Dallas - Fort Worth Recruiting Podcast with Brian and Tisha White

Here at eXp Realty, we pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of tech innovation, and we want to talk about three innovations that help our agents tremendously.  Follow along in the video above to see our in-depth discussion about these innovations and what they can do for you. We’ve also provided timestamps of the video so you can skip ahead to various sections at your convenience:  0:48—Innovation No. 1: eXp World1:52—How we use eXp in the real estate world4:18—How it’s made training easier 5:42—Innovation No. 2: kvCORE7:00—What kvCORE offers to agents 8:07—What kvCORE apps can do for you9:31—Innovation No. 3: Enterprise 10:32—How it allows you to see an ongoing accounting of your stock 11:14—Wrapping things up If you have any questions about any of these innovations and how they benefit you, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to speak with you. 

If you’re beginning your career in real estate or are considering making the jump to begin one, there are a few tips that we can give you to help your career get off to a great start. 1. Begin with the end in mind. By that, I mean you need to think about what you want to get out of real estate—do you want to sell homes until you’re 107 years old, or do you want to exit the industry before then? You need to work with a company that has a variety of ways to create a retirement plan so you can get out of the business when the time is right for you. That’s why we work with eXp—they have a great retirement plan that many companies lack. “Begin your career by working with a team that has plans to develop and train you, teach you how to grow your business, and coach you on how best to serve the people you already know.” 2. Know that real estate is a relationship-driven business. It’s all about who you know. Keep track of all the people you know, including those in your phone contacts, your Facebook friends, people you’re connected with on LinkedIn, and all the various social media platforms you’re connected to. Figure out how many people you know, and also think about what you can do to expand your sphere of influence. 3. Work with a great team. Begin your career by working with a team that has plans to develop and train you, teach you how to grow your business, and coach you on how best to serve the people you already know. If you have any questions or would like to have an extended conversation about beginning your career in real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Here at BlueFuse, we make real estate easy for you.

Lewis Carroll once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” We love this quote, and it gets to the heart of why we love eXp, too. The founder of eXp, Glenn Sanford, started the company by first asking, “What kind of company do I want to have?” and, “What kind of people do I want to be in business with?” Glenn designed the culture of his company around nine core values that shape the way both the company itself and its agents operate: 1. Fun. Who doesn’t like to have fun?  2. Community. This refers both to creating a sense of community within the company and contributing to the communities in which we as agents work. 3. Agility. This refers to the drive to move fast and to not be stuck with just one way of doing things. 4. Innovation. The culture of eXp is one that always changes and one that is looking for the next idea and how to improve itself. The best way to predict the future, after all, is to invent it. 5. Integrity. Here, we strive to do the right thing even if it’s not easy, which itself is always the right thing.  “We strive to do the right thing even if it’s not easy, which itself is always the right thing.” 6. Service. Our goal is to always provide the highest level of service we can to our clients. We even measure the net promoter score (NPS) to ensure that agents are always getting a high level of service from the brokerage. 7. Sustainability. This refers both to forming strategies that work and will continue to work over time, as well as being good stewards to the environment and minimizing the impact we make on the planet. 8. Collaboration. The exciting thing about working for a virtual company is that you get to collaborate with people you’d ordinarily never meet otherwise, including some of the top agents around the world.  9. Transparency. Stuff happens, and that’s okay! When you know what’s going on and are communicating openly and honestly, people will work together to create a solution. We love these core values because before we even joined with eXp, we knew that they aligned with our family values. If you’re curious about any of these core values or about eXp as a company, feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to talk to you.

Why did the BlueFuse Realty Group join with eXp Realty? The answer starts with relationships. We had a relationship with someone who suggested the idea, so we scheduled a meeting with eXp Realty. We were comfortable where we were at and we were doing well, but once we heard their message and the opportunity was presented, we couldn’t pass it up.  There were five reasons, in particular, that convinced us that this was the best path for us to take. For your convenience, we’ve provided timestamps of the video above where we list each reason and go into detail about how it benefits us and our clients:  1:44—Improved technology 6:40—A firm retirement plan8:35—Better stock options10:36—When you close a transaction, you can purchase up to 5% of the stock at a 20% discount12:07—The Icon program13:45—Bonus reason: revenue sharing  From here on out, we’re all owners of eXp Realty. People are excited to be here, and the energy, culture, and collaboration are all better than we ever could’ve imagined.  If you’d like to hear more about why we joined eXp Realty or you have any real estate questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to hear from you.  

