helen merjos · 2015-09-10 · helen merjos featured agents: karen davis cindy locke anthony mcghee...

HELEN MERJOSFEATURED AGENTS:KAREN DAVIS CINDY LOCKEANTHONY McGHEETERESSA TAYLOR-GRIFFIS

DON’T FORGET THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

OF BUSINESS PLANNING“STATED” INCOME COMMERCIAL REAL

ESTATE LOANS ARE BACK—AND BETTER HOW TO BE A

GREAT AGENT EVERY DAY

VIRGINIA EDITION

Top Agent Magazine2

CONTENTS

HOW TO CREATE A BUSINESS-WINNING PLAN IN ONE HOUR by Bubba Mills ............................................ 4

“STATED” INCOME COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS ARE BACK—AND BETTER by Noah Grayson ...................................... 13

REALTOR’S GUIDE FOR TWITTERS YOUR FIRST 1,000 FOLLOWERS by Liz Evangelatos .................................... 17

DON’T FORGET THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF BUSINESS PLANNING by Carla Cross ........................................... 24

HOW TO BE A GREAT AGENT EVERY DAY by Bob Corcoran ....................................... 27

Helen MerjosVIRGINIA BEACH

7

Executive Publisher Jessica S. Fisher

Writers Melissa Bertolino Ashley Davis Jen Hadley Desi Jedeikin Beth Cone Kramer Lincoln McEwee Tina Rubin Alisha Thomas Cameron Turner

Feature Story Coordinators Jen Brazgel Andy Christenot Melissa Giordano Nicole Taylor Janet Thompson

Graphic Design Steve Martin Fran Sherman

Accounting Carol King Samantha Smith

Phone 888-461-3930 Fax 310-751-7068 [email protected] www.topagentmagazine.com

No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior con sent of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are take to ensure the accuracy of published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to [email protected]. Published in the U.S.

Top Agent Magazine 3

23

26

16

Teressa Taylor-GriffisFREDERICKSBURG

Karen DavisVIRGINIA BEACH

CinDy loCKeFREDERICKSBURG

29 anTHony MCGHeeRUCKERSVILLE

Top Agent Magazine4

Baloney! That’s what I say to thosewho think building a business planshould take days, weeks, evenmonths. And I say baloney again tothose who think a plan has to have abunch of pages with graphs andcharts.

I know for a fact REALTORS® don’thave that kind of time. But I alsoknow every serious REALTOR®

needs a good plan. That means ifyou’re reading this, you’re in theright place. Stick with me and you’llend up with a plan that can makeyour year much better.

A comprehensive business plan (twopages max) can help you:

• Account for what you accomplish

• Clarify your life

• Keep track of each of your goals

• Manage your time

• Determine if you’re heading in the right direction

So let’s get right to it. Here are thesteps to take to get your plan in placeand your year (and rear) in gear:

Create a mission statement. This getsright to the heart of your life andaddresses why you’re in real estate. Itanswers why you’re here, what yourpurpose is and what your business istruly about. Use positive, presenttense statements such as “I am,” “Iprovide,” “I strive” as you define whoyou are and what you provide yourclients. Take 10 minutes now tobrainstorm some possible missionstatements.

Perform a SWOT analysis (strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats).For strengths, maybe you’re techsavvy. For weaknesses perhaps you’reunorganized. With opportunities, itcould be that a large firm is relocatingto your city. And for threats, maybe

How to Create a Business-WinningPlan in One Hour

by Bubba Mills


interest rates are rising. Take 10minutes now and fill in a few items foreach category. If you get stuck, ask aco-worker or friend, who knows youwell enough, for suggestions.

Write your business objectives. Inthis section I’d like you to considerwhat you want your business to looklike in the short-term, six months; in

the mid-term, one year; and thelong-term, five years. Also, in thissame section, write your personalobjectives. We can’t be balanced inlife if all we focus on is business.So consider what your ideal sit -uation would look like with yourfamily, your spiritual life and yoursocial life. Spend 10 minutes nowon these topics.

Every serious REALTOR® needs a good plan.

Top Agent Magazine6

Create your sales goals. Here’s whereI don’t want you to be afraid to thinkbigger. Take 15 minutes for thissection. As part of this segment hereat Corcoran Consulting and CoachingInc., we include what’s called a goalachievement system that helps youstay on track with your goals. So foreach goal, we include a why, excusesfor failure, resolve and action items. Ibelieve this is a vital step because itallows you to examine why youmight hesitate in completing parts ofyour business plan. Email me [email protected],and I’ll send you a free worksheet onthis system.

