Is it raining men? Nope, but it is raining inside! Sarah Gustafson, a REALTOR® of 10 years in Holden, MA, opened the door to a beautiful home she was showing to clients just to find it was...raining? Not only that, but the listing agent called shortly thereafter to find out if her clients were still interested in the house! Um, no thank you! Listen in to find out why you must know where your water main is, and how she protected her clients from buying a potentially hazardous home. 

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting leighbrown.com.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:45 – Introducing Sarah; a Holden, Massachusetts REALTOR® of 10 years and introvert who used to manage trade shows for companies
• 03:30 – Sarah’s CSIRE story
• 03:40 – She was showing a house to clients in the wintertime in the down market; many foreclosed homes were vacant in the winter
• 04:00 – She noticed a stream of water coming from the garage; she had a feeling the pipes had broken in the house
• 04:40 – They opened the door from the garage to the house and water was pouring from the second floor to the first floor; a kid asked, “Why is it raining in the house?”
• 05:22 – She called the listing agent and she asked, “What do we do?”
• 05:40 – Sarah told her what to do and she had no idea what Sarah was talking about
• 06:15 – Afterwards, she called back and asked Sarah if her clients were interested in the house; Sarah wanted to know when the rehab/renovation would be complete
• 06:42 – She said the sellers had taken care of it but that was impossible with the amount of damage that was incurred
• 07:00 – Sarah said she’d never show or recommend the house; she would disclose the flood to anyone who asked
• 05:55 – The lessons
• 06:00 – Agents and homeowners: Know where your water main is
• 07:55 – Realtors need to be honest and transparent
• 08:30 – There would be a liability issue if mold grows in that house because it was incorrectly repaired
• 09:00 – A professional rehabilitation is required when a home floods
• 09:35 – As a realtor, you need to disclose everything
• 10:30 – Sarah’s biggest surprise when working with REALTORS®
• 10:40 – How much it has helped her grow personally and professionally compared to a corporate environment
• 11:08 – The association world taught her that she is an introvert; she learned how to work with extroverts and manage her own alone time
• 11:36 – Introverts do well when they’re out, but need to recharge alone
• 11:55 – Her leadership journey has included learning how to deal with different people with different personalities
• 12:45 – How to contact Sarah
• 13:00 – SaraGRealtor.com

3 Key Points

• Know where your water main is!
• Be honest and transparent about every property.
• Volunteer to grow and learn more about yourself 

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder

Who came here to PAAAAARRRTYYYY!? REALTORS®, apparently! On today’s show, Jordan Scheltgen, co-founder and managing partner of Cave Social, talks about the day he realized that real estate professionals really know how to get down. He also learned the magic key to setting yourself apart from all the other REALTORS® out there – and the best way to do it using social media platforms, technology, and the one thing only YOU have: Your story. Listen in to hear more about Coyote Ugly: Realtor Edition – and get some good advice on how to get in front of your target audience.  

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting leighbrown.com.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:45 – Introducing Jordan, co-founder and managing partner of Cave Social, a digital advertising agency whose clients are 50% real estate professionals
• 01:50 – He also writes about leadership on INC
• 02:30 – The surprising things he found about real estate
• 02:35 – The complexity of the tools offered to real estate professionals and how little they used them to further their business
• 03:15 – The nuances of marketing in real estate; you aren’t just promoting the house, you’re promoting the town, neighborhood, lifestyle
• 03:30 – The number of hands in play when a house goes from listed to sold
• 04:30 – The workflow of a REALTOR®
• 04:45 – Realtors don’t have a structured 9-5 job, so they often find themselves working long hours because they can’t “turn off” and balance work and life
• 05:30 – Solutions Jordan has found for the challenges he has seen
• 05:40 – Have one day a week off; if you can’t do that, your system is broken
• 06:25 – Jordan’s first CSIRE story
• 06:32 – At his first conference in the Orlando Convention Center, the CEO of a massive brand went onstage and played the guitar
• 07:08 – All the REALTORS® went wild; it was a “rager” at 9am
• 07:35 – The booth next to him was selling IPads at half off; the guy said he was building trust and getting a name and email for it
• 08:15 – That vendor no longer exists
• 08:35 – There was an after party at a local bar with hundreds of REALTORS®; it looked like Coyote Ugly - REALTOR® version – at a sit-down restaurant
• 09:02 – Men were taking their shirts off and everyone was dancing; the energy was mind-blowing
• 10:00 – What Jordan does
• 10:12 – He helps people tell their story through a variety of avenues; each brand and story is unique and should make you stand out from the rest
• 11:00 – All REALTORS® look the same to a consumer; it’s the REALTORS® story that makes them select who they feel is best
• 11:15 – A story that resonates with Jordan
• 11:21 – A lady in South Carolina creates videos in her car about neighborhoods, buyer tips, etc., and she get 50-60,000 views per video
• 11:54 – She has positioned herself as a helping hand and authority in the area; she knows what she’s talking about
• 12:15 – Advice from Jordan: What to ask a REALTOR®
• 12:24 – Ask what their specialty is – they should have one
• 13:45 – How to contact Jordan
• Twitter or email

3 Key Points

• Find ways to optimize your hours.
• Your story should set you apart from the rest.
• Ask what your REALTORS® specialty is; if they say they don’t have one, look elsewhere.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder

No one’s as detail-oriented as an engineer! Socar Chatmon-Thomas, a REALTOR® of 25 years in Austin, sure thought so when her client called with suspicions that his tile was off by an eighth of an inch. Socar, an electrical engineer herself, loves real estate because she sees it as a daily puzzle that puts her strategic and problem-solving skills to the test – and let me tell you, she is good. Listen in to find out how Socar satisfied her super-detail-oriented client – and how she made her latest client extremely happy.  

