Open The Gate
Breaking down Sacramento Real Estate: Our Favorite People, Places and Mindsets
Open The Gate
Ep 29- Aaron Ralls. From Prison Guard to Barber to ICON REALTOR
Happy New Year, Kaylee.
Speaker 2:Happy New Year. Wow, we're in a new year, a new year, new year, new us, no.
Speaker 1:No, no, I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing, maybe a little harder.
Speaker 2:Hell yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty excited. There seems to be a really nice buzz, a lot of excitement around the community.
Speaker 2:Phones are ringing pretty good on a Monday morning I've felt bringing pretty good on a Monday morning.
Speaker 1:So, um, yeah, um, what's the update? How's, how's the how's the how? Is carrying a human inside your body going?
Speaker 2:It's, it's just crazy.
Speaker 1:He's so big he's starting to kick my ass a lot, and physically and literally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cool, literally, yeah, and physically mostly. But um, it's, you know, it is what it is getting big and I mean we're coming, we're coming down the stretch. You're, you don't have your six and a half months.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're two thirds of the way done. Um, okay, so. So to all of our millions of listeners, if there is a gap in the production, just you know never stay calm.
Speaker 1:We have Kaylee. Call one in from the hospital. Fortunately in California I'll zoom in Fortunately in California they kick you out of the hospital pretty fast. My Marina was in the hospital. We were there for two and three nights with both of our kids, like there was no urgency. They were like and it was funny because I remember walking out like with the baby the first time, especially like with the baby, and you're like wait a minute the nurse isn't coming with me Like oh reality hit real fast, so um you guys will be great can't wait for that moment.
Speaker 2:We finally got the nursery set up, which is exciting so very cool, yeah, very cool feels a little real now. Yeah, what about you guys? What's going on in your life?
Speaker 1:uh well, so this past weekend was was my last weekend of freedom for probably a while. I think we have seven consecutive weekends of volleyball and or baseball for my kids, so I actually I can't wait. It's so funny. When you look at the calendar you're like, oh man, like I'm not going to have a weekend off for a long time, but it's like I would really at this point like rather be doing nothing else. So, um so I got to play golf this weekend, so I was excited about that. The weather was great.
Speaker 2:How was your eggnog tournament?
Speaker 1:It was awesome. It came out really cool. We raised like $1,800 that we're going to give out to the two teams. So yeah, that was super fun. A bunch of guys, good time.
Speaker 2:I got to get my wife in that tournament. Yeah, yeah, we had our first lady participant this year.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I mean it's covering all the genres nowadays.
Speaker 3:All right, all right.
Speaker 1:The eggnog open the 10-year anniversary was a smashing success. Fucking love that. Okay, without further ado, I want to introduce our guest this week.
Speaker 2:Bring it on.
Speaker 1:He is one of my favorite personalities in the real estate industry. Him and I met a few years back at a grand opening for an EXP event and, um, he basically said, oh well, I'll give you, I'll give you guys a shot, and we've probably done a hundred inspections for him since then. Um, he's a uh, he's, he's massively, he's influential, a really cool dude and he's got a really cool backstory, from barbering to working in a prison, to old cars and and everything in between. So I'm gonna let, I'm gonna let him talk about it, but let's, let's get him played in all right, let's go coming with some 70s vibes this week, baby.
Speaker 2:It's groovy.
Speaker 1:All right, all right, all right In the words of my guy, matthew McConaughey. Welcome to Open the Gate, erin Rawls. Thank you for coming in. Good to be here, oh dear.
Speaker 2:Great to have you. I'm so excited to dive into this whole edgy background of yours.
Speaker 1:But first, we must know. Yeah, but he came with this flowery 70s Bee Gees. I know I was just about to say first we must know.
Speaker 2:I'm just trying to stay alive about here Just trying to make a buck. I know you talked to me about prison and barbering and tattoos and then we get the Bee Gees on here and. I was a little.
Speaker 3:It was either that or the Rocky theme song. Pleasantly surprised. My wife thought that was a little too much Try to go with something no one else has done yet.
Speaker 2:I love it. Well, we're all just trying to stay alive.
Speaker 3:Yeah, is there any like actual, like you know background to the song? You just, you just enjoy the song. I love it. Yeah, perfect. I don't like that song I haven't met. If you don't like that song, I don't want to.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you this I mean, I have not seen three smiles on three faces. If I could see my own like for a walk-up song for open the gate I think this is our 28th episode, you know. So I mean I love it like you're having a little fun letting the guard down a little bit.
Speaker 3:You start a team meeting with that song. Everybody's coming in.
Speaker 2:I suspect that's the first of many surprises on this interview today. Yeah, I can't wait.
Speaker 1:So so we kind of touched on it. So so walk us through kind of your professional career journey and how you got to here in real estate and I mean you've got a pretty, pretty substantial team um under your ex, under EXP, um. So talk about how we kind of got from from from there to here from the prison. Yeah, let's is that?
Speaker 3:is that the beginning.
Speaker 2:Okay, first question were you in the prison? Did you work at the prison?
Speaker 3:I worked in the prison. Worked in the prison. Don't judge, Don't judge Honestly.
Speaker 2:some of my favorite people have been to prison.
Speaker 3:Oh 100%, so you know no judgment here Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so in 97, I started working for the Department of Corrections down at Soledad A couple years there and then transferred up to Vacaville, worked a couple years at Solano and then transferred to New Folsom, which is a level four prison. Transferred to New Folsom, which is a level four prison, and then promoted to sergeant there and was in the middle of trying to promote out of the prison into our gang unit on the streets and I got fired in 2008 for six counts of excessive force on six different inmates.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 3:Yes, well, we worked in a pretty violent environment and you know I'm not one to shy away from it. So yeah, six counts of excessive force and, uh yeah, I had to find something else to do. So I put myself through barbering school, ended up opening up Lucky's barbershop, which became the busiest barbershop in Sacramento County.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's kind of I mean, it's kind of a landmark it's. It's one of those places you can say hey, lucky's, and everyone knows where it's at.
Speaker 2:Everyone knows about it. Yeah, they're.
Speaker 1:Lake Bowl.
Speaker 3:I sold it a few years ago, which has never been made public until right now actually.
Speaker 2:Oh, I thought, Breaking news yeah, see Second surprise. I knew this was going to be an interview full of surprises.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so my buddy, that was about two and a half three years ago. Now is when I sold that. Are you still pretty involved?
Speaker 2:with it.
Speaker 3:I stop by about once a week just to say what's up to all the guys. But other than that, not really. He's since opened up a second location up in Cameron Park and that's also very busy. Folsom's in the middle of an expansion. We're going to add three more barber chairs in there. Lucky's is doing real good. This year will be 15 years it's been open. That's awesome. Um, yeah, so I opened the barbershop, got that going. During that time, you know, I was real broke and we had nice cars, harley things like that and, um, due to losing my career with the department of corrections, we couldn't afford our mortgage and we couldn't afford car payments or anything else. So we sold all that. I remember I was driving a little $3,000 Mercury Grand Marquis broke, you know, three kids and four years after I got fired I actually won my case against the prison against the Department of.
Speaker 3:Corrections. So I got four years of back pay with interest and then they paid me an extra year's salary to not sue them. So I took the deal because my wife was tired of of the drama involved with fighting the department of correction.
