If this is the type of career environment that resonates with you, then we would love to hear from you. Contact Dan or Amanda for coffee and a conversation. 

Our professional standards and expectations 

• We are present with our clients so they know through our words and our actions that we always have their best interests at heart.

• We are patient with our clients. We know that our clients are almost always experiencing stress. It is our job to help them navigate this stressful time through our own kindness and grace. 

• We over-communicate rather than under-communicate with our clients, colleagues, and other real estate professionals. We are professionals, which means we always communicate with a positive and

Many of us in real estate have seen the "work hard, play hard" posts on social media. Posts that suggest we can we can enjoy the good life when we commit to the daily hustle and grind. If we're willing to consistently persevere through the long hours, the networking, and the phone calls, then we'll be able to achieve a level of success that allows us to cash in some of those hours for a dream vacation. Or maybe even a vacation home. 

The underlying message? Even if the work itself isn't all that enjoyable, the financial rewards make it all worth it. 

Of course the problem with "work hard, play hard" is a lack of balance. It tends to be either-or. On-off. Bouncing from one extreme to the other. Trading in extreme work for moments of play can take its

We work in the field of real estate, which means nearly everything we do is governed by a written contract. But what if we didn't have contracts to govern our actions? 

• Would you always lead with generosity -- and strive to do the right thing? 
• Would you follow through on all of your promises -- and always give your best? 
• And would you consistently pursue mastery of your craft? 

If your answer to all 3 questions is "yes", then you're choosing to govern yourself through your own integrity and professionalism. And that's a wonderful way to earn a living, in any line of work. 

We're always seeking to hire people who make a habit out of giving discretionary effort. 

Discretionary effort isn't about working longer and harder hours. It's about the ongoing quality of your intentions, your creative problem-solving, and the empathy you hold for your clients. It's about having a long-term mindset that's rooted in service to others. 

If you know what we're talking about, then we'd love to hear from you. Reach out to Dan or Amanda for coffee and a conversation. We'd love to learn more about your goals and help you explore a career with our team. 

The rise of workplace loneliness since the pandemic is making the news. Virtual meetings and over-scheduling are contributing to this feeling. It turns out that more frequent, unstructured interactions can help build a sense of purpose and belonging at work.

If you're looking for a new career in real estate that still incorporates this important face-to-face time, we'd love to hear from you. Our team prioritizes in-person team meetings where we often end up hanging out most of the day together while we work.

Many real estate teams attract new team members by offering them "leads" that are purchased from websites like Zillow and Realtor.com. Online leads can be attractive to agents because they offer the promise of a guaranteed income as soon as they join the team. 

But online leads do come with two big downsides. 

The first big downside is that online leads tend to be very expensive -- usually costing a few thousand dollars per transaction. And of course the second big downside is that online leads often end up being low-trust/low-loyalty clients -- due to the simple fact that they've been purchased rather than cultivated through an existing relationship. 

There is an alternative to buying leads, and that is the MCDH model of cultivating positive

Wouldn't it be wonderful to create the type of business where you didn't need to rely on expensive online ads, daily social media posting, and constant self-promotion? 

And wouldn't it be nice to have the type of business where you met most of your new clients because they chose to pick up the phone and call you? 

This is the type of practice that all of us at Mad City Dream Homes are striving for, and it's such a rewarding way to approach our work.  

Being a nice person who strives to be of service to others may be necessary for a rewarding career in real estate, but it's not sufficient. You also need to have a plan that you're willing to embrace over the long run. 

If you're a realtor, and you'd like some help identifying a plan that's a good fit for you, please feel free to contact us. We'd be happy to meet with you and offer you a little outside perspective. 

In our latest real estate careers article we cover the basics of growing and nurturing your database, or "sphere of influence". Growing and nurturing your database is the single most important thing you can do to guarantee a rewarding and long-lasting career in real estate. Many agents are intimidated by this task, but the good news is our team offers a ton of support in this area. You can also make the "nurturing" part of your database a lot of fun - by staying in touch with your database in ways that are authentic to your personality. 

What is a real estate database?

Your real estate database is your network of friends, family, clients, and other people in the community that you stay in touch with. Ultimately these are the people who come to know

One proven way to enjoy a long-term career in real estate is to make a habit of helping other people, and to help others without any expectation for reciprocity. 

So, if someone I know wants to know what their home is worth, even though they have no plans to sell, I help them. If another person wants to know how much they can rent their home for, I help them, too. And if another person I know wants help finding a contractor to remodel their bathroom, I help them find a good contractor. 

I gladly help all of these people even though they have no plans to sell. 

If I only help people when I hope to receive something in return, that's not helping. That's transacting. 

The big irony here is that it's the agents who transact, the ones who are in it