The McLaughlin Group Team

The McLaughlin Group Team
www.TheMcLaughlinGroup.com

Friday, September 30, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 193 Hammer


I heard a small meow from under a pallet at work and saw him hiding in the back corner. He was a fluffy, scared, gray little kitten that was near his end. His leg was bent out of shape and it was evident he had not eaten for days. A week later he was at home and Kelsey and Kinsey thought they had won the lottery when I brought him through the front door. Hammer passed yesterday and I found myself reflecting back on how a little animal lightened and lifted two little girls. I confess to being an animal lover and am a big believer in the benefit of children having pets as they grow up. Kinsey named him Hammer and for 13 years he strutted his stuff around our house. He was a proud cat, a cat's cat, and I will miss him!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 192 M Cafe

Okay, have you ever pictured a perfect setting and imagined what it would be like to be there. Well, we had that today at M Cafe. Cloud cover, under the large Coastal Oaks, and toasting the super month we had. I do have the best group ever and today was one of those days when you just realize that life is good. Alright, now lets skip to the funny part. We are at a picnic table in the grass area when a member of the group, who shall remain unnamed, tried out one of the deluxe black pod chairs. A scream, hushed silence and then uncontrolled laughter as the group member lay helpless in the pod chair unable to free herself from the predicament she found herself in. Forget the food, the setting, the drinks, it was the mishap we will all remember. So here is a late night toast to the group member (LD)(husband is Al)(Lives in Westlake)(Does our marketing) who made us all laugh...But remember no names.

This is Dave, from the McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 191 Closing Time

Semisonic's "Closing Time"

Closing time- every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

What a great line when you look at it from a real estate perspective. September has been closing time for our group and 10 new beginnings have come from 10 other beginning's end. That is 10 sellers and 10 buyers and I hope their new beginnings are happy ones!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 190 Where's the Beef?



Remember that great old Wendy's commercial with the little old lady demanding to know from the poor counter clerk, "Where's the beef?" I think if most sellers asked that of their potential realtor, realtors would have a lot more respect because they would be forced to articulate their vision and plan for a seller's home. Instead, many realtors supply lettuce, a 2 day old tomato and offer that up as the beef. I can assure you The McLaughlin Group will serve up a solid piece of meat, and will offer a vast array of unique ideas and marketing tools that will satisfy the hungriest of sellers. Here is that classic commercial to remind you to ask, "Where's the beef?

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Monday, September 26, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 189 I Wonder

I watch, I wait, I want, I wish, I will, I walk, I win but most of all I wonder. Life, death, friends, family, and business and all things that occupy a mind that wonders. Joy, sorrow, rage, jealousy, peace, hate and love and I wonder. If all the activities and responsibilities were stripped away, how could one cope with a mind that races from points as far as the east is from the west and at speeds that are incomprehensible? I believe my mind would spin out of control if it were not for the those responsibilities, the activities and sleep. More than the body craves rest, the mind must have time to not wonder. (verb) Wonder: to think or speculate curiously. The topics, subjects, people and places to wonder about are limitless, I wonder if I will sleep tonight?

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate?

Sunday, September 25, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 188 A Warm Fall Evening

88 degrees with a warm breeze flowing through Sam Boyd Stadium and a gorgeous sky all made for a perfect evening of tailgating and college football. No college football fan could have demanded a more perfect sunset as the game got underway. I was able to visit with The Libonatis at their tent, decked out in their UNLV Red. Darren and I go way back. We played against each other in high school and junior college but wound up as teammates at Tulane. On the other side was the Collet family. Tom and I played together at Pierce and we have been friends for 30 years now. Tommy Jr. plays for Southern Utah so the scheduled game made for an ideal all nighter in Las Vegas. A great game if you were a T-Bird fan and just awful if you were a Rebel fan, but for me, it was darn near close to heaven. Doctor Teagle, another long time friend and former Calabasas Coyote offered extraordinary play by play coverage especially early on, as the tailgate beverages still had control. We saw the wee hours of the morning inside the Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan with a large group and by mid afternoon I was back doing counters at the office. Now that's a great weekend!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Friday, September 23, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 187 Uncertain Times

