Angela Walker: The Right Home for the Right Family

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Tracy Hayes: [00:00:00] estate excellence podcast. Today's guest specializes in finding the right home for the right family. She has had a successful, successful radio show. All things real estate for 12 years, which you can listen to every Saturday morning at nine a. m. On W. B. O. B. Here in Jacksonville, florida. She interviews many of the influential people here in northeast florida real estate.

Tracy Hayes: She is closing in on a show on show 600 If I saw that in your bio, that is amazing. I'm so excited. She has over two decades of experience in Jacksonville real estate. Let's welcome one of the newest members of Engel and Volcker's First Coast, Angela Walker, to the show. 

Angela Walker: Good morning. Thank you for having me here.

Angela Walker: Thank 

Tracy Hayes: you. And, uh, you know, uh, you've had me on twice on your show. And, uh, finally got you to come over here and, and, and talk about Angela and what you've been doing. And I think there's a lot of listeners out there that hopefully we'll get some nuggets today, uh, from, from what we talk about, cause we're going to dig deep into your ideology of real estate and so forth.

Tracy Hayes: [00:01:00] Um, you are native Jackson, Tony, and. 

Angela Walker: Can 

Tracy Hayes: you 

Angela Walker: believe it? Unicorn 

Tracy Hayes: Um, 

Angela Walker: yeah, there aren't that many of us here, but I feel like i'm meeting more and more who have moved back Because it's a wonderful place to be jacksonville is amazing. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, there's so you know, um, it's not as glamorous as uh, You know naples or something like that.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, you know, i'd say that because my parents My parents, when they originally moved to Florida in the early 90s, moved to Naples because, you know, some of their friends were traveling from Cape Cod to there in the wintertime. So they were in a semi retired, not retired yet, but that, you know, the glamour set, but, you know, Coming here, there's so many things that you can do.

Tracy Hayes: If you're, you're a boater, you're the beach, or you just like, uh, you know, hiking and trails and the, just, uh, activities going on, shows, there's just so much going on. 

Angela Walker: I feel like the Jaguars put us on the map, to be honest with you. Yeah. I would travel different places previously and people would go, where's Jacksonville, Florida?

Angela Walker: [00:02:00] Once we got the Jaguars, they're like, Oh, I know where that is. That's great. You're where the Jaguars are. 

Tracy Hayes: We were to fly over city. They're flying into Orlando and Miami. 

Angela Walker: They were bypassing us big time. Unless you were in the Navy, then you knew where we were, but otherwise no. 

Tracy Hayes: You only knew what Jacksonville was if you drove on 95.

Tracy Hayes: And the road was zigzagged and swerved as you went through it. Um, Then you went to Florida State 

Angela Walker: I did 

Tracy Hayes: What was your envision there as a young Angela? What like for a career? What was your? 19, 20 years old. 

Angela Walker: Um, I wanted to go into psychology, I thought, or psychiatry. I wasn't quite sure. Um, but then as I started taking the classes, I was like, Oh, this is not for me at all.

Angela Walker: This is not what I want to do. Um, and so I went and met with one of the deans and said, I feel like I'm in this weird spot and I'm kind of got myself in and I don't know what to do next. And he's like, Okay, let's talk about what are you interested in? So I ended up in economics, [00:03:00] but I did it with the emphasis in demographics So not so much in finance, but demographics, right?

Angela Walker: And so and I had a minor in marketing I love marketing. And so honestly, those two things are perfect for real estate. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: really? 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah 

Angela Walker: I didn't envision I would be in real estate I mean my parents owned a car dealership. I actually thought I was going to be in the car dealership, right? And um, I went to school with carlotta watson.

Angela Walker: I never dreamed i'd work for her dad Yeah, I always thought I worked for my dad So that was kind of funny how it all turned out. I ended up at watson 

Tracy Hayes: Well, so you you your first big career job is at blue cross blue shield. Yes Yes, but what we're democ. They are were you using your degree in knowledge there at all?

Tracy Hayes: Yeah Just 

Angela Walker: wanted a job, needed a job. When I got right out of college, I actually started in a dress shop down in San Marco. And I loved it. And I, like, sales is for me. I knew, I knew, I knew. And then, um, they, I wasn't sure I wanted to stay there, per se. [00:04:00] And so, I got a job at Blue Cross. Just got a foot in the door kind of job.

Angela Walker: Customer service. And, um, And I felt like it wasn't the right fit and I didn't know what to do from there. So I just kept like looking around, paying attention. Staying in line. Yes, yes. I worked for the Medicare. And so the interesting thing about Medicare is when you work there, you have to dummy down your uh, education level.

Angela Walker: Because the average education level of people at that time, so go back, we're going back 30 years, Um, They were 7th grade level. So I had, so I had this college degree and I'm having to write letters and dummy and I'm down. And I was like, this is not for me, I'm in the wrong spot. 

Tracy Hayes: So writing letters to explain their coverage or something?

Tracy Hayes: Like, uh, 

Angela Walker: I was in the review department. So interesting right in about whatever and when I you know They their claim got denied and so we'd have to explain why or and so some of them were form letters But some of them you had to alter them And I would get flagged all the time that I was above [00:05:00] grade level, right?

Angela Walker: And I was like, 

Tracy Hayes: okay, right. 

Angela Walker: I need to get out of this department Yeah, 

Tracy Hayes: you would not think because I think today they just send the letter down don't care whether you figure it out or not well, 

Angela Walker: but think about it today's seniors are More educated than they were 30 years ago. Yeah, right. They all have college degrees.

Angela Walker: So think a very good point. Yes So things have changed it wouldn't be in that same circumstance as I was back then 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, because you're looking you're really yeah, if you do a 30 year jump you're looking at people who grew up maybe in the 60s and 70s, uh uh or education wise versus uh, The depressionary period where a lot of them didn't even graduate from high school eighth grade had to go to work or whatever.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah Yeah, um 

Angela Walker: So I got into management there. Yeah. That's what I did. I went into training. I love training. And so I went into, um, management piece. That's where I was when I finally decided to leave there. I had my third child and I had three kids under five and a demanding [00:06:00] husband. No offense, just in case he's watching and um, you know, it was just a lot.

Angela Walker: And so my mom kept saying, just stop working, take care of your own kids. You know, by the time you pay daycare for all these people and whatever. So he's like, okay, I'll do that. Well, I didn't like it. I didn't like it because I was with new moms and they wanted to talk about diapers and whatever I was like 

Tracy Hayes: Okay, and you spent you spent this year in the corporate years in the corporate world 11 or 12 

Angela Walker: years.

Angela Walker: Yeah corporate and so it was just not working And part of what we had to do and for me to um To get out of the job was we had to downsize our house And so I had met this realtor who took us around and, uh, she put our house up for sale and then she helped me find the new house and she just made it seem so fun.

Angela Walker: And so I was like, I want that job. I could do that job. I know I could. And so I didn't do anything about it right away because I [00:07:00] wanted to be the stay at home mom and, you know, do my best. But within, within about eight months, I called her and I said, I need a job. I need to get out of my house. Tell me, can I do this?

Angela Walker: You know, 

Tracy Hayes: I've had many guests on who've had bad experiences. Where like, I can do that better than that real estate agent did. Ignored me, but you had a good experience. 

Angela Walker: Well, I did. I did. I had a good experience and we laughed a lot. So to me that made me feel like that's what the job was, is it's getting quite personal with people and having fun and, um, which I have brought to my customers actually.

Angela Walker: Um, but there was a piece of it that, She didn't do perfectly and I don't want to say this because we're still friends But the part that wasn't done perfectly is the house didn't suit us for five years later, right? So I had three kids and we bought a three bedroom house. So I put two girls together Well, we chose never to move because we loved our [00:08:00] neighborhood.

Angela Walker: We loved our neighbors like it was awesome But when my girls hit that stage of life, they should not be sharing a bedroom. We didn't have enough bedrooms You And so we didn't want to move and we had to make alterations to the house we had. And it was in that moment that I thought, this is a shame.

Tracy Hayes: Excuse me. 

Angela Walker: I'm in the wrong spot and I can't get out. And so, anyway, um, what I wanted to do was take the skills I had learned in customer service at Blue Cross. That. We're, you know, really asking people questions, digging deep, finding out what they needed and solving their problems. So I bring that to real estate because I know I never want someone to be in the wrong house.

Angela Walker: And you would be surprised how many people I've met over the years, um, who have told me the realtor took them to the wrong area. Like somebody would insist that they go to JCP, you know, Johnson Creek and. They live, they work downtown, their kids are [00:09:00] in school, you know, at Episcopal and they're like, why are we going all the way 

Tracy Hayes: out to G.

Tracy Hayes: C. B.? 

Angela Walker: So, you know, and they didn't know the area, so they trusted the realtor and, and I can't tell you how many times people tell me that. Because one of the first things I do when I'm talking to a customer is to say, this isn't your first house. Tell me about your previous experience. What'd you love? And what would do you wish your realtor had done better and then I say okay at the end of our time together I'm gonna ask you again Based upon what you just said to me.

Angela Walker: How did I do 

Tracy Hayes: right 

Angela Walker: and they're like, really? What are some of the common 

Tracy Hayes: common answers? Are you getting there if you if you actually charted that or you get it, do you get some common things where people? this you know in Relative to what was what they didn't like or what ended up? Not being convenient about the last house they chose.

Angela Walker: It's usually that it's the wrong area. And because they're not from here, they don't [00:10:00] know, like, um, 

Tracy Hayes: distance traveling to work and that sort of thing. 

Angela Walker: Oh, like, let's put it this way. One of the people, they had gotten a relocation agent who was from Hilliard. Okay. So these people moved down from New York.