Speaker 2:So that's a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah so that's a pretty tough opponent right, I mean. Oh yeah, bottomless pockets over there.
Speaker 2:You know they're trying to destroy you.
Speaker 3:So, uh, part of the reason I won that, I went public with everything. I created a website, I uploaded all the videos, everything involving all, every one of my cases, because I was innocent of all of them and, uh, you know, it ended up working out. I won. So, um, during the time of working at the, at at the barbershop, and prior to winning my case or no, it was, it was after winning my case Um, we needed a new roof on our house and, luckily, when I won my case, I was able to bring the loan current and not lose the home.
Speaker 3:So I thought, man, you know, I spend so much time connecting other people with ways to make money. You know, like, if, if Dan was in his industry and was a regular in the barbershop, I'd make sure all my real estate connections started using him. So I was just always the guy that knew a guy and connected everybody and made all these other people money. And so I thought, well, I need a roof for my house, which was 26 grand, and I need to find something I can do to capitalize on this network that I've built and the work ethic that I have. So I came home one day and told my wife I'm going to get my real estate license Now.
Speaker 3:To give perspective, my wife and I have been together since a high school typing class so, and I graduated high school in 92. So it's been a minute. We've been married 26 years. So when I told her I'm going to get my real estate license, she kind of rolls her eyes. I go great, here we go. You know career number three. But I always just thought, you know, I'll get my real estate license and do a couple of deals a year. While being a barber I was making good money at the barbershop. It was real fun Hanging out with all the guys, all my great barbers and all the clients that came in. And you know our barbershop we'd have two, three hour waits every day.
Speaker 3:So in the barbershop it was just a lot of people a lot of fun, a lot of beer, a lot of shots, Like we had a blast and it was a good time. But I knew I, I knew I could make more and do more. So I got my real estate license with the intention of just doing a few deals a year. To all of a sudden, my first year I did 15, and then it just kept growing. And then the more referrals that I thought, okay, shit, I can't work. I was working six days a week at the barbershop. Now let me drop to five, let me drop to four, let me drop to three. Well, now let me do two days. So I was doing two 10-hour days and then I go well, let me do one 12-hour day. And then I was just too much. It just was too consuming to try to do everything and then manage all the different barbers and everything involved with that.
Speaker 1:Did the real estate database essentially come from the barber chair and then referrals from that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Well, I'm native to the area, so I grew up in Rosemont and then went to Folsom when I started high school.
Speaker 1:So I'm I know a lot of people. I've been in the area for a while and I'm 50, you know.
Speaker 3:So I got that going or not going. So, um, I I use that, but yeah, a huge part of it was the barbershop really came, because by then everyone knows me, likes me, trusts me.
Speaker 1:Well it's such an amazing parallel, especially a barbershop. I mean, you're using a straight razor, so you know people trust you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Plus, a lot of people are real particular about their hair. You don't roll the dice on that.
Speaker 2:Yeah absolutely.
Speaker 3:If you're a guy with a good head of hair, well, in real estate really is about your network, right.
Speaker 2:Your network is your net worth.
Speaker 2:We hear that all the time in any type of entrepreneurial position, but real estate in particular, it is about who you know and who likes and trusts you, and the culture of a barbershop is what a perfect place to earn trust. Have fun, for people to get to know you. I wish we did do video, like we might need to go into this, because this image, you know it's like you. You've got the good look tattooed on your knuckles, you're wearing the beanie, you're like someone that I would imagine works on harley's, but instead you're an incredible top producing realtor walking in looking like ed norton from.
Speaker 1:Uh, I was in. I was gonna be him for hallow Halloween one year. I told him I'm going to be Ed Norton. That scene where he's got them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's like you are not going to dress up as a skinhead.
Speaker 1:That'd be funny. She didn't think it'd be funny. Might be some collateral image damage there. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I mean, I think it's just another endorsement, for it's not how you look or how you come off, it's who knows you and who likes you and who trusts you ultimately, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I think, and I think one of the things, obviously one of the reasons that we do this podcast, is because we want to kind of shed light on something and hopefully someone who's listening can resonate with something. And you and I have talked about it, you know, fairly at length. But I mean the tattoos and you said, when you started getting into it, like like sure they fit that barber world, like like a glove. But moving into the real estate environment and again I think the timing of everything plays into this as well, you know the, the social acceptability of tattoos. And I remember, like my first tattoo I got when, when my, when my daughter was born, so that was 2010. I was working in the restaurants and I just had a little bit of it and I wanted a little bit of it to kind of hang out the bottom of my sleeve you know you had you wanted to look a little edgy, yeah, yeah exactly a little peekaboo tattoo.
Speaker 1:Pretty boy for danny boy, but um but I still remember, like being at work, where it, where, like it would come out and I was like, oh, you know, like I don't necessarily know if now I really want people to see this, and that was in like, like I said, 2010. So, but the social acceptability over the last 14, 15 years of tattoo and the progression of that and the amount of people that you now see with that. But I remember you, you, you told me specific stories.
Speaker 3:You want to share some of those about, like yeah, when I, when I first got into it, it was real easy in the barbershop with with referrals and connections and stuff. But when you're out in the public and you're starting to do open houses and things like that, and you know I'm tattooed from my knuckles, my hands, my finger, um, my whole body, I I probably like even guys that look like they're real tattooed. Typically, I have more, because my whole back, my whole legs, like I'm covered in tattoos and you had them up.
Speaker 1:You had them up your neck. That you've had removed.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I had one a big barber pole removed off my neck, not because I was worried about being tattooed on my neck, I just didn't like how it turned out. I didn't like the placement of it, but so I had it removed. But yeah, I would do open houses and I'd be wearing slacks and dress, shoes and long sleeve shirt and sometimes a tie and I'd have my hands in my pocket the whole time. And you know I did decent. But man, once I stopped that and just started being myself. I mean, I, I wear branded t-shirts, black t-shirts You're pretty much my go-to outfits. I'm going to have blue jeans or khakis, a black t-shirt, a beanie or a hat and converse, and that's how I do open houses to this day. Multi-million dollar homes doesn't matter, um, and ever since I became more comfortable in that and elevated my level of education in real estate, the business just keeps coming. I got two listing appointments today.
Speaker 1:Do you feel like you're like your confidence when you, when you kind of, when you just kind of said, fuck it, I'm going to be who I am, did you, did your confidence go? Cause? I mean, obviously, when you talk to a lot of salespeople, it's like they, they that breakthrough is when they really feel like you know what, it doesn't matter how I look and and we, I think we can cock around in circles. I think there are certain environments where, yeah, how you dress does play a role, but I think, as we go along, I've always joked or I've joked for the last few years like the greatest contribution of millennials to the professional work environment is is the new, is a new, the newly defined business casual.
Speaker 1:I mean my goodness I'm. I got a pair of Jordans on right now and some Lululemon pants.
Speaker 2:You guys are making me feel overdressed over here. Well you're, you know, you're dressing very professionally, but I, but I've always said you look like you know what you're doing.
Speaker 1:But I think we're, we're, we're getting to this space and then the more, the better you feel in your clothes, the more confidence you can, you can convey and the better you're going to probably be at your job because you're not worried about the reservations.
