The Gopher Files

Aug 2

Why I'm Leaving WolfNet

(Photo from www.s-sm.org and property of Shattuck-St. Mary's School)

Over the past 12 years, I’ve worked at WolfNet Technologies. I’ve helped grow the company from a small brochure-ware website company that serviced anyone with money in the bank to one of the most respected and successful IDX and real estate tech firms in the industry. I stress the word “helped”; so many other key players at WolfNet deserve the lion’s share of the credit. But I've been a part of it all, coming on board when WolfNet had a only a single real estate client, and we were building the business one customer at a time. 12 years later, it seems like an eternity ago, full of great memories of late nights and weekends, hard travel, lots of "no's", some very lucrative "yes's", and lots of blood sweat and tears for earned rewards.

And now I’m leaving it all.

I honestly believe WolfNet will continue to be an industry leader in IDX and related services. If I were to stay in real estate tech, WolfNet would be the place where I would proudly continue to ply my trade. But that is not my path.

I’m leaving what I’ve spent the last 12 years building because my priorities demand it. I want a better life for my family. More time together. A better environment for Kaitlin growing up. More chances to explore the wilder and more remote areas of this great nation about which I am so passionate. Most importantly, a much happier Rich Bailey.

Thus I have taken a position as a History Instructor at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. My wife has taught here for three years, and loves it, so we will be working together. I will have less than 70 students total, something unheard of in my days as a public school teacher before coming to WolfNet. I’ll be coaching athletics. I’ll be a dorm parent and student advisor. Living on campus and dining with students and other staff in the dining hall. Services in the school chapel. The setting: a picture postcard of stone buildings resembling an East Coast prep school, situated on a hill overlooking a quaint Minnesota farming community. We’ll be part of a family of teachers, coaches and staff dedicated to making a difference in the lives of young people from all over the world, people destined for greatness.

I will dearly miss my friends and colleagues at WolfNet, and throughout the real estate industry. I sincerely hope social media channels will permit us to remain close. It’s been a great adventure and I’ve learned so many things, things that have made me a much better person, and will make me a better teacher.

Simply put, I have sincerely loved the last 12 years. And now I can’t wait to start living the next 30.

Comments [4]

May 20

If the World Ended Tomorrow

Most people talk about the Apocalypse hypothetically. Questions like: "If the world ended tomorrow, would you be happy with your life?" or "If the world ended tomorrow, would you have made a difference?"

There are a significant number of "Rapture" enthusiasts who really do believe the world will end tomorrow on 5/21/11. I will not go into the origins of this particular doomsday theory, but it did get me to contemplate the "what if's." And I thought about this photo, and two contributions I've made to the world in the last 2 years.

In September, 2009, I built a flower bed on the boulevard in front of my house. Tulips and daffodils for the Spring, and other perennials for summer color.

My greatest creation came into this world in May of 2010, my beautiful baby daughter Kaitlin. We didn't know it at the time, but my wife was already pregnant with Kaitlin when I built the flower bed.

So when I look at these two creations together, I am confident in my answers to the questions above. I'm pretty happy with things right now. And while I didn't change the world, I'd like to think I made my own little corner of it just a little prettier.

Filed under // Kaitlin Rapture Rich Bailey making a difference

Comments [2]

Mar 11

A Thank You To Remember

A few years ago, I wanted to buy my wife a kayak for her birthday. I didn’t have $800 in cash lying around, so I solicited family members to pitch in, and collectively we gave her a present she will continue to enjoy for years to come.

On the way home from picking up the boat, we passed by Lake Nokomis. I suddenly had an idea for a special Thank-you card, so we pulled over, unloaded the kayak, and walked it 50 yards out onto the still-frozen lake surface. The result was the above image, with the tag line “Tabitha loves her new kayak, but found Spring paddling overrated.” The card was a huge hit, both among contributing family members, as well as friends who saw it on message boards or our refrigerator. It remains a conversation piece today.

When it’s time to send a Thank You card to your customers, consider taking the time to go above and beyond the bland, blank card in a white envelope. Get creative. Use photos or multimedia. Make the card remarkable, and your customers will talk about it, and share their experience with others. It’s one more way to broaden your sphere of influence and grow your business.

Comments [0]

Feb 17

Thinking of Clint, Rethinking Priorities

Clint Miller, aka The Real Clint

I spent the early part of this work worrying about money. I have to fix some damage from ice dams, and a recent energy efficiency audit revealed I should add more insulation to my attic. We’ve just had a baby in a less-than-routine delivery, and bought a badly needed car. The bills are piling up, and the thought of putting thousands more into the house with only a long-term return feels a bit overwhelming.

