with A.Z. Araujo - Episode 59:

What Ifs

with A.Z. Araujo - Episode 59:

What Ifs

CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML
I hear it everywhere, from everyone. People are taking the statistics of what is happening and making them their truths. It is crucial at this time in history and our economy to not shut yourself off from your business and thereby shutting down your momentum. Being cautious is using wisdom, and so is taking a tactical approach to continue to build on what you have started. Continue to do what you said you would, and you won't be scrambling when this crisis is over. Follow the sheep, and you will be lost with the others who took it lying down in the field.
Don't Succumb
  • ​I'm getting phone calls daily from different individuals asking me questions about what is going on right now. The Coronavirus and how it is going to kill you and kill our economy seems to have everyone scared. It's okay to have a fear of what may happen, but not okay to dwell on it. When we get into a place of shutting down, we shut down great ideas and opportunities. Our thoughts shift to holding on to what we have. 
  • ​As humans, we forget where we have been and the obstacles we have overcome. The media is saying to us that if you catch this pandemic, you will die. We need to use common sense and understand that if you do catch it, you are not likely going to die. It's not cancer or a deadly disease but something your body can fight. Stress can weaken your immune system and make you more likely to catch it. 
  • ​The news makes it sound like everyone has it, but statistics state that there are 12 cases in the Phoenix area. There are millions of people here, and there are 12 cases. How does this debacle our economy? We are so connected online that we are taking the issues of others and making them ours. We are taking the deaths from China, Italy, and around the world and making them ours. 
  • ​It is easy to consume all of this negativity and succumb to taking it easy. I need you to combat this by doing things that bring in positivity. You need to allow positive thoughts to enter your mind, body, and soul. When you are shoving down the negativity, it will omit the opportunities that are before you. I had one agent who had six escrows last week, but if you look at the Real Estate Forums, they are trying to take the results from other people. Someone had an Open House that didn't go well, and we try to take that as our problem. They state that Buyers are canceling, and Sellers don't want to list; is that your experience or someone else's. 
  • ​We need to be cognizant of what we are taking as our own experience. When we look at the statistics and the overall likelihood of being affected, you are more likely to be run over by a car. Fear is paralyzing you, and you need not make this a bigger issue than it is. Your job is to continue to move forward on what would empower you, not shut you down.
  • ​Taking care of yourself will empower you, taking care of your mind, and the positivity you take in will empower you. 
This is Nothing New
  • I am going to address three things that you can do to make sure that you will prevail after this; we have all been through this. There was Y2K when the computers were unable to see the new century, and everything would go down the tubes. The entire economy was supposed to fall apart. The year 2000 came and went, and we didn't see that happen. Everyone was hoarding toilet paper and water; this is not new.
  • ​The .Com, and housing bubble, the Ebola Virus scare; there are so many examples of things that have scared and paralyzed us. The small group of individuals that could see that all of this would pass were the same that saw opportunities when others were shuttering in fear. 
  • ​A lot of the negativity coming to this industry are from the ones that are not producing. Find out what kind of producer someone is before you begin to take their experience as your own. Producers are doing what I am doing right now, showing up, getting up, and taking care of themselves. They are drinking their green smoothies and investing in themselves as opposed to going to bed and waking up in fear. 100’s of people quarantined to a cruise ship, didn't mean they died, they recovered. It's not only the media to blame, but it's individuals as well. They have no medical training, including myself, and start talking about the What Ifs. What might happen, what's going to happen? 
  • ​Running out of toilet paper is not an indicator that things are beginning to fall apart; it's a few individuals, looking out for themselves, being gluttonous. They have inadvertently caused a state of panic. Some opportunists cleared off the shelves so they could make money. They are restocking the grocery stores daily, and are only a little behind the demand. It doesn't mean famine. 
  • ​We have clean water and food readily available. Uber is making killing delivering food. There will be realtors right now making a killing because they aren't succumbing to the fear. You have to do the things you have full control over, taking care of yourself, and investing in yourself. That is all we can do. 
  • ​I can remember these feelings when we had the housing bubble. I had clients deliberately because of fear; they would do it; they stopped making their mortgage payments. They made the situation worse. Not because they had a hardship or lost their job. It was because everyone else was doing it; they didn't see the ramifications of doing that. They killed their credit, stressed their household, and had to move to a small apartment owned by someone else. They took someone else's experience as their own. It was the vast majority of my clients.
