Mobile Alabama Real Estate Blog

We all have fantastic stories from our experiences as Realtors. We enjoy telling our stories here on Active Rain. Since the best way to overcome objections is through stories, metaphors & analogies I think it would be great if we had one place to pull from to read everyone's stories that help them overcome objections. Personal stories are always the best, but since we can't all have a personal story for each and every situation it would be great to have a place to "borrow" a "personal" story from.

I have read so many great stories here on Active Rain! I would love it if everyone with great pesonal stories could join my new Overcoming Objections group and re-blog or post new stories to this group. I am trying to compile a complete training program for my agents based solely on using stories, metaphors and analogies.

An example: I try to always avoid any conversations pertaining to "appointment only" listings. I believe if you tell a seller that you will try to reach them, you will leave messages, but even if you cannot reach them the house will be shown, you avoid losing buyers because you couldn't reach a seller. If you just tell them this sometimes you get an arguement. However, if you launch right into a funny story, you get beyond that objection moment. I tell everyone seller this same story:

I always explain to everyone while your house is listed to always check your voice mail regularly and especially when you get home before you get in the shower. I once had a seller names Frank. Frank and his wife came home one evening and started getting ready to go out. They had not checked their messages. Frank called me laughing his head off. He said that while his wife was in the shower and he was undressing to get in the shower, he heard someone at the front door. He went to the front door - naked - and looked out the peep hole. There stood three people and one of them had a key in her hand and was putting it in the front door. He grabbed the front door and held it with all his might. He didn't think to yell or anything, he was just in a panic. The Realtor said "There must be something wrong with the lock, let's try the back door." He said he stood there holding the front door and looking at the back door and finally thought to yell. After that, anytime I called to schedule an appointment and got his voice mail I would say "Frank, your house is being shown, leave your clothes on."

By the time I'm at the end of this story people are usually laughing, and not thinking about argueing my showing policies.

There are so many other examples. Please post yours. I would love to read and add them to our list.

New Listings
200520 - 3936 PATRICIA DR, MOBILE, AL - $349,000 - Julie Martin
200801 - 3105 DOG RIVER RD, THEODORE, AL - $329,900 - Brandy Lutz
200688 - 1330 W VALLARIS ST, MOBILE, AL - $97,900 - Julie Martin
200457 - 6559 BARNES RD, THEODORE, AL - $114,500 - Brandi Cook
200739 - 13285 MCCLINTON RD, GRAND BAY, AL - $130,000 - Brandy Lutz
200769 - 10492 CORINNE DR, IRVINGTON, AL - $225,000 - Joe Winans
200588 - BRYANT ST, #21, MOBILE, AL - $10,000 - Joe Winans
200644 - ILENE CT, #12, IRVINGTON, AL - $21,900 - Julie Martin
200239 - TAYLOR AVE, #4, IRVINGTON, AL - $33,000 - Joe Winans
200643 - ILENE CT, #13, IRVINGTON, AL - $21,900 - Julie Martin
200456 - 11450 W WINDSOR RD, THEODORE, AL - $1,500 - Brandy Lutz

http://mobmls.net/MobileReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=INJ3727785

Closed Sales
10097 Summerfield Way - $144,000 - Brandi Cook
5509 Greenleaf Rd - $99,000 - Lee Martin
12618 Chicago St. - $52,000 - Lee Martin
620 Masterson Ave. - $47,800 - Brandy Lutz
19 Van Hueval - $103,000 - Katie Baluyut/Julie Martin

Overcoming objections

I have found it's always good to immediately organize my notes from classes at convention or later they may note make sense. It's also a good way to have the notes available for my agents. So here are my notes from two Darryl Davis Classes today at the Alabama Real Estate Convention in Chattanooga.

My favorite analogy:
Think of yourselves as a shoe salesman. If you were selling shoes you would not take a buyer around from store to store. You would buy or work at a shoe store and get the buyers to come to you. Listings are the shoes. You have to have listings to get the buyers to come to you.

Set MONTHLY Goals
 You do not have as much time to obtain them
 You may need to adjust goals as the market adjusts, so monthly is necessary

Make It A Game - You must have fun

To Relieve Stress:
1. First schedule personal time & famility time - if you don't everyone suffers and you are not more successful.
2. Involve you family with your goals - If everyone gets something you really want when you meet your goals your family will really encourage you.
3. Family fun list - have a list of things to do together and do not repeat anything until everything on the list has been done
4. Give back to the community
5. Manage Your Money

Areas to Master:
1. Prospecting
2. Listing Conversation - Keep a Listing Inventory Chart & A Dot Board
3. Price Conversation
4. Getting Listing Sold
4. Buyer Urgency

Sell homeowners on the value of a Realtor - any Realtor. Don't try to sell the homeowner on your value. It is important that the homeowner understands the value of a Realtor.

Always be armed with stories, metaphors & analogies. You should have 2-3 stories, metaphors or analogies to overcome each objection.

