June, 2016 Volume 3
Inside this Issue
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Life is a Game That Must be Played
Top Mistakes Made by Home Sellers
Tales From the Hood
“Life is a Game That
Must be Played”There are so many lifelong lessons we learn from our
Dad’s. I was only lucky enough to have my father
around for almost four years of my life, but it is his
legacy that I will always remember, and honor. My
dad died 28 years ago this month doing what he did
every day, working to support his
family.
His work ethic was amazing.
Every day he would be up before
the crack of dawn, loading up the
logging truck and heading for the
woods. Logging was something
that was deeply rooted in my
family, and is the definition of
hard work. My mom says that
when he would get home which
was usually after the sun went
down he would get on his rowing
machine and exercise.
Right before my Dad passed away he was working on
making an everlasting impact on the community. He
donated his time, and equipment to build two baseball
fields. He passed before he ever got to see a pitch
thrown on either field, but I can clearly remember the
dedication ceremony in his honor. Cory lined up with
his knee high socks, and baseball glove, while I had
my soccer ball. As we both kicked, and threw them
towards home plate balloons were lifted into the sky.
Forever those ball fields will be named Turnbull
Athletic Field and the sign dawns the quote “Life is a
game that must be played”.
My Dad was very competitive. Just
like I believe gambling is hereditary
(May Issue), I also believe my
competitive nature is hereditary. He
wouldn’t settle for anything less than
being the best. He constantly
competed in sports, and even logging
competitions. If there was something
to be won, you bet your ass he would
be involved in it.
Our good family friend Billy Brooks
was telling me a story the other day
about how they used to put boxing
gloves on Cory and I at halftime of the
football games and let us duke it out.
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Now this was no fair fight, I was
three years old, weighing in at
three foot nothin, thirty five
pounds soaking wet. Cory was
six, and about the same size he
is today. So they would make
Cory box from his knees. I doubt
I ever won any of the fights, but
I’m sure I got a couple good licks
in on him. From this moment on
competition was a part of
everyday life.
Besides his hard work ethic,
competitiveness, and charitable
ways, his compassion for those
he loved is what sticks with all
the memories the most. Now
don’t get me wrong, I have heard
stories about knockdown, drag out fist fights, but
that’s only because he was standing up for what he
felt was right. Whether it was his twin brother Mark
who passed away in an auto accident at the logging
job in 1974, or one of his other good buddies they
were always there for each other.
I have taken my fair share of beatings sticking up for
my buddies, just like my Dad would have. I was at a
party during college when there were some punks
who had no business being there got kicked out.
When they got kicked out they decided to take it out
on my good buddy Packy. Now those of you who
know Packy know that he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but
these punks had him on the ground kicking him into
submission. While everyone else stood around yelling
at them I ran out and got them off Packy.
Unfortunately, I took a cheap shot while doing so. All I
remember is waking up in the rocks with my buddies
trying to bring me to it. I stumbled in the house to go
into the bathroom and looked in the mirror… My nose
was crooooked.
Luckily my brother wasn’t far from the party. He
rushed over and took us both to the ER. When we got
to the emergency room Packy and I were both still in
outer space. Packy thought he was
back in Idaho, AKA “god’s country”,
and tried to sweet talk the nurse by
removing his shirt. He was soon
diagnosed with a severe concussion.
I wasn’t as lucky as Packy. Turns out I
had a broken orbital bone in my left
cheek, and busted nose but the doc
says I did a good job snapping it back
into place. My shiner lasted for
months.
It’s moments like these when I look
back and think, what would my Dad
do? No doubt in my mind he would
have done the same thing that night,
or any day for one of his friends no
matter how many guns or weapons he
had against him. His loyalty to those
close to him was evident from every story I hear.
As life goes on it is more evident that it is all starting
to come full circle. The legacy that he created from
his 35 years on earth is what people remember him
by. He is missed every single day, but not forgotten.
Happy Fathers Day to all Dad’s out there.
“It’s hard to forget someone who gave
you so much to remember”- Unknown
Packy and I in the Emergency Room after
we got knocked around.
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Real estate giant,
ActiveRain, asked
1,000 real estate
agents to rate the top
three mistakes made
by home sellers.
 77% said, “overpriced
home.”
 32% said, “cluttered space.”
 34% said, “Showing
availability.”
The other results include, 21% “unwilling to
negotiate,” 20% “Won’t make repairs,” and 28% said,
“unpleasant odors,” presumably pet odors. In other
words, according to the 1,000 real estate agents
asked, “It’s all your fault,” you—being the home seller.
The client.
My question is, if agents know these are the
mistakes that home sellers make, why do they not
step in and instruct clients of ways to avoid these
mistakes? And second, if they refuse, why does the
agent accept that homeowner as a client? I mean,
isn’t that the whole purpose of retaining a real estate
agent, in the first place, to make use of his experience
and expertise? Why would any agent work with
someone who ignores their best advice?
I was watching an episode of Botched the other
day on the E! Network, a TV series about two plastic
surgeons, Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif, that
fix the cosmetic surgery blunders of other plastic
surgeons.
