The Altman Close E-Book

Josh Altman

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 375

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Land the deals you want and develop your instincts with million-dollar negotiation techniques After selling over $3 Billion in real estate, including the most expensive one-bedroom house in history, Josh Altman, co-star of the hit show Million-Dollar Listing Los Angeles, wants to teach you the real estate sales and negotiation tactics that have made him one of America's top agents. Buying or selling a house, whether for a client or yourself, is one of the most important (and most stressful) deals anyone can make, demanding emotional intelligence and a solid set of negotiating skills. But by mastering the same techniques that sell multi-million-dollar homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills, you can attract buyers and close deals on any property. Josh breaks down the art of real estate into three simple parts. First, he'll help you get business in the door during the Opening. Then he takes you step-by-step through the Work: everything between the first handshake and the last. And finally, the Close, the last step that ensures all your hard work pays off as you seal the deal. * Learn how to open with a prospect, work the deal, close, open, and repeat * Build and market your reputation, creating more sales opportunities * Develop the traits of a closer in you and your team * Drive the deal forward and get the best price for your property by creating desire, scarcity, and demand Successful real estate sales are driven by the same principles, whether they happen in the Hollywood Hills or just down the street. Josh wants to put those principles, and the techniques for applying them, in your hands. Learn them and discover what you can achieve.

Leseprobe

PREVIOUS WORKS

It’s Your Move

JOSH ALTMAN

MILLION-DOLLAR NEGOTIATION TACTICS FROM AMERICA’S TOP REAL ESTATE AGENT

THEALTMANCLOSE

Cover design: Paul McCarthy

Cover and flap photographs: © Sean Twomey, 2me Studios

Copyright © 2019 by Josh Altman. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Altman, Josh, 1979- author.

Title: The Altman close : million-dollar negotiation tactics from America's

 top real estate agent / Josh Altman.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2019. | Includes

 index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018061434 (print) | LCCN 2019003660 (ebook) | ISBN

 9781119560104 (ePDF) | ISBN 9781119560128 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119560111

 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Success in business. | Selling. | Negotiation. | Real estate

 business.

Classification: LCC HF5386 (ebook) | LCC HF5386 .A5439 2019 (print) | DDC

 333.33068/8—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018061434

To my amazing wife Heather. The greatest close of all. Your support in the Altman Brothers office, our home, and life, has allowed me to consistently operate at the top of my game and be the best closer I can be. You're an incredible mom and have given me the best gift ever . . . our daughter Lexi. I look forward to many more negotiations with you in life. You are definitely the toughest negotiator I know, and you always keep me on my toes. You're my Ace.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD by Robert Herjavec, Shark Tank

PREFACE: PRE-GAME PEP TALK

PART I: PREP THROUGH OPEN

CHAPTER 1. GAME-TIME MENTALITY

CHAPTER 2. THE PLAYERS, THE FIELD, THE SHOT CLOCK

CHAPTER 3. MY FIRST CLOSE

CHAPTER 4. ALL IN WITH LA REAL ESTATE AND BRAVO TV

Negotiating Is All

Going Hollywood, TV Time

CHAPTER 5. RULES OF THE GAME: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Impressions Matter

10 Rules to Make a Positive First Impression

CHAPTER 6. THE DREAM TEAM: YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE

CHAPTER 7. FRESH EYES ON THE PRIZE

CHAPTER 8. ALL ABOUT THE OPEN

Know More than the ’Hood

Watch Your Back

Networking and Giving to Get

CHAPTER 9. OPEN HOUSES FOR CLIENTS, BROKERS, AND INSIDERS

Don’t Tour, Sell

Broker’s Opens

Insider Opens and Strategic Alliances

CHAPTER 10. CREATE AN IN-YOUR-FACE BRAND, 24/7

Working the Web: Social Media and the Press

Give Expert Advice

Concierge Extraordinaire

CHAPTER 11. GOLDEN HAMMERS AND 20 QUESTIONS FOR SELLERS

Shut Up and Listen

The Altman 20 (Questions for Sellers)

