Broker Blog

Leading Through Turbulent Times – As part of the Leadership Council Meetings in Atlanta last month, we spent a few hours with Michael Staver in a program entitled “Leading Through Turbulent Times”. As each agent is CEO of their own business – each of us need to display these leadership traits:
Mindsets over Skillsets – here are the Mindsets We Need:
• Open – to looking at EVERY area of our businesses with FRESH EYES (yours and others)
• Creative – doing different things – not doing things differently
• Determination – relentlessly driving your business by:
    - Living and demanding consistent execution of your         core values
    - Enhancing the experience
    - Not listening to or accepting old answers to new             questions
• Focus – consistently dealing with what’s important as opposed to what gets our attention

Many of you know of my involvement with the Hyde Schools based in Bath, ME. I recently received a letter from the school indicating they are joining the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard as the only educational institutions to annually offer the “Hoffman Quadrinity Process”. Visit www.hoffmaninstitute.org for more info. The part that applies to this paragraph on leadership comes from another Hyde alumni parent Warrne Bennis, Chairman of the Kennedy School of Government Board of Advisors who says: “Here is the deal: learning to be a leader is virtually the same process as becoming an integrated and healthy person…What that means is that when we talk about ‘growing leaders’ we’re inevitably involved in personal stuff, personal transformation.”

Again from Mike Staver (www.thestavergroup.com):
• Values=Attitude. Attitude=Behavior
• Dumb is your friend – Ask questions
• It’s all about results
• Don’t panic – Do the work
• Commit to Lifelong Learning
• Live with Energy and Intensity


Top Ranking Businesses in the North Bay: Frank Howard Allen Realtors is listed as the largest Real Estate company in the recent edition of Top 500 Ranking Businesses published by the Northbay BIZ last month. The firm is identified with 637 agents and $48,000,000 in revenues for 2007. We are proud to be a part of the Frank Howard Allen family and celebrating 100 years in business next year.

Current Activity: Some interesting conclusions can be drawn from our business for the first quarter of this year. As of 3/30, we have 110 units in escrow compared to 65 on 3/30/08. Those 110 units represent $54,000,000 in sales volume compared to $52,000,000 for the 65 units last year. So, we are working nearly twice as hard for the same revenue. At the end of March, we have 228 units in available inventory compared to 220 a year ago. The average listing price at the end of March last year was $800,000 and is $759,000 this year.

In the first quarter of 2008, we closed several transactions in excess of $4,000,000 which we did not do this year. The reduced prices of the market place are clearly reflected in our dollar volume for the first quarter of 2009 being $50 million compared to $87 million in the first quarter of 2008 despite closing 141 units this year compared to 126 in the first quarter a year ago. We have not seen this level of activity since the first quarter of 2001 it is highly likely that we will be going through another series of cost reductions as we move through the balance of this year.

We are proud of the hard work that our agents are putting in to helping us to remain leaders in our industry.

Training: We are working on a follow-up training to Joyce Davison’s great presentation last month. It will involve direct mail and SOI marketing. In the meantime:
CAR Contract Training on 4/10 in Santa Rosa, 9:00 am to Noon. Check on the NorBAR website – www.norbarrealtor.com - to sign-up by 4/3.

Also, don’t forget the Spring Legal Update in Rohnert Park on Tuesday, May 5. Attendance is mandatory as part of our Risk Management program.

Sonoma Valley International Film Festival - The Sonoma Valley International Film Festival runs through the balance of this week. We are proud to be sponsors as we have been over the years and to have all the activity next to our office in the Sebastiani Theratre building. For several years we sponsored the documentary films in the festival better known as the "House of Docs". We did a little film trailer during that time and you might enjoy viewing it - it's a couple of minutes long. Just click on "House of Docs Video".

Welcome to our new sales agents: Welcome to Ellen Politz who has joined our Napa office. Ellen has over fifteen years of experience in the banking industry and is an excellent short sale consultant. Call her at 265-1605 if you need assistance with a short sale. We’re also happy to welcome Helaine Forte back to our Napa office. She will be handling properties in both Napa and Sonoma. Her number in Napa is 337-3415

Closings: Congratulations to Vinni Bubak, Jannette Hall and Sally Kalaveras, all in our Napa office, and Julie King of our St. Helena office for their first closings with Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group. Wishing them many more. Other closings for the period from 2/23 thru 3/27 include: Sheila Deignan (Sonoma); Diane Krause (Sonoma); Susan Irvine (Sonoma); Faeli Vyn (Napa); Mara Kahn (Sonoma); Carol Lexa (Healdsburg); Aimee Greco (Napa); Lark Raymond (Napa); Deke Dekay and Diane Harris (Healdsburg); Robyn Makaruk (Sonoma); Svetlana Ternovskaya (Napa); William Streett (Sonoma); Alicia Robledo (Sonoma); Dee Grohmann (Healdsburg); Jana Jones (Healdsburg); Erick Rothfeld (Sonoma); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); and Pat Brown (Sonoma); The following agents had two closings over this period: Ida Clark (Napa); Linda Alioto (St. Helena); and Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker (Kenwood). Ann Amtower of our Healdsburg office and Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma Office both had three closings during this period. David Barker of our Napa Office had four closings. And Cheri Stanley of our Napa office and Ron and Jane Pavelka of our Cloverdale office each had five closings during this period. Congratulations to all!

Birthdays: Birthdays in the last month include: John Scott, Marianne Young, Diane Krause, Joan Harrington and Alicia Robledo – Best wishes to all!