Angela Walker: And they're now in Hilliard. You were from New York. Can you imagine moving to Hilliard? That's a shock, 

Tracy Hayes: right? It's not all New York City. New York, New York. If they're from New York, New York. They were from New York, New 

Angela Walker: York. And I'm thinking, what just happened? You know, how did that even come about? But, you know, sometimes our real estate agents, they get so, uh, able to talk about one part of town.

Angela Walker: Maybe they live in Mandarin and they know Mandarin better than anywhere. And that's where they focus or, you know, they know their little whatever, anywhere. So that to me can be a problem, right? It really can be because just because you know that area so well, I mean, obviously you're not going to pass the customer off to another agent who knows a [00:11:00] different area, like the beaches or St.

Angela Walker: Augustine or something. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: So, the trick is to learn as many areas as you can. Now, being native, that was easy, right? But even so, it was when we got our radio show that I feel like we got exposed to five counties, right? So, we have a big listenership in Middleburg. I was like, Middleburg. Okay. I know where it is.

Angela Walker: I've been there, but I don't know it. Know it. I 

Tracy Hayes: haven't spent any time there. Restaurants, whatever. Yeah. 

Angela Walker: So I had to learn it. And so, you know, I've learned every single county over the decade, the about 12 years that we've been doing the show. So, um, it was, it's important, I think, to really get infiltrated into, I don't know if that's the right word, but to entrenched into the area that Your customer wants to be in to make sure that you're doing the right thing Because if you're not you need to step out of that deal.

Tracy Hayes: Well, you you [00:12:00] bring up an interesting Um, so I always my my wife, uh when she's been in real estate now about four or five years, I guess And I always worry about her Um, you know, just from an outside perspective, you only know what, you know, what you're doing and you're running your business, she's running her business, but you have to watch.

Tracy Hayes: Like you said, yeah, you become overly, uh, promoting a certain area of town. And then, so you want to put everybody there because maybe you, obviously you live there, your kids go to those, love those schools and not really analyzing, uh, you know, what's going on. Yeah. These people from New York, New York, they are accustomed.

Tracy Hayes: Yes, there's houses. I know my wife would not buy for us Because of how maybe how small it is how close it is to other houses that kind of thing, right? Those guys coming from from Queens, New York. They're used to being reaching out and touching their neighbor So it's not a bit so you don't want to just Put your personal feelings or visions on that.

Tracy Hayes: You really need to [00:13:00] feel where they're at. 

Angela Walker: Yes. That is the important part of taking a meeting with your customer before you take them to see a house. You know, with, you know, as we're moving today, we're moving into buyer meetings. Right. I've been doing it. for 25 years because of my customer service background.

Angela Walker: It's been important to me from the get go to find the right house for the right customer at the end of the day. And actually I did it on my very, very first customer. I interviewed them. And they first bought a house and I kept saying, I don't think this is right for you. And it turned out that after the inspection they didn't buy it.

Angela Walker: And then I said, can I please take you where I think that might be best for you? And they're like, sure, go ahead. So I took them somewhere, they fell in love with the house, they fell in love with the neighborhood, and it was Halloween time. And they had been living, like, off DuPont Road, right? Where there's no neighborhood.

Tracy Hayes: So 

Angela Walker: I put them in a neighborhood. So at Halloween, the day after the wife who was a vice president for a very big [00:14:00] corporation here, she called me and she said, I love you so much. You have no idea what you've done for my family. She said, you knew what I didn't know. We're so happy inside of this subdivision with other kids for our kids to play with right and we are having the best life Ever and I love you, and I will never forget what you've done for me That was 

Tracy Hayes: my first customer 

Angela Walker: that that's the ticket I do want to just I'm gonna 

Tracy Hayes: take a moment here because I'm gonna reach out about Remy graphics for these nice mugs Which I see it's in your gift bag there, which has the show logo on there.

Tracy Hayes: She will do one offs You Uh, uh, Dunya Taylor is the owner, uh, uh, Remy graphics. Uh, if you have a closing and you just want to put John and Sally, you know, 2024 on there, she'll make one of those. If that's all you need, you don't have to order a couple dozen. Uh, but, uh, appreciate her be co sponsoring with me and making these beautiful mugs for my guests here on the show.

Tracy Hayes: And I'm just gonna put [00:15:00] Remy graphics. com for you guys to go in there. And she does more than the mugs, the laser engraving is what they do. And, uh, can do that for you. Um, you mentioned talking about the buyers and this has been important for you for a while. Yes. Do you prefer to do it face to face? Do you try to make that happen if it's possible?

Angela Walker: Um, the first meeting? Yeah. Um, I don't necessarily need that. Um, I find that when you bring people into the office to have that face to face meeting that they, they don't think it's a good use of time. They don't understand that it really is yet. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: they'll understand it later in the process Because it will help me take them exactly where they need to go and do what they need to do So for me doing it on the phone even has been sufficient because I can interview them thoroughly I mean, I'm telling you that we could be on the phone an hour two hours.

Angela Walker: Yeah It's not it's not a 15 minute phone call. It's a long time and I tell them plan for this call And so keep in [00:16:00] mind that zoom has only been really popular for us realtors since kovid So i've been doing it on the phone for a very very long time 

Tracy Hayes: Uh, it is a talent the phone phone, uh being good on the phone is a talent it is that that you have to Uh learn.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. Yes So, all right, let's we're um You So you're a stay at home mom. 

Angela Walker: Yep. 

Tracy Hayes: You said, hey, I gotta get back to business. You enjoyed this experience with this, uh, realtor. I imagine, you know, uh, you spent 25 years with, with Watson. 

Angela Walker: Yes. 

Tracy Hayes: Um, she was with Watson. 

Angela Walker: She was. She was my boss, actually, is who she ended up being.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. So, you know, what was it like then for, as a, as a new agent? I don't know what experience you had in real estate. You just bought your probably your first house, right? Was your first house? It was 

Angela Walker: our third house. Oh, third house already. Okay. Yeah. 

Tracy Hayes: So you, you've bought and sold a few houses already. Um, you walk in the first door.

Tracy Hayes: What are some of the things [00:17:00] they were having you do? Uh, and you know, right out near your first day. 

Angela Walker: Well, let me back up to two weeks before the first day. Okay. So one of my friends calls and she says, I know you're getting a real estate license. Do you have it yet? And I said, not quite yet. She's like, Oh my God, I got to buy the house down the street.

Angela Walker: I was like, I can help you. And she was like, but you just said you weren't licensed. I said, my boss is licensed. So I called her real quick. I'm like, Hey, I need help. Go write this contract that I did. I can give it back to me as soon as I come on board with you. And if I don't pass the test, then it's your customer.

Angela Walker: Yeah. And she just laughed and she was like, you're going to be fine. I can tell how this is going to go. So I was like, okay, so we did that. So I started off with a listing like a high dollar listing for Uh, just coming out with a license and I got to sell their house. So I had the, well, I'm sorry, I had a purchase and the listing right out the door.

Angela Walker: So all of the agents in my office were going like, what is [00:18:00] up with her? How does she do that? Right. But it's just who, you know, and so you have to get back to the basics for one thing. Um, so when, when I got in, what was interesting is every agent in the office gave me some kind of advice. Yeah. They're like, oh, you're wearing a business suit.

Angela Walker: You don't need a business suit. And I'm thinking, I don't have any other clothes. I mean, I can dress like a mom or I can dress like I worked at Blue Cross. That's what I have. And they're like, you don't need that. I'm like, okay. And they're like, we'll, we'll see you in a couple of years. See how you're doing.

Angela Walker: Okay. And they were telling me, you don't need a computer at home. I was like, I want a computer at home. Like, why are they giving me this advice? And it just, it just seemed like. I was so gung ho and I wanted to go all in so fast and everybody was trying to slow me down. You have to keep in mind the time frame was 1998.

Angela Walker: We had just gotten rid of the real estate books. You've heard stories of those, right? The big books. You 

Tracy Hayes: know, 

Angela Walker: you couldn't take them out of the office and da da [00:19:00] da. Luckily, I didn't experience any of that. Because the internet was happening right as I was coming along. So we had an MLS. What we didn't have was the ability to email those MLS sheets to a customer.

Angela Walker: We had that now. Back then, you had to print them off, put them on the fax machine, and fax them to somebody. That's crazy, right? When you think about it. And, um, I think one of the other things that was so unusual was that we had contracts. Our contracts were just a couple pages. I mean, seriously, a listing agreement was like two pages.

Angela Walker: A purchase agreement was three. And they were those carbon contracts. So you hand wrote and then you took off the top and that's the original and you gave the copy to your customer and that was it. And, Think about how crazy that is contracts today are 15 pages with addendums, you know, you end up at like 22 pages It's because of lawsuits and everything else has happened over time, right?

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: that made us better at the business [00:20:00] But it's terrible for the customer 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: it is because it's a lot for them to take in, which is why they need a real estate agent to help them really understand what all that's about. Um, but I would say that what I did to be successful that first year, and I was, I made more money my first year in real estate than my last year at Blue Cross.

Angela Walker: And I was in management. So, um, what I did is I took everybody's floor. I decided floor duty was for me and also 

Tracy Hayes: which office is this office still. Exists for Watson. We 

Angela Walker: call it the San Marco office, but it's at Lakewood, you know, the little office It's a little boutique office. Very small and it's and you had walk 

Tracy Hayes: ins coming in 

Angela Walker: We had walk.

Angela Walker: Of course you had walk ins. You know why you had walk ins because 

Tracy Hayes: people didn't know there was no internet Well, yeah 

Angela Walker: So if somebody wanted to buy a house they had to call in so the floor was very busy And or they would just walk in and we had a lot of traffic. Yes You Yes. And so it [00:21:00] was great. It's a different time than it is today, where everybody has the information before they call you, right?

Angela Walker: Um, of what they want to do and what they want to see. So, um, so I did a lot of floor and I did a lot of open houses and that was really, really, really fabulous. And then the other thing is it's working the customers you have. And by when I say working them from a business perspective, I'm asking them, do you have any friends that might need to buy or sell, you know, just working your sphere of influence.

