Group 26 Real Estate By Chris

We're sorry, but it seems that we're having some problems loading MLS data from our database. Please check back soon.

With today’s Real Estate agent being underpaid, malnourished and out right bored, our Movement was born.

We the people of GroupTwentySix believe in the NOW. We believe in zigging while others zag. We believe a life in Real Estate can and will set you free.

We are tearing down the walls of that hinder sales people. 

We are sharing the wealth from the top, first and foremost. We believe in the agent keeping the majority since the broker barely gets involved in today’s transactions.

We have 3 different and equally unbeatable commission structures. No gimmicks here, straight forward dollars and sense. 

Top of the line training powered by the Mike Ferry organization. If you are not familiar with with them, get familiar.

Coaching. Real coaching. Nor for only your business but life as well. Together we are setting and achieving bigger and bigger personal and business goals.

Come to our event, Wednesday February 27th, 6pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bridgewater NJ.

You will meet the team, hear about our unique package of services assisting sales people with tremendous results, our “Premier Program” that has agents averaging 90% commission splits, our Business Developers program that builds residual income in Real Estate, our Project 26 which helps agents and brokers open offices, share the ownership profits not the hassles with no money out of their pocket.

We have a lot of excitement to share with you. See you there.

Disclaimer: GroupTwentySix is not just a Real Estate company, it is a Real Estate movement for the people. It must be experienced first hand at least a few times before it really sinks in.

See you Wednesday, 6pm at the HIlton Garden Inn, 500 Promenade Boulevard, Bridgewater NJ 08807.

Email or call me to reserve your seat.

When it comes to Real Estate agents and brokers and the Company they work at, you can always ask why. You will get a variety of reasons from its close to my house and I don’t really know to (insert stuffy voice) their sales algorithms coincide with the financial structure of my cash flow analysis.

After ten years in the business, and working at a few different companies from large corporate to small mom and pop start ups in different capacities, I became to realize alot of things were off the mark. The short of it is agents are way underpaid in over 90% of the cases and way over demanding in over 90% of the cases. Over the last 7 or so years the brokers competition is at an all time high. We have seen almost everything, Walmart style discount brokerages (epic fail), supposes high end boutiques with fancy names and walnut bookcases.. even brokerages that bring Jesus and their Faith into play.. All just looking for some fancy way to have you work there. In the Real Estate business fancy schmancy, you know this it’s just hot air. There are two things, reasons and results and only one of them matter. 

I began mapping out my dream office and business plan. We had to give agents what they needed, no have been begging for, and we needed to share the wealth.  Wide open spaces built for group prospecting and group interaction, tear down these walls!!….. Focus on having a better life, not the local sales statistics and newest ways to arrange your flowers to sell a house. Pahleeze.

I knew that training, proper training, is at an all time low in Brokerages throughout the land. I said to myself I am going to align myself with the best in the business, Mike Ferry and the Mike Ferry Organization. I knew that with some skill sharpening and more dedication I can be a great coach, something I truly love. I have friends who are certified Life Coaches, gotta get them involved and develop some programs for everyone’s betterment. Need to explore why,… self beliefs, financial responsibility, a balanced life and more.

I knew that sales meeting attendance is low. I know they are boring to be at. We have to have a prompt one hour weekly meeting and we cant always talk about Real Estate. Seriously. You cannot. That’s why nobody goes to meetings, duh.  

Then because everything happens for a reason I arrived at Group Twenty Six.. Some guys sat me down, gave me a personality profile, asked me a bunch of questions and said can I tell you some about us. Of course… Ok, we believe that A and B and then C and this and that. I stopped him, said how did you hack my computer and get all my notes…. Jeez they were mostly handwritten as a matter of fact. I stood up and said this is exactly what Im talking about, I am going to resign from my office and came back here later today. I will have to order business cards etc etc…

They said WAIT. We didn’t tell you about our commission structure.. Oh yeah, that’s right, tell me about it… Oh wow, maybe I can call my broker and he can just fax my license here, save me the trip?? Haha we all laughed….

Again, I was told WAIT…. We haven’t explained our top producer bonuses….  Ok ok, guys I get it, you had me at Hello,  I already told you I am joining your company and we are going to kill it…

No, WAIT they keep telling me…We didn’t tell you about our Business Developer structure, how to gain little regular bonuses or build an empire you can retire on…..wait… wait.. smh…can you go over that again… SURE!!!

Again.. WAIT they keep telling me…. If you have any interest we can talk about how you can own percentages of an or any office we open with or without cash investment…what????

Driving home that day I drove past two turnpike exits. Deep in thought and feeling the movement. Feeling the passion we all shared for the Real Estate community.. Thanking the big guy upstairs and Craig for his list.

Since that day, the book of my life did not begin a new chapter. It began a new testament. A testament that life in Real Est ate does Rock! That through Real Estate financial freedom can be achieved, Group energy can propel each individual to new heights and the time is now!

