Stochastic Terrorism

 

STOCHASTIC TERRORISM
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 14, 2025

I listened to one of the many talking heads on Television following the murder of Charlie Kirk.  unfortunately, I don’t remember who it was who mentioned the phrase “Stochastic Terrorism.”  I have since heard Dr. Drew Pinsky say the same phrase.  In all honesty, I have ever heard that phrase before.  Rather than just let it pass, I looked it up.  What I found did not surprise me.  In fact, I pretty much expected to find what I found.  This Nugget will explain the term Stochastic Terrorism. 

I am also including a YouTube video link that if you take the 20 minutes or so to watch and more specifically LISTEN TO, you will have many of the dots of today’s violence all connected and the picture is not pretty but if you are honest with yourself, you will admit that you have already thought that there may have been a link just as described.  Now for the link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azE7nqqQMmo 

If you have watched and listened to the link, I want you to recall the following events: 

• Murder of Charlie Kirk
• School Shooting at the Catholic Church
• Murder of the politicians in Minnesota
• Attempted murder of the Governor Pennsylvania
• Recent murder of the young lady on the train in North Carolina
• Setting a subway rider in New York on fire

THE LIST IS ENDLESS – IT GOES ON AND ON AND ONE 

There is one aspect in all of these events that goes undiscussed by the media.  If you were to ask why, my best guess is that it does not fit the narrative and agenda that the Media wants you to hear.  Face facts!  The ONLY news we ever hear or see on the National New Medias (all of them) is the news that THEY CHOSE for you to see.  To prove my point, the media ONLY began to cover the murder on the train in North Carolina when social media blew up the story and the media simply could no longer ignore it.  That should be all you need to know to know that the media controls EVERYTHING we see and hear.  There is a word for that process – it’s called BRAINWASHING!    

For the record, the definition of Brainwashing is:

Brainwashing is a systematic process of manipulating someone’s thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors—often against their will—through psychological pressure, coercion, or intense persuasion. It typically involves isolating the individual from outside influences, controlling information, and using techniques like repetition, fear, guilt, and reward/punishment cycles to break down existing beliefs and implant new ones.

Some key characteristics include:

·         Loss of autonomy: The person gradually becomes dependent on the controlling source for approval, information, or identity.

·         Suppression of critical thinking: Doubt and questioning are discouraged, replaced by rigid, unquestioned acceptance.

·         Emotional manipulation: Techniques often target emotions—fear, guilt, or love—to enforce compliance.

·         Isolation from reality: Cutting off ties with friends, family, or alternative viewpoints helps solidify the new belief system.

The term is often used in contexts like cults, political indoctrination, prisoner-of-war camps, or manipulative relationships, though its use can be controversial because not all persuasion qualifies as true "brainwashing."

As an example, how many times do you have to hear that President Trump is a Fascist?  Repetition!    Over and over again for the last 10 years or more, that is all we heard from the most senior members of Congress, Chuck Schumer, and down to the most junior of members, AOC.  You may be mature of enough to write them off as just name calling, but not all people are that mature.  That is why I believe so many of these violent events are conducted by people under the age of 30; young people! 

Do you honestly believe that every person in America just blows vile name calling off or do some people like the murderer of Charlie Kirk. take them far more seriously.  Take yourself back to 1890.  You are in a position to kill Adolph Hitler as a baby, and rid the world of a mass murderer.  Would you take him out?  What makes you think that someone wired with the same sense of preventing someone, just like Hitler, from destroying America and thus decide to take him or her out?  It is called a German “Valkyrie” moment, when German soldiers tried to kill Hitler.   It is also like the story of Chicken Little.  “The Sky is Falling; the sky is falling!”  Everyone heard it, over and over again, some knew it was BS but a few began to take cover.  To them it WAS falling.  To most, it was just someone’s imagination.  It takes ONLY ONE to take action! 

The following is the definition of people like the Charlie Kirk murderer (who shall remain nameless, at least in my mind).  Read it for yourself.  It is the definition of the phrase “Stochastic Terrorism.”  See if it does not apply to these mentally deficient individuals: 

ADD A NEW WORD TO YOUR VOCABULARY! This pretty much describes what we have just seen. Words HAVE MEANING! When you constantly call people Hitler, Nazis, Fascists and the like, you are planting seeds through repetition!   Unfortunately, those seeds sometimes take root in weak minds that can't logically handle them: 

STOCHASTIC TERRORISM is the use of mass communication (such as media, speeches, or online platforms) to DEMONIZE or VILIFY a person or group in ways that increase the likelihood that a random individual—an unpredictable actor— WILL COMMIT A VIOLENT ACT AGAINST THEM. 

The idea is that the speaker doesn’t directly order or plan violence. Instead, by consistently portraying a target as dangerous, evil, or deserving of harm, they raise the statistical probability that someone somewhere will interpret the message as a call to action and attack. 

Key aspects: 

Indirect incitement: The speaker usually has plausible deniability (“I never told anyone to act violently”). (Note, we hear comments like this from people like Nancy Pelosi, and a lot of Democrat members of Congress.  Plausible deniability) 

Randomness: You can’t predict who will act or when, but the risk of violence grows as the rhetoric escalates.

Examples often cited: inflammatory political rhetoric, media personalities targeting individuals or groups, or online campaigns framing groups as existential threats.  Note:  How many times have we heard that President Trump and his millions of supporters are “a threat to our Democracy?”  First, the United States is a “Constitutional Republic” it is NOT a Democracy.  You would think that members of Congress and even Presidents like Joe Biden would understand the difference but apparent they do not.  Everyone right of center (or in other words people whose beliefs are counter to the beliefs of those in power) are threats to Democracy!”

I have read articles and books written by people who should know. that it takes about 21 times (days) of a repetitive action on your part for that action to become a repeatable habit.  Now think of the days, weeks, months, years, decade where we heard that President Trump was a Nazi, a Hitler type Dictator and by extension all of his supporters are the same thing.

If you really want to know what has been happening to America, this is it!  Finding a solution that can fix it is way beyond my pay grade, as they so often say.  If I could control the votes in an election, I could readily fix it but that is neither feasible or desirable not to mention illegal. 

Simply put, the voices in Congress and the Legislative Branch who continuously spew these words of hate knowing they are not true, should be immediately voted out of office.  Members of the main stream media who constantly repeat them on air should be immediately fired!  You must remove the source to kill this cancer that is destroying America from within. 

I believe (my opinion) that destroying America has been the goal of an elite group of people from the first days of the Obama Administration.  It was supposed to be 16 years (8 for Obama and 8 for Clinton) giving them the ability to “fundamentally transform America” remember Obama saying that?  Their idea of a transformed America is one of total control.  What form of government requires total control?  Socialism and/or Communism, take your pick!  President Trump disrupted this plan and that is exactly why they have all worked overtime to destroy his first term as President, his bid to be reelected in 2020 and now his current term.  They cannot afford to have him in office because he is not one of “them!”  

As long as Americans realize that their liberty and their freedom is being undermined and the process enhanced by the main stream media, the desire of these elites to create a one-world-government is doomed and they cannot let that happen.  These people KNOW EXACTLY what they have been doing and they know it is illegal if not outright treasonous!  Their days are numbered as long as President Trump is in office. 

