Real Estate Real World

What a pleasure speaking with this week’s guest, Jeff Lobb! As a real estate coach, founder and CEO of SparkTank Media, a growth strategy company that focuses on technology, sales, and marketing for real estate, mortgage, and title industries, Jeff touched on some of the problems agents face that is keeping them from achieving that next level and as a fellow coach, I couldn’t agree with him more. So much of our day, as agents, is trying to do it all ourselves. There are only so many hours in the day and never enough time to do it all. We all know that’s not physically possible yet we can’t swallow our pride long enough to ask for help. As Jeff puts it, you need to spend at least 80% of your day doing what YOU do best. For him, that’s sales. One of his strengths is sales or listing appointments, which is honestly a lot of agent’s forte mine included. However, the paperwork, entering listings, and all that type C business, not our thing. There comes a point in every business where you reach the ceiling and you

What an honor to have the founder of eXp Realty and CEO of eXp World Holdings Inc., Glenn Sanford as a guest on our show! Glenn’s business looks nothing like anything in the real estate industry today. His CLOUD based company is soaring in terms of how effective, efficient, and beneficial it is for everyone that joins. An agent owned business that distributes equity to productive agent owners is the first of its kind, but there is no question that it is already flying on the wings of success. Glenn started his business with the desire to bring value to agents and brokers alike. He franchised a business model that pulled people in and focused on funnel marketing. The success he is experiencing far exceeds that of a bricks & mortar within a local community because of the depths of talent that is virtually available to him at any given time. Being able to connect and work with leadership from anywhere at any time is invaluable! So let me ask you this, “How can we eliminate the physical real estate office?”

Mitch Stephen is a real estate investor, educator, and author of three books. I love his book entitled “My Life & 1,000 Houses: Failing Forward to Financial Freedom.” The term ‘failing forward’ is so true for all of us! We learn the most from our failures. We figure out what not to do, what doesn’t work for us personally, and how to do it better the next time. We are all striving to find our niche, the right track that will lead us to success. Mitch made an excellent point – so many people try to master every angle of this business from farms, to investments, to commercial real estate, or residential real estate, but you can’t have your hand in that many pots and expect not to get burned. You are much more likely to succeed if you find that ONE strategy that works the best for you, learn everything you can about it, and hit the ground the running. For Mitch, that niche was owner financing. He shared his journey of failing as a landlord, but discovering the value and profit behind owner financing. He took

It was a pleasure having the CEO of MMS Management in New York City, Andrew Barrocas, as a guest on my podcast show! What an awesome way to start out the year 2017! The New Year signifies a clean slate. The chance to start fresh with new goals and aspirations for our businesses and our personal lives, but how do we reach those goals? How do we hold ourselves accountable? As a prominently respected real estate authority in the city of New York, Andrew has sold over 5 billion dollars worth of real estate property during the course of his career. That’s quite the feat! So how did he do it?!? Andrew shared with us the value of having an accountability partner or coach. Someone that holds you accountable and ensures you are on the right track to COMPLETING your goals throughout the year. You don’t need someone that will give you the thumbs up and go about their day, but someone that is willing to challenge you and push you to do everything you set your mind out to do. So often our big list of goals we want to ac

Ryan Lundquist is a certified appraiser in the Sacramento area and a GREAT connection as he runs the Top Appraisal Blog in the United States. Despite technical difficulties, we finally had a successful recording and I’m so glad we did! Having a relationship with an appraiser that you can turn to for advice and trust as an unbiased party that will support the value of a property first, can make a huge difference in your business! There is value in trusting the numbers and letting them support your opinions when discussing price value with your clients. Ryan shares how you can go about achieving that goal and the steps you should take to estimate property value accurately and efficiently. It is so valuable when you let the market speak for itself because no matter what season we are in or where the numbers fall, they will never lie. You gain a certain level of confidence with your own production, as well as your client’s trust, when you supply them with the comps and numbers to support your opinions. There is

I have been waiting a long time to chat with well sought-after real estate coach, Anita Dizon! We run in many of the same circles and I'm so glad we were able to get together for such a fun podcast chock-full of great nuggets!  Do you ever notice home much better you feel after you help someone else? Anita shared how too often we are taught to chase the client, call them until they pick up, knock until they answer, but who actually finds pleasure in doing that?! Do YOU want to pick up the phone from someone trying to sell you something over and over and over again...No! We have to change that 'gimme' mindset and start giving BACK to our clients with value and trust.  People want to work with the real estate agent that cares about them as individuals. Someone who cares about their wants, needs, and desire to find that perfect home. Just like Anita says, let's remind ourselves and our clients that we appreciate them as people by earning their business rather than expecting it.  Show Features Here are some o

I cannot believe it took me this long to connect with speaker, author, and female powerhouse, Debra Trappen! She is setting the bar by FIRING UP our industry and igniting other women to stand up, find that brave soldier inside, and ignite change in our communities, our businesses, and the real estate industry as a whole.  The majority of real estate agents are WOMEN and as women, we have SO much to offer this business in terms of perspective, leadership, and connections. We all have purpose and value in life and business, but until we find our niche, that thing that keeps us motivated and driven, we can’t fully connect with our client base or ourselves…and that’s the ultimate goal! We have to stop looking around the room and comparing ourselves to everyone else because, like with anything, we are all different people with our own version of success and THAT’S OKAY!  I can’t begin to tell you how INSPIRED I felt after this podcast. We have to be sisters from different misters because everything I feel she sa