Then I learned Tuesday that my friend Clint Miller has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in his lungs and liver. Clint and I have never met face to face, but we’ve spoken on the phone and exchanged Twitter and Facebook banter many times. I know we would be very close friends, and in a sense, we already are. Now he’s fighting for his life.

When tragedy impacts someone close to us, we are often left pondering the what-if's, reflecting on our own good fortune...for the time being. I think about the life insurance quote I have collecting virtual dust in my inbox, and the vacations we've put off because of cost. What remains is a need to balance seizing life's fleeting moments that my entire family can cherish, while at the same time securing their future should something happen to me. In a nutshell, perhaps the insulation can wait for now.

So I’ve relaxed my stress over ice dams - today that seems petty - and decided to focus on what’s important, to count my blessings. Namely, my good health, my loving family, and yes, even the under-insulated roof over my head. And once I'm done counting, I'll go back to praying for Clint's recovery, and for the well-being of his beautiful family.

If you would like to contribute to Clint Miller’s fight against cancer, please visit http://clintmillerbenefit.wordpress.com/.

Comments [6]

Jan 19

Whatever It Takes - Making Yourself Remarkable

In his book, Small is the New Big, Seth Godin asks, “How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?”

On the surface, it’s easy to disagree. Sure, easy for Godin, because he is remarkable. But maybe he means people too often people simply follow the masses , attempting to exceed the existing standards of what is deemed remarkable by others. Maybe to be truly remarkable, you have to achieve according to a different standard. Like former NHL player Lyndon Byers.

NHL players are remarkable if they score a lot of goals, or have a long, illustrious career. Lyndon Byers was not a prolific goal scorer, and played in fewer than 300 NHL games. But I remember Byers as much as I recall any NHL player. And I only saw him play one shift.

Byers was a defenseman whose primary role was to help protect the Bruins’ star Ray Bourque. Fresh from the minors in a game against the old Minnesota North Stars, he took the ice and immediately skated hard into an opponent, resulting in a 2 minute roughing penalty. He picked up another two minutes for cross-checking while skating from the penalty box to the bench for a line change. So 4 minutes in penalties from less than 30 seconds on the ice. That’s rather remarkable, wouldn’t you say?

Byer’s final NHL stats: 279 games played - 28 goals, 43 assists and 1,081 penalty minutes. Nearly 4 penalty minutes per game for a player who wasn't even on the first line. That is also pretty remarkable.

I don’t condone violence in sports, though fighting is part of professional hockey, and we accept that. Behind every star is a goon watching his back. Most people won’t remember Byers as a remarkable player like Wayne Gretzky or Gordie Howe. But in the 20 years since I saw him play one shift for Boston, I never forgot the name Lyndon Byers.

As a REALTOR®, you may never be remarkable through sales volume or closed transactions. But doing something remarkably different than your competition, or displaying one moment of remarkable service may endear you to your customers in a remarkable way, one they’ll never forget.

Comments [0]

Dec 3

“Teach Them Properly, Major!” – Creating Real Estate Soldiers

The 1989 movie Glory has many memorable scenes, but the rifle training scene always sticks out in my mind. Colonel Shaw knew from his own battle experience that anyone can be taught to aim and shoot a rifle. But what really mattered was preparing soldiers for combat, and to remain cool under fire. Education and training lack value when they do not prepare someone for real life situations.

As you evaluate how you train your agents and staff, ask yourself: “Am I teaching farmers how to shoot? Or am I training soldiers how to fight?” The company who tailors their training to creating real estate soldiers will recruit better agents, generate more business, and create customers who will sing the praises of your brand to the world.

Comments [0]

Oct 22

Bacon Cures All

I've neglected the Gopher Files lately, and felt it was long overdue for a post, but couldn't think of anything to write. Then I came across this photo from a fishing trip on Rainy Lake near Voyagers National Park. Our guide made something called "Shore Lunch", which features freshly caught walleye. But the first course is a bacon and onion sandwich, which tastes even better than it sounds.

This is about 2.5 pounds of bacon cooking on a Coleman stove, and 4 of us polished it all off. I'm pretty sure our guide had a defibrillator on the boat, just in case.

Apparently bacon cures everything, even writer's block.

Comments [0]

Sep 29

Hyper-local Revisited - Now Are the Foxes!

I have blogged before about the importance of knowing your market on the hyper-local level. Understanding the intrinsic value of a neighborhood puts you ahead of those who would only assign value to a property based on bedrooms and bathrooms. I have cited access to local trails and natural features, and proximity to parkland and festivals.

