The other night, I took my two older kids swimming. My son is 10 and my daughter is 8. The neighborhood 
pool that we prefer to use is about a block and a half from our home, and it's usually not crowded, especially in the evenings, when we prefer to swim.
Last year, I remember that my son could almost stand up in the "deep" end of the pool, which is about 5 feet or so.
This year, one of the first things he did was to go stand on the drain and show me that he could still keep his head above the water.
"I'm not even on my tiptoes, Dad!"
It reminded me of my own youth, as I would gauge my height among my friends through the years. In my own case, I was the kid who was perenially in the middle of the back row for any class pictures (that's where they put the tall kids).
Perhaps more importantly, it reminded me of how I felt when I sold my first "luxury" home here in Austin, then my first million-dollar property. Later, in 2006, I sold a home priced at $3.4 million on Lake Austin. The same year, my business partner sold a property for over $4 million! We had made it - right?
Well, not exactly, but that was a really strong couple of years for us.
I finally felt like I was one of the "big kids", too! If my clients trusted me to help them to invest this much money on ANYTHING, I must be doing something right.
After watching many of the top luxury agents in Austin over the years, I finally could say that I was part of their ranks, at least in some small way. In fact, we sold a good number of homes in the seven figure range. Frankly, those days seem to have dried up substantially over the past year or so, but they will likely return at some point.
Here's the important part of this post:
Once you have achieved a goal, it becomes easier the next time around. You have already proven that you're capable, and it shows when you're dealing with clients. I have often said that clients can smell desperation, which I firmly believe to be true. Conversely, they can tell if you are comfortable in any given situation. I chose to cut my real estate teeth on higher-end homes back when I started in 1997. Consequently, I am not intimidated by any "normal" transactions these days (as if such a thing exists anymore).
I think the same ethic holds true for our industry as it does for just about any business - the first big achievement is likely the most difficult, partially because it is uncharted ground.
Think about these items for a second:
- Stephen King has sold tens of millions of books - at some point in the early 70's, he sold the very first one
- There was a time when Babe Ruth hadn't yet hit his first home run in the majors
- Abraham Lincoln lost EIGHT elections before becoming President
I guess the point I am trying to make here is that everybody starts somewhere. Whether it is a luxury home, or a first-time home buyer, or a difficult loan, or your very first blog post, just know that it will get easier with experience. Dive in!
Thanks for reading!
Photos courtesy of leozaza and IceNineJon - found on Flickr.com.
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Jason, yeah, we just need to "take the plunge," and next time it's easier. We could all use a few more of those million plus sales now.
Jason- All the power to you my friend and a wonderful post, thanks for sharing a great accomplishment as this!
Vegas Bob
Jason, what a nice flow you have to your story. Hopefully, I will get to stand in the deep end of the pool someday soon. ^_^
What a nice pool! Have your son stay away from the drain as kids have had many accidents there and drains can malfunction causing excessive pressure. Some children have lost intestines, please be careful to stay away from pool drains. They now have a special device to prevent this vaccum effect. Enjoy any transaction since everything is crazy these days.
Jason- Oh, I should write the post about the day we cracked the million dollar listing self imposed ceiling I had going on. After that one, the rest were a piece of cake, that was 10 years ago. I like the luxury market sellers because here they are down to earth, never even bring up commission or length of time of the listing, and they always along with us, build the relationship. When I walk into a luxury home and see a library with books, I know I have the listing:) Intelligent conversation takes place instead of some canned listing presentation. They want you to cut to the chase. They also want to talk intelligently about their home and their lives, businesses, etc. Since that is right up my alley- I found my comfort zone with luxury home sellers. Katerina
Jason - I enjoyed your uplifting and encouraging words, and your can-do attitude is empowering. Success builds on success.
Jason...I never learned to swim as a kid (long story) but I'd love to jump in this pool!
All in good time, but till then we work what we can, when we can, where we can, and we are thankful for every one of them!
Thanks for sharing!
