I’ve just confirmed that I’ll be moderating two panels at RISMedia’s 2007 Leadership Conference–a high-level, networking and educational event for America’s real estate and relocation leaders held in New York City every year. Presented by RISMedia and sponsored advertisers of RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine, this conference–now in its 18th year–focuses on building stronger Real Estate and relocation businesses and the future of the Real Estate industry.

On Thursday, September 6th, I will be moderating the following panels:

• “A New Opportunity? How Brokers Can Succeed with Agent Teams”
• “From A to Z-How Do I Form and Lead a Championship Agent Team?”

For more information about RISMedia’s 18th Annual Leadership Conference, visit the conference homepage.

It is not every day that I am asked to fly to the African continent for a speaking engagement, but that is exactly what I will be doing this weekend when I head to Nairobi, Kenya, where I will join my good friend and fellow motivational speaker, Chip Cummings, at the 2007 Nairobi Wealth Expo.

As one of the Expo’s Keynote Speakers, I will be speaking to attendees (between 3,000-5,000 people) about advanced selling techniques and how to walk like a giant and sell like a madman.

I am honored to be attending this event, which affords Kenyans with an opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship, best practices in business management, Internet marketing, investing in Real Estate, and more. For additional information on the event, please visit the Nairobi Wealth Expo website.

I am in Connecticut today speaking at the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association’s all day seminar, “When is it Fraud?” Joining me in educating CMBA’s members on a variety of issues related to detecting and preventing real estate and mortgage fraud…

• Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Attorney General
• Walter W. Grattan Jr., Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI
• Peter Emerzian, Special Agent- U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
• Thomas Covill, State Agency Counsel - Chicago Title Insurance Company
• Jeffrey Hubble, Connecticut Department of Banking
• Robert Moore, Certified Residential Appraiser
• Ben Niles, Freddie Mac
• Miriam Smolen, Associate General Counsel - Fannie Mae
• Jonathan Peck, Closing Attorney, Peck & Tuneski, P.C.
• Brendan Browne, MGIC

Topics covered include Fraud Scenarios, Title Fraud, Gangs and Illegal Flipping Schemes, Communicating Underwriting Deviations Before and at Closing, Underwriting Guidelines, and Trends in Fraud Detection.

Sponsored by various committees of the CMBA, this exciting and innovative seminar will go a long way toward educating multiple segments of the mortgage banking community–including real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, appraisers, buyers, mortgage lenders, and closing attorneys–of the dangers and associated with real estate and mortgage fraud.

For more information on this event, visit the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association’s Website.

Blogging Systems Group and Ralph R. Roberts have joined forces to develop the International Speakers Blog.

“Ralph Roberts acting on his idea and starting a virtual community for international speakers is absolutely brilliant, I can’t believe someone else hadn’t already done this,” said Ed Primeau, owner of Primeau Productions, multi-media expert and contributor to the International Speakers Blog.

The International Speakers Blog will be a compilation of work, wisdom and inspiration from the greatest speakers, across multiple subject matters, from around the world.

“My goal is to change the world a million people at a time and by having the best speakers, authors and writers from around the world join me, I know this goal can be accomplished,” said Ralph R. Roberts, once named Time Magazine’s Realtor of the Year and official spokesperson for Gunthy-Renker Home. “This is an opportunity to collect pearls of wisdom for today’s generation and future generations to come.”

“Having one online destination where visitors can read, listen and interact with their industry leaders is phenomenal. Additionally, people can learn from the advice other industry leaders are offering up because the information is all in one place.”

This online destination allows the great pearls of wisdom from both.

The blog, built on Blogging Systems’ Community Blog technology, will allow each invited speaker to have his or her own blog to share and create content. Web Users can read, download the information and post comment or questions to any of the contributing speakers.

“The International Speakers Blog will be especially useful for small business owners who may not have the budget to attend events and interact with best of breed speakers and thought leaders,” said Richard Nacht, founder and CEO of Blogging Systems.

Currently, the following International Speakers-experts in sales, commerce, entertainment, technology, humor and diversity-have signed up to participate:

Terry Brock
Tim Richardson
Bobbe White
Ben Cheng
Michael Podolinksy
Ron Kaufman
Andy Birol
Michael Lee
Christine Holton Cashen
Steve Rizzo
Leslie Grossman
Nancy Coey
Ed Primeau
Ralph Roberts
Richard Nacht

Blogging Systems’ blog platform, which can be used to create community blogs, Intranet and company Marketing blogs, is for companies who want to create an online destination site for news and information pertaining to their target market.

