We often get the question “what is the best way to generate leads in today’s market?” For Bernie, she sums it up as TTP (talk to people). For Steve, it’s building relationships and showing Outside the Box problem solving. What it all comes down to is building Relationship Capital with everyone you can, meaning potential clients and within the industry itself. Any relationship that you have or enter into has the potential to become future business.

 

The old school way of business was that every relationship was an opportunity to do business. That isn’t how things are done today. People are more likely to give their business to someone who they know and trust rather than someone who is constantly trying to sell them something. That means that the hard work of building that trust should be in the front of your mind when building relationships. The goal is to have a deep well of Relationship Capital that you can draw from that both drives your business and positions you as a leader in the market.

 

The Three Steps to building Relationship Capital:

 

Give without asking for anything in return. As you would do with any friendly relationship, you’re offering yourself as a listener to learn more about what the other person’s situation is. You’re building trust that you’re not only there to sell them something.

Add value to people’s lives consistently on whatever platform you’re comfortable with. In other words, however you stay in contact, whether be it through email, social media, or a good old phone call, make sure you’re always adding value to the relationship.

Once you’ve built that trust, position yourself as a solution and ask for the business. People like to do business with people they trust and appreciate. Finding solutions to their needs both helps develop trust and pays off that trust at the same time.

 

“The goal in creating or investing in relationship capital is to constantly be giving so that you are the person that is there when they are ready to do business.” – Steve

 

“Sometimes people are trying so hard to make success happen that they lose touch with who they are.” – Bernie

 

“If you can get people to share with you the things that matter to them, their family, their occupation, what they do for recreation, and their dreams, it inevitably leads to real estate.” – Bernie

 

“You’re spending a bunch of time doing lead generation, but how much time are you spending cultivating relationships with other agents?” – Steve

 

Books Mentioned:

Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen by Steve Sims https://www.amazon.com/Bluefishing-Art-Making-Things-Happen/dp/1501152521/ref=sr_1_1?crid=YTVP282F5ORM&dchild=1&keywords=blue+fishing+book&qid=1611820657&sprefix=blue+fishing%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

 

7L: The Seven Levels of Communication: Go from Relationships to Referrals by Michael J. Maher https://www.amazon.com/7L-Levels-Communication-Relationships-Referrals/dp/1942952473/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1EEREMOBOI8QW&dchild=1&keywords=seven+levels+of+communication&qid=1611820791&sprefix=seven+levels+of+%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-1

 

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Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

This week we want to take your investor mindset and turn it back on yourself. Coaching, mentorship, and Brain Trusts are some of the best ways to invest in yourself both professionally and personally. First, let’s get the purpose of these investments straight: it’s about keeping yourself accountable to your goals, and to give you those Outside the Box ideas that can help you take your business to the next level. 

 

Coaches – A coach is there to help you make those changes in your business practices to get more out of yourself. Do you need to be making more calls? Set more appointments? A coach can help you set metrics to keep you motivated.

Mentors – A good mentor can help you grow into the professional that you want to be. A good mentor can help you change your mindset and build professional and personal confidence. They are there to share their knowledge with you on what made them successful.

Brain Trusts – This is almost like a business support group, all like-minded professionals that share their experiences, successes, and failures on a regular basis. Brain Trusts can be invaluable in putting things into perspective and to keep yourself accountable and forward looking.

 

Assess where you are and where you’d like to be when considering if you want to start with one, or all three of these investments. Like any investment, make sure you do your due diligence on what works best for you. Steve recommends these three considerations:

 

Don’t be afraid to look outside your industry. Learning practices from other industries can give you that outside the box inspiration to advance to the next level of your own profession.

Is it MONEY that you have more of, or TIME? If you don’t have the money to hire a coach or join a mastermind, consider creating your own tribe of like-minded people that can meet over coffee or lunch.

Do your research and ask for referrals. This is especially useful in finding a mentor that fits with your goals and making the most out of the time invested together.