Develop action items. To wrap upyour plan, you need to get specificabout how you’ll achieve your goals.So for each goal you should haveaction items, due dates, who will

complete the items and a step-by-stepdaily and hourly plan with what has tobe done. Take 15 minutes and do it.

Tell me what you’re thinking. Do youhave a plan? If not, why not? What’spreventing you from creating one?What successes or failures have youhad with plans in the past?

Bubba Mills is co-owner and executive vicepresident of Corcoran Consulting andCoaching Inc. (www.corcorancoaching.com/programs, 800-957-8353), an inter -national consulting and coaching com -pany that specializes in performancecoaching and the implementation ofsound business systems into Real EstateCompanies, Mortgage Companies andSmall Businesses. Bubba Mills is a na -tionally recognized inspirational andeducation speaker, coach and mentor tothe top real estate agents and mortgagecompanies. To find out more aboutCorcoran Consulting & Coaching, call 1-800-957-8353 or visit us at www.CorcoranCoaching.com.

Create a mission statement. This gets rightto the heart of your life and addresses whyyou’re in real estate. It answers why you’rehere, what your purpose is and what yourbusiness is truly about.

Helen Merjos

Helen Merjos

Copyright Top Agent Magazine

For Helen Merjos, real estate is a platform to serve her clients, community, and world at large. “Every transaction has some sort of purpose, each one unfolding like a story.” This Virginia Beach top producer has a gift for reaching people, whether helping first time buyers find the right house or using real estate to fund churches worldwide.

Helen is grateful for her Greek heritage father and mother for teaching her a strong work ethic. Her father was an entrepreneurial business real estate investor, which is where her love of real estate began. She spent her summers working in the family theme park business. Following college, she worked for Omni Hotels in Virginia Beach, as Sales Manager to Director of Sales, always willing to lend a hand to

other departments, and led her sales team to the top in domestic and international sales.

She left Corporate America to spend time with her family and raise her children, Peter now 22, and Elena, 17, which are her greatest blessings. After fourteen years of marriage, and a new season in her life, she launched a career in commercial sales. “I had a real heart for real estate and loved every aspect,” she shares.

After a few years, she expanded into the residential market, multi-family and luxury sales. When the economy was in a downturn, she decided to join Benham Real Estate Group, a faith-based brokerage, also sharing her core values, of being faithful in the little things and bringing value to all you do. She expanded to REOs and foreclosures, which added to


I started in real estate as a single mom in a job that was 100% commission, which took total faith, hard work and perseverance. This business is not for the faint at heart, and all about helping others turn their dreams into a reality.”


her portfolio of diversity, that has included everything from vacant land, multifamily, relocation and military buyers to high end waterfront properties. She also enjoys her investor clients that work on rehabs, to beautify neighborhoods, and give first time buyers a chance to own beautiful refurbished homes.

Helen’s mission is to be where In-tegrity Meets Service and has assembled a professional team to best serve her clients. That team includes everyone from photographer, various inspectors, to a great mortgage and

title company all working together. “Everyone chips in to help. It is like a well-oiled machine with com-munication and attention to detail being the key in every transaction” she says.

Outside of real estate, Helen is active in Wave Church and her passion for serving others extends from her local community to globally. Along with dear friends, Peggy and Toby, they flip homes with 100% of proceeds going to build churches. They were able to fund churches in India and Tanzania in tandem with ICM, that have


creative ways of building thousands of churches around the world.

Last year, Helen was honored to help A21, that is helping abolish human trafficking. With other mem bers of her church, Helen went to Thessaloniki Greece on a mission trip to gather knowledge and walk the path of those who had been smuggled in from other countries. She along with others contribute funds to help A21 raise awareness, rescue victims, educate airport officials, and bring justice to the traffickers. “I wanted to

leave a legacy for my children and generations. “I wanted my children to learn the value of doing something of purpose in this life, to give back to their community and be world changers.

Faith and glorifying God is important to Helen. “I started in real estate as a single mom in a job that was 100% commission, which took total faith, hard work and perseverance. This business is not for the faint at heart, and all about helping others turn their dreams into a reality. Whatever you sow, you’ll reap.”


For more information on Helen Merjos www.integritymeetsservice.com

[email protected] | (757) 715-2775

“At the end of the day, we need to have a heart of a servant. This takes humility, honor, and above all else, unconditional love. You’ve got to love people to be in this industry and

see things from their perspective and vision. Real estate is my passion and purpose to reach people and make a difference.”


Do you have clients looking for“stated” income loans on commercialproperty? They’re available again in2015 and, this time, lenders swearthey’ll do them right.

