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Crazy Sh*t In Real Estate with Leigh Brown

Crazy Sh*t in Real Estate!—a podcast that will shatter the HGTV-induced veneer of real estate, and celebrate the challenges of working in this wild, wacky business. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting https://leighbrown.com DM Leigh Brown on Instagram: @leighthomasbrown DM Leigh Brown on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeighBrownSpeaker/ DM Leigh Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighthomasbrown/ Subscribe to Leigh's other podcast: https://www.leighbrown.com/podcast/real-estate-from-the-rooftops
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Now displaying: January, 2018
Jan 26, 2018

Clint Skutchan, recovering association CEO, consultant, and podcast show host, digs deep into the struggles of association life, including having to deal with people who seem to just be “riding it out.” Whether it be unmotivated volunteer leaders or members that fear change and use their power for the not-so-good, Clint seems to have dealt with it all. Tune in to hear what it takes to create real change and shift the minds of the people who have the power to make it.

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

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 01:15 – Clint’s background
  • 01:20 – He was an association CEO for 10 years, spent 10 years in talk radio, and he now consults
  • 01:45 – He combines his association and media skills to nationally consult and speak
  • 02:11 – Why should people be interested in association life?
  • 02:19 – If you aren’t paying attention, others can take advantage of leadership roles and relationships
  • 02:52 – Local, state, and national associations leadership tips; a woman called Leigh to ask for advice on her incoming local presidential role
  • 03:50 – Leadership is all about what you can do for the association and its members; it is about serving and understanding your role and process
  • 04:45 – Leigh asked the woman how the CEO/association executive is, because that’ll give insight into what advice to give
  • 05:22 – Leigh asked why the woman labeled the person as “bad to medium;” they don’t communicate, value the members, or have a clear and positive view of the future
  • 05:58 – What would Clint tell an incoming leader who’s dealing with a staff person who isn’t energetic or shoulder-to-shoulder with their volunteer leaders?
  • 06:07 – Asking the question: “Why are you here?”
  • 06:20 – What is their motivation? Are they just riding it out?
  • 06:45 – Figure out how to manage that or how to move away from that kind of executive
  • 07:00 – If you are an executive that has lost your motivation, you should change personnel or change your perspective
  • 07:21 – “My Year:” One person’s legacy that may not encompass the whole
  • 07:52 – Ask the staff what they need; sometimes it’s the volunteer’s problem
  • 08:09 – Some volunteers are used to running their own business; an association is very different because it is a collective experience
  • 08:43 – There isn’t any real formal training in most cases for association leadership
  • 09:02 – When you rise to leadership you are no longer just focusing on one thing; you must oversee it all and the whole team
  • 09:20 – Are volunteer leaders provided the correct education to succeed and understand what they’ve said “yes” to, since the role is entirely different than their day-to-day life? Does Clint think that realtors are responding to threats in a personal way because they must move fast in their business life and associations typically move slowly? Have associations failed to respond because they don’t educate their volunteer leaders correctly?
  • 10:18 – The good organizations are doing it right; there is a big difference between those and the ones just finding their way through
  • 10:33 – The ones geared towards flexibility and change work in a change-based world; the ones stuck on status quo get stuck
  • 11:02 – How can volunteer leaders push their associations to have a mindset that embraces change rather than resists it?
  • 11:28 – It comes down to the association’s culture which consists of strategic focus, repeatable processes, consistent outcomes, and mutual passion
  • 12:15 – With those things, you’ll identify the self as an entity; it starts with a good staff and good leadership
  • 12:47 – If you have a forward-thinking leader in an association but the volunteer leaders fear change, resist listening, and eliminate staff, how do you get past that?
  • 14:00 – When you are an executive you hire and fire volunteers that make decisions based on whims, are too comfortable, don’t want to follow processes
  • 14:53 – Ultimately it’s a matter of how much attention the general membership pays to those who are their leaders and their decisions
  • 15:00 – Their actions show if the leadership is ready to lead and represent
  • 15:35 – What Clint thinks will happen in real estate life within the next 3-5 years
  • 15:55 – He looks through the lens of the association
  • 16:08 – 5 trends he sees in the association world: leadership shift impacts will find their way to the local organizations
  • 16:50 – Consolidation shifts will continue (regionalization) and will impact day-to-day agents
  • 17:28 – Advocacy must start to adapt; the way advocacy is approached and delivered needs to shift; if you aren’t going to adapt you are going to struggle
  • 18:00 – As markets settle in, we are going to see agents have extra time on their hands; there will be more volunteers coming back to the association
  • 18:50 – Even new realtors can have the knowledge and expertise to make good positive changes in the association world
  • 20:00 – When does Clint think we will see a National Multiple Listing service that is backed by realtors?
  • 20:19 – He doesn’t see a national one happening, he thinks regional ones that revolve around true markets are more likely
  • 21:54 – You can read Clint’s columns on Inman or listen to his podcast called The Association  

3 Key Points

  1. Leadership is about serving and understanding your role and processes; know what you can do for your team and members.
  2. Get involved in association life but be adaptable and accepting of positive change and future-driven leaders.
  3. Both in association life and in your own business, the keys to a solid culture are strategic focus, repeatable processes, consistent outcomes, mutual passion, and identifying the self as the entity.