CHAPTER 12. SIZE UP THE PROPERTY: PRICING AND TIMING

Reading the Property: Questions I Ask Myself

Let’s Talk Pricing

CHAPTER 13. CLOSE THE OPEN ON SELLERS: TALK MARKETING, THEN SIGN

CHAPTER 14. CLOSE THE OPEN ON BUYERS: THE ALTMAN 12

CHAPTER 15. OFF TO WORK: TAKE A BREATH FIRST

PART II: THE WORK

CHAPTER 16. WORKING WITH BUYERS: PART CHEMISTRY, PART THERAPY

Assessing Personality Types

Analyzing the Buyer

Calming the Buyer’s Fears

CHAPTER 17. STRATEGIZING WITH SELLERS: GETTING READY FOR WAR

The Battle Plan

Managing the Troops

Note

CHAPTER 18. WEAPONS: LISTING LANGUAGE, INTERIOR DESIGN, AND STAGING

A Killer Description

Killer Design

Staging for Battle

CHAPTER 19. THE KILLER COMBO: DRONE AND 360° PHOTOS PLUS STAGING

CHAPTER 20. ON THE BATTLEFIELD: MORE ON OPEN HOUSES AND BROKER’S OPENS

Who to Invite?

Work the Party

What About Neighbor(hood)s?

Sell Strong Points and Knowledge

CHAPTER 21. PRICE DROPS ARE NOT ALWAYS DOWNERS

CHAPTER 22. GO WIN THE WAR

PART III: THE CLOSE

CHAPTER 23. MAKING AN OFFER

Settling on the Price

Inspections and Contingencies

More Deal Sweetener Details

As for Curve Balls: Play by Your Rules and Get the House

CHAPTER 24. GETTING AN OFFER

CHAPTER 25. MULTIPLE AND COUNTEROFFERS

Negotiating on the Clock

No Rules? Use Hammers for Leverage

CHAPTER 26. PSYCHING OUT BUSINESS STYLES

CHAPTER 27. PUTTING ON THE POKER FACE

The Anger Hammer

Know the Classic Hard-Baller Moves

Use Confidence to Grab the Hammer

CHAPTER 28. THE WALK-AWAY

How to Walk Away

CHAPTER 29. BE A SHARK: EAT, SWIM, DEVOUR

PART IV: PLAYS FROM THE BOOK

CHAPTER 30. PLAY #1: DAMN, THE STUDIO HEAD’S PISSED

CHAPTER 31. PLAY #2: THREE CLIENTS, ONE PROPERTY

CHAPTER 32. PLAY #3: THE MIDDLE MEN KINGS

CHAPTER 33. PLAY #4: THE MOST EXPENSIVE GARAGE EVER SOLD

CHAPTER 34. PLAY #5: THE PARAMEDICS OF REAL ESTATE

CHAPTER 35. THE FINAL PLAY: CONFESSION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INDEX

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

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E1

FOREWORDby Robert Herjavec, Shark Tank

I first met Josh Altman five years ago when I was perusing properties online. I saw what I now know to be synonymous with his name: a great piece of real estate. Josh represented the house of interest and I emailed his general website immediately. Within minutes, he personally responded. The man already had options for me. He had a plan. Not only was he ready to show me the house that caught my attention, but he had lined up a few other exclusives as well, properties that were off-market and unknown to the public.

From our brief exchange over mere email, I knew I respected Altman for a few standout reasons. In my life as a businessman who deals with other professionals daily, even judging them on television’s Shark Tank, there are certain traits that make few entrepreneurs rise above the rest. Communication, creative outside-of-the-box thinking, hustle, and personalized attentiveness to clients always prevail. In my line of work these attributes are imperative. I knew at once, Josh had them in spades.

Within weeks, Josh showed me a couple dozen properties. One in particular stood out, but as I had been working with a few other realtors prior, I ended up purchasing a house that someone else showed me before The Altman Brothers came into the scene. That’s usually where the story ends for most people. Not for Josh.

