Sunday 15 May 2016

HOW TO CREATE A PRODUCTIVE WEEK

Malaysian property market might be slow but that doesn't mean we have to be slow and pulled down with its gloom prospect. We must strive and persevere so we won;t get dissapointed.  I admit I'm much into sadness as my investment yet to show any good result. 

Last nite as I read through my Facebook feed I come into this article. It is so simple. I mean this is something that every one knows. But sometimes you need to read other people experience or being told by stranger. 

Read on. I hope it help

One question I'm frequently asked is about time management. How do I schedule work, family, and personal events in an effective way? To be fair, I'm not always successful at achieving a perfect balance, but I've implemented a few processes that help me benchmark whether I'm using my time wisely. Each Sunday night, I go to bed with the same goal: to feel satisfied about the previous week and to outline what I'd like to accomplish over the next seven days. Here are the five things I do to map out a successful week.

1. Look at the week on a macro level. In order to have a good sense of the week ahead, I first look at my schedule on a larger scale. I pay attention to how many meetings I have, so that if there's a day when I won't be in the office, I'll know ahead of time to front load work the day before so that it still gets done on time. I'm diligent about my to-do lists, but make sure to build in wiggle room for unexpected delays. This also applies to our meal planning, so that if I see that G and I will both be home for dinner on Monday and Tuesday night, but I have plans Wednesday night, we buy the appropriate groceries. In the past, we did one big shopping haul, only to realize that food was going to waste on those nights when nobody was home to cook. By looking at the week as a whole, it helps me know what to expect each day so that I have realistic goals and can execute against them.

2. Maintain rituals. I find sticking to a routine ensures that each day is productive. I'm a creature of habit, but it's even more important now with Sloan, because babies (at least ours!) do really well with predictable schedules. Each day looks more or less the same. I get up at around 6:30, wash my face, apply lotion, then go into the kitchen. I make Sloan's breakfast (she typically rotates between eggs and chicken sausage, waffles with greek yogurt, oatmeal with bananas or cottage cheese with berries) and while I prepare it, I drink a cup of warm water with lemon. After she finishes her breakfast, we go for a 45-minute walk and then come home and I shower, do my makeup, and change into my clothes for the day (whether that's my work attire or a casual look for the weekend). I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at roughly the same times each day and make sure Sloan has a whole ritual around going to sleep (which includes dinner, bath time, reading, a bottle and then a lullaby). I respond to emails at specific times (so that I'm not answering sporadically throughout the day, interrupting other tasks), take designated breaks, and end work by a certain hour.  

3. Always have something to look forward to. I'm a big fan of positive reinforcement and believe that each day and week should be peppered with things that get me excited. Sometimes those things are small (diving into a TV series, or ordering in from my favorite restaurant) and other times they're bigger (like this recent girls' trip), but they make a difference and keep my regimented schedule (see #2) from feeling monotonous. 

4. Identify what motivates you. We all find motivation in different places and I think it's important to acknowledge what drives you. For me, it comes from one main place: fear of failure. I'm competitive and never want to feel as though I've become complacent or that I'm not reaching my potential. I've been asked before what compelled me to continue working on my blog in the beginning when, for months, I received essentially no traffic. And it was based on fear. Even though I had no comprehension of the scope of what the site could lead to, I was scared to stop since I felt like that was giving up. Now I set goals for myself (and the company) each quarter so that I have something concrete to work towards on a weekly basis. It helps me from ever feeling complacent and serves as a constant motivator to always try and push myself.

 5. Take care of the little things. A little organization goes a long way in simplifying my life. Since my job is public-facing, seemingly trivial things, like making sure my hair is done and my nails are polished, are pretty important. But I also don't want to spend too much time or energy on them, so I make sure to take care of everything by the time Monday rolls around (I'm lucky that a blowout lasts me nearly seven days), so I start the week looking and feeling my best. The same goes for planning my outfits based on my schedule that week, handling our food prep, and making sure any loose ends (returns, errands, etc.) are handled so that I can focus on the bigger picture.

P.S. - A more complete picture of my morning routine (though it's changed a bit since October, along with Sloan's rapidly evolving habits), and my time-saving tips

Monday 9 May 2016

MARKET TAK MENARIK, APA PERUNDING HARTANAH PERLU BUAT?



Nak buat apa ya ketika pasaran hartanah down ni? Harga dah menarik ikut bank value, tapi tak ada buyer. Harga owner dan buyer dah matched tapi loan tak lepas pulak. Ataupun ada owner yang sangat bercita-cita masih mahukan untung 30% - 50%. Apa tindakan yang boleh kita buat?

1. Nangis & update resume, apply kerja. 

Ramai yang berfikir begini termasuk saya. Security gaji bulanan sangat menarik dan menggoda ketika barangan semua sangat mahal. Bayangkan cost pengiklanan, telefon dan minyak kereta telah dibelanjakan tetapi masih belum mendapat pulangan. Tidak termasuk belanja harian. Memang ada yang menagis. Boleh juga buat cara short cut ni. Tugas perunding hartanah on the side. 

