Goldwasser Institute

This was a letter to my team that I thought you might enjoy…we all need to take personal responsibility for our lives!

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY….

Goldwasser Real Estates reputation is in all of our hands. It is up to us to either build a more solid, credible, reliable and outstanding reputation or to let our reputation be tarnished by acting irresponsible and not holding ourselves to the highest standards and the strongest integrity.

We have worked very hard, and I have personally made sure that my reputation and the reputation of this company is the strongest in the business. Because of that dedication to a great reputation we have opportunities that most people do not get. Therefore, it is up to each and every single person at this company, EVERY SINGLE PERSON, to act in accordance with that level of awareness for what you are doing.

It is up to us to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, which means that YOU have to be responsible for yourself and the way you act. It means that you wake up every single day and decide that today is your day to live as the greatest version of yourself. That you will not lie, cheat or steal to get what you need. It means that you are thoughtful and aware and that you follow the systems that are put in place for you to be successful.

It is time to raise the standards here at GRE, it is time for us to pick it up. Today is a new day. Within weeks a sign will go up that will broadcast the Goldwasser name to hundreds of thousands of people daily. We are putting ourselves out there as the NORDSTOM’S, The Neiman Marcus, The Four Seasons of the real estate Industry, and we for sure better act that way.

If you have been acting in a way that you know is not up to snuff, you can make a choice today to change. You can make a choice to do better, to live with more integrity, more honesty, more reliability, more excellence. YOU are the only one that can take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for your life and the way you lead it.

I know that we have the greatest people in the industry here at GRE, now it is time to take it to the next level and continue working towards becoming the best that we can become, ARE YOU IN!!??

 

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This was a letter to my team about why we have to be our best and how. I think it applies to all of us that want to be legends in the industry…long, but enjoy!

I think it is very important right now to get back to the basics of what has made Goldwasser Real Estate Agents among the most respected in the industry. Being the best agents in the business means we hold ourselves to higher standards of living and working. We are leaders in each and every aspect of our lives.

It is very important that we all work together, as a team, to continue to uphold, and make sure our peers are upholding, the high levels at which we expect each other to perform. We are getting busier now, and everyone has a lot to do, so we must make sure we are all working our hardest and doing our best, otherwise things begin to fall apart, business goes away, and the reputation we have worked so hard to build is tarnished.

Today I wanted to look back and remind us all of some of the expectations of all members of the Goldwasser Real Estate family…so here we go, what makes us different:

The way we speak-Swearing is not acceptable in our office. I have been lenient on this one and have even slacked on my own adherence, for that I am sorry. There are many reasons we chose to outlaw swearing years ago, mostly because it is totally unnecessary, ugly and unprofessional. Leaders do things differently, GRE does things differently. We speak positively, with respect for each other and without using foul language.

The way we dress-I know it seems silly to some people, but at GRE, we dress for success. We dress to impress. When you are dressed in professional clothing, you feel better, you look better, and you differentiate yourself from all of the other, shorts wearing, jeans wearing people out there. If you are working, jeans are not acceptable. Short, short skirts or otherwise revealing clothing, not good. Unwashed or wrinkled clothing is also not ok. If we want to be the best, than we have to look like it.

The way that we list homes- I know this can be hard for some people to swallow, but at this company you must be certified and understanding of our system before you go out and list a home. Bottom line, if you are not certified, you need to either get certified or bring another agent with you to take listings. That is it.

What separates us, is the level at which we take our job, and the results that we get by having the most qualified, knowledgeable agents helping people sell their biggest asset. If you have not thoroughly studied the Goldwasser Advantage system and are not able to present it in a knowledgeable way, than we cannot have you out listing homes. Trust me though, when you do know it, you will never lose a listing and they will SELL!