Tracy Hayes: This first customer you had, uh, right away, the two weeks before you actually had your license, was this someone you worked with at blue cross? Our kids went to 

Angela Walker: school together at, um, Jacksonville country day school. 

Tracy Hayes: And you were just talking that you're going to get in real estate and, um, 

Angela Walker: Yeah. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: Yep.

Angela Walker: And so, um, that's how that one came about. Actually, what's really interesting. I sold like eight houses on that street. That I made more money on that street than i've made on any other street Just over time And the [00:22:00] house that she bought the very first house, 

Tracy Hayes: right? 

Angela Walker: I literally have had six transactions on that one house 

Tracy Hayes: Wow, 

Angela Walker: right.

Angela Walker: Let's 

Tracy Hayes: let's dig in dig in a little bit So we'll talk about the street. Did you how did you work the street in a certain way? What did you do to get attention 

Angela Walker: just through her just 

Tracy Hayes: through her? I 

Angela Walker: mean, so this is incormorant landing and so So she bought a house and listed her house. Then her next door neighbor listed her house.

Angela Walker: And then I sold her a house out in Beauclair. And then, um, there was another lady. I listed her house and she moved to the villages of San Jose. I mean, it was just, the street isn't that big either. Okay. It's just not that big. And I'm sold almost every single house on that street. I think, except two houses 

Tracy Hayes: because I think agents at the, you know, you had a friend who was willing to.

Tracy Hayes: Take it, you know, without any, without you having any experience yet, which there are friends out there. Family doesn't always do that sometimes, [00:23:00] but then there's friends that will wait and see, are you going to stick with this? Are you any good at it before I actually give you my business? So you have to filter through these, but you obviously have 

Angela Walker: to leverage, leverage your resources, right?

Angela Walker: So you have to say. My broker is going to deal with you directly like you got the best of the best. Yeah. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, and 

Angela Walker: she'll take great care of you 

Tracy Hayes: What do you think are some of the things I mean, obviously you wowed her that she now has confidence to go and tell her friends And oh, yeah other people that are outside your circle And so but I I think today we're so bouncing around Uh, whether it's a loan officer or an agent we're bouncing around and don't really focus on I wouldn't say a lot.

Tracy Hayes: There is a very fine group of people that I have a lot of them. I've had on the show that Understand that customer that's in front of them right now that they're working with going around showing homes Whatever that they're actually not only a customer, but they're actually the marketing piece for future customers.

Tracy Hayes: They are. And realizing that the referrals to [00:24:00] win that person over to be you know, your cheerleader is vitally important to a quick success. 

Angela Walker: It is so important. And to me, that's just the basics of what you do. Right? So, if you sell a house to someone and you never speak to them again, shame on you. That is just shame on you.

Angela Walker: There's no excuse that you don't stay in touch with that customer. That you don't ask them for the privilege to help their friends and family. And I think that that's part of what happens when you're new, is you don't have enough confidence to ask, right? So I just have this personality that I'm not shy, and so asking is part of what I do.

Angela Walker: And I close a lot of business because I ask for it. I'm not kidding. That's probably sounds crazy. But no that's I mean more than one person. Tell me a multi million dollar house is like You got the business because you asked the other people we interviewed didn't even ask for the business, 

Tracy Hayes: right? [00:25:00] No.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, I think Any great sales book I mean you're that is part of it and I think one of the things that you had listed there to have had on the List to talk about was also obviously follow up. 

Angela Walker: Yes, 

Tracy Hayes: you got to continue to follow up. Yes, I What are some of the things, um, that maybe you were doing now, maybe you do them slightly different, but in a sense of, uh, following up with your past customers, what are some of the, some of the things you like to do and regularly been doing that you think I like to call 

Angela Walker: them out of the blue.

Angela Walker: Hey, how you doing? What are you up to? I haven't talked to you in a while, not necessarily 

Tracy Hayes: on a birthday or whatever, just just out of the blue. 

Angela Walker: Right out of the blue out of the blue because they need to know they're special not because it's their birthday because guess how Many calls are going to get on their birthday, right?

Angela Walker: Lots of them, 

Tracy Hayes: right? 

Angela Walker: So it's just an out of the blue. I was thinking about you something happened the other day You popped in my mind and I thought I need to call you and see what's going on How are you and just catch up 

Tracy Hayes: right 

Angela Walker: and then You do the Buffini, you know, Buffini, 

Tracy Hayes: brand 

Angela Walker: Buffini, do the clothes.

Angela Walker: Hey, before we get off the [00:26:00] phone, do you know anybody who needs to buy herself? Gotta ask. 

Tracy Hayes: And you can make that a joke, but you have to, you have to remind them sometimes, like, Hey, this, I'm, I'm in business, this is my business, this is what I do. Yes. You know, think, please think, you know, please think about me, you know, because Um, you never know, they could be at a, talk to you on Friday and then Sunday afternoon they're having a barbecue at their friend's house and somebody's talking about real estate.

Tracy Hayes: And because you asked, because you made it, you know, you probably laughed about the fact you asked about it. It's stuck in their head and they remember, Oh no, you need to call Angela. 

Angela Walker: Yes. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. And it's funny because I have people that I've sold houses to in my first year that I still talk to.

Angela Walker: I mean, it's 25 years later. So, you know, that probably seems weird, but, you know, some of my customers, and this is the bad part about doing such great investigative work and finding the perfect house is that they still live in that house. I sold them 25 years ago.[00:27:00] 

Angela Walker: But you know, that's when you got to call and say, Hey, don't you know, any brands that, you know, I could help you with? Do some business with because they love me, you know, and so you 

Tracy Hayes: mentioned a moment ago, a house that you've sold like six times. So now not every one of the buyers were your customers or probably came from another agent, right?

Angela Walker: So, all right. So the way it started is I had that buyer two weeks before I got my license, she sold. So she was a listing. I had that buyer who bought her house. She sold. I had her as a listing. Buyer came from that same street. 

Tracy Hayes: Oh, 

Angela Walker: I had that buyer And we just sold that house and they moved to Atlanta We just sold that house and I did not have that buyer but I had that listing right six six transactions Wow, wow, 

Tracy Hayes: that's in 

Angela Walker: a 25 year span.

Tracy Hayes: That's I think I've mentioned it several times on the show. I think some, some agents get into it and they don't think long [00:28:00] term they, they, they get into business and they're only thinking about maybe the next 60, 90 days. Maybe they're not understanding that. Yeah. I might sell this customer today. And it may be a year or two before they ever refer me and refer me somebody or maybe they they go and Need to move or something again for whatever reason, you know, we got a lot obviously a lot of military moving in and out Um, but understanding how can I make that one customer into hopefully three to five transactions referrals?

Tracy Hayes: Buy resell that kind of thing 

Angela Walker: Conversation. Yeah, right. It's just it's just keeping engaged with them and talking to them and saying This is why I say What was your experience with your last realtor? Okay. I don't want to do that. At the end of this, I'm going to ask you, how did I meet your expectations?

Angela Walker: And when I asked them, how did I meet your expectations? My next question is, would you be willing to refer me to your friends and family? And it's a pregnant pause. I'll wait. I want to hear yes or no. Right. Because if they say no, which no one [00:29:00] has ever said But if they do I want to be why you know, they always say yes And so it helps set an expectation that we're done with this transaction, but we're not done.

Angela Walker: We're not done with each other, right? 

Tracy Hayes: What have you obviously the? CRMs, all that stuff has changed many times in 25 years. Uh, what are, what are you doing? And what do you always, you know, some, there's some agents, you know, they've got it set up so that they're, they're getting a newsletter, they're getting this and that several times a month.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, I think it was Carrie Carpenter with K Keller wins. I want to say she. Somehow it was a four or five times a month that they're getting something from her. What are you, what are you, what have you found over the years? I mean, besides the out of the blue phone call, you know, you're doing that. You probably don't do that every month, but maybe several times a year.

Tracy Hayes: What are you doing on a regular basis that. That's worked for you to stay top of mind. 

Angela Walker: You should not ask me that question. 

Tracy Hayes: Uh, is that a difficult one? 

Angela Walker: Yeah, I don't do [00:30:00] anything. I don't, I don't. I told you I like marketing, but I find that those things don't particularly work. Um, and. 

Tracy Hayes: Makes you feel good that that went out.

Tracy Hayes: Right. So I reached out to my, my email went out today. I 

Angela Walker: do the just listed and just sold postcards that actually does work. People will call and say, Hey, you got that house sold. What did it sell for? Okay. Come list my house. I mean, that happens. Um, but to just put people on a drip campaign. You know, they're like, Oh, email again, people are infant, you know, they have too much email right now.

Angela Walker: I think, I know I have too much email. Um, and I think other people do too. And maybe they glance at it. Maybe they don't. And do we know, we don't know unless they, uh, disconnect us unsubscribe. Otherwise we don't know whether they're even looking at it or not. I did send out those magazines. Um, [00:31:00] Lifestyle magazine where it has your branding on it and all that and that works for a while So it's sort of this coffee table thing that goes out once a month or once every other month And it's actually 

Tracy Hayes: printed.

Angela Walker: It's a printed Magazine and it'll have recipes in it. It will have great houses in it. It will have lots of tips for things Um and people like that um Did it get me a lot of business? Not as much as I wanted it to but they appreciated getting it They'd call and go where did you come up with that recipe?

Angela Walker: And I'm thinking I didn't I bought that I 

Tracy Hayes: mean you never know what your social media today. I know Uh, Josh Rogers said it really well. Uh, someone said to him, say, I'm not getting any business from social media, said, well, then stop doing social media and see what happens to your business. Right? Because if you are a regular social media, using it to stay top of mind, you never know when someone's ready to buy or sell or [00:32:00] runs into someone who's ready to buy or sell.