“Blogging Systems is excited to expand the reach of community blogging,” said Nacht. “Web Users will be able to leverage the knowledge and expertise of a great number of thought leaders.”

Today, I am in Providence, Rhode Island, speaking at a RE/MAX Rally in the Rhode Island Convention Center. My session, “Walk Like a Madman. List Like A Giant,” covers tips and techniques for producing award-winning sales, including: 14 secrets top agents use to process, capture, and rate leads; proven methods of driving buyer leads to your business; sure-fire techniques for converting leads into committed, loyal buyers; and plus much, much more.

If you attended today’s RE/MAX event and would like to ask a follow-up question or leave a comment about my presentation, please use the “comment” button immediately below this post.

According to FBI statistics, real estate and mortgage fraud cost the American public over one billion dollars in 2005. This is double the amount from the year before, and if the prognosticators are right, 2006’s losses will be even higher. Many people may not realize they are victims until they find themselves in foreclosure or are facing eviction. Bottom line: For many, the American dream of homeownership has become a nightmare.

With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that starting in January, I will host a monthly teleconference call to offer free advice on how to avoid real estate and mortgage fraud, and what to do if you believe you have been targeted. January’s call–which will cover the signs of real estate and mortgage fraud and will give listeners tips for both prevention and solutions if they feel they’ve been scammed–is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2, 2007, at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time / 4:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. Subsequent calls will be scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month.

There is no charge to participate in next Tuesday’s call (except for normal long distance telephone rates if applicable), but registration is required. To register, please contact my assistant, Kym Johnson, at (586) 751-0000 or email her at kymjohnson@ralphroberts.com.

In Willie Nelson’s popular song, On The Road Again, he says: “The life I love is makin’ music with my friends, And I can’t wait to get on the road again.” While I miss my family each and every time I hit the road, I also treasure that part of my life where get to share best practices and related life lessons with other Real Estate industry professionals (to me, it’s like makin’ music).

As I did in June and again in September, later this week (on Thursday, October 26) I’ll be Keynoting a STAR POWER® Success Summit–this time at the Radisson Hotel and Suites in Dallas, Texas. My choir-mates, i.e., speakers, for this week’s event are:

• Cathy Russell from Cathy Russell Real Estate in West Lafayette, IN
• Ed Birdsong from Birdsong Real Estate in Lake Jackson, TX
• Rob Levy of Prudential Northwest Properties in Portland, OR
• Brian Maecker of RE/MAX Advantage in Colorado Springs, CO
• Dan Harker of Harker 5-Star Team/Keller Williams Realty
• Linda McKissack of Keller Williams Denton in Highland Village, TX
• Eleanor Mowery-Sheets of Eleanor Mowery-Sheets & Associates/Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas, TX
• Jean Shine of Shine Team/Coldwell Banker United in Harker Heights, TX
• Howard Brinton, Founder of STAR POWER Systems in Boulder, CO.

Thursday’s event provides Real Estate professionals from around the Dallas area to tap into the latest thoughts and trends related to:

• Pricing strategies
• Creating urgency for buyers
• Scripts and dialogues that get results
• Thriving in a slow-paced buyers market
• What it means that “sellers buy image” and “buyers buy houses”
• Using facts, data, and logic to overcome emotional objections
• Marketing approaches that factor in current and anticipated market conditions
• Educating sellers that it is a mistake to believe that they will get more by asking more

If you’d like to know more about this week’s Success Summit, visit GoStarPower.com and click on the “Events & Seminars” link in the top nav bar.

Where do Tennessee Realtors in go when it comes time to attend their own annual convention? Why, to San Antonio, Texas, of course! Later this week, I’ll be speaking at the Tennessee Association of Realtors’ annual conference, which oddly enough does not take place inside of the state of Tennessee.

My talk, Recognizing, Avoiding, and Recovering from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud, is one of only eight educational sessions being offered during the conference, which runs from Wednesday, October 4, through Friday, October 6, at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.

