HomeGain member Andrea Dugan of RE/MAX Premier in Virginia was recently a guest of Ryan Sloper on the Real Estate Radio Show on 1580 AM The Big Talker. Andrea, an AgentEvaluator® Diamond Club member, follows up Louis Cammarosano‘s appearance on The Real Estate Radio Show and discusses a variety of topics with Ryan, including finance and credit tips, interest rates and more.
Listen in as Andrea shares her valuable insight! (52:51)
When we arrived in Florida, Boca Raton was our destination which soon changed. We realized Boynton Beach, Florida, only 10 miles north, was for us. My family moved in our 2 bedroom apartment and within a week I was studying for the Florida real estate brokers exam.
After two months I was able to read the state exam prep book front to back three times. I memorized the book so well, I’m thinking of taking the instructors exam to teach real estate courses. What I’ve learned in Florida (along with many other states) is you’ve got to be different and smarter than the rest of the other 11,438 licensees in Palm Beach County; or you’ll be out of the business faster than water can hit you sitting on a toilet seat.
Upon passing the state Brokers exam, Florida requires new Brokers to read two other 450 page novels, one on broker management and the other on investment analysis. (I still have one book to read).
By this time I had been in Florida for ten weeks, I then set out to form an LLC and obtain a tax id # from the IRS. I was then able to open up business checking accounts. I was nearing where I wanted to be minus a real estate website. I then contacted Real Estate Webmasters and bought the LEC 5 (limited edition custom). You can check it out at www.moving2palmbeach.com.
What are the dreams of your heart? Steven Covey says, “Start with the end in mind.”
As we develop into adults we sometimes get too busy to dream. It is a shame really because our dreams can propel us to new heights that would not be achieved in any other way. Maybe you dream of that perfect retirement spot, or establishing a program for charity, or building a business that is truly strong enough to pass on to your children, or destination travel. The fact is that most of us get so busy just living our day to day lives that we stop thinking about our dreams as a real possibility.
I for one want to kick off 2011 striving toward my dreams. That gives me the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). With the end dream in mind I can break down my goals to meet that end. In other words if I want to be living my dream in 10 years, then I need a 10 year plan to reach my dream!
With unemployment, business failures, foreclosures and the like purportedly on the rise, you’d think doom and gloom would be permeating the San Francisco Bay Area.
You’d be wrong.
In the words of President Obama, “Hope is alive!” And with it, the American Dream.
A few years ago, while on a fact-finding mission to Africa, I visited the Kenyan city of Nakuru. The provincial capital of Kenya’s Rift Valley, Nakuru is the location of Lake Nakuru, a part of the Lake Nakuru National Park and the home of the lake’s famous inhabitants. Standing in the city of Nakuru and gazing across the lake, you see a thick band of bright pink: closer examination reveals vast numbers of flamingoes that make the shore of Lake Nakuru their home.
As fascinating as the flamingoes and other wild animals were, I wasn’t there to visit them. From the vista point, turn 180 degrees, and you see the city garbage dump. Visiting this refuse site, I saw homeless children living in caves around the abandoned waste of their society. Shortly after, I journeyed to Kitgum in war stricken Northern Uganda. Standing in a refugee camp amidst the squalor of countless mud huts, I observed villagers waiting for hours to get their daily ration of water. You could taste the hopelessness and despair that seemed to hang in the air.
Surrounded by such suffering and poverty, I was reminded of the incredible blessings we have access to in these United States of America. Off the unparalleled opportunity surrounding us every day. Continue reading this post
The decision was made to move my business from Wisconsin to Florida. I’ll leave all the reasons behind this decision in this post, however it’s my goal for you to take a new look at your business from another angle.
So often we’ve heard the 3 L’s (Location, Location, Location), yet I should point out that as Realtors® we don’t choose our own location. Instead we sell where we live — after all it’s where we live right? I must say that the most valuable lesson I learned in business so far is that “you have to give, in order to get.” (That’s another post.)
My family and I chose to give up our Real Estate business and lives as we knew it, and move to Florida. Currently I am negotiating a deal at liquidation value with another firm to take over for Worthington Realty. (Worthington Realty has been in business since 1954 in Manitowoc in case you’re wondering how hard this decision was.)
We said goodbye to our family and friends and days later were gone. Hello, Florida! Hello great weather, palm trees and expensive homes. My wife and I have been craving year round nice weather for so many years. Finally we did something about it. Continue reading this post
Yesterday we were delighted to welcome Deborah Miller of Intero Real Estate in the Bay Area to the HomeGain headquarters in Emeryville, CA.
Deb Miller is a member of online marketing programs, AgentView and AgentEvaluator. Since the real estate market has changed over the years since she began the programs, she felt it would be a key move to meet with the HomeGain Team so they could assist her in updating her marketing strategies and positioning.
Think that you would like to reevaluate your current positioning with HomeGain programs to give your business an extra boost? Give us a call at (866) 512-7918 or email us. The HomeGain Team is always here to help!
Photos of Deb Miller’s Visit: Continue reading this post
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