WEBVTT
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We can always find the house, but we can't ever change the lifestyle or the travel time.
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You just can't.
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Hey leaders, I'm Jake, a loan officer obsessed with business growth and finding out what's actually working in our market.
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If that sounds useful, hit follow.
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Now, this week's leader.
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Alright, we're recording.
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Courtney, thanks for joining me again.
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Hey, yeah, thanks for having me again.
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We were kind of just laughing about um maybe it's Halloween, so we're recording like mid-October, but our market people are losing their minds out there.
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Yeah, yeah, good word for it.
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Yeah.
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So um I I want to get into a couple things here today.
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I want to make sure that we talk about some new build stuff because I know you work a lot in that area.
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Um, but last time you were on, we talked about how you do a deep dive with your clients right off the bat.
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And I thought it was like the coolest thing because one of the things that I'm feeling right now is that buyers are buyers in realtors and loan officers were more prone right now to try and rush into decisions, which actually feels counterintuitive because listings are sitting longer.
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It feels like we should have more time, but it's almost like there's like this air of desperation.
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So I really appreciate that you do this, you know, long conversation up front.
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Um and you're understanding their motives, their lifestyle, their preferences.
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Um, but I'm just kind of curious what's changed in that conversation recently as compared to even, you know, three, six months ago.
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I would have to say that the inventory is like starting to change the buyer's mind.
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So they're thinking that they're having more time.
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Um, so that that means that we're waiting for offers, which in a normal market, we are kind of right there.
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Um anything over 30 days to 60 days is kind of a normal thing.
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Um, no price changes.
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Like the the buyer, especially right now in this season, if they're moving, they're moving because of uh an important life change.
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So we what I'm seeing with my buyers is they're taking their time, we're touring more homes, and we're talking more about it.
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And I feel like in the past we've been so quick to make a decision, and a lot of buyers who were rushed in that time, like during COVID, when everybody's like, we should should go back to that time.
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I think a lot of people are regretting where they landed, and now they feel stuck, right?
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They feel stuck, like they're gonna sit there in that house with the interest rate setter, what they got for, but they are outgrowing their home.
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So I think a buyer who is especially moving from an interest rate, even fives, it is a huge decision financially now.
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Um now there's other ways to get around interest rates, right, with buyer incentives and um, you know, builder incentives and stuff, but I don't think that knowledge is really opened up to the like the overall market of buyers.
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They don't know that you can do those things, you can ask for those things.
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So you mentioned the word regret, and I love this conversation right now.
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What do you think people are regretting specifically if they did buy in that like five-year-ago window?
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I think when I mentioned like regret from feedback from my clients are traveling, um, work travel traffic's getting harder for them.
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They thought that they could do it um because they got a great deal on the house.
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Um, they didn't know the area well.
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Um, so a lifestyle thing as well, like they are not wanting that kind of lifestyle that they thought.
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And um, you know, they're have their families growing or kids are moving out.
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So when they bought the house, might have bought a really big house and wasn't thinking kids were going to be moving out soon, um, and they want a primary down, or vice versa.
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They only have two, three bedrooms and they have two kids and they're gonna have another one, you know.
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So I think a lot of people when they bought five years ago, they were not able to make a decision during that time of like thinking about what the future really holds for the house.
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Man, Britt and I, my wife, we are a case study for this because we bought, I think it was 21, I want to say.
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So, yeah, five years ago.
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Um, and that exact thing.
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So we were both working in Dorchester County at the time, bought in Dorchester County.
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Now, neither one of us works in Dorchester County.
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I'm down in West Ashley.
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Actually, next week our office is moving over to Mount Pleasant, and I'm like, what the hell?
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The traffic is horrible.
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Um, but my monthly payment's too low.
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I can't give it up, you know.
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So, I mean, we're we're right there.
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We're literally feeling that exact thing.
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Um, I would love to move over to Mount Pleasant, but I also don't want to pay seven times more on a mortgage payment.
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So yeah, I mean, it's just I think with this time of market when I'm talking to buyers more and getting feedback from agents, I'm seeing buyers really hone in on like what the future is going to hold for this house because the market has been so uh what's the right word?
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It's been hard to track.
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It's been really high, it's been low, high, and low.
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Even this year alone, it changed what three to four times.
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And we're only in month 10.
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So that is very hard for a consumer to even an agent, like right, we're trying to track it, we're trying to watch comps, we're trying to advocate for them, and it is a very you've gotta be on it constantly.
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Yeah, we we I mean, you mentioned month 10.
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Well, what's gonna happen between now and the end of the year?
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I don't know.
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I actually when people ask me this, I answer the same way.
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I'm like, I have no idea.
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I mean so volatile right now, and you know, things are changing so rapidly.
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You mentioned multiple changes this year.
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I say the same thing.
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I I don't know.
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Yeah, I would say if it makes sense to them, um, then I would do it.
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There's ways to get around that interest rate, right?
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Like there's a new construction built that we were able to negotiate with the builder down to an interest rate.
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There's some builders that are doing that.
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So even um we did a resale one in Kane Bay recently where I negotiated seller concessions to buy down that rate.
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So there's ways to get around it.
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Like it's not gonna be a two or a three, but how much money are you saving if you do move closer to your job and your time?
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Like, right, your littles are little only once.
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So the time that you're spending in the car, you know.
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So that's a lot of things that I have conversations with with my folks.
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And um I I really challenge them to when they even come from out of state and visiting, we don't really look at houses the first trip.
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Um, we really look at location and where they're working before we do anything because we can find the house, but we I can't if we look at everything in Somerville, right?
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Just for a really good example, there's three pockets of Somerville that are very vastly different and and very different in traffic too, depending on where you're going.
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So we can always find the house, but we can't ever change the lifestyle or the travel time.
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You just can't.
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Yeah, that's something that continues to come up on this conversation is how different the little pockets of our area are.
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You mentioned even Somerville, it's not like it's a you know huge city.
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Like I grew up in Pittsburgh, you know, that's I don't know how many times the size of Somerville, South Carolina.
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Um but but it's just really interesting how different those little pockets are, you know.
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Like where we live, I mean, we're 15 minutes from downtown Somerville, and it's a totally different lifestyle.
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Totally different.
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I mean, if I timed it one time, um, because somebody was asking me between Summer's Corner and Carnes Crossroads, I've I feel like that's a huge conversation.
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Like they're very similar in community, right?
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Like they do a lot of events, it's new, it's they got the Agahood over there, and then we're getting the club over here, right?
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So we're kind of behind in the amenities of Summer's Corner, but they're coming.
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But when I look at miles versus distance of time, it takes me sometimes faster to get to Target from Summer's Corner than it is from Carnes Crossroads because of the traffic from Nexton to Target.
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So I think people also don't realize that either.
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When they get here, I'm like, we're going on a random time and day, just so you can see what a normal day would be if you were here.
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And it really changes their perspective a lot.
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How do you help a buyer decide between new construction and pre-own?
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What is the conversation that you have with them?
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Because I'm I'm thinking that a lot of you know, potential buyers go into that conversation not really knowing exactly what they want and exactly what they're looking for.
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So, how are you guiding them to make that decision for themselves?