2. Lawan & teruskan

When the time gets tough, the tough gets tougher. It is true. Persevere. Teruskan iklan. Teruskan cold calling investors. Teruskan buat opening. Teruskan attend talk. Teruskan berkawan dengan positif people. 

3. Cipta kelainan

Bagaimana untuk mencipta kelainan pada perkhidmatan? 

Ada beberapa cara:
a) Buat opening. Mohon pada owner exclusive untuk tempoh Open House. Katakan yang anda mahu menjemput bakal pembeli untuk datang dan melawat hartanah tersebut. Pastinya owner/lister bersetuju kerana tujuan hakiki adalah untuk menjual hartanah dia secepat mungkin

b) Buat flyers. Old school tapi tak semestinya tidak effective. Mungkin ramai yang 'malas' untuk buka akhbar atau melawat lawan web hartanah

c) Buat bunting atau sigboard.

Ini sebenarnya soliciting tapi pedulik lah. Paling-paling pun signboard tu akan diturunkan.

4. Baca berita dan artikel berkenaan perunding hartanah

Saya cadangkan berita luar negara yang mengalami kejatuhan harga. Kita belajar daripada mereka yang mengalaminya awal dari kita. Contohnya London dan beberapa tempat di USA

5. Kongsi Listings

Jika niatnya adalah untuk closed secepat mungkin, ada baiknya berkongsi listings. Prospect anda mungkin tidak mahu listings anda, vice versa 

Ini saja yang dapat saya fikirkan buat masa ini. 

****************************************************************

Sebenarnya saya sudah lama tidak berkerja semenjak menjaga bapa saya yang diserang stroke hinggalah meninggal dunia. Sangat terasa berbezaan market sebelum saya bercuti. Saya tidak menerima call daripada iklan. Mujur saya mempunyai beberapa signboard dan panggilan hanya untuk property sekitar signboard dipasang. Ada juga signboard yang tidak mendapat panggilan langsung. Jadi saya dapat membuat kesimpulan kehendak pasaran dan dapat membuat keputusan penting berkenaan focus area.

Saya memang sangat down dengan masalah peribadi dan ketika itu tak tau hendak bermula dari mana untuk berkerja semua. Apa yang saya ingat adalah 5 cycle of Real Estate Negotiator:

1. Listing
2. Seller
3. Viewing
4. Buyer
5. Closing

Saya kini bermula dengan 1. Semoga dapat ke 5 dengan mudah, insya Allah. Dengan menulis artikel ini saya harap saya dapat re-focus and continue learning what works and what's not workable in this trying time. 

With that, have a good week fellow negotiators!

Friday 29 April 2016

BAGAIMANA NAK MEMULAKAN KERJAYA PERUNDING HARTANAH (FAQ)

Assalamualaikum semua,

Sejak akhir-akhir ini banyak WhatsApp & email saya terima bertanyakan soalan diatas. Ada yang saya dapat balas tetapi bila timing tak kena, terpaksa saya KIV. Sudahnya saya jadi lupa. 

Soalan yang diberi generally adalah sama. Untuk itu, saya sediakan FAQ untuk tatapan. Maafkan saya, kalau tidak lengkap. Ini adalah pengalaman saya bersama company yang I work with. Maybe different company provide different rules. 

Saya bersama Reapfield sejak 2009. Setakat ini memang berpuas hati. Principal berikan kami freedom. Asalkan tidak melanggar peraturan, dia biarkan saja kami.

Berikut adalah FAQ yang saya terima:

1. Bolehkah bekerja part time
Bergantung kepada agency. Ada yang benarkan. Ada yang stricly NO. 

Tanya diri sendiri, bolehkah kamu tanggung diri tanpa pendapatan tetap 

--->YES. So, focus buat property sahaja.
--->NO. Plan your work. Ingat, ketika memulakan kerja sebagai perunding, disiplin sangat penting untuk mencari listing, iklan & bawa orang viewing. 

Jika minat tidak tinggi (lebih untuk mencari pendapatan sampingan sahaja), saya cadangkan buatlah unit trust ataupun sebagai agent insurance

2. Apa itu focus/specialise/farming area?
Ia bermaksud kawasan utama untuk buat property business. 

3. Bagaimana hendak memilih focus area?
Boleh jadi dekat rumah, dekat kampung, kawasan familiar. Saya bernasib baik ketika memulakan kerja saya memilih kawasan yang baru. Tidak banyak pesaing, harga juga mudah mark-up. 

4. Bagaimana hendak memilih agency?
Soalan ni agak tricky. Reapfield mungkin terkenal di Klang Valley. Tetapi tidak di Perak, Terengganu Pahang etc

Buat lah research. Pergi interview & tanya siapa team leader. Google orang tu. Kang dapat team leader yang sama-sama nak berebut listing, payah juga.  

5. Ada agency bumiputra/Muslim?
Off koz ada. Google saja

6. Berapa pendapatan perunding hartanah?
The more you close, the more you get. Kita adalah orang yang makan commission. Tak ada basic, jadi kena lah pulun kerja hari-hari. Hari terbaik untuk berkerja adalah hari orang lain bercuti. 

