Sarah Helfer and April Bliss are the Helfer Bliss Team

REE#172

Helfer Bliss: [00:00:00] Hearing a lot of people that are like, oh, it's a bad market and Uh, it's not a good time to sell, it's not a good time to buy, you've got interest rates, you've got this, you've got that, but um, I mean it's real estate, so you cannot go wrong with real estate.

Helfer Bliss: If you wait, you're just waiting, um, until something changes and you're paying more one way or another, whether it's interest or, you know, your purchase price. Um, we think outside the box quite a bit. We have more of like a boutique style. Um, and so as a new agent comes in, I think you have to have that.

Helfer Bliss: You cannot just come in as a realtor and think, Oh, I'm just gonna take listings, I'm gonna like throw them out in the wind, they're gonna sell, and that's it.  

Tracy Hayes: Hey, welcome back to the real estate [00:01:00] excellence podcast. As always, I bring you the best of the best. And today I have a dynamic duo. these two ladies lead a team with production of nearly 50 million in gross volume in 2023.

Tracy Hayes: Partnerships are not easy, and I look forward to pulling back the curtain on this one to find out how it works. Let's welcome this duo that makes the Hilfer Bliss team. Sarah Hilfer, Hilfer and April Bliss to the show. Welcome. For some reason I wanted to spell your name with an I. Sarah, I don't know what, I caught myself this morning.

Tracy Hayes: All right, but uh, welcome ladies, finally got you on. Yes, it's been

Sarah Helfer: a long time. We've been talking about this for

Tracy Hayes: a very long time. I am, you know, in, in looking at your production, people need to know what you guys are doing because you're obviously you're doing some, something must be going on over there, right?

Tracy Hayes: The Hill for Bliss team. And I've got a few support agents we'll talk about here in the show and so forth. But you're doing something we look forward to getting your story. So I want to start off just, you know, natural curiosity. Where [00:02:00] did you guys initially actually meet?

Sarah Helfer: So we met at, um, a brokerage. I started off at Watson about 13 years ago and was there for a few years.

Sarah Helfer: And then April came along, um, like 10 years ago, 10 years ago, three years after me. And we met at Watson and we were both single agents at that time. Um, and that's when we

Tracy Hayes: just hit it off a friendship,

Sarah Helfer: started hanging out, had a good friendship, friendship. Um, we just.

Helfer Bliss: Yeah, I think like right from the start, she was the first agent I met when I was there and touring.

Helfer Bliss: I met her and then a couple of the other agents and it was kind of like four of us that we really hit it off. Um, we supported each other and worked together quite a bit even though we were single agents. Um, but. I mean, aside from business, we all became good friends.

Tracy Hayes: So the, the creation of the Hill for Bliss team started at Watson at this time?

Tracy Hayes: Yes. I mean, we weren't

Helfer Bliss: a team at that point, but the

Tracy Hayes: friendship. The friendship? Yes. Okay. Alright, we'll, we'll go on. So, as I always want to start off the show, I want to get a little background on both of you, so everyone kind of knows a little bit about you guys. So I'm going to start with April, since she [00:03:00] starts with an A, we'll start with you.

Tracy Hayes: Oh, okay. Easy enough. Uh, April, where are

Helfer Bliss: you from? Um, here, from Jacksonville. I was born and raised, uh, here in Jackson Beaches. And, uh, raised my kids here. Actually, my mom was here, like, since she was a year old, so. Full families been here. Where'd you go to high school? Okay Remind

Tracy Hayes: me that I'm gonna tell you about this crazy thing I fishing football high school football and it's out at Fletcher this past season that will talk about it after the show what happened Yeah, I mean, oh my god drama drama Not at Fletcher.

Tracy Hayes: But you go on to get a criminal justice degree if I saw that correctly

Helfer Bliss: in your LinkedIn. Um, so I, that was originally, I kind of thought I was going to go into something having to do with law, um, investigation. I like to investigate things, so I thought that was going to be great. Um, but I was also a single mom and had three kids.

Helfer Bliss: And about the time I started really kind of diving into what am I going to do with this degree, I [00:04:00] realized it really wasn't feasible. Um, I was going to be working like nights, weekends, holidays, so, uh.

Tracy Hayes: So you actually I mean you actually saw you saw yourself in law enforcement Wasn't like hey, I'm getting criminal justice.

Tracy Hayes: Maybe I'll move on to be a lawyer I

Helfer Bliss: think I was just very intrigued by the criminal justice system and politics in general and I saw myself more maybe like Detective work and investigating crimes, um, and I didn't realize, hey, you've got to, like, work your way up. You don't just kind of slide in there and like, hey, here

Tracy Hayes: I am.

Tracy Hayes: Right. Um. Unless you're a forensic scientist or something like that. Yeah. They, they jump through. So here's the, here's the real, uh, here's, here's your toughest, probably toughest question of the day. How has your criminal justice degree, uh, helped you in analyzing your, some of your clients sometimes?

Helfer Bliss: I don't think I, uh, I don't think I've necessarily looked at it that way.

Helfer Bliss: I don't think

Tracy Hayes: I just psychology took probably they take a good bit of psychology, right? Yes.

Helfer Bliss: Yes. Um, I definitely, I think I'm really intuitive and I like, I really listened to our customers [00:05:00] and kind of get in their heads. So perhaps that's where that came from. But, uh, I just enjoy people. And, uh, that's what I love about what we do is that we get to really get to know these people and what they're looking for and, and the things that they're Do Francisco at home.

Helfer Bliss: Like that's changing their life. That's a brand new beginning for somebody so I definitely enjoy that and the criminal justice thing I think was more just an interest ram may be better as a hobby,

Tracy Hayes: so Yes, I've had you know, you guys are going to be like episode 170 something you know 160 of them were real estate agents.

Tracy Hayes: I've had numerous, um, single moms were literally, uh, well, the late Sarah Rocco, for example, she was on and, and, uh, she all suddenly her husband filed for divorce and she was working. She didn't, wasn't working. She had to find something to do. And it's very, it's very interesting. Uh, you know, you were, it sounds like you were in a somewhat of a similar situation.

Tracy Hayes: You were single mom, three kids. What am I going to do? And then, um, I [00:06:00] imagine, you know, real estate has changed your, you know, probably your lifestyle and everything. What you're able to provide does provide your kids and their opportunities.

Helfer Bliss: I was newly single mom and decided actually to go back to school to get my degree because my son was graduating from high school and I was like, you have to go to college, like, you don't have any other options, you have to go to college, and then I was like, wait a second, I'm kind of a hypocrite.

Helfer Bliss: I've been raising kids all these years and, um, you know, if I'm going to tell my kids that they need to do this, I need to do it too. So I went back to school and was like, let's see who graduates first and I did And I didn't even use it. So but I do think that there's a lot even on the legal side whenever I'm like reading documents and Breaking those things apart where I understand it a little better and can help maybe explain it a little better

Tracy Hayes: hundred percent All right, miss Sarah Where'd you go?

Tracy Hayes: Where are you from?

Sarah Helfer: I am from Tampa Clearwater Beach. Cool Warren race there [00:07:00] I've been in real estate my whole life, so I started off really young.

Tracy Hayes: Have you ever been to O'Maddy's in, uh, Gulfport? No. No? Okay, just wondering. It's a local hangout over there in the Gulfport Clearwater area. I'm surprised I haven't.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, it's a local color for sure. I could, yeah. Alright, but anyway, so. Yeah,

Sarah Helfer: we just had Gasparillo there this weekend,

Tracy Hayes: so I just got back. Yes, I saw you. You've been doing a lot of traveling. Have you been traveling? April, am I seeing, I've been watching both of your social media, so I think you've been doing a lot of traveling.

Helfer Bliss: Nobody travels as much as Sarah.

Sarah Helfer: I always say, uh, you do the most business when you travel, so I always travel.

Tracy Hayes: Oh yeah, it makes the phone ring, right?

Sarah Helfer: But, um, I'm born and raised in Tampa. Um, I was in real estate my whole life. My father owns a lot of um, commercial buildings, malls, shopping centers. They would, they would build them and I would lease them out and just kind of started from there.

Sarah Helfer: So at

Tracy Hayes: what age did you start working with that? Oh,

Sarah Helfer: young. He had me taking out [00:08:00] trash and earning some money young. Right. Um, and I learned a lot through, you know, just commercial real estate. And I always thought I was going to do commercial real estate. Honestly. Um, I went to college for fun at UCF. I never really, you know, I got a business administration degree, but it didn't really.

Sarah Helfer: Just always knew I was gonna do real

Tracy Hayes: estate, something in real estate. Mm-Hmm. . Because I did notice, uh, recently you sold a sign, a nice commercial building here in the last few weeks. And it's

Sarah Helfer: funny, I really don't even enjoy commercial real estate anymore. I really like residential, but I always tend to go to commercial real estate.

Sarah Helfer: Why is that? I don't know. I just, you know, we all have our niches and Mm-Hmm. , um, you know, I just was, it's something that's easy for me with commercial, but I just, I enjoy. Residential

Tracy Hayes: better is the typical commercial client, more of the, um, you know, the business. It's, it's, it, you know, especially if they're buying, they obviously, you know, probably have money or, you know, business that's established.

Tracy Hayes: So it's not as, uh, you're looking for personable type, you know, it's not, you're not dealing with a couple or something where they're making an emotional [00:09:00] decision where they're gonna raise their kids or, yeah. Yeah. It's,

Sarah Helfer: it's, they know what they want. I mean, the, my last commercial one was a medical building, so it's, they're, you know, you really, yeah.

Sarah Helfer: You really, they know what they want. Um, and then after college I came, um, here and started residential about 13 years ago.

Tracy Hayes: So what, what brought you to this side of the state? Um, I met a guy. Oh, wow. Yeah. Yes.

Helfer Bliss: Um. And he's still around.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah. Oh, well that's good. Yeah. Okay. I didn't, I thought of that but I wasn't going to ask that question.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah.

Sarah Helfer: Yeah, I met a guy in college and, you know, he, um, He really helped me out with my career and stuff.