  • ​A housing pandemic was the result, and it made everything worse. They no longer had the security of a home, and they were moving from rental to rental. Because they were now in reparation mode, trying to get things fixed, they couldn't be in opportunity mode, like I was. Did I succumb to this? Yes. When things hit, they hit hard, and it took me a few months. I refused to stay there because I know the fear of shutting down creates situations that are far worse for all of us. 
Defining Moment
  • I decided to stop listening to the media, the other people, and the average agent that said it was famine and fury. I had to learn new skill sets during a time when everybody was shutting down. I invested in myself by learning new skill sets that were very frustrating. 
  • ​I remember picking up a BPO (Broker Price Opinion), it took me three hours to complete, and it was very frustrating. It was a defining moment in my life. Learning the skill sets didn't guarantee me a damn thing; little did I know that it would result in 1,000’s of houses sold. I remember my daughter Abigail who was four at the time, and she was crawling all over me while I was working on the BPO. 
  • ​I was stressed because everyone was saying it was all over, and I had no money coming in. She had no idea what I was up against. Maybe she did because kids can feel our fears and our stresses. I remember putting her down, and she disconnected my computer; all that hard work I put in was gone. The frustration and stress of it all caused me to break down. The thought of having to start all over again, and it was the least of my worries. If you mess up and have to start over again, do it. 
  • ​I went to bed and delayed doing it again for a few days. I finally said fuck it and went for it. Because I decided to move forward, trying to overcome the status quo, despite the resistance, I was trying to do something for myself, and I am so glad I did. Learning these skill sets that took hours, researching asset management companies, and submitting my application, doing BPO after BPO and paying lawyers, over and over; I didn't have one asset. I wasn't listening to the minions saying there was no possibility of making anything happen. I listened to the few that said there was an opportunity. 
  • ​I listened to the small fraction of the people, and you are listening to the media and the vast majority of non-producers. You are buying into it, and it's easy to do. I listened to the fraction who said there was an opportunity. My first assignment stressed me out because I didn't know what they wanted; they told me I had to finance my first property to flip. I didn't know where I would get the money because I was broke. 
  • ​I could have given up there, or with the BPO’s; so many times I could have given up, succumbing to what the average person was thinking. I kept going and stumbled through it and got it down. I had to borrow money and max out my credit cards. Then I got my next assignment and my next. I had to wait 45 to 60 days to be reimbursed for the money I put into the properties. 
  • ​People were telling me the REO’s and banks were taking advantage of me. Because I prevailed and chose not to give up, I came out as one of the top REO Listers in the state. I still have properties to this day; the dividends are still paying out. It takes courage and your ability to understand that this is not the end of the world. This is where you need to reinvest in yourself and your abilities. Hone in on your marketing skills and continue to put out content. 
  • ​You will get the naysayers; this is the right time. This is the importance of being in a place where you can thrive and be fed positivity; most agents don't have that. This is where we start, and there are people who need to buy and need to sell, regardless of the industry you are in. It is your job to find those people. The last thing you want to do is sit on your hands and wish you had done something.
Three Things
  • This pandemic is not a death sentence or cancer, but that is what it has been made out to be. This is the time to get shit done and here are three things that you can do:
  • ​1. Feed positivity into the world. Feed it into your mind, soul, and body. Take care of yourself because it is so easy to get caught up in things on social media. What are you doing to combat that? Are you sticking to the routines of the 12-week targets? Are you doing what is required to invest in yourself and your family? 
  • 2. Invest in your skill sets and systems. What are some of the things you have wanted to do but you haven't been able too? This is where you hone in. Is it the videos you didn't complete, or the auto-responder system you didn't follow through with? Maybe it's your database or your CRM? This is where relationships matter, because the people who want to sell and buy want to work with someone they know. If you have been very transactional where you didn't reinvest in your business, your relationships, you may suffer. Those that have learned to build deep-rooted relationships with their clients will thrive exponentially. Maybe now is the time to reach out and see how they are doing. Send out a text or a postcard. 
  • 3. Don't shut down. Open yourself up. I took my dogs for a walk today, and it is beautiful out. I opened myself up and let the energy in. We have been through this before; it's not your problem; it is somebody else's. I'm not saying to be unaware of what is going on, but don't take on someone else's statistics as yours. What is coming to mind? Document it and then do it. 