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting leighbrown.com.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:45 – Introducing Socar, a REALTOR® of 25 years with a background in electrical engineering; she is spontaneous, social, and creative
• 03:40 – The transition from engineering life to REALTOR® life
• 03:55 – Real estate is like a daily puzzle
• 04:10 – Socar’s CSIRE story
• 04:28 – A client of hers called her and said his grout was off by an eighth of an inch; he wanted to hire someone to inspect the grout
• 04:55 – She didn’t know that job existed so she called the National Association of Tile Installers
• 05:20 – She first called Dal Tile and they knew the client must also be an engineer
• 05:50 – She found someone in town who said the floor was “within tolerance” and didn’t charge them; it was a good tile job
• 06:32 – Takeaway’s from Socar’s story
• 06:58 – Know your client; if he/she is that detail-oriented, they won’t be satisfied until a true professional reviews the work
• 07:50 – What Socar’s clients say about her
• 07:54 – They recognize her as very detail-oriented, strategy-driven, and a great negotiator
• 08:25 – She chose to be a REALTOR®; her dad used to take her around to see land and would ask her how much she thought it was worth
• 09:18 – Negotiations as a strategic process
• 09:35 – Review potential outcomes and don’t get caught up in the emotions
• 10:40 – The most interesting moment in Socar’s real estate career
• 10:55 – She just met a 27-year-old man and his father; the son is a gamer and gets paid $10,000-14,000 a month to play games; Socar feels that is the most creative job
• 11:45 – People pay to watch him play games; he was her last sale of 2018
• 12:30 – She received the best compliment from the father who said she was “the best of the best”
• 13:40 – How to contact Socar
• Phone #: (512)784-7150
• Facebook: here
• Email: Thomas@gmail.com

3 Key Points

• As a REALTOR® you are a calming force for your clients.
• See negotiations as a strategic process – not an emotional one.
• Parenting advice: Help your kids invest and build social skills!

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder

Who wants to go fishing? Not Shannon Register, a REALTOR® and broker of 25 years in the Houston metro area! From a signed contract that no one noticed was $20,000 off to a surprise dog-attack that caused her to drop her client’s keys into the deep end of their pool, Shannon has seen her fair share of real estate craziness. Listen in to find out how Shannon managed to fish out the keys and what she learned from the messy $20,000 mistake.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting leighbrown.com.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:45 – Introducing Shannon, a REALTOR® of 15 years in the Houston area with three independent brokerage offices and 50 agents
• 01:44 – She is an educator for consumers with her radio show
• 02:30 – Shannon’s CSIRE story
• 02:44 – She has seen agents make rookie mistakes on both sides
• 03:03 – An agent wrote the wrong sale price on a contract and it wasn’t caught until the lender noticed the mistake; all parties had already signed the contract
• 04:15 – The seller had multiple offers, they chose that one because it was $20,000 more than the other offers that had been made; the consumer didn’t understand the rules
• 05:20 – It was signed electronically and auto-calculated; it was a learning curve for everyone and a big issue
• 06:00 – Anyone could’ve made the mistake because of the way we do everything digitally now; people still need to review and understand what they’re signing
• 06:30 – Insurance had to pony up and fix it; it was a complicated fix that required renegotiation
• 07:20 – The importance of reading what you sign
• 07:45 – These mistakes aren’t typically done with bad intent; realtors just want to hustle and get their client into their home
• 08:04 – A broker wouldn’t know if there was a mistake if they don’t know the offer
• 08:30 – How Shannon makes sure this never happens again
• 08:37 – She makes sure everyone reads what they’re signing and only uses digital signatures when she must
• 09:16 – Another CSIRE story
• 09:24 – As she was about to lock the door to a seller’s house, a little dog ran up behind her, startled her, and she dropped the house keys into the deep end of the pool
• 10:15 – She needed to get the house locked up; so, she sent one of her kids to fish the keys out of the pool
• 11:15 – What she has learned
• 11:30 – Have a spare set of keys and put them in a purse or bag if you tend to drop or throw things when startled
• 12:40 – The one thing the public should ask before signing an agreement with a realtor
• 12:51 – “Are you committed to getting this done for me in my timeframe?”
• 13:50 – How to get in contact with Shannon and her brokerage
• Website: RREA.com
• Phone number: (281)288-3500
• Radio Show: HoustonRealEstateRadio.com

3 Key Points

• As an agent, double-check your work – even if you do it digitally!
• Consumers: Read everything!
• Have a hide-a-key or an accessible spare set if you’ve got an agent listing your house.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder