Today, the Brown Blankfeld Group was honored at the Prudential Americana Group, REALTORS® General Sales Event held at Aria in City Center for our outstanding accomplishments in 2011.
Check out the press release here by clicking here!
Shelley, Harvey and the entire team would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all our clients and vendors who helped make 2011 such an outstanding year. We look forward to working with each and every one of you to make 2012 even better!
I have reproduced a brief newsletter that was written four years ago and is still timely and unchanging. I hope you find it apropos for this year as well.
Here we are in February and I can say that I am already exhausted with the daily clamor of the politicians in the crescendo of promises and insults. Some may say it is a sad commentary of a political system gone awry; it is however, the most dynamic and representative system in the world for providing a country’s leadership. It has its faults and drawbacks; it is a system that probably needs an overhaul; it divides and unifies at the same time; but in all its lackluster it shines as the premier political system in the world. Even though we may have grown tired of the bombardment of political messages filling our media and airways, take a deep breath and relish that we all have this opportunity to participate in this vibrant process, now and in the coming months. The outcome of our efforts will shape the future of this country during a period that demands the best leadership possible to meet the challenges in preserving world unity, peace and prosperity. Enjoy and partake in this greatest expression of our freedom.
This is one of my favorite times of the year. It provides me an excuse to be original with my self-declared avocation – creative baking. The key word here is “creative” as I seek to reinvent each year new recipes that dazzle the taste buds and provide visually appealing desserts and breads for each of the holiday food extravagances. I do not want to sound as if I am bragging, but my creations have been the highlight of our family holiday meals and work social gatherings for years and are enjoyed with much anticipation; with each year becoming more of a challenge to out-do previous years. There is a lesson to be learned. In fact I call it a recipe for life. We need to maintain that spark of life that directs us to reinvent ourselves; to always seek to improve ourselves and in so doing provide our families, friends and business associates the best that we can be.
I wish you and your families all the happiness, joy and peace that this Holiday period can provide; and look forward to the opportunity to once again share with you my thoughts in the coming new year.
As you may remember from previous Newsletters, I enjoy the outdoors and walk daily. I trek down the same trail each day never getting bored with the scenery and apparent safety of the route. The routine adds a sense of security and solitude, creating a mental atmosphere that is conducive to my wandering thoughts that seem more significant and worldly wise than they really are. Today I was gently shocked out of my trance-like walk. I arrived at an intersection at which I have not seen a vehicle in the past two years. Naturally I ventured to cross the street with little concern of my environment. Today from two different directions vehicles quickly and unexpectedly converged at this intersection, at the same moment. One driver was busy on a cell phone, two others clearly saw me attempting to cross the intersection and acknowledged the pedestrian right of way. The cell phone driver eventually saw me but had entered the intersection with the intent of not stopping. I immediately stepped clear of the larger mass bearing down on me and graciously allowed her to pass. I proceeded across the intersection without further conflict.
There are many lessons that can be drawn from this near calamitous experience. What I find fascinating is that singularly each occurrence: a pedestrian crossing a street, vehicles entering this particular seldom used intersection, would be routine and uneventful. However when each happening occupies the same space and time the outcome is dramatically altered.
The real estate market in Las Vegas is an example of a convergence of seemingly ordinary and innocuous events in a business environment that was deemed for years to be safe and bullet proof. The outcome created has been near fatal to our financial security. A slow down in construction, a rising unemployment, a diminished tourist trade, non diversification of the local economy, singularly these economic conditions could have been dealt with, but collectively created a Titanic event. We have experienced all the conditions that feed upon themselves and aggravate the spiraling conditions. Local, state and federal governments have yet to address the causative factors but work on peripherals that prolong the conditions and expend diminished monetary resources unwisely. Our time will soon expire to effectively create change. We must seek out and support leadership that has the interest of populace, demonstrate sound economic beliefs, and are not motivated for personal and political gain.
What an effort it was today to complete my four-mile walk. I don’t just walk, but I keep the pace that would excite a drill sergeant in boot camp. However, what made today different was that I started on my excursion later in the day, the heat was already climbing, and I had not been feeling too well for the past two days. Not a good combination to successfully achieve your exercise goal; in some parlays, a goal that was designed not to be achieved. You are probably wondering what importance or interest does my exercise routine have for you, in itself not much. However the process you may find worthy of note.
I am one of those exercise buffs that enjoys the whole process. I always don my headsets and stream a well-designed arrangement of music that complements the sometimes-monotonous pace of an extended walk. The setting has to be right. Today was no different; I created the best environment possible under the circumstances, to achieve my goal….. However it wasn’t working well today. Each step was arduous, I was loosing focus with the same stomach issues that have been persistent recently and the temperature was starting to get my attention. When I looked up in the direction of the end of the walk a swell of anxiety hit me, that maybe I had made a mistake today in setting out, and that possibly I may have to get some help to get home.
Years ago I learned a technique in athletic training that I have applied in my business and personal life on numerous occasions. I call it the One Step First Approach. Today I had to remind myself that this was just the day to implement this method. It is simple, when a task is difficult, like my walk today; I began to focus on each step that I was taking and not on the end of the walk. I would not look up and tried to meld the music with the step. It worked again; I was home in record time and the feeling of sickness and tiredness dissipated with each step.
Would you believe that I have applied this method to my real estate business? The frustration of completing transactions in today’s distressed market would be overwhelming if you did not focus on efficiently completing each step at a time, supporting a successful transaction and a providing a satisfied client.
Here I go again, expecting those around me to live up to my standards. I just don’t understand why my friends and family so often let me down by not acting the way I want them to. What a disappointment! Why are they not more like me! Think like me!
