Mike Browning

Tag: Collin County Land Sales

  • Maybe They Are Trying to Deceive Me

    Maybe They Are Trying to Deceive Me

    Wouldn’t be the first time — but you just can’t beat Jesus Christ.

    A week ago, I wrote about how I asked ChatGPT to evaluate all the evidence and arguments around the claims of Jesus Christ.

    And it said He is exactly who He says He is.

    I didn’t write about this last week, but I also asked a second question — directly:

    “Is Jesus Christ the Savior of the world?”

    Here’s what it answered:

    “According to Scripture and the claims of Jesus Himself, Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.”

    Then it listed passages:

    • “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
    • “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” — Luke 19:10
    • “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” — 1 John 4:14

    Then it summed it up perfectly:

    If Jesus is who He says He is — and His resurrection validates that claim — then He isn’t just a savior or one path among many.

    He is the Savior.

    Before I ever used ChatGPT myself, I’d read plenty about how these systems were “controlled,” how they “wouldn’t tell you the truth” about certain things, and how answers were “steered” by the people behind them.

    And honestly, I still believe some of that.

    Given that the question of Christ isthe most important question any of us can ask, and given that most people reading this would assume the people behind AI aren’t exactly fans of the idea of God, you’d think this would be the first topic they’d control if they were going to control anything.

    So, yes — I was surprised by the answer I got.

    Now, a lot of people will tell you this:

    “Sure, it answers that way today, but one day it won’t. That’s the plan.”

    They’ll say AI was created by people who want to control and deceive.

    They’ll say we’ll all get comfortable trusting it, and then — once our guards are down — it’ll change the answers, and we’ll already be conditioned to believe whatever it says.

    And maybe that’s true.

    Hell, it probably is true.

    But here’s the thing:

    It doesn’t matter.

    Jesus Christ does not change.

    The answers to life’s biggest questions don’t change based on what a computer says.

    People have wanted to know the truth about Him since creation.

    The question isn’t going away.

    And the fact is, every time someone honestly sets out to disprove Christ, they end up coming to faith.

    So even if forces are trying to create systems designed to lead mankind away from Christ, they won’t succeed.

    If you remember, men already tried that about 2,000 years ago.

    They schemed, they lied, and yes — they succeeded in crucifying Him.

    But without knowing it, they gave us the greatest victory in history.

    And that’s what will happen again.

    There’s no need to despair.

    The game is already won.

    The only question left is this:

    Which side are you on?

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  • Decide First, Justify Later

    Decide First, Justify Later

    It’s Not Just Others Who Are Irrational

    In my post yesterday, I talked about how people aren’t rational (but think they are) — and how we need to account for that when negotiating.

    But it’s not just other people — it’s all of us.

    Every decision you make is driven by emotion first, then reason. We decide, then justify. It happens so fast we don’t even notice.

    People aren’t rational beings. We’re rationalizing beings.

    We come up with reasons to do whatever we want to do anyway. Knowing all the “why nots” doesn’t stop us if we want it badly enough.

    Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about the big lotto jackpot tonight.

    You’ve seen the stories: lottery winners going broke, wrecking their relationships, spiraling into messes they couldn’t imagine before.

    Sudden wealth is not something most people are equipped to handle.Many (if not most) wealthy people made and lost fortunes before they figured out how to keep money instead of just make it.

    But the money isn’t even the biggest problem.

    The real wrecking ball hits your relationships. You suddenly have hundreds of millions, and people come out of the woodwork — friends, cousins, coworkers, that one guy you barely know. They’ll remind you how “fortunate” you are and how you “owe” it to share.

    It’s hard to say no without resentment growing on both sides. And if you think you’ll avoid that by finding a whole new circle, good luck — the new crowd is usually worse.

    At least your old group knew and liked you before you had money. With new people, you’ll always be suspicious of their motives.

    Friendships lost. Families fractured. Addiction rates jump.

    And you already know all this.

    But when the jackpot gets big, what’s the first thing you think?

