North Fort Worth Real Producers - March 2023

CONNECTING. ELEVATING. INSPIRING.

SANG SHWE

It’s All About Trust

AMBER BUTCHER: SOUTHLAKE PROUD

SHELBY LOVE: FOR THE LOVE OF REAL ESTATE

JENNAH CIERS: BUSINESS IN HER BLOOD

RACHAEL & BRANDON BURGAN & TITAN LENDING: A DESIRE TO DO THINGS BETTER

JUNKLUGGERS: GREEN IS GOOD

MARCH 2023

Photo by: Desiree Roberts

PREFERRED PARTNERS

This section has been created to give you easier access when searching for a trusted real estate affiliate. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the businesses sponsoring your magazine. These local businesses are proud to partner with you and make this magazine possible. Please support these businesses and thank them for supporting the REALTOR® community!

BRANDED MARKETING

MATERIALS

Lovehandle (281) 778-2051

www.lovehandle promo.com

BUSINESS COACHING

Rialto Academy (512) 743-4330

RialtoAcademy.com

CLIENT AND REFERRAL GIFTS

Board + Brie

(817) 693-1908

boardbriedfw.com

Buttermilk Sky

Pie Colleyville

(817) 581-7437

buttermilkskypie.com/ locations/colleyville/

COMMERCIAL ROOFING

PROCO

(817) 975-5948

procoroof.com

FOUNDATION REPAIR

DW Foundation Repair (817) 706-3430

HEALTH

Restore Hyperwellness & Cryotherapy

(817) 912-1550

Restore.com

HEALTH CARE COVERAGE

Impact Health

Stephanie Ziemann

(817) 682-1356

HOME INSPECTION

Endeavor Real

Estate Inspections

Chris Carathers

(817) 726-5333

endeavorinspect.com

Greenworks (855) 349-6757

greenworks inspections.com

HomeTeam Inspection Service

(972) 400-7034

HomeTeam-DFW.com

Inspect360

(817) 754-0360

inspect360.com

Semper Fi Home Inspections, Inc.

(682) 351-2267

SemperFiHome Inspections.com

Super Team Services

Robyn Jordan

(940) 367-1708

superteamservices.com

HOME WARRANTY

Achosa Home Warranty

(817) 933-8707

www.achosahw.com

Tarrant Home Warranty

(817) 554-2196

tarranthws.com

INSURANCE

Duren Jenkins Agency

(817) 445-0120

insurinwithduren.com

Jason Ridley Agency

(817) 281-4500

jasonridleyagency.com

JUNK REMOVAL

Junkluggers of Grapevine, Irving & Denton

Rajagopal Ramanujam (630) 470-8307

junkluggersofgid.com

MORTGAGE LENDING

Ameridream Mortgage Group, LLC

AmeriDreamMtg.com

Cardinal Financial Company, LP

(972) 777-5626 (LOAN)

TheBryanConnatser Team.com

Cherry Creek Mortgage

(817) 709-4683

NunisLending.com

Cross Country Mortgage

Corey Kastler

(817) 715-5637

crosscountrymortgage. com/THE-KASTLER-TEAM/

First United Mortgage Group (469) 629-0776

firstunitedbank.com

Movement Mortgage

(469) 202-4195

LoanOfficerMark.com

Neighborhood Loans

(817) 501-4255

mikeprotono.com

OriginPoint

Dan Carson

(512) 878-3047

Titan Lending, LLC

(817) 290-3464

titanlending.com

MOVING COMPANY

Black Tie Moving North Fort Worth

JC Caldwell (615) 900-2641

MOVING SERVICES

Firehouse Movers Inc

(972) 412-6033

firehousemovers.com

The Perfect Move

Don Hall (682) 206-9132

theperfectmove.net

PEST CONTROL PROCO (817) 975-5948

procoroof.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Desiree Roberts

Photography (972) 998-3133

DesireeRoberts.com

Katie Wallace Studios

(817) 688-8557

katiewallacestudios.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

American Real PM

(469) 620-0114

americanrealpm.com

RESIDENTIAL ROOFING PROCO

(817) 975-5948

procoroof.com

ROOFING

Alpha Roofing & Restoration

(817) 330-9250

roofbyalpha.com

K&M Services, Roofing & Construction

(817) 918-3940

kmservicepro.com

Tarrant Roofing

(817) 571-7809

TarrantRoofing.com

Texas Direct Roofing & Construction

(682) 408-8551

txdroofing.com

ROOFING & SOLAR

Rankin Roofing & Solar LLC

(469) 952-9151

rankinroofingandsolar.com

STAGE & DESIGN

Evergreen Staging & Design

Sherwood Wilson

(817) 513-3141 x1

evergreenstaging.com

TITLE COMPANY

Alamo Title Company Cory Turner

(817) 896-8686

www.alamodfw.com

Boston National Title of Texas (972) 584-9660

bnttexas.com

Juniper Title, Inc.

