We have been in this industry now for 38 years, sine 1985. In recent times, we’ve observed a concerning trend: many talented real estate agents are exiting the industry. Even though the real estate market remains propped up due to the prevailing low inventory across the United States, agents are encountering challenges. We genuinely empathize with this; our journey in 2006-2011 was fraught with similar uncertainties. Many of you were not even in the business. The Dot-com crash was just ending in 2003 when all this started. We experienced a sharp decline in earnings, going from $500,000 one year to just $62,000 the next. We were on the verge of giving up, repeatedly during that time. Many of our long term finances were obliterated.
Most of you will soon see this happen to many people again. For us, playing in the beast system for 38 years, we believe the worst is yet to come. Many of you can't see this storm, based on the structured and guided reality you live in.
Needless to say, this downfall left our business staggering. Yet, even in those dire times, we remained resilient, primarily because I had our family and employees depending on us as well as many brokers depending on us. While we initially felt isolated, our persistence led us to valuable allies. We initiated a mastermind group, collaborating with the sharpest minds in our region. Collectively, we pinpointed thriving opportunities. One of many breakthroughs came from our mastermind marketing… strategies, like Craigslist (yes that’s true). These strategies and others like short-sales, foreclosure sales, REO’s changed our business quickly and brought us with the ability to survive and continue forward.
While that specific tactic might not resonate in today’s market, the underlying lesson remains timeless: the value of collaboration. I encourage you to seek out forward-thinking, relatable agents and venders in your domain and consider banding together. Pooling resources, skills, and insights can be transformative.
Don't dismiss the idea. My commitment to collaboration birthed our “Surthrival Mastermind”. The collective wisdom of many can fuel growth irrespective of market conditions. I recommend initiating your collaborative journey with a handful of dynamic agents, even if they aren't in your immediate vicinity, your immediate profession, your immediate company, your immediate experience.
To further aid your endeavors, we’ve revamped strategies, we’ve championed for a decade which delves into effective techniques for CRM platforms, transaction management platforms, lead generation platforms and the use of AI as well as Title Company ownership for brokers. Tech Stac products like FollowupBoss, Ylopo, Qualia, MEVI and Open-TO Close are all aimed at bolstering your business. Remember, you’re one idea away from massive success, but you can’t give up now!