Three years down the line, I had listed the house I bought with the realtor who sold it to me, only he could not find a buyer. It had been six months on the market with no bites. In the meantime, Josh had been consistently reaching out to me every few months. His follow-up was always consistent. The day came when I needed a change from my current realtor and the choice was a no-brainer. I gave Josh a shot at listing the home and as if effortless, he sold it. Not only did he sell it, he knocked it out of the park when it came to negotiating and closing the buyer. He treated my money like it was his own and was extremely strategic in the negotiations. I remember specifically when it got to a certain price, he insisted with the confidence of the expert he is. “Robert,” he said, “take the deal!” I trusted him. I listened. I signed. The man was right. It was an excellent deal for me.

While in escrow closing on that house, I tasked Josh with finding me a new home. Little did I know, he had remembered everything I liked and disliked from our first encounter three years prior. He tracked down the specific house I had adored and approached the owner. Turns out they wanted to sell. The fact that Josh remembered a preferred house from three years earlier showed me what kind of listener he is. In a customer service business, listening to your clients’ needs is so important, and it separates the good businessmen from the great. I was impressed and my wife and I were ecstatic to have the chance to own a house we loved. We bought it and live there today.

From that moment on, I told Josh he was my realtor for life. Still to this day, whenever I call, email, or text him, Josh always answers, ready and prepared to get the information I need. I get pitched business ideas from entrepreneurs all the time on Shark Tank, but rarely do I see someone who can negotiate and close deals like Josh Altman. Now, when I think real estate, I think of Josh Altman and The Altman Close.

PREFACE: PRE-GAME PEP TALK

Let’s get right to it. This book is more than real estate. This book is Hollywood. By that I mean I am Hollywood. YOU have the capability and potential of being Hollywood, too. I use “Hollywood” not in the pretentious, superficial, glitz-and-glamour sense of the phrase – take it from a blue-collar Boston guy who worked in the mailroom – and not as a geographical location. “Hollywood” in Altman-speak is making the biggest deals at the highest levels with the wealthiest and most financially successful entrepreneurs, success not just being measured by bank accounts.

We’ll cover that, but to start, this book is about closing, something I do over 180 times per year at record profits. Check my stats. Hell, check the Wall Street Journal. You’ll find me. Closing is about opening, which together is serving your client with the upmost respect, servicing your community, and yes, making money, lots of it. I don’t care if you’re in London, Dubai, Iowa, or Arkansas. You have the opportunity to make your business, your brand, and yourself “Hollywood.” This is a mentality, a physicality, and a reality. The Altman Brothers don’t dance. We make money moves, and you can dance to that.

From the moment I wake up ready for battle – gym to shower to embroidered suit – I am closing a deal. Whether on the street, in a Beverly Hills mansion, or on the sports field, the ball is in my hands; the clock is counting down, 3-2-1. This is what I have prepared for, the way I’ve set it up from the first play, the way I’ve adapted, overcoming any obstacle thrown my way. It’s all up to me to be a champion. It’s up to me to close, the exact way I’ve planned all along, each path different. If you don’t want the ball in your hands, if the pressure doesn’t excite you, then just put this book down and read my previous literary work, It’s Your Move.

This book goes beyond that one. This is the advanced course. This is the vision-board pinned with a check written to your mother, seven zeros minimum to offer because you and your kids are already covered. I cannot give you the drive, the work ethic, the passion, but I can kick you in the ass as my college football coach did to me. I can be straight A-to-B, no nonsense, and relay to you the tools it takes to be a feared beast – a shark. I’m Josh Altman. What’s going on? Let me tell you how I can help you today. Translation: I know how to help us both. You’ll want this.

I have the respect and the knowledge to give you the necessary respect and knowledge. Only you can be accountable for you and your success. This business is on your shoulders alone. Do you have what it takes to listen, to dig deep, come off the bench and Tom Brady this? Can you be the GOAT (greatest-of-all-time) in this? Do you have the thick skin to win, to lose, and to use that experience to come out on top in the big game, time and time again? If so, turn the page. Step on the field and know that the one goal, no matter what it takes to get there, is to score and score big, with continuous victories, one stacked on top of the other. We don’t have time for anything else. The clock doesn’t wait. I thank you in advance for your precious seconds. Now let’s not waste them. Let me teach you how to thank yourself.

Success: You want this or not? How bad do you want it? Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to be cutthroat? If you think that “cutthroat” means to screw someone over, then please keep reading for your own sake. That is not success. That does not get repeat calls.