Julia Mitchell

(817) 358-9500

junipertitle.com

Texas Excel Title LLC (817) 980-1018

TexasExcelTitle.com

Texas Premier Title (817) 577-5111

www.TXPrem.com

TRANSACTION COORDINATOR

Controlled Transactions (817) 889-0864

controlledtransactions.com

VIDEOGRAPHY/ PHOTOGRAPHY

StudioUSA

(469) 955-5833

studiousa.live

WEBSITE DESIGN

MPC Studios Inc.

(956) 423-2233

mpcstudios.com

WINDOWS

Glass Guru Southlake

(817) 424-3500

theglassguru.com/southlake

MEET THE NORTH FT. WORTH REAL PRODUCERS TEAM

lance.dunahoe@realproducersmag.com.

If you are interested in contributing or nominating REALTORS® for certain stories,

Any articles included in this publication and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of The N2 Company d/b/a Real Producers but remain magazine are not endorsed or recommended by The N2 Company or the publisher. Therefore, neither The N2 Company nor the publisher may be held liable or responsible for business practices of these companies.

Jessica Nelson Social Media Director

Missy Kremer Editor

Mark Fadden Writer

Dave Danielson

Kareen Delos Reyes

Katherine Fondren

Lance Dunahoe Co-Owner

Julie Altemus Executive Director

Jordan Espeseth Co-Owner

Landon Robinson Director of Client Relations

Desiree Roberts Photographer

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SIGNATURE EXPANDED ASSET QUALIFIER

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SIGNATURE EXPANDED FULL DOC

A near-miss product to help provide coverage to borrowers who may not meet Agency or Prime Jumbo guidelines.

SIGNATURE EXPANDED INVESTOR CASH FLOW

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SIGNATURE EXPANDED ALT DOC - 1099

A reduced doc program that allows a borrower to qualify off the average of 1099 income instead of tax returns.�

THANK YOU TO OUR RP VETTED BUSINESSES!

RP VETTED BUSINESSES!

I ask top agents all the time, “How important is it to work with businesses that you know and trust?” And, every single time, they tell me that working with great businesses is crucial to their success as an agent. Having part ners that are not only communicative, but also who will go above and beyond to serve the clients and to preserve the relationships of everyone involved, is a game-changer in this business.

Recently, a top-producing agent posted this on Facebook: “It matters who you work with. It really does. Partner with people who you or your REALTOR® know and trust. It takes a team of professionals to get the transaction to the finish line, and I am thankful to partner with people who set my clients (and me) up for success!”

Truer words have never been spoken! It takes an enormous team, across many industries, to successfully close a transaction. This is why I

love our RP Vetted Businesses! Each of the businesses that are in our magazine and that come to our events have been recommended by top-producing real estate agents, vetted by our team, and continuously monitored to ensure they maintain a standard of excellence.

In an interview with one of our team members, a Real Producing “I was so excited to find out that Real Producers has this vetted list of trusted businesses. It is awesome! It makes me more comfortable using the businesses that have been vetted by other top producers. This is a solid list!” We hear that all the time!

So, RP vetted businesses, thank you for continually striving to be the best for yourself and for the agents that you serve. We wouldn’t be the most elite real estate community in DFW if it weren’t for you.

Cheers, Jordan Espeseth Owner jordan.espeseth@n2co.com

WHICH REAL PRODUCERS

TERRITORY ARE YOU A PART OF?

REAL PRODUCERS IN THE DFW METROPLEX

WHICH REAL PRODUCERS TERRITORY ARE YOU A PART OF?

A Quick Look at the Different DFW Real Producers Markets

Real Producers in the DFW Metroplex

A Quick Look at the Different DFW

Real Producers Markets

Real Producers has 100+ franchises nationwide and there are four in DFW alone. In each of these markets, we pull the top 500 agents based off annual residential MLS sales volume. Where your broker address is located will determine which publication is for you. This map shows the territories for each of the four DFW franchises. If you are a top-500 agent in any of these markets, you will be receiving a publication every month and have the possibility of being featured at no cost to you!

Real Producers has 100+ franchises nationwide and there are four in DFW alone. In each of these markets, we pull the top 500 agents based off annual residential MLS sales volume. Where your broker address is located will determine which publication is for you. This map shows the territories for each of the four DFW franchises. If you are a top-500 agent in any of these markets, you will be receiving a publication every month and have the possibility of being featured at no cost to you!

North Dallas

Producers

ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE FAQ

Real Producers magazine started in Indianapolis in 2015 and is now in over 100 markets across the nation and continues to spread rapidly. Real Producers first launched in DFW in August 2018 with North DFW Real Producers (now called “North Dallas”). In May 2019, Dallas Real Producers launched, and then Tarrant Real Producers in March 2021.

