WEBVTT
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Hello, everyone, and welcome.
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This is Bad Bath and Banter, Arizona Real Estate Edition.
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And I am so excited to have our first recorded customer testimonial, and so excited to introduce you to my very, very good friend now, which she was a client first, Miss Sophia Pinky Estrada.
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Hi, Sophia.
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How are you?
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Good.
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How are you?
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Thank you so much for having me.
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So excited.
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Wonderful.
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You came on my radio show uh last year and talked about your home buying experience.
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And I thought, how perfect.
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We might as well, you know, have you as my my first on my podcast.
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Um, you have a wonderful story, and I would love for everybody to hear it.
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So, first off, let's talk about how we met.
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So I was looking to buy a house and it was a little bit of a struggle.
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I was not an easy case.
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And I had gone through a couple of lenders, and I realized when my real estate agent told me, she's like, you know, you can shop around for lenders.
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And I'm like, What?
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I had no idea.
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I really wish they people really need to educate buyers about these things.
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So I went and I did just that.
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I started shopping around.
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I went to trustworthy Facebook, went to my Facebook group, and I asked for people.
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I said, listen, I'm looking for a lender that can meet my needs.
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And there was a couple of people that tagged you on it.
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And I'm like, you know what?
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Let me reach out to her.
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So I reached out to you.
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We had a conversation on the phone.
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And for me, right off the bat, I was like, okay, this is the one.
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And you said, Do you want to go meet in person or do you want to meet over the phone or over Zoom?
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And I'm like, in person, please.
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And you were all about that.
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So that's that's really what got me.
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Love it so much.
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And I always say, you know, whenever someone was on Facebook and asks for a realtor or a lender recommendation, there are 40,000 within five minutes.
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Uh, that's how aggressive our business is.
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So I'm like, oh, those don't work.
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But you are, I I've had a few that have worked and they've been wonderful that you are definitely my favorite success story of that.
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Exactly.
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I love it.
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And I said, it doesn't matter if you use me or not for your first-time home purchase.
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Uh we're gonna be funds and we're gonna do we're gonna do stuff together.
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So I'm so glad it worked out for all of them.
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You know, you did your loan through me, and now you know, I love what you do for a living, and that I'm able to refer you as well.
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Um, but let's just talk about your journey first and then we'll get into your vit mess.
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Okay, sounds good.
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So, I mean, really, when we, you and I met, I was obviously very confused.
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I was confused, I was frustrated, I was really discouraged, and you were just straight up, and you're like, listen, if you work with me, you're gonna get everything.
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You just told me that you were gonna explain everything specifics and hold my hand and simplify it without all the crazy jargon.
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If I'm not in the business, I don't understand.
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And everything that you said, you meant.
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Um, now it's, you know, even with like, hey, even if you don't work with me, we're still gonna be friends, we're gonna do something together.
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I felt the same way.
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I'm like, I don't know why this person came into my life, but she came into my life for a reason, and things have turned out better than I ever expected.
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And so the process for me after meeting with you, after going through three lenders, and where they had me spent unnecessary money that I spent, that I'm still a little, you know, could have used that for some furniture for the new house, but it's okay.
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Um, so after I met with you, just everything just started feeling more seamless.
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There was a lot of weight off my shoulders, and you were like every single step of the way.
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You never left me alone in the sense of, I don't know what's going on.
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I don't know what the next step is.
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And so that's what I really liked is that you held my hand through the entire process, and you're like, we're gonna figure this out, and everything is figure outable, and you figured it out.
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So it was amazing.
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C4 Slam, like it was actually quite, you know, it there was just a lot of pieces and a lot of uh structuring and niggling, and um just we had to use our brain power, you know, and that's where that's where the success and like the the real like it beats my heart where that comes into play.
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You know, someone comes to me and they're ready to rock and roll and they need no work whatsoever and they have money saved and blah, blah, blah, wonderful.
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Anybody can look great doing that.
