NORTH CAROLINA 10-18-21

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

5 FRESH NEW APPROACHES TO

GOOGLE ADWORDS:

CONTENT MARKETING

How to Make Google Do the Work for You

The Daily Schedule of a SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE AGENT

FEATURED AGENTS

OSCAR CORRALES ALLEN SEYMOUR ROB WACHTER

COVER STORY

KATIE PRENDERGAST

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

ALLEN SEYMOUR

OSCAR CORRALES

ROB WACHTER

Having worked in law enforcement

we’ve sponsored abou

Corrales is dedicated to his calling of real estate.

I love that it doesn’t matter where After a 15-year career in the banking Drive 7 19 20 23 for 20 years, Allen Seymour entered teams.

Just last week g others, which he has been doing as a the client is inRob theirWachter life: we take them from and financial sector, throug andreal Broker for the past eleven TOR®the where they are and help them achieve their decided to use his knowledge and media industry with a very solid idea young lady who was pl expertise to help real estate buyers ing cli Oscar came to the United States from next step.” Not only are strong client relaabout the type of hard work and dedica- and sellers. had about $2,000have woa “I felt the like key I wastoclimbbia in 2007, where he had spent over tionships Oscar’s success, they tion it takes be of service to others. ing the corporate stolen wea ladder only to find years working in thetotravel indusalso provide him with the greatest sense of from her. Weence that it was leaning on the wrong orient s brother-in-law reward. “If you go through the database His strongencouraged passionOscar for helping peoby and purchasing new gea building.

I decided to segue into real at peo him in real estate. “The best thing choose any name, I can tell you a lot about ple, combined with his background in estate because her as a partial replacem it was a career choice have his business is people,” Oscar says. that family,” Oscar says. “I get to know peothat would help me help others.” and w and this land management, make eopleforestry keep me loving career.” ple. My clients’ wins are my wins.”

now works under the umbrella him a client favorite throughout North Rob When he’s not busytopics wo of JPAR Carolina Living, where he invest founded theKATIE Corrales Real give back SEYMOUR to the community, Oscar Carolina, where heEstate works asOSCAR part CORRALES of a is also anToinvestor to and spend his free financ tim PRENDERGAST ALLEN ROB WACHTER and part of their KATIE hrough Casa123 de Insight Group, his team have partnered with Habitat for leadership team. cate ht atsix National Realty.includ- Humanity, PRENDERGAST now team manages dedicatedLand professionals, which they plan to support by donatingones. a per- He is a devoted hard of two. “We have marke a 13 wife, who is a REALTOR®. Located in Raleigh, centage of their income, by offering Working withgross a highcommission degree of integCarolina, Oscar and his teamin alsovacant serve Durham classes educate in the community rity to and ethics,people Rob takes pride in alwaysabout doing the anhome 11-year-old daught Allen specializes land sales e surrounding counties. Every team member ownership, and by recruiting clients who work in con- In the near future Ro right thing for his clients.

“I worked for banks that does and a fair share of serve residential the outdoors.

My son l CONTENTS gualbut in Spanish English, and they a struction to buildtohomes for that the needy.

When Oscar is business and were starting do things I was not comfortable continuin and commercial transactions and“Wemy range of clients, from first-time homebuyersasto well. not busy his clients, he loves spend time with vice. with. helping Now, I can set my own high to standards forketball cushavedaug made ed investors. family,service. read, travel, bike, My goal is torun, takeand thestay bestactive. care softball.” of my to become a team of S Clients4) appreciate hisADWORDS: willingness to him go tomer GOOGLE THE DAILY SCHEDULE clients. In 201217) I got my Seniors Real Estate Specialist we are trying to expan above and beyond to relationships, ensure that they realWith estatehis career to community by hiring n emphasis onHOW long-lasting it TOclient MAKE GOOGLE OFcommitted A REAL For designation the future, and Oscar hasSUCCESSFUL big my plans. abiding receive the best care.

