To twitter or not to twitter, that is the question

My grandmother was born at the turn of the last century. She lived to be nearly 100.

During her lifetime she saw the most amazing changes in the world. With five daughters, an invention like the telephone was made for her. She embraced it.

Like us, she needed to make space in her life to adjust to new technology. We’ve come a long way from the first phone my nan used but at other levels things haven’t changed at all.

We learnt to talk on the phone so we visited less. Now we can twitter, Facebook and MySpace with “friends” all over the world. But do we really “talk” to people any more? Do we really connect or do we in fact just waffle inanely?

Networking technology is about creating a fan base, not a data base. The latter only serves to make people feel like a number and we’re well beyond that when it comes to customer satisfaction. Like the old Bob Seger song, clients no longer want to feel like a number. They want to be individuals.

If you believe any social or business networking site, I live in a world where I have the potential for billions of clients. But I really only need enough of them to keep my business growing at the rate which is comfortable. What I want to do with my portion of those billions is connect.

The severe disconnect between business and client is nowhere more obvious than in real estate.

For years the industry has used communication methods which build rapport and false friendships.

With these allegedly more personal ways to network, as businesses we need to be ahead of the curve and right on the edge. Otherwise we will always be playing catch-up.

Mailing lists which bombard people don’t offer true communication. People who engage with their clients, not who want to be false friends to make a sale, are the ones who give hope.

In this world, the key word is indeed hope. You want someone to give you genuine hope that they can do what you are seeking; that they can sell your home, find you the right car, lose weight or help you find love.

Consumers are looking for clarity and confidence. Genuinely connecting with them will give them that and it should put you in the strongest position possible.

Breath easy, the grant stays

So finally we have our answer, the first home buyers grant will remain for three months at the full rate and three months at a reduced rate.

*Insert collective sighs of relief from the entire real estate industry here.*

This is a good move by the Government and one that has seen the industry dodge a very large bullet. If the grant was ceased on June 30 first home buyer activity would have come to a screaming halt and the market place repercussions would have been quite dramatic.

Through phasing out the grant the Government has paved the way for a more orderly market adjustment. The economy is expected to stabilise over the next 6 months and interest rates are expected to stay low. Together these two factors provide an opportunity to offset any shock when the grants do finally stop. The move to keep the grant for both existing and new properties is also positive and avoids any distortion.

So what now? Well historically Government intervention coupled with low interest rates is the pre-curser to the upside of the property cycle. This doesn’t mean everything is roses, what is does mean I think is that the market is likely to continue ticking along as it is until well into 2010 – it is a time to have a positive, but balanced view of the market place.

What was missed in the budget is any sweeteners for investors and second and third tier buyers. Investors are a big piece of the puzzle that is missing right now and through creating strategies that would entice them back into market the Government could have created a far more balanced market place, rather than just relying on the first home buyers to keep us a float. Australia is also in the midst of an ever growing housing stock crisis which cannot be addressed by the first home buyers grant alone. I have pointed out the need to broaden the stimulus here before, so I won’t cover too much old territory there.

All in all budget night was a positive night for the industry. The ‘what ifs?’ around the first home buyers grant are now answered and it is business as usual.

Be happy, be innovative

The boom has left us hanging onto mediocrity. We’ve become comfortable because it’s been easy. We’ve been letting other people take the gamble and the chance. Now the GED has rudely shocked us and rocked us out of that rake-it-in coma.

People are preoccupied with the darkness and gloom but you’ll always find someone living with less light and hope. While Australia is the 18^th wealthiest economy in the world according to one website, apparently we are also the 6^th happiest country in the world.

If you’re not feeling like you’re part of the Top 10 happy places in the world, perhaps it’s because you’ve been paying too much attention to miserable advertising. Notice how quickly television and other forms of advertising have jumped on the bad times band wagon? They’ve taken up the language of a bleak economic climate and adjusted their global economic crisis vocabulary so quickly it’s hard to believe the Ikea-loving Swedes and Canadians are behind us on the happiness ladder.

The days of the spin merchant are gone however and we can’t afford to be seduced anymore. We have neither the time nor money. You just can’t “trust” blindly anymore. Find people who you know are good at what they do or come recommended by those you trust. Work with people who actually have the solutions to your problems, not just people who say they do.

Most of us are pretty clever about what we’re being told, but now more than ever it’s important to see the real message being communicated and not be manipulated by the spin.

The up-side of this down-turn is now we have the perfect chance to make a difference. To be different. To think differently. To strive to be better. To do things which have never been done before.

Whether you’re going to seriously commit to household recycling, buy a home or get involved in a business venture, it’s time for innovation and the climate is ripe for it.

In our recent In Property magazine, Perth horticulturalist Josh Byrne shared with us how planting a verge garden got him out of the back of his house and greeting his neighbourhood. By creating a nice place to be at the front of his house, he’s met the people in his street and made friends with his neighbours.

It’s a grass-roots gesture, but we need them to lift our spirits. Feeling good about yourself and the world around us is what convinces someone somewhere with a great idea to pursue it. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It’s a valuable mantra to have at the moment.

Let’s cultivate the art of being better, of giving great service and “doing good”. Unprecedented times call for unusual measures.

Realmark the aging pop star?

This month at Realmark we are celebrating a very significant milestone – we turn 20.

20 years ago my wife and business partner Anita and I flung open the doors to our tiny little agency, just the two of us and some second-hand office furniture.

We now employ a team of more than 120 people across seven residential offices and a commercial division. I’ve been asked many a time what is the key to our longevity, how did we survive this long in the notoriously fickle world of real estate? Well I’ve got to say, we took a leaf out of Madonna’s book and learnt to reinvent ourselves over and over again.

No matter what you think about Madonna, there is no denying that the woman has managed to sustain a very successful career over many years through adapting and making herself relevant to the next generation of music fans. We may operate in the far less glamorous world of real estate but let me tell you, Realmark have had many different looks over the past twenty years and I honestly think that is what it takes to succeed in this industry.

Real estate is a funny business, it is so heavily influenced by the economy, by consumer sentiment – it is unpredictable. So if you want to work in that space, you have to be ready to take the ride and be willing to adapt and evolve with industry as necessary. While this definitely rings true for real estate, it really applies to any business – you need to stay relevant. Change can be a scary thing for many, but it is not something we fear around here because we cannot afford to. A major part of our everyday business strategy is keeping one step ahead. We are continuously researching technology, communication, marketing – anything that may improve the way we service our customers and help us stand out from the crowd.

No, Realmark is not the same business it was in 1989, and we won’t be the same business we are now five years down the track, I will make sure of it.

For me the past 20 years have been a challenging but very fulfilling ride. If I may get a little sentimental for a minute (well it is my blog after all), many people often measure success in dollars, but I can honestly say that for Anita and myself the highlight of the last 20 years is seeing the business and the people in it grow and prosper. What is a business without its people? We are lucky to have the best of the best working with us, so thanks to all of you.

Happy birthday Realmark.