October 7, 2025 • 55 mins
What happens when the name on the door stops feeling like success and starts feeling like a cage? Craig Lurch, a Philadelphia real estate veteran and son of a broker, tells the raw story of smashing his “snow globe”—leaving his own brokerage, confronting ego, and rebuilding a career around three simple funnels: change lives, make money, have fun. It wasn’t tidy. It cost real money, pride, and a few tears. But it delivered clarity, scale, and a daily rhythm that protects energy and multiplies impact.
We dig into practical frameworks that any pro can steal: 90-day planning with big rocks, outcome-based calendars that kill knee-jerk decisions, and the discipline of saying no so your best yes can find you. Craig makes a case for kindness as a competitive edge—random acts that change someone’s day and quietly compound your reputation. He lays out today’s market reality with no spin: tight inventory, buyer agency agreements with teeth, and why insisting on alignment is not arrogance, it’s stewardship. If you’ve ever battled pricing delusion, boundary pushers, or the threat of a one-star tantrum, you’ll find scripts and stances that keep you sane and effective.
There’s heart here too. Behavior never lies, mastery takes time, and fun isn’t optional; it’s fuel. We talk Philly grit, unscripted radio, Italy’s calming effect, and a pink flamingo legacy from Craig’s mother—a reminder to leave people better than you found them. If your “success” feels small for who you’ve become, consider this your nudge to shatter the glass, build a blue ocean, and work with more intention and joy.
If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a quick review—what’s one snow globe you’re ready to smash?
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Office number: 215- 607-3535
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Maria (00:00):
All right.
Today we're jumping right inwith Craig Lerch.
Craig has been, he's anindustry, a real estate industry
veteran.
Gosh, over 30 plus years in theindustry here in the
Philadelphia market.
And we're going to talk todayall things real estate.
So welcome, Craig.
Craig (00:22):
Oh my God, this is so great.
I've, you know, we've knowneach other through the years,
and to be able to doopportunities like this is, you
know, it's neat becauseeverybody says we all hate each
other.
Hell no.
You know what?
The the top players in the citycommunicate and hang out
together and share ideas.
There's more than enoughbusiness out there for people.
You know, so this is oh yeah.
This is so much.
Maria (00:43):
I mean, there's there's people that have business that
shouldn't have any businessbecause they don't have any clue
what they're doing.
Craig (00:51):
Well, the average agent is what 3.6 houses a year.
You can make more money workingat McDonald's with benefits.
Why stress yourself out for 12months of the year to make the
same amount of money?
Geez, come on, do it in onemonth and call it a month, you
know?
Or do it in a week.
Yeah, I love that.
Oh my god, I did five houses.
Great.
This week?
No, it in a year.
(01:12):
Okay, that's a you problem.
Maria (01:16):
Well, definitely.
So you have you have threethings that you look at.
Three things you live, threeways you live your life.
Craig (01:25):
Yep, yep, yep, yep.
About um, I really dug deepafter 30.
I'm gonna say, well, it's been30 36 plus now.
Um, I'm gonna say around the30-year mark, I was like, man, I
hate this freaking industry.
Freaking hate.
I'm an SOB, I'm a son of abroker.
I was born in the business.
How many people can say thatwhen they were born, their
parents were like, I want to be,you're gonna be a doctor,
(01:45):
you're gonna be a lawyer, you'regonna be this, you're gonna be
that.
Mine was like, You're gonnasell real estate.
I'm like, great, here we go.
So um, I was that kid that waslike, you're never gonna do
anything else.
Economics background.
And after 30 years in thebusiness, being being in, you
know, in our family business,15, had my own brokerage um for
uh you know, 17.
I was burnt, I was tired.
(02:07):
I was like, this, this, there'sgotta be something else.
And you start, you really gotto start looking deep in
yourself and figuring out why,wet, where, and how can I be
better for my clients, how can Ibe better for my community, how
can I be better for my family?
And I was I was fit turningfifth, I was turning 55.
So I was looking at the speedlimit sign, and I'm like, I'm
(02:27):
not going fast enough.
And everybody is starting tousually start putting brakes on
there, and I'm like, I want togo faster, and I don't want to
go slower.
Um, and I don't like speed.
So at that point, I dug deepwith my business coach, and we
figured out one of my biggestproblems was um after a full
year of it and $30,000 ofcoaching cost, uh, that the
(02:49):
problem was I was stuck in a ina in a in a zip code, my zip
code.
19046 was the zip code, it wasstuck in my head.
And his response was, he goes,You're stuck in this.
I'm like, what's this?
He goes, a snow globe.
He goes, When you entered thebusiness 30 some years ago, you
were a tiny little fish.
And the problem is you grew tothe size of this snow globe or
(03:11):
the lake that you played in.
And the challenge is, is you'relike a pent-up cat in a corner.
You have so much you want todo, and so many people you want
to help, and so many lives youwant to change, that you're
stuck in this snow globe, andeverything's not as sparkly as
it was.
So it's agitating you versushelping you change.
So he says, You have an option,either smash the snow globe in
(03:34):
which you're living in or stayin it and put yourself asleep
and be miserable the rest ofyour life.
So I was like, Woo, that's aneye awakening at the end of the
year as you're getting ready tocome into your new business
plan.
So um, we ultimately uh I hesays, Look, take a week, let's
regroup again.
Well, in that week, he sent mea snow globe with a hammer.
And he says, Here's theopportunity.
You're either gonna smash thesnow globe or you're gonna stay
(03:56):
in it and you're gonna do itwhen we're on the phone
together, when we're on a zoomtogether.
So that next week, he's like,So what's it gonna be?
And smashing it was reallygetting uncomfortable, which
means that I dissolve and walkout of my own brokerage.
I walked out of my own company,I was broker for five different
companies for friends andstuff, and decided to go into a
company where you know you havea dear friend, Veronica uh
(04:18):
Fiorello is, uh, decided to goplay with the XP.
And in that process, welearned, I learned one of the
changes in which I wanted to dowas my three funnels and how I
function every day and how I gothrough it.
We talk about funnels asbusiness.
Well, it was funnels for life.
It's change lives, make money,and have fun.
And the full mission in that isto experience the best that
(04:42):
life has to offer and exhaust itto the max with enthusiasm and
intention.
And in changing lives, it'sworking with buyers, sellers,
negotiating contracts, workingwith other fantastic agents like
yourself, doing random acts ofkindness.
You ever get up there and yousee people not letting somebody
out in front of you as they'rerunning late for work in the
(05:02):
morning with their car?
If you're running one car lateand that's going to make your
appointment late, that's a youproblem.
So open, let people out infront of you, hold doors, go
into bakeries, drop ahundred-dollar bill or a $50
bill or a $20 bill and walk outanonymously and say, bye for
everybody who's in line behindme and walk out.
Do something in a restaurantfor some lady or some person
(05:24):
that's sitting there bythemselves.
You know, you never know thelife you're gonna change.
That person might need that hugthat saves their life that day.
You don't know what's going onin their mind.
So the number one is changelives.
Number two is make money.
You got to make money.
I don't care where you can'tnot survive unless you're Mother
Teresa.
You can't change lives withoutmaking money.
The more money you make, themore money you can give, the
(05:45):
more money you can change.
And the other one is have fun.
If it's not fun, we talkedabout toxic people before.
It's like the movie UmBlindside when when Sandra Bull
goes to Shay, just go overthere.
I put toxic people over there.
At the end of the year, each uhMrs.
Lurch and I sit down.
I reference her after 37 years,so is Mrs.
Lurch, and you've met Linda.
(06:06):
Um, we're like, who'spoisonous?
Who aren't we going out withthis year?
Who aren't we gonna hang outwith?
You know, it's not comfortable.
The more you get older, theless you're gonna have because
people will suck your freakingenergy out of you.
So those are my three funnels.
Change lives, make money, havefun.
If it isn't two of the three,I'm not allowed to touch it.
(06:27):
I'm not allowed to get involvedwith them.
The goal is ultimately three ofthem.
Okay, but uh usually it'schanging lives and having fun,
and the money will follow.
This, you asked me to do this.
I'm like, absolutely, get onthere with you and have this.
Is first of all fun.
Two is you and I are gonnachange some lives having
conversations.
And three, hopefully, it'sgonna make somebody who's
watching money because we'reable to share ideas together
(06:50):
after you know your third almost30, some years, 25, 30 years,
mine.
You've got you got longer thanalmost a lifetime just between
the two of us, just in realestate, not including the number
of transactions.
So, long story of how they cameabout.
Smash the snow globe.
That's why I have these aroundthe office.
I have one in my car, I'mconstantly looking at it.
Um, and then changing lives,making money, and having fun.
Maria (07:13):
I love well, first, I love the three things, second,
and really tied with first.
I love the snow globe analogy.
Craig (07:23):
So tell me, I cry.
It's it's tough, man.
It's tough.
Every time I look at it, I gettear-jerked.
This little freaking thingchanged my life, you know.
Maria (07:33):
So I want to dig deep in that.
How did it change your life?
Um, what happened?
Craig (07:42):
You know, if you think about this, go back.
You're playing in stale water,you're playing with stale
people, you're stale, you'reyou're playing in other our
friend Bruno and Stacy thatwe're at an AI thing with.
Um, you you know, we get wewere we've talked about this.
Do we get so stuck in everybodyelse's memes in social media?
We're also busy.
How many people, how many, howmany crazy dances?
(08:04):
Guess what, everybody?
I'm not doing any crazy assdances, not happening.
All right.
I dance elegantly with my wife,that's about it.
And I do a sprinkler and Idance like nobody's watching,
all right?
But I have fun, so I'm notdoing that.
Don't be somebody else, be you.
You're the only one, unlessyou're an identical twin, like
my wife, that has the same DNA,I think, because they've never
(08:25):
done the 23 of me thingy, Iguess.
But the bottom line comes downto this you're the only one.
You are a perfect diamond ofyour own perfect DNA.
There's only one of you, andwhile you're here, you are
making the means for yourselfthat'll be playing in eternity.
And I got tired of playingeverybody else's mean.
I got tired of being whateverybody else wanted.
(08:46):
I don't really give araspatootti at this point.
I'm gonna be polite about it,I'm gonna not deal with it.
Maria (08:52):
What did everybody else want?
Craig (08:55):
You ever notice that people want they they suck your
energy?
They want you to do what theywant.
They need, they need you.
You ever notice there's peoplethat just it's it's the gotta
minute people.
It's the gotta minute, got aminute, got a favor, got it
this, gotta this.
Wow, you would go broke.
If I gave money to everyperson, I do charity things, you
you'd be broke.
I know I'd love to make enoughmoney to give it all away.
(09:17):
First check goes to the federalgovernment, second check goes
to the state of Pennsylvania,third check goes to where my
office is in Jenkentown.
Then I get to live, then I getto donate.
You know what I mean?
But I don't know.
It's just you got to learn tosay no.
The second you start sayingtime out, no, your life will
open up because you get out ofplaying in the snow globe, you
(09:38):
get out of playing in stale pondwater, and you start swimming
in a blue ocean like Nemo.
Nemo had a broken fin, and heswam to Australia in the blue
ocean with all these otheranimals and creatures, and every
day was a new day in learning.
People go through life swimmingin a blue ocean, and that's
what my change out of myboutique company that I thought
(10:00):
was oh so freaking great waskilling me.
And I got out of my own way andthought bigger and said, what
can I play in that has noboundaries, that has the biggest
boundaries, that lets me dowhat I want, where I want, how I
want, with no rules, with theopportunity for what I get and
what my company gives me, withless stress, but I can
(10:21):
accelerate in what I want to do.
And that's where I made mychange and where it's at.
But again, the the the thebiggest point was not living the
memes of everybody else, makingmy own, not being afraid to hit
the button of life.
We spend so much time afraid ofhitting the button.
How good am I gonna look?
How the who cares?
There was a great quote.
(10:42):
If you're reading other whatother people are saying about
you, it's none of your damnbusiness.
Be you, be there's only one ofyou.
Be your best you, and thatthat's that's that's the key.
And I've always been my bestbit me.
Um, but I was afraid, and asI've gotten older, it's like you
you get a little afraid ofdoing things because you don't
want to get hurt because youhave kids and you want to make
sure I'm not skydiving because Idon't want to dive because
(11:05):
yeah, you start saying no tothings, start saying yes to
things, and it's gonna open up auniverse because it's gonna
challenge you.
At some point, somebody put alid on our head and said, Okay,
you're not allowed to grow.
I'll be honest with you, 60years old, I am 10% of where I
want to be.
I am 10%.
Colonel Sanders built hisfortune at 61 after being broke.
(11:26):
Think about that.
How many people are turning thebrakes on?
I'm throwing the octane in thefuel.
Maria (11:32):
No, most people by the time they hit the 60s are just
gliding.
Craig (11:38):
This is the new 40, baby.
Yeah, no doubt.
I'm thinking of myself at 40,I'm better, I'm healthier, I'm
happier, I got more money, mykids are good, I got less
stress, I can change more lives,I can go place with my kid, I
got a kid getting married, I'mgonna have grandkids, God
willing, one day.