Tracy Hayes: So, you know, you started at Watson. Yeah. Um, what, what was it there? Because a lot of new agents, uh, there's a lot of great agents in the, in the city that started their careers at Watson. Some of them still there.

Tracy Hayes: Some going on and move. What was it at Watson at that time, uh, that, you know, attracted you over there?

Sarah Helfer: So, you know, I would tell people definitely. Interview with a ton of brokerages. I did not, and I really didn't, I was young [00:10:00] and didn't really know, um, I just Went to Watson training school and got my license there and then immediately They recruited me and I could I started out at Watson.

Sarah Helfer: I never You know went to different brokerages and didn't go to different brokers and looking back on that I wish I would have um, but I actually loved I loved it there. Right. Um, and They were great. They were great and I stayed there for

Tracy Hayes: Well, he has, he has a lot of resources and I, and I, I've no, I know a lot of the, uh, brokers in the St.

Tracy Hayes: Augustine area more, more than the Jacksonville area, just cause I'd spent a lot of time down there, um, when I was with Ameris bank, but, um, Would you agree, and April chime in on this, how important it is to match up with that broker, or find that broker who, you know, like we talked about pre show, adding value and trying to stay in front of you.

Tracy Hayes: Because over a course of years, a broker, you know, either they get tired or whatever it is, that something changes their career path and maybe they're not [00:11:00] adding value like they were initially. When I

Sarah Helfer: started at Watson, um, I think I started and like two weeks later the broker left. Same. And we had, we, I think we had like four or five brokers within the first

Helfer Bliss: few years.

Helfer Bliss: I think I started and I went through three and then you have those times in between where there's nobody active in the office and that's huge. But

Sarah Helfer: we really worked on, you know, uh, other people in the office and, you know, it was a great.

Tracy Hayes: Did you feel because you, you had a little bit, you know, growing up with the family, you having a little bit of acumen to real estate in general, that, that kind of helped you through that a little

Sarah Helfer: bit.

Sarah Helfer: When I first started, I got very lucky. Um, the first week at Watson, um, I had posted on social media that I got licensed immediately. I had someone reach out to me and say, Hey, um, can you list my house in Durbin crossing? And it was for like five 50. And at that time, I think the house now is worth, like, over a million.

Sarah Helfer: I was gonna say, yeah,

Tracy Hayes: ten, twelve years [00:12:00] ago, whatever.

Sarah Helfer: And I was like, oh wow, is this my first listing? And then it just started boom, boom, boom from there. Like, I just got lucky, and I got, um, Rookie of the Year that year. And, um, it was, it just happened fast. A lot of, I got lucky, I feel like, you know, I don't, if I wouldn't have got that first listing, I think I would have been like, what do I do?

Tracy Hayes: Well, let's, let's tail off of that. So, the first listing. Kind of came from somewhere. Yeah, don't really know. What do you think helped you get that rookie of the year? How did you keep the mojo going?

Sarah Helfer: I went and did an open house and I knocked on all the doors of this neighborhood and I just made a relationship with them And then the neighbor actually across the street after I sold it.

Sarah Helfer: He was like, oh wow like You sold out so quickly and, um, I got his listing. And so it just kind of started, I started doing open houses and that kind of stuff. And it just started really working. And, um, let's

Tracy Hayes: go knock on another door

Sarah Helfer: now. I don't know if I would knock on a door [00:13:00] back then, you know, it was.

Sarah Helfer: It was great. That was the thing. Alright, so. It was the

Tracy Hayes: thing. April starts a few years later, right? Yes. So, um, what are some of the things, April, did, did Sarah kind of give you some insight? Tell us about your first year, some of the trials and tribulations that you dealt with.

Helfer Bliss: Um, I think kind of similar to Sarah, right?

Helfer Bliss: Um, actually when I was still in school before I even was active at Watson, um, I got my first listing. Like, they were waiting for me to. brokerage. And, um, so I started a family or

Tracy Hayes: friend type of, okay. All right. Those, those helped

Helfer Bliss: get kicked off. Great, good start. Um, and so I had that and, um, that one ended up being really tricky.

Helfer Bliss: And I was working with an agent that been in the business like 20, 30 years. So every single little thing that went wrong, um, She would remind me of how long she had been

Tracy Hayes: in the business. How important, just to give that tip to that, that new agent, or maybe an agent might've been, might be in the business for a year, but just kind of like there and hasn't really, you know, done any great production.

Tracy Hayes: [00:14:00] How important is it to find that, that mentor like that? Uh, well,

Helfer Bliss: um, I think in that scenario, it wasn't even so much of a mentorship. It was more, um, I felt like I was new coming out of school and, like, questioning myself. And this agent was not, um, not trying to mentor me. She was trying to kind of lead me in her direction, which was better for her customer.

Helfer Bliss: Not necessarily what was better for my customer at the

Tracy Hayes: time. Okay. We're digging into some stuff

Helfer Bliss: here. Okay. So, uh, and I still would say that that's kind of something to learn from because my gut was, this is not what's best for this transaction for my customer. Um, and if I just kind of go with it because I feel insecure, um, Um, I'm not doing a good service for my customer.

Helfer Bliss: Um, and so I really kind of had to right out of the gate say, I know what I'm doing, I understand the stuff. I think that's where like that, um, legal background, because I did also work like in a law office for a time. Um, I could kind of dissect a lot of these [00:15:00] things and retain that information and, and really understood it.

Helfer Bliss: Um, wasn't

Tracy Hayes: just kind of It gave you some confidence because you had that little bit of background of reading between

Helfer Bliss: the lines. Exactly, exactly. So, you know, she'd say, Oh, no, you can't do this. I was like, well, actually, like, this is how this is going to go. And, and it was a really difficult Uh, first transaction, um, but I had a lot of support in the office, and every time I was like questioning myself, uh, like Sarah and some of the other agents, I'd say, like, am I really crazy, because I, I feel like this is the right way to go, and they're like, you are, you are right there, um, and they said they definitely gave me that support, and built me up, and got through, I mean, it was a very difficult transaction that,

Tracy Hayes: Well, you guys have, you have several agents on the team.

Tracy Hayes: I imagine over the years people have come and gone. Well, that's one thing we're going to talk about is retention and how important it is, especially growing a team. If you want to actually grow the team, you got to retain people, right? We definitely do

Helfer Bliss: things a little differently with

Tracy Hayes: our team.

Tracy Hayes: When you, I imagine you've had a lot of first year agents. or a lot, at least several of your agents have been, you know, they're green, right? They're just [00:16:00] getting started. So based on your two experiences here in your first Whether it's three months, 12 months and so forth, how, if somebody's listening to this right now is thinking about becoming a real estate agent or maybe in a class, why should they consider possibly calling you guys?

Tracy Hayes: Explain a little bit how you were, you know, based on your experience, your knowledge now, you know, the years you guys have been in it to be able to pour back into that, that new agent and really help them possibly become a rookie of the year.

Helfer Bliss: I will say that, you know, Um, whatever your support system is, whether it's with a team or you just have a very strong broker.

Helfer Bliss: Um, it is important, um, in those first few years to have somebody that is on your side that is helping walk you through, um, no matter what, every transaction is going to be

Tracy Hayes: different. Picks up the phone when you call because you're trying 930 at night. Yeah.

Helfer Bliss: And I think that's something that we learned, you know, starting out in a large brokerage, you know, you start in this brokerage and you have this.

Helfer Bliss: connection with [00:17:00] the broker, that's why you choose it. But there also is a lot of turnover sometimes in these larger brokerages And so you choose something based on this one person who is going to help you and then that person's

Tracy Hayes: gone. What do you think? Um, because one thing we always express with every because this is a popular subject is finding that right broker because it Couldn't make or break.

Tracy Hayes: Not everyone is it can Just go out there and do it no matter who they're under and find their way. Some people need to learn the business, whether, you know, and get that kickoff. What are some things when they're talking to a broker? And I think you guys both will agree they need to be interviewing the broker.

Tracy Hayes: Um, and what kind of questions, what kind of, uh, things that need to find out about that brokerage before they make a decision, what are some key, you know.

Helfer Bliss: I mean, I think if they're doing, if they're just going in as a single agent and looking for a broker that's going to be supporting them, make sure that this broker is going to have staying power.

Helfer Bliss: Um, really look into the company and, you know, how long has this broker been there? How about the broker before [00:18:00] that? Um, who is going to support you if for some reason, This one person is gone, you know? Mm-Hmm. . Are you then just kind of there, are you reaching out, trying to find just random people to help you?

Helfer Bliss: That's where I think that the team dynamic, um, really can be a good, um, step for a new agent. Um, but we also have agents that have been in the business for seven and eight years, um, and it's. With us, our team is very much like a family. Um, and we were told early on, don't do that. Like, don't personalize things.

Helfer Bliss: Like, make this a business. Teach them stuff and let them move on. Yeah, we do things a little

Sarah Helfer: different than most. Which makes

Tracy Hayes: us Well, you know, it's interesting. I think, you know, I had a Haley Davis on. Um, uh, and she dissolved her team. I think she's got a little partnership now, but, um, her being so young and having a team, she felt that she has, she had to kind of figure out how to draw that line.

Tracy Hayes: But as you get more mature, it's a little more It's easier to, um, I don't know if it's [00:19:00] easier, but the camaraderie, the family, and it keeps the team together, know that you got each other's back, and when they go on vacation, somebody can, you know, pick up that, uh, showing if you have to, or whatever it may be, right?

Tracy Hayes: It's

Sarah Helfer: definitely one of the reasons why we started a team, too, is that reason just, you know, being there for each other and that kind of stuff, so. Um, and definitely accountability too. If you're, you said, you know, what are you looking for in a broker, make sure there's someone that's going to give you accountability.

Sarah Helfer: Because a lot of these agents, they come in and they think that, you know, they see these HGTV shows and their phones are ringing and they just think it's, you know, we're going to get all these calls and, No, you have to be going out and showing a house and you have to, you have to be motivated. You have to go out there and find it and find these clients and prove to them to use you because the way you're going to get these listings is referrals and past clients.