The news is tough to watch. So many factors that are impacting our housing market and those factors are well out of any realtors' control. My suggestion to sellers is to price the home to sell and don't mess around hoping that the big elephant buyer will miraculously appear. I just ran numbers from 2 million to 4.5 million in the Conejo Valley and Santa Rosa...Yikes. 61 homes available and only 3 in escrow. That is 20 months of inventory! Let's get busy and GET SMART!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 186 - Attitude

I sit at my desk looking outside and wondering....how will I live my next half century? I know I should be working...I know that, but I'm distracted. I have lived a half century! What have I learned? I think I've learned it's all about attitude. Everything is about attitude. These 5 quotes sum it up:

1. It isn't the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it's how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer.

2. If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.

3. The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy.

4. The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.

5. The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.

It really is all about attitude. Work at it!

This is Laurie, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Monday, September 19, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 185 Say what you need to say

I believe John Mayer says it best in his song but how do we communicate what we need to say in real estate. I started to think about the way I disperse my message to clients and am hesitant to share. Hesitant to share, because is the way I communicate a weakness or strength? A serious message is sometimes communicated with humor, (am I fearful of the content). Trying to drive home a point about pricing, (I use analogies or word pictures). When asked for advice, (I may answer with a question back, am I afraid to commit?). In this business, especially with the current market conditions, there is often bad news or tough messages to be delivered and that can lead to vast emotional swings and unknown and ugly responses may be lurking behind the next message. (analogy coming) Delivering bad news is like going into the brush after a wounded animal, be careful. Sometimes when thinking about a cancellation, a lost offer, a rejected counter or a bad inspection, the above mentioned song comes to mind, so I sing to myself, “say what you need to say, say what you need to say.” So if you are not hearing my message just stop and say or sing, “Dave, say what you need to say, say what you need to say.”

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 184 Cancelled and Revived

A week or so ago, Laurie had blogged on two deals being cancelled within an hour of each other. It was a very painful lunch, however, I am here to report that one deal was revived and is now headed straight to closing. In my first 13 years I never had a deal fully cancel and come back to life. This year, we have had two cancel and both were revived. The one on Highland in Camarillo came back from the dead after 4 months and the one in Agoura was only dead a few days but is alive and kicking now. The water was not turned into wine and nobody walked on water but both revivals were little miracles to our sellers and us.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Friday, September 16, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 183 Friday Night Lights

The chill in the fall air tonight only meant one thing...Football Friday night. I took Miley to watch the game and caught a glimpse of Kels and Kins doing their ASB thing. We watched the band, cheerleaders, mascots and had a great time. Shocking that it was 30 years ago when I was playing on that same field. At halftime it was 46 to 3 and the chill was cutting through the flannel and Miley had her fill. As I drove off, I thought win or lose, for either team will life ever be better than what they are experiencing now? Time will only tell for all of them.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 182 A Degree in Real Estate

I recently had lunch with an owner of a large real estate company and we discussed what the appropriate degree would be for a student contemplating a career in real estate. Our conclusion; no degree exists in the current curriculum. This job incorporates business, law, psychology and a few other minors and no course prepares you for what this field lays out in front of you. My feeling is that psychology would be number one because understanding people, their motives, emotions and relationships would be 60 percent of it. However, last time I checked, 60 percent is a D, so one would still require an understanding of all the others to really grasp what goes on. There were 92 calls yesterday on the cell phone, people were crying, one was irate, one had contract questions and was wondering the implications of a particular course of action and that was just my wife. (kidding). Philosophy would help, statistics could add to your expertise but really there is no course that fully prepares you for this journey. The best course for real estate and for that matter, life, is the school of hard knocks and we all live that every day.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 181 Life on Malibou Lake



Is this paradise????

