NATIONWIDE & INTERNATIONAL 6-14-21

NATIONWIDE & INTERNATIONAL EDITION

FEATURED AGENTS KATE JOHNSON LINETTE CORONA REMY CURRY JENN REDDINGER

FEATURED AGENTS

CHRISTY WATSON

MATTIE WEI

CRAIG DELAHOOKE JOEY DION

MELINDA LEE

LINDSEY BINKS

PAIGE & GARY HUTCHINSON

NORA JEAN MALAN

PAULA BASSO

ROBBY MOON

PEDRO RIVERA

AMANDA RAVETTA

RAY PETKEVIS

ANDREW SPANGENBERGER

RICK SEAGRAVES RYAN KOWALSKI

BARBARA GALE

SHALINI SADDA

BRAD WILLIAMS

SHERYL MATUSZAK

CHARLIE CUMMINGS

STACEY ARCENEAUX

CONSTANCE BRADLEY

TOM LANGAN

DINA KAROUSOS & NICKI LUCENTI ETHEL SKENDERIS HAMISH ROGERS HANK GREER JODY STEINBERG LUKE CORBITT MARK WIENS

Top Agent Magazine

COVER STORY

JIMMY LEMIEUX 1

NATIONWIDE & INTERNATIONAL EDITION

The Law Office of Joan Vasquez Baton Rouge Title Company is proud to congratulate

is proud to congratulate

LinetteREMY Corona CURRY

JENN REDDINGER

9

From an early age, Jenn Reddinger has 15 been interested in real 21 always estate.

Growing up, she frequented open houses with her mother, and she would later earn her own real estate license while in college. In 1995, Jenn began investing in properties around Austin, Texas, but she wouldn’t pursue becoming a fulltime agent until 2004, when she made Pittsburgh her home. There, she decided to combine her foundations in real estate LINETTE CORONA REMY CURRY with her extensive marketing and interior design background to launch her own business—and the rest is history.

27

at the forefront of each transaction, guiding 31for their needs. “A 39 them to the right home Due to his solid embrace lot of buyers are new to the area and don’t social media, Jimmy can know exactly what they’re lookingoffor,” she claim says. “But I’m here to find that needle in over the one million haystack for them.” followers on multiple platforms, ensuring

Over the years, Jenn has earned a fantasmaximum exposure for tic reputation throughout Pittsburgh, with each of his many listings. the vast majority of her volume coming from repeat clients and referrals. A conKATE JOHNSON JENN REDDINGER JIMMY LEMIEUX CHRISTY WATSON sistent multi-million dollar producer, Anothershe major factor in Jimmy’s success story would be his stellar work has earned numerous honors in her accomethic that sees him working seven days plished career, including Rookie of the a week, often putting in more than one LINDSEY NORA JEAN MALAN Year, TopBINKS Producing Team, Executive Club, and 100% hundred hours servicing his clients Today, Jenn is a member the Reddinger Club. When she’s not with clients, Jenn enjoyssometimes. spendingWhen does he sleep? on being featured forofthe StateMiller of Team, Louisiana

by Cowden Creek Realty, with her two beloved Boston Terriers or volunteeron being the51State of Illinois 45 featured for powered 56where she services time 60 64 69because “My business is really good, inthroughout Top Agent clients PittsburghMagazine! and the surrounding areas. ing for various animal rescue organizations. of the service I provide,” he says. “My in Top Agent Magazine! clients frequently call me back to refer Also the owner of New Perspective Stage, a Home me to their friends and their family. A Staging Company, she offers her clients a one-stop shop Looking ahead, Jenn has bright ambitions for So, themy future business is really good, and don’t need to do any conventional c for all their needs, possessing the insight, integrity, and of her business. With her volume maintaining Iits steady marketing of myself. I’m not out experience needed to help any buyer or seller. growth, she intends on building her team while deepdistributing flyers, and I’m not doing lo ening her work with her existing client base. promotion However,on television/radio or in Law Office of Joan Vasquez the newspapers Through New Perspective Home Staging, Jenn empowthrough it all, she remains focused on what matters most: or anything like that.” f ers clients with a comprehensive strategy to ensure each the client experience. “I love the challenge of finding (847) 991-5800 | joanvasquez@jvasquezlaw.com When he’s not working, Jimmy h listing sells quickly and efficiently. After helping her that special house my clients can’t find,” she says. enjoys“And nothing more than spending 20063 N. Rand Road, Palatine, IL 60074 w clients ready their home and providing a full suiteJEAN of MALAN I don’t disappear ROBBY once the MOON contracts are signed; rather, RAVETTA CRAIG DELAHOOKE JOEY DION LINDSEY BINKS NORA AMANDA Mark W. Schoen | President professional photography and videography services, she I’m with them the whole way through to make sure they g broadcasts their property over a mix of targeted social are completely satisfied in their new homes.”

225-706-6103 (Direct) | schoenm@ctt.com g and digital media campaigns. She also utilizes her established professional network to give sellers an added https://BRTITLE.com m After realizing she’d reached the ceiling in her “I think people see the passion my business partner, “We’re very genuine.

We always put personal touch isthe so important.”

When Cummings was ready advantage on the market.

But100 above all, she takes areal Agent –order Team process.

“It’s important to me that they Constance Bradley began her estate a weekly email unde thatpr he Gale is Brad to stayCharlie in touch with clients and Top Agent Nora Jean Malan works alongside her husband, Pieter, her a lifelongWilliams resident of listed in the top of her region which Michael, and I bring to our work.

We’re also very technology & online marketing sales job, Lindsey y 10500 Blvd., Suite 100, Baton Rouge, LA 70816 first, and they really like what78 wetoday’s market, with “I 70 73Coursey 77responsive 81 detailed, personalized approach to74 each transaction.

“At hes showforhisa new appreciation for their busi, starting real estate includes Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

She toand their needs. In Binks turned real estate as natural next step in her path, he looked totoreal estate. career almost 7the years “Iclient got into clients aNew variety of the ago. umbrella of eXp Realty, serves clients throughout Jersey. er of TheherElite Teamcareer with Lifestyle understand what’s going on during have to offer,” saysinDina Karousos, alisted then New Perspective Staging, we can help on a home sell faster but when their secondsh speed which homes aremom, sold, you career.

“There simply wasn’t much more opportunity ince that time, she has authored continues toestate befor focused the to time ciness,“I he checks inreal with wanting dotested a couple ofthepurchase,” information After thehe transaction, clients leave througho wasfrequently inand theforcorporate world eight more money,” she says. that, though, Estate Charleston, South the sale says.and “Iresponsiveness. make top agent White Sotheby’s needGustave to have that availability It’s Amanda icd for me tothat grow in won that“Beyond industry.

I wanted work that orwith winning forty in six year career as values have her so much success.

Down syndrome, his them and hosts a few exciting client transactions here and there that would the transaction her 15 years inalso real estate,important Noraare Jean glowing reviews time process. “ years atI’mdifferent companies, and I Throughout there for my clients, whether that means calling International Realty.

“We not ahonesty turnreally to be able about tothroughout relate totheir both the offered unlimited growth potential and flexibility, sts.owner of the Gale Group and ina – is a truly dedicated Realtor certain that they’re comfortable with events a year—which hebeing hadthere toenable pause to work to help cover his close attention to what my clients tell methe an Malan hasthe utilized her knowledge, empathy and them back, when they need me, or protecting my husband and I to do some When it comes to excitement and the anxieties people bring into this while allowing me to serve people using experience and we wantrecently lonD together.

One said, “We met realized it wasn’tbut the best fit,” says. principle of Keller Williams As the daughter of two social workers, sheand-burn operation, nd, during the pandemic, which he he always looking out for their best interest.” a people skills to meet the needs ofAnother her clients, and consistently places the needs of the process.” factor would be their best interests.” process, and work with them to help them make the I’d gained in sales.

Real estate was in the family.

My flips,” Constance recalls.

“That turned listings, Constance back to mortgages, however gevity.

That comes through naturally. as ts “People don’t care how much and yousellers reach theirCharlie through another investor and “In many as ways, feeling the help buyers real estate goals. ndRealty. hopes to resume soon great asIsays, itwasn’t isuncle deemed best decision foradvice them.

With us you get the he best oftheir both bases. “We he a homebuilder and my grandfather We always offer so much and help intowas doing transactions for friends and all ients front and center during each the long-lasting, solid relationships know until they know how much you care.” instead, utilim startedof herpeople journey business by flipping Working with her husband gives Nora’s c For about Reddinger de safechallenge again by health Meanwhile, Jenninsurance is just asfor thorough when her couldn’t be happier with his abilities. andofficials. personal growth that I Nora worlds: amore compassion forJenn the estate client andindustry a combined sold those homes.

Aassisting number in in the to anyone—no strings attached.” on decades of experience, early Barbara cherishes the opportunity to serve family, which ended up as a booming use a variety of meth houses, but she quickly transitioned to residential a great advantage because of his 35-yea email pittrealtor@gmail.com, very transaction. With well needed.” over buyers. builds with his customers.

“I definitely As a certified City of Pittsburgh Specialist, she 45-plus years of professional experience.” my family were or currently are real estate brokers.

It idrience and passion for helpi As new out state investors he“He was With a desire to do more and truly ns in social work and the love others.like Inunderstanding her words, “I’m passionate us experience. is able to give real estate after in love with the reddingerteamrealestate.com process.

She ofconstruction visit business.

I passionately lovefalling helping marketing, farming, a good option.” possesses anseemed in-depth of the local market.

Outside of his work, Andrew is passioncade ofsheexperience, deep have a great connection with my Top Agent Robby Moon – clients,” owner of Moon Realty in so gheothers, has cultivated Brad’s a about working with people, negotiating across their entire transactio now works alongside her husband, Pieter, Servicing the state of Rhode Island, ex very helpful in guiding us throughto help others, he decided to become BARBARA GALE BRAD WILLIAMS or call (412) 716-7641 ANDREW CHARLIE CONSTANCE DINA KAROUSOS on herinvolvement tireless work through ethic, she places her estate clients industry, others the real platform, and in-hou ng ate about his Leaning community underthem theCUMMINGS umbrella ofBrad. eXp Realty, and serves Pasadena, California – isHe a hardworking, passionate pr nvironment to meet the needscompassion theirgot transactions, helping make first got started inprocess. realBrad’s estate w She her licenseand in but January 2016 andDina try knowledge and says Additionally, expert SPANGENBERGER BRADLEY & NICKI LUCENTI out the was very good an agent.

He began in residential while stillwith doing our flip projects eXp. h raand being an agent of positive change. clients throughout New Jersey. ent. “Integrity is paramount in the biggest investment ofher their lives.” estate aboutBecause the well- we bu shortly after partnered second cousin,eleven yearsreal ago afterprofessional the birth ofwho her truly fourthcares child. bi-weekly emai is buyers sellers has switched negotiation skills and through, intelligent at following up and making sure we soon commercial, Today, Amanda works for Copyright Top Agent Magazine ith many He sponsors a couple to different youth as well.”

Last theOctober Constance amount of referral bu ess,” she says.

“If I telland a client something Michael Meyer, and where formed Meyer Real hisshe many grateful clients.out With focusand on flying I “I’ve alwaysbeing lovedofit,” says.

Dina started by hismind “Most of my clients become my close programs, he is also the Assistant n, I make it happen even ifreputation that means taking Outside her real estate career, Barbara works with underunderstood everything.

At times when things got heashas truly flourished.

Now working solo with a earning Estate Group with Keller Williams inPIVOT New launched her team, The Group explains, “wehis oftenfir ated into a sterling a and approach marketing including high where she services clients establishing long–lasting, trusted relationships with a to degree in psychology, spurred on by her love friends,” Nora says when explaining her high Jersey, serving clients in Burlington, Camden, of my pocket. TheyFire knowChief they can count on volunteer privileged at the Delaware Unity at the local firechildren department.

In atCharlie eXp Realty, where andand team in-house buyer.

Soth areferral little rocky hethiswas able push things transaction coordinator, serves theCommunity Front buyers and sellers, andto possessed of deep industry and ofher working with people.

She explains, “I wanted tothrough When she isn’t Worth and the surrounding dving real estate advocate. quality professional photography and rates ofshe repeat business.

It’s and Gloucester counties. Lindsey proved ything.”

Centergreat in various children’s programs.

She also partic-their real skills, and his spare time, he enjoys making memories with members help clients achieve within our own clien match up my two passions: people and real estate.” to her commun local market knowledge, Robby has built a thriving emphasis on building long lasting relationand keep things moving forward.

I appreciate Range ipates in Colorado.

The majority of his busia vitalis asset out ofannual the deft gate, her among career around values of of that social media, in Redherself Day, which Kellerright Williams’ day utilizationneeds make Andrew his wife and two children. ships andmarket listening to her clients’ due toMr business based upon honesty, integrity andwould anpaused indefatestate goals. earning Rookie of the Year for her his knowledge and professionalism and ness consists of repeat clients and referrals, a ng a home, Barbara is “hands on” with her of service where they give back to the community. ng up on eight expertise, she has cultivate drives buyers and sellers to come back to obtained his real estate license in other methods –work result inon The fast sales for Seven yearsigable in, Dina brought her business partner, still invests inOlo ethic. center.

She proceeded to double her business results speak for themselves: i he provides and them with professional photos highly histwo, services.” testament to his dedication and52 superior service. work with her and refer her torecommend others.

Clients knowledge In the future, Andrew looks forward to growing his Nicki Lucenti.

“It’s a team of not ten, but I always have establishe each year, closing transactions for over $18 needs of any buyer or seller. de though his interest in the field top dollar, not to mention happy clients.

Constance and The PIVOT Group serve the southern year since starting the team last Oc g and broadcasts their homes over a mix of Barbara is an avid sports enthusiast.

She has a seat license appreciate Nora’s hard-work, integrity and m other agents team and further expanding his business in order million in salestoin 2020. Ninety-seven percentwanted to have someone with me sothe my clients “Since there’s Robby began his journey inhas world of real estate igital and social media campaigns.

She leans to the Columbus BlueOregon Jackets and Ohio State is Basketball says.

“My clients know I’m area.

“This a rural community with a paired lot Group done over $20 million inms piqued many years “My of an those fromreturn repeat clients andnever udgement.

As a assist moreprior. clients “I and provideone themofwith elitedeals levelcame missed out on anything,” Dina says.

“Nicki’s phy is to spread When Charlie isn’t working, he’s giving back think the reasons people to me of in 2013, following a career as an investment banker abase to secure future buyers for the properties Buckeyes and attendsof asgreat many sporting events as possiCopyright Top Agent Mag outdoor and I love where we are,” than my power to help them. referrals.

The majority of her activities, other business of service.

“I want to foster a warmsheand funattending family different states, er also and the Broker/ “There’s no better feeling being cover my weaknesses.

I’ve always apprecisays.

“EachWha mon rksis with the an otheragent, three hundred agents in her ble when is not golf tournaments with herstrengths for JPMorgan Chase.

“Icommunity. was veryable successful, because to and staying involved in the He takes is because I take the time to figure out how I can comes directly from Social Media efforts.

Constance says.

About 95% of her team’s business Community involvement is import atmosphere, the least husband amount Wally, of stress possible, ngethe ofseller complitobut do.”

Together, Amanda ated things like design and marketing, Isales,” couldn’t month is the bu Wa ive maximum exposure. a native Australian, golf pro, and memer of Lifestyle Real with Estate,” to help people,” says Brad, when asked I found that I was excellent at recalls Robby. part as aanSCORE mentor, is a nonprofit best serve them,” he says.

“Iisbelieve in a win/win comes from repeat and referral impressive Shewhich is involved in Women’s Minis ourber agents. main focus with his market in our office and within get clients, to the finish line while providing great service.” was the Martin of theMy PGA. covered Copyright Top Agent Magazine I that found myself intransaction thehe position of having toasgo“The im ins Brad.

“When I was in carefully college what he most about what does with the“Then, SBA helps coach small businesses situationfor forourallagents, involved, which means work to have a great environment because I speaks his clients. feat that to theI trust andThe confidence they inspire. organizations Home Bridging, wh twoenjoys agents create a painting personalized, sise equally attentive to her buyers, hi and work help together with mytofamily’s contracting busiknow that it will trickle down to our clients as well, ts extreme reshman, herhome office was close byto for a for living.

“When you get a contract for refreshing real estate experience.

Outside offamil prov free.

“Ithe learned on mentoring emwith to the right to fit their needs and Barbara has strong plans for the trust.” future ofCharlie’s her business. hard build relationships and “We service a one-on-one relationship with client, bridge thethat gap between local ness.

When I got early there, IWhen realized that over the forty listing aand home, Aman and everyone end up having anthat enjoyable experinnsylvania, and great e.

Barbaravisiting takes pride in thewill excellent With her stepson Australia coming on herit’s or giving back t even while working as and afor team,” she explains. ofbeen homeownership, and isseller, so crucial because gotten clients know hefrom only wants what isboard best started and helping her in her business.

My someone, whether a feedback buyer and seeing theit’s he years or my“When father had in business, hadSafe built Fami “I ging skills she has over theofyears and transaction other energetic teamthe members, the database is us, growing ence instead a stressful process.” points.

Ourdeveloped Those clients definitely appreciatewhich their balanced stratloves more than strategy.

After helping them client works with they truly do work directly gives parents and children as me to where I am today.

So it’s rewarding to them, and he never advises them to do something er had put me and my sister through college by sellexcitement on their faces, that’s incredibly rewarding.”

2 for her clients’ best interests. daily, and the model of service is growing too. Theyegies. All of Dina’s business comes Top Magazine ds fight ndhow theirtovarious fromAgent repeat and children. S with us. We don’t passincluding them offguide to somebody else.” theirfor families.

When four she isbroadc not w the market, she others in all their journeys.” he wouldn’t himself. he sees each ato tactful approach to herhow competitors, other are taking the latest technology, referral clients.

“It’s wordentrepreneurial of mouth,” she says. great peace of m omes, and I saw muchandshe loved it. do So,advantage when of IUltimately, successfully back, Constance enjoys being out i will as artificial intelligence, toto staybuild in fronta oflong-lasting the competition.“Period.” digital and social me DuringConsidering any free time, Charlie is cooking, an opportunity that Dina and targeted Nicki close be- eating, one hour a day t nnjoy twoworking states, with if her as they know sheclient

ROBBY MO

CHRISTY WATSON A

KATE JOHNSON

BRAD WILLIAMS CONSTANCE CHARLIE CUMMINGS DINA BRADLEY KAROUSOS & NICKI LU

DREW SPANGENBERGER BARBARA GALE

Top Agent Robby Moon in the world of real estate in as an investment banker www.

AIG DELAHOOKE

Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440

mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com

ated with a business degree, I decided that I wanted

When he’s not working, Brad is a physical fitness buff.

JODY HANK GREER ETHEL SKENDERIS HAMISH ROGERS

STEINBERG MARK WIENS LUKE CORBITT

reHank the salehelping price (which I carried andeverything Greer Hamish began his estate career 11 No hisrunning He large following on Afteron a to landscape he business, that I’mout), doing I can get has the amaintenance With 82 a real love of matter what’s inmessage. the real seeher they’ve sh 85others 86going 89 90To best serve 93clients deyears ago. “I interviewed then also organized a beautiful property at some of the very social media, including YouTube, Instagram, company for years,For Mark able, hard-working most beneficial result that I can.” theWiens, having loves getting proud and a passion for real estate, involved arou estate market at any given time, Luke of on ertop brokerages around thestaging, andended I believe both of these initial area and and Histhrough extensive also met constant aHamish lotFacebook. of Realtors his database busi- community. aralleled experience entirety of price. his has focused Corbitt strives forcareer, one with touches and ho Jody Steinberg has flourished She volunteer artup joining Reliable Realty steps significantly improved the sale here in Old Town allows him to broadcast listings to a wide ness, realized that he could do real estate ® all solely ofand histhought experience difference-mak ng continued success onclients: serving the best interests of his the Atlanta, as a IREALTOR DeKalb Association of Re shTemecula, After weinhad found a buyer we “This where still am today,” Hank audience.

“My clients and followers share and live a much more comfortable life should be something people enjoy and hout his career.

His clientele over his own monetary gain, ew were She aboutfirst ready to settle, a unique comGeorgia region. became and supports refugee servic recalls. “It just had that great family feel and remember fondly. My myit. listings with their and doing He got licensed as afriends, Realtorfamily in work is about His favorite p attracted him interested to the and that prioritization is exactly what has he bination of buyer’s side issues came up in the affordable housing initi more of a boutique vibe that I wasindustry attractedwhile individual networks,” Hank genuine says. “Through and only has he found people and relationships, not not simply good news. “I er which prevented the settlement.

Ethel did 2015, 20s, and he quickly led to his continued success. to the most.” managing The rest is history, Hank property. a multitude of marketing channels, as well rental and properties.

“I Jody’s interests include fulfillment in the I never want to lose sight ofwork and the lifestyle, faces when tra I’m nd some research on those issues and came up the job due to the ETHEL HAMISH ROGERS HANK GREER JODY STEINBERG LUKE CORBITT MARK WIENS continues toSKENDERIS focus on providing anreal excellent as creative videos and amazing photos, we was enamored by estate and advocacy, and time with f but Mark has also found great success what really matters.” received an off my with potential strategies.

We chose a stratestyle, the variety of Not one to take the foot off the gas, experience for his clients while helping them definitely get the word out.” everything about it, homes, mort-and the settlement in his business in Vancouver. His exper- She emphasizes the impo or we’ve gone egy, Ethel negotiated RAY PETKEVIS emachieve manyMATTIE opportunities PEDRO RIVERA MELINDA LEE PAULA BASSO their realWEI estate goals.

Hamish has consistently been a top PAIGE & GARY HUTCHINSON Luke graduated from the University perfect home t pfinally occurred.

Thanks so much Ethel!” tise has given him the ability to provide of keeping in contact wit gages and the people,” she says. It e each day. Hamish Hank averages about 3-4 transactions a producer since he started working in real omes,resident, so I’mMelinda of San Diego with a Petkevis Bachelor Top Agent Paula Basso – of Evjen about what expect during has a“Every corporate that clients uniquely high-quality service to histo cliAfter coming toRay the United States fromagent has the garnered Pedro other a fanta orgia Lee that, I don’t leave anyone behind.

Even if was only matter of time before and helping Down in aHouma, agents in their area.of isbackground workg the I treatLouisiana, them like people my family members..” foundation of Hank serves Temecula Valley andand North month, and he is proud to bethat able to102 provide 94the 97 98 101 105 Agency in Farmington, Connecticut is about 80% of thethroughout entire estate.

Over thehe last year, he has closed eon says. management, Ethel theWhen Ethel isn’t working, she’sbeAccountancy, staying active in the has modified serve histransaction clients gives minoring in Real Estate Luke is meticu roperty where it takes a client several months to fix their Puerto Rico, Pedro Rivera set off to build a Wisconsin, value trustAnother of family friends ing with multiple clients,” Gary explains. ents, and his communication skills allow ei factor would her egalitarian sheabove took the leap and pursued real estate full-time career. increase their expertise andtime. grow their businesses.wit – truly enjoys what as sheadoes for a “So Countytoand Sanbusiness Diego markets.

AAnd substantial personal, service every anythingapproach else. you happen marketing toclient-focused them directlyprocess.” makes aa different ahim corporate level of efficiency with 35 transactions for a total sales volume ommunication community through her church andand her neighborhood’s aication toif working with clients, giving ortunity learn the housing credit, I’m still here to encourage them and successful career in IT and graphic design, jority of hisings volume comin Finance.

He was successful with for the ma to bring satisfaction to every single living.

“I love servingand and helping to over beher buying ormany selling a home in theclients lotof of sense.

Often,experience. we’re able to make a choose With background in rentals, marketing, as me, business comes from repeat and “People often ask why they would a solo ds portion the same level ofnearly attention towriting each client, honed his craft his kind customer “I want people he ground of up;his however, she keep them moving in the right direction.” dustry.

HOA. During any free time, she’s gardening, spending establishing a worldwide professional clients or referrals. of $45 million, and is approaching $3 billion several entrepreneurial ventures, but to maximize v people,” she explains. With nearlyone There are many other reasons for of the clients heusworks area, you’ll want to contact Paige and connection that allows to sell awith. home sand regardless of the price point ofto thethe listing.

“Purchasing a home is the largest and most mean well as her genuinely client-focused nature, Jody’s business referrals, an impressive feat that speaks volumes agent like me over the big team competition out there? to be comfortable with my team and me as we push her career totime another solidified himself as an Elite outside or relaxing with family and friends. two decades in the real estate Paula’s continuing success story, network along the way.

At the recommenGary Hutchinson, a husbandinand wife ultimately before the listing even goes live.” Every found them unfulfilling.

“We use a pr career sales volume. h industry, Paula hasher built aathriving and chief among would bePedro help them buy or sell adetail home,” Ray, agent trust andvery confidence Hank “I really have a2014, solid answer is I listing put aiscap on deals Ithem take-on ding greater stability forrapidly, her eXpinspires.

Outside career, Melinda isthat tremendously team with Realty who have made Hutchinson with prohey feel investment most people will ever make,” she grew so she asked Rebecca Sideris to join her team.

Mark’s attention tomarketed issays amany huge boon dation ofThe friend, though, he decided to how But just th Wales.

In fully settled back into his to ishelp usasex cre e, Other reasons behind Mattie’s impresbusiness active based on hard work, deep her expert negotiation skills and that value the core tenet of their business. fessional photographs of to thelose property, and owner of Delaware Realty Group.

“I put she decided to take the leap in her community.

On top of being connection with my past clients,” Hank says.

“I pour back a month because I don’t want that level of service ey know I’m Looking ahead, she is excited to continue on her current delve into real estate, and he soon realized when assisting his buye his performance when it comes to navigating real A long-tim m success story wouldhometown be her expert “Our job is to guide our clients on being prepared, ch Today Jody,sive Rebecca, Elizabeth Towles, Tichina Anderson of Luke shifted 3D tours.

On market knowledge and aDenver, solidto intelligent, leave-no-stone unturned utilizing drone images and videograIn his time, Hamish loves spending time with humor into because it relaxes athem full through time Realtor®. member of Ithe Life Christian ocome skills and hera savvy, social into handwritten notes, anniversary cards, strive to give.

I everything, don’t want to works slip from being a strategies 5-star eir interests.

I and journey. two cases are thefree same, everything isaKingdom so the business perfectly complimented the nuances their transa commitment totoHills providing herestate approach to marketing that transactions.

He hard tothemake sure that pitfalls.” w “We care “No for negotiation our clients like family,” phy when needed.

“We his pride ourselves focus pursue career in real estate doofinvolved cinematic well, and most importantly, avoiding Jod Danielle Wagner are the LaVista Team.

By priorto Hamish’s success has been most stressful of situations.

Buying or selling Melinda found quick success Fellowship, she also participates in s media-heavy approach to marketing. his family, who have shown his business a lot of many grateful buyers and sellers include videos and deft utilization of Paige explains.

“We’re there for them on4-star being very accurate and professional elping people,closing different.

