Mike Browning

Author: MB

  • Good Thing You Called, It’s Almost Under Contract!

    Good Thing You Called, It’s Almost Under Contract!

    Just like when your kid is gonna clean their room tomorrow…

    A lot of times when I call on a property for a buyer, the listing agent will either flat-out claim they have several offers on the table… or drop hints that an offer is “coming any minute.”

    It makes sense. Having more than one offer is about the strongest position a seller can be in—unless, of course, they’ve also hired a super-agent. And I know where you can find one of those.

    Sometimes it’s true. Was more common a couple years ago. But often, that “other offer” is a lowball number they’d never accept. Technically, there’s an offer… but it’s not real competition. Other times, they just lie.

    So what do you do as a buyer?

    As always, it depends.

    If it’s up to me, I’ll often say something like:

    “We could be interested—let me know if that other offer doesn’t work out.”

    If they’re bluffing, they’ll usually call back within a day or so to tell you the “other offer” is gone. That’s your cue that you’re the only one looking.

    This is especially important if you’re buying as an investment—because you make your money when you buy, not when you sell.

    If my client wants to make an offer anyway, I suggest we make the same offer we would have made without the supposed competition. If there’s no other offer, we should be fine. If there is, we’re not going to get into a bidding war anyway. Then we move on.

    There are exceptions, of course.

    If you’re looking at a lot or homesite that you—or your spouse—really like, don’t miss it over something trivial. Make a strong offer.

    You still want to pay as little as possible. But if you’re about to spend $500,000 building a custom home, an extra $5,000 on the lot is less than 1% of the total project. If you love the lot, make sure you take your best shot. Otherwise, you might regret it later.

    Most important, use a broker you trust—one who knows how to negotiate, not just someone trying to sell you something so they can close the file.

    I know where you can find that.

    When you’re ready, click below.

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  • Forget the Pain, Keep the Edge

    Forget the Pain, Keep the Edge

    Nobody wins every time, but the smart ones keep going

    A cornerback in football lives on an island — one mistake, and it’s a long touchdown.

    Everyone in the stadium knows exactly who to blame.

    If he dwells on it, he’s finished. The next snap is coming, and the same receiver might be running right at him again.

    It’s called cornerback memory — the ability to forget the sting instantly but keep the lesson. Then line up ready to win the next battle. Without it, he won’t last long.

    It’s a form of outcome independence.

    Control the process, not the results.

    In Texas Hold’em, pocket aces are the strongest starting hand you can get. But even against the worst possible hand — 7–2 offsuit — you’ll still lose about 12% of the time.

    So if you shove all-in with AA in a tournament and get cracked, did you make a mistake?

    No. You made the right play. You just got a bad result.

    Selling real estate works the same way.

    When we market your property, we’ll control what we can:

    • Find and fix any “hair” on the deal we reasonably can.
    • Be up front about anything we can’t fix, so buyers don’t waste time on impossible scenarios.
    • Vet buyers so we avoid the ones with a history of being flaky or dishonest.

    Will that make closing a certainty? No. Even with our best efforts, deals sometimes fall apart.

    If that happens, we use our cornerback memory. We keep the lessons, drop the baggage, and move on to the next opportunity.

    It’s harder to act outcome-independent when you’ve got one property to sell instead of a string of plays or poker hands — because it’s a one-off.

    A good hack is to think of it as one in a series of important moments in your life. Do the work. Make the best decisions you can. Every time.

    Will you win every time? No.

    But bumping your success rate even a little can make a huge difference in your overall results.

    I don’t promise results.

    But when you want the smoothest process possible — with trust and integrity — click below.

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  • The Secret to Success? It’s Boring.

    The Secret to Success? It’s Boring.

    The most boring part? Filling out the deposit slips.

    About a week ago I wrote about goal setting, and how most people get it wrong.

    Systems > Goals.

    That’s how Scott Adams puts it in How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. The idea shows up in other books too—most personal or business development books overlap a lot. Which is a good thing. See a concept enough times, in different words, and it’s more likely to stick.

    In The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson hits the same idea from a different angle:

    Success comes from doing small, simple things you can control—consistently.

    Instead of setting a big goal and swinging for the fences (and missing), you set the big goal but start small. Keep repeating the simple steps and you get a compound interest effect over time.

    That’s the problem though—it’s just as easy not to do them.

    Eat right and exercise today? You won’t notice a difference tomorrow. Skip it? Same thing. But do either one for years, and the difference is obvious.

