# Ty Lacroix
> 24 years of straight talk on real estate, sales, and the decisions that actually matter. No fluff. No commission breath. Just Ty Lacroix.
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Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`).
## Pages
### About this site
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/about/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T19:26:15.000Z
I've spent 24+ years as a Broker in London, Ontario real estate — enough time to watch every trend, gimmick, and "guaranteed system" come and go, and to figure out what's actually left standing once the noise clears

![Ty Lacroix in person](https://storage.ghost.io/c/89/d3/89d3ba39-4159-4e06-af29-6595393cf36f/content/images/2026/07/Ty-Lacroix-Broker-The-Envelope-Real-Estate-Group.jpg)

Ty Lacroix in person

This site is where I write about it plainly. Real estate, business systems, sales, and the parts of running a solo practice nobody puts in the brochure. No credential-stacking, no jargon, no pretending the job is more complicated than it is. If you want the straight version of how any of this actually works, you're in the right 

## What You'll Find Here

**Straight-talk writing.** Short, direct pieces on real estate and business — the kind of thing I'd actually say to a client or a colleague, not a polished version of it.

**Systems, not slogans.** Everything I write comes from what's actually been built and used, not theory. If I say a system works, it's because I've run it.

**No pitch buried in the content.** This isn't a funnel. It's a place to read something worth your time. If you ever want to work together on a real estate transaction, my business is at enveloperealestate.com — but that's not what this site is for.

## Systems Over Flash

I've packaged some of the actual operating systems behind my practice — qualification, transparency, client communication, positioning — into a kit for other Advisors who want structure instead of another script to memorize. \[Explore Systems Over Flash →\]

## Subscribe

New posts go straight to your inbox, nothing else attached. No spam, no funnel, unsubscribe whenever you want.

---

Also find me at: [enveloperealestate.com ](https://enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)(my real estate business) · [totallypreachless.com](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) (personal writing, no business agenda)
### Systems Over Flash Buyer
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-buyer-sop/
Last updated: 2026-09-23T11:20:54.000Z
### Working With Buyers

*Most agents guess who's serious, then talk to everyone the same way. This is the exact system I use to read a buyer's real timeline, sort them into the right stage, and know exactly what to say — and when. Not theory. What actually kept me in business.*

## Stop Winging It. Start Winning — On Systems, Not Hope

You already know how to show properties and write offers, but to the right people? What most agents never get is the system underneath it — so every lead gets qualified from scratch, every buyer presentation reinvents the wheel (or you don't have one), every client goes quiet-and-anxious somewhere in the middle of a transaction because there was never a plan to keep them informed.

- Wrong-fit prospects/suspects eating weeks you'll never get back. How much time and effort have you wasted on chasing buyers who then ghost you?
- "I'm not like other agents" — a line every buyer and seller has heard a hundred times and believes zero times
- Numbers presented with jargon that makes clients nod along without understanding a word of it
- Clients who go silent-and-worried because nobody built a rhythm for staying in touch
- A business that runs entirely on your energy, because none of it is written down

None of this is a talent problem. It's a systems problem.

## The Fix

**Systems Over Flash** is five interlocking systems built and used within a real, high-performing solo real estate practice, then generalized so any agent can rebuild them in their own business.

- **The Qualification System** — filter who gets your time and life energy before you spend any of it. Every prospective buyer you connect with will buy at some point; learn when and how to stay in touch so you are the one they call when they're ready.
- **The Transparency Process** — show your process instead of claiming your credentials. *Telling isn't Selling!* With AI and realtors chasing the same leads, learn how to separate yourself from the noise.
- **The Assessment System** — present numbers so clients follow along, not just nod. Who do you want to work with? Why? Know your preferred demographic, what their fears are, concerns and be their advisor, not their commission breath average realtor.
- **Client Communication Cadence** — keep clients calm and motivated through timely calls, texts, emails and face-to-face.
- **The Positioning** — turn the first four into differentiation; you are a professional who is the right advisor and guide; you don't sound like a salesperson. You are a pro who cares, has the skill set to get your buyer what they want at the price that is best for them.

Each system includes the thinking, structure, and templates you can use as-is or adapt to your personality and comfort zone.

## **Proof**

I got into real estate broke, in my 50s, with two failed businesses already behind me. My first ad campaign brought in 50 calls on a Saturday — and I had no idea what to do with any of them. Six months in, I had a month with zero sales.

A famous coaching guru told me to spend more, call more, promise bigger, yell more, blah blah and more blah. The only ones making any money were the coach, the magazine and newspaper, Google, Facebook, etc. After going more broke, I wokeup and built my own instead: my own qualifying questions, my own follow-up system, my own rules for who I'd work with.

Two decades later, it's the only system I use — and every Realtor who's tried it has gotten results.

This kit is that system. Not theory. Not a guru script. What kept me in the business.

## What's Inside

Five systems. Not theory, not a framework diagram — the actual filters, scripts, and templates I use in my own practice, built from twenty-four-plus years of knowing what works and doesn't work.

- **The Qualification System** — three questions (Desire, Need, Ability) that tell you in one conversation whether someone's a real buyer or a tire-kicker, plus exactly where to route the ones who aren't a fit — including how to turn a "no" into a referral fee instead of a dead end.
- **The Transparency Process** — a one-page "here's exactly how this works" document you hand a buyer before they've committed to anything. Kills the single biggest source of client anxiety — not knowing what happens next — before it starts.
- **The Assessment System** — how to walk a buyer through pricing and offer numbers so they actually understand the reasoning, not just nod along. The habit that gets a client to defend your advice to their own family, instead of second-guessing it.
- **Client Communication Cadence** — the rhythm that keeps a buyer calm through silence, financing delays, and the slow parts of a deal — without you burning extra hours to maintain it.
- **The Positioning** — how the first four systems become the reason a buyer chooses you, without you ever having to say "I'm not like other agents."

Each system includes the real script I use — word for word, yours to adapt — plus a short breakdown of how to adjust it to your own market and voice.

[Get The Working With Buyers Kit — $297](https://tyrealty.gumroad.com/l/systems-over-flash?ref=tylacroix.com)

Included is this layer most agents skip, and it's the one that pays. Somewhere between "not ready yet" and "ghosted," there's a system most agents just... stop running. This is that system, built out day by day so you never have to guess what to send or when to call.

Inside:

- **Six full buyer stages** — Hot, Active-Showing, Warm, Nurture, Watch, and Someday — each with its own day-by-day email, text, and call cadence, built for exactly how long that buyer actually takes to close.
- **The Someday sequence** — the one most agents abandon first. It's the one that pays for the other five: real accounts of buyers who came back three, five, even seven years later, still working with the agent who never let go and never chased.
- **A universal reactivation email** for any client who's gone quiet, regardless of what stage they were in.
- **Every script, every timed touchpoint, every "what to say on this call"** — laid out so you never open a blank screen wondering what today's outreach should be.

### **What This Isn't**

- Not a course. No modules, no login, no drip-fed lessons.
- Not a subscription. One payment, yours permanently.
- Not coaching. No calls, no group access, no ongoing relationship.
- Not a script to recite word for word. A structure to rebuild in your own voice.
- Not AI. No maybes, no mights, no machine.
- Not you don't have to do any work, the system works if you work the system, it will all depend on how much you want it.

**Working the Listing Side Too?**

*This is the buyer half of Systems Over Flash. The seller half — Six Keys to Turning Listing Appointments into Listings — covers booking the appointment, closing at the kitchen table, and getting the property sold.* → [**Get the Six Keys**](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-seller-sop/)

## **FAQ**

**Who is this for?**  
Any real estate agent who wants a documented operating system instead of improvising every client interaction from scratch — solo agents and teams.

