S.E.C. Real Estate Observer

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Some of you may have grown up singing a little song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” That song makes me think of the Society. We are going through a tempestuous economic and political storm. For investors, these are scary times. Out on the ocean of the world economy, the night is dark, the waves are big, and there is real danger all around. The Society is like a beacon with a strong light that can show the way to a safe haven, shelter from the storm. We Counselors are ships upon the water ready to bring passengers in to safety.

As a sailor, we wouldn’t think of sailing in a storm without our running lights burning brightly upon our boat, nor would we ever expect the lighthouse beacon to be covered in a shroud. Yet for many of us, that is exactly what we are doing with our businesses. Our skills, knowledge, and our S.E.C. connections create a sturdy boat upon which we can transport people to safety, but if they don’t know we have a boat, or if they know we have one but they never see us, we cannot help them to safety. Likewise, if the S.E.C. beacon of light is covered in a shroud, nobody will ever be able to find the safe haven it marks.

As brokers, we need to let our own light shine within our communities, and we need to let the S.E.C. beacon shine as well. “How do we do this?” you might ask. Here are just a few ways S.E.C. members and guests have suggested:

After every market session you attend, send a press release to your local newspaper and business journal.

Go to your local colleges that have real estate programs and offer to speak on real estate exchanges.

Contact your local radio and cable companies and see if they would like a regular real estate show. Offer to host it “for free.”

Help your local CCIM or commercial board sponsor an S.E.C. Education Foundation class or S.E.C.-moderated marketing session. (See www.secedfoundation.com for help with this).

Offer to moderate an exchange meeting within your local large brokerage houses to show them the benefits of exchanging.

Offer to be a speaker for your CPA or legal counsel’s client functions.

When you do meet with clients, show them the marketing book and explain how they can get their property exposed to the national market it deserves.

Offer to speak at your state Realtor functions. Even the residential side can be productive.

The list goes on and on…

In the coming year we will all be learning how to promote our personal brokerage and counseling businesses, and lifting the name recognition for the Society in the process. Our internet- and social media-savvy members will be teaching us how to utilize these tools for cost-effective marketing of our skills.

People are hungry for real estate solutions that traditional brokers aren’t providing. Shouldn’t we give them the opportunity to work with someone who can connect them to the national real estate exchange marketplace?

Folks, it is time to “Let This Little Light Shine.” Shine on, S.E.C.s, shine on!