Happy Friday! You made it to another weekend. What fun filled and exciting things await you this weekend? Will you be Christmas shopping, decorating, or wrapping gifts? I’m one of those obnoxious people who absorb every aspect of the Holiday. I want to listen to Christmas carols, wear red, decorate every room, light pine scented candles, drink eggnog, and watch Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn. It feels special to me, I find it charming. We are only two weeks away from Christmas and I’m already feeling sad that it will come and go too quickly.

I was raised on good holiday traditions that I look forward to them every year. Just recently there were some big changes that happened in my family and I’m not sure what to expect this Christmas. Traditions might have to be changed but I think it will be ok. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. It’ll be alright as long as I’m surrounded with the people I love. I believe in traditions but sometimes you can’t hold on to them to tightly. They are merely just familiar acts that we have attached positive memories or emotions to. We are such creatures of habit and loyalty, which is why breaking traditions can be painful. We cling to rituals to find normalcy and feeling like we belong to something. People’s emotions get way too involved in traditions.  Much like home buying, where people should use their logic they rely on their feelings. A home is a structure in which we live in to keep safe from the outside elements. But we all know there is far more involved than just that. We all have emotional reasons that we want or like a house. A house becomes a gathering place of life’s mile stones, a unit of memories walled in by mortar and brick. It’s hard not to let your feelings get the best of you when buying or selling a house. You have to remind yourself to be logical. People who allow their emotional side to become vested in a home make decisions based on feelings rather than logic.  Which is why a third person party can help bring perspective to an otherwise biased decision. Enter the real estate agent. Think of an agent is as this unbiased person, has your best interest in mind, is well versed in the ways of real estate, and can swoop in like superman to save you from the kryptonite that is your emotional attachment.

An agent should help bring perspective and facts to you. Which is why choosing the right agent is almost as important as finding the right home.  An agent should do leaps and bounds more then turn a key and write a contract. They should be a superman to your home buying/selling experience.  So choose wisely! And enjoy your weekend!

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We are very inquisitive creatures. We all have this incredible ability to be observant.  Our senses are like a computer, they process a hundred things all at once.  My father use to drill me when I was younger about being observant. We would go out to lunch together or to some event and he would tell me to observe my surrounds. Later he would quiz me on what I picked up on.  I can appreciate the skill my father was trying to develop in me at a young age. It is a skill we all possess but do we all implement it?

Our brains, like computers, gather information from all of our senses to make judgments or opinions about our environment. We evaluate people we meet immediately through their tone, dress, smell, voice, volume, and personality. These nonverbal ques indicate mood, interest, class, education, and even motivation.  Your body language, clothes, eye contact, and speech tone all communicate something but not through words. You have to discern them through your senses.  Fine tuning your observational skills can put you at an advantage when working with people. Being observant opens doors into people’s lives that they did not necessarily open. Through these doors you learn how to better interact and what to expect from your clients. As an agent it is very beneficial to be observant. Being in tune to not only your clients but in every situation will only benefit you. Understanding your surroundings provides you with the opportunity to “work” the room to your favor. There is also something to be said about not being caught off guard. If you are constantly aware and perceiving things and people you are around, then not many situations will leave you unprepared.

Recognizing these ques will also help develop how you send your own nonverbal messages. My husband is an auctioneer. He works in a very dirty warehouse and is required to fix things daily. He comes home with dirt and grime in places that he doesn’t even notice. He has work boots, work pants, work jacket, and work cap. His clothes are torn and dirty but he always looks like he owns whatever situation he just came out of.  His presence commands respect to his profession. His entire wardrobe for work is heavy duty reinforced material and he has shirts with his business logo on it. He’s tough and dirty but he looks the part. Whatever you put on, own it. Don’t hide in your clothes; make your clothes compliment what you do. Do not let your clothes wear you. This is part of the message you send to people.

You do not always have to dominate the conversation. I think sometimes as a professional you feel the pressure to carry the small talk. Listening to people talk around you is often an excellent way to observe character traits. Look for people’s nonverbal ques, watch how they interact. This is a good way to pick up on people’s idiosyncrasies.  Be confident in what you say but never too proud to acknowledge you made a mistake. Make sure you understand what message you are sending to people. And remember the most attractive thing you can put on is confidence.

You may even surprise yourself. What things have you observed today?

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