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But when it's like the little, you know, oh, we have to massage certain things and we have to communicate, we have to work together.
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Um, and and I mean we got it done in what 30 days, and you're you've been in your house for gosh, it's been almost a year, hasn't it?
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Yes.
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I um officially we closed on Gap The Keys June uh July 22nd.
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I moved in uh August 1st, my birthday month, and it was an amazing birthday month, an amazing gift, and it just landed right on time and what I needed in my life, and I just couldn't believe it.
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And yeah, so we've been there almost a year, and it's just I'm still super happy with it, you know, because you know, when people you think that's the house that you love, and you're just afraid, it's a big lifetime purchase.
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And you know, eight, nine months later, I still love my house.
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I'm super excited for what I can do with the house.
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There's so much that that we can get done, and the neighborhood is amazing.
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And I'm just super uber grateful that we got into this house.
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Like you have no idea.
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Well, and before you met with me, you already had an accepted contract with your real school agent's preferred lender.
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Um, and you were kind of going through the process, and you were just like, I don't know, I'm not comfortable with this.
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Let me get a second opinion.
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And uh, if I memory serves me correctly, what he was trying to do with you was it was gonna cost you way too much money for no real benefit for you.
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It was they wanted to one, I didn't even he didn't even explain the type of loan I was getting, he didn't explain the the down payment that I needed, he didn't explain any of it.
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So I was just trusting him blindly, and most of the business was being done through text message.
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Yeah.
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And I, you know, yes, we're in 2026, people don't pick up the phone, they don't communicate, it's all through text message.
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I'm cool with that too.
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But when it comes to a lifetime purchase like this, I need to at least meet you once in person.
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Like buy me some coffee and explain these things.
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So there was, it was gonna cost a lot of money.
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So there was a lot of red flags.
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Um, I you tried consulting with other people and you're like, this doesn't sound right.
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Um, he also had me pay off a whole bunch of credit cards unnecessarily, paid them completely off because it was gonna work and it was gonna make my credit better, and none of it, none of it worked.
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And even when I uh we actually had put in a contract for one house uh with this with this lender, and there was just a lot of just led red flags that told me, you know what, I need to pull out of this, pulled out of that contract, and he never really responded.
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Um no nothing.
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It was just really just cold and dry, and that's not what I needed at that time, right?
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I needed a namey.
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Oh, I love that, and I'm so happy we found each other um because I needed you to.
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I just didn't know it yet.
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So um, so you trusted your gut, which is what I preach all of the time on this show.
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Trust your gut and get a second opinion.
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Leave.
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If something doesn't feel right, just make a phone call.
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It doesn't hurt anything to just make sure you're feeling comfortable about this huge financial decision you're about to make, and that you're comfortable with the information they're getting to you.
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Yeah, because people don't realize that some, you know, and I let other lenders know, like, hey, I'm now starting to shop around for lenders, and it's kind of like a doctor.
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Doctor says, Hey, this is your diagnosis, this is all I can do for you.
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It's like, okay, this is all you can do for me.
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Let me shop around and let me look at other doctors and see what they can offer me and do for me.
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So I didn't know that I can shop around.
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I'm super glad I did.
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And now I know and I tell everybody, I'm like, please shop around for lenders, somebody that fits you and your needs.
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You might be good with the other guy that just does this entire transaction through a text messages, but it wasn't for me.
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Agreed completely.
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So, um, what advice would you give other than shopping for someone that was in your position?
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On what do you wish that people would have told you?
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Um, I really is knowing exactly what you want, but also being okay with getting something that you didn't think you would have liked.
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So, what you think you like in a house or a location.
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For me, I really did my research.
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I anytime that I decided on a house, I was a little crazy.
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And I would drive around the neighborhood.
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I would drive past the house during the daytime.
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I would drive past the house at the nighttime.
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That might be a little bit extra for some people.
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It's just finding somebody that fits you, finding a real estate agent that fits you, fits your personality.
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Um, so that really all depends on you and knowing what your goals and your needs are, and finding a lender that will go the extra mile for you.