You get you out of your mind.
This is great, this is fun.
I wish I knew what I knew whenI was 40.
(12:00):
That's the problem.
They save you, they saveyouthfulness for young kids.
You your youthfulness shouldcome as you get older, and
there's the problem.
We all put the brakes on.
Maria (12:11):
Why we could go, we could go real deep on this because I
think it's a bigger problem thatI think that we've been
indoctrinated into a world wherewe're supposed to follow the
social norm, follow the plan,and it comes from schooling,
from religion, from all of thesethings, and then okay, it's
(12:37):
like you go work in corporateAmerica, you stay there for 40
years, you get a gold watch.
I don't have my watch off, andthen you roll out, and then
hopefully, hopefully, you haveenough energy that you can take
the trips.
But here you are in the safariin South Africa, and you're like
almost with a cane because youwe had to wait so long to get
(12:57):
there.
Craig (12:59):
I agree with you a hundred percent.
You know what?
I love saying yes.
I love saying yes, but the onlyway you can say yes is if you
say enough no's.
Let's repeat that foreverybody, please.
I love saying yes, but the onlyway you can say yes is by
saying enough no's.
(13:20):
If you said yes to everybodyall the time, you wouldn't have
the space for the opportunitythat's coming up because you
already filled it with somethingthat was stupid and a waste of
time.
Stupid how to save no's toleave the space open for what
you do want to put in your life.
There's a great calendar, it'scalled the Big Ass Calendar by
Jeffy uh Jerry Itzer.
(13:41):
Okay, Jerry Itzer.
What book?
He um Jerry Itzer wrote thecalendar, the big ass calendar.
He was actually one of thefirst rap guys, first white
Jewish rap guys in the 80s.
Okay.
Oh wow.
Okay, got in there, was arapper, did his thing, started
(14:03):
doing well, um, had his ownrecord label and all this stuff.
Um, and then he started flyingprivate jets.
As he was flying on privatejets, he's like, I don't want to
fly on regular book jets.
So he said to his one buddy,who's another rapper, he goes,
We got to figure out how to flythis way all the time.
So he said to the guy who ownedthe plane who was there, he
goes, What's it?
What's this thing do when it'son the ground?
(14:23):
He goes, Nothing.
It sits here and costs memoney.
He is how but I could, if Icould fly it and get money made
for you, would you do that?
And would you pay me acommission?
He goes, Hell yeah.
Guess what he invented?
Marquee jet soldier for abillion dollars.
Never owned a plane in hislife.
That's Jeffrey.
Then he started uh Cocoa Water.
Okay.
His wife started the companySpanks.
(14:46):
Follow them.
There's a calendar, it's calleda big ass calendar.
It lays it out.
Lay in all the big rocks, allthe things you want to do.
I have all my all my podcastrecordings uh every Wednesday.
I know where I'm at.
I put other things in there, Iput a family trip in there, I
put in my EXP conventions, I putin, I live life in in uh 90-day
segments.
(15:06):
You can't screw life up thatbad in 90 days.
Yes, you can kill yourself.
Yes, you can get a divorce bydoing something stupid.
Oh, and by the way, if you wantto be happily married, hang out
with happily married people.
You want to be broke, hang outwith broke drug addicts,
gamblers, alcoholics.
Okay.
You want to be you want to begood, hang out.
Maria (15:28):
That should seem like common sense.
Craig (15:33):
Come on.
You and I know there's common.
There's common sense andthere's this wall behind me.
90% of the people are as dumbas the wall.
You know why?
Because they're they've beentold to be the wall.
They've been told to be thewall.
And that's the problem.
A lot of people are fake on theoutside.
(15:54):
What's the real inside?
What is it when it comes down?
Are they willing to bevulnerable enough to cry?
Are they willing to betransparent enough?
And that's where the key comesdown.
That's where you've got tounderstand, that's where you're
gonna go.
You know, I was talking withsomebody the other day and uh a
lady yesterday, and the famousline, no good deed goes
unpunished.
Abso freaking lutely.
(16:14):
I get punished a lot.
Okay, but also at the sametime, I've never had anybody go
over to the other side, sit nextto our maker, who, whatever
religion it is, and then comeback and say, Hey Craig, by the
way, you were right, being anice guy helped.
Never had it happen.
So I gotta have belief andfaith.
So the only faith you've got tohave is the faith in you and
(16:35):
what's in here.
I told my my my kids thisgrowing up, and and they live by
this.
Um behavior never lies.
Your true identity, your trueperson, your true you will
always come out.
So if you cheat in a card game,you're probably gonna be
(16:56):
cheating in other things inlife.
Maria (16:58):
Wow.
That's my favorite thing, ishow you do one thing is how you
do everything.
Craig (17:04):
Exactly.
Behavior never lies.
Three words behavior neverlies, and it's not easy.
Trust me, I'm not perfect, I'mfar from perfect, and Mrs.
Lurch reminds me of it, youknow, but I'm all and so is my
mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law is great.
I'm uh, you know, I tell hershe's she's I said, You're my
most favorite mother-in-law.
She goes, Shut up.
I'm uh your only mother-in-law.
Thank God.
(17:24):
But you know, that that's kindof where it's at.
I mean, we went a little deepthere, but it the perfect thing
is be the solution as you as youdo this.
There is something that's gonnacome out of here that's gonna
help somebody change their life,and it's gonna be a solution
for somebody to go to their nextlevel and smash the snow globe.
It's be those solutions.
Maria (17:42):
I want to talk about, I want to go back again about the
snow globe because I think it'sreally important.
I think that there's a time inpeople's lives that you need to
smash the snow globe.
So, what did it like look likefor you to make that decision?
What did you have to?
We know you made it, we knowyou came out on the other side
(18:04):
strong.
Look at you, your energy,you're you're full of energy,
you love life.
But what kind of pain?
What did you like?
This is what people don't talkabout, right?
They want to talk about whatwhat did you how have to really
go through to come out on theother side?
Um, like work through ego.
Craig (18:31):
Number one problem, ego.
I was um, you know, you know,you have your name on the side,
and the family's been in thebusiness X amount of time, and
all of a sudden you're gonna putyourself within a uh a
brokerage name that isn't yoursas the primary because of the
rules of the state ofPennsylvania things, whatever it
might be.
And I I didn't want to, Ididn't want to own it.
(18:54):
I didn't want I I had beenthrough many, and then and
again, every real estate companyfits the mold of the person who
wants to be there.
I didn't uh from for eons, Ihad been recruited by everybody,
every brokerage, everything.
I could have owned theterritories, I could have bought
them all, whatever.
I I didn't want to do that.
I wanted to be in somethingthat was free, and so my ego was
(19:15):
there.
And five years prior, uh well,two years prior, I had said no
to the opportunity of going toEXP where I'm at presently, and
I'm gonna finish my world herebecause I'm very happy.
But the bottom line comes downto it is I had to get my name
all my ego was there, and I hadto be vulnerable because to me
(19:36):
it was a sign of failure that Ididn't make it in this thing and
I didn't sell the thing.
Brokerages mean you're broke.
You got to leverage it, and atsome point you got to figure out
is my am I paying the dollarsto keep it open or whatever it
might be?
And it's ego, it is where it'sat.
So I looked at whatopportunities I can get for
making donations to this bigcompany and what can I get back,
(19:57):
and then how am I gonna grow?
And that's that's where my mypositive and negatives, my my
profit and loss sides wereplaying down on the list.
And then the biggest thing waslike I kept going back.
Why wasn't I pulling the plug?
Why wasn't I pulling the plug?
And then um it was me, and I'lland I'll be honest with you.
I was on with Brian Moses, whois a national trainer and good
(20:19):
friend of mine.
Um, we've known each other for25, 30 years.
We we spoke and worked togetherwith Craig.
Remember Craig Proctor and JayKinder when we were all we were
all out there teaching togetherand friends.
Um, he had called me about thisopportunity.
He's the one that got me toTommy Shaft, my business coach,
and we went through it for theyear.
And and Tommy goes, I thinkyou're ready for that change
(20:39):
that you might need to get outof your company too, and that's
your snow globe, also.
And it was the night beforeThanksgiving, and Brian had
called me, says, Hey, I gotJanet on the phone.
I want to get Janet on thephone and Linda, let's do a
quick Zoom.
This is like after COVID orwhatever it is, and we all were
like getting excited aboutZooms.
Look at you and me.
We're doing a podcast like thisthat we never would have done
before.
I'm I'm attributing all this toCOVID.
(21:01):
Thank God.
We learned a lot from it, wehad a lot of pain from it, but
we also learned a lot from it.
Um, so we're literally thenight before we have a cocktail,
and uh uh we're sitting theretalking back and forth, and
Brian goes, Um, I gotta ask youa question, Linda.
Why hasn't Craig?
(21:21):
It's been four months since hewent through this stuff with
Tommy.
We've been talking about himclose getting out of his own
company and um coming to EXP andall that stuff.
She goes, tell me what theproblem is.
And she goes, Brian, you wantto know the truth?
And he goes, Yeah, I want toknow the truth.
He goes, Hold on, I want torecord this.
(21:42):
I have this recording.
He goes, Okay, Brian, here itis.
She goes, he's a blanking P.
She called me right out on thevideo.
And I wouldn't say don't hearin front of everybody.
She called me it out.
And I looked at Brian's faceand his wife's face dropped.
(22:02):
That's how blunt it was whatshe called me.
She goes, his biggest problem'shim.
He has made other people multi,multi, multi-millionaires
through the year.
We're very good in where we'reat.
He is very good in where he'sat, but he's afraid to take that
next jump.
He's afraid of doing thisbecause he's afraid to do it
alone, because he's been toldfor all these years that he
(22:24):
needs to stay where and whathe's doing.
So, Brian, he's the problem.
And she goes, Craig, I'm gonnatell you right now, if you don't
smash that snow globe and makethis change, you are never going
to another convention, you'renever buying another
motivational book, you are neverdoing this, you're never doing
that.
I don't want to hear it becauseyou're a blanking blank,
(22:45):
because you're afraid of yourown failures.
She goes, Brian, on that note,have a nice Thanksgiving.
Took her drink drink, saidcheers.
She goes, I'm going to theliving room.
Goodbye, and walked away.
Off the Zoom.
I'm like, Brian's like, he'slike, So are you coming to EXP
(23:06):
tonight or is it tomorrowmorning?
I was like, we're gonna do thistomorrow morning.
I gotta go to the cent with mywife.
We went in there, I cried, Ibawled.
It was brilliant, it was tough.
You know, it still brings itout.
But guess what?
It was that was a changingpoint.
That was painful to get thatsmack in the face.
Um, for the person that lovesyou the most.
(23:28):
And that's where the truth camefrom.
And that that's when bam.
I mean, that you want to talkabout hitting a stone wall at
100 miles an hour?
Woo! Because at that point, allbridges were burnt.
There was no way I could say noto anything.
I got out of and and I don'tknow, getting out of my company,
(23:48):
leaving my stock.
Who how did I know that there's20 years of depreciation that I
owe tax on and I didn't eventake any money out of my
company, but I'm gonna owe thefederal company, federal income
tax hundreds of thousands ofdollars because I closed the
company.
I didn't know that, did you?
But I sure as shit didn't thinkI sure as heck didn't think
about it when I walked out.
(24:09):
I'll deal with it later.
I didn't know.
I found out about it a yearlater.
What's what happened?
I I got out closing thecompany, my brother kept it.
You get depreciations and andall that stuff that were in my
shares of the company.
I had to pay tax on backdepreciations and all that
stuff.
I don't know.
My accountant told me what itwas.
I don't know, K1s and all thisother stuff by leaving.
Maria (24:29):
Oh, because you have a partnership, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Craig (24:32):
Right.
Right.
So I had to take care of allthat stuff on top of leaving
because you had a partnership,that's why.
Yeah, whatever the thing was.
That's why I pay people to myaccountant.
Says, yeah, you're not gonnalike this, but guess what?
Maria (24:43):
You're out of it, yeah.
Craig (24:45):
So that's being there, there's the things you don't
know, but I kept going.
I'm going and going, going, andI'm still at an exciting point.
I mean, I'm learning every day,I've learned more technology,
I've learned more about thingsthan I would have by myself, and
getting rid of that ego.
But that was the hardest point.
I I think that was that was thereckoning point.
(25:05):
That was when you're there andrealizing that you're the
biggest problem.
You can do anything you want todo.
That's right.
There are people that have madeit from the ghettos, there's
people that made it, there arepeople that are wealthy that are
broke now.
There are people to winlotteries.
74% of the NFL football playersare bankrupt in two years after
(25:25):
they're done football.
And they had whatever moneythey had.
Okay, so all these things, youknow, you can be up here and
fall, you can be down here andgrow.
It's all where you're gonna putyourself, and that's when I
decided that I'm I'm just gonnasmash it and start like I'm
brand new.
I burnt my bridges, I can't gobackwards.
(25:46):
Going backwards is a failure.
My wife always said, worstcomes worse, you go back into
your old company.
