Blog.AAROnline.com » Holly Mabery

In Memory of John “Jack” Woerner

Holly Mabery — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:31:35 +0000

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I am a third-generation Arizona native and REALTOR®. This year I have the great honor of serving as the 2012 President for the Arizona Association of REALTORS®. When I am not representing the great REALTORS® in our state, I am an associate broker with the Heartland Group in Keller Williams sharing & helping people in the communites of Prescott, Sedona and the Verde Valley.

An Open Letter to the AAR Family:

It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our friend and 2012 AAR President-elect John “Jack” Woerner with you. Jack was an agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. In addition, he was a Past President of the Green Valley/Sahuarita Association of REALTORS^® (2004), AAR Region Five Vice President (2007-2009), and 2012 AAR President-elect. Jack was to be the 2013 President of the Arizona Association of REALTORS^®.

President-elect Woerner was a friend, mentor, leader, father and husband who will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jan, and his family.

As details for his services become available, we will be sure to share them with you.

If you didn’t know Jack personally, you missed a special opportunity to connect with a kind and honorable soul.

Sincerely,

Holly Mabery, 2012 AAR President
On Behalf of the AAR Board of Directors and Staff

Eat Your Broccoli First

Holly Mabery — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:00:32 +0000

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First, I will admit broccoli is not my idea of a good time. Mixed with other stuff a la fettuccine Alfredo or in stir fry, now we are talking. But broccoli on its own – steamed or (eek! even worse) raw? Yeah, I’ll pass. As kids, we tried to feed it to the dog or hide it in our milk (which I don’t recommend, by the way). Once you become the adult or parent, now you are begging to get the kids to eat their veggies or at least you know you should be yourself. That whole healthy thing we are supposed to do as we get older and cannot survive on mac ‘n’ cheese & Pop Tarts alone.

This is a business blog – what’s up? We really don’t care about your eating habits. Well, let’s talk about the broccoli in your business. We all have it. The broccoli are those things we should be doing each day in our business. It makes it healthy, grow stronger and not die of malnutrition. Oh, I agree, I like my share of Pop Tarts, but it only lasts so long.

So let’s talk about the broccoli. What is that thing each morning when you go to the office & start your day you drag your feet on? So much so that you will do anything, including unloading the dishwasher in the kitchen, to avoid picking up the phone and calling a client. Reaching out to that next client who may need you? Finding that next client who may need you? Calling a client that already needs you but their personality is a bit like eating raw broccoli every time you talk to them – a little tough & bitter? What’s great about all these people, they still need you.

We are at a time in our industry where consumers need professionals more than ever. As professionals we are asked to know more, monitor more and reach out in more ways than we ever have. Have you reached your client via text today? Facebook? Twitter? Did you knock on their door? Yeah, I said it…did you go see that client in person?

It’s easy to hide behind the screen of our laptop or smartphone; believe me, I am a culprit. Send a text rather than call the client directly. One of the best things I ever heard at a technology class was: “Know when to take online – off line.” So subtle, so easy, so…. broccoli. Reaching our clients, picking up that phone, makes a huge difference. I have sat in an office with very talented agents who spent their days looking very busy shuffling papers, checking email, and didn’t understand why their business atrophied and died.

The biggest impact you will ever have in your business is to remember it’s about people. How we relate to them & have that personal connection. You are assisting people with not only the largest single purchase they may ever make but also one of the most personal. I can’t tweet that in 140 characters or less. The smiley face doesn’t do it justice.

You absolutely can develop relationships online, get your foot in the proverbial online door. There are thousands of agents who have mastered this. But what I love about working with these agents is they are extremely personal, approachable & are never afraid to eat their broccoli first. They are quickly becoming the leaders in our business, the influencers & difference makers.

Today, I personally was reminded, if I started my day off first by eating my broccoli…the day got a whole lot sweeter. The afternoon was dessert.

Short Sales & Jumbo Shrimp

Holly Mabery — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:59:08 +0000

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I have always loved a good oxymoron…I had always thought that jumbo shrimp was my favorite. One of those things you snicker at under your breath with your twisted sense of humor. Then came short sales…ahhh the new twist in oxymoron. Even as I sit here I giggle. I just closed the longest escrow of my career, a whopping 18 months and yes, it was a “short sale”.

There were so many “learning moments” during this process. I learned about HAFA, which by the way after the first round of submission to the bank the first decided we qualified for HAFA and we got to resubmit, again and again. By the way, did you know HAFA has been updated? The AAR Winter Conference is actually bringing in a HAFA instructor to one of our break out sessions. There are new things that are going on, new rules and requirements. Even better this next week at the end of Prescott Winter Conference AAR has brought in HAFA instructor to educate our members on what is new and receive a HAFA certification. You can sign up for Fridays class at HAFA Certification (You can use promotional code APAAR004 for a reduced fee of $99).