    Which is why it’s easy to put off. Your condition a year from now won’t be much different if you start tomorrow instead of today. But that “tomorrow” thinking can stretch into a year before you know it.

    In my world, I might have 20+ projects going at once—brokerage, investments, business development. I don’t work on them all daily. But there are a few things I do at least every weekday (and try to do every day):

    • Check the prior day’s sales in MLS and update my maps. One day’s data doesn’t matter much, but years of it gives me an instant, detailed comp set. That’s gold for property analysis.
    • Check for new opportunities. Most MLS listings are priced at or above retail. But sometimes one’s a deal, and you have to move fast. Daily comp research makes spotting them easy.
    • Return every call and message. I’m not glued to my phone, but if you reach out during the day, I’ll get back to you. Quick response makes for a better client experience.

    Missing a day—or even two—wouldn’t end the world. But over time, that’s how you lose your edge.

    For me, the goal isn’t just to stay busy. It’s to make sure I’m doing the little things every day that give my clients the best chance to win. It doesn’t always look like much in the moment, but the results speak for themselves.

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  • “But We Already Bought the Tickets…”

    “But We Already Bought the Tickets…”

    Do what’s best for you today. Not what you thought was going to be best yesterday.

    A lot of times, we confuse having the option to do something with having the obligation.

    Ever had an extra ticket to a big concert or sporting event and asked a friend to go, only to hear,

    “I can’t — I already bought tickets to a movie”?

    Looked at rationally, it doesn’t make much sense. But people aren’t always rational.

    If you’d truly rather see the movie, fine. But often, people feel like they have to go through with something just because they already spent money on it, even when a better opportunity comes along.

    Here’s what an event ticket actually represents:

    The right to attend. Not the obligation.

    If you buy a ticket to a concert today, you’re not required to attend. If something better comes along, or you’re just not feeling it that night, you can sell the ticket (sometimes) or just skip it.

    Spending money on something in the past shouldn’t dictate today’s decision. You should make the choice that’s best for you now, regardless of yesterday’s plan.

    In economics, it’s called a sunk cost. But more on that another time (maybe).

    And whichever way you go, it doesn’t make the original decision a mistake. You bought yourself the right to choose — not the duty to follow through.

    That’s optionality. And it applies to real estate, too.

    If you reach out to me for a free, no-obligation analysis of your property, that’s exactly what you get. No obligation. Take the information, ask your questions, then decide if it makes sense to move forward — or wait.

    If you decide to list, still no obligation. We can put it out there, get feedback, gather data, see how buyers respond.

    Even if someone makes a full-price offer, you’re not required to do anything you don’t want to. Until you sign a contract, you’re completely in control.

    Now, I’m not looking for a roster full of clients who change their minds every week. But there’s real value in knowing you could. You’re not boxed in. You can test the market, learn something, and still say no.

    Optionality gives you leverage.
    Leverage gives you confidence.
    Confidence leads to better decisions.

    I don’t push. I don’t press. I give you straight up info (if you ask for it).

    I help you figure out what’s right for you — and help you execute it.

    Total optionality, zero obligation.

    And you don’t even have to pay anything for the info, like you would with movie tickets. (Although that could change.)

    Is it a bad time to talk about what might be out there?

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  • Please Keep Talking, It’s Helping Me Win

    Please Keep Talking, It’s Helping Me Win

    Less talk = better results. And who’s better at keeping their mouth shut than me?

    A while back, I talked about the value of silence in negotiation.

    The less you’re talking, the more you’re (probably) winning.

    In radio, the worst thing you can have is “dead air.” If nothing’s coming through the speakers, people change the station—and someone’s getting fired. So hosts will say something, anything, just to fill the gap.

    Most people are like radio stations. They can’t stand silence. They start talking just to make it stop. And that’s when they say more than they should.

    If you can sit there and be patient, you’d be surprised what people will tell you. They’ll spill the beans. Sometimes the whole pot.

    That’s one benefit of being quiet—you might learn something useful. The bigger benefit? You’re not spilling your own beans. We’ve all said something we wish we could take back.

    Some of us just learn faster than others.

    Obviously, you can’t stay quiet all the time. But in a professional sense, you should know which side of the table someone is sitting on before you talk.

    In Texas, salespeople and brokers have to hand out a form called Information About Brokerage Services at the first real conversation with a prospective client or customer.

    It spells out who we work for and what we owe them. We must treat everyone honestly and fairly. But for clients, we have to put their interests above everyone else’s—including our own—and share any material information we receive.