Speaker 2:I feel like as men, honestly, you guys get a little bit more room to be more casual. As a woman, especially in a professional world that's historically been very male dominant, we have to dress the way we want to be addressed.
Speaker 1:Yes and no. I mean you don't want to see Aaron and I walking around in leggings.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean no, and I think a lot of the real estate gals nowadays, take it either to where you're looking inappropriate Not you, obviously not you, but some of these girls out there.
Speaker 2:That look like they're going to the club, maybe on a Friday night. Yeah, like you want to look like a hoe, or do you want to look like a profession you know like are?
Speaker 3:you selling an OnlyFans page or are you selling real estate?
Speaker 2:I know Some of them look like they're selling themselves to get the job.
Speaker 3:It's getting very blurred right now. I think a lot of them are missing the mark, like the husband and wife team. Probably aren't going to hire you, whereas the thirsty guy is going to hire you, whereas the thirsty guy is going to hire you, you know. So it's like is that your?
Speaker 1:demographic. I think there's a floor to it as well. Right, you can. You can probably go too casual.
Speaker 2:Well for sure. I just think that guys historically have more room to be more casual and still be taken seriously.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's easier. Yeah, it's for sure easier.
Speaker 2:But I envy that about you guys, you know, honestly like there's days where I'm like, fuck, I really don't want to have to like get done up to be taken seriously. But there's kind of that expectation, like I I wish I could just roll up in my chucks and my tats and my beanie and be like what's up, this is what it is. You know, maybe I'll get that?
Speaker 3:I probably could, you probably could. Yeah, if that's you you should try it. I'll let you know how that goes. You look cute today, you'll get compliments either way.
Speaker 1:I want to see when you get the knuckle tattoos, though I'll try it out with the temporary ones first Throw some henna on the knuckles.
Speaker 3:But I think as I got comfortable being me, which I should have been from the beginning. I think it helped because what I do is literally every day, one to three hours. I study real estate and business and I know that sounds boring and like a nerd, but when I go to the gym, when I'm in my car, I'm constantly listening to podcasts. I read a lot of books and I think by being myself and having a, I can articulate real estate and deals and know how to put them together at a pretty high level. Now that it helps to where they listen to me talk and they go oh, know, everything there is to know but there's always more to know.
Speaker 2:Is your focus in a particular area when you're educating yourself? Is it just kind of everything Like how do you know what to study?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a little bit of everything. A lot of it's mindset stuff, because I never want to feel complacent or lackadaisical, I want to keep pushing. But it's, I'd say it's probably pretty much a little bit of everything.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, can you take a moment to tell us and share, like, who are some of your go-to resources when you're listening about the real estate in particular?
Speaker 3:Real estate is uh. The daily real estate radio coaching podcast with Tim and Julie Harris, gsd mode with Joshua Smith Uh, I listen to pace more, be aby a lot. He puts together creative financing deals and things like that.
Speaker 1:So that's a whole different thing.
Speaker 3:So that's real big within my group, my team. That I have is if you think there's a deal, call me, because there probably is. So real good at out of the box and a lot of that comes from Pace Morby and guys like that. And then I read a ton. I think there's a big difference when you listen to podcasts. Um, and then I I read a ton. I think there's a big difference when you listen to podcasts listen to audio books.
Speaker 2:That's a passive activity, whereas reading is an active activity. Oh yeah, you retain way more when you read, and I don't read just to read.
Speaker 3:I study when I read and I have notes and I highlight and I you know I I always date it, cause I think this will be cool if my kids are ever opening these books later on and I'm dead Like oh, my gosh dad read this in 2019, you know whatever.
Speaker 1:So Do you have a favorite kind of area of real estate or are you just?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So when I first got into real estate I was casting a really big net. I was marketing big in Roseville and Sacramento and now I'm like Folsom, el Dorado Hills. I know it very well. That's where I live. That's where I lived a big part of my life, so I don't want to focus or market way outside of my area. I don't want to have to drive an hour to Roseville.
Speaker 1:And there's enough business in that area for 10 of you to handle, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I want to say I want to be the guy who, like you, want to sell in Folsom or Elder Island Hills. Call Aaron, he's connected, he knows the area and he probably has a buyer already. And so once I did that, that helped a lot staying where I know it and your team leverages the off-market properties really really well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we do what blows me away most brokerages don't do, which is our stats. We did a team meeting a couple months ago just my group within eXp, not people I have out of state, just our little group within eXp. We did a couple hundred million more in closed sales than some of the bigger brokerages within my same town.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's insane.
Speaker 3:And it's because most of these other places you might have 200 agents in there, but there are 200 agents acting as individuals, so we've got a bunch of individual agents that we create teamwork and like synergy within and we share our properties and have an off market list, so collaborative yeah.
Speaker 2:You come to all of our stuff, we'll get Kaylee in there, you'll be like Holy shit.
Speaker 3:You're going to love it. I really want to. You're already part of EXP. One of the things I do also is everyone's invited, which a lot of people don't like, in the sense that all the title reps are invited, All my lender buddies are invited. I don't know why every home inspection could be invited. Weird about that. Well exactly.
Speaker 1:It's like how's that?
Speaker 2:really affecting you, other than could possibly learn, gather, get something from someone.
Speaker 1:If you're in sales, nothing's getting handed to you. You got to go earn it Exactly you know you got to go and I've always been a belly to belly guy, so it's like I got to respect the hustle. I don't want to rely on email or social media. It's like I want to be in your face and ask you for the business.
Speaker 3:Were you at the thing I spoke at a few weeks ago, when?
Speaker 1:I spoke yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, remember that's where business is done. Everybody tries to hide behind a phone and do it passive, like you got to get in front of people Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So one thing that you said that I loved and I wanted to kind of highlight on this is you said if you think there's a deal, there probably is one, and I think that's just such a huge nugget. We talked about like wanting people to be able to take things away from it. That's it right there, like the confidence that you have in that is what probably leads you to to to some of those deals actually getting done Right, like yeah.
Speaker 3:I know I'm like, I have some stuff to talk to you about off mic, prime example, and you guys, just from being in the industry, think of this. This is one I just did recently. I sold a client's home. She had $450,000. I had another property that was coming on the market no one knew about, in Citrus Heights where they were a hard 500 grand. She only had four, 50. She didn't want to get a loan, wasn't willing to get a loan. What do you do?
Speaker 2:Seller finance 50, 50,000.
Speaker 3:What if they didn't want to do that? I did it even well, that's, that's good. You could sell her finance, that'd be easy. But both of my clients are very well off, but they were really stuck on this 50 grand. I'm like dude, it's only 20. There's two brothers in here. There's 25 grand each. What are you tripping on? So what we did is we just put a $50,000 lien on the property. If she ever sells it, refinances it or pulls equity, they get their money and they don't even they're not even missing it. They don't even know they don't have it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of course, but that's one way to to do it. Um.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 3:If there's anything where someone's in foreclosure and getting ready to lose the home. I don't care if they're. If it's going to foreclosure this Thursday, we could stop it and we can sell it prior to. So there's there's all kinds of things out there.
Speaker 1:He's a very uh. Don't take no for an answer.
Speaker 2:I love that. Well, it's not. Just. Don't take no.