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Um, a lot of things that I wish I would have known is that is you can shop for lenders.
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You can also shop with real estate for a real estate agent, um, unless you sign a contract with them.
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So never sign a contract right off the bat.
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Like just kind of just hunt and see, hey, who's gonna be my best fit?
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And also making sure that it fits within your budget.
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Because yes, maybe a lender will say, Yes, you can afford this, but only because I can afford it now doesn't mean it's the right thing.
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So I think a lender, and something that I wish I would have known, is having somebody a lender or somebody to say, hey, you know what?
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Yes, you can you might be able to afford$5,000 a month, but this is gonna be what's best for you at$3,000.
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So for me, it's the mission before the commission.
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I love that.
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I might be stealing that at the LLC doing it.
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Do it, and that's yeah, that's it's for me, it's heart-centered.
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I don't want to feel like a transaction.
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Yes.
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And I don't know why anybody would want to feel that way.
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But like you said, a lot of people just don't know and they blindly follow whatever referral they get.
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Um, even if they feel uncomfortable or know something's off, they just don't act on it on the biggest purchase of their life.
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I I can't help you on that.
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So I'm glad you listened to your dad.
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Yeah.
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Oh yeah, me too.
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Me too.
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Another thing, and we're gonna talk about your business for a minute.
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Um, another thing that really drew me to you was your passion for what you do for a living.
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So not only was I like, okay, great, I wanna, I want to make her dream of homeownership come true, and I want to be a part of that story for her.
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Um, I love what you do and why you do it, and I want to contribute to that.
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So, what is it that you do for a living?
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Oh, thank you.
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So I am a life insurance and wealth management.
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Well, I own a life insurance and wealth management company.
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And so the way our approach is is an educational approach.
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And when I first got my life insurance license, I thought I'm just gonna be selling life insurance and that's it.
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I realized that it was so much more.
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Um, I became a broker where I have access to a lot of carriers and different solutions for our clients.
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But the reason that I really, really became passionate about it is when I started learning the financial education that goes behind all of these strategies, including life insurance.
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You wouldn't think that life insurance is a financial strategy, but it is.
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So I started learning a lot of financial concepts that I wish I would have learned a long time ago.
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Um, I remember when I was learning the financial concepts, very basic ones, like the rule of 72, learning about compound interest.
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I was excited and I was pissed off at the same time.
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Yeah.
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Because I'm like, wait a minute, hold up.
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How come I didn't learn this in high school?
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I didn't learn this in college.
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I why didn't anybody teach us this?
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And as I was getting licensed, as I was getting, you know, doing my state exam and learning all these concepts, I get a phone call from my dad.
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And he was one year away from retirement.
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Uh, he was gonna be 65 years old, and he thought he had all his ducks in a row.
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And I don't know who has ducks, but none of us have any.
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But who he had all his ducks in a row and is gonna pay his credit cards and just retire a year later and you know, right off the sunset.
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Uh but then he called me and he's like, hey, I have bad news.
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He's like, I just got laid off for my job.
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After working there for 20 years, blood, sweat, and tears, no 401k, no pension plan, no severance package, no thank you, nothing set for himself.
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And that for us was a really, really hard pill to swallow.
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And that was really the moment that I knew I'm gonna teach education, financial literacy for the rest of my life.
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Because if somebody would have reproached my parents with the strategies that we teach, it would have changed the trajectory of their retirement.
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And nobody ever taught my dad.
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You know, I would ask them certain questions.
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How come you don't have this in place?
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He's like, I thought it was a scam.
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How come you don't have the?
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I thought this is the way it worked.
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And I'm like, oh my gosh.
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If somebody would have taught him, and that's where my passion comes, is really teaching the middle class.
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And those are the most that needed, like teaching the middle class of what solutions and strategies that we can do so we can break the poverty cycle.
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It takes, you know, it takes three generations to break the poverty cycle, and we're starting to, you know, it's gonna take three generations to create some wealth, and we're starting that with my son.