In 2022, Tarrant Real Producers split into two publications, North Fort Worth and Fort Worth Real Producers. Fort Worth Real Producers launched in August 2022!

Q: WHO RECEIVES REAL PRODUCERS MAGAZINES?

A: The top 500 real estate agents in each of the four markets in DFW based on their MLS production for the previous year. Refer to the map in this publication for the exact territories. If your broker address is within that given territory and you are in the top 500, you will receive that publication for the year. There are approximately 60,000 licensed real estate agents in DFW. The list will reset at the end of every year and continue to update annually.

Q: WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS MAGAZINE?

A: We believe that we are better together. When we surround ourselves with other successful, like-minded people, we grow to new heights. Real Producers is a platform that brings together the most elite individuals in DFW real estate.

We take the top 500 real estate agents and RP-vetted businesses in every market, and we build an exclusive community around that group. We share their stories, successes, market trends, and upcoming events — really, anything that will connect, inform and inspire, we put in our monthly publication.

Q: DOES REAL PRODUCERS HAVE EVENTS?

A: Yes! Each community will have two main events a year, and then we do a combined event at the end of the year, which is an awards gala called The ESPEs. For these events, we invite the top 500 real estate agents and our RP-vetted businesses. Top 500 agents are allowed to invite members of their team as well. These

events are an incredible opportunity to connect with the best of the best in DFW real estate. It is amazing to see the power in the connections made at these events. Be on the lookout for your exclusive invites!

Q: WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR BEING FEATURED IN THIS MAGAZINE?

A: It’s really simple. You have to be on the top 500 list, and we take nominations seriously. You can nominate other real estate agents, businesses, brokers, owners or even yourself! Office leaders can also nominate real estate agents. We will consider anyone brought to our attention who is in the top 500 because we don’t know everyone’s story, so we need your help to learn about them. We cannot guarantee a feature, but we encourage you to meet with one of our team members, support Real Producers and attend our private events to increase your chances.

You can email your nominations to jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com.

Q: WHAT DOES IT COST A REAL ESTATE AGENT/TEAM TO BE FEATURED?

A: Zero, zilch, zippo, nada, nil. It costs nothing, my friends, so nominate away! We are not a pay-to-play model. We share real stories of Real Producers.

Q: WHO ARE THE RP-VETTED BUSINESSES?

A: They are one of the best businesses in DFW in their category, and you can find them listed in our index! We don’t just find these businesses off the street, nor do we work with all businesses that approach us. One of many of the top real estate agents has recommended every single business you see in this publication. We won’t even meet with a business that has not been vetted by one of you and “stamped for approval,” in a sense. Our team will further vet every business to make sure they are a good fit and bring value to our community. Our goal is to create a powerhouse network, not only for the best real estate agents in the area but for the best businesses, as well, so we can grow stronger together.

Q: HOW CAN I RECOMMEND A BUSINESS?

A: If you know and want to recommend a business that works with top real estate agents, please email us to let us know at jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com.

Being a young mother, you don’t have a choice but to grow up early, work hard, and dedicate yourself to achieve goals you set for yourself and your child.

“Southlake is something that can’t be replicated. Friends are made so easily, and the community is so welcoming,” Butcher said. “This is where my husband and I chose to raise our family and plant our roots. We are extremely involved in the community. We plan on being in Southlake for a very long time.”

While Butcher may have ended up in Southlake for now, she started out life in Tyler, Texas. She had her son Nathan while still in high school and credits being a young mother while going through college with giving her a solid work ethic. “Being a young mother, you don’t have a choice but to grow up early, work hard, and dedicate yourself to achieve goals you set for yourself and your child,” said Butcher. “Work ethic is something that many talk about but few actually understand. Whether it’s for my marriage, my children, my personal relationships, or my professional life, I give my all. You will find me chipper and ready to work with an international client at 3:00 a.m., just as you will find me on my hands and knees cleaning one of my listings so I know it’s done to my standards. Many will talk about work ethic, but few will be about it.”

Being a mother also gave her perspective in her early professional life as a social worker. “My experiences as a young mother helped shape my passion for helping others in difficult situations as I entered the world of social work,” said Butcher. “I spent time working with juvenile detention centers, with Child Protective Services, and with various other organizations and non-profits.”

Butcher was a social worker for more than ten years before switching careers and getting into real estate. “In addition to social work, I also worked in supporting roles to real estate transactions, in prior years, but I decided it was time for me to pursue my passion full-time”, she said. One of the unique things that Butcher feels she brings to the table is leveraging her social work experience to help take the stress out of real estate transactions. “Couples often disagree on a house, which can make for intense and emotional situations. Being a neutral third party and calmly

guiding what can be an emotional and intensely personal process is something that I learned when I was working investigations for Child Protective Services (CPS),” she said. “Especially in the luxury market, lots of things can get in the way of getting a deal across the finish line. In most cases, we are working with highly accomplished people, on both sides of a transaction, who are very used to navigating their

own processes and achieving their personal objectives. In many of these cases, we are working with multiple highly accomplished people inside a single household and it’s important to be a rational, professional voice that inspires confidence and can restore calm and direction, where needed.”