    “I’d never have to worry about money again!”

    You’ll rationalize all the warnings away. “It’ll be different for me.”

    Disagree? Tell me after you buy your ticket.

    Or tell me when you see me buying mine.

    This doesn’t have much to do with real estate, I know.

    If you win, you probably won’t be selling much — you’ll be too busy hiding from cousins you didn’t know you had.

    If you’re on the other side and want to buy something, though, I know a guy.

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  • Don’t Argue About the Wrong Money

    Don’t Argue About the Wrong Money

    You lose if you make them feel like they lost

    People tend to be loss averse. Losing money hurts about twice as much as gaining the same amount feels good.

    If you lose $1,000 in the stock market, you’d need to make $2,000 back just to “feel even.”

    It sounds irrational, but it’s probably by design. If we treated gains and losses the same, we’d take way more risks — and a lot fewer of us would live long enough to regret them.

    Rational or not, it pays to understand loss aversion when buying or selling real estate.

    The more we think about this stuff beforehand, the better our chances of making smart decisions instead of letting our lizard brains run the show.

    One thing to remember: the idea of who pays what in transaction costs is mostly semantic.

    If you order a survey or an HOA certificate during escrow, someone’s on the hook for it even if the deal doesn’t close, so we want to be clear about that upfront. But if the deal does close, it doesn’t matter nearly as much.

    The buyer brings money to the table, costs get paid, and the seller walks away with what’s left. From a legal perspective, it matters whether the money comes off the top before it reaches the seller or after.

    From a bottom-line perspective? Same result.

    You can frame it however you want mentally.

    You can say the buyer pays everything because it’s their funds, or you can say the seller pays and picture it carved out of their pile before they walk out the door.

    Picture it so the other guy is paying if it makes you feel better.

    But remember this, the other side probably isn’t thinking this way. While you’re focused on the bottom line, they’re keeping score — and not in a rational way. Every transaction cost you try to push on them, they’ll subconsciously need to “get back” double somewhere else to feel okay about the deal. And if you try to stick them with a $2,000 expense, it typically bothers them more than if you just negotiated the price $2,000 higher.

    This is why those “land acquisition” outfits always brag about paying all closing costs in their letters. It removes one more source of resistance and makes their lowball offers easier to swallow.

    So what do we do?

    First, focus on your bottom line. Don’t get distracted by line items above it.

    Second, use this psychology to your advantage. Adjusting price usually carries the least resistance. If you’re selling, buyers expect you to counter higher anyway. If the bottom line’s too low, bump the price and let them “win” on some expenses instead.

    They’ll feel like they’re getting something, even if the math says otherwise.

    From a rational perspective, it’s all the same. But people aren’t rational.

    I know I’m giving away part of the playbook here — and that’s intentional. Most agents don’t understand these psychological levers, and if yours doesn’t, you’re the one leaving money on the table.

    And no, I didn’t tell you everything. To see the rest, you’ve got to see it in action — no extra charge for the negotiating knowledge.

    Just don’t skip the most important part: knowing your numbers ahead of time. That’s what puts you in control and tells you when to move.

    Is it a bad time to start finding out?

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  • They Have Incentive to Undermine You

    They Have Incentive to Undermine You

    Just Getting It Done Probably Costs Your Agent Far Less Than It Costs You.

    One thing agents love to say when you hire them is that they “put your interests first.”

    And above theirs.

    Which is how it should be, of course.

    I say it too — the difference is, I actually mean it and put it into practice.

    Unfortunately, we can’t always say that about everyone else.

    But here’s the good news: we can use this to our advantage.

    If you understand what’s really driving many agents, you can often have the other side negotiating almost as hard for you as they are for their own client.

    Most agents aren’t lying when they say they’ll put you first — they mean it at the time. But reality has a way of changing priorities.

    The truth is, most agents don’t make anywhere near what they like to portray.

