Brick Walls are there for a reason

Brick Walls are there for a Reason

This past week I traveled to Tampa for a meeting with the other franchise owners for Engel and Voelkers. We all had dinner just down the street from the Tampa Engel and Voelkers Shop. It was motivational for me to be around other like minded entrepreneurs anxious to be a success in the luxury home brokerage business. We compared stories over the tinkling of glass and the factitious care of waiters and wine stewards. As I looked around the restaurant (Timpanos in Tampa's Hyde Park) I could not help but think that business was good, we are not in a recession, and all these real estate brokers were making not only their quotas but enough money to eat at Timpanos and listen to Frank Sinatra recordings over the din of martini glasses and the poof of the flames of Steak Diane prepared table side. But alas, we were being treated by the master license partners, we lowly brokers did not have to pick up the tab, and indeed once we left the establishment, reality started to leak back into my conscience.

I left a bit early than the rest of the guests and headed over to my brother-in-laws' home to spend the night. Jake and his wife Janice live in Tampa. Jake builds restaurants up and down the east coast. We shared some stories about the slowing restaurant business and commercial real estate in general.

Once I got settled in for the night in the guest room, on the night stand was a copy of Randy Pauch's book, "The Last Lecture" It is a short book recounting Randy's lecture on what he wanted to tell his kids before he died. At 47 Randy was given six months to live. (Randy Pausch). The book was inspiring, made me cry a bit, and indeed deprived me of a full nights sleep.

There was a chapter in his book about brick walls. Randy eloquently teaches us that brick walls are there for a reason. They teach us how badly we want something. We all have our brick walls. Some are big; some are small, but their size and their ability to stop us depend more on us than the wall.

As a manager of a business I am confronted with brick walls on a daily basis; many of these brick walls belong to someone else and it is my job to put these walls in perspective for my associates. Scaling walls is not easy. Going round them is not easy. Turning away from the sight of one, unfortunately is easy.

In our real estate business we have many brick walls. The question you have to ask yourself is: how badly do I want to accomplish my goals? Are there alternative ways around the wall? Can I climb it? Can I knock it down? Is it indeed a real wall? Is the wall there just for you or can some one else with different tools knock down that wall?

A few Fridays ago I showed up at our downtown office to meet a family that was due to close on their home purchase. The representative for the lender was there but the title agency, after an hour wait, was still a no show. A brick wall - the title rep had all the paperwork. The buyers had their money and were ready to move in. The lender was ready to fund, but the title company, representing the bank that was selling the home (it was an REO sale), was a no show. I was told there was no way to close because we could not reach any representative of the title company in Sarasota.

I don't like brick walls: a few phone calls later, we had seller email all the documents to Valid Title, here in Fort Myers and with in three hours the deal was closed and the buyer was able to move in that afternoon. No brick wall.

A few years ago I was getting ready for another closing - one on a house Gail and I were buying. My attorney called me three days before the closing and told me that there was a cloud on the title and the home could not be sold. This was a surprise to the seller, who had already put a deposit on another home and had packed their moving van; it was a surprise to me, as Gail and I had already begun our move, and it was of course a surprise to the lenders. The deal was in danger of falling apart totally. The seller was going to lose their new house purchase and deposit, Gail and I were going to lose our dream home, and money that was spent was, well, spent. Time for some brick wall climbing.

We went around this brick wall this way: We were able to loan the seller $250,000 by taking a mortgage from them on another home they had that had clear title on, this way they could buy there next home, Gail and I were able to lease the home from the seller until title cleared, and all parties were satisfied. Wall gone.

Sometimes I hear about little brick walls from people that indicate to me that they really didn't want something bad enough to find away around the brick wall. I always tell my employees I do not like to hear why something can't be done.. I like to hear alternatives. I want to here ideas.. tell me how TO DO IT, not HOW NOT.

"My business cards didn't come yet." The agent who doesn't want to go out call calling may use this as their brick wall that prevents them from cold calling.. The agent who adds, "So I printed some temporary cards in the meantime," is used to scaling walls and getting to his objective.

Eighty percent of our success comes from within, not from our tools or outside influences. Don't blame the brick walls, and indeed don't count on them as substantiation for your failure.. Find a way around them to your goals.