Women’s Council Of Realtors – 2009 Top Producers Panel
February 11, 2009 by Jim Walberg · 3 Comments
Today Women’s Council Of Realtors  hosted their annual Top Producers Panel in the East Bay. Jim Walberg was asked to be a part of the four-person panel.
The 2009 Women’s Council Of Realtors  Top Producers panel was a standing room only event in the East Bay. It is their annual event when the state of the real estate market is discussed with some of the best minds in real estate. Jim Walberg (YouTube link)  was invited as one of the four panel members. The other three panelists were Georgia Butterfield - Legacy Real Estate, Jennifer Griessel - Prudential California Realty, and Chuck Edell - Realty Experts.
David Stark, from Bay East Board Of Realtors, Â was the 
moderator. WCR had presented the questions to the panel several days before the event in order for them to give some serious thought to their answers. Here are a few of the questions that were presented and Jim Walberg’s answers.
How do you motivate Buyers to take action given the current market conditions? And, how do address the Buyer mind-set that home prices may decline even more? A Buyer is going to take action for a home purchase because they need to Buy. There may be more price declines in 2009. And, whether one buys today or in six months the price reductions in the past two years have brought prices to mid-2004 levels. Again, if they need a home they will buy today. There is no “convincing” allowed in a discussion regarding the biggest financial decision in their life.
What are you doing differently this year to adjust to our current market which will increase production? The changes we have made in the last six months are regarding leading with revenue = return on investment of our marketing dollars. And, we have committed to be even more visible within our market areas since we have noticed so many Realtors have become invisible. We are not “secret agents”, and it has paid off with our business continuing to thrive.
What is the single best piece of advice you can offer to another Realtor as they continue to grow their business? The business we are in is lead generation. There is no other activity or diversion that is acceptable if I do not have enough leads to serve, PERIOD!
Has there been a benefit to your real estate practice to be involved in Realtor and/or community networking groups? Absolutely! I facilitate a quarterly mastermind group that creates an invaluable accountability of our business plan versus our results. The Valley Marketing Association in Pleasanton, and Realtors Marketing Association in San Ramon are critical parts of our “positioning plan” in the minds eye of the real estate community. Over 30% of the buyers for our listings come from our personal relationships with our community of Realtors. Plus, I am very active in my local Rotary Club.
Do you specialize in any specific facet of the real estate market? Our average sales price is $1.3 million. The challenge is that to identify this as the luxury market given our geographic markets is a bit confusing. We typically focus on executives and business owners in the East Bay, and equestrian properties. These have been our target markets for 25+ years and almost 100% of our real estate sales come from referrals and past clients within these markets. In addition, we continue to focus on securing listings no matter what the market conditions are. It appears that many Realtors are focusing on Buyers. When you have listings you also have the opportunity to find buyers for them. So, we have both sides of the East Bay real estate markets.
In the packed luncheon, Cathy Lee, from CL Designs, our staging partner, commented that it was one of the best WCR events in many months. The luncheon was another example of the commitment that WCR makes to non-stop learning within our industry. Until next time. Contact me for any of your real estate needs.
Related posts:
- Women’s Council Of Realtor’s East Bay 2008 Fashion Show
- 2009 Mortgages Have Found Their “Sweet Spot”!
- Beverly Steiner Chosen As Recipient Of Women Of Distinction Award!
Filed Under: Agents, Blog, Buyers, News, Real Estate
Tagged: Bay East Board Of Realtors, Cathy Lee, east bay real estate, Jim Walberg, Womens Council of Realtors
As the VP of Membership for 2009 at the Southern Alameda County Chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS, I had the pleasure of attending the Panel of Top Producers event and luncheon, and our chapter was honored to be able to co-host this event with the Tri-Cities Chapter. Having met Jim Walberg for the first time, I was first and foremost delighted by his great sense of humor. He filled the room with laughter, an ambiance we all seek and yearn for these days, where doom and gloom prevail in every media venue we come across. But listening to his input and comments, I was truly impressed not only with his professionalism and knowledge, but with his vision and charisma. At the end of the luncheon, we had the chance to bid for a lunch with any one of the panelists, and I was one of the winners for lunch with none other than our dear Mr. Jim Walberg. We met yesterday, and I felt like a beginner airline pilot meeting Captain Sully Sullenberger for the first time, or like a chemistry graduate meeting Marie Curie in person…..I wanted to know everything about how he got to where he is today professionally. After all, I have only been a REALTOR for just over a year. Not only did he explain his vision, his motivations and his plans, but he also put them on paper and brought a whole packet of exercises, he called “my homework”. In 90 minutes, I had learned a whole new perspective of looking at my career and my personal self, about setting my goals and holding myself accountable. One of the questions he asked me during the lunch was “If while driving back home today, you think about this meeting and what you are taking back with you, what would that be”? Here is my answer to you, Jim: Thanks to you, I am bringing back the key to my success and a friend for life ! Thank you for who you are and thank you for what you do to our community and to our world. Until next time…A tres bientot !
WOW, Eliane! I had no idea that all of this was going on during lunch together at the Peasant & The Pear in Danville!!! I am humbled by your comments. And, I want you to know that I still am figuring out life. I have a t-shirt that says, “Be patient with me, I am still under construction.” I look forward to our next time together. It will be my pleasure to share more ideas as our lives and businesses unfold. Until next time…