**What format is it delivered in?**  
A downloadable PDF, delivered instantly after purchase.

**Do I need a specific CRM or tech stack to use this?**  
No. Every template is written to be pasted into whatever email, text, or CRM tool you already use.

**Can I use this with my team?**  
Yes — the systems and scripts are yours to adapt and share within your own business.

**Is there a refund policy?**  
All sales are final. Because delivery is instant and digital, once you download the file, there are no refunds — review what's inside before you buy.

## **Build it once. Run it for years.**

[Get The Working With Buyers Kit — $297](https://tyrealty.gumroad.com/l/systems-over-flash?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Systems Over Flash Seller
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-seller-sop/
Last updated: 2026-09-23T11:35:34.000Z
### Six Keys to Turning Listing Appointments into Listings That Sell

  
*The system I built, refined, and still run today — for every listing appointment where you actually want the listing.*

 **Stop Winging the Listing Appointment**

*Most agents show up with a CMA and a hope. This is the exact sequence I used to book the appointment, control the room from the door to the kitchen table, and get the listing if I wanted it.*

You already may know how to run a CMA and talk price. So what? So does every other agent who got their license. Telling isn't selling. What most agents never get is the system underneath it. So every call gets booked with intent, every appointment follows the same controlled sequence, and every price conversation ends with a number the seller defends, not fights.

- Listing appointments booked on hope instead of a script that pre-sells the meeting
- Showing up without a system that you control, so the seller runs the room instead of you
- Price conversations that turn into negotiations before you've even got the listing
- No system for the walk-through, so condition and value get argued instead of established
- Sellers who go quiet after the appointment and ghost you because nothing was set up to close them in the room

None of this is a talent problem. It's a systems problem.

**The Fix**

Six Keys, built and used inside a real, high-performing solo listing practice, then structured so any agent can run them in their own market.

- **Key 1 — Booking the Listing Appointment.** How the call gets booked with the meeting already half-sold before you arrive.
- **Key 2 — Before You Go.** The prep that separates agents who walk in prepared from agents who walk in guessing.
- **Key 3 — At the Door.** The first ninety seconds set who's running the appointment. This is how you take control.
- **Key 4 — The Walk-Through.** How to move through the home gathering what you actually need, without losing control of the room.
- **Key 5 — At the Kitchen Table.** The sequence that gets a seller from small yeses to a signed listing agreement.
- **Key 6 — Establishing the Price.** How to present a number so the seller defends it to their own family instead of arguing it with you.

Each Key includes the actual sequence, scripts, and structure — the real system, not a framework diagram.

**Bonus — Now That Your Home Is on the Market**  
A client-facing document included with the kit — hand it directly to your seller once the listing goes live to keep them calm and informed through the process.

**Plus 8 Bonus Tools & Forms**  
The actual working documents from my own listing process, included as-is: The Comparative Market Analysis, Condo Value & Condition Score, House Value & Condition Score, Home Seller Net Summary, Seller Profile, and Home Seller Chart — plus two client-facing forms from Key 1, "Let's Get Buyers Excited About Your Home" and "What's Important to You?" Fifteen files total, ready to use.

[Get The Six Keys-$297](https://tyrealty.gumroad.com/l/systems-over-flash-seller?ref=tylacroix.com)

**What This Isn't**

- Not a course. No modules, no login, no drip-fed lessons.
- Not a subscription. One payment, yours permanently.
- Not coaching. No calls, no group access, no ongoing rah rah rah.
- Not a script to recite word for word. A structure to run in your own voice.
- Not AI. No maybes, no mights, no machine.
- Easy. That's right, you have to do the work, adapt to your comfort zone and apply the systems. Allow the process to work.

**FAQ**

**Who is this for?**  
Any real estate agent who wants a documented system for listing appointments instead of improvising every meeting from scratch — solo agents especially.

**What format is it delivered in?**  
Fifteen downloadable documents (six Keys, the client-facing Bonus, and eight bonus tools and forms), delivered instantly after purchase.

**Do I need a specific CRM or tech stack to use this?**  
No. Every script and sequence is written to run with whatever CRM, phone, or process you already use.

**Can I use this with my team?**  
Yes — the systems and scripts are yours to adapt and share within your own business.

**How is this different from the Buyer SOP?**  
Same systems approach, opposite side of the desk. The Buyer SOP covers qualifying and working buyers through close. This covers booking, running, and closing the listing appointment itself.

**Is there a refund policy?**  
All sales are final. Given instant digital delivery, once the files are downloaded, there are no refunds—review what's inside before you buy.

**Build it once. Run it for years.**

[Get The 6 Keys-$297](https://tyrealty.gumroad.com/l/systems-over-flash-seller?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Systems Over Flash
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/
Last updated: 2026-09-23T10:52:25.000Z
*Most Agents Are Winging It. Here Are the Systems Underneath the Ones Who Aren't.*

## **Stop Winging It. Start Winning — On Systems, Not Hope.**

Twenty-four years in this business taught me one thing above everything else: agents don't lose deals because they lack talent. They lose deals because they're improvising — every buyer gets qualified from scratch, every listing appointment reinvents the room, and every follow-up depends on memory rather than a system. None of it's written down, so none of it repeats.

Systems Over Flash is that fix, documented. Not theory, not a framework diagram — the actual sequences, scripts, and structure I use in my own practice, built out so any agent can run them in their own market and their own voice.

**Two sides of the desk. Same approach.**

- **The Buyer Standard Operating Process** — Five systems covering everything from first contact to closing: qualifying who's real, presenting numbers a buyer actually understands, and staying in touch without burning hours doing it.[ Read More](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-buyer-sop/)

[Get the Buyer SOP](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-buyer-sop/)

- **The Six Keys (Seller SOP)** — Six systems covering the listing appointment from start to finish: booking the call and setting the appointment, the walk-through, the kitchen table close, and establishing a price the seller defends rather than fights. [Read More](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-seller-sop/)

[Get the Six Keys-The Seller SOP](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-seller-sop/)

**What This Isn't** *(applies to both)*

- Not a course. No modules, no login, no drip-fed lessons.
- Not a subscription. One payment, yours permanently.
- Not coaching. No calls, no group access, no ongoing relationship.
- Not AI. No maybes, no mights, no machine.

**Build it once. Run it for years.**
## Posts
### 3 Ways to Generate Real Estate Commissions
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/3-ways-to-generate-real-estate-commissions/
Last updated: 2026-10-08T12:33:05.000Z
**3 Ways to Generate Real Estate Commissions Now and Build a Stable Business**

1\. A great way to generate commissions (and sell your listings faster) with a great buyer marketing strategy,

2\. How to create a “Customer List” that brings you consistent clients year after year, and…

3\. How to understand your Return on Investment with your marketing.

 **#1: Need to Generate Commissions Soon?**

First, renters don't have a home to sell and can buy within 30-60 days. Find apartment buildings or townhouses, study the demographics, and start postcards, door knocking, blogging, and blitzing consistently for 30-45 days.

What will 3-5 trades look like to your bank account?

**#2: Create a “Customer List” and Make Them Your Primary Market**

Research shows 77% of all real estate transactions come from relationships; people know the Realtor or are referred by a trusted source.

Here’s something you don’t know: If you built a “Customer List” (database of personal contacts) with 300 people (homeowners). For example, if the average homeownership period is seven years (nationally, it’s 5.8 years), then 42 of those people will buy or sell every year, good market or lousy market.

 ***Is this getting your attention?***

You have 600 people in your database and 84 transactions a year from that list. And don’t forget, that doesn’t include referrals they could send you!

