August 2009

“Shift” Happens

Prior to joining Keller Williams® Realty, Inc., I read three of Gary Keller’s books, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It’s Not About the Money…It’s About Being the Best You Can Be! and SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times. Gary’s approach to real estate is uniquely analytical and intelligent — I urge that you go out and read whichever of these books suits your fancy. Just as an example, take how Gary charts out the risks of overpricing in an ordinary stable market, and the current — what he calls a “shifted” market:

This is not just theoretical — I have witnessed many instances of sellers “chasing down the market” and ending up settling for far less than they could have gotten had the property been priced appropriately in the first place. As Gary’s book points out, the consequences of this mistake are amplified in the current market. Unfortunately, some agents are not being straight with their clients — just to get the listing, they will agree to overprice a property. Who loses in the end? The seller who falls into this trap!

Why I Joined Keller Williams® Realty

As some of you know, after interviewing with several companies, I recently changed my affiliation to Keller Williams® Realty, Inc. KW is now the third largest real estate company in the United States. Based in the high-tech hub of Austin, Texas, KW claimed the number three spot with 72,794 U.S. associates at the end of 2008. As my territory expands to cover the Westside and higher-end neighborhoods, I decided it was crucial to ally myself with a market leader like KW. How great is KW? Don’t take my word for it: JD Power & Associates rated Keller Williams as the Number 1 ranked real estate company in buyer satisfaction. My only goal is to keep us there, while improving the client experience in any way I can.

Why did I join the ranks? KW is a fast-paced and fast-growing company that has a presence in all the major market areas of Los Angeles. One of the reasons behind its growth, is that KW is one of the leaders in applying technology to dominate the real estate market. Either as a buyer or seller, when you have superior information, you have the power to get the best deal possible. I plan on bringing as many technological advances to my clients as possible — with KW’s assistance and the power of a large organization behind me.

Finally, for my investor clients, KW has a commercial side, and I plan to team with them when it comes to listing and locating appropriate properties for investors.