I'm like, screw that, it'sburnt, it's done.
I can't go back.
I burnt the bridges.
And when you fight with that,if you fight under the intention
that the person you love themost, you need to find a
hundred, you're broke, you havezero money.
You need a hundred thousanddollars in 30 days, a hundred
(26:08):
thousand dollars in thirty daysto put a new heart in them, or
they die.
How bad will you fight?
How many hours a day will youwork?
Our problem is we work watchingclocks.
We don't work until we're doneour work, we don't work until
we're met our purpose, we don'twork until we meet our value.
We work because we watch aclock, because we were told to
(26:30):
watch a clock.
I don't care how much money youwant to make in a day, do it in
an hour and enjoy the other 23hours.
That's why I said I live in90-day segments.
Every day I come in andwhiteboard, I wipe, I wipe a
number off and I put it there.
Every day it's a countdown.
How many days until I'm I Igotta meet it, I gotta beat her,
I gotta beat her.
You think that the uh you knowthe rockets that go up are
(26:53):
perfect, they're underconstantly fixing within
centimeters to stay on track.
If you're not watching whereyou are, if you're not watching
where you're going, you're notlife isn't a Tesla that drives
itself.
You gotta drive the car, yougotta know where you want to go.
And if you don't know whereyou're going, there's your
problem.
Maria (27:12):
Uh-huh.
That is like one of the biggestthings.
Most people don't know whatthey want.
Craig (27:20):
You ever go to a restaurant?
Or I love this.
I I it it it loaths me, but Ilove it.
I'm like, you you go to arestaurant and you people see
you, you've got a menu in frontof you, and people, well, what
do you want?
I don't know.
If you can't figure out what'son a freaking menu menu in front
of you, how are you runningyour life?
(27:41):
I don't literally people.
What does five years look forlike for you?
I don't know.
What's next week look for you?
I don't know.
I said if you had the wildestdream, if you could pick your
wildest house, where would itbe?
What would you be doing?
How would it smell?
How would it look, then whatwould you be doing every morning
if in the first two hoursliving in it?
Maria (28:01):
I could tell you.
Craig (28:02):
And then, well, you can tell because you and me are
alike.
You start getting there, itgets it actually gives you
chills.
It actually, like, yeah, let'sgo.
Maria (28:09):
You know, I'm looking right now at my fruit and olive
trees over the vista, and I cansee the sea in the distance
where in Italy.
Craig (28:20):
Where?
Where in Italy?
Maria (28:22):
I don't know yet because I'm I'm torn from being up north
and down south, probably, youknow.
Craig (28:32):
So here's the difference.
Do people know the differenceof north and south in Italy?
You do.
Maria (28:37):
There's 20 regions, and I've been to 17 of them.
Craig (28:40):
And what's your favorite region?
Okay, your top two.
I'm not gonna zero you in onone.
Maria (28:47):
Okay.
Um I love Pulia in the south.
Craig (28:52):
And what was the thing you loved the most about that?
Maria (28:57):
Oh the sea, the food, the people, the longest,
architecture, the towns.
I like Piemonte, but uhprobably because I haven't spent
much time in Umbria, which I dowant to spend time in, I'd have
(29:18):
to go with Tuscana.
And the reason I would go withTuscana if I had a gun to my
head is that from in Tuscany,you have within an hour and 15
minutes, you can take a train toBologna, you can take a train
to Torino in two hours, youcould take a train to Milan in
(29:38):
two hours, you could take atrain to Florence in an hour.
It's a great central part.
And those are the places thatI'd want to be, you know.
And then I would say in if youwanted to go for holiday and
wanted to be at the beach, youknow, you go over to the
Adriatic, um, which is a couplehours.
(29:58):
So Or you can go to uh theItalian Riviera, which is like
Geneva, which is about an hourand a half, two hours.
So it's a very convenient spot.
Craig (30:13):
In fact, it's kind of like Billy.
We can get to the mountains, wecan get to New York, we can get
the weather.
Maria (30:19):
It's definitely not like Billy.
Craig (30:22):
I'm being sarcastic.
You know, I walk by.
Here's something.
When you're there, are youcalmer?
Maria (30:32):
I love it.
Craig (30:33):
You actually go from here here.
I call it the Delilah voice.
It's like um when I do theradio show, I'll I mean I'm up
here.
And when I come out and I startrattling right on the phone at
10 after 11, I gotta rememberhold on, hold on, hold on.
You're amped up.
You gotta bring it down to theDelilah voice.
And be honest with you, I can'tstand that voice.
I can't stand listening toDelilah on the radio.
(30:54):
But again, it's bringing itdown a notch and not running
people over because you you gotthe same personality as I do.
We have a D personality, whichis direct and to the point, and
we have an I personality, whichis very outgoing.
So feedback to us is kind oflike water off a duck.
We really don't care about it,but we need to absorb it.
And if an eye personality, it'slike, yeah, let's go.
Let I got you, and I'm excited,and boom, boom, boom.
(31:15):
And everybody wants to followthe perpetual energy of it.
And that's part of the thing.
But I got to remember, bring itdown.
Not everybody's there.
You know, you got to talk.
Like if I come in all hyped up,or you talk like all hyped up,
our Philly, all the time to amom, a grandmom who's in her
80s, you're gonna run her over.
Bring it down and treat likethat.
So, but that's the way that youcome back from Italy, you're
(31:38):
calm, and all of a sudden youstart amping up again because
it's our it's our environment,it's our snow globe, it's our
environment.
Maria (31:45):
I'm angry.
Philly's not at anybody.
Craig (31:51):
I've had more fun talking about Philly, especially now
that the the selling 215 made inPhilly TV or all that stuff.
But here's here's the deal (31:56):
we have grit, we have passion, we
have love, we have this.
Everybody says, What state areyou from?
I don't say Pennsylvania, I sayPhilly.
Philly's one of a kind.
You're either part of Philly oryou're not.
This is the birthplace of theUnited States.
250th birthday coming up, yeah.
July 4th, 2026.
(32:17):
Everything came from here.
The 13 colonies came off ofhere from Independence Hall.
We got all this stuff, and howmany people?
I want to challenge anybodywho's watching this.
How many people know how manysquare foot Independence Hall
is?
How many people know what thevalue of the thing is?
How many people know how manybricks are in City Hall?
How many people know how manysteps are at the art museum?
(32:37):
How many people have gone andseen these places?
People come and visit them, butwe are so ignorant in our own
town.
Maria (32:44):
Oh, many places uh they have the same ignorance.
It's not just Philly.
Craig (32:49):
I know, but I'm calling a spade because we live here.
I'm I'm calling it what it is.
I've learned more.
Oh, it's something.
Maria (32:57):
It's something it's something, it makes it's a
definitely uh a gritty place.
Um it's it's a lot of things.
People always say a lot ofopportunity.
No, you're from Philly.
Okay, you're one of those.
Craig (33:20):
So the Eagles fans.
Maria (33:22):
I said I don't throw snowballs at Santa Claus.
Craig (33:25):
No, no, no, no, no.
I don't throw snow.
Hey, another thing is watchthrowing rocks, man.
Watch throwing rocks and glasshouses.
You gotta look in the mirror.
That's a big thing, man.
I love it when people are, Ilove critics.
I have no problem being acritic as long as you're willing
to take the feedback.
If you're willing to take it,I'm willing to give it.
I'm willing to take it, I'mwilling to listen, but I'm gonna
(33:47):
give it back.
And that's the key.
Communication's two ways, it'snot a one-way street.
Life's two ways.
It's a chemistry act, like bethe solution.
The solution is the outcome ofwhat I call two things put
together.
If you've got a conflict goingon, it's because the perceptions
(34:08):
of two people or twoopportunities are not an
alignment.
And when I work with otheragents, I say, hold on, we had
one alignment at one point, butour anticipation of the outcome
has changed due to inspections,due to personalities, due to
this, this, and this.
What do we have to do to geteverybody congruent again back
(34:28):
into the same vision?
Was your buyer getting in thishouse, my seller getting out of
this house, or vice versa?
It was the incongruency of theexpectations of what's happening
because you don't know otherpeople's expectations because
people are told expectations,but oh, now's your chance to go
beat them up on a homeinspection.
No, no, it's not.
Speaker 03 (34:48):
Mm-mm.
Craig (34:49):
No, those are cosmetic things.
What are our major things?
So you've got to always bewatching what those things are.
And the main part going back tothe solution is life's like a
chemistry kit.
And I tell my kids all thetime, I've had Corey on the
radio show with me.
I said, Corey, how's it like tobe in on a radio show?
Dad, it's like sitting in thekitchen on Sunday just talking.
You know, this is exactly how Italk with my kids.
(35:10):
I said, Guys, it's a it's alife's a chemistry.
With every action, there's areaction.
Everything you do is going todo it.
You add something else, it'sgoing to be a different one.
So you got to watch who you'readding to the chemistry.
You got to watch what you'redoing in the midst of the
chemistry, what things are beingaround it to make that
solution, that end piece, whatit is.
And we're so busy at lookingwhere we're at, we're not
(35:34):
looking forward.
If we were to look forward inthe process and back engineer
it, it's a lot easier.
But we all get stuck in the mudand get stuck in the sand and
get stuck in the in thequicksand.
Instead of walking around itbecause we see somebody else in
it, we decide, uh, hell, let'sjust get in it with them.
No, figure out where it is,back engineer it, and life's a
(35:57):
lot easier.
So, and part of the solution,which is which is what you are.
You're you're you're a problemsolver, you're a
solution-oriented person.
And I love the name of yourshow.
That that it's all about thesolutions of life.
Maria (36:08):
Be the solution, and we're we're creating a be the
solution movement right now.
Craig (36:13):
Be the solution, you be it.
You own it, you own it.
You are all in, you are all andit's not always easy to be the
solution, but and it's not no,because that means you're gonna
take it on the chin, you'regonna have to stand up and say
something you don't want to say,you're gonna have to tell the
truth to somebody that they maynot like to hear.
Maria (36:32):
You're a idiot, go over there, or just walk away.
Craig (36:41):
You know what?
I agree with you.
I agree with you.
I like if that's what you gottado.
Good for you.
God bless you.
Because you're gonna wake upbeing you tomorrow.
I'm gonna wake up being me, andyou are gonna be the same
person.
I'm not you, thank God.
Not you.
I mean, like that person I'mhaving that conversation with,
you know.
Maria (36:59):
We all get to decide who we want to be.
Craig (37:02):
Yeah, you had asked me a question what's your superpower
lawyer?
Um, and I think it that thebiggest thing, like I said, was
uh my biggest attribute is mybiggest fault.
It's my loyalty.
And unfortunately, you know,when I smashed the snow globe, I
(37:22):
had to give up the loyalty toeverybody else and go back to my
own loyalty to myself.
And once you find that, that'skind of where it goes.
And that is my superpower.
But I'm gonna put it back outto you.
What's your superpower?
Maria (37:44):
Oh I would say, well, in real estate or just life.
Craig (38:00):
Well, how did you ask me?
Ask it to yourself.
Maria (38:02):
You answered it how you wanted to.
Craig (38:04):
Okay, you're right.
Neither one.
Maria (38:07):
So for me, I would say in the real estate world, I'm a
listing listing.
That's my superpower.
My superpower is only not aboutlisting, it's human connection,
I think.
I think it's I think it's humanconnection.
People say all the time, whatdo you say to people to get all
these listings?
I said, I don't say anything toget all these listings.
(38:28):
I say, I'm a skilled, I'mskilled at what I do extremely.
It's it's crystal clear when Ihave a conversation with
somebody, and I care.
Craig (38:42):
There's the key.
Maria (38:44):
And so because I care, I know what you know, and I ask
critical questions to understandwhere they are, and I actually
care about the outcome, which isbeing in integrity with people
and telling the truth,regardless of whatever the
outcome is gonna be.
(39:05):
Doesn't matter.
And I'll say, I'm here, I'm Godwilling, I'm here.
So when you're ready, you'renot ready, no problem.
I'm not like uh there's nopressure, you gotta sell right
now.
The market's gonna crash, youknow.
People do this crazy stuff.
Um let's take that listing for600 when I know it's 500, and
(39:28):
I'll watch it and I'll see it,I'll check on it, I'll see it's
old or 500.
Or in this market, quitefrankly, it's probably not even
gonna sell.
Um, it's just not.
We've had to cancel an enormousamount of listings this year
that I never actually couldn'teven believe so many because the
alignment of where sellers'reality is and the market is is
(39:52):
not aligned, and there's nothingI can do to change that.
So, you know, it is what it is,it's a tough industry, you
know.
It's been more difficult, Ifeel, in the last year than even
in the last several years, butthis year, the last six months,
(40:14):
I don't know what's going onwith people.
Craig (40:17):
Well, you got a changing market where people used to be
order takers and just easy, andthen you have what I call the
the cousin, the aunt, the unclethat everybody thought, oh, I'm
gonna get this, and they'rehappy doing two or three sales a
year.
That's money for them to take atrip.
And what does that do?