    Which means:

    If I’m working for you, you can tell me what you will or won’t accept for your property, and I keep it confidential. Don’t disclose anything but the asking price unless you tell me otherwise. Every licensee is supposed to do this, but you know how it is.

    If I’m working for the other party and you tell me you’re asking $1M but will take $850K? Guess what? Not only will I tell my client—I’m required by law to tell them.

    Here’s the most self-serving thing you might read all day:

    I wouldn’t recommend buying or selling real estate without a skilled broker.

    But if you do, remember: watch what you say. The person you’re talking to may be legally required to repeat it to someone else.

    A good rule: assume the other party is in the room.

    In car sales, the salesman pretends to be on your side against the manager. Everyone knows that’s a lie, so you don’t tell him you’ll actually pay more. Because the first thing he does is walk into that other room and tell the manager.

    In real estate, agency is supposed to be disclosed. But human nature gets in the way sometimes. So just because someone acts like your friend doesn’t mean you should tell them anything.

    I try not to say too much. Maybe to a fault according to some.

    I say it’s one of my superpowers, right up there with being about the most stubborn person in Collin County.

    When you’re ready to talk, click below.

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  • It’s Not Personal, It Just Feels That Way

    It’s Not Personal, It Just Feels That Way

    I know you know this. But maybe your friends don’t.

    I spend a lot of my time on what I call the institutional side of the business.

    Homebuilders, developers, large investors. The kind of clients who are in real estate full time. They’ve got teams, systems, scale, and a pretty clear sense of what works for them.

    Some are better to deal with than others. But I try to only work with the best.

    Then there’s what I call the retail side: individual land or lot owners.

    People who might own a few properties but aren’t in the business. For them, it’s personal — because it is personal. It’s their land, their money, their decision.

    Two different animals.

    Usually, the best setup for me is when I can help someone from the retail side navigate a deal with someone from the institutional side.

    I know what the developers want. I know what the landowners need. When it lines up, it’s a win for everybody.

    But that gap between the two worlds? That’s where deals can get sideways.

    One of the biggest differences — and one of the most useful things you can copy — is this:

    Institutional players don’t take things personally.

    You should try not to as well.

    That doesn’t mean they don’t care. It just means they know emotion doesn’t help them make better decisions.

    They’re not insulted if there doesn’t seem to be a fit on price.
    They’re not rattled when a deal falls apart.
    They don’t assume bad faith at every turn.

    They regroup, re-run the numbers, and see if there’s a way to make it work.

    If there is, they propose it. Maybe it gets accepted, maybe it doesn’t. Either way, they move on and stay on good terms with the other party (as far as it depends on them).

    If more individual landowners approached deals this way, they’d get better results. Period.

    But a lot of times, when a buyer asks for more time, or a price adjustment, or pushes back on some detail, the instinct is to think, They’re trying to pull something!

    Especially when the buyer is a developer.

    The assumption is they’re dragging it out on purpose. Trying to nickel and dime you. Working some hidden angle.

    But here’s the truth: Developers want the same thing you do.

    They want it simple. They want it quick. They want to close.

    The difference is, they’ve got more moving parts. More uncertainty. More risk.

    That’s what slows things down — not some secret plan to wear you out.

    And if the deal pencils? Price won’t be an issue.

    But figuring out whether it pencils takes time, money, and effort.

    None of that is free. And none of it is personal.

    You can’t control everything in a deal. But you can control how you react.

    Not everything works out the way we want it to, but rarely because the other side was dishonest or mean.

    Rarely. Not never.

    And that’s where experience matters.

    I’ve likely already dealt with whoever’s on the other side of your deal. And if I haven’t, I know someone who has. If they’re shady, I’ll know — or I’ll find out.

    If we don’t catch it upfront, I’ll know a lot sooner than you if they’re acting in bad faith.

    If so, we play hardball and let them either close or walk.

    Which means you don’t have to learn the hard way.

    And if we have to start over, we will.

    But what we won’t do is take it personal.

    That alone puts you way ahead of the pack.

    In real estate and in life.

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  • If They’re Your Agent, Why Does It Feel Like the Real Sales Job Was on You?

    If They’re Your Agent, Why Does It Feel Like the Real Sales Job Was on You?

    Do you want a guide at your side, or a closer at your back?

    Yesterday I talked about Jerry Jones, maybe the most un-okay guy in the world.

    Today, let’s talk about maybe the most okay group you’ll ever meet:

    Real estate agents.

    You know the type. Fancy car. Designer clothes. Buzzwords. Always closing. Talking fast.