There is also a term called “projection.”  This occurs when one person or group “projects” onto another person or group those things and actions that they themselves are doing.  Referring to President Trump as Hiter is just such an example.  The Left, as supported by the main stream media, are working to totally control “we the people.”  They want to take our guns. To suppress/censor our speech and written words.  They want to tax us to death and then give us as little as possible just to keep us appeased while they brandish their new found power.  The irony of all of this is that there are only so many spots in the controlling elites and everyone who has been working to make their agenda come to past think that they will be among the controlling elite group.  That simply will not happen.  They can’t see the forest (the truth) for all of the trees (the lies). 

One of the nicer things about growing old as I have, is that I can say anything I want to say and just do not care what others may think of what I have said or written; you should all be so lucky.  That goes to friends, family and foes alike.  I am comfortable in my knowledge of what has been happening because I no longer listen to the main stream media and all but disregard anything a politician says.  I do my own research and form my own informed opinions.  I believe what I have written.  As Charlie Kirk would say: 

PROVE ME WRONG!

Since I first published this, I have come across a video that explains a great deal of what I have written:

https://www.facebook.com/LorraineSicotte1/videos/768839209447276/?fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=ljwZghFM3c58dGBN#

If the link does not work, copy and paste to your browser.

Blast From The Past: Real Estate Commissions, UPDATED

 

REAL E$TATE COMMI$$ION$
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 22, 2013, updated August 2025 

Disclaimer:  I was first licensed in real estate in 1980 as a Salesman and as a Broker in 1982 and have been continuously licensed by the State of Louisiana through January 1, 2013 when I officially retired from real estate sales.  During that period, I was also licensed as a Broker by the State of Mississippi on two different occasions.  That represents approximately 33 years of real estate experience mostly as the Designated Broker for the companies at which I worked.  During that period, I worked for small independent companies, a large independent company and 5 major franchise companies.  Special note, most company changes were the result of one company buying out another.  I believe this experience provides me a unique perspective on what would be important for real estate agents to consider in regards to being able to take advantage of the best a real estate company has to offer that will provide the best opportunities for individual success.  Contact Information:  email:  JimBrown@gymbeaux.com; Cell Phone:  985-640-3564. 

This is the first Nugget for the Noggin in a series written especially for real estate agents.  I awoke this morning with a nagging question as to what would be important for a real estate agent to consider when selecting a company at which to place his or her license or for an agent to consider when transferring a license to another real estate company.  As stated in the above disclaimer, I believe I have a unique experience level that enables me to address this subject based on my knowledge of how most if not all real estate companies are organized and therefore how that organization can help or hinder the success of a real estate agent, especially one new to the business.  This same unique perspective can also assist those agents considering transferring to another company.  The following are some of the subjects that will be covered in this and subsequent Nuggets for the Noggins: 

• ·         Real Estate Commissions
  
• ·         Probable Customer Calls/Inquiries
  
• ·         Training
  
• ·         Individual Support
  
• ·         Group Support
  
• ·         Individual Brand Name
  
• ·         Company Brand Name
  
• ·         Selling Broker/Manager
  
• ·         Who Makes Decisions
  
• ·         Internal Dispute Resolution
  
• ·         A Company of Individuals or a Company of Teammates
  
• ·         National Name vs. Local Name
  
• ·         Reputation(s) Matter
  
• ·         Others to follow 

On the subject of real estate commissions, this is not about how much commission to charge a customer but rather how much of the commissions you earn that you get to keep. 

 How do you make money selling real estate?  That is simple; you close a sale involving real estate.  In most states, at the closing, your COMPANY where your license is held earns a commission on the sale.  Once the COMPANY receives the commission an internal pre-determined commission split between the COMPANY and the SELLING/LISTING AGENT is applied to the total commission earned.  The importance of that “pre-determined commission split arrangement” cannot be over emphasized.  That is what this Nugget refers to. 

As a real estate agent, you can only make MORE money in one or more of the following methods: 

• ·   Charge higher commission percentages for the sales you make
• · Have a higher commission split arrangement with your sponsoring Broker/Company
• · Learn to keep more of what you earn by learning how to take advantage of tax regulations
• ·  Lower your cost of doing business meaning lower your operating expenses
• ·  A combination of all of the above 

It starts with the commission split you agree to with your sponsoring company.  There is no set rule for companies and agents.  In fact, real estate commission split arrangements are truly negotiable between the agent and the Broker/Company.  Agents new to the business are typically not aware of this and usually accept whatever commission split is initially offered. 

Most conventional real estate companies will tell the agent that there is an approved commission split.  The approved split may start at one calculation, example, 50% to the Company, 50% to the Agent.  This split may be graduated to where it increases during any given year as the Agent closes more and more sales.  Given enough sales the 50/50 split may actually increase to a full 100% commission but that is rare.  Therefore, at most real estate companies, agents within the company are rarely all on the same split at any given time.  Agents new to the business usually start at the lowest split whereas the more experienced agents are usually on another schedule entirely.  The commission splits within the company typically restart either at the beginning of each year, or restart based on the company’s fiscal year which could start at any time or on the anniversary of the agent’s start with the company. 

Every licensed agent SHOULD be required to sign an Independent Contractor Agreement with the sponsoring broker and that agreement SHOULD define exactly what the agent’s commission structure/schedule is with the company.  If you take nothing else from this Nugget, you can take this next bit of advice to the bank:  IN REAL ESTATE YOU WANT EVERY AGREEMENT, EITHER BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BROKER/COMPANY OR BETWEEN ALL PARTIES TO A REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION; OR BETWEEN AGENTS TO BE IN WRITING!   NO EXCEPTIONS!  Therefore, get your commission split agreement IN WRITING!  If a FORM is used to accomplish this, absolutely and positively make sure there are no blank spaces left on the form. If something does not apply, enter N/A or Non-Applicable in the space!  THIS GOES FOR EVERY CONTRACT YOU WRITE OR SIGN NO MATTER WHAT THE SUBJECT MATTER! 

Obviously, you want to “think” in terms of earning 100% of the commission on a sale of real estate; why wouldn't you?  There are companies where that can happen such as national franchise companies (e.g., Keller Williams Realty®, RE/MAX® and others) and local independent companies (you will have to check with your local companies for examples).  I have seen splits as low as 40% to the Agent/60% to the Company for agents new to the business and as high as 100%.  The 100% companies usually require the agent to pay a monthly fee to the company. a pre-determined amount for the agent to conduct their business regardless of the number of sales they make (RE/MAX®) or there may be some form of graduated rate they pay (Keller Williams Realty®).  The latter involves starting at one rate and once a pre-determined amount is paid to the company the split is changed to the 100% level.  In the first example there is great risk to the agent because the agent incurs the monthly expense to the company even if no sales are closed.  In the second the risk has been negated or reduced because the cost to work at the company is very low but the company retains a percentage of commissions earned UNTIL a pre-determined amount is paid to the company, has been reached.  In other words, the agent has “capped” the amount paid to the company during any given year.  At the start of the next year the agent typically reverts to the original agreement; the cap is terminated and the agent starts over.  Having worked at both types of companies, I personally prefer the second method (Keller Williams Realty®) as it significantly reduces the risk to the agent while at the same time provides the agent the ability to earn 100% of the commission.  In both cases, you should determine how much you are going to pay to the company to be able to enjoy earning 100% of the commissions; get this agreement IN WRITING. 