“Being in the land industry is just This year Allen is looking closeSeniors aro primarily to working with those 50 andasup.” market. urprise that nearly of the WORK Corrales Team’s help as many people possible, Oscar to thatto DOallTHE FORbusiYOUcommitment ESTATE AGENT and we omesafrom repeat and referrals.

“We have more hopesapt to duplicate and the volume, success of his team little bit clients different because we’re to put the onsystem a sales and he’sclients, aiming to want con With clients always at the core of his business, Rob service and make sure m, and we follow it with every client to offer the and spread it to other offices. “I have in my heart the goal pair of 13) boots, get out there in July when it’s 95 degrees, in the coming years.

“I absolutely lo 21) 4 WAYS MENTORING believes it’s hisofquality that’s responsible FRESH rvice, to meet their5needs, and toNEW stay in touch to serve thousands peopleofa care year,” Oscar says. “It’sfor all his success and high rate National of accomplished repeat and referral clibattle ticks, mosquitoes, and walk along the can Land.

I can’t osing,” Oscarthe says.

“We care about relationships. about the team; nothing be with just say enough goo UP-AND-COMING EMPLOYEES APPROACHES TO snakes, CONTENT ents.

“We have a very strong team approach that is eep inedge touch of withaclients who Ito helped years me.

Thewe goalneed. is toMAKES bring the most goodA to BETTER the most peoswamp get eleven the pictures that We company and the team.

All the resour YOU focused on an exceptional level of service. Buyers AGENT MARKETING elationships are key for us.

We are not the type of ple.

I believe my purpose in life is to help others.” do meticulous research on each property, allbest theservice wayfrom the meteam with is what get the because we havereally helped me who close and then forget about the clients.” multiple someone wants to go see so a propfrom the dirt type, to the trees and water, asagents. wellIfas that I’ve had far. My plan for the erty on short notice, there are five of us able to drop else a potential buyer to know.” forward, rket everything their clients’ listings, Oscar and his teamneeds what we’re doing and go pushing show that house.

Becausestay humble, and e social media and digital platforms to provide of that, we’ve been able tothe get business.” in winning bids early overage. They also use innovative video marketin the buying process.

We have a strong in-house and honesty Allen prides oughCommunication their YouTube channel, which has overare fourtwo traits contract-to-close program, with our own full time 310-734-1440 Faxand 310-734-1440 himselfPhone on. “I thinkhas working for the Sheriff’s Office nd subscribers.

Their approach paid |off, Client Services Manager, so we deliver outstanding To lear ar is for set tothe be mag@topagentmagazine.com their best ever.

Already, they have service to the client | www.topagentmagazine.com last 20 years has really sharpened my commu-throughout the process. We also email R ted over seventy transactions, representing $21 have our own general contractor that we work with, nication can with people at visit ww Noskills. portion of If thisyou issue may becommunicate reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent and multiple other vendors to assess any issues with in production.Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published or call the lawmaterials, enforcement level, when you’rethemeeting them houses.”

Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or factsCorrales, supplied by its authors.

For more about Oscar car, his passion for real estate continues to stem To subscribe or change address, send inquiry during very difficult situations, thento mag@topagentmagazine.com. you can commucall 919-349-7110, visit CorralesRE.com is love for helping others.

Published in the“We U.S. have a mission,” nicate with anybody.

It’s helped me tremendously or emailin oscar@corralesre.com ays, “which is to build our clients’ wealth through real estate,” he says, and adds, “I can also easily establish2 relationships with people. I come from a family Top Agent Magazine Copyright Top Agent Magazine of farmers, so I grew up living that outdoor lifestyle www.

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Google AdWords:

How To Make Google Do the Work for You There is no denying that the internet is the first place a buyer begins looking for a new home in this digital age. Knowing how to put the powerful tools available on the internet to work for you can give you a decided advantage when it comes to attracting prospective buyers to your listings, as well as you as an agent. Google is easily one of the major superpowers of the internet, and they have one of the most powerful advertising tools available. Knowing how to utilize Google AdWords in the correct manner can make your internet advertising immensely powerful and possibly your best way to reach prospective buyers.