When Butcher first started in real estate, she had advice coming from

every direction. “The most common piece of advice was to NOT pigeonhole myself into one area. That was not natural for me,” Butcher said. “I am not a salesperson. I cannot ‘pitch’ something I don’t believe in and so, against the advice of almost everyone except my husband and my mentor, Roxann Taylor, I chose to specialize in my own backyard: Southlake.”

When Butcher says that she’s all about Southlake, she means it. Ninety-five percent of Butcher’s clients buy and sell houses in Southlake. When clients are moving to North Texas from across state lines, they may not know just how wonderful her community is. That’s when Butcher becomes head cheerleader for Southlake. “Many clients coming from out of state can’t wrap their heads around why it’s so much more expensive than many other surrounding communities. Educating my clients on Southlake is job one. I’ve got to explain that they’re getting a lifestyle, not just a community,” she said.

Once Butcher shows her clients all that Southlake has to offer, she takes off her cheerleading hat and becomes a community concierge. “I don’t just stop being an advisor when I hand over the keys. I help outsource all the things a family will need to get settled into our town, from kids getting registered in school or making connections with other parents,” she said. “I know my clients feel a level of comfort and trust that comes along with seeing them at the local school board meeting or at a restaurant in Southlake Town Square. I take that responsibility seriously, and I love helping neighbors.”

- Desireé Roberts, Photographer

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Desiree Roberts

Junkluggers

Green is Good

Entrepreneurs Megan Dutton and Raj Ramanujam both wanted a franchise that would serve their financial needs. Junkluggers not only helped them fulfill that goal, but it also helps them do well by doing good.

“Greed is good.”

In the movie Wall Street, Michael Douglas uttered those three words that became synonymous with the irrational exuberance that defined the 1980s. Fast forward almost four decades and it seems we only need to change one letter to capture the green transformation that’s happening in the economy.

It seems that everywhere we look, it’s now good to be green. Solar panels are helping power more buildings, electric vehicles are moving more people to their destinations, and giant windmills have replaced oil pumpjacks as the ubiquitous mechanisms that dot our rural landscapes.

Another major part of being green is to repurpose things that we no longer use. Whether it’s recycling a soda can that will eventually be made into a rain gutter or donating an old kid’s bike to a local charity so that someone else can use it to power years of childhood joy, many of the products in our homes can have a second or even third life and beyond. Better still, if it is repurposed, it’s kept out of local landfills, thus making it better for the environment.

Enter Junkluggers. The basic concept of the business is simple. Junkluggers staff members partner with property owners, business owners, or realtors to come in and haul away unwanted junk from a residence or business. But they go one step further by sorting through the unwanted items and repurposing and donating as much as they can. It was a concept that both Raj Ramanujam and Megan Dutton were both interested in from day one.

“I worked as a trauma ICU nurse for more than five years and was looking to move out of healthcare and started evaluating franchise opportunities,” said Dutton. “I hired a franchise consultant, and that’s when he introduced me to Raj. We both chose Junkluggers out of ten other franchise opportunities because it appealed to our values of giving back to society and our return-on-investment (ROI) goals.”

While Dutton and Ramanujam started the business only a year ago, they have already made quite an impact on the environment already. “We are able to give back to the community every day,” Ramanujam said. “In a span of one year, we have been able to save almost 50 tons (100,000 pounds) of junk from going into landfill by donations, recycling, and upcycling to find items a new home.”

They currently have six employees and three trucks. Each truck can handle 16 cubic yards of waste. “To put it in perspective, that’s about a 1,400 square foot fully-furnished apartment,” Dutton said.

Dutton grew up in Sherman, Texas, went to college on a full golf scholarship, and still maintains a handicap that many golfers (including yours truly) would envy. “I don’t have time to practice or play a lot, but I’m still a two handicap,” she said.

Ramanujam grew up in India and came to the US to attend Duke University. He studied business at Duke, where he earned an MBA. He then moved to Texas and also has a master’s in AI and machine learning from the University of Texas at Austin.

On paper, Dutton and Ramanujam couldn’t be more different. But then again, as Stephen Covey once said, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” Not only do their different backgrounds and perspectives help make the business work, but they also began discussing who would be responsible for what roles from their first meeting. “I knew that I didn’t want to be a sole owner,” said Dutton. “When the franchise consultant put me together with Raj, we

met several times over lunch and basically interviewed each other. We asked each other what we wanted out of the business and how we would split the responsibilities.” They quickly figured out that Dutton would oversee business development and customer service while Ramanujam would take care of finance and strategy.