It dilutes the upper, itdilutes business for the real
true professionals.
And people, I mean, I've lostlistings to people say, Oh, by
(40:39):
the way, and you know, theseI've sold them two or three
houses, and they're like, Well,my brother's daughter just
graduated college and she gother license, and we're gonna
give it to her because it'sgonna help her pay her student
loans.
I'm like, you're taking yourlargest investment of 700,
800,000, 900,000, gonna trust itto a kid that's 23 years old,
just got out, never did a salebefore, who's gonna get X amount
(41:01):
of percentage at the end, justwrite them a check and go use a
professional, and I'll net moremoney for them, or I'll pay
them, you know.
I'm like, fine, whatever youwant to do, God bless you.
But it it's just there's thatdilution because it's so easy in
the industry.
We may for us for for for forus to make it through this many
years is is very rare.
The average really five, fiveyears, five years, and they're
(41:24):
done now.
They say that we're gonna lose350,000 agents in the next 18
months.
Yes, but there's also another500,000 that believe that
they're gonna make it, that aregetting licenses and coming.
Maria (41:35):
So back in 2010-ish, we came, we went down from I think
we were at 102 and we went downto 800.
Yeah, and then we went up tolike 108.
Yeah, so think about that.
Like right now, I believe wesit at 16 or one.
(41:56):
I think it's one five eight.
Okay, you're right in thisyear.
There'll be three million salesin the USA.
Craig (42:07):
Damn, it should.
Balanced market is 5.2 millionhomes, and we're at like three.
And they're saying we're wecould get lucky and hit four
million.
That means we're 1.2 millionhomes short for people.
That's why prices are rising.
That's why we're stuck in whatI call the funnel, in that
people don't want to movebecause where they're going to
go is going to cost them moremovement.
(42:28):
People move because of expensesand because of size and being
uncomfortable with what they'redoing.
When the pain to stay the sameis greater than the pain to
change, people will make thechange.
There's no pain for them tostay to change because they're
comfortable where they're at.
It's that baby boomer.
There's this is the biggestwealth part coming out and where
it's going in transitions ofwealth over the next 10 years,
(42:51):
uh, and property and things ofthat nature.
But you're you're you're right.
It is a crazy industry.
That's why you need to dealwith professionals.
That's why you need to.
I mean, I I loved what went on,you know.
I'm not condoning right, wrongor not.
I loved it.
August 17th, 2024, you need toget buyer agency contracts.
Because for the past eightyears, 10 years before that, it
(43:14):
was the law, too, but there wasno teeth, there was no reality
because not everybody was doingit.
Oh, that company won't, thatcompany does it.
We won't make you do thatbecause we don't want to make
you feel uncomfortable.
It was the law.
The rule of the game is now asa buyer.
You either sign this thing orI'm not working with you because
I'm not losing my licensebecause somebody snitched on me
(43:35):
because we have the snitch ruleout there.
All right, that I didn't get itsigned, or you slipped and
said, Oh, well, I don't havethat with so-and-so.
Why do I got to sign it withyou?
Guess what?
That agent's calling somebodybecause they've all been
embredded.
Oh, whoa, we're gonna catchthem, we're gonna find them five
thousand, ten thousand dollars,fine, whatever.
I'm not, I'm not gonna be that,I'm gonna, I'm not gonna be
(43:56):
that patsy for somebody, youknow.
So if you're not willing tocommit to me, it's like um we
talked about it earlier.
You want to be happily married,hang out with happily married
couples.
You're married, it doesn't meanthat you're out doing other
things with other people, youknow.
And I tell people, look, I'myour realtor, I'm working with
you, me and my team.
This is us.
This is us.
We we are it, we are your yourwe're your life partner for that
(44:17):
amount of time.
And the goal is to meet yourneeds, and we're gonna
communicate how the process isgoing on.
And if not, it's okay.
You know, that's saying nobecause that space will open up
with somebody else in thefuture.
Same thing with listings, youknow.
You fired X, you called itcanceled.
My opinion is you fired somesellers that weren't listening
to your expertise.
It's like going to a heartdoctor that says, You keep
(44:38):
eating this, you're gonna have aheart attack and die.
And you keep doing it, and thedoctor keeps telling, they say,
you know what, I'm not takingcare of you anymore because I
don't want your death chart onmy record.
Same thing, you know, but theythink we have to.
Maria (44:55):
They think we have to, they think a lot and I say, and
the other thing is, you know,people that they just want to
cancel because they think youcan't sell it, it's they think
they need a new broker.
I'm like, okay, I'll withdrawit, but it's not gonna be a
cancel listing.
You signed a contract, I workedfor you, I have expenses,
(45:15):
several thousand dollars on yourlisting already, yeah, or
matterport and all these otherthings.
Craig (45:20):
Yeah, yeah.
People don't get it, yeah.
People don't get it, peopledon't get it.
Maria (45:27):
Oh, and then here's the growth.
You ready?
Yeah, I am going to blast youall over social media.
I'm gonna give you one star onGoogle and say all these bad
things about you.
I'm like, well, that's libel,and I'll send my attorney after
I'll send.
Yeah, people just think theycan bully you.
You should see the emails I gotfrom people, the way that they
(45:49):
spoke to me.
Craig (45:51):
Yeah, you'd be surprised.
Maria (45:52):
They think that you know, I'm a professional broker, I've
been in sales and marketing for33 years, in real estate for
22.
I don't know who you thinkyou're talking to, but you're
not gonna speak to me like that,whether it's in a text email or
verbally, I will not have it.
(46:15):
I just won't respond.
I just don't respond.
My response is no response.
Craig (46:21):
Yeah, I another thing is is uh you know, as as I've
grown, um is not to do knee-jerkreactions.
Another reason why I do 90days, how many times do you have
marketing people or whatevertrying to sell you something for
your business?
You need this, you need this.
I say, I'm great.
I have 77 days left, I have 43days left to review what is
(46:43):
going into my next 90 days,which will be then implemented
in the following 90 days.
So, whatever I'm looking at,it's gotta if for me to do
something instantly, it's gottabe crazy.
It's gotta be really good.
And if the in or in the next 90days, usually I'm planning out
120 to 150 days out that whatwould be implemented.
(47:03):
My old self would be knee-jerkreaction.
I file sparkly things.
Squirrel, sparkly, let's go.
I'm good.
Let's get you're so busy doingnude that you're not finishing
what you're doing, and our 80%or 70% is better than most
people's 100%.
And we're so busy, we get sobusy sometimes trying to be the
(47:28):
100% ourselves and understandour 70% is so high over the bar
of everybody else, they couldn'teven catch us if they wanted
to.
I had somebody ask me, What doyou do in a day?
I said, Why don't you ask mewhat I don't do in a day?
My daughter actually spent twoor three days with me right
after she graduated college, andshe goes, Dad, you've made over
(47:52):
a hundred phone calls, you'vedone this.
I he goes, You've helped this,this.
My wife nicknamed me Gaggleinstead of Google.
You're the same way.
Who do you know that can I'mconstantly connecting clients
with other people that can getproblem solved?
I want to be that person, Iwant to be that person they come
to because they're gonna tellother people about me.
And it's word of mouth andreferrals that helps our
(48:15):
business grow.
And that is one of the thingsyou know, you don't know where
your day's going.
That's what I kind of likeabout this industry.
You don't know how you'regetting paid at the end of the
day because you're not, but ifyou do the actions, you're gonna
get paid in time.
But you got to do the work.
If you're not going out anddoing uh extra sprints before
practice or after practice,you're not gonna be the
(48:36):
superstar on the field.
You have to do the work, yougotta do the work, you gotta do
the work, unless you're gonnawin.
Nobody can do nobody can do thework for you.
No, no, you think tiger woodswanted to swing the club 10,000
times?
130,000 hours.
Guess what?
You and I have professionalcriteria in the sports worlds
(49:01):
multiple times in our business.
130 over 130,000 hours.
It's 10,000 hours to become.
I've got over 130,000 hours ifyou take work hours and blah
blah blah over 36, 35 years.
130,000.
That is 13 professional golfspots.
That's 13 quarterback spots.
Think about that.
(49:23):
Every 10,000 hours of practice,theoretically, is what they've
said is made it professional.
130,000.
You've got the same numbers.
Think about it.
But yet we get looked at by abrand new agent who's sitting
there, not knowing their earfrom the wall, and they
calculate it says the same.
Hold on, I get 130,000 out.
(49:44):
So you're gonna go in with asurgeon who's never touched a
surgical knife or somebody who'sdone it 130,000 hours.
You know what?
Good luck with that.
You know what I mean?
Maria (49:56):
I love when they say you can't compare it to that.
I'm like, I gotta go.
I'm done with this conversationnow.
Craig (50:02):
You know what?
I was at the doctor's the otherday, and uh, you know, well, my
my my regular doctor knows thisanswer.
Um, because I went in thedoctor's one time.
How many you go in the doctor'sand you wait?
And all of a sudden you're likean hour.
I'm like, first of all, I don'thave if I'm an hour late for a
client without an explanation,I'm not getting a job.
And I don't call, I don'twrite, I make them sit there and
(50:23):
wait for me patiently reading amagazine.
But yet we do that in adoctor's office.
Well, years ago, I left.
I just got up and left, andthen they called me, like, well,
we're charging your copay.
I said, No, you're not.
I sat there an hour.
You even said the doctor hadn'tcome in from his rounds in the
hospital.
Whoa, whoa.
I make as much money, if notmore money, than the doctor.
Her eyes blew up.
(50:44):
So next time I came in, I satthere about a half hour, 20
minutes.
I walked up and said, I toldyou, you got five, 10 minutes
and I'm out.
Boom, left.
Next time I came, they put mein the room, left me in the room
for 25 minutes.
I got up, walked out.
They got me the last time,though.
(51:05):
They came in and said, Okay,doc, you're getting a physical,
right?
Yeah, here, get changed.
Okay, great.
Nurse took my pants, so Icouldn't leave.
So, kind of a funny story inthat in respect.
Is look, I don't have patiencefor people being, I don't have
pay.
Know where you're at.
Just because they're a doctor,just because they're this
doesn't mean they're right orwrong.
We are professionals, we dowhat we do, and respect that.
(51:29):
Respect what somebody does.
I don't care if you're thewater pourer at a restaurant, be
the best water pourer, makethose glasses sparkle, be polite
when you see the people.
Don't spill the water on thetable and on my lap.
Be the best at what you'redoing, but be the best you want
to be, be your best.
You want to sell five housesand you're save yourself the
(51:50):
problem, do it in a week, takethe rest of the year off, go
travel, spend time with family.
Why have Ajita all those allthose months for no reason?
Maria (52:00):
I don't be the solution, Craig.
It was great to have you on theshow today.
So much fun.
So much fun.
And I look forward to being onyour radio show in a couple of
weeks.
Craig (52:13):
Next Wednesday, we're gonna go live WWDB 860, 1030 to
11.
We're gonna have some fun.
We're gonna, you know, it'sunscripted real estate, just
like this.
It's called Unscripted RealEstate Talk is a half hour.
Talks about the uh passions ofPhilly, selling in Philly, like
you.
Um you know what makes PhillyPhilly?
What makes believe it or not?
(52:33):
Everything in this city fromthe from the Uber drivers to the
restaurants to the doormen tothe everything in this city
affects our real estate values,and nobody believes that.
Oh, yeah, everything affectsthe real estate values, and we
get to we get to help interpretthat.
And we're gonna, I'm so excitedto have you on.
(52:54):
We're gonna have I can't wait.
You know what the best is?
You don't have to have hair andmakeup done.
We're on a radio, nobody cansee us.
Well, I'll still be myself,yeah.
Just you and the lovely,vibrant self that you are.
You always you know, I I lovedit the other day.
I saw your your uh you werewearing flamingo pink, and
flamingo pink is my favorite,and I love that in your coloring
(53:16):
too.
You know, flamingos aredifferent, they're quirky,
they're fun, their leg goes thisway, and then everybody says,
Why do you love flamingos?
Because my mom, when when um Iwas 23, I lost her when she was
44 years old.
Her one of her favorite animalswas uh, and it's not animals,
bird works, flamingos.
And she had said to me, She hadhad all these plastic flamingos
(53:36):
in front of her house up inBluebell.
And I said, Mom, she's thewoman that wore St.
John's suits, business,whatever it was.
And I was like, What are withthe pink flamingos?
And she knew she had six monthsto go.
She goes, Craigie, and shewanted a few people in life that
can call me Craigie, other thanmy mother-in-law.
Um, she goes, Those thoseflamingos are things to remind
(54:00):
people.
She goes, I live on acul-de-sac of 12 houses here,
and when I leave, people won'tremember my name.
But I'm gonna do a random actof kindness for every one of
them before I die, and I'm gonnaput a pink flamingo on their
lawn so they'll see them leavingmine and going to theirs.
And the thing in life is howmany flamingos are you gonna
leave?
How many people are you gonnachange those lives for?
(54:21):
How many flamingos are yougonna leave on people's front
lawn?
And um that's why I love seeingthe pink flamingos.