Google AdWords is also extremely cost-effective. This multifaceted tool gives you much more control over your advertising campaign than other more traditional methods. You can target specific audiences, choose the specific search terms, also known as keywords, that will bring up your ad in someone’s search results, and you can set a budget for each campaign that will dictate it’s reach and how long the campaign will run. Here are some tips for how to put Google AdWords to work for you.

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ent websites. You want to set yourself apart from every other real estate website users are viewing in their search for a house.

MAKE SURE YOUR ADS ARE GOING TO SEND USERS TO A SITE THAT WILL CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION

You can spend an infinite amount of money on Google advertising campaigns, but if those ads don’t send users to a site that will capture and hold their interest, then you’ve just wasted all that money. Don’t put your cart before the horse. Make sure you are considering exactly where these ads are going to send users. To set up your website for success, at the very least you want to make sure users are greeted by clear call-to-action, such as a message that will encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. You want to set up your website to maximize and capture the leads the ad campaign sends your way.

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BUILD CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOM-MADE WEBSITES RATHER THAN TEMPLATE WEBSITES It is easy and tempting to use template websites, or to offer your agents template websites if you are a real estate manager or broker. While this offers a cost-effective solution to providing every agent with a website, it does little to set you or your agents apart and capture the attention of users that are used to seeing a wealth of differ-

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MAKE SURE YOU ARE OFFERING VALUE ON YOUR WEBSITE

Don’t simply use your website as a kind of brag sheet. Let users know what makes your particular services valuable to them. Highlight your expertise in a certain location through tools such as blog posts, providing market updates, or giving pertinent information on a unique type of property. This will ensure that your online advertising campaigns are much more successful.

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LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!

Location is everything in real estate, and the same holds true for Google AdWords. You can target specific locations in your ad campaign. While one approach is to focus on the area around your location, a more advanced approach would be to link AdWords campaigns to your Google My Business account. This is a Google service that includes your address in the ad, allowing people to then click on it and see exactly where you are located on a map.

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USE GOOGLE ADWORDS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Focus an AdWords campaign on expanding your business by incorporating specific zip codes and neighborhoods that will help you establish a presence in an area where you would like to increase your real estate business. Making sure that your ad appears in search results that are related to the real estate in a specific area will help shape the image and brand of your business as well as bring in new leads.

HARNESS THE POWER OF DATA

When you run a Google AdWords campaign Google Analytics captures a wealth of information about your target client demographic.

You can gain real insight into your online visitors, such as when they visit, what they do and look at on your site once they get there, and what search terms they use. You can use all of this information to grow your business. Use Google Analytics to determine which users (location, gender, age) are utilizing specific aspects of your site, such as looking at multiple listings, reading your blog, etc. You can then use this information to target these specific demographics in your AdWord campaigns, Gmail ads, the Google Display Network, and other advertising.

Using the internet to help advertise your business and your listings is one of the smartest moves you can make as an agent in this modern age. However, you don’t want to simply go into the process blind or you’re wasting a lot of potential resources and data that could make all the difference. To reap the benefits of Google AdWords, you must apply an intelligent strategy to using these campaigns.

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KATIE PRENDERGAST

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KATIE PRENDERGAST “We’ve systematized our process to keep things simple and straightforward for our clients. Because of this, we’ve been able to take a big event in their lives and make it feel relatively effortless.”

Even prior to her current status as a top producing Broker at Keller Williams Realty, Katie Prendergast has always been driven to help others. She first took an interest in real estate after earning her Master’s Degree in Counseling, when 8

she relocated from Raleigh to Asheville with her husband. After navigating the home-buying process, she was inspired to launch her own career as an agent in 2012. With her business experiencing steady, organic growth through the years, Top Agent Magazine

she would later build her own team—and the rest is history.

Today, Katie is the Owner and Broker of the Firefly Realty Team, powered by Keller Williams Realty, where she assists clients throughout Asheville, Hendersonville, and the surrounding counties of Western North Carolina. Alongside her elite staff, she has cultivated a boutique process to meet the demands of any transaction.

When listing a property, Katie and her Top Agent Magazine

team offer a diversified strategy, specifically catered to their client’s best interests.