In today’s world of misconstrued controversy, success is dignity for yourself and others. Business is business, and for some that can be extremely personal. Closing real estate deals affects people’s lives on many levels. Small fish or big dog, the principle remains the same: You will not make everyone happy all of the time, but if you honor yourself, if you honor your client, if you honor your community, if you honor your competitors no matter your true opinion of them, then you can win for all, time and time again, each victory more in your favor.

Compromise makes a relationship, and cutthroat compromise can be your best friend. It may not always be your ideal outcome, but a friend nonetheless, one that returns, the give-and-take, a friend that honors in value.

We all love a slam dunk, a Hail Mary caught, a grand slam, yet even in this past year, when my second-home team the Los Angeles Dodgers lost the World Series to my beloved Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers took out a full-page ad in the Boston Globe congratulating the Sox on their win. That’s class. That makes a loss a win for them – a form of close in itself.

If you think I just dated this technique of closing by invoking killing for kindness and the Golden Rule, then pause to acknowledge this: We all live in the moment because others lived in the past with a hopeful vision of the future. We are that future. That said: This book is Hollywood. Now let’s get you the gold statue no matter what happened before, as long as you own it, remember it, and learn from it. Let’s get you the win. Let’s get you paid. Let’s close!

Are you ready for what you say you want? Are you prepared to learn? Success: How bad do you need it? How much do you need it for everyone? How much do you need it for yourself? I have built a real estate empire. I have built success by constructing fear in others with my aggressive attitude toward business. They call me “The Shark” for a reason. Now, I open you to the embrace. Let’s begin to be better. Let’s be the best – the GOAT. Let’s all win – with the Altman Close.

Part IPREP THROUGH OPEN

Chapter 1GAME-TIME MENTALITY

Before we get to the numbers, and before we get to me, here’s the thing. The most important rule in life is to show up and show up on time. By on time I mean early. By early, I mean ahead of schedule, prepared, in warrior mindset, questions asked and answered in all ways, ready to go. The clock started yesterday.

If you’re late to bed, you’re late to wake up, maybe not physically, but definitely mentally. If you’re late to breakfast, your morning routine, then you’re already chasing. If you’re late to the locker room, you’re late to what you should have been able to bring to the table. Even worse, you’ve now missed the coach’s plan. You’re late for the game. You don’t deserve to be on the court. You’re not a player. You’re not ready to close. Don’t be late to yourself.

The beauty and the common attraction of the real estate business is the idea of freedom, that you are your own boss, the coach. Wait – cut that thought out right now. If you want to be your own boss, then you’ll understand and respect the fact that your client is the boss, the coach, no matter how you feel about them personally, no matter the situation.

There’s no excuse to be late – not car trouble, family emergencies, whatever. Yes, things happen, but you can bet your ass that in most cases your new client has a family too, and there they are, ready to strategize, ready to play, ready to attack. They’re not late because they are showing up for their family, setting them up in the best seats, the best arena. They care about that family. Do you? You’d better.

If they have no family, then there’s even less leeway for being late. They are there for themselves, racing the clock to build whatever is important to them. They have a game plan and they have drafted you to be on their team. If you’re not punctual, if you’re not there with guns blazing, uniform on, and a positive attitude ready to play, then you already don’t deserve to be on the team. Let me say this again, if you truly want to be your own boss, know that your client is the boss.

Like it or not, we are all human. We all have an ego. We all want to be a baller in whatever sense the word works for us. In our case, it usually means getting the best deal. As soon as you show your current boss a flaw in your preparation, in your ability to work with them and take direction, a lack of confidence, cockiness, or ego, you have compromised your role on the team. You’re late. You’re wrong. You’re done.

You don’t take them seriously so why should they want you. You’ve created doubt in a business they are already uncomfortable with, even if seasoned. Like the reputations of nickel-and-diming construction workers or mechanics, of lying lawyers, slippery entertainment agents, and greasy car salesman, a long line of unreliable jerks have tainted our reputations as real estate agents.