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So we're changing for your journey.
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I mean, you had a down payment for a house, which actually isn't that calm.
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You know, people really struggle to come up with the money to buy a house, you know, even though it's only, you know,$10,000 or$15,000.
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That's a lot of money.
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And the through your avenues with your business and your life insurance products, you were able to see well over that over the timeframe that you worked on it.
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And you were able to bring in your own down payment on your very first home at your age.
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That's incredible.
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Thank you.
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Yeah, I was so lucky.
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Um, you know, it in not just becoming an agent and getting license.
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It really, really has benefited me and my family.
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And like you said, I when you said this is a down payment, and I said, I have it.
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Where's it coming from?
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From my life insurance contract.
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And that's really for me really powerful to share that because, like you said, I would have had to scramble and I was desperate to get into a house.
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I would have had to scramble.
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And I don't think we would have been able to have it have that happen if I didn't have that solution set in place that I set in place years ago.
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I love it.
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I love it so much.
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Well, I obviously, you know, encourage anyone I talk to to talk to you.
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Uh I'm a huge fan of the life insurance cash value products that you uh offer.
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And I mean, I've had mine personally for gosh, I'm old, but like 20 years, 22 years.
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Um, and it has a you know life insurance uh amount and then it has a cash value amount.
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So over the 20 years, whatever I put into it, it's all there plus some.
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Yeah.
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And you know, the financial aspect of it is, you know, you're doing it and you're rocking it.
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And I'm so proud of you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you so much.
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I love this partnership.
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And thank you so much for having me on your radio show and your podcast.
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And I'll do it again and again.
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Yay! Thank you, Sophia, for making me look good.
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I appreciate you.
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And so you want to reach anyone on our team at any time.
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You can find us online at keeping it realistate with ndb.com.
00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:15.440
And I would absolutely love if you have any interest or desire to learn more about the products that Sophia offers, please reach out to me and I will get you per information.
00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:17.200
What is your website, Sophia?
00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:25.680
PinkySophia.com, P-I-N-K-Y-S-O-F-I-A.com is my personal website.
00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:30.000
We like to keep it fun and I'm just your life insurance bestie.
00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:32.160
Making life insurance make sense.
00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.960
You cannot forget Pinky for sure.
00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.680
Um, I don't call her Pinky, but that actually is her name.
00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:39.759
So you can call her Sophia Pinky.
00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:41.200
Just make sure you call her.
00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:45.920
Thank you so much for joining us at that and bancer and have a diplomat.
00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:08.480
Hello, everyone, and welcome.
00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:11.759
This is Bad Bath and Banter, Arizona Real Estate Edition.
00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:25.519
And I am so excited to have our first recorded customer testimonial, and so excited to introduce you to my very, very good friend now, which she was a client first, Miss Sophia Pinky Estrada.
00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:26.399
Hi, Sophia.
00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:27.199
How are you?
00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:28.079
Good.
00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:28.879
How are you?
00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:30.480
Thank you so much for having me.
00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:31.120
So excited.
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Wonderful.
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You came on my radio show uh last year and talked about your home buying experience.
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And I thought, how perfect.
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:43.200
We might as well, you know, have you as my my first on my podcast.
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Um, you have a wonderful story, and I would love for everybody to hear it.
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So, first off, let's talk about how we met.
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:56.479
So I was looking to buy a house and it was a little bit of a struggle.
00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:58.640
I was not an easy case.
00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:08.640
And I had gone through a couple of lenders, and I realized when my real estate agent told me, she's like, you know, you can shop around for lenders.
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And I'm like, What?
00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:11.599
I had no idea.
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I really wish they people really need to educate buyers about these things.
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So I went and I did just that.
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I started shopping around.
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I went to trustworthy Facebook, went to my Facebook group, and I asked for people.
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I said, listen, I'm looking for a lender that can meet my needs.
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And there was a couple of people that tagged you on it.