 

“This is really an investment in yourself. What will be the pay off?” - Steve

 

“I've always loved this equation: activity plus behavior equals productivity.” – Bernie

 

“It's easy to be motivated and inspired. It's harder to be disciplined and committed.” – Bernie

 

“To be coachable means you're flexible. You have to be willing to try things that are outside the box that you haven't thought of.” – Steve

 

“Being coachable is being open to failure.” – Bernie

 

Additional Materials:

 

The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes https://www.amazon.com/School-Greatness-Real-World-Living-Leaving/dp/1623369029/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=School+of+greatness&qid=1610950484&sr=8-1

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho https://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho/dp/0062315005/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Y2PQOZ82M7XU&dchild=1&keywords=the+alchemist&qid=1610950783&sprefix=the+alch%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1

 

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=traction&qid=1610950831&sr=8-1

 

For the Love of Money Podcast with Chris Harder Episode 72: How GIVING AWAY 25% of Their Income Made them MORE MONEY with Steve Valentine https://open.spotify.com/episode/0a34Uh2vSK9ztbDmRMf4EB?si=_w4Nkb4ZQ0yZl_efuByHCQ

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

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Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

Real Estate is the best way for the average person to build personal wealth and in today’s market having an Investor Mindset is what’s going to get you to that goal. No matter if a client is looking to be a first-time homeowner or looking to move out of their current home, having this mindset can help get the most out of their investment. The idea of converting a home to a rental can seem like a big responsibility, and for that reason people will rule it out as a possibility. Like any risk, if it’s well managed and planned it can be a solid family investment.

 

Here are a few things to consider getting yourself into the Investor Mindset:

 

When buying a house always keep open the possibility for rental investment in the future. Whether or not a new home is eventually turned into a rental, keeping future investment in mind can get a jump on things from day one. Understanding what your buy box is (does the property have a pool, HOA, what is the state of the roof, etc.) can make the investment lucrative in the future.

 

Be prepared to make it a Long-Term investment. Making improvements to the property can increase value while decreasing long-term liability (invest in tile floors, granite countertops, etc. to keep the property as tenant proof as possible).

 

Use all the tools available to make the investment worth it. Property management companies can keep things professional between the homeowners and tenants, benefiting both parties and saving on having to make those highly emotional decisions.

 

Buying a home can be one of the biggest investments that a person or a family will make. Getting into the investor mindset can help make the most out of that investment not only to secure a place to live, but a future for your family.

 

“Anybody that owns a rental property, or owner occupied, with the rates right now, the interest rate in that mortgage alone is worth its weight in gold.” – Steve

 

“My dad used to always say that we're in the people business, not in the housing business.” – Steve

 

“Instead of thinking about it as buying it as your house or your home, think about it as an investment.” – Bernie

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

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Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

This week we continue our deep dive into what to expect from today’s market, and how to use that to really present yourself as an advocate for your clients. Even though we’re coming out of the holidays, the Real Estate market has not shown any signs of slowing down. That has made market outsiders think that there’s going to be a crash like 2008, and they want to wait it out until that happens. But this is a much more stable homeowner driven market, so that brings us back to last week’s saying: if you want to be successful, you have to be ready to jump and pull that trigger. So, what can you as the agent do to ready yourself and your clients for today’s market?

 

First time home buyers need to have realistic expectations. Demand is high for real estate which has changed what kind of houses are available for certain price ranges. That’s not to say that homebuyers can’t land a house that fills their needs, but the era of big houses for low prices is over in Arizona.

Homeowners looking to get into another house need to consider all of their options. It used to be that homeowners who were looking to upgrade would just sell their house and find a new one with ease. With interest rates where they’re at, and the demand of the market, keeping the old house as a rental may be a better path toward getting the upgrade that they’re looking for.

Do your due diligence as a representative. The more preparation you have with your clients exploring every option they might have before making offers (refinancing, renting out their old property, price points and down payment options) the more success can be had at landing that dream house.

 

Most important for agents looking to be successful in today’s market, and we want to restate this, is do your due diligence as a Real Estate Representative. It sounds like it doesn’t need to be said, but so many failed closings are because of the inexperience and lack of attention to detail on the part of the agent. It is so important to remember that you are representing people’s dreams for their lives, and they deserve your best efforts to represent that.

 

 

QUOTES

“You’ve got to be ready to pull the trigger.” – Steve Valentine

 

“Arizona is seeing closings in numbers like we’ve never seen before.” – Bernie Espinosa

 

“This is not a market to play with someone’s dreams.” - Steve Valentine

 

“The art of negotiation is getting what you want, even if the other person perceives that they won.” - Bernie Espinosa

 

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

Follow us on social media!

 

Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

Today’s housing market is not one for the faint of heart. It is a complicated jungle even for the most experienced agents out there. This is why today’s episode focuses on being prepared, because as Steve says: “It’s not if, it’s when, and be prepared to pull the trigger.”

