After some helpful feedback that not everyone was sure who was who we’ve created a get to know you episode that will hopefully solve that problem! Upon starting the episode neither of us were sure we would fill a whole show, but as it turns out we had no trouble talking about ourselves. LOL! We answer listener questions, talk about some of our favorite things, and tell lots of stories. You are not going to want to miss how Alissa and her sisters nearly died getting icees or the unbelievable story of Katy’s son’s birth. As we talk about our lives and favorites you may notice there is a clear reason we became friends
The following is a rough transcript provided by Otter.ai.
0:00
All right. Are you ready? Yeah, I’m prepared. I think. I feel rusty.
0:06
It’s been a while I feel a little rusty.
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Also feel with each passing download more and more pressure to perform.
0:13
Yes, I would agree with that. People are gonna listen. Yeah. Hi, y’all. Welcome to hustle humbly. It’s Alisa and Katie, and we are two top producing realtors in the Baton Rouge market. We
0:22
work for two different companies where we should be competitors. But we have chosen community over competition. The goal of our podcasts is to encourage you to find your own way in business. So stop comparing yourself and start embracing your strengths. Hi, this is episode 27. Okay,
0:36
hello. We’re not sure what it’s going to be called. But it will be it’s about getting started in real estate, how to interview brokers what to do? Not really what to do when you’re new. That’s more about after you’ve been licensed. Yeah, this is how to get started. Yes, this is how to get started. But I think it will be useful. And we’ll have to figure out how to explain that
0:57
we are going to talk about how to interview a broker and this is something you need all along the way. Right. Okay, how to get started. get us started.
1:04
I’m going to start with a story. I can’t wait. Okay, so when I was getting my real estate license, okay. My dad who is a real estate appraiser was like, Alyssa, when you go into these real estate offices, it’s not like a normal job interview. Right? You’re not hoping that they pick you. Right? Like they’re gonna pick you. They may even pressure you Yes, to sign that day. Right? And I was like, Oh, I didn’t, you know, I’m coming from corporate America where that’s not how things work. Right. So I was thankful that he told me that. Yeah, so he was like, don’t sign anything. You know, you’re a hot commodity, right? Like every broker wants new agents. They do warm bodies. Yes. So he was like, Dude, no matter what, how much they pressure, you don’t sign. Okay. So I’m walking into my first I had three, that’d be three people, three companies. I walked into the first one, and I’m like, ready to be hard. I’m like, I’m not gonna sign anything. And I’m going to interview them. And right, you know, this is how this works. So after about 10 minutes, the broker goes, I’m just gonna be honest with you. We’re not really a great company for new agents.
2:15
This is funny. Are you going to share with us? Was it?
2:21
Oh, is that allowed?
2:22
I mean, you can say anything. You want
2:23
Hayward to be false information. You know, okay, well,
2:27
was it a national franchise? Yes.
2:29
Just tell us I was at REMAX. It was REMAX that’s fine. But I so appreciated the honesty because she was like, Look, you know, a lot of our agents are experienced, right? They have their systems in place. We don’t have a lot of extensive training and things like that. We’re kind of more for people who have been doing this, they don’t need a lot of assistance, you know, and I was kind of like, okay, you know, what didn’t even want
2:56
to hire you. You’re like, Oh, I
2:58
love the interview. And I called my dad, I was like, they didn’t even want me. You said everybody would want me. And I just failed my first interview. You fail, but I didn’t really fail. It was just I appreciated the honesty. I’m gonna I’m gonna circle back to this. We’re gonna talk about why that is yes. But finish there’s a different model. It’s totally different. So then I went to number two who I’m not going to name by and almost drink the Kool Aid. You might as well may have signed on the dotted line because they were promising me big money and hopes and dreams and how fun it was going to be. They were trying to disguise the limit and you’re in charge of your own destiny, just lots of motive. I literally was like, you felt motivated. Oh my gosh, I see this future before me. And I was about to just cancel the last interview. But that voice in the back of my head was like that was a wine interview. Everybody don’t sign that was your dad’s voice. And so I was like, Okay, well, I’m not gonna sign with you today. But
4:05
I’ll keep you
4:07
in touch. Because my next interview was the next day so I knew I needed to go to that one. So I went to where I am now. Okay. And I liked that I can share this story without people trying to think that I’m recruiting because my company does not have any kind of pyramid or recruiting and no benefit to uterus. So this is just strictly honest, why it worked out Yeah, for myself personally, I think that’s fine. Um, so I sat down with my now broker and she was just jumped right in and was like, so like, financially, how much do you have in savings to get started? What is your plan? What if it takes this long? You know, she kind of prepared me if you sell a house in your first year you need to celebrate but you need to be prepared if not right so that way your first year is so like education, but she just made me think about it like a business right? That’s Great, and it’s what I needed. Yeah. Because I would have been very disappointed if I would have just thought this was going to be fun. Yeah. Because Lord knows that first year was not very fun. Right? It was full of frustration working, not necessarily getting paid. Yeah. You know, friends and family members not using you because you’re so new, so much rejection. There’s a lot of grit needed in that first year. And I would have thought it was just going to be fun and dreamy, right, I would have been very angry. Whoever told me that Well, whoever convinced you that it was right, be so wonderful. So my broker like made me put all my expenses on paper. Yeah, figure out how much money do I need in savings before I can quit bartending to survive, right? Because the goal was with her, like, she was like, I don’t really do part time agents. Yeah. So she was like, I understand that, you know, you need money. So let’s make a goal of how much money do you need to go full time and live off of that, and then just hustle your way to? Well, she
6:03
was very practical in her advice.