Credits

Jan 23, 2018

AJ is a star, and not just on the dance floor or roller rink! Tune in to learn how AJ took over a roller rink, hosted a skating party, got made fun of by strange association tenants, and still managed to become an “accidental volunteer leader.” Learn why volunteer leaders matter in real estate – and not just for realtors, but for homeowners and homeowners-to-be, too.

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

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 00:55 – AJ’s background: She is in Dayton, Ohio and focuses on property management, commercial, residential and receivership, and has been in the business for 25 years
  • 01:27 – What is receivership?
  • 01: 30 – She goes in and takes over things on behalf of courts and law firms; businesses to run and real property
  • 01:41 – This can be an inn, a roller skating rink, an industrial warehouse operation, office buildings, hotels, multi-family units; all could be at a moment’s notice
  • 02:06 – They also do residential and property management
  • 02:20 – How did taking over a roller skating rink happen? What’s the story?
  • 02:34 – She used to skate and was good; when she took it over she shut it down, invited a ton of friends, and had a skating party
  • 03:17 – She didn’t buy the rink, but her friend bought it to showcase his luxury cars
  • 03:50 – AJ’s crazy story
  • 04:00 – She never expected to be made fun of by people in the Condominium and Home Owner’s Associations
  • 04:15 – Strange people can live in the associations and have strange ideas despite state law that dictates otherwise
  • 04:41 – She tried to encourage to clients to buy into the associations so they participate in what is going on because they’ve already made the investment
  • 05:20 – You can’t complain about the decisions if you aren’t apart of the association’s decision-making process
  • 06:20 – She is going to be the president of the state of Ohio in 2019; she is an “accidental volunteer leader”
  • 06:42 – She is from a small brokerage that she started with her father; at her local board, you must be president before you can be president or officer in Ohio
  • 07:00 – She couldn’t get on the board of directors and had tried for years; she kept missing because she was from such a small brokerage
  • 07:20 – They appointed her on two different years and asked her to run for Treasurer and she won
  • 08:03 – One reason why this role has been worth her time/energy and why it matters that she, as a volunteer leader, is involved in a real estate deal?
  • 08:28 – The friendship and contacts that you gain make it easy to close a deal because you have personal connection with other agents
  • 09:20 – Hire a volunteer because they are up-to-date, involved, and lobbying on the homeowner’s behalf
  • 10:10 – In volunteer leadership you get someone who knows all changes that affect your home and sale
  • 10:35 – When interviewing realtors, always ask how invested they are in political advocacy work to affect policy in ways that help you as the consumer
  • 11:15 – Why AJ is a star
  • 11:20 – She is a competitive ballroom dancer and loves dancing
  • 11:35 – She’s done “Dancing with the Stars” and have competed with many pros head-to-head
  • 12:20 – How to reach AJ: Her company’s website or call her at (937)609-4281
  • 12:50 – Contact Leigh if you want to learn how to get involved

3 Key Points

  1. As a homeowner, it is important to get involved with your association so you can impact its decisions and policies.  
  2. Active volunteer leadership as a realtor guarantees friendships and contacts that prove useful when needing to close a deal or work with another agent.
  3. As a client, always hire a volunteer because they’ll be up-to-date, involved, and lobbying on your behalf.
Jan 19, 2018

Nope, this episode of CSIRE isn’t a Saturday Night Live skit, this is the real-life story of Shelly’s second sale! Tune in to hear how Shelly got into real estate by knowing she could “do it better” and why she loves the wild, wild, Wyoming. Don’t miss her crazy story complete with a Hare Krishna compound, attorneys, gas money wires, and a van...down by the river. 