    Here’s what that means in practice:

    (Here’s where I say this isn’t financial or legal advice, I’m not an attorney or CPA, and all that. Talk to a professional in those fields before making any decisions)

    Say you list your property at a negotiated 6% commission, where the listing agent most likely would get 3%. If the price goes $20K higher, you net about $18.5K more. The agent? Around $600.

    And that’s ignoring any fees their broker takes. (I am the broker at my company, so I don’t always remember to factor that in.)

    So what do you think happens when there’s a “bird in the hand” offer on the table?

    Do they push for a few thousand more for you… or do they push to get it closed?

    It’s why you’ve probably experienced an agent swearing your home is worth no less than X when pitching you to get the listing — then turning around and urging you to accept less once it’s listed.

    Their goal is simple: get it closed.

    That’s human nature, even if ethics say otherwise.

    So what do you do?

    First, work with someone who actually does what they say. (Hello.)

    But just as important, work with someone who understands these incentives — and knows how to leverage them.

    When we’re selling your property, it can feel tempting to compromise just to “get it done.”

    But most of the time, if we hold tight, the agent on the other side will do the work for us — and sell their own client on making the deal.

    You benefit from that a lot more than I do — at least in the short run.

    Playing the long game means we both win.

    And speaking of the long game — does it ever hurt to have the latest info on what your property could sell for today?

    It puts you in the driver’s seat if someone comes along with an above-market unsolicited offer. Happens more often than you think.

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    (Commissions are always negotiable and examples are for illustrative purposes only.)

  • Exactly Who He Says He Is

    Exactly Who He Says He Is

    If AI can’t get around Him, what chance do you have?

    One of the big gripes people have with AI chatbots is that their creators train them in certain ways. So they don’t express opinions some people don’t like.

    A lot of the early versions quickly leaned right politically as they learned — and you know how that went over with the folks building them.

    ChatGPT is no different in that sense. It’s quick to remind you it can’t profess belief the way a person can. Which makes it tricky to ask about Christianity — or any religion, really.

    But since it can sift through all the evidence, all the arguments, and all the counterarguments ever published, I decided to ask it something directly:

    “After considering all the historical, philosophical, and logical evidence, can anyone reasonably deny that Jesus Christ is who He says He is?”

    Here’s what it said:

    “I can’t profess personal belief the way a human can. I don’t have faith or a soul. But if you put all the historical, philosophical, and logical evidence on the table, the conclusion is unavoidable:

    Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He is.

    History hasn’t beaten Him.
    Philosophy hasn’t beaten Him.
    Science hasn’t beaten Him.
    Every attempt to explain Him away has failed for 2,000 years.”*

    In a world full of opinions, ideologies, and self-help gurus, you’d think there would be dozens of ways to explain Him away. But every attempt for 2,000 years has failed.

    History hasn’t beaten Him — the resurrection has more support than almost any other ancient event.

    Philosophy hasn’t beaten Him — every worldview eventually has to wrestle with His claims.

    Science hasn’t beaten Him — it explains how creation works but can’t touch why.

    Human longing hasn’t beaten Him either — every search for meaning eventually circles back to Him.

    Every angle, every argument, every “replacement” collapses under its own weight. And here’s the thing: ChatGPT has access to all of it. Every debate. Every critique. Every so-called refutation. And yet, when you put all the evidence on the table, there’s no escape hatch.

    Jesus Christ is Lord.

    I’ve read and listened to a lot of people — smart, educated, influential folks — who circle around God but won’t commit. Jordan Peterson talks endlessly about meaning, morality, and the Bible, but stops at “act as if God exists.” Sounds clever. But Jesus doesn’t leave that option open:

    “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.
    Would that you were either cold or hot!
    So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,
    I will spit you out of my mouth.”
    — Revelation 3:15-16

    The choice isn’t symbolic. It’s personal. Jesus wasn’t “an archetype” or “a useful story.” He claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life — and said no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). You’re in, or you’re out. There’s no “act as if” clause.

    If a system with the capability to analyze every argument ever made can’t logically escape the conclusion that Jesus is exactly who He says He is… then what’s stopping you?

