“My ‘why’ is educating agents so they don’t repeat my same mistakes. A genius learns from the mistakes of others,” says Michael Washburn on the inspiration behind his new book, What Recession? How to Thrive in Any Real Estate Market.
Michael Washburn, Regional Owner of EXIT of the Carolinas, is a thirty-year real estate industry veteran and two-time EXIT Realty Corp. International Region of the Year award winner. He launched his real estate career two weeks after Hurricane Hugo made landfall in 1989, and weathered both the savings and loan crisis and the worst recession since the great depression. In his role as Regional Owner, Washburn identifies and helps to develop individuals who want to own real estate brokerages and the agents who join their operations. “You can’t control the market, the weather, or technology. The only thing you can control is your preparation,” he says. “We’ve been in a constant rising market since about 2012, so many of our agents haven’t experienced a down market. The real estate market always runs in cycles, so I want them to be well-prepared to thrive in any market condition.”
Washburn’s book discusses the importance of branding and then building a strong network of current, former, and potential real estate clients and industry-related sphere, and the steps to take to become their go-to professional. “The agents who build strong networks can endure anything,” he says. “You have to be known as the solution to your clients’ problems because that’s when people call us–when they have a problem. If Mary is having triplets and she has a two-bedroom house, she has a problem–she needs a bigger house. If John is 75 years old and can no longer walk up the stairs, he has a problem–he needs a single-story house. If you’re known as the person who can solve their problems, you’re going to get business.”
What Recession? How to Thrive in Any Real Estate Market by Michael Washburn and Christine Sheffield is available on Amazon for Kindle.
Tags: real estate market, Real Estate Careers, real estate career, career planning, business development, Differentiator