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And I'm like, you know what?
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:39.280
Let me reach out to her.
00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:41.680
So I reached out to you.
00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:43.599
We had a conversation on the phone.
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And for me, right off the bat, I was like, okay, this is the one.
00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:54.319
And you said, Do you want to go meet in person or do you want to meet over the phone or over Zoom?
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And I'm like, in person, please.
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And you were all about that.
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So that's that's really what got me.
00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:01.359
Love it so much.
00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:09.520
And I always say, you know, whenever someone was on Facebook and asks for a realtor or a lender recommendation, there are 40,000 within five minutes.
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Uh, that's how aggressive our business is.
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So I'm like, oh, those don't work.
00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:19.199
But you are, I I've had a few that have worked and they've been wonderful that you are definitely my favorite success story of that.
00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:20.319
Exactly.
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I love it.
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And I said, it doesn't matter if you use me or not for your first-time home purchase.
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Uh we're gonna be funds and we're gonna do we're gonna do stuff together.
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So I'm so glad it worked out for all of them.
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You know, you did your loan through me, and now you know, I love what you do for a living, and that I'm able to refer you as well.
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Um, but let's just talk about your journey first and then we'll get into your vit mess.
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Okay, sounds good.
00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:51.759
So, I mean, really, when we, you and I met, I was obviously very confused.
00:02:51.919 --> 00:03:04.159
I was confused, I was frustrated, I was really discouraged, and you were just straight up, and you're like, listen, if you work with me, you're gonna get everything.
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:13.039
You just told me that you were gonna explain everything specifics and hold my hand and simplify it without all the crazy jargon.
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If I'm not in the business, I don't understand.
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And everything that you said, you meant.
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Um, now it's, you know, even with like, hey, even if you don't work with me, we're still gonna be friends, we're gonna do something together.
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I felt the same way.
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I'm like, I don't know why this person came into my life, but she came into my life for a reason, and things have turned out better than I ever expected.
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And so the process for me after meeting with you, after going through three lenders, and where they had me spent unnecessary money that I spent, that I'm still a little, you know, could have used that for some furniture for the new house, but it's okay.
00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:02.479
Um, so after I met with you, just everything just started feeling more seamless.
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There was a lot of weight off my shoulders, and you were like every single step of the way.
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You never left me alone in the sense of, I don't know what's going on.
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I don't know what the next step is.
00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:27.600
And so that's what I really liked is that you held my hand through the entire process, and you're like, we're gonna figure this out, and everything is figure outable, and you figured it out.
00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:29.519
So it was amazing.
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C4 Slam, like it was actually quite, you know, it there was just a lot of pieces and a lot of uh structuring and niggling, and um just we had to use our brain power, you know, and that's where that's where the success and like the the real like it beats my heart where that comes into play.
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You know, someone comes to me and they're ready to rock and roll and they need no work whatsoever and they have money saved and blah, blah, blah, wonderful.
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Anybody can look great doing that.
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But when it's like the little, you know, oh, we have to massage certain things and we have to communicate, we have to work together.
00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:10.399
Um, and and I mean we got it done in what 30 days, and you're you've been in your house for gosh, it's been almost a year, hasn't it?
00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:11.360
Yes.
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I um officially we closed on Gap The Keys June uh July 22nd.
00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:31.439
I moved in uh August 1st, my birthday month, and it was an amazing birthday month, an amazing gift, and it just landed right on time and what I needed in my life, and I just couldn't believe it.
00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:46.160
And yeah, so we've been there almost a year, and it's just I'm still super happy with it, you know, because you know, when people you think that's the house that you love, and you're just afraid, it's a big lifetime purchase.
00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:51.600
And you know, eight, nine months later, I still love my house.
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I'm super excited for what I can do with the house.
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There's so much that that we can get done, and the neighborhood is amazing.
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And I'm just super uber grateful that we got into this house.
00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:04.639
Like you have no idea.
00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:13.120
Well, and before you met with me, you already had an accepted contract with your real school agent's preferred lender.