Sarah Helfer: And most of our business is past clients and referrals. [00:20:00] So

Tracy Hayes: the rookie of the year, you're not going to trail back to the same question I gave April. Um, You know, I, I, I don't think anybody does anything all by themselves. You probably, you know, uh, Let me use the word stole, but, you know, you Saw other successful people and duplicated some of the things that they were doing.

Tracy Hayes: Um, you know, some of it may come from a broker. If I'm looking, I'm looking for that kind of atmosphere. I would hope a new agent is looking for that kind of atmosphere, right? They want to be, be the fifth person in the room type of thing. What, what, what kind of things, you know, uh, should, uh, you know, that new agent be looking for that you experienced and try to find a similar place where you were looking at other successful people and could duplicate a lot of things that they were doing.

Sarah Helfer: Yeah, you definitely want to have support, you definitely want to be out there, get your name out there, talk to people, go to events, we do a lot of events, so, um, anything that you can do to find your niche and find something that you love and get out there and put [00:21:00] your name out there and, you know, let them know, like, hey, I'm in real estate.

Tracy Hayes: What have you shamelessly stole from someone? Um, An idea.

Sarah Helfer: Okay, this sounds terrible. Um, I'm gonna just say it though. Um, so, there was like about a year where I had my son and I, I slowed down, I wanted to stay home with him and I saw that there was this woman who was bringing her son to um, a senior citizen facility and she would pass out like cookies and her cards and stuff and I was like that is such a good idea.

Sarah Helfer: Another real estate agent. Yeah, another real estate agent would bring her children there. She

Tracy Hayes: was at the Senior center handing out our

Sarah Helfer: cards because they're going to have to move soon. I mean, they have to sell a house or possibly, yeah, they have to, um, you know, so I, I started being like, Oh, that's smart.

Sarah Helfer: Interesting. Yeah. So I started bringing my son there and just bringing out cookies and I never did business. I never talked business until like after a while I'd be like, Oh yeah, [00:22:00] I'm in real estate. And then it was like, Oh, well, you know, I have a house that needs to be sold or, you know, like. It just started from there, and that was one thing that I actually did well on.

Sarah Helfer: Um, it sounds terrible, I know. But I was hungry back in the day. I really enjoyed it. With real estate, you have to find things that you love to do. And you don't want to ever bring business and things you love to do until there's a time. , so

Tracy Hayes: well, so that brings up an, an inter interesting, uh, thing I like to talk about because I think a lot of people underestimate your business and my business as a, we live our businesses.

Tracy Hayes: Mm-Hmm. , yes. We are always representing in one way, shape, or form as a resource. So whether we're at a cocktail party or whatever, people are asking questions about real estate. Mm-Hmm. . Yes. What's the, whether it's about what's the interest rate or what, what do you think? My house, uh, I had, um, a friend of ours, my son.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, plays on my son's basketball team and he came up and was asking about, um, Hey, the HOA wants to put a basketball court in the common area beside my house. What do you think it would do? You know, those are questions that come up all the time [00:23:00] wherever you're at The reality in your situation going to the senior center Was you you put a lot more you put a lot of smiles on people's faces Like I

Sarah Helfer: enjoy and yeah, just my son running around putting smiles and seeing you know, just that

Tracy Hayes: And if you got something from it, great, great.

Tracy Hayes: But should you, you know, I think a lot of people go in, I mean, he's like, what's the return on investment. That's why I think a lot of people don't do a lot of social media because, Oh, I put a couple videos up and nobody called me. Well, it doesn't exactly happen that way. You have to be going regularly because how many times did you go there before you even probably someone even talked to you about real estate?

Sarah Helfer: a year. Yeah. I didn't even, yeah, yeah. At least. But it was just, you know, it was just an idea I saw and I was like, oh, that's smart. Just thinking outside the box. And I started going and, 'cause I enjoyed it and then right. Um, I started getting my students from that, and I

Tracy Hayes: was, wow. Well, how many, even, but even how many of those, um, those seniors, they have kids, right?

Tracy Hayes: That's a lot. And, yeah, and how many of those kids still rely on mom and dad for advice, even though mom and [00:24:00] dad are at the point of being put in a home, to say, hey, uh, you know, call Sarah, you know, I met her, she'll help you out with, You know, buying your home, first home, whatever, or sell our home or whatever.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, that's, wow, that's a, that's a really good one. I never, that is a really, that's a good story right there. I like that story. Um, Um, uh, we, we talked about the first brokerage. So when do you guys decide to, to team up and form?

Sarah Helfer: Um, I left Watson. I, um, and I, I loved Watson, but it was just, I, I went to a smaller brokerage, and I liked it a lot, and April and I still talked a lot, and I said, you know, like, you should come check this place out, and, um, she did, and she moved over, and then we went to lunch, um, and it was at the point where, you know, sometimes with agents, you can have 10, 15 closings a month, and sometimes you can have zero.

Sarah Helfer: Right. You know, it, it's just crazy. It's crazy, and The day we went to lunch, it was, I was very slammed and I, I had so much [00:25:00] going on and I was giving a lot away because I'm only one person and I was just referring it all out and, you know, I remember being like, like, what, why are you, why are you giving this away and I just remember being like, I, I, you're only one person, I, there's no way I can do showings, you know, find things on MLS and I can't be the best for my clients.

Sarah Helfer: What I'm trying to do it all right, so I'd rather refer it out and focus on, you know, just a few clients. And then,

Tracy Hayes: you guys are

at

Sarah Helfer: lunch. Yeah, we're at lunch and I had, and they've been trying to get like a team started because I, it was just stupid for me to throw those away. And I talked to April and randomly I was like, well, I wouldn't really want to do a team with anyone else.

Sarah Helfer: Besides you, honestly, like, it was, you know. Yeah, and it

Helfer Bliss: wasn't even like, oh, let's do it. It was like a

Sarah Helfer: joke. Yeah, it was like, oh, well, maybe we should. And then I thought about it, and I was like, it just like, wow, like, we really should. And then I went to A to Z, like, immediately, I was like, alright, let's go.

Sarah Helfer: This is our [00:26:00] roles here, she's A to Z. It was kind of funny, we, I called, like, the trainer, and I was like, I think, I think we're gonna do this team and he was like, I don't know if that's like a great idea because usually with friends it doesn't work out and partnerships and that kind of stuff and he said, you know, take this I think it was like the Myers Briggs or something.

Sarah Helfer: And, um, we took the personality test and we got back the next day and he was like, You were yin and yang? Holy shit. He was like, what in the hell? He was like, you guys are perfect for each other. You guys are going to succeed. Because we are so different, but we think alike. Awesome.

Helfer Bliss: He was like I was prepared to come in and sit down and explain to you all of the reasons not to do this and Then I looked at these reports, and I I mean I couldn't have built a better team.

Helfer Bliss: Yeah, so It was just like that. I mean it was a five minute conversation at lunch I think the next thing was like, well, what do we call ourselves? Like, you know, what are we going to name ourselves? That was pretty much

Tracy Hayes: that, right? Did you flip the coin over whose name goes

Sarah Helfer: [00:27:00] first? No, actually she started.

Sarah Helfer: April really, um, takes things slow. And I go to like A to Z. I think I had, I think I think I had everything already like, okay, this is what we're going to do. Here's our logo. Falling down, we need to like, you know, we need to

Helfer Bliss: dig out details. Actually, initially She said Bliss Helfer. She was like, how about Bliss Helfer team?

Helfer Bliss: And I was like, that sounds weird. She

Tracy Hayes: used the reverse psychology on you. Well,

Helfer Bliss: then everybody was saying, don't use your name. So, initially everybody was like, no, don't use your name. Um, you know, you just come up with some random team name. Right. Um, and we kind of threw some things around and we were like, no, you know, this is us.

Helfer Bliss: And one of the biggest things that made us want to team up is that it's very personal. Everything is personal. I do not care whether I am selling your investment property. I do not care if I am selling your parents home, your first home, your 10th home. I want to know the people that I'm working with.

Helfer Bliss: Right. She's the same way. Um, and we think outside the box, we do a lot [00:28:00] before and after the transactions with our customers. So we were like, this is personal and our name

Tracy Hayes: should be personal. So, um, Do you have your skills on either side? We have our strength. When do you start? How? How is and I'm sure it's maybe still developing till today.

Tracy Hayes: I don't, you know, I think teams are always tweaking things, but you know who's taking the lead on Certain situations and who's taking the lead on others to to really because you know There's things that Sarah's really good at and there's things that's April's really good at and

Sarah Helfer: vice versa We kind of already know we have it was like a flow.

Sarah Helfer: I mean like I will tell you just jokingly like April is April can , you could be wrong. And April will or April could be wrong. And she will tell you she's right. And she'll tell you why and she's so good at words. I convince I've never met someone better at words.

Tracy Hayes: I mean, so she negotiates no .

Sarah Helfer: She, she puts people in her place.[00:29:00]

Sarah Helfer: That's what I should say. Okay.

Helfer Bliss: But like I can show you a different perspective. Mm-Hmm. , she can show, she

Tracy Hayes: always, she's more the analytical one. Mm-Hmm. right. Comes in and I think, I think they use, uses more fact.

Sarah Helfer: We joke around and we say, okay, this part, we need, we need to be April today. Like, you know, there's so many people in a transaction.

Sarah Helfer: You're dealing with, you know, buyers, sellers, buyer's moms, title lenders, everything, so many insurance. And, um, if, if someone tells you all their transactions are smooth, they are lying. There is, we are human beings. We're caught up in an emotional transaction and, you know, there's gonna be times where things go wrong.

Sarah Helfer: There is. And, um, April is great at, um, you know, facts. She's the fact check. Like, this, this is right, this is wrong. And she's great at that.

Tracy Hayes: One thing I learned about sales early, and, I mean, I was, I'd always remember, as I tell the story, we were [00:30:00] selling cell phones in the mid 90s, basically giving them out.