Yes - great stories - i could visualize you're son in the pool.........well I've never sold a home in the 7 figures - hopefully its coming though..........if you're done it once - you know you can do it again......although sometimes staying on top can be a challenge........:-) oh i just went back and read the comments........geesh
Whether it is a luxury home, or a first-time home buyer, or a difficult loan, or your very first blog post, just know that it will get easier with experience. Dive in!
Good evening Jason,
This is excellent advice, for many things in life. We never know how much we can achieve, until we try.
Jason: My business and I opened a real estate brokerage for one of our developer clients in 30 days or less in January, 2007. We opened our own brokerage in November, 2008. It has been a strange journey - but it all started with our first sale in March, 2007. What I find funny is that we weren't looking to start a real estate brokerage - opportunity just knocked. We never really worried about the fact that neither one of us had a sales background. We did our homework and jumped in. I guess you will never swim if you don't get your feet wet. Great post - enjoyed the motivational words. Still working on that 7 figure residential sale - hit it multiple times on the commercial side but never on a residence.
A wise man suggested once that it's not that the nature of the task becomes easier, it's that your ability to accomplish it has increased.
Nice post. I remember bouncing on my toes as the water got deeper and I ventured. There was a point at which I had to carefully turn around and head back to shallow water. I got over that as you clearly have. I've found that most of the seven figure buyers are very nice and comfortable if you yourself are confident. They want service, not adulation. Listen to them and treat them as you would any other buyer - satisfy their wants and needs. Thanks for the mindset.
Very nice post Jason and not just for new agents. We are all diving into new things these days, especially on line marketing and social media so the learning never stops.
Great analogy Jason. Thanks for the encouragement.
There are a lot of metaphors and analogie in your post and in life. You'll be looking to take your plunge soon. I'm sure you're doing better than most, but the market sure makes it tough, just the same. Nice post. Niice swimming and may you drown in wealth.
Jason - I used to platform dive. 10 meters. You wouldn't be surprised at how many people stop after their first "pancake". Sometimes, they determine that the result isn't worth the pain of doing it again.
Great encouragement for those of us who again feel like we're on our tiptoes, Jason!
Dear Jason,
How sweet of you to share your son's "milestone". Congrats on the million dollar sales and may they keep coming!
Betina
Do not despise small beginnings........
EVERYONE STARTS small... perseverence is keey ...stay with
it...things will happen if you stay with it long enough.....
"Everyone who seeks, finds...... to everyone who knocks, it will be opened...."
=-)
Jason, as always I love your post. Thanks for the encouragement. The first post I've read since signing on from a hiatus and the right one to encourage my spirit.
Woo Hoo...Jason's in the club! Hey funny note, that home I listed in Round Rock. I was looking at comps and one of the RR agents with a listing in the same area described it as the "Westlake of Round Rock" I fell on the floor laughing. Anyway, I would trust you an any transaction whatever the price range!
Jason, thanks for writing. One of the most fun things about real estate is the diversity. Diversity of people, places, situations and opportunities. I can't wait for the opportunity to be a "big boy" too.
There is nothing like having a goal except attaining it. It is like Gary's post: stack up the pancakes and pour on the syrup thick with a pat of butter. You deserve it.
Jason,
You are right...there is nothing better than achieving that GOAL whatever it is!
I remember when I went skydiving...I didn't come down until 2 weeks later...I felt invincible.
We still need to hold on to those feelings and thoughts so we can move forward and do all those great things that we want to achieve!
Thanks for the inspiring post...
I think I'll go out and sell a million dollar home this weekend!
Experience is the best teacher and once you have achieved a goal, it is usually time to make your next one.
Thanks for the great insight.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the motivational post.....it's hard to remember on the tough days that everyone started off somewhere.....definitely cheered me up!
Jason, my dad told me that when he first got his first million dollars, it seems to be a lifetime. Then the 2nd didn't seem as long and as hard.
I'm still striving for my 1st million dollar listing and I do know will come someday.