Group Twenty Six.. We have been called a realty, a real estate brokerage, whacko’s who prospect by the dozen in the same room with music playing all over the place, a place where people meditate???…where they read and discuss books at their meting.. that company that always emails me about party this or networking that…. oh, isn’t that where everyone drinks the kool aid… lol… YES.. we are all of that and still so much more. 

I will try to give you more of an understanding through this and other blogs that I will post, but don’t be shy to pick up the phone, send an email or check out our calendar and come to something we have going on… There is always something going on. 

It’s a Real Estate movement. It cannot be described or defined fully in one or even two sittings, and for sure not without experiencing and feeling it.

Before I get into the changes let me give an overview of this relationship. A Real Estate agent has the duty to serve their clients and community in the sale or lease of Real Estate. The Brokerage is to oversee very spec of a transaction but first and foremost , is to provide the agent the proper support for not only their business but for the needs of the clients. In order to perform their duties in to days market an agent would need a brokerage to offer sufficient  office space, sales training and support, Real Estate business training as well as access access to phones, faxes, computers, internet access…. and more but you get the drift. In the business of Real Estate the broker is and should be the boss but, especially in the last seven years the agent has taken control. A broker use to say these are the rules and if you want to have a career in real estate here is what you must do. Sadly today’s Real Estate agent takes this whole be your own boss thing to seriously and has this I’m a 1099, you dont tell me what to do. Well they missed the point. The broker is the broker because he knows the business, the market and what it takes to succeed in it.

Did you know that it is typical for a Real Estate office to have 75-100 agents and in a one hour weekly sales meeting maybe 15-20 will attend. Do you know that an agent will complain that the office has no support or tools but at the same time but has no clue that it’s already offered to them and they aren’t taking advantage of it….. Or worse, whatever this magic pill that has to be had is, is gotten..the agent then doesn’t use it… maybe for a week.

I have seen and heard myself agents complain and be insulted when a manager says  to them “Hey how’s business, anything going on I should know or help with”… yes… What do they care how Im doing…please….. Yeah wow. Excuse me for being interested. The Real Estate agent game is a tough one. Agent’s have come to pass the blame of the do nothing onto the broker and demand more money out of the commission brought in … Demanding higher splits and run the roost. The average broker today now has to also have a full time sales career to sustain a living… Run an office, train manage and everything for everybody and run their own highly demandin sales career…..somehow giving agents 90% splits just so they wont quit. Brokerages have commonly gone from high value to low value. Its great looking in from the outside… have other people do the sales and split commissions…. just have an office… have some sales training… yeah right.

It’s sad because today’s average Real Estate Office is scared to train the agents what it takes to make it in today’s market because they will quit. Instead the Broker and Agent develop any relationship they can and talk chocolate and roses all day and not business. No sales training… agents don’t come. Offer to have a teacher with 15 years successful sales experience come to the office and speak…. the same 15-20 out of 75-100 agents will come. Try to teach them exact scripts and dialogues to use when working with all customers.. dont tell me what to say, I know what to say… 6 months and no transactions later agent complains…. market stinks, people are crazy etc…

The the major problem a brokerage has today is how to provide value and service while still being able to offer commission splits suitable for today’s agent. Some offices incorporate a fee based system, agents pays X fees per month and receives high commission splits. Some offices offer 100% commission and charge “fee’s” instead of a split… sounds too gimmicky for me. Then you have Group Twenty Six. A perfect combination or value vs agent split. With value heavily outweighing the cost, we also have a plan for agents to build a residual income and not only partner in offices, but share in company profits from offices that you aren’t even involved with.

While many “name brand” Real Estate companies are still reeling and trying to restructure for the future, there are companies like ours, who are growing rapidly because of the huge void in the Real Estate Brokerage business.  If your doing business like you were five years ago you are doomed in the next five. Visionaries come together and cannot be paid for, I think the comparison between John Langley and the Wright brothers proves that, and that is why our Mission, Vision and results are, and will remain strong and only grow over time.

Mindset….. THE most vital part of any salespersons business plan. Mindset is critical not just in sales, but in life… Especially if you have any entrepreneurial spirit. A strong mindset is sometimes ingrained in you from an early age. Sometimes it takes some failures to kick it in, or sometimes you read something that just makes it click.

A Strong mindset, a mindest of a winner is inside all of us at all times. It is a decision to be strong that is the overwhelming factor in the possesion of a winners mindset. The midset of a winner can be loosely summed up as not just someone who will not quit. It’s alsdo someone who refuses to not be finished winning, and accepts failure as part of the process. Take Steve Jobs for example… He didnt just build a great computer. He revamped the entire way people use them and created a culture.. He was not done there, he single handedly took computer animation to where it is today – Pixar – then came back to Apple, a company he founded that later fired him, and changed the music industry, then tok handheld devices to another level. If he didnt pass, who knows what else he would of pioneered.