6:05
I just left there going. This is not a fun hobby. This, like how I’m trying to make my career in one day support a family, right. And I need to plan and I need more than motivation. I need realistic I need I need to know the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes. So that’s where I started. And I think that the reason I was successful in the beginning is because every time something bad happened, I was like, that’s okay. They said this would happen. So you knew you were prepared? Yes. And it just made it easier. Yeah. And sure enough, by year two, by year three, things start getting better. It’s like it went exactly how she said, and I was prepared for it.
6:48
That’s awesome. I think that’s great. So I had a different experience. Okay, I did also interview two brokers. And I think that’s an important thing. We’re going to kind of talk about maybe what you would exactly ask in an interview for a broker, but I do think you need to at least do two. Don’t just be swayed by the first one you go to, because they are trying to get you. Yeah, I mean, like they they need you, they need your numbers, they need you to like produce
7:14
and think about it. If you sell a house, they get paid. And if you never sell a house, they lose nothing. Well,
7:19
I don’t really want to get on a soapbox about that. But so I don’t understand the recruiting method at some companies, because it doesn’t feel like they care if you actually sell right and look, right, y’all, even if you’re in a national franchise, if you’re in a local company, every single office is different. I mean, even in an office that there’s two or three branches, like every office is different, every broker is going to serve you differently. You know, even though you may have maybe you’re all REMAX and you all have access to the main stuff, every office is different, right? The vibe is different, what they are going to, you know, tell you is different, how they’re going to support you is different. So I don’t think I want to say one is wrong and
8:01
no, right. And that’s what I kind of like about us is that you’re with a franchise, right? And I’m with like a one owner, Gulf South company, right. So it’s not a small company. It’s not a small company, but it’s not a national franchise, and you know, it’s different. Yeah. So we kind of have two different perspectives Very much
8:21
so. But I, I interviewed too, and I ironically interviewed the one that you went to, but not your broker, the different office. Okay, so you know, really, you’re going to figure out whoever interviews you who you jive with more, and I was recruited I’m not gonna lie, like I was like, oh, yeah, I love positivity. Oh, the rah rah. Oh, this sounds very motivational. I’m down for it. Well, three months in, we had a you know, and I’ve talked about this on the podcast before we had a situation with Hurricane Katrina. The market was very volatile. I hadn’t even finished my post licensing. I wasn’t comfortable. And it just sort of the office I was in was no longer a fit for me, right. So I left and went to a very small office, like five or six agents, I shattered my broker and, and then from there, I ended up at REMAX and what you said earlier about going to that first interview and them saying, well, sorry, this isn’t a fit. The thing with most REMAX offices, even though there’s tons of REMAX training, like webinar, national things you can find online. Sure. And your office may be really into it. And maybe your broker teaches a bunch because there’s plenty of things you can learn and yes and through REMAX, but every office is different and I think the draw and the original thought behind REMAX was that you’re running your own business yes, even though you are no matter where you are. REMAX is like girl, you go do you right? Like we’re not going to take a lot of your money, but we’re also not going to come babysit you Right? Like you better be ready
9:51
to go and I needed babysitting as a new agent because you don’t know what you don’t know anything. You
9:56
don’t know what you don’t know. And I mean, you still probably nobody does. But so I think it’s interesting to go to different brokers and see the different mindsets. And I guess maybe what you normally do in your coffee dates is what I really want to make sure we cover, okay, because I’ve been on one. And so I’ve seen an person who was like, I am going to get my license, and you get out the sheet of paper and you say, well, let’s, let’s talk it out. Yes, numbers wise, do you want to cover that?
10:24
So I think it’s so important. And this is why I do cover in the coffee, coffee date, because at the end of the day, it’s all about the money. Yeah, we have to have money to survive. Let’s put aside the butterflies and rainbows. I love houses. I love people, Hey, you’re, you’re working because you need money. Okay, it’s great if you love what you do. But at the end of the day, yeah. We all need money to live and support ourselves and family. And when I’m meeting with these people on the coffee date, they have not given that much thought at the time. Because getting your license is so easy, right? It’s not like you’re preparing to go to law school for four.
11:03
Oh, well, this barrier to entry is very low. Yeah. And that’s one of my pet peeves about the industry in general. Pick up because people Oh, well, it doesn’t take that much to get a license me. What does it take my class cost? $600 and $120 test?
11:17
I did it over Christmas break in two weeks. Right? So I was in
11:21
college for less than $1,000. You can get a license. Oh, yeah. You can’t sustain a license. But
11:27
people aren’t thinking past that. It’s they’re like, I want to be realtor. Yeah. Okay, now I am. Right now. What? What? And that’s they’re not thinking much further past that. Oh, because and it really is my interview with my broker that let me know. That’s why she was different. And maybe that’s a big reason why I did well, because I was prepared. And I had a plan to get ready hard times. Yeah. So I tried to tell them that I share that story with them about, you know, I didn’t really have a plan. And it was it took someone telling me so now I want to tell you, yeah. And I asked them, you know, I know sometimes I know them well. And sometimes this is my first time meeting them. And we have to jump into talking about do you have savings? Are you married? Are you getting support from a spouse or a parent financially, right? What would happen if you only sold one or zero houses? My broker’s method was plan for zero your first year because then you’re just everything, right? When it happens, you know, and then you’re you don’t have an expectation. And then year two is when you really start setting real goals of income, real income, you know, and that’s because that first year is dedicated to so much training and learning and figuring it out. So it’s like, in your first year, celebrate second year, let’s get out of business and figure this out. Yeah. But just preparing them for asking them like, Okay, how much do you ask them? How much do you want your income to be? Right? Realistically, and I’ll use this one girl is an example. She said, Well, you know, I don’t make a ton now. Right? I would like to make at least that. Okay. I said, Well, let’s do it. How much do you make now? And she was like, 45,000 a year? So I was like, Okay, let’s do the math on that. Right. And I said, how many houses do you think you would need to sell to make 45,000 a year? What did she say? She was like, five to 10? And I was like, Okay, maybe maybe they know, very expensive houses. Right? Right. And so I shared with her average price point of our marketplace might be 200 to 220. We did some math, and it came out to be closer to 20 houses. Okay, a year, right on if you’re selling the average, and that was to net 45. Or to gross 40. Gross. Yeah. And I know, so it just kind of let her know. Well, okay, can you do that? You know, I think that finding 20 houses to sell was kind of daunting. It is, of course, that number. You wouldn’t have to do that many if it was a higher price point. Right. But I just went off of the average.
