Having been a successful Realtor® for over 35 years, I can tell you that this is one of the most challenging markets I have ever experienced and that includes the 2008 real estate crash.  Inventory has never been lower and getting our buyers’ offers accepted is crazy in a market where it’s hard to know what the “highest and best” number is. As a strong listing agent, I just received 22 offers six days after I listed a house going $100K over the asking price. It’s become somewhat of a calculated guessing game as to how much over a buyer needs to go to get an offer accepted. After all of these years I like to joke that I “know nothing”.

 

But seriously, what I do know is how to keep my business and life in harmony and on track. I’ve learned over the years how to prioritirize my life and to stay in what I call “in Joy and in Choice” every day. I’ve done the work on myself, taken many classes, gone to the seminars and conferences, as well as read so many books on how to stay focused and keep up a great attitude regardless of what is going on around me.

 

COVID was a great test and example where I had the opportunity to use what I had learned all of these years. The first lesson was how sustainable I found myself to be on so many levels. We were financially sustainable, having never lived above our means as my husband Aharon and I are both self-employed, and although we have always done well for ourselves, it is not something you can count on. In the beginning of the pandemic, real estate was shut down and we had no idea how long it would be before we could work again. Not that it stopped me, as I had quite a few deals in the pipeline and had a team to support.

 

The next very important test was how sustainable my relationships were, especially with my husband Aharon. You see, he was used to leaving the house early in the morning to commute into the city and came home about 7 pm. I always wondered if we would still like each other when we decided to one day retire and spend more time together.  He now works from home and we have both grown evern closer together. All of this didn’t just happen. It was years of planning and working on all of  what I call the Five Pillars of Success: health, wealth, personal relationships, personal growth, and of course, building a successful business while living a life by design.   

 

For me it was living a life of intention and purpose every day to make sure that I was keeping all five pillars healthy and growing positively in each area. After missing a mammogram in 2009, I finally got one in 2010 only to be diagnosed with breast cancer and had to deal with the consequences of a double mastectomy. I proved to myself how important it is to stay on top of all your doctors appointment from head to toe.   

We all know we can eat healthier and exercise more, however what small change and improvement can you make in this arena?  For me, it’s about waking up at 6:15 am and getting on my treadmill for 30 minutes while listening to a positive audio book or podcast.  It get my mind and body set for a great start to the day. Win the morning; win the day. Next, I write down what I am grateful for in my Five-Minute Journal. I then email my four girlfriends my wins from the day before and what my wins will be today. I am always keeping the positive top-of-mind. After that, I hop on a Mastermind zoom call at 7:30 am called Pivot Shift with James Shaw where we discuss positive and productive issues we can add to our business. It’s all about how you set yourself up for the day and with whom you surround yourself. It’s not so bad to have a healthy dose of denial about the negative things happening around you, or at least to put blinders on so that you can focus on the business at hand and not allow the negative to get you down or worse distract you from growing your business.

 

Speaking of insulating yourself from negativity, with whom are you surrounding yourself? Are they bringing you down or lifting you up? What are you are allowing clients and friends to do to you? For example, are they calling you at all hours with non-urgent matters? No one does to you what you haven’t given them permission to do. So if you answer a clients call at 11 pm, you just gave them permission to call you at all hours. I personally don’t respond to clients after 7 pm unless it is an issue of true urgency. However, let me enlighten you, there are very few real estate emergencies. We are not brain surgeons and no one is dying on the operating room table because we didn’t answer a call. Most of the time, people just want to leave us a voice mail so they don’t forget what they needed and expect an answer in the morning. It’s about setting boundaries and ensuring your own quality of life. You’re not that important, and can live a more stress-free existence.

 

The only people who will remember the late nights and hours you put into your work are your children and significant others. Being available 24/7 does not make you a great Realtor®. With proper and timely communication, as well as setting expectations at the beginning of any relationship, you can have a better working relationship and more work life harmony. Work life harmony is what I have always aspired to achieve. I have come pretty close at this point in my life with healthy relationships and being able to leverage my business so that I get to do what I love to do which is list houses, negotiate, and be a problem solver. I pretty much delegate the rest.  

 

The entire premise of my book Mindset Reset For Real Estate Success (available on Amazon.com) is about building a life worth living and a business worth having, as well as growing as a human being, building a team, and building wealth so that you fund your life and have the freedom to do whatever it is you want without the financial stress. It may not always be easy, however, when you know what’s important to you in life and you have the guidelines to get you there it is very doable.