Summer Real Estate Story

July 31, 2008
Volume 2 Issue #12

Summer to me is softball season. I have been playing it since I gave up my dream of being a major league baseball player at the age of 16. I love playing baseball in any form.

Had I thought about it when I was younger, my love of this activity, playing baseball, would have predicted a career in real estate. More on that and the moral of the story later.

Last night’s game started at 9:15 PM. Now on a normal night at that time, I’m just “resting my eyes” in my favorite chair in front of the TV. Not on Wednesday night, I’m dressed in my best sweatpants and Beer Nuts jersey, ready to go.

This year our team has not had a great year. It may be due to the fact that we had 2 more players reach 50 or it could be because of our league has started testing for the use of pain killers and Ben Gay... but we do have some fun.

Last night’s game gave me the inspiration for this month’s newsletter. This season for me has been up and down, some good games, some bad. Last night was particularly warm, my old muscles loosened up easily despite the ban on Ben Gay, and I felt pretty good (like maybe the age of the rest of the players on our team).

I was on base all 3 times up. No one ever explained to me why they make the bases further apart every year. My second time up, I found myself on second when the ball was hit to shortstop. I waited until the shortstop caught it and streaked, OK streak should not be the word but with an explosion of speed...
...I fell flat on my face between 2nd and 3rd, sprawled in the dust like a bug turned upside down.  Then it hit me*... Not the ball but the theme for this newsletter. My mind being faster than my feet, I thought to myself why do I do this? Why am I, the oldest player in the league, still out here?

Here come the real estate and baseball tie-ins. I do it because I really love it. My age is a lot like this real estate market --it is tough to compete with. Hopefully, real estate for you is like softball for me. I love it, so I keep going despite the obstacles.

I have been able to keep playing by changing strategies. What I used to do years before doesn’t work for me anymore. I’ve changed bats. I try to hit the ball between the outfielders rather than over their heads. I take an occasional nap before the game. In real estate, modifying strategies and adapting to market changes, the Internet, technology, email etc. is the key to success.

This may be another stretch but preparing for the game or the season is a lot like prospecting. When I forget to prepare or think about what I am doing, I fall into old bad habits or don’t get the results I want. Once I consistently prospect or prepare, the results are much better --you would think I could get this down after 40 plus years of playing.

Another thing I really like about baseball is that it is both an individual endeavor and a team game. Even if your team is not great, you can still have success if you work hard. It is fun to be part of a team and that team atmosphere can add to your success. Finally, I must admit I do like going out for a cold beer with the team after the game, after all we are the Beer Nuts.

*I was able to get up and make it safely to 3rd base and I did hear about it from my teammates who were extremely sympathetic about my skinned knee and hurt feelings.

Monthly Tech Tip
Prepare and use an email signature. Your email signature should include your name, your company name, address, phone number, fax number and don’t forget to add your website address. Make sure all your information is current and that you use a business like font. By using an email signature, you make it much easier for people to communicate with you and they will find out that you actually have a website. Call me or talk to your office administrator if you don’t know how to do this.