14:10
I think that’s a look, very few realtors get started at a high price point for their market, I would say their average or below because you’re probably going to work with a lot of first time buyer.
14:20
Yes. So that kind of opened her eyes because it made her realize it’s not going to be easy. I think that people think it’s going to be quick and easy, right?
14:30
And they don’t look a lot of people and I did get into real estate because they’re in a bad place. They’re not happy with whatever job they’re in or they’re not making money to sustain their lifestyle or whatever it is. So you want to be optimistic that this is the answer and it can be the answer but just not in year one, right. You have to be prepared for right to get there. And then we just start listing out i on paper, all of the expenses to be prepared for upfront you know, monthly You have your super key and things like that insurance,
15:02
continuing education post licensing, depending what company you joined signs, lock boxes, business cards, just general setup, you know,
15:15
well, I think that we should break them down. You have that. Okay, so I had startup expenses. So let’s just say most people are going to learn how much the class cost. I don’t know if it’s still the 600. I paid 14 years ago, but it’s probably less than 1000. Yeah. And then you’re gonna pay to take the test, right? So for under $1,000, you likely can get a real estate license. But once you have it, you have to put your license with a broker, which means that you have to, well, first of all pay for a license, which I think is in the realm of $60. Here, I don’t and it’s going to be different everywhere. So you guys, make sure you write down this list and you go get the answers. How much does the license cost? How much does Eno insurance cost? You have to have it, then you’re gonna have to join your board, or at least join your MLS system. I know there are some markets where you do not have to be a member of the board in order to have access to that MLS, right. So you gotta get join the MLS. I feel like that was another 150 It probably was more than 150 bucks. Yeah. And then you got to join your board, which is probably $400 for the year. And they don’t, you got to pay it up front. Yes. So you got to pay for the year, you got to do your super key. So you got to be able to get into those boxes. That was like $150 up front plus the I think now I pay 16 bucks a month. So you got to pay all that. And that’s just to to exist as a realtor, correct? Yeah. Would you like a business card? You don’t have to have one. But you might want one? Do you want a website? Does your office provide that? Do they not? Do you need signs? Or do you want to run an ad on Facebook? Do you want to put an ad for an open house in the newspaper like you, you got to pay for all that stuff. Then on top of that you got to pay for the tools? You need a super lockbox, do you need a tape measure do you need? I mean, like, Do you need a laser measure to do the interior rooms? Like what do you need?
17:02
Lots of things,
17:03
lots of things. Now, you
17:04
know what surprised me my first year that I didn’t budget for what taxes? Right? I didn’t even know about them. I was 22. And I didn’t even think I made that much money. You know, I mean, I sold 12 houses my first year. Yeah. So I made decent money for a year one. That’s good. But I didn’t understand that I was 1099 and that I was gonna have to pay taxes. Yeah,
17:30
you got to be very self discipline to set that aside.
17:34
I didn’t even know that. That was one thing I missed that, um, and when I was doing my paperwork at my office, so my office has a thing where you tell them what percentage and they withhold it from your checks. And every quarter, they write you a check for that amount. That’s good. I do that. Now. I like that. It’s very nice, because it just never comes into my account. That’s better. I get the check quarterly and I just mail it on its way Yeah. And I don’t even think about it. I don’t miss it. I don’t feel the hurt by mailing it. That’s a excellent way to do it. So but you could do it automatically through your bank, you know, set it up to where X amount goes into savings, but you’re one. I file my taxes for the first time since being in real estate. And they’re like, Okay, after write offs and expenses, they were like you owe $4,300. And I was like, okay, um, who pays that? And they were literally like, uh, you do? And I said, I don’t understand it. No, I was your like, from my account, right? Like, I just never even thought about it. Oh, my word. And so I cried. Because it was pretty much all I had in saving. You were like five money. And luckily, I was entering year two. So I had a couple things on the horizon. But oh, man, I wasn’t prepared. And let me tell you I was prepared every year after that. I guess so. And now I have to pay a lot more than 4300. Yeah, but yes, at that time, that was a lot. And it upset me. And now I feel that well,
19:11
because you just all at once it hurts. It does. So I love that your office will keep it out like that. That’s great. Yeah. So you guys, remember, you need to pay your day, your day. This x is when I first started I paid for some online leads. Okay. I mean, I think I at one point was paying up to like $500 a month, but I I got tons of business off of that. Sure. And that was way back in 2006. I don’t pay for them now. But if you feel like you need to participate in that sort of situation, client gifts, you’re gonna buy those people something costs money. I have, you know, if, again, you need to have money set aside for education. I think that it’s important to try and like earn some extra designations or just get out there and yourself. The classes that you have to pay for are far better than the ones that are free typically. Yes, they’re just Enter. But you can still take lots of free classes. But anyway, there’s a whole, you know, we’ve kind of talked about most of them. So you got and be aware of what your office is split is when you go interview those brokers. That’s a very important question. How much of the money are you going to keep? And what are you providing me? In return? Yes. I mean, I know your office provides signs do they do lockbox too?
20:22
Yeah, they do. They provide? Mostly, yeah, everything. Yeah. Business Card, like the whole operation to start you off, you know, like, now I have my own, I do my own, but they kind of start you off in the right direction. Whereas
20:36
where I am, they keep very little of my Commission’s, however, I gotta, I gotta do it all. I
20:43
gotta get the cards. Do you input your listings?