00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:18.240
Um, and you were kind of going through the process, and you were just like, I don't know, I'm not comfortable with this.
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Let me get a second opinion.
00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:31.279
And uh, if I memory serves me correctly, what he was trying to do with you was it was gonna cost you way too much money for no real benefit for you.
00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:44.079
It was they wanted to one, I didn't even he didn't even explain the type of loan I was getting, he didn't explain the the down payment that I needed, he didn't explain any of it.
00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:51.839
So I was just trusting him blindly, and most of the business was being done through text message.
00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:52.560
Yeah.
00:06:52.879 --> 00:07:00.959
And I, you know, yes, we're in 2026, people don't pick up the phone, they don't communicate, it's all through text message.
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:02.319
I'm cool with that too.
00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:08.879
But when it comes to a lifetime purchase like this, I need to at least meet you once in person.
00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:11.839
Like buy me some coffee and explain these things.
00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:15.120
So there was, it was gonna cost a lot of money.
00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:17.439
So there was a lot of red flags.
00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:22.000
Um, I you tried consulting with other people and you're like, this doesn't sound right.
00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:35.600
Um, he also had me pay off a whole bunch of credit cards unnecessarily, paid them completely off because it was gonna work and it was gonna make my credit better, and none of it, none of it worked.
00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:55.680
And even when I uh we actually had put in a contract for one house uh with this with this lender, and there was just a lot of just led red flags that told me, you know what, I need to pull out of this, pulled out of that contract, and he never really responded.
00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:59.040
Um no nothing.
00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:04.240
It was just really just cold and dry, and that's not what I needed at that time, right?
00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:05.839
I needed a namey.
00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:11.519
Oh, I love that, and I'm so happy we found each other um because I needed you to.
00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:13.360
I just didn't know it yet.
00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:20.160
So um, so you trusted your gut, which is what I preach all of the time on this show.
00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:22.240
Trust your gut and get a second opinion.
00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:22.879
Leave.
00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.319
If something doesn't feel right, just make a phone call.
00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:37.120
It doesn't hurt anything to just make sure you're feeling comfortable about this huge financial decision you're about to make, and that you're comfortable with the information they're getting to you.
00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:49.440
Yeah, because people don't realize that some, you know, and I let other lenders know, like, hey, I'm now starting to shop around for lenders, and it's kind of like a doctor.
00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:53.360
Doctor says, Hey, this is your diagnosis, this is all I can do for you.
00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.240
It's like, okay, this is all you can do for me.
00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:01.440
Let me shop around and let me look at other doctors and see what they can offer me and do for me.
00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:04.720
So I didn't know that I can shop around.
00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:06.240
I'm super glad I did.
00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:14.399
And now I know and I tell everybody, I'm like, please shop around for lenders, somebody that fits you and your needs.
00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:22.639
You might be good with the other guy that just does this entire transaction through a text messages, but it wasn't for me.
00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:24.559
Agreed completely.
00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:30.879
So, um, what advice would you give other than shopping for someone that was in your position?
00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:34.159
On what do you wish that people would have told you?
00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:48.159
Um, I really is knowing exactly what you want, but also being okay with getting something that you didn't think you would have liked.
00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:51.919
So, what you think you like in a house or a location.
00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:54.320
For me, I really did my research.
00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:59.279
I anytime that I decided on a house, I was a little crazy.
00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:01.440
And I would drive around the neighborhood.
00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:04.320
I would drive past the house during the daytime.
00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:06.720
I would drive past the house at the nighttime.
00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:09.919
That might be a little bit extra for some people.
00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:16.639
It's just finding somebody that fits you, finding a real estate agent that fits you, fits your personality.
00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:28.240
Um, so that really all depends on you and knowing what your goals and your needs are, and finding a lender that will go the extra mile for you.
00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:32.720
Um, a lot of things that I wish I would have known is that is you can shop for lenders.
