The Pou Team: 25 Years of Real Estate Excellence

REE #225 Full Video

[00:00:00] Paula Pou: we try to be people that they you know Give them the feeling that they can trust us and we're not gonna you know, do anything. that's going to be negative for them because we want those customers to come back. and that's usually what Has happened for years. We have repeat clientele and they refer us, their friends and family because what we promise we came through.

[00:00:43] Tracy Hayes: Hey, welcome back to the real estateExcellence Podcast.Great real estate agentsis who we like to interview and today I have a great real estate couple with over 25 yearsexperiencein Northeast Florida real estate. In2023, theyhelped 42 families for over 17 million in salesvolume.[00:01:00] Theyare consistently in the million dollar club each month with Florida homes, realty and mortgage.

Let'sthe dynamic couple Paula andAntonio Powell to the show. Welcome.

[00:01:09] Paula Pou: Thank you. Thank you for having us.

[00:01:10] Tracy Hayes: Iappreciate youfinally getting here.

[00:01:13] Paula Pou: Yeah.

[00:01:15] Tracy Hayes: I've been hounding her for awhileto get on. there's some others on the Florida Homes and, uh, real estate group that, I've been poking at as well, to get on and hear your story. So I'm glad you made it that.

[00:01:25] Paula Pou: No. And thank you for your persistence because I know you've been at least for two years Yeah. Trying to get us to come, and I've been changing on you. So, sorry.

[00:01:34] Tracy Hayes: probably every time you put on Instagram that you made another million dollar, had a million dollar club month or whatever, so I gotta get

[00:01:39] Paula Pou: her on,

[00:01:40] Tracy Hayes: send another message out.

[00:01:41] Paula Pou: Thank you. Thank you for having us.

[00:01:43] Tracy Hayes: I'd like to kick off, because you are a couple and I think it's, rare. I don't think my wife and I could do what you guys are doing a little bit. So, I'm sure everyone, the simple story, where did you guys meet?

[00:01:53] Paula Pou: So, I've been in Jacksonville since 1984. And Antonio moved [00:02:00] to Florida in

[00:02:02] Antonio Pou: 19 90

[00:02:04] Paula Pou: And we belonged to the same church. So we met at church, we were friends for a while, ended up getting married in 1995. So we've been married for 29 years.

[00:02:13] Tracy Hayes: Wow.

[00:02:14] Paula Pou: Excellent.

[00:02:15] Tracy Hayes: You were born in New York. Mm hmm. Okay. did you do some, if I look at you, paralegal, post I started. Doing that. What was your thought as a career, as 18, 19, 20 years old, of what you actually wanted

[00:02:26] Paula Pou: So, like I was telling you, my parents, came to the States. They were very hardworking people, but they were not fluent in So I was always kind of their, you know Speaker or you know, had to help them answer, you know, on the phone. So I was just always doing that. So paralegal was like an investigative kind of, you know, I was interested in that and I started that but then we Got together and we married and we went off for one year to do missionary work Okay, So, that kind of stopped that for [00:03:00] the paralegal career, but yeah

[00:03:02] Antonio Pou: Antonio, what about yourself? I was born and grew up in Puerto Rico. So in 1990, my parents want to, um, give us an opportunity to have a better life. So my dad was a teacher in Puerto Rico. So he stopped teaching for three years so he can, you know, help us. acclimated to the U. S. So we moved to Florida, Ocala, Gainesville, in 1990. We basically met, in 1990, 1991. And like Paula said, we got married in 95. And that's pretty much it. that's how we met. So Paula started doing real estate first. She started doing real estate in 1989, actually. and I started doing real estate in 2003.

[00:03:50] Tracy Hayes: Alright. So what were some of the first jobs that,

you know, your early 90s? What were some of the things you were doing before you joined her?

[00:03:58] Antonio Pou: when I moved from PuertoRico, I [00:04:00] was working for a company back then called GPS is like a UPS FedEx. I was doing deliveries, you know, and then, um, we did the missionary work for a year, and then I start working at the post office, for eight years. That's what I was doing before I started doing real estate.

[00:04:20] Tracy Hayes: Alright, so what, goes on that actually, you know, she's having some success, I would imagine, is what happens? Are you getting buckets full, you're hitting a lid and needed some help? Is that what brought him on?

[00:04:32] Paula Pou: Yeah, I mean, before real estate I was at Merrill Lynch. I worked there doing data entry. But then I had a friend that was taking her Um, and I okay, why don't you do it with me? And I was like, okay, why not? So I did that and then I started and you know, yeah from 99 to kind of

[00:04:49] Tracy Hayes: backed into it. Yeah yeah, yeah. It wasn't

[00:04:52] Paula Pou: my goal or anything, but my friend kind of encouraged me. She was going to do time shares. But, you know, that's in, Central Florida and [00:05:00] I'm, I wasn't doing that. So I started, with Watson. And, 99 to 2003, I was getting busy.

