Against the Grain. A Sioux Falls Realtor thought.

Against the Grain.

Have you ever seen furniture or a guitar made of quarter sawn oak or maple? The grains are tighter and there are these little ribbons of pattern that burst sporatically throughout the surface of the wood. It’s really quite amazing and the name for those ribbon like patterns is kind of spectacular too. They are called medullary rays. (possible rock band name?)

These natural patterns/rays can't be seen or admired from wood that’s just cut the typical plain old way. It reveals something exciting and interesting that is hidden beneath the surface. This is achieved because the cut of the log was done by “going against the grain.” And that is EXACTYLY why I can appreciate it. It becomes an allegory for a lot of what I believe in.

If told, Do something. I will reply “I will.” If told, Do something different. I will kick back my chair, hop on the counter, hold up the rocker finger horns and belt out “R-R-R-Right On!”

Give something new.
Don’t let fear stop you.

The concert in my mind repeats these kind of lines like the chorus of a heavy metal ballad. Hey, it's my path to encouragement :)

I believe in innovation and more than anything I appreciate it when others believe in it too. I love it. I admire it. It simply ROCKS!

If you are going to do something, look to the leaders of those who have done it before you. Find out how they operate. Find out what systems they used to put on their show. Mimic these things that make their work easier, better, smoother. Then take that last bit, the piece (of the furniture, or song if you will) that everyone sees and turn it. Mix it up. Blast something that is unique for the whole world to hear!

I try to do that with my real estate career. I try to see what the leaders in my field are doing to systematize and I work on that. Then I add my own style.

 I can tell you that sometimes an idea will flop. Other times it will work. Sometimes people will ‘get it’ and other times they won’t. But I know that the right idea for each unique home or buyer at the right time can make a plain old situation turn into ribbons and patterns of coolness! I hope one day to be able to pack a stadium with past clients.

Now, how can I form a rock band and convince them to market my real estate biz for me?....

Home Selling: Logic or Luck? Mind or gut?

I'm the guy who is too conservative for my democrat friends and too liberal for my republican buddies.

I'm the guy who acts too hip for people my own age and too square for young hipsters.

My agnostic friends call me a Bible-thumper, my Christian friends get concerned that I have wandered off the path.

Who am I? Well I'm the guy who takes the time to consider all the angles. Yes, I have been known to be an over-analyzer, and occasionally a waffler.

I’m simply trying to find balance between logic and luck. Between gut instinct and the mind.

I believe in universal truth and I am willing stand firmly on a position. But, also, I can see that sometimes, there can be truth behind 2 different and opposing ideas. And that is weird.

What's weird is not that duality exists. Being aware of it, balancing it, well, that’s the weird part.

This becomes an internal dialogue that I've gotten to know. Kind of like a neighbor that I'm happy to greet, but hope isn't outside when I pull in after a long day.

It's a voice of reason that tells me there is often another side and another voice to every story.

Case in point: I’ll have a home for sale where the price, timing, condition, and location are all in alignment for a quick sale. But sometimes it seems that a house will decide to get a good offer when it damn well pleases, despite the logic of my exhaustive research. So, why fight it? Put it on MLS and wait patiently.

On the flip side of course, my stomach tells me that you have to give action to get a reaction. The more people get to see this home, the better the chances are that a deal will be struck. And of course, in order to be seen, I have to "introduce" this home to as many people as possible through open house, ads and overall buzz.

See every home listed gets on MLS and is exposed to all cooperating Realtors®. And 96% of homes sell from other MLS Realtor members. So why advertise? Why hold open houses? Am I throwing away good money to get a result that I have no control over? But then again 80% of homebuyers start searching for homes on their own, without a Realtor®. By ignoring those starters am I extending the home's marketing time unnecessarily?

Is it patience or perseverance? Is it logic or luck? Answer to both? Both.

So, am I the guy who relies on what my brain tells me? Or, am I the guy who relies on what my gut tells me? I am both. And everyday I'm trying to be the guy who does the right thing, will go brain and will go gut and more often than not will end up somewhere in between. Where my heart is. And that's where I think universal truth comes from anyway.

So, Lookout for one of my ads and opens coming to a neighborhood near you :)