Sunday was a beautiful Autumn day in South Minneapolis, and we took a walk through around Hiawatha Golf Course. We were fortunate to see wildlife that normally are only reserved for more remote locations, but the preponderance of green space in Minneapolis provides healthy habitat for many critters. This spectacular pileated woodpecker was easily 18 inches tall, and pecking away at a neighbor's tree. The homeowner didn't even notice it, nor seemed to care about such an amazing bird in his front yard. His loss.

After getting ice cream, we returned home along Minnehaha Parkway, and saw a red fox making his way along the 13th fairway. Fox are not that uncommon in urban areas, but the brilliance of his red coat against the green grass was a beautiful sight. I've also seen mink at HGC, especially near #2 along Lake Hiawatha.

We finished our walk at one of several playgrounds within walking distance; this one at Hiawatha Lake Community Center has swings for little babies like Kaitlin. What a glorious afternoon with family. I cannot imagine a better place to be living.

Understanding the ability to experience days like Sunday can make you a better real estate agent with better knowledge and understanding of the communities you serve. Be the expert, be hyper-local. Your business can thrive from it.

(download)

Comments [0]

Aug 30

Recovering from the Real Estate Katrina

Once upon a time there was a great River that flowed unhindered from Northern Minnesota to the Gulf Of Mexico.

The River used to manage itself, and we lived in harmony with the Father of Waters. Flood plains were great for farming, so long as the farmers understood that occassionally their fields would flood. The River provided good transportation, so long as pilots understood the river would sometimes be too low to run, and full of snags and boulders to be avoided. Towns could flourish near the river, so long as townspeople understood they had to build on high ground.

But we wanted more.

So the Army Corps of Enginners created a series of locks, dams and levies to control the Old Man. Dams and locks created pools north of Cairo, IL to St. Paul, where even during drought, a constant depth of at least 9 feet could be maintained for boat and barge traffic. Levies enabled farmers and townspeople to encroach the River and live in flood plains, or even below sea level. Wetlands - nature's best flood and pollution control - were developed and all but disappeared.

The result? We've had 3 or 4 100-year floods since 1993. Safe to say the levies and dams turned the 100-year flood plain into a 10 or 20-year flood plain. Pollution has been a terrible problem, especially from farm runoff (though we've made great strides recently to improve this). Erosion has created a dead zone in the mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. Ultimately, our dependence on the River forced us to build more dams, levies and flood control devices. The more we tried to control the uncontrollable, the greater the catastrophic failure would be. 5 years ago, we saw what such a catastrophe might look like in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the failure of New Orleans river levies.

Was the bursting of the real estate bubble our industry's Katrina? In a sense, yes. I think the tax credit probably offered legitimate relief for a time to the industry; we had no "Brownie, this tax credit is doing one heck of a job, " moment that I can identify. But it wasn't a permanent solution; lobbying for another extension might be something akin to just sending in more FEMA trailers. Perhaps the real estate market is capable of correcting itself, and the list of unintended consequences in attempts to fix it may be long and scary.

But like the Mississippi, we've already done too much to simply let nature take its course at this point. Too many people live in the River's hinterland to simple remove the dams and levies. Likewise, millions of people have so much of their existence tied to real estate. I don't think we can simply stop enacting policy to help distressed property owners any more than we can stop maintaining dams. NAR will continue to lobby for tax credits and incentive programs as the Corps will continue to reinforce levies.

The keys will be in how we understand the natural forces of the market, and what we can and cannot control. We need to recognize the difference between a short-term solution, and sound, long-term policy and practice. Balancing the needs of the banks, homeowners, and REALTORS® will be a lot like balancing the needs of shipping, farming, environmentalism and residents who live near the river. There will be winners and losers, especially in the short term. Do we have the strength to withstand this flood?

This post is in part a response to Jay Thompson's blog post - http://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com/will-the-homebuyer-tax-credit-return

Comments [2]

Aug 26

Don't It Make Her Brown Eyes Blue

Tabitha and I both have brown eyes. Kaitlin's eyes are blue and have shown no sign of changing over to brown, though I understand this can take up to 5 years. And there is the remote possibility we both have the recessive blue gene, and Kaitlin got two little "b"'s and will keep her baby blues forever.

Of course, the typical jokes have been made by friends. Some suggested the mail man, though I doubt she can father children at all. But looking at baby pictures from both Tabitha and myself, I think there can be little doubt who the parents are.

So no real estate moral, lesson or tip. Just a shameless opportunity to post photos of my precious little girl, and of the parents decades ago.