I love getting out appreciation there and meeting new marketing background and acute business matched market expertise. thoughtful gifts, and annual client agent to a agent just because I’m too focused on the paperwork is 100% correct and that he is doing the a dozen lit and is into now aGARY managing broker and partner with Real ifcombined theteam property He p MATTIE WEI MELINDA LEE PAULA BASSO PEDRO RIVERA RAY calls PETKEVIS PAIGE &volunteer honored that8Z she and her can help for so it.” many itizing their clients’ needs andexceptional doing everything possible to sicates Combined, these skills translate fast aan house very, very stressful situation.

He maintains nd today, she an agent for numerous events throughout with customer service. social media, whichand result every step of the way as they are making down tois the last detail,” saysfor Gary. support.

He has also been equestrian judge instincts.

Since starting out, heahe has authored finish, he prioritizes opendo c ers, shewith starts people, it’s so exciting.” parties.

Myisclients. past clients are undoubtedly my biggest fans more and more business.

Ifor take the client hand hand best thing can his clients at each interval.

With routinely HUTCHINSON Estate.

“I enjoy meeting people and I’m good at building the social media channels, and s sales for top dollar, not to mention happy This has translated into her stellar in fast sales for top dollar, not to one of the most significant decisions of People are changing their lives when they where she services clients area—whether she is as helping feed ® reach this pivotal goal in life.

“We run into clientsvm achieve their clients’ thirty goals, years, thethemajority of LHTwatching business ncy with everyone works with, an accomplished career a Realtor , havand integrity, time-tested s.

Once those and enjoys the sport and and the foundation of my business.” through the whole deal.

When you hire me, you deal with e and returning referring their and– we’re going toand use our relationships,” When not working, Paige and Gary give As reputation a trusted realadopting advocate who mention happy clients. proof of this, ofdeal experience in landscaping, Mark has a scores great He also kn heestate explains.

“So this islive. a great fit for myalso soon” section ofLANGAN Denver’s MLS change where they We, as agents, SHERYL MATUSZAK annah, Pooler, and the lives, sur-RYAN theas– customers. homeless, a family during KOWALSKI TOM STACEY ARCENEAUX RICK SEAGRAVES honest advice regardless ofof the time, and never tireareof–the hearing them about how consists repeat clients ing been featured in bestselling book, The his award-winnin does not stop SHALINI SADDA thirty-plusofyears shared experience toreferrals. part ofoftheir time to fundraising efforts Another would beand Mattie’s commitment consistently places theto wants and are needs her glowing reviews on Zillow.com on which anchored site she rave me directly from start to finish.” networking with others who similarly interested. of experience in a wide variety of different facets of due to the personality.” it goes active.

Luke also sends “ consultant of that change.”

As a new construction specialist, she hasas value Christmastime, or providing scholarships burgeoning ensure they get maximum from that transaction.” their working with their clients and center during eachcommunity, andto holds aare perfect, five-star rating –having attest to them learning muchpositioning about herfront industry as shearound Next Wave of year Influence inevery Real Estate, and listed as a overall industry truly comes downrefer to ethics andf rnd itbuilt iseasy located, m very straightforward when I Tom Langan ischurch, currently in his third exp they with their homes or us to It’s to see why clients put their trust in Hank.

“I feel i his real estate career in touch year after and create a good Rick’s strategic of his clients’ Since the beginning, Hamish has been in the industry Sheryl Matuszak got her real estate Sheryl develops a marketing plan specific Stacey Arceneaux began her real estate When it comes to marketin real estate.

“Iwith bring expertise thethe table,” Mark one says. reside in Va“ mpassionate personality with her profesacademics.

But when she’s notfor with clients giving the nearest hundred homes.

Sometimes you theseveral work prestigious you109 love; industry our listingorarea. we’re able to to sell cooking other volunteers Habitat for customer transaction. theOften excellent service she114 provides. gan herthe journey can,106 and hasfind earned designaTop-50 finalist in the National Association ofHumanity, Realtors’ he says.

“There’s nothing more year inhe estate.

“I’ve had family 110 113 117thefulfill cod them best ge, properties works; last year, he completed nd of in his family’s end information relevant to their relationship,” Ryan says.

“It isreasons”: aworking, friendly, isworking crucial to be authentic, approachable and always set When he isnew not loves all things outdoors, license in 2005 when her husband the needs of the individual homethe she’s career 16 years ago, after working as areal Stacey draws on com Jody and team give 100% to every transaction to make and family.”

Paige and her Gary met when they were both working and mentoring agents just starting out inI’m thetobusifor what he believes are “the right helping Ray began his professional career in newspaper advertising, When youand wa to navigate any transaction with ease. back, she can be found spending quality time outdoors sometimes the work you love finds home before itmembers goes on the market.” lyitworking parttions, including the CDPE (Certified Distressed Property “When I’m on the job, thorough and exhaustive, starting ainfo te His clients would agree, consistently describing him laughs.

“We chum water, who were in real estate in esteemed 2021 30 Under 30 rankings. to sleep at night knowing that someone nal $6 million in sales, and this year he has njoy thorough store Kowalski’s as agents for Keller Williams.

Paige had come to the professional relationship, and we build ness.

In their leisure time, they both enjoy hunting, and suggested she could sell their house listing, a system that every property goes paralegal and project manager.

“I’ve always resources available to her Paula began her career in real estate 2002.

“I became “I really love working with people,” reiterates realistic expectations.

This all contributes to my clients’ including traveling, hiking, camping, surfing, fishing, “At the end of the day, it’s where he ran three advertising departments of the Philadelphia way and the rit esays. best estate Expert), and the SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist). ggrocery morereal rewarding than giving people the with her children, going to the beach, or setting off on you. their That’s clients how it happened for Shalini happy.

When it comes to listing homes, she people accomplish their real estate goals and putting as professional, knowledgeable, and enjoyable to work go live on Thursday, do showing and I get things right to the best of my ability.”

Mark attracting Oregon, and everyone in from mymarket, family caticl nd already hit $4 earn million. career by way of Tulane, earning a interested degree asthat ainParalegal Gary is awhole cyclist. with the biggest investment of Blum their in front of as the real estate market when I bought a which Paula.

“I clients just love the housing just being dI’m always worked in the famthroughout the process.” been interested in real estate,” Stacey brokerage, Latter & and also a commission on the one through, the initial meeting with inary service to She is also a Graduate of the Realtor Institute, which only overall satisfaction when working together,” Hank says. mountain biking and especially spending time with his Inquirer one of was Real Estate Advertising.

He explains Sadda.

“I’d earned a Bachelor’s degree Her relationship with goes beyond homeownership,” she says.

“Whether her latest adventure abroad. quick to explains, give myafter informed thebuilding. client’s interests first.

These values carried in 1991, which decided she needed arecalls. jobCurrently, with with.

After seven inolder, the business, his repeat client have offers by Monday. eir has inwork different types sales,” hemultiple ofprp No matter where this path leads, Jody and the LaVist “We gosheabove and beyond to help the seller make gives hisand allhave to been his and gets results, and his need oftoexc home,” she “My kids were getting around people, and looking attrust houses.

To me, this Pedro is the Lead of Real Estate, seriously, make sure recalls, “but ityears wasn’t always great time promoting extensively nnsizing areas the they were At the time, she clients toof gauge their needs, staging, work ethic wasten as othe be view outstanding percent of Realtors nationwide have achieved. inprovide Electrical Engineering and awork Master’s the closing table. stays in touch, his decision toareThought make aShalini change by saying “Real Estate wasand mytoI listings When it com orofto upsizing, Ithere, love guiding them “I myself as auseful problem solver and a true friend to family.

Hank and his wife Kim are active members with flexibility so Dedicated that she could and stilland be there for The Hutchinsons have been avid about continuing to ability insight nd to the community and giving recalls.

“So it was a natural step for me, look I’d been a stay-at-home mom who ran an antique is not a job because I love it so much.” referral rate is eighty percent, and his sales volHamish’s career forward, and heperiodically hopes to see that clients appreciate the effort he puts into making their Mark Wien because my children were still young.

Once media, internet sites print and dedication.

Team will doubt enjoy every minute of process.” it.

“There’s the house look great, use great photographers, and market where he assists clients throughout Milwaukee and interests throughout the for Abbott Laboratories, selling to creating professional pictures, toand omer service,” recalls.

When itplans comes tothe marketing listings, the pdates,” Ethel in IRyan Biomedical Engineering, then spent and follows up no with her clients her twosheer children.

She got high her license that same year, educate themselves on every aspect ofoversee their industry, favorite department tolove because of the impact a home with three thin ocess and sharing in the joyworked and Melinda has strong for future of her business. business.

So, when my children began attending my clients. work hard to keep that level of service his church, Cornerstone Community Church in Wildomar. eer back, Rick is an active volunteer and and I it.”

Tom’s business is flourintim ertain to them individually, due oked like.” After Proof of the amazing service Mattie andGary her team provide my children were older, I felt that it was says, “In our market, people ume for 2020 was $27.5 million.

His total volume sold Family has dibs on his leisure diagnostic instruments to hospitals and demographictargeted online marketing. transactions go smoothly. trajectory continue until he retires sometime in the the Southeastern Wisconsin area.

Having founded he lender I work with now, Enclave Team has a dedicated marketer on and then her broker’s license in 2003. earned a constantly taking classes for new certifications and skill more than having areal good, home, “Num ands continuously.” even do light staging.

When working fifteen years working in They the medical device and maintains her relationship.

She’s also on everyone’s life.

Iimportant decided to shift fully intoantiquing, estatesafeachieve. school full-time, I which decidedits to rapid takehas the leap andshe get intends When she’s notreferral working, Paula enjoys eing able to own your own home.”

AsHe her volume maintains growth, hat philanthropist. supports numerous ishing and his base has grown and strive to always great communication the ms and earning can be remain found on in industry website Zillow.com, on aand good time for meGoing to get into real estate newspaper.

Featuring myand lisB degree in Pre-Law from Nicholls State University development. forward, they want to keep growlabs in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

“So Known for her deep knowledge of the erience dealing with all different since starting in the business is over $100 million.

That I love to travel with my family. ing in me and referred me to his business around a special balance of professionOutside his career, Pedro is tremendous staff.

Ryan and the team use social media my license.

Since then, Paula has proven herself to broker, working out,beand going fishing, boating and next decade. industry.

But my dream had always been conscientious about building community, including Cardinal rather than just the advertising part it.”by possible.

Num building athe team and, one day, becoming honor to trusted buyers and sellers.

I really do with buyers, Jody says, “We make sure the buyer is morthan numerous real site she holds aorganizations, perfect, five-star overall review comprised steadily helps and more welm and work the hours that itinteracting required.”

Since Real Estate section haslast proven entire time which in turn produces aon memorable client “The future of my isas toahe keep itofmore super consistent spent 25 years in the oil fields and managing various ing their referral rate byabusiness continuing to offer the best When with clients, Mark finds it essential I became a Realtor to take care of our market and the ability to think outside be a full-service, intelligent and personable agent camping with her husband.

She also gives back It was a natural progression success results from his deep-rooted knowledge of the biking and skiing.

These few to ensure maximum exposure for listings. has made him a popular Realtor alism and compassion, he has cultivated boutique community.

The founding president to startprefers my own business.”

Sheall first got partnering with supporting local goals. ng, Athletic Foundation, which is aAfter booster wing possible toexp enoa house,reviews Melinda aofcomprehenwhile mentoring new agents at D.R. Horton.

Inand onstant learning, ofbusinesses scores glowing testimonials. clients achieve their real estate before getting hismuch ownand license in 2018. customer service and perhaps expand their base then, Stacey has built aaround, flourishing business wehome.” invest inLANGAN print advertising when I say there’s no place like gage-ready, spend as time as our buyers need to assure experience.”

Hank works with the mindset of making and organized,” Hank says.

“I want to keep it repeatable transactions suddenly many people the box when necessary, Sheryl has who works diligently to achieve the best possible to her community in a variety of ways, including to communicate effectively and form trust-building RICK SEAGRAVES RYAN KOWALSKI SHALINI SADDA SHERYL MATUSZAK STACEY ARCENEAUX TOM he real estate world.”

Ryan The results speak for themselves: Ryan led her real estate license so she could buy and vendors for her business operations. aand for varsity sports in schools, and the process towork meet the needs any buyer or seller.

“At branch of thetheNational of industry with ainvestors passion for helping people fly-fishing.

There’sAssociation something ve mmediate career s, one that histhey past are formed aid, “This was wereclients married, they team at eXpcombined to with more as well.

Ray has anofrelationships. expansive depth of knowledge within the least amou broadcasting each property over both thea domestic meantime, though, she offers sound advice tosupport any based on strong outcomes for buyers and sellers alike. of local not homeless shelters and Jude’sreal who’d liked my design and consulting dedicated herself to St. ensuring a stress-free clients life.

“Iandlook atthe itAngel more like watering athe garden and scalable butthe most importantly spread myself too they find right home and do whatever it I’ve takes topersonal get to or Program, helps cover relationships with them from the very beginning. hird year in real estate, and team inuses transactions ineverywhere,” just his second sell property as an investment, and one day their business hasFund been growing since. me infor 2005, When she’s not working, Mattie is ever anwhich avid tennis player this point, been he says.

“I’ve been Estate Professionals, he also serves onthey the meet their dreams.

“From outset, I was committhe middle of a river and casting estate industry.

He started by spending eight years working for what else rare and targeted social media campaigns. aspiring Realtor®: “Never stop dreaming, and never Tom serves the Florence, South Carolina area.

A The results spea dnumerous toagent their friends and family.

Children’s Hospital.

She her considerable experience and Community involvement is im ideas began contacting wanting meheI is experience for mindset her clients, whether they theand cost of lunches for “God who don’t the way I tend toextensive my people,” says, has thin. always remind myself toIamount have aofnew growth foundation and fitness buff, she also gives back tokids herme, community just how much sheHank enjoyed that “This work isin amazing. love meeting so growing steadily each year year, this year on track to be theorganic.

He gives his clients full disclosure, and hascomes a Committee way of is closing.”

Throughout any transaction, LHT agents emphaaand team atwo solo agent, ahome broker, and now I’ve Opportunity and has Professi Currently, more thanleader, two-thirds of Paula’s different builders selling construction homes. items.

It all c significant his business from Tom close ted to making my business growth I balance where my phone doesn’t work.” she leans onrealized her network give up.

If it’s something you want to do, and you knowledge to help her clients achieve their Stacey.

She involved with t yon toaalso have had tothe help them too.

That’s when mymany real interesting people, learning about them, are buyers or sellers.

Last year Paige and Gary closed 75people, transactions for have money to pay.

“If there’s a local need ment to integrity through a variety of ways, including her support ofall “Once Ito started helping other Igo knew opened soprocess. many wonderful doors and I choose to but at the same time to be content with where I am.

I ore and more clients achieve their real $8-9 million range for volume.

“Last year was ain great considerable business isdon’t based upon repeat clients Paula has big plans forforming the future of her organization alreadyopened up my own brokerage.

But through it all, I’ve Committee, as well as volunteering as a explaining things that makes them feel comfortable and repeat and referral clients, an impressive feat that booming. real estate goals. locally, Acadia “I was really the business of selling an imaginary home, process, and i ents and fellow Realtors® give her want it badly enough, let anything get in your l to be honest between being regimented enough to follow through size educating their clients and open communication.

It’s over 12.5 million in sales volume.

Seventy-five estate career took off.” toa percent as also children’s hospital, to which she portion offriendships.

Rick is on Realtor where Icalling.” can help somebody, I’m going help them anddonates referrals, aI’ve significant achievement in the exceptional business, chief among Association them being I’d found my And there’s never atodull moment.

Every hasis effective, efficient comsecond year, and been on trajectory,” inadvantage onaachieved those socame that we connect more like like toanestate, focus on that balance rather than chasing down Builders and is of active in speaks the trust and confidence hehats inspires. always believed inupward keeping the client at the forefront Distributive Education Clubs Ameri of that business from repeat clients and referrals. and then bringing that imaginary home toLuke’s reality through itthat because mo dme onrelationships the market.

Meanwhile, way.

But once you get into real strive tothe set an confident in trajectory of“There their transaction.

“When I also r, expeditious with proven processes and having natural interactions immediate for his are so many and the each sale she makes, and she is the number one financial nnesota.

He RE/ has out,” Rick says.

When Rick not busy helping clients this white-glove, hands-on service that sets Jody and the highly competitive world ofcontinue real estate.

“I believe continued growth and thetrying potential formation of we a weargoals deal is different.

It’s a bit like matchmaking, Ryan says.

“This year I will that, and my goal Clients cite their honesty, knowledge of the industry, Stacey serves the Acadiana area.

She estimates that When she is not working or giving back, S “I’ve had a lot of referral business, and I work heproviding is an aggressive negotiator who Community inv family rather than just another transaction.” the next deal or next dollar.

I love helping people for the the construction process,” Ray says.

When he found himself many elemen of every transaction.” organization that supports burgeoning en ry bit as thorough when assisting her example and be a genuine resource to all your clients.” has constantly contributor in her office to the Children’s Miracle Sixteen years later she has a repeat client and referral people don’t realize.

It’s not an easy business, but if you’re first get started on a transaction, my initial focus is to put her thos of putting or giving back his time, he is a dedicated family man. it’s because of my communication skills,” she says, team to assist with that growth.

Above all, however, with people.

I don’t enjoy nor am I good at cold calling, tain the current level of product Shalini serves the San Francisco area with City Real toher find that perfect fit,from looking for aofwin-win deal foralso give expert negotiating skills, and the fact that the couple is transactions.”

LaVista Hills Team apart. nt with the Enclave Real Estate Team at 99% of business comes repeat and referral spending time with her family and traveling is to do more than 40 with a lot investors who me repeat in the past he h Award.

Network.

She is conalso a former Board Member for wanting acontacting little more flexibility inwithout his schedule, heobjective: shifted gears and said “Eve common good of everyone and the blessing out yPinnacle navigating theirof transaction from start ar with though the art navigating when how shethe has managed toclient’s engender remains heritthem overarching, constant toof business and works at coming & Co. “Because I’m good atinvolved it, will look easy toreferral people.

Arate lot work goes He enjoys outdoors activities including coaching youth dnnesota, having vast the ease and let know exactly what we’re easy to work with as the reason why theyasked keep and INorth feel awkward about someone todesign, 100Society, percent.

He Estate, specializing in high-rise condominiums.

Her both sides.

The most rewarding moment is seeing the clients, an incredible feat that speaks to the trust and passion for people and which she po n serves the Twin Cities.

He is already business,” Tom says.

“I have five different invesas well Chinese American Real Estate Association. such impressive levels of trust and loyalty amongst continue providing her buyers and with the took over the role ofhis CEO ofdeal, awill Keller Williams Franchise winning blend oftointegrity andus, expertise. ith its gorgeous sports, fishing (when he has time), vacationing, and anot concierge Realtor, Isays don’t have tothat spend much on into aon successful butkeep if you enjoy what you’re doing, When listing aonand home, Pedro leans extensive When he’s not with clients or giving b When ithard comes to “For marketing, all those of having amazing clients who insellers touch back. it’s really about the appreciative deal,” Gary. working hone his craft for om to provide going toto be together,” says.

“Ilong have theteam clients praise her enthusiasm, responsiveness, and smiles my clients’ faces after closing.” having something ofis value provide.

But most of my cultivating confidence Stacey inspires.

“My business motto isMark work ashas apublisher.

Realtor ashis well as in anmembers’ Interior Des To more about Ethel Skenderis, e’s considerable tors who have fixed and flipped houses through those works with.

“I put that first and foremost, unparalleled customer service that been Florence pb at and referral business expand, an imCommunity involvement is manner important to Ryan.

Hedoing and No portion oflearn this issue may be reproduced in satisfaction any whatsoever without prior consent of the home projects.

He is and currently renovating both his in Delaware” he added.

Looking tofor the “This is and our community, we want toshe build relationout saying you’ll go above beyond,” marketing or advertising to attract business, as my clients it doesn’t feel like work.”

Jody and the LHT have great customer ratings background in marketing and technology to offer be found spending time with his famil clients and cultivated relationships help him amplify for the rest of our lives.” ded a list of shat now, and it would hard to find knowledge of the market, a reputation that has gener‘Real experience, Real relationships, Real Estate,’” ability and desire to explain transactions to my clients because IEthel@lnf.com feel like communicating with synonymous with name. ositive word-ofWhen asked about what lieshis for her business inappreciation clients become friends, soevents Iclients stop byme, to see them I’m own goals and growNest. the When office’s call 301-467-1010 or email two haveifher done itin multiple withthe me.” he i to the trust and confidence team host customer asand ships with everyone we can.” primary home an property. feel that I in gostore above and beyond for them.

I’ve built a such growth within Top Agent Magazine isinvestment published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to times ensure accuracy boutspeaks doing everything you can toand ensure clients aShalini cutting edge strategy thattried ensures their transis hardcore “reefer,” keeping an with their buyer and seller clients.

“Jody knows the business ated a the steady growth in business since she began her is in the process of growing her team, onalso uld maximize Stacey explains, “and I’ve always to treat people With her adaughter, Camille Boudreaux no ghly competitive future, Mattie grows reflective for acan moment before ipped to get an optimal outcome You contact Hamish at (0418) 966-224, enjoys exercisi in a way that is both clear and informative.”

Clients love their neighborhood, or I’ll post congratulations when I million per year. ch, and his dediWorking with the team instilled in me pie nights and movie theater rentals.

Outside of real trusted network of people I’m loyal to and who are loyal Sheryl’s very active in her community as well, giving However, he soon found himself back in a more corporate “Ann and Ma mfortable with the process.”

Contact action runs smoothly.

Through a blend of real estate reef tank of exotic fish in his office. of published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its more information about Paula Basso, ke howTo I Rick’s handle replying.

“I out,” want toone show people what besttrack Her repeat client and referral rate is being reaching to doubling her business 2021.

Sheapart alsoalongside has the way IFor would want toGary be treated.

I in never wanted her quality as a licensed Realtor® and Themore couple markets their listings toshared buyers across all Contact Paige or direct atsets 985-790-5800, inside and client in abecause review.

“We followed Tom himself through the of Arizona with his two do of For the future, has no plansGreer, to slow down.

“I plan find out about Hank you can contact him phone at 951-640-5441, email sales@hamishrogersrealty.com.au. ke my personal mission to eajority of it giving acareer.

5-star experience toRick every estate, Ryan’s family business operates the Kowalski’s Mark’s communication, made evident by the factto that toget me.

People come to me I’m solution based, partsellers ofext her283, commission from every closing the role with aorby lot less interaction the clients directly.

Ray trooper, ed how she has Realtor means.

I want totheir show my clients how being amoney ofcontinuing theTo social sites, local MLS, and through concierge services, he his ready their has strong plans for the future hiseT b their office athelps 985-590-4028 or please call 860-402-8169 email BassoPaula@yahoo.com to put before people.

I“I’m always felt that if with you coordinator, Stacey says, “We want of to and contin forty percent, andmedia growing.

Shalini attributes her her broker’s license. always adapting, always authors. subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Published in the U.S. to friends and on to serve my clients as well as I can.

This service he provides and also by establishing his You can also visit his website at xplains.

“Every team is striving for that, For Kids charity association, and Ryan participates in and over the years I’ve also alerted my clients to unique Housing Fund, supporting construction of low-income her recommendations to make minor but important changes HankGreer.com or by email at hankHgreer@gmail.com.

You can find him online at he gets over half of his business through repeats and he best possible prices,” Hamish once again shifted gears and became a full-time agent and sector, and I’m nda has already earned a fantastic email campaigns, but they also reach out to the over 400 els of loyalty and hardworking, ethical agent and problem-solver can really email Paige.Hutchinson@exprealty.com put people first, you will be successful.

If it’s a firstour real estate business and continue prov property for the market, and from there, he broadvolume maintains its steady growth, he success to a combination of empathy and expertise.

“I andlearning.

Ultimately, my team will be small (under tenor an Contact Luke at 303-949-8104 email Luke.Corbitt@8Z client with an more business me welltheir for the past seven brand in clients’ minds.

“I make effort to create Tom says hism fa visit forresult more information. ohhey that target than ahas lottreated of teams annual golfyears, tournament fundraiser.

When he is were opportunities that I thought they might be interested in, housing to one combat homelessness.

LastWilliams year she was the like the way help them.” the of Record forbest.” that Keller athe home build erhit having over $10 referrals from past clients. to the house that did nothamishrogersrealty.com.au involve large cash outlay.

The with me, you can rest assure time homebuyer, treat them asthird ifBroker they of my service to our clients.

I love relationsh put myself in buyer’s or seller’s shoes and think agents) asultimately Itoam client focused and will only hire the casts their home over 800 party websites— to“so expanding his work with investment eking atregion, every price Icompleted think it the will continue to treat me well for the next seven a digital footprint,” he says, that everybody is his clients achi Copyright Top Agent Magazine even when weren’t I can offer whatever liaison for her former college sorority and its alumni, eme it in reviews and our with referrals.” notthey working or looking. giving back, Ryan enjoys golf, exerCopyright Top Agent Magazine office.

In his first Ray sold 67 homes selling as many that ultima in our the last year the vast I do what’s truly best for the client, no matter make through real estate. love we meeting about how would togrown be treated.

I don’t believe elling.

“I think toalone, twenty years.

I’ve at a good pace, enough that leveraging was aI sale inwant hours rather than days or weeks.

Jody was also allchildren. while social media toyear, reach as wide utilizing his sphere to th len walking around withan the billboard incollege their hand atof Iinfluence especially for kind of help they need: contractors, inspectors, kitchen bridging the gap between the students andwhatour cise, and spending time with family.

Ryan is proud of attie Wei, call 650-942-4966 or email MattieWei@gmail.com what that means for me.” and making new friends.

That’s I lov homes as the top single agents in the state.

He began to grow a serving cl rgebusiness coming from clients of the area,” stillrepeat provide a personal touch to each of my clients, in hardI can selling.

I’m there as an advisor, to share my Copyright Top Agent Magazine all times.

I also work very hard on controlling my possible. audience as home possible.

This forward-thinking approach impact on the community he loves.

“Som Copyright Topit.

Agent Magazine Copyri an excellent source fortheinterior contractors to been handle inspecdesigners, designers, painters, you name the alumni. ethic and his dedication toexpertise customer facttothat has over three years.

“It about real estate.” and within eighteen months he my became number one Jody Real Estate gi cently having purchased first home, tly. I don’t treat which isher my priority.

I never want lose the ability knowledge and about preparing a he home to tosober forteam, For more information about schedule and blocking time, the being as efficient those who appro Top Agent Magazine 3 Steinb Sometimes it’s not even related to real estate.

After apart.

I do, and shows,” me agent I am and it’s how I’m able toand do tion repairs.

Wewith were totally atthe ease with Jody driving the Her background as a in paralegal project manager the sale.

