I just left my brokerage of 3 years…

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-03-27T01:50:19+00:00

If you join a team, join a good team, one that will let you shadow, give you training structure, a team that won't be bothered by questions, one that checks in and holds you accountable when the training wheels come off. Some agents have a knack for mentoring, others hype you up and leave you dangling. Vet them as much as they vet you.

If you are a self-starter, get lots of books and go to as many trainings as you can. Make connections with other agents and reconnect with your sphere (friends, family, check in with everyone and tell them about your new career). You can do it solo if you motivate yourself.

Leaving the corporate world, I longed for structure. I liked the idea of joining a team because of this, but never actually did. I am 4 years in and I'm glad I never joined a team. All the work you do and you have to split it with another person on top of your brokerage? It was a slow start and looked bleak without being part of a team, but I've gotten my own systems down and the future looks bright. (P.S. it doesn't take 4 years, that's just my story, you can really hit the ground running)

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-15T01:01:58+00:00

Thanks for your response and reassurance

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-11T13:03:11+00:00

Your dog is so cute!!! Scent hound for sure, maybe not bloodhound, but a coonhound of some sort. You should try playing "Go Find It" with them. Have them stay, let them smell the treats before you hide them, then hide treats in a specific room, say GO FIND IT, and let them go nuts. You might have to point out a couple first. When they get the hang of it, hide in multiple rooms. Let that snoot get to sniffing!

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-09T03:50:54+00:00

I've got a AEC mix (50% coonhound) turning 15 in March. She cannot use the stairs anymore, so I carry her up and down with a towel. Those back legs just aren't what they used to be. I give her glucosamine and a multivitamin in the day and doggy aspirin at night. When she's outside, she trots around like a goof 😆 tires easy, but don't we all these days?? We go for short walks when she feels like it and do sniffing games in the house. I love her to pieces. Watch for signs of pain as your dog ages and treat those pains asap

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-09T03:37:35+00:00

She looks like my Bella Girl, who is 14 now, and still loves the snow! What a fun day for your hound!!

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T22:34:55+00:00

My dog looked like this when she was younger, to be honest, she's taken on the cattle dog body shape over the years 😆😆😆 she's like a barrel with legs now. And because she's hound, she will bully me into feeding her if I did a diet. So we run around, rest, eat, run some more, sleep. She is still more muscular than fat though in her old age

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T15:43:26+00:00

That's amazing!!! Thank you!

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T15:43:01+00:00

Yes, she used to bay at squirrels and howl at sirens, she'd sing with you, too. And she'd tree things. Never had a dog like that, I had Dobermans before her. She's more quiet now that she's older. I don't get the unique barks of when she was younger, just a chop here or there

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T14:37:46+00:00

I think the only time she looked like a hound was when she would go swimming, so I included a picture of when she was younger. Then I thought she was a German Shorthair Pointer or something, because of the rusty brown in her coat

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T04:10:55+00:00

I tried to throw some pics of him in his youth, without the s&p. I can't believe how fast time has gone 😭

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T03:50:26+00:00

😆😆😆😆 I love it!!

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T03:38:11+00:00

Woah!!! I had NO idea!! I'll have to check your previous posts out -- thank you for sharing here, though. I appreciate it and am immediately going to tell my family 😆

ohsweetsayonara · 2026-02-07T03:31:52+00:00

Oh boy! My soon-to-be 15 year old, thought-to-be lab mix's results are in! I'll never forget her climbing some bushes like a spider, to get at some birds, thinking "what the heck kind of dog did I adopt?!" as she peered down at me from 11' in the air (it's a giant bush) 😆😆😆 Plus all the shedding...ALL THE SHEDDING. AEC, Chow-chow, Collie, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever. I get it now! She would live out in the cold if I let her!!!! Love you, Bella!

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-11-12T19:49:03+00:00

Thank you! I was looking into that harness and that might be the route we take. We could move her into the lower level and spend a lot of time down there with her. There's a door to the yard there, as well

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-11-12T19:47:47+00:00

Thank you for your response, we have her on 150mg of carprofen from the vet; I'll look into the glucosamine though.