Like so many other loan programsreal estate finance professionalsrelied on in the recent past (notablysub-prime and alt-a), “stated” in -come commercial real estate loanswere a casualty of the 2008 mortgagemeltdown. Soon afterward, mortgagebrokers who had previously em -braced them for their fast-and-easyclosings wouldn’t even utter the term“stated,” it had become so taboo.Trouble is, prospective commercialreal estate buyers and their agentsloved the loans and have beenpraying for them to come back.

And why not? Prior to ’08, whencommercial lenders were ramping uptheir sales volumes to compete forbig securitization dollars, borrowerscould simply state their personal and

property income in lieu of revealinginferior debt-service coverage ratios.Lenders became overly comfortablerelying on stated income instead ofverified data, and gradually evenlow ered borrower credit score re -quirements to imprudent levels. Un -fortunately, we all know how thatstory ended. Yet today, in 2015, thegood news for borrowers and theircommercial real estate agents is;“stated” commercial real estate len -ders are coming back into the market,bit by bit. And the good news for allof us is: It looks like, this time,they’re doing it right.

A Different AnimalTo better understand what has chan -ged since 2008, let’s look at the loanproduct itself; for when it comes tocommercial real estate loans, the“stated” product offering has alwaysbeen a horse of different color. Witha “stated” loan, a tangible income-producing property has almostalways been required to support the

“Stated” Income Commercial RealEstate Loans are Back—and Better

by Noah Grayson

Top Agent Magazine14

borrower’s repayment ability; len -ders have rarely relied solely on aloan applicant’s personal incomenumbers, stated or otherwise. Regard -less of whatever income a borrowergenerates personally, a “stated” lenderwants to see that income producedby the property itself is superior tothe mortgage payment and its asso -ciated expenses. At the very least,that ratio of property income toproperty expenses—what’s knownas the debt service coverage ratio—must be break-even.

Trusting the Data Benefits the Borrower, tooYou may think that today’s statedcommercial real estate lenders areonce again taking the borrower’sword for their numbers but, this time,lenders are relying on bona fidefigures and accurate data to supportloan decisions. In addition, they arerequiring strong borrower creditscores and verifiable track records ofon-time mortgage payment histories.

So, what’s so “stated” about these new


loans? Personal income. As prev -iously, the lenders are allowing bor -row ers to state their personal incomeon applications. Those state ments donot require verification, and tax returnsdo not need to be provided for the loanunderwriting process. A third-partyappraisal is ordered to verify, in add -ition to the property value, the marketrent re ceived from the property, theoccu pancy of the property, and thatexecuted leases are in place. Thelenders are, ostensibly, waiving per -sonal income scrutiny because, inactuality, they are using the borrower’scredit history as a determinant ofability to repay debt and meet finan cialobligations. In other words: theselenders believe that any com mercialproperty in vestor or business ownerwho has weathered the Great Re -cession and emerged with a glow ingcredit history is a good risk.

A Powerful Tool for yourAgent’s ToolkitAll of this means that the next timea commercial real estate buyer or

borrower asks you about a statedloan, you’ve finally got real optionsto offer, so respond with this val -uable information: Currently, for astated commercial real estate loan,25 to 35 percent down is requiredfor purchase, plus a credit scoreover 650 and a track record of on-time debt repayment.

Do commercial real estate lendersnow have a winning formula for“stated” borrowers? Will they strayfrom their new, sturdier parameters?Only time will tell. The only certaintyis that, as always, the race for bigsecuritization dollars will intensifyquickly and the competition won’t siton the sidelines for long.

Noah Grayson is managing director andfounder of South End Capital Corporation,a direct lender funding non-conformingand private money commercial real estateloans up to $5 million nationwide, andoffering SBA, business and bridge loans upto $20 million in participation with third-party investors. Contact Noah Grayson [email protected] or (888) 268-7778 x 5.

Currently, for a stated commercial real estate loan, 25to 35 percent down is required for purchase, plus acredit score over 650 and a track record of on-timedebt repayment.


Cindy Locke


Cindy Lockewww.searchingstafford.com

www.searchingfredericksburg.com (540) 907-8006 | [email protected]

Cindy Locke believes that it’s not hard to succeed if you love what you’re doing. That’s certainly the reason why this REALTOR®, who works with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Select Realty in

Fredericksburg, Virginia, has found success. She loves just about everything concerning the real estate business.

Cindy became a REALTOR® after spending many years in business management roles in the automotive industry. Over the years, she and her ex-husband had bought and sold several homes, but unlike many homeowners who feel stressed buying and selling their own property, Cindy truly enjoyed the real estate process. So during the recent recession, with the automotive industry going through a painful contraction, Cindy thought it was time to make a change. Although real estate was also in the doldrums, she decided to follow her passion and take the plunge.