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So it's kind of interesting when I start talking to people that are not in the area, because one, they don't realize how much new built is around.
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They'll start to do research, right?
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And they'll find people online and talking about communities and they fall in love with the community.
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So when they bring that up to me, or when we're talking about their house, their dream house, right?
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I'm asking the first question I'm asking is if they don't have kids, are they what is their five-year plan?
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You know, I want to find out what their future is starting to look like because everybody has something in mind.
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And then I start to talk to them a little bit about well, you know, builders have incentives.
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We can also ask for new construct uh resales for those too.
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So it really comes down to what are they wanting in this time of season?
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Do they want something brand new because they don't want to deal with, you know, home repairs or, you know, something that's a little bit older that might be starting to needing the more major, you know, investments to fix it up?
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Or can we ask those for the sellers um to fix it up?
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So I think for me it really depends on where they're at in their season.
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And then I kind of go from there.
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And then I also narrow it down to where we're looking.
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So there's a ton of communities, right?
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So what are you exactly looking for?
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Are you looking for something with some land?
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Are you looking for something that is like a community base?
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So once I figure that out, once we figure out where you're going to work in lifestyle, then I start talking to them about new construction.
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And we do a day of just new construction, that's all we do.
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Um, and then the next day we'll do resales.
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So I always like to do it that way.
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And then in the buffer, I have them drive for work and lifestyle in between to just give a break so that way they can really compare new construction to new construction and not to resale.
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Because if we're going to a house in resale and then we go to new construction, we're human, so we see everything bright and shiny, and it's it's all new, right?
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But they don't think about the fridge, the washer and dryer, the blinds, the fence, all of these things.
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So as we're walking those things and we're talking about it, and you know, I could I just have a conversation with them.
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Like, look, you've got all of this stuff in the resale, and the builder is not doing much for you on this incentive.
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So either we negotiate and and then we just kind of have those conversations.
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One of the things that I've loved about doing this podcast is I have such an appreciation for realtors, like more than I think I it sounds like such a nightmare to me to drive around with a husband and a wife all day long just looking at new construction.
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That is just a personal oh my god, no, I that would drain my energy so fast.
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So I I really have appreciation for you guys being able to do that.
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And then getting up the next day and be and doing it again on like a whole other set of homes, I'd be I'd be out.
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I don't know how you guys do that.
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It is very, I mean, it is like very um even overwhelming for the consumer, right?
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The buyer, because they've getting they're getting all this information.
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So I do like a tour day.
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So I'll send them, I'll send them an itinerary.
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I'll tell them like this day, we're not gonna do any homes.
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You need to explore the area.
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This is where you should kind of look at, try a restaurant, take your kids out, do this, do that, you know.
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And so that way I can recuperate, they can recuperate because there's just so much information, especially with people who are moving that do not know the area.
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Um, so yeah, it is very, and I at the end of the day, no matter the time, before the end of the day, if it's nine o'clock at night, 10 o'clock at night, I'm writing a whole list of what we looked at and what they talked about.
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Like things that they were talking that, you know, they may not have seemed important to them when they said it, but when I write it down, it comes back to them when we start to talk about it, like, oh, I totally forgot about that.
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That was not something I liked, you know?
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So it helps keep our our minds, you know, as best put together when we're doing this.
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Because it is, it's not only emotionally, it's physically draining too, right?
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If you're dragging kids around, kids are angry, you know, so all of the there's so much going on.
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Yeah, and I really appreciate how much you're talking about, you know, the monthly payment scenarios for buyers because it is really important.
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And I think a lot of realtors right now are going, that's the LO side of thing.
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Talk to your LO, let them figure it out, which is also fine.
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You know, there's it's nice to have a balance between those things.
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But I know that, you know, as loan officers, we've had to get really scrappy lately.
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You know, like uh I'm doing I love the two-one buy down programs, and I always say this as long as you know a two-one buy down is properly explained, you know, that you're going to hit a certain number in two years, you know, from the LOSA, it can be a great loan program.
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You know, we're doing these asset utilization loans and all kind of out-of-the-box loans, um, which is great.
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But one of the conversations that I'm having a lot with clients um is this list price versus actual market value.
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Um, so I'm curious from your side, do you think buyers are making decisions right now based on purchase price?
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Um, or are they actually going deeper and looking at monthly payments and seeing the whole financial picture?
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And is sometimes even these purchase prices, or I should say list prices, because sometimes the list prices and the actual market value aren't lining up.
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Yeah.
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Um, you know, and is that actually confusing some of our buyers?
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So I think it is confusing to answer that last question really quick.
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I think it's confusing for a buyer if they're going on Zillow and they're like, well, why did this house down the street sell at this price?
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So I think to put all of those questions into an answer is they're not being they don't have the guidance.
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They're not having conversations with their agent.
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Are there is their agent reaching out to those past closings?
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Are they talking to them about it?
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Was it a condition?
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Was it a smell thing?
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Was the sellers just having to get out of there and they just put it really low so they can get out?
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Um, and then there's another perspective that I just had recently um with a buyer.
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They they believed a house on 30 days on market just right now is is long.
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Like the sellers are desperate because in their market where they're moving from, houses are moving faster, a week to two weeks.
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And so I had to have that conversation with them.
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It's a it's a very different market.
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And so um, you know, they wanted to offer very low compared to list price, and you know, having those convers top conversations with a buyer and showing them, you know, we can we can certainly do what we want to do, right?
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But having that true honest conversation of look, this isn't the market where sellers are just if sellers are moving, they're moving because they have to.
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It's not because they want to.
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So giving away their home, there there has to be a reason, right?
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So um so just having those conversations with them, I think, is the most important thing.
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And let's flip it.
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You mentioned the hard conversation part, and I think we talked a little bit about this last time.
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Um, but let's say you've got a resale in a new build community right now, so you're competing against you know exactly what we've been talking about the whole time the new builds, the rate buy downs, closing cost incentives, you're competing against the whole thing.
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How do you compete with that with a resale?
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With new construction, how do I compete with my resale with new construction?
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Yeah, say even in summer's corner, if you have a resale in summer's corner right now and you're competing against all the new builds and all the incentives and all that.
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So having those really hard conversations with the seller up front before we go on market about where we're at, what season we're in, right?
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Lenora's doing their end of the physical year.
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So we're getting hammered by concessions right now.
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Making sure the home is presented as best as possible.
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Um, because sometimes we don't have time to just, you know, get feedback and showings and stuff.
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And then I would say just continuing to network and talk to people about the listings, you know, talking to agents, talking to neighbors, talking to people about the house.
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Like I think that gets dropped sometimes.
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And so we forget that it's a market where we do have to kind of hustle and grind still to sell the houses, um, especially in a heavy new construction community.
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I love that you mentioned hustle and grind.
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Um, I almost feel uh with the realtors that I work with a lot, past couple weeks, I feel like I've been trying to like pump them up, you know, and inject some positivity into some people.
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So, and you know, you run such a big business here in Somerville.
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You do such a great job, Courtney.
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Um, and it's very respectable.
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For an agent who's kind of going through um maybe a little slower time right now, maybe they're a little bit newer than you, they're still trying to build their business and they feel like they're just you know running into these walls.
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How how would you kind of coach them up right now as we get into?