To start, each new prospective patient undergoes
a rigorous consultation. This is where the
investigative work is done. After the consultation, if
the two surgeons don’t agree that they can help the
patient, or…if they get the impression that the patient
isn’t going to follow their strict instructions, when it
comes to recovery and post-op procedures, they
refuse acceptance of that patient as a client.
Here is something I have learned about those at
the top of their respective field. The true professional
values his reputation more than anything else—even
money or fame, or any kind of award or peer
recognition.
If the Botched plastic surgeons accepted a patient,
as a client, that they knew was going to be worse off,
because they couldn’t help them, or end up with a
horrible result, because they refused to follow post-op
instructions—ultimately, who does it reflect poorly on?
The doctor or the patient? Of course, it tarnishes the
reputation of the cosmetic surgeon. After all, he is the
Authority and supposed voice of reason.
And when asked, “Who did your surgery?” The
patient is going to say what? “Dr. Terry Dubrow and
Dr. Paul Nassif.” You got it. That’s exactly what
they’re going to say.
This is why I refuse to accept just any homeowner
as a client. I don’t do listing presentations or give
sales pitches, because I am not in the convincing
business. My business is “getting clients the best
result.” This means, there is a checklist of
agreements we must come to. First on that list, we
must agree to work as a team. So many agents and
homeowners, work in opposition.
But beyond that, unwillingness to address any of
those items above is no different than a defiant
patient, refusing to follow important post-op
instructions. Unlike most agents, why would I ever
accept a “patient,” who is determined to sabotage the
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success of their “procedure” i.e. home sale? I
wouldn’t.
I don’t want that “botched” outcome on my record,
any more than Dr. Dubrow or Dr. Nassif wants it on
theirs.
Besides. There are solutions to each one of those
“mistakes.”
For starters, by replacing the inferior price-driven
approach most agents utilize, when pricing clients’
home, with the more sophisticated Value-Driven
Approach, the sales price of a home can quite easily
be increased by as much as $30,000 or more (in rare
cases, even more than that).
But the skinny of it is this, value dictates price, and
there are at last a dozen different ways, depending on
the “starting position” of the property (see my article
on ‘Differentiation’—published May 2016) to
manipulate a home’s value to elevate price. This, by
the way, is something I learn from studying Warren
Buffett’s proven investment philosophy. Turns out,
Buffett’s “brilliance” applies to pretty much every
aspect of selling real estate. Something my clients
have been benefitting from.
Second, if a homeowner won’t make “time” to
show their home to a prospective buyer, I would fire
that client, and let’s face it, they deserve a substandard result.
And, for the record, this is not a “mistake.” It can
be explained as something much simpler. “The
homeowner is not serious about achieving the best
outcome.” So why would any agent ever work with
that homeowner? Any agent who cares about his or
her reputation, wouldn’t, certainly not me.
Of course, I suppose some agents reason that a
poorly sold home, even, if at a much lower sales
price, is still a commission check. And any
commission check is better than none. Hey – I can
only speculate…what goes through these agents’
head. I can’t really understand it…
Third, a process known as scientific-staging—
something required to be done, by almost every home
seller before they are accepted as a client—is the
solution to that “cluttered space” mistake. Scientific
staging isn’t just rearranging furniture or taking
pictures off the wall either. It can be extensive
depending on the property.
At this point, if a prospective client hesitates, or
indicates an unwillingness to execute these first
items, then, we sit down, I run them through the
investment numbers, and I ask, “How many times
would you like to exchange $X, for $10X?”
I have found the reason most home sellers are
unwilling to do certain things, is because they don’t
understand how it is going to make them more
money. Once they understand, though, by looking at
the case studies, almost always we are off to the
races.
If my unique approach that I adhere to like a
religion, no different than Warren Buffett does his
investment philosophy, didn’t deliver clients a better
result—you can bet clients wouldn’t refer my services
to their friends or family members. The fact that they
do, though—in high numbers, might I add—explains
why I refuse to budge or deviate from the
methodology I have worked hard to test and perfect.
The real secret, though, this is something I talk
about in Chapter 8 of my book, The Value-Driven
Approach to Sell Real Estate; A practical guide to
protect yourself from REAL ESTATE GREED & bank
an extra $30,000 profit by thinking like the great
WARREN BUFFETT—is getting an accurate and
comprehensive Real Estate Diagnosis™, first, before
ever thinking about putting your home on the market.
I know this sounds like common sense. But rarely is it
done.
How can you do “surgery,” though, and get the
best result, if there’s no diagnostic consultation to
investigate the best course of action?
You can’t.
This is why so many homeowners end up with
Botched home sales. It is also the reason why so
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many real estate agents, like those surveyed in
ActiveRain study, blame clients for the “mistakes”
they make. Sorry, but if you’re the professional—and
the agent is supposed to be—then any sub-standard
outcome is that agent’s fault. Not the homeowners.
The agent should own up to it.
Further, no rule states that any real estate agent
must accept every client. On the TV show Botched,
Dr. Dubrow and Nassif turn away just as many, if not
more patients than they actually accept.