Speaker 1:I have a solution when there's a will.
Speaker 2:Yeah, your problem is my solution, and I've got it for you. All you need to do is tell me what's going on so I can tell you how we can get out of it. That's what is missing, I think, in most areas in this day and age of people get stuck on the problem and then they're like well, problem's too big.
Speaker 3:Problem's too big, yeah, but a lot of it in the real estate world is because real estate agents are so one-dimensional they haven't learned how to do other things. And you know, a lot of people can't be faulted for it because their broker doesn't know how to do it, their office manager, slash office recruiter doesn't know how to do it. So how would they?
Speaker 1:So you really got to seek out the whole you don't know what you don't know thing, it's like it's the largest piece of the pie.
Speaker 1:We think we know everything but what we don't know, is actually the majority of until it kicks your ass Right and you just learned an expensive lesson or a painful lesson because you didn't know and sure Like. But like Aaron said, like proactively going out and gaining that knowledge. I mean, how many times did you see something? You go, oh, never thought about that, and you look at it Like I remember the first time I read Freakonomics I was like, oh my God, like God, it's just crazy when you spin things and look at it from another perspective how different.
Speaker 1:It can actually look the same exact thing from two different side points you know, kaleidoscope of life. Absolutely yeah, so.
Speaker 2:I feel like this would be a perfect time to segue into what would be your best advice for somebody who's just getting started in this industry.
Speaker 3:Definitely self-educate to as high a level as possible. I tell my kids this all the time. You get paid in direct relation to what you bring to the marketplace. Finley stays busy because they do a good job. They answer the phone. I'll have weird stuff. Dan will answer on a Sunday at 12 while he's on the golf course. I know it's not his working hours, but in my mind I'm seven days a week doing real estate hunting and gathering, bringing in business to him, to my title people to my lender.
Speaker 3:They better answer if I'm calling on a Sunday and if they're not, I'll call someone that does, because I'm out grinding, I'm doing an open house on a Sunday while you're golfing and and he knows that. So Dan's super proactive, very, very good. So when I send business their way it's like effortless. I know it's going to get done. So I would say really self-educated, a high level possible. Surround yourself with good, like-minded people that genuinely want to see you succeed.
Speaker 1:I bring people him. I haven't met him in person. Oh, you weren't here. No, brandon was when Blake and I were doing it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Brandon joined me when he was 19. He just turned 22, four or five months ago. I think He'll make over $400,000 this year. That's insane, Because he came in and I helped him and I go do this and he did it. And then he self-educated even more and learned how to do the Instagram and social stuff. And now his business is growing.
Speaker 2:His videos are insane.
Speaker 3:He has a massive view. He'll hit icon agent this year with us. He's 22. Yeah, it's impressive, it's insane, but to me that's like, that's rad, that's what I want. Like next year I want him to do double the production I do, and I'm not going to hate on them for it. I love it. I want to see it, you know. So that's how, that's how.
Speaker 1:I do it. So is that, is that like? Is that your real, your true passion? I mean like, obviously, selling houses and meeting people, but like, your true passion seems to me like like it's the developing and helping and helping people along.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like that. I like business, I like figuring it out. Like I could probably spend an hour here with you analyzing different things and come up with ways that you guys cause you're so in the business you don't look right. You know you don't. I'm good at the eagle eye view of businesses, so I'm good at things like that and really my motivation for me is I think about when I'm dead. My kids are sitting in the front row at my funeral and people are talking, you know, saying oh, your dad did this, your dad did that. So if you lead in everything with that type of thought, how are you going to? You know you're not going to screw anything up, you're not going to do shady stuff, you're going to genuinely help people. Like I was saying earlier, my meetings not only are open to all the affiliates, they're open to any brokerage that wants to come and I don't talk about eXp, I don't try. A lot of people are recruiting all the time this and that, Like dude, give it a rest.
Speaker 3:I just want to build a big enough business, help enough people that they're attracted to joining us.
Speaker 2:I was just having this conversation. Actually, one of my biggest issues is how much out there in real estate dangles the carrot of. I'm going to help you in your business, I'm going to show you how to do this, and then you take the time to go listen to them speak and they stay in the abstract the whole time of like, okay, well, you know to grow your business, you want to market, but then they don't dive deeper and really the ultimate goal is for you to buy in and either get their coaching or join their team. They're not actually going to give you anything substantial or tangible that you can use, and I've never understood that, because even as a title rep, I would pour into every single agent I met with.
Speaker 2:And my goal was to give them something that they can use, and I knew that it would always come back. And then, when I switched into real estate, I was posting about what I would do and people would be like Kaylee, stop giving your secrets away. I'm like I've been doing it for seven years. Nobody does anything.
Speaker 3:I'm not worried about it In real estate. You can show everybody everything that we're in Roseville right now. We could line up the entire Roseville auction parking lot with a hundred dollar bills scattered and most real estate agents would quit picking them up because it's too cold or it's too hot or it's too windy.
Speaker 2:I have to chase it down, they'll be too fucking late.
Speaker 3:Sorry, they'll be too lazy to go do it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:We just, we just toggle the switch and we can. We can say whatever the hell we want.
Speaker 3:I'll be out there till the till till. I'm falling, you know, the headlamp on getting all of it.
Speaker 2:So and I think that that's kind of one of the most obvious themes that I've seen. Against all, with all of our amazing speakers on this show, there is this powering theme of motivation and discipline and willing to do whatever it takes, no matter what, to succeed, and I think that's ultimately, you either have it or you don't you know that's it's this primal indoctrination within yourself that I am going to succeed, no matter what it takes.
Speaker 2:I'm going to keep working, I'm going to keep making a lasting impact, and I think that's I don't know to me. That's the one thing that stuck out of everybody that we have here is how these incredible stories where they've overcome, you know, like being broke in a car or losing their job and needing to pay mortgage with kids, like, there's always this story of this incredible challenge that we overcome and then you're massively successful with contribution and giving and you know like if someone leaves the XP, leaves my group, whatever.
Speaker 3:I'm like okay, cool, try it out. Doors open, come back, kaylee, whenever you want. Like I'm not other places, you're cut off. Yeah, you're hated. You know it's like you're an outcast.
Speaker 1:I've never understood that.
Speaker 3:Like I, I'd love to have you come talk to my people. I go, dude, let me know I will. Oh no, they won't let you because you're EXP, like what Is your value proposition. That shitty that someone from another brokerage can't come teach your agents. I said we don't even got to tell them where I work, I'll just come help them. No, they won't let you, whereas anybody can come talk in my office. I don't care where you're from, you've got value. Come on in, talk to my people and if they leave, so be it.
Speaker 2:Well, that's the difference between a growth and a fixed mindset of somebody who's like it doesn't matter Drives me crazy. We could talk about that for hours, but it's just going to make me want to have a drink and I can't do that right now. We're two and a half months away from that.
Speaker 1:But, uh, do you, um, are there any trends or anything that you're following right now, that you're, that you're into that? Are that are fueling your business or fueling your mindset? I mean, obviously you said you're listening to a lot of podcasts, reading a lot of books.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Um, you know, not really, no, I just try to win every day. I don't really care all that stuff. I know interest rates are kind of bad. So the lender I work with a close Albert Chavez. Any any people?