It has been my experience that agents new to the business typically DO NOT research the various commission split options available in their specific area and go with the first company they interview with.  There are options and these options should be researched but I would caution everyone that commission splits are only one part of the decision process, especially for new agents.  For example. Training should be a HUGE issue if I were new to the business.  What type of training am I going to receive and is there any costs associated with that training.  For example, a company may state they put all new agents on a 50/50 commission split schedule and have a great training program but fail to explain that there may be a cost for that training.  Other companies may start agents out on a 40/60 split and then have no cost for the training provided.    These are only examples; there is no set or specific split for agents.  Learn to see “the BIG picture” before making any decision regarding which company to join. 

If your plan is to make a career out of selling real estate, my recommendation would be to join a company that has a plan to get you to the 100% commission program as quickly as possible and without a great deal of financial risk to you to achieve this status.  You do not want to join one company for one reason and then be required to transfer to a different company to fulfill your goal or desire to reach the 100% level.  Changing real estate companies is usually not a good thing because it confuses your database of customers who have come to know you by the company you keep – the company you work at.  And you may NOT be permitted to take your pending business with you!  This is exactly what a great many agents experience.  They start out with no sales and then work their way up to making a lot of sales and suddenly realize they would make more money at a different company doing the same amount of work.  If that situation turns out to be the case, that would be an excellent reason to transfer to the company that enables you to make more money.  Having said that, wouldn’t it make more sense to research the industry and go with “that” company when you start your career? 

Here are some questions to ask your potential Broker/Company during your interview process;  the answers to these questions should enable you to make a prudent business decision as to which company to join.  In fact, I would strongly suggest using the Ben Franklin method of decision making.  Place a large capital "T" on the paper.  On one side of the "T" write PROS and on the other side write CONS.  They as you research the various company choices you can write down the Pros on one side and the Cons on the other.  When completed, one side will usually be longer than the other and that should help you with your decision. 

·         Do you have a printed commission scheduled that I may look at and keep?  I would be skeptical if a company could NOT provide such a printed schedule.

·         Is the commission schedule part of your company’s Policy and Procedure Manual?  This is another way of asking if the company has a Policy and Procedure Manual.  If the answer is no, I would recommend interviewing with another company.  A company that does not have defined policies and procedures can change their policies and procedures on the spur of the moment; you do not want to work at such a company.

· Are ALL agents within the company on this scheduled or does the company make exceptions for “special” agents?  As an example, a special agent may be a highly productive agent, an agent transferring from one company to another who has a track record of producing sales, or an agent with a special trait such as computer technology who is agreeable to teaching technology within the company, etc.  If all agents are NOT on the same schedule you want to know why all agents are not treated the same and how can you be given or earn this “special” treatment.  The real question is why you would want to work at a company where all agents are NOT treated equally and fairly.  Ideally the differences should be included on the commission split printed schedule and would therefore be available to everyone including you.

· What additional costs will I incur such as training costs, office fees, insurance premiums above and beyond the commission split schedule?  What you may earn with a higher commission rate you may lose by being required to pay additional costs for Training or other miscellaneous expenses within the company.  Make absolutely certain you are fully aware of all company costs you are expected to pay.  In fact, ask the person who interviews you to give you an example of exactly how the commission is handled in the company and how much you would earn on an average sale.

·  If I join the company and it turns out that it is not working out for me, would I be able to take my current listings, my pending sales, and my customer database with me to a different company that I join?  Some companies WILL authorize you to take your business with you, some (actually a lot of companies) will NOT.  In my opinion I would avoid working at a company that would NOT permit you to take your business with you.  That, at least to me, would indicate they have something to hide from you and you do not want to start a business relationship based on mis-trust.  If the company indicates you CAN take your business with you, make absolutely certain that you get this agreement IN WRITING.

·  If I decide to join your company at (enter the commission split) what do I have to do to get to the 100% level?  If they have a plan, they will tell you.  If they do have a plan, make certain you get the plan they have in writing.  If they do NOT have a plan, you may want to continue your research for the best opportunity available to you at a different company. 

VERY IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION:  If it is your goal to sell real estate on a part-time basis, earning 100% commissions may not be your initial goal or even possible for you.  But…it has been my experience that a lot of agents “think” they are going to sell real estate part-time and then discover that a career in real estate is an outstanding choice and then decide to do it full time only to discover they made a poor decision regarding the company they joined at the outset.  Don’t make this mistake.  Make certain you engage in a due diligence period of researching the various real estate companies in your area and then decide which offers you the best opportunity to soar! 

TRAINING:  In my state, Louisiana, you take real estate courses approved by the State and then take the State Exam to become licensed.  Unfortunately, the courses you take typically do not have much information on actually listing and selling real estate.  Therefore. the education you receive AFTER you become licensed is critical to your eventual success, or not.  Therefore, in your due diligence period of researching the various opportunities available to you, make absolutely certain you also ask about the training available to you and how much that training will cost you. 

Since I originally wrote this in 2013, a great deal has changed within the industry and you should make changes to your search accordingly.  The ONE THING that has NOT changed is the absolute need to insure you either partake of the company’s training program OR, in the absence of a satisfactory company training program, you establish a self-education program!  You can either Read for a CHANGE, or your can READ for a Change!  Very few professionals in any profession continue reading to improve their skills at what they do.  That is just dumb!  You can’t possibly know it all, it is impossible.  As Anthony Robbins repeatedly suggests, SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES!  Find out what successful agents have already done to succeed and use their skill set and knowledge as leverage to improve your success.  

Much to my surprise, Lou Vickery, an author of 25 books at the time, asked me to co-author his newest book, Where Are You Going?  It is a book that could be used in any profession but I can assure you that it definitely applies to anyone seeking to become successful in real estate sales.  You can find it on Amazon in Paperback and as a Kindle Read.  YOU WON’T REGRET READING IT IF YOU FOLLOW SOME OF THE TRIED AND PROVEN TECHNIQUES DISCUSSED IN THE BOOK! 

NEXT NUGGET:  How does your company handle incoming probable customer calls or Internet Inquiries?  How they do it can either enhance your ability to make more commissions or hinder it.  You will want to read this Nugget when available.

Surviving Hurricane Katrina In My Own Words As It Was Happening!

 

NOTE TO ALL

Today is August 28, 2025 and it is the anniversary Hurricane Katrina.  Shortly AFTER the storm I began to write Nuggets about my experience during and after Katrina.  I have listed them within this posting, back-to-back, originally written days even weeks apart.  That makes this Nugget lengthy but I believe informative and even educational.  There are SIX parts to this, they are easily identified.  Enjoy!

Gymbeaux

What is Important Here?

Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, August 29, 2005 

Today as I write this Nugget, I am sitting in Birmingham, Alabama at my daughter’s home (who by the way is in England visiting her in-laws) and Hurricane Katrina is bearing down on my home in Slidell, Louisiana – a direct hit I believe. 

For years I have watched as storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters have struck other parts of the country and could not help but wonder how I would feel, what I would think or how I would respond.  I guess that is why I like to watch some of the old World War II films as I always wondered how I would have reacted when placed in Harms’ Way.  I do not think anyone could know for certain.  I also cannot help but think that there will be a sequel to this Nugget when I finally get to return to whatever is left of my home and see it firsthand. 

For today, these are my thoughts as I watch television and the coverage of the storm as it approaches Slidell. 

I would like to pose a question to you:  “If you had only minutes or even a few short hours to make some decisions such as my wife and I had to make, AND you only had so much room in your car or truck, what would you take with you if you were forced to evacuate your home?”  Now before you answer, you really have to set the stage by remembering you have only a few minutes or at best a few hours to decide while at the same time you had to get your home ready the best you can to take on the onslaught it is about to experience. 

Assuming that my wife and my Miniature Schnauzer Sophie were going with me, what else would I want to take?  What would you take?  The family photos are the most precious to my wife (not that they are not for me but they seem MORE precious to her), the family photos were loaded onto the truck.  Insurance papers!  Of course, without them how would you know who to call?  Other family papers that would be difficult or impossible to replace.  (If ever there was proof that you need to make copies of such papers and store them somewhere other than at your home, this is it!)  When it came down to it, just about anything worth saving were “papers”, either documents needed for AFTER the crisis or documents/photos that simply could not be replace.  Believe it or not, that included income tax papers and records.  Why?  Because I do not have the faith necessary to believe that our Federal Government would understand that I may have just lost everything in my home including THEIR documentation of my taxes.  How sad is that?  Dollar value?  Hardly any!  Emotional or sentimental value – priceless! 

We did not take many clothes with us, there was simply not enough room and I guess we are still hoping that our home will be left untouched or at least we would be able to retrieve things like clothing that may be soaked but not necessarily ruined.  

Now you can laugh if you wish, but the last thing I put in my truck besides myself was my golf clubs.  Not the entire bag, just the clubs.  At first, I was just going to leave them behind with everything else but then the more I thought about it, they are precious to me and for anyone who plays golf knows, clubs become very personal to you.  You finally got them just like you want them, the right heads, the right shafts, and the right clubs; how could you even begin to replace them?  New clubs are not the same; you want your old ones.  I was afraid to tell my wife that I was taking them with me so when I did, you can appreciate my surprise when she said, and “I thought they would be the first thing you want to take.” 

So now it is the next day, the storm is only minutes from Slidell and I had a chance to think about what we put in our truck.  You think of your military records, uniform, awards and medals.  You think of all the books that I have accumulated in my library that number in the hundreds.  You think of the knick-knacks around the home, some valuable, some just knick-knacks.  The china you were given at your wedding along with the silverware.  Your furniture.  The pictures on your walls.  Your tools. 

But you know what, all that can be replaced in time or at least most of it.  Even the books; I have read them, the knowledge is in your head, the books are but shadows of what you learned and Katrina cannot take that away from me.  There are things, however, that I really will miss.  I have a signed and numbered print by LeRoy Neiman that proudly hangs (hopefully) on my wall.  It was at this thought that my mind suddenly went negative.  You start to think of all the "what if’s” that could happen.  What if this…  What if that…  Then is really hit me.  What if my home survives the storm or is only partially damaged.  And then “what if” the looters take over?  It was then I got angry, not over my home being hit by a storm, that is “chance” but looters, that is not chance, that is opportunity for people with no principles or ethics.  I know they will be busy throughout Louisiana and Mississippi over the next several days and there is nothing that I can do about it.  

But even that can be put into perspective.  When I deal with a crisis of any kind, I always ask myself, one month from now, a year from now, five years from now or after I am gone from this Earth, will anyone really remember what happened on this day or as a result of some activity?  I doubt it.  Every day we have opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life (by the way, those opportunities did not make it in the truck either).  That is what is important.  The LeRoy Neiman is not important (cannot believe I just wrote that) and if the truth be known, neither are my golf clubs.  Diane and Sophie are important at least in our small world.  But what is really important is the difference I may have made in someone’s life – and even more important the chain reaction that difference may have caused in many more lives; people I do not even know. 

It would be nice to know these things but even that is not important.  The important thing – I gave it my best even when my best may not have been good enough for someone – I gave it my best and in that knowledge I am okay.  I think it was A. L. Williams who said, “All you can give is your best and your best IS good enough!” 

So maybe, just maybe, the most valuable thing I put in my truck, next to Diane and Sophie, was me so I can continue to give my best and hopefully provide something of value to others who in turn do the same for someone else. 

I am not blinded to the fact that as stated earlier, once I see my home in whatever condition it is in, I may have different thoughts but somehow, I do not think so.  But in my desire to be honest with everyone, I will let you know.  

I ask you again, think about this.  If you had to leave town right now – what would you put in YOUR truck?

What is Important Here – Part 2

Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 2, 2005 

NOTE:  This is the second of six Nuggets that I wrote in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina that struck the Louisiana/Mississippi Gulf Coast.  There are loads of lessons to be learned and hopefully posting these may help someone in the future better cope with the disasters of life. 

Today is Friday, September 2, 2005 and it has been 5 days since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States.  The initial shock has worn off.  The television images will be with me the rest of my life.  The original Nugget, ”What is Important Here” is just as valid today as it was before Katrina struck – but my world has changed dramatically to where it will never be the same ever again. 

What has happened since Monday?  Let me review. 

If I could have put all 70 of my crew (the real estate agents in my office) and their families into my car I would have.  As it stands now, I have heard from only 1/3 of them.  As for the other 2/3, who knows for sure?  I feel confident that they are all safe and sound but the cell phones are not working or the circuits are too busy to take my calls, either way, I have no idea if they are safe or not.  That is not a good feeling. 

I used the Internet, more specifically email, to try to reach out to my crew.  Then came the surprises.  Email after email came in from Keller Williams Realty Market Centers throughout the country all offering some form of assistance.  They offered food, money, water, clothes, and/or a place to stay.  Frankly the response was overwhelming.  Actually, it was MORE than overwhelming; it brought tears to my eyes (not an easy thing to admit for a macho guy like me J).  Not only did they come, they continue to come.  

Then I received an email from Mo Anderson of our Corporate Headquarters who informed me that Keller Williams International has raised more than $800,000 in just over two days of trying.  This is money donated from my fellow Keller Williams Realty associates.  That speaks volumes about our company and its culture and beliefs. 

I am asked what can we do to help?  How do I respond?  I don’t know where all my associates are let alone their condition, financially, emotional or physical well being.  I know what it means to want to help as in 9/11.  You have such an overwhelming helpless feeling at the same time being a little grateful that it was not me.  To answer their question; I simply don’t know at this time.  I would suggest sending money to Keller Cares because it serves the Keller Williams Associates who are experiencing difficulties beyond those normally experienced in life.  In that regard, I would say Katrina would qualify. 