I love have provide each themakes service they deserve.” agent the state of Delaware with Keller Williams Realty personal goal much of “I her success to her own practical sell,what or helping theitclient buyer understand theTo pros and cons as I can each day to better serve my clients.” at the time, but more Melinda Lee, living here for good overlearn 27 years, I’m about very connected to real my When not “Because working, Sheryl loves getting outdoors—or please call 404.932.5771 greatly benefits Stacey’s estate practice. ke myself astoof available asprocess possible for myhandling such work,” he To which learn more about Pedro email pr@rethought-realestate.com llcan of my clients Copyright Toptrust Agent Magazine is the biggest real estateRivera, company in the world. helping our cl relate just about anybody,” she each property.

It’s and important that they me assays. sale the numerous issues that arose credit together email MJLee@drhorton.com, community.” traveling, hiking kayaking and exploring all Arizona www.

www.

www.

CONTENTS 6) 5 FRESH NEW APPROACHES TO CONTENT MARKETING 13) 4 WAYS MENTORING UP-AND-COMING EMPLOYEES MAKES YOU A BETTER AGENT 19) 4 EASY WAYS TO REDECORATE YOUR OFFICE THAT WILL BOOST MORALE & IMPRESS CLIENTS 25) 3 MENTAL TRICKS THAT WILL TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL 29) 3 MIND-BENDING PHILOSOPHIES TO EXPAND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE 38) 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ACHIEVE YOUR BIGGEST GOALS 42) 5 TIPS TO MAKE NEW HIRES A LONGLASTING SUCCESS 48) 5 TIPS TO GET NEW CLIENTS 4

54) 3 SUREFIRE METHODS THAT MAKE FOR A PRODUCTIVE MEETING

87) 5 SIMPLE MINDSET SHIFTS THAT WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

58) 3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WORKSPACE WORK FOR YOU

91) 5 SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES REAL ESTATE AGENTS MUST AVOID

62) 4 QUALITIES OF EXCEPTIONAL EMPLOYEES

95) 6 WAYS TO GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU

66) 6 HABITS OF HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE AGENTS

99) 7 SIMPLE TIPS THAT ARE PROVEN TO HELP YOU STAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION

71) 4 REASONS WHY MULTITASKING CAN ACTUALLY DERAIL YOUR DAY 75) 4 WAYS TO WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST PROCRASTINATION 79) 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ACHIEVE YOUR BIGGEST GOALS 83) 5 MORNING HABITS TO MAKE YOUR DAY SUPER PRODUCTIVE

103) 8 THINGS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE NEVER DO 107) 8 TIPS ON USING DISRUPTIVE THINKING TO IMPROVE INNOVATION 111) UNCOMMON CONTACT: CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA 115) TURN OPEN HOUSES INTO DESTINATIONS

Top Agent Magazine

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5 Fresh New Approaches to Content Marketing A couple of weeks ago we were conducting a workshop when we were asked two excellent questions about content marketing:

• People

don’t want to hear from a roofing company every day. So how do you produce fresh and interesting content for social media that goes beyond your core services and yet ties back to your business?

• Can

you extend your social media presence and content to include personal things (like your hobbies) and how does that affect your overall business image?

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The workshop attendee who asked the first question was right. Almost no one wants to hear from any company every day… especially if all the content is about products and services…and yes, even if they’re giving helpful tips and information. Does that mean you should stop producing excellent daily content related to your business? No, of course not! Content is created for two reasons.

First, to provide knowledge, expertise and even entertainment to your ideal customers in order to achieve top of mind awareness as an authority in your industry. And second, to produce SEO-rich results that keep you at the top of search engines. You must strike a

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balance between the two, and try to include content that draws people in by being super interesting and entertaining….and yes, sometimes personal.

To help answer those content questions above, here are five different types of content (beyond the traditional stuff) that can give your brand a fresh, unique and balanced approach:

1. PHILANTHROPIC Your community efforts say a lot about who you are, and people will make an extra effort to do business with you as a result of this connection. We’ve consulted business owners who are very hesitant to promote these efforts because they don’t want it to seem as though they are exploiting the charities and organizations—and most especially because they don’t do it for the promotional aspects. They do it to give back. I ask you to keep this in mind. Nonprofit and charitable organizations very often have small marketing budgets. Not only do they rely on outside marketing forces to promote their initiatives, they would likely be forced to close their doors without that support. That means that when someone with a strong brand and presence promotes them, it’s a highly trusted and personal connection, and you can’t buy that kind of support. In other words, they not only need you to promote them, they want you to promote them. But your instincts are correct. It’s not about you. So just make sure your entire content focuses on the organization you’re helping, what they do for the community and how Top Agent Magazine

others can join in the cause. Then it becomes a huge win for all.

2. HOBBIES You bungee jumped from four of the tallest bridges in the U.S. In your spare time, you go fly fishing. You love playing chef and use only locally grown, organic foods. Your friends are always begging you to go to Vegas with your card shark talents. You’ve done mission work in Africa and would like to start your own group. You almost played professional baseball. You have an insane talent for gardening design or bass guitar.

Your family works at a soup kitchen once a month. Ok…you get the picture. And two more words. Reality TV. People are interesting…and people are interested in interesting people. We remember others based on these unique traits. And most of all, people love the story behind the face. Don’t be afraid to share your hobbies. Quite often, it’s the first thing that will personally connect you to a prospect.

3. CREATIVE CONNECTION This one is perhaps our favorite. While we can’t imagine seeing something come across our news feed from a landscaping company every day, imagine this for a moment. What are we always told to remember in this hectic world? Stop and smell the roses, right? So what if…a landscaping company posted a beautiful flower each day, just to remind you to ‘stop and smell the roses’. And at the bottom of that photo (small print), you included

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the type of flower and type of environment needed to make it flourish (moist soil, full sun, etc.). And then, of course, watermarked it with your logo….and a title like, “Sam’s Daily Reminder: It’s Time to Stop & Smell the Roses”. You could even include some great, thought-provoking quotes. It has the personal connection (Sam), the business connection (flowers & logo watermark) and a cool creative connector (pause the meetings and paperwork to take a moment and appreciate life by noticing this beautiful flower). This is a great idea for staying ‘top of mind’ and connecting business with the kind of creative messaging people wouldn’t mind seeing every day.

4. EXPERIENCES This one is similar to hobbies from the personal aspect, but instead of something that identifies us like our hobbies, our experiences are random happenings that can have great interest and meaning to our audience.

Whether you have a unique experience buying a new car or a fateful conversation with a stranger in the airport, if you feel it ties into a life lesson or business lesson you’d like to share, by all means do. The lesson is to keep your radar up 24/7. Any experiences you have which relate to your

ideal customer are an opportunity to connect beyond the business world. And when we do that, we become a part of the family.

5. INFLUENCERS “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. You’ve probably heard that saying, and the same is true whether you are a teenager or a business owner. Maybe you’ve learned a lot of your business knowledge from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet…or you like to quote Benjamin Franklin. Perhaps you have some mentors you’d like to recognize and tell why they’re important to you. Sharing the people and things that influence us is what makes us human. No matter how successful your business, you didn’t get there alone. People and circumstances shaped you along the way. Recognizing others for their contribution in our lives, large or small, is important in staying connected and grounded.

We hope these five types of content help you to put a fresh spin on what you share with your audience, whether personal or professional. We believe you must have the combination of both to build an incredible brand.

Tonya Eberhart is the Branding Agent to Business Stars and founder of BrandFace®, LLC. Michael Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer & BrandFace® partner. Together, they focus on personal branding and marketing designed to help real estate professionals become the face of their business & a star in their market. BrandFace® for Real Estate Professionals is a book, professional speaking series and an exclusive workshop for agents, and is currently active in 18 U.S. states, Canada and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.BrandFaceRealEstate.com.

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KATE JOHNSON

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KATE JOHNSON

Kate Johnson founded K2 Homes with Heart in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, with her husband, Keith.

Together, they center their clients’ needs at the heart of everything they do. With experience in the mortgage and remodeling industries, Kate and Keith are well-poised to offer their clients more than the average team. Kate was processing loans for her dad’s mortgage company right out of high school. Keith, a licensed General Contractor and talented carpenter, has owned Cutting Edge Carpentry since 2007. They have extensive experience, knowledge and passion in the housing industry, which they love to share with their clients.

In Kate’s first year as a full time agent, she was #7 out of more than 500 agents at her Brokerage, and the #1 Lead Converter for their lead team. Now Kate is a licensed broker and about to take on the role of Associate Broker for her new brokerage, where they plan to build out a team. “We believe in giving our clients the full attention and experience they deserve,” Kate says.

“We’re excited to teach other agents how to do the same.” Kate was recently named the 2020 Realty One Group Vertical’s Realtor of the Year for embodying 10

the values of care, community, and passion.

With her focus on customer service, her expertise, and her positive spirit, it is no surprise that Kate’s business is 100% referral-based. “We make ourselves available to clients as much as possible,” Kate says. “We roll out the red carpet, whether they’re buying or selling a home for $150,000 or for one million, they’re going to get the same level of service. We pride ourselves on relationships. Our clients need and deserve a full-service experience, and that is what we provide.”

The K2 team is able to go above and beyond for their clients. For Buyers, Keith provides pre-inspections and gives an accurate scope of potential projects and concerns. For Sellers, he provides his time and talents to prepare homes for listing. Kate not only offers a staging consultation, but also staging items. “We want to make sure to showcase your home in the best light possible,” Kate says. “The more people we can get through your door, the more competitive offers you’re going to get.”

Kate and Keith are active philanthropists and volunteers, Top Agent Magazine

putting much of their commissions back into the communities they serve. In addition to their own efforts, they also believe in inspiring their community to do the same. Through Covid, they put on events to support local small businesses, including a Mother’s Day virtual bingo and a Restaurant Realtor Ripple Effect. “We raffled off restaurant gift cards, and we tipped an equal amount to the gift card purchase,” Kate says. “We encouraged the winners to do the same. My belief is that if you’re feeling helpless, go help someone else.”

Kate loves working with her husband, and is excited about the future and what it holds. “Our three teenagers get to see us work and be creative together,” Kate says.

“We’ve built a family-based business. I didn’t know we’d end up here when we started, but I’m so grateful we did.” Passionate and dedicated, Kate and Keith look forward to more great years ahead. “We want to keep getting people not only excited about real estate, but also involved in their communities,” Kate says.

“We’re not in it for the sale. We want to truly guide and support our clients through the experience. Our personal stories and knowledge of the market makes us agents of integrity.”

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To find out more about Kate Johnson, please call (651) 283-4147, email Kate@K2HomeswithHeart.com or visit k2homeswithheart.com 11

Realty Group One Vertical is proud to congratulate

Kate Johnson

on being featured for the State of Minnesota in Top Agent Magazine!

o: 952.988.8488 | https://rogvertical.com 4701 Banning Avenue, Suite B, White Bear Lake MN 55110

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Top Agent Magazine

4 Ways Mentoring Up-and-Coming Employees Makes You a Better Agent In the world of real estate, there are always new agents joining the ranks. Even if you’ve been practicing for just a few short years, you’ve likely learned your fair share of lesson along the way. As an agent, much of your working philosophy is derived from first-hand experience and your work on the ground. This means that new agents are less prepared for the inevitable curveballs of the industry. That’s where you come in.

While mentorship is often pitched as a relationship that solely benefits the mentee, there is actually plenty to be gained from becoming a mentor. After all, personal growth goes hand-in-hand with professional growth, and becoming a mentor asks agents to thoughtTop Agent Magazine

fully explore and demonstrate their own ideologies, practices, and rationale. With that in mind, take a look at some of the benefits of mentorship below, and you’ll get a sense of why counseling new agents can be a boon to your own business.

Teaching lessons to others reinforces your own professional values.

Showing the ropes to young agents is a great way to brush-up on your foundational skills.

Verbalizing and demonstrating processes, or walking through the rationale behind negotiation tactics—all cause mentors to think through their established practices and outline in detail why they’ve chosen this route over an

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alternative. This helps older agents fine-tune their routines, while getting back in touch with the critical thinking that went into constructing those habits.

Mentorships allows you to see the big picture.

surely sharpen your ability as the head of a team. What’s more, you’ll be building skills of empathy, understanding, teaching, and constructive criticism. Working on those skills will better your practice and your ability to lead in your office.

After a lengthy industry tenure, it’s not uncommon for battle-worn agents to lose some steam and begin to burn out. By devoting some time to mentoring up-and-coming agents, you’ll get back in touch with your early days, remembering the excitement, the trials, and the hard lessons gleaned. Spending time with the next generation of real estate professionals can reinvigorate your practice, as seeing the business from the eyes of an eager amateur can inject energy into your working life.

You’ll benefit from seeing things from a new perspective.

Just as working with young agents can help you remember your career’s big picture, you may also benefit from working alongside someone with a new perspective. Young agents bring a different set of skills and awareness to their work, and established agents can benefit from a fresh take. If technology isn’t your strong suit, or you’re interested in tapping the Millennial homebuyer market, working with a younger agent is an excellent way to see through fresh eyes.

Mentoring young agents makes you a better leader.

As a mentor, you’ll often direct the flow of your professional relationship—figuring out which issues to tackle, making an agenda, and imparting lessons in a clear way. These are all characteristics of a leader, and acting in a position of authority as mentor can 14

While some may balk at the time commitment or energy required to take on a mentee or two, you might consider it an act of ongoing education or professional development. While your mentee will undoubtedly benefit from access to your expertise, there’s certainly much to be gained from taking the time to cultivate tomorrow’s real estate leaders.

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LINETTE CORONA

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LINETTE CORONA

Top Agent Linette Corona – of Realty of Chicago – is an honest, hardworking and dedicated Realtor® who consistently places the needs of her many grateful clients front and center during each and every transaction. With a focus on excellent customer service and building strong, long-lasting relationships with both her buyers and sellers, Linette is truly deserving of the stellar reputation she enjoys.

Linette began her journey in real estate in 2017. “I kind of stumbled into this career,” recalls Linette. “I became interested in real estate because I basically wanted to help people become homeowners. I started seeing how rents are increasing a lot, and that sometime all that people need is guidance. Often, they think that buying a home is harder than it really is. I believe that is what motivated me to get my license.” Since signing on with 16

Realty of Chicago, Linette has built a thriving business that is based on a solid foundation of honesty, integrity and deep market and industry knowledge.

Currently, the lion’s share of Linette’s considerable business is based upon returning clients and referrals, a sure indicator of the exception service she provides her clients. “My biggest niche,” says Linette, “is first-time home buyers. I really like walking them through the process and holding their hands during the transaction.” This level of care has translated into 30 sales in 2020 alone, an impressive feat for any agent but more so for a standalone solo Realtor®. “I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I make my clients feel comfortable; they become like family to me,” says Linette, when asked how she manages to engender such impressive levels of loyalty amongst her Top Agent Magazine

clients. “I treat every one of them the same way I would want to be treated.”

As further proof of Linette’s proficiency and caring, one needs to look no further than Zillow.com, on which site she holds a perfect, five-star overall rating comprised of scores of glowing testimonials.

There are many other reasons that have played a significant role in Linette’s continuing success story, and chief among them would be her warm, personable nature, her expert negotiation skills, and her thorough, intelligent marketing strategies that, combined, translate into fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients.

“I really love when I’m able to hand my clients the keys to their new house,” says Linette. “I love seeing their faces light up. This isn’t a house they’re getting, it’s their new home. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of that.”

When she’s not working, Linette enjoys nothing more than spending time with her sons, and she also gives back to her community in a variety of ways, both personally and through Realty of Chicago’s charitable outreach efforts that include feeding over 10,000 in-need people at Thanksgiving and providing new book bags and school supplies to more than 2,000 children.

Linette’s plans for the future of her business include continued growth, and above all, continuing to provide her many clients with the best customer service available in the Windy City market.

Top Agent Magazine

For more about Linette Corona, please call 847-977-1439 or email LinetteC92@gmail.com

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The Law Office of Joan Vasquez is proud to congratulate

Linette Corona

on being featured for the State of Illinois in Top Agent Magazine!

Law Office of Joan Vasquez (847) 991-5800 | joanvasquez@jvasquezlaw.com 20063 N. Rand Road, Palatine, IL 60074

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Top Agent Magazine

4 Easy Ways to Redecorate Your Office that Will Boost Morale & Impress Clients Your office is a battle-station of sorts. It’s where you field business, launch your communications, and make the magic of your enterprise happen on a daily basis. While you’ll certainly need to have all the functional elements of an office in order to get your work done—desk, chair, internet—have you really considered the physical environment you’ve cultivated in the process? Think of it this way: working all day in a windowless, poorly lit room Top Agent Magazine

wouldn’t exactly inspire productivity or morale, would it?

The fact is humans take all sorts of social, behavioral, and emotional cues from our environments.

And as a real estate professional, you likely already understand the power of the visual and the benefits of making a good impression. With all that in mind, how can you redecorate or retool your

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office space in a way that will boost your mood, productivity, and client relationships? For inspiration, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you consider the ambiance and environment in which you conduct business.

1. A little goes a long way Redecorating your office space doesn’t have to break the bank. Style and décor are often about tiny details adding up to make an overall impression. For instance, paint color, plant life, and lighting are all straightforward ways to rejuvenate a room without spending a fortune. Have dark, drab walls? Consider springing for a lighter, fresher color that will breathe new life into your space. Have bare window sills or empty corners?

Buying and potting a few low-maintenance plants like ferns or succulents can add freshness and pops of color to a sparse room. Rely on fluorescent lighting? Consider sprucing up your space with a few well-chosen floor and table lamps that add accents of taste while warming up the tone in your office. A few intuitively placed items can inspire renewed energy.

2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle One way to make a big change in your office environment without spending a penny is to declutter and reorder. Let’s say you have rows upon rows of crowded, bulky filing cabinets. Try digitizing your records and cut the clutter, opening up square footage in the process. Maybe your desk has faced the same wall for years. Have you considered rearranging your existing furniture and décor? Just by reorganizing the flow of your workspace, you can give your office the cheapest face-lift possible.

You can also make work areas flow more intuitively, based on the processes and collaboration you’ve adapted to over time.

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3. Think like a client Imagine you’re walking into the office for the first time. As a client, what details would stick out? What red flags would come to mind? While you’re used to working in the same space every day, clients are coming into your office with no set expectations. With that in mind, complete a walkthrough of your office area to address eye sores, clutter, and whatever feels unprofessional or amateur. Half the battle of redecorating your space is finding opportunities and seeing things anew, instead of being content with the status quo.

4. Build out your brand Redecorating your space is about aesthetics, but it’s also about creating a unifying setting for your professional brand. If you’re catering to luxury clientele, it makes sense that your office space should appear elegant, high-end, and sophisticated.

If you’re selling second homes out in the country, perhaps a more rugged but well-curated ambiance would set the right tone for your services. Maybe you’re courting the Millennial market or touting your tech-forward approach to real estate. In that case, a modern, sleek, progressive layout would speak to your company’s values and culture.

Whatever the case may be, think of your office environment as an extension of your brand that communicates with clients, motivates your team, and sets the tone for your day-to-day operations.

Even if decorating isn’t exactly in your wheelhouse, there are plenty of simple and philosophical shifts you can make to your space that will maximize your presence and productivity. What’s more, real estate is a business built on relationships—so it doesn’t hurt to create an office where clients are comfortable and confident in the environment you’ve built.

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REMY CURRY

Top Agent Magazine

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REMY CURRY

With a background in social work, Top Agent Remy Curry’s listening skills and compassion allow her to provide excellent personal service and help clients achieve their real estate goals.

Remy Curry began her real estate career in 2016 after moving back to Baton Rouge. “I decided to get into real estate because I thought it would give me time and flexibility to be there for my children,” Remy recalls. With a background in social work, Remy’s listening skills and compassion allow her to provide excellent personal service and help clients achieve their real estate goals.

This past January, Remy and her colleague Miriam del Rio formed their own team, MR Property Group. Together, they serve the Baton Rouge area. “We both have capitalized on the 22

luxury market in the greater Baton Rouge area,” Remy says, “and we bring the same passion to real estate as well as matching values and ethics.

We are not trying to collect a paycheck, we’re trying to help families and help people. Since we came together, it’s been wonderful.”

At least half of Remy’s business comes from repeat and referral clients, an impressive feat that speaks to the trust and confidence she inspires. “Through my background in social work, I learned how to read people and ask the right questions, so I can find out exactly what they’re looking for,” Remy explains. “My Top Agent Magazine

success can be attributed to the fact that I am not an agent who’s just trying to sell a house, but rather a partner who is helping people get where they want to go. Clients say that I fight for them and they trust me.”

When it comes to marketing listings, Remy covers all possible avenues to ensure maximum exposure. “I have a degree in marketing,” Remy says, “and I use social media to the max. That has been super beneficial for me.”

She has had significant success marketing properties through videos, placement ads, and design marketing material, as well as targeting specific communities. “I’m really big on the local community scene,” she says. “Anything I can do to tie in the community with the house, I always work to do that. I try to get other people involved as well.”

Remy loves being involved in her community.

She is an active sponsor for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through an organization called Capital City’s Finest. Remy has served on the board of the local YMCA and is involved in local Realtor® chapters, including on the Women’s Council and the Young Professionals Network.

When she is not working or giving back, Remy enjoys teaching yoga, playing tennis, and painting. She loves to spend time with her husband and three kids.

In the future, Remy plans to grow the new team.

“I love helping people,” Remy says. “I feel like I’m making a difference in people’s lives.

This is one of the biggest investments for most people, and I get to see their families grow in these homes or outgrow their homes and start fresh in a new home. I feel like whatever we do, whether it’s selling or buying a home, we’re making a difference in people’s lives. The most rewarding part is that we’re helping our clients obtain their hopes and dreams in a new home.”

Top Agent Magazine

To find out more about Remy Curry, please call 225-937-8002, email remybcurry@gmail.com or visit zillow.com/profile/RemyCurry 23

Baton Rouge Title Company is proud to congratulate

REMY CURRY

on being featured for the State of Louisiana in Top Agent Magazine!

Mark W. Schoen | President 225-706-6103 (Direct) | schoenm@ctt.com https://BRTITLE.com 10500 Coursey Blvd., Suite 100, Baton Rouge, LA 70816

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Top Agent Magazine

3 Mental Tricks That Will Take Your Business to the Next Level It’s no secret that running a successful business requires careful planning and a tireless work ethic. Beyond those obvious ideals, it also takes the right mindset in order to capitalize on professional opportunity. In the world of real estate and mortgage lending, mental fortitude is a major component to reaching the next Top Agent Magazine

level and achieving longevity in a sector that requires so much self-discipline. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a few key mental tricks you can employ to reinvigorate your working philosophy. Incorporate these techniques into your daily mindfulness routine and your business will surely benefit.

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1

Visualization helps you work efficiently and keep your cool.

This may sound like one of the oldest tricks in the book, but there’s a reason why Olympic athletes and those serving in first-responder positions use visualization as a time-honored mental technique. Not only does visualizing your daily tasks help you organize your mind, but it amps up your ability to focus on what’s important. Visualization also helps reduce stress in the moment, since you’ve already created a mental expectation of the task ahead. Whether you’re preparing for a negotiation or a pitch to new a client—visualization primes your brain and affords you an extra sense of control as you tackle your day.

2

Distill concepts into their simplest terms for ultimate understanding.

As an agent or loan officer, you’re likely juggling numerous clients and commitments on any given day. That’s why it helps to distill your responsibilities in clear, definitive terms. Let’s say you have a meeting set with a client to outline a marketing approach for their property. You may understand the broad strokes, but beforehand, try verbalizing the exact takeaways you’d like to impart to your client.

This may seem obvious, but one of the best ways to clarify your communication and ensure your com-

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plete understanding of a subject is to explain it aloud in its simplest terms. This crystallizes your main point and can come in handy if you drift off-topic or need to double-down on your message.

3

Accept that mistakes will be made.

While it’s natural to fear failure, sometimes the dread of making an error can overwhelm your ability to perform. As the saying goes: don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

If you accept in advance that set-backs will occur, challenges will come, and things won’t always go accordingly to plan—you’ll be less confounded when hurdles do arise. What matters is keeping an even keel as you sort through unexpected delays or mishaps. Accepting that mistakes will happen allows you to shift your focus towards a solution or contingency plan. In other words, don’t spend your energy trying to achieve perfection. Aim high and work hard, but be in touch with reality: upsets are bound to occur. Accept this and you’ll be ready when they do.

The path to lasting success is ongoing, and there are bound to be challenges along the way. It takes mental fortitude to make it to the top, so keep these tricks in mind as you continue to grow as a person and a professional. Seeing situations in a new light can make all the difference as you adapt, evolve, and take your business to the next level.

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

JENN REDDINGER From an early age, Jenn Reddinger has always been interested in real estate.

Growing up, she frequented open houses with her mother, and she would later earn her own real estate license while in college. In 1995, Jenn began investing in properties around Austin, Texas, but she wouldn’t pursue becoming a fulltime agent until 2004, when she made Pittsburgh her home. There, she decided to combine her foundations in real estate with her extensive marketing and interior design background to launch her own business—and the rest is history.

Today, Jenn is a member of the Reddinger Miller Team, powered by Cowden Creek Realty, where she services clients throughout Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.

Also the owner of New Perspective Stage, a Home Staging Company, she offers her clients a one-stop shop for all their needs, possessing the insight, integrity, and experience needed to help any buyer or seller.

Through New Perspective Home Staging, Jenn empowers clients with a comprehensive strategy to ensure each listing sells quickly and efficiently. After helping her clients ready their home and providing a full suite of professional photography and videography services, she broadcasts their property over a mix of targeted social and digital media campaigns. She also utilizes her established professional network to give sellers an added advantage on the market. But above all, she takes a detailed, personalized approach to each transaction. “At New Perspective Staging, we can help a home sell faster and for more money,” she says. “Beyond that, though, I’m there for my clients, whether that means calling them back, being there when they need me, or protecting their best interests.”

Meanwhile, Jenn is just as thorough when assisting her buyers. As a certified City of Pittsburgh Specialist, she possesses an in-depth understanding of the local market.

Leaning on her tireless work ethic, she places her clients Top Agent Magazine

at the forefront of each transaction, guiding them to the right home for their needs. “A lot of buyers are new to the area and don’t know exactly what they’re looking for,” she says. “But I’m here to find that needle in the haystack for them.”

Over the years, Jenn has earned a fantastic reputation throughout Pittsburgh, with the vast majority of her volume coming from repeat clients and referrals. A consistent multi-million dollar producer, she has earned numerous honors in her accomplished career, including Rookie of the Year, Top Producing Team, Executive Club, and 100% Club. When she’s not with clients, Jenn enjoys spending time with her two beloved Boston Terriers or volunteering for various animal rescue organizations.

Looking ahead, Jenn has bright ambitions for the future of her business. With her volume maintaining its steady growth, she intends on building her team while deepening her work with her existing client base. However, through it all, she remains focused on what matters most: the client experience. “I love the challenge of finding that special house my clients can’t find,” she says. “And I don’t disappear once the contracts are signed; rather, I’m with them the whole way through to make sure they are completely satisfied in their new homes.”

For more about Jenn Reddinger email pittrealtor@gmail.com, visit reddingerteamrealestate.com or call (412) 716-7641 www.

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 27

Jeffrey A. Lagoni is proud to congratulate

JENN REDDINGER

on being featured for the State of Pennsylvania in Top Agent Magazine!

