Time is exactly the same for all of us. Some just make better use of their time than others! Many people are often confused by terms like “busy”, thinking that being busy is a good thing. Well, there is a HUGE difference in being “busy” and being productive! They are NOT the same thing, not by a mile. The major difference is that “busy” people tend to have little to no structure in their day and their lives seem to just merge one day into another. They create no differentiation from day to day, so they all just seem to run together. Also true, is that “busy” people tend to be highly reactive and bounce from one “urgent” issue after another. But unless you are working in the emergency room of a hospital, very few people find any real satisfaction being in a reactive mode all the time. The simple facts are proactive people tend to be significantly more productive than reactive people. Proactive people can focus tasks more clearly and provide a better customer experience than those that are bouncing around trying to figure out what they need to be doing next.

The best way I have found to transition from being busy and reactive to becoming productive and proactive is by scheduling! Understand that as an originator you have three main tasks to each day; Prospecting for new opportunities, processing those opportunities that are presented to you, and managing the communications of the first two. The more you layout your workday, week, month, and year, the faster you can learn to place all the proper tasks into the appropriate place in your schedule. When you do this, you can always relax and focus on what you are doing instead of worrying about what you are missing because you know your activities are scheduled and exactly where and when all the things you need to be doing will get done!

Scheduling is about taking control of your time and helps you execute your plan and complete your intensions, at the same time allows you to adapt to opportunities and outside influences as they appear. You can schedule your way to success if you just make the commitment to improve your life and your business by being intentional about what you do and when you do it. 

If you have any questions about this or any other questions about the prior topics discussed in these four business planning sessions for 2024, please just reach out: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

New listings have posted their first annual increase since July 2022 as some sellers tire of waiting for mortgage rates to come down and others worry that prices will decline

New listings of homes for sale rose 0.3% from a year earlier during the four weeks ending October 22—a small increase, but the first since July 2022. That’s according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage..

More homeowners are putting their homes on the market as mortgage rates remain elevated near 8%. Some sellers are accepting that rates are unlikely to meaningfully decline anytime soon and finally parting with their relatively low rates, while others are nervous tepid demand could cause home prices to fall if they wait any longer. It’s also worth noting that new listings were falling fast at this time last year as mortgage rates rose.

Buyers are welcoming even a small uptick in listings after nearly a year and a half of declines. Although many homebuyers are staying on the sidelines, with mortgage-purchase applications down 2% week over week to their lowest level in nearly 30 years, some house hunters are out there. Pending home sales posted their smallest annual decline in a year and a half (though that’s partly because pending sales were dropping at this time last year).

“Some people are selling right now because they’re concerned home values will go down, though that’s definitely not a foregone conclusion,” said Ali Mafi, a Redfin Premier agent in San Francisco. “Others are noticing an uptick in demand and testing the waters. My best advice for homeowners who are selling right now is to be realistic: Even though there are a few more buyers out there, this isn’t 2021. Price your home fairly so it will sell as fast as possible.”

Buyers’ budgets continue to take a hit with prices rising in much of the country and persistently high mortgage rates. Declining affordability has led to price adjustments: Roughly 7% of U.S. homes for sale had a price drop during the four weeks ending October 22, on average, the highest share on record.

Leading indicators

Key housing-market data

To view the full report, including charts, please visit:

https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-new-listings-increase