Tracy Hayes: And, um, me and a friend of mine, we started, um, you know, he started, uh, he got the rights from Bell Atlantic Mobile at the time, which obviously eventually came of Verizon. But we were out at fairs on the edge of coverage, right? Handing out cell phones to these people that, you know, lived out, you know, drove 20 miles to go to Walmart, right?

Tracy Hayes: And, uh, There's sometimes where you could be sitting there talking to somebody and for some reason it's not clicking. If some reason they're not like you, you don't feel comfortable. Are we ready to close yet? Are we not? And the do the T. O. The turn, turn them over and let the other person come in and just say, say the same thing, but a little differently.

Tracy Hayes: Mm mm-Hmm. and present it and, and what that does. And I don't think, I think a lot of people get like, almost like selfish, like, well this is my deal. I don't want, sometimes you need to, you know, sometimes it's the manager, sometimes it's your partner. It's just gotta come in and she's coming in and saying it's something different and then it, then all of a [00:31:00] sudden now you broke through and now you're able to move on to the next step.

Helfer Bliss: Right? Yeah. I think a lot of it is, um. I can retain a lot of what's going on and so I'll be a part like we're a part of all the transactions So it does not matter which agent on our team is working something She and I are always involved and the other agents and other people that are involved may not hear from us but we are very aware of everything that's going on and at the point that The agent steps back and is like, this is happening, and I'm really having a hard time getting through, and we really need to get this together.

Helfer Bliss: Right. Um, that's when I can kind of slide in and be like, okay, well, like, from day one, and day seven, and day ten, and day twelve, these were the things. Right. I guess that's what's going on, and, and we're supposed to all be working together, and let's, Like kind of put our emotions back and and look at the facts and let's get this done because we should all be working together

Tracy Hayes: So against each other if i'm hearing you craig, you're because you're um the way you guys uh listed Um, you mentioned broker and riva.

Tracy Hayes: I was going through all your social media [00:32:00] but you're you're taking more of running the um, The backside of stuff am I correct? She's sarah's doing more sales april's a

Sarah Helfer: broker, right? She she has She knows so many she's her facts are crazy. Like she just She knows things that a lot of you know, we're always learning and stuff, but I feel like she's always on top of it She

Tracy Hayes: always so you take it in which this is really good I think it's good to get out to why someone you're always Tabbing in and keeping tabs of where the other because like I said something's gonna come off the tracks It's just, that's why humans are involved in this transaction.

Tracy Hayes: And I don't ever think in sale and real estate sales and how it could be done with non humans because it could be something is crazy title work or whatever, or a human emotion, something comes off the track and humans need to be involved to, to write that ship. So you. As you're following up on the other agents on the other team or just just keeping tabs on where that is where they had [00:33:00] Negotiations has the inspection been done or we passed the repairs, you know So your team is prepared and always has the confidence that you got their back

Helfer Bliss: Well, we also have a TC so our transaction coordinator is amazing and we agree She's been with us since 2020, um, and she is always on top of, like, those details and paperwork and all of that stuff.

Helfer Bliss: It's at the point, um, like, also Sit like and we're both involved. So I don't want there to be any kind of Miscommunication there that Sarah's right there alongside me. She knows everything that's going on, too There's plenty of times that she's the one that's stepping in and like hey, like I've got this

Helfer Bliss: it's great having a team with one of your best friends because we do think a lot alike and there's a lot of times where We're not together, and there's something going on, and then we'll both send an email.

Helfer Bliss: We'll send the same text. Yeah. The exact same words. Like, wait, like, are you in my head? How did this just happen? Right. People will be like, wait, y'all are sitting next to each other sending messages? Like we really were [00:34:00] not, but that happens like probably a good 70, 80 percent of the time. It's almost verbatim, like what we're writing and what we're thinking,

Sarah Helfer: you know, and it's hard because every transaction is different.

Sarah Helfer: Um, so it's hard to train agents and be like, this is how you're supposed to do it because every transaction is different and every house is different and every property is different. So you can't sit there and train them. You really have to go through the process with them a bunch of times and. You know, I never have to say like, you have to do it this way, because that's, it's not gonna be right, you know, there's gonna be so many times, so following both of us a lot, like sometimes she'll do a transaction and I'll do a transaction with them, um, and just to see how two different ways do it.

Sarah Helfer: And

Helfer Bliss: it's also availability. Um, so a lot of the times, too, that's one of the other great things is that, you know, you mentioned before, she travels a lot. Um, so she travels a lot and that was one of her things. She's like, I don't want to have a team because, you know, I, my family is important to me. And when I go and I travel with my family, I need to be [00:35:00] focused on them, and I do not want to have people that I'm letting down, um, and then same with me, you know, I have three kids, I have a granddaughter, I have a lot of other things going on, I have, one of my daughters, my daughter's in California, so I travel there a lot, and when I'm with them, I want to be present, um, but we are both, um, you Very committed to our team and to the girls on our

Tracy Hayes: team.

Tracy Hayes: Well, I think what's really cool about, you know, listening to what you guys are telling me is you guys are on the same page. You may look at it from a different angle, but the, but the bottom line is you both are headed to the right target.

Well,

Helfer Bliss: and you need that. You need that because you need a different perspective a lot of times and I'm doing that for a lot of the agents on our team.

Helfer Bliss: But I mean, I'll be in a position to On my own transaction where you can start just kind of like, wait a second, this other agent is Very very sure of this and I'm very sure of this and I just need to kind of step back and you know What are your thoughts on this?

Sarah Helfer: Because if you have, you know, [00:36:00] just one team lead first off, they're not gonna be there all the time.

Sarah Helfer: They're gonna have You know, they have a life too and they also have other agents to attend and they should yeah, but It, it's great that we're, there's always one of us, and, you know, we think alike, but we also do things a lot different. So, it just gives a different way to think about, you know, How you want to do your own business.

Sarah Helfer: So,

Tracy Hayes: well, I just think it's amazing to the partnership, just naturally your personalities, you know, you come together and you are, like you said, you could finish each other's sentences. A lot is basically, you're saying when you're doing those text messages and so forth that the agents don't see you. As you know, you know, mommy and daddy contradicting each other there.

Tracy Hayes: They, you guys are consistently giving them, uh, solid advice with the same ideology, same culture that the hill for bliss team brings. That's, that's a, I can say that with a lot of words there.[00:37:00]

Tracy Hayes: All right. So let's, let's spice it up a little bit. Here's a tough question, Sarah. What is one thing though? That April does that just is like just she doesn't stop talking.

Sarah Helfer: Okay. I'll text her and want like a quick answer. Yes or no. And it's like, and you're waiting five minutes. No, it's a, it's a, it doesn't have to take five minutes, 20 minutes page.

Sarah Helfer: And I'm like, And she'll laugh and she'll be like, did you get my text? And I'm like, yeah, I read the last part. Like, I just need the, I'm A to Z. I just need the answer. I don't need all the details. But it's funny. But it's great to have that because if you need a detailed person, she knows every detail to everything.

Sarah Helfer: So, I think we had an agent one time who was like, oh, April was Like, didn't give us enough details and we were like, what? Hold on. Tell me now you're wrong. She is the detail queen. Yeah, you sure

Tracy Hayes: you're talking to April? Yeah, it's a good question. Wrong transaction. Alright, throwing it back at you. What is it, what is it Sarah does?

Tracy Hayes: It's kind of, you [00:38:00] go, uh. Every relationship has it we all have we all have that one thing

Helfer Bliss: that she well She would say that she travels too much. Um, but even when she's traveling she's available You know, you know those little moments where she needs to be present, but there's times where I'm actually like Sarah Put your phone away You do not need to be present right now.

Helfer Bliss: And I've got this and go kind of do your thing with your family. I think when it comes to What she does wrong

Tracy Hayes: Just anything, I don't know, you know, the way she blows her nose, I don't know. She knows I'm

Sarah Helfer: gonna beat her after this.

Helfer Bliss: She buttons me a lot. Um, ugh. I think we all joke around about the fact that I talk a lot.

Helfer Bliss: So that was like an easy one. As far as Sarah goes, I think It's a pro and a con, the fact that she's that A to Z person. Um, we kind of ground each other in that because she gets me to make decisions at a certain point where I might have kind of dragged things out. Procrastinated a little too long. Yeah.

Helfer Bliss: Like, [00:39:00] let me think this through for like 10 days before I make a decision. And like, that day she's like, no, like, we're doing this. Which sometimes I'm like, alright, you have not really considered all of these things. And I'm like, You can't just go from A to Z. We have to like consider these things, but in those situations she'll be like, okay You're right and like sit back and then she allows me to slide in all the details So that that probably is like the biggest thing, but it is a pro and a con for us.

Helfer Bliss: Um,

Tracy Hayes: what's April's superpower? For one thing do you say it's her like

Sarah Helfer: her words. She even if she's wrong, she will make you think she's right wrong Like she's great at words

Tracy Hayes: If you need to write a particular email or say something specific to someone, you're going to rely on April to help you.

Sarah Helfer: If, you know, if there's something tricky and I'm like, oh, I really need to make sure my facts are straight and how do I get this word across, she's, she's, she's got it.

Sarah Helfer: Concise

Tracy Hayes: and she communicates well. Okay. What's her superpower?

Helfer Bliss: She is always on. [00:40:00] She is always just ready to go. She is brings the energy. She brings the energy. She makes herself available. Um, if anybody needs anything, um, I mean, she will always be the first person that I would call and know she's going to answer and know that even if she does not have the answers to whatever's going on, she is going to get them.

Helfer Bliss: She is going to show up 100 percent of the time.

Tracy Hayes: Excellent. It's always great to have a friend or a partner that, that, you know, you can call and is going to whatever, you know, carry it, carry the team to the finish

Helfer Bliss: line. She's smart as whip too. Like she's been in this business obviously longer than me.

Helfer Bliss: She was in the business.

Helfer Bliss: So, um, she's just a really great person to go to when you want like the facts, just in general, it's like real estate. Like she knows her stuff. She's on it.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, rapid fire. Let's just go a little bit about the team. Tell me about some of the players on the team now.