 Before you think you've hit “easy street,” you need to understand something. These aren't just “random” people; I mean people who know you or know of you.

The higher the “quality” of contact on your list (i.e. the better they know you), the more responsive they’ll be to your regular contact. This means they’ll be more inclined to think of YOU FIRST when they think real estate.

So the “real” question is: WHO will get all those transactions?

ANSWER: The Realtor who farms the best.

The one who’s stayed in contact (at least once a month, every month), deepened the relationship, provided lasting value to their list, and demonstrated they’re a true professional committed to the relationship for the long haul and worthy of the client’s business over any other agent.

**How to Build Your “Customer List”**

Building a Customer List is easy if you put your mind to it. Here’s the best way to go about it.

**STEP 1:**Start with all the people you know and create the “My List.”

**STEP 2**: Put every new and old client on the list.

**STEP 3**: Put leads you generate on your list. Many successful agents make it a point to add two people a day and soon have 500 contacts their first year (and get 10 to 20 transactions just by putting people on the list).

**STEP 4**: Also, the other parties to any transactions you complete go on the list (hint: their agent will forget about them, so they’ll quickly be yours when they buy or sell again).

**STEP 5**: Create “strategic alliances” with professionals who have clients that could be yours and get a “host endorsement” of your services: accountants, insurance brokers, etc. Consider reciprocating by introducing them to your clients. The credibility of the existing relationship is transferred to the endorsed person.

Final note: purge your list every six months to remove lower-quality people. Within 12 to 24 months, you’ll have a small, highly motivated group of people sending you consistent business month-in and month-out.

**How Often Do You Contact Your “Customer List”?**

Plan on a monthly basis, whether that's an email, snail mail, a text, a call, or coffee. Mix it up, but don't chase; be valuable, and be their source for the right information and trends.

Finally, CREA reports that the “average” contact program takes between 8 and 12 months to “start” working. (Side note: Some programs I've used have cut that time in half, but even if it takes 10 or 24 months for the “market share engine” to start producing, that’s still OK, since most agents never get it going.)

[Systems over flash is for Realtors who want to separate themselves from the pack!](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)
### Nobody Needs a Realtor: How to Become the Person They Actually Call
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/nobody-needs-a-realtor-how-to-become-the-person-they-actually-call/
Last updated: 2026-10-02T16:32:54.000Z
Information is free, portals are everywhere, and AI can write a listing description in seconds. Buyers and sellers do not need another agent repeating market stats—they need someone with judgment, discernment, and the courage to tell them when *not* to make a move. 

Every morning before my day begins, I ground myself in one simple truth:

> *"Operating out of need will not get me to my goals because no one needs to reach me."*

In an era of automated online valuations, endless portals, and thousands of agents spouting the exact same scripted slogans, nobody *needs* to call any of us.

Buyers can tour homes on their phones at midnight. Sellers can look up neighbourhood sale prices with one click. If our value proposition begins and ends with opening doors and pulling MLS comps, technology has already replaced us.

Surveys by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) show that over 90% of buyers and sellers start online without an agent, and roughly 87% of newly licensed agents exit within five years. They leave because competing for attention with generic marketing is exhausting, and it doesn't work.

If nobody needs an agent, how do you become someone they actively seek out?

### 1\. Trade Generic Data for Real Interpretation

Anyone can hand a homeowner a printout of average days on market. What people actually need is context:

- *What does this data mean for my specific street, floor plan, and timing?*
- *How will interest rate shifts affect the pool of real, qualified buyers for this style of property?* You don't get hired for having data; you get hired for interpreting what it means for a family’s life.

### 2\. Do the Deep Diligence Buyers Can't Google

Portals show photos and property taxes. They don't reveal:

- Pending neighbourhood planning shifts or condo reserve fund health. When you evaluate a home like an inspector and an appraiser combined—pointing out flaws before a buyer falls in love—you provide security no algorithm can offer.

### 3\. Have the Guts to Advise "Do Nothing"

The moment a client realizes you tell them that the numbers don't make sense, the dynamic changes forever. You stop being a salesperson hoping for a transaction and become a trusted advisor they will never make a move without.

The public doesn't need another generic agent. They want calm leadership through high-stakes decisions. When you deliver that standard, you stop chasing—and the right people contact you.
### 6 Questions to Build a High-Yield Real Estate Career
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/6-questions-to-build-a-high-yield-real-estate-career/
Last updated: 2026-09-23T13:17:34.000Z
Transitioning from an on-call real estate agent generalist to a high-earning advisor requires boundaries, systems, and clear niche positioning. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), about 87% of agents leave the industry within five years, largely driven by operational burnout, inconsistent deal flow, and yo-yo income cycles. Moving into the top-earning tiers requires running your career as a structured business rather than an unpredictable sales hustle, supported by systems that work for either buyers or sellers.

### 1\. Are You Running a Business or Working an On-Call Shift?

Realtors routinely cite schedule flexibility as their primary motivation for entering the industry. Yet, according to industry benchmarks, over 60% of licensed agents report working seven days a week and taking calls past 8:00 PM regularly.

When you make yourself available to every client 24/7 without operational boundaries, you do not possess flexibility—you possess an unmanaged job. Unregulated accessibility signals to high-net-worth clients that your time is low-value. Setting structured consultation windows, standard communication hours, and clear client onboarding protocols protects your personal life while immediately establishing professional authority.

### 2\. Do You Deliver Advisory Value or Pure Logistics?

Real estate transactions represent the largest single asset transition most clients will undertake in their lifetime. Despite this, too many practitioners reduce their role to tactical paperwork, lockbox access, and administrative status updates.

Without systematic processes to deliver strategic market analysis, equity protection strategies, and daily risk mitigation, you leave yourself vulnerable to commission pressure. A structured advisory system ensures that every touchpoint reinforces your economic value, shifting the conversation from commission breath to a professional advisory fee.

### 3\. Are Your Core Competencies Market-Facing or Hidden?

Strong negotiation skills, deep local real estate market mastery, and financial acumen yield zero economic return if the market doesn't know they exist.

Many licensed agents hold strategic capabilities that remain entirely unmonetized because their marketing consists of generic company postcards and basic property announcements. To capture serious market share, package your operational strengths into clear client deliverables. If your community does not know how you de-risk transactions or protect home equity, your skills remain a well-kept secret that pays zero dividends.

### 4\. Does Your Skill Set Justify Your Income Targets?

According to NAR survey data, the median gross income of realtors sits near $55,000, while the top 10% of producers earn upwards of $170,000 to well over seven figures. That disparity isn't driven by hours worked; it is driven by the depth and difficulty of the problems solved.

Earnings in this industry directly mirror the complexity of the value you provide. If your production has plateaued, the bottleneck is rarely effort—it is an outdated skill stack. To command higher fees and consistent closings, you must upgrade your consultative capabilities: high-stakes negotiation, asset positioning, and precise market analytics.

### 5\. Are You Building an Asset or an Unpaid Apprenticeship?

Examine your current brokerage relationship objectively. A productive brokerage relationship must provide tangible leverage: transactional mentoring, operational support, or a pathway to business equity.

If your brokerage takes a standard split without offering scalable systems, strategic positioning, or structured mentorship, you are subsidizing their business model rather than building your own. You must operate as the leader of an independent enterprise, spending your time exclusively on high-dollar advisory tasks while eliminating administrative drag.

### 6\. Are You a Dispersed Generalist or a High-Yield Strategic Advisor?

Taking on every buyer, seller, price point, and geographic territory is the fastest route to burnout and volatile, yo-yo production cycles.

