Bernice Ross will speak at Real Estate Connect in San Francisco, July 28-30.
Bernice Ross might admit to “mindlessly eating crunchy snacks out of the bag” on the rare days when she feels stressed, but most of the time she’s a serene, worry-free spirit who’s on top of her game as a respected and sought-after real estate trainer, writer, speaker and coach.
Ross combines her expertise as a professor of psychology and Master Certified Coach with more than 25 years’ experience in real estate sales. As founder and CEO of RealEstateCoach.com in Austin, Texas, she develops the company’s training and coaching programs while she heads up the company’s 16-person professional coaching team.
She has more than 150 published articles to her credit, and her agent coaching columns appear weekly in Inman News. Her most recent publications include the 26-hour audio training and coaching programs, “List and Sell Real Estate Like Crazy,” “Market and Prospect for Real Estate Like Crazy,” and “Get Balanced or Get Crazy.”
Ross was executive director of training for the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Prudential Jon Douglas Co. from 1993-97. In 1998 she wrote the manager training program for Coldwell Banker’s concierge program. She is credentialed in California to teach real estate at the college level and pioneered the first real estate/coaching teleclasses for continuing education credit in the state.
She is married to Byron Van Arsdale, who is also a pioneer in the delivery of teleclasses in real estate, higher education, and at the corporate level for IBM and Chubb Insurance.
Here are some more insights:
IN: What are your current or childhood nicknames?
BR: My husband calls me the “Queen of Content” because of all the writing I do. I spent three years working as a biology lab assistant during high school. The department chair always used to call me “Bare Knees.”
IN: Which daily newspaper do you read and which section do you read first?
BR: Because of my heavy travel schedule, I usually read my news online. I check the Drudge Report first since it links to AP and a host of other news services. I read Inman News daily as well. When I’m home, I check major headlines, technology, real estate, and, of course, the comics.
IN: What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever packed in a suitcase?
BR: When I was a little girl vacationing in Texas, my brother and I caught “horned toads” (a Texas lizard) and decided to take them back to California. They escaped and caused quite a mess in the trunk of my dad’s car. We sold them for $1 apiece to the local pet shop.
IN: What kind of music do you listen to?
BR: Usually classical, jazz or Golden Oldies.
IN: What style of home do you live in and when did you buy it?
BR: We live in what the folks in Texas call a “high-tech tract mansion.” We purchased our two-story, white-brick home in 1998, when I moved from Beverly Hills to Austin. The interior has a contemporary feel with high ceilings, curved staircase, two family areas and his-and-hers offices.
IN: Where did you spend your last vacation?
BR: In Santa Fe, N.M., with my husband’s family.
IN: What professional accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
BR: I started teaching college at age 22 and still do so today. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to touch the lives of thousands of students.
IN: What personal accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
BR: Byron and I are both business partners and life partners. We didn’t meet until we were in our 40s, so finally “getting it right” in both areas has been a wonderfully amazing journey.
IN: How many e-mail addresses do you have?
BR: At least five
IN: What worries keep you awake at night?
BR: I seldom worry. I trust everything happens for a purpose and do my best to learn from whatever happens in my life.
IN: What lesson did you learn in the last year?
BR: Services are great, but products are the name of the game for our business.
IN: What is your favorite technology device or software application?
Earthlink’s Total Access Program makes it easy to stay connected when I travel. It also eliminated all the spyware, adware and cookies that my Norton Internet Security program missed.
IN: What was the best gift you ever received from or gave to someone else?
BR: Once when I arrived home after an extraordinarily difficult month of travel, it was close to midnight. I was completely exhausted. My husband Byron, however, had a very special surprise waiting when we pulled into our garage. He had a big “Welcome Home” banner attached to the wall. A batch of my favorite homemade chocolate candy was waiting in the refrigerator. When I walked into our bedroom, there was another “Welcome Home” banner along with tons of balloons and two dozen roses. It was a great way to transform me from “Road Warrior” to “Lucky Wife.”
IN: What was your top New Year’s resolution and have you kept it so far?
BR: Before I leave on a trip, that my desk is completely clear and all filing is complete. I have kept it so far!
IN: Are you a morning person or a night owl?
BR: I’m up early to teach classes, but when it comes to creativity, I’m a night owl.
Send tips or a letter to the editor to newsroom@inman.com or call (510) 658-9252, ext. 124.