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Yeah, so I actually started when the rates were really high, and that was a really challenging time too.
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I was right after COVID, it was the high of the COVID.
00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:59.279
And one of the things that's I talked to a top producing agent years ago, and so I challenged myself.
00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:07.440
If I started to feel, I still do, starting to feel like I am not producing or I'm not doing good in my business.
00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:16.480
I talked to a top producer and I ask them questions, as much questions as I can, even though I'm in the business for five years.
00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:19.920
I'm still calling agents, asking them, what are they doing?
00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:35.440
How are you know, what's working for them in the neighborhood, maybe, what like in a neighborhood I'm looking to sell in, like what was like really insightful for them, because we are all human and everybody sees all the good online.
00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:45.759
And so I think to just tell an agent who's like going through it right now, that's real estate, is hard.
00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:49.680
Um, and you have to continue to push.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:54.319
Even days when I don't want to get out of bed and I'm like, oh, I just, you know, this is great.
00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:58.880
We just fell out of contract for the third time, and you know, this this really stinks.
00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.240
Um, mentally exhausting and physically exhausting, right?
00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:12.640
We're looking at homes and we failed all of those contracts again, but I still do it and I still like I have a little routine, so I continue my routine.
00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:16.480
So I every morning, you gotta wake up, you have to have a routine.
00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:23.359
Even if you don't have anything scheduled for that day, I try to do one productive thing a day.
00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:37.519
So if that's marketing, if it's a networking event, if it's talking to another agent, um just any just trying to be as productive as I can with my time, but in a positive way.
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:43.920
So not surrounding myself with people who are feeling in the grum about it, who are complaining about it, you know.
00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:56.160
So making sure that you're feeding filling your cup up with growth and positivity and not the negativity because everybody else is hearing it, right?
00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.759
Our buyers, our sellers, our all of everybody's hearing the negativity.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.759
Right, they're in this gloomy world, right?
00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:09.759
But people are still moving, people are still getting deployed, people are having kids, there's so much still going on.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:13.279
So those people need our help.
00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:19.759
So just really focusing on your just focus on your lane.
00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:27.519
Just keep focusing on yourself and just keep pushing through, even when you don't want to, because that is the consistency is right there.
00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:37.359
That's one of the things that I've even noticed about doing this podcast is how approachable some of the top producers are.
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:49.200
They love sharing information, and it's so rare, I bet, for them to have a younger agent reach out to them and just be like, hey, I'm I'm kind of like going through this tough time.
00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:53.039
I've been doing this a couple years, it's really hard because they can relate to that.
00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:58.160
I mean, you know, top producers, they they absolutely know what everybody's going through.
00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:07.440
Um, so yeah, I I think if you are an up-and-coming agent in doing that 100%, reach out to somebody.
00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.359
Um, and your brokerage, I'm sure, encourages that too.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.759
I mean, Carolina One is such a big brokerage.
00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:14.240
Yeah.
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:17.119
Um, you know, it's supposed to be something that's multiple teams.
00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:19.279
But yeah, we talk about uh positivity.
00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:31.519
Um, that's one of the values with Carolina One that I really love is whenever I talk to another core agent, whether we have a listing in the same neighborhood, we're talking about like, man, we haven't had any showings.
00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:32.160
What's going on?
00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:50.720
Like, we're trying to work together versus, you know, something and there's always going to be people who do not see the world in this rainbow setting, but we I think we have to protect our hearts with that a lot because it does start to feed into our business.
00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:56.880
So I love that Carolina one that we talk about gratitude, we talk about growing.
00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:05.119
If I'm talking to an agent who I has been in the business for years, um, and they're talking about how they're having a tough time this week.
00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:15.519
We just have those conversations of like just bringing each other back to that positivity because like I said, everybody gets in those in those seasons.
00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:19.680
Um, and social media is such a huge play in the hut, right?
00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:21.680
Everybody sees the positive of it, right?
00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:32.720
They see, oh, you're really successful, but they don't see me breaking down in the car, you know, or we just scrapped everything after, you know, touring these homes, or you know what I mean?
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:36.400
Like they it is very emotionally tolling, so people don't see that.
00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:48.720
Man, social media is such a it's you know, it's something that's probably necessary for all of our businesses, but it can be such a mentally draining and blocking thing.
00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:52.160
Um I just mentioned this actually, but I turned my phone.
00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:54.960
Did you ever see grayscale on your phone?
00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.319
It's unbelievable.
00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:58.720
So I just turned my phone and it's gray.
00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:04.880
So it's literally just black and gray, and it has helped Doom Scrolling so much because it takes all the fun out of it.
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:10.160
Um, so I'm spending like over an hour less on average on my phone.
00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:10.960
So grayscale.
00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:13.680
I know it's been that's amazing.
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.480
I set a timer for all my apps.
00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:27.359
So, like if I'm like, okay, if I know like today I don't have something I need to do physically, like I'll go on social media and work on stuff like that, or just to catch up and stuff.
00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:29.599
And I set a timer.
00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:36.079
So like midway, it'll alert me like, hey, like, all right, I set my time to 10 minutes, five minutes.
00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:37.680
Have I been doing what I was supposed to?
00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:38.880
No, get back on track.
00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.680
You know what I mean?
00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:48.000
So then that way I'm like, because you can just get into a loop of it, and then it's like an hour later, you just doom scrolled and didn't do exactly what you're supposed to be doing.
00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:50.079
Yeah, I I just blow right by it though.
00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:58.079
I've tried the timer and I just hit the like snooze for another five minutes or whatever, like my alarm in the morning, and then I'm like, I don't know.
00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:58.880
I just can't follow.
00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:02.160
I guess I don't have the the self-discipline, but yeah.
00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:05.759
Yeah, you can try like a physical alarm clock.
00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:14.319
Some people do I talk to somebody, an agent, like she's she told me one time she puts like a her phone down, she only does it on her computer.
00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:17.119
It's harder to doom scroll on a computer, too.
00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.880
Um so yeah, there's different ways to do it.
00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:25.440
But yeah, I mean that's what the data is supposed to be there for.
00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:28.079
It's supposed to get you to do scroll.
00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:29.519
They're really good at it.
00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:29.920
Yeah.
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:30.240
Yeah.
00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:34.319
Um, actually, a really good podcast that I just did you ever listen to Diary of a CEO?
00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:34.799
Mm-mm.
00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:45.200
Oh, he's he's great, but he just had his name's Stephen Bartlett, and he just had an expert in how social media gets you to keep scrolling.
00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:49.839
Um, and it was so interesting because Instagram, when Instagram first came out, it had the end.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.039
You could get to the end.
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.240
I don't know if you remember this.
00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:52.880
Yeah.
00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:58.160
But you only saw um content of the people that you follow.
00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:58.640
Right.
00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:00.720
And then once you saw everything, you were done.
00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:02.160
And you had to move on.
00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:04.880
And yeah, obviously that is long gone.
00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:09.279
Um, and but there's a reason that they got rid of it to keep you on the app.
00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:10.880
That's their job, you know.
00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:16.240
Um yeah, so um have you noticed anything different in social media lately?
00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:17.599
Are you doing anything different?
00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:20.400
Because your social media always looks so great.