 

When new homebuyers decide that they are ready to jump feet first into the market, more and more they are finding a market that is not very sympathetic to what they want. Homes are being sold faster than our prospective clients realize… often before the buyers have even had a chance to physically see the house. It is important to have a knowledgeable agent who knows the landscape of the market and can help to guide through the knowns and unknowns of buying a house.

 

Be Prepared to Expect the Unexpected

 

If you’re not prepared for how turbulent the current market is, representing first time home buyers can be discouraging. That house that they had set their sights on might be gone before they have a chance to meet with a lender, and even if you get the house there might not be any opportunity to negotiate any details past just the purchase. Being prepared in this market means getting ready before getting into the market at all. Here are some important tips to consider:

 

Take time to be a real estate professional that is knowledgeable and experienced in the local market. A good agent will not only prepare clients for what to expect, but also guide them through the process and make sure all considerations are taken.

Start preparing at least 90 to 120 days before clients are ready to look for a house. The more time you have to get paperwork prepped and lenders ready, the faster your reaction time when their dream house goes to market.

Understand why they’re getting into the market in the first place. If your clients are first-time buyers, ask them questions like: are you considering what the future of your investment might hold? If they’re not a first timer, discuss: are you looking to buy so you can capitalize on the market for your current property? Opportunities to build wealth through your best asset, your home, is at an all-time high and something that an experienced agent will be able to guide their clients through.

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

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Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

“Know who you are and who you’re not.” – Bernie Espinosa

 

This simple phrase is so important for understanding what you want to bring to the table as an entrepreneur. Sometimes it’s tempting to shape who you are to conform to what might seem like a model for success. But conforming to someone else’s standard of success has the effect of cutting what makes you unique out of the picture. “Nobody wants real estate professionals that are paid actors,” Bernie says, “they want to meet a real person.”

 

Know who you are:

 

Who is your Customer Avatar? (This also known as your target audience, or the type of client you most want to appeal to.)

What are the things that you are the most passionate about, both professionally and personally?

What makes you excited about being an entrepreneur?

 

It is important to understand that your first answers to these might not be the whole story. Don’t beat yourself up if you end up going down a road that doesn’t work out for you. The important thing is not to get it right the first time, but to really find what works for you, what stays true to who you are, and what makes you excited to keep moving forward.

 

Though the business might remain the same, the market is ever evolving. How business is being conducted between agents and their clients shifts and changes over time. Understanding this and evolving with the market while still remaining genuine to who you are, what you're passionate about can help move through those changes and keep the enthusiasm of your success.

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

Follow us on social media!

 

Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

Many of us had grand New Year’s resolutions for 2020, only to have them smashed to pieces by living through a global pandemic. We have a different way of thinking about goal setting that is far more flexible and goal oriented: 90-day incremental goals. This is a way of setting goals we want to accomplish on our own schedule, making them more attainable and able to change course if and when circumstances change.

 

Key points of the 90 Day Goal Set

 

  Set goals for yourself on your own time schedule. 90 days isn’t set by yearly quarters, or month, but when you’re ready to get started on your goal. It can begin at any time, and so there is no excuse to put it off

 

  Set a reasonable goal that can be achieved in increments during that 90 days to track yourself. Seeing results is key to maintaining your goals and keeping on track

 

  Focus on building the habit that is needed to accomplish your 90-day goal. Building those habits into muscle memory will help sustain the goals you’ve accomplished and will help to prevent back-sliding.

 

  At the end of the 90 days, assess where you are and what you now know that you didn’t know before. Create your new 90-day goal based off of that new information and build upon your results.

 

Remember, the whole point of this exercise is to give you the tools to achieve the success you want even when the world is changing around you. Set your goals and focus on keeping them in those 90 days, but be ready to reassess when the next 90 days comes around. Form positive habits to keep you on track and to build on your successes as you achieve them.

 

Some things to consider:

 

Think about some goals you’d like to accomplish both professionally and personally in the next 90 days. What do you think you could achieve if you only had 90 days to plan?

 

Track your progress in whatever way is comfortable to you. You can use the calendar on your phone, or a cheap note pad, or a journal. The only person you are accountable to is yourself because you’re doing this for yourself.