The way that we practice-If there is one reason that top agents become top agents, it is because they practice. They practice their presentations, their scripts, their objection handling, their Best Price Analysis, everything. They look for ways to improve themselves so that every opportunity they have, they capitalize on. If you do not practice, you will not see your greatest success. You came to GRE for a reason, it is because we hold ourselves to a higher standard, hold yourself to that standard and you will reach the level you are trying to reach.

The way we prepare-When you go out on an appointment, whether it be a buyer or a seller, you must be totally prepared. There is nothing worse than going to an appointment unprepared and looking like a fool because of it-believe me I know! Know your market, study and learn your comparables, look at job growth

The way that we serve-Ever since we started this company, we have always looked at transactions not just as a way to pay the bills. We have looked at them as a way to create raving fans, a way to show people that we were different. We serve people with our heart, mind and soul, so that they walk away from us being blown away at the level at which we serve.

This means that we DO WHAT WE SAY WE WILL DO! No matter what we must do what we say we will do. If you tell someone you are going to do something and you do not do it, or you forget, that is the best way to totally erode their trust in you. Do not lie to people; do not give someone an answer that you know not to be true. Act with integrity, be honest and do your absolute best for your clients.

The way that we pay attention to details-This is so important right now. We are having one of the busiest months we have had in a while and one of the big reasons we have so much support at our company is so nothing slips through the cracks. One minor screw up can turn into a massive problem in a transaction. We must pay attention to details and not work to fast.

This means that as an operations player, you make sure flyer copy is correct, pictures are correct, you have correct addresses, your folders are in immaculate condition and that you have sellers disclosure and all the required paperwork on all of your deals. We make sure signs are clean with no bird poop!! That flyer boxes are full and that you are getting help if you get to busy.

As an agent, this means that you fill out all of your paperwork correctly and fully so that your TM can process it correctly. You look over and study your Best Price analysis before going to a listing appointment, your shoes are shined, teeth are cleaned and that you know your stuff!

As an executive team, you make sure that checks are cut correctly, people are lead correctly and that you maintain the highest energy and attitude so that we may lead this company to the next level of success.

The way that we work as a team-Another reason we are so different is that we are a team. You are surrounding yourself with people who want to help you, are paid to help you, and will do whatever it takes to make things happen for you. We have created the squads so that there are even more leaders to help us make sure that we are performing at the highest level.

OUR ATTITUDES!!!!-If there is one thing that separates us more than anything else it is our positive attitudes. We believe without a doubt that our energy and our attitudes separates us from the average traditional agents out there. If you have worked with anyone that is not upbeat, that brings you down or the transaction down, you know what I am talking about/

“There are more people that would like to be a star athlete than those who would be willing to invest what it takes to become one. It is fun to be a star in your field. But the process of becoming a star is difficult and requires hard work, often over a long period of time.”

                                                Mark Sanborn, from The Encore Effect.

At Goldwasser Real Estate, we pride ourselves on being the best real estate agents in the business, therefore we have to pay attention to our performance.

I do not think there is anything better, in the real estate business, than watching your clients take your advice on staging, marketing and pricing, and then watching their homes sell for full price or better within days of hitting the market. When this happens you can be assured that what you are doing is right and good. That your clients will come back to you time and time again because they know that you know what you are doing.

Getting to a point where you are becoming a master of what you do and turning in remarkable results, consistently, is something that most people strive for. Most people would love to be a star in their field. Most people though are not willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Things always seem to “get in the way” or “rob” them of the opportunity. Listen here though, the world does not rob us of opportunity, we often rob ourselves. If we want to be the best at what we do, and receive a kings pay, then we must act in accordance with what it takes to receive that pay.

There is no shortcut to success, it is a long hard road that you must travel and there will be many bumps and bends along the way. But, if you stay true to the course, if you act with integrity, set goals, stay focused, work on your attitude, build strength of mind, hone your skills through practice and preparation, then you will become a leader in your field.

