What do the best real estate agents and the best athletes have in common?
If you joined Massachusetts-based broker/owner Anthony Lamacchia for his “Crush It in Real Estate” event last week, you might say a whole lot—not just because the bevy of panelists and top producers argued convincingly that both professions require the same dedicated practice regime and unwavering confidence, but also because the energy in the arena felt as much like an NFL stadium on gameday as a real estate conference.
Returning to the stage with his signature sharp, freewheeling style and a host of penetrating insights into everything from the future of closings to Warren Buffett and human skepticism, a fired-up Lamacchia was the highlight of the event as he spent an unscripted hour elucidating on urgent topics and offering wisdom for real estate professionals at an event that heavily focused on the specific challenges of 2022 and beyond.
“That’s how you will make sure to not only survive the next five years in this business, but thrive in this business,” Lamacchia said. “A year from now my speech will probably be a lot different.”
Lamacchia’s businesses, which are largely based in the Northeast (with the exception of his Florida operation) and include coaching and data services, have been on a growth track, jumping from $1 billion in sales in 2020 to $1.6 billion in 2021. The annual “Crush It In Real Estate” kick-off event serves as a barometer and pace-setter for Lamacchia’s training and speaking businesses.
Against what he characterized as a market and industry that had not yet peaked and had maybe evolved more in the last two years than in the previous 20, Lamacchia and the “Crush It” speakers attempted to provide a broad outline not just for the future but for the present, offering advice that folks need not tomorrow, but right now.
“The biggest takeaway I have from the speakers—they are all action takers,” said Lamacchia.
The analogy of sports, of practice and drive as the best—and really the only path—to maximum achievement in real estate was a drumbeat carried by almost every panelist and real estate expert who spoke. MC Brian Miranda, COO of Miranda Real Estate in New York, called the current state of the industry a “wartime market” that required the competitive drive of a pinnacle athlete. Rachael Barach, a team leader based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida emphasized the importance of being “coachable,” saying complete trust in her mentor “changed my life.”
“Everything that she suggested I just did,” Barach said.
The two panels—once focused on teams, and one focused on top-producing agents—carried that theme to more specific examples in real estate. Marisol Franco of Real Living Professionals in Boston said she would take a rookie fresh off getting their license for her team as long as they were “assertive, high energy and passionate.” Lee Joseph, a top producer for Coldwell Banker in Massachusetts said she “just didn’t stop” training and getting new certifications even after 36 years in the industry.
“It raises the bar,” she said.
But Lamacchia himself stole the show with a solo symposium that included using PA speakers and chairs as impromptu props, pretending to launch a mug with major-league force into the audience (a staff member later delivered the prize by hand to a lucky attendee) and references to 90s cartoon billionaire Scrooge McDuck.
Lamacchia also didn’t shy away from straightforward, occasionally PG-13 advice on hot-topic real estate subjects, saying that new agents often “kiss ass too much” with clients instead of setting boundaries and warning those who get lazy that they will sink as soon as the market (inevitably) becomes more challenging.
“There’s a significant amount of REALTORS® who have only lived in a world of buyers dying to buy homes, “he said. “And I’ve got news for you—they’re not prepared.”
He also used data to make the case that competition among agents and brokerages is increasing, with the number of licensed agents in Massachusetts going up 66% in the last decade, while the number of home listings is only about 30% higher.
“The amount of REALTORS® is going to go down,” he said.
The agents and brokerages that survive are going to be the ones who are active, practicing and learning every day. Lamacchia also read from RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine from the stage, quoting iconic coach Brian Buffini on the importance of time management, segueing into a few other best practices and efficiencies.
“It’s not easy to get yourself to let go of things but you must. Time is the one thing none of us can create more of,” Lamaccia stated. “But what you have to do is use your time wisely”
Agents shouldn’t attend closings, drive checks to people or sign documents in person—things Lamacchia said he has been lobbying against for years—and he warned attendees not to fall back into these old habits.
“All of a sudden within two weeks, something that I’ve been preaching for 13 years happens. REALTORS®,” he laughed. “And I’m going, wow—all we needed was a pandemic to make me look right.”
Lamacchia also shared thoughts on bragging about how fast you can sell a home (“Not cool” if the seller is also struggling to find a house to buy, as many are right now) and when and how to implement an idea that you like (the moment you hear it, without hesitation).
But looking to the future, it is the grind, the repetition, the consistency and investment of time and energy that will carry real estate professionals to the upper echelons of their profession, Lamacchia promised—from the minor leagues to the majors, from the schoolyard to the stadiums.
“Starting today, if you’re not doing it yet, you make sure to work the fundamentals, the basics,” Lamacchia said. “Whatever you do, you have to implement and you have to stick with it, and you have to be consistent.”
For more information, visit https://www.lamacchiarealty.com/.
Jesse Williams is RISMedia’s associate online editor. Email him with your real estate news ideas at jwilliams@rismedia.com.
