hasn’t tried yet, she messages me to learn more about it. If something goes wrong in a transaction, Cara is asking, “Okay, how can I learn from this? How do I make this experience better for the next person?”

• Ask for help.

I’m not great at asking for help, and I’ve learned so much from watching Cara do that. Be willing to ask for help when you need it. No one knows everything, and no one can do it alone. So ask for help when you need it.

• Apply what you’re learning.

Take the advice you receive, and run with it. Many Realtors ask me for advice, but most say, “No, I can’t do that.” Cara, on the other hand, is humble and finds a way.

She didn’t have social media profiles early on. I suggested she start some and advised her on how to grow her business with social media. When I told her about Sean Cochran, the Cowboy Realtor, she took that advice and ran with it. Like everyone else, she didn’t like being on camera, but unlike everyone else, she did it. She now has at least 1,200 followers on TikTok (and her following is growing). She can now go live on TikTok! She has far outpaced me there.

Any time I invest in Cara, I know she’s going to apply it. I am so impressed with Cara and proud of her for everything she’s done and keeps doing.

You all can do the same thing. Start with one of these lessons, and apply it in your business to help you create more and more success. Let me know how it goes!

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. 

In these episodes, I talk about what's going on in my business in real estate, podcasting, family, and the other things I am growing and developing.

Thank you to Harshman Services for creating our show notes and blog posts.

• 6 deals

• 3 closed in 6 days

• 2 possible settlements in April or May

• Biggest listing to date, in the West Chester, PA area

• Many lessons learned, which I’ll be sharing in the next few weeks

• 10th consecutive month of podcast growth

• On pace to generate 1.5 times last year’s income

• Working on the community that’s coming in April

• Still doing free calls for Realtors

• My son is 2.5 years old, and my daughter is 1 year old.

• Children growing up is emotional for parents.

• I’m taking time for my family.

So that's where things are at. There’s a lot going on. Thank you for listening. I really appreciate you.

What are you trying? In your real estate business, whether it be through social media, through something else, I just want to help you. If anyone wants access to me, they can listen to the podcast, hop on one of my free calls, and join the community.

Here are some things for you to keep in mind:

• Business can be stressful.

• Enjoy your downtime.

• What you focus on grows.

• Spend time networking. It pays dividends when done right and consistently.

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.

Thank you so much Allan Dubon and Black Label CXO for sponsoring today's podcast episode! Black Label CXO helps businesses all over the world achieve more organization and success in their business!

Black Label CXO has a an amazing system to help Realtors become more successful in their business. As a listener of this podcasts, you can receive a special offer from Black Label CXO. You can check out the special offer at: realagentsite.com/RESG

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.