Sarah Helfer: Um, so we have, um, four agents right now.

Sarah Helfer: Two of them have been in the business for about seven, eight years. Um, Um, and then we have another [00:41:00] agent who's been the business for about three years. Mm-Hmm. . And, um, she's a badass. Mm-Hmm. . She's awesome. We have someone who's only been the business for about a year, but she is great. She is off to a great start.

Sarah Helfer: She's Mm-Hmm. hungry. She's dedicated, she's motivated, she's

Helfer Bliss: amazing. She's doing the stuff that. Realtors don't like to do. Like, she is that person that is going out and getting in front of, you know, the expireds and the for sale by owners. And, yeah, she is hungry and she is going to be a rock star for sure.

Helfer Bliss: Yeah. Um, I think she was one that we were not going to bring anyone else onto the team. Cause, you know at a certain point that things are good, don't want to bring anybody else on, and we have a good flow. Um, and she was kind of persistent. Mm hmm. And

Tracy Hayes: What is it she thought, what does she see in the two of you that she just had to be on the team?

Tracy Hayes: What do you

Helfer Bliss: think? I ask her.

Sarah Helfer: She was very persistent. She was persistent. I think, I remember what she said, like, um, she came one time and I think we were [00:42:00] like, no, we're okay. Cause we are very picky who we hire. A lot of agents and teams will just hire anybody. We're more of a. Culture, family. We're very picky, but we're all different.

Sarah Helfer: We have all different personalities. Mm-Hmm. . Um, but, you know, we don't just hire anybody. And so, um, you know, she came back and was like, I cried when you let it, when you told me we couldn't be on the team. And I was just like, oh my God. Like, well, she

Helfer Bliss: kept, she was like, that's really all I want. She was like, I, she was at our other brokerage.

Helfer Bliss: Um, she was a single agent at Mm-Hmm. first. And then she was really wanting to be on a team. And it just wasn't the right timing and I think there was also just a lot going on personally and we were like, we cannot bring on somebody that's new and add anything new. Um, and so we loved her, but we were like, it just doesn't work, but we were helping her.

Helfer Bliss: So she was still coming, we were helping her with like contracts and how to follow up and do stuff. We were like, we just, we'll help you to do all these things. We just can't be always available. Over

Tracy Hayes: the, over the, I mean, you guys obviously have. I've [00:43:00] seen a lot of different agents. Um, I think they come some the team environment and then every team is different.

Tracy Hayes: You know, I can bring in a lot. I could, I eventually do want to actually have like a little roundtable of, you know, three or four different teams that I know, because I've had all of you on and talking how you run your teams and that sort of thing and go back and have a little banter on how, how the teams are run.

Sarah Helfer: Um, our team is very different than

Tracy Hayes: most. Yeah.

Helfer Bliss: And I think everybody is so different. Like, it would be great to just kind of pick everybody's minds and kind of see how,

Tracy Hayes: yeah, their, their ideology of how, you know, how things are done, but You know, seeing the different agents you guys have met and talked to, some agents can just go out and they just want to do it on their own and you know, type of thing where there are agents in.

Tracy Hayes: You may, do they take a test? I don't know where, where they, where they figure out or come to the conclusion that it sounds like this particular person, just based on your brief description, wants to be part of something bigger than just themselves. Right. I mean, that's, that's the only thing I can [00:44:00] think of, or, you know, obviously.

Tracy Hayes: You know, having that day to day thing where they're coming in and seeing that friend like someone coming into the office and seeing their, you know, the person in the cube next door every day, it makes them feel comfortable, right? Is that so? I mean, just some different agents they've worked with through the years that or this particular agent is just, you know, is that the atmosphere that she thrives

Helfer Bliss: in?

Helfer Bliss: I think, I think a lot with her, she um, was, we did a lot of trainings, we were in a lot of trainings and we were pretty vocal in a lot of those trainings and kind of throwing things around and like how we were doing things and how we were maybe working with the people that were in our team and that kind of resonated with her and she's like, that is what I want and I, and I think she, She liked the way we thought, she liked the way we did things, and that is what's important with our team.

Helfer Bliss: You have to kind of be on the same page. We're not going to change who we are. Um, this is who we are, this is what you get, and we all need to kind of be on the same

Sarah Helfer: page. And, um, we, we help agents out all [00:45:00] the time that are not on our team. Yeah. We, our old brokerage, people would come to us all the time.

Sarah Helfer: Just be like, hey, how do we do this, what do I do that? And we would, we would sit there and help them, and um, and I think that You know, they were all like, wow, like, that you took the time of day to do that on your busy schedule, and like, I never, you know, I never thought about that, and so it was, it was

Helfer Bliss: Yeah, but there's a lot of people that, um, maybe aren't looking for a team or just wasn't like the right connection with us, but at no point would we ever just say, Oh, like, good luck.

Helfer Bliss: If someone needed help, then we're going to, we're going to be there and we're going to do it. And we enjoy that. I think that's one of the things that's rewarding with the team is

Tracy Hayes: right. Um, the success, or I think of the success of any organization is retaining. People over a period of time, and we talked about a little bit of pre show, uh, you know, well, just like any workplace, real estate agents are the same way when they're, when they're no longer, you know, in this case, maybe feel needed because they need to be on a team and if they're not needed or, or, you know, or they're just no longer getting any value out of that broker or team lead, [00:46:00] then they start looking somewhere else, uh, for that, um, for that, uh, I don't want to say resource, but for that value.

Tracy Hayes: Right. So what do you think are some of the key things that in some of the things that you guys maybe lose sleep at night because I think anybody leading any sort of team loses sleep because they maybe they got this really good player on the team and they don't, they don't want to lose them. And you're like, how can I stay in front of them and keep this person, um, you know, uh, happy and, and provide them what they're looking for.

Tracy Hayes: So they can, you know, how can I keep me obviously success if they're successful, they generally don't. what, what are some of the things that go through your guys minds as leaders as the team leads in retaining? I

Sarah Helfer: honestly don't need to sleep at all over it if you're if you want to go on a different team or you're not happy I am so maybe that's it.

Sarah Helfer: Static of you like I will support you go do that you know. Yeah we don't have anybody I don't want to, I don't want to have someone on our team that doesn't want to be there. We have very very little turnover and

Helfer Bliss: Um, and I think the few, like, as we have had any turnover, I mean, we've had some people that just [00:47:00] are, had decided that real estate just really is not, like, was not what their, yeah, I mean, it's not what they saw in their lives and they had other, other aspirations.

Helfer Bliss: Um, and then there's people who, like, you hit a growth part, point where, if you're really not utilizing the team, um, um, What the team of bodies then you kind of should go out and do it on your own, right?

Helfer Bliss: We have a different dynamic and like when we talked about that. It's very personal The girls that are on our team are like our family and it is not just business It is you are going through something in your life, and we all show up at your house, and it's not just us It's the other girls on the team.

Helfer Bliss: Everybody is supporting each other if for some reason Sarah and I weren't available Any of the other girls would up and show up. Um, you know, I've been out of town and needed someone to go to a showing. Um, these girls are like switching up their schedules to go do it. Right. They may not even get anything out of it.

Helfer Bliss: Right. Um, but they know we're gonna do the same. Right. For them, and I think because it's personal, because we [00:48:00] do consider everybody like family, it, it's something that you want to still be a part of. And they see Like we have a lot more coming, um, we have a lot of exciting things coming in the years ago, and they want to be a part of it, and we want them there with us.

Tracy Hayes: Have you ever had that person on the team, and, and obviously they're not on the team anymore, um, because I would kick them off my team, but when you ask them to do something like that, knowing that what comes around goes around, there's gonna be a time when they're out of town, and they need to cover, say, can you, you know, go do this showing, this person called me, I'm in the airport, or whatever, um.

Tracy Hayes: That, you know, um, I, I think I'm gonna, I don't want to blame it on a generation cause I, I, there's even my generation where they're like, what's in it for me,

Helfer Bliss: right? We've actually, I think there's been a few times like, um, Sarah was out of town and things were crazy busy and she knew I was dealing with a lot, um, with a couple transactions.

Helfer Bliss: And so she called one of the other agents and was like, I'm going to pay you. Um, like I'll. Hey, you for your time on top. And [00:49:00] typically if, if we're asking them to do something that's personal for us or one of our transactions, so we're going to offer to pay them, they typically like get very affected.

Helfer Bliss: Like, I do not want you to pay me. Like you're forcing money down there because they're like, no, we. We all work together and this is like a

Tracy Hayes: benefit for our team. That's what I think is so just I mean my evaluation listening to you the smallness of The team gets you you just start hiring people to hire people say I want I want to get to ten agents as a number versus

Sarah Helfer: Yeah Who you hire is everything.

Sarah Helfer: It really is. You know and that's why I don't lose sleep over it like who you hire is everything Um, we are different. Our team is different. We, we do team trips. We, we, you know, we're doing lunches. We, we're out and about. We enjoy each other. I know the girls professionally, but I also know them personally, because it allows me to get to know that side that's hidden professionally, so I can know what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Sarah Helfer: So if leads come in, I'm like, okay, this [00:50:00] person's personality is going to be better with this. So it, you know, we're, we're different and we, um, I think one thing that's very important in real estate is finding your niche. Um, I always say the niches are riches. Because you, you do things that make you comfortable and enjoy.

Sarah Helfer: And, you know, I try to find these girls to find what you love to do and then do real estate in that. And so I want to get to know them personally. I want to get to know. You know, what do you guys like? Oh, you're a mom. Let's get some mom groups. Let's get, you know, let's get you in there and you can start doing crafts with the kids at the park and, and I get to know them that way and I see what they love because you don't want to come to work every day and just be at the office and that kind of stuff.

Sarah Helfer: You want to be out there doing stuff. And it's funny with everyone on our team. We all Specialize in a certain, um, area. So I want to know you personally to see what you're gonna specialize [00:51:00] in. Um, there, and there's so many different types of real estate. There is, you know, there's commercial, there's for sale by owners, there's investors, there's um, just condos, luxury.