20:46
I don’t have to. Okay. Do you? I like to, because I’m a control freak. Right. But I don’t have to. Okay, there is someone in my office that will input it and make changes. Sure. And you know, we have dotloop that’s provided by the office. But I do pay office fees every month. Right? So I have a very high split, but I pay an office space. And I don’t, I don’t know of any office where you go, and you’re not going to pay to be there because they wouldn’t make any money and they wouldn’t stay open otherwise. Well,
21:12
we don’t have a fee. We just have our split split. Yeah. Right. So it’s coming.
21:16
I gotta make some money somewhere. Sure. Okay, so that’s sort of your startup cost. What else? Do you tell them on the coffee date that they
21:24
should know, before? When we get to the end? I just asked them, like, how do you feel about these numbers? What do they say? It varies, but most of the time there, you can see the excitement of getting your real estate license and conquering the world is they’re just coming back down to reality. And that’s not a bad thing. No, you need to come back. Yeah. And in order to succeed, you just have to have a plan. Yeah, it’s all about the plan. Now planning is not as fun as streaming. No, but you got to do it. You can do both. You can do
21:52
both. You can do both dream about your three plan for year one and two.
21:55
Yes, exactly. Knowing that this is going to get you where you want to go.
21:59
I mean, 12 houses is pretty good. And your first year, and I’m going to have to get up and go find my number. But I didn’t close anything for six months. But I did end up I think grossing near 40,000. That first year, it doubled my second year. Yeah, saying so it will, it will increase drastically based on your work. You’re doing it right. Right? If right if you’re working got to work.
22:21
So I was actually at an office yesterday. And they were asking questions, I taught my email class. Oh, fun. And they were so a lot of the agents in the room had been in real estate for maybe eight, nine years. Well, at the end, because we were talking about how you know, it can take three years to get where you want to be, right? Well, if you’ve been in the business, maybe eight years, and you’re not where you want to be boo, yeah, this year, get your systems in place, revamp how to talk with yourself, be honest, this might be your year one. And then next year would be your year two, if you continue using your systems and doing that that’s you know, you’re supposed to at some point you have to implement Yes. And I think the clock doesn’t start ticking until you’re doing it correctly. Oh, I think that’s fair. So it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the business. If you’re not where you want to be. You can’t keep doing the same thing. You have to revamp figure out what you need. Where are you lacking
23:19
to change your systems? If or if you have no systems, you need to get systems. But we do talk a
23:24
lot about where your financial help is coming from right. You know, I think I shared about the girl who her parents were still paying all of her bills, which is fine. But I told her you need to tell mom and dad like, hey, starting January one i You’ll have to like kick me out of the nest. Because if you don’t have to do it, right. It’s hard to do it. Yes. That really
23:50
transitions nicely into my character traits. For agents, there are things they think you need to have as a human to do this. Yeah, you need to be a self starter. You know, it’s like the typical thing people say on like, job interviews, oh, I’m a self starter, I’m out. I’m highly motivated. But seriously, if someone has to tell you to get up and get dressed, and be at the office at 8am, no one’s gonna tell you to do that you’re gonna get sucked into a day full of Netflix. I mean, it’s gonna be a problem. It’s gonna be a huge problem. So you have to be a self starter, you have to be organized. Oh, my God, you’re super organized. I’m an organized person too. And I’m meet and talk to other agents who are floored by just my my very simple system. So so I can’t believe you do that. That’s great. I’m like, How can you get through this without that you have to be organized to be successful. Good with rejection? Yeah. I mean, we’ve talked
24:43
about yet you’ve got you’ve got to be able to handle it that came with time for me because I was not good. Yeah, it’s hard in the beginning. I don’t think anybody’s good with her Joe, but I think you have to be prepared for rejection. Yes, you better be prepared.
24:55
I think you should be good with confrontation though. Oh, yeah. If you’re not able to talk to People about difficult things. If you’re a run from confrontation type of person, you’re gonna have to work through that to make this work, right, because you’re gonna have to deliver some bad news on a regular basis. Yeah, or good news. But still, you got to be able to talk to people. I think you need to like people. It’s a key. I hate people. Like people. There’s some people that just are not people, people, people, people. Yeah, I think you’re gonna have to like people, or find a way to like people, level headed non emotional and able to defuse situations. Absolutely. I mean, I think you need to be able to like manage your emotions, which goes back to client management. If you’re off the charts with your emotions, the whole thing’s gonna go crazy.
25:45
Because they’re the client is emotional. Yeah. Buying selling. It’s emotional. Yeah, you have to be the voice of reason. Yeah, the rock and the transaction. Yeah.
25:54
I think it’d be nice to be happy and pleasant and friendly, of course, but you know, these seem obvious. Yeah. But hey, know who you are, and know if this is a fit for you. And it might save you some heartache. Before you start.