00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:24.799
Um, and I'm curious if you have any social media tips for some people out there.
00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:30.559
So I try to play around with Canva a lot.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:35.279
Um there's like an app called like Cap Cut for like videos.
00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:45.279
Um, but I think it's like finding your brand and what you want to consistently be at and like doing your videos and stuff with.
00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:50.559
Um so I think that just takes time to figure out like what you want to do with it.
00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:58.079
And I'm not a person who's going to dance in front of the the TikToks or talk about my life on social media.
00:27:58.160 --> 00:27:59.920
That's very that's very hard for me.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.599
That's not me personally.
00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:10.480
Um, but even like the agent videos, bless Sarah, but she like has to really get me to get going on them.
00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:15.039
And she does a lot of edits, but you know, um we get them done.
00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:24.160
And but I think for me with social media, I just really try to keep it as close to who I am, um, and very simple.
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:25.920
And that's just kind of how I am.
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:33.279
I'm not very um that's just how I try to portray it, as is just how I am.
00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:37.440
I have got two kids, I'm a mom, and you know, life's busy.
00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:41.759
Well, all of that comes through in your social media and your work.
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.960
Um, so you do a really good job with that.
00:28:45.119 --> 00:29:15.599
Um, I want to ask one more question um just about this new construction versus resale, just because I find it so interesting in the market um that we're in right now, and one of the issues that it feels like is if some people bought in our community within the past couple years, they're having a little bit more of a tough time on the resale side because home prices haven't gone up as much as you know they did five, six years ago.
00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:35.599
Um so do you think the amount of new construction in our area is actually fundamentally changing what buyers are expecting from a home and fundamentally changing just how people are approaching our market considering this resale, um, you know, going into next year?
00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.559
I think so, Jake.
00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:50.000
I think the expectation to a buyer walking new construction and resale, like I mentioned, I do one day new construction, one day resale because they're not apples to apples, right?
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:55.680
Some homes the people have been in for years, and so they're gonna have some wear and tear in it, right?
00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:06.160
It's not perfect, but um I think with the area that we're in, the challenging part is with resale.
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:16.160
Um but also I think it's just uh the market just correcting itself from when it was high with pricing.
00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:18.799
I was just talking to somebody two days ago about this.
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:23.440
They were wanting, you know, to the pricing to keep lowering and lowering.
00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:30.240
And I was like, well, you realize as a buyer, there's more people who are going to be able to qualify.
00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:33.680
So you're going to start to be in competition again.
00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:46.240
And so the people who didn't have that opportunity to really talk about and think about their future, the people who bought in COVID who are now stuck in their home because of interest rates, right?
00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:48.640
They're having to make those difficult decisions.
00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:51.200
We don't want to go back to that.
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:54.160
Like as much as everybody would love to go back to it, right?
00:30:54.400 --> 00:31:06.880
But a lot of people made a lot of mistakes and they had they and so I think with the resale and new construction, especially like in Summer's Corner and Cartons and stuff like that.
00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:13.119
I think the builders are trying to make it affordable too, because of the interest rates.
00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:20.079
So it's like this a little pull and tug with what we can control and what can't we control.
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:25.839
We can't control what the market says about the house, but we can control how we can manipulate the money, right?
00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:34.960
We can control how to change the interest rate, how to get seller concessions, how can we be more creative and be in a better spot, right?
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:40.640
So we can like when I sit down with people and we're talking about it.
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:45.519
Um, one of the big things I talk to them about is life happens.
00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:54.319
You are moving here for a job, let's say, from out of town or you know, whatever, and two years from now, you you're getting relocation orders to move out.
00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:57.680
So what does that look like if you commit to this house?
00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:00.160
What that two-one buy down is gonna do to you.
00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:02.079
Are you gonna be financially okay?
00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:12.319
Because life always happens as much as we would love to say they're gonna be there for five years, they don't know what's gonna happen with family back home, you know.
00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:24.079
So there's so much that I think people need to have those deep conversations with their agents, especially, and not just looking at right now, but looking in the future.
00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:34.000
And I think that's what one of the conversations I'm having with a lot of sellers and buyers is when sellers are thinking about selling, you know, well, what would that look like?
00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:35.599
What would where would you go?
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.440
And how would that make sense?
00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:39.200
Would it make sense now, you know?
00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:48.480
So those really deep conversations of not really talking them out of it, but really thinking about it all together.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:53.440
Courtney, thank you for coming on and saying all that.
00:32:53.599 --> 00:33:05.359
Um, you you always just bring such a nice blend of realistically what's going on right now in our market and more importantly, how to handle what's going on there.
00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:07.440
So I appreciate you so much for that.
00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:22.000
Um, if somebody wants to get in touch with you, if there was an agent that you know is feeling stuck and needs to reach out to a top producer um and wants to get in touch with Courtney Davis, or if there's anybody uh that's been listening that is thinking about buying, selling, whatever, how can they get in touch with you?
00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:23.920
They can contact me on Instagram.
00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:27.440
My um handle is Courtney DavisRealtor.charlson.
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:28.400
Perfect.
00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:28.960
Well done.
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:29.920
Thanks for coming on.
00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:31.519
Thanks for having me, Jake.
00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:38.960
Thanks for listening to Charleston's Leading Producers Podcast.
00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:44.000
Could you take a moment to hit subscribe on the platform that you're currently listening on?
00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:50.559
That allows this show to grow and bring you more of the top of the line producers and business leaders.
00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:55.680
And if you think these stories will help someone you know, please share this with them.
00:33:56.160 --> 00:33:57.680
New episodes every Wednesday.
00:33:58.160 --> 00:33:59.440
I'm Jake Cummings.
00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:00.480
See you next week.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:06.480
We can always find the house, but we can't ever change the lifestyle or the travel time.
00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:07.919
You just can't.
00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:16.719
Hey leaders, I'm Jake, a loan officer obsessed with business growth and finding out what's actually working in our market.
00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:19.199
If that sounds useful, hit follow.
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.440
Now, this week's leader.
00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:28.160
Alright, we're recording.
00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:29.839
Courtney, thanks for joining me again.
00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.399
Hey, yeah, thanks for having me again.
00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:42.880
We were kind of just laughing about um maybe it's Halloween, so we're recording like mid-October, but our market people are losing their minds out there.
00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:45.679
Yeah, yeah, good word for it.
00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:46.560
Yeah.
00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:50.479
So um I I want to get into a couple things here today.
00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:56.960
I want to make sure that we talk about some new build stuff because I know you work a lot in that area.
00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:05.120
Um, but last time you were on, we talked about how you do a deep dive with your clients right off the bat.
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:22.480
And I thought it was like the coolest thing because one of the things that I'm feeling right now is that buyers are buyers in realtors and loan officers were more prone right now to try and rush into decisions, which actually feels counterintuitive because listings are sitting longer.
00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:27.040
It feels like we should have more time, but it's almost like there's like this air of desperation.
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.920
So I really appreciate that you do this, you know, long conversation up front.
00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:36.879
Um and you're understanding their motives, their lifestyle, their preferences.
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:45.760
Um, but I'm just kind of curious what's changed in that conversation recently as compared to even, you know, three, six months ago.