7. Berapa sebenarnya pendapatan perunding hartanah ni?
Maksimum boleh collect daripada tuan rumah/landlord adalah 3% daripada amount closed. 3% itu dikongsi antara perunding hartanah & agency. Ada agency ambil 20% dan ada agency ambil 30%

Ketika memilih agency, tanya soalan ni betul-betul. Jangan sampai sedih makan hati tengok fee masuk masuk akaun kita tak seperti dijangka

8. Ada sales target?
Mesti ada. Setiap license holder dibolehkan mempunyai 30 perunding. Kalau you tak perform, lebih baik spot tu dia bagi kat orang lain. 

Normally, company letak target RM50,000 per year. Jagan terkejut. Jumlah ni kecil sahaja sebenarnya. Contoh, commish untuk property RM1m is RM30k. Jual dua unit you dah ada RM60k. Setahun hanya jual dua unit. Selebihnya, rest.

9. Kalau tak achieve target?
Bye-bye.

10. Betul ke?
Mestilah. Agency selalunya akan bagi guide, akan bagi peluang, akan train...takkan tak boleh buat. 

11. Kalau dah buat semua, tak dapat target juga?
Betul, mesti akan ada case begini. Saya juga pernah alaminya. Bertabah sangat-sangat. Rasa nak cari kerja full time semula pun ada. Namun inilah konsep rezeki. Kalau makan gaji, confirm gaji ada setiap bulan..kalau income harap commish ni, susah lah. Unless holding power tinggi. 

Ada juga case yang dah close, owner & buyer dan ok, sekali ada satu halangan yang luar jangka. Menangis darah namun tetap tak jadi. Kenalah tabah. Ingat selalu, rezeki adalah rahsia Allah. Kita usaha berpeluh darah pun, kalau bukan masa untuk kita dapat, tetap tak dapat. Akan ada sesuatu yang lebih baik dari itu. Always positive.

p/s sentiasa lah update team leader. Selalunya mereka faham & akan usahakan untuk memastikan semangat you tak padam

12. Macamana nak cari listings?
Off koz lah sebagai rookie, listing is zero. Tapi banyak caranya.
a) minta team leader listing yg dia tak nak buat
b) browse internet, cari kat classified for FSBO
c) join team jual new development
d) buat property search

(ini yang saya buat)

13. HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS IN AGENCY
Step 1, smile.
There you make friends already!

All the best!

p/s always always persevere!

“Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” ~Dale Carnegie


Tuesday 12 April 2016

Jenis Customer Yang Buat Saya Menyampah

Oh well....I'm human. Yes, I do get irritated with potential client.

Why potential client? Because we did not transacted any business yet. I'm not sure if he ever appoint be my client. 

Ceritanya macam ni, dua tahun lepas seorang pelabur bertanya pendapat untuk pelaburan hartanah beliau. I layan lah macam biasa. Dia tanya saya jawap. Cuma dia suka mesej waktu malam. Saya tak kisah sangat sebab fon saya on silence waktu malam, jadi saya akan jawap keesokan hari. Saya fikir mungkin dia sedang berbaring untuk tidur dia terfikir this & that. Tak pelah. 

Tetapi dia tak fokus. Shah Alam, Puchong, Seremban dan KL. Kemudian minta expected return. Lar, macamana tu? Itu semua dia boleh dapat daripada penasihat kewangan lah. Tak mahalpun fee penasihat kewangan professional. Dia suka ulang-ulang budget dia. Sampaikan saya rasa duit tu kalau dia letak in FD, dah beranak dah pun.

Anyway, malam ni dia mesej lagi. With the same questions! OMG!!!!!!

Tetap tak beli apa-apa lagi. Nak layan ke orang macam ni? 

Friday 8 January 2016

TO FORFEIT OR TO REFUND?

"My boss once asked what I want when I receive a new listing and I said "a closing". She said you must ask/pray for a smooth closing and satisfied buyer & seller so you can be a happy realtor.
Dalam economy tak stabil ni, tetap ada pembeli & penjual. Tetapi atas sebab luar kawalan, banyak kali terjadi duit deposit terpaksa dipulangkan padahal kami, orang tengah yang kerdil (walau ada kami yg oversize), sudah menjalankan tugas dengan betul. Titik peluh kami terpaksa dihalalkan sambil mengharap deal seterusnya yg tak pasti bila."

The above is my Facebook status few days ago.  One of my colleague is having difficult time in one of his deal. He is considering to abort the deal as buyer and seller not in agreement on some matter. I feel sorry for him because he has done his work dilligently. He sweat for it, spent money on advertising and telephone bills and other expenses. His has invested a lot of time to the property.  It is fare to ask him to make full refund to purchaser?  

Also, it is fare for the vendor? His property is on hold once earnest deposit collected. He might lose another offer during that period.  I do not have full story as I don't go to office as often as I should but knowing this situation made me sad. 

On other hand, I feel bad to forfeit purchaser's money. Property is always biggest purchase one make and the earnest deposit is defitenitely biggest investment he put down to. I would fight to get my money back if I'm in that situation.  

What will you do? 





  

Taking Care of Our Elderly

As we count our wrinkles, noticing new pain on our joints and all other changes on our body we sometimes forget that our parents, too, grow...