Jeffrey A. Lagoni | Loan Officer | NMLS#140105 412-253-2853 | jefflagoni.victorianfinance.com https://

2570 Boyce Plaza Rd, Pittsburgh PA 15241

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Top Agent Magazine

3 Mind-Bending Philosophies to Expand Your Professional Perspective

Beyond the day-to-day duties that make your business tick, so much of success is derived from the principles you put in place to guide your business. The foundational tenets you subscribe to can make or break your business for the long-term; they not only influence how you complete routine Top Agent Magazine

tasks, but also impact your growth, your ability to manage a team, and what the future might hold. With all that in mind, here are three philosophies to remember as you strategize your professional life—whether you’re mapping your monthly goals or creating an overarching plan for growth.

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1

Treat Your Business Like a Business

One of the perks of working in real estate is that you’re often able to create and manage your own schedule and volume, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the technical details of being your own boss.

No real estate professional worth his or her salt would forgo empowering tools like a business and marketing plan, or spreadsheets to track cash flow and expenses, or regular profit-and-loss statements, or fiscal year budgets and projections. Taking these measures may appear daunting at first— and completing them will certainly require discipline and a learning curve—but harnessing valuable data and information can intelligently inform your professional decisions, strategies, and long-term growth.

2

Achieve a Holistic Understanding

When schedules are busy, it sometimes feels like enough to reach the end of the week’s to-do list. But, if you’re planning on a lasting career built on year-to-year growth, it’s not enough to account for the short-term.

By creating daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and five-year goals, you’re outlining and quantifying your progress.

While your quarterly and yearly goals may be clear in your mind, what about five years from now? Perhaps you’d like to add to your designations, or incorporate a new team member, or add an additional branch.

No matter how you envision your profes30

sional future, the first order of business is to create a timeline. Once you have a clear deadline in mind, it’s far easier to build out the steps and calendar necessary to achieve your goals.

3 Specificity is Empowering While you may have a general sense of where you’d like to see your business go in the next few months or years, it’s hard to work toward or attain a goal that’s abstract.

To make the most of your time and efforts, you must identify and understand precisely what you’re aiming toward. For instance, instead of planning to add volume to your enterprise, outline a specific, attainable number to work toward. Or, if you’d like to add an administrative staff in the years to come, consider the details of this decision—the money it would take, the type of people you’d want to hire, how many hours per week they’d work, what tasks they would complete, etc. Adding hard details to your goals not only makes them more realistic, but progress is more easily made when you have specific items you can cross off your to-do list along the way.

While there are no 100% fool-proof or guaranteed routes to success, shifting your mindset from the present and the abstract, to the specific and the long-term can have a major impact on your chances of success.

Instead of dreaming of being more productive or successful, do yourself a favor and craft a gameplan you can bank on.

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JIMMY LEMIEUX Top Agent Magazine

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JIMMY LEMIEUX In 2020, Top Agent Jimmy Lemieux was one of the Top 100 best brokers out of more than 20,000 residential agents of RE/MAX. Top Agent Jimmy Lemieux – Broker of RE/MAX’s Crystal Jimmy Lemieux Courtier Immobilier Résidential in Montreal – is a hardworking, intelligent and deeply innovative real estate professional who is consummately 32

committed to providing his vast number of buyers and sellers with the very best customer service available in all of Canada (and we say all Canada because in 2020, he was one of the Top 100 best brokers out of more than Top Agent Magazine

20,000 residential agents of RE/MAX).

With sales of more than 152 properties in 2020 alone, and well on his way towards 200 in 2021, there are few better suited to helping a client achieve all of their real estate needs.

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Jimmy began his journey in real estate in 2017, following a stint owning and managing restaurants. After one of his businesses failed to launch, he returned to his roots in digital marketing, assisting brokers with that skill, and helping them 33

obtain online leads and build their own businesses. “Some of the brokers I was working with doubled their business,” recalls Jimmy. “So, I decided I would just go back to school and get my real estate license and apply everything I knew to my own business. That’s how I got started.”

Since then, Jimmy’s innate sense of how to run his company has translated into stellar success on every level. Currently, a significant portion of Jimmy’s business is based on repeat clients, referrals, new client acquisition throughout its huge network and positive word of mouth, a remarkable achievement by any measure but more so in the highly competitive

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Montreal market. Much of this has to do with Jimmy’s solid embrace of social media, and he can claim over one million followers on multiple platforms, ensuring maximum exposure for each of his many listings. It also helps that Jimmy uses his strong sense of humor to create videos of his properties that very often go viral.

“Let’s just say that I’m unconventional,” he says with a laugh.

This thoughtful, leave-no-stone-unturned approach to marketing his large number of listings, coupled with his excellent negotiation skills, translates into fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients.

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Due to his solid embrace of social media, Jimmy can claim over one million followers on multiple platforms, ensuring maximum exposure for each of his many listings.

Another major factor in Jimmy’s success story would be his stellar work ethic that sees him working seven days a week, often putting in more than one hundred hours servicing his clients sometimes. When does he sleep?

“My business is really good, because of the service I provide,” he says. “My clients frequently call me back to refer me to their friends and their family.

So, my business is really good, and I don’t need to do any conventional marketing of myself. I’m not out distributing flyers, and I’m not doing promotion on television/radio or in the newspapers or anything like that.”

When he’s not working, Jimmy enjoys nothing more than spending Top Agent Magazine

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time watching hockey, Montreal’s most popular pastime. “Here, hockey is almost a religion,” says Jimmy, who also enjoys skiing and rollerblading. He is also an avid philanthropist who gives back to his community, donating around 5k annually with his mother Daniella to local charitable organizations.

Looking to the future, Jimmy’s plans are

to maintain a stable and well-organized business, with the possibility of creating a team at some indeterminate point.

Long-term goals would be to grow his own investment portfolio and help other brokers by teaching. More than anything, however, remains his overarching objective: to continue providing the amazing customer service that has become synonymous with his name.

For more information about Jimmy Lemieux, please call 514-825-9488 or email JimmyLemieux@remax-quebec.com

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mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

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5 Things You Can Do To Achieve Your Biggest Goals If there’s one thing successful people can agree on, it’s that setting goals has been key to their success.

Whether you’re creating a five year plan or just settling on what you want to achieve by the end of the day, setting goals gives you the focus and direction you need to complete even the biggest tasks.

But there is a method to setting them. It’s a process that takes careful thought and consideration up front, which is then combined with the hard work necessary to implement your plan. Luckily there are proven methods to goal setting that you can start using immediately.

1. MAKE YOUR GOALS SPECIFIC Yes, it’s fun to think in grand terms of where you want to end up in life and in your career, but it’s better to have a specific goal like “Increase my sales by 25%”, than “Get rich.” When a goal is clear and specific, it allows you to figure out the exact steps you need to take to accomplish it. The more general it is, the more paralyzed you might be when it comes to figuring out what to do since, the choices may be overwhelming.

2. MAKE IT ATTAINABLE Making attainable goals might seem boring, I mean afterall, you want to dream big! But you don’t want to suffer through the disappointment of not reaching your goal, something that may not even be possible at this stage in your life to begin with. One solution to that is creating goal levels. You can have the dream goal, but underneath that you have the realistic goals that are setting up a foundation for achieving the big one. Things that are attainable still take work and effort to achieve. Those small victories will keep you motivated and encouraged to go for the bigger dreams. And don’t forget, those 38

little goals may have been things you wouldn’t have gotten done if you didn’t set out to achieve them, so be proud!

3. PUT A PLAN OF ACTION IN WRITING Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. There is something about seeing things in writing and crossing them off the list that is oddly satisfying.The daily goals are especially important in regards to building up those good habits. The first few weeks of your plan of action are critical when it comes to your long term success. Reaching a goal is something you are doing every day, all throughout the day, in numerous ways. Achieving goals is all about creating good new habits.

4. MAKE IT MEASURABLE This is key, since you definitely want to reward yourself for a job well done, and having a goal that is measurable in some way is a sure way to know.

Maybe it’s to increase your lead generation or to cut expenses, whatever the case, have a measurable test you need to meet, as well as a time frame. Then calculate what you have to do to reach that goal. Not only should your goal be specific, but the plan and the measure of success should also be set in stone.

5. ADJUST AS YOU GO You can have all the best laid plans, and you still might quickly realize that what you thought would help you reach your goal, might not be cutting it.

Commitment to reaching your goals is good, but commitment to a plan you know isn’t going to work is not only a waste of time, but will be a devastating blow to your motivation. Sticking to a plan everyday means adjusting it accordingly.

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CHRISTY WATSON

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CHRISTY WATSON

When Christy Watson says she’s been in the business since she was ten years old, she’s not joking. “I grew up helping my dad do fix and flips in the 80s, so I’ve definitely been doing this for a long time,” she explains. While she did buy her first home when she was just 19 years old, she didn’t decide to pursue real estate as a career until six and a half years ago. “I was managing hotels for a long time, but when we moved to Colorado, I felt like it would be a good time to transition into real estate sales.” It’s clear she made the right choice, as she is now in the top 1% in her office of over 300 agents. As a solo agent at Keller Williams Preferred Realty in Westminster, Colorado, she serves the entire Boulder County region. Although Christy assists all types of buyers and sellers, she has extensive experience in the luxury home sector. In 2020, she co-founded Hearth and Stone, an in-person broker agent tour to highlight luxury homes in the area. No matter who she is working with, she tailors her services to their individual needs.

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“With my background in hospitality management, I truly believe it’s my job to make sure I personalize the experience and provide a White Glove service,” she explains. “There are very predictable steps involved in buying or selling a house. So I’ve perfected that process, and it’s allowed me time to really anticipate their needs before my clients even feel the desire to ask me.”

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For Christy, she feels she is successful when she goes above and beyond expectations and brings people together. “It’s just about recognizing that my clients are human beings going through an experience,” Christy says. One way she does this is by hosting frequent client appreciation events, which helps many newcomers make connections.

“There’s a lot of people moving to Colorado from other states, so I try to help them settle into life here.” One of Christy’s events includes an annual style swap where people bring consignment type clothes and raise money for a charity.

When Christy isn’t working, she’s staying active in the community. She is on the board of advisors for A Precious Child, a local non-profit that helps about 40,000 families each year. Christy also hosts a monthly restaurant club for a local mother’s group. During any free time, she’s enjoying trips to the beach, going to her cabin in Breckenridge, or hanging out with her three kids, husband and dog.

As Christy looks ahead, she has her sights set on continuous growth. “I want to bring on a showing agent to help out on a part-time basis, but ultimately I need to make sure that my clients still feel like they are my only client. So it will be a slow but intentional growing process.” Wherever her path leads, she will no doubt enjoy every minute of it. “Buying or selling a house should be exciting, so I love making it fun and stress free for everyone involved.”

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To learn more about Christy Watson, please call 303-956-6233 or email christymwatson@kw.com

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5 Tips to Make New Hires

a Long-lasting Success Bringing a new employee into the mix is process commonly known as onboarding. The idea behind onboarding is to make the transition from new hire to team member as efficient and pain-free as possible. However, polling shows that some 31% of entry-level and intermediate level hires leave their new posts within just six months of starting. The question is: why?

The hiring and training process is time-intensive and doesn’t come cheap. This means that making 42

a good match for the long haul requires more than just assessments of skill and personality. To ensure a talented new hire sticks around and is truly positioned for success, the onboarding process must be executed with the same care applied during hiring. For a few ideas on how to make the most of the onboarding process, consider the tenets below as you guide your new hire toward long-lasting success within your company.

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1. Be honest about the scope of the role

2. Build in some perks

Let’s say you’re looking to add a new buyers agent or loan processor to your team. You write up the position’s responsibilities, but neglect to mention that you want the new hire to handle a host of administrative tasks, as well. Maybe it doesn’t seem important enough to outline in detail, as it’s the sort of thing the rest of your does. Miscommunications like these are a leading reason why new hires leave their roles.

If there isn’t clarity and transparency about a position’s true responsibilities, then new hires may become quickly disillusioned and seek out greener pastures.

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While stocking the breakroom with bagels every Friday may seem like a small gesture, it’s often those little morale-boosting moves that build loyalty and comradery among the team. Bike-to-work incentives, subsidized gym memberships, and benefits that match the needs of your employees—all are ways to demonstrate appreciation and investment in your team.

Likewise, the right candidate will return the favor and invest his or her energies into their new role.

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3. Get a sense of big-picture career plans

4. Keep the lines of communication open

Another reason new hires move on may have nothing to do with you or your office. In fact, many hires in entry-level or even intermediate roles have doubts about their long-term vision.

That’s why it’s important to be upfront from the beginning regarding a candidate’s five-year plan and ultimate dream job. Maintain realistic expectations when asking these questions, but use it as an opportunity to gage a candidate’s seriousness about the real estate or mortgage industry. Why this line of work over another?

Emphasizing industry longevity and career growth during the interview process can save you drama down the road.

Take a proactive approach in communicating with your new hire. Take time to check in regularly during the first six months of his or her addition. If you can, make time to train new hires yourself—if only for a part of the onboarding process. You’ll forge a deeper professional bond and create an avenue for further questions. All in all, make it clear that you’re personally invested in their presence and talents, and that you care what they have to say. That way, if any issues or doubts arise, you can stay on top of it and work out a solution, rather than lose a new employee.

5. Give new hires meaningful work to do It’s natural to keep the kid-gloves on with new hires, but don’t let that stop you from giving them a chance to shine. New team members will feel empowered and motivated if given meaningful projects to focus on. Don’t relegate their daily duties to busy work as they build experience.

Instead, task new teammates with something challenging, or that draws on a specific skill you hired them for. You’ll instill confidence, demonstrate your commitment to their growth, and with any luck—keep them around for the long haul.

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CRAIG DELAHOOKE Top Agent Magazine

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CRAIG DELAHOOKE

Top Agent Craig Delahooke received the Chairman’s Circle Platinum, placing him in the top 1% of more than 50,000 sales associates in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Global Network.

Real estate runs through three generations of Craig Delahooke’s family. “My grandfather and father were both Brokers,” Craig says, “and I’m proud to carry on their tradition.” With over thirty years of experience in real estate and development, and a degree in landscape architecture, Craig has extensive experience and a versatile skill set, along with a passion for supporting his clients and their goals.

Craig earned his Broker license eight years ago, and he now heads Delahooke Real Estate, a part of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, in Laguna Beach, California. A Luxury and Commercial Specialist, Craig excels at providing the highest quality of service to his clients and delivering top-notch results.

This past year, Craig received the Chairman’s Circle 46

Platinum, placing him in the top 1% of more than 50,000 sales associates in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Global Network.

Given his drive, ambition, work ethic, and experience, it is no surprise that virtually all of Craig’s business stems from repeat clients and referrals. “I manage every aspect of my business,” Craig says.

“I intentionally did not build a team, because I want to manage what I commit to on behalf of my clients.

When I say I’ll do something for them, I do it, and I maintain consistency through the process to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible. I do have a support team, but I go through the whole process by my clients’ side. Often, our work together leads to a friendship, which is very gratifying.”

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Honest, forthright, and consistent, Craig prides himself on follow-through. ““My clients know I am their advocate,” Craig says. “As a recent example, a client and I spent a lot of time strategizing our offer. I spoke with the other agent to figure out what the seller wanted. There were twelve other offers, and ours was not the highest, but the seller accepted ours outright because our detail, strategy, and thoughtfulness made it a no-brainer for the listing agent. She was very surprised at a few of the strategies we developed since I had not shared our plan. That was the client’s second purchase, and now I’m selling their home. I am so happy for their family!”

To market his clients’ properties, Craig leverages the global marketing resources of Berkshire Hathaway, and syndicates every listing to an international market. In addition, Craig generates unique campaigns that are targeted to local markets and customized for each property.

Craig finds fulfillment from helping his clients achieve their goals and guiding them to the finish line. “I love when my client is ecstatic about the experience and enthusiastic about closing,” Craig says.

While his thriving business keeps him busy, Craig prioritizes giving back his time to the community. He serves on an education foundation where all four of his children attended high school, organizing fundraising efforts.

Additionally, he serves as Vice President with the Board of Directors for a special needs school to support families with kids with learning difficulties. “My wife and four kids are all very active in volunteer efforts,” Craig says. In his free time, Craig and his family love adventure, both local and abroad. Craig surfs and snowboards, with his kids and with clients.

For the future, Craig has no plans to slow down.

“My goal is to maintain consistency in managing growth to make sure I can take care of my clients, no matter the market. My number-one priority is for my clients to have an amazing experience.

I’m looking forward to more incredible years.”

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To find out more about Craig Delahooke, please call 949-355-9710, email craig@delahookerealestate.com, or visit DelahookeRealEstate.com www.

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5 Tips to Get New Clients

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If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’ve probably built up a healthy percentage of repeat and referral business.

Although it can be tempting to just maintain those relationships rather than generating new business, there’s something to be said for staying on top of

your game by never resting on your laurels. Actively pursuing new clients is not only a way to generate more business, but depending on how you do it, it could even lead to a profitable new niche. Here are just a few ways to build up your new client base.

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1

Become a referral partner with industry peers

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Cold Call Expired and FSBO Listings

Everyone from mortgage lenders, to financial planners, to insurance agents, can be potentially lucrative referral partners for a Realtor®. You may already have great relationships with some that just need to be more formalized. But, you don’t just want to partner with anyone, make sure these are people you also feel completely comfortable referring your clients to - people who share your values and work ethic.

Another avenue to consider is divorce attorneys – yes, you heard that correctly. Helping people go through this difficult period actually requires a very specific skill set.

You need to be able to handle the legal aspects, as well as the emotional ones. There are numerous training courses you can take if you decide to take this route, which could end up being a lucrative and much-needed specialty.

This is a route a lot of agents take when they are just starting out, that usually leads to great success. You probably haven’t cold called since you started out, and this is a great skill to build up again.

It will not only sharpen your sales skills, but could generate a lot more business.

People with For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) and expired listings, are usually very motivated to sell. This is a great chance for you to really hone in on why they need to hire you. Do you offer innovative marketing plans? Access to a large sphere of influence? Expired listing clients are looking for ways to sell a property that seems impossible to move. With FSBOs, you need to show them how you can get them more money in their pocket, even

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with paying you a commission. Pursuing both will really engage your mind to think outside of the box, which will not only get you more business, but make you better at what you do.

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3

Partner up with a Relocation Company

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Become a Builder’s Realtor® of choice

This is another niche market that you can really capitalize on if you want to pursue a new specialty. But, it is a specialty, so getting educated on the process will help you generate the business you want. It’s a complicated area of real estate, you’ll often

times be helping to facilitate dual transactions, as you try and secure a property at the same time you are helping your relocation client sell their previous home. This specialty is becoming an in-demand skill in areas that have major corporate headquarters.

This can be a real score for any Realtor®.

The competition might be fierce to land a client like this, but there are numerous ways to make yourself stand out from the rest.

Gain certifications and become knowledgeable about the construction process. Be wellversed on what trendy materials, features, and finishes will add value to a property.

Get the builder on board with you by offering to take just a segment of the subdivision then wow them with your marketing skills.

Take on properties they haven’t been able to sell. You can even offer to throw an open

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Create a Website that Offers Real Value to Potential Clients

Perhaps the most useful way of getting contact information for people looking to sell is by adding a home valuation feature to your website. When people are first considering selling their home, finding out how much 50

house for them. This is another way to show them the level of service they can expect from you. These clients might be harder to land, but the payoff will be enormous.

it is worth is one of the first questions they want answered. By becoming a resource to potential clients (and current clients!), you just might be the first person that comes to mind when they’re actually looking to sell.

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JOEY DION Top Agent Magazine

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JOEY DION

After working for years at the yoga studio where he met his wife, Joey Dion decided to get licensed as a Realtor after they had their first child together, as he figured it might provide more financial stability for his new family. In fact, Joey quickly came to realize that he was a perfect fit for the job, and even though 2020 was Joey’s first full year in the business, he has experienced a meteoric rise towards the top of the ladder in Oregon real estate.

Joey exhibits a winning combination of heartfelt generosity and a killer work ethic that has enabled him to find unparalleled success and self-fulfillment in the industry.

explanations of his transactions, but he makes sure that he stays true to his own values while doing so. “I have a background in philosophy and I take ethics very seriously,” Joey says. “I try to do what’s best for the collective good, including my clients, other agents, and myself.

I stay open, vulnerable, and authentic with all parties, but professional at the same time.”

Joey finds that it’s important to maintain his sense of self within what can often a busy and chaotic career. He gives his time and energy freely to clients who need it, and he is thorough in his analysis and 52

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Joey’s approach to presenting himself and interacting with clients and other agents has been a hit, and garnered him a lot of support from his community.

Over his career, Joey has learned that real estate requires a great deal of time and energy, but he has found a lot of joy in throwing himself into the fray and learning the ins and outs of the business. He always strives to answer his phone no matter what, and does professional photography and staging and makes drone videos for all of his listings. “You’re always on the clock as a Realtor– it’s more of a lifestyle. I pull out every stop and work all day, every day.” His volume was $12.9 million in pending and closed transactions at the end of 2020, and hopes to double that number or even more in 2021.

Joey loves the relationships he forms with others throughout his work in real estate, and he makes it a priority to maintain those relationships and offer value to his customers rather than focusing on his own bottom line.

“What I like about my job is all the unique opportunities I can offer to my clients,” Joey says. “You’re helping people all the time – it’s a service-based industry that is completely relationship-dependent. I try to give something to everyone I meet, and to contribute good in every aspect of my life.”

Joey loves his job and spends almost all of his time working hard to serve his clients. In his free time, Joey likes to spend time with his wife and two young kids; he would also like to work on doing more community outreach through his family’s yoga studio. If you’re looking for quality personal real estate service in Oregon, look no further than Joey Dion.

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Contact Joey Dion at (541) 525-6956, email jd@joeydion.realtor, or visit joeydion.realtor for more information www.

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3 Surefire Methods that Make for a Productive Meeting Sometimes a business meeting can achieve exactly what it sets out to do: communicate, assess actions, set goals, or otherwise. Other times, meetings can feel like a drain on your time and energy, and only advance your agenda in marginal ways. While meetings are an integral form of communication in the professional world, how can you ensure that they are both productive and worthwhile?

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The truth is, it takes intentioned planning to make a meeting a success. A well-curated meeting makes partners and employees feel unified as a team, excited about what’s to come, and motivated to achieve a collective goal. With that in mind, consider a few approaches below to maximize your next meeting and ensure that all parties involved leave with a renewed sense of direction and inspiration.

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1. Create a detailed agenda in advance Oftentimes meetings are scheduled with a loose goal in mind—to hash out the terms of a contract or to strategize a new marketing campaign, for example. To ensure your meeting is productive, time-efficient, and achieves its end, create a detailed agenda in advance. This means breaking down your overarching goal into pieces and outlining what’s required to complete each component. You might also consider making time blocks for each respective component, so there is a clear structure and hierarchy in place. Not only does this ensure that time is used wisely and evenly, but it also creates order and momentum for the greater task at hand. What’s more, you’ll want to distribute this detailed agenda in advance of your meeting, so that all attendees will be familiar with the format and delineated goals of your gathering. This will set a professional tone, while keeping team members and conversation on task.

2. Reserve off-topics ideas and comments for later Too many meetings are derailed when an off-topic question or comment is made and hijacks the attentions of attendees. While it’s natural that outlying issues may arise when all team members are gathered, you can ward off distractions by creating a so-called holding area for off-topic talking points. This holding area will serve as the receptacle for any off-topic or lower priority addendum, and you can create a chunk of time towards the end of your meeting to readdress those Top Agent Magazine

points separately. Once you’ve achieved the highest priority goals of your meeting, you can then return to the items in your holding area. Note: be sure to familiarize your staff with this approach so that the expectation is already in place and interruptions won’t distract from your meeting’s true intent.

3. Conclude every meeting with a brief summary and action items The very last thing you should do before concluding your meeting is to reemphasize the main takeaways of your gathering and outline a specific list of action items. Again, successful meetings are clear and give attendees a sense of direction. That’s why reiterating action items—or next steps in need of completion—to each respective employee is an essential component of a productive meeting. Likewise, summarizing main takeaways unifies a team’s understanding of what’s important and why the meeting was called in the first place. Ending on a concrete yet proactive note helps launch team members toward the next event in their day and gives them a sense of confidence as they tackle their duties.

Meetings don’t have to be a formality or a bore. When planned and executed with incisiveness, they can inspire your talent roster and streamline productivity in your office.

Especially in the world of real estate, ensuring everyone is on the same page and doing their jobs effectively is key to success and longevity. Put a little planning into your next meeting, and you’ll save yourself valuable time and energy as you move forward.

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LINDSEY BINKS

After realizing she’d reached the ceiling in her technology & online marketing sales job, Lindsey Binks turned to real estate as the natural next step in her career. “There simply wasn’t much more opportunity for me to grow in that industry. I wanted work that offered unlimited growth potential and flexibility, while allowing me to serve people using the experience I’d gained in sales. Real estate was in the family. My great uncle was a homebuilder and my grandfather sold insurance for those homes. A number of people in my family were or currently are real estate brokers. It seemed like a good option.”

“I think people see the passion my business partner, Michael, and I bring to our work. We’re also very responsive to their needs. In today’s market, with the speed in which homes are listed then sold, you need to have that availability and responsiveness. It’s also really important to be able to relate to both the excitement and the anxieties people bring into this process, and work with them to help them make the best decision for them. With us you get the best of both worlds: a compassion for the client and a combined 45-plus years of professional experience.”

She got her license in January 2016 and shortly after partnered with her second cousin, Michael Meyer, and formed the Meyer Real Estate Group with Keller Williams in New Jersey, serving clients in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties. Lindsey proved herself a vital asset right out of the gate, earning Rookie of the Year for her market center. She proceeded to double her business each year, closing 52 transactions for over $18 million in sales in 2020. Ninety-seven percent of those deals came from repeat clients and referrals. The majority of her other business comes directly from Social Media efforts.

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Lindsey’s marketing & sales background in social media gives the team a leg up when it comes to finding homes for buyers in a time when inventory is so low, as well as in how she and her partner execute their own listings. “We pay for professional photos and editing to make sure our homes show up beautifully, and then we market them across all social media platforms and search sites like Homesnap. We also reach out to the other agents in our market center and other agents in their network, who often have buyers already lined up.”

Lindsey is Facebook friends with many of her former clients, and reaches out often with congratulations when something exciting happens for them, or to comfort them during times of pain. “After the transaction, we’re friends. I want to continue to be a positive contributor to their lives.”

While having her record breaking and best year in real estate to date, Lindsey also just welcomed her second son this past February. So as rare as it is with the intense market in South Jersey, and as it is with most of the US, free time is spent with family.

“With every free moment I have, I just simply love spending time with my husband and two children.

Our extended family lives very close as well, so we get together often. It’s truly what all of this hard work is for.”