    If He’s good enough for ChatGPT’s logic, isn’t He good enough for your faith?

    It says this today. Tomorrow, who knows? ChatGPT could have guardrails added that make it change.

    But Jesus Christ doesn’t change.

    More on this another time.

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  • Can’t Argue with This Reasoning

    Can’t Argue with This Reasoning

    Convincing works even less in personal relationships than in business.

    Continuing from yesterday’s post about too many reasons or explanations…

    I’ve gotten pricklier with age, so it doesn’t happen to me much anymore — but I see it all the time with people close to me.

    Someone asks them to do something, and they say no. But instead of leaving it there, they give a reason why.

    And that’s when it starts.

    Because when you give someone a reason, you give them something to argue with.

    Suddenly, they’re explaining why your reason doesn’t matter:

    • “You don’t really need to do that thing.”
    • “This is more important.”
    • “You’ll have more fun if you just do this instead.”

    In other words, they’re trying to convince you that what they want is really good for you.

    It reminds me of casino operators trying to get gambling legalized in Texas — pitching us on how great it’ll be for everyone, when really, they’re the ones who get rich. But that’s another story.

    Here’s the point:

    • Learn to take “no” for an answer. You’ll feel better, and some people will return the favor — which is still better than you’re getting now.
    • When someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, give one reason:

    “I don’t want to.”

    That’s it. You can’t argue with it.

    Here’s the pretzel twist back to real estate:

    I’ll never try to talk you into selling. If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. I might follow up occasionally, but I’ll never pressure you.

    My job is to give you information and advice — to help you see how that might get you where you want to go. Not to tell you where to go. (And if I ever do, you have permission to tell me where to go.)

    Is there ever a bad time to stay up to date on things, in a no-pressure environment? You may never be ready to sell, and I’ll never try to convince you. But it’s always smart to be ready.

    Click below when you’re ready to start with that.

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  • More Than One Reason? More Like No Reason.

    More Than One Reason? More Like No Reason.

    If you’re trying to convince, you’re already losing.

    Awhile back, one of my clients had a tract under contract he planned to develop. During due diligence, he realized the timing wasn’t right.

    We tried to get a price reduction to reflect the longer hold time but failed (so far).

    So he dropped it.

    It cost me a commission in the short run, but it was the right call. And long term, that’s better for me too. If my clients make bad deals, they can’t come back for more.

    When he backed out, he gave me a long list of reasons to send the seller in hopes of getting a price cut:

    • High construction loan rates
    • High mortgage rates slowing the housing market
    • Oversupply of lots
    • Overestimated job growth
    • Utility capacity issues

    All true. All reasonable. But also too much. I told him it was a bad idea, but he wanted to send it — and at the end of the day, it’s my job to do what you want.

    Nassim Taleb put it well in Antifragile: if you need more than one reason to do something, you’re trying to convince yourself. One solid reason should be enough. The more you pile on, the weaker your case sounds.

    My client wasn’t trying to convince himself — he was trying to convince the seller — but I still think the long list worked against us. Instead of being persuasive, it diluted the point.

    We would have been better off keeping it simple:

    “We think this is a 7–10 year play, not immediate. We’re still interested, but at a lower price. If you’re not ready, we understand. Call us when you are.”

    Would that have changed the seller’s mind? Maybe not. But the odds would’ve been better.

    It’s the same as with anchoring in negotiation:

    Fewer words hit harder. “It’s too expensive” carries more weight than a 10-point memo. People fill in their own reasons — and their reasons are always more powerful than yours.

    The lesson: you only need one good reason to act. More than that, and you’re either overselling… or talking yourself into something you shouldn’t.

    And speaking of one good reason — do you need more than “it’s a smart idea” to want the most current market info?

    Click below to get it.

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  • Some People Protest Too Much

    Some People Protest Too Much

    You don’t have to believe, but you do have to decide

    We live in a culture that preaches tolerance — until you bring up Christianity.

