Why Would You Fear Success?

Lately, I have been surrounded by opportunity, as have the members of my team. I hope you have too. 

What strikes me about the excitement of opportunity though is the accompanying fear. Many people sabotage their own success by quitting when things get tough or too busy and this fear rears it's ugly head.

I believe it is a confused but very real fear of success.  Yes SUCCESS. 

Unless it is unusually painful or public, failure is sadly comfortable for most people. Have you heard anyone say "I can't catch a break" or "that will never happen" lately?

Success on the other hand changes everything.  It is new and unknown. Family and friends may view you differently. You may feel new responsibilities that come along with succeeding. 

I want to encourage you to conquer any fear of success you may have and in doing so you'll minimize the pesky fear of failure you may have as well. 

Face these fears by putting in the extra work, learning new things and stretching your comfort zone.

Most importantly of all though is to surround yourself with positive success seeking people. 

Start now. The results will last a lifetime!

Todd Tramonte

Why I'm Weird

Clearly there is more than one reason I'm not "normal," but I wanted to share a specific reason with you and I hope that you like it.

I love learning about marketing.  I mean, I really really like it. Just this past week, I was having a conversation with one of our team members about a rather large purchase I was going to make for some educational products related to marketing.

He laughed and simply said yes after I asked him the following question:

"Is it strange that I'm way more excited about buying books, CDs and videos about marketing than I am about getting a new set of golf clubs or a new car or gadget?"

Well, I am.  Dana even laughed at me when I finally received the products and went into hibernation to start reading, listening and taking notes.

I was never this studious in school, but now that I have discovered my gifts, drive and passion for marketing homes for our incredible clients and marketing our world class service to prospective clients, I can't get enough. 

So, I'm weird.  My money says you may be slightly strange yourself in one area or another. 

What are you wildly passionate about?  Really, I'd love to know! 

Have a great day,

Todd Tramonte

The little things and the Big Money

I have two little pieces of advice and a thought for you.

1. Fertilize your yard this week if you haven't already. A great looking yard leads to greater pride of ownership, happier neighbors, outdoor family fun and of course higher resale value.

2. Have your AC checked before it gets crazy hot. You'll save a ton compared to the panic call you'd make if you had a problem in July, in the middle of the night, when your in-laws are there. (Yes, this happened to me!) I have a great guy for you of course if you need one.

I'll try desperately to keep this thought short. More often than we'd like to admit, life pivots on the little things. One comment can somehow change the course of a lifelong relationship. One decision can change our income, home town, employer, spouse or even survival.

I just wanted to point out that buying, selling and owning a home is quite often the same way. Folks think about hiring an adviser / agent to handle the big things like showings, contracts and closings when often it is something as "little" as knowing the name of the company who manufactures the most common electric panels for this area. One word in an agreement can protect folks from major financial risk.

Understanding that closing on one day compared to another could cost hundreds or thousands more. Even understanding the personality of the other agent or the other party to the transaction can be massively impactful. We train on the "little" things here and love sharing that value with folks.

Where in your life are the little things working to your advantage? We are here for everything real estate related, but I hope little things are falling into place to your advantage left and right!

Have a great day,

Todd Tramonte

An Invitation & The Age of Adventure - 3

I'm going to get straight to the point here. I partied pretty hard this weekend. My little guy turned three and we went all out with pizza and bounce houses. It was pretty legitimate as far as tiny people parties go.

Somewhere amidst all the pepperoni and kid sweat, I did think of you. We throw a big party or two each year just for our past clients and the folks who are kind enough to introduce us to their friends. As I'm thinking about our next shindig, I wanted to ask you

1) Do you still want to be invited to these events?

and

2) Do you know anyone else who would enjoy getting updates, information and valuable resources from us?

We have all sorts of cool stuff available for you and your friends. Some of those things are included at www.ToddsFans.com.

Let me know your answers and I'll make sure to invite you to the next big party! If you know someone who might like to get these emails, or our Monthly Market Report or weekly Hot Deals List, please forward them this email and they can join the list here.

Have a great week,

Todd Tramonte

Inspiring quotes inspire for about 4 minutes... WHY?

I was reminded of something this morning as I read a bunch of inspirational quotes in my email inbox, facebook page and honestly on my office wall.

Motivational quotes are great, but they only last for a short while. Do you know what lasts for years in regard to getting your energy, passion and "fight" up? I believe that your very own story is the best source of drive in your life.

Maybe you are motivated by your faith and a specific calling you recognize in your life. Maybe you are motivated by a past you swore you would not repeat. It is possible that your burning motivation is to prove someone wrong. As long as your driving story is not hurtful to anyone else or yourself, I'd encourage you to spend a little time today writing or typing out your "WHY." When I say your "WHY," I mean that story that gets you fired up. Keep peppering in the daily quotes that another person has made famous for short bursts of energy and small pushes towards your success, but never forget that your burning inner desire to serve, prove right or prove wrong will carry you for the long haul.