00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:52.959
I would have to say that the inventory is like starting to change the buyer's mind.
00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:55.200
So they're thinking that they're having more time.
00:01:55.439 --> 00:02:02.799
Um, so that that means that we're waiting for offers, which in a normal market, we are kind of right there.
00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:07.920
Um anything over 30 days to 60 days is kind of a normal thing.
00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.159
Um, no price changes.
00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:18.719
Like the the buyer, especially right now in this season, if they're moving, they're moving because of uh an important life change.
00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:30.400
So we what I'm seeing with my buyers is they're taking their time, we're touring more homes, and we're talking more about it.
00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:42.319
And I feel like in the past we've been so quick to make a decision, and a lot of buyers who were rushed in that time, like during COVID, when everybody's like, we should should go back to that time.
00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:48.800
I think a lot of people are regretting where they landed, and now they feel stuck, right?
00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:56.080
They feel stuck, like they're gonna sit there in that house with the interest rate setter, what they got for, but they are outgrowing their home.
00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:05.280
So I think a buyer who is especially moving from an interest rate, even fives, it is a huge decision financially now.
00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:21.120
Um now there's other ways to get around interest rates, right, with buyer incentives and um, you know, builder incentives and stuff, but I don't think that knowledge is really opened up to the like the overall market of buyers.
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:26.159
They don't know that you can do those things, you can ask for those things.
00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:32.879
So you mentioned the word regret, and I love this conversation right now.
00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:41.280
What do you think people are regretting specifically if they did buy in that like five-year-ago window?
00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:52.719
I think when I mentioned like regret from feedback from my clients are traveling, um, work travel traffic's getting harder for them.
00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:57.599
They thought that they could do it um because they got a great deal on the house.
00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:02.319
Um, they didn't know the area well.
00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:08.159
Um, so a lifestyle thing as well, like they are not wanting that kind of lifestyle that they thought.
00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:12.879
And um, you know, they're have their families growing or kids are moving out.
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:23.040
So when they bought the house, might have bought a really big house and wasn't thinking kids were going to be moving out soon, um, and they want a primary down, or vice versa.
00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:27.519
They only have two, three bedrooms and they have two kids and they're gonna have another one, you know.
00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:40.480
So I think a lot of people when they bought five years ago, they were not able to make a decision during that time of like thinking about what the future really holds for the house.
00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:49.040
Man, Britt and I, my wife, we are a case study for this because we bought, I think it was 21, I want to say.
00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:51.040
So, yeah, five years ago.
00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:53.040
Um, and that exact thing.
00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:57.920
So we were both working in Dorchester County at the time, bought in Dorchester County.
00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:00.720
Now, neither one of us works in Dorchester County.
00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:02.079
I'm down in West Ashley.
00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:07.199
Actually, next week our office is moving over to Mount Pleasant, and I'm like, what the hell?
00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:09.199
The traffic is horrible.
00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:11.279
Um, but my monthly payment's too low.
00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:12.720
I can't give it up, you know.
00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:14.959
So, I mean, we're we're right there.
00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:17.839
We're literally feeling that exact thing.
00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:24.000
Um, I would love to move over to Mount Pleasant, but I also don't want to pay seven times more on a mortgage payment.
00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:46.639
So yeah, I mean, it's just I think with this time of market when I'm talking to buyers more and getting feedback from agents, I'm seeing buyers really hone in on like what the future is going to hold for this house because the market has been so uh what's the right word?
00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:48.079
It's been hard to track.
00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:50.639
It's been really high, it's been low, high, and low.
00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:54.959
Even this year alone, it changed what three to four times.
00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.439
And we're only in month 10.
00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:14.000
So that is very hard for a consumer to even an agent, like right, we're trying to track it, we're trying to watch comps, we're trying to advocate for them, and it is a very you've gotta be on it constantly.
00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.240
Yeah, we we I mean, you mentioned month 10.
00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:21.680
Well, what's gonna happen between now and the end of the year?
00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:23.759
I don't know.
00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:27.360
I actually when people ask me this, I answer the same way.
00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:28.800
I'm like, I have no idea.
00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:33.120
I mean so volatile right now, and you know, things are changing so rapidly.
00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.120
You mentioned multiple changes this year.
00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:36.319
I say the same thing.
00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:37.759
I I don't know.
00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:43.120
Yeah, I would say if it makes sense to them, um, then I would do it.
00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:45.600
There's ways to get around that interest rate, right?
00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:51.600
Like there's a new construction built that we were able to negotiate with the builder down to an interest rate.
00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.279
There's some builders that are doing that.
00:06:53.519 --> 00:07:01.199
So even um we did a resale one in Kane Bay recently where I negotiated seller concessions to buy down that rate.
00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:03.439
So there's ways to get around it.
00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:11.920
Like it's not gonna be a two or a three, but how much money are you saving if you do move closer to your job and your time?
00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.319
Like, right, your littles are little only once.
00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:17.519
So the time that you're spending in the car, you know.
00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:21.439
So that's a lot of things that I have conversations with with my folks.
00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:31.360
And um I I really challenge them to when they even come from out of state and visiting, we don't really look at houses the first trip.
00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:44.000
Um, we really look at location and where they're working before we do anything because we can find the house, but we I can't if we look at everything in Somerville, right?
00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:54.399
Just for a really good example, there's three pockets of Somerville that are very vastly different and and very different in traffic too, depending on where you're going.
00:07:54.560 --> 00:08:02.879
So we can always find the house, but we can't ever change the lifestyle or the travel time.
00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:04.000
You just can't.
00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:12.879
Yeah, that's something that continues to come up on this conversation is how different the little pockets of our area are.
00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:17.199
You mentioned even Somerville, it's not like it's a you know huge city.
00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:23.279
Like I grew up in Pittsburgh, you know, that's I don't know how many times the size of Somerville, South Carolina.
00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:30.639
Um but but it's just really interesting how different those little pockets are, you know.
00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:37.279
Like where we live, I mean, we're 15 minutes from downtown Somerville, and it's a totally different lifestyle.
00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:38.320
Totally different.
00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:47.679
I mean, if I timed it one time, um, because somebody was asking me between Summer's Corner and Carnes Crossroads, I've I feel like that's a huge conversation.
00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.799
Like they're very similar in community, right?
00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:57.360
Like they do a lot of events, it's new, it's they got the Agahood over there, and then we're getting the club over here, right?
00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:02.000
So we're kind of behind in the amenities of Summer's Corner, but they're coming.
00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:15.360
But when I look at miles versus distance of time, it takes me sometimes faster to get to Target from Summer's Corner than it is from Carnes Crossroads because of the traffic from Nexton to Target.
00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:18.159
So I think people also don't realize that either.
00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:25.679
When they get here, I'm like, we're going on a random time and day, just so you can see what a normal day would be if you were here.
00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:29.200
And it really changes their perspective a lot.
00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:38.240
How do you help a buyer decide between new construction and pre-own?
00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.879
What is the conversation that you have with them?
00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:50.399
Because I'm I'm thinking that a lot of you know, potential buyers go into that conversation not really knowing exactly what they want and exactly what they're looking for.
00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:54.240
So, how are you guiding them to make that decision for themselves?