Lets take a popular example of Mindset. The 4 mimute mile. before the fateful day of May 6th, 1964, everyone – doctors – scholars etc claimed it was humanely impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes… Roger bannister had his eye set on breaking that record. On this fateful day he shocked the world by completing this achievement without having his chest explode, or overheating his body to a life threatening level. Until this day, most people thought it impossible… Unachievable…. You know the funny thing, it was impossible before this very moment… Within the next year over 20 people also made this achievement. As a matter of fact, his record only lasted about 45 days…. What did he prove.. He proved it could be done and instantly improving the mindset of other runners who previously thought… knew, it to be impossible.

Developing a strong mindset is no small task. You must first understand what it is before you can go ahead and set out to develop one. A strong mindset is achieved when you always look on the bright side of things, accept failure as part of the success process… have such unwavering thoughts and laser focus vision. It was told to me to look at your goal, put on some blinders like the race horses wear, and focus… focus… Think about what it takes, realize that its going to be harder to achieve than you think, and then go full steam ahead.. no matter what!

I am going to blog about the proper reading material necessary to develop a winning mindset, so keep your self up to date with upcoming blogs.

Robert ” Bob” Frank

Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS ID: 332707 at

H&R Funding

Office Number: 862-251-4720

Direct Number: 732-501-3290

Email: themortgagerx@aol.com

Christopher Cohen

Licensed Mortgage Originator

NMLS ID 460220

Alpine Mortgage Services

973-632-3983 Direct

908-292-1100 E-Fax

I’ve worlked with Chris for a long time. Take a quick look at this video….. It’s an oldy but goody!

>

Tony Croft (MLO-NMLS #5249) is a Mortgage Advisor and a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist. We specialize in helping individuals and families understand the mortgage process, find, qualify for, and own the home of their dreams. We also assist clients in managing the equity in their home and investment properties.

Tony also says “Our goal is to make the mortgage experience as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.  We do this by meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations.” which, when your talking mortgage and the home buying/refinance process is hard to do.

Feel free to learn more about Tony Croft and his team by calling or emailing him directly in his Hoboken NJ office.

Direct # 201-943-6800

Email: Tony@TonyCroft.com

Address:

534 Hudson Street

Hoboken, NJ 07030

You can find him on the web at www.TonyCroft.com

Ahhh, the sacred king of the jungle… the Sellers Agent.  In this business the listing agent is king. Always was, always will be. In the words of Realtors ‘cross the land “You list, you last!” When a listing agent properly runs their career, they will have a direct influence on the market they serve.  A listing agent is much, much more complex than most would think, and maybe not always as glamorous as it looks……. nah it most certainly is. It may be easier if I break down some key elements of the job description and then maybe list a few others and as always I would love to hear your comments.

In order to be a successful listing agent you must be a master prospector and a networking guru  Work like a hunter, but think like a farmer. Listings can be obtained from anywhere and anywhere because there are houses down every block in every street in America (at a minimum), it is getting to know the owners of these properties, communicate to them that you are the one for the job, and always be the agent of choice.

It is said that a listng agent will do about 70% listings and 30% buyers. In order to be a listing one must use laser focus. Must focus on only procuring listings. They must procure listings that will sell. The hardest part of the listing agent is getting the property sold right? Only price sells a property. Most sellers… excuse me…. live in fantasy land. This of course, does not describe all sellers. A great percentage of sellers live in reality as well. Getting their home sold in 90 days or less. Not giving it away.. Getting top market value. The buyers are out there. For every price range, every time. There is almost never that there is no buyer in your price range in your neighborhood… ever. Well…. that is if your property is priced to sell.

Many agents are forced to take unsaleable listings…. if they choose to be. Sometimes it’s a personal friend. Sometimes it’s their own property. Most of the times its the average every day consumer who prices their property. Most agents are scared to not take a listing from someone who will give them one, even when they know its priced to high. It is the agents fault. Desperate or over-confidant, either way not having enough market knowledge. It just stales the market, disappoints the client, and frustrates buyers.

Why would an agent take a listing they know they couldn’t sell? Maybe they like to call and badger people every week for a priuce reduction. Maybe they like having a sign on the lawn. Maybe they think, at least I will get some buyers…. Wait hold on.. so you are telling me that you took a listing to only hope to get some buyers out of the deal… ok??

There is a lot of responsibility in being a sellers agent. To yourself and others. So lets not take this lightly but also understand that having a consistent inventory of listings is easily achievable when approached correctly. Having properly priced inventory takes more skill but also helps keep your advertising budget low.

Being a listing agent is a skill we teach and coach. Buyers are not a dirty word, especially in this market but, if you run your business that way you will have lower expenses, a more controlled work environment, and only the best buyers. So go out there, find a marketing plan, customize it into a personalized document, get in front of as many sellers as you can, properly present the pricing guidelines and sign the contract!

We all know Real Estate Agents are paid strictly on commission. In short, an agent only gets paid for results, not actions. Proper actions produce results, as taught in our coaching programs, training sessions, boot camps, and by our work environment at Group TwentySix.

But what does this mean? How does one go from meeting with a client to a paycheck? What does it take? How long does it take?

more »