After helping their sellers fully prepare their home for the market and providing a suite of professional photography services, they share it over the regional MLS and a series of targeted social media campaigns.

Never settling, Katie also broadcasts her listings to a database of over 2,000 agents in the Asheville and Hendersonville areas, as well as an extensive network of individual Keller Williams agents and teams.

But from the 3D tours to the standout 9

open house showings, she is there for her clients, keeping up to date with real time changes in the market to uncover the ideal price for each house.

Leveraging her background in counseling, Katie also carefully guides her clients through their transaction with patience and understanding, helping them overcome any challenges that may arise over the course of their deal. “We’ve systematized our process to keep things simple and straightforward for our clients,” she says. “Because of this, we’ve been able to take a big event in their lives and make it feel relatively effortless.”

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In the meantime, the expert agents at Firefly Realty are more than prepared to assist any buyer, applying their extensive knowledge of the region to uncover the right property for each client’s needs.

Through the years, Katie and her team have earned a fantastic reputation throughout North Carolina, as evidenced by their outstanding rate of repeat clients and referrals. But with her team now averaging close to $50 million in annual volume, she remains focused on the values that set her apart in the first place. “I love leading this team and being creative within it,” she says. “There’s nothing more exciting than recruiting new people

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and helping them find success in our organization.”

Outside her career, Katie and her team are deeply committed to their community.

Recently, she has partnered with Fostering Hopes, a nonprofit organization that provides support and resources to foster families across the region. Her team also mobilizes its database to contribute to food drives and donations around the area. Moreover, their GoLocal Card giveaways encourage clients to support local businesses, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Asheville City Schools Foundation.

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Katie has a strong vision for the future of her team. In the months ahead, she intends on expanding her mentorship program while scaling her standards of service throughout the region; meanwhile, Sara

Little has recently transitioned to the role Marketing Director after a year on the team. But most of all, Katie looks forward to the new clients and opportunities that await in her beloved community.

To learn more about Katie Prendergast, email katie@fireflyrealty.com, visit fireflyrealty.com or call (828) 808-9170. www.

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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 14

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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The Daily Schedule

of a Successful Real Estate Agent Everything you do should be intentional. A busy schedule isn’t the same thing as a productive schedule. Sometimes people write things like “find clients” on their to-do list, but finding clients isn’t actually a task. It’s a goal. Your daily schedule should be created with your goal in mind if you want to be a successful real estate agent, but a goal is too broad to add to your calendar.

Instead, you can break your goal down into projects, break those projects down into tasks, and schedule time in your calendar to complete each task. You’ll find that some of these projects will have an immediate impact on your business, and that those are the tasks that should be completed first.

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The fact is that as a real estate agent you can set your own schedule—if you’re not productive until 10am, then you don’t have to start your day until then. But having a daily schedule means that every day you have a running start on all those other agents who just “wing it.”

You don’t want to feel burned out and busy but like you’re simultaneously not getting a whole lot done. You can only keep up 70+ hour weeks for so long before your body breaks down and both your performance and income drop as a result.

Since every real estate agent’s operating hours look different, the following daily schedule is broken up by the suggested amount of hours you

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should spend on each task rather than specific times of day. However, certain tasks, like prospecting, appointments, and listing presentations should be performed at times when it’s most convenient for clients. If you’re an agent who likes to end their workday at 5 o’clock, remember that this is also the same time your clients are likely ending their day, meaning you might be unavailable for showings during the only time their schedule allows.

3.5 hours – This is that time of day that you should schedule all your appointments and listing presentations. If you are a newer agent, you might use this time instead to do more prospecting and appointment setting.

1 hour – Spend this time waking up, exercising either at home or at the gym, and eating breakfast.

2 hours – Now it’s time to unwind. Use this time to have dinner and spend time with you family. If you have children, this is usually the time of day when they are wrapping up homework assignments and getting ready for bed.

It’s important that you make time for these moments the same way you make time for your work.

2 hours – Use this time before you head to the office to develop a morning routine, if you haven’t already. You can meditate, journal, practice affirmations, or read personal development books to prepare for the day ahead.