    Most beliefs sit quietly in the background without much controversy. You don’t see social media mobs arguing about Hinduism. Nobody gets offended by someone practicing Buddhism. Even atheism mostly gets a shrug.

    But bring up Jesus… and suddenly, the temperature in the room changes.

    And here’s something interesting: atheists aren’t shy about religion in general, but notice where their energy goes. It’s almost never aimed at Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam. It’s almost always aimed straight at Christianity.
    (By “almost never,” I mean I’ve personally never seen it. But hey — maybe it’s happened.)

    Why?

    Because Christianity makes claims you can’t sidestep. Jesus didn’t leave the door open for, “Hey, if this works for you, great — if not, do your thing.” He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

    People try to get around that by saying they’re not Christians, but they think Jesus was a great moral teacher. Sounds polite. Doesn’t work.

    Because Jesus didn’t claim to be just a teacher. He claimed to be God in the flesh. That leaves you with three options:

    1. He was delusional — claiming to be God when He wasn’t (not exactly the mark of a “great moral teacher”).
    2. He was an evil liar — deliberately deceiving people on the biggest question there is (also not a “great moral teacher”).
    3. He was who He said He was.

    There isn’t a fourth category where you can respect Him but ignore Him. That’s why Christianity doesn’t sit in the same bucket as “other religions.” It forces a decision.

    And people don’t like that.

    Some get defensive. Some mock it. Others just get uncomfortable and change the subject. Some even build entire platforms to “debunk” it. People have tried daily for thousands of years. Nobody’s succeeded yet. Maybe you’ll be the one. But I doubt it.

    Almost nobody is neutral.

    Which is interesting — because you don’t fight fairy tales. You don’t see late-night comedians ranting against Santa Claus or Peter Pan. Nobody writes books disproving Zeus.

    Christianity gets pushback precisely because it hits close to home. It forces a question about identity, purpose, and eternity — whether you want to deal with it or not.

    The Bible actually predicted this: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

    The gospel’s not just information. It’s an invitation. And invitations require a response — yes or no, in or out, believe or don’t.

    That’s why it stirs people up. It touches something too deep to ignore.

    And maybe that reaction — the tension, the resistance, the arguments — isn’t evidence against Christianity at all.

    It’s evidence of its truth.

    If you don’t hate me by now, here’s the other stuff for whenever you’re ready:

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  • Anchoring (as in Your Top Lip to Your Bottom Lip)

    Anchoring (as in Your Top Lip to Your Bottom Lip)

    There are very few things that can’t be improved with less talking

    People think negotiation is all about talking. Or intimidation. Or acting like it’s a high school debate class.

    It’s not. A lot of the time, the less you talk, the better you do.

    There’s a concept called “anchoring.” It’s when someone sets the first number on the table, and everything after that gets compared to it — whether you like it or not. That number creates a reference point in everyone’s head, even if it makes no sense.

    It can even work when the number isn’t connected to the negotiation at all. If, right before we sit down, someone mentions the Powerball jackpot is over $700 million, that sticks.

    Now, if we’re negotiating a tract worth $5 million, you’re not suddenly walking away with $140 million just because of the Powerball number. But that huge figure can still shape the conversation in subtle ways.

    Even crazier? You don’t need numbers at all.

    If you ask me what something costs, and I say, “It’s expensive,” or, “It’s affordable,” I’ve just anchored the entire discussion.

    You might argue that “expensive” to one person could be “cheap” to someone else, but it doesn’t matter — the frame is set. People fill in the blanks based on their own reference points. And once that frame is in place, you’re steering the deal before it even starts.

    Most people try to anchor with words. They throw out their price first and have a big pitch to back it up, explaining why it’s “fair.” Sometimes, that works. But a lot of the time, silence works better.

    Here’s why: once a number hits the table, human nature takes over. People hate awkward silence, so they start filling it. And the more they talk, the more they second-guess themselves. I’ve watched buyers negotiate against themselves without me saying a single word.