At BlueFuse Realty, we’re always thinking about the real estate market, and it’s hard to imagine the future of the market without also thinking about the future of the individual agent. Market “disruptors” are popping up everywhere as of late, from the iBuyer to Zillow to Redfin to even Amazon, who might now enter the arena.  This begs the question: What’s going to happen to the individual agent?  Part of what makes real estate such an interesting business is the way in which we utilize technology to market home listings, locate new clients, and more. Be that as it may, real estate is still very much a relationship-based business. Because of that, our primary mission, as agents, is to build relationships with future clients.   “For the individual agent, it’s about being wholly invested in your certifications, expertise, and, most of all, your clients.” Some homebuyers would like to move quickly through the process, which makes them good candidates for an iBuyer. However, so many other buyers are seeking an agent who will be with them every step of the way and who can offer sage advice when it comes to buying or selling a home.  For a large percentage of buyers and sellers, this will be the biggest financial decision of their lives. Given that fact, it bears repeating that people want the proper guidance and advice in the decision-making process—especially in the higher price ranges. After all, one seemingly small mistake could cost a buyer thousands of dollars.  As these disruptors increasingly become bigger players in our market landscape, less active, professionally-oriented agents are likely to be bumped from the industry. Agents who are working day in and day out on their relationships with clients and bringing top-notch service to the table, though, have a great opportunity to succeed.  For the individual agent, it’s about being wholly invested in your certifications, expertise, and, most of all, your clients. 

When we’re speaking with soon-to-be agents, many of them wonder, “Should I be a buyer’s agent or a seller’s agent?”  Some agents, for example, take on a range of responsibilities and wear many hats in the process. They might work with both buyers and sellers in accounting and in lead generation, which can make for a pretty convoluted juggling act. Not to mention the fact that it becomes difficult to have an expert grasp of any one area.  In response to this, a lot of agents are beginning to develop specialized skills and roles—particularly once they’re in a team environment. One cardinal benefit of joining a team is that agents can swim in their own lanes and excel in a single facet of the business.  Let’s take a closer look at the roles of both a buyer’s agent and a seller’s agent.  “A lot of agents are beginning to develop specialized skills and roles.” With respect to the buyer’s agent, we often look for specific kinds of personalities. One of the leading indicators for whether or not someone is a fit for this role is the DISC profile. We’ve learned that someone with a high “I” personality is a natural fit for becoming a buyer’s agent.  People that possess this personality are influential, socially adept, and relationship-focused. They enjoy building relationships, seeing beautiful homes, and playing an active part in buyers achieving their real estate dreams.  Those who make great listing agents, on the other hand, typically have more experience under their belt. They understand the complexities of listing a home and the negotiations that take place because they’ve put all of this into practice.  Marketing a home is a highly specialized skill, so any listing agent should be well-trained and tenured in their craft.  As for their personality profile, listing agents tend to fall within the “D” category—someone who’s a driven, action-oriented, and decisive. A good listing agent will move quickly and with purpose in order to help their client capture the highest sale price on their home.  If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in real estate and you’re curious which of the two you’d be a better fit for, please get in touch with us. We’d love to have that conversation with you! 

When building up your real estate business, your sphere of influence (or SOI) should always be a focal point. But what is an SOI? Simply put, your sphere of influence is who you know.  Whether it be friends, family members, acquaintances, or anyone else, your SOI is made up of the people in your life who already know, like, and trust you. In other words, this group of individuals is the perfect starting point for growing your real estate business.  Chances are high that at least one of the people in your SOI is looking to buy or sell, or knows someone who is. This is good news for you, as repeat and referral business is the easiest lead source out there. Acquiring new business is a lot more difficult and a lot more expensive than leveraging leads from your existing relationships.  “Acquiring new business is a lot more difficult and a lot more expensive than leveraging leads from your existing relationships.” So how, and how often, should you reach out to your SOI? Studies show that the people in your sphere will forget about the service you offer every 16 days. To stay top-of-mind, you need to establish a system that will allow you to reach out in some way at least once every two weeks.  It doesn’t always have to be a phone call, though. Texts, video messages, emails, client events, and one-on-one lunches are all methods we at BlueFuse Realty use to stay in touch with our database, and they can work for you and your business, too.  If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

We’re back for another episode of “Real Estate Growth Secrets.” Today’s Guest is Kim Carpenter, a fantastic real estate professional out of Indianapolis with the We Sell Indy Team. We had a great discussion about the business and she shared some fantastic secrets. Here’s an outline of our discussion, with timestamps so that you can skip around to the section(s) that interest you the most: 1:20- How Kim rose in the ranks from an unlicensed assistant to a real estate rockstar2:40- How Kim’s son started answering phones at 14 and eventually became a key member of the team4:45- Kim details some of the finer points of her business and production5:50- How and why Kim schedules all of her own showings7:00- How Kim built such a strong and successful business9:50- Why building relationships and genuinely caring about people is such a powerful thing in this business10:50- How Kim “asks” for referrals12:15- Kim’s favorite ways to show love to her clients14:15- The best piece of advice Kim has given her son about the business16:00- A little bit of “Start! Stop! Continue!” with Kim23:00- Kim’s seamless move to eXp Realty24:21- What brought Kim to eXp?29:10- A few things agents should double down on, according to Kim31:15- What’s Kim’s favorite place to work virtually?32:00- A few final thoughts from Kim If you want to reach out to Kim, send her an email to sold@kimsellsindy.com. If you have any other questions for us in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