1 hour – Once you’re at the office, spend this time to review the day’s schedule, catch up with your assistant or other colleagues, and check the latest industry news. This is also the time of day that you can role play to prepare for appointments.

1.5 hours – Spend this time prospecting and appointment setting.

1 hour – Now it’s time for a lunch break. If you’re a multitasker, you can also use this time to prepare for the afternoon and any meetings you have scheduled or connect with followers on social media.

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.5 hours – Look over the day’s schedule again and ensure you’ve checked every task off your to-do list. While you’re at it, be sure to review tomorrow’s schedule and goals too.

2 hours – Spend these last couple hours before you fall asleep to have quality time with your spouse or perform your self-care routines.

8 hours – Now it’s time for sleep—getting a full night’s rest is crucial if you want every day to be productive.

As you can tell, there’s still some wiggle room left in this schedule, but the important thing is to block out time every day so you can achieve your goals and help your clients.

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OSCAR CORRALES Oscar Corrales is dedicated to his calling of helping others, which he has been doing as a REALTOR® and Broker for the past eleven years. Oscar came to the United States from Colombia in 2007, where he had spent over twenty years working in the travel industry. His brother-in-law encouraged Oscar to join him in real estate. “The best thing about this business is people,” Oscar says.

“The people keep me loving this career.”

real estate. I love that it doesn’t matter where the client is in their life: we take them from where they are and help them achieve their next step.” Not only are strong client relationships the key to Oscar’s success, they also provide him with the greatest sense of reward. “If you go through the database and choose any name, I can tell you a lot about that family,” Oscar says. “I get to know people. My clients’ wins are my wins.”

Oscar founded the Corrales Real Estate Team through Casa123 de Insight Group, and he now manages six dedicated professionals, including his wife, who is a REALTOR®. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Oscar and his team also serve Durham and the surrounding counties. Every team member is bilingual in Spanish and English, and they serve a diverse range of clients, from first-time homebuyers to seasoned investors.

To give back to the community, Oscar and his team have partnered with Habitat for Humanity, which they plan to support by donating a percentage of their gross commission income, by offering classes to educate people in the community about home ownership, and by recruiting clients who work in construction to build homes for the needy. When Oscar is not busy helping his clients, he loves to spend time with him family, read, travel, bike, run, and stay active.

With an emphasis on long-lasting client relationships, it is no surprise that nearly all of the Corrales Team’s business comes from repeat clients and referrals. “We have a system, and we follow it with every client to offer the best service, to meet their needs, and to stay in touch after closing,” Oscar says. “We care about relationships.

I still keep in touch with clients who I helped eleven years ago. Relationships are key for us. We are not the type of agents who close and then forget about the clients.”

For the future, Oscar has big plans. With his abiding commitment to help as many people as possible, Oscar hopes to duplicate the system and the success of his team and spread it to other offices. “I have in my heart the goal to serve thousands of people a year,” Oscar says. “It’s all about the team; nothing can be accomplished with just me. The goal is to bring the most good to the most people. I believe my purpose in life is to help others.”

To market their clients’ listings, Oscar and his team leverage social media and digital platforms to provide broad coverage. They also use innovative video marketing through their YouTube channel, which has over four thousand subscribers. Their approach has paid off, and this year is set to be their best ever. Already, they have completed over seventy transactions, representing $21 million in production.

For Oscar, his passion for real estate continues to stem from his love for helping others. “We have a mission,” Oscar says, “which is to build our clients’ wealth through Top Agent Magazine

For more about Oscar Corrales, call 919-349-7110, visit CorralesRE.com or email oscar@corralesre.com www.

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ALLEN SEYMOUR Having worked in law enforcement for 20 years, Allen Seymour entered the real estate industry with a very solid idea about the type of hard work and dedication it takes to be of service to others. His strong passion for helping people, combined with his background in forestry and land management, make him a client favorite throughout North Carolina, where he works as part of a team at National Land Realty.

Allen specializes in vacant land sales but does a fair share of residential and commercial transactions as well.

