When it comes to real estate, Dylan Dworsky made like Frank Sinatra and did it his way! Dylan is a young and ambitious REALTOR® in Newark, DE who decided against knocking on doors and paper flyers and instead chose to market online. Now, he’s getting in front of his ideal client and getting the opportunity to match them with their perfect home. Listen in to find out what Dylan’s doing, how he’s doing it, and what sets him apart from the rest.

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:

• 01:00 – Introducing Dylan a REALTOR® in Newark, DE
• 01:30 – He’s lived there his whole life; he was a pro hockey player then went into accounting and hated it
• 02:20 – He worked in sales for a while, was successful in it, and decided to go into real estate
• 03:05 – Dylan’s CSIRE story
• 03:14 – He lacked proper training and needed to build his sphere of influence; most of his friends and connections weren’t in the position to buy a home
• 04:30 – He went from Newark to San Jose and got a culture shock; there were palm trees and snow-capped mountains visible at the same time
• 06:05 – He was told he was going to need to do cold calls, knock on doors, and mail flyers; he figured out Facebook ads instead and hasn’t looked back
• 08:00 – He’s gotten great results from advertising on Facebook; the educational/informational posts get the most traction
• 08:50 – He gets his clients with the lender first so they can determine their budget and search within those parameters
• 10:55 – On showing homes
• 11:00 – People give away how they’re feeling with body language; he asks what his clients like or don’t like after showing a home
• 11:45 – Homes are used as a gauge to get their client the perfect home
• 13:18 – How Dylan will differentiate himself in 2020
• 13:18 – He’ll be sending out newsletters and doing more advertising on Instagram and Facebook; he’d like to sponsor a little league hockey team
• 14:50 – How to contact Dylan: by phone at (302)388-6402

3 Key Points

1. It’s important to build your sphere of influence.
2. Online marketing can boost your business greatly!
3. It’s good to talk to a lender first to determine your budget.

“Isn’t my body tight and toned? Isn’t it?” Um, awkward! Matt Ivey, a REALTOR® in the triangle area of NC (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham and the surrounding areas), has quite the story about some crazy shit. From poop-stained carpets to a nutty ex-stripper whose stage name was “Beaverly Woods” (that’s not a typo) – the fun never stopped in that big brick house. Listen in to learn what Matt went through, what he smelled – and what he managed to learn from the whole experience.

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:

• 01:00 – Introducing Matt, a REALTOR® in Raleigh, NC who services the triangle area
• 02:06 – He enjoys working with first-time homebuyers - he likes the emotion – but he also works with distressed properties and investors
• 04:00 – Matt’s CSIRE story
• 04:05 – A lady called him with 110 acres and a four-story house of brick; he goes to meet her thinking it’s going to be a big sale
• 04:20 – The lady starts talking about an ex-boyfriend, stands up, and asks Matt, “Isn’t my body tight and toned? Isn’t it?”
• 04:45 – She was an interesting person; the house was not bad on the outside but stunk so bad on the inside
• 05:50 – It was a 4,000 square foot home with two window units, so they did nothing for the heat – which enhanced the smell
• 06:15 – The woman explained that her elderly mother had lived there and went crazy; she said, “I probably should’ve checked on her more often, and she had 17 dogs.”
• 06:30 – The mother wouldn’t let the dogs outside so they just went to the bathroom inside
• 07:05 – She had a crew of people living in the house and when Matt’s signs went up, a guy living there would break them and take them down
• 08:40 – The guy who was breaking the signs ended up breaking his neck somehow; the lady wanted to kick him out because she wanted to get the carpets cleaned
• 10:00 – She got involved in court proceedings and Matt got trolled by her family online; he ended up on “The Real Bad Apples of Wake County”
• 12:10 – A woman in the group was telling people not to support the woman; she was saying her son broke his neck working for her and now she’s kicking him out
• 12:30 – Someone also said that the woman used to be a stripper and her exotic dancer name was “Beverly Woods”
• 13:15 – That name was later corrected to “Beaverly Woods”
• 13:40 – Her business got terrible reviews and her responses were combative
• 15:30 – Matt’s takeaways
• 15:35 – He ended up having to walk away; he saw some good in her but it just wasn’t going to work out
• 15:40 – Matt learned a lot about the eviction process during this time because the woman was trying to evict tenants
• 16:30 – It’s important to be able to gauge when it’s time to walk away from a sale; sometimes sellers sabotage themselves
• 18:15 – How to reach Matt email: matt@costellorei.com and on Instagram @trianglehomesandhops

3 Key Points

• How you respond to negative reviews matter.
• There’s a spark of divinity in everyone.
• Sometimes it’s best to walk away from a sale.

