Most business owners would not choose to go through the trouble of creating and mailing over 1,700 newsletters each month when the world went digital a long time ago. After all, newsletters are time-consuming and costly. And unlike an online ad, they don't provide any measurable boost to the bottom line. 

All of this is true. But over time we have learned that producing a monthly newsletter has become fundamental to the way we do business. Here are three reasons why we're committed to creating an 8-page newsletter month-after-month.

Mad City Dream Homes Newsletter from March, 2021

Why we publish a monthly newsletter

For starters, creating a monthly newsletter requires collaboration, commitment, and consistency by all of our team members.

Over the years we've become increasingly involved with local service organizations, and it's been an overwhelmingly rewarding experience to collaborate with others and work for positive change. Along the way we've been learning that there are a number of other benefits that come with volunteerism. Here are three big benefits that we've experienced through our work with local community groups. 

Three big benefits of volunteerism 

#1: Volunteerism offers exposure to role models.

By volunteering our time to local community organizations, we're getting to know some incredible, service-minded people. In the process we're able to observe their habits, their mindset, and their leadership abilities at work. It's an amazing educational opportunity to

Over the years it's been our observation that the most successful real estate agents assume a strong sense of ownership over their career. These agents know it's not the market that determines their path. It's what they bring to the market.

One way to assess your own level of ownership is to evaluate the foundation upon which your career is built. Are you continually building and reinforcing your foundation in real estate? Here are 5 ways you can build your own solid foundation and take control of your career.

5 ways to assume ownership over your real estate career

1) Cultivate a positive mental attitude. Many successful agents work constantly on their positive mental attitude which sustains them day-after-day and year-after-year in the

Ann Raschein and I recently read the book "Who Not How" based upon the recommendation of a real estate colleague -- and it was an inspiring read! This book illustrates how we are all capable of leading more rewarding lives and accomplishing so much more through collaboration and teamwork.

The author, Dan Sullivan, points out that we all possess our own unique abilities. When we lean into our unique gifts in collaboration (rather than competing) with others, we maximize our potential and positively impact the world around us.

Is this a philosophy that resonates with you? We are always looking to hire our next team member who is inspired by collaboration and by practicing real estate in ways that make the most of their unique abilities. 

More than

Most people find it difficult to enter the field of real estate and build a rewarding career that is sustainable for the long-term. After all, close to 90% of all people who obtain their real estate license are out of the business within 5 years. But it doesn't need to be that way. Over time our team has developed our own simple formula for building a career that is financially and personally rewarding. Here are the "four R's" that have helped all of us on the team enjoy a successful career in real estate.

Our "4 R's" for a rewarding career in real estate

#1: Nurture positive relationships by generously serving others.

By serving others we mean being a person who consistently ads value to the people in our lives  -- our clients, friends,

Did you know that many of the listing photos we see online are actually produced overseas? Sure, the pictures are taken by a local photographer. But what many people don’t know is that in many cases the photo editing is outsourced overseas before the final images are published online.  

The same goes for virtual staging. Many of the virtually staged images that we see online are actually produced by people who live halfway around the world. 

From an economic perspective, this approach to photography is beneficial to the consumer. It leverages cheap, overseas labor to efficiently deliver an affordable product. 

But in the bigger picture it comes at a cost -- because it bypasses an opportunity to create meaningful work and support our economy right

It’s no secret that many real estate agents are on call days, nights, weekends -- sometimes even while on vacation -- especially when the market is hot. 

That’s why it’s so important for agents to find a self-care routine and get in a groove that works best for them so they can best serve their clients and themselves, too.  

For Chris Venden, early mornings are for quiet, calm, and quality time with her spouse and dog. Even if she’s up late writing offers, Chris is an early riser and time blocks a couple of hours to prepare her schedule and set the tone for a positive, productive day.

As soon as Chris is awake she’ll do a quick check of her emails and texts, and if nothing is urgent she’ll ease into her morning routine at her countryside

At Mad City Dream Homes, we're always in learning mode. One of the ways we’re honing our craft this year is by participating in “market analysis mastermind” sessions. In preparation for each session, each agent performs an independent market analysis for an upcoming listing. Then we meet over Zoom to share our individual price opinions and form a consensus on the best price for the property. 

We're noticing two nice outcomes from our sessions. First, our mastermind sessions are resulting in some great discussion and helping all of us stay sharp in this year’s fast-paced market. Plus, each session allows us to tap into our collective expertise as a way to add value for a home-selling client.  

Are you someone who needs help pricing your home in

We love connecting our friends and clients with trusted businesses. This is just one of the ways we strive to keep serving you day-after-day and year-after-year. So please reach out to us anytime you need a referral to a reputable service provider. We’ll do our best to connect you with a business who’s a good fit for your needs. 

With working by referral in mind, we want to remind you we’re never too busy to serve your friends and family whenever they need real estate help. And as you already know, we'll always give your referrals our best service and advice -- and never with any sales pressure.  

At Mad City Dream Homes, the majority of our clients are repeat and referral customers. This is our sweet spot -- helping and serving others. We

We're excited to announce that Jake Johnson has joined our team as a full-time and full-service realtor! Jake brings with him 15 years of experience in customer service and people-focused industries, while serving 10 of those years in leadership roles. 

Jake is a former client of our team, so he knows all about our focus on community, relationships, and real estate. He has a strong work ethic, a knack for building positive relationships, and a sincere appreciation for mastering the fundamentals of our business -- as he applies them in ways that are authentic to his personality and his strengths. And Jake has certainly hit the ground running. He's already adding a ton of value to our clients. 

We're grateful to have someone of Jake's caliber join our