Genie Birch, President, C.A.R.Something happened to me that I wanted to share with all of you.

On Friday afternoon I hopped into a cab after taping an interview about Chicago foreclosures for CLTV at Trib Tower. (One of the perks as President of the Chicago Association of REALTORS.) I was running late and had to get to the garage to get my car to get to my next appointment. During the cab ride I took out my Blackberry and checked my messages. We got to the garage and I paid for the ride, the change got complicated, I asked the driver for a receipt and got out. As the cab pulled away, I had that sinking feeling when your heart falls to your stomach and started to panic. I'd left my phone in the cab.

I got my car and went back down Michigan Ave hoping I would either recognize the cab company or the driver. No luck. The receipt, which was blank, had advertising from “The Elysian Hotel.”  I decided to go there and see what cab companies it provides with receipts. All I knew was that it was a white cab. It was the first time I realized there are so many different companies with white cabs. The manager told me he would get back to me with information. So, with a sinking heart and already late, I went home to see if I could and track down my phone. 

This is where the miracle happens.

I got home and called my phone. It rang and rang. And then guess what, Sue Lewandowski picked up. I let out a scream, "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! A human being on the other side. You found my phone." She responded, "Genie?" I said, "yes." Sue told me she was catching a cab, saw something pink on the seat and reached for it. She saw it was a Blackberry. In the meantime, because I am in real estate, she was getting calls for me. 

One agent thanked her for picking up the phone and explained to her that our phones are our lifeline in this business. Sue thought about taking messages for me but then told all of the callers I had lost my phone and they should call my office. She also scrolled through my address book hoping to find a home phone and luckily that is exactly how I had made the entry. She had called my home and left a message. I just called before I picked up the messages. So of course I couldn't thank her enough and wanted to know how or where I could retrieve the phone.

She told me she worked in the marketing department at radio station WTMX, which I listen to. She is an angel in disguise. Just when we lose faith in our fellow human beings or become jaded, we get lucky and are graced by a Sue Lewandowski. She saved me. I don't know how I would have been able to reconstruct my calendar let alone my contacts. Worst of all, I would have lost all of my pictures. She was so kind. She met my husband at an intersection so he wouldn't get lost finding her address. 

I don't know if there is anything I can do for such an extraordinary person but I am sure going to try. This was more than just being a Good Samaritan. The only way I can repay her is by paying it forward. I needed everyone to know that I personally and publicly acknowledge Sue Lewandowski. Especially for going the extra mile.  G-d bless her.  

Genie Birch, ABR, GRI, CIPS

2009-2010 President

Chicago Association of REALTORS®

Koenig & Strey GMAC

C.A.R. is seeking nominations for its 2010 awards through Monday, Feb. 22. Candidates include exceptional examples of rehabbed or repurposed properties that have increased the vibrancy and economic diversity of their neighborhoods, in Chicago and the region.

These types of properties are essential to healthy urban living. Did you know that abandoned or otherwise neglected properties can actually take a toll on human health, not to mention decrease property values and create eyesores? According to the National Housing Institute, properties in poor shape, including vacant lots, can also encourage criminal activity and raise the risk of fires.

The Good Neighbor Awards nomination form can be completed online at www.ChicagoREALTOR.com, where you will also find judging criteria and other information. Award winners will be announced at a reception to be held Thursday, May 20, 2010, at The Crystal Gardens, Navy Pier.

-- C.A.R. Staff

Luke Arnold, Jameson Real Estate

In the spirit of giving back to my community, I recently committed to raising $1,000 for The Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago! To show my support and raise awareness of the importance of fighting lung disease, I’m climbing 94 flights of stairs in this year’s “Hustle Up The Hancock” challenge, Feb. 28th. If you’d like to learn more, please visit my fundraising Web site to read about lung health and how you can help those in need:

http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=36431

Every bit helps – even your words of encouragement. Thanks for reading. To Your Health!

Luke Arnold, Jameson Real Estate



• Changing the category of “Salesperson” to “Broker” and “Broker” to “Managing Broker.” (These changes will be implemented through April, 2010. You have time to make the transition!)
• Increasing the education required for Illinios licensure.
• Enhancing consumer protection and enforcement measures.

As you might assume, new forms and amended language on some old forms accompany the law. It’s important that you use the correct forms. Find them, and additional information about the changes, at IAR, here.