Then my mind wanders onto reality.  How will my crew sell real estate over the next 4 to 6 months and thus earn an income?  This feeling was magnified today when I returned to Slidell and saw my city first hand and what Katrina had done to it.  It was not a pretty picture!  There were trees down everywhere.  Telephone poles were sheared off half way up the pole and the top with transformers were lying on the roadways.  There was damage to almost every building in one way or another.  Then I came upon my home.  There it was intact with every tree lying on the ground with huge clumps of dirt and sod still on the roots but protruding upwards like a monument to Katrina.  Then in my back yard a massive tree, it had fallen only a foot from my home and a foot from two other homes.  It was as if God said it was time for this tree to die but it was not time for it to take out my home or my neighbors’ homes.  Instead, it looked like it had been gently placed on the ground between the three of us – imagine that!  The only real damage to my home was a missing attic vent/fan that left a 12-inch diameter hole in my roof and water stains on the ceiling of my master bedroom.  In addition, many roofing shingles were missing.  Maybe it signals a new roof.  Just two short weeks prior to Katrina I had called to get an estimate on my “old” roof; it was time.  Coincidence?  Maybe, maybe not!  (2013 update.  It was not until weeks or even months after Katrina that other damage in our home started to appear like cracked bricks on the siding and cracks in the sheetrock on several ceilings and walls.  I called a structural engineer who came to look at the home and said it was fine that all the damage was superficial and probably was created when the home was shaken by the severe winds.) 

Then my wife and I went about Slidell to check on relatives’ homes.  That is when the tears started to flow.  Beautiful homes with furniture piled up in the front rooms having been tossed and floating about the home in water up to waste high.  Garage doors literally blown out as the incoming water and wind literally pushed debris against the doors from the inside pushing the doors outward towards the street.  There was debris everywhere you looked.  Damaged roofs, toppled trees, down power lines, abandoned cars.  Then I saw what I still cannot believe.  A local car dealer had cars sitting on top of cars and one SUV was literally balancing itself atop fence in a ditch in front of the dealership.  Another rare site was a houseboat, intact, sitting on the west bound lane of I-10.  When I checked out my niece’s home, I was shocked to see a huge shipping container sitting on the front yard of the home next door to hers.  Where did that come from?   Her home also had water and the shingles on the roof were almost totally gone. 

One cannot help but ask, Why does this happen?  What have any of these people ever done to warrant such unbelievable destruction?  What are we going to do now?  Will we rebuild?  Will we relocate?  How are we going to survive?  How are we going to pay our bills which will not come because there is no one home and the Post Office is probably holding the mail anyway?  Even if I get a bill, the mailing address is in New Orleans and no one is going to receive it.  Then the Big Question!  Why was I spared this destruction?  I am no better than any of the people whose homes were devastated.  

As I write this second Nugget, I have no answers to any of these questions.  I am simply grateful that it was not Diane and me sitting in the Superdome or treading water in New Orleans.  Is that selfish?  Maybe so, maybe not but it is what I am thinking. 

Throughout this entire ordeal, I have a tremendous sense of pride.  First in the U. S. Coast Guard of which I was a member for twenty years.  You have to admit, they look great on television.  I have been out of the Guard since 1985 and I still get goose bumps when I see a Coast Guard Cutter or Helicopter go by.  Today I have a new sense of pride in the men and women of the organization I currently work for, Keller Williams Realty.  I am confident that in the future, I will experience those same goose bumps whenever I see a Keller Williams Realty yard sign or advertisement.  There is the same unique oneness with each other that I experienced as a member of the Coast Guard team.  For those who are reading this and have not served in the Coast Guard or work with Keller Williams Realty, you will have to take my word for this – it is truly special. 

I am now back in Birmingham, (the power is still out in Slidell), not knowing what the future holds nor does any of my crew.  Uncertainty abounds everywhere yet there is a feeling that all will be well if I just let it go wherever it wants to go.  That there is a higher power that already has a course for me and my crew to follow and that I ought to just let it happen.  I know I should look for signs; something that is there right in front of me but if I allow my mind to dwell on the disaster, I will fail to see it or worst, fail to act upon it.  There is no such thing as a coincidence!  Things happen for a reason.  Why was my home spared?  Who knows?  Why my neighbor’s home so severely damaged, again who knows? 

I do expect that there will be another Nugget to come when time wears on and patience wears thin.  How will I feel a month from now?  Will I be angry or excited?  Will I look upon this as a learning experience or a personal tragedy?  Will I be a better or worst person because of it?  Who knows; maybe so, maybe not!  Only time will tell but I do believe in the universal law of attraction; you become what you think of most.  If I am not very careful, I am destined to become a golf ball!

What is Important Here – Part 3

Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 7,  2005 

When something as all encompassing as Hurricane Katrina hits, one tends to lose track of time.  I had to stop and calculate not only what the date is but what day of the week it is.  Well, it is Wednesday, September 7^th, I am alive and well working from my battery driven laptop.  

Tuesday, I decided that while staying with my daughter and her husband and two children was a fine thing to do, I also felt I had to get back to Slidell to start repairing my home.  At 3:30 AM, Tuesday I was on the road to Slidell.  While it was hot in Birmingham this morning was unusually cool.  I rolled down my windows and put “Watercolors” on my XM radio.  If you have traveled over a long distance and have access to satellite radio, you know it is really unique.  I put on Watercolors, which is a smooth jazz station that I can literally listen to from one coast to the other without changing channels.  What does all this have to do with Hurricane Katrina – actually a great deal. 

There I was, on I-59 south out of Birmingham, turn the volume a bit louder, and discovered really cool air on my face and in my hair.  In fact, it was so cool, I had to put the heater on in the truck. Then I realized, I was keeping time with the music with my head, my hands, my feet and my mind was actually clear of Hurricane Katrina.  Hardly a thought passed for the better part of the 5 hours it took to reach Slidell.  To people like Joe Sample, Herb Alpert, The Rippingtons, Rick Braun, Chris Botti and others, I sincerely thank you for mentally taking me to a place other than Hurricane Katrina. 

There is a lesson here; your mind can not focus on two things at the same time.  Therefore, when you are really troubled, think about sitting back in your best chair, put on some music that allows you to get involved with the music and let go!  With all the trouble in New Orleans, there is nothing that I personally could do about it anyway, especially doing 70 (ok I was doing 77) on I-59 south.  So why not let go and give your mind a rest.  Not only did it rest, it was rejuvenated.  After 5 hours of smooth jazz, I was ready to kick butt and take no names let alone prisoners. 

Now it is one week and two days after the devastation.  I still have not heard from 30 of my 70 agents.  I am still confident that they are OK while the same I am sure cannot be said for their homes.    Then I thought about something that occurred as recently as two weeks ago where an associate was really upset over something that happened.  I would dare say the agent has not given that incident one thought since Katrina – kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?  But why do we have to endure something as horrible as Katrina to realize that life’s “little” problems don’t amount to a hill of beans so why do we let them amount to a little hill of beans?  You don’t have to answer, it was just a question. 