It was a wise choice. She got her real estate license in 2009, and in a few short years she has been the recipient of many Sales Achievement Award and several Customer Service Excellence Awards, which are particularly meaningful to her since they were awarded because of the stellar reviews she gets from her clients.

Cindy was born in the Boston area and grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She followed her then-husband to Fredericksburg over 22 years ago and fell in love with the area. The region is quite diverse and rich in both colonial and Civil War history. Cindy enjoys strolling down the city’s cobblestone streets and looking at all the lovely 18th and 19th century architecture.

Her territory includes Fredericksburg and all of the surrounding counties and beyond. Although most REALTORS® prefer being listing agents, about 75% of Cindy’s clients are homebuyers. She loves the personal connection she makes when she helps people find a new home to raise a family or just the right property for a couple in their retirement years. She is a relationship builder who takes pride in her integrity and honesty. She would rather lose a sale by giving her honest opinion than allow a client to make a choice she believes is not completely in their best interest. Rather than steer a client in a particular direction,

Cindy prefers to educate people so they can make their own informed choices.

Besides the wonderful relationships she builds with her clients, Cindy enjoys how varied her days can be. One day she may show a client a 95 acre parcel of land out in the countryside, and the next day she may show another client a condo in the heart of the city. The real estate market is also very dynamic and requires constant education. Cindy has a genuine love of learning and spends a great deal of time studying to keep up with the ever changing demands of a successful real estate practice. She is also very Internet savvy. Her web sites have search features and virtual tours with beautiful pictures that make it very easy for clients to find just the right property.

Cindy loves children and animals, so she gives generously to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and the SPCA. She’s also a sponsor of a local little league team. When she’s not working, she likes to spend time with her 100 pound German shepherd and work in her well-equipped wood shop, where she makes all kinds of things, from bookcases to large, ornate bird houses.

High standards of honesty and integrity, as well as a genuine love of work and education, have made Cindy a great success. As one happy client wrote, “Cindy has been hands down the best REALTOR® I have worked with.”

Top Agent Magazine 17Top Agent Magazine

by Liz Evangelatos

I setup up my Twitter account in early 2009. Every once in a while I’d go back and look at it. Hmmm…I couldn’t figure out if no one was talking to me, or if everybody was talking to me.

As a marketer, I know the first rule with any marketing campaign is to

outline your objectives and create a strategy to achieve those objectives.

So in early 2014, as I sat and looked at the two followers I had since 2009 (two friends that had forgotten they had Twitter accounts), I thought it’s time I got serious about this Twitter thing.

Top Agent Magazine18Top Agent Magazine

I not only got serious, but as of this writing, I have over 9,000 followers, friendships with people I would never otherwise have met, business offers I would never have otherwise been offered and more fun than I could ever imagined. Using the sys-tem I’ve outlined below, I’ve been increasing my follower base by about 1,000 per month.

Are you ready to make about 1,000 new friends every month without paying a service? Then let’s get started.

Imagine you’re about to go on your first date with someone. Hopefully you would take a shower, put on your prettiest lipstick, a nice pair of earrings – you get my drift. You’re going to make an effort to make a good impression. So before you announce to the world you have a Twitter account, let’s get ready.

Non-NegotiableTo set up a Twitter account you’ll need a valid email account (although they are currently rolling out a feature that lets you use a valid phone number instead), a password and a username.

Put some thought into the username, especially if you’ll be using your Twitter account for business. You should try to stay as consistent as possible with your username and your branding across all social media platforms.

Once you’ve decided on your user-name, click on your profile picture, which will be an egg at first.

I’ve been increasing my follower base by about 1,000 per month.


Clicking on the profile picture will give you a drop down menu, where you will want to choose ‘Settings’.

You will then have a myriad of options on the left side of your screen. You’ll go to Profile and start by clicking on Change Photo. Follow the screen directions to upload a nice headshot of yourself. This is a very personal medium so don’t put your logo up, or anything except a photo of yourself. You will have far greater success if people feel like they are talking to another person.

Next step is to change the header. If you don’t have graphic skills, hire this out or go somewhere like canva.com and make yourself a nice header.

Once you’ve uploaded that, fill in your name. Yes, your real name. No ‘Tater-Tot’ or “Johnny Come Lately’. In this same vein, don’t put your location as something cutesy like “Everywhere” or “the Internet”. If you will be using this account for business, make it easy for your customers to find you and trust you.

If you don’t have a website yet, that’s fine, you can either leave that blank or better yet, put in the url of a social media platform that you are active on. Again, the idea is to make people understand that you are real and are active online. It makes you appear safer and more interesting (I’m hoping you actually are).