Generalist agents spend their careers competing on price, driving excessive mileage, and constantly restarting their pipeline from scratch. High-producing advisors choose focused market sectors—such as downsizers, relocators, luxury asset transitions, or high-equity sellers—and master the specific financial dynamics of those clients. Concentrated market positioning creates repeatable referral loops, shortens transaction cycles, and establishes undeniable local authority.

### Choosing Your Advisory Track

Escaping the generalist trap requires committing to a focused, repeatable system. Whether you aim to dominate your listing inventory or represent premium buyers, your business must run on proven systems, not guesswork.

*Most Agents Are Winging It. Here Are the Systems Underneath the Ones Who Aren't.*

## **Stop Winging It. Start Winning — On Systems, Not Hope.**

Twenty-four years in this business taught me one thing above everything else: agents don't lose deals because they lack talent. They lose deals because they're improvising — every buyer gets qualified from scratch, every listing appointment reinvents the room, and every follow-up depends on memory rather than a system. None of it's written down, so none of it repeats.

Systems Over Flash is that fix, documented. Not theory, not a framework diagram — the actual sequences, scripts, and structure I use in my own practice, built out so any agent can run them in their own market and their own voice.

**Two sides of the desk. Same approach.**

- **The Buyer Standard Operating Process** — Five systems covering everything from first contact to closing: qualifying who's real, presenting numbers a buyer actually understands, and staying in touch without burning hours doing it.[ Read More](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-buyer-sop/)

[Get the Buyer SOP](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-buyer-sop/)

- **The Six Keys (Seller SOP)** — Six systems covering the listing appointment from start to finish: booking the call and setting the appointment, the walk-through, the kitchen table close, and establishing a price the seller defends rather than fights. [Read More](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-seller-sop/)

[Get the Six Keys-The Seller SOP](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash-seller-sop/)

**What This Isn't** *(applies to both)*

- Not a course. No modules, no login, no drip-fed lessons.
- Not a subscription. One payment, yours permanently.
- Not coaching. No calls, no group access, no ongoing relationship.
- Not AI. No maybes, no mights, no machine.

**Build it once. Run it for years.**
### THE 8 NO-NOS FOR REAL ESTATE SALES PEOPLE
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/the-8-no-nos-for-real-estate-sales-people/
Last updated: 2026-09-01T13:39:42.000Z
These eight, or any combination, affect sales success not only for Realtors in London but for any salesperson. What matters is that right now is right now!

Why does everyone say no to me?

1\. Poor attitude

2\. Not enough people in the funnel

3\. No control over the transaction

4\. Poor to no phone skills

5\. Afraid to ask the hard questions

6\. Using price to negotiate

7\. Poor closing skills or afraid to close.

8\. Poor to no follow-up.

**Disclosure:** I did not come up with these and do not remember where I got the above eight. Since 1992, I have written in my journals words, quotes or thoughts that would help me in sales and life. In doing so, my ego at the time was that I didn't write who composed most of my journal posts, and it was only a few years ago that I wrote who quoted or wrote what. So, in full disclosure, the 8 no-nos above most likely are plagiarized by me!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### FOUR HUGE DETERRENTS FOR REALTORS
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/four-huge-deterrents-for-realtors/
Last updated: 2026-08-25T16:19:37.000Z
Most Realtors don't fail because the market turned on them — they fail because of four predictable mistakes made in the first few years. NAR's own data backs this up: agents with two years or less experience earned a median of just $8,100 in 2024, compared to $78,900 for agents with 16+ years in the business. The gap isn't talent. It's what you do (or don't do) in those early years.

After 24 years in this business, I've watched the same four things sink otherwise capable Realtors, over and over.

**1\. Severely underestimating the action, the time, and the effort to be above average.**  
Average takes no effort at all — that's why it's average. Above average requires consistent action most new agents aren't prepared for, and most don't find out until the money runs low.

**2\. Underestimating the adversity they will face and what it will take to overcome it.**  
Nobody warns you about the deals that fall apart for reasons outside your control, the slow months, or the client who trusted someone else. The Realtors who last aren't the ones who avoid adversity — they're the ones who expected it.

**3\. Comparing themselves to everyone else.**  
The market doesn't need another me-too Realtor copying what's already been done. Comparison steals the time and energy that should go into building something distinct.

**4\. Treating it like a job instead of a business.**  
A job has a boss making sure things get done. A business has systems and consistent hours — and nobody is coming to enforce either one for you. You are responsible for your success, not your Broker, your company, your spouse, your friends, your neighbours, or social media. You own where you are today, and you own where you'll be this month, next year, and three years from now.

*If point 4 is the one that stings — it's the most fixable one on this list.* [*Systems Over Flash*](link) *exists for exactly this reason: real, field-tested SOPs so you're not building your business from scratch, alone, by trial and error.*

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Realtors, Is Your Real Estate Career Stalled
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/realtors-is-your-real-estate-career-stalled/
Last updated: 2026-08-20T13:14:30.000Z
Has your career stalled? Are you dissatisfied with your current income level?

Sometimes, committed agents with high potential [need a proven system ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)to break through to the next highest level. On their own, it’s challenging to figure out exactly how to ‘power-up’ a career.

Unfortunately, managers often don’t have the time to help, or, if they do, it is old: spend money on this, spend money on that, go door knocking, pick up the phone book, etc. All stuff no genuine professional Realtor does because they are busy with their clients and with buyers and sellers contacting them!

**“Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become.” Heraclitus c.540-c.480 BC**

This was written over 20 centuries ago and holds more true today. Heraclitus would have made a great Realtor and leader because you can only have the results of a successful Realtor once you do the activity that makes you successful, and you can only do that if you think you can. Every person who got their real estate license wanted to be successful, yet the attrition rate is 80% in the first two years, and five years is 91.5 %!

Why is that?

If you Google[ “How to be a successful Realtor,” ](https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+be+a+successful+realtor&rlz=1C1CHBF%5FenCA1012CA1012&oq=how+to+be+a+successful+realtor&gs%5Flcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIICAIQABgWGB4yCAgDEAAYFhgeMggIBBAAGBYYHjIICAUQABgWGB4yCAgGEAAYFhgeMggIBxAAGBYYHjIICAgQABgWGB4yCAgJEAAYFhge0gEJMTI4ODNqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ref=tylacroix.com)you get about 18,400,000 results! The how-to is there. Google [real estate coaches, ](https://www.google.com/search?q=real+estate+coaches&sca%5Fesv=577219809&rlz=1C1CHBF%5FenCA1012CA1012&sxsrf=AM9HkKlfZVgRpRzLr3EfYLvI8I2rIogdCg%3A1698428938099&ei=Cvg7ZYT8BMHqptQP-f6Q6Ak&ved=0ahUKEwiEqZ%5Fs5JaCAxVBtYkEHXk%5FBJ0Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=real+estate+coaches&gs%5Flp=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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp&ref=tylacroix.com)and you get about 38,000,000 results! 

The coaches are there, as are real estate board instructors, articles, how-to’s and then all the franchisors and their “stuff,” and then the real estate website sellers and all their stuff and then the real estate brokerage and all their stuff! That’s a lot of stuff!

So what’s the problem?

As Myron Golden wrote: “One of the most amazing discoveries I’ve ever made in my life is understanding that every human being is already doing 100% of everything they are capable of doing while they are walking and working in their current identity.” 

He goes on to write: “If we desire to do more than we are doing right now ( and to do more than we are doing in the past), then we have to become more than we are being right now, and we have to become more than we’ve been doing in the past. Then, and only then, will we ever do more than we’ve been doing and have more than we’ve ever had in the past.”