00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:38.240
You can also shop with real estate for a real estate agent, um, unless you sign a contract with them.
00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.720
So never sign a contract right off the bat.
00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:45.600
Like just kind of just hunt and see, hey, who's gonna be my best fit?
00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:51.759
And also making sure that it fits within your budget.
00:10:51.919 --> 00:11:01.200
Because yes, maybe a lender will say, Yes, you can afford this, but only because I can afford it now doesn't mean it's the right thing.
00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:11.039
So I think a lender, and something that I wish I would have known, is having somebody a lender or somebody to say, hey, you know what?
00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:19.120
Yes, you can you might be able to afford$5,000 a month, but this is gonna be what's best for you at$3,000.
00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:23.200
So for me, it's the mission before the commission.
00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:26.480
I love that.
00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:29.759
I might be stealing that at the LLC doing it.
00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:34.320
Do it, and that's yeah, that's it's for me, it's heart-centered.
00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.960
I don't want to feel like a transaction.
00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:37.759
Yes.
00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:41.519
And I don't know why anybody would want to feel that way.
00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:47.200
But like you said, a lot of people just don't know and they blindly follow whatever referral they get.
00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:53.600
Um, even if they feel uncomfortable or know something's off, they just don't act on it on the biggest purchase of their life.
00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:55.360
I I can't help you on that.
00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:57.600
So I'm glad you listened to your dad.
00:11:58.080 --> 00:11:58.399
Yeah.
00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:00.159
Oh yeah, me too.
00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:01.120
Me too.
00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:04.399
Another thing, and we're gonna talk about your business for a minute.
00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:09.360
Um, another thing that really drew me to you was your passion for what you do for a living.
00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:18.159
So not only was I like, okay, great, I wanna, I want to make her dream of homeownership come true, and I want to be a part of that story for her.
00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:23.919
Um, I love what you do and why you do it, and I want to contribute to that.
00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.320
So, what is it that you do for a living?
00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:27.519
Oh, thank you.
00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:31.200
So I am a life insurance and wealth management.
00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:34.559
Well, I own a life insurance and wealth management company.
00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:41.679
And so the way our approach is is an educational approach.
00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:48.480
And when I first got my life insurance license, I thought I'm just gonna be selling life insurance and that's it.
00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.960
I realized that it was so much more.
00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:57.759
Um, I became a broker where I have access to a lot of carriers and different solutions for our clients.
00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:10.320
But the reason that I really, really became passionate about it is when I started learning the financial education that goes behind all of these strategies, including life insurance.
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:16.799
You wouldn't think that life insurance is a financial strategy, but it is.
00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:23.039
So I started learning a lot of financial concepts that I wish I would have learned a long time ago.
00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:32.799
Um, I remember when I was learning the financial concepts, very basic ones, like the rule of 72, learning about compound interest.
00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:36.159
I was excited and I was pissed off at the same time.
00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:36.559
Yeah.
00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:40.240
Because I'm like, wait a minute, hold up.
00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:43.759
How come I didn't learn this in high school?
00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:46.159
I didn't learn this in college.
00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.360
I why didn't anybody teach us this?
00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:59.279
And as I was getting licensed, as I was getting, you know, doing my state exam and learning all these concepts, I get a phone call from my dad.
00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.080
And he was one year away from retirement.
00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:07.200
Uh, he was gonna be 65 years old, and he thought he had all his ducks in a row.
00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:10.240
And I don't know who has ducks, but none of us have any.
00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:19.279
But who he had all his ducks in a row and is gonna pay his credit cards and just retire a year later and you know, right off the sunset.
00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:23.279
Uh but then he called me and he's like, hey, I have bad news.
00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.679
He's like, I just got laid off for my job.
00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:39.600
After working there for 20 years, blood, sweat, and tears, no 401k, no pension plan, no severance package, no thank you, nothing set for himself.
00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:44.399
And that for us was a really, really hard pill to swallow.
00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:51.679
And that was really the moment that I knew I'm gonna teach education, financial literacy for the rest of my life.
