Real Estate Guru

There are so many people promoting themselves as a real estate expert, and real estate guru, that I’m choking on it. Yuk! Like everything else, you need to weed out the bad from the good. Real estate is really no different than anything else. For example, you go into the hardware store and you want to buy a big, cordless drill with a battery pack. You stand it the aisle and you see so many to choose from that it’s exhausting. You want a good drill? Here’s what you do. Talk to people about what they have and what they recommend. Then go to the hardware store and read the boxes about the products. Look at the prices. I know. I can get a cheap drill for 40 bucks, but I don’t want a cheap drill for 40 bucks. I want a good drill for a decent amount of money. That’s it. As for the real estate guru, it’s the same thing. When I started writing books and public speaking in 1990, there was a lot to learn about writing style, organization of materials, the presentation of products, and speaking delivery in front of audiences. There was, indeed, a lot to learn. My best learning environment, for me, was speaking at real estate conventions where there were thousands of people and about 15 different real estate guru’s. I would go on for 2 hours, off for 2 hours, and so on and so forth. In other words, the real estate guru’s would rotate. As for me, I get bored easily. I would either go into the rear of a room where another real estate guru was speaking to learn pricing and technique, or I would stand in the hallway talking with a student, or guru. I remember, long ago, I was speaking at a real estate convention Clearwater, Florida. I overheard a student ask one of the guru’s, “If you make so much money in real estate, why do you waste your time on books and tapes?” The guru’s face got so red it was unbelievable! Not only that, he became silent. He was dumbfounded and became speechless. I put my head down and covered my mouth to hide my laughter as I walked away. I wanted to get as much distance from them as I could. When I turned the corner, I erupted from laughter. The guru had been exposed for the fraud he was. I’m sorry, but it was funny. I write and speak because I had always wanted to become a History professor at The Ohio State University, but it didn’t happen for me. To exacerbate the problem, my mother always told me that I’d be a loser without a college degree, and that’s how I feel to the day. I’m simply trying, endlessly, to have others accept me, and perceive me, as intelligent. Furthermore, I’m trying to gain recognition. As you know, while working for yourself, there’s no pay raise, title, certificate of a job well done, or gold watch. When I complete a spectacular real estate deal, no one knows. After reaching the pinnacle of the real estate profession, there’s no, “Good job, you’re the best”. As for myself, H. Roger Neal™, it helps me feel good about myself to have others want to do what I do, have real estate change their lives like I did, and appreciate me for what I’ve accomplished. As for my mom, she died a few years ago never accepting my success and achievements. She’s not around for me to continually convince her that I made it, without that college degree. The funny thing is that I was talking to someone just yesterday who had the same problem and we actually discussed going back to college! I just wish that the young man at the Clearwater real estate convention had asked me that question long ago, or today, so that I could have, or could, explain to him that once you have made money, the childhood demons that we all have rise up to haunt us. Furthermore, it’s healthy to exorcise those demons through healthy and constructive ways, like writing and speaking. As for my mother’s passing and not overcoming that issue, my speaking nationally, and particularly in Las Vegas, it’s about the best I can do to make myself feel better. It works pretty well, too. I love it and it gives me quite a mental lift. As for that other guru long ago, I have no idea what happed to him. I must admit, though, it really was funny!