Safety FIRST When Showing REAL ESTATE

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Safety at real estate showings and open houses has become a top priority in 2016. So just how critical has it become, and what are some of the most effective tactics for smart self-defense on the real estate field?

Real Estate is DANGEROUS BUSINESS

The threat to the personal safety of real estate agents, brokers and investors has become of paramount concern in the industry. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in September revealed that the vast majority of on-the-job fatalities can be tied to real estate-related work or activities real estate professionals engage in every day. This includes auto accidents, construction incidents, animal attacks and homicides while showing properties or on property management rounds.

It’s not just the number of attacks and real estate workplace deaths and injuries, but the statements of malicious attackers out to do “rich brokers” harm. In 2014 NAR reported that over 25% of REALTORS ® said they had encountered a threatening or harassing situation at work.

So with such high odds of REALTORS ® , investors, and property managers encountering physical attacks when showing houses and sitting at open houses what strategies and tactics can be put into play to stay safe?

10 Tips to Ensure Personal Safety

1. INSTALL SMARTER SYSTEMS

Dan Zito, of the Zito Realty Group – Keller Williams of Central PA, says, “I think it is important to, as often as possible, set an appointment to meet clients at the office prior to going through any homes with them. Not only does it allow me to meet them in a safe, ‘public’ environment, but it also allows for better customer service to the client. By meeting them at the office first, we are able to sit down and discuss their wants, needs, review homes that are currently on the market and answer financing questions, prior to visiting any homes.”

2. VERIFY THE ID OF PROSPECTIVE BUYERS

It’s far less likely that an agent or investor is going to be attacked if the prospect knows that their identification is on file. Requesting a copy of driver’s licenses and keeping records of them is a great first step. The Birmingham Association of REALTORS ® , who released its own ‘10 Commandments of Agent Safety’ all the way back in 1988, reportedly takes this even further by documenting the vehicle information of prospects, requesting references, and verifying them before showing property. Today, simply Googling prospects or hitting the most popular social media networks can reveal a lot about prospects too.

3. USE FORMS TO STAY ORGANIZED

It’s too easy for industry professionals to become complacent about this issue or to fail because systems are fragmented. BirminghamRealtors.com offers downloadable PDF Agent ID, Prospect ID, and Agent Safety Itinerary forms to beat these challenges.

4. LIMIT ACCESS AND INTERACTION

Those lacking the bandwidth to ensure their personal safety when showing property or sitting open houses can opt for reducing risk by limiting time alone with prospects. This could mean installing keyless locks and allowing prospective renters and buyers to show themselves around. Or perhaps limiting viewings to a one-time event, invite-only events or broker-only opens. Or, there is now always the possibility of virtual open houses via Skype or Google Hangouts.

5. SAFER SHOWING STRATEGY

Veterans United Home Loans advises not to ride with strangers in your car. Let them meet you there. Don’t show the way and have possible assailants behind you; let them go first instead. Keep showings during day light hours. Make sure you pull into the drive last so you aren’t blocked in.

6. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM

Let someone know where you’ll be. Let a partner know who you are showing to, and where, and have them call you to check in with you. Certainly there has to be someone that would appreciate you doing the same for them. You may even want to tag team showings together.

7. CONDUCT SOME RECONNAISSANCE

Getting to know a listing in advance of showing can be a big help. Recognize if windows or exterior lighting has been tampered with. Know your exit routes. Ensure there is reliable mobile service so that you can reach out in an emergency. Don’t have the SWAT team raiding your open house just because your signal was weak and your buddy couldn’t get in touch.

8. DON’T LOOK LIKE A VICTIM

Conducting yourself with confidence can help prevent becoming the victim of an opportunist crime, just because you looked like an easy target. Personal security and identity theft expert Robert Siciliano suggests via his blog that wearing expensive jewelry can just make it too tempting for criminal not to attack, even when it is risky for them. This also certainly carries over to personal social media use and conduct when off the clock. Being a little too open and flamboyant may make you a mark. Pulling up to showings in an armored vehicle might go a long way to scare off any would-be muggers or assassins too.