Another important piece to the partnership puzzle is not just figuring out who does what but also goal setting for the future. Ramanujam said that they had similar objectives from the beginning, which made him feel good about becoming Dutton’s partner. “We have similar work ethics and values,” he said. “I know that Megan will always get the job completed no matter the difficulty. Coming from another country has taught me to work hard and the importance of paying it forward. I want to give back to society by providing opportunities for folks to grow with me in life. Our goal is to grow our business so that we provide opportunities for more than 100 employees and their families with all the benefits like a large corporation.”

Bryan joined the mortgage business in 1994

Bryan has been in the "Top 1% of all Originators" nationally every year since 2016, as listed by Mortgage Originator magazine.

The Bryan Connatser Team was voted the Silver Award winner in the Best in DFW People's Choice Awards, by The Dallas Morning News for 2022 in November.

Bryan has been named Best Mortgage Professional by D Magazine every year since 2016, and PLATINUM PRODUCER in 2020 & 2021.

WORTH REAL PRODUCERS YOUR

BADGES

CONGRATS on being one of the top 500 real estate agents in North Fort Worth!

Our RP-vetted businesses have been carefully selected to be a part of this community and have their own badge as well! They have been recommended by your peers in the top 500 and are some of North Fort Worth’s most elite businesses. Look for this badge to know that you are working with one of the best, recommended by the best!

SANG SHWE

It’s All About Trust

An immigrant from Myanmar, Shwe Sang learned how to run several businesses in America. Real estate allowed him to combine his business acumen with his passion for serving his community.

For Shwe Sang, perhaps the only thing that is more important than his client’s trust is discipline. “My favorite quote is from Jim Rohn who said, ‘Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments,’” Sang said. “In my family, we all talk about discipline and respecting each other. If you don’t have discipline, you can’t make the goal.”

Goals are another thing that Sang knows all about. Born in Myanmar, he excelled in school. “In Myanmar, the government places students into programs where they score well. My highest scores were in chemistry, so that became my major course of study,” said Sang. However, due to political unrest, schools were shut down and Sang couldn’t attend university, so he set his sights on America, where he could have political freedom.

After Sang and his wife applied for asylum in the US, they were allowed to fly to Guam, a US territory, where they waited for six months. While they waited, they got in touch with a family member that went to theology school in Dallas and spoke of the opportunity there along with the strong community of immigrants from Myanmar. So, they prepared to move to Texas from Guam while their asylum application was still under review (it would eventually take more than two years for Sang and his wife to be granted asylum).

Once they reached Texas, Sang quickly found work in a restaurant while delivering pizzas on the side. “The Dallas Fort Worth area was so different compared to Myanmar,” said Sang. “There was so much opportunity here. There was political freedom and no fear of the police. You could have any future you wanted if you worked hard enough to get it.”

On his way to becoming a real estate agent, Sang had several different careers. After working in the restaurant, he opened his own sushi franchise inside of a grocery store. When that business didn’t make enough money to pay his family’s bills, he sought out another job. By this time, Sang and his wife began getting to know other immigrants from Myanmar and other Asian countries that were living in the Dallas area. “Most of them didn’t speak English; they only spoke the Hakha Chin language, which is spoken mostly only in Myanmar,” Sang said. “When they got here, one of the first things they needed was a car, so I would go help them buy a car and be their translator.” Those efforts turned into Sang getting a job at Vandergriff Toyota selling cars.

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Desiree Roberts

SET ASIDE PROPER TIME FOR YOUR BUSINESS, AND BE COMMITTED TO THE TIME YOU SET ASIDE. MOTIVATION IS WHAT GETS YOU STARTED. HABITS ARE WHAT KEEP YOU GOING.

He eventually would get to know some other people who had their own car lots and Sang began working for one of them who had a lot in Lewisville. A life insurance salesman stopped by the lot one day and Sang started talking to him about what it was like selling insurance. He thought it sounded interesting and yet another way to make money. “The guy kept talking about residual income. Selling cars was great, but you only got paid once, off the sale of the car. By selling insurance, you kept getting paid as long as the person had the policy,” said Sang.

He kept his job at the car lot while he sold life insurance. At the same time, he was very involved in his church and people in his community knew him as someone they could trust. “They came to me for cars, and they came to me for life insurance. Many told me, ‘If I could only come to you to buy a

house, then I would be all set.” That got the wheels in Sang’s head turning. He did some research about selling houses and, in 2015, he got his real estate license. “I was so excited and worked very hard. I was recognized as one of the top agents in the company and was awarded Rookie of the Year,” Sang said. “That event motivated me to succeed in my career.”