00:14:51.840 --> 00:15:00.399
Because if somebody would have reproached my parents with the strategies that we teach, it would have changed the trajectory of their retirement.
00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:03.759
And nobody ever taught my dad.
00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:05.759
You know, I would ask them certain questions.
00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:07.200
How come you don't have this in place?
00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:08.879
He's like, I thought it was a scam.
00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:10.159
How come you don't have the?
00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:11.679
I thought this is the way it worked.
00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:13.679
And I'm like, oh my gosh.
00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:20.879
If somebody would have taught him, and that's where my passion comes, is really teaching the middle class.
00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:29.120
And those are the most that needed, like teaching the middle class of what solutions and strategies that we can do so we can break the poverty cycle.
00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:42.879
It takes, you know, it takes three generations to break the poverty cycle, and we're starting to, you know, it's gonna take three generations to create some wealth, and we're starting that with my son.
00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.519
So we're changing for your journey.
00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:49.840
I mean, you had a down payment for a house, which actually isn't that calm.
00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:55.360
You know, people really struggle to come up with the money to buy a house, you know, even though it's only, you know,$10,000 or$15,000.
00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:56.960
That's a lot of money.
00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:09.519
And the through your avenues with your business and your life insurance products, you were able to see well over that over the timeframe that you worked on it.
00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:15.039
And you were able to bring in your own down payment on your very first home at your age.
00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:16.159
That's incredible.
00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:17.039
Thank you.
00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:19.120
Yeah, I was so lucky.
00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:23.840
Um, you know, it in not just becoming an agent and getting license.
00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:26.639
It really, really has benefited me and my family.
00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:31.200
And like you said, I when you said this is a down payment, and I said, I have it.
00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:32.639
Where's it coming from?
00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:34.960
From my life insurance contract.
00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:45.600
And that's really for me really powerful to share that because, like you said, I would have had to scramble and I was desperate to get into a house.
00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.440
I would have had to scramble.
00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:54.960
And I don't think we would have been able to have it have that happen if I didn't have that solution set in place that I set in place years ago.
00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:55.840
I love it.
00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:56.960
I love it so much.
00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:01.279
Well, I obviously, you know, encourage anyone I talk to to talk to you.
00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:08.640
Uh I'm a huge fan of the life insurance cash value products that you uh offer.
00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:16.160
And I mean, I've had mine personally for gosh, I'm old, but like 20 years, 22 years.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:21.680
Um, and it has a you know life insurance uh amount and then it has a cash value amount.
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:25.279
So over the 20 years, whatever I put into it, it's all there plus some.
00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:25.759
Yeah.
00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:42.400
And you know, the financial aspect of it is, you know, you're doing it and you're rocking it.
00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:43.920
And I'm so proud of you.
00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:45.119
Thank you.
00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:46.240
Thank you so much.
00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:47.839
I love this partnership.
00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.319
And thank you so much for having me on your radio show and your podcast.
00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:54.000
And I'll do it again and again.
00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:56.559
Yay! Thank you, Sophia, for making me look good.
00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:57.759
I appreciate you.
00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:02.160
And so you want to reach anyone on our team at any time.
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:06.319
You can find us online at keeping it realistate with ndb.com.
00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:15.440
And I would absolutely love if you have any interest or desire to learn more about the products that Sophia offers, please reach out to me and I will get you per information.
00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:17.200
What is your website, Sophia?
00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:25.680
PinkySophia.com, P-I-N-K-Y-S-O-F-I-A.com is my personal website.
00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:30.000
We like to keep it fun and I'm just your life insurance bestie.
00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:32.160
Making life insurance make sense.
00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.960
You cannot forget Pinky for sure.
00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.680
Um, I don't call her Pinky, but that actually is her name.
00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:39.759
So you can call her Sophia Pinky.
00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:41.200
Just make sure you call her.
00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:45.920
Thank you so much for joining us at that and bancer and have a diplomat.
