The Real Deal Blog

15 minutes makes all the difference in the World!, September 10, 2009
By Susan Garcia (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) -

Enjoyed reading ” The Real Deal” and implementing the “15 minute increment rule”, creating a Vision Board for department goals and staging my desk for success!

Quick easy read!, September 6, 2009
By R. Tayenaka (california) -

Ordered the book through Amazon- read it – great easy read. Makes you remember the basics of real estate- thanks for writing the enjoyable book.

Insightful, September 24, 2009
By M. Genest

Real Pros, Real Lessons, Real Fun. If you are considering going into Real Estate(or sales of any kind) this book is for you. It’s a fast read with lots of insightful stories and suggestions.

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Editorial commentary provided by Valerie Mercurio – Skirts In Dirt

The Real Deal is not a ‘how to’ about real estate, but rather a ‘how to’ about life.

Penned by two real estate pros who share a 20-year friendship – Martha Burgoon-Karelius and Bobbi Mezger – The Real Deal is chock full of great tips on how to live a rewarding life and be incredibly successful in real estate at the same time. One gets the feeling that these two ladies believe that settling for a life that’s simply ‘ok’ or ‘good enough’, is NOT enough. Don’t let that scare you. This book is about being passionate, not about being perfect.

The Real Deal is a quick, easy read with lots of wit and wisdom throughout. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that scientists have conducted serious studies over the past 20 years to try to put a finger on what actually makes people happy? Have you ever wondered why the same people are consistently happy regardless of the market, the economic climate, or even the weather? Well, apparently scientists wondered too and this is the general consensus that emerged as a result of the new “science of happiness.”
First and foremost people are happier when they are communicating with other people. Not necessarily lots of people, but a few close friends who are in the inner circle. Having many people around doesn’t seem to make a difference. College students seem to have dozens of acquaintances and yet many of them suffer extreme loneliness or homesickness. Having one or two confidantes is the key. Read the rest of this entry »

I hosted a webinar on Wednesday, September 16th. for a an agent/lender group called, MyAgentToolbox. It’s host is Geoff Zimpfer of Bank of America.  He asked me to be this month’s featured speaker for an ongoing topic of,  Ask the Billion Dollar Agent.  Below is the audio from the session (30 minutes).

- Bobbi

To start the audio, click the play button (to the right of the speaker icon).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

When Martha and I finished writing our book, The Real Deal, we had no idea that the real work would begin.  Writing the book was effortless for us, the process afterward has been an enormous learning curve!  I’m very familiar with real estate-I’ve been an active Realtor for 21 years.  I knew nothing about publishing, nada about Facebook, Linkedin, Blogging.  I dove in.  Lucky for me, my son Brian is a website genius.  He took on the project of building our website from scratch and spent hours teaching me the basic elements about “must have” internet tools. I’m sure he has been and continues to be frustrated with me but he is as patient as he is talented.  Thank you, Brian Mezger!

Let’s talk Facebook: That site alone can eat up your entire day.  The FB needle gets in your arm and you’re  hooked!  The weird side effect (why didn’t I see this coming?) is that people from your past, your deep dark past, creep in.  People I went to grade school with back in the Stone Age. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever had a vision? And then it happens? Did you know that you can create your personal vision of your life and make it happen? For many years I have been encouraging real estate agents in the offices I manage to create vision boards depicting all the things they want in their lives. If they are hoping for a new car they need to be clear on what make and color, and what accessories the car will have. Find a picture of it, cut it out, and post it where it can be seen daily. If you do this exercise with every area of your life you create of vision board and it is magic.

Now understand that all the years I was having others create their vision I never made a vision board of my own. I was too shy, too reserved, maybe even too unclear about what my vision was. I used the excuse I was too busy to spend time on an exercise like that. Regardless, Read the rest of this entry »

Linda Wise and Martha Burgoon Karelius talk about Martha’s new book: The Real Deal Two Real Estate Pros Share Lessons and Laughs on Business and Life.

I have always been an “over achiever.”  I graduated from college in 3 1/2 years, started teaching school at barely 22 and have had a job of one type or another since I was 14.  I love to be busy and productive.  When I began my real estate career 21 years ago, I was awarded “Rookie of the Year” my first year in the profession.  I am passionate about real estate.  Yes, it’s challenging, but it is so much darn fun.  Every day is different, I never stop learning, and I meet the most interesting people.  And it’s true, assisting a family buying or selling a home is a huge responsibility and extremely gratifying.

The combination of a teaching credential coupled with years of real estate experience (and I’m proud to say success), created a good fit for me to participate in many “expert” panels for my company and for the Board of Realtors.  I began to accumulate “lesson plans” from presenting topics to my colleagues and harbored a dream of writing a book about real estate from my perspective. Read the rest of this entry »