If you’d like the original word on the new law, see the news release from Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

-- C.A.R. Staff

Kimberly Quintana

Wow. Although these questions crack me up I must admit that most people are asking them. They crack me up because I cannot imagine a time when it would not be advantageous to invest in real estate. Now is probably one of the best times to invest …and I should know. I have been selling real estate for 26 years!

Remember the 1980s? When I got into the market, interest rates were 14 ¾ percent and THEY HAD BEEN HIGHER! Guess what. People invested in real estate. Ask anyone who bought a property in the 80s if they were glad that they did. 100 percent would say yes…and interest rates were almost triple what they are now.

I have had people question whether they should sell their properties in this market. I will admit that most property values in our area are lower than they were a few years back. Does that mean they should not sell?

My question in response to these people is, “are you planning to purchase another property?” If so, YES, you should buy now. Why? Because the price of what they want to purchase is also lower than it was a few years back. People may get less for their properties but can buy much more on their next purchase.

Are people investing in real estate now? Let me tell you. The first 11 years of my real estate career involved full-time sales. I then went into management for 15 years. My husband and I decided to go into sales again for one major and simple reason: we feel that now is the BEST time to assist people dealing with this market. Agents are running away from the business in droves. But consumers need experts, ESPECIALLY now. 

Are people investing? We had two different clients out on Friday, January 1^st (yes New Year’s Day). We had a client out the 2^nd, the 3^rd and the 4^th.  I am writing this on the 5^th and no, I do not have a client going out today…yet. With the first-time homebuyer tax credit of $8,000 for a written contract in place by April 30, 2010, buyers are looking. In addition, buyers who’ve lived in their current homes for five of the last eight years can also get a tax credit of $6,500 on their next purchase.

Is this a good time to invest in real estate? Are people investing in real estate in this economy?

YOU TELL ME!!! 

Kimberly Quintana

708.289.4623

 www.kimberlyquintana.com   kquintana@ksgmac.com

Bevin Lynch, principal of Bevin Lynch Inc., Life and Business Coach

The process includes tasks like how many phone calls you make, how many e-mails you send, how many people you drop in on. If you focus on the process and work it consistently, you can’t help but succeed. If you talk to enough people, you will end up with clients.

For the next 90 days, I ask you to commit to the process. If you commit fully to this, you will achieve your desired outcome — more clients.

Let’s look at the process. It’s what you do each year, month, week and day to get your business where you want it to be. Everyone’s process is a little different, based on what they love to do.

“To acquire clients, the process is this: Request, propose, and invite over and over and over and no is as good as yes. It’s OK. The process is what’s important—not the outcome. We get so fascinated with the outcome, we forget the process and by not doing the process we get so scared about the outcome, we forget the process, and by not doing the process we don’t get the clients.” --Steve Chandler, “How to Get Clients”

So, what are the steps to creating the process for building your business?

1. Write your 2010 Business Plan

If there is one thing I stress for real estate agents and other entrepreneurs, it is the importance of having an annual business plan: a written plan that you can check in with, tweak as necessary and use as one of your most important tools. And yet I find so many real estate agents do not have one or haven’t looked at it in months or years.

Use your Business Plan as a road map for your business, checking in with it at least every month and adjusting it as needed. If you need help writing your Business Plan, visit http://tinyurl.com/RE-BizPlan for info on my e-book that will walk you through the process.

2. Create your daily process

While I advocate a multi-faceted approach to building your business, I highly recommend that you:

Do more of what you love.

Whatever method of business-building most appeals to you, do more of that. Whether if be networking, throwing neighborhood parties, cold calling or direct-mail marketing, do more of what you love. You will put more energy into your efforts and that will impress potential clients. People want to work with others who have energy and passion. If you despise the activity you are participating in, your potential clients may read that as distaste for real estate. That is definitely not what you want them to think of you!

3. Find a Time Management System that works for you

There are so many ways to manage your time—use one that works for you rather than trying to fit yourself into a system that doesn’t feel right. People tell me that they don’t have enough hours in the day. I would argue that you have plenty of time to do everything that you want to do. If there is something you aren’t getting done, it is likely because you don’t truly want to do it. I rarely do anything I don’t want to do. The difference is that I don’t feel bad about not doing it. I realize that it’s not because I ran out of time—it’s because I didn’t dedicate the time to it in the first place.