So you begin against the odds, not trusted, a possible scumbag out only for yourself ready to rip someone off. Your new coach knows this and yet has gambled on you. Their reputation, career, money, safety of their children, getting laid that night by their lover, all of it, depends on the faith they have put in you. And let me tell you, the sharks, the big dogs, the ones with the loot you want to put in your pocket, will have no tolerance for you. There are plenty of players to pick from. The good ones are ready and beyond.

Believe me, your clients are just itching to fire your ass, to flex their muscles and reassure themselves that they are in charge. They want to feel better about themselves and not view themselves as weak, as suckers – or they simply know the ropes and don’t tolerate bullshit. They expect top-grade. They are ballers who don’t have time for nonsense. Waiver – and forget about it.

You see me on television, Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles. Yes, it’s a reality show. Cast members throw glasses of wine at each other and do other petty shit. But the real business is the real estate, the properties, the deals, the clients, and the closings. All very real: I did 189 closings last year.

You see ten of those on the show. How many times have you seen me roll into a meeting that starts off with a threat to my job? Ten. “I want it this way, Josh. I want it that way, Altman. Get it done or I’ll find someone else!” I am proud to say, and my stats have proven, that many of those same clients – my coaches – end the episodes on television and in actual life saying, “I can’t believe you pulled that off,” grinning ear-to-ear, the cigar lit, ready to do business again.

So you’re there, but are you there mentally prepared? From the moment I wake up, as I do my morning stretch, drink my protein shake, slip on my sharp-as-hell uniform, kiss my beautiful wife, hug my daughter, and pull out of my driveway, in the car of my dreams, away from the house I always wanted. I am closing. I am a beast! I am ready for battle, ready to win, ready to close, to open, to work, to make everyone money. I want my boss to know that when it comes down to the last-second huddle, his most trusted and reliable option is to coordinate the play so I get the ball.

Can I stroll in and still maybe win the game on charm, luck, skill, and an easy challenge? Sure. But that’s not good enough. At this level – the Altman “Hollywood” level – my job is to win to do it in spectacular fashion against all odds. I want my coach, in the postgame interview in front of all the cameras, to brag that I made his job easier. Choosing me as his superstar makes him look like a beautiful genius but my stock goes up.

Then I have to do it again. It’s expected. I have to meet that demand and surpass it. In another postgame interview my coach, again wowed by my lead to victory, laughs in amazement. Now, every team wants me and mine will fight, sacrifice, and pay to keep me on their team.

The beauty of real estate is that there’s no limit to the amount of teams we can win championship rings for. Don’t try it. Do it. If you blow it, get up and do it again. Prove yourself even against adversity. Those hard times will happen, but coach is counting on you. You are counting on you. Be prepared. Become your own coach by allowing all to be one.

My empire reigns from Hollywood in the traditional sense of the term as much as it does the Altman sense, so let me reference one of my favorite classic films. Have you ever seen Martin Scorcese’s Casino starring Robert De Niro? If you haven’t, eat some antacids and watch it. In this movie based on a true-life scenario, De Niro plays a sports bookie who sets the point-spread lines for every game – the coach of his crew. As any great boss, he relies on preparation and knowledge. In return, he is able to assess the most predictable outcome of each sporting event, making even the gamblers, the suckers, feel like they are the coaches. He gives them the knowledge to make them think they will win while guaranteeing himself and his employers – in this case the mafia (and you may want to steer clear of them) – that he will win, for them and for all.

In the movie (and in real life too) the mafia bosses gave the bookie, called Sam “Ace” Rothstein in the film, the keys to a Vegas casino. True story. What did Rothstein know beyond any average guy picking up the sports page? The answer is personal information, insider knowledge. Is today’s freezing wind chill a factor for an opposing team used to warmer weather on their home field ? Did the point guard’s dog just die? The quarterback spent the weekend in drunken tears after finding out his girlfriend was cheating on him. How’s he feeling today? The basketball court has a soft spot on the baseline, which can deaden the spring in an athlete’s step, and the rim is tilted a degree to the left, which can change the ball’s trajectory. Who does that effect and how? It’s the same in real estate.