People want to have success, the big bank account, the house, but all that comes after being, then doing. Doing the right things, and that is what we are about. 

Know who you are, be who you are and not what someone says you are. Own the ‘identity of being the best Realtor for your clients, [do the right things in sequence and consistently](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/), and you will have what you want, and so will your clients!

The sages teach, “Who am I?” 

" If we did things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." Thomas Edison

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Real Estate Success For Realtors
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/real-estate-success-for-realtors/
Last updated: 2026-08-17T12:51:21.000Z
There’s a grim statistic in the real estate world that nobody likes to bring up at dinner parties—the staggering failure rate of well-intentioned people who jump into this business. You’ve probably heard the numbers, and they aren't pretty. Most enter with big dreams, high hopes, and a fresh stack of business cards, only to quietly wash out within the first couple of years.

But if you ask me, there’s a quiet tragedy that’s even worse than failing out entirely. It’s what I call the "Catch-22 trap." It’s that bizarre real estate purgatory where agents make just enough money to keep from throwing in the towel, but never enough to actually excel or build a thriving, lasting career. You end up making too much to quit, yet not enough to ever breathe easy or call it a true success. Talk about a hellish quandary to find yourself stuck in.

And in seeing agents come and go, I’ve discovered the ONE single area where most agents take the “wrong turn” with their practices. Most of it is the “get your name out there” mindset that’s exploited by brokerages and their managers. You may think you are getting your name out there; in reality, you are getting the brokerage's name out there! 

Many agents lack the business-building skills and [systems](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) required for success, and they lack an understanding of how to approach real estate from a “strategic” perspective.

Most agents are “single transaction-oriented.” They’re always looking for the next deal…the next client…the next commission. This “quick fix” attitude is pervasive in just about every sales profession, and it’s the leading cause of failure for salespeople. 

You simply don’t have enough energy or time to make a lasting income from a one-off. 

Every time you make a sale, you have lost your best prospect; you have to go out and get another.

Is that where you are now? Or, you have quite a few contacts, but no one is chomping at the bit?

I've been there, and I knew why; that is why [I set up systems ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)I could follow that would ensure I was not only staying in touch with past clients, but also attracting future business and becoming their Realtor of choice when they were ready to buy or sell.

Not very exciting, nothing you could create a television show about, just plain vanilla common sense, patience and under everyone's radar, except buyers and sellers!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### The 3 Phases of A Real Estate Career
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/the-3-phases-of-a-real-estate-career/
Last updated: 2026-08-12T18:33:31.000Z
**There are 3 phases for most Realtors in their careers.** The beginning, the learning and the rewarding. I did not want to say 4 stages, for we all know what the 4th stage is: frustrating, irritating, struggling, hurting and eventually, the big quit!

Understanding each phase is critical in discovering your path in real estate, why quite a few do not thrive and ensuring that you will. Most obviously, start at the beginning, yet I still see agents after ten years in the business again acting like beginners, but I digress!

Most real estate salespeople at first believe what their clients are saying. Betty is sweet, Mark looked after me, Sharon is fantastic, and Philip is good.

 **And then?**

Things start changing; you get busy, there is more work to do, you are falling behind, your clients are relentless, they’re bugging you, you are working 8-10 hours a day, Saturdays and Sundays, you cancel the time with your children, the date with your partner, the missed phone call or emails not returned.

No matter how hard you try, you are getting behind. And get this. You do, do, do, but stop your marketing and networking because you have no time.

**And then?**

You are not busy anymore! So, you start the frantic race again, but this time, because you had[ no systematic follow-up and tasks](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/), your recent past clients feel that your service and skills were lacking! They may not refer you and most likely will never! Another vicious cycle starts!

[(When someone tells me their real estate business is slow, I know what they did not do 3-6 months ago!).](https://www.tylacroix.com/why-six-months-ago-was-do-or-die-for-you-as-a-realtor-in-london/)

A personal real estate career depends on you, on your style, on your personality, on your presence, on your talent, and on your willingness to do the work. That can be very rewarding if you have systems in place to separate your social and family life and time from your real estate demands.

If not, perhaps a team approach could work, but only if the team has proven systems that work and can help you generate above-average income.

Without systems or the right team, your real estate income depends on you. Welcome to long nights, weekends worked, missed family engagements, stress, and burnout. As well, is that why you got into real estate in the first place? Ask yourself, ask your partner, ask your children: is this the best way to spend the rest of your life?

What kind of help does the underpaid, overworked, frustrated REALTOR go & do? They hire an assistant, team up with someone, or move to another real estate brokerage because the grass is greener!

Now, they are excited again; things will get better, they say. I can work half the time; I don’t have to do this, do that, and I will make more money!

Well, the opposite happens, time and time again. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it. Your so-called freedom is now weighing you down with a chain and anchor! A client calls about the less-than-courteous call from your partner or assistant, or you did not follow up as promised, or those feature sheets were wrong, you forgot to call someone back, you’re late for appointments, the name on offer is incorrect, you missed a clause and on and on. So, what do you do? You say no one can do it as well as I can; I’ll do it!

Oops! Guess where you are again?

It’s not your clients who are driving you crazy (or lack of clients!)

It’s not your buyers, your brokerage, the other agent, the home inspector, the appraiser, the mortgage lender, the home stager or, for that matter, anyone!

The problem is you because you do not know any other way. You are now at your limit; your capacity to create a great lifestyle is burdensome, and so what you do is put your head down and work, work or, as over 80% of you do, keep doing the same thing over and over and over, and then leave the business.

Again, a real tragedy.

**Disclaimer:**

I’ve been there, all three stages, but I never quit; sometimes it felt like six stages, but I kept getting up every time I fell, was pushed down or was kicked. I just got up. I have also seen the ‘superstars' fade away, broke or broken!

 After banging my head on that proverbial brick wall, thankfully, I am thick-headed. I developed, designed and created a [constant work-in-progress system ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)to change the frustration and the fear that provide an income that a real estate salesperson deserves and a lifestyle that you decide on, not the real estate business itself.

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Fundamentals of Real Estate Sales For Realtors Everywhere
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/fundamentals-of-real-estate-sales-for-realtors-everywhere/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:38:08.000Z
Real estate success isn't determined by market conditions or effort alone, but by systems and daily execution. With 87% of agents failing within their first five years, long-term profitability requires ditching the 9-to-5 mindset, embracing absolute self-accountability, and executing sales fundamentals consistently.

James Clear nailed it: *"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."*

In real estate, inconsistency is the primary killer of careers. Data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) indicates that roughly **87% of all real estate agents fail and leave the industry within five years**. They don't fail because they lack talent or good intentions; they fail because they [lack the systems](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) required to enforce daily execution.

Inconsistency almost always stems from two structural flaws:

1. **Zero Accountability:** Neither their brokerage, their team leader, nor their own discipline holds them to a strict, measurable standard.
2. **Zero Consistency:** [No systems for follow-up, for working with clients, for servicing clients after the sale and for referrals, always reinventing the wheel!](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)

### Good Work Habits vs. The Right Work Habits

I have seen good people leave this business for many reasons, mainly because their financial state changed or out of frustration. For some, I did not say work habits, for they had great work habits; they were just not consistent in doing the right stuff every day. Busyness does not equal a real estate trade.

### Extreme Ownership: Eliminating Excuses

If you are not where you desire to be in health, income or financial independence, you’re responsible, not the economy, your brokerage or any excuse or justification you may have.

Face it, any desire you have means you are not the person you need to be to meet your desires. Look around you. Look at leaders in sports, cinema, business, or family; all paid the price to meet their goals. There were sacrifices, discomfort, long hours, and many frustrations, setbacks, and rejection, yet they persevered!