26:06
I think our gentleman out there need to be mindful of some of these things. Oh, so I have. I feel like lately, there’s a lot of young guy like, up and comers. Yeah, getting into the industry. And I think it’s great. I have also seen the other side where maybe they’re more business minded. They’re not as like nurturing, right. And I have found that they’re not so great with helping their sellers get their house ready to lists. Oh, I could see maybe they’re more just like methodical signing the papers, walk in the house, don’t tell them to declutter or stage and I know like women realtors that struggle with this too, just from a confidence play, right? But as women, we are very nurturing. And there are some guys that are actually really good at this part. Yes. But I have found the majority are not as in tuned with their clients emotion, yes. And maybe not in tuned with being proactive with helping them notice things that they need to do. I think that’s true. And I say that I say I wanted to bring this up, because there have been three listings I got in 2019 that were previously listed with male agents, were they newer agents, or just male in general, one of them was a new male, and two of them
27:29
worked. Okay. And it was really just a matter of house
27:32
ready said the same things. Oh, all three of them had no guidance with getting the house ready. So they just had to wing it. Yeah. I mean, the guys aren’t going in there saying, Oh, you need white blankets. And you need to declutter and bring in some succulent, they’re just like sign here. Yeah. They’re just like, Oh, your house looks great. Looks clean to me. Because it’s subjective. Yeah, it’s we’re getting the boy brain. Some and not all boys. I’m not, you know, generalizing but to have three examples in one year. Right. So I think that’s a man, the man just have to be more conscious that this doesn’t come maybe as natural for them as it does for us. Yeah, I think that’s fair. Yeah. And also one of the women when the wives pretty much all had complaints. Oh, husbands were kind of like, he couldn’t sell our house. Like it was objective. Yeah, the husbands were just like, Yeah, our realtor couldn’t sell our house, the wives were like, but he didn’t even care. We never really heard from him. And when I asked questions, he didn’t he just like, take the time to, you know, they’re missing that nurturing piece. And I think that men just need to be more aware that yes, this is, you know, a transaction, but there are real emotional needs in it. Yes.
28:46
And we’re going to do a full staging episode at some point. But I think if you know, female or male that you’re not good at visually noticing if you think everything looks fine. It does. Yes, just find someone who there’s usually an agent in your office that’s good at it, or find a home stager that does a good two hour consult.
29:06
I showed a listing recently with a client and it was a guy who had the listing and the pictures. I knew. I’m surprised my clients wanted to see it. Oh, no, because it was just so dark and cluttered. Oh, no. With fake plants. Like, you know, those plastic fake trees. They’re just that they’re from the 90 Yes. And they they may be from babies. Yes. The ad the fake vine above the cabinets. And this is a newer house. Oh, no. And so it was hiding the newness of the house. And so sure enough, we got there. And my clients were like, Yeah, we saw the pictures but we knew this was a new house and we can remove all of these they could see past it. Yes, these decorative plants and drapes don’t stay right. Well, I left. It ended up not being in the house for them. But I did leave share feedback because not every buyer can see past that. No, and I said It would greatly benefit your client if they just removed every piece of artificial greenery in the house. Right? And the agent goes, I never even noticed it. He didn’t know it was there. He didn’t even know it was there. And I’m like, if you look at the pictures, it looks like a jungle. It literally looks like a jungle. He was like, Yeah, I just never even noticed it. And I’m like, Whoa, you need help. You may need another pair of eyes, you may need a teammate, right? Going forward on your listings, you need an assistant, yeah, that can help you study these. Because if we don’t tell our sellers, what needs to be done, the buyers will and they’re not coming back, they won’t come back. Or they
30:37
won’t go the first time they’ll see the picture with all the greenery in the darkness and just roll on. Yeah. And you’ll have no idea they even considered that listing, because that’ll all happen online before you’re involved. Yep. Okay, that’s very interesting. So how would we interview a broker? What are some things you would ask a broker?
30:54
I think the basic question in just bringing a piece of paper and saying what is the split? Yes. And what do you provide? Yes. And what do what do you not provide? Okay, those three things alone on paper will help you compare one to the other one to the other. Are you someone that wants a desk? Right, and or do you need office space? Yeah. Do you need office space? How much does that cost? Hmm. I like community. Yeah. So I like attending, you know, Monday morning meetings and sales meetings and things like that. I personally, just like that keeps you like, people, yes. I like to hear what’s going on in their business and, you know, learn from what’s going on there. Is that something you want? Are you more like, you know, anti community or just don’t need the camaraderie so well,
31:48
I wouldn’t say that I’m anti community. I like the community events or like a class or something with people, that’s fine, or a sales meeting. But I can’t make a phone call. If other people are near me talking. Oh, yeah. That’s why I can’t focus. So like I have worked in offices where I was in a cubicle, or which is common in real estate, I, I will just lose my focus. And I will listen to what they’re saying. Or I can’t focus on what people are saying to me on the phone, or I don’t want to be let like I have to be at home. But I know myself, I can get up in the morning, do my thing. Come at to my desk at 8am. And you have to tear me away at five, right? Like, I will literally not eat lunch most days, because I am so in the zone. But if that is not your jam, and it helps you and we’ve talked about it and what to do when you’re new, go into the office is positive and has some good effect in your business. But if you need to work alone, and you don’t need to pay that desk fee, then do
32:46
that. Like that’s okay, I have an office at my office, and with a door with a door that closes but there are two other desks in there. But my broker tries to Paris with people that maybe aren’t there. So if you’re someone that’s there a lot, you don’t share a room with someone else’s a lot. Yeah. So I can shut the door. But people knock and you know, I know Mondays and Wednesdays are hard to work at my office because it’s there’s so many people out here. And they like to talk and you know, Hey, can I pick your brain on this or that and right, and I can only do that for and be productive. Like I have to keep my boundaries so that I’m I don’t have to go into the night working. Yeah,
33:24
that’s what would happen at my office to sometimes I’ll pack up my laptop and go there and sit in a community space and work, especially if I’m out in between appointments. And that’s just a better location. But I want to help like my help nature will come in. So I can just overhear someone saying they’re having an issue and I’m like, Oh, let me help you. I would love to help you with all that. Or people would come and be like, Hey, do you know how to fix this on the computer? Or do you know how to do this? Well, if you’re not there, no one’s gonna call you at home. Yeah, right. If you’re working in the coffee shop, no one’s gonna call you there and ask you to help them figure out how to make tabs on their Google
34:00
Yes. Like, like I like going in on Fridays. There’s not a lot of people there. I light my candle. I love it. I have my desk. I have the printers. I have everything I need. You know, I love our secretaries so much. We’re friends we catch up. And then at two o’clock Tim D’Angelo makes coffee, love it every every day he is in the office. Shout out to him. He He is like a good office worker. So he just gets it done while he’s in the office. Like he’s there like 8am Every day that will look routine is probably something he is very routine. And he hand writes his letters, he does what he needs to do. So like I just like being around that. So if I’m in a funk, I might need to leave my house. Yes. And go to the office on a Thursday or Friday and and be around productive people and just get back into the groove. Yes. Like after coming home from vacation. Uh huh. I need to go to the office to put yourself
34:53
back in that frame of mind. Yep. Yeah, I think that’s fair. I think that’s good. Okay. So you would ask the broker what they provide What’s going on? Like? What sort of Yeah, how are you having
35:02
training calendar that training, training calendar office events? Just looking at that you should know. Yeah, if it’s gonna give you what you need. Yeah.