It is hot in my home. I spent the last two days cutting up fallen trees and clearing my lot and patching the hole in my roof.  At first, I worked for about 2 hours and then took a 10-minute break.  Then for about an hour with a 20-minute break and you can guess where this is going.  I am not as young as my mind thought I was.  It was really hard work in a very hot sun.  You learn to appreciate not having to work that hard; that I can assure you.  You learn to appreciate the little things at times like this. For example, my home is very hot, every window is open, the sun is setting just over the top of my laptop and, yep, it was what I thought it was, a very gentle breeze cooling me ever so slightly.  When was the last time you gave thanks for a gentle breeze?  You don’t have to answer.  

I sit here at my laptop writing about my experiences with Katrina.  I have a chocolate Snack Pak pudding and of course my XM radio is on and Watercolors is playing more smooth jazz and believe it or not all is right with the world in spite of Katrina.  Sure, there are people in harms’ way but there are always people in harms’ way, some beyond their control and some within their own control.  By the way, Gregg Karukas is currently on Watercolors playing a song entitled “Healing Song”, is that a coincidence or what? 

I received several phone calls today and that in itself was a small miracle.  One was from Lee Shelton whom most of you probably do not know but should and the other from Joe Tye whom most of you probably do not know but should.  Lee is an extraordinary man who has had a very creative life and now speaks to large groups about such things as “Creating Teamwork” something that everyone should hear.  He called to see how his student was doing.  Then Joe Tye called also to see how his pupil was doing.  Joe’s book “Never Fear, Never Quit” seems somehow very appropriate at the moment.  It would be easy to think of giving up and doing something else or going somewhere else.  Leave it to Joe to put things into perspective.  

I mentioned to Joe that it was easy to feel sorry for yourself until you realize how miserable some people are in downtown New Orleans.  Joe reminded me that pain is pain and it is OK to not only feel your own pain but to let go and give in to how you feel.  Holding back your pain accomplishes nothing.  Once you can acknowledge how you feel, it becomes easier to really let it go and move on.  This is NOT the end of the world.  In fact, it is a new beginning.  We had BK and now we start AK (before Katrina and after Katrina).  

That noise?  Oh, that is another thing to be thankful for.  A gas generator; J   I hooked one up to a fan and now I am also thankful for a smallish hurricane that is blowing across my back.  It was off when I started this Nugget but as the sweat started to run down my arms and onto my keyboard; I thought it was time to light it off.  It was not totally selfish, my battery on my laptop was about to expire. 

What’s the lesson some 9 days after Katrina (AK)?  GIVE THANKS! 

What or who should I give thanks to or for? 

• I am alive – God!
• My home is in tack
• I have my laptop computer and it is working
• A gentle breeze through the screen window
• Chocolate pudding
• Gatorade lemonade
• Gas generator
• A fan that works
• Lee Shelton
• Joe Tye
• Too many people to name who have called or emailed wishing me well
• My office building is in tack
• I still have my golf clubs 

No one knows for certain what the future holds; it could be good, bad or indifferent.  It really doesn’t matter does it?   What’s important part 3?  

• My wife Diane
• My Miniature Schnauzer Sophie
• The people who care about me and my well being
• Geeze, I almost left off my golf clubs (had I not said that no one would have believed a word I said here)

 But the most important lesson I have learned 9 days into Katrina is to stop and give thanks to what is important and put everything else into its proper perspective because when it comes down to it, nothing else really matters. 

I have over my desk three very important papers: 

1. 7 Habits of Highly Successful People –Stephen Covey
2. The Self-Empowerment Pledge – Joe Tye
3. The Traveler’s Gift – Andy Andrews 

These documents are very important to me and I review them on a daily basis to keep me focused on what is important.  As good as all three of these documents are, they left off one character trait I have learned as a result of Katrina and that is “to be grateful” and to “give thanks” even for the smallest of gifts like the cooling breeze over the top of my laptop when everything else seems to be falling apart around you. 

P.S.  If anyone would like a copy of the three documents identified above, send me an email to JimBrown@gymbeaux.com and simply put the word “documents” in the subject line.  When everything gets back to normal, I will send them out.  No don’t do that!  I’ll just them out to everyone any way. 

Oh yea, I am also very grateful to the over 400 recipients of Nuggets for the Noggin and the many comments I have received about them.  Thank you from the bottom of my heard (has anyone ever wondered where that saying comes from?  Why not the TOP of my heart?) 

I worked hard today; think I’ll try the vanilla pudding – I don’t think the grandkids will miss one or two of them.

What’s Important Here – Part 4

Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, 9/9/2005 

Another day, another life’s lesson learned!  Just when I thought I had seen it all, comes Keller Williams International and more specifically Keller Cares.  Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Gulf States Region that consisted of those Operating Partners, Team Leaders and Market Center Administrators that could make it to Baton Rouge – that in itself was a daunting task with limited gasoline, bridges out, road blocks and what have you.   Each Market Center briefed us on how they were coping, what kind of damage they sustained and how the individual agents made out.  

I did not have a lot to offer since I have been unable to talk with most of my agents.  In fact, as of yesterday, I had been able to account for only 50 of the 70 agents in the Slidell Market Center.  That was yesterday, today is today and I am in Birmingham when suddenly I have been able to contact more and more of my crew.  This has turned out to be one of the toughest days of my life emotionally.  Call after call I shared in my crews’ trials and tribulations and some of them have been severe.  Some are still missing family members, some had homes completely rendered uninhabitable, some with upwards of 4 feet or more of water in their homes and yet there was an air of optimism even in those hardest hit. 

Words fail to describe how it made me feel to report to them the reason for the meeting in Baton Rouge regarding what Keller Cares has already done, is going to do and WILL do for the Keller Williams associates and Market Centers that were adversely affected by Katrina.  Briefly, every Keller Williams associate will be adopted by another associate who will help them get back on their feet.  They will serve as sort of a guide to help them wherever the help is needed.  Each Market Center will also be adopted for the same reason by another Market Center.  Keller Williams Cares has stepped up to the plate and has virtually guaranteed the salaries of all Keller Williams Realty employees and will also help cover some of the operating expenses of those Market Centers in need of help.  The goal?  The survival of every associate and each Market Center.  But it was all exceeded when Mo Anderson announced that every affected Keller Williams Realty associate who was affected by Hurricane Katrina would have $5,000 deposited in their bank account; no questions asked.  What made this promise extra special was that the Keller Cares account had only about $800,000 in the account when the promise was made.  Within the week, associates from all across the country had donated enough money to backup the promise; over $4,000,000. 

Amongst all this news about Keller Cares was hidden another wonderful fact and that is that we as a company have just surpassed the 50,000-associate count – loud round of applause please! 

Keller Williams Realty associates and Market Centers have been providing assistance in money, supplies and facilities.  I am sure that in a short time everyone will know what everyone has been doing and I think everyone will be absolutely blown away at the response our company has provided its “family members.”  