### Stop Settling for Average

Being an average agent is a disservice to your family, your business, and the clients relying on you to navigate their largest financial transactions. High-performing agents who operate with good,[ proven systems ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)consistently work less and earn more!

[Interested in systems that work? ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)
### Are You a Realtor and Struggling?
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/are-you-a-realtor-and-struggling/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:42:33.000Z
Consequences shape your future! What you did or did not do six months ago, 12 months ago or however long you have been a Realtor- where you are today in income, clients, and well-being- is the evidence.

One of my favourite passages that **Steven Pressfield** wrote in his book “The War of Art,” which I will now butcher:

We don’t tell ourselves, “I’m never going to earn $150,000 in real estate commissions”; instead, we say, “I’m going to earn $150,000 in real estate commissions; I’m just going to start tomorrow!”

Or, next week.

Income equals what you give; if your commissions are average, you are only giving average.

I see Realtors busting their butts, working unnecessary hours and giving their life energy away in their real estate busyness. They may be giving to the wrong people or think they are giving value which buyers and sellers can't see or don't want.

When opportunity knocks at the front door, most people slip out the back door because they are not ready to face the truth and as Robert M Pirsig wrote:

“It’s a puzzling thing, the truth knocks on the door & you say, ‘go away, I’m looking for the truth,’ and truth does what you just asked it to do, it goes away!”

I have written hundreds of articles on how Realtors can improve their career financially and time management-wise. Remember, the only competition you have as a Realtor is yourself and the [systems](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) you use!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### The Road To Going Broke Is Paved With The Pursuit of Volume
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/the-road-to-going-broke-is-paved-with-the-pursuit-of-volume/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:44:37.000Z
Are you guilty of busting your butt, putting in the long hours, and missing family time in the pursuit of volume? I know I have.

Richard Koch wrote in his must-read book The 80/20 Principle: “The road to hell is paved with the pursuit of volume. Volume leads to marginal products, marginal customers and greatly increased managerial complexity. Hard work leads to low returns. Insight and doing what we want lead to high returns. Strive for excellence in a few things; it is not the shortage of time that should worry us, but the tendency for the majority of time to be spent in low-quality ways. The 80/20 principle says that if we doubled our time on the top 20% of activities, we could work a two-day week and achieve 60% more than now.”

He might have been fantasizing when he wrote about a two-day workweek, unless he was talking about the dreamer we all have or have heard about in sales, offices, retail, or among some unionized workers.

Working hard, being persistent and consistent, and knowing that your time and energy are valuable. Knowing your customer, your client, the value you add, and your profession or industry is valuable.

If you compete on price, someone will always beat you, if not today, someday. If you grow your business too fast or too large, your bottom line decreases just as quickly.

If you work 10-12-16-hour days, what price do you pay long-term? Suppose your profession or field is a commodity, like real estate or financial planning, meaning tons of competition unless you have a niche market, clientele, or product or[ great systems that work every time.](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)

In that case, you will need volume, and the merry-go-round repeats itself. Busy being busy is busyness, not a business.

Working with unqualified customers is mind-sapping; non-paying customers, late-paying customers, poor-quality assistants, or suppliers sap your life energy!

I make it a point to read this book yearly; I have highlighted what I perceive to pertain to me; maybe that is why I read it every year!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### How Much Do You Value Opinions From Others?
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/how-much-do-you-value-opinions-from-others/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T14:18:31.000Z
Most will say they value opinions from those they perceive as knowing what they are talking about, or from their boss, spouse, teacher, mentor, lawyer, realtor, guru, priest, rabbi, minister, or hairdresser.

I quote Marcus Aurelius: "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject".

Mr. Aurelius would really struggle right now, as we all do, because now we have access to millions of opinions from influencers, AI, Dr. Google, the latest diet or fitness fad, room colour folks, and sports analysts. 

I have left out thousands of other opinionators because my opinion doesn't matter.

And then, there is the herd mentality, and someone thinks: "that's what everybody else is saying, so it must be true". Or, that's what all the headlines are, be it TV, newspapers or Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linked-In.

I could argue for common sense because, according to Mark Twain, there is alot of common sense because very few people use it!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Value and Commitment
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/value-and-commitment/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:46:02.000Z
How much do you value your health, wealth and well-being? What are you committed to? Not what you say you are committed to, but no holds barred commitment? 

Dr. Benjamin Hardy writes that where you are today in weight, finances, and relationships is proof of what you have been committed to!

That should be a wake-up moment.

In sales, your income is a reflection of the value you give to others. That holds true for health and well-being as well; give your body what it values (hint: whole, clean food, hydration, exercise, and sound recovery sleep).

In relationships, the same: are you a giver or a taker? Transactional or transformational?

We all produce results. Poor or excellent, all proof of what we are committed to and[ the systems we use.](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Good Sales Habits Compound Everything
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/good-sales-habits-compound-everything/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:47:39.000Z
Sales of any kind should not be a mystery, troublesome, or worrisome; what should be troubling are a salesperson's habits.

Who is controlling whom?

If you took the time to study successful salespeople, negotiators, athletes, and performers, you would find that the most important lesson they learned was that those consistent good habits and[ systems,](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)[ ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)while initially uncomfortable, have long-term consequences worth the discomfort and discipline.

I could write thousands more words here about good sales habits, but an easier way to get this across is to read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.

Then, read and implement it 5-10 times until you get it.

Watch your sales, income and satisfaction increase! And your return on energy magnified!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### To Be Successful in Sales, Do The Work!
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/to-be-successful-in-sales-do-the-work/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:48:41.000Z
Success in sales, regardless of your field- how often have you heard "Do the work," do this, Read this, or been taught the latest by sales gurus, your boss, or your family?

Is that working, or are you working?

I know salespeople who work 30-50-60-90 hours a week and others less, and both earn the same income or more!

Why is that?

As Austin Kleon stated, "People want to be the noun without doing the verb." This means they want the fancy business card, website, car, office, title, or position, and forget the rigours of successful sales and customer success.

No one is born a natural salesperson, athlete, musician, or parent. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Wayne Gretzky, John Lennon, and Justin Bieber outworked and outhustled everyone by practicing longer and harder, developing their skills, and learning what it would take to reach the next level.

All behind the scenes, they spent hours crafting their craft. [Using systems that worked!](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) Unfortunately, when there has been some success or more income, some people stop learning, stop taking good advice, and rest on their past success.

History is laden with misdirected egos, posturing and, as they say in Texas, "Big hat, no cattle."

Even the word "salesperson" is looked down on because of the public's false perception that someone will try to make them do something or buy something. That is why some use the terms:

- Sales associate
- Partner
- Advisor
- Consultant
- VP of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

The game may be 60-90 minutes; the practices are days and days and hours upon hours, and even when at the top, without someone putting in the hours, someone else is!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Who Decides The Real Estate Market?
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/who-decides-the-real-estate-market/
Last updated: 2026-07-18T14:40:52.000Z
Who or what decides the real estate market? The market does. A buyer or a seller might think so. Realtors, their clients, marketing gurus, and advertisers think they do, and the senior levels of the government think they do.

*“Those who have knowledge don’t predict. Those who predict don’t have knowledge!”* Lao Tzu

Pundits and economists profess that supply and demand dictate the real estate market.

Who is the market? What is the market?

The market is somewhere between expectations and reality.

The reality is what a motivated, willing, and capable buyer is willing to pay and what a motivated, willing, and capable seller is willing to sell for.

Not six months ago, not six months from now, but today. Tomorrow, who knows?