Besides being a hard worker, Sang also realized that every job was an opportunity to learn how business worked in the United States. He’s also used everything he learned along the way in his real estate career. “I delivered pizzas before there were smartphones, so I had to get to know addresses and street names. Being my own boss with the sushi franchise taught me about customer service and the value of building relationships with customers. Toyota trained us a lot; every week we had sales training

sessions. They taught us how to get people to trust us as salespeople, which is hard to do because you’re asking them to trust a complete stranger,” Sang said.

Speaking of education, Sang and his wife value it just as much as they value their relationship with their church and their community. Their oldest son recently graduated from Baylor, and their second child also goes to Baylor where she is currently in her final year. Their third child, a son, is in junior high.

Sang tells his children often about the value of hard work and setting goals. “Set a goal - big or small –and then prepare your work week,” he said. “Set aside proper time for your business, and be committed to the time you set aside. Motivation is what gets you started. Habits are what keep you going.”

rp vetted business spotlight

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Desiree Roberts

Burgan Rachael & Brandon & Titan Lending

A Desire to Do Things Better

After several horrible experiences with buying houses, Rachael and Brandon Burgan knew they could improve the mortgage process. They did just that by not only making it better but by making mortgages available to more people.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. While financing for home buying had been around for almost as long as there have been homes to buy, Rachael and Brandon Burgan knew it was necessary to bring about a change to the process.

“I was working in the oil and gas industry, so we moved around a lot,” Brandon said. “We bought and sold a half a dozen houses and never had a good experience. On house number seven, the experience was even worse. No one took the time to educate us on the financing process. Both of us walked away from that closing saying, ‘What did we just sign?’ That’s when I knew there had to be a better way.”

While the Burgan’s desire to make the mortgage process better stayed in their brains, they took a bit of a detour and started their own utility construction company. They grew that business into a $12 million company before selling it to their partner. That’s when Brandon decided to get into the mortgage lending business. While he liked the work and was focused on learning as much as he could about the business, he became frustrated that he lacked the products to help all his clients. He was convinced that by opening his own shop, he could offer financing products that the big-name lenders couldn’t. “I got extremely tired of saying ‘No’

to my clients,” said Brandon. “So, when Rachael and I seriously started discussing opening our own brokerage, our main focus was immediately on what we could do to make the entire process better for our customers and real estate agents. Open and honest communication, being accessible, and staying true to our word has been essential to our success so far.”

Besides being open and honest and sincerely trying to educate each and every client about the

mortgage process and the available products to help them finance the home of their dreams, the Burgans also credit their work ethic with the secret to their success. They also bring to the table a broad spectrum of life experiences that help them understand their clients’ needs.

Brandon was born in Bossier City, LA and spent his early childhood in Marshall, Texas. “My grandmother worked at the Ramada Inn restaurant in Marshall as a waitress and a cashier. I can remember coming to work with her when I was five years old,” Brandon said. “I would help seat customers, clear tables, and wash dishes in exchange for eating at the buffet.”

His family moved to Houston when he was six years old. He attended Klein Forest High School and then Sam Houston State University. “I quickly realized that college was not for me,” Brandon said. “So, I decided to start my first business at 19 and grew it into a successful landscaping company until the housing market crashed in 2008.” He decided to switch gears and started working in the oil fields. He managed drilling rigs

all over the world, including places like Angola, Africa, and Pakistan before a medical issue forced him to switch gears once again. “After years of traveling and being away from my wife and kids, I decided being away for weeks and months at a time was not in our family’s best interest. I took my knowledge of drilling in the oil and gas industry and applied it to utility construction,” said Brandon.

As for Rachael, her family was also in the oil and gas business. She was born in Wyoming and grew up mostly in Texas, but her family moved around a lot. “My dad was a ballistics engineer. He designed and built explosives for Baker Hughes,” Rachael said. She was a NCAA division one soccer player at Arkansas State University on a soccer scholarship and later graduated from UT Arlington with a bachelor’s in nursing.

Besides being partners in business and in marriage, Brandon and Rachael are also raising two daughters together. “Mackenzie is 13 and Maddison is 11. The girls and I are horse lovers, so we spend a lot of time at our barn in

Flower Mound and at horse shows watching our daughters compete,” Rachael said. “Mackenzie has a handsome Hanoverian Warmblood named Levi, and Maddison has a spunky pony named Monte.”

When I asked the Burgans if they could sum up what made Titan Lending different in one sentence, they actually did it with one word. “Yes,” Brandon said. “When other lenders say no, we say yes.” Sixty percent of Titan Lending’s products are considered alternative lending products that are geared for people that are self-employed or aren’t otherwise W-2 employees that have a more traditional income record. “Our clients are typically turned down two or three times by other lenders before we see them,” said Brandon. “We understand tax returns and self-employment, and we get that there’s a whole niche there. Plus, we can close

faster than the big lenders. Where other lenders are closing in 28 to 45 days, we can close in 10. We have the processes in place to do solid pre-approvals and appraisals in four days,” Brandon said. “It’s all in how we work it. We help realtors close deals.”