9. FLEX YOUR TECH

Today’s smartphones and tablets can also double as great security tools. The Field Guide to REALTOR ® Safety recommends using distress codes to communicate with other team members. Just don’t make it too obvious. Apps like Guardly can reportedly launch GPS tracking, and connect to law enforcement or colleagues with a tap of a screen. Then there are apps like Salient Eye, which can turn your Android or iPhone into a security camera and even set off motion-triggered alarms. Via Facebook Ray Perry, a REALTOR ® at CPS Country Air in Santa Rosa has suggested, “Why not the real thing? An app called Glock works well, of course with a concealed carry permit.”

10. UPGRADE YOUR PERSONAL SELF-DEFENSE CAPABILITIES

While packing a firearm or being known for carrying a new Galil or ‘Mutant AK47’ in your trunk might be a deterrent, it isn’t always the answer. It could also make you a target or just ensure that attackers show up even better armed than they would otherwise. Plus, there is always the issue of actually having to use it, and the fact that no permit is going to automatically get you off the hook for taking a life.

Non-lethal options, such as pepper spray or stun guns, might be effective enough in most scenarios and give real estate pros time to flee to safety and get help, says Sensei Gilliland, Southern California real estate expert and founder of Black Belt Investors. Sensei doesn’t just train in martial arts as a method of self-defense, he operates a chain of 360 Martial Art Academy locations. Self defense methods including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Haganah and KravMaga provide some of the most effective types of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat training, even against armed assailants.

We encourage you to think of what other things you can do to stay safe and keep your team secure on the front lines of the real estate landscape.

Memphis Invest and Three Other Clothier Companies Honored On INC.’s 5000 List

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By Tim Houghten

Steady, Sizzling, Superior Real Estate Strategy

What’s the secret to winning in the real estate race? The tale of the tortoise and the hare used to be a staple in everyone’s education. That appears to be a part of the lesson plan that’s been torn from the pages for many today. Do you remember who won the race? What we all need to remember is the horde of hares that rushed themselves right out of the running just a few years ago. So how can real estate investors achieve steady cash flow, sizzling returns, and superior long term results, without risk of burning out?

WINNING REQUIRES WISDOM

Soccer games don’t have all the breaks of American football. In order to win it not only takes great team work, but superior stamina. It also requires that players know when to sprint into action and push, and when to act tactically. True wisdom is the meeting point of knowledge and knowing the right time to act. In real estate it takes stamina to maintain gains for the long run. It requires intelligent execution of action, knowing when to hold, and what to focus on.

Yet, in the current environment where anything but rushing in like a bull seems strange, who on earth would have the courage to moderate their growth and pace on purpose?

An exclusive interview with Partner and VP of Sales & Marketing at Memphis Invest, Chris Clothier reveals a firm that has been willing to do just that. The net effect of the approach certainly seems to be wowing a sufficient number of savvy investors. And given the number one turnkey real estate company’s status as one of the best known, and most respected brands, a blossoming WOW Club, and being crowned with Inc. 500 recognition, it seems to be working.

The 3 S’s of Memphis, Tennessee’s Most Successful Turnkey Real Estate Company

1. SOCCER

Chris Clothier says “The high-level training and licensing I received as a professional soccer coach have paid off tremendously in business by helping me to stay focused on long-term development both of myself, our clients and our team.”

2. SHARING

While others are increasingly concerned about sharing their secrets and playbooks, Chris has become very active on the online real estate forum BiggerPockets. Asked about this participation in the new sharing economy he says: “When I was 18 years old I was lucky enough to attend a Zig Ziglar event. He said something on stage that really had a profound effect on many of us attending that night. He stated that you could have anything you wanted in life, if you help enough other people get what they want in life.” That’s a philosophy the Clothiers continue to practice on a daily basis.

