Good morning; it’s Q4 – 2012, WOW!

By John Mangas, Broker/Co-Owner RE/MAX Preferred Toledo, Ohio

It’s the 4^th quarter…are you re-positioning yourself to reflect that in your business practices?

I think most of us would agree that how you are conducting your activities in the 4^th quarter is different than it is in other times of the year. Many times I receive feedback from associates acknowledging that, but then there is generally a “what do you think I should be doing” follow up question. So let me share a few thoughts…

• Listings: OVER COMMUNICATE! My suggestion is to be face to face with every seller at least one time during the 4^th quarter. Sharing market stats, feedback, perhaps a new market analysis or even a price adjustment are all great topics. Updating seasonal appropriate photos is a must! A great tip for this time of the year (depending on your market) may be to load your sellers in the MLS as a prospect for their neighborhood so that they see all activity (or lack of activity) in real time. By doing this, you have the perfect reason to follow up with a conversation (not an email or text message) every time you are copied on the MLS correspondence. What I’m really saying is to make information your strongest ally and use personal communication to support the message. They hired YOU and they want to hear from you personally.

• Buyers: Buying power has never been better in the course of my career. Historic averages for interest rates are in the mid 8% range. With fixed rates in the high 3% range and home values at late 1990’s to early 2000’s values, this may just be the perfect window for buyers to get a property under contract. We all know that energy costs have gone up and that a large portion of the U.S. suffered from a drought this growing season. Energy and food costs together could begin an inflationary cycle that may eventually affect home values. Right now is an ideal time to be a buyer, period!

• YOU: How are you re-investing in yourself? This is a terrific time of the year to spend reaching out to past clients, friends and potential new business contacts. Look at your daily and weekly routines through a STOP-START-CONTINUE lens. There are places that we can all be more efficient and this is an ideal time to evaluate your systems and business practices. No matter how good any of us are, there are always areas that could be improved.

Thanksgiving is 5 weeks away. How are you going to make a difference in your 2013 business by using the next 5 weeks to set next year’s momentum in motion now?