Speaker 1:has been on the show.
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, yeah, any people that I'm working with he'll. He'll buy down their, their rate for the first year out of his commission, cause he knows that's going to turn into a referral later. So with these current price points I mean that's going to save someone 500 bucks a month.
Speaker 1:So that's something I'm big at.
Speaker 3:I'm having him make up flyers to put on the counter of all my listings right now, cause that that'll really help people. But other than that, like the election, the this, the that, there's noise I'm going to win. That's my mindset.
Speaker 1:I'm going into it winning, you know.
Speaker 3:So let's go for it whatever it is. So I don't pay too close attention to that. I just find ways to adapt to whatever the changes are, and I'm real big on strategic partnerships, Like you know. If I know and like you and you're a real estate agent or Kaylee and you know, after this I'll tell you hey, any EXP people you see, you know they're up in my area, like call me, cause that's how deals are made.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of real estate people you act like a prick to people or you're too hard, like word gets around, I want you hear my name in your office, you're like, oh, I know him and you can call me and be like, hey, so-and-so is putting an offer in. What do we? What do we need to do? What do we need to be like girl? I got six offers, you know, but we can talk through it. That's how deals get made and I think so many people are so short sighted in this industry they don't realize that like your reputation carries carries a lot of weight if you're doing business in a good way.
Speaker 1:Well, and what does he catch? More you catch, more, you catch, you catch more. Catch more bees with honey than vinegar. What's that saying, go, yeah, that's it, you know, and it's like it seems so simple and it really is. It's not easy, but it's simple. Like, just be a nice person. Like, if you lose out on a deal, work harder to get the next one instead of instead of, you know being spiteful or I always tell my wife this and you guys will think about it next time you're there.
Speaker 3:tell my wife this and you guys will think about it next time you're there. The real estate game is like, you know, when you go to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Speaker 2:How people act, it's great like. This is the lowest point of humanity. Look at these fucking animals like dude, slow down.
Speaker 1:They've got a ton of food like it's a buffet, you know, and people are cutting I'm like go ahead, man like I'm cool, I'll wait 30 seconds I've always said buffets.
Speaker 2:I have such a weird feeling about buffets. It's so weird to see people acting like that and the way that they're like engorging themselves and I'm like why are we doing this?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is so bad.
Speaker 3:That's a good example. If things ever get real bad, you better be ready for that There'll be weirdos out there.
Speaker 2:Bring on the buffet. Yeah, I think real estate people are like that too Like.
Speaker 3:People are like that too Like oh no, this is mine. You know if, if you're affiliated with me in real estate, you're a new agent, whatever it is, I tell them hey, take my listing, take all my photos, my info off there, rebrand it, create a flyer, make it look like it's yours. I don't care, yeah, how many agents you know, do that? Not many Not many, and actually they want the accolades, or they you know I don't care about that.
Speaker 2:That was something I was going to ask and I kind of just you know, gleaned from you speaking that I know the answer already. But again, I know a lot of people who run teams, even people within my own office, who all of the agents underneath them- have to brand them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is that top agent's name on everything gets slapped on all the listings. They get all the credit for all the transaction, all the volume. I mean give me your take on that because as a team lead I know I want to give it to me and give it to me, I have such a problem with that.
Speaker 2:I think that as a lead personally, if I was a leader, I would want to grow my people up and give them the best opportunity. To me, credit means nothing. I don't want credit for the hard work that you're doing. I don't want to slap my name on something just so.
Speaker 3:I can look better. That's not being a good leader in my opinion. Yeah, to me, a true leader will develop other leaders. I got Brandon. Let's say I don't want Brandon on my team. I don't want to show him just enough to feel like he needs me. And, by the way, when I say team, I don't run a production team. Anybody in my downline is on my team.
Speaker 3:So if you're in my downline, my goal is to help you and pull you up and help you grow and succeed and become successful, not branding me. I want you to brand you Like people go, newer people. Do you have any open house signs I can borrow? I go? Yeah, but you're branding me, not you. You need to get your own stuff as soon as you can. I get it. It's expensive. You can use mine as long as you want, but you're only helping me. It's like when I worked in the prison, there'd be issues with inmates and my officers would come up hey, you know, cause I was a Sergeant and come over. You know so-and-so, you know, won't go back to his cell or whatever the case is. I'd handle the issue and then I'd you make the decision. I'll back up whatever you want to do, and uh, I think real estate is kind of the same way. People had empowerment too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a lot of times people only want to show you enough to keep you dependent. Yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah you keep that dependency. Exactly, it's like a drug dealer, right.
Speaker 2:I mean dealer, give them a taste, Give them the good stuff first. Just sell them the stuff that keeps them coming back.
Speaker 1:It's a great analogy.
Speaker 2:I just insulted the entire fucking industry Very impressed with that one.
Speaker 3:Dan, you outdid yourself and I know a lot of agents that do a lot of deals and they're still giving up 50% to be on a team. I'm thinking what are you doing? You know what you're doing. You don't need to be on a team. You can work half as much and if you're keeping your commissions, you work half as much to make the same. So I don't understand that. But I feel like a lot of places like you get on a team and oh, we do your TC, we do your flyers, we input the MLS, to where you kind of go through, and you're like a couple of years go by and you're like a couple years go by and you think, wow, I'm doing all this business, but I don't really know how to do a lot of stuff because they're not building other leaders, they want you to stay dependent.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I've always said I mean, I've been in this space now for, I think, 13 or 14 years and the reason there's so many brokerages is because there's a right fit for everybody. And just in some of those brokerages that do the additional stuff for you, they exist for a reason and there are people who want to do that because maybe they're not interested in the TC work or the marketing or anything like that, but they're really good at the going out and the hunting and gathering and they just go. Okay, perfect, this is the part I enjoy doing. So if someone else is going to do that, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But I've always said I mean that's really why there's so many different options out there, because there's something for everyone.
Speaker 2:For sure, yep, for sure. One thing that I got to note as a title rep and going into every little brokerage that I found very interesting about our industry, is how often people change brokers specifically because they are struggling in their own business and they think that something different externally in the environment, is somehow going to change what's happening and it's like that promise of like.
Speaker 3:Oh, we'll give you what you weren't getting here? Yeah, but ultimately it's like it comes down to you, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, what are you doing? I wonder how many people really stop and take a look in the mirror and go what am I not doing in my business? What can I do better versus just saying like, oh no, I'm going to go change and follow the dangling carrot of what they're offering over?
Speaker 1:here, yeah, and the answer is usually exactly what we talked about earlier. It's go out there and get in front of people and have conversations.
Speaker 2:It doesn't matter what brokerage you're at.
Speaker 3:I'll bet you half my clients don't even know what brokerage I'm at. Exactly, I know that, as I don't think nobody cares as long as they know my name.
Speaker 1:That's the most important thing. I love it. I mean one of my friends and Aaron knows. Aaron knows this guy as well. He sets up in a Starbucks with a with his laptop and a sticker that says let's talk real estate. Does it a couple of times a week and people talk real estate.
Speaker 3:He does it like five days. Well yeah, yeah, yeah that.
Speaker 1:And he's in the car a lot nowadays too, so maybe he's going to listen and hear this shit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, good, you know who we're talking about. You know who you are he knows I give him a hard time all the time.
