5 worst things about being a Realtor (no one told him!)

• Your work week is 24/7
• Everybody else in the world (it seems) has a real estate license
• If you take a vacation, you’re also giving yourself a pay cut.
• You’re told you’ll be your own boss, but you’re not… The client is.
• Dogs aren’t allowed at Open Houses.

As of 2 weeks ago my daughter is engaged to a wonderful young man.  Now I’ve got to keep my eyes open for a home for them.  Talk about pressure!!  Actually I’ve helped a number of family and friends in real estate transactions over the years, no problem.  I just have to make sure that everything goes really, REALLY smoothly.  Why is family always the toughest customer to please?

Watching the Masters last week reminded me of something I was told many years ago as Al Geiberger and others helped me understand tournament golf.  The nugget is this: playing golf well is not about hitting perfect shots. This is one of those “do as I say not as I do” things: I’m WAY too hard on myself when it comes to golf!  But it’s SO true. Recent example: last Sunday Charl Schwartzel hit his second shot so wide of the first green that most 5-handicap amateurs would have been fuming.  But it didn’t bother him a bit; all he did was chip in the next shot and he was off and running. Yes, he did make birdie putts on the last 4 holes to win, but in between he went 11 holes with no birdies at all, not even on 13! It was still good enough to win a major championship in one of the most tightly contested majors in recent years. Want another example? I’ll let you eavesdrop on a round I played recently with Al. He didn’t know I was filming him. Listen carefully to what he says  and the way he says it. He’d just missed a green from 160 yards out. There’s no anger, no panic, he’s just having fun playing the game. So if one of the best players ever doesn’t get upset at a missed shot, why should I? So here’s the tip: Be focused on the shot at hand, strive to make a smart decision and execute to the best of your ability, and then let it go. You’ll have more fun and you’ll play better too!

Can you believe what a great Masters tournament it was??! With 4 holes to go there were 5 guys who could win…never saw anything like it in championship golf.  Makes you want to live near a great course, doesn’t it?

This is an awesome custom home at Washington National Golf Club that I listed just 2 weeks ago for $849,900.

Click here for a tour of my new listing.

There ARE some things that are true and I intend to use this space to point them out.  One is that the residential real estate market continues to be challenging. Another is that in many cases buyers and sellers ARE getting together and closings occur.  Another is that for those buyers who are looking to borrow money, rates (including fixed rates) are at historic lows.  How about a fourth?  Maybe it makes sense to think of our home as a place to live, enjoy, and share with our family and friends.  Hmmm, if that IS true does it really make sense to wait for the absolute lowest price to buy, rather than own the home you want to own? Amazing, whether it’s Wall Street or Elm Street, they don’t ring a bell at the bottom, (or top!).

During my college golf career I was extremely fortunate to work with one of the best players of his time, Al Geiberger. I’d like to share with you some of the best advice I got from him, so bookmark this page and come back regularly. Al is an amazing player and teacher, and I’ll pass along tips that are just as true today as they were over 30 years ago.

How many times have you heard that to hit solid shots, you must hit down on the ball, catching it first and then taking a divot. Certainly that’s true, and it is one of the first changes Al Geiberger made in my game some 30 years ago. Al has a great way to explain how to do this, far easier than telling one to “hit down more.” Here it is: Simply move the ball back in your stance a little, and then take your normal swing. How far back? Only you can tell. The idea is to move it back so that your normal arc catches the ball just before the club reaches its lowest point. That way, you’ll naturally hit the ball first, and then take a shallow divot. And you’ll do it effortlessly, without consciously thinking of hitting down.

So if you find that you’re hitting some shots fat and others thin, don’t change your swing! Just move the ball back, less than 1″ at a time, until you’re hitting it solidly again.

During my college golf career I was extremely fortunate to work with one of the best players of his time, Al Geiberger. I’d like to share with you some of the best advice I got from him, so bookmark this page and come back regularly. Al is an amazing player and teacher, and I’ll pass along tips that are just as true today as they were over 30 years ago. Here’s a tip on practicing, having nothing to do with mechanics, but it will help you enormously: During those 4 years of hitting balls together, Al would never, and I mean NEVER, practice in golf shoes. The reason is obvious; he wanted to work on his swing and force himself to maintain great balance and a powerful yet unhurried tempo. (If you wear street shoes, and over-swing or have lousy balance, you’re going to look pretty silly falling down!) Furthermore, when you change into your golf shoes to play, you’ll feel so secure that your confidence will soar and you’ll hit solid shots. Along the same lines, he would spend about 80 % of the time hitting 9-irons only. It’s easier to groove a swing when you’re not trying to hit the ball over the fence!

So next time you go out to practice, wear your street shoes, and start wearing out that 9-iron!

“Do the opposite of what you think you should”

It wasn’t long after Al and I began working on my golf game that he shared a kernel of wisdom that sounds crazy but is nearly always true. It is this: Whatever problem you’re having with your game, do the opposite of what you think you should do to fix it. Sounds nuts, but it works. Want some examples to try on the practice tee?

If you’re fighting a fade or a slice, aim right.
What?? It’s true. Your sub-conscious mind will work for you in this case. Aiming right will encourage you to use an inside-to-out path on the forward swing, straightening the ball or even give you a slight draw. Same works for hooks; aim left. You’ll “hold on” more with your hands on the way down, delaying the hit. You’ll hit it straighter AND longer.

Here’s a related tip: If you’re worried about hitting it into trouble, aim for the trouble! Like if there’s water left off the tee, aim for the water…your mind will think “fade” and you’ll fade it back to the middle automatically.

To hit the driver longer than normal, like on a reachable par 5, swing a bit easier (Again, the opposite of what common sense would suggest). Nicklaus has said and written the same thing. Why does it work? Relaxed muscles are strong and fast, tense muscles reduce speed)

When the pressure is on, take less club and swing harder. Again, the opposite “answer” is correct. If you are choking or just nervous, you’d think it would be better to take plenty of club and take an easy, relaxed swing. Nope!! If you’re nervous, this is the time to under-club and swing. (Why do you think the pros hit what sounds like a crazy iron to go a certain distance?)

If you’re having trouble staying focused over the course of the round, let your mind wander. We’re all different mentally, but few people can maintain focus through the whole round like Hogan did. In tournament golf, the idea is to be focused during each shot, not for the whole day! There’s no need to be Zen-like and drive your friends nuts. Geiberger whistles tunes, or find someone in the gallery to visit with, during the heat of the battle. True, he’s a naturally friendly guy, but these little breaks from the game helped him be really focused when it counts.

There are tons of other examples. Just remember, whatever is going wrong, do the opposite of what you think you should do and you’ll probably be right.