We recently sat down for another great episode of Real Estate Growth Secrets with an amazing pair of guests, Jason and Amber Esparza. We were excited to talk to these real estate coaches about how they were able to grow their business, as well as share some of our secrets to help everyone in the industry get better together. Here’s an outline of our discussion, with timestamps so that you can skip ahead to the section(s) that interest you the most: 2:20- Jason and Amber tell us their story of how they got to where they are today8:05- How Jason and Amber’s business has changed since they shifted to coaching10:00- How Sphere Influencer was born and how it helps agents16:25- Jason and Amber’s take on buying leads, Opendoor, and what Realtors should do to avoid being disrupted21:50- Why finding your niche is so important in the real estate business25:30- How video content can benefit every single part of your business29:40- How much video is too much video?35:00- How to implement video into your recruiting efforts38:15- Three simple tips to improve your video marketing40:00- One thing that all agents should start doing immediately45:00- Final advice from Jason and Amber Jason and Amber are excited for the launch of their brand-new website soon. In the meantime, check out their Influential Real Estate Marketing podcast, visit them online on Facebook, or give them a call at (469) 213-3072. If you have any other questions for us in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

People love to ask us about beginning a career in real estate, usually starting with the question, “Is now a good time to get into real estate?” To provide a definitive answer to that question, we need to ask three of our own:  1. What’s going on in the market? Our market has been very strong for several years now. There are many reasons for this, but one of the biggest influencing factors is that so many employers are moving into the area. As more and more people move here, the number of homebuyers increases, keeping the demand for real estate high. “Really, success in real estate hinges on follow-ups, building relationships, and communication. If you have those systems, you can build a long-term, lucrative, and sustainable career.” 2. Will the current trends continue? Of course, we don’t have a crystal ball to say for sure, but we can say that because employers continue to find our area so attractive, our market is likely to continue being stable. Prices and values may not continue to increase in the same way that they have been over the past couple of years, but they will rise at a slower, more stable rate.  3. What makes for a stable real estate career? If you’re looking for a stable career in real estate, you’ll want a steady income—not one that comes and goes, but rather a sustainable income you can plan on. But how do you get a sustainable income in real estate? The secret is great, repeatable lead generation systems. It’s not just about being able to generate a lead; you need to have the systems, tools, and training to be able to generate them consistently and to follow up with them. Really, success in real estate hinges on follow-ups, building relationships, and communication. If you have those systems, you can build a long-term, lucrative, and sustainable career. If you’d like to speak with us about starting your career in real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today. We’d love to have that conversation with you.  

1:35 Jeff and Renee talk about their past and how they got together1:54 How long have you been in business?4:26 Tell us about the size of your team and how your team works.6:44 Are you all in Orlando or have you branched out to other areas?8:19 What is your secret to growing your business?11:00 The importance of relationships in our business.12:45 How to incorporate video into your marketing and getting beyond the fear of video. 15:35 How Jeff and Renee started with video and how to leverage it.19:14 What are your favorite things to do to “love” on your clients?21:52 Where do you find most of the agents who are on your team?23:58 What originally attracted you to eXp?26:07 Is there anything about eXp that you didn’t like at first?30:22 Talk about your daily schedule and how you make it work day to day.33:34 What would be your one piece of advice for a new agent?36:47 What’s your focus for this year?

Today, Brian is talking with Rick Raanes, who was influential in helping BlueFuse move to eXp Realty.   2:45 Tell us about yourself and your background. 5:08 How many agents are on your team today? 6:52 Rick talks about the time he had a 7-hour listing presentation! 7:55 On Facebook, I see you engage in a lot of varied groups and pages, do you have a system for doing that? 13:28 You often speak about hustle vs. skill. Why are you focused more on the skill side? 16:50 Let’s go back to when you started the team. Tell me why you started to build the teams and what was your thought process behind that? 23:12 We talk about scalability of your business. 25:58 What made you reevaluate your options and move over to eXp Realty? 28:17 What’s something you don’t like about eXp Realty? 30:52 What’s your favorite thing to do to “love” on your past clients? 32:11 Where does most of your business come from? If anyone wants to reach out to Rick, Rick@TexasRockstarGroup.com or call me at 281-690-1900.