35:13
And I think some offices are certainly better than others as far as new agent training. Yeah. What is the onboarding process? That’s what you need to ask, what is the onboarding process? Is someone going to hold my hand? Or am I going to have to sort of just go watch a bunch of webinars? Like, what is the actual logistical implementation? I think I chose my first company when I was new, based on knowing that there were certain trainings that happen certain days of the week, there was sort of an emphasis on that. And there are notoriously a couple of companies in our market that are focused on new agent training. Yeah, I mean, you’re seeing the start. Yeah. So I think that’s always good. You don’t have to stay there forever. Now, I want to segue into broker hopping. Because I think that sometimes we don’t find the right fit. And that’s okay, because I found the wrong fit to start with. And I don’t think you need to stay there and be miserable. But I also don’t think that changing your broker is going to drastically change your business. So there’s no need to go from one. You know, there’s always those agents that every time you turn around, you’re like, oh, shoot, wasn’t she with blah, blah, blah, before? Like, yeah, really? And then you can’t even keep up anymore.
36:21
I know, I can think of two or three that I’ve been with at least five companies. Right. So like, there’s a lot of rebranding, and then it just shows inconsistency. Right? You know, are you reliable, right? If I hire you to list my house, are you still gonna be there for me? I don’t know.
36:36
Right, the transition is difficult. But I wanted to specifically talk about what you would do to interview a new broker, let’s say you really don’t feel like you’re in a good fit. Yes. What, as an experienced agent, what is the difference? Because you don’t need to know about onboarding and right, you know, new agent training you need, I think,
36:54
you have an advantage because you’ve been in it now you have you know better what you need, you should hopefully know what you need, you should know. So, you know, whatever that is,
37:04
right? Well, I’ll tell you one thing that I find to hold me in my office, and I love it for lots of different reasons. And I love REMAX for lots of different reasons. But my broker who is specific to my little small office is never going to let me like leave me hanging out to dry. Oh, yeah, she’s always going to have my bad broker support is huge. If there is a problem. If someone has a complaint about me, if there’s some sort of issue, she is going to have my back. And it is really important.
37:34
I think that’s something you don’t realize you need until there’s a problem. No doubt. I love that when there’s an issue. I can blame it and talk to my broker. Yeah. And she will like, she’ll have my feet. She’ll take the he up. That’s what she’s there for. And she has no problem doing it. Her shoulders are big, and she can carry the weight. Yeah. And she’s just good at that. Yeah. So I think broker personality. You don’t know you need it till you need it. Yeah. And it’s important. And I think you should have a relationship with your broker, I
38:04
for sure. You know, you need to be able to pick up the phone and call I have dinner with mine. I’ve gotten pedicures with my if you’re uncomfortable calling them for help. It’s not the right fit. No, you’ve got to find a broker that you are comfortable calling or going into their office for help.
38:21
And in this lawsuit happy world. Gosh, and with the way technology is going, there’s so much room for error and mistakes. Yeah. And I think that it’s so important that your broker can handle that. Yeah, I think so too. I don’t I don’t think I don’t know how you could really function with a broker in the cloud. No, that’s crazy.
38:43
I don’t know how No, I couldn’t do it. It’s too people centric. And it’s too important of a job and it’s too easily to be done wrong. And then to get into trouble, right? You know, if you do something, I don’t know if people even realize this sometimes if you’re new, because we do have listeners who haven’t even gotten their license yet, right? If you’re new or about to get your license. Are you aware that your mistakes reflect on your broker and they have to answer for you, if you do something wrong, they are going to get taken to court.
39:11
So we carry our own ie no insurance as individual agent, right. Some brokers like mine also have individual policies on you. Okay, in case it exceeds your IA No. Okay, so I think that’s nice. That is nice
39:24
to have the right thing.
39:27
So checking on that, what else do you have?
39:29
I think the other thing I want to make sure that you mentioned today is yes, I want you to have a relationship or at least be comfortable enough to ask a question of your broker but also choose an office based on if there are people in it that you would like to emulate and a few mentors you could potentially go to Sure. I would probably not pick it off is that there was no one that you were comfortable asking, Hey, am I filling out this purchase agreement? Right? Yeah. What would you do about this inspection? Like there are going to be questions all along the way. And there are about 100 heard means, like the big huge like phonebook looking thing. And it’s like all of the things that I didn’t learn and rewrite school. Like you guys, real estate school is not going to tell you logistically how to sell real estate, keep yourself, maybe keep yourself out of jail. Yeah, that’s about all they’ll teach you. It’s not going to take teach you the things that you need to do to actually sell real estate, right? So you got to find someone who wants to fill in the those gaps. And hopefully, it’s your broker. But if you can get a mentor in the office, I think that’s good. And I think that’s when teams probably serve you. Well, only if your team has routine implemented training, I don’t want you to just join a team because there’s a team leader, because I’ve also heard people say, they were failing on their team, because they, they thought they were gonna get training. And the team leader was so busy, that they were just basically, I mean, they would get leads, but they didn’t know how to work on or how to get to closing or how to do the purchase agreement. Like they weren’t getting any training from their team leader, you don’t automatically get training just because you went to an office with a lot of training. You guys show
41:07
up? The people that struggle the most to go to do it themselves are the ones who from day one started off on a team. Yeah, I meet with a lot of team members, those are the ones that want to meet confidentially, because they don’t want their team member to know how much they’re struggling. Right. But they’re disappointed with what their actual income is. Yeah. But it is something and now because they are holding on to this little bit as a lifeline. Yep. It’s hard to think about letting go of it and going solo. So to make that transition is hard. When Yeah, you You start off relying on someone else, I started off relying on myself only me too. And I had to make it work. And I did. But I really wonder if I had started off on a team. I don’t know what that would have been like, for me personally, I agree, would it have been hard to, to leave and agree and grow. So it can be a crutch. Depending on your personality? Yeah, if you have big goals and want to do this yourself, you know, you just need to make sure that you can handle walking away from the team at the right time, right, you need
42:13
an equal amount of support. And, and kind of do it yourself this right? Like you, you’re gonna need someone to support you and train you. But you also are going to have to get out there and make it happen. Like you can’t do probably one or the other.