Speaker 1:So, circling back, let's get out of the real estate space a little bit. And obviously you said you're from Sac. You kind of grew up in the area. What are some of your favorite things to do and maybe some of your favorite eateries or watering holes here in the area? I love it.
Speaker 2:We haven't covered much of the 50 corridor, so I'm excited to be kind of here, I know, and also because I feel like I'm judging you right now this is judgment, but I feel like you know some pretty cool hole-in-the-wall bars too, which are some of my favorites, so let's talk about that yeah.
Speaker 1:so the ones that will serve pregnant women.
Speaker 2:Damn, not, damn, not on the show god, throw me under the bus. You don't look pregnant, you look great. Yeah, you know what I think it is perfectly safe to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer every now and then throughout the pregnancy I said it ain't my place to say anything about it.
Speaker 1:You do whatever you need.
Speaker 3:I'm smoked with me the whole time. I know I'm like look at our parents generation they have propaganda like smoke while you're pregnant. It's good for you.
Speaker 2:Not saying I do that. Don't come after me people. But seriously, Anyway, let's get back to you.
Speaker 3:Pretty much up where I'm at. I only go to places where, like, friends own the places. So Viscani's restaurant in Folsom for Italian Like no brainer. They're expanding, they have a big bar going in, so it's oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Just had breakfast with Frank a couple of weeks ago, Early toast, Mario's early toast. In fact. I had breakfast with Frank at Mario's early toast, like for his new grand opening in El Dorado Hills and saw Zach, yeah, Like. So you know I go places where I like and know people Salsa's, Taqueria in Folsom, Taco Loco, Folsom, friends with Benedict's.
Speaker 2:I heard of that one. Yeah, my buddy owns that In El Dorado Hills, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, they've got one in El Dorado Hills, one at Folsom Palladio. My son's girlfriend works there. You know City Slickers in Folsom, all the Sutter Club, folsom Hotel.
Speaker 1:My buddy, eric, owns it Like all the cool places.
Speaker 3:Yeah, hotel my buddy eric owns, like all the coolest places. Yeah, I know there's not a bar, restaurant, grocery store in folsom. I don't go to where I don't know people. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:100 of the time and you're a harley guy. So where are you? Where are you riding? Are you riding up 50? Are you riding out towards amador?
Speaker 3:um yeah, I don't really have a lot of time to write anymore because I I do this, but you know, the problem with writing is not the problem, but what. What keeps me from doing is I'm on the phone so much yeah, yeah that man. By the time I'm done riding, I'll be on the phone for hours instead of just knocking it out as I go maybe you need to invent.
Speaker 2:You could be the guy that invents that capable helmet no, they have it but is it? But I don't want to be doing it while I'm right, okay, well, yeah, right like when you but I don't want to be doing it while I'm riding.
Speaker 1:Ah, okay, okay, well, yeah, right, like when you're on your bike, you want to be out there enjoying-. Yeah, I don't want to do that, yeah.
Speaker 3:Plus, my bike now is kind of an older bike, like it's different, and then I'm real big into low riders too, so I kind of have that whole community. Not a okay are we talking low riders that also have like the hydraulics, or this is like classic low rider mine's an air ride suspension I'm not so a lot of guys like this I'm not hitting switches just because I I don't
Speaker 3:particularly like it like you got to cut the car up and stuff and I like I don't want to like to improve, like preserve the integrity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a little bit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, I like that so more air ride, but definitely in the low riders.
Speaker 2:Respect that actually.
Speaker 3:And then my wife. She's got an old car. I got her a vintage Ford Bronco for our 25-year anniversary, so that was her dream car.
Speaker 2:You know, I hate that they're becoming so popular now because they've always been such an epic classic car. And now I feel like people the trend of the Broncos. See, I feel like people the trend of the Broncos.
Speaker 1:I don't know where I stand I see a lot of the new ones. I'm like, oh, they're freaking cool.
Speaker 3:I think they look really cool.
Speaker 1:I love the nostalgia. They've redone it. You know the old square. I heard there's rumors about the square body Bronco coming back and some old school stuff like that. Like, look, I mean, like our generation has proven that we will spend the money. We will spend the money If you, if you, if you cater to our nostalgia, we will spend the money. Like it's, it's completely evident, um, so I'm all for it, I think. I think I really like it, um, but then you hear the purists, you know, and I'm like, oh, I can totally understand where like both sides.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could totally understand where they're coming from as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm all for anything that just keeps them alive and running.
Speaker 2:and out there you know, yeah, yeah, for sure, do what you want.
Speaker 3:It's just cool that they're still out there.
Speaker 2:I've always been more attracted to, like the classic American muscle. I think in our industry people are like you know, they love the luxury, the Lamborghinis and Maseratis.
Speaker 1:I'm like I love the late sixties, early seventies.
Speaker 2:Yeah, give me like a 1964 Mustang or something that's just like I can feel it when it revs and it's like got some girth to it.
Speaker 1:But then like I listen to, like the New Heights podcast with Kelsey Brothers and Travis Kelsey in Kansas City, has basically donated like tons of money into this high school program that basically fabricate. They bake old cars like they'll take a 71 Chevelle and electrify it, which is like, he's like, he's like and he's basically funded this high school program. It's all credentialed, so they're getting like like collegiate credit hours towards it's.
Speaker 3:it's super super grants and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yep, exactly, they're setting up grants and um, and he basically built them out this shop and they basically, and they built him a car. I think it was like a 71 Chevelle or something they made electric.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I think his brother gave him a car too, and obviously. So I mean you know it's probably the cool thing to do, but I mean it's so neat.
Speaker 2:If you can do it, yeah if you've got the money honey. So what would you say is your favorite part? I mean, you were born and raised pretty much here. What would, what would you say is your favorite part about living in Sacramento?
Speaker 3:Oh, the people. Yeah, for sure, the people. Interesting Some parts of Sacramento. You get shot just looking at someone.
Speaker 1:So you know well. I mean, you've certainly Del Paso Heights, but I mean you've seen, you've seen incredible growth, Folsom specifically.
Speaker 3:Folsom, specifically Eldorado Hills Folsom. You know they're ruining right now. That's my thought. They're ruining it. Traffic is horrendous, Infrastructure can't support it, Water's an issue. It's a nightmare. They're literally in the middle of ruining it. They've only built at this point, I think. Have you been there recently? Which?
Speaker 2:part. You kind of know what I'm talking about. Just getting off the freeway, oh my gosh, it's terrible.
Speaker 3:So just to give perspective on what's coming, I don't even think they've built 4,000 homes yet. There's 11,377 slated to be built.
Speaker 1:Plus, rancho Cordova is also expanding. They're about a third of the way into that project. Why?
Speaker 2:is it that the infrastructure like roadways water? Why is that always the last thought when they're adding and building?
Speaker 1:Because the builders don't want to pay for it because they have to put it off, the mellow ruse. And the tax revenue is what funds that growth, which seems super backwards. But you can't build a road until you can pay for it.
Speaker 3:Funny story, side note. I ran for Folsom City Council in 2018.
Speaker 2:Surprise number seven.
Speaker 3:And I was the first candidate in the history of Folsom that they spent $155,000 on a smear campaign to keep me from getting elected because I was favored in all three polls to win.