00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:04.159
So it's kind of interesting when I start talking to people that are not in the area, because one, they don't realize how much new built is around.
00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.000
They'll start to do research, right?
00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:10.879
And they'll find people online and talking about communities and they fall in love with the community.
00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:19.039
So when they bring that up to me, or when we're talking about their house, their dream house, right?
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:25.679
I'm asking the first question I'm asking is if they don't have kids, are they what is their five-year plan?
00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:33.679
You know, I want to find out what their future is starting to look like because everybody has something in mind.
00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:38.960
And then I start to talk to them a little bit about well, you know, builders have incentives.
00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:43.600
We can also ask for new construct uh resales for those too.
00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:49.200
So it really comes down to what are they wanting in this time of season?
00:10:49.360 --> 00:11:03.120
Do they want something brand new because they don't want to deal with, you know, home repairs or, you know, something that's a little bit older that might be starting to needing the more major, you know, investments to fix it up?
00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:07.039
Or can we ask those for the sellers um to fix it up?
00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:13.440
So I think for me it really depends on where they're at in their season.
00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:15.519
And then I kind of go from there.
00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:18.559
And then I also narrow it down to where we're looking.
00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:21.840
So there's a ton of communities, right?
00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:23.919
So what are you exactly looking for?
00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:26.720
Are you looking for something with some land?
00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:29.600
Are you looking for something that is like a community base?
00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:37.600
So once I figure that out, once we figure out where you're going to work in lifestyle, then I start talking to them about new construction.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:41.919
And we do a day of just new construction, that's all we do.
00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:44.639
Um, and then the next day we'll do resales.
00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:47.679
So I always like to do it that way.
00:11:47.759 --> 00:12:00.320
And then in the buffer, I have them drive for work and lifestyle in between to just give a break so that way they can really compare new construction to new construction and not to resale.
00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:10.879
Because if we're going to a house in resale and then we go to new construction, we're human, so we see everything bright and shiny, and it's it's all new, right?
00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:16.399
But they don't think about the fridge, the washer and dryer, the blinds, the fence, all of these things.
00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:22.559
So as we're walking those things and we're talking about it, and you know, I could I just have a conversation with them.
00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:29.360
Like, look, you've got all of this stuff in the resale, and the builder is not doing much for you on this incentive.
00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:33.120
So either we negotiate and and then we just kind of have those conversations.
00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:50.000
One of the things that I've loved about doing this podcast is I have such an appreciation for realtors, like more than I think I it sounds like such a nightmare to me to drive around with a husband and a wife all day long just looking at new construction.
00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:56.320
That is just a personal oh my god, no, I that would drain my energy so fast.
00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:00.080
So I I really have appreciation for you guys being able to do that.
00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:05.279
And then getting up the next day and be and doing it again on like a whole other set of homes, I'd be I'd be out.
00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.639
I don't know how you guys do that.
00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:11.519
It is very, I mean, it is like very um even overwhelming for the consumer, right?
00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.080
The buyer, because they've getting they're getting all this information.
00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:18.159
So I do like a tour day.
00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:20.720
So I'll send them, I'll send them an itinerary.
00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.679
I'll tell them like this day, we're not gonna do any homes.
00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.200
You need to explore the area.
00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:30.799
This is where you should kind of look at, try a restaurant, take your kids out, do this, do that, you know.
00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:41.039
And so that way I can recuperate, they can recuperate because there's just so much information, especially with people who are moving that do not know the area.
00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:55.120
Um, so yeah, it is very, and I at the end of the day, no matter the time, before the end of the day, if it's nine o'clock at night, 10 o'clock at night, I'm writing a whole list of what we looked at and what they talked about.
00:13:55.279 --> 00:14:08.080
Like things that they were talking that, you know, they may not have seemed important to them when they said it, but when I write it down, it comes back to them when we start to talk about it, like, oh, I totally forgot about that.
00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.000
That was not something I liked, you know?
00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:17.360
So it helps keep our our minds, you know, as best put together when we're doing this.
00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:21.200
Because it is, it's not only emotionally, it's physically draining too, right?
00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:28.080
If you're dragging kids around, kids are angry, you know, so all of the there's so much going on.
00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:38.240
Yeah, and I really appreciate how much you're talking about, you know, the monthly payment scenarios for buyers because it is really important.
00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:42.080
And I think a lot of realtors right now are going, that's the LO side of thing.
00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:45.600
Talk to your LO, let them figure it out, which is also fine.
00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:49.759
You know, there's it's nice to have a balance between those things.
00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:55.279
But I know that, you know, as loan officers, we've had to get really scrappy lately.
00:14:55.440 --> 00:15:10.399
You know, like uh I'm doing I love the two-one buy down programs, and I always say this as long as you know a two-one buy down is properly explained, you know, that you're going to hit a certain number in two years, you know, from the LOSA, it can be a great loan program.
00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:16.399
You know, we're doing these asset utilization loans and all kind of out-of-the-box loans, um, which is great.
00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:24.960
But one of the conversations that I'm having a lot with clients um is this list price versus actual market value.
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:33.440
Um, so I'm curious from your side, do you think buyers are making decisions right now based on purchase price?
00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:39.279
Um, or are they actually going deeper and looking at monthly payments and seeing the whole financial picture?
00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:47.759
And is sometimes even these purchase prices, or I should say list prices, because sometimes the list prices and the actual market value aren't lining up.
00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:48.159
Yeah.
00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:52.720
Um, you know, and is that actually confusing some of our buyers?
00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:57.279
So I think it is confusing to answer that last question really quick.
00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:02.879
I think it's confusing for a buyer if they're going on Zillow and they're like, well, why did this house down the street sell at this price?
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:11.600
So I think to put all of those questions into an answer is they're not being they don't have the guidance.
00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:14.799
They're not having conversations with their agent.
00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:18.639
Are there is their agent reaching out to those past closings?
00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:20.399
Are they talking to them about it?
00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:21.600
Was it a condition?
00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:22.960
Was it a smell thing?
00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:27.919
Was the sellers just having to get out of there and they just put it really low so they can get out?
00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:35.039
Um, and then there's another perspective that I just had recently um with a buyer.
00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:41.600
They they believed a house on 30 days on market just right now is is long.
00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:49.840
Like the sellers are desperate because in their market where they're moving from, houses are moving faster, a week to two weeks.
00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:52.159
And so I had to have that conversation with them.
00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:54.399
It's a it's a very different market.
00:16:54.639 --> 00:17:10.880
And so um, you know, they wanted to offer very low compared to list price, and you know, having those convers top conversations with a buyer and showing them, you know, we can we can certainly do what we want to do, right?
00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:20.400
But having that true honest conversation of look, this isn't the market where sellers are just if sellers are moving, they're moving because they have to.
00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:22.000
It's not because they want to.
00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:26.480
So giving away their home, there there has to be a reason, right?
00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:32.480
So um so just having those conversations with them, I think, is the most important thing.
00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:35.200
And let's flip it.
00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:39.680
You mentioned the hard conversation part, and I think we talked a little bit about this last time.
00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:53.359
Um, but let's say you've got a resale in a new build community right now, so you're competing against you know exactly what we've been talking about the whole time the new builds, the rate buy downs, closing cost incentives, you're competing against the whole thing.