Tracy Hayes: Yes, it just, it could be tomorrow, it could be a year or whenever. You don't, just don't know. And maybe they don't like referring people. There's some people that are like that. They don't like referring people, uh, for whatever reason. But, um, you just don't know. When that rock is going to be unturned and produce something for you.

Angela Walker: That's true. That's true. I feel like he, uh, is a great example of someone who embraced um The whole platform really what from youtube videos to whatever and he did it early, you know And so I think he was kind of a leader in that and um, it's worked well for him Uh, I don't do that. Yeah, I you know, I get on facebook and i'm talking to my friends and That still keeps me top of mind.

Tracy Hayes: So you like to interact on Facebook? 

Angela Walker: I do. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, because well, that's I mean That's what social media, you know, social media is designed to be social and that's what they all tell you You need to be commenting and making significant comments to you know Someone's post is just say something other [00:33:00] than just the like you need to actually write a sentence.

Angela Walker: Yes. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah 

Angela Walker: I do that. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: So I have the heart of a teacher and the heart of a servant. And so every opportunity I have, when I see something, people have posted, uh, I write something that's heartfelt, you know, back to them. Something that says, I see your situation. I feel you like, I'm here for you. I'll support you or whatever, or congratulations.

Angela Walker: That's so awesome. Look how your family's growing or whatever it is. I don't just say congratulations. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. Right. Cause the algorithms is going to keep. them and you in front of them and them in front of you and keep it going. Uh, I want to, I want to jump over to the radio station. So you've been doing a dozen years.

Tracy Hayes: You had a partner with the originally, uh, what came about opportunity for the radio station? Was it something you thought of or someone just came across you and said, Hey, why don't you do a radio show? We got the spot at the radio station. How did that all come? 

Angela Walker: Oh, no, no, no. It wasn't that easy. So my partner had actually, [00:34:00] um, been a national speaker.

Angela Walker: And about real estate and had been on radio previously And we were on a trip and he wakes up and he says we're gonna do a radio show and i'm like, oh That sounds like a terrible idea. Why would we do that? and he said for business and i'm like How are we going to get business for right? Like I just could not comprehend what he was talking about and so, um We went and we approached the president of the station and we said, and think about this, this is 2011 at the end of 

Tracy Hayes: 2011.

Angela Walker: And the gentleman saying to us, think short sales, foreclosures, that's what was happening at that point, right? He says, what are you going to talk about? We're like real estate and he said there's not that much to say Well, we're gonna turn that around Now you're challenged now you are gonna get We're going to make it be awesome We're gonna make people [00:35:00] realize that it is real estate That is the base of all economy and that you know, you got to get back in the game.

Angela Walker: And so he said I'll give you the spot. I'll make that happen. We'll see how you do. I mean, he just still was not on board at all. So we went for like a month and we watched another couple do a radio show and they did it at lunchtime and she would come in and she was an attorney. And so it was an attorney show.

Angela Walker: And, um, We just watched their back and forth and how they communicated and they just made it look so easy, frankly. And so we were like, okay, we got this. And so we went to write a show and literally it took like three weeks. Three weeks to get the ideas out of what we wanted to say, how we wanted to say it, da da da.

Angela Walker: So, um, we come to the show, this is kind of funny, I don't know why I'm going into all this detail, but it was funny. Um, the very first show was January 7th of 2012. And we get and we're [00:36:00] driving and I'm just hyperventilating. I'm like, I cannot do this. Why did I agree to this? This is crazy. And so my sister calls from New York and she's like, Hey, I'm just calling to wish you good luck.

Angela Walker: I'm like, I can't even talk. I'm so nervous. I'm not going to be able to do it. And she started to laughing and she goes, we're going to pray with you. So we're a prayerful family. And so she prays with me. And in the meantime, he's gone inside the building to get us set up and she's praying with me. And I was like.

Angela Walker: Okay, I got it. I'm ready. And so I went inside and I put my hand on his shoulder. I said, you ready? And he goes, no, I'm nervous. I'm like, you can't be nervous. Like this is your idea. I said, but I tell you what, I'm I'm ready now. And he said, I'm not, I'm nervous. I said, I put my hand on him and prayed for him.

Angela Walker: He's like, okay, I'm good. So we just did the show. And what we did is we actually planned three people to call in so that people would understand it's a live call in show. So in each segment, someone called in. Of course, we [00:37:00] already knew what they were going to ask. Um, and then in the fourth segment, the phone rang and I was like, Oh, that's not a plant.

Angela Walker: That's somebody really calling in. Oh my gosh. And so when we, we answered the call and I was so nervous, right? Cause I'm thinking, do I know the answer to whatever they're going to say? Sure enough, guess what I did, because I had already been a realtor for 14 years. And it was easy. So I looked at him and I'm like, I got this.

Angela Walker: So I answered the question and I left there knowing beyond knowing, you know, I always say, I know that I know that I know. I knew that this was for us and I knew that it would go For me in the way of helping people who I do not know Because I don't need to have their business. I need to help them, right?

Angela Walker: That's part if I can just say it's part of my ministry. I like to help people and so um It goes in with, I'm a servant and I'm a teacher. And so I can help people right there on the air with their question. [00:38:00] And I, you don't know how many people call who say, I already have a realtor and they told me this, but I want to know if they're saying the right thing.

Angela Walker: I know you're an expert, um, but they, but the interesting thing that this has afforded us over time is that when we go out to list someone's home, we're not up against anyone. They know us like know us right because we have been on you know When you come on someone's home or on the radio every Saturday without fail What you get is a relationship with them, 

Tracy Hayes: yeah 

Angela Walker: now we don't know them from Adam But they know us.

Angela Walker: Right. And so on our first listing appointment, the um, that was a radio show listener. The guy throws open the door and he's like, the celebrities are here. And I'm like, who's he talking about? I did not get it at all. I mean, I really didn't understand What that meant to them, but for people who do [00:39:00] radio, they're called talkies.

Angela Walker: They don't watch TV. They only do radio. And so the people who are on the radio, they're really listening because they value their opinion. They want to learn new things, you know, and they want to be like right on the edge with information. So different than just watching the news. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: Because this is usually a topic that you spend an hour talking about and you know, you get really entrenched in it 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, yeah.

Tracy Hayes: No, it it that does like doesn't surprise me, but I never actually Uh thought about it or I don't think I ever actually asked you to direct question of you know, what? You know, I knew it got you business but how much and and then when you expressed how They saw you as a celebrity when you when you talk to these, um, Uh had the gallop group out of fernandina beach, uh, jacqueline and jordan on Yep Yeah, and their their background they had a media background and jordan likes making the videos and [00:40:00] uh, jacqueline said very clearly and I think it's a You Real on my Instagram about how because they see him on the video and You know, of course they these you know You don't see them because your customer because they're watching the video, but they they immediately recognize you and they're Not in the business of meeting someone all the time.

Tracy Hayes: You do that all the time. So you can handle that meeting someone for the first time. And how am I going to break the ice to start a conversation? They're not doing it every day. So when they do it through the video, or in this case, the radio show that you, they've already, yes, built a relationship, started building a relationship with, yes, they, 

Angela Walker: they connect with you and they relate to you because whatever you're saying is.

Angela Walker: you know, a pleasant point for them. They're getting it. They're understanding and they're thinking that we're, you know, quite clever. So when you think about it, um, we have been on since January 7th of 2012 and we're the longest running radio show that I'm actually aware of. 

Tracy Hayes: POB or in [00:41:00] Jacksonville or but that I'm actually 

Angela Walker: aware of anywhere, right?

Angela Walker: So other people have tried radio before for real estate and haven't really figured out a way to make it work. And, um, and we have, so we're still here. 

Tracy Hayes: You're almost at 600 episodes. You're three, three shy here. So mid July you'll be there. What do you, What do you think has been your ability, the longevity?

Tracy Hayes: 'cause I have my answer from the, from the podcast side. Yeah. What I'm gonna ask you though, because like you said, I think a lot of people have that challenge. Whether it's, it is doing a podcast or if they are, or just a, a video podcast. They don't have to put it out, the Spotify and Apple and all that kind of thing.

Tracy Hayes: They could just do a, a video on YouTube regularly. Um. But there is it's a there is a mental mindset that you have to have To me I enjoy in in, you know, listening what you're saying and dig a little deeper and learning more about you Where that's really the fuel [00:42:00] of my fire and I have a passion of course You know real estate is is the is the overall subject we could talk about a lot Real estate encompasses so many different things.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, uh bring it in but yet we all Uh are doing that there there's a common thread You You know, it's, it's not, you know, we could, I could ask you, you have some questions out here and there about real estate and I guarantee you, you'll be able to say something about it. But the, my inquisitive, I should have been a psychology major as my always tell people for years.

Tracy Hayes: I should have been a psychology major because I enjoy, you know, uh, hearing your story and then hearing stories from you that I don't even know, you know, type of thing. But what is it, what has been your fuel in keeping this program going? 

Angela Walker: Well, it's interesting because when I started with my partner, it was his vision, right?

Angela Walker: And then I adopted quickly when I realized we could help people. So for me, it keeps coming back to helping people. That's what I do. I mean, I just, it's important to me to make a difference on the planet and to, you know, and [00:43:00] if this is my little small way of doing it and the way of helping people in real estate, If you've ever been put in the wrong house, I'm telling you it's valuable to have a realtor who will put you in the right house.

Angela Walker: Um, so, I take that really, really seriously. I don't, I don't open a door and not participate. I don't, um, hear them say, Oh, the Christmas tree is going there and I write the contract. Like, I go back to their checklist and I say, Okay, this is a great house for you. Um, But you said you wanted a fireplace. We can't easily add one.

Angela Walker: Well you can today, but you couldn't before, right? Like not a real fireplace. And um, you know, and Aaron doesn't have this, or it's further commute than you said. Are you sure? I just want to make sure you're okay. Because at the end of this, you will know that you overcame your own thing. And I will know that you're okay.