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

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 00:35 – Shelly is a realtor and was the President of the Wyoming State Association of Realtors
  • 00:58 – Shelly’s background
  • 01:08 – She grew up in Texas and migrated north to Wyoming; her family came up for the oil boom
  • 01:26 – She started in Art and Design and landed in Real Estate after she would look at newspapers and feel like people were designing houses wrong
  • 01:44 – She bought her own house and told the real estate agent that she could do it better; she’s been licensed in Real Estate since 2005 in Torrington, Wyoming (pop. 6,000)
  • 02:00 – She lives in a “suburb” of Torrington called Lingle, population 515
  • 02:29 – She’s in an agricultural community near the Nebraska border, they measure distance in hours
  • 03:06 – They have lots of cattle, corn, sugar beets, soybeans; they can grow almost anything and can fish and hunt
  • 04:26 – She lives near old western movies are set
  • 05:00 – Shelly’s crazy story
  • 05:15 – It was her 2nd sale; a $32,000 adobe house that was being sold because the couple was divorcing
  • 05:30 – She never saw the couple, she dealt with them via phone and internet
  • 06:25 – She learned that the woman lived in a Hare Krishna compound in Idaho and the man didn’t have an address and lived in a van by a river in a friend’s yard in California
  • 07:42 – Shelly found a buyer that was a flipper; when they were trying to close she needed to find a place for both buyers to meet and sign the documents
  • 08:35 – The woman signed at a local title company but was worried that the ex-husband would get a check and she wouldn’t get any money
  • 09:20 – They UPS’ed some documents to the ex-husband’s “friend/neighbor,” who said he didn’t know who the man was
  • 09:25 – They had to find the ex-husband and the closest title company, which was 40 miles away; he didn’t have enough gas or gas money to make it there
  • 09:50 – They figured out how to get him there, but then the check had both names on it and neither one trusted the other to deposit it and split the money
  • 10:10 – It ended up being sent to attorneys to distribute
  • 10:45 – She let them move on and never heard from them again but she kept in touch with the buyers
  • 11:48 – There are things that could happen that would never expect; you must learn how to figure out solutions
  • 12:33 – Trust the experts; the title company people were trained in handling situations like hers and the attorneys helped, too
  • 14:03 – People talk about realtor’s “money grubbing,” but she did all of that for $600
  • 14:47 – Clients come in for advice and questions and she just asks for referrals in return, she does a lot for free to build relationships
  • 15:24 – How to reach Shelly: Her company’s website or via email

3 Key Points

  1. There are things that could happen that you would never expect; you must learn how to figure out solutions or reach out to the experts that do.
  2. Be persistent – even if the sale is tough – and your clients will see your efforts and trust your work again for themselves and their connections. 
  3. Keep open and honest communication with your clients and you’ll be top-of-mind the next time they are asked to refer a realtor.
Jan 16, 2018

In a day and age where there seems to be shortcuts for everything, Aaron reminds us to slow down and think. After all, as a client buying or selling a home you’re choosing a realtor, not simply tonight’s dinner! Tune in to hear how Aaron compares waiting tables to selling homes, and why choosing a realtor based upon likeability over competence can leave you paying more and getting less. Listen to Aaron’s advice on interviewing your realtor to ensure you don’t end up calling voicemails and wishing you had stopped to think.

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

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 00:43 – Aaron’s background
  • 00:50 – He lives on a small island off the coast of Seattle called Vashon Island; it’s an island of hippies and artists
  • 01:01 – He’s been selling real estate for 5 years, has invested in it for 15, and has an entrepreneurial and art background
  • 01:18 – He worked in food service, opened a bakery, got into a sales career, and found his way to real estate; he loves it
  • 02:00 – Like waiting tables, being a realtor focuses on taking care of people and Aaron loves that
  • 02:26 – You need to mirror and match and find out what they want
  • 02:51 –The way people choose a realtor is insane; it’s with the same diligence that we use to choose dinner
  • 04:35 – In residential, clients tend to choose likeability over competence
  • 04:45 – His team sells for 5% more than average; he researched why people don’t ask questions about these statistics
  • 05:10 – Aaron loves podcasts and learning, so he was listening to Freakonomics Radio and an interview with Michael Lewis, author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short”
  • 05:32 – Michael also wrote the “Undoing Project” and discussed behavioral economics and “mental shortcuts”
  • 06:45 – As realtors, we always want to stay “top of mind” because the brain shortcuts to what is top of mind instead of having to think
  • 07:28 – Aaron wrote a book on those shortcuts called “Shortchanged by Shortcuts”
  • 07:45 – Aaron believes we are thinking less and less, but he battles it by pointing it out and slowing down
  • 08:25 – Just slowing down a little bit can allow for some real thinking
  • 09:30 – If someone is committed to using shortcut and not slowing down, he’d rather not work with them; they won’t see the value in truly thinking about the process
  • 10:56 – Some sellers treat their real estate investments with a cavalier attitude when they should be choosing their agents and decisions wisely
  • 12:09 – Realtors did this to themselves: There’s no apprenticeship program, no journeyman master, conversation, or framing for the consumer
  • 12:44 – Real estate has the lowest bar to entry; the person who cuts his hair must do 1000 hours, a realtor only must do 90
  • 13:26 – Consumers should interview and ask for track records to see who has done the best job
  • 13:55 – The first question every consumer should ask their potential realtor: the percent over asking price that they’ve gotten for a home, this shows how good they are at pricing and advertising
  • 14:49 – Other questions: Do you work on a team or alone? What is your commission?
  • 15:00 – Someone on a team is usually better and if they can’t defend their own equity (commission), they won’t be able to defend yours
  • 15:27 – Leigh disagrees with the anti-team approach and believes it depends on the individual’s structure, focus, and availability
  • 16:20 – Many people complain about realtors not calling them back
  • 16:40 – When Leigh was making phone calls for RPAC (Realtors Political Action Committee) investments for the year, the active and dialed-in realtors all answered while the others went straight to voicemail
  • 17:27 – This a good way to tell who is active and professional; these are the only people she recommends in other markets
  • 17:51 – One thing Aaron thinks will happen in 2018
  • 17:59 – Two more interest rate hikes and a leveling off of the market as a whole
  • 18:37 – Contact Aaron via email at aaron@eandgo.me and find his books here