 

Books mentioned this week:

 

The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian Moran https://www.amazon.com/12-Week-Year-Others-Months/dp/1118509234/ref=sr_1_1?crid=AFT2F5VGK0N&dchild=1&keywords=brian+moran&qid=1606715749&sprefix=bryan+moran%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-1

 

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=atomic+habits&qid=1606715955&sr=8-1

 

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661845/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3GGFJZCEJTRIV&dchild=1&keywords=traction+book&qid=1606715885&sprefix=traction%2Caps%2C214&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyRzg2RzJMTktPSlkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwNDcxNzVVR0JUSEc2MzdOWVUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDY5MzA3NTExRkJaN1pNVlVCOFkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

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Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

“It’s not what you see, it’s what you don’t see.” These are the words that inspired today’s podcast, taken from the book The Road Less Stupid by James Cunningham.

 

https://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Less-Stupid-audiobook/dp/B07DJWQ7JN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+road+less+stupid&qid=1606697728&sr=8-1 

 

Today we discuss the unknowns of the market and how things have changed since the 2008 financial crisis. People like to compare the 2008 housing crisis with the 2020 housing market. We say that much has changed since 2008, not only in the market but in the business of Real Estate itself. To understand those differences, first we need to look at what the market was like in 2008:

 

  Banks were approving home loans for people who couldn’t afford them, creating a market that couldn’t be hold itself up, as well as being investor heavy with many homes being bought by people who had no intention on occupying them.

  Negatively Amortizing Loans, or Neg Am loans, were being offered to people who shouldn’t have qualified for them. Neg Am loans allow the borrower to pay less than what is owed on interest, tacking negative principal on the back end of the loan. For more information, see: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/negativelyamortizingloan.asp

  Tactics like 100% financing, Non-Owner-Occupied agreements skewed the market irresponsibly toward a more investor driven market, which is not the case today.

 

The 2020 Phoenix market is much more diversified, and homeowner driven than it was in the past. This doesn’t mean that the market is perfect, but if too much weight is put on the past newer possibilities aren’t being explored. The Rental market in Phoenix is rising, showing great potential for home buyers looking to diversify and get the most out of their home investments.

 

Today we’re sharing our take on today’s market and what we’ve been hearing from people close to us. Our experience as veteran realtors, along with thinking outside the box, has shown us how the market can be used responsibly without getting spooked by those inevitable negative trends. We hope to give realtors and home buyers the guidance, strategy, and preparedness necessary for sound investments in today’s housing market.

 

“Every agent should be working on investing, not just for themselves, but so they can create a better business and a better strategy for their clients.” – Steve Valentine

 

“If you stop to wait, nothing else does.” – Bernie Espinosa

 

Also Mentioned in the podcast: Falling Forward by John Maxwell

 

https://www.amazon.com/Failing-Forward-Turning-Mistakes-Stepping/dp/0785288570/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=falling+forward&qid=1606699219&sr=8-1

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

You can follow us on Social Media! Follow Thinking OTB at:

 

Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

Here it is, the inaugural episode of Thinking OTB! Everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s no different for our co-hosts Steve Valentine and Bernie Espinosa both professionally and personally. Here Steve and Bernie talk about their past lives, what they learned from those previous experiences, and how they’ve adapted to becoming Real Estate entrepreneurs. Now, they’d like to take what they’ve learned to help others achieve the same success by thinking outside the box! The goal of this podcast is not just to listen to these stories, but to use them to empower, influence, and embrace thinking outside the box in a way that will impact your day-to-day life. With that in mind, here are a few questions to consider when listening:

 

What kind of experiences or adversities have you experienced in your life that changed your thinking?

 

Sometimes those moments can feel impossible to get through when they’re happening. Reflecting back on them, what have you learned and how has that changed how you tackle problems that might arise today?

 

Finally, Bernie said that her superpower is seeing more for people than what they see in themselves. If you could step outside of yourself, what advice would you give you to help you get to the next level in your life?

 

Remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating, as well as a review if you’d like us to talk about a subject or if you just want to let us know how much you like the podcast!

 

Follow us on social media!

 

Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/

It’s time to move beyond traditional thinking and start Thinking Outside the Box! Join Thinking OTB hosts Steve Valentine and Bernie Espinosa as they and their guests talk about their personal experiences and their time in the Real Estate industry that led them to the idea of Thinking OTB. The Thinking OTB philosophy is to inspire, empower, impact, and influence people to break out of a stagnant way of thinking and achieve success through creative solutions! 

 

The first three episodes will be available for Download/Streaming on December 14! Make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast streaming app before our big launch so you don’t miss a thing!

 

Follow us on social media!

Steve Valentine:  https://www.instagram.com/stevedvalentine/ 

Bernie Espinosa: https://www.instagram.com/bernzpix/