S.E.C. Real Estate Observer

Because the Society is about relationships, I want to share a life lesson with my Society friends. As Society members, we pride ourselves as being “family” and have developed close bonds with each other.

In the mid-1970s, it was early in my real estate career when I attended a six-day seminar presented by Jim Brondino and several other skilled instructors. That seminar changed my life and the way I thought about myself. Until that event, all my training related to real estate had been focused on salesmanship, with an emphasis on overcoming the buyer’s or seller’s objections.

G5 Enterprises, Inc. is a group of five former real estate brokers who have joined forces to develop residential projects, primarily new home construction and condominium conversions. Many readers have heard some G5 success stories and have chatted with Chet Allen, S.E.C., and Virgil Opfer, S.E.C., about forming their own partnership to take on development […]

As the outgoing President of the Society’s Education Foundation, I think it is important to recognize the progress that has been made since forming the Society’s Education Foundation (“EDF”). The major result of the creation of the foundation is that it has permitted the dramatic expansion of quality real estate courses to be presented across […]

The importance of education cannot be overstated. To a great extent, our professional practice and ultimately our business success is defined by what we learn and how we learn to use that information. In order for anyone to think through a significant problem, one needs the vocabulary to form the necessary thoughts. How can anyone […]

I have the privilege of serving as this year’s President of the S.E.C. Education Foundation. It has become a tradition for each year’s president to include a message to the readers of the S.E.C. Observer about our Society’s long standing tradition of providing unique and high quality real estate education programs that reflect our philosophy […]

As important as counseling is to our business life, some newer exchangors may mistakenly believe that taking one counseling class, even from a high caliber instructor, is enough. A single course in counseling is a good beginning, but it is only the start of finding your own style. Most experienced exchangors have taken multiple counseling […]

The mission of the S.E.C. Education Foundation, the Society of Exchange Counselors 501(c)(3) non-profit affiliate, is to promote education in the field of creative real estate. Many S.E.C. members have made generous contributions to this charitable Foundation and their “investments in the future” have now established a viable operating fund to be used to identify […]

Premium of $850,000 Equals $1,000,000 in Coverage In Southern California, there is a high demand for affordable housing, yet a growing segment of the population is being excluded from home ownership because of escalating prices. Some wonder why the cost of housing is so high in California. Some of the many factors contributing to the […]

When first attending an S.E.C. meeting, guests are often surprised by the warm and sincere welcome they receive. On the first morning, there is a private breakfast, where the guests get together with an S.E.C. member and receive advice on how to make their meeting as effective as possible. They are each assigned an experienced […]