Speaker 2:Why did they want to keep you out so badly? Because you're like a transparent, honest person.
Speaker 3:Yeah, who spent the money?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:The BIA.
Speaker 1:What Really? Of course, because you were Me and Roger Gaylord wanted to slow down until our infrastructure could support it.
Speaker 3:Interesting, including schools, fire department, police, everything. It's not prepared. You know, just a few years ago we couldn't even water our grass cause there was now no water. Now, all of a sudden, there's enough water for 11,000 more homes. How's that math out?
Speaker 2:Curious and the construction of it. I mean they have to use a lot of water to construct Plus.
Speaker 3:there's infill projects everywhere with three-story apartments going in everywhere in Folsom. Anywhere there's little spots so they're ruining it. The Folsom's you know slogan was distinctive by nature. Now it's distinctive by traffic. So it's like it's frustrating to see, Cause I've been there since 88, you know, and it's not recognizable anymore.
Speaker 2:So is that something that you might revisit in the future?
Speaker 3:No, I moved to El Dorado Hills on 10 acres.
Speaker 2:When in doubt, just leave it. And that happened. I'm like, all right, my kids are getting out of school.
Speaker 3:I'm like let's get some land.
Speaker 1:Now you're, you're the. The house that you bought has been kind of a personal project as well. You guys have spent a lot of time and effort designing just a really awesome space.
Speaker 3:Well, we had to redo the whole thing. I got it off market. It was on the off market list. So, we redid everything and it was in real poor shape. Now it's pretty nice.
Speaker 1:We could probably totally go on a tangent on here. But the fire insurance, you insurance, you. You live in, you live in the country, on country property. How? How are you dealing with that? Does it? Does living in that help you, as it benefiting your business? You have a better understanding.
Speaker 3:Anything involving rural properties. I'm very well versed on now with septic well fire. Yeah, when I first got my house we've been there three and a half years or so it was like 6,000 a year. Every year it continued to go up to finally hit 17,700.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, shit what yeah.
Speaker 3:And basically that was our insurance company saying we don't want the policy. So, um I had to go to the California fair plan and I think we pay like 13,400 now and my wife complains about it monthly. Believe me, and you know I tell her every time. I say it's worth every penny.
Speaker 1:I'm up there looking at you know and I think that that's, that's a, that's a theme that comes around as well, Like look, the fact of the matter is, if you work hard enough and you can afford it and you want to spend your money on it, then who's to say anything? Right you grabbed the bull by the horns and and, and found the situation that you wanted to be in.
Speaker 2:And now the cost is he looked for the solution? Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So I think it. I think it's fantastic. I love it yeah.
Speaker 2:That's amazing Also, holy shit.
Speaker 3:Pretty frustrating.
Speaker 2:It's so crazy. Yeah, I have a client to getting a new build in Roseville right now and they tried to tell him him his fair plan was his only option and I was like no well, that's not.
Speaker 3:That's a problem that this government has ruined things so bad. No insurance people want to be here you know the california fair plan isn't the government, right, it's a group of four insurance companies, basically, that pull together. So if you get everybody to drop people and get rid of people, well, you're only left with them so now they have a monopoly on it, so I don't know how any of this is legal.
Speaker 1:Yeah Sounds very PG&E-esque, that's crazy.
Speaker 2:They're all going to be coming back. They're all going to be coming after us, like we've seen this before. Yeah, it's disgusting, honestly. Okay, unusual talents. I love this question.
Speaker 3:Although.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I feel like you have a lot no.
Speaker 3:I was going over these with my wife. We were at eating dinner last night. She's like so what do you talk about? And I was showing her the thing. She's like what are you going to say for unusual talents? I said, well, I'm going to. You know, I've been playing the guitar since I was three.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:I did not know that. That's impressive.
Speaker 3:Yeah, some of the top bands like you'll hear on the radio and everything I've, and yeah, really.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:So that's what I told her I was going to say, but that's a lie. I don't play the guitar. Oh man Damn it.
Speaker 2:I was just about to start.
Speaker 3:I have one. I watched some YouTube videos, but man, that's hard. I would say unusual talent, something you probably don't know anybody else that does this, but I do the Native American beadwork like on a loom and everything cool that I have seen that.
Speaker 1:You've seen that. That's documented.
Speaker 3:That's documented, yeah so I do that.
Speaker 1:I've made drums and stuff like that, like native american drums I love that yeah do a deal together, kaylee and and he'll and I'll put my consolation prize bead me something.
Speaker 3:Bead you up something but yeah, but yeah, I'm gonna start getting into. My uncle used to do this in the past, like the? Um leather tooling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, stamping and carving and engraving, all that.
Speaker 3:So I'm going to start doing that and then inlay the beadwork on the belts. Nice, nice.
Speaker 1:Badass.
Speaker 2:Pretty slow going.
Speaker 1:So you've got some artistic aspirations, yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, I consider barbering very artistic. I would agree with that. And tattooing is such an art, I think it's always been such a high society has looked down on it.
Speaker 2:But the reason that people are in love with it is because it is another expression of art. It's a very personal, intimate expression of art too.
Speaker 3:For sure. I think that the barber game really helped me to get real good. Well, the barber ran working at the prison. She needed to know names, nicknames I'm real good with names. You know, if people come in, you know.
Speaker 2:That, I think, is a huge talent.
Speaker 3:That's a huge talent. I make a conscious effort to do it and at open houses you know busy open houses I'll write down. You know Kaylee White and Blue Blouse. You know, I do little things, like damn black hat.
Speaker 1:I love that I do mnem demonic devices. I got to equate you with somebody else I know with that name or yeah, like, cause I'm actually not great with names, which sucks.
Speaker 3:It's a learned thing, though, you can be, but if you're not, you can't tell cause you're effortless with how you you can work a room very effortlessly. So you may not be good with that part, but if you could integrate that part that's a game.
Speaker 1:I mean, yeah, that's game over. Yeah, that's some. That's something obvious. I want to. I don't want to ever let somebody know that I made.
Speaker 2:Well, you just let the whole, all of our six listeners, know that you might not know the name, but you know that they're you might not know the name, but you know they're married.
Speaker 1:You know they have a kid, you know they're, they have a certain car you know there's, personalize it either way. Yeah, I mean, my game is media is to try and meet hundreds of people a month. So yeah, yeah, it gets exhausting but but definitely, yeah, the, the, the, the, the things about them and the facial recognition. I'm, I'm pretty strong yeah.
Speaker 3:That's why I think, uh, even though I don't all the tattoos, they go oh yeah, I've met him, he's cool or he's weird or whatever they say. But have you seen his eating though? Cause I mean, yeah, but it's one of those things you're like. Yeah, you know, but it's funny, cause when I get referred to all my businesses word of mouth referrals I don't buy leads, but I'll show up to like older people's houses. Like to like older people's houses, like very conservative, very put together. Did they warn you Like? Oh yeah, they warned me about all the tattoos, okay?
Speaker 2:Okay, I have a question about the referral thing. This is something that I was talking about earlier. Is there some other than the experience you provide in the transaction? Do you go above and beyond to make sure you're staying in front of people once that transaction is closed to generate referrals?