Lindsey and her partner recently added a transaction coordinator to their team to help them keep up with the growing volume and continue offering the best customer experience. “We’ll probably add other agents at some point, but we want to move slowly, and choose people who will care for clients with the same passion that we do. In the beginning, as a newly licensed agent, I was extremely fortunate to find an amazing mentor in my now business partner and was able to soak up everything he had to teach. I also immersed myself into our market center trainings and surrounded myself with the top agents in our office. But the training never stops; there’s always more to learn that will make you a better agent for your client. So, when we’re ready to expand, we’ll look for people who are excited to grow with us while maintaining that personal touch with each and every client. “ Top Agent Magazine

Contact Lindsey at 609-923-6752 or email Lbinks@kw.com

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3 Ways to Make Your Workspace Work for You Productivity experts agree that a curated workspace positively impacts productivity and mood, but oftentimes we settle for bland desks and cubicles that lack personalized details or considerations for workflow. Why miss out on the opportunity to optimize your surroundings when it could brighten your day—and boost your performance? Keep in mind some of these tactics to make your workspace your own and reap the benefits along the way.

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DETERMINE YOUR WORKING STYLE AND DECORATE ACCORDINGLY For the creative set, a colorful and art-filled workspace can inspire fresh ideas and reduce stress. Likewise, casual yet aesthetically pleasing furniture, accessories, and décor set an inviting yet functional mood. A pop of color from an office tool—even something as basic as a stapler—can inject a sense of fun and modernism into your daily tasks. For the more analytical, right-brained worker, clean

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lines and zero clutter go a long way. A few well-chosen personal photos in tasteful, unassuming frames can provide a motivating connection to the world beyond the office, while accessories and supplies that are sleek, monochrome, and contemporary inspire a sense of calm efficiency.

BUILD A WORKSPACE WITH YOUR DAILY ROUTINE IN MIND If you find yourself spending hours on the phone per day, or assembling stacks of documents and brochures, or even coming and going from the office with frequency—there are simple adjustments you can make to your workspace that will save you time and energy. If you sit for long hours—responding to e-mails or making calls—try incorporating an ergonomic chair or keyboard wrist-pad to maximize comfort. If you spend a long time assembling presentation materials, then file organizers, trays, and easy-to-pull labels can shave valuable time off your efforts. Lastly, those who step out for frequent meetings can reduce the hassle of being on-the-go by making your space mindfully organized—a coatrack and a dish for your keys by the door, an auto-brew coffeemaker, or an easily edited whiteboard calendar can make jet-setting simpler.

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ADD EASY DETAILS THAT ENRICH YOUR WORKING EXPERIENCE While organization and décor can rally productivity and mood, there are also a few extra details you can introduce to your workspace to improve the quality of your working life.

Healthy, easy to grab-and-go snacks—think nuts, homemade trail mix, and fresh fruit— can keep your energy up without the sugar crush or guilt. If there’s a window nearby, a hard-to-kill plant like a philodendron or a fern not only cleanse the air around you, but also provide a welcome connection to the natural world. Being prepared in a pinch is another great way to make your workspace work for you: a spare tie, a tube of lip balm, hand sanitizer, or a box of Band-Aids can save you a trip to the store when an unexpected need arises.

While we take great pains to make our homes our sanctuaries—complete with the decorations, furniture, and food we favor—we often overlook our work areas, even though we spend a sizable portion of our week sitting at the same desk. Challenge yourself to add a few of these personalizing, productivity-boosting details to your work area and bring the comfort of home to your working life.

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NORA JEAN MALAN

Top Agent Nora Jean Malan works alongside her husband, Pieter, under the umbrella of eXp Realty, and serves clients throughout New Jersey.

Throughout her 15 years in real estate, Nora Jean Malan has utilized her knowledge, empathy and people skills to meet the needs of her clients, and help buyers and sellers reach their real estate goals.

Nora started her journey in the business by flipping houses, but she quickly transitioned to residential real estate after falling in love with the process. She now works alongside her husband, Pieter, under the umbrella of eXp Realty, and serves clients throughout New Jersey.

honesty throughout the transaction process. “I pay close attention to what my clients tell me and I’m always looking out for their best interest.”

Working with her husband gives Nora’s clients a great advantage because of his 35-years of construction experience. “He is able to give great

“Most of my clients become my close friends,” Nora says when explaining her high rates of repeat and referral business. It’s this emphasis on building long lasting relationships and listening to her clients’ needs that drives buyers and sellers to come back to work with her and refer her to others. Clients appreciate Nora’s hard-work, integrity and 60

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advice to clients when we look at homes. He can quickly estimate how much things might cost so that we can negotiate the best price for them. It’s kind of like getting a free preinspection from a professional, which they really appreciate.”

Nora ensures that all her listings are marketed to achieve excellent results and keeps up with the latest and greatest technology as well as posting on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Last year she completed $11,000,000 in sales volume. However, as an extrovert, what brings her the most joy from her work is her clients. Nora always works toward providing what’s best for them and they are her #1 priority. “I love working with people, getting to know their story, and helping them accomplish their goals. Making lifelong friendships that keep on giving!” Clients can rest assured knowing that Nora will always answer her phone to discuss any concerns. “I answer my phone every time, even on vacation! I enjoy being there for my clients.” As a show of her gratitude for clients she also hosts customer appreciation parties.

Going forward Nora is excited to continue her work and hopes to keep growing and expanding her client network. “Sometimes people think that after one transaction they know exactly what they’re doing in terms of real estate. But real estate is constantly changing and evolving, so even if they’ve bought a property before, the market looks completely different now. That’s why I always strive to continue my education so that I can provide my clients with the most up-to-date advice, and give them the confidence to make informed decisions.”

Nora’s advice to agents who are just starting in the business, is to pick an area of focus that they feel passionate about. “The key to success is loving your work. When you love what you do, you never feel like you’re working.”

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To learn more about Nora Jean Malan email noramalan@gmail.com, visit norajeanmalan.exprealty.com, or call (908) 922–6906 www.

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4 Qualities of Exceptional Employees Hiring a new employee is one of the more stressful parts of being a business owner. After all, you’re taking someone on and trusting that they’ll not only be a valuable addition to the team, but won’t do anything to hurt your business’s hard earned reputation.

Sometimes a person comes in and you click right away, and other times you might be blown away by an impressive resume. But there are things you should look for that might not be as obvious at first. Employees that have the following qualities are ones you should seek out, because they will definitely be well worth the time and energy you invest in them.

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1. They have the confidence to be innovative There’s a reason people are drawn to those who think outside the box. Not only do innovations often lead to an extremely profitable business, even when that thinking doesn’t pan out, creative thinking is something that will energize your business and will motivate more employees to start taking chances.

Innovative thinkers also usually have great leadership skills. Ironically, you want an employee who isn’t afraid to speak up to authority and is someone who knows how to bend the rules without breaking them. They know that

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the success of the team and business is what’s most important, as long as it’s done ethically and with respect for everyone involved.

2. They are constantly reviewing their past performance A good employee looks forward, but they also look back. They are always evaluating what worked and what didn’t work in past performances and then adjusting their plans going forward accordingly. If they are coming off a big win, they know how to capitalize on that by using the momentum and cementing in everyone’s minds the value that they add to the team.

If things didn’t go as planned, they assess what they can do better next time, and they don’t get bogged down in insecurity. They take responsibility and they have confidence that they won’t repeat past mistakes. They know that failure is a temporary state, and are able to learn lessons from their mistakes, that will make them a better employee going forward.

While no one wants to fail, having the confidence to try something and fail will one day let you strike gold. Someone who lets failure shut them down, leads to a dead end and will soon make them a dead weight on your team.

3. They value teamwork Even though an exceptional employee might be a rising star, they realize that success is Top Agent Magazine

not an individual endeavor, it relies strongly on who you’re working with. Exceptional employees make sure that everyone is contributing and valued for their input. They put the interests of the company above their own, and thrive in an environment where ideas and information are shared freely.

Shared success is the ultimate goal for every project. Exceptional employees have the confidence to know that even when they’re not singled out for praise, they’re an irreplaceable component of a larger machine.

4. They are self-motivated learners A key thing to remember is that while experience is a valuable commodity, intelligence and intellectual curiosity is usually something that can’t be taught. Yes, you might request employees get additional training or attend seminars, but exceptional employees will be seeking out educational opportunities constantly. Even if they don’t have a lot of money for weekend retreats, they will be getting books from the library, downloading audiobooks, and most importantly, taking advantage of one their greatest resources, YOU. Exceptional employees know that the way to stay ahead is to always be at the forefront of new technology and systems. They don’t see educating themselves as a burden, they actually enjoy it. They realize that everything they take in, will one day make them not only an exceptional employee, but an exceptional boss as well.

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ROBBY MOON

Top Agent Robby Moon began his journey in the world of real estate in 2013, following a career as an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase.

Top Agent Robby Moon – owner of Moon Realty in Pasadena, California – is a hardworking, passionate real estate professional who truly cares about the wellbeing of his many grateful clients. With his focus on establishing long lasting, trusted relationships with his buyers and sellers, and possessed of deep industry and local market knowledge, Robby has built a thriving business based upon honesty, integrity and an indefatigable work ethic.

Robby began his journey in the world of real estate in 2013, following a career as an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase. “I was very successful, because I found that I was excellent at sales,” recalls Robby.

“Then, I found myself in the position of having to go and help with my family’s painting contracting business. When I got there, I realized that over the forty years my father had been in business, he had built 64

something from the ground up that he should be truly proud of. That was when I knew I wanted to be a business owner, like my father, and get back into what I felt truly passionate about, sales.” Jumping in feet first, Robby found success almost immediately, and the rest is history.

Moon Realty, which services clients in Los Angeles, Orange Counties and currently employs more than fifty dedicated and hardworking agents, closed over 100 million in sales volume in 2020 alone. As evidence of Moon Realty’s commitment to exceptional customer service, more than ninety percent of its overall business is based upon repeat clients and referrals, an impressive feat by any measure, but more so in the highly competitive world of real estate.

“I believe it’s because my number one priority Top Agent Magazine

is to have my client’s best interest in mind” says Robby, when asked how he manages to inspire such impressive levels of trust and loyalty amongst those he works with. Proof of this can be found on Zillow.com, on which a site Robby and his team hold a perfect, five-star overall rating comprised of scores of glowing testimonials.

There are many other factors that come into play when assessing Robby’s incredible success story, chief among them being his expert negotiation skills and comprehensive, intelligent marketing strategies that result in fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients who continue to refer and return. “Social media is a big factor,” says Robby, “and we have a big following. So that’s definitely one thing that sets us apart from our peers: being progressive with technology and the market.”

When he’s not working, Robby enjoys nothing more than spending time with his family. He is also an avid philanthropist, and Moon Realty supports a variety of non-profit organizations that benefit children, primarily the Boys and Girls Club.

Robby’s plans for the future are fairly straightforward: to continue the growth of his business, and to open his own mortgage division within his company. Above all, however, remains his overarching objective: to continue being the best leader and mentor for his team at Moon Realty and providing his clients with the top-of-the-line customer service that has become synonymous with his name.

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For more information about Robby Moon, please call 626-688-9150 or email robby.moon@moonrealtyca.com 65

6 Habits of Highly Productive Agents In a business that can be constant chaos, you’re constantly on the go and dealing with things as they hit you. It can be difficult to take a second and regroup. But there is a better and smarter way to work. If you take the time to create some better habits, in the end, you may end up being more productive. If you want to make better use of your time, as well as have more focus, here’s some habits that you’re going to want to pick up - all common to top-producing agents.

1. Learn how to prioritize Although it might be your instinct to get some of the boring work out of the way first, things 66

that actually generate income (or are time-sensitive!) should be the first thing you focus on when you start your day.

Lists are your friend! Make a list of things you want to accomplish for the day, the week, and even the month. Always list them in the order of priority. If things get cut off when you run out of time at the end of the day, at least it’ll be the things that are not as important or time sensitive. As with anyone, your time is your most valuable commodity and should be used wisely. When you make your list, you can even schedule tasks as if they were a meeting, giving yourself a little time goal to beat, as Top Agent Magazine

well. Treat your time with the same respect you would a colleague’s or client’s and don’t ever waste it.

As with anyone, your time is your most valuable commodity and should be used wisely. When you make your list you can even schedule tasks as if they were a meeting, giving yourself a little time goal to beat, as well. Treat your time with the same respect you would a colleague’s or client’s, and don’t ever waste it.

to accomplish it? Write it out and then incorporate that into your prioritized ‘to do’ list.

You’ll be amazed at how driven you become to reach that goal when you actually write it out with clarity. And, the sense of accomplishment you get upon completing it will carry over to the next day. It’s important to remember to be specific. Once you get into the habit of meeting your goals, exceeding them won’t be far behind.

2. Remove distractions

when you need to focus This is especially hard when you’re a Realtor®. Most are constantly connected to their phones. But, unnecessary distractions can get you off schedule and make you lose your focus instantly. If you can, turn your phone off for the half hour it takes to do a task. Interruptions make everything take twice as long, especially when you take that text and then decide to check Facebook for a second.

We all do it!

Complete your task, then take ten minutes to respond to all texts and messages before you start up the next thing on your list. You can even schedule those ‘text backs’ into your schedule. A concentrated effort is always more effective than going back and forth between things.

3. Set daily goals This is so key. What do you want to accomplish for the day and what do you need to do

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4. Don’t make excuses There’s that old saying, “The buck stops here”. Well, take it to heart. This is your business and you are responsible for doing everything you can to make it successful.

Sure, there are reasons for why you didn’t get a listing or why your business is slow, but what are you doing to change things and make them better? Successful Realtors® work harder and come up with innova-

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tive ways to stand out when times are tough. They don’t look for excuses, they look for solutions.

5. Be deliberate

about everything you do When you’re making your list, it helps to have a goal in mind for even the smallest task. If you’re calling past clients to touch base, have a specific reason why you’re calling. Are you letting them know some market news?

Thanking them for a referral? When you’re meeting a referral partner for lunch, have a goal in mind for what the outcome of that meeting will be as well. Yes it’s good to socialize and build relationships, but if you have a reason, make sure it isn’t put off until the final moments, when things are wrapping up. Always having a purpose in mind will also help you prioritize your list better.

6. Always look for ways to

get out of your comfort zone Yes, you are prioritizing what is most important or urgent to your business, but it’s also important to make an effort to break out

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of your routine as much as you’re comfortable doing. Trying out new things or taking some time to learn about new and innovative real estate techniques and technology, can have an energizing effect on your business.

Not only might they lead to things that make you more productive, but it keeps you sharp and engaged. And, ultimately keeping yourself at the top of your game is what it’s all about.

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AMANDA RAVETTA Amanda Ravetta began her career as an accomplished loan officer, where she met fellow loan officer and her future husband, Mark, while learning the mortgage industry from the ground up. After getting married, she spent four years as a stay-at-home mom, but when their second child was diagnosed with Down syndrome, Amanda decided she would return to work to help cover his therapies. Rather than going back to mortgages, however, she delved into the real estate industry instead, utilizing her wealth of experience and passion for helping others to assist clients across their entire transaction.

Today, Amanda works for Coldwell Banker Apex, where she services clients throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and the surrounding areas. Having anchored her career around values of openness, integrity, and expertise, she has cultivated a process to meet the needs of any buyer or seller. “I work my tail off,” she says. “My clients know I’m doing everything within my power to help them. Whatever it takes, I’m willing to do.” Together, Amanda and Mark have the entire transaction covered as “The Ravetta Home Team.”

When listing a home, Amanda offers clients a precise strategy. After helping them fully prepare their house for the market, she broadcasts it over a blend of targeted digital and social media campaigns – all while utilizing the cutting edge resources at Coldwell Banker to identify a global wide network of potential buyers.

Along the way, she is there for her clients, ensuring their transaction runs smoothly from start to finish and answering any questions they may have.

Elsewhere, Amanda is just as engaged when assisting her buyers, leaning on her years of experience, in-depth knowledge of the DFW area, and extensive Top Agent Magazine

background with mortgages to help them identify the right investment for their best interests. In fact, she prefers to remain in touch long after the deals are done to provide ongoing support and ensure her clients are fully satisfied in their new homes. For this compassionate approach, she has earned a tremendous reputation throughout Texas, with the entirety of the volume coming from repeat clients and referrals. And the key to her success? “I just love making people’s dreams come true,” she says. “It’s so exciting to help a client close a chapter and open a new one, and to watch their story unfold.”

Outside her career, Amanda is deeply involved in her community. As a parent to a child with Down syndrome, she collaborates and contributes to a local nonprofit pregnancy resource center, which cares for women and children during crisis pregnancies.

Outside her career, she can be found spending time at home with her family, caring for her children, fishing, or traveling.

Moving forward, Amanda has strong plans for the future of her business. Having completed over $15 million in volume last year alone, she intends on maintaining her strong momentum while growing her client base throughout the region. Most of all, though, she can’t wait for the new opportunities that lie ahead. “When I leave a transaction, I feel a friendship with my client that will last a lifetime,” Amanda says. “Now I get to see them flourish in a house they love, and feel a connection with the new city they call home. And nothing makes me more excited than knowing I played a part in such important life decisions and accomplishments.”

For more information about Amanda Ravetta, email RavettaHomeTeam@gmail.com, visit www.coldwellbanker.com, or call (214) 499-6432.

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ANDREW SPANGENBERGER Andrew Spangenberger, founder of the Spangenberger Home Team, approaches each real estate transaction with discipline and a relentless drive to see his clients achieve their desired results.

Thanks to his military background, Andrew is no stranger to hard work and resilience, which allows him to provide his clients with the necessary guidance to make the best decisions. The Spangenberger Home Team—consisting of three agents and two administrative staff—is currently affiliated with Cummings & Co Realtors.

His sharp eye for detail, problem solving skills, and friendly approach are all traits that make Andrew quite popular with his clients. Coming up on eight years in the business, it’s also his knowledge and experience that set him apart from other agents and encourage clients to trust his judgement. As a REALTOR® who’s licensed in two different states, Andrew enjoys taking on the challenge of complicated transactions and keeping up with his market knowledge so that he can best advise his clients.

“We pride ourselves on helping clients with extreme efficiency in both Maryland and Pennsylvania, and I think that’s one of our biggest selling points. Our awareness of both of those markets and their various neighborhoods, as well as our ability to successfully help our clientele navigate between two states, if they wish, is pretty unique,” he says.

Even though his team reached over $26,000,000 in sales volume last year, for Andrew, it’s the interpersonal relationships he develops and the people he gets to help with his work that really make everything worthwhile. “The best part of this work is the people. There is nothing that comes close to the reward of seeing a client make their dreams come true and knowing that I was part of that special process.” In 70

order to stay in touch with clients and show his appreciation for their business, he frequently checks in with them and hosts a few exciting client events a year—which he had to pause during the pandemic, but which he hopes to resume as soon as it is deemed safe again by health officials.

Outside of his work, Andrew is passionate about his community involvement and being an agent of positive change.

He sponsors a couple different youth programs, and he is also the Assistant Fire Chief at the local volunteer fire department. In his spare time, he enjoys making great memories with his wife and two children.

In the future, Andrew looks forward to growing his team and further expanding his business in order to assist more clients and provide them with an elite level of service. “I want to foster a warm and fun family atmosphere, with the least amount of stress possible, in our office and within our agents. My main focus is to have a great environment for our agents, because I know that it will trickle down to our clients as well, and everyone will end up having an enjoyable experience instead of a stressful transaction process.”

To learn more about Andrew Spangenberger email Andrew@SpangHomeTeam.com, visit SpangHomeTeam.com, or call (410) 847–7484 www.

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4 Reasons Why Multitasking Can Actually Derail Your Day Common wisdom dictates that a master multitasker is likely to garner the most success. After all, doesn’t juggling multiple projects at once mean you’ll work faster than if you took each one as it came? While multitasking is often cited as a desirable skill—and surely serves its purpose now and again—studies show that a mere 2% of individuals can actually multitask effectively. Meanwhile, the remaining 98% might be doing more harm than good by trying Top Agent Magazine

to tackle too much at once. Take a look below at some little-known facts about the risky side of waging a routine built on multitasking.

1. Multitasking decreases productivity While multitasking gives us the illusion of completing two tasks at once, it actually means

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our focus and productivity is split. In other words, switching back and forth between two activities doesn’t mean they’ll each be completed sooner; it means that you’re getting half-as-much complete as you would if you focused on a singular task. Multitasking fatigues your brain, elicits stress, and make you less efficient in retaining new information.

2. Multitasking is actually addictive While watching TV or taking a walk, have you ever noticed the impulse to check your smartphone or scroll through your social media feed? Even though we think about multitasking as a workplace skill, it’s also an addictive form of mental stimulation. By satiating our need for distraction with constant check-ins online, we become accustomed to frequent breaks in our focus, training us to crave updates, messages, and push notifications—we even hit refresh when we’ve checked in five minutes prior! This negative habit-building makes it difficult to complete sustained bouts of concentration.

3. Multitasking has negative physical side effects Studies show that those who juggle multiple focus-intensive activities actually show spikes in cortisol, a stress hormone. Likewise, frequent multitaskers display symptoms of sleep deprivation: fatigue, disorientation, and lack of focus. Studies in Europe have recently 72

discovered that those who consistently multitask may actually show decreases in empathy and emotional control. What’s more, a constant sense of anticipation—readying to switch from one task to another, or persistently checking for e-mail updates—can potentially cause a decrease in overall IQ.

4. Multitasking breeds mistakes When our attention is split between tasks, it’s difficult to perceive and retain detail-oriented information. Because of this, mistakes—typos, clerical errors, mislabeled documents, and the like—occur with greater frequency. We’re in such a hurry to complete a portion of a task and switch to the next project that we lose sight of prompts, deadlines, and tying up loose ends. This means multitaskers are far more likely to overlook a glaring error than an individual who is devoting 100% of their attention to the task at hand.

Now that we understand some of the dangers of multitasking, what can we do about it? While our tech-driven day-to-day might make focusing on a singular task a difficult endeavor, it’s the surest way to produce efficient, error-free work—while cutting down on stress, fatigue, and miscommunication.

Try approaching your tasks for the day with a clear-cut schedule, moving one task at a time down your to-do list. This approach can eliminate some of the inefficiency inherent in multitasking and make for your most productive work routine yet.

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BARBARA GALE Barb Heicher Gale is a lifelong resident of Columbus, starting her real estate career in 1974. Since that time, she has authored an award winning forty six year career as an agent as owner of the Gale Group and as acting principle of Keller Williams Consultants Realty.

Using her decades of experience, early foundations in social work and the love of helping others, she has cultivated a working environment to meet the needs of any client. “Integrity is paramount in this business,” she says. “If I tell a client something will happen, I make it happen even if that means taking money out of my pocket. They know they can count on me for anything.”

When listing a home, Barbara is “hands on” with her clients. She provides them with professional photos and staging and broadcasts their homes over a mix of targeted digital and social media campaigns. She leans on her database to secure future buyers for the properties and networks with the other three hundred agents in her office to give the seller maximum exposure.

Barbara is equally attentive to her buyers, carefully guiding them to the right home to fit their needs and price range. Barbara takes great pride in the excellent negotiating skills she has developed over the years and understands how to fight for her clients’ best interests.

She takes a tactful approach to her competitors, and other Realtors enjoy working with her as they know she will get the deal done.

Barbara has earned a fantastic reputation throughout central Ohio for her honesty and dedication to service, with the vast majority of her business coming from past clients and referrals. For the last forty six years she has been a leader in sales and has earned the top awards available in her industry. In 2020, Barbara was

listed in the top 100 of her region which includes Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. She continues to be focused on the time tested values that have won her so much success.

As the daughter of two social workers, she says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Barbara cherishes the opportunity to serve others. In her words, “I’m truly passionate about working with people, negotiating their transactions, and helping them make the biggest investment of their lives.”

Outside her real estate career, Barbara works with underprivileged children at the Delaware Unity Community Center in various children’s programs. She also participates in Red Day, which is Keller Williams’ annual day of service where they give back to the community.

Barbara is an avid sports enthusiast. She has a seat license to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ohio State Basketball Buckeyes and attends as many sporting events as possible when she is not attending golf tournaments with her husband Wally, a native Australian, golf pro, and member of the PGA. Barbara has strong plans for the future of her business.

With her stepson from Australia coming on board and her other energetic team members, the database is growing daily, and the model of service is growing too. They are taking advantage of the latest technology, including artificial intelligence, to stay in front of the competition.

Her operations manager now handles all the transaction paperwork and all marketing to free up the sales people to do what they do best—sell. Barbara’s best advice to any aspiring professional is, “Spend your life doing what you love. Don’t waste your energy in a job you don’t like. We are only here once; make your life great with a purpose. And if you feel that could be sales, please talk to me!”

To learn more about Barbara Gale email galegroupsells@gmail.com or call (614) 296-0320 Top Agent Magazine

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BRAD WILLIAMS Top Agent Brad Williams – Team Leader of The Elite Team with Lifestyle Real Estate in Charleston, South Carolina – is a truly dedicated Realtor who consistently places the needs of his clients front and center during each and every transaction. With well over a decade of experience, Brad’s deep industry knowledge and compassion for his many buyers and sellers has translated into a sterling reputation as a trusted real estate advocate.

Brad obtained his real estate license in 2011, though his interest in the field was piqued many years prior. “My mother is also an agent, and the Broker/ Owner of Lifestyle Real Estate,” explains Brad. “When I was in college as a freshman, her office was close by and I started visiting and helping her in her business. My mother had put me and my sister through college by selling homes, and I saw how much she loved it. So, when I graduated with a business degree, I decided that I wanted to do real estate.”

Since then, Brad has built a thriving business and an award winning local real estate team that can currently claim the lion’s share of their overall business that is based upon repeat clients and referrals, an impressive feat in the highly competitive Charleston market. “I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I make a personal connection with my clients,” says Brad, when asked how he has managed to instill so much trust and loyalty amongst those he works with. “I definitely treat them the way I would want to be treated.”

A major factor in Brad’s success story would be the fact that he takes the time to ensure that his clients are kept informed every step of the way during the transaction

process. “It’s important to me that they understand what’s going on during the sale or purchase,” he says. “I make certain that they’re comfortable with the process.” Another factor would be the long-lasting, solid relationships he builds with his customers. “I definitely have a great connection with my clients,” says Brad. Additionally, Brad’s expert negotiation skills and through, intelligent approach to marketing – including high quality professional photography and deft utilization of social media, among other methods – result in fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients.

“There’s no better feeling than being able to help people,” says Brad, when asked what he enjoys most about what he does for a living. “When you get a contract for someone, whether it’s a buyer or seller, and seeing the excitement on their faces, that’s incredibly rewarding.”

When he’s not working, Brad is a physical fitness buff.

“I think that in this business you have to keep your mind and body healthy, because it’s not a nine to five job and you’re in high demand.” He also loves spending time walking his dog, and also enjoying the many restaurants Charleston has to offer. Additionally, he is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Charleston’s Realtors of Distinction and gives back to his community through multiple charitable organizations, both personally and through his company.

Brad’s plans for the future of his business include continued growth, becoming a Broker and ultimately taking over Lifestyle Real Estate when his mother retires.

Above all, however, is his unwavering objective: to continue providing his many clients with the very best customer service available in the Charleston market.