Angela Walker: I need to know that. Like people don't understand. I really, really care about them. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: So [00:44:00] I think whether it's on the radio or whether it's in person, I really care about people. And when you care about people, And the life that they're living and any little way that you can make a difference that makes their life better That's worth the journey right there.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: it is for me. 

Tracy Hayes: Well, there's no doubt. There's a lot of uh, There's a lot of great real estate agents that know a lot Uh, but obviously you take it to another level that you you're taking your knowledge and sharing it every week on the radio show 

Angela Walker: You would be surprised. So, okay So a real estate agent has to do 14 hours of continuing ed to keep their license every two years You We do that much every week.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: You know, you have to watch local news, state news, national news, you know, what's going on in real estate news, just to be up on everything so that if somebody calls in and asks you a question, 

Tracy Hayes: you've 

Angela Walker: got the answer. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. Or has some sort of, some sort of comment about it. 

Angela Walker: Yes. 

Tracy Hayes: That you, [00:45:00] yeah. Yeah. And I 

Angela Walker: would tell you that maybe.

Angela Walker: Um, twice in 12 years, we've been asked questions that was so specific to that person. We had to handle it off the air, 

Tracy Hayes: right? 

Angela Walker: But for the most part, Every question has been answered right there on the spot, which makes you an expert. You know, it just does. And when you read as much as we read and you stay up on it and you're having conversations, you'd be surprised how many other realtors come to you too.

Angela Walker: So while we have people who listen to the show, I keep saying, wait, it's my show now. Um, I have people who, um, listen to the show that are talkies, right? I also have realtors who listen to the show. And they're listening to see what did they learn this week that I don't know yet, right? And it's a quick way to get information.

Tracy Hayes: Well, because you bring on a wide variety of people, people related in the real estate industry, which is wide, uh, you know, whether it's a home inspector appraiser and [00:46:00] everybody in between, there's so many, uh, different people to participate. You are digging out or exposing that person to these. agents as well as consumers.

Tracy Hayes: Yes. Uh, and they're gaining a little knowledge. Like, Oh, this might be a good inspector. I liked the way he, you know, talked about how he does his business or whatever you were talking with him. I mean, uh, and you're, you're putting these people, uh, giving him their moment. That's, that's what, uh, Tom Reber says to me all the time.

Tracy Hayes: I give everybody their moment here on the podcast. Yeah, you do. It's such 

Angela Walker: a gracious thing that you do. Yeah, you don't expect anything in return. 

Tracy Hayes: No, I I don't I appreciate it though 

Angela Walker: I got this 

Tracy Hayes: nice mug from anchored real estate right here 

Angela Walker: But I think instead what you should say is for every person who comes on you just have to give me one customer Yeah, right because you're still in business by the way, and I don't want that to go unnoticed.

Angela Walker: I 

Tracy Hayes: was at a uh, A function at landmark title last week and my wife decided to be there as well And she it came up to me afterwards. She goes people are asking me [00:47:00] Are you you still doing mortgages or are you just doing the podcast people? I wish I got paid for the podcast I would do it 24 7 if I could if I could get paid for it.

Tracy Hayes: I do love doing it. But uh, Yes referral would be nice. Yes 

Angela Walker: referral would be great. So for every agent who comes on here After me or everyone who's been on before. If you're watching this, you have got to give Tracy a customer. I 

Tracy Hayes: appreciate that. Yes. I want 

Angela Walker: to give back, right? It's a circle or it's symbiotic.

Angela Walker: It really is. I 

Tracy Hayes: have a lot of content on every and everyone that's been on. And, um, we don't even utilize maybe 25 percent of it. I mean, like I said, you would talk for an hour. There's so many reels and so many things that could be, uh, social media content that could be, uh, reproduce, um, not reproduced it's, um, I'll think of the word here in a a minute.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, repurposed, that's the word. Repurposed. Repurposed, yeah. And marketing rep. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Um, 'cause I think YouTube is a underutilized facet of, uh, and, and LinkedIn's coming on strong. Uh, they're wanting more. I think it's too, yeah. I think it's too, I think more people ought to [00:48:00] do more stuff there. Over the years, um, you know, this first person that hired the, the, you know, brought you into Watson.

Tracy Hayes: Mm-Hmm. . Um, I assume they were a mentor. 

Angela Walker: Yes, yes. 

Tracy Hayes: How important do you think, you know, for agents coming on today, or maybe if they came on and didn't have one right away to really bond with someone, someone a little more experienced in seeing how they're doing business to have a mentor in the, in the business?

Angela Walker: Well, I would tell you that I think having a mentor is the most important thing you can do after you hire a transaction coordinator or assistant. 

Tracy Hayes: Oh. 

Angela Walker: You know why? Because today there's so much we have to learn about the CRM or the digital signing or the, you know, whatever, whatever. I would get a licensed assistant and hit the ground running and never bother to learn those processes.

Angela Walker: Because you don't need them. If you have an assistant, you don't need them. And you can go sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. [00:49:00] And then you become a really strong team. Really strong. That's a 

Tracy Hayes: great reel right there Just what she said because the last episode that I had on was samantha cox with op suite She offers all that whether you want assistant marketing.

Tracy Hayes: She's even got coaching involved, uh, you know comes from uh running teams at at um killer, Williams, Atlantic partners. She was killer wins, like part of director of operations, but that's, that's the service to offer. I totally agree with you. I think if I, and I think the brokers out there that are, um, doing well, especially with recruiting, what's the first thing an agent wants?

Tracy Hayes: They want. Do you have a transaction coordinator that's experienced and good that I can use as well? I don't have enough business to like employ them full time, but I can share but my problem I hear from some agents Oh that transaction coordinator is not so good well Did you have a conversation with him?

Tracy Hayes: What was the expectations? Because I sure every agent has a different expectation of their transaction. [00:50:00] Absolutely. Yeah, 

Angela Walker: absolutely I think um, engel and valkers has a great. Um, You Blueprint, I think they have a marketing person that works at every office. And so they are the front of the office. They're the front desk, but they also do marketing.

Angela Walker: So whether they're helping you with flyers or they're helping you with getting your website set up or they're helping you with whatever. Um, They have people for that. So they have like six people that support us. Four of them are marketing. Two of them are transaction coordinators. So you can walk in the door and hit the ground running.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: The only thing I had to learn was dot loop, because as long as I was at Watson, that wasn't one of the vehicles that we used. We use transaction desk, sky slope, you know, we've been online longer than most companies were. But that loops a whole nother animal. And so I don't want to learn it. So I'm asking my transaction coordinator, can you just write this contract?

Angela Walker: Cause I don't want to learn it. And she's [00:51:00] like, yes, because I have, you know, when you change companies, there's a lot going on there just is. And so, um, that wasn't how I wanted to spend my time. Now, does that mean I'm not going to learn it? Of course I'm going to learn it because I have to learn everything.

Angela Walker: It's who I am. But, um, You know, I didn't need to bog yourself down. 

Tracy Hayes: You could bog yourself down with all that stuff. 

Angela Walker: That's exactly right 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: and it frustrates me because if you're trying to do something, you know how to do Well, and first of all think about this we change contracts in northeast florida.

Angela Walker: We've always had our own they were great contracts They were equal to the buyer and seller They're gone now and and not yet now, but they're gone for us now, right? And so when I came to a new company had to learn all their new processes get a new contract Because I wanted to start right away I didn't want to start using my old contract and then so I wanted to start with the new one before anybody asked us to And and I had to learn [00:52:00] So it was like information overload, right?

Angela Walker: It's a, it's a lot. And that's where the transaction coordinator was so helpful to me, you know, and I'm reaching out to her going, I don't even, I don't have enough time to sit here and figure this out. Just write that contract for me. You know, you pay for that service, but it frees up your time and you can get onto the next customer.

Angela Walker: It's very, it's very healthy 

Tracy Hayes: income generating rating activities because it's that transaction coordinator is using dot loop every day, right? Because they're working with multiple agents. Yeah. So it becomes regular for them versus You know, uh, an agent who, you know, you have a deal now, Hey, how do you do that?

Tracy Hayes: Okay. I got that, got that one done. And then it might be two or three weeks 

Angela Walker: before you write another, before you write another 

Tracy Hayes: one, you're like, uh, how did 

Angela Walker: I do that? Yeah. Yes, absolutely. And 

Tracy Hayes: you start stressing about it and your mind starts going over here and it's taking away with what you really need to be doing.

Tracy Hayes: And that's entertaining the customers and focusing in on what their needs. The first 

Angela Walker: contract I wrote at Engel Volkers was [00:53:00] on a weekend, so I didn't have access to my TC, my transaction coordinator, and I had to wing it, figure it out by myself. And so luckily my customer was a repeat customer. Cause I'm telling her like, thank God that you know that I'm amazing.

Angela Walker: Otherwise you would think I'm the worst realtor ever right now because I can't figure out that loop. And so, you know what I did? I just printed it out, handwrote the contract. Send it over to the other agent, explain my situation. She was laughing, of course, and she was great. She, you know, was very patient through that, but it was fine.

Angela Walker: I mean, you, you find your work around when you need to work around, right. But I'm not going to spend hours trying to learn something on a Saturday night. Um, just so I can say I got it in dot loop. 

Tracy Hayes: Um, I want to run down some of these things that you had put across the bio and, and, and, uh, I want us to think about, uh, because these are your.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, things that you feel is important for a real estate agent, I think is if I want to summarize, uh, some of these [00:54:00] things, but how you do it. So you made a statement, I'm going to basically repeat the statement back to you, but yo, how do you, how do you make it work in your day to day business? Because we can talk about networking with all your friends and family, uh, but we, again, we only have so much time in the day.

