The Benefits of a Steady Routine
Short sale sellers frequently leave the moving and the packing until the very last minute. As a result of that, short sale listing agents sometimes have to get involved in the move. Sometimes, I get lucky and am rewarded with a few leftover potted plants for my own garden. Last May however, I hit the jackpot. The seller left me a dog. I like dogs, so this was great. But, this particular dog was a bit wild. Three years old, he had only lived outdoors on a 5 acre plot of land with no training and little contact with humans (lots of coyote contact, however).
It took about six months of some serious tough love and a diligent routine, and we finally got Charlie up to speed. He can now do all sorts of things (including running on the treadmill), and is a great family dog. When we brought him home, he was truly wild, unfocused, and distracted. But the rigorous and disciplined daily routine changed him, and he rose to the occasion.
Why am I sharing this personal story?
Well, it is the same with Realtors®. If you use some “serious tough love” and create a diligent and disciplined routine for a period of a minimum of six months, you will see success.
One of my colleagues has taken all of the motivational real estate courses offered from all of the top name coaches. He says that they all work—if you do ‘em. And… that’s the key. We can complain all that we want about the trials and tribulations of our job, but maintaining self-discipline and a daily activity regimen should trump all problems.
For me, my daily routine involves blogging, checking my websites and social networks, and responding to emails throughout the day. It also involves calling lenders on short sales and following up with clients and prospects, preparing advertising materials and newsletters, and working with the agents in my office.
To be a successful short sale listing agent, you need to put together an organized file for each and every short sale. I actually recommend two files: one for the short sale negotiations, and one for the transaction itself. The short sale negotiation file needs to contain a copy of the short sale package that was sent to the bank(s), a log that includes all of the seller’s pertinent information at the top, copies of the mortgage statements, and a copy of the property profile or preliminary title report. Each and every conversation needs to be logged with the name of the individual you spoke with, what they said, their contact information (if available), and a date on which you will be following up in the future.
If you are managing multiple files, use an electronic calendar or a desk calendar in order to note when you need to follow up on each file. Make it a rule to follow up in the mornings, since some banks are in other parts of the United States and customer service departments may have different hours of operation than your own.
If you create an organized and disciplined short sale routine, you will definitely have success. That success will come fast and furious. If I could train Charlie to run on the treadmill, than negotiating the short sale should be easy.
Melissa Zavala is the Broker/Owner of Broadpoint Properties and Head Honcho of Short Sale Expeditor®, and Chief Executive Officer of Transaction 911. Before landing in real estate, she had careers in education and publishing. Most recently, she has been able to use her teaching and organizational skills while traveling the world over—dispelling myths about the distressed property market, engaging and motivating real estate agents, and sharing her passion for real estate. When she isn’t speaking or writing, Melissa enjoys practicing yoga, walking the dog, and vacationing at beach resorts.

Augusta Ga Homes
June 8, 2010 at 1:10 pm
There are many different systems that can work to make your business a booming success and finding a system that works is the usually easy part. Whether your niche is short sales, reo sales or traditional resales, I completely agree with Melissa, having the discipline to follow that system to success is the difficult part because many times it requires leaving our comfort zones.
Michael John Dale
June 9, 2010 at 4:10 am
Great article Melissa! All of the motivational talk in the world might make you feel good, but until you act on the advice, you won’t see any positive results. It takes a lot of disipline to stick to a routine. Some people “think” they want something (ie. lose 20lbs) and end up deciding that it’s just easier to not make the change. I can see pretty quick if someone is serious about making a change by how hard they work at sticking to a routine that will help them to get the results they are after.
Ben, one of our researchers, came across this article and submitted it to me. I am featuring your quote:
“If you use some “serious tough love” and create a diligent and disciplined routine for a period of a minimum of six months, you will see success.”
on the bizsuccessdigest.com website (post June 8 @ 8pm)
Great job Melissa!
~ Michael John Dale – Founder of Biz Success Digest
Melissa Zavala
June 9, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Thanks so much for the reblog; what an honor!
Joe
June 9, 2010 at 8:16 am
We’ve experienced the best of times when we’ve put things into a system. Ya know, doing this thing every day at 7am, doing that thing every Thursday afternoon, etc. Currently, we are in the process of putting more of business into a system in order that items get done religiously. Nice reminder today! 🙂
Brian Wilson
June 11, 2010 at 5:47 am
“I actually recommend two files: one for the short sale negotiations, and one for the transaction itself.”
It seems like a small thing but what a great idea. Such a small thing but I based on my experience, that will be a great time-saver.