If our goal is to become the absolute best that we can become and make more money than the “average, traditional” agents, then we need to be acting in ways that they don’t. Following great systems, learning great scripts, studying and learning the market, keeping in touch with your clients, paying attention to details, and practicing our presentations is what will lead us to the greatest results.

The time is now! Do not wait to start becoming the kind of leaders I know you can become. Do it now!

For more check out Goldwasser Institute.

Chad Goldwasser, Goldwasser Real Estate, Austin, Texas.

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Circle C Ranch Home Sales 

The Circle C Ranch neighborhood in southwest Austin Texas is a premier master planned community. From the lush lanscaping, to the Blue Ribbon schools, Clayton Elementary and Kiker Elementary, as well as Gorzycki Middle, to the world class olympic sized swimming pool, the incredible parks and playgrounds, and the wonderful shopping center, with great restaurants and a flagship grocery store, there is really no reason too leave once you settle in here (unless of course you have to go work!).

The only thing that outshines all of that is the wonderful people and excellent family atmosphere. I have lived and worked in Circle C Ranch for the past 10 years and I love it. There is nothing better than finding a great place to live and then being able to work there as much as I am able to do.

For more information on this great neighborhood go here. There is so much to love about Circle C and at some point you will just have to explore it yourself. If you are considering a move to Austin or you already live in Austin and just want a great new area to live, do yourself a favor and check it out.

There are currently 94 homes for sale in Circle C and there average price is $350,000. Since the beginning of the year there have been 88 sales and the average sales price is $316,000. So as you can see more homes on the lower end are selling.

Goldwasser Real Estate has a large share of the market in the area because we have been involved here for a long time. Many of our top agents, which I believe are the best realtors in Austin, live in the area and have children attending school there. I have 3 children, 2 of which attend Clayton and 1 that attends Kiker, my wife and I are very pleased with both schools. We have loved being a part of the community and also started a Partners In Education proigram where we donate a portion of our commission from any home that we sell in Circle C.

Circle C Ranch is a great place to live, to work and to play! Come on and check it out!

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What does it mean to be a servant leader? It means that not only to you do things for your clients, and other team members, it means you do something for your community. It means you give back to the community in which you live, work and play so that others less fortunate are taken care of.

For Goldwasser Real Estate it means it is time for our 7^th annual Rock N’ Restock benefit concert for the Capital Area Food Bank.

It was almost 8 years ago now that my beautiful wife Tara and I sat down to figure out how we would bring all of our clients back together to thank them for their business. How we would put on a client appreciation party that people would want to come to and that would not only benefit our business, but also our community. We brainstormed ideas and finally came up with doing a concert. At the time one of our tenants in a rental property we owned happened to be a big local musician, Guy Forsyth, I knew he would do it.

We also decided it would be good to take any proceeds we could muster up and give them to a local charity. It was going to take place right after Christmastime and my wife found out that the food bank always ran low after the holiday season, we had our cause.

We then set about naming it, Rock N’ Restock just worked so well and it still does today. That first year we had about 150 people with us at the Caswell house downtown Austin. We had people bring canned goods and some donated money, we raised $1500 and a ton of food.

Over the course of the past 7 years we have moved the venue from the Caswell House, to the Zilker Clubhouse with Grupo Fantasma, then Guy Forsyth again. And then on to Stubb’s (my personal favorite venue in the world) with local legend Bob Schneider and over 1000 people, raising close to $20,000.

We then brought it back to the Zilker Clubhouse last year and had our very own Brad Bradburn and his band Flyjack, along with headliner T-Bird and the Breaks. This year we bring back Austin Musician and Vocalist of the year Guy Forsyth along with and acoustic set by Dexter Freebish on Thursday June 17^th, back again at the amazing Zilker Clubhouse!

Over the years we have donated well over $50,000 to the Capital Area Food Bank, and this year our goal is $7500. Ticket donations of $30 include food provided by Iron Cactus, margaritas, beer and non-alcoholic beverages, 2  awesome bands, 100’s of great people and 1 KILLER downtown Austin view! All proceeds from ticket sales go to charity!

