Today we’re discussing a topic that is often overlooked in real estate: Safety. And not just in regards to realtors, but consumers, too! In today’s episode, Angela Shields, CEO of The Tennessee Realtors, provides us with some case studies that act as perfect examples of why safety should always come first. Tune in to hear Angela tell the story of a realtor who barely made it out of a home showing alive, and find out why even a consumer should verify the legitimacy of their realtor. The moral of the story? If you see something, say something. It could save someone’s life...or your own.   

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:

• 00:50 – Introducing Angela Shields, the CEO of The Tennessee Realtors
• 01:20 – Angela represents the state and realtors of Tennessee
• 01:43 – They support all the realtors that are part of the local associations, do legislative work to protect private property rights, and watch out for consumer
• 02:21 – They also educate realtors
• 03:20 – The importance of realtor safety for the realtor and consumer
• 03:53 – It’s important to know with whom you’re doing business
• 04:34 – Story of when a realtor needed protection
• 04:45 – In San Antonio, TX she got a call that a realtor had been attacked by someone who had been referred to her
• 05:22 – She took the person to see a few houses, and at one house the person walked around, disappeared, went to the attic, and came back down with a pipe
• 05:42 – He hit her with the pipe, she ran outside to the porch, tried to flag multiple vehicles, and started to run to her car
• 06:30 – She ran towards the road, a car full of teenagers stopped for her and pulled her into their car, and he chased them in his car; luckily they found a cop
• 07:15 – He had everything in his trunk to tie her up and kill her; he was convicted of attempted murder and the kids had saved her life
• 07:30 – What Janice is doing now
• 07:45 – After she recuperated, she began teaching classes on safety; her name is Janice Tisdale
• 08:14 – Her background helped her survive the attack and the story gives hope for the integrity of our future generations
• 09:55 – She tells her story to help others avoid what she went through; in real estate, there are reasons realtors take precautions like asking for I.D. and meeting in public
• 10:30 – Realtors are always giving back and Janice is an example of that; for years, she came in every month to teach the safety portion of new member orientation
• 12:00 – The consumer side of realtor safety; the public doesn’t know who they’re dealing with, either
• 12:30 – Angela heard of a case where a realtor had a mental health issue; it became an issue over time, until finally a consumer and the association had to face it
• 13:00 – It can be dangerous for the consumer and that realtor eventually left the business and sought treatment
• 13:30 – Brokers have things in place to protect their agents and the consumers
• 14:00 – We need a constant conversation regarding licensure and regulations that’ll keep people safe
• 14:35 – If you see something, say something
• 15:50 – There’s a difference between someone having a bad day and someone having an actual mental health issue
• 16:40 – Have safety policies set in your office: Code words, let someone know where you are and with whom, and ask for a license and research (as a consumer)
• Contact Angela: http://angela.shields@tnrealtors.com 

3 Key Points

1. Oftentimes your background experience will prove beneficial in real estate.
2. Upkeep safety policies and procedures – whether you’re a realtor or a consumer.
3. If you see something, say something.  

Credits

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

Have no fear, the Real Estate Superhero is here! Jeremias “J-Man” Maneiro, a realtor in Rochester, NY, tells us the story of when he carried a client through her entire home tour, and how that moment officially bestowed him with true superhero status. But this superhero’s not just muscle. Tune in to hear how he cared for his client before and after her broken ankle surgery, despite how motivated she was to buy. And, for all you cold-weather dwellers, J-Man’s got some valuable advice that could save you an insurance claim worth nearly as much as your home.

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 – Jeremias “J-Man” Maneiro’s background

• 01:00 – He started in real estate in 2005 when he was 25, he’s in Rochester, NY, he and his wife Christina are a real estate team, and they’ve been married for 10 years
• 02:55 – They met at a company Christmas party when they found out they have the same birthday

• 03:35 – J-Man’s CSIRE story

• 04:00 – What makes him different, what makes him a Real Estate Superhero, started from this one story when he was showing homes to a young couple
• 04:05 – In the second to last house, the woman falls on the front step; he heard a snap and told them they could stop but husband told her to “suck it up”
• 04:55 – Husband thought the next house was the one, so he said to go to it and they could go to the hospital afterwards
• 05:30 – He liked the house and came back out to get the wife from the car; they carried the wife through the whole house
• 06:30 – They wanted the house but went to urgent care first; she had broken her ankle, was rushed into surgery, and wrote an offer that day (after the drugs wore off)
• 07:25 – She tells the story to her friends and family and says her “Real Estate Superhero” carried her through the whole house

• 08:12 – Reminder to carry short-term disability insurance as a realtor in case something like that were to happen to you, and not your client
• 08:43 – J-Man made sure his client was in the right state-of-mind before allowing her to write an offer
• 09:03 – A professional realtor stands out for being careful, thoughtful, and with integrity
• 10:20 – A piece of advice for sellers

• 10:50 – He’s had at least 8 different clients that have had frozen pipes, which can cause extreme water damage, when they move out and leave their home vacant
• 11:10 – He suggests winterizing the house because it’s not worth the risk
• 11:32 – Someone his brother referred him to had thought he could control his furnace and home appliances from his phone, but the thermostat had run out of batteries
• 11:50 – A main waterline had broken on the second floor of the house and it sounded like a waterfall from next door; water was coming out of the basement windows
• 12:07 – They were already in contract and they had a $78,000 claim against the water damage on a $95,000 home
• 12:30 – This is why you hire a realtor; things will always happen in a transaction, but the realtor is the glue that keeps the transaction going
• 12:50 – It worked out in the buyer’s advantage because she could select the changes during the reconstruction
• 13:15 – How to contact J-Man: themaneiroteam.com @jmanspeaks on Instagram, and JManSells on Twitter and Snapchat

3 Key Points

1. Carry short-term disability insurance as a realtor.
2. Be a real estate superhero by going above and beyond for your clients.
3. A realtor is the glue in your real estate transaction that make sure everything works out.