A few years ago, I had a premiere property in the 90210 – Beverly Hills. The lot was baller, but the clients/coaches were an emotional mess. I’m talking two siblings who were fighting over their childhood home that they couldn’t afford to keep. The brother wanted to sell. The sister wouldn’t go for it. It was tense. What was my job? To give the brother the best tools and arguments to convince his sister to sell, the offer no one could refuse. I needed to provide every option. To do this right I had to show up and show up on time, prepared, ready to please, ready to close from the open. I needed to be “Hollywood.”

A great real estate agent must act as architect, interior designer, contractor, city planner, legal consultant, insurance agent, salesman, dream maker, fortune teller, and most of all, therapist. I had done my research. I knew the neighborhood comps. I knew the insurance zones. I knew the local ordinances. I knew the community, the school zones, the crime rate and the walking distance to shops. I knew the nearby sports bar where the brother suggested we first meet. I knew the prices of necessary renovations and I had the eye for suggestions they never considered on how to beautify the home. I had paid attention to all of this with closing in mind, as any real estate agent worth their salt should have done.

But there was one more problem. The sister loved the old oak, the very tree she’d climb in childhood, the tree where she and her brother had their names carved in the trunk. She’d never let the tree be uprooted from her childhood memories or from her now-adult, eco-friendly heart. She’d rather have the house burn down. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met sellers who exclaim, “But I don’t want anyone to change the style of the house, no knockdowns, and they definitely can’t remove that special tree.” It’s an unreasonable ball-bust, but we humans are ball-busters, and we often want to preserve and share what is special to us. It’s our nature.

So, how’d I learn about the tree? What I’m about to say is one of the most overlooked elements in our business along with a general simple rule of life – I asked the guy! Then I listened. I repeat. I asked and listened. I could have asked the basic questions any real estate agent would ask, but I needed to be great, the greatest of all time. I needed to be more than a real estate agent. I needed to be a friend. I knew going in that this property was only for sale due to a death in the family and the remaining siblings were at odds about what to do. I needed to be a person who cared and who helped. In return, this would also help me; it would be good for the soul, the head, the heart, and ultimately the pocket. As my wonderful parents had taught me, this mentality was bigger than the close – it was life, my clients’ life and mine.

It was my moment to shine, to fix the problem, to make the sale, to close. I showed on time, prepared, and asked this grieving soul the details, the little personal stuff. Not only did this express my comforting interest in him and his family, but it led me toward an end zone he never considered when wondering how to achieve the same goal and then sell it to his sister against her opposition. I needed to have ready options for any posed scenario. He needed options to take back to his sister, who was a kind of boss to him. It was my job to give him these valuable options with value assessed. I pleased my coach. I came to close through opening – offering new solutions he could pitch to his sister and help her realize a reasonable price, something she never thought could be done and never wanted to confront.

We are human. We’re sensitive. Respect this. It takes time to sort out emotions and heal, especially after the loss of a loved one. By showing up on time, prepared to ask carefully crafted, pertinent questions, I allowed the family to fast-track the time it would have taken for them to reach their breaking point – the “ah, screw it” moment: “I just can’t do it anymore.” Allowing a client to reach that point is something you can’t always control, but it is my job to make the best effort to let people see the true story, to give them the keys to their casino. I’m not just selling homes; I’m helping people close their hardships. In return, I make a better deal for each of us, a better day – a win for all. That’s being prepared. That is “Game-Time Mentality.”

In the end, the sister couldn’t disagree with the circumstances and I made her feel a lot better about the inevitable. She gave up the tree and she gave up the house. When the next contractor was removing the tree, I made sure to preserve small pieces of the trunk where the brother and sister had carved their names. I sent those pieces framed and glassed to each of them, a personal sentimental touch. We’re not only friends now, but they’ve sent me a dozen more coaches all over the nation who still have me as their starting superstar. I showed up and showed up on time, prepared for the game, and everyone won. I pleased my coach, my boss, and me.

“Game Time” in Altman “Hollywood” means showing up on time, prepared and ready, in your heart as well as your head. If you don’t understand that, then you’ll never be on my team or be able to compete against it.

Now let’s fast forward. Let’s get to some rock-star living. Let’s get to the Altman Brothers, modern-day Los Angeles, 2019.