The big finale. The bio. Don’t leave it blank. Once you have been online for a while you’ll understand that you pretty much live or die by your bio. You have 160 characters in this section, please do not waste a single one of them by adding a hashtag. That’s not what hashtags are about. (See my blog post “The Simple Beauty and Power of the Hashtag” )

Once you have completed these fields upon which your Twitter kingdom rests, BYPASS the Connect

Top Agent Magazine


to Facebook and click on ‘Save Changes’. Never, ever, ever connect your Facebook account to your Twitter account. Every platform has its unique style of communication and you will lose more followers than you can imagine by trying to save time by auto-posting from Twitter to Facebook or vice versa.

So much work, it makes your head hurt, doesn’t it? Not really, it took me longer to write it out then it will for you to take the actually steps.

When do we start having fun? NOW!It has been said that Twitter is the biggest cocktail party in the world. I prefer thinking of it as a huge B-B-Q at the neighborhood park. You may know some folks but not others, but everyone is there to mingle and get to know each other.

Twitter has a very strong search engine built in to it. It is also the only real-time search engine online. Not even Google can say that about

its search engine. You can use that search field to find people to follow, but after you get several hundred followers it will start to be difficult to track who may have followed and then unfollowed and then followed….so I suggest using justunfollow.com. It keeps track of your followers and unfollowers for you. I like their product and I don’t make any money by telling you I like it.

Top Agent Magazine


After you have logged in to justunfollow.com, go the left and click on Keyword follow. You can see that I’ve entered ‘smallbiz’ as my keyword and used California as my location filter. Now I’ll go down the list and read the bios and see if there are any businesses on this list that I might be able to help, so I’ll click the green plus sign to add them as followers. I also might go down this list and see who my competition is and follow them as well to see what I can learn from them.

Because I’m pretty active on Twitter, I’ll wait about 3 or 4 days and if the people that I’ve followed haven’t followed me back, I will probably unfollow them. There’s lots of reasons for this. Number one, Twitter only allows you to follow 10% more people than are following you and I want to have conversations with people. If they are not following me back I’m not in their Twitter feed so they don’t even know I exist. Also, if they don’t check their Twitter account more often then 3-4 days, they are very likely to become annoyed with someone like myself that posts often.

I highly recommend that you check into justunfollow.com every day and find 100 people to follow. You don’t need to know them. But I hope you now see how important a bio is. You are deciding on whether you have something in common with another person based simply on their bio at this point. By the way, this is not like Facebook where you have to wait to have them approve you as a follower. It’s instant. About 50% of the people you follow will follow you back.

Choose a couple of days a week to go through your list of people you are following and are not following you back. Unfollow those folks. Don’t worry. If they’re not following you anyway, they don’t know that you’ve unfollowed them.


If you’re consistent with the method described above you’ll increase your followers fairly quickly. The really important part is next.

Jump into conversations! You’ve chosen people that you think have something in common with you, so watch your Twitter feed for tweets that interest you. When you see an interesting tweet, hit ‘Reply’! Respond! Engage! This is the best part of Twitter. Start a conversation with someone. Don’t be offended if they don’t respond. With millions of people on Twitter, you aren’t the only newbie.

As you find people you especially like, add them to a list. (You can check out my 2 minute video on creating lists here -> http://bit.ly/104aBxB).

At the beginning of this post I said you should have an objective and from that objective build a strategy.

Keep this in mind with every post. Before sending your tweet into the Twitterverse, ask yourself ‘Is this tweet in line with my objectives and beneficial to my target audience?’ Anyone scanning your Twitter feed should be able to easily see that you are consistent in following your objective, regardless of what that objective is. A couple of scrolls with a mouse through your feed and it should be obvious, this person is selling a book, this person is a journalist, etc. The general rule of thumb is 80% of your time you should be focused working your strategy and the other 20% just have fun! Remember it’s a big B-B-Q at the neighborhood park!

Liz Evangelatos started as a web designer and evolved with the internet, now specializing in online marketing and social media management. She has more than 20 years experience working with small businesses, government agencies, real estate firms, non-profits, and political campaigns.

When you see an interesting tweet,

hit ‘Reply’! Respond! Engage!

[email protected] Media AccountsTwitter.com/AskForLizInstagram.com/AskForLizaskforliz.wordpress.com pinterest.com/AskForLizaskforliz.com

Teressa Taylor Griffis


Teressa Taylor Griffishttp://foundationhomesinc.com

[email protected]

Teressa Taylor Griffis knows just how lucky she is. She’s found success by working at something she is truly passionate about. Teressa is a real estate agent with Mac Doc Realty and the Sales and Marketing

Manager with Foundation Homes, a leading home builder in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Before joining Foundation Homes, Teressa worked for over 20 years in marketing & sales positions at other real estate and building/development companies. She’s weathered a lot of ups and downs in the business. When real estate was in the doldrums during the recent recession, she was thrilled to meet the owners of Foundation Companies. They were smart, creative and had new ideas about building and selling houses. They also knew Teressa had just the skills they needed to help launch their New Homes Division at Foundation Companies.