Sarah Helfer: Um, you know, one girl on our team, she's bilingual, so she. She, she caters towards that and we have two girls that really like first time homebuyers and April's great with VA. You know, if I get a VA, I'm immediately calling her and being like, Hey, do you want this VA? Because she's got a daughter in the military and it's something that's personal to her.

Sarah Helfer: So she enjoys it more. She's going to get that repeated customer. We're going to, they're going to refer it out. I'm more due luxury. I don't really like to close anything below 700. I will refer it out. I know this sounds crazy, but it's just my niche. I enjoy that. I like it. Um, and I do it all. I'm, I'm, you know, but last year I think, um, Yeah, last year I think I only did three that were under 700 and they were both over.[00:52:00]

Sarah Helfer: Right. For all over five. Um. You've just got to find your niche and we help the girls find their niche.

Tracy Hayes: One thing I've, I've, and I can ask this question because you're not, you, you used the word hire when really, I mean, there's no, well, you're a transaction coordinator, maybe you've got some salary there or something, but these people are 1099, they're, they're, they're self employed.

Tracy Hayes: Um. Uh. I've noticed in really digging in, talking to a lot of, a lot of the different ages, we talked about the single moms and so forth, the females in this industry have a, uh, well, I know there's not perfect relationships. There's some cat fighting going on. Your jealousies and so forth, but do you, when your, your, your teen concept that you have and keeping it small, it's, uh, imagine some people accused you of being in a girl, a little girls club type of thing.

Tracy Hayes: You know, the girls go out and get their wine together, whatever that is. Um, you know, I know you probably if a male came over and you thought they would fit in, you'd probably, you know, bring them on, but it's just this group. This is naturally kind of, Like I said,

Sarah Helfer: we're, we're picky. We've, we joke and we [00:53:00] get people all the time that are like, I want to join your group because, you know, we're like, we went to Shania Twain concert and we brought the whole team there.

Sarah Helfer: And, you know, that's different. A lot of teams will do that. You're dating yourself

Tracy Hayes: with that one though. When was Shania Twain? I

Helfer Bliss: know, we just went. Well, we had to find her. Oh,

Tracy Hayes: okay. Is she in

Sarah Helfer: Vegas or something? No, she was in North Carolina. Okay. I was like, listen, we're all going. So we went to

Helfer Bliss: Charlotte for that.

Helfer Bliss: We've gone to like Nashville, and we like to do like trips like that. It's a little

Tracy Hayes: easier when you're a bunch of women to sit your guy by his side all the time. Unless you're bringing the

Helfer Bliss: husbands along. We did. I think we did. It was very authentic that it became just women. That was never like, oh, it can only be women, um, but obviously we all connected and there was, you know, a natural, so it was very authentic.

Helfer Bliss: And then I think maybe two or three times early on, we had men that wanted to join and we considered it and we were like, it will change. So much of our dynamic and what we're [00:54:00] doing. So like we do a lot of events We don't we've never really done any kind of lead generation. Everything is being out in the community being involved doing events Just kind of getting in front of our sphere.

Helfer Bliss: So a lot of those things were They would change if I had men on the team Um, I think moving forward, um, as we grow, there's a lot of different considerations on, on how things will go. But in the meantime, I think we've had a couple guys that were like, do I have to wear a wig? Like, how do I get to be on your team?

Helfer Bliss: Like,

Tracy Hayes: I don't know. Well, you were talking, you've mentioned moms groups or whatever several times in the hour we've been talking and so forth. That's natural to you, right? These events, I imagine, are very natural. to, to, uh, the female, where the guys are like, uh, do I want to go to the old, you know, We do get some kickback off that.

Tracy Hayes: Bring, bring my son to the, to the, you know, the nursing home or whatever. I wouldn't, I wouldn't think of

Helfer Bliss: doing that. But we have had that when we've said it's a mom's group and we've gotten, um, you know, some response from dads that are like, so I can't bring my kid. And, uh, so we've had to switch that up a little bit.

Helfer Bliss: You know, it's, it's Crafts for Kids, so yes, dads are invited. You can come [00:55:00] and do it. Um, you know, we're not, we're not against dads, we're not against men, um, it has just been very authentic in how it's happened so far.

Tracy Hayes: Right, just naturally, naturally get together. Yeah. Um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna have about three, four more questions, four more questions here, we'll finish up.

Tracy Hayes: Um, and rapid fire here. Uh oh. Three things. Uh, that you think someone who might be in licensing right now hasn't even joined a brokerage three things that a new agent starting today, 2024. High interest rates, you know twice as much as they were just two years ago You know inventories low Yeah, we got an election year going on a lot of people are you know I think standing on the sidelines in my opinion that type of thing What a three is an agent coming in today so that they're not quitting in three months or not renewing in their two years What do they need to know you think today?

Helfer Bliss: One of the biggest things for us is, you know, you're hearing a lot of people that are like, oh, it's a bad market and Uh, it's not a good time to sell, it's not a good time to buy, you've got interest rates, you've got this, you've got that, but um, I mean it's real [00:56:00] estate, so you cannot go wrong with real estate.

Helfer Bliss: If you wait, you're just waiting, um, until something changes and you're paying more one way or another, whether it's interest or, you know, your purchase price. Um, we think outside the box quite a bit. We have more of like a boutique style. Um, and so as a new agent comes in, I think you have to have that.

Helfer Bliss: You cannot just come in as a realtor and think, Oh, I'm just gonna take listings, I'm gonna like throw them out in the wind, they're gonna sell, and that's it. Um, what can you do to differentiate yourself? What can you do to bring added value to your customers that maybe the next agent is not going to do?

Helfer Bliss: And I don't think we really Think of it as competing with other agents. Um, I think there's plenty of business for everybody And so if I'm going out and meeting with customers if I'm not the right fit Then I would expect them with another agent, but I need to add my own value So if you are new and you're coming out there We will we [00:57:00] meet with like our customers ahead of time we figure out, you know Who is going to be looking at this as a listing?

Helfer Bliss: Who is going to be our audience for this? Who are the buyers? Where is the best value going to be? Is it with an investor? Is it with a first time homebuyer?

Tracy Hayes: So someone new coming in, they, you know, if they were new on your team today and they've got this listing, they need to be sitting down with someone with your experience and breaking this stuff down now.

Tracy Hayes: Sarah, they may look at you and go 28 million. Oh my God, I could never do that. Or some go, Oh, 28 million, I'm going to do 30. Like they only have the rationale what that number actually means. How, what should you. You know, I, I imagine the first thing that you're going to say to him is that, well, this is, you know, how long have you been 10, 12 years in the business?

Tracy Hayes: 13 years in the business. This is 13 years of at bats, you know, building up your client base and so forth to, to get you [00:58:00] there. Right? Like

Sarah Helfer: I said, it's, um, you've got to find what you're good at, find your niche. You know, you don't want to be. You know, just example, you know, if you have a rock and you throw it into a ocean, you're going to have very little ripple effect.

Sarah Helfer: Um, and you're not going to find it, but if you throw it in a small little pond, you're going to have that splash and, you know, an effect. So if you're going to find, find something you specialize in, because you can't be good at it all. Right. And, um, you know, with me it was, it was luxury, so, um. You know, everyone, you gotta find, it's funny you just said name three things, and my mind went to negotiation skills, markets, um, skills, and knowledge, and that was my answer, and then April just gave you like a five minute speech.

Sarah Helfer: So that, that, literally I'm like, this is the difference between us, and it works so well. I have an answer, it's She likes the

Tracy Hayes: essay question.

Sarah Helfer: She likes the She just answered five minutes of your So it works out, it works out great. But, um, yeah, just find what you're good at. You know, there's so many different types of real estate.

Sarah Helfer: So, you

Tracy Hayes: know Well, you say that it's, that's a very [00:59:00] general find what you're, you're good at. If you're coming into the business, you really don't know all You know, that's there. You guys, you guys can see it from 30, 000 feet because you've of years of seeing all these different things that have gone on, market changes, all that type of things.

Tracy Hayes: How do you help somebody new coming? Well, because my last question is going to be, why should someone, you know, reach out to you guys and, you know, entertain talking to you and possibly, you know, being part of your team, could they fit in your team? But how do you, how do you, how would you help that new agent break that down?

Tracy Hayes: What they're good at

Sarah Helfer: getting to know them. Yeah, definitely. And it's going to take time. No matter what you should do every transaction, see what you're good at. We had a girl who at first she was just all over the place. Now she really only does, um, flips and investors and she is so good at it. And,

Tracy Hayes: and she, she's got a reputation now being good.

Tracy Hayes: And

Sarah Helfer: she really only does that now. So, and she's really good at it. So I think, you know, you're going to find what you're good at. And,

Helfer Bliss: I think that support [01:00:00] system is huge. So I think the team dynamic, if you're really coming in, especially with all of the changes in real estate now, um, the team dynamic is good, but find someone that you really resonate with and that you have that connection with.

Helfer Bliss: How

Tracy Hayes: important is it when you start narrowing down, finding this thing to find, obviously this individual likes the investment properties and flips, probably enjoys it. How important is that in in your business to find what is it and then you know What is it do you enjoy doing because that's really what gets you out of bed in the morning.

Tracy Hayes: It's everything.

Helfer Bliss: Yeah It's everything if you are doing this, I mean Real estate is rewarding, but it is hard. Um, there is a lot, every single transaction is different, you're gonna get hit all kinds of sideways. If you do not enjoy what you are doing, you are not going to stick it out. You are going to hit a point where you're like, I hate this.

Helfer Bliss: Um, so You either love it or you don't. Right,

Tracy Hayes: because you're going to get kicked in the teeth a couple times. Your face is going to be in [01:01:00] the dirt. Someone's going to say no to you a couple times. But

Helfer Bliss: if you're doing it and you're doing something that you actually love. Then those moments are just moments and then they move on and then you have that rewarding part I'm gonna throw

Tracy Hayes: the question back to you april or not back to you.

