Trump

I just finished watching a CNBC show with "The Donald." He spoke and answered questions for an hour about how he became a success and some key insights.

One of them was not losing focus. He said he felt early on in his career that he had reached success very easily and could do no wrong, so he stopped working at it. Soon he was no longer the incredible entrepreneur, but he regained his focus, and went on to where he is today.

I am afraid I lost my focus, at least with blogging. It made good sense to start, I sincerely enjoyed it, but like a diet, after a time I let it slip. Trump has brought me back.

So now to tie the show and the blog into Skaneateles real estate - focus! - I was fascinated by what Trump said about selling real estate. He spoke about two different developers with different philosophies: one preferred to price high and sell slowly while another priced lower for quicker sales. Both were successful in the same market.

I have recently had opportunities to list properties in the Skaneateles market. I realize that my "price it right and they will come" philosophy works well. If I don't get the listing because of the price, I don't really take it to heart. I know that I would be frustrated ("It should have sold already!") and my seller would feel the same way by extension. It becomes a meeting of the minds: the philosophy of the seller must match the agent's philosophy.

And why price it right? Why not "try it high, because you can always go down..." I hate waiting, I have no patience, I want to see the end in sight and make the buyer and the seller feel like they got a good deal - no one has "sold out." I want open houses filled with people, showings every day. I love making people happy.

I must add this post script. I've never been one for awards - I never attended a single awards banquet with Gallinger, and when I was with them I earned many awards. But recently I received notice that I am the #2 RE/MAX agent in the entire region for gross commissions in the first six months. I am having my best year ever, my clients are happy, and I feel as if my philosophy is, quite literally, paying off.