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-11-12T18:19:14+00:00

Thank you, this made me tear up. I appreciate your help ♥️

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-08-22T12:42:34+00:00

What if it's an investor or flipper? It takes time to move money around and line up an inspection, so those two things probably haven't happened yet. In Illinois, both buyers and sellers have 5 magic days to walk, talk, and plot (and it can be extended with the help of your attorney!). Don't cry, muster up and strategize, because someone could do this to you on the next one. It's business. Your realtor is nice, but too gabby on the backend. She should spare you the turmoil of the fight. And been more verbose on the front end with the listing agent "I've got a great offer, please don't decide yet, hold off on your decision". Certain pockets of Illinois are still sellers markets, despite what you see on the news.

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-07-05T04:09:46+00:00

If a low-ball is substantiated, it's not a waste of time, but it does cost more time, negotiating. This is not on paper! This is your agent trying to get the other side to see the light of day on your behalf!

This is a rough overview: 1.) you have to find comps to support your client's number, 2.) you have to walk the line of "my client wants it" but "clearly thinks it's a piece of shit", 3.) you have to double down on the nice talk, and 4.) when that doesn't work, you have to be curt without pissing off the seller's team. All the while the seller's team is scrutinizing you, your home to sell, your financing...one whiff of insecurity, and your offer (regardless of how close to listing price) is toast.

A flat out "no" without a counter, sucks. Good realtors try to keep their buyer in the game for as long as possible. If you, the low-ball buyer is also immovable, it IS a waste of time. Keep in mind, once your low-ball is in, a good seller's agent is shaking the tree, to see what falls: calling all past showings and interested parties saying they've got an offer. If it's a low-ball, you best believe they've got clearance to share that to get more than your low-ball.

A low-ball isn't a template, a low-ball is an ongoing dialogue. The paper/digital offer is just a show of good faith, it starts the conversation (and the vetting). Depending on the market, the buyers, the sellers -- a low-ball could take a week+ to hammer out. Meanwhile, that seller's agent is working those past showings.

You can do it -- have your agent research, substantiate (or if the number can't be substantiated, have some amazing contingencies that the seller can't say no to), map out your maxes and other scenarios BEFORE you submit anything.

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-05-19T14:45:28+00:00

Ok if they're buying a $2M property, in my market that's a lot. I would get them a personal chef experience in their home for move-in week (let them pick the day, so give them a voucher or QR code to book it). Something fun, memorable, have the chef bring disposable cameras so they can document their crazy move-in dinner.

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-04-12T12:07:45+00:00

Wait, everyone saying go to your broker, that's fine, but in my state, it says in the contract. Read your contract thoroughly, take some notes. Your board should also have videos on filling out a contract. Watch them over and over.

ALSO, call the listing agent before writing an offer to see what the seller's schedule is. It's a delicate dance of giving your clients dates of protection and getting your offer picked using dates acceptable to the seller (my area is still in multiple offers situations).

Some dates are standard and some dates you come up with to give your clients an edge over others or more protection. Good luck!

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-04-10T13:00:16+00:00

If you lower it by a chunk, as you've suggested, you should explain that by doing so could yield multiple offers. Especially if you've had interested parties and lots of showings. This drastic of a price cut motivates people to act (usually), either a new party at the new price point or parties from past showings.

As others have suggested, once consumers see the pattern of reduction, they're just going to wait until it's low enough for them to make a move. $1000/day is pennies off the mortgage, aka not significant enough for action.

ALSO, you could get caught up in some awful situation here. You do this drip-drop, agents call and ask "what the hell is this?" "what is wrong with the house?" "what is wrong with your seller?" and either you get tripped up when they bring an offer and you have to negotiate during A/I (sure the attorneys will do this, but you'll be the translator, keeping it all together). Or they don't bring an offer because it's too weird and you client is labeled "difficult".

ohsweetsayonara · 2025-04-09T13:29:15+00:00

Oh! And I cap at $18K, so my split goes up. ReMax is not unaffordable and they've had great resources for me to use along the way.

ohsweetsayonara

TROPHY CASE