Networking for the Introvert

I am a self-admitted introvert (You too? Read THIS). Maybe I'm not completely introverted, but I  am not the life of the party, find small talk somewhat boring, process emotions, thoughts and observations internally and tend to think before I respond. If you are not a "Type-A" personality and are anything like me, you might find it difficult at times self-promoting yourself and connecting with others about real estate, like we are led to believe is a "must" for successful real estate agents. While a lot of successful people are very outgoing and aggressive, I think that there are lot of excellent agents who are quite the opposite. So what are we to do? Below are a few tips that I have found to be helpful for myself when I have opportunities to network with other people and share with them my love for real estate.

1. Be INTENTIONAL! I don't always go out of my way to talk to people and I don't always talk to them about real estate, so when I do I want to make it count. When I sense opportunities to network and talk to people about  real estate, I try to have the right mindset and be purposeful in my conversation. I am purposeful in that I try to shape or turn the conversation so we can talk about my passion for real estate. The right mindset focuses me on making sure the conversation is a meaningful one and I either come away with a contact or the other person comes away with knowing who I am and how I can help them and the people they know. Are you intentional about your networking and what is your mindset in doing so?
2. Be EXCITED! When you have an opportunity to talk with other people about real estate, be excited and passionate about what you do! I love to work as a real estate agent, to work for the company that I do and to be able to help other people and I try to make sure that whoever I talk to about real estate definitely comes away from our conversation with that impression. Most conversations I have about real estate are with people I am meeting for the first time...I want to leave them with a great first impression! Are you excited about what you do? What first-impression are you giving people about yourself? 
3. Be YOURSELF! While networking and making sure your sphere of influence knows what you do and how you can help them, do not try to be something you are not. If you don't have a bubbly personality, don't try to act that way. Do not sacrifice your personality by trying to be everything to everybody. It will not last and eventually others will likely see you for who you really are. Even worse, they might see you as shallow or fake. Sincerity and integrity are vital in this business - you CANNOT give that up! Most people will accept you and like you for who you are! 

I hope that these few tips can help those of you who are like me and and at times struggle with being outgoing. Be comfortable with who you are and know what you must do to be successful! 

Kyle Pfaffe, REALTOR®

Keller Williams Realty

m: 512-636-9707

w: AustinHomes4You.com

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Three Things to Know Before You Break Your Lease

Three Things to Know Before You Break Your Lease 

Unfortunately, life does not always work out as planned. If it did, I would already be semi-retired, sitting on the porch overlooking Lake Travis, proofreading this post that my assistant had just finished writing up for me. In the housing world, sometimes we make plans to live in a particular place for a particular amount of time and something comes up that forces to make a change...and we have to break our lease. This is not a decision to be taken lightly. Here are three things to know before you make that decision.

1. In short, your lease is a legally binding contract, promising that you will regularly pay rent to live in a certain place for a certain amount of time. There are legal and financial ramifications for breaking this contract. Within your lease agreement, you will find the specific details and consequences that occur when you make this decision. You are breaking your word that you would fulfill the terms of you agreement and you should take that very seriously.*

2. Breaking your lease will likely have a negative impact on your credit score and your credit report. Unless you pay up front for all the financial penalties for breaking your lease, that information will go on your credit report. As you well know, all delinquent and negative items on your credit report have a direct impact on the financial terms you are able to get or your ability to get approved for future credit applications. This information will be visible to anyone who will run your credit the next time you apply for credit of any sort.

3. Breaking your lease will also negatively affect your ability to be approved for a lease in the future. As part of your application process, along with your credit report, property management will check your rental history, and will likely find documentation on your previous broken lease. Unfortunately for someone in this situation, many properties will not approve an application for someone who has a previous broken lease, regardless of the circumstances. In fact, some property management companies look more favorably on an eviction on your record than an a broken lease. Some property management companies will approve an applicant with a broken lease on his or her record with a few possible stipulations. Those stipulations include, but are not limited to, and larger deposit or proof of positive rental history since the broken lease.

A broken lease is not something to be taken lightly. You should be careful before you sign a lease and understand that your lease is a legally binding contract. Be very cautious before you break a lease and understand the possible ramifications of doing so. That being said, a broken lease is not the “end of the world.” You do have options of places, albeit limited, to live if you do break a lease. If you have questions about breaking a lease or have had a broken lease in the past and need house help, please contact me and I would be happy to help however I can.


*I am not a lawyer and cannot offer you legal advice so please consult a lawyer for advice on your particular situation.


Kyle Pfaffe, REALTOR®

Keller Williams Realty

m: 512-636-9707

w: AustinHomes4You.com

I Always Have Time for Your Referrals!

Lesson's from Coca Cola's Arctic Home Promotion Gone Awry

Last month, Coca-Cola began turning all of its “red” Coke Classic cans “white” in a partnership with the World Wildlife Federation (WFF) to raise awareness for polar bears and their natural habitat. The polar bear effort seemed a perfect fit with Coca-Cola’s annual use of the animal in their holiday advertising. Their decision to turn their “red” cans into “white” received considerable backlash, to the point that the company decided to transition the can to another, mostly-red design earlier than intended during the promotion (See the Wall Street Journal’s article for more information). I think that there are two powerful lessons we can learn from the customer backlash and Coca-Cola’s response.



First, listen to client feedback and respond quickly. Coca-Cola was keenly aware of the customer response to their promotion through a variety of social media platforms and took quick action. Customer’s strong positive and negative response to the “white” can promotion did not go unnoticed. The company decided to transition the four-month-long promotion earlier than first planned to a mostly-red design to appease angry customers and put out FAQ sheets and other information to try to remove any more confusion in the minds of its consumers. For us practically, be aware of the various avenues for client feedback and LISTEN to their concerns. Actively reach out to clients for feedback and respond quickly to any issues they bring to your attention. Whether you like it or not, you are developing a word-of-mouth and online reputation and you must take the lead in managing it.



Second, focus on client concerns instead of on defending your actions or intentions. Coca-Cola took a bold step in their holiday marketing and had good intentions of raising awareness for polar bears and their natural habitat. The company could have responded to the customer backlash by trying to turn the tide of public opinion about their promotion and sticking to their plan. They could have tried to educate the customers more about their efforts and justify their advertising campaign. Instead they saw that as a no-win situation and turned their efforts to making the change back to more predominantly “red” can and assuaging customer concern. For us practically, when dealing with criticism, look for the quickest and easiest solution for your clients instead of wasting valuable time trying to defend your actions or motives. There are certainly times when more than our reputation is at stake (i.e. integrity) and we must defend ourselves, but be wise about choosing the best response to criticism. Even our good intentions and actions are misinterpreted and criticized and you much chose the best response in each instance.



There are many other lessons that can be learned from Coca-Cola’s most recent fiasco, but I hope that these two lessons can help each of us become more successful and better handle customer criticism as it arises.
Kyle Pfaffe, REALTOR®

Keller Williams Realty

m: 512-636-9707

w: AustinHomes4You.com

I Always Have Time for Your Referrals!