That adage ‘Location, Location, Location’ is now ‘Price, Desire, Location.’

Some constraints may inhibit a buyer or a seller, but it is not the market; it is a case of mistaken perceptions!

*“Where is the knowledge that is lost in information? Where is the wisdom that is lost in knowledge?”* T.S.Eliot

Just a thought!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Are You a Realtor Paying For Leads?
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/realtor-in-london-ontario-paying-for-leads/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:50:31.000Z
I know why you are paying for leads; I did so for a few years until I smartened up or somehow became wiser.

I was spending $2,000 to $4,000 a month on pay-per-click ads to Google, Microsoft, FaceBook, etc. and did well, but the quality of the lead was not the best, and I had lots of sorting and qualifying, and I spent four hours daily handling anywhere from 15-to 30 leads a day!

I get an email or a call a day from 'experts' who can supply me, as a Realtor in London, Ontario, with a ready list of buyers and sellers. 

Yeah, and where did they come from? How many other Realtors are getting the same lead?

These people will guarantee me 1000 likes on Facebook or 30 five-star reviews on Google in 10 days for only $1,000\. 

Yeah right.

" Paid marketing is the fine for not being different or having a great USP; a lack of consistent prospects is your prison sentence." Mike Michalowicz

"Your business runs on sales. Not likes. Not fans. Not followers. Not email addresses. None of that-only sales." Bushra Azhar

Paying for leads is lazy (yet expensive, hard work, and time-consuming from lead to contract); paying for leads turns you into a commodity just like everyone else in your profession.

Value goes down when something is treated as a commodity because there is no perceived value.

So, I was always confident that I had content and experience to share, and I stopped draining my bank account and traded crazy busyness[ for systems that turned](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) into a great business!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### When Your Clients Win, You Do Too
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/when-your-clients-win-you-do-too-2/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:51:51.000Z
As a salesperson, service provider, accountant, or physician who receives a fee for helping and guiding people, you both win when your clients are satisfied and receive what they hired you for!

However, if you have received a fee or have commission breath, and your clients are not pleased or satisfied, you lose! 

Yes, you received a fee, but you lost a repeat client, a referral, and, in some cases, an integrity incongruence.

Now, I will not be the first person to say you cannot please everyone, but where does that start? I am sure you have done everything in your power and bent over backwards to please a client, and they are still unhappy. I know I have. It is easy to find fault with a client, stick your head in the sand, or let your ego distort or rationalize the reasons.

Upon pondering (that's me trying to think deeply), I have concluded that a client's or customer's dissatisfaction is my fault.

If you or I ask what a client's expectations are, and why and when, before taking on a client, we can decide whether to take this person on. I know before you even say it, yes, financially, you want the business, but at what cost to your integrity, life energy, and peace of mind?

For example, as a Realtor in London, Ontario, an expired listing started the day I took it. 

The buyer I showed 20 to 30 places to, then went and bought with another Realtor, that started the first day I met them.

I have asked many of my contacts, be they business owners, accountants, supervisors, HR managers, or solo self-employed service providers, "If you could go back in time and fix an issue you had with a client, a customer, a service provider, or an employee, where would you start?"

Yup, choosing better and more diligently!

Choosing carefully is not arrogance. It is how both sides win. [That is why systems work.](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### It Doesn't Matter What The Real Estate Market Is Doing
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/it-doesnt-matter-what-the-real-estate-market-is-doing/
Last updated: 2026-07-18T17:36:14.000Z
Every week someone tells me they're waiting. Waiting for rates to drop. Waiting for prices to peak. Waiting for the perfect moment that the news says is coming.

Seneca wrote this two thousand years ago: "Not to give in to adversity, not to trust prosperity, and always take full note of fortune's habit of behaving just as she pleases."

The market doesn't care about your timeline. It never has.

The homeowner who sold in 2020 was told they should have waited. The one who waited until 2023 was told they should have sold in 2020\. The noise is endless and it is always wrong in hindsight.

What matters is your situation. Your equity. Your next move. Not the headline.

Lao Tzu put it plainly: "If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present."

The best time to make a sound real estate decision is when it aligns with your life — not when the market gives you permission.

That conversation starts with someone who has navigated every kind of market London, Ontario has produced in 24 years. Not a headline. Not a guru. A straightforward conversation.

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### The Mouthy Experts in Real Estate
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/the-mouthy-experts-in-real-estate/
Last updated: 2026-07-18T17:37:33.000Z
There are dreamers and doers, know-it-alls and the focused, and everybody else in between. So what about experts in real estate?

Warren Buffett once compared investing to owning a farm. A mouthy neighbour shouts his estimate of your farm's value over the fence while you're busy working the land. He has opinions about everything — the weather, the soil, the market — but he has never grown a thing.

In real estate, that neighbour shows up as the complainypants who says prices are too high, too low, interest rates are killing everything, waaaah. Or the co-worker, family member, or casual acquaintance with a hot take and zero skin in the game.

In Texas they call it: *Big hat, no cattle.*

In a bar: *Not a pot to pee in.*

In real estate: *Commission breath.*

Buffett's mentor Benjamin Graham put it plainly: "Price is what you pay; value is what you get." Sound principles win every time — regardless of what the neighbour is shouting.

The homeowner who tunes out the noise and focuses on their own situation — their timeline, their equity, their next move — almost always comes out ahead. That's a conversation worth having with someone who has been in the room for 24 years, not standing at the fence.

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Secrets To Success in Sales
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/secrets-to-success-in-sales/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:55:09.000Z
If there were secrets to sales success, why would anyone reveal them? 

When I Googled 'Secrets to success in sales,' there were 33,000,000 results (0.39 seconds)! Thirty-three million secrets—hmmmm, sales should be easy then, with 33 million secrets and 33 million salespeople doing exceptionally well—no need to read further.

 Google the secrets, and voila, you are successful.

![Frustration in Sales](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/d070f3b3-a13d-48a4-a5a2-f794eea658c5/frustration%20in%20sales.jpg/:/rs=w:1280 "Frustration in Sales")

Frustration in Sales

I hate to break this to you, but there are no secrets to sales success in any industry, field or profession.

Fundamentals of Sales: 179,000,000 results (0.32 seconds) 

Principles of Sales:721,000,000 results (0.33 seconds) 

Attitude of a Sales Person: 175,000,000 results (0.34 seconds) 

Salespeople, sales organizations, and any business or profession succeed or fail based on the systems in place, period.

You can discuss work ethic, knowledge, skills, presentation, personality, etc. Look around you: your competitors, thriving businesses, professions, athletes, actors, and those with systems in place—win!

[A recipe is a system.](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) Miss an ingredient, too much or too little of an ingredient, the temperature too high or too low, and the result.

![Systems Thinking](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/d070f3b3-a13d-48a4-a5a2-f794eea658c5/Systems%20Thinking.jpg/:/rs=w:1280 "Systems Thinking")

Systems Thinking

Do pilots have a system and checklist, be it their 78th flight or 4,319th flight?

Tom Brady? Kansas City Chiefs? A surgeon? Google? Amazon?

Systems take effort and thought, and are likely very difficult for those who think winging it works. Systems are trackable, measurable and a roadmap to whatever outcomes you want.

With systems, when results are not where you want them to be, something is missing in the system, or you are using the incorrect system, or you are taking shortcuts.

[Setting up systems and measurements is as boring as watching a rock grow,](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) but not as boring and stressful as mediocre results or learning the 33 million secrets to sales success!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Change One Thing and Change Everything
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/be-authentic/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T18:44:17.000Z
![Pencil and  paper  depicting change one thing, you change everything](https://storage.ghost.io/c/89/d3/89d3ba39-4159-4e06-af29-6595393cf36f/content/images/2026/07/rs-h-500-cg-true.jpeg)

Change one thing and change everything

How you do anything is how you do everything.