Clients appreciate his willingness to go above and beyond to ensure that they receive the best care. “Being in the land industry is just a little bit different because we’re more apt to put on a pair of boots, get out there in July when it’s 95 degrees, battle the ticks, mosquitoes, snakes, and walk along the edge of a swamp to get the pictures that we need. We do meticulous research on each property, all the way from the dirt type, to the trees and water, as well as everything else a potential buyer needs to know.”

Communication and honesty are two traits Allen prides himself on. “I think working for the Sheriff’s Office for the last 20 years has really sharpened my communication skills. If you can communicate with people at the law enforcement level, when you’re meeting them during very difficult situations, then you can communicate with anybody. It’s helped me tremendously in real estate,” he says, and adds, “I can also easily establish relationships with people. I come from a family of farmers, so I grew up living that outdoor lifestyle and I feel at home talking to property owners about their farms.”

Aside from real estate, Allen is passionate about playing an active part in his local community. He is still involved in law enforcement part time and, along with his team, sponsors a variety of sports programs. “This summer 20

we’ve sponsored about five kids’ sports teams. Just last week we learned of a young lady who was playing softball and had about $2,000 worth of equipment stolen from her. We were able to help out by purchasing new gear and giving it to her as a partial replacement.”

When he’s not busy working, Allen likes to spend his free time with his loved ones. He is a devoted husband and father of two. “We have a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter, and they love the outdoors. My son loves playing basketball and my daughter plays travel softball.”

This year Allen is looking to close around $7,500,000 in sales volume, and he’s aiming to continue on that path in the coming years. “I absolutely love working with National Land. I can’t say enough good things about the company and the team. All the resources they provided me with is what really helped me have the success that I’ve had so far. My plan for the future is to keep pushing forward, stay humble, and continue to grow the business.”

To learn more about Allen Seymour email aseymour@nationallandrealty.com, visit nationalland.com/real-estate-agent/allen-seymour, or call (252) 560–7914 https://

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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 22

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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ROB WACHTER After a 15-year career in the banking and financial sector, Rob Wachter decided to use his knowledge and expertise to help real estate buyers and sellers. “I felt like I was climbing the corporate ladder only to find that it was leaning on the wrong building. I decided to segue into real estate because it was a career choice that would help me help others.”

Rob now works under the umbrella of JPAR Carolina Living, where he is also an investor and part of their leadership team.

Working with a high degree of integrity and ethics, Rob takes pride in always doing the right thing for his clients. “I worked for banks that were starting to do things that I was not comfortable with. Now, I can set my own high standards for customer service. My goal is to take the best care of my clients. In 2012 I got my Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation and committed my real estate career to primarily working with those 50 and up.”

With clients always at the core of his business, Rob believes it’s his quality of care that’s responsible for his success and high rate of repeat and referral clients. “We have a very strong team approach that is focused on an exceptional level of service. Buyers get the best service from the team because we have multiple agents. If someone wants to go see a property on short notice, there are five of us able to drop what we’re doing and go show that house. Because of that, we’ve been able to get in winning bids early in the buying process. We have a strong in-house contract-to-close program, with our own full time Client Services Manager, so we deliver outstanding service to the client throughout the process. We also have our own general contractor that we work with, and multiple other vendors to assess any issues with the houses.”

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Driven to empower buyers and sellers through education, Rob utilizes social media for marketing as well as reaching clients about important topics. “We have an impressive social media presence and we have been doing service oriented social media efforts directed at people in the senior community. I have a monthly Facebook live show and we do educational webinars on topics from building wealth through investing in real estate, to bridge loan financing, and various topics that educate the consumers. We work really hard to help people understand the market better.”

In the near future Rob looks forward to growing his business and continuing to give his clients the best service. “We have made a commitment over the last year to become a team of Senior Specialists, which means we are trying to expand our presence in the 55 and up community by hiring more agents that are committed to that market. Seniors are unique and often vulnerable clients, and we want to provide them with honorable service and make sure that they’re protected.”

To learn more about Rob Wachter email Rob@TWGNC.com, visit www.TheWachterGroup.com, or call (704) 363–7205.

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