Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Real Estate: February 2007

At 2 PM Central, listen as Jay Papasan, co-author of The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, interviews Rob  Harrington from Framingham, MA. Rob purchased his first investment property at 19, converting a single-family residence to apartments and renting them to college students. Rob will talk about how he builds relationships and partnerships, as well as his strategies to increase returns on his investments.

At 3 PM Central, Howard Brinton, the creator of Starpower® University, shares some of his findings from researching 300 top-producing agents. Howard will discuss business beliefs, marketing ideas, why you should continually be developing your business systems, and the benefits of being learning-based. The Star Power Club is the nation's longest running interview series for REALTORS®.

To listen in, dial (512) 225-9443 and input 914315#. The teleconferences are FREE and open to anyone. MP3 downloads of each session are also available free for one week after the call. For more info, visit Millionaire Mondays.

One of my favorite reality shows is The Amazing Race (Sunday nights on CBS). Maybe it's an indication of just how far ActiveRain has made its way into my subconscious, but today I started thinking 'if there was an Amazing Race for ActiveRain, who would win?' So let's explore this topic a little bit. The potential teams are intriguing:

First we have the obvious husband and wife couples (going east to west):

• Jay and Monika - pre-race training sessions with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady may give them a strategic edge.
• Rick and Ines - we know they can handle the Miami heat, but how will they fare when the race turns north?
• Broker Bryant and The Lovely Wife - anything with four-wheeling or firearms favors them. Will Broker Bryant be a smooth negotiator in any language?
• Maureen and Dmitry - they met in the Ukraine, and should make great time when the race moves through eastern Europe.
• Derek and Mariana - their Gen-X have-no-fear, take-no-prisoners style could take them to the final three.
• Tony and Suzanne - The Marriott Referral Network seems to know someone in every major city in the world. Tony simply text messages them and a car and guide are waiting.

And to round the field out to twelve teams, how about these pairings:

• Mark Flanders and Rich Jacobson - a lender/agent team that plans to use their "Blog Frog" to break cultural barriers. Any events on water will be 'smooth sailing' for them.
• Maureen McCabe and Carole Cohen - Team Ohio. They've been around the blog a time or two and may sneak up in the standings with their statistics and in-depth knowledge.
• Renee Burrows and Brian Brady - one of two agent/lender teams, an eclectic mix of southern California and the Midwest heartland that can tackle the toughest challenges, even while wearing curtain shoes.
• Sheron Cardin and Val Allocco - Can these stagers from opposite coasts focus on the race, or will they get sidetracked by leaving each destination just a little bit better than they found it?
• Lenn Harley and Kristal Kraft - Between Lenn's maps, Kristal's travel experience and their combined knowledge of copyright law these two could be a formidable team.
• The Codgers - Nobody knows exactly how many people make up this team, but they definitely have the most combined wisdom.

I already have the first leg of the race planned ... Starting at the New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas teams make there way down the fabulous Las Vegas Strip to the Stratosphere Tower and take the express elevator to the observation deck where they scan the valley for a fleet of yellow Hummers. After riding their choice of two thrill rides at the top of the Tower (which is 1,149 feet tall!) they will be given the keys to their vehicle.

Teams will make their way to McCarran International Airport where they will fly to Brazil. Once there they will locate a Best Buy and purchase a laptop, digital camera, and aircard. Teams must then hike five miles into the Amazon rainforest and locate a Starbucks (they're everywhere!) where they will write a 'Localism-type' blog post about the importance of the (Active)rainforest (including at least three digital photos, plus mapping the location of the Starbucks). When their post receives at least three comments they will be given the next clue. Warning: The last team to complete this task may be eliminated.

Who will compete all out and sidetrack their rivals? Will TLW, Monica, Ines, Carole and Mariana convince their teams to form a 'Book Club' alliance? What will happen to the Marriott's if Tony's battery dies? Who will win The Amazing Race - ActiveRain edition??

Tony Marriott wrote a post earlier this week on The Value of Networking. He and his wife Suzanne have been Road Warriors between Phoenix and Las Vegas lately, making trips for CRS Sell-A-Bration, Keller Williams Family Reunion, and a one-day Internet mastermind session. The Marriotts spend two hours a day networking and no doubt have made many quality contacts in the last four weeks.

My strategy is to bring people with a common interest together over a good meal, or spend a few minutes after a breakout session. At last year's Family Reunion, we had over fifty ePROs meet for lunch at the House of Blues. This year I spread things out with dinner at Border Grill, breakfast at Red White and Blue, and two lunches at House of Blues. All of the restaurants were in Mandalay Bay, the home site for our convention. Here's a shout out to everyone I was fortunate to spend time with:

(Names are linked to ActiveRain profiles. If there's no link, your invitation is on the way!)