Tracy Hayes: The weekends are only so long can't go out with everybody out to dinner Can't everybody over for a barbecue every month? What whatever but what think just some a little few things that really put the rubber to the road That if an agent's listening today go. Oh That's how angela does it i'm gonna add that to my repertoire 

Angela Walker: For me it really is about using social media in a way of staying in touch with people with that soft touch But a big comment Right, because then when people go, wow, she wrote a big comment.

Angela Walker: It means She cared about what I had to say and she's really responding to me. It's not just to get in the log of it Yeah, whatever you just said. It's not really just that it's really to [00:55:00] let them know I'm here. I'm watching I care Whatever that is. Well, it's 

Tracy Hayes: almost like an instantaneous little note card like in the old days You may have handwritten like a little note.

Tracy Hayes: Hey, I understand you, you know Whatever happened in your life and they don't get that till three four or five days later 

Angela Walker: Yeah, they're 

Tracy Hayes: instantaneously getting it on facebook. Yes, and that's how you're using it 

Angela Walker: Yes, I am. And so whether that's on linkedin Facebook instagram, I like them all 

Tracy Hayes: right. Yeah making good comments um I think this this one here is, I don't even know, I wouldn't even say it's 50 50 for some agents.

Tracy Hayes: Um, I think agents probably all could say they could do better at this one. And that's meet customers everywhere you go. 

Angela Walker: Where are your name? I don't even have my name tag on because I didn't know about being on the podcast, but I have my name tag on always and I'm always dressed for work because that's important, right?

Angela Walker: When people see me in a grocery store and they see I'm dressed for work and I'm wearing a name tag, they want to see where do you work? [00:56:00] And if they start to ask you about what's the interest rate, how's the market? People don't ask that unless they're going to buy or sell. Okay. That's the only time they ask they really well they have some 

Tracy Hayes: interest in you and that's a it's a icebreaker because they see You're a realtor 

Angela Walker: Most people don't have interest I don't feel like that.

Angela Walker: Well, I I 

Tracy Hayes: was thinking from the name tag standpoint when i'm in the grocery store And, um, the new cashier rings up. I always, you know, I see their name tag and I say, thank you, Sally. Yes. 

Angela Walker: Oh my goodness. I don't do that. Some people love it. Some people love receiving that. And some people don't, and you don't ever know who that's going to be.

Angela Walker: But it does make a contact, right? It does make a, um, you know, and I think especially if you're saying something very pleasant to them and use their name in that sentence, it is a favorable experience, even if they're the type person who wishes they didn't have their name tag on, right? So, you know, everywhere we [00:57:00] go, when you see someone, just cause they have a name tag on, does not mean they're an extrovert and they want to talk to you.

Tracy Hayes: Just work told 

Angela Walker: in the headwear. 

Tracy Hayes: I will 

Angela Walker: tell you where I got my best training on the. That whole thing was at Publix. So when I was, um, after I worked at my parents company, my dad's like, you gotta go work for somebody else. So I went to Publix, and I was so shy. I mean, Tracy, I don't know if you can tell, I'm not shy now, but I was then, and I couldn't even talk to people.

Angela Walker: My, my manager would come up and say, smile. Smile, please smile. I'm still nervous. Okay. By the time I left Publix, I would have people waiting in my line to come through when there were other cashiers that had no one in line. That's the kind of impact. That's the kind of change that I made at that company.

Tracy Hayes: Wow, isn't 

Angela Walker: that crazy? That is so you're working all the time and you if you're pleasant and you're talking to people This is me talking to them. It's [00:58:00] not them talking to me, right? Because I'm making them feel special 

Tracy Hayes: right 

Angela Walker: and that's what I do with my customers too. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: but it started at Publix 

Tracy Hayes: Wow

Tracy Hayes: Such a turnaround at a young age to learn that Wow It was 

Angela Walker: one of the best customer service experiences I ever had better than better than blue cross in the way that You can make that really personal contact, but it's face to face and you know You smile and talk to them and ask them how their kids are and what's going on I mean 

Tracy Hayes: you've taken that through your entire career.

Tracy Hayes: I mean, I mean that's that's the basis of building a relationship with your real estate Customers. Um, I like this one here because I think it's very important, uh, all the top agents that I've had on collaboration is one of the big things. And when I saw this line, I think this is important, not only in your office, but he said, make friends and be helpful with others in your office.

Tracy Hayes: Um, but I think that even goes outside, even other people with other brokerages, you never know who's going [00:59:00] to be on the other end of the deal. 

Angela Walker: You got that right. Yeah. So what I what the reason I said in the office, first of all, is because as you come new into an office, you don't know anybody. And everybody there knows more than you know, they just do.

Angela Walker: Even if you're a seasoned realtor, they know more than you know, because they know their processes. Inside the company. It's what you don't know yet, right? You're going to know it. So befriend them and learn it as fast as you can. Knowledge is power. The faster you can get it, the better you're going to be, period.

Angela Walker: And so I think it's really important to collaborate in that way. Like I want to go on vacation. Well, I just joined Engel and Volkers. Who's going to cover my business. I got to get that handled. You know what I'm saying? Right. Yeah. I already asked someone, you know, and starting to work on that, but those are the little things that you need to collaborate.

Angela Walker: Plus, as you come in as a new agent, inexperienced, everybody in that office has already done multiple [01:00:00] deals. They can help you, you know, if your broker's not in that day, it's a weekend, which is when we do a lot of business. Then you have somebody sitting there who can say, Oh yeah, I can tell you what you need to do.

Angela Walker: And they help and being helpful that way is amazing. It's priceless. It really is priceless. But as far as the other agents, when I have a cross sale, First thing we're going to do is be friends. We're going to be friends and they're like Okay It's important because if you have a terrible relationship with the agent on the other side It's going to be a nightmare of a transaction 

Tracy Hayes: But 

Angela Walker: if you befriend them right out of the gate Then what happens is it's important that we get our customers.

Angela Walker: We're a transaction broker state Okay, it's important that we get our customers to the closing table You It's a collaborative effort. It doesn't mean I'm going to hurt my customer in the process or that they would hurt theirs. We're helping everybody. Let's get to the, you know, 

Tracy Hayes: get there. Yes, 

Angela Walker: we work together and that is the [01:01:00] best, best, best way.

Tracy Hayes: I know you've done, you have had, you've done enough transactions with somebody on their end that's been combative. Oh sure. Yeah. How do you, what do you do with, you know, with your personality and your knowledge to try to tame that down, to bring them to that, that mindset that you just had, that hey, we're We have a buyer and we have a seller.

Tracy Hayes: Someone wants to sell the house. Someone wants to buy the house. We need to figure out how everybody can be, come to some sort of, uh, agreement and get the closing. 

Angela Walker: I have, I have had, um, I have had a nightmare agent and had her three times in my career. So, um, it gotten better over 

Tracy Hayes: the. I can't say. 

Angela Walker: You know, it's a transaction broker who's acting like a single agent, 

Tracy Hayes: right?

Angela Walker: And, and not even kind while they're doing it. It's, it's unfortunate, but whatever made that person that way, It's gotten them through their career. I mean, this is a long time agent. [01:02:00] And, um, but the bad thing is, is that they get a reputation in business, you know, and what you have to be careful about is agents will not show your listing.

Angela Walker: Not that we should do that. That's unethical, but that could happen, right? I would never do it at 

Tracy Hayes: the bottom of the list. I would never do it, which is 

Angela Walker: why i've had three Cross sales with them. It was just a couple 

Tracy Hayes: years ago where you're getting multiple offers and you got this other person and you're going You know, i'm gonna I need to present to my my seller The best offers but I got this pain in the butt over here.

Angela Walker: That's exactly right And you know what the customer wants to know that like well, what agent do you think's best to work with 

Tracy Hayes: right? Yeah 

Angela Walker: Hmm. Interesting question. Yeah. You know, so I do think that, um, for me and just, I like to just win people over. And so I do a whole lot of sugar with them, you know, you get a lot more with sugar and honey than you do with vinegar.

Angela Walker: So, um, yeah. So we're just going to be sweet to them [01:03:00] and we're going to get them to the closing table. 

Tracy Hayes: The next one you had on here, it's important to preview all of the properties that you can make appointments for vacant homes. Do you mean you go out on your time to go out and preview this home just so you know, because it's a neighborhood you're working.

Tracy Hayes: So maybe it's a house you've never been in and you want to see what's going on. 

Angela Walker: Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Don't let something come on in a market that you say you work like you work Mandarin at, you know, 300 to 600 go see all the houses. 

Tracy Hayes: All right. 

Angela Walker: So when somebody calls you and they say, maybe they call on your listing, but then they say, Oh, well, I'm going to call the other listing that's, you know, in the same neighborhood.

Angela Walker: Oh, no, no, no, no. You don't need to. I've been in that house. How can I, how can I help you? 

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: You become the expert. You have to go out and see the property. When you go on a listing appointment, before I go on a listing appointment, if I'm in a new neighborhood, I go see all the competition. I mean, I, I need to, so when I walk in [01:04:00] there and go, yeah, I sold that house, but did you know, it smells like dog, that's going to be minute, you know, for them to get this or does have 

Tracy Hayes: that and you don't like that.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: Yeah. 

Tracy Hayes: That's really great. Now you're 

Angela Walker: the market expert. Yeah. Right. And it's about seeing the inventory. So, and especially if you're new to the business, Go see every listing that you have inside of your own office so that if you're working floor, when somebody calls, you can say, I've seen that house.

Angela Walker: So tell me what you're looking for. Oh, yeah, that would be a good fit. Or there's another one that's real similar to it. Why don't we go see them both? 

Tracy Hayes: Right. That is really great advice. I've never heard that. Not that you're the only one that does that. I bet you there's very few that do it, but that's really great advice.