3 Key Points

  1. Slow down and think when choosing a realtor; your property is one of your most valuable assets.
  2. As a consumer, you should always ask the percent over asking price that they’ve gotten over a home and their commission; if they can’t defend their own equity, they won’t be able to defend yours.
  3. Whether on a team or solo, be active and professional; you’ll be respected and referred by other realtors and clients.
Jan 12, 2018

Whitney Nicely likes to move fast. From 6 week long house flips to educated decisions when it comes to renovating, Whitney knows what’s what in the world of real estate. Tune in to learn why house flipping TV show are crap, what Whitney does to make the most out of her investments, and what tends to hold women back in the world of real estate. 

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

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 00:45 – Whitney is in Knoxville, Tennessee, she flipped her first house in 2009, and now has land, houses, and apartment complexes all over east Tennessee
  • 02:01 – She’s allergic to the “f” word: “Foreclosures”
  • 02:28 – Whitney’s background: Her mom taught her a lot about real estate as a kid, her mom is self-taught and made ends meet through rental income
  • 03:33 – She believes women are held back in real estate so she fights for women; she was taught to go out and get what she wants, not wait for it
  • 03:57 – She was raised to look at deals herself and soon outgrew her mother when it came to investing
  • 04:34 – How she got over the fear of her first flip
  • 04:42 – The first ones she did were her mother’s and they’d take 6 months, in 2014 she got her own house and flipped it in 6 weeks
  • 05:34 – Advice for flippers: TV shows are crazy or crap
  • 05:53 – Always assume that there’s water damage and factor it in
  • 06:20 – Re-do one room or one major thing throughout the whole house; don’t gut the whole thing because then you’re just earning what you invested into the house
  • 07:15 – Many homes that she buys aren’t a disaster; they just need little updates
  • 07:38 – What’s the most mind-blowing thing you’ve seen in real estate?
  • 07:44 – People with empty houses that don’t put the extra effort in to sell or have a tenant; they make payments on an empty house for years
  • 08:15 – She tries to take these homes off their people’s backs
  • 08:35 – She finds these homes on Facebook
  • 09:30 – Whitney believes that the best agents are also investors; but the best investors she knows don’t have a license
  • 09:45 – Most realtors don’t invest because they are so busy getting the “close” and helping others make money
  • 09:50 – Women realtors have the maternal instinct to just “help, help help” and “give, give, give”
  • 10:10 – It’s ok to be selfish and build up your own retirement
  • 10:25 – Realtors don’t invest outside of what they’re going to get credit for
  • 11:15 – The risk involved in investments doesn’t stop people from investing
  • 11:30 – Whitney’s coaching specialty
  • 11:45 – She helps agents become investors and focuses on women
  • 12:07 – Men and women speak in different languages; she is working to help established investors make more money on their investments or make their next investment better
  • 12:45 – She helps investors move into smaller or larger apartments and think bigger
  • 13:30 – Trailer parks and storage units are also good investments
  • 13:50 – Trailer parks don’t go empty and is one of the last good private ways to have an affordable living situation
  • 14:18 – How to find Whitney Nicely and chat: her Facebook Group and website

3 Key Points

  1. It’s ok to be selfish and build up your own retirement; think of yourself and your future, too.
  2. Find something that make sense and pull the trigger; don’t wait until the next market downturn.
  3. Get in touch with an expert like Whitney to make educated real estate investment decisions.
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