It’s all in how we work it. We help realtors close deals.

SHELBY

LOVE FOR THE LOVE OF REAL ESTATE

legacy agent

You might say that Shelby Love was destined to be in real estate. “My mom was a real estate broker, so I decided to follow in her footsteps. I spent a lot of time as a kid helping her put out signs and lockboxes, stage houses, and check on the rental properties she owned,” Shelby said.

When she wasn’t working with her mom, you’d think she would want to do things that other eightyear-old girls were doing. Instead, she would play real estate and practice showing houses and rearranging, or staging, her bedroom.

Shelby grew up in Denton, and after graduating high school, she went to work for a Freight Forwarding/Logistics company that handled cargo through US customs. She started as a receptionist, quickly moved up with the company, and learned how the logistics side of the business worked. Working in the corporate world taught her the value of working with others to get the job done. “I learned how to network with people and build relationships with clients,” said Shelby. “I quickly realized that if everyone isn’t on the same team, then it’s impossible to get from point A to point B.”

In 1997, Shelby decided to make a career change and become her own boss. “I got tired of people telling me that I was on the phone too much or that I was five minutes late, even though I stayed an hour late,” she said. “So, I decided to pursue my passion

Written by: Mark Fadden

of real estate. I quit my corporate job and waited tables and bartended while I went back to school to get my real estate license.” She parlayed the knowledge from the corporate world into her career as a real estate agent!

Shelby still remembers the first transaction she ever made, where she represented a work friend as her realtor. “I was scared to death. I didn’t want to mess it up because she was my friend,” Shelby said. “It ended up being such a cool experience being that it was my first time, and they were first time home buyers. So, we learned the process together.”

Speaking of love, romance and work don’t often mix, but in this case, Shelby met her husband John while working in the corporate world. They married in 2003 and Shelby quickly convinced John to join her as a real estate agent. He had been

Photos by: Desiree Roberts

working in the mortgage industry previously, and with that experience, he decided to get licensed and team up with Shelby. Since then, they have been working together as a duo to bring excellent, personalized service to members of the community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and their continued success has been nothing less than impressive.

John and Shelby helped build and grow a program called Hometown Hero’s with another agent to help first responders and teachers have the opportunity to be a part of the American dream of home ownership. “It’s very heart filling,” Shelby said. “Some people thought they could never buy a house, but we always find a way to make it work or come up with a plan. That’s where the passion comes from, helping people who never thought they could own a home. We still have Hometown Hero clients to this day that buy and sell with us.”

When it comes to interacting with clients, John and Shelby find it immensely important to build lasting relationships with them through community engagement and consistent communication. “We love the excitement and happiness people feel when their dream of home ownership comes true, especially when they never thought they could afford a home in the first place,” she said.

John and Shelby host client appreciation events and stay in touch with clients long after the transaction is closed, maintaining presence in the lives of their constituents regularly throughout the year. “We appreciate the connections we make with our clients and everything they do for us, and we like to let them know we’re thinking of them,” she said. “We are very passionate and enthusiastic about real estate and have found a lot of joy and fulfillment in our careers.”

In their free time, John and Shelby enjoy traveling, as well as spending time with their teenage daughters Payton and Presley, family, and friends. Shelby and the girls are part of the NCL (National Charity League of Highland Village) and enjoy volunteering and helping families in the community. Shelby also loves to sing Karaoke and likes to get people involved by walking around the restaurant and almost everyone ends up singing and having a great time. “Both of our daughters already help us with our social media marketing efforts like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Reels,” said Shelby. “They will both get their real estate licenses and will work with us when they’re home from college, and then maybe one day take over the business, if they want to.”

WE APPRECIATE THE CONNECTIONS WE MAKE WITH OUR CLIENTS AND EVERYTHING THEY DO FOR US, AND WE LIKE TO LET THEM KNOW WE’RE THINKING OF THEM

Ciers Jennah

agent feature

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Desiree Roberts

Business is in Her Blood

When most five-year-olds are out in the yard playing with rocks, it’s just that: a kid playing with rocks. But when Jennah Ciers was out in her yard, she wasn’t trying to find rocks to play with. Instead, she was looking to make a buck or two. “We had this half mile long crushed granite driveway. I would hunt for the big rocks in it, take them down to the street and sell them to people driving by,” Ciers said.

Selling rocks turned into babysitting as a teenager. Ciers’s family was in the moving industry, so at 18 years old, she worked both in a moving warehouse and as a packer and mover. When she graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in English, she thought she would go into teaching. “No one wanted English teachers in 2008, so I got a job as an international recruiter and had several small companies on the side,” Ciers said. She made soap and lip balm in her uptown Dallas apartment and sold them on the Dallas market circuit. “I’m a serial entrepreneur with a teacher’s heart,” said Ciers. “It’s my goal to provide information to change and guide people’s lives.”