Tracy Hayes: That's a great use of time. Yeah. Um, uh, because, yeah, well, you looking back over 25 years, like you said, you, that one house you sold, you know, six times, uh, you sold a good amount of the houses on that one particular street. You know, all those houses and can say, make a comment about anyone, what they have, what they don't have and be able [01:05:00] to, uh, like I said, People hire a real estate agent for their, I mean, for their knowledge.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. What do 

Angela Walker: we know that you don't know? Yep. That's why you're hiring us. 

Tracy Hayes: Great. It's a, that's a great tip, especially for new agents who may not be very busy right now to plan so many hours of each week to go see some, you know, these other houses in the areas they want to work. 

Angela Walker: Well, let's just admit it though.

Angela Walker: Even there's some season agents that aren't that busy right now. 

Tracy Hayes: They 

Angela Walker: should go out and see the competition. 

Tracy Hayes: Um, learn everything, uh, you can about the real estate business. And I'm gonna go back cause you said something about the 14 hours. It's more important than you do 14 hours every two years. You need to be, like I said, the new contract, you may want to go take the, the new contract class two or three different times from two or three different people.

Angela Walker: I already have. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: Yeah. And it's all that I've used since I transferred to Ingle and Volkers, which was just April, 

Tracy Hayes: right? 

Angela Walker: It's the only contract I'm using. Like I decided I'm going to immerse myself in what's coming before it gets here. I don't [01:06:00] want to wait until it's time. I have to do it today. And so, you know, There's a lot of people who go home and relax.

Angela Walker: I don't go home and relax. I go home and grab my contract and think, I want to be able to say this without looking at it the way I used to with my old contract. I want to be able to say paragraph 17 says blah, blah, blah. You know, I don't want to have to read it and then tell them what it means. 

Tracy Hayes: What are, um, What are some of the places that you go to gather knowledge?

Tracy Hayes: Uh, you know, obviously, you know, NEFAR's got their regular schedule. You go in there, look at any week, and this is the classes we have. Or St. Augustine Board, they got stuff going on. But there's so many other places. Where are some other places you like to try to find where knowledge is being given on any given day?

Angela Walker: Okay, that's a great question. I'm a big fan of Inman. Big fan of Inman. Um, like I will, um, watch their, you know, when they get together for their meeting, I'll watch it virtually. Like, I might not travel there, but I'm gonna see what they're up to because [01:07:00] they always have people who are cutting edge, who are right at the forefront of things and, and making changes, you know, and being part of the process.

Angela Walker: Um, and, um, To do like the Florida Association of Realtors, like there's, there's so many places for content, the National Association of Realtors, um, KCM, keeping current matters. Um, I, I go to a lot of resources and then you're, 

Tracy Hayes: you're a reader. You like to Yes. You utilize that computer to pull out information from all over.

Tracy Hayes: I do. 

Angela Walker: I do. It's critical to know what other people are thinking. So, how do I know what you're thinking if I don't know what's going on in the market? 

Tracy Hayes: They're coming from New York. You don't know what they're reading. 

Angela Walker: Right. Right. Right. So, yeah, I, I really like to read a lot and make sure that I know what's going on.

Angela Walker: And I like to listen to podcasts, too, when I'm in my car. You know, people who are talking about things. I want to know, what are they saying? I always want to have my finger on the pulse. I don't want someone telling me something and I'm hearing it for the first time. I'm like, oh, no, [01:08:00] that's bad. I should have known that, you know.

Tracy Hayes: Well, So, excuse me, that, me doing the podcast, you're doing the radio show, that is, that's like your extra fuel, but what you, I think, what we realize, because we're having these conversations, we become, uh, that influential conduit. We are hearing. from all these different places, because obviously we want to put on a great show.

Tracy Hayes: You're researching because you want to be, you don't want that person to call in and catch you off guard. But what you found over time is that's also helped you one on one with your customers, because you just sound so much more knowledgeable because you've taken in so much more. 

Angela Walker: Yes, the value now, this is something I want to say, the value of knowing like the contract, for instance, and knowing it.

Angela Walker: Forward and backwards and knowing your process. What's the process? Get, you know, write the contract, get the binder done. I want to be able to talk to my customers about that in the car. Right? Right. That's a great use of time because we could chit chat about stuff [01:09:00] that doesn't matter all day, but I'd rather have them hear that information in the car before we write an offer.

Angela Walker: That way they already heard it and I'll say remember we talked in the car about how you have to get the binder and how that goes and it's time. This is what we're gonna do now. So I really, you can't do that if you don't have that information in your head, right? You can't talk about it in the car. So you have to memorize it, you know, really learn it, become very comfortable talking about it and talking about processes.

Angela Walker: And especially if you're helping relocation people because where they come from, it's done different. I don't care where they come from. It's done differently. And so then you have to hear what they're used to and translate it to, okay, well that part of the process, this is how we do it. You know, like in New York they have realtors and then they both have attorneys.

Angela Walker: Why? Our way works so good, you don't need to do that. A lot of 

Tracy Hayes: lenders [01:10:00] don't want to do business in New York just simply because of the hassle and the time and, yeah. Yes, 

Angela Walker: it prolongs the process, it makes it way more expensive, I mean there's so many reasons that it's not necessary. But try to convince a New Yorker who's bought six or seven houses in New York that you don't need an attorney.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. Yeah, 

Angela Walker: it's a challenge. Yeah, 

Tracy Hayes: no, a hundred percent. That that's such, um, really great advice for anyone listening, uh, to be able to have that, I'm going to say water cooler, car talk, whatever, but you, you are already in conversation, just bringing up things that are on the contract. So when you sit down, they're not, you're not saying something that's shocking to them, 

Angela Walker: right?

Tracy Hayes: You know, they've already absorbed that. Whatever that hit might have been in the car and a casual thing when you probably didn't weren't even talking about a specific home at The time 

Angela Walker: exactly we weren't talking about a home at the time, right? We're talking about a process and see one of the mistakes.

Angela Walker: I think people make is [01:11:00] Realtors get nervous and they talk about what they know, which is themselves, right? No, don't do that. The people don't care about you yet. They will eventually care about you in that way, but right now they want to know you care about them. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: It has nothing to do with you. So shut up about yourself.

Angela Walker: Just talk to, you know, to them about them and interview them, get everything you can out of them. And when you feel like there's a lull in conversation, it's not time to tell them about your kids in the ballgames. It's time to talk about the contract and their process because they're coming with fears They don't know what they don't know.

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: They need to know you know what they don't know. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. And you got them covered. And then you got them 

Angela Walker: covered and then you have their trust and their loyalty and they're not going to go do business with anyone else. 

Tracy Hayes: Well, that actually covered number 6, which is know your contracts. Okay. Yep. So, um.

Tracy Hayes: This, this I think is very important, uh, this next one I've over the years of dealt a lot with condos. My [01:12:00] wife and I own a half a dozen of them. Um, and I, it's not specifically condos, but this made me think of the condos. There's a lot of agents that don't understand condos are a little different animal.

Tracy Hayes: And you need to, uh, know whether or not some lending can be done on the specific, you know, if you're essentially going to list it, but if you've got a buyer, you know, these types of things, stay up to date with real estate changes, you know, local, state and national news. And there's a lot of things going on in the condo.

Tracy Hayes: Um, because of the, uh, tragic Maya and, uh, tragedy in Miami and so forth. And that's having an effect on our market. But even over the years, just having, um, uh, agents. List a condo or have a buyer for a condo and not realize, oh, uh, they're under a lawsuit. Why are they under a lawsuit that changes whatever lenders don't like ho uh, condo associations to be under lawsuits.

Tracy Hayes: It affects because [01:13:00] it's the whole building and affects the value of those units. It sure does. And if you're going out there, these are, you gotta do some research, get their financials and so forth, which now I, now they're making 'em to, uh, make 'em public. Record so so agents have more access to them or the consumer can access and see hey What's going on in this condo because before they didn't have access they had to pay to get those documents.

Tracy Hayes: That's right Um, which I think is a great thing Uh for you and I and getting those because I someone wants to finance a condo. I got to go on there management website, pull it up, or we actually have a team here at town. We just send them and they actually get a set information. It's becoming more, uh, uh, readily available.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, it's getting better and better, but you need to know these, these things. Uh, like I said, know that what's going on in the changes that are going on. 

Angela Walker: Well, let me give you an example, even of condos. Um, cause that's a really complicated topic lately, but. I always ask the listing agent and you know, a lot of times now [01:14:00] we have, um, people who've never lived in the home, you know, they've, they're a landlord.

Angela Walker: Well, honey, if you were a landlord for 10 years, you still know what you did and didn't do to that condo. Okay. But I know you want to sign that. I didn't never live there. I'm not telling you. Okay. I'll call another listing agent in that same building. I'll say, Hey, I'm, you know, I have a customer who's looking at this building.

Angela Walker: Can you let me know what's going on there? How's the financials? Um, are there any lawsuits going on? Where can I get a copy of the condo docs? Do you have one? Could you just send it to me? Yeah. Again, you're just talking to people, and realtors are so helpful to each other. We are, because we're all in this together at the end of the day.

Angela Walker: We just are. I know we're all competition, but the truth is we're all here for the same goal, and there's plenty of business out there. For everyone who's working, 

Tracy Hayes: right? 

Angela Walker: So there's 12, 000 agents, but they're not all working, 

Tracy Hayes: right? 

Angela Walker: So for the ones of us who are working, there's plenty of business out there We're [01:15:00] not really competition in that way unless you're trying to list the same house as someone so, you know calling people You know and making those relationships with other realtors So helpful.

Angela Walker: Yep. So helpful. 

Tracy Hayes: Yep. But, uh, you know, if you are, if, uh, you know, I think any agent who is working condo complexes. Yeah. Yeah. You need to be abreast of what's going on right now. Yes, you do. You know, uh, and then how that, how does that affect that specific, uh, complex? Yeah, you know, how do I get an FHA or VA loan approved for that?