The Brag Board
Congratulations Ashley Sanders on
your first Black Bear!
If a homeowner indicates he is unwilling to do what
is necessary to obtain the best result, the agent
shouldn’t work with that client… but, by all means,
don’t accept the client, then blame the homeowner,
for his mistakes, because the home sale turned out
Botched.
That is just poor etiquette!
The professional will always accept responsibility,
because the client should be adhering to the
professional’s tested and proven approach. And, if the
professional doesn’t have a tested and proven
approach, then you must ask, “Is this person really a
professional?”
Tab’s Favorite Game
Congratulations Greg and Lindsey Flatt on
your baby girl, Peyton Flatt!
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Real stories from Cole Turnbull’s
every day experiences. The Good, The
Bad, and the Ugly!
ago when they sold their last home, and he wasn’t
sure if he could trust me. He didn’t want to tell me
using the Value-Driven Approach
that they already had another place to hang their hat
About two months ago my buddy Matt Whaley called at night.
me up and asked if I would like to come by his
Why didn’t I have Jim’s full trust at first? Many
grandparent’s house. It was a Sunday and I was
agents are out there looking for just one thing, a
busy smoking 15 lbs of pulled pork for my Moms
commission check. There is no diagnosis or
birthday party. I found a window in my afternoon to
scientific process to their madness. In turn it results
head to Coeur d’Alene to meet the Whaley’s.
in lost money for the home seller and just another
I arrive at the house and they immediately meet me notch on the belt for the agent.
at the door. Welcoming, just like I was one of their
grandsons. Matt took it upon himself to question my I explained to them that the Value-Driven Approach
is a process. Getting your home ready for the
outfit, (Insert Matt Whaley Dress joke here). My
theory on dress is if I can wear it in my wedding, or market and achieving maximum value doesn’t just
happen overnight. No home is the same, and we
on a golf course then I am good. I had my golf
knew that a rancher with a shop in town would be a
course attire on that day.
hot commodity.
Jim showed me around the home so I could do my
I called and scheduled my stager to come in and do
preliminary diagnosis of the home. In between
a walkthrough. Most people think that a stager is
taking notes on the property I would stop and chit
going to charge and arm and a leg to bring their
chat with Jim, Jeanne, and Matt.
furnishings in the home, and that is not true. Betsy
Matt was the middle man that day. There were
came in, and spent a couple of hours with the
certain things Jim didn’t want to tell me. Come to
Whaley’s. Helping them get an idea of an ideal
find out they had left money on the table 25 years
layout with their furniture, pack up any unnecessary
Well, That Was Quick…. A Case Study
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items that might be a deterrent to any possible
buyer, and get the home show ready.
client. He of course had a potential buyer who was
looking for that exact setup.
Before the staging consultation they didn’t know
how much work they had in front of them. After
Betsy left the Whaley’s Jeanne called me in a panic.
They weren’t even close to ready to put their home
on the market as they had so much work to do.
Luckily time was on our side and we had a month to
get the checklist done.
There was no way I was going to jeopardize my
clients potential profits by letting them look at the
home days before it was to go on the market.
Everything about my approach is calculated,
including when showings can begin compared to
when the home hits the MLS.
My coworker got in to show the home just as the
Once we are done with the work, bring in the
listing went live on the MLS. This was timed out
photographer! Mike McCall, of McCall Media has a perfectly to create urgency. Within 1 hour of being
way of making a home shine in photos. I have made on the MLS we had received an offer that was
the mistake in the past of being a cheap skate and
impossible to refuse. I was back over presenting the
taking my own photos. To be brutally honest they
offer within hours of signing the listing paperwork,
were shitty photos and probably cost my clients time and the sellers were signing on the offer. No need
and money because of it. Never again will I take my for a counter offer. The only contingency was
inspection, and with the care and preparation the
own photos of a home to “save” money.
Whaley’s put into the home I wasn’t worried about it.
When Mike came in, he was treated just like I was
except Matt wasn’t there to question his outfit. The
A few days later the inspection was completed, and
photo process was seamless. Jeanne and Jim had
just as we had suspected. The buyer had signed off
everything in the right place. Just as the scientific
accepting the house as-is. No repairs or nit picking,
staging process had suggested and is designed to
because there wasn’t anything to nit-pick.
do. All Mike had to do was flip a light switch, and
Two weeks after putting the home on the market, it
snap the pictures.
has closed. If I was to “comp” the home out in typical
After receiving the photos from Mike the next day,
Real Estate Agent fashion I would have cost my
we were finally ready to hit the MLS and begin
clients at least $10,000. You see there are ways to
showing the home. I had a coworker who had been manipulate values, and the Value-Driven Approach
bugging me for weeks to show the home to his
exploits them.
Have you received a copy yet?
Check out www.freebook4cdacharity.com to
find out what The Value-Driven Approach is
all about, and to help local charities.
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The Turnbull Times
Cole Turnbull
1836 Northwest Blvd
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Coeur
June Edition
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