Writing
Things worth writing down.
Essays, book recommendations, and the occasional letter — on leadership, negotiation, and the business of real estate.
Article
Don’t Be a “Set It and Forget It” Real Estate AgentI love a Crock•Pot. When the temperatures drop in fall and winter, there’s nothing like throwing a bunch of ingredients in and coming home on a chilly evening to a lovely stew; the whole house…
Failure: My Second-Favorite F-WordIt’s an interesting word on which to ruminate at any given time, but especially at the start of a New Year.
Low Inventory Markets Make Every Friday Like Black Friday For Home ShoppersIn post after post on social media, conversation after conversation with my REALTOR® colleagues all around the country, I hear the same refrain: This market is crazy!
Thoughts On Real Estate Competition…In One of Our Most Competitive MarketsLet’s talk about competition and competitions.
Baking Every Day: What I LearnedWhat baking every day through lockdown taught me about patience, practice, and starting again when something doesn’t rise.
Maura’s Baking Advent CalendarThe recipes behind the Baking Advent Calendar — baking every day from December 1 through Christmas, and what came out of the oven.
Words Matter: How the Words We Use in Our Marketing Can Make a Huge DifferenceSticks and stones may break my bones, But words will never hurt me.
Thoughts on Racism, Real Estate, Inherent Bias, and White Privilege, and Acknowledging That I Have a Lot of Learning To DoPLEASE NOTE: this post is not just for REALTORS®, though it may have a real estate slant (for obvious reasons) and a focus on fair housing and equitable housing.
Let’s Talk ReferralsIt’s time for us to rethink how we place client referrals.
5 Quick Questions with Tommy ChoiThis month’s 5 Quick Questions is with the amazing Tommy Choi in Chicago, IL.
Never Bitch About a Problem Without Pitching a SolutionInspiration can come from anywhere.
Punctuation is Important – Let’s Decriminalize the Period.I can deal with political correctness in a lot of forms.
AI and Automation and Robots…Oh, My!**WHAT HAPPENS…WHEN YOU FIND A DRAFT OF A BLOG POST YOU MEANT TO POST ALMOST A YEAR AGO?
Here’s What REALTORS® Can Learn From Harry and Meghan’s “Exit” From Royal LifeI’m sure you’ve seen the memes (no, I’m not sharing any of them in this post).
Bring Buyers Home with Nostalgia MarketingI briefly touched on nostalgia marketing as one of the big reasons Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte (and loads of other pumpkin-themed products) have become all the rage of late (and oh yippie…
How Much Do You Like Your Likes?CONFESSION: I am, at best, a sporadic Instagram user.
Sending Notes of Thanks to Our Military — Here’s How!As part of my, August Gives Back series and in honor of National Purple Heart Day, Day 7 is giving back with gratitude to our military.
No One Is Going To Read ThisNo one is going to read this blog post.
Join Me for My Birthday Month, A Full Month of Giving and Giving BackA few years ago, for my 40th birthday (yep, I just gave away my age!) I donated my birthday month to a local animal rescue and asked that my friends make donations, which we then matched.
All the Reasons That August is the Best MonthI used to find it strange that August was the only month without a recognized national holiday.
What I Learned in July and What August HoldsYou may recall I set a bit of a challenge for myself in July.
Fight Writer’s Block! 50 Prompts to Get You Writing Real Estate ContentWhen I teach and coach REALTORS® about creating web content, I find myself saying, over and over, that the best content for your website is to answer those Frequently Asked Questions — the answers…
5 Quick Questions with Philip BeckerThis month’s 5 Quick Questions is with my dear friend, Philip Becker, of Becker Properties in San Antonio, Texas.
What’s Your Social Object?The concept of a social object is simple; just answer this question: What do people think of when they think of you?
What I’m Missing This July and Lessons in Habit FormingI am working on turning over a new leaf.
Drew Dudley, the Power of Lollipop Moments…and Man, This Guy is InspiringThis is one of my all-time favorite TED Talks.
Sell-a-bration: TakeawaysAnother Sell-a-bration has come and gone, and I hope everyone had an amazing few days in Vegas and some strong takeaways.
Have Your Considered Freezing Your Credit?I’d like to think I’m pretty careful with my credit.
The Power of the NoteOne of the most powerful — yet also the easiest and least expensive — tools you can have in your arsenal is the handwritten note.
Create Your Annual Marketing CalendarIt’s (almost) January, so it’s time to rev your marketing engines and plan out your year.
(Re)Connect With Your Clients in January!January is a great time to reconnect with your past clients and sphere of influence.
Easy Client Marketing Ideas – Fall EditionTaking care of our clients is the best way to keep business coming in — both in the form of referrals and repeat business.
Counseling Your Clients is Crucial in Low Inventory MarketsLow inventory markets mean supply is low, demand is high — simple high school economics — paired with sustained buyer confidence, which ultimately means a high likelihood of multiple offers.
What the Pumpkin Spice Latte Craze Can Teach Us About MarketingPumpkin. Spice. Is. Everywhere.
When Your Client Has a Fair Housing ComplaintIf you have a client who has a potential fair housing complaint, take their claims seriously.
Facebook Ads and Fair HousingFacebook has been in the news quite a bit of late — more conspicuously, Mark Zuckerberg testifying before Congress about the Cambridge Analytica data breach, but equally important for the social…
Fair Housing and Your BusinessApril is Fair Housing Month. What the Fair Housing Act asks of us, and what that looks like in the day-to-day of a real estate business.
Is Blogging Passé? Reframe Your Thinking About Content CreationNot too many years ago, blogging was all the rage.
When Writer’s Block Strikes – What to Write AboutOne of the most common complaints I hear from real estate agents who have a blog or want to blog (other than “I don’t have time“) is the difficulty of coming up with topics to write about.
I Don’t Have Time To Blog, and other things agents sayStarting a blog is one of the easiest ways to single-handedly increase your website’s SEO without forking over big bucks to professional SEO companies.
Tracking: Your Key to a Successful YearIf you’ve heard me speak, then you’ve heard me talk about TRACKING – tracking your business, your income, your leads, everything.
Book rec
The Multi-Hyphen Life, by Emma GannonThe Multi-Hyphen Life: Work Less, Create More, and Design a Life That Works for You, by Emma Gannon
Tax-Free Wealth, by Tom WheelwrightTax-Free Wealth: How To Build Massive Wealth By Permanently Reducing Your Taxes, by Tom Wheelwright
10% Happier, by Dan HarrisThe first line of the Preface reads: “I initially wanted to call this book ‘The Voice in My Head Is an Asshole.’” I knew I was going to like Dan Harris.
How To Be A Grown Up, by Daisy BuchananDon’t let the title fool you: regardless of age, we can all use an instructional book about adulting.
Eat Up! Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want, by Ruby TandohFor you fellow fans of The Great British Baking Show, you likely remember Ruby Tandoh (Ruby from Series 4, not Ruby/“Rubes” from Series 6): that year, the youngest of the group and remembered…
How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? by Pandora SykesI wanted to be able to choose just.
What Would the Spice Girls Do? by Lauren BravoI’ll tell you what you want, what you really, really want: THIS BOOK (See what I did there?)
Newsletter
A short letter, now and then.
Occasional notes on leadership, the business of real estate, and doing work that lasts. No spam, no fluff.