To pant-suit or not to pant-suit, that is the question! BethAnn from Spokane, a REALTOR® of 17 years and Spokane native, has a fishy story to tell that involves tuna, a cat in love and – you guessed it – a pant suit. She’s also got another story for the books involving a giant teddy bear and humpy dogs. Can’t stand the mystery? Listen in to hear BethAnn’s crazy stories and learn why she got rid of the pant suit for good.  

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:

• 01:00 – Introducing BethAnn
• 01:15 – She’s a Spokane native and has sold real estate for 17 years; her father owned a brokerage in the 70s and 80s
• 01:30 – She has two sets of twins and five kids total; it was good training for multi-tasking
• 02:40 – BethAnn’s CSIRE story
• 02:50 – A month or so ago she went to list a house and did a walk-through; she explained what they needed to declutter for photos
• 03:30 – They went to the patio and there was a huge larger-than-a-human teddy bear sitting in a lawn chair
• 03:40 – Two weeks later, she arrives at the house with her photographer; the bear is still on the patio
• 04:30 – She asked the seller about the bear and the seller got quiet; she said they can’t move it because they need it there for their dogs to hump
• 05:00 – She was concerned her dogs would be distressed without their humping bear
• 05:30 – She left the bear in the pictures for fun; the house sold and is under contract
• 08:00 – What BethAnn has to say about safety
• 08:45 – Open houses are a huge safety risk for agents
• 09:00 – She had an open house in her own neighborhood and a gentleman came in who made her feel unsafe
• 09:20 – She’s a huge advocate for safety; she recommends a lender sit with ladies at open houses
• 10:00 – BethAnn’s cat story
• 10:13 – After a year in the business, she got a nice grey suit; she did one of her first open houses and the woman said, “If you let the cat out, you’re fired”
• 10:25 – She showed a sign on the laundry room door that said not to open it; people were coming in droves to the house
• 11:00 – She was talking to people in the living room and she sees the cat in the front yard; she tried to get the cat and it goes into a bush
• 11:35 – She jumped into the bush with her suit but missed the cat, so she got a can of tuna from inside and came back out to get the cat
• 12:30 – Everyone was watching her through the windows; she called a neighbor with two boys to try and catch the cat
• 13:00 – She told the home viewers that she had to get the cat and they asked, “Well, what about that cat?”
• 13:05 – The owners cat was sitting inside looking out the window at the one outside
• 14:40 – How to contact BethAnn: bethannhomes.com

3 Key Points

• Be safe when conducting open houses!
• If your dog gets distressed, get a giant humping teddy bear!
• Pant suits may or may not be a good idea when chasing a cat.

A home tour with a side of teargas, anyone? Tracy Ellis, a REALTOR® of 20 years in Chesterfield, MO, tells a crazy story of when she and her clients had to run from a property with burning eyes and lungs. Listen in to hear what happened to Tracy and learn how radio and magazines have helped her up-level her marketing game.

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:

• 01:00 – Introducing Tracy
• 01:20 – She’s a REALTOR® of 20 years in Chesterfield, MO, 30 miles from St. Louis
• 01:30 – Tract works with her husband and has a team; they host 6 weekly radio shows
• 01:35 – They now have a luxury real estate magazine that they distribute; they did $40 million this year and the average home price is $189,000
• 03:45 – On having the time to do the magazine and radio show
• 03:50 – Her husband is techy and she’s more about marketing; it’s all a team effort
• 04:15 – The radio is a great way to connect with community and provide value
• 05:20 – Marketing gets expensive; the magazine is a way to market more
• 06:05 – They pre-record the radio show
• 06:40 – Tracy’s CSIRE story
• 06:55 – She tells her clients that they help them get their property ready for market
• 07:30 – She and her husband pulled up to a house with plywood where windows had been broken
• 07:45 – They approach the house and Tracy’s nose and eyes are burning
• 08:00 – She and the clients run away from the house
• 08:15 – Turns out the house had been in the news; someone had barricaded themselves inside and there was a police shootout where teargas was used
• 08:30 – She was upset that it wasn’t disclosed that there was teargas used in the home; it needed to get mitigated even though the event happened two weeks prior
• 09:45 – On how she used to deal with messy situations
• 10:00 – Tracy used to have a trash bag for her clothes ready by the door when she had dirty or gross experiences; these experiences are the vast minority
• 12:00 – Now, Tracy discloses to agents anything they might need to know about a house and hopes for the same in return
• 12:15 – How to contact Tracy
• 12:30 – Tracy and her husband are part of EXP Realty in Chesterfield; go to her site at tracyellis.com, email her at tracy@tracyellis.com or call (636)299-3702

3 Key Points

• The radio and a magazine are great marketing outlets!
• Find out the things that need to be disclosed about a property before you get there.
• Real estate has it all: The good, bad, ugly and stinky.