42:27
Well, the team structure as a new agent, you also have to be careful, because you need to make sure that what is the team split and the broker split out, everything is being divided so many ways. I just don’t see financially
42:43
by I don’t know, you can’t make the big money whilst on a team, for the most part, right? I mean, it really would depend on the dynamics of the team. But yeah, giving a split to so many people is going to, by the end, there’s not much left. And there’s not much of you left. Now you only have so much energy. And there’s Look, I know that we do a total different amount of transactions, but I don’t know that I have the capacity for like, a lot more. And on the team, you got to do more to make the same as someone who’s off on their own kind of easy breezy, right, right. Like, Oh, I did my 25 transactions, I’m rolling in it and hear you on the team doing 40. And you’re not even there. So I guess it’s just all things to take into consideration. Yeah,
43:30
I think in some situations, starting off on a team could be fine because you kind of learn the background and you get the behind the scenes and the training maybe. But just be be cautious and don’t get comfortable. If you want to go out on your own and make more money if
43:49
the team leader loves to teach and train that’s a great team to start on. If the team leader promises you big bucks and leads that are the ones I meet for coffee that’s not going to help you as a new agent. It’s not because if you get 600 leads and you don’t know what to do with them.
44:06
Doesn’t matter your life situation. I had coffee with a girl who was so cute shirt, there’s no reason she should not make it like that. She was she was so cute. She should be great. She was cute, but like not just physically just she was nice. She was so nice and sweet. And I mean just the way you anyone who talks to her would be like you’re a nice person I want to work want to work with you. And she said that she joined a team and was promised $90,000 in income and income Holy smokes. And she said that was in January, Alyssa it’s October. Do you know how much income I said how much? She said Guess I said 40? She said lower? I said 30 Lower? I said 20 She said lower? Oh no, she said $13,000 That couldn’t have been what are you trying to do approach Should your team leader and she said, they said it was my fault? Oh, yeah, because I didn’t bring it in. I’ve heard this before. And she said, I feel like I’ve wasted a whole year of my life. And this is this story doesn’t have a happy ending, because she was so done with real estate, she just got out of it and got a corporate job and, you know, enjoys her job and all of that. But the expectations are not set realistic right up front. And it makes me sad, because most of the people who leave I say, I could tell this wasn’t for them. But you knew that would have worked for her, it would have worked for her. But she just started off wrong and was promised.
45:39
So it’s a big decision where you go in the beginning. Yeah. And yeah, take it. Seriously, take it very seriously. Don’t be scared to do research. And don’t be afraid to make a change. I, you know, I don’t want you to broke her heart. But you’re gonna know, pretty early on if you’re not feeling supported, right. But you also can’t blame your production on someone and they
45:58
have that meme out there. That’s like, I’m switching real estate companies. And then it says, you’re still not going to sell any houses, right? Because it’s not about you. It’s not about the company. It’s about what you can do. Right? Your efforts. You can’t blame it on them now. But they also can’t blame and I can’t believe a team leader would just 90,000 Well, first of all, that’s a crazy promise. Why would you even do that? But I think that they genuinely believed it. Ladies, there are people that are so hyped up on dreaming Yeah, that he probably genuinely believed it. He probably met her and just like I did with, she’s gonna be great. And she’s gonna do this. And then she didn’t for whatever reason, and disappointed everybody who isn’t herself, even herself, even him, but it was just a big mess. But then it ended the relationship badly. Oh, there you know it.
46:54
Tuition. I’m sorry to hear that. Yeah. Can we don’t want that to happen other people?
46:58
What do you think about because I get this question a lot. Should I take my class online or in the classroom?
47:03
Well, I’m so glad you asked me because I have very firm feelings about this. online schooling was really just coming into fashion when I went and got my, you know, school done. I went at night class in person with humans who asked questions with a human who taught the class. And guess what answered questions and also gave way for it real life examples? Oh, it was shocking. Yeah, I think as lovely as online education is and and for some people very necessary. Like if you’re sometimes people circumstances only allow that. And I understand. But I don’t think that it’s the right way to go.
47:42
I did it online. And I don’t think it’s the right way to go.
47:46
I’m so glad that we voted differently. I definitely learned more in my real estate class than what was in the book,
47:52
I struggled to study because I realized I have fast forwarded the majority of the class and now it’s time to take the test. And I’m going wait,
48:01
I don’t know. I don’t know. I just think that even though the real estate course in Louisiana at least isn’t full of practical knowledge, it is full of important knowledge it is I still think you need to understand what’s in it. And I we got all the all the questions answered all the extra stories because our the class I took was nine people were in your class. Um, it was probably 50 Okay, because it was a lot. Do you remember any of them or any of them like agents now, um, I can remember a handful because the way it was taught you could start at any point in time. So not everyone started on January 1, less than one, you could start on March 1. And and we’re at lesson 13. And maybe you loop around back to one and that’s nice. So it was sort of a people were always starting and stopping like maybe they were at the end and you were at the beginning. And that was fine. Because wherever you are in the book, everyone would get all of it done. Right. And it was three days a week. Like three nights. I think the class was two maybe three hours and it was seven weeks.