I've believed this for years and being very specific on my "WHY" has helped me grow as a leader, husband, father, business owner and friend. I hope it does the same for you!

Have a great week,

Todd Tramonte

I need your quick advice.

Before I ask you for a quick favor, I just wanted to share a great quote with you. I shared this with my team a week or so ago and we all got fired up. You may have read this before from the book A Return to Love or possibly you saw the Academy Award snubbed film Coach Carter.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Now, to ask for a recommendation:

You may already know that I'm an avid reader. What you may not have known is that our Marketing and Operations Director, Kenny, is destroying me this year in total books read. He has read twenty books already and we are just one quarter of the way into the year. I must catch up!

Do you have any great non-fiction books that you would recommend? I'm always reading about ways to provide better value to you as well as ways to better communicate all of our value to you.

What great books have you read lately?

You might want to try a few of my all time favorites:

The Go Getter
The E-Myth Revisited
Positively Outrageous Service
Financial Peace
30 Days To Understanding The Bible
Think and Grow Rich

Have a fantastic day,

Todd Tramonte

A Van...Down by the River & A Sweet Deal

I wanted to let you know about an amazing real estate opportunity I have for you. I know a guy with a sweet van. He lives in it down by the Trinity River. It's really pretty sweet. You could call it a two bedroom since the front seat and the back seat convert into sleeping areas. There is no kitchen, but there is some pretty awesome camping equipment in the back. There is even a full tank of gas sitting in this bad boy. Owner is willing to finance and does own the land beneath the "property." For a three year note at 16% with just $2,500 down, it is yours!

Just imagine your life in a sweet van...down by the river.

Happy April Fool's Day,

Todd Tramonte

A Truck, A Mattress and The Police

Once in college my buddies and I decided that it was a great idea to tie a twin mattress to a tow strap and the tow strap to my giant lifted trick. Then I drove down the main street on campus (right in front of the freshmen girls' dorms) while my friends were surfing on the mattress behind the truck. One of them may have had a helmet on, but I'm sure one of them was replaying the mechanical bull scene from Urban Cowboy as he spastically waved at every girl on the street.

The short version of this story ends with me talking the police out of expelling all of us.

{Vaguely Relevant Transition}

Who do you know right now that is in a tough spot with a home? I can help them out of their rough spot as well. Do you have a friend or co-worker who needs to sell a house quickly? Do you know a guy at church or in your softball league who needs to purchase a home ASAP?

Let me know, I'd love to help anyone you know and like.

Todd Tramonte

The Complete Package

I’m a great believer in “the complete package.”  Why? Because the complete package produces outstanding results.  For example, in basketball, Michael Jordan was the complete package.  By whatever standard you care to use, he was the best.  He won a national championship in college and six in the NBA.  He won awards both for offensive and defensive play, multiple MVP awards, and even won the award for most steals in a season three times!
 
In horse racing, Secretariat was the complete package.  He was big, fast, and an overwhelming winner.  He set track records in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont stakes that may never be broken.

Without fail, in any endeavor, the “complete package” also is a relentless competitor and winner.  Which leads me to my point: home sellers often fail in the market because they don’t present a “complete package” to the buyer!

Michael Jordan and Secretariat were marvelous physical specimens when they competed.  But they didn’t achieve their incredible results without planning, training, and commitment.  You may have a beautiful home to sell, but if you just “show up” in the market, you’ll get beat by the complete package every time!

We are trained to help homeowners evaluate and overcome any shortcomings with their home in order to make it truly competitive in the market.  So many times, working with buyers, we will walk into a home that is in a lousy condition to sell.  It may be poorly kept, have obvious issues that need repair, may contain bad odors or lots of weeds in the yard.  They present an incomplete package that attracts all of the wrong kinds of attention.  But with a committed plan for preparation and a great strategy for marketing, you and your Expert Advisor can turn your home into a relentless competitor and a market winner!

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can just “get by” and be successful selling your home.  Take the time to plan, establish a budget for “training” and work with your Expert Advisor team to put your “complete package” on the field!

Dallas homeowners see higher home equity rates than most

Dallas homeowners are in the top ranks for owners with mortgages who have positive home equity according to an article posted in the Dallas Morning News today. Here are some of the highlights and the link to read the full article.

"With housing values rising, Dallas-area homeowners now have one of the best home equity positions in the country, according to a new report by CoreLogic Inc."

“The trend toward more homeowners moving back into positive equity territory should continue in 2013,” Nallathambi said."

"In North Texas, median home sales prices were up 8 percent in 2012 from 2011, according to data collected by real estate agents’ multiple listing services."

"And during the first two months of 2013, median home sales prices of pre-owned single-family homes were up another 8 percent."

"Inventories of houses for sale in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are at the lowest level in more than a decade."

 

View the full article Dallas area among top markets with high home equity rates here.