• Eric Anderson  -  Fayetteville, NC
• Marilyn and Elizabeth Anglin  -  Little Rock, AR
• Danilo Bogdanovic  -  Ashburn, VA
• Steve and Joan Carter  -  Las Vegas, NV
• Brian Cross  -  Phoenix, AZ
  
  
• Trena Daignault  -  Fayetteville, NC
• Bill Dehlinger  -  Oviedo, FL
• Susan and Ellie Engle  -  Toms River, NJ
• Charles and Christina Ethridge  -  Coeur d'Alene, ID
• Roger Fisher  -  Clarksville, TN
  
  
• Eloise Gift  -  Albuquerque, NM
• Christopher Green  -  Fayetteville, NC
• Allen Hainge  -  Reston, VA
• Dan and Kelly Hamilton  -  Greenville, SC
• Jim Hansen  -  Colorado Springs, CO
  
  
• Brad Korn  -  Kansas City, MO
• Kathy Lawler  -  Brunswick County, NC
• Emily Link  -  Thousand Oaks, CA
• Tony and Suzanne Marriott  -  Phoenix, AZ
• Antoinette Montreal  -  Norwalk, CA
  
  
• Diane Norris  -  Cleveland, OH
• Rich Pieropan  -  Phoenix, AZ
• Andy Piper  -  Ann Arbor, MI
• Christy Prest  -  Spokane, WA
• Barbara Radke  -  Thousand Oaks, CA
  
  
• Mark and Laura Ryan  -  Dayton, OH
• Marilyn Simcoe  -  Fayetteville, NC
• Barbara Shoenberger  -  Fayetteville, NC
• Buddy Snipes  -  Atlanta, GA
• Julie Stamper  -  Fayetteville, NC
• Bill and Judy Stephens  -  San Diego, CA

I had a great time meeting and getting to know each of you. Following up on one of the things I learned in a Top Producer breakout session, I'm adding all of you to my 'Referrals' group so we can stay in touch. And hopefully we'll reunite at the 2008 Keller Williams Family Reunion in Atlanta!

Since 2000, Vice Chairman Mo Anderson has closed the Keller Williams Family Reunion by hosting 7-8000 convention attendees at her 'Inspirational Breakfast'. This year it was moved to 'Brunch' and capped four days of education, motivation, meeting new friends and renewing old contacts.

To set the stage, picture hundreds of round tables for 12 filled with real estate agents from all over the U.S. and Canada. Serve steak and eggs or a vegetarian breakfast wrap with muffins, juice and coffee. Build a giant stage and add about a dozen huge video screens to cover all of the action. Throw in a live gospel choir singing everything from Motown to today's hits and you have all of the components to make something special.

Mo has a soft spot for kids, particularly when they're using their talents to do extraordinary things. Last year we met Noah Gray-Cabey, a child actor from "My Wife and Kids" (and now "Heroes") who founded a non-profit music program called Action in Music. This year we were introduced to Adora Svitak, a nine-year-old from Redmond, WA, who has written over 300 short stories and also maintains a blog.

Adora captivated the room from the moment she hopped up on a riser to chat with Mo. "What is your favorite kind of story to write?" "Mostly I write historical fiction, but I also dabble in adventure, science fiction and other areas," she replied.

"You speak to lots of elementary and middle school students. Do you ever get nervous?" "No, because they are friendly and interesting and have many questions about writing." Mo followed up with "How do you feel about being in front of 7-8000 REALTORS®?" "I am comfortable here, because REALTORS® are professional and they are friendly."

And then there was Mo's final question: "Do you have any advice for all of us?" to which Adora replied:

"Yes. Never be afraid of stepping out there and doing what you know is right to make a positive difference in the world. And remember, always let your creativity flow."

Afterwards, copies of Adora's book, "Flying Fingers - Master the Tools of Learning Through the Joy of Writing", quickly sold out and Adora graciously and patiently autographed every single one. She also donated $2.00 from each sale to KW Cares.

So there you have it. Be professional and friendly ... do the right thing ... and always let your creativity flow -- a simple yet powerful perspective and words of wisdom from a nine-year-old.

At 2 PM Central, listen as Jay Papasan, co-author of The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, interviews Dave Irwin from Ft. Myers, FL. Dave as over 25 investment properties including commercial, single-family homes and new construction. Dave will talk about his mastermind program to help sellers reduce their inventories, as well as his plans to expand his investing outside of the United States.

At 3 PM Central, RE/MAX agents Jeff and Marsee Wilhems, from Tucson, AZ talk about how they use stealth marketing and television and radio ads. They will also discuss why they have never used farming for lead generation. The Wilhems Team sold 197 homes ($1.3million GCI) in 2005, after being in the real estate business for only two years. The team consists of Marsee (Team Leader) and Jeff (Marketing Guru), eight Selling Partners, a Listing Coordinator, a Lead Conversion manager, and a courier.

To listen in, dial (512) 225-9443 and input 914315#. The teleconferences are FREE and open to anyone. MP3 downloads of each session are also available free for one week after the call. For more info, visit Millionaire Mondays.