Servant hearted leadership is not just about profits, it is about giving back. Now is your time to give back, get on the phones, invite your clients, buy your tickets and let’s show Austin why Goldwasser Real Estate is #1!

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www.goldwasserrealestate.com,  Austin Real Estate

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I have been thinking a lot lately about the use of creative vision in my life. Last week I got a Facebook request, it was a question-“Chad, do you have any teaching on increasing your vision?” My answer is yes, I have a lot of teaching on expanding your vision, and I have a lot of experience with expanding my vision.

 

 

Nobody just reaches out and gets success, they must first see it and think about it. You have to be able to look beyond your current reality and into a bigger, grander, and more powerful future. I had to see it, after all, I had no college degree, I was basically destitute at the age of 22, and I was working behind a bar. In 10 years time, from the age of 24 to the age of 34, I was able to change my life and reach a great level of success in the real estate industry, going from nothing to #1 in a company of approximately 80,000 people. I went from earning $2.17 an hour plus tips to having an almost $200,000 commission month. That is what you call a major shift.

 

 

All along the way I had to continually expand my vision and my belief about who I was and what I could do. I had to envision a different person than I happened to be at any one time along the way. So I have been using vision expansion tools for the past 12 years on an almost daily basis. I want to share these tools and techniques with you that help me to expand my vision:

 

 

1.      Expansive Visualization: What you do is sit down somewhere peaceful, away from your work and the hustle and bustle of your everyday life, maybe under a tree in the park, or in your home office on the floor, somewhere where you can’t be bothered. Sit back in your chair or lay your head down and start visualizing what you want for yourself.

 

 

Turn up the knobs up considerably from where you would normally see your life. Get crazy and wild in your imagination, like nothing was impossible and get into this whole dream. Do not set any limits, visualize as boldly as you can.

 

 

Maybe think about yourself earning $50,000,000 a year, driving a Ferrari, having a home on the ocean in Hawaii and a penthouse in New York City, or whatever really turns you on. Build up the energy and the fun of this dream life. Make it crazy and fun.

 

 

Really look at your entire world. Think about what you look like, what you feel like, how you talk. Think about your family, your friends, what you do for a living, what your days are like, what your home looks like, what does your world smell like, what do you do on the weekends, where do you travel, what do you drive, how much money is in your bank account????

 

 

Think about all of these things in Technicolor, really vivid and fun. Make your own movie in your head and watch it for as long as you like. Then…

 

2. Create Your Utopia: Pick up a pen and a notebook and start writing about your life in this dream state, say 20 years from now. Here is what mine might sound like:

 

I am 57 years old and my life is incredible. I cannot believe how fortunate and blessed I have been in life. We have built the #1 most productive real estate company in the world because of our dedication to our clients and becoming the best people we can become. We are ranked in the Forbes top 50 companies worldwide. We are generating over $25 billion in revenue and I am personally earning over $25,000,000 a year. I have not had to work for over ten years, but I continue to find joy in what I do, writing New York Times Best sellers and speaking  to groups making massively positive impact on their lives.

 

 

I am totally healthy, running and exercising 6 days a week from 5:30-7am in the morning. I eat healthy and am in top physical condition. I have been dedicated my whole life to building a consistently powerful positive energy through exercising my body and my mind and it has paid off big time. I feel better than I ever have before.

 

 

Tara and I have been married for 33 years now and our marriage is stronger than ever.

 

 

And so on and so on. You should continue writing like this for at least two to three pages, covering every single aspect of your life from the physical, to the financial, to the spiritual in great depth and detail. Create your utopia, what would your life and world look like if you could have anything you wanted. It is really an amazing process to go through and when you get finished you can sit back and read it and just imagine how cool it will be to see this all take place. I suggest doing this once a quarter, just sitting down and really expanding on the idea of who you are and what you can become.