  • ​It is easy to succumb to all of this negativity, and I want to make sure that we provide an environment of positivity. You need to stay strong mentally because you are your number one asset. Your business needs to stay healthy, so do those things that empower you. Marketing will make your business strong. Working out will make your body strong. Reading and building your skill set will make your mind feel strong.
In Closing
  • Having faith is essential to have because you are not like the rest. I took time and wrote down what I was grateful for. There is a section in the 12-week Target Book that I fill out daily. Yesterday I wrote that I was thankful for all of the deposits I had made over the years. I am healthy and strong, and I have done the right things. I'm not playing this game defensively but offensively because of the reps. All of the things I have been preaching and living for years, I am grateful for it.
  • ​If you haven't done these things, I want you to start now. As soon as this is over, there will be something else, and you need to build your immune system; The immune system for your body, your family, and your business. And it takes the deposits. The green smoothie I drank this morning, a jog with my dogs. I listened to John Assaraf; it was great. 
  • ​This pandemic is not a death sentence; your body will fight it. We have to be concerned because it can be deadly. Parents with children have to take greater precautions, but we are talking about you right now. All we can do is rise above the noise of sheep. Carla and I fell into that trap in the past, and it was so hard for us. People were letting go of their homes, and they didn't have too. 
  • ​What if landlords start to raise rents? Tell your clients they need to take advantage of these low-interest rates. Some people need to buy and to sell. 
  • ​Carla goes into hyperdrive when she cleans, and after my daughter, Abegail disconnected my computer, Carla did it after I restarted the process. Many tears were shed from me. The frustration and the weight of it all; I was taking other people's problems and making them my own. I had the courage to prevail and not to shut down. 
  • ​We can't forget to do the things that make us feel good. We can't stop the momentum we are building; for every action, there is an opposite reaction. The economy is good, and I don't know what is causing it. When 911 happened, we gave up so many of our rights; what will we give up now? We are allowing the government to dictate how businesses are running. If it is viral, how is having 50 people different from 100? I don't get it: fear tactics and control. We will find out who is behind it and who is making money from it. 
  • ​Taking precautions I get, but you can't stop. You are going to be fine. Let's get after it; you have a job to do. Marketing, sales, systems; be the leader out there.

