I felt it was important to gain more knowledge and be a better agent for my customers, so as soon as I was legally able (they actually had to count the days to make sure), I got my broker’s license. A broker’s license requires more than 130 hours of additional classroom time and a passing grade on the state exam. I don’t know why so many agents choose not to get a broker’s license, but I feel the
knowledge I’ve gained has been extremely beneficial to my customers. When it comes to real estate, my sole focus is putting the customer first. At one of the first training events I went to, the speaker made it very clear, “If a customer isn’t buying or selling in the next two weeks, you need to move on”. I thought it was awful advice then, and I still think it is awful advice now. If you truly believe in putting the customer first, then you’ll work with your customers as long as it takes. I met a first-time homebuyer at an open house and it took almost a year to find her the right home. It ended up being three doors down from the house we met at. As part of my customer-first attitude, I believe in working for less. Virtually any real estate training class inevitably has the speaker saying, “Don’t cut your commission, it means you’re worth less”. It does not mean I’m worth less. It means I’m inspired to do business differently, and frankly, I think real estate agents have been gouging the public for years. When was the last time, a real estate agent told you commission is negotiable? And I make it a point to offer even more services, while working for a lower commission. My philosophy is, I’d rather do two deals at a lower commission than one deal at a higher commission. On the buying side, I work for whatever the seller is offering. As a buyer, you will never pay me a dime. A lot of agents charge additional fees – transaction fees, brokerage fees, insert-a-name-here fee – and I’ve seen them pushing $2,000! That was in addition to the commission the seller paid them! If you are buying a home, please, don’t hire an agent that charges you fees. There is no justification for you to pay them. Yes, we have costs of doing business, but they should not be put back on you. On the selling side, I list homes for 4.5%. 2% goes to me as the listing agent and 2.5% goes to the buyer’s agent. I don’t charge marketing fees and I don’t expect a seller to reimburse me. I do everything another agent can offer, and more. I put up my own money – hiring a professional photographer and doing cutting-edge virtual reality tours. (Almost no one is doing virtual reality, when it is in fact, the future of real estate). I truly believe if you’re investing in your real estate agent, your real estate agent be invest in you. I think the real estate industry is in for a seismic shift. Just like other industries have been forever changed by the likes of Amazon, Uber, etc., real estate is going to change (it just won’t admit it yet), and I intend on being at the forefront of that change. Customers deserve better and I intend on delivering it. My wife Kristen and I have been married since June of 2016. We welcomed our first child – a daughter, Alexandra – in June of 2017. We live in Largo, along with our two dogs – Chance (yellow lab) and Sulley (terrier mix) – who are both rescues. We treat customers like family and hope you’ll become part of ours.