49:08
I know y’all gonna think this is kind of terrible, but whenever so after I when I did my post licensing, right I did that in person. My licensing online right only five hour post licensing in person and there was like a group of us that I just became friends we were always because they were always there doing it with me and three of them are not in real estate anymore. They didn’t make it right but they sent me their referrals I love it so it’s kinda like you know, you might if you go to real estate school Yes. And you develop relationships Yes. And you know write letters to these people and wish them luck in their career in Facebook and they know that you’re going to be a go getter and seven out of 10 Don’t make it oh my true love it. I hate to like you know, use others failures, but if you know they have to refer business to someone not
49:59
everyone’s good. Don’t make it. No. But if you can make it everyone can make it. I guess that’s what I find positive and encouraging. Yeah, not everyone is gonna make it but you can if you want to do these things, you can make it. Yeah, please go do your your education in person, most of it at least 50% of it you need to do in person, I can’t tell you how much and you know, I love a webinar. I love a conference call less like I like to learn in all sorts of ways. But when you go in person and hear a human tell the stories of whatever lesson they’re teaching, it is impactful,
50:32
kind of on the same note, but different. There’s an agent in my office that only does their CEE outside of our city. Oh, to meet other agents, the other HMG so like, um, you know, we live in Baton Rouge, we could drive an hour to New Orleans, go spend the day in Orleans, grab, you know, go to the class, ask if anybody’s going to lunch after I go to lunch with people. Yeah, new people pass out your business card. Yeah, there you go. Referral referrals.
50:57
Yeah, I think that’s a great idea when you do CRS classes, because those are pretty intense. And you have to do a lot of them in person. They they have them all over the United States. And they tell you to travel to other markets and take the two day class. Well, first of all, your travel is then tax deductible. Right? And you go and meet some people and other areas, and it is a great referral base. So I think that’s a good tip. Yeah. Okay. That’s really all I have, I think,
51:25
yeah, I think that’s a good overview of things to think about. If you’re thinking about getting into real estate, I think so. Um, you don’t get health insurance, per se. Oh, gosh. So that’s something to think about. There’s not an benefits, right. So when looking at income you need to factor in Yeah, no vacation pay. No. Yeah. No, no
51:45
sick pay. Yes.
51:46
No maternity leave. Nope. I showed a house two weeks after Haven was born. I went to a listing two weeks after. Yeah. I mean, I had to Yeah, it’s okay. It’s all it’s got perks. And it’s got, you know, things are not great. Yeah, they have to plan for you got to just have to plan just have to plan. It’s going to be okay. Like even when I was on maternity leave, right. I had agents in my office that were helping me when some for free because I helped them and some I paid a little bit. Yeah, you know, depending on what the situation was. But I had to rely on my community in the office to get through the first three months. Yeah.
52:22
So if you’re looking to have children in the near future, remember to ask your broker questions about that. Yeah. What is the support? Like, right, who’s gonna help me? When I need help? What if I’m sick? Yeah, you know, sick days.
52:37
No sick days.
52:37
Okay. You guys can do it. Yeah, full faith in you just you just have
52:41
to really think about all aspects. Yeah. You can’t just think about the good. You can’t just think about the bad. You have to be financially prepared. Yeah. mentally prepared. Your family needs to be on board.
52:52
I want to I want to end this with a very positive thing. Yeah, I got into real estate because I wanted to make money based on how hard I worked. And it came true completely, but I had no idea how fulfilling it would be. So it really is an amazing career. I know it sounds sometimes. Like we’re really down on it. But we’re just trying to give you all the information. Yeah, it’s super fulfilled. I love it so much. It’s so fun. It’s wonderful. It’s just not easy. So there you go. Yeah, there you have it. Friends. You can do this. You can do it. Go do it. Go back. Oh, wait. We have to do a toaster toast. Okay, hold on.
53:29
That’s fulfilling happy part.
53:32
Okay, good news. We have a toast. Okay, so I’m gonna read Cindy McMahon’s email. She says Cindy from so this is a great question. Cindy is from New York. New York. I don’t know Troy. But oh, wow. In New York. That’s awesome. That’s right. Cindy says she wants us to text her teammate and friend Penny Crosby. Because Penny introduced her to the podcast. And they both have been enjoying listening very much. I would say that we often have very similar conversation. Oh, Penny haven in New York. Even in New York. Penny has just completed her second full year in real estate and has sold almost 6 million go Penny Wow. Our average price range is about 220. So okay, similar to us. She is accomplished this phenomenal feat while being a wonderful wife and mom to three amazing and very active girls. She has positioned herself as a trusted resource to her spear and is making deals happen on the soccer field and at school events. So cool. So Penny is developing a robust business and is already receiving many referrals. I mean girl that she’s good yeah, that’s all follow. I’m supposed to be her mentor. She has taught me so much and is a true blessing in my life.
54:48
Oh my gosh, cry. No, no, I’m emotional today. Send
54:52
me That’s amazing. We’re so thankful for you sending us the toast and we’re so happy you and Penny you’re listening are gonna cheers to Penny Cheers to Penny cheers Penny see me. Okay, bye
55:05
bye. Thank you so much for tuning in to the hustle humbly podcast. Let us know who we should toast to for the next episode. Be sure to follow
55:12
us on Facebook and Instagram at hustle humbly podcast. If you have an episode topic or question please email us at hustle humbly podcast@gmail.com Be sure
55:22
to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. See you next week. Bye. This is goodbye