I have a tendency to give long preambles before getting to the point associated with my headline, so, please have patience, and continue reading.
We live in a fascinating age of technology and advancement –so much so that, it has surpassed my capabilities to stay current. I have reached that numerical age where I have to say “I give up, it is overwhelming to me”. We are so lucky to have so many conveniences and tools to help enhance the quality of our lives. We take so, so much for granted … especially in the USA. I can attest to this since I have traveled all over the world.
I am not sure why I have been doing so, but within the last few weeks I have been compelled to research my family origins. This is a difficult task since all of my ancestry relatives are deceased with the exception of a few distant Aunts and Uncles. Growing up, my family avoided answering questions about our migration, and truthfully, in my younger years I was more distracted with career and family. So, I was satisfied by the vague responses. However, now that we have fee-based Internet service vendors that provide nearly everything, including several companies that digitize old-world records and make them available to us, it is now easier to search for family origins.
I am a little apprehensive as I unveil the fragments of information – hoping that I do not discover some gruesome details that will cause me shame or embarrassment. I never inherited gobbles of money, so that likely eliminates any hopes of descending from wealthy industrialists. My family name was never one that could be pronounced correctly, let alone popular among the paparazzi, so that likely shatters any dreams that fame would be in my lineage. So… in the obvious absence of fame and fortune, I am expecting to discover ancestral people who were humble, yet honest, hard-working, loyal, ethical, devoted, and basically the “salt of the earth”, and hopefully not gypsies and horse thieves who were escaping their countries of origin to flee from capital punishment . Well … life is relative!
For me, it is a bit bone-chilling to look at a digitized copy of the census report from the early 1900’s and find the names of my relatives. Although limited in information, the census reports for those times, provide some insight into the age, names of family members, their country of emigration and language(s) that they spoke. And oddly as it may sound, as I stare at these records, I become distracted in my thoughts, and begin to consider the vast differences between their lifestyles and mine, with only about 120 years apart.
Amazing as it might seem, and more-so to our children than ourselves, our ancestors lived comfortable lives for the standards of their day. And imagine, they did so without Internet, or GPS, or iPhone. Gosh, how did they survive … I mean, I can’t find my own bathroom without using GPS. We would never think to give merit to their “old fashioned” means of socializing and conducting business, mainly because by our standards today, their methods of “face-to-face” conversations, neighborhood town meetings, and personalized assistance would seem far too inefficient. I mean people today would rather text message while driving. True story – I once had a boss who insisted to email me even though he was in the office directly next to mine. I wonder … has efficiency replaced effectiveness? Think about that and let me know your true answer the next time you call a major company with a product defect, and get their automated attendant. I can assure you that the digital voice on the other end of your phone has taken control of your time and does not care about your problem.
If we stop to think about our world today, it seems to me that, we really have so little at our control. Everything that is affecting us and those things and people around us, are getting further from our control. It reminds of a saying I heard many years ago … “if you hold water in the cup of your hand, the more tightly you close your fist to retain the water, the more the water will escape from you”. Try it – it’s true! We have so little control over the economy, politics, housing market, wars, job losses, foreclosures, terrorism, drugs, etc., that I think we are driven to find something that will restore some power of control to our lives. To this end, we look toward our technology. The Internet gives us the control to purchase what we want without a salesperson intruding upon us when we shop, we can assert control on Facebook or Twitter or emails by writing what we want, and then exercising more control by pressing the delete key to eliminate any contrarian views, we can use our phones as control to hang up on callers. But, through our efforts to gain more control, once again we are actually forfeiting control, yet we do not realize it. We can be traced wherever we go, and by whatever we search via our computers, phones, and GPS devices. Ironic, isn’t it!
So, what does all of this rambling have to do with Real Estate. Well, as of this writing there are 462,809 licensed Real Estate agents in California, down from 529,979 only 2 years ago. This reduction is actually a good thing, because, in my opinion, there are a lot of incompetent and / or unprofessional agents who practice at Real Estate, many who are only dedicated part-time, and as such have contributed significantly to the low public image associated with this profession. And I do say “profession” proudly, because we are service providers who can offer great value to our clients… if only our clients allow us.
Consider this. I allocate a significant portion of my weekly work schedule to prospect for new clients, whether they be sellers or buyers. I conduct this prospecting by making phone calls to people who previously listed their homes but have allowed their contracts to expire, meaning that they were once motivated to sell, to people who want to try selling their homes by themselves (also known as FSBO’s), or I host open houses to meet and speak to potential buyers. Consider this as a possible unique idea. The next time I call you, why not take the time to actually have a conversation, instead of exercising that control called the “reflex no”, and then hanging up, or the next time you stop at my open houses, why not ask about the market or housing inventory instead of pretending you don’t see me. You might actually be inviting control over the aspects of your life by engaging in a stimulating conversation, and at the same time, learning more about the dynamics of the market, how I can help you to buy and / or sell a home using my services, and ultimately how you can win by reaching your goals. Again, you could, of course, hang up the phone rudely, or walk away from me if I ask you a few questions. But I wonder, would you walk away from your doctor or lawyer, or car mechanic who was asking you a few questions? They ask questions because they are trying to pre-qualify and understand your situation, and then to offer to help you. I would suggest as an experiment, you trying hanging up or walking away from your doctor, and then let me know how that works for you.
When it comes to talking to a Real Estate agent, do realize that many of us have transitioned from other careers – I for example am a Certified Public Accountant and a former Chief Financial Officer for a global manufacturing company. So, I may be able to offer you far more insight into a Real Estate transaction than you might think, mainly because I have a solid analytical background - an attribute that has the potential to offer significant value. So, why not try stepping back in time, and practice what our ancestors did … we could actually talk to each other, face-to-face. Yikes, it might be a little scary at first, because we have abandoned the practice of having a dialogue , but it is harmless … it is just people talking to people. And I promise… if you call me on the phone or stop by at an open house, I will not say “please enter your 656 digit account number”, or “marque dos para Español”. Remember … buying and or selling begins with people talking to people. So … try not to hate REALTORS!
If you want to put a smile on your face, go to our website at www.San-Diego-Cal-Homes.com, click on “My Profile” to advance to the second page of the website, then click on “Travel Pictures”.
Our goal is to help and guide people to buy and sell San Diego Homes: Contact us soon - and let us apply for the job of being your Real Estate agent.
Charles M. Schevker (CPA)
DRE # 01875556
Broker Associate
Prudential California Realty
1299 Prospect St.
La Jolla, CA. 92037
Google Keyword = Homes in La Jolla CA
Charles M. Schevker (CPA)
DRE # 01875556
Broker Associate
Prudential California Realty
1299 Prospect St.
La Jolla, CA. 92037
Google Keyword = Homes in La Jolla CA
Main Office: (858) 357-9814
Satellite Office: (858) 459-0501 ext. 319
Home Office # 1: (858) 750-2578
Home Office # 1: (858) 750-2578
Home Office # 2: (858) 412-6082
Mobile: (858) 449-8250
No comments:
Post a Comment