Chapter 2THE PLAYERS, THE FIELD, THE SHOT CLOCK

Who am I? My name is Josh “the Shark” Altman, aka “the Rain Man of Real Estate,” of the Los Angeles–based Altman Brothers Team. As you read this book you’ll notice that sometimes I lead a chapter with my stats to instill confidence in my clients. Please allow me to do so now.

Last year, out of 2.5 million agents, the Wall Street Journal ranked me #22 and the #1 team in Los Angeles all while filming a TV show for 10 months, writing my last best-selling book, filming a Youtube Channel, recording a podcast, flipping houses, doing 30 keynote speeches around the world, and mentoring thousands of real estate agents. Oh yeah, and having a baby. I have closed over $3 billion in sales. Currently, I have 58 listings with over $100 million in escrow at all times. As my bio reads:

Altman’s reputation precedes him with various record-breaking sales and listings, including a $145 million listing in Beverly Hills, the most expensive one-bedroom ever sold at $21,500,000, the priciest lease in the history of Beverly Hills, the costliest condo sale in Santa Monica, and the highest-price-per-square-foot home sold in the Hollywood Hills. He once approached a big shot studio head one morning at a local gym and sold his house – which wasn’t on the market – for $11.25 million by close of day.

There, now you know, but that’s enough about me. Let’s talk about the game.

Buying and selling real estate is about time, the shot clock. Our market is the world, but our home field is Los Angeles, the city that made us local globalists. This place is crazy. You’ve never seen anything like it. For my brother Matt and me – moving to LA and setting up in Beverly Hills – it was like we were bank robbers in the Wild West, with every money-train there for the taking.

For East Coast guys like us, hustlers with the service mentality, this town gets your adrenaline pumping for more than fame and fortune – it’s the thrill of the deal that keeps us going. Hell no. It’s the hunt, the catch, and no release. The biggest whales from all over the world, they all want a piece, and we want to sell it to them.

I’m talking luxury real estate. I’m talking $20 million-plus mega- mansions under construction, pulling our humble $12 million villas upward because houses are literally judged by the company they keep. Try being a property-flipper on the Westside dealing with a real estate agent who doesn’t understand Altman “Hollywood,” the shot clock, or “Game Time.” If a launch is stalled, if a property goes stale, which will happen here even prior to listing, your coach/client is getting smacked with $20,000 to $40,000 monthly carrying costs: pennies to few, but not to a businessperson who’s been around the block. This dirt piles up and it buries you quick.

The seller’s market here is fierce, bloodthirsty. Many of my clients won’t even look at a property if it was shown to the general public. They want privacy, exclusivity, something no one else can have or has even seen before.

These are the movie stars, hip-hop moguls, fashion models, television producers, professional athletes, kings of property development, the tech industry, hotel heiresses, socialites, and all of their high-end attorneys and doctors who make their homes in the Hollywood Hills, Bel Air, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Beverly Hills.

This is the clientele who demand to see and sell via pocket listings – the “exclusives” that never make it to the MLS. Pocket listings take more time and energy because showing and selling them is a one-on-one process. But Matt and I have the reach within this top-dollar community to fulfill the need with buyers who want to play ball.

Also, some of our clients are developers who buy properties the way everybody else shops for new sneakers. For many of our clients, a real- estate deal won’t make or break their whole bank. This is West Los Angeles. Private jets are common transportation. We kill it here.

But beyond the Hollywood Hills are my sweet spots, the $2- to $4-million deals that power my business day in and day out. The clock runs differently there: a week on the market and a listing starts to go cold and cramp up; a month passes and you can forget about multiple offers. You have to beat that clock. Do it and you make money, if not, you have to drop the price. You’ll have to reinvent the listing.

If your re-launch isn’t on point, just take the property off the field in a stretcher, light a match, whatever. It’s done. I’ll tell you soon how we nurse it back to health. We’re great at that, reviving the deal. To dying properties, the Altman Brothers are the best doctors around.

Don’t take my word for it. Matt and I did $423 million in sales last year. I’m aware of what we’re up against. You see, any savvy real estate agent or home shopper can figure out on the MLS how many times and for how long a house has been listed. Hell, just Google it. It’ll tell you.