If short sales weren’t complicated enough, add on MARS. In case you have been on another planet, MARS is Mortgage Assistance Relief Service courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Thankfully Michelle Lind, AAR’s in-house legal counsel has been working diligently with Commissioner Judy Lowe, NAR & the FTC to get as much information to us as possible. The required MARS disclosure documents have been updated. Check with your broker, as your company may already have them specific for your company. If not, generic documents are available at MARS Roadmap & Disclosures.

There were so many things that occurred during my 18 month “short sale”. And now look at what has come out in the last few weeks: MARS, HAFA update and that little thing called the new residential purchase contract. My short sale…well it looks like a “jumbo shrimp” in comparison. This is a moving target and more information will be shared at the Winter Conference. So many great speakers like Michelle Lind, Commissioner Judy Lowe. I hope to see you there, I’ll save you a seat, I’ll be the one with shrimp cocktail.

AAR Leadership Team…On the Road to See You!

Holly Mabery — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:27:46 +0000

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AAR's leadership team encounters a patch of fog on the way to the White Mountains. Photo courtesy of Holly Mabery.

This is one of my favorite times of year. Yes, the holiday lights, parties and feasts, but I also get to participate in one of the great AAR leadership traditions going back to AAR President Jim “the Sarge” Brodie. It is the AAR Officer Visits. Sounds official, doesn’t it? Well, yes and no.

Each fall after the Leadership Conference in October, the incoming leadership team sets out to visit all of you…well, the people that represent all of you. We come to your local association and spend time getting feedback regarding your association’s opportunities and challenges for the coming year. Your leadership at AAR is always looking for ways we might be able to partner with your local association in the future. It is a fantastic exchange of information and ideas–learning more about what is specific to your market and how we can come together at the state level to help our members better. From Bullhead City to Sierra Vista, Rio Rico to the White Mountains, we get to come to your home for a chat.

The team go to admire some fall color on the way through Oak Creek Canyon. Photo courtesy of Holly Mabery.

This year, common trends include the excitement of digital signatures rolling out to all members during the first quarter of 2011 and the great partnership with education, including specialty classes like SFR and social media training as well as GRI and other designation courses. We’ve been sharing a lot of information on the vision of the Arizona Integrated Business Platform with all of the local associations and how local associations, MLSes and AAR can more efficiently and effectively serve our respective members/subscribers. The business platform will integrate in one place all of our member benefits and services, together in partnership with the participating local associations and MLSes, to provide our members with a streamlined transaction from start to finish.

My theme song this time of year is Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” Getting to come see the local associations and your leadership for a chat is the best part of my service as a leader at AAR.

Where Are You Doing Your Business?

Holly Mabery — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:59:06 +0000

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Photo courtesy of Flickr user Fabio Bruna

As a recent transplant from the Verde Valley to Phoenix, I find that where I’m doing business has changed. In the Verde Valley, I was an office girl, every day like clockwork. It was my routine. Office first thing and meet clients there, especially sellers when I was presenting an offer. It took them out of the comfort of their home and away from that laminate floor they installed themselves after watching HGTV and which they were sure would bring them $5,000 more in sales price. I worked the office advantage every which way I could. It was expected to meet people there, and people knew where to find me. But the distance traveled was a bit different in a small town.

Now, in the metro area, my time is spent a bit differently. I still have my office “office,” but I also have a home office that I am working out of more and I am traveling to my client, to the title company, to wherever. “Need to write an offer? Awesome… I know you are scared, it’s your first house and we are doing this in person… Yes, I will drive to you.” Presenting that offer now, I’m at the kitchen table of my seller. So if I am spending my time coming to you in Surprise via central Phoenix, while my office is in Scottsdale and my home in between, life becomes simpler if I use my “home base.”

I will tell you, my move south did affect where I do business, but I may have been behind the curve when I look at how the industry is evolving. Some of the road warriors have already transitioned to home offices or they never got into the office “office” thing. Some agents are working with their favorite title company to utilize their smaller conference room to meet clients. Overall, as an industry, many agents/brokers have reworked their overhead. Let’s call it a market adjustment. So what does the future look like?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user (and AAR blogger!) PhoenixREGuy

As sales people, we are very relational. I like people… I like the discipline of working with other disciplined people who are driven but also willing to share collective knowledge. I enjoy that synergy of ideas and people to bounce them off of. In the southeast Valley, there is a brilliant collective of agents working at RETT (Real Estate Tech Tank). Awesome concept! They are not all from the same office, just looking to make money, synergize and work for their clients. I think it is one of the cool, groundbreaking ideas as our industry continues to evolve. How we do business and relate collective knowledge? Sharing is a beautiful thing. In the smaller market, if I didn’t know something but I knew someone in another office did, I called them. Metro Phoenix is a bit bigger, so RETT is pretty cool. I also am asking questions on social media to those who have put themselves out there representing their area of expertise. Ours is not an industry where you can or should become a hermit.