For more information about Brad Williams, please call 843-789-0734 or email Brad@Lifestylerealestatesc.com 74

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4 Ways to Win the Battle Against Procrastination One of the most common professional afflictions is procrastination. The funny thing is, everyone knows that procrastination is negative—it’s a waste of time, a creator of stress, and is entirely a problem of our own making.

Still, knowing all of this doesn’t necessarily decrease our odds of procrastination. There are plenty of explanations we give when putting Top Agent Magazine

work off until the last minute. Perhaps you convince yourself that you work best under pressure, but it’s truer that you’re used to working under pressure by necessity. Maybe you’re a perfectionist and the fear of getting it all wrong puts you off from the task. Whatever the justification may be, overcoming procrastination requires some willpower and technique. With

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that in mind, take a look at a few tricks below to jumpstart your motivation and nix the lastminute time crunch. After all, you owe it to yourself and your business to operate like a procrastination-free professional.

1. Make Your Intentions Known As realtors and mortgage professionals, you may serve as your own boss. So, when the time comes to complete a task and you put it off—perhaps you’re only disappointing yourself. This is easily remedied by making a new promise to try again tomorrow. On the other hand, it’s much harder to break promises and commitments to others. Try verbalizing your intent and commitment to your team, or to an assistant who can hold you accountable, or better yet—to a business partner or to a client.

Make a hard deadline public and you’re likely to perform for fear of embarrassment or losing face. In a way, this puts the pressure of expectation on you, instead of the pressure of the ticking clock.

2. Take a Baby Step When tasks pile up, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you’ve got a number of items on your to-do list, including some heavy hitters that require a lot of attention and time, begin by taking on something simple. Identify an easily completed job that needs attention and put it first in your queue. Duties that are straightforward and aren’t time-intensive can lead you to the rest of your to-do list, fueling you with the satisfaction of a task already complete. Even if it’s as small as returning e-mails, or dropping off your dry-cleaning, one simple thing off your 76

list can inspire you to continue on to the next item in the spirit of productivity.

3. Work in Windows If work is the last thing you want to do and you can’t seem to self-motivate, make a compromise with yourself. Agree to work just fifteen minutes, and mean it. This tiny window of time is easy enough to complete, isn’t overwhelming, and you’ve already agreed to move on once time is up. The truth? Odds are that just fifteen minutes of active work will inspire you to keep going. After all, the most difficult part of procrastination is getting started. By putting in those fifteen minutes, you’ll trick yourself into diving into the action.

4. Switch Up Your Environment If you’re stuck in rut when it comes to procrastination and productivity, try changing your surroundings. If the office feels stale and stressful, take your work to the nearest coffee shop and try to tackle your tasks there. Perhaps the quiet, studious ambiance of a library can make you focus, or a picnic table outside the office can stimulate the senses. Sometimes changing your scenery can breathe new life into your routine and give you the extra push you need to get work done.

There’s no one way to overcome procrastination.

In fact, it’s likely a lifelong process of building discipline, finding techniques that work for you, and simply prioritizing your time more effectively. Don’t lose hope—remember these tricks and winning the war will be possible, even if you lose a few battles along the way.

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CHARLIE CUMMINGS When Charlie Cummings was ready for a new path, he looked to real estate.

“I was in the corporate world for eight years at different companies, and I realized it wasn’t the best fit,” he says.

“In many ways, I wasn’t feeling the challenge and personal growth that I needed.” With a desire to do more and to help others, he decided to become an agent. He began in residential but soon switched to commercial, where he has truly flourished. Now working solo with a transaction coordinator, Charlie serves the Front Range in Colorado. The majority of his business consists of repeat clients and referrals, a testament to his dedication and superior service.

“I think one of the reasons people return to me is because I take the time to figure out how I can best serve them,” he says. “I believe in a win/win situation for all involved, which means I work hard to build relationships and trust.” Charlie’s clients know that he only wants what is best for them, and he never advises them to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Ultimately, he sees each client as an opportunity to build a long-lasting friendship and connection. “It’s not just about the transactions, it’s about how we can create a legacy for their families. Many people in the commercial field focus on volume rather than how they can have a positive impact on the lives of their buyers and sellers.” Throughout the purchase or sale of a commercial property, and even afterwards, Charlie is staying in touch with his clients through phone calls, emails, texts and more. “Having a

personal touch is so important.”

After the transaction, clients leave glowing reviews about their time together. One recently said, “We met Charlie through another investor and couldn’t be happier with his abilities.

As new out of state investors he was very helpful in guiding us throughout the process. He was very good at following up and making sure we understood everything. At times when things got a little rocky he was able to push things through and keep things moving forward. I appreciate his knowledge and professionalism and would highly recommend his services.”

When Charlie isn’t working, he’s giving back and staying involved in the community. He takes part as a SCORE mentor, which is a nonprofit with the SBA that helps coach small businesses for free. “I learned early on that mentoring and feedback is so crucial because it’s gotten me to where I am today. So it’s rewarding to guide others in their entrepreneurial journeys.”

During any free time, Charlie is cooking, eating, traveling, reading, and painting.

In the coming years, Charlie hopes to become an investor himself. But in the meantime, he’s loving every minute of his current work. “I enjoy learning and all of the variety this field offers. I never get bored. This constant growth is something I’ve never experienced before in any career, and I love it.”

For more information about Charlie Cummings, please call 720-583-5794 or email charlie@charliecummings.us Top Agent Magazine

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CONSTANCE BRADLEY Constance Bradley began her real estate career almost 7 years ago. “I got into real estate wanting to do a couple of transactions here and there that would enable my husband and I to do some flips,” Constance recalls. “That turned into doing transactions for friends and family, which ended up as a booming business. I passionately love helping others through the real estate industry, while still doing our flip projects as well.” Last October Constance launched her team, The PIVOT Group at eXp Realty, where she and her team members help clients achieve their real estate goals.

Constance and The PIVOT Group serve the southern Oregon area. “This is a rural community with a lot of great outdoor activities, and I love where we are,” Constance says. About 95% of her team’s business comes from repeat and referral clients, an impressive feat that speaks to the trust and confidence they inspire.

“We service a one-on-one relationship with the client, even while working as a team,” she explains. “When the client works with us, they truly do work directly with us. We don’t pass them off to somebody else.”

The personable and family-oriented service Constance and The PIVOT Group provide goes a long way toward building these important relationships. “We’re focused on the holistic purchase versus just the transaction itself.”

Maintaining relationships is crucial to such a referralbased business, and Constance and her team stay in touch in a variety of ways. “We use a combination of email, mail, and phone calls to keep in touch with clients,” Constance says. “Our #1 point of contact is

a weekly email that allows us to bring clients a variety of relevant, useful information throughout the month.”

When it comes to marketing their listings, Constance and her team cover all their bases. “We market all over. We use a variety of methods including mail marketing, farming, our social media platform, and in-house marketing via eXp. Because we have such a large amount of referral business,” Constance explains, “we often end up having an in-house buyer. So we market a lot within our own clientele as well.”

The results speak for themselves: in less than half a year since starting the team last October, The PIVOT Group has done over $20 million in sales volume.

Community involvement is important to Constance.

She is involved in Women’s Ministry, as well as the organizations Home Bridging, which aims to help bridge the gap between local families and the dream of homeownership, and Safe Families for Children, which gives parents and children a safe place to mend their families. When she is not working or giving back, Constance enjoys being out in the woods with her family.

In the future, Constance plans to continue growing her team and their referral business locally, with the goal of eventually branching out into other communities and building the brand throughout Oregon. Above all, Constance wants to continue serving clients and their families. “I love the family aspect of working with clients,” she says. “I love being able to serve the whole family.”

To find out more about Constance Bradley, please call (541)295-5993, email info@movegrantspass.com, or visit movegrantspass.com www.

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5 Things You Can Do To Achieve Your Biggest Goals If there’s one thing successful people can agree on, it’s that setting goals has been key to their success. Whether you’re creating a five year plan or just settling on what you want to achieve by the end of the day, setting goals gives you the focus and direction you need to complete even the biggest tasks.

But there is a method to setting them. It’s a process that takes careful thought and conTop Agent Magazine

sideration up front, which is then combined with the hard work necessary to implement your plan. Luckily there are proven methods to goal setting that you can start using immediately.

1. MAKE YOUR GOALS SPECIFIC

Yes, it’s fun to think in grand terms of where you want to end up in life and in your career, but it’s better to have a specific

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Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. goal like “Increase my sales by 25%”, than “Get rich.” When a goal is clear and specific, it allows you to figure out the exact steps you need to take to accomplish it. The more general it is, the more paralyzed you might be when it comes to figuring out what to do since, the choices may be overwhelming.

2. MAKE IT ATTAINABLE

Making attainable goals might seem boring, I mean afterall, you want to dream big! But you don’t want to suffer through the disappointment of not reaching your goal, something that may not even be possible at this stage in your life to begin with. One solution to that is creating goal levels. You can have the dream goal, but underneath that you have the realistic goals that are setting up a foundation for achieving the big one.

Things that are attainable still take work and effort to achieve. Those small victories will keep you motivated and encouraged to go for the bigger dreams. And don’t forget, those little goals may have been things you wouldn’t have gotten done if you didn’t set out to achieve them, so be proud!

3. PUT A PLAN OF ACTION IN WRITING

Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. There is something about seeing things in writing and crossing them off the list that is oddly satisfying.The daily goals are especially 80

important in regards to building up those good habits. The first few weeks of your plan of action are critical when it comes to your long term success. Reaching a goal is something you are doing every day, all throughout the day, in numerous ways.

Achieving goals is all about creating good new habits.

4. MAKE IT MEASURABLE

This is key, since you definitely want to reward yourself for a job well done, and having a goal that is measurable in some way is a sure way to know. Maybe it’s to increase your lead generation or to cut expenses, whatever the case, have a measurable test you need to meet, as well as a time frame. Then calculate what you have to do to reach that goal. Not only should your goal be specific, but the plan and the measure of success should also be set in stone.

5. ADJUST AS YOU GO

You can have all the best laid plans, and you still might quickly realize that what you thought would help you reach your goal, might not be cutting it. Commitment to reaching your goals is good, but commitment to a plan you know isn’t going to work is not only a waste of time, but will be a devastating blow to your motivation.

Sticking to a plan everyday means adjusting it accordingly.

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DINA KAROUSOS & NICKI LUCENTI “We’re very genuine. We always put the client first, and they really like what we have to offer,” says Dina Karousos, a top agent with Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty. “We are not a turnand-burn operation, and we want longevity. That comes through naturally.

We always offer so much advice and help to anyone—no strings attached.”

Servicing the state of Rhode Island, Dina first got started in real estate eleven years ago after the birth of her fourth child.

“I’ve always loved it,” she says. Dina started out by earning a degree in psychology, spurred on by her love of working with people. She explains, “I wanted to match up my two passions: people and real estate.”

Seven years in, Dina brought on her business partner, Nicki Lucenti. “It’s a team of two, not ten, but I always wanted to have someone paired with me so my clients never missed out on anything,” Dina says. “Nicki’s strengths cover my weaknesses. I’ve always appreciated things like design and marketing, but I couldn’t get to the finish line while providing great service.”

The two agents work together to create a personalized, refreshing real estate experience.

Those clients definitely appreciate their balanced strategies. All of Dina’s business comes from repeat and referral clients. “It’s all word of mouth,” she says.

“Period.” Considering that Dina and Nicki close between thirty to forty transactions a year, it’s clear that their approach is effective.

When it comes to marketing listings, Dina takes full advantage of all the tools Sotheby’s has to offer. Additionally, Dina’s brokerage has been a local

presence for the past sixty-two years.

“It’s a very long community relationship paired with that global reach and iconic brand,” she says.

Dina also utilizes social media such as Facebook and Instagram. This sets her apart in her market. “In our area, only about 10-20% of Realtors® really use social media at full capacity,” she explains. That online presence paired with the team’s personal website and bi-weekly email blasts keep their properties at top of mind and flying off the market.

When she isn’t hard at work, Dina loves to give back to her community. Though her activities have been paused due to restrictions related to COVID-19, she still invests in local charities. Dina and her brokerage have established a ‘charity of the month’ initiative.

“Since there’s so many charities in need, our philosophy is to spread our donations across the board,” Dina says. “Each month we give to a different charity. This month is the Women’s Resource Center. Last month was the Martin Luther King Center.”

Outside of providing excellent service to her clients or giving back to her community, there’s nothing Dina loves more than spending time with her husband and four children. She enjoys playing tennis, and she finds great peace of mind taking daily walks. “I try to carve one hour a day to go for a nice walk outside,” she says.

“It really clears my head.”

Looking to the future, Dina and Nicki are keeping busy. They’ve considered adding a third person to the team to tackle the paperwork, and they are excited to see what the coming year brings.

To learn more about Dina Karousos, call 401-451-6461, email dkarousos@gustavewhite.com or visit DinaandNicki.com

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ETHEL SKENDERIS With a passion for real estate and a desire to help others, Ethel Skenderis has made great strides as an agent in the greater Washington, D.C. region. She got her start over 20 years ago, after taking a crash course in real estate. “I started off in new homes, and it just grew from there,” she explains. Today the vast majority of her business consists of repeat clients and referrals. “I grew up here, so I began my career working with people I knew from high school and college. Now I’m helping my high school friends’ kids find homes, so I’m definitely a referral-based agent,” she says. Ethel credits her down-to-Earth attitude and communication skills for her extensive growth in this industry.

“Someone said to me yesterday that they feel very comfortable with me,” Ethel says. “They know I’m genuine and that I’m looking out for their interests. I truly just love the business and enjoy helping people, so that’s what I focus on.” For her buyers, she starts off by listening to their wants and needs. Once those are laid out, she starts the search, and does not stop until their ideal property is found. After it is located, she utilizes her negotiation skills to get them the best deal possible. Meanwhile, her sellers enjoy thorough marketing, with their listings being put in front of as many eyes as possible. “I farm certain areas of the county, and constantly send market updates,” Ethel says. “I also send out a magazine.”

After the transaction, clients leave glowing reviews about their time together. One recently said, “This was my first property sale, and there were numerous rare difficulties encountered, and I feel lucky to have had Ethel on my side for it. I’ve found Ethel to be honest and loyal, very sharp, a great negotiator, expeditious in all person interactions, generous in providing her insights into the situation at hand, and having vast experience and intelligence to draw from to provide those insights. She initially recommended a list of property repairs/improvements that would maximize 82

the sale price (which I carried out), and then also organized a beautiful property staging, and I believe both of these initial steps significantly improved the sale price.

After we had found a buyer and thought we were about ready to settle, a unique combination of buyer’s side issues came up which prevented the settlement. Ethel did some research on those issues and came up with potential strategies. We chose a strategy, Ethel negotiated and the settlement finally occurred. Thanks so much Ethel!”

When Ethel isn’t working, she’s staying active in the community through her church and her neighborhood’s HOA. During any free time, she’s gardening, spending time outside or relaxing with family and friends.

Looking ahead, she is excited to continue on her current journey. “No two cases are the same, everything is so different. I love getting out there and meeting new people, it’s so exciting.”

To learn more about Ethel Skenderis, call 301-467-1010 or email Ethel@lnf.com Top Agent Magazine

5 Morning Habits to Make Your Day Super Productive For many, most mornings begin with a rush—a rush to get dressed, a rush to find something edible for breakfast, a rush out the door and into rush hour. Likely you have heard articles advising you to set your

alarm early to give yourself some flexibility —which is sound advice, of course—but consider a few of these additional tweaks to your morning routine that can set a productive tone for your day at large.

1. Keep Screens Away Until Breakfast Oftentimes, our first instinct upon waking is to check-in on our phones, tablets, or computers, to scope out the latest social media updates and e-mail correspondence. While diving into the action might seem productive, studies show that waylaying screen time until you’re up and dressed, and have had a good breakfast, will actually make your first pass Top Agent Magazine

at all things digital more focused, clear, and efficient. Instead of answering a few e-mails, checking out a friend’s photos, and then hurrying to shower and dress, instead make a resolution to keep the online world at bay for the first half-hour to an hour after you rise, then you’ll approach the digital world with fresh eyes, energy, and adeptness.

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2. Meal Prep Sometimes hitting the snooze button is inevitable, but if you make prepping breakfast the night before a part of your routine, then grabbing something healthy on the go will be a snap—and your stomach will thank you for it. Load up your coffee machine ahead of time, so all you have to do

is hit brew. Or, chop up a fruit salad, mix a smoothie, or simply put a granola bar and a grapefruit in your lunch bag, ready to be grabbed on your way out the door. Even if it’s small or basic, keeping yourself fueled will keep distractions, inefficiency, and mood swings at bay.

3. Queue Up a Podcast on Your Commute Whether you’re driving, biking, or taking public transportation into the office, a podcast is a perfect way to brush up on industry knowledge. Try sourcing a podcast relative to your field and narrated by experts.

Not only will it get you thinking about the topics of your industry—while expanding

your professional vocabulary—it will also wake up your brain and get your head in the game as you prepare to launch your day. Use your commute time to bump up your knowledge and conversation points, and you’ll be ahead of the curve before you reach the office.

4. Begin with a To-Do List When work gets busy, sometimes just getting started is an overwhelming prospect.

Before you dive in to your e-mails and projects, take twenty minutes and be thoughtful as you assess your daily and weekly to-do

list items, then map them. By giving yourself a bullet point system of what you need to accomplish and by when, you can undo some of the anxiety that a busy schedule promotes.

5. Walk It Out, Even If You Missed the Gym While we often rely on coffee for our morning buzz, exercise provides a potent burst of energy that can supercharge your day. But, let’s say you’re running behind and skip the gym—all is not lost! Take fifteen minutes in

the early morning to take a walk around the block a few times. The fresh air and aerobic exercise will wake you up, get your blood moving, and provide your morning with a natural injection of motivation.

Everyone’s morning routine varies, but perhaps the first step is identifying aspects of your routine that could be improved, and tackling them from there. From waylaying

screen time distractions to getting in a little blood-pumping exercise, keep these tips in mind as you launch your most productive morning routine ever.

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HAMISH ROGERS With 29 years in the business, Hamish Rogers is a reliable, hard-working Realtor with unparalleled experience who has been finding continued success in Australia throughout his career. His passion for homes attracted him to the industry in his early 20s, and he quickly fell in love with the job due to the flexibility of the lifestyle, the variety of experiences, and the many opportunities to meet new people each day. Hamish has built his brand on the foundation of honesty in communication and business integrity, and he has honed his craft over his many years in Real Estate and solidified himself as an Elite Realtor in New South Wales.

A huge contributor to Hamish’s success has been the way he communicates with clients. He maintains complete transparency with everyone works with, and give his clients honest advice regardless of the circumstances. “I’m very straightforward when I give my clients the information relevant to their situation,” Hamish says. “At the end of the day, it’s their decision, but I’m quick to give my informed opinion.” Hamish’s ability to provide useful insight to his clients that pertain to them individually, due to his wealth of experience dealing with all different facets of real estate, has made him a popular Realtor in New South Wales, and one that his past clients are quick to recommend to their friends and family.

On top of his emphasis on effective, efficient communication, Hamish is an aggressive negotiator who is intimately familiar with the art of navigating contracts. He has been working hard to hone his craft for almost three decades now, and it would hard to find someone better equipped to get an optimal outcome than Hamish. “I make it my personal mission to get buyers and sellers the best possible prices,” Hamish says. “If you’re working with me, you can rest assure Top Agent Magazine

that I’m doing everything I can to get the most beneficial result that I can.” For the entirety of his career, Hamish has focused solely on serving the best interests of his clientele over his own monetary gain, and that prioritization is exactly what has led to his continued success.

Not one to take the foot off the gas, Hamish has consistently been a top producer since he started working in real estate. Over the last year, he has closed 35 transactions for a total sales volume of nearly $45 million, and is approaching $3 billion in career sales volume.

In his free time, Hamish loves spending time with his family, who have shown his business a lot of support. He has also been an equestrian judge for thirty years, and enjoys watching the sport and networking with others who are similarly interested.

Since the beginning, Hamish has been in the industry for what he believes are “the right reasons”: helping people accomplish their real estate goals and putting the client’s interests first. These values have carried Hamish’s career forward, and he hopes to see that trajectory continue until he retires sometime in the next decade.

www.

You can contact Hamish at (0418) 966-224, email sales@hamishrogersrealty.com.au.

You can also visit his website at hamishrogersrealty.com.au for more information.

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HANK GREER Hank Greer began his real estate career 11 years ago. “I interviewed at some of the very top brokerages around the area and ended up joining Reliable Realty here in Old Town Temecula, where I still am today,” Hank recalls. “It just had that great family feel and more of a boutique vibe that I was attracted to the most.” The rest is history, and Hank continues to focus on providing an excellent experience for his clients while helping them achieve their real estate goals.

Hank serves the Temecula Valley and North County San Diego markets. A substantial portion of his business comes from repeat clients and referrals, an impressive feat that speaks volumes to the trust and confidence Hank inspires. “I really have a solid connection with my past clients,” Hank says. “I pour back into them through handwritten notes, anniversary cards, thoughtful closing gifts, and annual client appreciation parties. My past clients are undoubtedly my biggest fans and the foundation of my business.”

It’s easy to see why clients put their trust in Hank. “I feel it is crucial to be authentic, approachable and always set realistic expectations. This all contributes to my clients’ overall satisfaction when working together,” Hank says.

“I view myself as a problem solver and a true friend to my clients. I work hard to keep that high level of service and strive to always remain in great communication the entire time which in turn produces a memorable client experience.” Hank works with the mindset of making clients for life. “I look at it more like watering a garden the way I tend to my people,” Hank says, “God has opened so many wonderful doors and I choose to go all in on those relationships so that we connect more like family rather than just another transaction.”

When it comes to marketing, all those appreciative clients and cultivated relationships help him amplify

his message. He has a large following on social media, including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. His extensive database also allows him to broadcast listings to a wide audience. “My clients and followers share my listings with their friends, family and individual networks,” Hank says. “Through a multitude of marketing channels, as well as creative videos and amazing photos, we definitely get the word out.”

Hank averages about 3-4 transactions a month, and he is proud to be able to provide personal, client-focused service every time.

“People often ask me, why they would choose a solo agent like me over the big team competition out there?

The answer is that I put a cap on how many deals I take-on a month because I don’t want to lose that level of service I strive to give. I don’t want to slip from being a 5-star agent to a 4-star agent just because I’m too focused on more and more business. I take the client hand and hand through the whole deal. When you hire me, you deal with me directly from start to finish.”

When he is not working, he loves all things outdoors, including traveling, hiking, camping, surfing, fishing, mountain biking and especially spending time with his family. Hank and his wife Kim are active members with his church, Cornerstone Community Church in Wildomar.

“The future of my business is to keep it super consistent and organized,” Hank says. “I want to keep it repeatable and scalable but most importantly not spread myself too thin. I always remind myself to have a growth mindset but at the same time to be content with where I am. I like to focus on that balance rather than chasing down the next deal or next dollar. I love helping people for the common good of everyone involved and the blessing out of that is having amazing clients who will keep in touch for the rest of our lives.”

To find out more about Hank Greer, you can contact him by phone at 951-640-5441, or by email at hankHgreer@gmail.com. You can find him online at HankGreer.com www.

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5 Simple Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Achieve Your Goals

Everyone knows that a positive attitude is one of the key steps to achieving success. It’s very easy to let negativity bring you down and oftentimes, people end up quitting at the first set back. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a negative person, you’re probably doing numerous things you don’t even realize are holding you back.

Recognizing these negative mindsets, and then implementing simple mindset shifts, are sure to help you not only create a more positive outlook, but a more successful outcome to whatever goal you’re trying to achieve.

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1

Turn jealousy into admiration

It’s very easy to look at someone who has what you want, and feel envious, which quickly turns into criticism and excuses about why you weren’t able to get what they seemed to get with ease. This is something successful people never do. Instead, they recognize that the only thing keeping them from success is themselves.

If you want what someone else has, you should look to them as a role model. What

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are they doing that you aren’t? There’s probably more to their story than you’re giving them credit for. Someone else’s success doesn’t hinder your ability to do the same, but constantly having a ‘life’s not fair’ attitude definitely will.

2

Tackle the things you dread doing first

We all procrastinate to some extent. Usually it’s things we don’t want to do. But when you put something like that off, it creates a serious cloud over your whole day.

Experts recommend getting those things out of the way first. Not only do get it crossed off your list, but you will feel energized by your accomplishments and tackle the day with even more force.

3

Don’t make decisions based on emotion

Reaching goals, especially long term ones, can have a lot of ups and downs. The key to achieving them is to stay level-headed during setbacks, really focusing on your plan and how the setback fits into your long term vision.

If you have a solid plan in place, you could be destroying months of hard work with one rash emotional decision, that is probably coming from a place of panic.

When you’re feeling emotional...wait.

It really is that simple. Wait it out until 88

you’re back in a rational state of mind and take it from there.

4

Learn to love feedback

It’s very easy to be thrown off by negative feedback or constructive criticism. No one likes it. But when it comes to achieving your goals, you need to be able to hear it, assess it and then make an unemotional decision about what it means to you and your success.

In fact the business world’s most successful leaders are there because they not only take in that feedback, they actually constantly ask for it. Fresh perspectives on what you’re doing are always valuable. When you’re in the thick of it, it can be hard to see what needs improvement. Asking a trusted peer or advisor can be instrumental in keeping the momentum on reaching your goal going.

5

Replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset

You might be wondering what the difference between the two are. A fixed mindset thinks that growing intelligence or skills is impossible, while a growth mindset thinks those things can be developed.

People with a growth mindset are more likely to expand beyond their comfort zone, since they really believe almost anything is possible with hard work. And if it isn’t?

They’re willing to give it a try. Being willing to try and fail, is a key element to reaching even the most lofty goals.

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JODY STEINBERG With a love of helping others and a passion for real estate, Jody Steinberg has flourished as a REALTOR® in the Atlanta, Georgia region. She first became interested in the industry while managing rental properties. “I was enamored by real estate and everything about it, homes, mortgages and the people,” she says. It was only a matter of time before she took the leap and pursued real estate as a full-time career.

With her background in rentals, writing and marketing, as well as her genuinely client-focused nature, Jody’s business grew rapidly, so she asked Rebecca Sideris to join her team.

Today Jody, Rebecca, Elizabeth Towles, Tichina Anderson and Danielle Wagner are the LaVista Hills Team. By prioritizing their clients’ needs and doing everything possible to achieve their clients’ goals, the majority of LHT business consists of repeat clients and referrals.

Jody and her team give 100% to every transaction to make their clients happy. When it comes to listing homes, she explains, “We go above and beyond to help the seller make the house look great, use great photographers, and market continuously.” They even do light staging. When working with buyers, Jody says, “We make sure the buyer is mortgage-ready, spend as much time as our buyers need to assure they find the right home and do whatever it takes to get to closing.” Throughout any transaction, LHT agents emphasize educating their clients and open communication. It’s this white-glove, hands-on service that sets Jody and the LaVista Hills Team apart.