That's why I love that colorpink.
Uh I have a flamingo golf head,you know.
My golf favorite golf shirtsare all pink and flamingos, and
people say you're crazy.
I was like, no.
One, it reminds me of my dad,but two is they're also quirky.
You got long necks, they'rethey're they're this pink color.
(54:44):
They love seafood.
I love seafood, but you know,but it is is when I go to her
grave, I don't put flowers, Iput a flamingo.
Maria (54:51):
Wow, that's a sweet.
That's a great story.
Craig (54:54):
Every time I see pink, I think of my mom.
Maria (54:57):
Oh, beautiful.
Keep being the solution, Greg.
Craig (55:01):
Thank you for letting me share that.
Maria (55:02):
See you soon.
Craig (55:03):
All right, see ya.
All right.
Today we're jumping right inwith Craig Lerch.
Craig has been, he's anindustry, a real estate industry
veteran.
Gosh, over 30 plus years in theindustry here in the
Philadelphia market.
And we're going to talk todayall things real estate.
So welcome, Craig.
Craig (00:22):
Oh my God, this is so great.
I've, you know, we've knowneach other through the years,
and to be able to doopportunities like this is, you
know, it's neat becauseeverybody says we all hate each
other.
Hell no.
You know what?
The the top players in the citycommunicate and hang out
together and share ideas.
There's more than enoughbusiness out there for people.
You know, so this is oh yeah.
This is so much.
Maria (00:43):
I mean, there's there's people that have business that
shouldn't have any businessbecause they don't have any clue
what they're doing.
Craig (00:51):
Well, the average agent is what 3.6 houses a year.
You can make more money workingat McDonald's with benefits.
Why stress yourself out for 12months of the year to make the
same amount of money?
Geez, come on, do it in onemonth and call it a month, you
know?
Or do it in a week.
Yeah, I love that.
Oh my god, I did five houses.
Great.
This week?
No, it in a year.
(01:12):
Okay, that's a you problem.
Maria (01:16):
Well, definitely.
So you have you have threethings that you look at.
Three things you live, threeways you live your life.
Craig (01:25):
Yep, yep, yep, yep.
About um, I really dug deepafter 30.
I'm gonna say, well, it's been30 36 plus now.
Um, I'm gonna say around the30-year mark, I was like, man, I
hate this freaking industry.
Freaking hate.
I'm an SOB, I'm a son of abroker.
I was born in the business.
How many people can say thatwhen they were born, their
parents were like, I want to be,you're gonna be a doctor,
(01:45):
you're gonna be a lawyer, you'regonna be this, you're gonna be
that.
Mine was like, You're gonnasell real estate.
I'm like, great, here we go.
So um, I was that kid that waslike, you're never gonna do
anything else.
Economics background.
And after 30 years in thebusiness, being being in, you
know, in our family business,15, had my own brokerage um for
uh you know, 17.
I was burnt, I was tired.
(02:07):
I was like, this, this, there'sgotta be something else.
And you start, you really gotto start looking deep in
yourself and figuring out why,wet, where, and how can I be
better for my clients, how can Ibe better for my community, how
can I be better for my family?
And I was I was fit turningfifth, I was turning 55.
So I was looking at the speedlimit sign, and I'm like, I'm
(02:27):
not going fast enough.
And everybody is starting tousually start putting brakes on
there, and I'm like, I want togo faster, and I don't want to
go slower.
Um, and I don't like speed.
So at that point, I dug deepwith my business coach, and we
figured out one of my biggestproblems was um after a full
year of it and $30,000 ofcoaching cost, uh, that the
(02:49):
problem was I was stuck in a ina in a in a zip code, my zip
code.
19046 was the zip code, it wasstuck in my head.
And his response was, he goes,You're stuck in this.
I'm like, what's this?
He goes, a snow globe.
He goes, When you entered thebusiness 30 some years ago, you
were a tiny little fish.
And the problem is you grew tothe size of this snow globe or
(03:11):
the lake that you played in.
And the challenge is, is you'relike a pent-up cat in a corner.
You have so much you want todo, and so many people you want
to help, and so many lives youwant to change, that you're
stuck in this snow globe, andeverything's not as sparkly as
it was.
So it's agitating you versushelping you change.
So he says, You have an option,either smash the snow globe in
(03:34):
which you're living in or stayin it and put yourself asleep
and be miserable the rest ofyour life.
So I was like, Woo, that's aneye awakening at the end of the
year as you're getting ready tocome into your new business
plan.
So um, we ultimately uh I hesays, Look, take a week, let's
regroup again.
Well, in that week, he sent mea snow globe with a hammer.
And he says, Here's theopportunity.
You're either gonna smash thesnow globe or you're gonna stay
(03:56):
in it and you're gonna do itwhen we're on the phone
together, when we're on a zoomtogether.
So that next week, he's like,So what's it gonna be?
And smashing it was reallygetting uncomfortable, which
means that I dissolve and walkout of my own brokerage.
I walked out of my own company,I was broker for five different
companies for friends andstuff, and decided to go into a
company where you know you havea dear friend, Veronica uh
(04:18):
Fiorello is, uh, decided to goplay with the XP.
And in that process, welearned, I learned one of the
changes in which I wanted to dowas my three funnels and how I
function every day and how I gothrough it.
We talk about funnels asbusiness.
Well, it was funnels for life.
It's change lives, make money,and have fun.
And the full mission in that isto experience the best that
(04:42):
life has to offer and exhaust itto the max with enthusiasm and
intention.
And in changing lives, it'sworking with buyers, sellers,
negotiating contracts, workingwith other fantastic agents like
yourself, doing random acts ofkindness.
You ever get up there and yousee people not letting somebody
out in front of you as they'rerunning late for work in the
(05:02):
morning with their car?
If you're running one car lateand that's going to make your
appointment late, that's a youproblem.
So open, let people out infront of you, hold doors, go
into bakeries, drop ahundred-dollar bill or a $50
bill or a $20 bill and walk outanonymously and say, bye for
everybody who's in line behindme and walk out.
Do something in a restaurantfor some lady or some person
(05:24):
that's sitting there bythemselves.
You know, you never know thelife you're gonna change.
That person might need that hugthat saves their life that day.
You don't know what's going onin their mind.
So the number one is changelives.
Number two is make money.
You got to make money.
I don't care where you can'tnot survive unless you're Mother
Teresa.
You can't change lives withoutmaking money.
The more money you make, themore money you can give, the
(05:45):
more money you can change.
And the other one is have fun.
If it's not fun, we talkedabout toxic people before.
It's like the movie UmBlindside when when Sandra Bull
goes to Shay, just go overthere.
I put toxic people over there.
At the end of the year, each uhMrs.
Lurch and I sit down.
I reference her after 37 years,so is Mrs.
Lurch, and you've met Linda.
(06:06):
Um, we're like, who'spoisonous?
Who aren't we going out withthis year?
Who aren't we gonna hang outwith?
You know, it's not comfortable.
The more you get older, theless you're gonna have because
people will suck your freakingenergy out of you.
So those are my three funnels.
Change lives, make money, havefun.
If it isn't two of the three,I'm not allowed to touch it.
(06:27):
I'm not allowed to get involvedwith them.
The goal is ultimately three ofthem.
Okay, but uh usually it'schanging lives and having fun,
and the money will follow.
This, you asked me to do this.
I'm like, absolutely, get onthere with you and have this.
Is first of all fun.
Two is you and I are gonnachange some lives having
conversations.
And three, hopefully, it'sgonna make somebody who's
watching money because we'reable to share ideas together
(06:50):
after you know your third almost30, some years, 25, 30 years,
mine.
You've got you got longer thanalmost a lifetime just between
the two of us, just in realestate, not including the number
of transactions.
So, long story of how they cameabout.
Smash the snow globe.
That's why I have these aroundthe office.
I have one in my car, I'mconstantly looking at it.
Um, and then changing lives,making money, and having fun.
Maria (07:13):
I love well, first, I love the three things, second,
and really tied with first.
I love the snow globe analogy.
Craig (07:23):
So tell me, I cry.
It's it's tough, man.
It's tough.
Every time I look at it, I gettear-jerked.
This little freaking thingchanged my life, you know.
Maria (07:33):
So I want to dig deep in that.
How did it change your life?
Um, what happened?
Craig (07:42):
You know, if you think about this, go back.
You're playing in stale water,you're playing with stale
people, you're stale, you'reyou're playing in other our
friend Bruno and Stacy thatwe're at an AI thing with.
Um, you you know, we get wewere we've talked about this.
Do we get so stuck in everybodyelse's memes in social media?
We're also busy.
How many people, how many, howmany crazy dances?
(08:04):
Guess what, everybody?
I'm not doing any crazy assdances, not happening.
All right.
I dance elegantly with my wife,that's about it.
And I do a sprinkler and Idance like nobody's watching,
all right?
But I have fun, so I'm notdoing that.
Don't be somebody else, be you.
You're the only one, unlessyou're an identical twin, like
my wife, that has the same DNA,I think, because they've never
(08:25):
done the 23 of me thingy, Iguess.
But the bottom line comes downto this you're the only one.
You are a perfect diamond ofyour own perfect DNA.
There's only one of you, andwhile you're here, you are
making the means for yourselfthat'll be playing in eternity.
And I got tired of playingeverybody else's mean.
I got tired of being whateverybody else wanted.
(08:46):
I don't really give araspatootti at this point.
I'm gonna be polite about it,I'm gonna not deal with it.
Maria (08:52):
What did everybody else want?
Craig (08:55):
You ever notice that people want they they suck your
energy?
They want you to do what theywant.
They need, they need you.
You ever notice there's peoplethat just it's it's the gotta
minute people.
It's the gotta minute, got aminute, got a favor, got it
this, gotta this.
Wow, you would go broke.
If I gave money to everyperson, I do charity things, you
you'd be broke.
I know I'd love to make enoughmoney to give it all away.
(09:17):
First check goes to the federalgovernment, second check goes
to the state of Pennsylvania,third check goes to where my
office is in Jenkentown.
Then I get to live, then I getto donate.
You know what I mean?
But I don't know.
It's just you got to learn tosay no.
The second you start sayingtime out, no, your life will
open up because you get out ofplaying in the snow globe, you
(09:38):
get out of playing in stale pondwater, and you start swimming
in a blue ocean like Nemo.
Nemo had a broken fin, and heswam to Australia in the blue
ocean with all these otheranimals and creatures, and every
day was a new day in learning.
People go through life swimmingin a blue ocean, and that's
what my change out of myboutique company that I thought
(10:00):
was oh so freaking great waskilling me.
And I got out of my own way andthought bigger and said, what
can I play in that has noboundaries, that has the biggest
boundaries, that lets me dowhat I want, where I want, how I
want, with no rules, with theopportunity for what I get and
what my company gives me, withless stress, but I can
(10:21):
accelerate in what I want to do.
And that's where I made mychange and where it's at.
But again, the the the thebiggest point was not living the
memes of everybody else, makingmy own, not being afraid to hit
the button of life.
We spend so much time afraid ofhitting the button.
How good am I gonna look?
How the who cares?
There was a great quote.
(10:42):
If you're reading other whatother people are saying about
you, it's none of your damnbusiness.
Be you, be there's only one ofyou.
Be your best you, and thatthat's that's that's the key.
And I've always been my bestbit me.
Um, but I was afraid, and asI've gotten older, it's like you
you get a little afraid ofdoing things because you don't
want to get hurt because youhave kids and you want to make
sure I'm not skydiving because Idon't want to dive because
(11:05):
yeah, you start saying no tothings, start saying yes to
things, and it's gonna open up auniverse because it's gonna
challenge you.
At some point, somebody put alid on our head and said, Okay,
you're not allowed to grow.
I'll be honest with you, 60years old, I am 10% of where I
want to be.
I am 10%.
Colonel Sanders built hisfortune at 61 after being broke.
(11:26):
Think about that.
How many people are turning thebrakes on?
I'm throwing the octane in thefuel.
Maria (11:32):
No, most people by the time they hit the 60s are just
gliding.
Craig (11:38):
This is the new 40, baby.
Yeah, no doubt.
I'm thinking of myself at 40,I'm better, I'm healthier, I'm
happier, I got more money, mykids are good, I got less
stress, I can change more lives,I can go place with my kid, I
got a kid getting married, I'mgonna have grandkids, God
willing, one day.
You get you out of your mind.
This is great, this is fun.
I wish I knew what I knew whenI was 40.
(12:00):
That's the problem.
They save you, they saveyouthfulness for young kids.
You your youthfulness shouldcome as you get older, and
there's the problem.
We all put the brakes on.
Maria (12:11):
Why we could go, we could go real deep on this because I
think it's a bigger problem thatI think that we've been
indoctrinated into a world wherewe're supposed to follow the
social norm, follow the plan,and it comes from schooling,
from religion, from all of thesethings, and then okay, it's
(12:37):
like you go work in corporateAmerica, you stay there for 40
years, you get a gold watch.
I don't have my watch off, andthen you roll out, and then
hopefully, hopefully, you haveenough energy that you can take
the trips.
