7 minute read
Brandon Curry
from Real Producers of Oakland County July 2021
by Real Producers of Oakland County/ Wayne County/ Grand Rapids
SUCCESS IN SIMPLE TERMS: KINDNESS AND HARD WORK
By Robbyn Moore
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Photos by Jessica Laine Photography
Brandon’s approach to success is simple and direct, and comes with years of hard work. He put himself through college at the University of Michigan by waiting tables and bartending. He also worked at a steel mill during his college years, which gave him a solid work ethic of waking up early and working long, hard days. “I’ve worked construction and retail, and helped out for free wherever I could, whenever I could,” Brandon shared. He earned a degree in communications and started a marketing company that included clients such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Menards. “My career was doing well, but I was never truly happy with what I was doing,” he said. “My heart just wasn’t there.”
Growing up in Bloomfield Hills, Brandon watched his parents continuously put upgrades into their home, live in it for a while and then look for another home to work on. “My parents were the original ‘flippers,’” he said with a laugh. “Watching them influenced me and developed my passion for real estate at an early age.”
With real estate in his blood, Brandon remembers wanting to become a real estate agent when he was in his early 20s; however, his dad quickly told him that nobody would buy a home from a kid. “Unfortunately, it took me years to follow my heart and stand up for myself,” Brandon recalled. “It was only when I believed 100% in myself that was I able to pursue what I wanted in life.”
Five years ago, on March 18, 2016, Brandon celebrated his birthday and launched his real estate career. Since entering the real estate industry, he has achieved a career volume of nearly $75 million — $25 million of which he achieved last year. “With my passion for making a house a home and my background in sales, a career in real estate was an obvious choice for me,” he said. “The precursor to my success was my previous work experience and a strong work ethic.”
Brandon has also earned the title of Hour Detroit Real Estate All-Star, Sotheby’s Platinum Award, Sotheby’s Achievement Award and multiple other Sotheby’s awards.
At the start of his career, Brandon was met with skeptics and naysayers who criticized everything from his marketing style and clothing choice to the length of his beard. “Despite the feedback I was getting, I did my own thing and followed who I was, not what anyone else wanted me to be,” Brandon said. “Because of that, I am now one of the top three producers at Sotheby’s and the only one in the top 10 — who I can think of — who doesn’t have a team or significant other who helps.”
For Brandon, there was no single moment that made him who he is today – rather, it’s been a long series of trials and errors. “Like relationships, you go into each one trying your best and hoping for the best and eventually you meet your soul
mate,” he shared. “Therefore, it’s important to learn from past failed experiences and become a better version of yourself moving forward — real estate is the same. For me, it probably took longer than most to get into the business, but in the end, I couldn’t be happier with the way the world shaped me into the man that I am, in a career that I love.”
When it comes to getting a job done right, Brandon is a one-man show. His autonomous approach to his clients has established a level of trust and openness that’s second to none. From beginning to end, Brandon works side by side with his clients to provide exceptional client service, transparency, accountability and personalized attention. “You can only count on yourself to do the job right and as you see fit,” he explained. “No matter what side of the sale I’m on, I see every transaction in its entirety — every showing, negotiation, inspection, appraisal and closing — it’s all me and only me.”
Brandon especially likes helping first-time homebuyers find their home. “People may own a lot of homes in their lives, but their first home will always be the most memorable and most important,” he said. “I love seeing the passion behind the hunt for those buyers and also being able to walk them through the right path of how to find that home.”
In addition, Brandon loves helping buyers who have worked with other agents in the past as well, particularly when he hears “my last agent didn’t do that” or “I wish I knew that when I bought my last house.” However, his biggest challenge is breaking the predispositions that his clients may have toward previous experiences and real estate agents, and gaining their trust. “I want to show my clients that this can be a fun, exciting and positive experience.”
Seeing clients smile at the end of a deal is the highlight of Brandon’s job. “Having a seller thrilled with what we got for their home, and the smooth process that got us there, or having a buyer pleased with the deal we got on a house, definitely brings fulfillment to my life.”
However, the most rewarding aspect of Brandon’s work is referrals. “I don’t advertise or market myself or mail out flyers,” he said. “I work entirely off of referrals. I never take any opportunity for granted, and whenever I hear that a past client of mine referred a new client to me, I am honored and gracious beyond words.”
In addition to collecting referrals, Brandon also collects vintage Land Rovers. His collection has included a Series 1, Series 2A, Series 3 and a Defender. He currently has a 1956 Land Rover Series 1 being restored and built up in Utah and a 1995 Land Rover Defender 130 being restored and built up in Australia, which has a right-hand drive that he plans to keep intact. “It’s cool to be different,” he stated.
His wife Jenna, who Brandon described as his soul mate and the center of his universe, is a recent stay-at-home mom to their son, Jack, who was born February 26, 2021. “Jenna tackled the most difficult job there is by devoting her focus to our son,” he said proudly of his wife. The couple has a shared interest in working on homes, and, as a result, Jenna started an Instagram account — @forrichardorpoorer — to document their house projects. “What started out as a few postings and documentation for our personal use has blossomed into something bigger. We’ve gained a lot of popularity and have a pretty big group of followers. It’s fun to share our passion while also serving as a source of help to so many others.”
Brandon leads with his heart in all that he does, including his support to most anything animal-related. During the early part of the COVID-19 shutdown, Brandon donated his full commission from the sale of a home in Bloomfield to the Humane Society. “Kindness matters. That’s all,” he said. “The love you give is the love you get. Whether it is giving my time to an organization, my clients or my family, I go to bed at night knowing I worked as hard as I could that day.”
Brandon has found success by being unapologetically kind, authentic and hardworking. He is also a huge advocate of learning by trial and error. “I say, ‘be kind, rewind’ and ‘look at your past and learn from it.’ If you can’t admit you’ve made a mistake, you can never truly succeed at anything in life. And if you look at life with a negative attitude, you’ll attract just the same.”
Real estate has everything to do with Brandon’s future dreams and goals. “I found this career when the timing was right, and I want to keep doing this job until my body won’t let me anymore,” he shared. “Some journeys take longer than others: Not everybody finds their first house on their first showing, and not every seller sells their home over asking price to the first showing. Hard work and determination are the keys to making success a reality. … Really, I don’t care if I sell one home a year or 100 homes a year — just as long as every day I’m giving work 100% of myself.”
Brandon Curry - TOP Producer/Cover