3. SUSTAINABILITY

On ensuring sustainable growth when others find it impossible to throttle their ambition Chris said, “Going into 2016, as leaders of our company, we began planning for moderating our growth rate, and spending the next 15 months improving upon our processes, hiring additional team members, and implementing a new, interactive training program to create even greater congruency. It is easy to grow too quickly and in a haphazard way. We feel that this is a perfect time to re-calibrate everything we do, and how we deliver our services to our clients and tenants as we prepare to begin growing more rapidly again in 2017.”

THE SCOREBOARD

What are the results of this approach to building a real estate machine? As of today, Memphis Invest’s founder says, “We now have over 1,125 clients, offices in Memphis, Dallas and Houston, with a team that is 63 members strong, and are on-pace to close 600+ transactions for our clients this year alone.” There’s nothing sluggish about those digits.

UP YOUR GAME…

Whether just starting out in real estate, or seeking to expand an already formidable real estate empire there is no question that it’s worth checking out what’s going on in Memphis. Investors can scoop their Free Passive Income Jumpstart Package, and detailed analysis of three solid rental property markets, Houston, Memphis, and Dallas, at MemphisInvest.com.

The KEYS to Unlocking ELITE Success in Real Estate

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Exclusive Interview by Tim Houghten

The Founder of Rodeo Realty, the largest single-owner firm in the nation with 12 branch offices, 1,200 REALTORS ® , and annual sales and listings exceeding $5 billion, shares how he went from operating out of his garage to listing homes for $150 million.

What does it take to achieve elite success, at the top of the ultra-luxury real estate market, in the most exclusive community in the world?

Rodeo Realty is a name not just associated with celebrity real estate, but with dominating the ultra-elite markets of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California. The Rodeo Realty brand has been ranked the largest single-owner firm in California, with 12 branch offices, 1,300 REALTORS ® , and annual closed sales exceeding $5 billion. What does it take to obtain, and own this level of success?

Syd Leibovitch is the president and leader of the Rodeo Realty empire, and has been championing the crème of the crop of top-end international real estate, year after year, for 30 years. No matter what you aspire to achieve in real estate, it’s clear that Syd just might have a tip or two on how to get it.

In an exclusive interview, Syd Leibovitch gives us a peak behind the glass to see what it takes to get to the top of the real estate world, and stay there. Want elite success? Where do you start?

BLAZE YOUR OWN TRAIL

Rodeo Realty’s founder has been breaking through barriers since he got into real estate sales during college. Starting at 23 years old Syd says, “I sold three houses in my first month. I only went into real estate as a job for winter break. I fully intended to go to law school. But when my first sale closed, and the buyer hugged me and told me how excited she was to own a home, I was hooked!”

Syd says his family, who thought becoming a doctor or lawyer was a far better career choice, were disappointed when he began pursuing real estate. Yet, by the time he was 25 years old, he was a top-selling agent in Los Angeles. In just three years he opened his own firm. Today the world’s leading doctors, lawyers, and hottest celebrities come to Leibovitch’s firm for help in selling and securing the globe’s finest estates.

HARD WORK

During his time studying economics and banking at California State University and UCLA, Syd ran for the relay team, track and cross country; he set new school records. His take away from the experience, and how it has influenced the success of Rodeo Realty – “Learning the value of hard work.”

“People can’t ask for more than your best. Shame on you if you don’t give it to them.” – Syd Leibovitch

CONSISTENCY

Last year Rodeo Realty sold at least one unit for $70M, and listed another at $150M. Yet, the surprisingly modest founder says that the majority of the firm’s transactions are in the $1M to $6M range, and that consistency is key. If you’ve ever run cross country you know you have to be able to keep up the pace, for the long haul, and often over unknown and challenging terrain. This could just as well describe navigating the real estate world. Yet, Syd says: “I did at least one deal a week for my first 15 to 17 years in the business.”