I had the most incredible conversation with founder and CEOof Fit International, Brett Campbell. I was so inspired by everything he isdoing with his life and what he stands for. He recently wrote a book called,“Right Now! Why Not You...And Why Not NOW?” where he not only helps youdiscover who you truly are, what you stand for, and how to go our execute thatmoving forward. What great questions to start asking ourselves. Why not you?Why not now? Those questions fall into so many aspects of life including realestate. We all have dreams and desires for ourselves and our business, whetherit’s to sell more, make more, have more free time, hire help, build a team…thequestion remains, what’s stopping you? Money? Time? MAKE the time! Budget forthe money! Life is too short to not be living to our full potential. We allknow who we want to be; we have the ideal best version of ourselves inside ourheads, but we spend SO MUCH TIME scared to take the leap and actually BE thebest we can be. I walked away from this conver

What a great chat with the creator of the 7-Hour Book, Nick Raithel! Nick’s team is helping real estate agents all over the country get the recognition they deserve by assisting them develop their own professionally-published book in very little time. Who wouldn’t want to add the title ‘Author’ to their bio?! Do you have brilliant ideas rolling around in your head? We all have years of experience, success, trials, and methods that have guided us through the ups and downs of the real estate industry. A book is your own personal real estate. Not only can it help your business survive, it can help it thrive.  What better way to leave behind your personal legacy than through your very own book? Nick shares the value writing a book can bring to your business from lead development, to recognition, and ultimately giving you the chance to stand out within your niche and market area. So get to writing and I can’t wait to read everyone’s books!     Show Features Here are some of the key takeaways you get f

With his own 400+agent brokerage and a recent nomination for a position at NAR, Jorge Guerra did not start out in this business at the top. He had to suffer in order to succeed,but he never gave up. Success is inevitable when you work hard for what you want.   Nothing in life is easy. Every agent starts at the bottom, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.In order to succeed you must struggle, you have to do all the stuff you DON’T want to do in order to get to the point where you can do all the things you WANT to do. Every sale is valuable. From 50K to a million, the relationships you are building with each client can lead to bigger sales. If you treatedevery prospect like a 5 million dollar sale, you’d guarantee yourself forever clients. That $250,000 sale could lead you to a million dollar sale down the road because of the RELATIONSHIP you established from the beginning. Jorge shared why his methods work and how. If you are willing to consistently and persistently work hard with no limitations, you’

What a pleasure finally connecting with Steve Jolly! We run in many of the same circles, it's crazy it took us this long to meet! As a marketing expert, Steve gives us a sneak peek behind his own marketing plan and how he builds and maintains relationships that lead him to more sales. Technology is a real estate agent’s marketing dream! The number of platforms available to agents for marketing themselves for FREE is at an all time high. Email, text, websites, social media...but where to begin?! Before you do anything, you have to know your target audience! It makes establishing that relationship and connection SO much easier. Give them a peek behind that happy social media curtain, show them vulnerability, there is value in compelling your audience to not only desire to work with you, but to know you personally. Take a listen as Steve shares more about getting to know your audience, the fortune in the follow up, and the value of building relationships with prospects that ultimately leads to conversion

I am completely fascinated by what Billy Ekofo, lead manager at Century 21 Redwood in Virginia, is contributing to the real estate industry.Like so many before him, he was hesitant about becoming a real estate agent, but with a little push he took that leap of faith and we are grateful he did! He is the matchmaker of real estate connecting leads with the perfect agent. I think we all could use a Billy! Real estate is certainly a numbers game, but I think we get too caught up in getting to that next sale that we forget why we got into real estate in the first place…to help people! It is just as important to treat a $1,000,000 lead the same as a $200,000 lead. Every lead is looking for the same thing, a place to call home and someone to help them find it. Not every prospect is ready to buy/sell the second you meet with them, but establishing a relationship and building a rapport can lead to a sale. We have to change our instant gratification mindset, give the client value and a reason to come back to us

It was an absolute pleasure speaking to Josh Anderson this week! He and his team are located in the Nashville, Tennessee area and they are KILLING it when it comes to agent referrals. Last year alone, they closed 48 transactions from agent referrals around the country. WOW! How do you get that many referrals from other agents? It helps when you live in a desirable area that many people are moving to. However, networking and keeping in contact with his database are things that he is dedicating his time to each month, which most agents push aside. Making calls, knocking on doors, sending newsletters to your database…these are all basics when it comes to lead generation, but it’s usually the first thing to go when business picks up. Josh’s business has excelled because the basics is the one thing he does not compromise. He shared a great quote that only continues to prove true through his success, “The basics are always going to work and they’re always going to win.” Lead generation ultimately costs you