 

 

These are just two techniques that I use to expand my vision and see a bigger future, there are others I have incorporated in my life as well that I will share later. By practicing these techniques you will not be guaranteed that all of your hopes and dreams will come true, but you can guarantee that you will go farther and become more than you may ever think you could.

 

 

Having big visions and dreams for your future will push you to work harder and do more than you would without these ideas. Using expansive vision techniques has given me a life that I never would have even considered when I worked behind that bar oh so long ago, and I know that these ideas can help you as well. Push your potential, THERE ARE NO LIMITS!

 

  

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The more I learn about my business the more I find that it really is important to remember to always get back to the basics. People often wonder how they can reach the pinnacle of their industry and stay there, I think the answer is to be innovative and creative, but also remember that it always comes back to doing the good old fashioned basics, and doing them well! So, what are the basics?

1. Work Hard- No matter how far along I get in my business, I find that there is one thing that always remains a constant with seeing great success, working my bottom off! I remember starting my real estate career at the age of 24 and not stopping for anything. If someone wanted to see a home on a Friday at 10pm, I was there. Open houses, every single weekend, Saturday and Sunday. Hours, Monday through Sunday open all day-and night! It was necessary to create the momentum that I know get to feel. Even now, as we experience this tumultuous time, I have found that one thing pays great, hard work!

2. Serve people from the heart -If you do not have a servants heart, you will never truly reap the rewards of life. People love to feel your energy, your passion, and they love to feel that you care-ABOUT THEM! I think that you should look at every person you serve, not as a paycheck, but as an opportunity to give someone the greatest experience of their life. To show them that you are a true professional, with a heart.Do this and you will survive in any market.

3. Develop your skills-Be a life long learner, and practice your craft. If you had the great opportunity to watch Shaun White at the Vancouver Olympics winning the half pipe event, you were watching someone who stood head and shoulders above his competition. He made the other competitors look like amateurs, and how did he do it, a huge dose of courage and lots of practice. If you have the opportunity to read about this great athlete you will find a hard working guy who is constantly practicing his craft. Are you in gold medal form? If not, maybe it is time to put in some more practice!

4. Become a lead generation machine!-Let’s face it, no matter who you are or what you do, your ability to generate business will be the main key to your success. Whether you are an actor, a doctor or a real estate salesperson, you need to be able to find leads, and once you do, close them! Business is about sales, and once you figure out how to create lots of sales, you are good as gold. There is nothing of more importance than becoming a lead generation machine, finding and acquiring new leads at all times. What you did yesterday is done, each day you must start anew, looking for those precious leads!

That is it for now, let’s get back to what makes people successful, the basics!

Have an amazing week!

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On  my way to the office this morning I was listening to a great personal growth CD from John Maxwell on maximizing your leadership. On it he was talking about what he calls the Rule Of 5, and I thought it was a great lesson for us all to think about and learn from. So here you go.

 

 

Imagine that you and I had a tree to cut down, and that it was the most important thing for us to accomplish in our lives. Each day we decided to take our axe and take 5 swings at that tree, consistently, every single day until that tree fell. After a while we would look at that tree, lying on the ground and know that our consistent effort led to the accomplishment of that goal.

 

 

So what is your tree? What is your goal? What is the most important thing that you do in your life to accomplish what you are trying to accomplish? To become what you are trying to become. That is the first question you have to ask.

 

 

Once you have identified that goal, that single most important thing, the you have to figure out what are the top 5 things that you must do every single day that will get you to where you want to go. If you are not doing those things then you must develop a plan to start doing them, every single day. Wake up in the morning and know that you must take 5 swings at that goal today. get yourself awake and alive focused on what is important and get on it. you most likely already know what those 5 things are, maybe you are doing them, if not time to get on it.