One of my favorite questions to ask my clients is “if you knew that in one year your real estate business would be exactly where you want it to be, what would you do differently today?”

What would you do differently today, knowing that your business will be where you want it much sooner than you expect?

Bevin Lynch, Inc.

Life and Business Coach

910 W. Van Buren #241

Chicago, IL 60607

O | 773-262-5878

C | 773-484-3370

F | 312-612-1127

BevinLynch@gmail.com

www.BevinLynch.com



Barbara Heenan, CPC, ACC, ELI-MP, Fresh Company Coaching & Consulting

How do you know when you’re in a comfort zone that is no longer serving you?  You’re bored, restless, procrastinating or resisting (and maybe you’re really wearing a Snuggie)!  How do you get out of it, especially when it’s so easy and nice?  Sometimes, all it takes is a little stretching…

Start by imagining a new comfort zone. What is the next level you’d like to achieve? Stepping out of your comfort zone is only uncomfortable at first. Breaking out of the old also means creating the new. A new comfort zone means you’ll soon be comfortable at a new level. What is one area of growth on which you’d like to focus? Networking? Marketing? Servicing? Productivity? Organization? Pick one and start small. You only need to stretch a little to get you started.

Break it down before you build it back up. What underlies your procrastination? Too often, we build up a negative expectation about stepping out of a comfort zone that is 10 times harsher than reality. Take organization, for example. “My messy desk will take days to organize and I just don’t have that kind of time.” The comfort zone is that you’ve tolerated a messy desk even though you know it makes you less productive, even chaotic. Comfort breeds complacency. So break it down before you build it back up: Days?  Will it really take days to organize? How long will it realistically take? Dismantle your unrealistic expectation or perception. Then, build it back up: Choose to spend only a half hour cleaning up your desk. Commit to keeping it clean for one week. Accomplishment breeds sustainability.

Attitude: What’s your attitude about stretching into this new comfort zone?  Let’s say it’s the task of cold-calling. Break it down! What language do you use? I often hear these statements from new clients:

“Oh, this is going to be really hard!”

“I hate doing this!”

“I have to get this done and I don’t want to!”

Be aware of your language. Words are powerful. Try an experiment. For every negative statement you make about a task you perceive as unpleasant, change it to its opposite for one week:

“Oh!  This is going to be really easy!”

 “I love doing this!”

“I want to get this done and I don’t have to!”

See what happens and enjoy the results.

Fear: Fear is very effective at keeping you in a comfort zone that no longer serves you…  Fear of failure, of success, of rejection, of pain, of the unfamiliar…Face fear with facts. Let’s say you’ve chosen to create a new comfort zone in the area of networking. Your current comfort zone is that you don’t do it much because it’s uncomfortable. Break it down! What’s not comfortable? Walking into a room alone? Starting a conversation? Talking about yourself and what do you do? Identify it, then look at the facts. If it’s walking in alone, you won’t remain alone for long – it’s a networking event! People are open to talking. Or, invite a friend to join you. If it’s starting a conversation, begin with simply, “Hi, I’m _________ (insert your name here!)”. The person will respond to you. Build up those networking skills and create a new level of comfort. Ask a friend to help you hone your elevator speech. Read an article about how to be a successful networker.

Remember -- start with a small step that stretches you a little. Let it be challenging enough to show that your commitment to growth has paid off. Stay focused on one task or area. Small steps are achievable steps and get you used to accomplishment. Accomplishing new tasks that seem a little daunting or scary helps you build confidence and create a new, higher level of comfort.  Enjoy your new comfort zone and Happy Stretching!

Barbara Heenan, CPC, ACC, ELI-MP

Fresh Company Coaching & Consulting

847.730.4321

www.freshcompanycc.com

barb@freshcompanycc.com



Megan Walls, CPC, ELI-MP, ACC

I worked with a client who was experiencing a professional rut. Her company was going through a merger, she had lost her motivation and began procrastinating. She felt sluggish, often making her late to work. She noticed her thoughts were mainly negative. She was stuck in a rut! Not only was she stuck professionally; it was starting to affect her personal life as well. She struggled with how to move ahead.

What helped her was my 3-step process to overcome ruts with any easy to remember acronym: R.U.T!