Tracy Hayes: I'm gonna create a question throw this right back at you What is it that ultimately like I said when that alarm goes off and you're you're getting or maybe you naturally just get up at whatever time What is it? It puts a smile on your face and says, you know, I got another day of being a real estate agent What is it that is the ultimate?

Tracy Hayes: Like in one sentence, maybe two. Give her a time limit.

Sarah Helfer: I'll give you a word.

Tracy Hayes: That really is your enjoyment at the end of the day.

Helfer Bliss: Um, I think, I mean the customers are everything and then our team. I mean I wake up and I know that I have this strong, badass, girl boss group of women that are surrounding me and I get to work with them.

Helfer Bliss: Alright, Sarah.

Sarah Helfer: [01:02:00] Customers, I, they, you know. Become friends with all of them all of them Pretty much Some

Tracy Hayes: I'm sure of giving you like

Sarah Helfer: Crazy people We have some girls that get all crazies But

Tracy Hayes: I like like like attracts like

Sarah Helfer: I'm still friends with all of them You

Tracy Hayes: know, I had, uh, Sophia Gordon on, uh, very young age, and I don't know if she's 25 years old, but she, she, you know, that's one of her big things is creating a relationship with every client that she can, or introduces them to somebody that they could be, you know, uh, to say that they, you know, Uh, introduced a and they became friends or having a little, you know, girls go out and get a glass of wine type of thing with two or three other people and bring them in.

Tracy Hayes: She obviously, whatever clicked with her from right [01:03:00] from the get go, she's like, this is how I'm going to run my business. And obviously, you know, she's a rookie of the year, very successful, very young age. How important is that relational part in the 28 million as an individual?

Sarah Helfer: It's just so important to have a good relationship with them.

Sarah Helfer: You know, I get to know all of them personally. This is a biggest sale, with my clientele, they've, they've really purchased many homes before. They have something specific they want. They have a lifestyle they want. They have a design they want. I kind of already go in there knowing what they want.

Sarah Helfer: Um, and. You know, I, I get to know them and I have a relationship with them and, you know, I, I still text and call and all the time with them and, you know, I actually, I really enjoy it. I, like, want to know what's going on in their lives and I want to, you know, I want to know You know, everything's going on with them.

Tracy Hayes: Some people say over the years, obviously you've built up, you know, how many sales you've had in 13 years. How do you, you know, in a, in a natural [01:04:00] way, not, not being more of like, Oh, hey, you know what I need to Check on Sally, uh, Smith's because I haven't talked to them in like nine months or maybe a year or whatever How do you how do you naturally?

Tracy Hayes: Or do you even think about is this something that just comes natural to you? And touching them in some way shape

Sarah Helfer: or form. I will be driving and think about like, oh, you know It's that person's birthday is june 12th. I'm going to send them some berries, you know, I just think about it all the time I just I'm a relationship person.

Sarah Helfer: I enjoy talking to people. I always go above and beyond. And, um, I, it's something that I think relationships are everything. Do

Tracy Hayes: you think about when you're working with a client, um, you just said, you just triggered a question above and beyond. Define something you can go above and beyond

Sarah Helfer: on with. Let me give you an example of April, actually.

Sarah Helfer: I was so impressed with this the other day. She went and got, um, she, I'll give you an example of me later, but She, um, went and did a listing and [01:05:00] the Um, she knew the listing needed help, and it was a house that needed work and that kind of stuff. And she brought to the listing appointment, because they were interviewing listing, listing agents.

Sarah Helfer: She brought to the, um, interview, um, a contractor. And they walked around, and they gave them a quote right there, and they didn't have the money to pay for it, so the contractor's paying for it at, er, they're paying for the contractor at closing. She had it all done right there. I have never been to a listing appointment where they have brought the contractor to it's little things

Tracy Hayes: that she'll pick.

Tracy Hayes: How did you, how did you know this about this particular home?

Helfer Bliss: Um, did you ? So this particular, um, listing, they is a divorce and they were interviewing half a dozen agents. Mm-Hmm. . Um, and so I had been through the process, um, and they were like narrowing it down to like the last two, and I knew it was. It hadn't been renovated, um, they didn't have the money to do a full renovation, but it was also very lived in and Just kind of had that, don't know if we're going to be able [01:06:00] to do this

Tracy Hayes: stuff up front.

Tracy Hayes: Did you get this information through a phone call with them? Yes. No. Just talking. So by your initial conversation on this phone, you found out the house needed some TLC?

Helfer Bliss: That and then, I mean, just in looking at the comps, there were a lot of really good comps. They had been sitting for 90 and 100 days and they were very close to what this listing was.

Helfer Bliss: Except You could walk into them and think, like, oh, I'm gonna need a paint, I need to get some matching appliances, like, it's really dark in here, so I kind of had those main things that make a home stand out, and I brought him along, we walked it. His prices are really good, so he can't beat that.

Tracy Hayes: Well, and the fact that he was willing to wait till you

Helfer Bliss: closed.

Helfer Bliss: Um, he waits till then, and then he also, because he does a lot of business with our customers, um, will drop what he's doing and show up. And like, I think that's half of it right now. Yeah, that's 90%.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah, showing up.

Helfer Bliss: We had a very tight window, and he dropped everything, and in three days we did a lot of work.

Helfer Bliss: Not a [01:07:00] lot of money and they're home instead of sitting for over a hundred days like the comps Um, I think we had 31 showings in the first day and a half multiple offers backup offers. We got the price up I mean there was no need to know how much

Tracy Hayes: work how much work Approximately, did they end up spending 10, 000?

Helfer Bliss: No, I think it was around like 5, 000. I mean, it's basic things. I mean, the homestead would need eventually, you know, some renovations, but it was mismatched appliances. You can go and get used appliances and make them match. You do a fresh coat of paint when it's dark paint, and it, you know, needs some patches and stuff.

Helfer Bliss: Um, a couple new light fixtures, like 80, 90 light fixtures. And then I think our big thing is, You want it to feel light and bright in these homes and so switching out the light bulbs. Um, yeah, make it daylight. Don't make it soft. Yeah,

Tracy Hayes: I've done that. That

Helfer Bliss: changes a home and these people then were walking into a home that was still very comfortable to these other [01:08:00] homes, except they could see it as we can move in and then later renovate this or later renovate that.

Tracy Hayes: Well, I was talking to Bobby Brennan the other day and she says a lot of the buyers right now they want turnkey They're not looking for that home go Oh I can make this and make they just they want to have the matching Appliances and that they can have guests over the

Helfer Bliss: next day and they're and they know they might have to renovate later But right now especially if you have higher interest rates, you're paying more per month.

Helfer Bliss: You want to walk into this home Especially like the first time home buyers, which was kind of our audience

Tracy Hayes: Well, and you're competing with builders a lot on the other side too, right? That's a good

Helfer Bliss: competition. I mean, we priced it the same as these other homes that were a hundred days out and we were under contract in three days or the 25 day close and no repairs or anything needed.

Helfer Bliss: And I will say the other. Really cool thing is that the inspection report came back and we did not have a single Redline item on it because we hit all of those things ahead of time We

Tracy Hayes: gave the buyer no excuses or have that buyer's remorse Use the [01:09:00] inspection as their scapegoat because they have buyers, you know as we all Make contracting like did I do the right thing or is there another house down the street because I know I've heard stories You know, obviously with the multiple offer things and low inventory people making offers on homes They're a week under contract, then find another home they like, and finding an excuse to get out of that one to jump to the other one, and, yeah.

Helfer Bliss: Yeah, and we were good, and we had backup offers, so. That's a great story. It was a

Sarah Helfer: really good. She, and that was an example of, like, the go, you know,

Helfer Bliss: beyond. And we, I mean, we do a lot of that stuff, and it's usually after we have, it's after

Sarah Helfer: the listing, though, usually. We really care about our clients. We go above and beyond.

Sarah Helfer: Mm hmm. Like, how I said, it's just, really, with, like, almost. All our listings and everything. Um,

Tracy Hayes: well there's, there was two things there actually, above and beyond, but you mentioned earlier you were asked about the new agent and you, I, I think, I think it was Ava said, differentiate yourself. Yeah. Mm-Hmm.

Tracy Hayes: right. That's differentiating yourself for sure. You're the only person that did it.

Sarah Helfer: Mm-Hmm. . Yeah. Um, I had a client two years ago who I got through the J Fund through the Jaguars, and they, their child had [01:10:00] cancer and, um, I never said anything but secretly at the closing table. I had gave my commission to the family and it was, I think it was like a, like a 10, 000 commission.

Sarah Helfer: they were so grateful and that, and then every year now in July I donate one of my, um, commissions and I've done it every year. Last year I think, um, it was a referral kind of through them and I took the, I think it was like 13, 000 commission and I put it towards their, the, um, they have a fundraiser now for it.

Sarah Helfer: So it's. It's just little things like that, where you just, you know, you don't always want to think money. You want to go above and beyond and,

Helfer Bliss: um, and make it personal.

Sarah Helfer: Yeah, make it personal because they'll come to you if you, if you really care.

Tracy Hayes: Right. Um, so we talked about new agent. There's agents out there, like I said, or, or maybe with a brokerage, like I said, is not adding value to them.

Tracy Hayes: They don't know what to do. They, some people are just afraid of change, so they just stick with the, you know, the dead end road, uh, that [01:11:00] they're on. What do you think, what Can you reach out? You know, reaching out to them through this, through the show here, what are some things they have to consider if they want to stay in this business instead of banging their head against the wall every night because they feel they're stuck at these brokerage?

Tracy Hayes: It is not unnatural to jump brokerages. It, that it's, I think what it really gets down to the bottom line of the question you are, you are. The product, so to speak. I mean, you're selling houses, but it's your, you are the person, the agent, because people out there, they don't care whether you were Keller Williams or Remax or whatever.

Tracy Hayes: They don't need, it's not like the old days where you were in the gold jacket, like central 21 or Remax had the balloon. Those are the only two I can think of with that have icons that I can remember from when I was a kid.