What do you get when you put three Italian real estate agents on the phone? A loud, passionate conversation where we all spill out AWESOME information at the same time! It was so fun chatting with multi-family investing experts Jake & Gino! These guys are kicking a** and taking names in the commercial real estate world! If you’re like me, I wouldn’t even know where to begin when it comes to multi-family investing. They shared with me the framework for getting started, where money and skill set come into play, and the importance of finding the right deal.  Ultimately, if you want to get into the commercial game, the best thing you can do is start. Push yourself to find that deal, develop those relationships with commercial brokerages, and figure it out. The more you try the more you learn. We have to stop telling ourselves, from investments to loans, from commercial to residential real estate that we’ll never move forward because we don’t know how to do something therefore we CAN’T do it. You may not

I took SO many notes while chatting with hiring expert,Christy Grossman. Now there’s a woman that knows how to hire and train a GREAT team! There comes a point in our business where we get so inundatedthat the only way we can continue to succeed at that next level is by hiring someoneto help us maintain it. Our tendency is to either hire the first person thatwalks by or the first person we hit it off with. Like with everything, having ahiring process in place is what can make that hire not only work, but last. Christy shares amazing tips on how to develop that processand explains why taking the time to train an assistant is worth the investment.If you are on the fence about when to hire, knowing who’s going to be profitablefor your business, or how to develop that hiring process, look no further;Christy’s advice will set you in the right direction. Grab a pen and take somenotes, it’ll definitely be worth your time! Show Features Here are some of the key takeaways youget from this episode.

I think we all have a love/hate relationship, myself included, with Zillow. That’s what makes having Zillow’s own Jay Thompson as a guest on my show so valuable! Jay explained what Zillow brings to the table in terms of benefiting agents, consumers, and Zillow alike. The biggest problem most real estate agents have with Zillow is the fear they will take over the industry and make real estate agents obsolete. As Jay said, “There is no success in eliminating our customers.” A big part of their revenue is the impressions and advertisements agents pay for. Zillow strives to bring consumers and agents together to form connections. It is OUR job as agents to step up our game, take those connections, and use our expertise to land that sale! Not only did I learn so much more about Zillow and everything they have to offer, but Jay shared some great tips on how to utilize the site for free advertisement, establish a greater presence online, and ultimately gain leads without paying a dime! Take a listen and leave

As real estate agents, we all invest in some sort of individual marketing- from monthly mailers to daily posts on social media. Technology has provided real estate agents with SO many platforms and opportunities to market ourselves, but where do we even begin?!                                      Have you ever looked up a book on Amazon and then logged into Facebook the next day only to find that same book advertised in your feed? How did they know?! That’s part of big data and if used correctly, it could drive the real estate industry home!     Imagine someone browsing through listings online, suddenly you get a notification that a potential consumer is interested in buying/selling a home. You go to Facebook, send a friend request, start to build a relationship, and when they’re ready to commit you're right there as if fate drove that real estate agent to add that person on Facebook the SAME DAY they were browsing the internet for homes. GAME CHANGING!     Big data is only one of the

Feng Shui is something I have always been curious about, but never knew much about, which is why it was SUCH a privilege to have Feng Shui expert Steve Kodad as a guest on my show. As Steve said in our interview, “Feng Shui is a lot of commonsense and determining how people are going to react” - which is the essence of selling a home! The flow of the house, the smell, the lack of personal items that give the buyer the freedom to picture themselves in that home, are all factors we as realtors already take into consideration when selling a home that happen to be key components of Feng Shui. See, we’re already using Feng Shui without even realizing it! Take a listen to hear to learn more about the vital role Feng Shui can play in selling a home quickly and efficiently. When done correctly, these helpful tips can lead to more money and less frustration - which is ultimately what we all hope for! Show Features Here are some of the key takeaways you get from this episode. 8 Most Impressionable Mom

What a perfect week to share my podcast episode with the lovely Katie Lance! As the former chief strategist for Inman News and current CEO& Owner of Katie Lance Consulting, a social media marketing firm, she has SO much to offer on all things technology and social media based! There are still so many questions out there when it comes to social media. Where do I start? How do I take it to the next level? How do I get more likes? These are questions we all ask ourselves whether we’ve been on various social media platforms for years or are just starting out. Katie shares the answers to some of these questions as well as some really valuable nuggets that will change the way you approach social media and the presence you are creating for yourself. One of the best things you can do when approaching social media is have a strategy. Think about where you want the conversation to go not just today, but 30-60 days from now. Don’t be afraid of the camera or being real. Just get out there and do it! Katie

Long time realtor and entrepreneur, Andrew Gavin, reminded me how fortunate we are to work in the real estate industry and all the incredible opportunities we are given that can make a difference in other people’s lives. Founder of the “Bikes 4 Kids Charity,” Andrew shared with me all the amazing work he is doing to make sure children get to experience the privilege of owning a bike. As someone that received a bike from a charitable program at a young age, I was truly touched by his story and his generous work. We work in an industry where we have the opportunity to make a great deal of money. What we do with that opportunity is what really matters. There are SO many people in need in this world and it is our obligation within the real estate community to give back and impact someone’s life for the better. There is no greater joy than helping someone else. We do it every day, but why stop at selling homes when the chance to make a difference is right in front of us? What can you do to give back? As