Through her many years of experience, Teressa fully understands the home building process, which is why Foundation Homes gave her free rein to make her mark on the brand new venture. In the year before she started, the company sold just a few homes. That number jumped to 50 homes in her very first year on the job. Foundation Homes builds high quality houses with superb workmanship, using local suppliers and sub-contractors. Their goal is simple: provide superior value for customers at different price points. Teressa loves the company’s integrity and the craftsmanship of their houses, and she’s beyond proud to represent them.

A native of the region, Teressa‘s territory includes the City of Fredericksburg and all nearby the counties. As the company’s only salesperson, Teressa handles all aspects of a transaction. Her favorite part of the job is working with so many different people in so many different stages of their lives, whether a family is just getting started or a retired couple is ready to down-size into an Active Adult Community for 55 and over. Teressa does all the marketing and acts as the liaison between the client, the builder, and many different real estate brokerages representing buyers. She’s so effective, that her goal for the next 12 months is to produce $20 million in volume.

Teressa and Foundation Homes are tech savvy and make extensive use of automated systems and streamlined functions via the Internet. Their properties are listed on all the major online real estate sites. The company’s web site allows customers to view different floor plans and, through their personal building management portal, clients can see

all aspects of their home being built. Clients can be sitting in the desert of Afghanistan or on the Beach in Florida watching the progress of their home being built and being made ready for their return.

Foundation Homes gives back to the community by sponsoring needy families during Christmas each year, making sure they have everything they need to enjoy a happy holiday season. They also support various charities, such as the Fairy Godmother Project, which is a support network assisting families of children diagnosed with cancer, and Hope House, which helps women who are victims of domestic abuse.

Teressa loves her work. She’s proud of her success and proud to work for a company that has such high standards. She believes in living out her Christian faith and is active in her church. She works with toddlers on Sunday mornings and meets weekly with a small group to learn and grow in faith and community together. Teressa is married and a doting mother of three teens. She has made the personal decision to not work on Sundays, unlike just about everyone else in the real estate business, to set aside time for faith and family. She is quick to share that her business has benefited from the down time that begins her week.

Integrity, a big heart, and deep experience are the traits that have made Teressa so successful. Perhaps it’s best summed up by one satisfied customer who said, “Teressa was absolutely fabulous to work with – she made the process easy, understandable and truly worked on our behalf even though she was representing Foundation as well. We felt extremely at ease with her and are so thankful we had the opportunity to work with her.”


There is still time to put together (orrefine) your business plan. But,don’t barge ahead and start puttingnumbers on paper—yet. If you do,you’ll miss the most important partof business planning (at least, in myopinion). That part is the Review.

Why? Because, only by lookingback can you make a great plan forthe next year.

Analysis: From working with thou -sands of agents on their businessplans, I’ve seen that most leave outthe Review—and so don’t have muchconfidence in their future plans.

History Leaves HintsLooking back will provide you ananalysis in very important areas (andgive you hints as to what to keep andwhat to dump). Here are four:

1. Your best sources of leads (you’lldo more lead generating from thissource next year, won’t you?)

2. Your ratio of listings taken tolistings sold (you’ll put together atraining/coaching strategy to learnhow to get those listings priced rightso you’re not spending so much timeand money in futility, won’t you?)

3. Your marketing strategy pay-offs(where did you spend money lastyear and what pay-off did you get?You’ll spend more marketing moneyon the areas that gave you best pay-off, won’t you?)

4. The systems you have in place(you’ll decide which systems youneed to get in place and those systemsyou need to refine so you can run abusiness, not just sell houses)

A Better Definition of a Business Plan

Why analyze your systems? BecauseMichael Gerber, the well-knownsmall business guru and author ofthe famous books, The E-Myth and

Don’t Forget the Most ImportantPart of Business Planning

by Carla Cross


The E-Myth Revisited says that:

“The integration of your systems isyour business plan.”

Creating a Business Plan the Easy Way

Now, you’ve already got your plan’smajor strategies decided upon, and allyou did was to review your businessthis year. Because you’ve seen whathappened, you will have confidencethat your future plan will work.