More Episodes

CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML
I hear it everywhere, from everyone. People are taking the statistics of what is happening and making them their truths. It is crucial at this time in history and our economy to not shut yourself off from your business and thereby shutting down your momentum. Being cautious is using wisdom, and so is taking a tactical approach to continue to build on what you have started. Continue to do what you said you would, and you won't be scrambling when this crisis is over. Follow the sheep, and you will be lost with the others who took it lying down in the field.
Don't Succumb
  • ​I'm getting phone calls daily from different individuals asking me questions about what is going on right now. The Coronavirus and how it is going to kill you and kill our economy seems to have everyone scared. It's okay to have a fear of what may happen, but not okay to dwell on it. When we get into a place of shutting down, we shut down great ideas and opportunities. Our thoughts shift to holding on to what we have. 
  • ​As humans, we forget where we have been and the obstacles we have overcome. The media is saying to us that if you catch this pandemic, you will die. We need to use common sense and understand that if you do catch it, you are not likely going to die. It's not cancer or a deadly disease but something your body can fight. Stress can weaken your immune system and make you more likely to catch it. 
  • ​The news makes it sound like everyone has it, but statistics state that there are 12 cases in the Phoenix area. There are millions of people here, and there are 12 cases. How does this debacle our economy? We are so connected online that we are taking the issues of others and making them ours. We are taking the deaths from China, Italy, and around the world and making them ours. 
  • ​It is easy to consume all of this negativity and succumb to taking it easy. I need you to combat this by doing things that bring in positivity. You need to allow positive thoughts to enter your mind, body, and soul. When you are shoving down the negativity, it will omit the opportunities that are before you. I had one agent who had six escrows last week, but if you look at the Real Estate Forums, they are trying to take the results from other people. Someone had an Open House that didn't go well, and we try to take that as our problem. They state that Buyers are canceling, and Sellers don't want to list; is that your experience or someone else's. 
  • ​We need to be cognizant of what we are taking as our own experience. When we look at the statistics and the overall likelihood of being affected, you are more likely to be run over by a car. Fear is paralyzing you, and you need not make this a bigger issue than it is. Your job is to continue to move forward on what would empower you, not shut you down.
  • ​Taking care of yourself will empower you, taking care of your mind, and the positivity you take in will empower you. 
This is Nothing New
  • I am going to address three things that you can do to make sure that you will prevail after this; we have all been through this. There was Y2K when the computers were unable to see the new century, and everything would go down the tubes. The entire economy was supposed to fall apart. The year 2000 came and went, and we didn't see that happen. Everyone was hoarding toilet paper and water; this is not new.
  • ​The .Com, and housing bubble, the Ebola Virus scare; there are so many examples of things that have scared and paralyzed us. The small group of individuals that could see that all of this would pass were the same that saw opportunities when others were shuttering in fear. 
  • ​A lot of the negativity coming to this industry are from the ones that are not producing. Find out what kind of producer someone is before you begin to take their experience as your own. Producers are doing what I am doing right now, showing up, getting up, and taking care of themselves. They are drinking their green smoothies and investing in themselves as opposed to going to bed and waking up in fear. 100’s of people quarantined to a cruise ship, didn't mean they died, they recovered. It's not only the media to blame, but it's individuals as well. They have no medical training, including myself, and start talking about the What Ifs. What might happen, what's going to happen? 
  • ​Running out of toilet paper is not an indicator that things are beginning to fall apart; it's a few individuals, looking out for themselves, being gluttonous. They have inadvertently caused a state of panic. Some opportunists cleared off the shelves so they could make money. They are restocking the grocery stores daily, and are only a little behind the demand. It doesn't mean famine. 
  • ​We have clean water and food readily available. Uber is making killing delivering food. There will be realtors right now making a killing because they aren't succumbing to the fear. You have to do the things you have full control over, taking care of yourself, and investing in yourself. That is all we can do. 
  • ​I can remember these feelings when we had the housing bubble. I had clients deliberately because of fear; they would do it; they stopped making their mortgage payments. They made the situation worse. Not because they had a hardship or lost their job. It was because everyone else was doing it; they didn't see the ramifications of doing that. They killed their credit, stressed their household, and had to move to a small apartment owned by someone else. They took someone else's experience as their own. It was the vast majority of my clients.
  • ​A housing pandemic was the result, and it made everything worse. They no longer had the security of a home, and they were moving from rental to rental. Because they were now in reparation mode, trying to get things fixed, they couldn't be in opportunity mode, like I was. Did I succumb to this? Yes. When things hit, they hit hard, and it took me a few months. I refused to stay there because I know the fear of shutting down creates situations that are far worse for all of us. 
Defining Moment
  • I decided to stop listening to the media, the other people, and the average agent that said it was famine and fury. I had to learn new skill sets during a time when everybody was shutting down. I invested in myself by learning new skill sets that were very frustrating. 
  • ​I remember picking up a BPO (Broker Price Opinion), it took me three hours to complete, and it was very frustrating. It was a defining moment in my life. Learning the skill sets didn't guarantee me a damn thing; little did I know that it would result in 1,000’s of houses sold. I remember my daughter Abigail who was four at the time, and she was crawling all over me while I was working on the BPO. 
  • ​I was stressed because everyone was saying it was all over, and I had no money coming in. She had no idea what I was up against. Maybe she did because kids can feel our fears and our stresses. I remember putting her down, and she disconnected my computer; all that hard work I put in was gone. The frustration and stress of it all caused me to break down. The thought of having to start all over again, and it was the least of my worries. If you mess up and have to start over again, do it. 
  • ​I went to bed and delayed doing it again for a few days. I finally said fuck it and went for it. Because I decided to move forward, trying to overcome the status quo, despite the resistance, I was trying to do something for myself, and I am so glad I did. Learning these skill sets that took hours, researching asset management companies, and submitting my application, doing BPO after BPO and paying lawyers, over and over; I didn't have one asset. I wasn't listening to the minions saying there was no possibility of making anything happen. I listened to the few that said there was an opportunity. 
  • ​I listened to the small fraction of the people, and you are listening to the media and the vast majority of non-producers. You are buying into it, and it's easy to do. I listened to the fraction who said there was an opportunity. My first assignment stressed me out because I didn't know what they wanted; they told me I had to finance my first property to flip. I didn't know where I would get the money because I was broke. 
  • ​I could have given up there, or with the BPO’s; so many times I could have given up, succumbing to what the average person was thinking. I kept going and stumbled through it and got it down. I had to borrow money and max out my credit cards. Then I got my next assignment and my next. I had to wait 45 to 60 days to be reimbursed for the money I put into the properties. 
  • ​People were telling me the REO’s and banks were taking advantage of me. Because I prevailed and chose not to give up, I came out as one of the top REO Listers in the state. I still have properties to this day; the dividends are still paying out. It takes courage and your ability to understand that this is not the end of the world. This is where you need to reinvest in yourself and your abilities. Hone in on your marketing skills and continue to put out content. 
  • ​You will get the naysayers; this is the right time. This is the importance of being in a place where you can thrive and be fed positivity; most agents don't have that. This is where we start, and there are people who need to buy and need to sell, regardless of the industry you are in. It is your job to find those people. The last thing you want to do is sit on your hands and wish you had done something.
Three Things
  • This pandemic is not a death sentence or cancer, but that is what it has been made out to be. This is the time to get shit done and here are three things that you can do:
  • ​1. Feed positivity into the world. Feed it into your mind, soul, and body. Take care of yourself because it is so easy to get caught up in things on social media. What are you doing to combat that? Are you sticking to the routines of the 12-week targets? Are you doing what is required to invest in yourself and your family? 
  • 2. Invest in your skill sets and systems. What are some of the things you have wanted to do but you haven't been able too? This is where you hone in. Is it the videos you didn't complete, or the auto-responder system you didn't follow through with? Maybe it's your database or your CRM? This is where relationships matter, because the people who want to sell and buy want to work with someone they know. If you have been very transactional where you didn't reinvest in your business, your relationships, you may suffer. Those that have learned to build deep-rooted relationships with their clients will thrive exponentially. Maybe now is the time to reach out and see how they are doing. Send out a text or a postcard. 
  • 3. Don't shut down. Open yourself up. I took my dogs for a walk today, and it is beautiful out. I opened myself up and let the energy in. We have been through this before; it's not your problem; it is somebody else's. I'm not saying to be unaware of what is going on, but don't take on someone else's statistics as yours. What is coming to mind? Document it and then do it. 