    Not the best listener. (To be polite.)

    Here’s the truth: most of them aren’t making anywhere near the money they project. But they feel they have to look successful. Image is everything.

    That means taking any listing they can, even if it’s not their lane. Fake it til you make it.

    Land, houses, whatever. They’ll wing it. Say whatever they need to say to get your signature before you talk to anyone else.

    And when winging it goes wrong, ethics can get loose.

    Best case? You’ve got a funny story about hiring the wrong person.

    Worst case? You’ve got a horror story.

    I’m a little better at reading people than most. But this one isn’t hard to spot, even if you don’t see exactly what’s going on. You just know something feels off.

    If you’ve ever hired one, you saw the warning signs.

    But you did it anyway.

    Why?

    Probably because you told yourself:

    “They’re a great salesperson. That’s who I want on my side.”

    Except the real sales job was done on you.

    Here’s the question:

    If someone has to work that hard to get your business, how hard will they work to protect your interests?

    I don’t really look the part. I don’t need to.

    I’m not trying to sell you — I’m trying to guide you.

    If I’m doing my job right, you might not see me until closing.

    If we do meet, you’ll notice no designer logos (I don’t advertise for free), no buzzwords, no pressure.

    And no pitch.

    If any selling happens, it might be you telling me why we’re a good fit.

    If you want a pitchman, there’s plenty to choose from.

    If you want an actual professional and honest advocate, click below.

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  • Winning While They Call You an Idiot

    Winning While They Call You an Idiot

    Jerry Jones didn’t get rich by winning Twitter debates.

    Yesterday I talked about “okayness” — the idea that if you want to win, you have to let the other side be okay.

    If you let them feel like they are sort of one-up on you, things get easier for you.

    Last Friday, I had thoughts about the most pressing issue in Dallas right now: the Micah Parsons negotiations. Right before Parsons asked for a trade and sent out a tweet that could be read as contradicting me.

    I’m not rehashing that today. (Maybe soon, before the inevitable happens.)

    Here’s what hit me instead:

    Jerry Jones is the best example I’ve ever seen of being not-okay — and how it can work for you long-term.

    Since he bought the Cowboys in 1989, Jerry’s been ripped by the media. Maybe not during the ’92–’93 glory years, but pretty much every other day since. Buffoon. Jerk. Racist. Con artist. You name it.

    And he’s not perfect. But he leans into it. He lets everyone have their say while he keeps doing things.

    People laugh at the way he talks in circles after games or during negotiations. He throws out rambling analogies that don’t make sense, and the media shapes it into whatever fits their story.

    But when he’s talking in a non-adversarial setting? Totally different guy. Engaging. Sharp. I’m convinced “press conference Jerry” is partly an act.

    Most people in his shoes would duck the media. Not Jerry. He rarely gets mad, and even when he does, it’s brief. He’s been the most accessible owner in sports for decades, talking to people who will turn right around and call him stupid.

    Meanwhile, while everyone’s been busy calling him stupid, he’s:

    • Turned a struggling team (partly foreclosed by the feds) into the most valuable sports franchise in history.
    • Rewritten NFL marketing rules to the benefit of every team.
    • Negotiated massive TV deals that dwarfed what others would have taken.
    • Built one of the premier stadiums in the world.
    • Made a fortune in real estate, oil, gas, and other ventures.

    What hasn’t he done? Won a Super Bowl in a long time. So he’s an idiot. He lets you believe that while he keeps moving forward.

    I haven’t made myself into a national punching bag yet, and maybe I won’t. But I’m fine letting the other guy in the room be the “smart” one if it gets us where we need to go.

    Like Jerry, I don’t need to “win” every argument in public—I just want my clients to win on their deal.

    When you’re ready, you know what to do. Click below:

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  • Being the Smartest Person in the Room Is Overrated — Unless You Know How to Hide It

    Being the Smartest Person in the Room Is Overrated — Unless You Know How to Hide It

    Some people would argue I don’t have much experience in this…

    Just after the mortgage crisis, there were vacant lots everywhere and only a handful of buyers. I represented one of the few builders looking to acquire. We met with an investment group that had been buying lots to see if there was a fit.

    Realistically, a deal probably wasn’t going to happen regardless — the timing wasn’t right, and pricing for builders and sellers was miles apart.

    But this one was doomed from the start.

    The leader for the investors was sharp, but couldn’t resist proving it.

    Our builder’s CEO? Same thing.

    Two smart guys locked in a measuring contest, and the rest of us just watched it die in real time.