But here you are in the safariin South Africa, and you're like
almost with a cane because youwe had to wait so long to get
(12:57):
there.
Craig (12:59):
I agree with you a hundred percent.
You know what?
I love saying yes.
I love saying yes, but the onlyway you can say yes is if you
say enough no's.
Let's repeat that foreverybody, please.
I love saying yes, but the onlyway you can say yes is by
saying enough no's.
(13:20):
If you said yes to everybodyall the time, you wouldn't have
the space for the opportunitythat's coming up because you
already filled it with somethingthat was stupid and a waste of
time.
Stupid how to save no's toleave the space open for what
you do want to put in your life.
There's a great calendar, it'scalled the Big Ass Calendar by
Jeffy uh Jerry Itzer.
(13:41):
Okay, Jerry Itzer.
What book?
He um Jerry Itzer wrote thecalendar, the big ass calendar.
He was actually one of thefirst rap guys, first white
Jewish rap guys in the 80s.
Okay.
Oh wow.
Okay, got in there, was arapper, did his thing, started
(14:03):
doing well, um, had his ownrecord label and all this stuff.
Um, and then he started flyingprivate jets.
As he was flying on privatejets, he's like, I don't want to
fly on regular book jets.
So he said to his one buddy,who's another rapper, he goes,
We got to figure out how to flythis way all the time.
So he said to the guy who ownedthe plane who was there, he
goes, What's it?
What's this thing do when it'son the ground?
(14:23):
He goes, Nothing.
It sits here and costs memoney.
He is how but I could, if Icould fly it and get money made
for you, would you do that?
And would you pay me acommission?
He goes, Hell yeah.
Guess what he invented?
Marquee jet soldier for abillion dollars.
Never owned a plane in hislife.
That's Jeffrey.
Then he started uh Cocoa Water.
Okay.
His wife started the companySpanks.
(14:46):
Follow them.
There's a calendar, it's calleda big ass calendar.
It lays it out.
Lay in all the big rocks, allthe things you want to do.
I have all my all my podcastrecordings uh every Wednesday.
I know where I'm at.
I put other things in there, Iput a family trip in there, I
put in my EXP conventions, I putin, I live life in in uh 90-day
segments.
(15:06):
You can't screw life up thatbad in 90 days.
Yes, you can kill yourself.
Yes, you can get a divorce bydoing something stupid.
Oh, and by the way, if you wantto be happily married, hang out
with happily married people.
You want to be broke, hang outwith broke drug addicts,
gamblers, alcoholics.
Okay.
You want to be you want to begood, hang out.
Maria (15:28):
That should seem like common sense.
Craig (15:33):
Come on.
You and I know there's common.
There's common sense andthere's this wall behind me.
90% of the people are as dumbas the wall.
You know why?
Because they're they've beentold to be the wall.
They've been told to be thewall.
And that's the problem.
A lot of people are fake on theoutside.
(15:54):
What's the real inside?
What is it when it comes down?
Are they willing to bevulnerable enough to cry?
Are they willing to betransparent enough?
And that's where the key comesdown.
That's where you've got tounderstand, that's where you're
gonna go.
You know, I was talking withsomebody the other day and uh a
lady yesterday, and the famousline, no good deed goes
unpunished.
Abso freaking lutely.
(16:14):
I get punished a lot.
Okay, but also at the sametime, I've never had anybody go
over to the other side, sit nextto our maker, who, whatever
religion it is, and then comeback and say, Hey Craig, by the
way, you were right, being anice guy helped.
Never had it happen.
So I gotta have belief andfaith.
So the only faith you've got tohave is the faith in you and
(16:35):
what's in here.
I told my my my kids thisgrowing up, and and they live by
this.
Um behavior never lies.
Your true identity, your trueperson, your true you will
always come out.
So if you cheat in a card game,you're probably gonna be
(16:56):
cheating in other things inlife.
Maria (16:58):
Wow.
That's my favorite thing, ishow you do one thing is how you
do everything.
Craig (17:04):
Exactly.
Behavior never lies.
Three words behavior neverlies, and it's not easy.
Trust me, I'm not perfect, I'mfar from perfect, and Mrs.
Lurch reminds me of it, youknow, but I'm all and so is my
mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law is great.
I'm uh, you know, I tell hershe's she's I said, You're my
most favorite mother-in-law.
She goes, Shut up.
I'm uh your only mother-in-law.
Thank God.
(17:24):
But you know, that that's kindof where it's at.
I mean, we went a little deepthere, but it the perfect thing
is be the solution as you as youdo this.
There is something that's gonnacome out of here that's gonna
help somebody change their life,and it's gonna be a solution
for somebody to go to their nextlevel and smash the snow globe.
It's be those solutions.
Maria (17:42):
I want to talk about, I want to go back again about the
snow globe because I think it'sreally important.
I think that there's a time inpeople's lives that you need to
smash the snow globe.
So, what did it like look likefor you to make that decision?
What did you have to?
We know you made it, we knowyou came out on the other side
(18:04):
strong.
Look at you, your energy,you're you're full of energy,
you love life.
But what kind of pain?
What did you like?
This is what people don't talkabout, right?
They want to talk about whatwhat did you how have to really
go through to come out on theother side?
Um, like work through ego.
Craig (18:31):
Number one problem, ego.
I was um, you know, you know,you have your name on the side,
and the family's been in thebusiness X amount of time, and
all of a sudden you're gonna putyourself within a uh a
brokerage name that isn't yoursas the primary because of the
rules of the state ofPennsylvania things, whatever it
might be.
And I I didn't want to, Ididn't want to own it.
(18:54):
I didn't want I I had beenthrough many, and then and
again, every real estate companyfits the mold of the person who
wants to be there.
I didn't uh from for eons, Ihad been recruited by everybody,
every brokerage, everything.
I could have owned theterritories, I could have bought
them all, whatever.
I I didn't want to do that.
I wanted to be in somethingthat was free, and so my ego was
(19:15):
there.
And five years prior, uh well,two years prior, I had said no
to the opportunity of going toEXP where I'm at presently, and
I'm gonna finish my world herebecause I'm very happy.
But the bottom line comes downto it is I had to get my name
all my ego was there, and I hadto be vulnerable because to me
(19:36):
it was a sign of failure that Ididn't make it in this thing and
I didn't sell the thing.
Brokerages mean you're broke.
You got to leverage it, and atsome point you got to figure out
is my am I paying the dollarsto keep it open or whatever it
might be?
And it's ego, it is where it'sat.
So I looked at whatopportunities I can get for
making donations to this bigcompany and what can I get back,
(19:57):
and then how am I gonna grow?
And that's that's where my mypositive and negatives, my my
profit and loss sides wereplaying down on the list.
And then the biggest thing waslike I kept going back.
Why wasn't I pulling the plug?
Why wasn't I pulling the plug?
And then um it was me, and I'lland I'll be honest with you.
I was on with Brian Moses, whois a national trainer and good
(20:19):
friend of mine.
Um, we've known each other for25, 30 years.
We we spoke and worked togetherwith Craig.
Remember Craig Proctor and JayKinder when we were all we were
all out there teaching togetherand friends.
Um, he had called me about thisopportunity.
He's the one that got me toTommy Shaft, my business coach,
and we went through it for theyear.
And and Tommy goes, I thinkyou're ready for that change
(20:39):
that you might need to get outof your company too, and that's
your snow globe, also.
And it was the night beforeThanksgiving, and Brian had
called me, says, Hey, I gotJanet on the phone.
I want to get Janet on thephone and Linda, let's do a
quick Zoom.
This is like after COVID orwhatever it is, and we all were
like getting excited aboutZooms.
Look at you and me.
We're doing a podcast like thisthat we never would have done
before.
I'm I'm attributing all this toCOVID.
(21:01):
Thank God.
We learned a lot from it, wehad a lot of pain from it, but
we also learned a lot from it.
Um, so we're literally thenight before we have a cocktail,
and uh uh we're sitting theretalking back and forth, and
Brian goes, Um, I gotta ask youa question, Linda.
Why hasn't Craig?
(21:21):
It's been four months since hewent through this stuff with
Tommy.
We've been talking about himclose getting out of his own
company and um coming to EXP andall that stuff.
She goes, tell me what theproblem is.
And she goes, Brian, you wantto know the truth?
And he goes, Yeah, I want toknow the truth.
He goes, Hold on, I want torecord this.
(21:42):
I have this recording.
He goes, Okay, Brian, here itis.
She goes, he's a blanking P.
She called me right out on thevideo.
And I wouldn't say don't hearin front of everybody.
She called me it out.
And I looked at Brian's faceand his wife's face dropped.
(22:02):
That's how blunt it was whatshe called me.
She goes, his biggest problem'shim.
He has made other people multi,multi, multi-millionaires
through the year.
We're very good in where we'reat.
He is very good in where he'sat, but he's afraid to take that
next jump.
He's afraid of doing thisbecause he's afraid to do it
alone, because he's been toldfor all these years that he
(22:24):
needs to stay where and whathe's doing.
So, Brian, he's the problem.
And she goes, Craig, I'm gonnatell you right now, if you don't
smash that snow globe and makethis change, you are never going
to another convention, you'renever buying another
motivational book, you are neverdoing this, you're never doing
that.
I don't want to hear it becauseyou're a blanking blank,
(22:45):
because you're afraid of yourown failures.
She goes, Brian, on that note,have a nice Thanksgiving.
Took her drink drink, saidcheers.
She goes, I'm going to theliving room.
Goodbye, and walked away.
Off the Zoom.
I'm like, Brian's like, he'slike, So are you coming to EXP
(23:06):
tonight or is it tomorrowmorning?
I was like, we're gonna do thistomorrow morning.
I gotta go to the cent with mywife.
We went in there, I cried, Ibawled.
It was brilliant, it was tough.
You know, it still brings itout.
But guess what?
It was that was a changingpoint.
That was painful to get thatsmack in the face.
Um, for the person that lovesyou the most.
(23:28):
And that's where the truth camefrom.
And that that's when bam.
I mean, that you want to talkabout hitting a stone wall at
100 miles an hour?
Woo! Because at that point, allbridges were burnt.
There was no way I could say noto anything.
I got out of and and I don'tknow, getting out of my company,
(23:48):
leaving my stock.
Who how did I know that there's20 years of depreciation that I
owe tax on and I didn't eventake any money out of my
company, but I'm gonna owe thefederal company, federal income
tax hundreds of thousands ofdollars because I closed the
company.
I didn't know that, did you?
But I sure as shit didn't thinkI sure as heck didn't think
about it when I walked out.
(24:09):
I'll deal with it later.
I didn't know.
I found out about it a yearlater.
What's what happened?
I I got out closing thecompany, my brother kept it.
You get depreciations and andall that stuff that were in my
shares of the company.
I had to pay tax on backdepreciations and all that
stuff.
I don't know.
My accountant told me what itwas.
I don't know, K1s and all thisother stuff by leaving.
Maria (24:29):
Oh, because you have a partnership, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Craig (24:32):
Right.
Right.
So I had to take care of allthat stuff on top of leaving
because you had a partnership,that's why.
Yeah, whatever the thing was.
That's why I pay people to myaccountant.
Says, yeah, you're not gonnalike this, but guess what?
Maria (24:43):
You're out of it, yeah.
Craig (24:45):
So that's being there, there's the things you don't
know, but I kept going.
I'm going and going, going, andI'm still at an exciting point.
I mean, I'm learning every day,I've learned more technology,
I've learned more about thingsthan I would have by myself, and
getting rid of that ego.
But that was the hardest point.
I I think that was that was thereckoning point.
(25:05):
That was when you're there andrealizing that you're the
biggest problem.
You can do anything you want todo.
That's right.
There are people that have madeit from the ghettos, there's
people that made it, there arepeople that are wealthy that are
broke now.
There are people to winlotteries.
74% of the NFL football playersare bankrupt in two years after
(25:25):
they're done football.
And they had whatever moneythey had.
Okay, so all these things, youknow, you can be up here and
fall, you can be down here andgrow.
It's all where you're gonna putyourself, and that's when I
decided that I'm I'm just gonnasmash it and start like I'm
brand new.
I burnt my bridges, I can't gobackwards.
(25:46):
Going backwards is a failure.
My wife always said, worstcomes worse, you go back into
your old company.
I'm like, screw that, it'sburnt, it's done.
I can't go back.
I burnt the bridges.
And when you fight with that,if you fight under the intention
that the person you love themost, you need to find a
hundred, you're broke, you havezero money.
You need a hundred thousanddollars in 30 days, a hundred
(26:08):
thousand dollars in thirty daysto put a new heart in them, or
they die.
How bad will you fight?
How many hours a day will youwork?
Our problem is we work watchingclocks.
We don't work until we're doneour work, we don't work until
we're met our purpose, we don'twork until we meet our value.
We work because we watch aclock, because we were told to
(26:30):
watch a clock.
I don't care how much money youwant to make in a day, do it in
an hour and enjoy the other 23hours.
That's why I said I live in90-day segments.