Four Best Areas to Prospect:
1. Expireds
2. FSBOs - Explain to the homeowner that FSBOs don't save money & explain the importance of being on the list.
3. Short Sales/REOs
4. Referrals

What you have to learn on short sales:
1. Why a short sale is better than a foreclosure.
2. Learn how easy it is to get paid a full commission.
3. Learn the process of negotiating with the bank on behalf of the seller.
4. What forms does the bank need from you.
5. How to explain the short sale process to a homeowner & how it's better for them.
(I bought this program - we are doing them, we need to learn everything we can - you knew I had to buy something!)

More tomorrow!!

Make plans now to attend the 38th Annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores Alabama.

October 8th - 11th

The festival is held right on the beautiful Gulf beaches.

Enjoy over 300 vendors of fine art, arts & crafts and of

course lots of great seafood! Live entertainment starts

10:00 on Thursday morning, October 8th.

This is a really fun festival for people of all ages and tastes. They

have something for everyone, plus you get to enjoy beautiful weather on an absoluately fabulous beach.

If you have never visited the gulf beaches of Alabama this would be a perfect opportunity.

New Accepted Contracts
8500 Quail Road - Brandy Lutz
301 Lafayette St. - Sarah Pugh
770 Copperfield Dr. E. - Sarah Pugh
8455 Private Road 152 - Joe Winans
10441 El Camino - Joe Winans/Julie Martin

Closings
207 Bayview - $270,000 - Lee Martin

FYI - ReMax Partners is doing our sales contest!!

Every Day
1. Close a transaction and/or
2. Work with a buyer and/or
3. List a property and/or
4. Prospect

This Week

New Listings
4520 Hamilton Blvd. - $575,000 - Joe Winans

Closed Sales
2232 Mallard Drive - $186,000 - Lee Martin
8741 Londonderry Ct. - $112,000 - Brandy Lutz
12981 Shady Dr. - $92,500 - Brandy Lutz

The Home Builders Association is putting together a fall festival & haunted hay ride & tunnel for a fund raiser to help Mckemie Place, Penelope House & the Child Advocacy Center.  It will be held October 23-25.  To help defray costs & make this event successful, I am requesting donations to use as carnival prizes.  I don't want anyone to have to spend money, just clean out the kids' rooms!  We need clean, like-new  Mardi Gras beads & throws, Happy Meal toys, stuffed animals, and other trinkets that kids like to win at a carnival.

Later we will be asking for help with construction, staffing and acting as spooks.  Please let us know if you would be interested in helping with any of this.

Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated!

Mobile Alabama is such a great place to live and work. Realtors often work seven days a week but when you work seven days a week from Mobile it's possible to have little mini-vacations all the time. Okay, a lot of the example involves food, but there is so much good food on the Gulf Coast that I really can't leave it out.

The past couple of weeks are a great example. On Thursday night I had a great seafood dinner with friends at The Wolf Bay Lodge in Orange Beach. Then I started Friday morning sitting on the beach, enjoying the Gulf and planning my day. I showed properties all day in Gulf Shores, Foley and Orange Beach. I enjoyed a late afternoon reading a book on the beach and then I had another great seafood dinner at Tacky Jack's and enjoyed the rest of the evening at The Florabama.

Saturday morning I again started the day at the beach, showed properties, met with the buyers in the food court of The Tanger Outlet Center to write an offer and then had a great late lunch/early supper at Papa's Place in Robertsdale.

During a week I enjoyed make videos of some of my listings in Mobile.
I enjoyed lunch at The Spot of Tea the day I made a video of
Downtown Mobile. We had a beautiful day the morning I made this
video of this great waterfront property. I love an excuse to go out on
the boat to photograph properties. I made two videos in on trip,
one of a new development on Halls Mill Creek and this one of a
gorgeous  estate lot on Dog River. Then I went to Irvington and made this video of Blueberry Hill.

Saturday The University of South Alabama had it's first ever football
game. I am glad to say we are undeated. Then Saturday night we
enjoyed dinner with friends at the Grand Mariner on Dog River, while The Alabama Crimson Tide won their first game of the season. Roll Tide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard that other Alabama team won their game also.

I enjoyed a great Sunday morning at church, then lunch with the family, then open house. After my open house I rode over to Biloxi with my sister-in-law and enjoyed another wonderful dinner at The Coast Restuarant at MGM's Beau Rivage.

Today is Labor Day. I was going to take the day off but that didn't exactly happen. But I totally enjoyed my day. That's so easy to do any time you head out in this beautiful area to work. And there's always the little breaks - walks on the beach, a stroll through an antique store, a quick lap around the mall.

Football season is offically here. The Tide is play tonight in Atlanta.

I'm not the biggest football fan in the family.

My son left for Atlanta yesterday to go to the game. He graduated from
Alabama in August, so now he's
going as an alumni instead of a student!

My oldest daughter just called me from the Labb stadium parking lot. She was at The University of South Alabama's first game. Well, she may have only been at the tail gate, but it's the spirit that counts. She is on her way home to host her first Alabama game party of the season.

I bought a new Alabama shirt today. I also got some Alabama earrings and had to get my Alabama necklace fixed. You have to dress properly even if you are only watching on TV. It could effect the game.

So, I'm off to get ready, but before I go I just had to say ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Downtown/Midtown Inventory Report - August 2009

 # of Sales per area in Mobile AL for August 2009

Average Sales Price per Area for August 2009