R: Realize the source of the rut. The first step toward change is awareness. Take the time to reflect and monitor which activities are draining you, taking too much time or aren’t moving you forward. By pinpointing the source, you can clarify the situation then make positive change. My client realized that the source of her rut was the fear of not knowing if she was going to have a job once the merger was complete. She was not getting answers from her boss or the company. From this realization, she understood what was going on and was ready to look at ways to move beyond it.

U: Uncover the options to overcome the rut. By considering other possibilities, you stretch yourself to think beyond the comfort of the unhealthy routine and remind yourself you have a choice. Choice puts you back in your personal power and moves you forward. Here are two options my client considered:

• Continuing to do the same thing and stay stuck or
• Change her focus from what she couldn’t control (her fear of not knowing the fate of her job) to what she could control (herself and her ability to find opportunities available to her now).

It didn’t take her long to choose option 2 since it put her back in control and motivated her to move forward both personally and professionally.

T: Take action. Once you decide the best option, you create a goal and devise an action plan. Action is the key ingredient since it motivates you to take responsibility, makes you commit to your goal and sustains you to your desired outcome. My client’s goal was to focus on her professional development. She committed to taking bi-monthly training courses provided by her company, attending 3 networking events a month and contacting influential people for job prospecting. By taking responsibility and getting into action, she changed her mindset to positive, realized some great opportunities and reenergized herself. Best of all she broke free of her rut.

We all encounter ruts yet we don’t have to relive Groundhog Day. Remember the acronym RUT. By realizing the source of the rut, uncovering the options and taking action, you can move beyond your rut and feel empowered and energized.

Megan Walls, CPC, ELI-MP, ACC

Conscious Connection

847-272-5807

megan@consciousconnectioncoach.com

Improving focus to achieve desired workplace results

Deborah D. Sakelaris, Professional Certified Life Coach, Rodas Coaching, LLCEven the world’s greatest plan can be wiped out in a matter of minutes. Low focus, little concentrated effort and no follow-up are all it takes for great plans to crash and burn.

Every day we are presented with many concentration “escape routes.” Following even a few of these tempting distractions can drain our attention, energy and effort, cutting our results to little or nothing, despite great intentions.

What can you do to improve your focus and achieve maximum impact from the time and energy you invest at work? These tips can help:

1. Keep your desired outcome in front of you. For some, keeping an eye on their “outcome” means creating and posting a graphic version of their visions, values, action plans and measures. For others, a simple but compelling mission statement, clear measure of action and defined target results can promote concentration, no matter what the circumstances.

2. Break big tasks down into 30-minute time periods. Think of a hammer and chisel's power of simple, consistent, concentrated action. Henry Ford once said, "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Break an important goal into clear, achievable chunks of action.

3. Actively reduce distractions. Declare an e-mail, Internet or cell phone-free zone, or time period. Reduce attention fly-bys. Keep your eye on the real action, the path, the process, the prize.

4. Clean up your desk. That doesn’t mean having an empty desk, it just means having neat stacks of paper, all filed in the correct location. It also helps tremendously to have all the things you need within arm’s reach. For example, if you need a place to write, having your pen and notepad easily accessible is incredibly useful.

An unfocused mind is an unchallenged mind. Plan your days to stay focused and challenged and achieve the results you desire.

Deborah D. Sakelaris

Professional Life Coach

Rodas Coaching, LLC
200 S. Wacker
Suite 725
Chicago, IL 60606
312-798-7404



The Credit Union understands the unique financial needs of REALTORS®. Its products and services are specifically designed for the REALTOR® community with you in mind. The Credit Union is also a 100% virtual financial institution. By providing all your resources, products and service via the Internet, the Credit Union avoids using members’ money for capital outlay on buildings or structures. Thus, you may earn higher rates and receive more competitive rates on loans.

Why join a Credit Union? Unlike banks, credit unions are owned and operated by their members. When you join, you are a member. So in essence, you are investing money in yourself through “dividends” received in savings and other dividend-earning depositories. Credit unions have fewer fees than other lending institutions, competitive loan rates and, as a member, you have voting rights for issues concerning operations and policies.

The REALTORS® Federal Credit Union is a NAR member benefit and a member benefit for CAR. Join today and see how this great benefit can serve you...the member!

As a new Credit Union member, check out the REALTORS® Federal Credit Union Freedom Loan: a loan of up to $5,000 with a fixed rate as low as 9.49%! That's a great member benefit and a great deal!