We are all feeling a level of uncertainty as the COVID-19/coronavirus has started to impact our daily lives, with many of you working from home now, students (and parents) facing school closings, local businesses temporarily shutting down and with most of us making grocery store runs to stock up on essentials. 

Even if your local area has not seen any changes to daily life, you likely will in the coming weeks.  And, the economic impact of this virus will be felt for months, if not for years.  

I truly believe we are in the midst of the economic downturn we felt in the mid-2000s and we need to take the impacts of this virus as serious, if not more.  

Your clients are feeling uncertain too.  It’s crucial that in a time of uncertainty and fear, you rise as their expert guide when it comes to the real estate part of their lives.  

I can still remember very clearly selling real estate during the worst financial collapse in our history since the great depression.

It was back in 2008 and again in 2010.  

Back then, there was something called “chasing the market down.”   

What that meant was some agents kept being one step behind the market instead of in front of it.  

One example—not pricing homes aggressively enough for the downward trend their market was experiencing, and constantly having to reduce the price to an even lower point than if they had priced more aggressively to begin with. 

These agents didn’t know what was happening until it was too late.  

They were not leading their clients to be ahead of the curve, they were chasing the market down and taking their clients with them.

Some agents were having their best years in real estate, while others were getting out of the business because they didn’t have a business any more.  

They had no clients and they had no idea how to get them.  

They thought it was the market’s fault.  

It wasn’t.  

Please do not be one of those agents right now. 

I’m in Facebook groups where real estate agents are shocked when their clients tell them they are not going to move forward with their home purchase or sale because of what’s happening with coronavirus.  The other agents in the group are telling these agents what to say to convince their clients to buy anyway, which is the absolute worst thing you can do.  

So, what SHOULD you be doing right now?

You should be seeing this as an opportunity to help and guide your clients more than ever.  

You should be proactively reaching out to all your current clients and past clients to discuss the impact this may have on their plans to buy and sell.  

I want you to be THAT agent.  

A true expert in the eyes of your clients…  

To feel empowered, not scared, in times of uncertainty…

To be a true leader — to your clients, to other agents, and in your marketplace… 

To see opportunity when others see excuses.  

As real estate agents, we are in a unique position to make a difference, but we must act now and get ahead of what is to come. 

I’ll be sharing proactive strategies you can use to lead yourself, your business, and your clients right now. 

Though this is a time of great uncertainty, fear and financial difficult for many, there is also tremendous opportunity to rise to the occasion and serve your clients with an even greater impact than ever before.

To your success,

Jennifer