Ask Me Really with Pauline Donnelly

Pauline answers a question from a new agent who feels lost, has no business yet, and worries about seeming desperate when talking to potential clients. She explains that clients won’t focus on how new you are as much as how you carry yourself, how prepared you are, and how seriously you take the work. Pauline recommends structuring days like a busy professional with time blocked for prospecting, market research, and sphere follow-up, and responding thoughtfully before committing to meetings to signal that your time has value. She emphasizes knowing the market deeply, dressing for success even without appointments, and being honest about being new while leading with integrity, responsiveness, and commitment. New agents can also leverage their advantage of complete focus and presence, build relationships early, attend broker opens, learn inventory, and absorb experienced agents’ expertise.   Topics 00:19 The New Agent Question 01:13 Confidence Without a Track Record 02:35 Look Busy With Structure 03:38 Know Your Market Cold 04:18 Dress Like a Pro 05:24 Be Honest and Build Trust 06:25 Use Your Focus as an Edge 06:53 Action Steps and Closing Mindset

Pauline responds to an agent who feels jealous and resentful of a friend and colleague whose real estate business is thriving while theirs has stalled. She normalizes the emotion, calling it the “competitive doldrums,” and explains how obsessively tracking the colleague’s listings and closings feeds a costly spiral that steals time and energy from business development. She challenges the assumption that the colleague’s success is luck, arguing it is usually the result of unseen, consistent work, and urges the agent to honestly assess their own effort. Her counterintuitive advice is to call and sincerely congratulate the colleague, which reduces resentment and strengthens reputation in a relationship-driven industry. Then, stop monitoring the colleague, identify specific actions to move the business forward, set goals, and get back to prospecting and follow-up.   Topics 01:46 Why It Feels So Bad 02:33 The Comparison Spiral 03:33 Luck vs Hard Work 05:11 Ask Yourself Honestly 05:31 Congratulate Them 06:43 Refocus on Your Business 07:32 Competitive Doldrums 08:03 Final Takeaways

Pauline answers a question from an agent whose qualified buyers keep browsing listings online for months but won’t tour homes, saying it’s likely not the market or the buyers but the agent stepping back from the driver’s seat. She argues that automated alerts and waiting for clients to choose showings hands the search to buyers who can only react to photos, which are designed to attract attention and can misrepresent properties in both directions. Buyers can’t truly understand a home until they stand inside it, so eliminating options from the sofa isn’t a reliable process. Pauline advises agents to be proactive by previewing properties themselves, deciding what’s worth the buyers’ time, and calling (not texting) with a clear read and recommendation, while also resetting expectations that online photos are only the beginning.   Topics 00:00 Buyer Search Stalled 01:35 Who Drives the Search 02:24 Reclaim Expert Role 03:17 Why Photos Mislead 04:51 Be Proactive Advisor 05:10 Preview Then Call 06:22 Reset Buyer Habits 07:34 Takeaways

In the inaugural episode of Ask Me Really, Pauline answers an agent’s question about a seller who wants to list $200,000 above a CMA-supported price to “leave room to negotiate.” She explains the seller’s strategy is based on a misunderstanding of buyer behavior: buyers search within pre-approved price bands and overpriced homes aren’t negotiated down—they’re filtered out and never seen by the right buyers. Overpricing attracts higher-budget buyers who have correctly priced alternatives, leading to days on market, stigma, seller anxiety, and eventual price reductions from a weakened position; overpricing is presented as the riskiest move, not a conservative strategy. Pauline recommends framing the discussion as education rather than argument, using clear language and buyer examples, and focusing on helping sellers make an informed decision. If a seller insists, she suggests a conditional agreement: list high but pre-commit to a 14-day reassessment and immediate price change if showings or serious interest don’t materialize, potentially written into the listing contract.   Topics 00:00 Seller Pricing Dilemma 01:42 Credit for Holding Firm 02:28 Why Overpricing Fails 03:37 Buyers Filter It Out 04:46 Days on Market Fallout 05:39 What to Say Script 07:31 Stories and Examples 07:58 Conditional Pricing Plan 09:50 Wrap Up & Key Takeaways