How do you create that type of consistency in results? He says, “I found something I like doing, and I do it a lot,” explaining that “if you do your best to take care of everyone you meet, the results will take care of themselves.”

DO YOUR BEST

Although he is a very hands-on business owner and accessible to his staff, today Syd has certainly handed on the baton to Rodeo Realty’s army of luxury real estate agents, and expert management team. Syd is very clear that he does not compete with his REALTORS ® for sales and credits them for the incredible sales figures posted. Asked how he manages to stay organized, and maintains efficient operations at such scale, Syd simply credits his “good people,” whom he says have become “friends,” more than employees.

Rodeo Realty surprisingly invites even new agents to come and train with the organization. So why work with Rodeo Realty, besides the prestige of joining one of the world’s most respected and envied real estate companies?

Syd’s Theory – “You’ve got to be the best, you’ve got to give the best.”

At Rodeo Realty this isn’t just evidenced by selling the best real estate on the planet, it is “being the best in ALL areas.”

THAT MEANS:

• Best Luxury Real Estate Website – ranked by Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate

• Best Marketing – with an in-house print shop with 30 team members

• Best Internet Marketing – with an in-house team of 17 graphic artists

• Best International Marketing – reaching 200M+ buyers, in 190 countries, monthly

• Best Technology – with Cirrus Super Search for deep data, on the go

• Best Personal Service – local expertise, global presence

Syd says quite frankly and firmly that “real estate agents that want to serve their clients the best find that ability at Rodeo Realty,” and that “if you’re not on the Rodeo Realty team that’s because you’ve got other priorities, and are putting something else first, rather than serving your clients in the best possible way.”

It’s hard to argue with that.

OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR SUCCESS IN REAL ESTATE…

To reach your full potential in real estate; blaze your own trail, work hard, be consistent, give your best, leverage good people and the best tools.

Want to see what a great real estate website looks like and view some of the most exclusive real estate eye candy in the world? Check out Syd’s site at RodeoRE.com, and download the free Rodeo mobile app.

Will “Power” Duquette – Finding Your Path & Achieving Significance

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by Tim Houghten

Choose where you want to go and figure out how to get there. Sounds easy, right?

International trainer, consultant, real estate investor and speaker Will Duquette empowers people to make as much as six figures an hour. So how did he land this prestigious gig? How does he help you unlock your income potential?

BREAKING THROUGH WITH WILL POWER

Sometimes it can be hard to differentiate the hype from the real deal out there today. There’s a lot of noise and fluff. But you won’t find that when you attend one of Will “Power” Duquette’s high-powered events or one-on-one consulting sessions. The proof is in the results.

Duquette has…

• Helped Shark Tank investor, co-founder and CEO of HSN Direct International, and author of

“Act Now: How I Turn Ideas Into Million-Dollar Products”, Kevin Harrington, to catapult his on-stage sales – with five PowerPoint slides.

• “Never lost a penny in 17 years of investing in real estate.”

• Just “bought” a property with $110,000 in instant equity last week, with no money down.

• Had real estate investing students make $70,000 in less than 30 days after training events.

• Helped the Jax REIA President crush it with a 25% closing ratio.

• Had 12 year real estate veterans raving about the value of his experience.

• Has shared the speaking stage with Donald Trump and Richard Branson.

• Is launching a YouTube challenge to 2016 Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

FROM PAUPER TO MILLIONAIRE MINDSET

Will is dogmatic in his belief and service in helping others to not only achieve their financial goals, but personal dreams and more. In fact, he says, “Anyone can receive great wealth and significance, without needing anyone else’s permission. If they’ll invest in learning, and take action.”

Duquette insists it is this combination of effective training and action that has not only unlocked the massive success potential of his clients, but his own as well. He says there are irrefutable laws like gravity, and our subconscious that run us, and differentiate our results. Through recognizing them and harnessing their power, Duquette empowers leaders to “experience life transformations that stay with you and serve you.”

