Susan Schneider’s Blog

It’s Official

I am now becoming part of the human race as it relates to technology. Last month, I created a Twitter account which was the extent of that endeavor (not sure I want to tell people where I am all day). Last night I inadvertently (shows how inept I am) created a Facebook account. Although I intended to sit down over the holidays and get this Facebook thing off my to-do list, it always seemed a bit too daunting. Little did I know all it required was an e-mail and password. Then BAM, here I am seeing pictures of people I went to high school and college with, people who work with me, and friends of friends. I am even chatting with my nieces and nephews. With that said, I believe I have entered what I now refer to as the Twilight Zone and have a bit of a “tech-hangover.” For someone with my personality, this could be a nightmare.

For all of you reading this, perhaps you have already joined this “secret” (or not so secret) club. The question that is plaguing me today is how is this type of socializing going to affect the way we do business? Will it move to be more than just a way to catch up with friends and become a tool for communicating with clients, transferring employees, and supplier partners?

Nonetheless, if you haven’t traveled down the Facebook path yet, I suggest you take a look. Trust me when I say, it is easier than it looks. Remember how we felt with e-mail a decade or so ago? Heck, I had trouble moving from Word Perfect to Windows.

Just remember to do your Facebook-ing outside of work hours, it is all consuming. I would recommend however, grabbing one of your “younger” cohorts and have them help you with all of the details.

In One Year and Out the Other

This is how I, and about 70% of the population feel about New Year’s resolutions. They always seem like a good idea, especially when they are being made while you are filling your mouth with appetizers and washing them down with a glass of champagne. Honestly, most resolutions require a whole lot of discipline, and usually involve fighting someone for a treadmill or eating fat free cookies. None of this even hits the “tolerable” quotient in my life.

So this year, my resolutions are not going to be physical changes, but rather focused on behavior and thinking. Some of the ideas swirling in my head (I still have a few hours to perfect) are:

• To give as much attention to being Proactive as I do to being Reactive
• To accept the “unanticipated” and realize that the past 12 months of not knowing what lies ahead has taught me a lot and…I survived
• To remind myself regularly that I have choices, and one of them is going to be staying optimistic, even if not everyone agrees with me
• To ride in the Canoe, instead of the Row Boat; always looking forward rather than behind
• To follow the 80/20 rule of listening vs. talking
• And for my final resolution...I hope to get at least 10 written blogs in the hopper, so that I am not always writing at the eleventh hour

Here is wishing you a safe and Happy New Year!  I look forward to a "much better" 2009!

‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the Season for remembering those we love and for finding gratitude in all that we have been given. It’s time to take a reprieve from those things that occupy our minds throughout the rest of the year. While it is not always easy, the coming days give us the opportunity to remove ourselves from the whirlwind of our jobs; the real estate market, the volatile economy, and the challenges of serving in tough times. These days give us the chance to think about things much more important. For many of us this represents faith, family, and friends.

I can’t help but think of the many relocating employees who have faced challenges, our client’s who have had to make difficult decisions, our partners who are doing all they can with the resources they have been given. My thoughts and prayers are with these individuals as I hope they find peace during this season.

I also want to take a few words to say thank you to all of the loyal readers of this blog. Many of the ideas I have put to paper, are really your thoughts. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and continuing to give me the drive to be a part of your day each week. So, whatever this holiday means to you, whatever your beliefs, I send you the warmest wishes.

Go Ahead and Eat the Frog

Mark Twain once said, that if the first thing you do every morning is eat a live frog, you should be able to go through the rest of your day knowing that the worst part of your day is over. Whether it be a seemingly overwhelming item on your to-do list, or hitting difficult issues head on, you are always better dealing with them first thing and then moving on with your day.

Each day, I begin by reading the headlines and listening to the news. Lately, the content has been a bit of a large frog to swallow, but it shouldn’t stop us from getting on with our day. For the past 24 hours, I have spent my time with leaders from our industry, projecting some of the challenges we have in our short-term future. There have been a few frogs to eat along the way, but more importantly, we are aggressively collaborating on new solutions for new opportunities. As I said last week, this is the time to get creative, reinvent yourself, and retool the old ideas to fit the new times.

So from today on, I am going to commit to eating the frog first (thankfully they say it tastes like chicken) and then look for the positives.  I already see opportunities developing due to yesterday’s Federal interest rate cut – now that could spur some great activity.

Paralysis Thru Analysis -- A Time to Lead

Metrics, dashboards, percentages, ROI…at times the sheer quantity of analysis can be so overwhelming, we forget what we were looking at in the first place. Before you know it, paralysis sets in. This in turn causes an inability to make a decision. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for looking at the data to find trends, or more importantly, the truth behind the information. But there are times when we need to pull ourselves away from the data and focus on the larger objectives and purposes. Now is that time. It is time to lead!

If you look at the facts of the real estate market and mortgage rates, it is time for wise home buyers to buy. It is time for smart people to upgrade, and for companies to get the right people in the right place. This will allow them to be ready to take advantage of the recovery that wants to happen and will happen, as soon as people figure out that it is mainly fear itself that is holding us back. The bottom feeders are getting nervous as we speak, afraid time is running out to make a steal.

So, it is time for clear thinking and decisive action. What are our needs? What is the objective? What is our purpose? And how can we take advantage of this unique market situation to make it happen? Fear causes paralysis, and paralysis leads to no decision and no action at all.