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Monday, September 12, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 180 A Moment to Remember

Boats tied together drifting on by, kids swinging off the rope, and a large contingent on the island gathering and remembering 9/11. It was a spectacular evening with family, friends and the Shoemakers working their usual harmonic magic. One moment does stand out, Steve Hoofring, spoke on the significance of the day and all paused for a moment of silence. What we heard next, I can only describe as piercingly beautiful for this special day. Sam Shoemaker delivered a solo Star Spangled Banner on his Violin that pierced the cool evening air. It's as if the lake, birds and winds all calmed so they could partake of the purity of the string and the majesty of the moment. I am confident on the boats, docks and island, many fought back emotions held in after watching the memorials and dedications of the day. I find it almost impossible to set the mood, setting and sound and therefore will settle on, it was a moment to remember.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 179 On The Eve

10 years ago tomorrow, a day that would shape history and our country's policy for years to come. On Sunday we will reflect back on waking up to a whole new world. I watched the Arizona State game on Thursday night and Pat Tillman was mentioned so many times and TV this week has been all about 9/11, as it should be. On Sunday we will have a gathering at the dock and then we will boat over to the island to hear the Shoemakers play. They will open with the Star Spangled Banner with just the violin and the peaceful sound will echo through our small canyon. I am sure all of us will ponder where we were, think on all of those who thought that sunny day was just another and never forget all who have sacrificed so much for so many. On this 10 year anniversary, let us never forget.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, loving America!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 178 How Luck Changes

Ok, so the luck has changed. We just lost 2 escrows in 1 hour. What a lunch hour I had today. I will get new buyers, no doubt, but what a let down for our sellers. Flying on that roller coaster ride right now.....looking for the brake...I did put 2 new properties in escrow, so the ride is on an upswing.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 177 Summer's End



Well, summer is basically over, school has started, the days are getting shorter and it is HOT! Are we in Florida? I think this odd summer has brought us good luck because The McLaughlin Group is doing well. What do you think it is, great leadership, great teamwork or kick butt marketing? I'm just asking.....

This is Laurie, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 176 Show Stopper

A show stopper: an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down. In real estate it would be a house that after seeing 10 or 12 others makes the buyer want to cease looking and start buying. Or, an agent in a office meeting asks a ridiculous question or makes some outlandish statement where the office manager has to calm the generally unruly crowd of realtors down. One more show stopper for realtors: The title representative forgets to bring food to the office meeting, wow!, look out that title officer is doomed and will suffer a most unfortunate drop in title orders.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Monday, September 5, 2011

BLNDS WIDE OPEN -day 175 Monday Recap

17 fish boated in the morning, softball cancelled, last minute switch to Malibu Winery for Shoemakers, pool and lake, with some late negotiations on one of our big listings. A great day to end a great weekend! BTW, the girls won the soccer tourney!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -Day 174 Labor Day Fun

This is a great weekend mixed with work and fun. I get to watch and enjoy Kels & Kins on the same club soccer team playing the back line of defense together. The only problem with that is if the other team puts up big numbers, you all know what that means. So far though, two games and only 1 goal against us. 2 more games to go. Then I have the last softball game of the year at Malibou Lake known as the Septics vs. the Sewers which is always a blast. I also have scheduled a very early morning fishing session with one of the soccer dads, which will be quite enjoyable. A possible Timmy Curran concert Sunday evening and mix it in with some family time, lake time and a little work and I say it will be a fun Labor Day weekend!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Friday, September 2, 2011

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 173 Hard to Describe Follow up


The views on Moonridge are hard to describe but I had no idea that the sign company would struggle to find the property. With the Thomas Guide and location delivered to them, they were unable to locate, so this afternoon I have to meet them off Lynn Road. As I said in the earlier blog it's hard to describe. Here is a sampling of just one of the view shots.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!