Credits

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

Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means extended family and Sissy Sosner, a Hawaiian realtor, has got a true ohana story for us! Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how much of a supportive family we’ve got within the real estate community. Sissy tells us about a friendship that led to a house-swap, and how she’s so grateful for the people in her life who connect, care, and support her in true Hawaiian ohana fashion. Tune in to hear about what happens when you trust the universe and allow magic to happen.  

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 – Sissy’s Background

• 01:00 – She grew up in Hawaii, lives on the island of Oahu, works on the island of Kawai, and has been in real estate for 8 years

• 02:30 – Sissy’s CSIRE story about Hawaii being all about “ohana”

• 03:13 – Her Caldwell Banker office is her ohana, her church is her ohana, CRS is her ohana (she got her CRS designation a few years back), and she has ohana in Cape Cod
• 03:30 – In early 2017 she read an article on a CRS designee Nadine who jumpstarted her business on the cape and Sissy reached out to her
• 04:00 – Fast forward a few months and they found a school for their son on the cape, remembered Nadine, and connected with her there
• 04:45 – She toured the Cape Cod market, discussed house swapping, and did a house sway with Nadine when her son had a week off for Thanksgiving
• 06:15 – They entrusted their homes to each other and it was all thanks to the CRS family

• 06:35 – RRC is the Residential Real Estate Council which improves the education of realtors and CRS are the Certified Residential Specialists who have gone beyond the regular training

• 07:05 – You should never hire a realtor unless they have their CRS designation because they focus on creating a community and bettering where they live
• 07:45 – Realtors are interconnected and family-centered, and sometimes that isn’t seen when people think “realtor”

• 08:20 – Nadine had connected her with a friend and made time to spend with Sissy without any monetary benefit
• 10:00 – Their house-swap took a leap of faith; the same leap that clients make when choosing a realtor

• 10:45 – It’s all about putting the other person first, Nadine does this in her personal and business life
• 11:30 – Contact Sissy: call/text (808)938-5588, email sissys@cbpacific.com, or on her website sissysosner.com
• 12:30 – Go to CRS.com to find a CRS realtor or to get more information on becoming a CRS

3 Key Points

1. Ohana can be found within the real estate world.  
2. Trust the universe and magic will happen.
3. Hire a CRS if you are looking to buy or sell real estate, or become one if you’re a realtor!

Credits

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

What can be messy and smelly and furry all over? Foreclosures! Especially the ones Sharon has seen. Sharon Alters, a second-generation realtor from Jacksonville, shares her craziest real estate stories which include none other than stubborn hoarders and house-squatting horses! Although she no longer does foreclosures, Sharon recognizes that they can be fun – like a box of chocolates where, “ya never know what you’re gonna get.” Plus, there’s a sense of fulfillment in helping families get into properties they may not otherwise afford. Tune in to hear all about hoarders and horses, homes turned into barns, sky-high piles of junk, and tons of stuff with a grand yard sale value of – drum rolls, please – zero. 

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:

• 00:50 – Sharon’s Background
• 00:54 – She lives in Jacksonville, has been in real estate for 18 years, is a 2nd generation realtor, and now her daughter works in real estate, too
• 01:50 – Her CSIRE story
• 02:00 – In 2011 her friend who worked with a big bank asked her if she wanted to do foreclosures
• 02:10 – About a year in, she got a small farm with two houses; one house was on the road and she didn’t see the second house
• 02:45 – She sent her handyman to rekey the houses and find the second house, he called her from the property to tell her there were horses in the second house
• 03:30 – The doors and windows had been taken out of the house to make it a barn
• 04:00 – The horses had been living in the house for over a year and a half; the house had to be torn down, which was expensive because it was in the middle of nowhere
• 04:30 – The house had been stripped down and she tracked down the original owners to figure out what to do with the horses
• 05:30 – The bank reimbursed the people that had been feeding the horses; Sharon liked that bank because it took care of her and others
• 06:25 – The bank demolished the house and sold it that way; a man across the street bought it for his daughter
• 07:20 – The rush of working with bank-owned properties; helping people get into properties they couldn’t otherwise afford
• 07:40 – She got a notice of eviction to give to a family on Christmas Eve; she decided she wouldn’t do that
• 08:10 – She did it a few days later; and the bank waited until February and gave the family money to move
• 08:35 – They went to the house and they hadn’t moved; she told the bank and they gave them 24 hours to leave
• 09:00 – The next day they were gone, but they were hoarders so the inside of the house was full up to the ceilings
• 10:00 – “Yard sale value” is sometimes $0; but this was an expensive trash-out
• 10:45 – She no longer does foreclosures
• 11:30 – Foreclosures are not the bank’s fault; banks can be understanding and flexible

3 Key Points

1. In many instances, it’s not the bank’s fault if someone gets foreclosed on.
2. Foreclosures can be fulfilling because you help people get into homes they may typically not be able to afford.  
3. Banks can be understanding and work with people to an extent; they’re not all bad. 

Credits

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