So how are you reaching out to others?
Where are you reaching them?
What’s working for you now?
How do you want to be working in the next 18 months?

The industry and how we work are evolving… Are you?

The Best Mistake I Ever Made

Holly Mabery — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:41:30 +0000

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AAR Board of Directors Meeting at Winter Conference 2010

So it is getting to be that time of year. Yes, triple digit temperatures for some, schools out for others… But it is also the time when many local REALTOR® associations and NAR put together next year’s committees and boards of directors. I know what you are thinking, “Please don’t make me sit in one more boring meeting!” I get it, really. But what if I told you there is a whole world and some money on the table for you in these meetings and opportunities? Now by money, I don’t literally mean dollars sitting on your seat just waiting for you…but it is almost that good.

Silly me, when I got into the business, I thought it was a requirement that you had to serve on a committee. It was the best mistake I ever made. My first committee was MLS. I wanted to know how things worked in the system, why forms said this and how to use them better. I got that education. Later in my tenure on that small committee, I was a part of selecting our MLS service provider, getting rid of the book, securing a new lockbox system and helping rewrite our data input forms. This, of course, was over a period of several years. It was one meeting a month or every other month for an hour–not a huge commitment, but big results.

Then I got involved in government affairs. I wasn’t your typical political wonk, more of a watcher of people and things. I was very interested in a zoning issue that would affect a piece of land I was trying to sell. I got a crash course in working with elected officials, Planning & Zoning and other agents. I did sell the land and got a reputation for being hands-on. That helped me sell more. It also opened up other doors to be involved.

Finally, I ran for my local board. This was a group of people that met once a month and had the final say on all the little projects the other committees were working on. They were the decision makers. They affected my daily business, from MLS providers and lockboxes to working as a group with local government officials. I just wanted to have a say and represent my office and my geographic area where I worked. But even more than just representing my little square of the world, I got to help my office, other REALTORS® and our clients. The group of board members I have worked with from that time forward has always come together with others in mind, focused on the good of the whole. Getting to work at that level on the big picture is pretty cool. I feel privileged to serve with such a talented, bright group. We all benefit from our volunteer boards at every level.

Today I am honored to serve as AAR 2010 first vice president. Each step into volunteering opened up new doors and opportunities. It also allowed me to meet people. As REALTORS®, we are social folks and make our living off of that. Volunteering on these different levels has allowed me to be in the “know.” I learn about things directly from the source rather than reading about it. Having this knowledge makes me a better agent for my clients. It also opens me up to more potential clients. (Referrals, we all love them!) I have found when involved people get to know your passion for this business, they like their clients to work with like-minded agents. I love sending referrals to agents I have met through my service. My journey as a volunteer in our organization has paid me back tenfold in knowledge, advice and referrals–and I’ve met some pretty cool people along the way. The doors that open for you can be just amazing.

I know it seems like forever before 2011. But take a moment and think about what you might do that could net you one more closing, two more clients, an easier closing because of what you might learn and may only take an hour or two a month. Would it be worth it? It just might be the best thing you ever did for your business. Besides, you never know where one committee might take you.

Interested in volunteering with your REALTOR® association? Contact your local association or complete the AAR Member Profile to learn about opportunities at the statewide level.

What You Should Bring to This Year’s Winter Conference

Holly Mabery — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:30:19 +0000

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Photo by Flickr user David Masters | CC BY-SA 2.0

All signed up and just waiting to head to Prescott? Great, well before you pack the last things into your bag, here are a few things you most definitely will want:

- Business Cards: Yes, we are in real estate, and that probably sounds like a no-duh type of statement, but bring lots. There will be over 300 REALTORS® and affiliates from around the state. This is a great opportunity to meet someone from the White Mountains or in Rio Rico. You never know when you may need a great agent to refer to or they may need one where you live.

-Notepad: You will want to take notes. We’ve got great classes and breakouts each day. There is a ton of information, but remember, don’t be on overload. Look for one to three things–the “a-ha!” moments–that will make a difference in your day-to-day business. Believe me, you will find more than three.

-Sweater or Jacket: We live in Arizona. The temperature in Phoenix is 15-20 degrees warmer than Prescott. Plus the conference rooms sometimes are chilly or warm depending on your natural internal temperature. “Dress in layers” is always adviseable. And no, I am not your mother.

-Aspirin/Tylenol: Well, there’s some networking that takes place after hours, including Wednesday night at the Raven Cafe (a fantastic local place for our Tweetup). If you stay up too late making new friends, two of these in the AM never hurt.

When you get to Prescott, plan your strategy of which breakouts to go to, drink lots of water and make sure you check out our mini RE BarCamp breakouts on Thursday afternoon. Want to know what it is or what topics are being discussed? You will have to see it to believe it. If you are looking for a technological shot in the arm, you won’t want to miss it.

See you Wednesday night at the welcome reception hosted by Region 3 REALTORS®. It’s going to be a great time!