There is one recurring thought that crosses my mind during times of crisis and that is “Oh but for the grace of God, there go I.”  I have felt that way during 9/11, the recent floods in the far east, etc.  It was always someone else, not me and for that I had been grateful.  Now it is US, my crew and the crews of the other affected Market Centers.  Words fail to describe the emotions that permeated the meeting room when Mo Anderson asked each of us to stand and hold each other’s hand while she said a prayer for us and our recovery.  It is NOT just about us – it is truly about the Keller Williams Realty family and one member of the family is hurting everyone is hurting. 

I am not an emotional kind of guy or at least I thought I wasn’t.  Today when making these calls, I discovered that I am not the macho man I thought I was.  I was emotionally caught off guard to first hear the voices of my crew that I had not been able to talk with for over a week.  Then to hear their stories, wow!  When I asked the Keller Williams Realty Market Center in Birmingham if I could use their space, they immediately introduced me to everyone in the office from the Operating Partner, Team Leader, Market Center Administrator to associates.  It was then I met Ken and Linda Hankins.  Ken was counting up all the nickels, dimes, quarters and bills that had been collected in coffee cans on behalf of Keller Williams Realty associates.  Linda then told me that she and Ken were donating 10% of every sale they make to Keller Cares.  I had to leave the room!  So much for being a macho kind of guy. 

This is going on all over the country.  Never have I been so proud to work for a company as caring as Keller Williams.  We will all have our stories to tell in the future about Hurricane Katrina but no story will be as moving or compelling as the response that was initialed by Mo Anderson and her team of angels in Austin and other Market Centers and associates around the country.  This is one very grateful Team Leader/Broker and I think I can speak for the associates in the Slidell Market Center (and probably the other affected Centers as well) when I say thank you.  I sincerely hope that no one is ever  in the need of help as we have but if you do, your/our company will obviously rise to the occasion and respond as it has over the past week.  Everyone should pat themselves on the back – we will survive and come back stronger than ever but we could not have done it without the support of Keller Williams. 

May God bless each and every one of you!

I’m Not Making This Up!  Part 5

Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, 9/16/2005 

It’s late; it’s been a long drive home from the Mega Management Camp conducted by Keller Williams Realty University in Austin, Texas.  Before I tell you my story, let me preface it with a follow up on the series of articles of “After Katrina” and “What Is Important Here.” 

I did not want to miss this opportunity to learn more about Keller Williams Realty so even though my Market Center was recovering from Katrina, I decided to attend Mega Camp if for no other reason than to demonstrate that life goes on and we need to get back to “normal” whatever “normal” really is; I went.  As I sit here at midnight, I am not sure it was the right thing to do.  The training and presentations were great, no they were magnificent.  I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Fred Grosse who I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing almost 15 years ago.  I could not believe how many of his principles and sayings I have been using over the years and had forgotten from where they came – he was worth the trip! 

The real reason I wanted to attend is that if you want to walk the walk, you must first learn to talk the talk and there is no better place to learn the talk than where it is taught – at Keller Williams University.  Reading about it simply is not the same.  Hearing it, hearing others describe how they use it and how it benefits them and their market centers, how it has not only helped to retain great associates, it also has improved production and profitability.  What is IT? 

It is the culture of Keller Williams.  It is not simply memorizing the WI4C2TS or the Mission, Vision and Values of the company, it is literally becoming those things in everything you do.  Walking the walk!  One of the most unique results of this session was the development of a Keller Williams Agent (I prefer Associate) Bill of Rights/Declaration of Distinction.  Everyone is going to applaud this effort when it is published. 

OK, so what’s my story?  From the moment I first arrived in Austin, I quickly became overwhelmed with emotion from the outpouring of support from our Keller Williams Family Members from all parts of North America including Canada.  I cannot begin to tell you how many people said they had been praying for us.  I cannot tell you how many people said they had read my Nuggets For The Noggin and used them in their Market Centers and had not had a chance to say thank you.  One Team Leader told me that for two days she thought she would never get the opportunity to say thank you and that since we all survived, she would never let an opportunity to say thank you to anyone ever pass again.  I think that was the beginning of the end for me; emotionally speaking. 

Mo Anderson asked several of us from the Gulf States Region to have lunch with her and some very special guests who donated thousands and thousands of dollars to Keller Cares.  Everyone had a chance to talk and we talked about Keller Cares and the stories from the Gulf Coast.  It was not an easy conversation.  Everyone was crying. 

Then at the beginning of each session after a break, Mark Willis would ask people to come to the microphone and tell everyone their Big Aha or their Action Plan for when they get back to their Market Centers.  I wanted to use that opportunity to say thank you on behalf of my crew and the rest of the Gulf States Market Centers.  Easier said than done!  I just couldn’t get the words out.  Words simply did not do justice to what 52,000 of our team mates have been doing for the Gulf States Region.  I wanted to say just two words, thank you and they just wouldn’t come out of my mouth.  I got some semblance of “thank you” out and said that I wanted to dedicate the recovery of the Slidell Market Center to Mo Anderson.  I have learned a great deal from Dr. John C. Maxwell and he advocates that if you want to succeed at anything, dedicate the outcome to someone special and at this moment in time there is no one more special than Mo Anderson and her team of angels! 

OK, I made it through that ordeal, on a scale of 1 to 10, I probably hit a minus 4 for being suave and debonair, and in fact I was more like Art Carney.  Then as if I needed it, Mo asked me to sit on a panel in front of 400+ fellow team leaders and operating partners and talk about Keller Cares and Katrina.  I sat there but I could not talk.  The entire time Mo stood beside me and rubbed my back – that was the good part – wanted to tell her she had about two hours to stop it!  Driving home I tried to remember what I said but whatever I said I am not sure people understood it.  I was a complete mess, not an easy thing to admit. 

Just for the record, the attendees at this conference donated well over $200,000 for Keller Cares and they announced that our agent count is now over 52,000 – large round of applause please.

Now for those who read this and who were in attendance, let me say what I really wanted to say but couldn’t. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the hearts of over 700 of your Keller Williams Realty Associates most of whom you have never met but did not let that stand in the way of your contribution to their recovery. 

Yes, I was emotional, OK, VERY emotional but it was not for what you think.  Yes, the stories are sad and they took their toll on me over the past couple of weeks.  I was emotional because it was just so hard to believe the emotional support, the support in supplies and the financial support that everyone was so eager to provide.  It was just overwhelming and I did not deal with it very well and for that I am truly sorry.  I wanted to tell you just how much it means to my crew as I am sure it means to the other Market Centers affected and their crews. 

Because there were so many Team Leaders in the room, I wanted to tell them how helpless I felt when I heard the horror stories of my crew and that I had not prepared myself very well for.  

I wanted to tell them not to wait for a disaster to hit to get prepared.  Create a plan.  Grab your TL and MCA computers and take them with you.  Make sure you have a list of everyone and their contact numbers.  Make sure you enter everyone in the member section of your Market Center Intranet Site so you can access it from any computer with internet access.  Create a contact phone number away from the afflicted area were everyone knows to call to report in.  These are the lessons I wanted to talk about but couldn’t and it was an opportunity lost and for that I am really very sorry. 

I called one of my crew who I knew was in trouble with her home to see if she had heard from Keller Cares and she said yes but that she COULD NOT TALK ABOUT IT!  She simply said, “I am sure glad I am with Keller Williams!” 