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:55.920
How do you compete with that with a resale?
00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:00.559
With new construction, how do I compete with my resale with new construction?
00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:07.839
Yeah, say even in summer's corner, if you have a resale in summer's corner right now and you're competing against all the new builds and all the incentives and all that.
00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:17.039
So having those really hard conversations with the seller up front before we go on market about where we're at, what season we're in, right?
00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.759
Lenora's doing their end of the physical year.
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:23.279
So we're getting hammered by concessions right now.
00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:27.920
Making sure the home is presented as best as possible.
00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:36.400
Um, because sometimes we don't have time to just, you know, get feedback and showings and stuff.
00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:47.359
And then I would say just continuing to network and talk to people about the listings, you know, talking to agents, talking to neighbors, talking to people about the house.
00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:50.640
Like I think that gets dropped sometimes.
00:18:50.880 --> 00:19:02.240
And so we forget that it's a market where we do have to kind of hustle and grind still to sell the houses, um, especially in a heavy new construction community.
00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.920
I love that you mentioned hustle and grind.
00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:18.400
Um, I almost feel uh with the realtors that I work with a lot, past couple weeks, I feel like I've been trying to like pump them up, you know, and inject some positivity into some people.
00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:21.839
So, and you know, you run such a big business here in Somerville.
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:23.599
You do such a great job, Courtney.
00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:25.759
Um, and it's very respectable.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:37.839
For an agent who's kind of going through um maybe a little slower time right now, maybe they're a little bit newer than you, they're still trying to build their business and they feel like they're just you know running into these walls.
00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:41.440
How how would you kind of coach them up right now as we get into?
00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:48.240
Yeah, so I actually started when the rates were really high, and that was a really challenging time too.
00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:50.720
I was right after COVID, it was the high of the COVID.
00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:59.279
And one of the things that's I talked to a top producing agent years ago, and so I challenged myself.
00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:07.440
If I started to feel, I still do, starting to feel like I am not producing or I'm not doing good in my business.
00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:16.480
I talked to a top producer and I ask them questions, as much questions as I can, even though I'm in the business for five years.
00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:19.920
I'm still calling agents, asking them, what are they doing?
00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:35.440
How are you know, what's working for them in the neighborhood, maybe, what like in a neighborhood I'm looking to sell in, like what was like really insightful for them, because we are all human and everybody sees all the good online.
00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:45.759
And so I think to just tell an agent who's like going through it right now, that's real estate, is hard.
00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:49.680
Um, and you have to continue to push.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:54.319
Even days when I don't want to get out of bed and I'm like, oh, I just, you know, this is great.
00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:58.880
We just fell out of contract for the third time, and you know, this this really stinks.
00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.240
Um, mentally exhausting and physically exhausting, right?
00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:12.640
We're looking at homes and we failed all of those contracts again, but I still do it and I still like I have a little routine, so I continue my routine.
00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:16.480
So I every morning, you gotta wake up, you have to have a routine.
00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:23.359
Even if you don't have anything scheduled for that day, I try to do one productive thing a day.
00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:37.519
So if that's marketing, if it's a networking event, if it's talking to another agent, um just any just trying to be as productive as I can with my time, but in a positive way.
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:43.920
So not surrounding myself with people who are feeling in the grum about it, who are complaining about it, you know.
00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:56.160
So making sure that you're feeding filling your cup up with growth and positivity and not the negativity because everybody else is hearing it, right?
00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.759
Our buyers, our sellers, our all of everybody's hearing the negativity.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.759
Right, they're in this gloomy world, right?
00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:09.759
But people are still moving, people are still getting deployed, people are having kids, there's so much still going on.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:13.279
So those people need our help.
00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:19.759
So just really focusing on your just focus on your lane.
00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:27.519
Just keep focusing on yourself and just keep pushing through, even when you don't want to, because that is the consistency is right there.
00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:37.359
That's one of the things that I've even noticed about doing this podcast is how approachable some of the top producers are.
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:49.200
They love sharing information, and it's so rare, I bet, for them to have a younger agent reach out to them and just be like, hey, I'm I'm kind of like going through this tough time.
00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:53.039
I've been doing this a couple years, it's really hard because they can relate to that.
00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:58.160
I mean, you know, top producers, they they absolutely know what everybody's going through.
00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:07.440
Um, so yeah, I I think if you are an up-and-coming agent in doing that 100%, reach out to somebody.
00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.359
Um, and your brokerage, I'm sure, encourages that too.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.759
I mean, Carolina One is such a big brokerage.
00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:14.240
Yeah.
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:17.119
Um, you know, it's supposed to be something that's multiple teams.
00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:19.279
But yeah, we talk about uh positivity.
00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:31.519
Um, that's one of the values with Carolina One that I really love is whenever I talk to another core agent, whether we have a listing in the same neighborhood, we're talking about like, man, we haven't had any showings.
00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:32.160
What's going on?
00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:50.720
Like, we're trying to work together versus, you know, something and there's always going to be people who do not see the world in this rainbow setting, but we I think we have to protect our hearts with that a lot because it does start to feed into our business.
00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:56.880
So I love that Carolina one that we talk about gratitude, we talk about growing.
00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:05.119
If I'm talking to an agent who I has been in the business for years, um, and they're talking about how they're having a tough time this week.
00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:15.519
We just have those conversations of like just bringing each other back to that positivity because like I said, everybody gets in those in those seasons.
00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:19.680
Um, and social media is such a huge play in the hut, right?
00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:21.680
Everybody sees the positive of it, right?
00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:32.720
They see, oh, you're really successful, but they don't see me breaking down in the car, you know, or we just scrapped everything after, you know, touring these homes, or you know what I mean?
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:36.400
Like they it is very emotionally tolling, so people don't see that.
00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:48.720
Man, social media is such a it's you know, it's something that's probably necessary for all of our businesses, but it can be such a mentally draining and blocking thing.
00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:52.160
Um I just mentioned this actually, but I turned my phone.
00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:54.960
Did you ever see grayscale on your phone?
00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.319
It's unbelievable.
00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:58.720
So I just turned my phone and it's gray.
00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:04.880
So it's literally just black and gray, and it has helped Doom Scrolling so much because it takes all the fun out of it.
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:10.160
Um, so I'm spending like over an hour less on average on my phone.
00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:10.960
So grayscale.
00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:13.680
I know it's been that's amazing.
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.480
I set a timer for all my apps.
00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:27.359
So, like if I'm like, okay, if I know like today I don't have something I need to do physically, like I'll go on social media and work on stuff like that, or just to catch up and stuff.
00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:29.599
And I set a timer.
00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:36.079
So like midway, it'll alert me like, hey, like, all right, I set my time to 10 minutes, five minutes.
00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:37.680
Have I been doing what I was supposed to?
00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:38.880
No, get back on track.
00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.680
You know what I mean?
00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:48.000
So then that way I'm like, because you can just get into a loop of it, and then it's like an hour later, you just doom scrolled and didn't do exactly what you're supposed to be doing.
00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:50.079
Yeah, I I just blow right by it though.
00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:58.079
I've tried the timer and I just hit the like snooze for another five minutes or whatever, like my alarm in the morning, and then I'm like, I don't know.