When Ciers took time off after giving birth to her son, Kohen, her husband, David, got laid off after working for Sprint as an engineer for 17 years. A chance encounter with a friend from her Bible study group who encouraged her to try her hand at real estate gave her the push she needed in her family’s time of crisis. “We were about to lose our home and we figured, worst case scenario, if I got my license, at least I could sell it,” she said. After taking the necessary classes in six weeks and passing the exam with flying colors, Ciers got her real estate license the same day that David received an incredible job offer. “I love how God works,” said Ciers. “It was absolute kismet and confirmation that I was on the right path. If David wouldn’t have been laid off, I don’t know that I would be here today!”

Most people leverage the skills and talents they develop over the years to help propel them toward success in other jobs and careers. For Ciers, there are two very specific skills that she developed relatively early in life that she leverages today in her real estate career. “When I was working in the moving industry, we learned that moving is one of the top five most stressful events that people go through. I remember that sometimes moving and buying or

From selling rocks when she was five, to selling soap just out of college, to being a real estate agent who developed her own podcast, Jennah Ciers is a serial entrepreneur that loves helping people get the life they want.

selling a home is driven by excitement and positive changes in people’s lives, but it can also be driven by loss and heartbreak. I see my clients as individuals and want to understand their motivations so that I can best guide and empower them through the real estate process,” said Ciers.

As a one-time professional packer and mover, she also had prudent guidance for someone’s next move. “Number one piece of advice…throw your crap away before you move! Why pay to move a shampoo bottle with just a little bit left in it or the trash that’s in your drawer?”

Another talent that Ciers had as a kid was being comfortable on a stage. “I’m a musical theater kid and even went to elocution classes when I was growing up. The skills I learned performing have made all the difference in how I run my business,” says Ciers. That talent has led her to produce her own social media videos that are edited to look like Bravo TV’s Million Dollar Listing tours. Jennah even has her own podcast called Come Home with Jennah. The podcast is produced by YEA Networks, whose Founder was Kidd Kraddick himself. Yea Networks continues to produce and syndicate The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show; one of the most listened to morning shows in America. Because of her relationship with YEA Networks, Jennah records her podcast, Come Home With Jennah, in

comedian DL Hughley’s old studio in Farmers Branch. “My podcast, videos, home tours, social media, and TikTok make all the difference to my clients when I am marketing their homes,” said Ciers.

Being a real estate agent involves a fair amount of driving, and she would always listen to podcasts in the car. One day she decided to start her own. “Selling your house can be a very confusing process, so I walk people through the process and explain how to do it the right way. But I don’t just talk about real estate, it’s about educating people about their communities,” Ciers said. “We’ve done all kinds of different subjects from a series on 1031 exchanges to interviews with local restaurant owners to how to protest your property taxes. In 2023, I plan to branch out a bit and get into the service aspect of the community. I want to feature local charities and interview their founders.”

In the end, no matter how she reaches her clients, Ciers wants to be known for one thing: building healthy relationships and making sure that her clients love their new community, not just their new house. “During the buyer consultation, I not only ask about their house needs, I also ask about their community needs. Do they need to be close to a grocery store, or work, or the airport? Do they want to be in the middle of nowhere where it’s quieter or close to a golf course or hiking trails where there’s more activity? Then I give them a list of cities and give them a homework assignment to drive around those cities and figure out what they liked and what they didn’t like,” Ciers said. “Most people really like going through that process because it’s more than just buying a house. It’s about your life, building the life you want.”

Most people really like going through that process because it’s more than just buying a house. It’s about your life, building the life you want.

Jason Ridley Agency

Were you, your broker or the team featured in an issue of Real Producers?

Want a copy of your article or full magazines that you were featured in?

REPRINTS!

What the heck is a reprint? A reprint is a four-page, magazine-quality grade paper with your full article and photos and you on the COVER of the publication.

WHY DO I NEED THOSE?

These reprints are a professional marketing tool that can help brand you, your team and/ or your business.

• Use on listing appointments

• Send out to friends and family

• Sent to clients with your holiday greetings

• Brokers, use as recruiting tools for capturing new talent.

• Use when farming your favorite neighborhood

WHAT IF I CHANGED COMPANIES OR NEED SOMETHING CORRECTED ON MY ARTICLE?

No worries! We can make any changes needed. We send you a proof, you approve and they are sent to you via FedEx.

WHO CAN BUY THESE?

The REALTOR® that was featured, the Broker or family. Anyone that wants to promote you.

HOW DO I ORDER?

Email Katherine Fondren at katherine.fondren@n2co.com or call 985-518-1991.