Jody and the LHT have great customer satisfaction ratings with their buyer and seller clients. “Jody knows the business inside and out,” one client shared in a review. “We followed her recommendations to make minor but important changes to the house that did not involve large cash outlay. The result was a sale in hours rather than days or weeks. Jody was also an excellent source for contractors to handle home inspection repairs. We were totally at ease with Jody driving the sale process and handling the numerous issues that arose before closing.”

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To best serve her clients, Jody loves getting involved around her community. She volunteers with DeKalb Association of Realtors® and supports refugee services and affordable housing initiatives.

Jody’s interests include traveling, advocacy, and time with friends.

She emphasizes the importance of keeping in contact with past clients and helping other agents increase their expertise and grow their businesses.

“Purchasing a home is the largest and most meaningful investment most people will ever make,” she explains.

“Our job is to guide our clients on being prepared, choosing well, and most importantly, avoiding pitfalls.” Jody feels honored that she and her team can help so many people reach this pivotal goal in life. “We run into clients all the time, and never tire of hearing them rave about how happy they are with their homes or having them refer us to friends and family.”

No matter where this path leads, Jody and the LaVista Hills Team will no doubt enjoy every minute of it. “There’s nothing more important than having a good, safe home, and it’s an honor to be trusted by buyers and sellers. I really do mean it when I say there’s no place like home.”

For more information about Jody Steinberg, please call 404.932.5771 or email Jody@JodySteinberg.com Copyright Top Agent Magazine 89

LUKE CORBITT No matter what’s going on in the real estate market at any given time, Luke Corbitt strives for one constant with all of his clients: “This experience should be something people enjoy and remember fondly. My work is about people and relationships, not simply property. I never want to lose sight of what really matters.”

Luke graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor of Accountancy, minoring in Real Estate and Finance. He was successful with several entrepreneurial ventures, but ultimately found them unfulfilling.

In 2014, fully settled back into his hometown of Denver, Luke shifted focus to pursue a career in real estate and is now a managing broker and partner with 8Z Real Estate. “I enjoy meeting people and I’m good at building relationships,” he explains. “So this is a great fit for my personality.”

His clients would agree, consistently describing him as professional, knowledgeable, and enjoyable to work with. After seven years in the business, his repeat client and referral rate is eighty percent, and his sales volume for 2020 was $27.5 million. His total volume sold since starting in the business is over $100 million. That success results from his deep-rooted knowledge of the industry combined with a passion for helping people meet their dreams. “From the outset, I was committed to making my business growth organic. I balance between being regimented enough to follow through with proven processes and having natural interactions with people. I don’t enjoy nor am I good at cold calling, and I feel awkward about contacting someone without having something of value to provide. But most of my clients become friends, so I stop by to see them if I’m in their neighborhood, or I’ll post congratulations when I

see they’ve shared something they’re proud of on Facebook. The organic touches and honest interactions are the difference-makers.”

His favorite part of the job is sharing good news. “I love the look on people’s faces when I’m able to tell them we’ve received an offer way over listing price, or we’ve gone under contract on that perfect home they were looking for.”

Luke is meticulous in preparing his listings for the market, staging every home to maximize value in the buyer’s eyes.

“We use a professional photographer to help us create beautiful stills and 3D tours. On certain listings, I’ll even do cinematic videos or aerial footage if the property calls for it.” He posts the listing to all of the social media channels, and markets it in the “coming soon” section of Denver’s MLS five to seven days before it goes active. Luke also sends “just listed” postcards to the nearest one hundred homes. “It’s like Shark Week,” he laughs. “We chum the water, and get people excited. We’ll go live on Thursday, do showings over the weekend, and have multiple offers by Monday. It’s a proven system.”

Family has dibs on his leisure time. “More than anything, I love to travel with my family. But I also enjoy mountain biking and skiing. These last few years I’ve come to love fly-fishing. There’s something very Zen about standing in the middle of a river and casting, specifically in an area where my phone doesn’t work.”

Luke’s immediate goals for his business are to maintain the current level of production while increasing his referral rate to 100 percent. He also wants to continue cultivating his team members’ businesses to reach their own goals and grow the office’s total volume to over 100 million per year.

Contact Luke at 303-949-8104 or email Luke.Corbitt@8Z.com 90

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SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES

Real Estate Agents Must Avoid There is perhaps no greater marketing tool for agents these days than having a large presence on social media, but there is more to social media marketing than just opening an account and gaining followers. A lot of agents forget the social part of social media. It’s all about engagement, but it needs to be the right kind of engagement. This can often be the first impression potential clients or industry peers have of you, so make it count. There is no second chance to make a first impression, and that is especially true for real estate agents. Here’s just a few things you want to avoid.

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1 Using it to Vent

Social Media is a great place to complain and commiserate about things, but save that for your personal page. A real estate transaction is already a stressful ordeal, the last thing anyone wants is someone who seems like they’ll bring a negative energy to the process. Even worse?

Bad mouthing other Realtors® or listings. You’re selling yourself and your skills, so don’t sell anything that shows you in a bad light. Much like marketing a property, everything you put out should be professional and inviting.

2

Lack of Consistent Branding

Yes, social media is about social engagement, but it’s also about creating brand recognition. While you don’t want it to be purely promotional, you are running a business, so create a consistent branding across all social media platforms. If you can afford a professional graphic designer to help you out with this, that’s great. But at the very least, have the same profile pic, cover image and highly visible contact information, across the board. And don’t forget to share links to your other accounts, some people prefer different social media applications.

3Not Posting Enough

It’s good to create a schedule of how many times you’ll be posting per day and to pick times when you might have the most engagement.

Don’t over do it, but three posts a day at the right time, tends to be a good goal. There are numerous tools on Facebook, for example, that

can let you see when interactions are the highest.

Stick to your schedule and adjust accordingly.

It’s also important to not just post your listings.

Be a resource for people who follow your page.

Post community events, or other informative articles that are relevant to home ownership.

Be a page they want to follow even when they aren’t buying or selling a property. They’ll remember you when the time comes.

4

Not interacting With Your Followers

It’s called social media for a reason. The more you engage with your followers, the more they see you as a real person, and not just a marketing tool. Not only do you get to know your past clients and potential clients, on Facebook, engagement actually will make your posts seen by more people. So it’s a win/win.

5

Not Sharing or Linking to Others

It might not seem like a good idea to not promote the blogs, pages or listings of other people, but it’s not only an excellent way to build goodwill, it will also increase your own presence when they reciprocate. So make a point to share posts and links for local businesses and even the blogs of your peers, if it’s a post that offers valuable insight into an expertise you don’t have. That will encourage them to share your posts and even your listings, which will increase your potential buyer pool. This is another incentive to create your own blog. Unique informative content is always of value, and more likely to be shared than promotional links.

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MARK WIENS After running a landscape maintenance company for years, Mark Wiens, having met a lot of Realtors through his business, realized that he could do real estate and live a much more comfortable life doing it. He got licensed as a Realtor in 2015, and not only has he found genuine fulfillment in the work and the lifestyle, but Mark has also found great success in his business in Vancouver. His expertise has given him the ability to provide uniquely high-quality service to his clients, and his communication skills allow him to bring satisfaction to every single one of the clients he works with.

Mark’s attention to detail is a huge boon to his performance when it comes to navigating real estate transactions. He works hard to make sure that the paperwork is 100% correct and that he is doing the best thing he can for his clients at each interval. With experience in landscaping, Mark also has a great deal of experience in a wide variety of different facets of real estate. “I bring expertise to the table,” Mark says.

“When I’m on the job, I’m thorough and exhaustive, and I get things right to the best of my ability.” Mark gives his all to his work and gets results, and his clients appreciate the effort he puts into making their transactions go smoothly.

When interacting with clients, Mark finds it essential to communicate effectively and form trust-building relationships with them from the very beginning.

He gives his clients full disclosure, and has a way of explaining things that makes them feel comfortable and confident in the trajectory of their transaction. “When I first get started on a transaction, my initial focus is to put the client’s ease and let them know exactly what we’re going to be doing together,” Mark says. “I have the ability and desire to explain transactions to my clients in a way that is both clear and informative.” Clients love Mark’s communication, made evident by the fact that he gets over half of his business through repeats and referrals from past clients.

Mark puts nearly all of his time and energy into his career. He makes informational videos about real estate for his clients and videos to market his listings, and he has created a TV show about real estate, an endeavor he hopes to continue working on in the future. He communicates with clients past and present through emails, newsletters, and phone calls around the clock, and closed over 50 transactions in 2020. “I like facing a challenge and feeling a sense of accomplishment,” Mark says. He’s accomplished a great deal in his six years as a Realtor, and hopes to keep pushing his bar even higher as he continues on his journey.

A long-time resident of Vancouver, Mark is very involved with his community. He sponsors more than a dozen little league baseball teams in the area and routinely donates to various local charities in the area.

He also knows how to speak Mandarin, a huge asset due to the relatively large Chinese population who reside in Vancouver. For the future, Mark is considering starting a team to help him continue providing value and attracting clients to his growing business. If you’re in need of excellent real estate business in Vancouver, give Mark Wiens a call today!

Contact Mark by phone at (778) 840-7653, email mark@markwiens.ca, or visit markwiens.ca for more information www.

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MATTIE WEI Top Agent Mattie Wei – award-winning Lead of RE/MAX Accord’s Mattie Wei Real Estate Team in Fremont, California – is a hardworking, compassionate and deeply knowledgeable Realtor who strives to provide her many grateful clients with exceptional customer service. Mattie, who oversees an equally dedicated team of support staff, has spent nearly two decades helping her buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals, and has truly earned her impressive reputation as an honest advocate for her clients in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mattie, a former stay-at-home mom, began her journey in the world of real estate in 2003, initially working parttime. “I realized that I wanted to be the best real estate professional who can provide extraordinary service to people who need help ,” she recalls, “but to be outstanding in everything takes lots of hard work and dedication.

Being a Realtor was not as easy as it looked like.” After attending tremendous training programs and earning so many prestigious certificates through numerous real estate schools, continuous studying, constant learning, plus tireless practice, she achieved immediate career success! Mattie transitioned into a full-time agent in 2005, and has since built a thriving business on a foundation of solid business practices and a commitment to integrity in all her dealings with clients. She has also achieved membership in the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and the RE/ MAX International Titan Club, and she has constantly won the Bay East Association of Realtors Pinnacle Award.

Currently, almost the entirety of Mattie’s considerable business is based upon referrals and positive word-ofmouth, a significant achievement in her highly competitive market. “I think that’s because they like how I handle my business,” replies Mattie, when asked how she has managed to generate such impressive levels of loyalty and trust amongst those she works with. “They like the way

I treat them like my family members..”

Another factor would be her egalitarian approach to working with clients, giving the same level of attention to each client, regardless of the price point of the listing.

Other reasons behind Mattie’s impressive success story would be her expert negotiation skills and her savvy, social media-heavy approach to marketing.

Combined, these skills translate into fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy – and returning and referring – customers.

Another would be Mattie’s commitment to learning as much about her industry as she can, and has earned several prestigious industry designations, including the CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert), and the SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist).

She is also a Graduate of the Realtor Institute, which only ten percent of Realtors nationwide have achieved.

Proof of the amazing service Mattie and her team provide can be found on industry website Zillow.com, on which site she holds a perfect, five-star overall review comprised of scores of glowing testimonials.

When she’s not working, Mattie is an avid tennis player and fitness buff, and she also gives back to her community through a variety of ways, including her support of a local children’s hospital, to which she donates a portion of each sale she makes, and she is the number one financial contributor in her office to the Children’s Miracle Network. She is also a former Board Member for the Chinese American Real Estate Association.

When asked about what lies in store for her business in the future, Mattie grows reflective for a moment before replying. “I want to show people what being the best Realtor means. I want to show my clients how being a hardworking, ethical agent and problem-solver can really help them.”

For more information about Mattie Wei, call 650-942-4966 or email MattieWei@gmail.com

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6 Ways to Get Your Client to Trust You The word “REALTOR®” can leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths. Many of today’s home buyers and sellers grew up during the 2009 recession. They are wary of anything Top Agent Magazine

or anyone who comes off as too salesy, and they want to work with individuals who they can trust.

But how do you prove to someone you’ve likely never met that you can be trusted?

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1

Put Testimonials or Case Studies on Your Website

When something goes wrong, own up to your mistakes. Don’t hide bad news from your clients. Be upfront and responsive.

Testimonials and case studies are social proof that you have both the experience and the skills to do the job your clients are hiring you for. People often leave testimonials when they are either incredibly disappointed or extremely happy with the service they were provided, so they’re a good indication to prospective clients of the treatment they’ll receive.

Case studies, which you can post on your blog or website, have much of the same effect, but even more than testimonials, case studies demonstrate your real estate and finance expertise because they explain how you achieved a specific set of results.

2

Be Responsive and Accessible

Can your clients reach you easily? That doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but you should respond to your clients within a few hours of receiving their message. When agents don’t respond to their clients’ calls or emails for days on end or fail to provide them with a direct line of contact, their clients’ experience can quickly become frustrating.

Agents are busy but so are their clients. If you constantly show up late to or reschedule meetings, your clients won’t feel like their time is respected or their business is valued. Make sure you set a realistic schedule for yourself rather than spreading yourself too thin.

3

Be Honest and Transparent

Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a client’s question. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and the limits of your knowledge. A good response might be, “I don’t know, but I can find out.” Be transparent with your clients, and they’ll respect you for it.

You should always act in their best interest.

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4

Go the Extra Mile

If you do the bare minimum, that’s what your clients will remember. Their experience won’t be memorable, and they won’t gush about you in online testimonials or in real life to people they know who could use your services. It’s that simple.

5

Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes

Clients understand that you need to earn money, but that doesn’t mean they want to feel like they’re just a dollar sign to you. Be empathetic to your client’s concerns, even if you’ve heard it all before. Your clients should know that you are there for them.

6

Be Consistent

Being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable shouldn’t be an act. If you “turn on” your personality for clients and then suddenly become a different person when they leave the room, it’s likely that the cracks in your mask will eventually become apparent.

But “faking it till you make it” is so common it’s become a cliché. When we are starting out, we don’t always have the systems or resources in place to create a smooth client journey, from onboarding to closing, so instead we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Give yourself time to pause, slow down, and reevaluate your workflow. Creating systems creates

consistency, and those systems can and should be constantly updated.

Developing trust between you and your clients will take time, but doing these things can give you a running start.

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MELINDA LEE A lifelong Georgia resident, Melinda Lee started out in property management, where she had an opportunity to learn the housing industry from the ground up; however, she still wanted to push her career to another level while building greater stability for her family. At last, she decided to take the leap of faith and become a full time Realtor®.

Sure enough, Melinda found quick success in real estate, and today, she is an agent for D.R. Horton, where she services clients throughout Savannah, Pooler, and the surrounding areas. As a new construction specialist, she has applied her compassionate personality with her professional background to navigate any transaction with ease.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than giving people the opportunity for homeownership,” she says. “Whether a client is downsizing or upsizing, I love guiding them through the process and sharing in the sheer joy and excitement of being able to own your own home.”

When listing a house, Melinda prefers a comprehensive approach, broadcasting each property over both the local MLS and targeted social media campaigns.

Along the way, she also leans on her extensive network of previous clients and fellow Realtors® to give her listings an added advantage on the market. Meanwhile, Melinda is every bit as thorough when assisting her buyers, carefully navigating their transaction from start to finish with a winning blend of integrity and expertise.

“It’s not just about saying you’ll go above and beyond,” she says. “It’s about doing everything you can to ensure a client feels comfortable with the process.”

In fact, Melinda has already earned a fantastic reputation in her region, having completed over $10 million in volume in the last year alone, with the vast majority of her business coming from repeat clients or referrals. Recently having purchased her first home, she attributes much of her success to her own practical experience. “I can relate to just about anybody,” she says. “I know firsthand how to follow the steps and put yourself in a position to acquire a house. Because of Top Agent Magazine

that, I don’t leave anyone behind. Even if it takes a client several months to fix their credit, I’m still here to encourage them and keep them moving in the right direction.”

Outside her career, Melinda is tremendously active in her community. On top of being a member of the Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship, she also participates in numerous volunteer events throughout the area—whether she is helping feed the homeless, adopting a family during Christmastime, or providing scholarships to burgeoning academics. But when she’s not with clients or giving back, she can be found spending quality time outdoors with her children, going to the beach, or setting off on her latest adventure abroad.

Melinda has strong plans for the future of her business.

As her volume maintains its rapid growth, she intends on building a team and, one day, becoming a broker, all while mentoring new agents at D.R. Horton. In the meantime, though, she offers sound advice to any aspiring Realtor®: “Never stop dreaming, and never give up. If it’s something you want to do, and you want it badly enough, don’t let anything get in your way. But once you get into real estate, strive to set an example and be a genuine resource to all your clients.”

To learn more about Melinda Lee, email MJLee@drhorton.com, visit drhorton.com or call 678-760-7817.

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PAIGE & GARY HUTCHINSON Down in Houma, Louisiana, people value the trust of family and friends above anything else. And if you happen to be buying or selling a home in the area, you’ll want to contact Paige and Gary Hutchinson, a husband and wife team with eXp Realty who have made that value the core tenet of their business.

“We care for our clients like family,” Paige explains. “We’re there for them every step of the way as they are making one of the most significant decisions of their lives, and we’re going to use our thirty-plus years of shared experience to ensure they get maximum value from that transaction.”

Paige and Gary met when they were both working as agents for Keller Williams. Paige had come to the career by way of Tulane, earning a degree as a Paralegal in 1991, after which she decided she needed a job with flexibility so that she could work and still be there for her two children. She got her license that same year, and then her broker’s license in 2003. Gary earned a degree in Pre-Law from Nicholls State University and spent 25 years in the oil fields and managing various businesses before getting his own license in 2018. After they were married, they formed a domestic team at eXp and their business has been growing ever since.

agents in their area. “Every agent is working with multiple clients,” Gary explains.

“So marketing to them directly makes a lot of sense. Often, we’re able to make a connection that allows us to sell a home before the listing even goes live.” Every Hutchinson listing is marketed with professional photographs of the property, utilizing drone images and videography when needed. “We pride ourselves on being very accurate and professional down to the last detail,” says Gary.

When not working, Paige and Gary give part of their time to fundraising efforts around their community, working with their church, cooking for other volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, and mentoring new agents just starting out in the business. In their leisure time, they both enjoy hunting, and Gary is a cyclist.

The Hutchinsons have been avid about continuing to educate themselves on every aspect of their industry, constantly taking classes for new certifications and skill development. Going forward, they want to keep growing their referral rate by continuing to offer the best customer service around, and perhaps expand their base to work with more investors as well.

Last year Paige and Gary closed 75 transactions for over 12.5 million in sales volume. Seventy-five percent of that business came from repeat clients and referrals.

Clients cite their honesty, knowledge of the industry, expert negotiating skills, and the fact that the couple is easy to work with as the reason why they keep coming back. “For us, it’s not really about the deal,” says Gary.

“This is our community, and we want to build relationships with everyone we can.”

The couple markets their listings to buyers across all of the social media sites, their local MLS, and through email campaigns, but they also reach out to the over 400 98

Contact Paige or Gary direct at 985-790-5800, their office at 985-590-4028 ext 283, or email Paige.Hutchinson@exprealty.com Copyright Top Top Agent Agent Magazine Magazine

7 Simple Tips that are Proven to Help You Stay Ahead of the Competition So you’ve created a successful business, congratulations! You probably did it by providing an unsurpassed level of customer service that not only meets customer expectations but exceeds them in a way that has made you stand out from the rest. As anyone can tell you, starting a successful business is not easy.

Now comes the even harder part. Not only sustaining that high level of performance, but continuing to grow and outpace the competition. There is no resting on your laurels in a competitive business market. Companies that stay successful for the longterm, make an active effort to keep on top. Here are just a few ways you can do the same.

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1. Know the competition It’s not enough to know what you excel at or what makes you unique, you need to know what your competitors are offering that makes them stand out. This serves two purposes: it will allow you to more clearly define your differences, or it may help you identify an area that you hadn’t considered before, opening up a potentially new way in which you can excel above the rest.

2. Know your customers You might know your clientele very well, but as economic conditions change, so does your

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customer’s needs. What might have been a priority a year ago, won’t be if we are in the midst of an economic downturn, for example.

As a business owner you should always be evaluating your strategies in every area constantly, knowing what your customer wants and needs from you is key. In fact you should be using your expertise to analyze potential market changes and anticipate those needs to stay ahead of the curve.

3. Have a strong understanding on what makes you unique Once you accomplish the first two, you should have a clear idea of what unique advantage you offer people. This needs to be clear to everyone, so you can then take that idea and run with it. Find your niche and then market yourself with a focus on that idea. If you have a clear thing you’re selling, it is well worth the investment to market yourself to the hilt with that in mind.

5. Think like your competitors One way your competitors looks to gain customers is by potentially taking yours. It goes without saying, you don’t want to let that happen. You’ve probably built great relationships, so really maintain those relationships by not only providing great service, but service that truly goes above and beyond. Find ways to give more to your customers. You might even want to start offering surveys, where your clients can tell you exactly what they’d like to see.This makes your clients not only feel heard, but blown away when you implement any changes they suggest.

6. Look for untapped markets Don’t settle for maintaining what you have, there could be untapped markets out there.

IF you don’t get to them, your competitors will. So even if they come eventually, hopefully you’ll already be the dominate force in that market.

4. Keep up to date

7. Be a great boss

This goes for everything from technology to systems, marketing, and even your own personal image. If you have a brick and mortar location, you want to also keep things looking fresh and modern there, as well. First impressions are important for a reason. Everything about your business should tie into your marketing and branding. What are you selling and does everything line up to support that, from your business cards to your social media pages. Remember the key to branding and marketing is a consistent message.

One of the best things you can do to keep ahead of the rest, is by being a company where top talent and motivated newcomers want to be. Be the company that offers more than a competitive paycheck. Be a place that fosters talent, and offers scheduling and compensations packages that appeal more to people who think outside of the box. This will attract more innovative thinkers who value flexibility. Not only will you benefit from their talents, more importantly, your competition won’t.

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PAULA BASSO Top Agent Paula Basso – of Evjen Agency in Farmington, Connecticut – truly enjoys what she does for a living. “I love serving and helping people,” she explains. With nearly two decades in the real estate industry, Paula has built a thriving business based on hard work, deep market knowledge and a solid commitment to providing her many grateful buyers and sellers with exceptional customer service.

This has translated into her stellar reputation as a trusted real estate advocate who consistently places the wants and needs of her clients front and center during each and every transaction.

Paula began her career in real estate 2002. “I became interested in the real estate market when I bought a home,” she recalls. “My kids were getting older, and I’d been a stay-at-home mom who ran an antique business. So, when my children began attending school full-time, I decided to take the leap and get my license. Since then, Paula has proven herself to be a full-service, intelligent and personable agent who works diligently to achieve the best possible outcomes for buyers and sellers alike.

Currently, more than two-thirds of Paula’s considerable business is based upon repeat clients and referrals, a significant achievement in the highly competitive world of real estate. “I believe it’s because of my communication skills,” she says, when asked how she has managed to engender such impressive levels of trust and loyalty amongst those she works with. “I put that first and foremost, because I feel like communicating with clients

about what to expect during the transaction is about 80% of the entire process.”

There are many other reasons for Paula’s continuing success story, and chief among them would be her expert negotiation skills and intelligent, leave-no-stone unturned approach to marketing strategies that include videos and deft utilization of social media, which combined result in fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients. As proof of this, scores of glowing reviews on Zillow.com – on which site she holds a perfect, five-star overall rating – attest to the excellent customer service she provides.

“I really love working with people,” reiterates Paula. “I just love the housing market, just being around people, and looking at houses. To me, this is not a job because I love it so much.”

When she’s not working, Paula enjoys antiquing, working out, and going fishing, boating and camping with her husband. She also gives back to her community in a variety of ways, including support of local homeless shelters and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Paula has big plans for the future of her alreadyexceptional business, chief among them being continued growth and the potential formation of a team to assist with that growth. Above all, however, remains her overarching, constant objective: to continue providing her buyers and sellers with the unparalleled customer service that has long been synonymous with her name.

For more information about Paula Basso, please call 860-402-8169 or email BassoPaula@yahoo.com Top Agent Magazine

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PEDRO RIVERA After coming to the United States from Puerto Rico, Pedro Rivera set off to build a successful career in IT and graphic design, establishing a worldwide professional network along the way. At the recommendation of a friend, though, he decided to delve into real estate, and he soon realized the business perfectly complimented his marketing background and acute business instincts. Since starting out, he has authored an accomplished career as a Realtor®, having been featured in bestselling book, The Next Wave of Influence in Real Estate, and listed as a Top-50 finalist in the National Association of Realtors’ esteemed 2021 30 Under 30 rankings.

Currently, Pedro is the Lead of reThought Real Estate, where he assists clients throughout Milwaukee and the Southeastern Wisconsin area. Having founded his business around a special balance of professionalism and compassion, he has cultivated a boutique process to meet the needs of any buyer or seller. “At this point, I’ve been everywhere,” he says. “I’ve been a team leader, a solo agent, a broker, and now I’ve opened up my own brokerage. But through it all, I’ve always believed in keeping the client at the forefront of every transaction.”

When listing a home, Pedro leans on his extensive background in marketing and technology to offer clients a cutting edge strategy that ensures their transaction runs smoothly. Through a blend of real estate concierge services, he helps his sellers ready their property for the market, and from there, he broadcasts their home to over 800 third party websites— all while leveraging social media to reach as wide an audience as possible. This forward-thinking approach

has garnered Pedro a fantastic reputation throughout Wisconsin, with the vast majority of his volume coming from repeat clients or referrals.

But Pedro is just as comprehensive when assisting his buyers, navigating the nuances of their transaction with unmatched market expertise. From start to finish, he prioritizes open communication and integrity, time-tested values that have anchored his award-winning career. “This industry truly comes down to ethics and transparency,” he says. “There’s nothing more fulfilling than going to sleep at night knowing that someone is trusting me with the biggest investment of their life. I take that trust seriously, and I make sure to protect their best interests throughout the process.”

Outside his career, Pedro is tremendously active in his community. The founding president of Milwaukee’s branch of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, he also serves on the Equal Housing Opportunity Committee and Professional Standards Committee, as well as volunteering as a speaker for the Distributive Education Clubs of America, a non-profit organization that supports burgeoning entrepreneurs.

When he’s not with clients or giving back, Pedro can be found spending time with his family; however, he is also a hardcore “reefer,” keeping an eighty gallon reef tank of exotic fish in his office. Elsewhere, he has strong plans for the future of his business. As his volume maintains its steady growth, he looks forward to expanding his work with investment properties and utilizing his sphere of influence to leave a positive impact on the community he loves.

To learn more about Pedro Rivera, email pr@rethought-realestate.com, visit reThought-RealEstate.com or call (414) 712-6275.

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Things Successful People Never Do

There always seems to be people around you who find success with ease, but trust me, that is NOT the case. Although luck can often times play a role in someone’s success, most of the time it’s due to hard work and avoiding bad habits.