I have seen Realtors who cut corners on paperwork or cut corners on negotiations. I have seen service providers who are late for appointments and deadlines. Mortgage lenders who forgot one thing. The painter? The plumber? The small things are never small — they are a preview of everything that follows.

Will Rogers put it plainly: "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Showing up is not enough. Showing up with intention, preparation, and genuine care for the person across the table — that is the standard. Not occasionally. Every time.

That is the only version of this business worth being in.

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### The One and Only One Reason For Poor Sales Results!
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/the-one-and-only-one-reason-for-poor-sales-results/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:57:37.000Z
You are paid for the value and performance you add to the other party, not your effort, time or energy!

LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Wayne Gretzky were not paid for the countless hours of training, studying, strict nutrition plans, and refusing external distractions; they were paid for the value they brought to the game by performing at a higher standard than their teammates and opponents.

They were better because their desire to win was vital. 

They knew that to be the best, they had to find ways and [systems ](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)to win and were willing to pay the price.

Here's the thing, their game was 60 minutes or less, yet their discipline daily was 8 to 12 hours!

In sales, it makes no difference. You will succeed highly if your clients feel you have their best interests at heart and can add value to them or their families. 

So keep in mind: If your sales are not where you want them to be, cut out the TikTok, Facebook, and complaining and work on adding value learning so that when you want to increase your sales performance, you win!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Have You Ever Been Asked "How's Business"?
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/have-you-ever-been-asked-hows-business/
Last updated: 2026-08-08T12:33:37.000Z
There isn't a day that goes by that I am not asked, “How’s the Real Estate Market?” 

I am sure if you ask that question to any Realtor or any salesperson in any industry or small business, the majority will say, ‘Things are good", “I’m busy,” or “Not too bad.” 

![Some Questions Can Deflate Salespeople](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/d070f3b3-a13d-48a4-a5a2-f794eea658c5/some%20questions%20flatten%20people.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280 "Some Questions Can Deflate Salespeople")

Some Questions Can Deflate Salespeople

Really?

If someone asks me today how the market is, I say it depends on what part of the market are you interested in?

If a buyer, the inventory of homes on the market is enormous right now, with some homes on the market for 50-80 days. In that case, those sellers may be open to negotiation. If interest rates drop below the current posted rate of 4.25%, more buyers may enter the market, reducing your negotiating leverage and increasing competition.

If you are a seller, you have three choices, as you always have: price high and hope, price at market and sell, or price below market and sell quickly, sometimes for more.

If an investor is buying, prices are high, and the cap rate is low; however, if the vacancy rate in London remains under 2%, go for it as long as you plan to hold for 10 to 20 years! As a seller of an income property, prices are high, inventory is low, and the Landlord and Tenant Act, as the years go on, will lean heavier than it does now on the tenant side.

There is no difference if you are selling widgets, cars, or insurance; everything depends on what side of the market you are on. For salespeople in any business, always reply It depends!

To be blunt, for a salesperson, the market is you, not the buyers, the sellers, the economy, your company, the weather, your cat or your favourite TV show or sports event!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Your Opinions as a Sales Person Can Harm You!
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/your-opinions-as-a-sales-person-can-harm-you/
Last updated: 2026-07-18T17:39:45.000Z
"What is bad luck? Opinion. 

What are conflict, dispute, blame, accusation, irrelevance, and frivolity? They are all opinions, and more than that, they are opinions that lie outside of our own reasoned choice, presented as if they were good or evil.

Let a person shift their opinions only to what belongs in the field of their own choice, and I guarantee that person will have peace of mind, whatever is happening around them!"

The above was written a long time ago by Epictetus in Discourses, 3.3.18b-19 (100CE)

What opinions as a salesperson are holding you back? 

Harming you? 

Who are you blaming for your performance to date?

What is your opinion of the weather today? 

The current government policies, so and so, their religion or race?

Is our opinion based on knowledge, emotions, old habits, or unverified beliefs? 

Remember, opinions can harm you! 

Unqualified, biased, and egoistic opinions are your enemy.

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Want to Predict Your Future in Sales in Real Estate?
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/want-to-predict-your-future-in-sales-in-real-estate/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T15:59:14.000Z
Your current actions are creating your future in sales. Look at the actions you take every day; that will be the proof! [Do you have systems in place?](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/)

![Predict Your Future in Sales](https://storage.ghost.io/c/89/d3/89d3ba39-4159-4e06-af29-6595393cf36f/content/images/2026/07/rs-w-1280.jpeg "Predict Your Future in Sales")

Predict Your Future in Sales

Thoughts come before action, and results come after action!

Your current results expose what you are committed to!

What your priorities are.

How you think and do is how you think and do everything!

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Why Six Months Ago Was Do Or Die For You As a Realtor
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/why-six-months-ago-was-do-or-die-for-you-as-a-realtor-in-london/
Last updated: 2026-08-10T16:00:36.000Z
When I ask any Realtor in London, Ontario how they are doing, I already know the answer before they open their mouth.

Not because I am psychic. Because I know what they did — or didn't do — six and twelve months ago. Your present results are simply your past actions showing up to collect.

All acts have consequences. The second and third month of poor prospecting, inconsistent follow-up, and chasing shiny objects make a statement. Your current pipeline is that statement.

The enemy of success is not the market. It is not interest rates, inventory, or the competition. The enemy is three words: if, when, and someday.

*If* the market improves. *When* things settle down. *Someday* I'll get my database organized.

Someday is not a date on any calendar I have ever seen.

The Realtors who are busy right now did not get lucky. They made calls six months ago that felt uncomfortable. They sent the email when they didn't feel like it. They showed up when sitting still felt easier.

Your next six months are being written right now. [What systems are you using that work?](https://www.tylacroix.com/systems-over-flash/) Today's actions are tomorrow's results. The only question worth asking is whether what you are doing today is something you will be proud of six months from now.

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)
### Who is Ty Lacroix
URL: https://www.tylacroix.com/who-is-ty-lacroix/
Last updated: 2026-07-18T18:06:54.000Z
#### Why This Website?

I have built this site to share insights into seventy-plus years of good times and some challenging ones!

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/89/d3/89d3ba39-4159-4e06-af29-6595393cf36f/content/images/2025/12/Ty-Lacroix-Broker-Realtor-at-Sutton-Group-Preferred-Realty-London-Ontario-1.jpg)

I have made more mistakes than most, and I am not looking for a trophy or bragging about losing; every loss and mistake taught me something, sometimes twice; however, being resilient and never quitting has its benefits!

I am a Broker with Sutton Group Preferred Realty Inc., Brokerage and managing partner of the Envelope Real Estate Group.

Some blogs and articles may focus on helping Realtors in London, Ontario, other salespeople, or small businesses, and others may cover mindset, attitude, abundance, or never quitting! 

Or, about nothing!

" Most of us have two lives: the lives we live and the lives we are capable of living!" Steven Pressfield

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

"Anything that is alive is in a continual state of change and movement. The moment that you rest, thinking that you have attained the level you desire, a part of your mind enters a phase of decay. You lose your hard-earned creativity, and others begin to sense it. This is a power and intelligence that must be continually renewed, or it will die." Robert Green

Also find me at [enveloperealestate.com](https://www.enveloperealestate.com/?ref=tylacroix.com) and [Totally Preachless](https://www.totallypreachless.com/?ref=tylacroix.com)