Every day I come in andwhiteboard, I wipe, I wipe a
number off and I put it there.
Every day it's a countdown.
How many days until I'm I Igotta meet it, I gotta beat her,
I gotta beat her.
You think that the uh you knowthe rockets that go up are
(26:53):
perfect, they're underconstantly fixing within
centimeters to stay on track.
If you're not watching whereyou are, if you're not watching
where you're going, you're notlife isn't a Tesla that drives
itself.
You gotta drive the car, yougotta know where you want to go.
And if you don't know whereyou're going, there's your
problem.
Maria (27:12):
Uh-huh.
That is like one of the biggestthings.
Most people don't know whatthey want.
Craig (27:20):
You ever go to a restaurant?
Or I love this.
I I it it it loaths me, but Ilove it.
I'm like, you you go to arestaurant and you people see
you, you've got a menu in frontof you, and people, well, what
do you want?
I don't know.
If you can't figure out what'son a freaking menu menu in front
of you, how are you runningyour life?
(27:41):
I don't literally people.
What does five years look forlike for you?
I don't know.
What's next week look for you?
I don't know.
I said if you had the wildestdream, if you could pick your
wildest house, where would itbe?
What would you be doing?
How would it smell?
How would it look, then whatwould you be doing every morning
if in the first two hoursliving in it?
Maria (28:01):
I could tell you.
Craig (28:02):
And then, well, you can tell because you and me are
alike.
You start getting there, itgets it actually gives you
chills.
It actually, like, yeah, let'sgo.
Maria (28:09):
You know, I'm looking right now at my fruit and olive
trees over the vista, and I cansee the sea in the distance
where in Italy.
Craig (28:20):
Where?
Where in Italy?
Maria (28:22):
I don't know yet because I'm I'm torn from being up north
and down south, probably, youknow.
Craig (28:32):
So here's the difference.
Do people know the differenceof north and south in Italy?
You do.
Maria (28:37):
There's 20 regions, and I've been to 17 of them.
Craig (28:40):
And what's your favorite region?
Okay, your top two.
I'm not gonna zero you in onone.
Maria (28:47):
Okay.
Um I love Pulia in the south.
Craig (28:52):
And what was the thing you loved the most about that?
Maria (28:57):
Oh the sea, the food, the people, the longest,
architecture, the towns.
I like Piemonte, but uhprobably because I haven't spent
much time in Umbria, which I dowant to spend time in, I'd have
(29:18):
to go with Tuscana.
And the reason I would go withTuscana if I had a gun to my
head is that from in Tuscany,you have within an hour and 15
minutes, you can take a train toBologna, you can take a train
to Torino in two hours, youcould take a train to Milan in
(29:38):
two hours, you could take atrain to Florence in an hour.
It's a great central part.
And those are the places thatI'd want to be, you know.
And then I would say in if youwanted to go for holiday and
wanted to be at the beach, youknow, you go over to the
Adriatic, um, which is a couplehours.
(29:58):
So Or you can go to uh theItalian Riviera, which is like
Geneva, which is about an hourand a half, two hours.
So it's a very convenient spot.
Craig (30:13):
In fact, it's kind of like Billy.
We can get to the mountains, wecan get to New York, we can get
the weather.
Maria (30:19):
It's definitely not like Billy.
Craig (30:22):
I'm being sarcastic.
You know, I walk by.
Here's something.
When you're there, are youcalmer?
Maria (30:32):
I love it.
Craig (30:33):
You actually go from here here.
I call it the Delilah voice.
It's like um when I do theradio show, I'll I mean I'm up
here.
And when I come out and I startrattling right on the phone at
10 after 11, I gotta rememberhold on, hold on, hold on.
You're amped up.
You gotta bring it down to theDelilah voice.
And be honest with you, I can'tstand that voice.
I can't stand listening toDelilah on the radio.
(30:54):
But again, it's bringing itdown a notch and not running
people over because you you gotthe same personality as I do.
We have a D personality, whichis direct and to the point, and
we have an I personality, whichis very outgoing.
So feedback to us is kind oflike water off a duck.
We really don't care about it,but we need to absorb it.
And if an eye personality, it'slike, yeah, let's go.
Let I got you, and I'm excited,and boom, boom, boom.
(31:15):
And everybody wants to followthe perpetual energy of it.
And that's part of the thing.
But I got to remember, bring itdown.
Not everybody's there.
You know, you got to talk.
Like if I come in all hyped up,or you talk like all hyped up,
our Philly, all the time to amom, a grandmom who's in her
80s, you're gonna run her over.
Bring it down and treat likethat.
So, but that's the way that youcome back from Italy, you're
(31:38):
calm, and all of a sudden youstart amping up again because
it's our it's our environment,it's our snow globe, it's our
environment.
Maria (31:45):
I'm angry.
Philly's not at anybody.
Craig (31:51):
I've had more fun talking about Philly, especially now
that the the selling 215 made inPhilly TV or all that stuff.
But here's here's the deal (31:56):
we have grit, we have passion, we
have love, we have this.
Everybody says, What state areyou from?
I don't say Pennsylvania, I sayPhilly.
Philly's one of a kind.
You're either part of Philly oryou're not.
This is the birthplace of theUnited States.
250th birthday coming up, yeah.
July 4th, 2026.
(32:17):
Everything came from here.
The 13 colonies came off ofhere from Independence Hall.
We got all this stuff, and howmany people?
I want to challenge anybodywho's watching this.
How many people know how manysquare foot Independence Hall
is?
How many people know what thevalue of the thing is?
How many people know how manybricks are in City Hall?
How many people know how manysteps are at the art museum?
(32:37):
How many people have gone andseen these places?
People come and visit them, butwe are so ignorant in our own
town.
Maria (32:44):
Oh, many places uh they have the same ignorance.
It's not just Philly.
Craig (32:49):
I know, but I'm calling a spade because we live here.
I'm I'm calling it what it is.
I've learned more.
Oh, it's something.
Maria (32:57):
It's something it's something, it makes it's a
definitely uh a gritty place.
Um it's it's a lot of things.
People always say a lot ofopportunity.
No, you're from Philly.
Okay, you're one of those.
Craig (33:20):
So the Eagles fans.
Maria (33:22):
I said I don't throw snowballs at Santa Claus.
Craig (33:25):
No, no, no, no, no.
I don't throw snow.
Hey, another thing is watchthrowing rocks, man.
Watch throwing rocks and glasshouses.
You gotta look in the mirror.
That's a big thing, man.
I love it when people are, Ilove critics.
I have no problem being acritic as long as you're willing
to take the feedback.
If you're willing to take it,I'm willing to give it.
I'm willing to take it, I'mwilling to listen, but I'm gonna
(33:47):
give it back.
And that's the key.
Communication's two ways, it'snot a one-way street.
Life's two ways.
It's a chemistry act, like bethe solution.
The solution is the outcome ofwhat I call two things put
together.
If you've got a conflict goingon, it's because the perceptions
(34:08):
of two people or twoopportunities are not an
alignment.
And when I work with otheragents, I say, hold on, we had
one alignment at one point, butour anticipation of the outcome
has changed due to inspections,due to personalities, due to
this, this, and this.
What do we have to do to geteverybody congruent again back
(34:28):
into the same vision?
Was your buyer getting in thishouse, my seller getting out of
this house, or vice versa?
It was the incongruency of theexpectations of what's happening
because you don't know otherpeople's expectations because
people are told expectations,but oh, now's your chance to go
beat them up on a homeinspection.
No, no, it's not.
Speaker 03 (34:48):
Mm-mm.
Craig (34:49):
No, those are cosmetic things.
What are our major things?
So you've got to always bewatching what those things are.
And the main part going back tothe solution is life's like a
chemistry kit.
And I tell my kids all thetime, I've had Corey on the
radio show with me.
I said, Corey, how's it like tobe in on a radio show?
Dad, it's like sitting in thekitchen on Sunday just talking.
You know, this is exactly how Italk with my kids.
(35:10):
I said, Guys, it's a it's alife's a chemistry.
With every action, there's areaction.
Everything you do is going todo it.
You add something else, it'sgoing to be a different one.
So you got to watch who you'readding to the chemistry.
You got to watch what you'redoing in the midst of the
chemistry, what things are beingaround it to make that
solution, that end piece, whatit is.
And we're so busy at lookingwhere we're at, we're not
(35:34):
looking forward.
If we were to look forward inthe process and back engineer
it, it's a lot easier.
But we all get stuck in the mudand get stuck in the sand and
get stuck in the in thequicksand.
Instead of walking around itbecause we see somebody else in
it, we decide, uh, hell, let'sjust get in it with them.
No, figure out where it is,back engineer it, and life's a
(35:57):
lot easier.
So, and part of the solution,which is which is what you are.
You're you're you're a problemsolver, you're a
solution-oriented person.
And I love the name of yourshow.
That that it's all about thesolutions of life.
Maria (36:08):
Be the solution, and we're we're creating a be the
solution movement right now.
Craig (36:13):
Be the solution, you be it.
You own it, you own it.
You are all in, you are all andit's not always easy to be the
solution, but and it's not no,because that means you're gonna
take it on the chin, you'regonna have to stand up and say
something you don't want to say,you're gonna have to tell the
truth to somebody that they maynot like to hear.
Maria (36:32):
You're a idiot, go over there, or just walk away.
Craig (36:41):
You know what?
I agree with you.
I agree with you.
I like if that's what you gottado.
Good for you.
God bless you.
Because you're gonna wake upbeing you tomorrow.
I'm gonna wake up being me, andyou are gonna be the same
person.
I'm not you, thank God.
Not you.
I mean, like that person I'mhaving that conversation with,
you know.
Maria (36:59):
We all get to decide who we want to be.
Craig (37:02):
Yeah, you had asked me a question what's your superpower
lawyer?
Um, and I think it that thebiggest thing, like I said, was
uh my biggest attribute is mybiggest fault.
It's my loyalty.
And unfortunately, you know,when I smashed the snow globe, I
(37:22):
had to give up the loyalty toeverybody else and go back to my
own loyalty to myself.
And once you find that, that'skind of where it goes.
And that is my superpower.
But I'm gonna put it back outto you.
What's your superpower?
Maria (37:44):
Oh I would say, well, in real estate or just life.
Craig (38:00):
Well, how did you ask me?
Ask it to yourself.
Maria (38:02):
You answered it how you wanted to.
Craig (38:04):
Okay, you're right.
Neither one.
Maria (38:07):
So for me, I would say in the real estate world, I'm a
listing listing.
That's my superpower.
My superpower is only not aboutlisting, it's human connection,
I think.
I think it's I think it's humanconnection.
People say all the time, whatdo you say to people to get all
these listings?
I said, I don't say anything toget all these listings.
(38:28):
I say, I'm a skilled, I'mskilled at what I do extremely.
It's it's crystal clear when Ihave a conversation with
somebody, and I care.
Craig (38:42):
There's the key.
Maria (38:44):
And so because I care, I know what you know, and I ask
critical questions to understandwhere they are, and I actually
care about the outcome, which isbeing in integrity with people
and telling the truth,regardless of whatever the
outcome is gonna be.
(39:05):
Doesn't matter.
And I'll say, I'm here, I'm Godwilling, I'm here.
So when you're ready, you'renot ready, no problem.
I'm not like uh there's nopressure, you gotta sell right
now.
The market's gonna crash, youknow.
People do this crazy stuff.
Um let's take that listing for600 when I know it's 500, and
(39:28):
I'll watch it and I'll see it,I'll check on it, I'll see it's
old or 500.
Or in this market, quitefrankly, it's probably not even
gonna sell.
Um, it's just not.
We've had to cancel an enormousamount of listings this year
that I never actually couldn'teven believe so many because the
alignment of where sellers'reality is and the market is is
(39:52):
not aligned, and there's nothingI can do to change that.
So, you know, it is what it is,it's a tough industry, you
know.
It's been more difficult, Ifeel, in the last year than even
in the last several years, butthis year, the last six months,
(40:14):
I don't know what's going onwith people.
Craig (40:17):
Well, you got a changing market where people used to be
order takers and just easy, andthen you have what I call the
the cousin, the aunt, the unclethat everybody thought, oh, I'm
gonna get this, and they'rehappy doing two or three sales a
year.
That's money for them to take atrip.
And what does that do?
It dilutes the upper, itdilutes business for the real
true professionals.
And people, I mean, I've lostlistings to people say, Oh, by
(40:39):
the way, and you know, theseI've sold them two or three
houses, and they're like, Well,my brother's daughter just
graduated college and she gother license, and we're gonna
give it to her because it'sgonna help her pay her student
loans.
I'm like, you're taking yourlargest investment of 700,
800,000, 900,000, gonna trust itto a kid that's 23 years old,
just got out, never did a salebefore, who's gonna get X amount
(41:01):
of percentage at the end, justwrite them a check and go use a
professional, and I'll net moremoney for them, or I'll pay
them, you know.
I'm like, fine, whatever youwant to do, God bless you.
But it it's just there's thatdilution because it's so easy in
the industry.
