Real Estate Articles

Realtors suggest ways to de-stress and stay on top of the game

In a tough housing market where there more buyers than there are affordable homes, the business of real estate can be stressful. Last week, Carol Burnett, vice president and managing broker of the Compass Saratoga office, and Berta Bower, a Realtor from the same office, took members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors away from the data and market indicators to the subject of de-stressing and how to stay on top of their game, by sharing their takeaways from events they had recently attended.

From a seminar on combatting stress with international lecturer, author, and educator Dr. Joe Dispenza as speaker, Bower learned stress can build on a person's mind and body and destroy a person. She observed many attendees at the event had physical ailments caused by stress.

"You need to listen to your body. If you don't do something about the stress now, it can damage your body and your mind," said Bower.

Bower said taking a vacation or meditating are good ways to relieve stress. Bower meditates for one hour every morning. She said just mediating for five minutes a day and taking deep breathes can help a person calm now, shut the world and their problems, and help them relax.

Burnett, in turn, shared what she learned at the June GENTRY Women in Tech Conference presented by SAP. The conference spotlighted innovative ways women in technology are forging their careers, and how women can manage the work-life balance and still be successful.

The following are Burnett's takeaways from the event which she said are applicable to real estate and other businesses and to both men and women:

• It's important to have a voice.
• For those who strive to be all and are struggling with priorities, Burnett shared the analogy of juggling rubber and glass balls at the same time. "You can let the rubber balls fall because they won't break, but you need to catch the glass balls or they'll break."
• Effective leaders are solution-minded. They push forward and solve problems. For them, obstacles mean solutions. They have no negative soundtrack and they don't wait to get everything figured out; they just get going. To become all these, leverage your strength, live in the present, be about execution and doing.
• When it comes to negotiation, always respect your opponent. Everyone has a right to say no and you have to be okay with that.
• It's hard to move forward without knowing the wants, vision, mission of the other person. Ask your clients what theirs are and build on that.
• All successful people have mentors. Mentors help you bounce off ideas and get to the next level.
• Referring to ethics, Burnett told members, "Care enough to be true to yourself."

Burnett ended her presentation with this quote from NCAA basketball coach Pat Summit:
"Winning is fun... Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you've done is the point."

The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.

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