    Not long after, my guy passed acquisitions to someone a little less abrasive and focused on his CEO role. Fifteen years later, that company is publicly traded and one of the largest homebuilders in the country.

    The other guy? Not quite as good. Overconfidence led to overleverage, which led to prison.

    I hear he gets out soon, but I won’t be knocking down doors to deal with him again.

    Jim Camp talks about okayness in Start With No: In any negotiation, only one person can feel totally “okay.” Your job is to make sure it’s them.

    (You can buy Start With No here)

    If my guy had just let the other guy show how smart he was, without trying to match him move-for-move it might have been different. Like I said, we probably wouldn’t have made a deal that day, but there would’ve been a better chance of future deals.

    It’s why Columbo solved every case. He looked unprepared and harmless so the criminal let their guard down. Same principle. You don’t have to actually be bumbling; you just have to let them think they’re in control.

    If you walk into a room and everyone immediately knows you’re the smartest person there, you’ve already screwed up. People don’t like a smarty-pants — especially one who makes them feel like the slowest kid in class.

    That doesn’t mean intelligence isn’t valuable. It just means you don’t win by flashing it.

    I’m not recommending clumsiness as a tactic (I’m not big on tactics — I like principles). But just as an experiment, next time you go to a meeting “forget” your pen so you have to borrow one. Or something equally minor.

    Watch how the dynamic changes because you let the other party feel “okay.”

    What’s this got to do with selling real estate? Maybe not much directly. But I think you see the applications — both in how I deal with my clients and with our counterparts on the other side of a deal.

    As for meetings, I try to avoid those as much as I can. And deal strictly in email. I do my best to write clearly — and keep out the tpyos.

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  • If You Don’t Control It, Don’t Worry About It

    If You Don’t Control It, Don’t Worry About It

    That Doesn’t Mean Don’t Think Ahead

    If you’re my age (or close, or even older), you probably remember Tommy Lasorda. And remember him fondly—unless maybe you’re a Yankees fan.

    For those who don’t know, Lasorda was a long-time manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A larger-than-life character.

    He had a way of boiling big ideas down into one-liners.

    One of my favorites:

    “The only way I’d worry about the weather is if it snows on our side of the field and not theirs.”

    Perfect. The conditions are the same for both teams. If it’s raining, it’s raining for everybody. If the wind’s blowing in from left, it’s blowing in for everybody.

    His point? Don’t waste energy worrying about things that affect everyone equally—and that you can’t change anyway.

    If a game is scheduled for tomorrow, it doesn’t do any good to stress about whether it’s going to rain. All the players and coaches still need to plan to show up, prepare, and play. The manager still needs to prepare under the assumption the game is happening.

    That doesn’t mean you ignore the possibility. You might think through contingencies—like what to do if it gets rained out, or how to handle a double-header the next day. But you don’t lose sleep over a “maybe” that hasn’t happened yet.

    Same in business. Once you’ve committed to something, you move forward and don’t burn energy on what you can’t control. Sure, you account for what you’d do if something changes, but you don’t let “what-ifs” run your life.

    Once a property is listed, it doesn’t help either of us to worry about a sudden market shift. If it happens, we adjust. Until then, we focus on what we can do today.

    Property goes under contract? No sense fretting about whether the buyer will find something in due diligence that spooks them. We stick to the plan. If something comes up, we deal with it then.

    I recently listed a property for a family with four decision-makers. That’s usually a recipe for headaches, but this one went surprisingly smoothly—except for one of them who was a constant worrier.

    We got it under contract, and I’d get weekly calls: “What if this happens?” Always about things none of us could control. And sure enough, the first buyer dropped out. We ended up selling to a better buyer. So in the end, it worked out… but it wasn’t a fun ride.

    Pro tip: don’t be that kind of client.

    When something is outside my control—and it’s the same for everyone in the deal—I don’t waste time worrying about it. I focus on the moves I can make: pricing strategy, negotiations, presentation, due diligence. Those are the parts where I can make a difference.

    Lasorda couldn’t make the sun shine in Dodger Stadium. But he could decide who was starting on the mound, how to set the lineup, and when to stomp out of the dugout for one of his “friendly chats” with the umpire.

    If you’ve never seen one of those chats, search Lasorda meltdown on YouTube. Just maybe don’t watch it with kids around or at full volume if you’re offended by gratuitous profanity.

    Bottom line: If the weather’s the same on both sides of the field, stop worrying about the clouds. Focus on the game you can play.

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