00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:58.880
I just can't follow.
00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:02.160
I guess I don't have the the self-discipline, but yeah.
00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:05.759
Yeah, you can try like a physical alarm clock.
00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:14.319
Some people do I talk to somebody, an agent, like she's she told me one time she puts like a her phone down, she only does it on her computer.
00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:17.119
It's harder to doom scroll on a computer, too.
00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.880
Um so yeah, there's different ways to do it.
00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:25.440
But yeah, I mean that's what the data is supposed to be there for.
00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:28.079
It's supposed to get you to do scroll.
00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:29.519
They're really good at it.
00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:29.920
Yeah.
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:30.240
Yeah.
00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:34.319
Um, actually, a really good podcast that I just did you ever listen to Diary of a CEO?
00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:34.799
Mm-mm.
00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:45.200
Oh, he's he's great, but he just had his name's Stephen Bartlett, and he just had an expert in how social media gets you to keep scrolling.
00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:49.839
Um, and it was so interesting because Instagram, when Instagram first came out, it had the end.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.039
You could get to the end.
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.240
I don't know if you remember this.
00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:52.880
Yeah.
00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:58.160
But you only saw um content of the people that you follow.
00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:58.640
Right.
00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:00.720
And then once you saw everything, you were done.
00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:02.160
And you had to move on.
00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:04.880
And yeah, obviously that is long gone.
00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:09.279
Um, and but there's a reason that they got rid of it to keep you on the app.
00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:10.880
That's their job, you know.
00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:16.240
Um yeah, so um have you noticed anything different in social media lately?
00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:17.599
Are you doing anything different?
00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:20.400
Because your social media always looks so great.
00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:24.799
Um, and I'm curious if you have any social media tips for some people out there.
00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:30.559
So I try to play around with Canva a lot.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:35.279
Um there's like an app called like Cap Cut for like videos.
00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:45.279
Um, but I think it's like finding your brand and what you want to consistently be at and like doing your videos and stuff with.
00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:50.559
Um so I think that just takes time to figure out like what you want to do with it.
00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:58.079
And I'm not a person who's going to dance in front of the the TikToks or talk about my life on social media.
00:27:58.160 --> 00:27:59.920
That's very that's very hard for me.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.599
That's not me personally.
00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:10.480
Um, but even like the agent videos, bless Sarah, but she like has to really get me to get going on them.
00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:15.039
And she does a lot of edits, but you know, um we get them done.
00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:24.160
And but I think for me with social media, I just really try to keep it as close to who I am, um, and very simple.
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:25.920
And that's just kind of how I am.
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:33.279
I'm not very um that's just how I try to portray it, as is just how I am.
00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:37.440
I have got two kids, I'm a mom, and you know, life's busy.
00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:41.759
Well, all of that comes through in your social media and your work.
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.960
Um, so you do a really good job with that.
00:28:45.119 --> 00:29:15.599
Um, I want to ask one more question um just about this new construction versus resale, just because I find it so interesting in the market um that we're in right now, and one of the issues that it feels like is if some people bought in our community within the past couple years, they're having a little bit more of a tough time on the resale side because home prices haven't gone up as much as you know they did five, six years ago.
00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:35.599
Um so do you think the amount of new construction in our area is actually fundamentally changing what buyers are expecting from a home and fundamentally changing just how people are approaching our market considering this resale, um, you know, going into next year?
00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.559
I think so, Jake.
00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:50.000
I think the expectation to a buyer walking new construction and resale, like I mentioned, I do one day new construction, one day resale because they're not apples to apples, right?
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:55.680
Some homes the people have been in for years, and so they're gonna have some wear and tear in it, right?
00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:06.160
It's not perfect, but um I think with the area that we're in, the challenging part is with resale.
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:16.160
Um but also I think it's just uh the market just correcting itself from when it was high with pricing.
00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:18.799
I was just talking to somebody two days ago about this.
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:23.440
They were wanting, you know, to the pricing to keep lowering and lowering.
00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:30.240
And I was like, well, you realize as a buyer, there's more people who are going to be able to qualify.
00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:33.680
So you're going to start to be in competition again.
00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:46.240
And so the people who didn't have that opportunity to really talk about and think about their future, the people who bought in COVID who are now stuck in their home because of interest rates, right?
00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:48.640
They're having to make those difficult decisions.
00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:51.200
We don't want to go back to that.
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:54.160
Like as much as everybody would love to go back to it, right?
00:30:54.400 --> 00:31:06.880
But a lot of people made a lot of mistakes and they had they and so I think with the resale and new construction, especially like in Summer's Corner and Cartons and stuff like that.
00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:13.119
I think the builders are trying to make it affordable too, because of the interest rates.
00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:20.079
So it's like this a little pull and tug with what we can control and what can't we control.
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:25.839
We can't control what the market says about the house, but we can control how we can manipulate the money, right?
00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:34.960
We can control how to change the interest rate, how to get seller concessions, how can we be more creative and be in a better spot, right?
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:40.640
So we can like when I sit down with people and we're talking about it.
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:45.519
Um, one of the big things I talk to them about is life happens.
00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:54.319
You are moving here for a job, let's say, from out of town or you know, whatever, and two years from now, you you're getting relocation orders to move out.
00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:57.680
So what does that look like if you commit to this house?
00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:00.160
What that two-one buy down is gonna do to you.
00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:02.079
Are you gonna be financially okay?
00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:12.319
Because life always happens as much as we would love to say they're gonna be there for five years, they don't know what's gonna happen with family back home, you know.
00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:24.079
So there's so much that I think people need to have those deep conversations with their agents, especially, and not just looking at right now, but looking in the future.
00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:34.000
And I think that's what one of the conversations I'm having with a lot of sellers and buyers is when sellers are thinking about selling, you know, well, what would that look like?
00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:35.599
What would where would you go?
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.440
And how would that make sense?
00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:39.200
Would it make sense now, you know?
00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:48.480
So those really deep conversations of not really talking them out of it, but really thinking about it all together.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:53.440
Courtney, thank you for coming on and saying all that.
00:32:53.599 --> 00:33:05.359
Um, you you always just bring such a nice blend of realistically what's going on right now in our market and more importantly, how to handle what's going on there.
00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:07.440
So I appreciate you so much for that.
00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:22.000
Um, if somebody wants to get in touch with you, if there was an agent that you know is feeling stuck and needs to reach out to a top producer um and wants to get in touch with Courtney Davis, or if there's anybody uh that's been listening that is thinking about buying, selling, whatever, how can they get in touch with you?
00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:23.920
They can contact me on Instagram.
00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:27.440
My um handle is Courtney DavisRealtor.charlson.
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:28.400
Perfect.
00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:28.960
Well done.
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:29.920
Thanks for coming on.
00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:31.519
Thanks for having me, Jake.
00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:38.960
Thanks for listening to Charleston's Leading Producers Podcast.
00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:44.000
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00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:50.559
That allows this show to grow and bring you more of the top of the line producers and business leaders.
00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:55.680
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00:33:56.160 --> 00:33:57.680
New episodes every Wednesday.
00:33:58.160 --> 00:33:59.440
I'm Jake Cummings.
00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:00.480
See you next week.