Click here for more information on 2006 Annual TAR Convention.

I’m pleased to share that I’ll speaking later this week at the Fall Meeting of the Nebraska REALTORS® Association. My workshop–which is scheduled from 8:30 AM - Noon on Wednesday, September 20–is titled Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse: Recognizing, Avoiding and Recovering from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud, and has been approved 3 credit hours of Continuing Education.

Topics I plan on covering include:

1. Defining real estate fraud: real-world examples of real-world real estate scams.
   Measuring fraud’s impact: on individual homeowners; the real estate industry; and local, state, and national economies.
2. Differentiating between “Fraud for Profit” and “Fraud for Housing.”
3. Identifying common schemes and schemers, including Asset Rental, Air Loans, Chunking, Double Sales, Straw Owners and Buyers, Nominees, and Faulty Appraisals.
4. Spotting the warning signs of a fraudulent real estate deal.
5. Proven tips and tricks for avoiding fraud and steering clear of gray areas in your real estate-related transactions.
6. Practical advice for real estate agents, appraisers, mortgage brokers, investors, title companies, and lawyers.
7. Reporting fraud: one person can shut down a shady deal. Why you need to be that person and what you should do when you suspect fraud.

If you would like to know more about the Nebraska REALTORS® Association, check out their website by clicking here. And if you’d like to more about my talk and workshops related to Real Estate & Mortgage Fraud, click here.

How does a proven Real Estate Agent adapt and find success in a market that’s headed toward a slowdown? That’s the key question that will be answered during today’s Real Estate Success Summit in Denver, Colorado. Organized by my good friends at STAR POWER® Systems, the Denver Real Estate Success Summit is presented as part of STAR POWER’S Real Estate Success Summit series, a comprehensive and intensive training program designed to show Realtors how North America’s top Realtors succeed regardless of market conditions.

Joining me in Denver as presenters:

• Tom Cain of RE/MAX Realty Associates in Champaign, IL
• Gayle Henderson of RE/MAX Excalibur Realty in Scottsdale, AZ
• Shon Kokoszka of Keller Williams Advantage Realty in Lakewood, CO
• Rob Levy of Prudential Northwest Properties in Portland, OR
• Brian Maecker of RE/MAX Advantage in Colorado Springs, CO
• Leslie McDonnell of RE/MAX Suburban in Libertyville, IL
• Tami Spaulding of The Group, Inc. in Fort Collins, CO
• Diane Stow of RE/MAX Traditions in Longmont, CO.
• And of course, Howard Brinton, founder of STAR POWER Systems in Boulder, CO.

I really like events such as this one. They allow successful agents like myself to meet up-and-coming Realtors, as well as to share the secrets of our success. All told, the 10 of us who will be presenting in Denver represent the top 1 percent of real estate producers in North America. Participating in events such as this affords everyone in attendance an opportunity to see and hear first-hand what elite agents who hail from comparable markets have done to overcome similar challenges, surpass their competitors, and realize successes they’d only imagined when they first started in the business.

Before I wrap up this post, I do have to share how my journey to Denver started. United flight 529 was supposed to leave Detroit at 3:26 PM and arrive in Denver at 4:31 PM. Unfortunately, after the plane was fully boarded and pulled away from the gate, our pilot announced that the flight was going to be delayed because a nasty storm system stretched from Ontario, Canada, down through the state of Indiana. After sitting on the tarmac long enough to burn a sufficient amount of fuel, the pilot’s voice once again made its way through the cabin, this time to tell us that ‘flight control’ (my words, not his) was trying to determine if it made sense to go back to the gate for more fuel now or take off now, stop somewhere for fuel, and then make our way around the storm. Long story short, we went back to the gate–”in the name of safety,” said the pilot–but not before being treated to an X-Men movie featuring people with wings jetting out of their backs and knives coming out of their fingers (not a good movie for people who are locked up and sweating inside of an airplane headed absolutely nowhere).

Oh how I love being a road warrior, which when you stop to think about it, is not unlike surviving and succeeding in a down market. Knowing how to cope during stressful and challenging times–such as my flight to Denver or when I faced my first downwardly headed real estate market–is what ultimately makes you a success. When the going’s good, everyone gets in on the act and makes a killing. It’s the rare few who have done their homework, planned their work, and worked their plan who survive.