 

 

Quick illustration, let’s say you’re a salesperson and your main goal is to close 20 sales in one month. What must you do consistently each and every single day to accomplish your goal. I would say that your rule of 5 would be to get on the phones and prospect, lead follow up, appointments, personal growth (for your mindset), and closing sales. If you find yourself doing anything else, check back in to what is important and get on it.

 

 

Ok, time for me to pick up my axe!

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“The Only way to succeed is to have the courage to fail.” W. Randall Jones

 

Happy 2010! I hope that you all are having a great year so far, 2010 is your year, it is my year, and it is our year. Things are starting to happen, our sales boards are filling up, people are starting to buy, and we are getting busy.

 

However, there is still a lot of fear and trepidation in the market. Buyers are not quite making decisions as quickly as we would like, and some of them are holding back altogether. You can’t give up on it though, and you cannot be afraid of failure.

 

This business is about forward momentum and continual lead generation. It is about learning to love “No’s” and not letting them get you down. The more “No’s” you receive, the more “Yeses” you will receive as well, because you are doing the work, the hard work of success in sales.

 

 You have the ability to be disciplined and consistent in your efforts and that will lead you to success. It is your willingness to get up day after day and shake off the dust and do it. Even when we do not want to do it, you must. When you get up and do what you know is right, even when you do not want to, that is when you get stronger, that is when you develop your greatness.

 

Believe me, I know how hard it can be, I know how much rejection we all face, I know how challenging it is when deals fall apart, when the amendment won’t work, when a seller is yelling at you, when people do not appreciate what you do, when you do not get any accolades, I know it can be hard, and that is why we have to be focused on what is right and what is good, it helps our minds to breathe and reenergize!

 

As silly as it sounds, just think of the smile of one of your children, or the love of your family, or your past successes, or your work ethic, think of all the good things when you do not feel so encouraged and be willing to turn it all around and chose to be happy, chose to be positive and lift yourself up and also encourage those around you.

 

2010 is your year, have the courage to push hard and not worry about if you fail, because you will. But, you will also succeed in a big way, when you just start doing what you know is right, consistently.

 

We will do it! We will do it! We will do it! We will do it! I believe in you!

 

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Building a real estate team is no small task. I recently was posed the question, “What are your top 10 suggestions for building a real estate team?” There are so many ways to answer this question. I thought about how I grew from a 24 year old kid, getting started in real estate, to 12 years later, leading a team of 7 listing agents, 22 buyers agents and 12 admin people to the top of my company. It was not easy, and that is the reason you see so many people fail to really build a team that will grow and thrive. So here are 10 suggestions I came up with for building a great real estate team:

1. Always hire admin help first to take paperwork away from you so you can lead gen more, then consider agents.

2. Make sure you are maxed out on what you can do by yourself, do not just start a team to start a team. You have to be really producing to bring on other agents and admin.

3. Focus on building your listing inventory to at least 10-20 listings that are producing great leads.

4. Make sure you have the leads to support any other agents you bring on board, they will expect them.
5. Create a great way to train your agents and make sure that they are a good representation of who you are. They have your reputation in their hands.

6. Build solid systems for handling buyers and sellers to ensure that your service levels are consistent.

7. Develop a plan that you can look at on paper that gives you the direction and progress of your business as you grow.

8. Look at where your business is coming from and strengthen the avenues that you will derive leads from as you have more time freed up by leveraging yourself through other people.

9. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and become a shameless self promoter to insure that people know you are serious about your business and you expect them to refer you. As much as people do not like the term “shameless self promoter”, it is essential to reach the highest level of sales success. Be proud of what you do and who you are.

10. Devote your life to leadership. Be willing to constantly learn, grow and change who you are so that you become the example that people will need to believe in you as their leader.

There is so much more to building a rock solid  team, but these are some good starting thoughts. For more, I would suggest purchasing 3 of my CD’s, Building a Rock Solid Team, The Next Level and Lead generation Machine.

Thanks so much for all of your support.

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