Tracy Hayes: I think, uh, that's a whole nother subject, I don't want to go down a rabbit 

Angela Walker: hole. Well, wait, let me give you another example that I just ran into yesterday. My customer said, I want to go see this little place. I look at him like, oh, it's a mobile home. 22 years old. So I called the listing agent. I said, Hey, you mentioned on here, you can take conventional FHA, VA, USDA and Duval County.

Angela Walker: Like, can you tell me what's going on? Are you sure of what [01:16:00] you wrote that all of that can happen? He's like, you should probably check with your lender. Seriously, you put it in the MLS and you don't know it to be true. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. I would 

Angela Walker: have called the lender first. Can I get a loan for a 22 year old, you know, mobile home?

Tracy Hayes: Well, I, I will, I will say this being experienced working for other lenders. Um, There's probably someone that will do the financing for it Some will only do double wides. It's a single wide Do you want to make sure? But I have always tried to shoot whenever I had someone calling about a manufacturing most lenders have I call it a cheat sheet is Here's our overlays.

Tracy Hayes: This is what we will do because manufactured homes Yeah, they're they're Another unique animal and some lenders only want to deal with a it's got to be, you know, 20 years or less It's got to be a double wide whatever Yeah, you want to find that information out before you absolutely post it and you probably want to have two or three [01:17:00] lenders that you'd know That like said, yeah, I guess they may do USDA, but they may not do USDA manufactured homes You never know.

Tracy Hayes: So you need to, yeah, you need to have several contacts. USDA 

Angela Walker: in Duval County? 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, not in Duval County. I don't, I don't know of any area in Duval County. Uh, yeah, that's like, 

Angela Walker: he does not know what he's doing. I could 

Tracy Hayes: pretty much bet, yeah, good lunch on that. That wasn't, yeah. They're still in St. John's and we know Nassau.

Tracy Hayes: There's some USDA areas. And Clay, in Clay 

Angela Walker: County too. 

Tracy Hayes: Uh, know your numbers. Inventory. Interest rates, cost of home insurance. I mean, this is really vital, especially insurance now, right? We got to get insurance quotes like right up front now. We can't wait till the week before, 

Angela Walker: right? It should be part of your 10 day due diligence or seven day due diligence or 15 day due diligence, whatever timeframe you agree to in the contract.

Angela Walker: It needs to be your first phone call. You call the home inspector and you call the insurance company same day, make that happen because It is so important [01:18:00] right now with affordability, right? So you think you can afford this house if the insurance was maybe 1, 200 a year. Oh my gosh, you're in a flood zone.

Angela Walker: It's 4, 000 a year. The numbers can just change on a dime and now you can't afford it at all. Well, it's better you know that on day one. 

Tracy Hayes: Yep. 

Angela Walker: Then you waited two weeks to find out. And so, and I don't think that we've always talked about insurance this way in my career. I don't think so. It was fine to get it, you know, right before we closed.

Angela Walker: Uh, but it is not okay today to do that. So 

Tracy Hayes: a hundred percent, we're dealing with it on the lending side, get that insurance. And the information, cause I've had some insurance agents on, uh, The information they have access to yeah anything that needs a permit in that house You need a permit put a hot water heater in so they're looking that up They know when the last permit was the roof obviously are our two biggest things amongst other things The plumbing in some of the older homes.

Angela Walker: Yeah 

Tracy Hayes: When was the last time any [01:19:00] electrical work has been done in there? They these insurance companies know this stuff. They they have to I don't think they knew it five years ago. They know we're near what they know today. 

Angela Walker: Oh yeah. 

Tracy Hayes: Um, but obviously you, uh, you, uh, Cindy Hayden on, who was, uh, uh, the chair for NARS insurance and she went in, you know, in, in the detail, what has caused some of this, you know, increase, hopefully we tamper this back down to some more reasonable thing.

Tracy Hayes: But we're going to, yeah, we were in a, we're in a gut check. of insurance here in the last year or two. 

Angela Walker: Well, luckily we're having like six new, uh, well, maybe we've got some new insurance companies returning to Florida, right? They had left because of the, the, uh, getting sued and whatever, all that stuff, but they're coming back.

Angela Walker: And so that's going to help us with pricing a bit. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: Right. Um, so we, we need more competition in that space. 

Tracy Hayes: Um, When you're going because you have on here like inventory and so forth I [01:20:00] imagine a lot of times like you're going on especially today listings are staying on a little longer than we've experienced in the last Three years or longer.

Tracy Hayes: Um, they're staying on there How how are you strategizing and obviously because you know your numbers? How are you presenting that to that that? Person wants to sell the house so you come up with a good price point because I think you would agree If you're priced twenty thousand dollars over what that house you get you're probably not going to get anyone going to call you 

Angela Walker: That's right.

Angela Walker: It's 

Tracy Hayes: a satin of a line on some of these places. 

Angela Walker: Well, and I've been working from that idea for a while now So, you know a lot of times you go out on listing appointment and the seller will say I had the best house in that in The neighborhood. I'm like sure you do So I would like to list it, you know above what you say is going what it's gonna sell for.

Angela Walker: I'm like, 

Tracy Hayes: hmm 

Angela Walker: Let me tell you how that's gonna go. We can do it But it won't be fun for you or for me So let me tell you why and I go through the steps of this is what happens People are going to look there's other houses in your [01:21:00] neighborhood that they're the same square footage They're going to pick the ones that's 20 000 less Because they can't And so unless you really do have something valuable like today, that would be A really great lot or a swimming pool and maybe the other garage and the other three car garage Yeah things that really the other houses don't have if you have that situation.

Angela Walker: Yes, you may get a little more But if you look like everybody else cookie cutter your little neighborhood Everything's the same You're not going to get 20, 000 more just 

Tracy Hayes: because your kitchen was just renovated. 

Angela Walker: It's going to give you some value back and it's actually going to make your house be preferred over the other ones because you do have that beautiful kitchen, but it's not likely to be dollar for dollar of what you spent on that renovation.

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: And so that's what you kind of need to know. If you have a cash buyer that makes it easier, but if they're getting a mortgage, you know I feel like the appraisers are working with data. That's you know, of course behind us, right? And [01:22:00] so they they only have what they can work with. So while prices are appreciating still in our area you still have that they're using older data.

Angela Walker: So there's a lot of challenges and 

Tracy Hayes: you do have to watch out too. I mean, there are some price reductions that some listings and listings are staying on a little bit longer. People need to move. So they price for that. And you go and put that out there and the neighbor down the street 

Angela Walker: drops, there's a price 

Tracy Hayes: reduction and the appraiser comes.

Tracy Hayes: It's like, well, we just had a price reduction over there, you know, so you gotta feel that out. But, but if you, I think if you really have that, that great house that you think you have. If you list it competitively, you're probably going to get a couple offers and maybe get an extra five or 10, 000. So 

Angela Walker: that's what I try to do.

Angela Walker: I try to get people to list that at what it's really worth instead of listing over. And that way you will get multiple offers. And the whole secret is to have your house look gorgeous. Like it's a model home because if we can make it look beautiful and you have the extra bells and whistles, And we price it at [01:23:00] true market value.

Angela Walker: You will get multiple offers and you will not sit on the market and it will be sold the first week. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. So, um, this is my last formal question cause we've been going here a little while. Um, niche, your marketing become the go to agent. 

Angela Walker: Absolutely. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: Now it's harder for me to do that because I have the radio show.

Angela Walker: I go where my listeners are, right? So I don't care what they have to sell, what price point, whatever. I love them. Um, niche. Riverfront. Can you name a riverfront agent? I bet you can. Oceanfront. Can you name an oceanfront agent? I bet you can. Doctors Lake. Can you name an agent who's got it wrapped up? Yes, you can.

Angela Walker: If you figure that there's something that you can do better than anybody else can do it because it's the only thing you chose to focus on, meaning you forego the other opportunities. Like this is your jam. This is it. You're all [01:24:00] in. you will create a niche market. It can be 

Tracy Hayes: expert in that neighborhood or that area.

Tracy Hayes: When 

Angela Walker: you're the expert and everybody knows it, everybody's going to say, Oh my gosh, you have to call Angela. She's the best in this. You know, don't call anybody else. Cause she knows it better than anybody. 

Tracy Hayes: Right. 

Angela Walker: Thank you. Yeah. You know, you will stay in business. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: For the duration. But when you start doing other little things and you get outside of what you do the best.

Angela Walker: You're gonna lose your spot because someone else is coming up behind you who wants to be what you are 

Tracy Hayes: Well, I think the at the mindset of a seller Is that oh angela's an expert here? um I'm gonna I I want to I want to list with her because she's probably got people who already want to buy my house because Everyone knows she's an expert in this area So she's probably got people just sitting for waiting and hopefully waiting for a house like mine.

Angela Walker: Yes. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. 

Angela Walker: Yeah. 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah 

Angela Walker: So, you know in each could be um a school district [01:25:00] It could be, I mean, just, there's a thousand things to think about. Just working doctors, I mean, there's all sorts of things where you can be the go to. And because other people have, you've serviced them already, that when they know people who are just like them, 

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: they're referring you.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, 

Angela Walker: it's done 

Tracy Hayes: hundred percent. 

Angela Walker: Yeah, 

Tracy Hayes: anything you like to add today 

Angela Walker: Thank you for having me on. I 

Tracy Hayes: appreciate this has been a great show and anyone listening. I hope you appreciate please leave a review, but This has been jam packed with some really great knowledge I think any agent out there can pick up at any any level where they're at years new Been doing it five ten years can pick up something from this show here Somewhere in there.

Tracy Hayes: There's a lot of knowledge a lot of nuggets. I appreciate you coming on. 

Angela Walker: Thank you for having me It's really been fun. And um, this is my first and you weren't nervous at all We're ever being on camera, so [01:26:00] thank you for making it easy 

Tracy Hayes: appreciate i