Holidays Slow Down
The holidays are coming and it’s slowing down in real estate!
Recently I was having a talk with one of our agents. He’s young and a new agent with a ton of energy and enthusiasm. He has a great future in real estate. On February 2018 he will have his first year with Ponce & Ponce Realty. By then he will of helped about 24 families buy or sell homes, in his first year in the business. Right now, he has been on track and created a momentum for his business that’s extremely tough to create as a new agent and as a 20-year-old.
As we were having a conversation he happened to mention he wanted to create a plan for the new year since this year is gone and it has slowed down. I’m excited to see him grow as fast as he is and to be proactive in wanting to prepare for next year. What caught my attention was that he mentioned the market is slow. My next question to him, why he felt the market was slow? He said, “Well you know it slows down around this time”. My first thought was where did he hear this from or why does he think this. So asked more questions and he assumed since the holidays are here people have better things to do than buying a home. Buying a home is one of the most important things for many families and to me, it’s the most important
What I’m going to tell you next you might not like but it’s the reality. Real Estate does not slow down to an amount where no one has the business. It slows down because the agent does not want work during that time. Before our conversation ended I pointed to the whiteboard with all the homes for sale that are under contract and some of the agents having their best month of the year. “Whatever you are thinking is what will happen,” I told him. If somehow you think it’s going to slow down, it will. If you are thinking strongly enough that you have to make it the best month ever, it will be.
In real estate, we do hear that these are the months when it slows down for us. I’ll be quite honest with you. My best months have come from the holiday months. Some real estate agents do say people do not want to buy a home because they are busy buying gifts and do not have any money. While the proactive agents, on the other hand, say to their clients these are the best months to buy since there’s gonna be fewer buyers on the market which means less competition and more leverage in negotiating with a seller.
Halloween takes place in one day. Guess what those serious clients are up and going the next day and some on is even to go out and search for holidays because that’s what experienced. Sometimes we as agent slow down because we want more time with our family and that’s ok. But to slow down because others are saying it’s slow or because you think it’s slow and no one is buying is bad business all around. How about those clients that do not celebrate holidays do you think they aren’t willing to buy or sell? Don’t sell your business short on assumptions of others about the holiday season.
Real estate agents have a tough job just being self-employed and not being accountable to anyone. We have the freedom to do as we please. Remember creating a consistent sales career is tough if you are shutting your doors during the holidays especially based on assumptions of others. Guess what happens to a business that shuts its doors during the holidays or has limited operating hours? They make less revenue or no revenue. Guess what will happen to your business if you close your doors early or close them during the holidays? No customers! Treat your career like a business. Have consistent hours of operation for your business.
What I can recommend to you is not to listen to those that say it’s slow. Just because it’s slow for them doesn’t mean it has to be slow for you. Keep working grinding through the holidays if you want to make it happen. If you want time off with the family take the time off. Just don’t lie to yourself thinking there’s no business since the holidays are around the corner.