Advice for managers as agents’business consultants: Sit down witheach of your agents to review theimportant parts of their businesses.You’ll gain loyalty, create retention,and get your own ideas for a betterintegrated office/agent business plan.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is a real estateleadership coach and speaker, and ispresident of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc.and Carla Cross Coaching.

Only by looking back can you make a greatplan for the next year.

Karen Davis


Virginia Beach native Karen Davis has built a successful career serving the needs of her community, from the local military market to the unique waterfront properties in Virginia Beach and surrounding areas.

Karen says, “At least half my clients and sphere of influence are affiliated with the military. We have seven or more bases in the area and I receive referrals from all over the country.” The multimillion dollar producer is a Certified Investment Specialist and Certified Distressed Property Expert.

In addition, she has experience and knowledge of the particular requirements inherent to buying or selling waterfront properties, including boundaries and permitting for docks, piers, and other features. She has sold and continues to sell numerous homes in the RE/MAX Collection of fine homes and luxury properties. “To ensure a smooth transaction, I put buyers and sellers in touch with the proper resources so that it is beneficial for everyone involved.”

During the down market, Karen added Property Management Services to her business. Karen understands the value that this division brings to her business and has a goal to increase it. She promises, “What sets us apart is that we customize each owner’s account to accommodate their needs unlike other property management companies.”

Originally licensed in 1983, Karen started helping an experienced agent on the weekends, selling at a new construction site that did not yet have model homes. “I learned from day one how to sell from plans.” She has applied her experience these days to help investors buy and rehab either to resell or to rent.

When Karen reentered the real estate market a decade later, she says she had to rebuild her entire sphere. She recalls a lot of leads came in from in the internet, which was just starting to boom. At the time, demand was high with low inventory, so houses sold fast. The military market became a strong source of referrals, she says. “When a person finds somebody they trust, he or she will give referrals. It’s quite an honor to get a referral. With over 7,000 agents in the area, there’s huge competition.”

“Clients say we go above and beyond what is needed. We push to make deals work to help clients get in or out of the property,” she says. “I want buyers to be excited when they walk through the front door and when they get the keys at closing.” Her years away from real estate brought a new edge to her business. She says, “It wasn’t until I came back that I acquired wisdom from life experience. Knowing how people are, I developed good intuitions and insight. I have a good sense of what my clients want.”

Though Karen says she loves the entire process, she also enjoys her role overseeing her team. Finding qualified agents who share her vision is more important to her than just growing in numbers. A few years back, Karen hired an assistant and a couple part time agents but decided to take them on full time when her property management business grew. “I had so many listings and sales at the time, I couldn’t do without somebody,” she says. Today, she has a transaction coordinator and a marketing director who help with social media and prospecting. This past year, she also hired a top notch agent to help with sellers and buyers.

Karen is a member of the Circle of Excellence. She is also a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, the 100% Club, The Platinum Club and Ranked Top 100 Teams. She has experience in a wide area of real estate, including first time homebuyers, luxury homes, relocation, REO/bankowned, and short sales.

Karen Davis Karen Davis Real Estate Team www.AgentKarenDavis.com [email protected]

(757) 271-6300 (Office) | (757) 535-4884 (Cell)

RE/MAX Allegiance


“My goal in sailing isn’t to bebrilliant or flashy in individualraces, just to be consistent over thelong run.”—Dennis Conner

Dennis Conner, the great yachts -man, came be known as Mr.America’s Cup. But he could havejust as easily been named Mr.Consistent—he won 28 worldchampionships.

Now, think closer to home. Think ofa top producing agent or broker youknow. If they’re real top producersthey’re not known as one-hitwonders. I bet they bring in the bignumbers every month, every quarter,every year, and year after year.

Real winners are often consistentwinners. The champs at the Olympicgames in Sochi had also won theircountry’s top prizes and many otheraccolades and honors leading up totheir gold medals.

What is it that keeps those topproducing winners on the podium ofsuccess in real estate? Over the twodecades I’ve been coaching anddeveloping top producers, I’venoticed four recurring characteristics.Here they are for you to examine, andI hope, adopt for your own business:

1. Quitting isn’t in their vocabulary.Every Olympic medal winner hasthis in common: not one of themquit. That doesn’t mean they didn’tface difficulties. My guess is they hittroubles that would make most of uswince—the bone-breaking injuriesand the soul-crushing setbacks. Butthey kept going. Sure, if you’rehaving a rough day or week or evenmonth, take time to gather your wits.But then get back on the battlefield.

2. They analyze their wins andlosses. Win or lose, consistentchamps take time to dissect the nittygritty of what went right andwrong—and most importantly—

by Bob Corcoran

How to Be a Great AgentEvery Day


how they can improve. This self-examination is a must. The nexttime you land a huge listing, analyzeit. How did the customer see you asdifferent from other agents? How,specifically, did you please thecustomer? And, of course, where doyou need to improve?