The best way to find your own success is to implement some of qualities you see in people you admire into your own life. The hard work part is still up to you, but by shifting your perspective a bit, and NOT doing some of the following

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things, that success might happen a little quicker.

1

DON’T JUST WING IT

Successful people plan everything. Not only do they have yearly goals, but weekly and sometimes daily ones as well. By giving your time a purpose, and a clearly defined goal, you’ll eliminate the time you spend haphazardly doing things that might not be a priority. It will also make you feel less scattered, which is always a good thing.

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2

THEY DON’T TAKE ON MORE THAN THEY CAN ACHIEVE

Successful people take on what they can do well, and no more. That all starts with a daily ‘do to’ list. They always make sure their list is manageable and then they don’t sleep until that list is completed. If you find yourself not finishing your list, assess whether it was too much or if you slacked off. You’ll be surprised at the feeling of accomplishment you feel when you finish your list. Not finishing will bring you down, so make sure you aren’t biting off more than you can chew.

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THEY DON’T WORK HARDER, THEY WORK SMARTER

Yes, having a strong work ethic is key, but that doesn’t mean you should waste time on things that will have less of an impact on your success. Focus on the things that will give you the most bang for your buck. Better to spend the majority of your time there, than spread yourself thin on numerous tasks.

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THEY DON’T TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE

This might seem like a bad call in business, but successful people know when to cut your loses and move forward. Anything or anyone, that frustration into your life, is never a good thing.

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REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES

Similar to not trying to please everyone, successful people are also diligent about accepting when something isn’t working 104

and moving on from mistakes. Yes, you learn from them, but don’t repeat them. Part of being innovative is trying new things, that will keep you fresh and energized, but learning how to let go is an equally important part of the equation.

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GO FOR THE SHORT RUN SOLUTION

Successful people are in it for the long haul and therefore thinking long term. When you have a plan for success and the patience to see it through, while you might have a slow start, you’re establishing a foundation for long term success. Going for the easy fix, usually doesn’t pay off.

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PAY ATTENTION TO THE NAYSAYERS

Lets face it, we all have people in our lives who might be a little more pessimistic than is healthy to be around. You can’t change them, all you can do is not let them drag you down into their ‘glass half full’ mentality. Have your plans and goals, be confident about them. When you’re insecure, that’s when you’re most vulnerable to those types of people.

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THEY NEVER QUIT

That doesn’t mean letting go of things that aren’t working. It means having an end goal.

Whatever obstacles or challenges come up, you take them on, always with that end goal in sight. Successful people know that adversity and overcoming those challenges, is how you grow, and will ultimately make you a better business person.

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RAY PETKEVIS Ray Petkevis has a corporate background that he has modified to serve his clients that gives a corporate level of efficiency with a different kind of customer experience. “I want people to be comfortable with my team and me as we help them buy or sell a home,” says Ray, agent and owner of Delaware Realty Group. “I put humor into everything, because it relaxes the most stressful of situations. Buying or selling a house is a very, very stressful situation.

People are changing their lives when they change where they live. We, as agents, are the consultant of that change.”

Ray began his professional career in newspaper advertising, where he ran three advertising departments of the Philadelphia Inquirer one of which was Real Estate Advertising. He explains his decision to make a change by saying “Real Estate was my favorite department to oversee because of the impact a home has on everyone’s life. I decided to shift fully into real estate rather than just the advertising part of it.”

Ray has an expansive depth of knowledge within the real estate industry. He started by spending eight years working for two different home builders selling new construction homes.

“I was really in the business of selling an imaginary home, and then bringing that imaginary home to reality through the construction process,” Ray says. When he found himself wanting a little more flexibility in his schedule, he shifted gears and took over the role of CEO of a Keller Williams Franchise in Delaware” he added.

However, he soon found himself back in a more corporate role with a lot less interaction with the clients directly. Ray once again shifted gears and became a full-time agent and ultimately the Broker of Record for that Keller Williams office. In his first year, Ray sold 67 homes selling as many homes as the top single agents in the state. He began to grow a team, and within eighteen months he became the number one agent in the state of Delaware with Keller Williams Realty which is the biggest real estate company in the world.

For the past six years, Ray and his team of agents have served Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey as he is

licensed in all three of those states. He prides himself on the consistent experience his clients get when dealing with his team. Ray says, “Whether you work with me or one of my agents, you’ll have the same conversation.

That’s our secret sauce. That’s what makes us as good as we are.”

When it comes to his buyers, Ray’s outlook is simple but effective. “We do not SELL homes.

Period,” he says. “He told each agent on his team that if you think you’re joining this team to sell homes, you’re not going to be successful. What we do is help people to buy homes.

When you walk out with that mindset, you’re doing it the right way and the right conversations are being had.”

When it comes to his sellers, he approaches the transaction with three things in mind that almost every seller wants to achieve. “Number one, seller’s want to get as much money as possible. Number two, they want to sell their home as fast as possible to end the invasion of strangers and lastly they want the least amount of hassle possible” states Ray. I also find out what else they want to accomplish outside of those three main items. It all comes down to the language we use. We have a process, and it’s very specific. There’s a lot of psychology to it because moving is an emotional process because it affects many elements of every member of the family” He laughed and said “Even the pets have to deal with moving” Looking to the future, Ray plans to continue fostering personal growth within his team. “There’s five of us, now,” he says.

“Ann and Mary are retired teachers, David is a retired state trooper, and Tim came from a technology role in the banking sector, and I’m originally a newspaper advertisement guy with a home building background. The goal for the company is that we ultimately each achieve our own personal goals while serving our clients and helping them reach theirs. Working in Real Estate gives us as a team the ability to achieve our own personal goals and the ability to achieve those goals while helping our clients achieve theirs. We are successful because we can relate to our clients on a family-to-family level. That’s why we’re Delaware Realty Group and not the Ray Petkevis Group. We’re all with each other.”

For more about Ray Petkevis and Delaware Realty Group, call 302-685-4042, email raypetkevis@gmail.com, or visit derealtygroup.com www.

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RICK SEAGRAVES Rick Seagraves has a natural affinity and talent for real estate, with his knowledge, his foreword thinking, his organizational skills, and his charisma. When Rick and his wife bought their first home, their Realtor noticed Rick’s potential, and encouraged him to consider a career change. “She said I have attributes that can’t be taught,” Rick says. “I have an ability to talk to anyone about anything, whether it’s a million-dollar client, or a client who is buying their first house, or anything in between.”

Now with seven years in the business, Rick is a Realtor with Edina Realty in Annandale, Minnesota. He has built a thriving business around the ethos of putting his clients first. Rick serves all of Minnesota, though he specializes in the Annandale area, with its gorgeous lakes and recreational opportunities.

Given his drive, his personable approach, and his dedication, it is no surprise that the vast majority of Rick’s clients return again, or refer him out to friends and family. Rick prioritizes providing each client with an individualized and positive experience at every price point, whether they are buying or selling. “I think clients are impressed with my knowledge of the area,” Rick says. “I also operate a bit differently. I don’t treat client relationships as being just about the sale. I have a knack for making friends. Almost all of my clients have become friends.”

To market his listings, Rick implements a comprehensive approach that combines modern and traditional methods. Leveraging his network, Rick advertises his clients’ homes through his professional connections to build visibility and to create buzz. He coaches clients about ways to boost curb-appeal, and provides advice on staging. With beautiful images from both professional photography and drone footage, Rick markets his clients’ properties across social media and print advertising, including local papers and full-color brochures.

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Rick’s strategic positioning of his clients’ properties works; last year, he completed $6 million in sales, and this year he has already hit $4 million.

Dedicated to the community and giving back, Rick is an active volunteer and philanthropist. He supports numerous organizations, including the Cardinal Athletic Foundation, which is a booster for varsity sports in schools, and the Angel Fund Program, which helps cover the cost of lunches for kids who don’t have the money to pay. “If there’s a need where I can help somebody, I’m going to help them out,” Rick says. When Rick is not busy helping clients or giving back his time, he is a dedicated family man.

He enjoys outdoors activities including coaching youth sports, fishing (when he has time), vacationing, and home projects. He is currently renovating both his primary home and an investment property.

For the future, Rick has no plans to slow down. “I plan on continuing to serve my clients as well as I can. This business has treated me well for the past seven years, and I think it will continue to treat me well for the next seven to twenty years. I’ve grown at a good pace, enough that I can still provide a personal touch to each of my clients, which is my priority. I never want to lose the ability to provide each client with the service they deserve.”

For more about Rick Seagraves, call 320-282-5656, visit SoldwithRick.com, or email at rickseagraves@edinarealty.com www.

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8 Tips on Using Disruptive Thinking to Improve Innovation You might be wondering what disruptive thinking is. How can anything disruptive be good? Well, if you’re caught in a stagnant place, shaking things up might be exactly what you need to gain some momentum in your personal or professional life.

the norms that keep you from being creative and implementing big ideas. Here are some simple things you can do to find opportunities that might be hidden if you stay stuck in the status quo.

Sometimes taking a step out of your bubble will give you a much needed perspective and allow you to achieve the breakthrough you need to take things to the next level. There is no more valuable commodity in today’s business world than innovative thinking, and the key to innovative thinking is breaking down

1. TAKE RISKS

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Without risks, there usually won’t be any major rewards. Sure being steady and careful might keep things going marginally well, but if you really want to go big, you need to go all in sometimes. If you go through the history of great innovations, none of them

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were achieved by playing it safe. Embrace mistakes. Learn from them, they often provide valuable insight and that will lead to great success on your next attempt.

2. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT INDUSTRY This might seem counter-intuitive, but you’d be amazed at what you can learn by looking into successful companies, no matter what the business type is. You’re almost certain to find valuable solutions, systems or technology, that might fit your business, giving you a unique advantage over the competition.

3.BE CURIOUS Break some of your daily habits, even if it’s as simple as ordering a new dish at your favorite restaurant. Even the smallest changes can help spark a new idea. Always be on the lookout for new ways to do things. Little innovation are all around you. If you remain curious and keep an open mind, you’ll be surprised as to what might spark the next great idea.

4. PICK THE BRAIN OF A NON-EXPERT Yes, there is a lot to be gained by having access to someone with an expertise in your field, but you can learn a lot from a newcomer as well. They are a blank slate, and may inspire you with their completely unique point of view on things as someone just starting out.

5. BE LESS JUDGMENTAL It’s very easy to dismiss a new idea. You have experience and that can oftentimes lead 108

to a million reasons why something won’t work. But there really is no harm in ignoring your initial impulse and thinking it though a bit more. If you or someone you work with has passion for an idea, it’s definitely worth pursuing.

6. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE We tend to look at things in a linear way.

If you feel like you’ve stalled out on something, literally flip the script. Re-imagine it from different perspectives, reverse engineer the process. Anything you can do to see it from all angles, might get the creative juices flowing again, and could even lead to a breakthrough.

7. VALUE CHAOS Yes, it’s great to be organized and have a plan, but sometimes a little randomness can be that added ingredient that makes it all work. One of the major keys to successful disruptive thinking is breaking up everyday patterns. Sometimes the path to rational solution is filled with chaotic moments.

8. BE WILLING TO LET GO Don’t be rigid. Even the best ideas can always be refined and improved. You’ve invested a lot of time in your idea and it can be hard not to cling to it, but input from other people will only strengthen what you want to do.

Having big ideas is great, but you also need to be pragmatic. Recognize changes you might need to make to get your big idea implemented. Disruptive thinking is all about flexibility.

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RYAN KOWALSKI Ryan Kowalski built his real estate career on a background of working in his family’s business, the grocery store Kowalski’s Markets. “I had always worked in the family business, so the work ethic was there, as well as the customer service,” Ryan recalls.

“When I met the lender I work with now, he saw something in me and referred me to the team lead. It was a natural progression from sales to the real estate world.” Ryan is now in his third year in real estate, and his business is growing steadily each year as he helps more and more clients achieve their real estate goals.

As a Sales Agent with the Enclave Real Estate Team at RE/MAX, Ryan serves the Twin Cities. He is already seeing his repeat and referral business expand, an impressive feat that speaks to the trust and confidence he inspires. “Working with the team instilled in me the importance of giving a 5-star experience to every client,” Ryan explains. “Every team is striving for that, but we seem to hit that target more than a lot of teams do. You can see it in our reviews and our referrals.”

Ryan’s work ethic and his dedication to customer service set him apart. “I love what I do, and it shows,” he says. “I make myself as available as possible for my clients, whether that means getting to appointments on short notice or talking to a client and answering questions that come up. I set myself apart by doing that consistently, and by giving that 5-star experience every day to every client.”

Staying in touch with clients is important, and Ryan makes sure to maintain those relationships. He stays in contact via Facebook and other social media, as well as quarterly touches and thoughtful gifts. “I keep

in touch year after year and create a good relationship,” Ryan says. “It is a friendly, professional relationship, and we build that throughout the whole process.”

When it comes to marketing listings, the Enclave Team has a dedicated marketer on staff. Ryan and the team use social media to ensure maximum exposure for listings.

The results speak for themselves: Ryan led the team in transactions in just his second year, and this year he is on track to be in the $8-9 million range for volume. “Last year was a great second year, and I’ve been on an upward trajectory,” Ryan says. “This year I will continue that, and my goal is to do more than 40 transactions.”

Community involvement is important to Ryan. He and his team host customer appreciation events such as pie nights and movie theater rentals. Outside of real estate, Ryan’s family business operates the Kowalski’s For Kids charity association, and Ryan participates in their annual golf tournament fundraiser. When he is not working or giving back, Ryan enjoys golf, exercise, and spending time with family. Ryan is proud of the fact that he has been sober for over three years. “It makes me the agent I am and it’s how I’m able to do such good work,” he says.

In the future, Ryan says, “I just want to keep getting better and keep becoming a better real estate agent.

My goal is to be a team leader eventually and run my own team.” Ryan says his favorite part of real estate is the freedom it provides. “In real estate you are your own boss and can make your own schedule. I think every new Realtor® is hungry for the financial freedom that real estate can provide, but you know you have to put in a lot of work to get there.”

To find out more about Ryan Kowalski, please call 651-707-3834, email Ryan@enclaveteam.com or visit enclaveteam.com Top Agent Magazine

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SHALINI SADDA

Shalini serves the San Francisco area with City Real Estate, specializing in high-rise condominiums. Her clients praise her enthusiasm, responsiveness, and knowledge of the market, a reputation that has generated a steady growth in business since she began her career. Her repeat client and referral rate is reaching forty percent, and growing. Shalini attributes her success to a combination of empathy and expertise. “I put myself in the buyer’s or seller’s shoes and think about how I would want to be treated. I don’t believe in hard selling. I’m there as an advisor, to share my knowledge and expertise about preparing a home to sell, or helping the buyer understand the pros and cons of each property. It’s important that they trust me as both a person and an expert in the industry.”

Shalini has a streamlined plan for marketing her sellers’ homes, which begins with a detailed presentation to advise her clients on how to get top dollar for their home. “This process can be overwhelming at times, especially for the seller. That’s why we have a team dedicated to every single listing—contractors, stagers, photographers, and marketing. When the home is ready, we’ll create several marketing tools, including a property website for the listing, where buyers can view photos and a 3D virtual walkthrough of the home. We also take maximum advantage of our own internal resources, and will reach out to over 5000 agents in 110

our listing area. Often we’re able to sell the home before it goes on the market.”

Her relationship with clients goes beyond the closing table. Shalini stays in touch, and periodically follows up with her clients and maintains her relationship. She’s also conscientious about building community, partnering with and supporting local vendors for her business operations.

“This work is amazing. I love meeting so many interesting people, learning about them, forming friendships. And there’s never a dull moment. Every deal is different. It’s a bit like matchmaking, trying to find that perfect fit, looking for a win-win deal for both sides. The most rewarding moment is seeing the smiles on my clients’ faces after closing.”

Shalini is in the process of growing her team, on track to doubling her business in 2021. She also has her broker’s license. “I’m always adapting, always learning. Ultimately, my team will be small (under ten agents) as I am client focused and will only hire the best.”

To learn more about Shalini Reddy Sadda, please call 213-399-3181 or email shalini@cityrealestatesf.com

Photo by Jacob Elliot and The Avery

Sometimes you find the work you love; sometimes the work you love finds you. That’s how it happened for Shalini Sadda. “I’d earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering, then spent fifteen years working in the medical device industry. But my dream had always been to start my own business.” She first got her real estate license so she could buy and sell property as an investment, and one day just realized how much she enjoyed that process. “Once I started helping other people, I knew I’d found my calling.”

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Uncommon Contact:

Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better.

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Not everything has to be about business.

While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and

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the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.

Expand your medium.

Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, 112

these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.

Don’t just react.

Create your own content.

It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed.

Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home.

No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key.

Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.

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SHERYL MATUSZAK Sheryl Matuszak got her real estate license in 2005 when her husband suggested she could sell their house and also earn a commission on the one they were building. At the time, she worked for Abbott Laboratories, selling diagnostic instruments to hospitals and labs in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. “So I became a Realtor to take care of our transactions and suddenly many people who’d liked my design and consulting ideas began contacting me, wanting me to help them too. That’s when my real estate career took off.”

Sixteen years later she has a repeat client and referral business and works at North & Co. “Because I’m a concierge Realtor, I don’t have to spend much on marketing or advertising to attract business, as my clients feel that I go above and beyond for them. I’ve built a trusted network of people I’m loyal to and who are loyal to me. People come to me because I’m solution based, and over the years I’ve also alerted my clients to unique opportunities that I thought they might be interested in, even when they weren’t looking. I can offer whatever kind of help they need: contractors, inspectors, kitchen designers, interior designers, painters, you name it.

Sometimes it’s not even related to real estate. After living here for over 27 years, I’m very connected to my community.”

Services probably aren’t what keeps people coming back to Sheryl, though. More likely, it’s knowing that they are working with someone who really cares about them. “It’s not just a job for me,” Sheryl explains. “I enjoy listening to people, finding out their needs, and offering my expertise to help them make what will probably be the biggest financial decision of their lives.

I’m more invested than the typical agent because I’m not transactional; I build lifelong relationships with the people I serve. Most of my clients become my friends.”

Sheryl develops a marketing plan specific to the needs of the individual home she’s listing, a system that every property goes through, from the initial meeting with clients to gauge their needs, to staging, to creating professional pictures, to demographic- targeted online marketing.

Known for her deep knowledge of the market and the ability to think outside the box when necessary, Sheryl has dedicated herself to ensuring a stress-free experience for her clients, whether they are buyers or sellers.

“There are so many hats we wear that people don’t realize. It’s not an easy business, but if you’re good at it, it will look easy to people. A lot of work goes into a successful deal, but if you enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like work.”

Sheryl’s very active in her community as well, giving part of her commission from every closing to the Arizona Housing Fund, supporting construction of low-income housing to combat homelessness. Last year she was the liaison for her former college sorority and its alumni, bridging the gap between the college students and the alumni.

When not working, Sheryl loves getting outdoors— traveling, hiking kayaking and exploring all Arizona has to offer. She recently explored Cottonwood and the AZ wineries on the AZ wine crawler tour. “I’m also taking up golf, although it’s too early to call it a hobby yet,” she laughs.

Going forward, Sheryl has a business partner and a transaction management team to handle her increasing volume. “At some point soon, I’m looking to mentor a new young agent or two coming into the business. Younger agents love tech, and I am more relational, so together we could learn a lot from each other.”

Contact Sheryl at 480-250-6504 or email Sheryl@northandco.com Top Agent Magazine

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STACEY ARCENEAUX Stacey Arceneaux began her real estate career 16 years ago, after working as a paralegal and project manager. “I’ve always been interested in real estate,” Stacey recalls, “but it wasn’t always a great time because my children were still young. Once my children were older, I felt that it was a good time for me to get into real estate and work the hours that it required.” Since then, Stacey has built a flourishing business based on strong personal relationships.

She uses her considerable experience and knowledge to help her clients achieve their real estate goals.

Stacey serves the Acadiana area. She estimates that 99% of her business comes from repeat and referral clients, an incredible feat that speaks to the trust and confidence Stacey inspires. “My business motto is ‘Real experience, Real relationships, Real Estate,’” Stacey explains, “and I’ve always tried to treat people the way I would want to be treated. I never wanted to put money before people. I always felt that if you put people first, you will be successful. If it’s a firsttime homebuyer, I treat them as if they were one of my children. I do what’s truly best for the client, no matter what that means for me.”

Her background as a paralegal and project manager greatly benefits Stacey’s real estate practice. “Because of my degree in paralegal studies and my work experience in that area, I have a very good legal understanding of our contracts and negotiation,” she says. Her construction project management experience, proves to be a valuable resource for her clients as well.

“Not only with new construction, but also with existing construction, I can point out areas of concern in homes that buyers may not recognize.” She works as a Realtor and Interior Designer for several builders. Her keen understanding of new construction and the building process makes her a great asset for clients looking to purchase a newly constructed home or to have one built for themselves.

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When it comes to marketing listings, Stacey draws on the comprehensive resources available to her through her brokerage, Latter & Blum as well as promoting listings extensively on social media, internet sites and print media. She says, “In our market, people still read the newspaper. Featuring my listings in the Real Estate section has proven valuable so we invest in print advertising as well.”

Community involvement is important to Stacey. She is involved with the St. Jude organization locally, Acadiana Home Builders Association and also is active in her church.

When she is not working or giving back, Stacey loves spending time with her family and traveling. She has a passion for people and design, which she pours into her work as a Realtor as well as an Interior Designer.

With her daughter, Camille Boudreaux now working alongside her as a licensed Realtor® and transaction coordinator, Stacey says, “We want to continue to grow our real estate business and continue providing great service to our clients. I love the relationships I get to make through real estate. I love meeting new people and making new friends. That’s what I love the most about real estate.”

To find out more about Stacey Arceneaux, contact her by cell at 337-257-7234, at Latter & Blum 337-291-4740 or by email at staceyarceneaux@me.com.

You can find her online at staceyarceneaux.com www.

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Turn Open Houses into Destinations People are busy. Even those who are actively looking to buy a house or want to learn about the market for a future purpose have busy schedules.

But with bit of added time, creativity and investment in making open house into destinations, you’ll see greater turnout. And we all know that greater turnout increases the likelihood of offers.

There are several creative ways to hold an open house with a mindset of hospitality and with the goal of providing something of value to each person who attends.

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The neighbors-only open house Some agents embrace the “nosy neighbor” concept as a benefit, not an eye-rolling challenge.

With his client’s permission, Wesley Peters, a Keller Williams broker in the Baltimore Metro Area, often gets the neighbors together before a home hits the market. “We invite other brokers, too, but we include as many neighbors as we can,” he says, explaining that he schedules these events for a Thursday or Friday evening, happy hour-style, rather than midday on a Sunday. They get a better turnout at 5:00 pm than

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midday on a weekend when the neighbors are busy with their lives. In a relaxed setting, conversations flow, neighbors can mingle and catch up, and the buzz begins before the home is listed.

In advance, prepare invitations and hand-deliver them to homes on the streets you and your client agree are best to include. The destination is the event; the value each attendee receives is the social interaction and the removal of any awkwardness over visiting their neighbor’s house.

Your client’s benefit is the buzz.

A turnkey block party any time of year Once a property is listed, some agents take on the role of party planners. Certain streets or neighborhoods, they find, are perfect for lowkey social occasions. In some place, such as neighborhoods with many young families, a bounce-house or games may even ramp up the fun factor. But the idea of a seemingly spontaneous block party during an open house can be easy to pull off, whether you’re serving lemonade and cookies or coffee and pastries. The chance to meet prospective neighbors turns the event into a destination for both buyers and the neighbors; the value comes in buyers’ ability to see how the neighbors interact. Your seller’s benefit is that the grapevine will be filled with happy stories about their home. Tips: By keeping basic supplies in storage, you’ll be ready for a pop-up block party any time. Promote this type of event with targeted social media marketing and fliers or postcards to communities within a short distance of your listing.

Invite other professionals It’s common mortgage lenders to attend open houses. But why not provide even more value to people who attend? Chances are, you have more than a handful of professional partners who welcome an opportunity to join you at your open house. Consider inviting an interior designer, a contractor, a gardener, even a gardener or a painter. Invite them to your broker’s open in advance or give them time to view the property 116

before the open house begins. Then encourage them to stroll the property during the open house or to sit with you. When visitors ask about needs or concerns they may have about the house – such as loan questions, the cost of improvements or upgrades or even remodeling – you’ll be able to introduce them to an expert on the spot. For that matter, your invited pros don’t even necessarily have to be in home-related businesses!

Prospective buyers always want to know about the community when visiting open houses.

Consider inviting representatives of community

organizations, like youth sports group or owners of mom-and-pop retailers to help your visitors get a feel for the neighborhood or town. For this type of open-house, prepare a flyer or card with your community contacts on it so visitors can leave with resources as well as information.

Open house should be about the buzz. They’re about creating a conversation about your listing and making the home memorable to visitors. By giving people a unique experience they won’t forget, you’ll show your sellers how creative you are in meeting their needs.

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TOM LANGAN Tom Langan is currently in his third year in real estate. “I’ve had family members who were in real estate in Oregon, and everyone in my family has been in different types of sales,” he recalls. “So it was a natural step for me, and I love it.” Tom’s business is flourishing and his referral base has grown steadily as he helps more and more clients achieve their real estate goals.

Tom serves the Florence, South Carolina area. A significant amount of his business comes from repeat and referral clients, an impressive feat that speaks to the trust and confidence he inspires.

“I’ve had a lot of referral business, and I work with a lot of investors who also give me repeat business,” Tom says. “I have five different investors who have fixed and flipped houses through me, and two have done it multiple times with me.”

Tom sets himself apart through the quality of service he provides and also by establishing his brand in clients’ minds. “I make an effort to create a digital footprint,” he says, “so that everybody is walking around with the billboard in their hand at all times. I also work very hard on controlling my schedule and blocking my time, being as efficient as I can each day to better serve my clients.”

When it comes to marketing his listings, Tom uses a variety of techniques to ensure maximum exposure for sellers. “I create target audiences on Facebook for whom the home might fit,” Tom

explains, “and I keep track of what zip codes are moving to this area. I use that information to put out ads based on location so I can get my listings in front of people who are more likely to be looking in our area.” Tom also invests in premier listings on Realtor.com and Zillow, an investment he says is well worth it to get his clients greater exposure for their listings.

The results speak for themselves: in the past year, Tom has closed on 45 homes, and business is booming.

Community involvement is important to Tom, and in the past he has volunteered with the Humane Society, as well as working with a treatment center in Florence for people in recovery called The Owl’s Nest. When he is not working or giving back, Tom enjoys exercising, jogging, and spending time with his two dogs and his loved ones.

Tom says his favorite part of real estate is helping his clients achieve the dream of homeownership, especially for those who never thought it would be possible. “Some of my favorite clients have been those who approached me and weren’t financeable at the time, but they put the work into getting their credit together or bringing their debt down, and they turned it around. Those closings have been the best, because I can relate with those clients.

I really enjoy helping clients reach their goal of owning their own home.”

For more information about Tom Langan, please call (843) 773-0636, email at tom@tomlanganrealtor.com or visit tomlanganrealtor.com

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