Sarah Helfer: Think about, like, our time now, like, you were just saying with the, you know,

Sarah Helfer: the old days, it really did matter, like, Watson, you had to have Watson, and I remember the old days, I used to do flyers, and I used to get so much business from that.

Sarah Helfer: [01:12:00] Now, if I put, flyers don't work for me, you have to find out what works for you. Um, and Um, you have to be motivated. You can't just, you know, you have to, you're going to have to try different things.

Helfer Bliss: And if you feel like you're stuck in a certain place and you just don't see yourself growing, I think that's what happened with both Sarah and I after, like, we switched from Watson.

Helfer Bliss: We loved Watson. We loved the people that we worked with. Um, but we hit that point where We didn't see a whole lot of growth coming out of ourselves, and that was not acceptable, like, you have to constantly be growing, you know, if, if one year you drop in something that you're doing, and you're not as involved, something's wrong, you need to Figure out what it is.

Tracy Hayes: Would you agree? Uh, and maybe you see another agent that agent who's struggling right now? Uh and feels like they're on their own little island They really aren't they just need to pick up the phone if they're watching the podcast today Even if they're they maybe they're not interested in being on the team [01:13:00] But to reach out and talk to other agents to call you guys and go.

Tracy Hayes: Hey, let's have coffee because I think a lot of people don't uh You you don't know what you don't know Right. If you're not seeing what other people are doing or what other brokerages are doing, when maybe it's a camaraderie of the Hill for Bliss team or, you know, the support a broker gives an individual agent, you don't see that going on every day unless you go and you're talking to those people and interacting with other people in the industry.

Helfer Bliss: Who you surround yourself with is huge. Um, it's a game changer. So if you are surrounded by people that build you up, that support you, that want your business to grow, Um, you're going to have more confidence in yourself. You're going to grow. Um. And whether people want to join our team, or just be our friends, um, or just advocates in the business, like, absolutely reach out.

Helfer Bliss: We love to talk to new agents, um, experienced agents. We like to kind of hear what you're doing, um, and you know, share some of what we're doing. Um, and learn from

Tracy Hayes: you to Sarah, how important is it? You know, because obviously it wasn't that long ago and I, and everyone thinks that the rates [01:14:00] do drop, you know, we're going to go back to the, we're already getting some multiple offers, but back to like 15, 20 offers or whatever on a home, how important is to know, or to be able to maybe you have met that agent who's on the other end to be able to feel comfortable and pick up the phone and have a conversation, a frank conversation with them.

Tracy Hayes: You

Sarah Helfer: know, interest rates are huge. You know, For nationwide, for every 1 percent it goes down, a million buyers enter the marketplace. So, when, you know, interest rates go down, you're going to get, you're going to be busy. Um, now if interest rates are high, you really have,

Tracy Hayes: you just Well, I'm talking about getting to know other agents.

Tracy Hayes: When you get multiple offers, which I imagine you, you've had in your different listings, you know, and it's getting crazy when you go down through those offers and you see names of agents, you know, how important is that?

Sarah Helfer: It is, you know, we try not to, because you really want to look for what's best for your seller, but also it's hard not to look at that [01:15:00] name because you know, if the transaction is going to go smooth, you know, if, um, if they're going to, you know, Just so much so much for

Tracy Hayes: that not gonna be a negotiation issue you guys are gonna find a win win

Sarah Helfer: You know, there are some slimy agents out there that will I had an 2020 I had agents that I think we had 34 offers on one and I found two agents that had just put offers on Every house in the neighborhood because it was there was a bunch of houses that were all going on a bunch of multiple offers and She didn't know it that I had two listings of that neighborhood and she put, you know 20, 000 higher on both my listings and never even realized that she had sent it to me And she

Helfer Bliss: also didn't know that Sarah knew obviously everybody knows everybody She knew the other agents and they reached out saying hey This is happening with this agent.

Helfer Bliss: Yeah,

Sarah Helfer: so you, you know, it, it, it, now do I, if I see an offer come in, am I going to think that that person's actually going to close a [01:16:00] deal? Right. You know, I have to protect my seller. Mm hmm. So, you know, I, I don't, because a lot of these people will be unethical. They'll put in an offer, and then on day 10, they'll walk away, and then we have to do it all over again.

Sarah Helfer: Yep. And I have to protect my seller. So, yes, absolutely, I'm going to be like, hey, just so you know, I have experience with this agent. Um,

Tracy Hayes: They run a tight ship, they know what they're doing, they got the right lender, you know,

Helfer Bliss: yeah, yeah. Or if you're going to, if you have an agent that you're concerned that it could not go well, but your seller wants to go with them, you're also going to protect yourself in different ways.

Helfer Bliss: You're going to write up certain addendums that, like, we are all on the same page, and you are following through with this, and you are capable of, um, you know, so. Yeah,

Sarah Helfer: and you know what, get on the phone. Just don't, don't make a Prediction and say, okay, this person's bad. Get on the phone and talk to him.

Sarah Helfer: It's because maybe they have a great buyer. Maybe that buyer is going to be the perfect fit for that house. You know, You never know. So just

Tracy Hayes: get on the phone. Isn't one of the mature agents, the professional agents, they're going to send that offer [01:17:00] over and then they're going to get on the phone and make sure they received

Sarah Helfer: it.

Sarah Helfer: I never understand people that don't get on the phone. Yeah,

Tracy Hayes: like they're playing the lottery?

Sarah Helfer: Like when you make a relationship with another agent and you call them and you're just like, even just a hey girl, like, I sent you an offer, da da da. Did you get it? It just, you know, it just makes that like, yes.

Sarah Helfer: You know, and not a text, and I don't want to send a text.

Tracy Hayes: Uh, here's the big question now. We'll keep this to 60 seconds each. Okay. 20 seconds. So, and make sure, make sure the answer is one. Don't straddle across three different ideas. Focus on one idea. So, alright, why a buyer or seller should choose the Hill for Bliss team?

Tracy Hayes: Who wants to go first?

Sarah Helfer: You go, she's

Tracy Hayes: got to focus on one. She's got to, yeah, let her, let her cut hers down to 60 seconds. She goes,

Sarah Helfer: I'll go short and you, I just experienced, we both are in the business for a very long time. We know we've [01:18:00] been through it all. We have different expertise on multiple different areas and there's two of us.

Sarah Helfer: There's always, we're always around. Um, and we like to have fun and you know, yeah. Someone's

Tracy Hayes: always picking up the phone. Isn't that how important that is, right? When someone calls it, they're getting, at least getting a call back in a reasonable period of time. Yeah, no matter what agent. Sometimes when you're dealing with a solo agent, you may not get that.

Tracy Hayes: Yeah.

Sarah Helfer: I see a lot of agents who start these teams and I'm like, how long have you been in the business? Like, you know, you really just want to

Tracy Hayes: I think it's just a tab on that statement. You just made. If you are thinking an agent listening to this right now, you are thinking of building a team. You probably should reach out to you guys and how your team, how you're, you know, the culture and everything that works for you. And

Helfer Bliss: that culture works for us, but that's not to say it will work for everybody, but it's really good to talk to a lot of different people and see what is going to work for you.

Helfer Bliss: Right, right,

Tracy Hayes: what fits their thing. Alright, April, you've got 60

Helfer Bliss: seconds. As far as our team goes, I think, like she [01:19:00] said, I mean, we do have the experience. We have dealt with, I mean, so many transactions. We've overseen so many. We know what is going to get you. To stand out. We know what's going to get your listings to stand out.

Helfer Bliss: We know what is going to get your offers to stand out, and we're going to do everything imaginable to make it happen. Um, and then we're gonna do that. I mean we have that little boutique. where we're going to do the little extra things outside

Tracy Hayes: the box. You know, you summed, you did sum it up right there.

Tracy Hayes: You know, the above and beyond I think is, is cool. And then have stories, you know, you interview somebody and say, Oh yeah, we go above and beyond. Okay. Well tell me a story when you went above and beyond. Right. That's a good interview question. Go for a job, right? You guys have stories about that and, and, and, uh, examples that you can tell that, you know, the story that we, we told today was, was awesome.

Tracy Hayes: Um, I think a lot of people like to say they go above and beyond, but did you really find the way to go above and beyond? And the importance of going above and beyond and finding a way to go above and beyond,[01:20:00]  uh, realizing that that customer in front of you could be 10 more customers over the next several years from referrals or, you know, whatever, and stories that they tell.

Tracy Hayes: And don't

Sarah Helfer: just go above and beyond just during the transaction. Go after. You know, keep, keep in touch. And, yeah,

Helfer Bliss: you know. And I think that is big. Like what is above and beyond for one agent? Is it that you made the phone call instead of just sending a text because you don't usually do that? You know, you definitely want to get in and see

Tracy Hayes: how can you wow him?

Tracy Hayes: How can you write? How do you wow somebody? That's it's a little different. Some people are actually wowed by the fact you answered the phone. Some people were like, yeah, every time we called, they answered the phone. That was a real easy. Wow. Right. But do we look for it? All right. Um, is there anything we haven't talked about that you want people to know?

Tracy Hayes: About either one of you or the team. I'm leaving. I'm done with my questions. I think we've been here for an hour and 26 minutes. I think it was great. People got a lot of information and learned a lot about you guys. What I'd love to do, and what I started doing recently to as a follow up, not as a full fledged podcast where I send it out to Apple and [01:21:00] Spotify, But, uh, you know, every couple months just do, do, I call it a market update.

Tracy Hayes: Get you guys on, Hey, what are you guys doing? What are you seeing in the marketplace? Where are your buyers coming from right now? That kind of thing. Um, you know, and just stream it live. We can do it virtually, or if you wanna come in and sit in front of you, that's fine. But, uh, to do that, just to stay in touch on what you guys got going on, uh, as I know you guys got, you know, high aspirations and, and keep us updated.

Tracy Hayes: Sounds

Sarah Helfer: great. I appreciate it. Thank you for doing this. Absolutely too. It's amazing. All right. I

Tracy Hayes: appreciate you guys coming on. I'm gonna sign off. You good? All yes.