Buyers are sure to think there’s something wrong with the house and they’ll want out, as if touching the place would hurt their image, their brand, their team. In a town where you’re only as good as your last project no one picks up a dying horse, they just cover it in a tarp on the track, put it down right in front of the crowd.

Study after study has backed this. The longer a house is for sale, the less likely it will get asking price. In and around LA, this clock ticks faster than anywhere in the world. A listing’s life expectancy is short. Taxes, loans and mortgage rates are high. Act fast, you’ll make money. Ignore this, you’ll lose money.

When money’s lost, the locals get restless, the word gets out and you have to know how to hold on to your successful image and keep the jackals at bay. The only way to do that is to make bank and keep your eye on the shot clock. Balancing urgency, strategy, and patience is a delicate game. It requires finesse. It requires the Altman Close.

Matt and I were working on a sale in the Hollywood Hills, a glorious Italianate celebrity compound on a cul de sac hovering above hawks in the clouds over LA. A builder bought it, intending to renovate and resell; he installed Carrera-marbled hallways, vine-covered pergolas, hand-forged iron railings, and a series of outdoor decks with fireplaces for entertaining. What he did was beautiful.

We proposed a listing figure. He thought it was worth more than what we suggested. He hired some other agent. The guy then bumped around, struggling to sell it at a higher price with that other agent. The nerve, but hey, we know the drill. It happens. Everyone wants to be a baller until they get stuck with the ball.

After some time with his face in the dirt and his pockets getting plucked, he finally came back to us ready to accept our suggestion, the one we’d given him in the first place six months earlier. After being on the market for six months, this house should have been a pig.. But it’s LA, man. You never know. The old agent couldn’t sell the house because of all the construction around it. That was a major issue for him in showing the property to his clients. The trick is to be aware, to be ahead, to think the way hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s father taught him: “Don’t go to where the puck is, go to where it’s going to be.” You have to be quick, ready to adjust, adapt, and overcome.

The surrounding homes that were being constructed brought this listing back to life. The new-construction houses surrounding it came in at an average of 15,000 to 20,000 square feet per property. Those are big houses. Our listing was about 11,000 square feet, a rare home that is actually scaled to human beings, designed for indoor-outdoor Southern California living and now the smallest mansion on an exclusive mega-mansion hill, home to the 1% of the 1%. We eventually sold the house. Instead of letting the construction work against us, we used it as a positive and embraced it, using it in our pitch as the most affordable deal on an A + block. We sold it for future value, not what it’s worth now. We went where the puck was going to be.

Some may say we got lucky with that one, but there are always the signs. You either see them or you don’t. In our business, if you don’t, yep, you lose money. We make money. We close. That’s why our phone rings.

What did we do differently than others? We sold it, not just listed it: two very different things, which we’ll talk about later. We didn’t quit. Almost 99% of the time, a deal is within reach if all parties stay engaged. Quit, and you’ve taken yourself out of the game. Why are we successful, why do we close? We know this. We’re aware. We’re on point. We move and we move fast.

Beyond LA, the current average time for a house sale is 70 days according to Redfin.com, or 65 days according to realtor.com, but it doesn’t matter. You’re already behind the clock if you care about those numbers. We don’t use those stats as our benchmark. We beat them and as a result . . . say it with me . . . we make money.

Either way, LA or not, the turnaround to close varies wildly from market to market, economic cycle to cycle, season to season. Houses sell more quickly and closer to list in school-time months.. Six months on the market – the length of a standard listing agreement – is time enough to sell most houses if you know the Altman Close.

It sounds more simple than it is, most challenges do, but I can assure you, selling real estate on a high-end level will either get you right up in the morning or keep you down for good. Many who take a few uppercuts to the chin never get off the stool and go back in the ring. So, we’ve perfected a system, a well-oiled machine. Game time.

Have an effective strategy. Show up and show up on time, prepared.

Execute it without time-costing errors. It’s A-B-C. You move down the alphabet too fast, or skip a letter, you’ll have to backtrack. Then you owe instead of earn.

Don’t quit. Throw in the towel and you may not get that second chance. Ever.

From Step 1 to Step 3, this all culminates with the close in mind. We like our clients, our coaches, to have the same mindset. We like athletes.