We may for us for for for forus to make it through this many
years is is very rare.
The average really five, fiveyears, five years, and they're
(41:24):
done now.
They say that we're gonna lose350,000 agents in the next 18
months.
Yes, but there's also another500,000 that believe that
they're gonna make it, that aregetting licenses and coming.
Maria (41:35):
So back in 2010-ish, we came, we went down from I think
we were at 102 and we went downto 800.
Yeah, and then we went up tolike 108.
Yeah, so think about that.
Like right now, I believe wesit at 16 or one.
(41:56):
I think it's one five eight.
Okay, you're right in thisyear.
There'll be three million salesin the USA.
Craig (42:07):
Damn, it should.
Balanced market is 5.2 millionhomes, and we're at like three.
And they're saying we're wecould get lucky and hit four
million.
That means we're 1.2 millionhomes short for people.
That's why prices are rising.
That's why we're stuck in whatI call the funnel, in that
people don't want to movebecause where they're going to
go is going to cost them moremovement.
(42:28):
People move because of expensesand because of size and being
uncomfortable with what they'redoing.
When the pain to stay the sameis greater than the pain to
change, people will make thechange.
There's no pain for them tostay to change because they're
comfortable where they're at.
It's that baby boomer.
There's this is the biggestwealth part coming out and where
it's going in transitions ofwealth over the next 10 years,
(42:51):
uh, and property and things ofthat nature.
But you're you're you're right.
It is a crazy industry.
That's why you need to dealwith professionals.
That's why you need to.
I mean, I I loved what went on,you know.
I'm not condoning right, wrongor not.
I loved it.
August 17th, 2024, you need toget buyer agency contracts.
Because for the past eightyears, 10 years before that, it
(43:14):
was the law, too, but there wasno teeth, there was no reality
because not everybody was doingit.
Oh, that company won't, thatcompany does it.
We won't make you do thatbecause we don't want to make
you feel uncomfortable.
It was the law.
The rule of the game is now asa buyer.
You either sign this thing orI'm not working with you because
I'm not losing my licensebecause somebody snitched on me
(43:35):
because we have the snitch ruleout there.
All right, that I didn't get itsigned, or you slipped and
said, Oh, well, I don't havethat with so-and-so.
Why do I got to sign it withyou?
Guess what?
That agent's calling somebodybecause they've all been
embredded.
Oh, whoa, we're gonna catchthem, we're gonna find them five
thousand, ten thousand dollars,fine, whatever.
I'm not, I'm not gonna be that,I'm gonna, I'm not gonna be
(43:56):
that patsy for somebody, youknow.
So if you're not willing tocommit to me, it's like um we
talked about it earlier.
You want to be happily married,hang out with happily married
couples.
You're married, it doesn't meanthat you're out doing other
things with other people, youknow.
And I tell people, look, I'myour realtor, I'm working with
you, me and my team.
This is us.
This is us.
We we are it, we are your yourwe're your life partner for that
(44:17):
amount of time.
And the goal is to meet yourneeds, and we're gonna
communicate how the process isgoing on.
And if not, it's okay.
You know, that's saying nobecause that space will open up
with somebody else in thefuture.
Same thing with listings, youknow.
You fired X, you called itcanceled.
My opinion is you fired somesellers that weren't listening
to your expertise.
It's like going to a heartdoctor that says, You keep
(44:38):
eating this, you're gonna have aheart attack and die.
And you keep doing it, and thedoctor keeps telling, they say,
you know what, I'm not takingcare of you anymore because I
don't want your death chart onmy record.
Same thing, you know, but theythink we have to.
Maria (44:55):
They think we have to, they think a lot and I say, and
the other thing is, you know,people that they just want to
cancel because they think youcan't sell it, it's they think
they need a new broker.
I'm like, okay, I'll withdrawit, but it's not gonna be a
cancel listing.
You signed a contract, I workedfor you, I have expenses,
(45:15):
several thousand dollars on yourlisting already, yeah, or
matterport and all these otherthings.
Craig (45:20):
Yeah, yeah.
People don't get it, yeah.
People don't get it, peopledon't get it.
Maria (45:27):
Oh, and then here's the growth.
You ready?
Yeah, I am going to blast youall over social media.
I'm gonna give you one star onGoogle and say all these bad
things about you.
I'm like, well, that's libel,and I'll send my attorney after
I'll send.
Yeah, people just think theycan bully you.
You should see the emails I gotfrom people, the way that they
(45:49):
spoke to me.
Craig (45:51):
Yeah, you'd be surprised.
Maria (45:52):
They think that you know, I'm a professional broker, I've
been in sales and marketing for33 years, in real estate for
22.
I don't know who you thinkyou're talking to, but you're
not gonna speak to me like that,whether it's in a text email or
verbally, I will not have it.
(46:15):
I just won't respond.
I just don't respond.
My response is no response.
Craig (46:21):
Yeah, I another thing is is uh you know, as as I've
grown, um is not to do knee-jerkreactions.
Another reason why I do 90days, how many times do you have
marketing people or whatevertrying to sell you something for
your business?
You need this, you need this.
I say, I'm great.
I have 77 days left, I have 43days left to review what is
(46:43):
going into my next 90 days,which will be then implemented
in the following 90 days.
So, whatever I'm looking at,it's gotta if for me to do
something instantly, it's gottabe crazy.
It's gotta be really good.
And if the in or in the next 90days, usually I'm planning out
120 to 150 days out that whatwould be implemented.
(47:03):
My old self would be knee-jerkreaction.
I file sparkly things.
Squirrel, sparkly, let's go.
I'm good.
Let's get you're so busy doingnude that you're not finishing
what you're doing, and our 80%or 70% is better than most
people's 100%.
And we're so busy, we get sobusy sometimes trying to be the
(47:28):
100% ourselves and understandour 70% is so high over the bar
of everybody else, they couldn'teven catch us if they wanted
to.
I had somebody ask me, What doyou do in a day?
I said, Why don't you ask mewhat I don't do in a day?
My daughter actually spent twoor three days with me right
after she graduated college, andshe goes, Dad, you've made over
(47:52):
a hundred phone calls, you'vedone this.
I he goes, You've helped this,this.
My wife nicknamed me Gaggleinstead of Google.
You're the same way.
Who do you know that can I'mconstantly connecting clients
with other people that can getproblem solved?
I want to be that person, Iwant to be that person they come
to because they're gonna tellother people about me.
And it's word of mouth andreferrals that helps our
(48:15):
business grow.
And that is one of the thingsyou know, you don't know where
your day's going.
That's what I kind of likeabout this industry.
You don't know how you'regetting paid at the end of the
day because you're not, but ifyou do the actions, you're gonna
get paid in time.
But you got to do the work.
If you're not going out anddoing uh extra sprints before
practice or after practice,you're not gonna be the
(48:36):
superstar on the field.
You have to do the work, yougotta do the work, you gotta do
the work, unless you're gonnawin.
Nobody can do nobody can do thework for you.
No, no, you think tiger woodswanted to swing the club 10,000
times?
130,000 hours.
Guess what?
You and I have professionalcriteria in the sports worlds
(49:01):
multiple times in our business.
130 over 130,000 hours.
It's 10,000 hours to become.
I've got over 130,000 hours ifyou take work hours and blah
blah blah over 36, 35 years.
130,000.
That is 13 professional golfspots.
That's 13 quarterback spots.
Think about that.
(49:23):
Every 10,000 hours of practice,theoretically, is what they've
said is made it professional.
130,000.
You've got the same numbers.
Think about it.
But yet we get looked at by abrand new agent who's sitting
there, not knowing their earfrom the wall, and they
calculate it says the same.
Hold on, I get 130,000 out.
(49:44):
So you're gonna go in with asurgeon who's never touched a
surgical knife or somebody who'sdone it 130,000 hours.
You know what?
Good luck with that.
You know what I mean?
Maria (49:56):
I love when they say you can't compare it to that.
I'm like, I gotta go.
I'm done with this conversationnow.
Craig (50:02):
You know what?
I was at the doctor's the otherday, and uh, you know, well, my
my my regular doctor knows thisanswer.
Um, because I went in thedoctor's one time.
How many you go in the doctor'sand you wait?
And all of a sudden you're likean hour.
I'm like, first of all, I don'thave if I'm an hour late for a
client without an explanation,I'm not getting a job.
And I don't call, I don'twrite, I make them sit there and
(50:23):
wait for me patiently reading amagazine.
But yet we do that in adoctor's office.
Well, years ago, I left.
I just got up and left, andthen they called me, like, well,
we're charging your copay.
I said, No, you're not.
I sat there an hour.
You even said the doctor hadn'tcome in from his rounds in the
hospital.
Whoa, whoa.
I make as much money, if notmore money, than the doctor.
Her eyes blew up.
(50:44):
So next time I came in, I satthere about a half hour, 20
minutes.
I walked up and said, I toldyou, you got five, 10 minutes
and I'm out.
Boom, left.
Next time I came, they put mein the room, left me in the room
for 25 minutes.
I got up, walked out.
They got me the last time,though.
(51:05):
They came in and said, Okay,doc, you're getting a physical,
right?
Yeah, here, get changed.
Okay, great.
Nurse took my pants, so Icouldn't leave.
So, kind of a funny story inthat in respect.
Is look, I don't have patiencefor people being, I don't have
pay.
Know where you're at.
Just because they're a doctor,just because they're this
doesn't mean they're right orwrong.
We are professionals, we dowhat we do, and respect that.
(51:29):
Respect what somebody does.
I don't care if you're thewater pourer at a restaurant, be
the best water pourer, makethose glasses sparkle, be polite
when you see the people.
Don't spill the water on thetable and on my lap.
Be the best at what you'redoing, but be the best you want
to be, be your best.
You want to sell five housesand you're save yourself the
(51:50):
problem, do it in a week, takethe rest of the year off, go
travel, spend time with family.
Why have Ajita all those allthose months for no reason?
Maria (52:00):
I don't be the solution, Craig.
It was great to have you on theshow today.
So much fun.
So much fun.
And I look forward to being onyour radio show in a couple of
weeks.
Craig (52:13):
Next Wednesday, we're gonna go live WWDB 860, 1030 to
11.
We're gonna have some fun.
We're gonna, you know, it'sunscripted real estate, just
like this.
It's called Unscripted RealEstate Talk is a half hour.
Talks about the uh passions ofPhilly, selling in Philly, like
you.
Um you know what makes PhillyPhilly?
What makes believe it or not?
(52:33):
Everything in this city fromthe from the Uber drivers to the
restaurants to the doormen tothe everything in this city
affects our real estate values,and nobody believes that.
Oh, yeah, everything affectsthe real estate values, and we
get to we get to help interpretthat.
And we're gonna, I'm so excitedto have you on.
(52:54):
We're gonna have I can't wait.
You know what the best is?
You don't have to have hair andmakeup done.
We're on a radio, nobody cansee us.
Well, I'll still be myself,yeah.
Just you and the lovely,vibrant self that you are.
You always you know, I I lovedit the other day.
I saw your your uh you werewearing flamingo pink, and
flamingo pink is my favorite,and I love that in your coloring
(53:16):
too.
You know, flamingos aredifferent, they're quirky,
they're fun, their leg goes thisway, and then everybody says,
Why do you love flamingos?
Because my mom, when when um Iwas 23, I lost her when she was
44 years old.
Her one of her favorite animalswas uh, and it's not animals,
bird works, flamingos.
And she had said to me, She hadhad all these plastic flamingos
(53:36):
in front of her house up inBluebell.
And I said, Mom, she's thewoman that wore St.
John's suits, business,whatever it was.
And I was like, What are withthe pink flamingos?
And she knew she had six monthsto go.
She goes, Craigie, and shewanted a few people in life that
can call me Craigie, other thanmy mother-in-law.
Um, she goes, Those thoseflamingos are things to remind
(54:00):
people.
She goes, I live on acul-de-sac of 12 houses here,
and when I leave, people won'tremember my name.
But I'm gonna do a random actof kindness for every one of
them before I die, and I'm gonnaput a pink flamingo on their
lawn so they'll see them leavingmine and going to theirs.
And the thing in life is howmany flamingos are you gonna
leave?
How many people are you gonnachange those lives for?
(54:21):
How many flamingos are yougonna leave on people's front
lawn?
And um that's why I love seeingthe pink flamingos.
That's why I love that colorpink.
Uh I have a flamingo golf head,you know.
My golf favorite golf shirtsare all pink and flamingos, and
people say you're crazy.
I was like, no.
One, it reminds me of my dad,but two is they're also quirky.
You got long necks, they'rethey're they're this pink color.
(54:44):
They love seafood.
I love seafood, but you know,but it is is when I go to her
grave, I don't put flowers, Iput a flamingo.
Maria (54:51):
Wow, that's a sweet.
That's a great story.
Craig (54:54):
Every time I see pink, I think of my mom.
Maria (54:57):
Oh, beautiful.
Keep being the solution, Greg.
Craig (55:01):
Thank you for letting me share that.
Maria (55:02):
See you soon.
Craig (55:03):
All right, see ya.
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