So back to my story.  I am driving home; not feeling very good about myself and my behavior.  Did not listen to Gary Keller, Dave Jenks or John Maxwell on this trip home, I listened to my XM Radio tuned to Watercolors and smooth jazz.  As Dr. Fred suggested, I also put the windows down and let the wind blow my hair.  You may or may not believe the rest of this story but I swear to you that it is true. 

I remember telling Mo at lunch that my concern and I am sure the concern of everyone in the Gulf States Region was the uncertainty of the future.  What will the future bring?  How many of my crew will decide to go elsewhere or pack it in?  What will the market be like? 

Then I remember Joe Tye who said, “Adversity is a quiet teacher.  You must probe it for the meaning it contains, and interpret the subtle answers with which it will respond.”  He also said, “Courage is to stop worrying about all the possible tomorrows and the trouble they MIGHT bring, and to give your whole attention to the one today in which you always live.”   If there is a more powerful statement, I am not sure I have heard it.  The emphasis should be on MIGHT BRING, not WILL BRING!  No one knows what tomorrow will bring but if you expect the best, you stand a much better chance of achieving it than if you expect the worst. 

So onward I go toward Louisiana.  As I approach the Sabine River, the river that separates Louisiana and Texas, I started to think; wouldn’t it be nice to have some sort of sign that everything will be, OK?  That we all will recover from Katrina and while things will never be the same, they will also not be that bad either.  Shortly after that thought what should appear in the window of my mobile university?  A beautiful and perfect rainbow – no kidding – it was there right in front of me as if it were creating an arch into the State of Louisiana.  But it did not stop there!  No sir, on the radio Richard Elliott was playing a song entitled “People make the world go round!” 

I counted my blessings: 

• My wife was safe.
• My kids were safe.
• My dog was safe.
• My golf clubs were safe (I didn’t dare put that number one)
• My KW crew was safe
• Our Market Center was safe
• Keller Cares was on our side in a massive turnout
• I got a couple of hugs and kisses from Mo Anderson and that is never a bad thing
• People all over the world prayed for our safety – prayers are always welcomed
• Mo said we need 7 hugs a day, I had enough hugs over the last two days to take me through Christmas – 2006 

Looking ahead, the storm was the easy part; it was over in a short period of time.  Now comes the recovery and there will be achievements and there will be setbacks but we will succeed, all of us in the Gulf States Region.  More importantly, every member of the Keller Williams Realty Family will be proud of their contribution to that recovery and keeping the Keller Williams family INTACT!  There is however, one daunting and impossible task that lies ahead for everyone in the Gulf States Region and that is how do you adequately say thank you?  You might as well try to get toothpaste back into the tube, you would be more successful! 

Thank you!  ;-)

After the Storm; Part 6

Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 6, 2005 

This Nugget was drafted in hopes of preparing others for what happened AFTER Katrina hit the Slidell, Louisiana area.  Some of the below items were to be expected while others came as a complete surprise. 

I am not sure who said it but believe it was Zig Ziglar, “Money tends to exaggerate that what we already are!”  By this he meant that if you are caring and compassionate, with additional money in your life you become even more caring and compassionate.  But if you are a greedy SOB, you simply become an even greedier SOB. 

If one thing was evident after Katrina, this theory has been proven to be correct.  Here are some of the things that have occurred since Katrina: 

• If there were Purchase Agreements in effect BEFORE Katrina and the home survived, Sellers were trying to find ways to cancel the contract, put the home back on the market because they “felt” their homes were worth more than before Katrina.
• Purchasers were writing Purchase Agreements that included a contingency that the repairs were to be made by the Seller prior to the Act of Sale which Sellers agreed to do.  Then during the home inspection process, they change their mind with the false belief that they don’t have to make repairs because if THIS buyer does not want the home “as is” there are plenty of buyers who are desperate enough to take it “as is” and probably pay more to do so.
• Real estate agents who prior to Katrina were admired and respected are now hanging up on people, threatening everyone with law suits and have become a general pain in the neck.
• Buyers and sellers are constantly threatening law suites when contract negotiations do not go their way.
• Some sellers are accepting offers for less money because the purchaser has a horror story as to what has happened to them and then a second purchaser who offered more gets upset because they did not get the property.
• Multiple offers abound so if your procedures on handling multiple offers are not in place and everyone understands how to work them, it will only lead to serious legal problems.
• Everyone wants rental properties and if you are in an area such as Slidell where under normal conditions there are not a lot of rental properties, this becomes a nightmare.
• Sellers think their home is now worth $20,000, $30,000 to $90,000 more than pre-Katrina prices.  Appraisers are under close scrutiny by the Federal Government NOT to let all cash sales influence their appraisal process.  Therefore, the all-cash sales will not influence property values until there are sufficient numbers of cash sales where a trend can be established.  Over the long-term prices may increase but in the short term they will only increase very gradually.
• Patience is a rare commodity on the part of everyone, buyers, sellers, agents and even Keller Williams' Realty associates.
• Depression will set in, not if, when.  You need to know this is going to happen and be ready for it.  Traffic is a nightmare.  Slidell still has residents that have not as yet returned even after one month yet the population of our city must be at least double because of all the support workers and people that have come here to stay because their homes in other areas were destroyed.  There are lines to wait in no matter where you go.
• If your home and business survived while so many others have been devastated, guilt creeps into your thought process, why was I spared?
• The 80/20 Rule still applies but in reverse.  About 80% of the people accept what happened and what continues to happen and do their best to get into recovery.  The remaining 20% are impatient, rude, do what they can to get what they want when they want it and have little regard for anyone else. 

This is a slice of life AFTER Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  I don’t want to paint an ugly picture because with every day there is one less pile of rubble and another business opening.  Our phones have been ringing off the hook.  Two, three and four calls coming in at the same time – that is a good thing if you can answer them all.  The real estate market, in my opinion, will be very good for some time to come.  Yes, there will be shortages but the market is definitely changing.  Prices in this area have been low as compared to other parts of the country and they will most assuredly begin to rise.  There will be tremendous development and repair work ongoing for one or two years (2013 update, turned out to be years and years).  All things are not all bad.  People are talking to people that they otherwise would not have talked to – that is a good thing.  People are helping people who before Katrina they did not even know.  

I close this Nugget with a true story.  My Call Coordinator was sitting in a line of traffic trying to get off the Interstate and get to work.  This in itself is an ordeal because it could take up to 30 minutes to get off the Interstate.  She noticed two men walking along side the off ramp; one had no shoes and was obviously in pain trying to walk on stones and everything else you see along the side of the roadways of America.  The car in front of her stopped and the driver got out, opened his trunk and handed the fellow a pair of tennis shoes.  The man began to cry on the spot.   A month ago, this would not have happened. 

Life has changed in Slidell and it will never be quite the same ever again.  In a great many regards, this is a very good change.  And by the way, during the next storm, there are 7 less trees to fall on my home!  And, that is a very good thing!  If you want better news, there are probably a hundred less trees to get in the way of my golf ball and that is FABULOUS NEWS!