  • ​It is easy to succumb to all of this negativity, and I want to make sure that we provide an environment of positivity. You need to stay strong mentally because you are your number one asset. Your business needs to stay healthy, so do those things that empower you. Marketing will make your business strong. Working out will make your body strong. Reading and building your skill set will make your mind feel strong.
In Closing
  • Having faith is essential to have because you are not like the rest. I took time and wrote down what I was grateful for. There is a section in the 12-week Target Book that I fill out daily. Yesterday I wrote that I was thankful for all of the deposits I had made over the years. I am healthy and strong, and I have done the right things. I'm not playing this game defensively but offensively because of the reps. All of the things I have been preaching and living for years, I am grateful for it.
  • ​If you haven't done these things, I want you to start now. As soon as this is over, there will be something else, and you need to build your immune system; The immune system for your body, your family, and your business. And it takes the deposits. The green smoothie I drank this morning, a jog with my dogs. I listened to John Assaraf; it was great. 
  • ​This pandemic is not a death sentence; your body will fight it. We have to be concerned because it can be deadly. Parents with children have to take greater precautions, but we are talking about you right now. All we can do is rise above the noise of sheep. Carla and I fell into that trap in the past, and it was so hard for us. People were letting go of their homes, and they didn't have too. 
  • ​What if landlords start to raise rents? Tell your clients they need to take advantage of these low-interest rates. Some people need to buy and to sell. 
  • ​Carla goes into hyperdrive when she cleans, and after my daughter, Abegail disconnected my computer, Carla did it after I restarted the process. Many tears were shed from me. The frustration and the weight of it all; I was taking other people's problems and making them my own. I had the courage to prevail and not to shut down. 
  • ​We can't forget to do the things that make us feel good. We can't stop the momentum we are building; for every action, there is an opposite reaction. The economy is good, and I don't know what is causing it. When 911 happened, we gave up so many of our rights; what will we give up now? We are allowing the government to dictate how businesses are running. If it is viral, how is having 50 people different from 100? I don't get it: fear tactics and control. We will find out who is behind it and who is making money from it. 
  • ​Taking precautions I get, but you can't stop. You are going to be fine. Let's get after it; you have a job to do. Marketing, sales, systems; be the leader out there.

More Episodes

A.Z. & Associates Real Estate Group - 2019