Large problems mean large opportunities. Let's face the issues, keep our eye clearly on the objective, and get creative. By doing this, we will find the opportunity, take advantage of the situation, and take the lead into the future. And who knows, we might even have some fun doing it. 

Watch Your Forecast

Not for sleet, snow, or icy roads, but for real estate listings that are going to become permanent fixtures in their neighborhood or worse yet, liabilities on your balance sheet. While I have always thought it would be nice to forecast like a meteorologist, especially because their job only requires them to be right about 50% of the time, we don’t have that luxury in today’s real estate market.

We all know that we are about to hit the “winter slump.” Please don’t take this as a doom and gloom statement, we see this even in the best of markets. Everything slows down now, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t buyers out there ready to buy the perfectly priced house. And the current interest rates sure give this market a nice boost.

So, what do you need to do? You need to get your facts together. What is the financial forecast to carry a house for the next 60 or 90 days, or until the next thaw for properties in the cold weather zones? Add the numbers up; mortgage payments, taxes, maintenance, winterization, etc. Let’s say it is $15,000 over the coming months. Is that incentive enough to take a price reduction today? As we always say in our office, “let’s make sure our properties are the next to sell!”

Turkey for you, Turkey for me

I know there are some great traditional songs for the Thanksgiving holiday, but today’s title comes from Adam Sandler’s 1991 “Turkey Song;” one of my favorite SNL moments. As much as I would like to pen something just as creative, I have decided to hand the keyboard over to my nine-year-old daughter who is going to share two Thanksgiving poems with all of you.

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here,
It comes around but once a year.
If I could only have my way,
We’d have Thanksgiving every day.

The little girl said, as she asked for more,
But what is the Turkey thankful for?

I know that I am thankful for so many things, especially my family and my health. Here is wishing a wonderful Thanksgiving to you and your family, and a day filled with whatever you find to be thankful for.

Assume Nothing

This is a saying that I use personally as well as in my work life. I won’t go into the definition of “assume” because I am sure you have heard how some people describe it, not necessarily appropriate for this blog. Yet the phrase “assume nothing” can be quite helpful.

Consider emails. How many times have you received an email and thought you knew exactly what the writer intended, only to find out that you put your own spin on the contents. After a series of back and forth emails, did you finally get to the original point? Or, have you found yourself preparing for a meeting, only to realize that the agenda for the meeting was nothing what you expected?

Maybe we are afraid to ask clarifying questions for fear of coming across as ignorant. Or possibly, we feel that we are wasting someone’s time by requesting more information. Whatever the reason, it is good to remind ourselves that there is no harm in gathering all necessary facts. Whether you find yourself in a team meeting, talking with a client, or responding to a transferee’s e-mail, don’t be afraid to ask questions. No one expects you to know everything, or understand exactly what they are trying to convey. The few extra minutes spent in understanding will pay off in the long run. You will be better served if you “assume nothing but expect anything.”

Serving Soup

For those of us who have the pleasure (ha!) of traveling regularly, you know all about the extra time spent taking off your shoes, getting your “very dangerous” three-ounce beauty products into a plastic baggy, and tossing your laptop into the bin. While you are gripping onto your boarding pass and driver’s license in your teeth, it leaves you plenty of time to make new friends. Well, I had such an opportunity a few weeks ago. I struck up a conversation with a nice gentleman from Europe who was kind enough to listen to my opinions on the upcoming election. I think this was clearly his first mistake.

Anyway, as this gentleman and I were chatting, he must have sensed my “passion” on the issues. He interrupted me and told me that he wanted to share an old German saying that he believed summed up his overall feeling of the election. He said “Just remember, the soup is always cooked hotter than it is served.” And just like that, I got a good dose of clarity. You see I, like many others I am sure, had been processing so much of what I was hearing and reading that I had immediately gone to the worse case scenario. Between watching the news, reading the headlines, or listening to those never-ending political ads (I have never been so happy to see an end to these), we are consistently sent messages of doom and gloom. Worse yet, we fear for our futures. Consumer confidence has been at an all time low, and it is inevitable that this causes us all to question our business and personal lives.

The reality is much of what the media exposes us to, is inflated drama. Drama sells and we buy it. But if I take a moment to get some perspective, I realize that you can’t buy into everything you hear, at least not to the extent that some would like us to believe.  So, going forward I will take these messages with a cup of “tepid” soup.

H.O.P.E. is not a Strategy

At least not for those in the relocation industry. What I am referring to today is the HOPE (Home Owners Preserving Equity) mortgage program. The overall theme of this program is to allow current homeowners who are possibly facing default to refinance their mortgage in partnership with FHA and then share in their current as well as future equity. It is definitely a contract for a long-term relationship considering that FHA will take up to 100% of the equity after the first year and a minimum of 50% after for an agreed amount of time. Borrowers are limited in what they can do in the future as it relates to getting out of the program. I am sure it will be a good answer for some, but probably not those who need to relocate.

You can only imagine the comprehensive paperwork and time it would take to calculate an employee’s equity if they are part of this program, and the possibility of an employee finding out at the eleventh hour that their portion is minimal. So, while I hate to add another task to the ever growing punch list, the question needs to be asked directly. Many might tell you that they are on a FHA, but will forget to share the details.

On a final note, yesterday's elections reminded me of the amazing privilege we carry out when we vote. Part of living in the greatest country in the world means to exercise this responsibility, as our founding fathers intended. Whether or not your candidate was selected, we need to remind ourselves how blessed we are to have the freedom to choose.