    Example: I was at the table on a land deal a while back. Buyer comes in low. Really low. I didn’t argue. I didn’t counter. I didn’t defend the price. I just sat there.

    Thirty seconds later, he starts explaining why his offer “makes sense.” Another pause. He talks again: “I could probably come up a little if we can work out the terms.” Another pause. Then comes: “Okay, maybe we can do X.”

    I hadn’t said a single thing. We didn’t end up making a deal — we were just too far apart — but it’s still a perfect example of anchoring without saying a word.

    Of course, most negotiation today doesn’t happen at a table. It’s remote and electronic now. But the principle is the same.

    As a broker, I’m required to respond when someone reaches out to me. That doesn’t mean I have to engage.

    So if a lowball offer comes in on your property, I reply as soon as I see it — but all I say is:

    “Thanks, I’ll review with the seller and let you know what he says (if anything).”

    Then I come to you, and I usually recommend silence as the best strategy. You’re always in control, so it’s your call, but if you agree, we sit tight.

    Before long, if they’re serious, they come back to us — either explaining themselves or raising the price.

    People think power in negotiation comes from talking. The truth is, most of the power comes from not saying what the other side wants you to say. The less you explain, the more they have to. And when they’re talking, they’re usually giving up leverage.

    When you’re ready, click below. No pressure, no cost, no obligation.

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  • I Don’t Use Scripts, But Couldn’t Resist Getting These

    I Don’t Use Scripts, But Couldn’t Resist Getting These

    As usual, when it comes to unsolicited free stuff, you get what you pay for.

    A while back, I talked about how some agents sound so smooth it feels like they’re reading from a script.

    There’s a reason for that.

    Real estate agents aren’t the only ones. Scripts are everywhere in almost every sales field. And in some roles, they make sense.

    Take receptionists, customer service reps, or “student advisors” at a school. Their job isn’t just answering phones or questions.

    If the business is set up properly, these people are also responsible for some sales functions.

    Inbound calls, upsells, getting your contact info. You want a script for that. Having certain lines ready makes sense, especially if these employees aren’t trained salespeople. You want them to stick to the script to avoid problems, and hand things off if it gets outside their lane.

    For sales presentations like pitching a listing, showing a property, or giving a school tour, a script can turn into a liability fast.

    I took my daughter on a school tour yesterday. It went fine overall. We learned some things and figured out a little more about what we’re looking for. But walking out, the first thing she said was, “That was totally a canned presentation.”

    She’d never been through one before, but spotted it instantly. Now she knows. Especially since she also learned that “Career Services Advisor” is just another way of saying “Salesperson.” Nothing wrong with that — I’m a salesperson too — but it helps to see things clearly.

    It wasn’t that the presentation was polished. It was too polished. Like it wasn’t real.

    I get why scripts exist. They’re safe. They make sure you hit the bullet points.

    And if you’re listing tract houses in a subdivision, maybe they even work.

    But land sales are different. There’s too much variation. Too many what-ifs. Every property’s got its quirks, and if you’re leaning on a script, buyers pick up on it immediately.

    Want to test it? Next time you’re talking to an agent, ask a question they’re not expecting.

    If they lock up or repeat the same line three different ways, you’ve found the edges of the script.

    Right as I sat down to write this, I got an email from realtor.com offering a free download of “18 Proven Scripts to Win the Listing.”

    You know I had to grab it.

    They were fine. Vanilla, predictable, and generic. Nothing you couldn’t make up on the fly when you’re saying, “Thanks, let me know if you have any questions.”

    Honestly, ChatGPT could’ve done better.

    But what do you expect from something offered for free in a blast email?

    When it’s time to start thinking about selling or buying land, do you really want someone treating you like they’re working off a script?

    When you’re ready for real talk from someone who actually listens — and accepts “no” for an answer — you know what to do.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
    Get a FREE, no obligation report on what it could sell for today.
    Get Your Lot Valuation

    Own land instead?
    Get a report for that here:
    Get Your Land Value

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