Speaker 1:Oh, he did it today. What do you mean? He was at a listing appointment today. He walked out of the listing appointment, called me and said I need you to schedule I don't even have this listing yet. I need you to schedule their inspections for me. Have your people call. My people set it up. So he knew that. He knew that he was up against a couple others, so he was trying to go out of his way to differentiate and he paid for it himself.
Speaker 3:So so she is literally calling and saying hi, one of our agents that we work with told us to call you to get a pest inspector out there, cause that was one of the things the guy said is look, I'm really busy with work and I don't want to have to deal with all this stuff, so I left. I don't even know if I got the listing, but I'm paying Dan to send one of his people over there within the next two to three days tops, to do a pest inspection that they're going to get, no matter what.
Speaker 2:So definitely the things you provide throughout the experience are above. You know anyone else?
Speaker 3:Maybe I mean, I don't know. I don't know any other realtors that do that. You know what else I do. I haven't had time yet because I went from there straight to here. Give me all your time yet because I went from there straight here. But I'll get my computer and I order up 20 moving boxes with packing tape and everything. It'll be sent right to them, even if I don't get the listing. I love that, yeah, but they're branded with my logos on them.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:No one's going to throw that away.
Speaker 2:So even if I don't get, the listing.
Speaker 3:Now 20 boxes are stacked in the garage with all their stuff that everybody sees the guy who got the person who got the listings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause I mean honestly as an, as an agent, I'm always I. The goal is to be referral based. I want to give people that experience, but also I want to make sure that I'm doing what I can to stay in front of them. Right, because we know the statistic 90% of people who had a great experience that they'd use our agent again, less than 10% do, because a lot of them don't stay in front. So I'm curious, like how do you? Fill that gap in.
Speaker 3:I have a marketing company. I'll give you more info if you want after this. But I have a marketing company that I use that they're constantly getting emails and postcards maybe every six weeks. I send a postcard and then retargeting ads.
Speaker 1:So they're always seeing me.
Speaker 3:So I have two different systems I use for the ads, so that's kind of top of mind and then I send out literally specific pieces just asking for business or when I do see them or whatever, like Kaylee girl, you got anybody that's looking to buy or sell? Like, oh, actually the girl did my hair was just mentioned I would go. Did you give her my number? You know what?
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm always like that, Like dude what do you mean?
Speaker 3:Like dad doesn't have to ask me to send him business, because I'm always sending him business, but I'll bet you, if his phone stopped ringing he'd be like dude, what's up.
Speaker 1:Right, who's buttering your bread, son? Because I used to use Bowie, yeah, bowie, and they, you know you do better so.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you do do something. That was the point of my question, is you do do something Very proactive?
Speaker 3:But mainly I asked for the business, like if you come to my open house, you're not leaving without me asking for your business. Yeah, I love that and I don't ask if you have a realtor I'm just going in for to to seal the deal.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I equate it to dating. If I look across the bar and I see a beautiful woman, I'm not going to ask her if she's talking to someone, because if you're a beautiful, woman odds are you are, you are and you're probably turning down 10 others every day. But I'm going to shoot my shot as if you're single, Because if I do know you're talking to someone or I do know you're working with a realtor.
Speaker 1:This was like 25 plus years ago by the way.
Speaker 3:Yeah, just so we know, or if I become single. Now she's got to watch out, because I got no shame. But but if I, once you find out, oh, she is talking to somebody, or they do have a realtor Kind of messes with your mental game. Well, you can't, you know? Uh, you, if? Well, you're a scumbag if you keep hitting on her and you're a scumbag real estate agent If you keep going after them when they already told you Kaylee's a realtor.
Speaker 1:Why do you keep talking to them like that?
Speaker 3:You know what I mean. Instead, I will always lead with contribution, be like. Well, here's my card. Pass this on to Kaylee. Let her know I've got a bunch of off market coming up in this area. She can represent you on one of those. So then you're like dang that guy. You know that's cool each other instead of just being cool. Why try to snake them? Let me win you over and maybe my next two, three offers I put in over the next year. You're the listing agent.
Speaker 3:And guess what You're going to be like. Oh, that's a dude that traded me Right.
Speaker 2:Now the offer is accepted. A hundred percent Doing good.
Speaker 3:All you got to do is people always step over a dollar to pick up a nickel will always endure is how I've always looked at it, like you didn't get anywhere.
Speaker 1:if you burn all the bridges, you'd be trapped on an island.
Speaker 3:And if someone's out there talking bad about me, it's because they did me wrong, yeah.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I'm not going to lie. There's a couple of people, there's a few names that I have heard over and over again that I'm just like I do not want to do a deal with, right?
Speaker 3:I'll write it down. Okay, yeah, pass it along, cause there is.
Speaker 2:there's one name in particular that I hear over and over, especially from my female realtor partners, that I'm just appalled that people act like this in our industry and treat other people like this yeah, I'm like why, what? How does that benefit you?
Speaker 3:as a business owner. Bullies out there too. I think people like to try to big time and like dude. I don't care about my MLS stats. In fact, if my stats were never published, I'd be more than happy with it. I want to close deals. Yeah, I'd prefer them all to be off market.
Speaker 2:I want to close deals and I want to help people. That's why I got into real estate, because I mean, I was licensed long before title. But I was dealing with these agents time and time again who would pass the buck off and their their client would be calling us and saying, like I have all these questions.
Speaker 3:I can't get ahold of this person and I'm like it's insane.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and. And then they would ask me simple questions about the contract and because I was a licensed realtor, I could answer. But I'm like you doofuses are out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so frustrating. So, yeah, I know we're, I know we're, we're, we're pressing on time you guys, we a very important question to ask. The last question is always the best and I always ask it, so every guest has answered this question. If you could be anyone for a day, dead or alive, it can't be kaylee or myself or it can't be an older or younger version of yourself. Who would it be, and why and what would you do?
Speaker 3:oh, this one always gets people well, I mean, it'd be real cool to go back in time and see how things were, like you know, sitting Bull or Abe Lincoln, like I'm in a Seriously Like that'd be pretty rad. Oh yeah, Well, anyone for a day. It'd be pretty rad to be Jesus for a day.
Speaker 1:So that's got to be my answer, I mean.
Speaker 3:Walking on water. I mean, that sounds bad to even.
Speaker 1:I would love to give that walking on water thing a try.
Speaker 2:I would love to try to turn water into wine. That'd be amazing Something like that.
Speaker 3:It'd be cool to be Elvis for a day too.
Speaker 2:I like your Jesus answer. Be Jesus for a day, or?
Speaker 3:better, yet just spend a day with him. I don't even want to be him. Just give me an hour with him, that'd be great you could finally figure out.
Speaker 2:is it all for real?
Speaker 3:Was finally figure out.
Speaker 1:Is it all for real? Was it really real? I don't know. I'm betting it's real. I'm not going to doubt that. All right, man. Well, this has been a blast. We appreciate you coming in and making time for us Like. I said I think this is a super insightful episode.
Speaker 2:Incredibly.
Speaker 1:Hopefully people enjoy it. If you didn't take anything away from this. You weren't listening.
Speaker 2:We're going to play you out of here.
Speaker 1:Play me out, keep me alive.
Speaker 2:There we go.
Speaker 1:I can see John Travolta walking in right now fingers pointing.
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