3. They picture their goal withcrystal clarity. Remember this: if thegoal is clear, it’s easier to focus on. Ican’t tell you how many agents I’vemet with a focus problem. They losetheir focus more than they lose theircar keys. Why? Fear. They’re afraidof setting a goal. Yet, without a goal,they go nowhere. You can say a lotof things about those folks with thegold medals hanging from theirnecks, but one thing you can’t say isthey didn’t know what they wereafter. Get your goal in front of youand never lose focus on it. Andalways clearly understand yourcustomers’ needs and then exceedthem. Keep finding ways to betterserve the unmet customer needs.

4. They’re surrounded by the right

people. Ever notice when champ -ions are interviewed after a win,whether it’s a gold medal, anAcademy Award or even a spellingbee, they always have people tothank—a parent, a sibling, a coachor a mentor. Someone is alwaysbehind them. And without fail, theysay they couldn’t have done itwithout those people. Look who’son your side and decide if it’s timeto get someone new to help youreach your new heights.

Bob Corcoran is CEO of Corcoran Con-sulting and Coaching Inc. (www.corcorancoaching.com/programs, 800-957-8353),an international consulting and coachingcompany that specializes in performancecoaching and the implementation of soundbusiness systems into Real Estate Com -panies, Mortgage Companies and SmallBusinesses. Corcoran Consulting & Coach -ing has a Life Coaching Division calledGenesis; which is based on the corefundamentals of Og Mandino’s Perform-ance Coaching and Intentional CreationCoaching. Corcoran Consulting is headedby Bob Corcoran; a national recognizedleader, speaker and author. To find out moreabout Corcoran Consulting & Coaching,call 1-800-957-8353 or visit us atwww.CorcoranCoaching.com/about-corcoran-coaching.

Look who’s on your side and decide if it’s time toget someone new to help you reach your newheights.


Anthony McGhee


For more information on Anthony McGhee, visit http://www.assist2sellcville.com

Contact Anthony McGhee at [email protected] or (434) 996-8788.

Anthony McGhee, broker/owner of Assist 2 Sell First Rate Realty says his business model allows his office to offer full service while typically charging less commission than traditional agents. Anthony, who bought the Charlottesville office of the national discount franchise adds, “We have been successful because we discount in commission only, not services. I tell my office we are not in the real estate business but the customer service business. We don’t do anything different than if we had charged a higher commission.” The office does offer listing clients the option of including the property in the MLS.

Anthony’s business model is based on high volume per agent, which allows the agents to make up income in transaction volume. Each agent in the office averages two to three times what a typical agent would typically do, which is possible because the office has substantial administrative support and systems in place to handle the volume.

The areas Anthony cuts back on include “expensive, fancy offices” and print advertising, which he says doesn’t necessarily help sell a home. The client funnel from the office’s reputation as the top full-service discount realty office in the area also means he does not need to spend marketing dollars on branding. Since opening Assist 2 Sell in 2002, the broker has attracted clients due to the discounted commission and full service.

Although his office offers a discount commission structure, Anthony says he has maintained a good relationship with the real estate community and does not ask other brokers to discount their fees. He has served as the treasurer of the local Board of REALTORS® and as chairman of Real Estate Weekly.

Anthony has been a broker for going on 28 years, 15 of which he had spent selling new construction for a builder. When the builder had closed shop, the agent was looking for a new opportunity. He says, “The reason I bought the franchise was because the market was hot. I knew there was a demand for brokers who charged less commission. I saw that happening in other industries like

stock brokerage, travel. I saw a niche in our marketplace. Since then, we’ve been very well received.”

When the market shifted, Anthony adds, “Many sellers lost equity and were obviously trying to find an option where they could save money on the expense side to get their properties sold. I also had geared up to change focus to foreclosures and short sales during the market downturn, as much as any agent in the area.”

Anthony says he also shifted to the buyer side, holding monthly seminars to educate the public on short sales and foreclosures, which brought him publicity. He also put together a database with close to 2,000 people to receive updates on local distressed properties that he still uses today.

The discount realty model, Anthony says, works in both up and down markets. The model has been popular with local investors who flip houses. Anthony has experience buying and remodeling houses to sell, as well. Though the inventory of distressed properties has decreased, he says there are always properties that need to be updated. He says he enjoys the investor side of his business. “It’s less emotional, all business. If the numbers work, clients will rehab and sell.”

helen merjos · 2015-09-10 · helen merjos featured agents: karen davis cindy locke anthony mcghee...

Documents