THE SHIFT

Will Duquette says Donald Trump offers the classic example of how wealthy people think differently. When Trump was $900 million in debt, he didn’t hide like most would. So what did he do? Operating from that millionaire mindset, he attended a cocktail party with those creditors that he owed $900 million to. Gutsy, right. Yet, in a side room at that event, Trump surrounded himself with this mastermind group, and not only seriously discounted this sum, but leveraged their wisdom to craft a massive success plan. Trump is now worth almost $9 BILLION, and is running for U.S. president.

So if you want different results, you’ve got to take different actions.

But beyond just curating the success habits of others; Duquette has lived it himself. When he was young, he was always told that his family couldn’t afford things.

When he found out that he was going to have his own child – that’s when it changed everything, and created a new sense of urgency. He didn’t want that to be the story he had to tell his daughter. Still, he admits that it took several shifts and years for him to make his own ultimate leap. Because most of what he teaches today just wasn’t shared or known back then.

HOW WILL GOT THE POWER IN 7 QUICK STEPS:

1. Got fired from the rat race after calling in sick for having pneumonia

2. Opened his own business

3. Began investing in real estate to make bigger chunks of money

4. Discovered the power of blind faith belief

5. Accepted his ‘license to make mistakes’

6. Learned how to manage and change his own perspective on happiness

7. Decided his apex was in significance through helping others, not just making money

THE 4 KEYS TO WILL’S PERSONAL SUCCESS

When Duquette started on his adventure the close-knit group that was banking huge in speaking and sales weren’t sharing their secrets. They kept those closely guarded. Yet, he found a way. And he credits his own success to four main factors.

• Vowing to never give up

• Modeling success wherever he could find it

• Investing big in education

• Just taking action

Duquette says the really significant quantum leaps came when he forced himself to step out of his comfort zone and chose to “pay more than comfortable with” for better training. In one case that meant putting $10K on a credit card to really learn how to take his game to the next level. And today, Will might not notice if ten thousand dollars dropped out of his billfold on the way to the podium.

UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES ON REAL ESTATE

Duquette trains real estate speakers and investors, and still invests in real estate himself. While you may find him gracing the stage at events in London, Prague, and Germany, Duquette’s home base is in Jacksonville, FL. While often overlooked by others; ‘Jax’ is the largest city in the contiguous United States, and the most populous city in Florida. It has also been praised by RealtyTrac as offering the biggest profit margins for house flippers. But you don’t have to tell Duquette that. He once bought a half a million dollar home with just $10 out of pocket, and has mastered a transaction engineering skill set that allows him to invest in many properties with nothing down. Duquette says it is all about “looking for problems and finding solutions.”

While he says that world travel and international training has revealed that all people essentially have the same fears, challenges, and belief issues, he himself certainly has a unique perspective, and style, that is proving itself with dollars and changed lives. He claims to be perhaps one of the only people to not have lost a penny in 17 years of real estate investing. His high energy, experiential real estate events that include live deal making have produced profits for attendees before they are done with their homework.

And the ‘Profits in Pretty Houses’ course is reportedly one of the first and only to include a flow chart so that investors are never stuck, or wondering what comes next.

Looking forward Duquette says the market is just like it was seventeen years ago, only better. “Because all the fundamentals are right, but others are scared to take advantage of the opportunities on sale.” As well as noting that rather than hurting his business, “massive buying sprees by hedge funds have actually helped” his business, as “they have depleted inventory levels”, and make his properties more in demand.

CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT & DUQUETTE WILL UNLOCK YOUR POWER TO ACHIEVE IT…

Will “Power” Duquette offers sales, confidence, and personal development training, real estate speaker training, speaker services, real estate investment courses, and one-on-one consulting. Find out how to get more of what you want at www.willpowerduquette.com.

 

From TOP Model to Top of the Real Estate World

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Kaya Wittenburg, has gone from small Midwest town, to becoming a top fashion model working directly with Gianni and Donatella Versace, to leading U.S. and global developers in selling the most breathtaking condos in the world.