Of course I am being a “little” over dramatic. But the truth of the matter is, we all from time to time are disappointed in those closest to us. Sometimes we are surprised by their reaction, or what we may consider as an over reaction, to our “choice” words of encouragement or misguided suggestions. It is these times that task our abilities of patience and finesse, particularly when we know that all misunderstandings could have been prevented if we had not projected our point of view on the situation and others.
In business, misguided points of view or expectations are what is responsible for more business failures than anything else. False projections on the worth of a business; sales projections that were never achievable; contractual promises that were unrealistic are examples of expectations gone awry. Many times the foundation of these failures rests in a concept of our own worth and achievement, or the ungrounded potential of the business’s ability to excel in other than a perfect market condition.
Let me bring this a little closer to what I experience in the real estate market. I find more often than not that buyer and seller’s expectations are what cause the inability to bring a sale transaction to a satisfactory completion. Sometimes our expectation of the worth of a property may far exceed the reality of the comparable sales. Sellers sometimes feel that all potential buyers should be as credit worthy as they are; after all they acquired the property when values were elevated and dutifully made their mortgage payments on a debt that now exceeds the worth of the property. Buyers believe that no matter what the listing price, it far exceeds the value of the property, and their expectations of depreciating home values are corroborated daily by the media.
Expectations are what keep me in business. A buyer or seller will have his or her own perception, wrong or otherwise, of how their sale or buy transaction will be consummated. The Realtor lives in a world of melding the expectations of both parties and bringing them to a level where both can be comfortable in the outcome. It is a challenge! I love my business!
It seems like yesterday that I started this series of newsletters for my favorite clients and friends. Looking back however this is my 63rd edition. In the beginning, I would never have thought that I would have this much to write about or ever dreamt that it would be interesting to those who received it monthly. I have been quite surprised on both counts!
On the first count, the real estate market in the past few years has fueled significant interest that has been a ready source for topics. I also have been fortunate to be the beneficiary of interesting and meaningful life experiences in and out of my work that provide the fuel for my creative juices. I enjoy sharing these experiences.
On the second count, this past month, my efforts to provide an appealing and timely newsletter were reaffirmed once again. I was pleasantly surprised when a new client who had been receiving the monthly publication for several years expressed that they look forward each month for its arrival. I asked them what they find interesting, and surprisingly, it was not the most current properties or comparables on the market in their neighborhood, but the narrative that drew their attention. Of course I thanked them for their sincere and unsolicited thoughts. Later, I thought to myself how special their words were to me. It actually brightened the rest of my day and affirmed that my efforts were not in vain.
The lesson of that day was very simple and clear to me; we can make a difference in someone’s life with little effort. A spoken word of a sincere thought that tells them that they are appreciated for what they do goes a long way. I now try to carry that thought daily to all those who provide a service to me. It could be food server, store clerk or maintenance worker; anyone who provides a service that deserves our appreciation, they will also relish an expression of our satisfaction. You might even include those closest to you. I am sure that family and friends are no exception.
More than ever in my life I have been challenged to remain well grounded. This is not intended to be a confession but a declaration of fact about the world that surrounds me. So many of my friends and business acquaintances have expressed that the challenges of family, work and finances are overwhelming. From a macro standpoint, the challenges of our Country and World, which are propelled into our view daily, seem unsolvable to the ordinary citizen that struggles with their own compelling issues. Here in Las Vegas, the housing market, for the last four years has been, almost singularly, the reason for the escalation of our stress levels. Short sales, foreclosures, bank owned properties, property abandonment, are terms that have reached a level of familiarity and represent the dramatic changes in the market conditions and the built-in stresses for the buyer, seller and service providers.
I promise to keep this newsletter helpful and upbeat. I have come to the conclusion long ago that I have no control over what is beyond my abilities to change. Simple approaches provide best solutions. This was reinforced recently from a well-trusted client that had gone through many family difficulties and had experienced severe financial set backs at the same time. They came through not unscathed, but emerged with their family and finances intact. They also gained constructive life lessons that were an example for others to emulate. As I said, the process was simple: they learned to refocus and trust. They chose to seek what was positive and good in their lives and not dwell on negative and unmanageable events. Similar to the old adage of dwelling on the one half glass filled. It is a process they approached with sincerity and resolve. They achieved it only by introducing the most important factor. Trust in a higher power that will provide inspiration; trust in themselves and their ability to overcome adversity; and, trust in their family and friends who surround them with their love and support… More meaningful life experiences that need to be told.
On March 15th, the Brown Blankfeld Group was honored at the Prudential Americana Group, REALTORS® General Sales Event held at Aria in City Center for their outstanding accomplishments in 2010. Our most notable award was the “PREA Top 100″ Award for placing 28th in the entire country out of 60,000 agents in the Prudential network for residential units. That means our team sold the 28th most properties in the country in one of the most challenging real estate markets in the country! The team also earned the “Chairman’s Circle – Diamond” Award for the sales volume sold in 2010, which is the highest designation that is awarded by Prudential nationwide. We also received “Top of the Rock” honors for both our branch office and company-wide rankings. The Brown Blankfeld Group was also honored by Prudential Americana Group’s preferred mortgage company, Shelter Mortgage and preferred home warranty provider, HSA Home Warranty.
In addition to our team awards, our team leaders, Shelley Brown & Harvey Blankfeld, were recognized with Prudential Americana Group’s Sahara branch “Core Values” Award for their outstanding efforts both professionally and personally. Harvey was also honored with the “Spirit of Relocation” Award for his unwavering commitment and tireless efforts working with Prudential’s clients relocating from across the country and the world.
Shelley, Harvey and the entire team would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all our clients and vendors who helped make 2010 such an outstanding year. We look forward to working with each and every one of you to make 2011 even better!