Through beautification in real estate design, Kaya Wittenburg has risen to being involved in over $4B worth of real estate sales in some of the most exclusive locations on the planet.

This has included promoting exciting world-class projects in Las Vegas, Miami, Panama and the Bahamas. As a public speaker and high-profile industry personality, he has been featured on CNN, BBC World, GQ, and The Wall Street Journal, just to name a few.

I managed to track Kaya down between photo shoots to tap into some highly credentialed insights on branding new construction, and profiting from the highest end real estate investments. So, what tips can be gleaned from Wittenburg’s successes for maximizing personal performance, scooping better deals on luxury real estate, and renovating or building new projects that push new limits in ROI?

Just what can the glamorous modeling world teach aspiring real estate moguls?

How do you go from growing up in a small suburb to selling over $4B of the Most Envied Destination Real Estate on the planet?

Kaya Wittenburg says from his first big casting in Milan with Gianni Versace, the modeling world provided countless experiences in learning about people, trends and the details of effective styling. From new countries to diverse cultures and new friends, Kaya says he found “Fashion, art, architecture and interior design,” all appreciated by those he mingled with.

Of his first Versace dinner Kaya says he remembers being “Totally overwhelmed. The attention to design was simply amazing. Every plate, tray, piece of silverware at the table was a work of art.”

While some might find this level of attention to detail and priority on luxury excessive in the real estate world, it has proven to be a consistent component in the success of leading luxury brands, while delivering real lifts to profit margins.

When asked what was behind his success, Paul McRae, broker of the Galleria Collection of Fine Homes in Fort Lauderdale once pointed to his $300 per foot office wallpaper. One of the top ten Manhattan brokerage firms MNS recently achieved a $200 per foot premium on unit sales at the Edge through its efforts in marketing. Wittenburg says he is currently working with a hot brand in Miami that plans to catapult oceanfront property prices by 35% with a new luxury development.

For real estate investors seeking the most attractive returns with maximum security, the Sky Five Properties founder says, “Investors have a greater margin of safety in branded residences because resale values have been proven to be somewhat more stable than non-branded residences.”

He also comments that when it comes to renovating or designing new multifamily, conversions and condo developments one of the worst mistakes is, “A lack of creativity and sex appeal for lobbies and pool decks, which can destroy pre-construction sales efforts.”

Being one of the most transparent authorities in the world of real estate sales, Kaya has often ruffled the feathers of his competitors by openly giving condo buyers and investors the upper edge. He says, “Everything is negotiable, even in pre-construction developments,” and often offers insights on common real estate sales tactics via the Sky Five Properties Blog.

ON DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING AN ELITE LEVEL OF PASSION AND CREATIVITY…

In addition to world travel, Kaya Wittenburg was blessed growing up in a real estate household with his mother actively sharing her deal-making and entertaining client-friends for dinner. It was at this young age Wittenburg caught the excitement of real estate investing.

Of course, as any investor, REALTOR ® or CEO knows, it takes regular maintenance and intentness to keep up an elite level of passion and innovation to operate at the very top of the game. To this end, Kaya has nurtured a lifelong yearning for learning and constant self-improvement. The Miami real estate innovator says “meditation and yoga practice has helped me elevate the quality of my thoughts – thinking thoughts that induce a sense of excitement, confidence, and gratitude, every day.”

While others striving to compete in this fast-based business normally wind up letting what they have learned fall to the wayside, Kaya says religiously sticking to “daily journaling makes a huge impact in long-term success,” a practice he picked up from former Florida Governor, Bob Graham.

Want to find out what’s the next big pivot for Miami real estate, and which top global label will be the next to unveil a luxury branded building in the Magic City? Kaya says we’ll have to look out for his next update.

Find out more about Kaya Wittenburg’s story and track Miami real estate trends online www.SkyFiveProperties.com and via Twitter @Sky5Properties.