[00:05:07] Tracy Hayes: Yeah.

[00:05:08] Paula Pou: And, you know, working weekends, and so I was like, I think you need to, to do this with me.

[00:05:12] Tracy Hayes: All right. so I'm, I want to just, your girlfriend says, Hey, I'm taking the course. Won't you come to the class with me? So you're still working at Merrill Lynch and what kind of like just says, Hey, maybe this is something I want to jump into. Do you jump in right away or kind of work some part time? or what? No, I mean,

[00:05:28] Paula Pou: I think it's been a while. but I, you know, Merrill Lynch doing that data entry wasn't what I wanted to continue to do. Right. I just didn't. See myself there forever.

[00:05:37] Tracy Hayes: So well, there was no HGTV or million dollar listing going on so do you start talking to some agents that are working and hey, how does this business work? Because I feel a lot of A lot of people don't totally understand what real estate agents do. there's so much stuff below the surface that, that you do in the business. They see, Oh, they understand the, I show [00:06:00] houses and you put the sign up, that's basically, is probably about as far as most. Average American sees a real estate agent. So I would have met you're probably at that level when you walk into this class. Am I right? What kind of starts you're like, whoa, hold a second. This might actually be something I want to do

[00:06:16] Paula Pou: so, you know again my parents I remember them buying their first house here in Jacksonville and Just I guess in me there was always that wanting to help others and I felt that that this real estate, I could do that, you know, I could help these families. And that was our niche for a long time, just the Spanish speaking community. There wasn't many Spanish speaking, real estate agents back then. So we did our best. I did my best at that time to help. And it just kind of grew, you know, we kept getting referrals and, and

[00:06:47] Tracy Hayes: so let's talk a little bit between 99 and 2003. Cause I think, It's so important, and I'm sure you've seen a lot of people come in the business and leave. we know 80 percent don't make the first renewal of their license. [00:07:00] what are some of the things that you were doing in 99? Were you able to match up with a mentor or have just a great broker or just what were you doing to get that business going?

[00:07:09] Paula Pou: Well, I joined Watson because back then, you know, they were One of the best in the area. And there was, if you saw a real estate, a community, there was always signs with Watson. So, and he was a post man in Ponte Vedra. So that's where I joined. I said, why not Ponte Vedra? So I went to the Ponte Vedra office and we were there.

[00:07:28] Tracy Hayes: to mail to the

[00:07:29] Antonio Pou: office, but he was

[00:07:32] Paula Pou: on Ponte Vedra boulevard.

[00:07:33] Antonio Pou: So I was like, hey, the post office was actually next door to Watson. I mean, we, we were having lunch together. We were able to see each other every morning while I was doing my work. That's good.

[00:07:45] Paula Pou: But the office there, even though I was like the youngest one, you know, they were all very, very helpful. And I did a lot of floor time, you know, now that doesn't exist anymore, but I was on floor a lot getting calls and my actual first sale, [00:08:00] we're still in touch with that family.

[00:08:01] Tracy Hayes: Wow.

[00:08:02] Paula Pou: They called me the other day that their other brother is now coming. So 25 years later,

[00:08:07] Tracy Hayes: Wow.

[00:08:07] Paula Pou: that first call and the agents there, you know, I didn't know what to do and they were helping me. And so it was fun.

[00:08:15] Tracy Hayes: Well, floor time, I would imagine, I mean, you think back at that time, obviously we don't have, I mean, the Internet's there, you know, this is 2000, basically 99, 2000. so email is still primitive, there's no social media, so. I would imagine some people who are thinking about moving into Ponte Vedra, they are going by and seeing the office and walking in and I think it, I've been told there's a, not only in the Watson office, but other offices There's a lot of agents that that's all they do is sit in there and hope that they're going to get that one or two walk ins a month.

And because of the value of the home, they, can make a part time living there.

[00:08:48] Paula Pou: That was, you had to do floor time, there was a book with all the listings and you, you know, just went off of that. Yeah. It's on no internet. I think we got our first phone in, like, 97 or something, cell phone, [00:09:00]

[00:09:00] Tracy Hayes: so, yeah. Yeah. So, Are you getting the the everyone talks about the brokerage? I think the the first brokerage you go to is important. at that time obviously location Was a big help being there, but what were some of the other things that you found? Cause you were able to evolve your business out of there again, where a lot of agents sometimes make the wrong choice of that brokerage initially, and that oftentimes costs them out of the real estate business. Cause they just chose the wrong brokerage. You go, what were some of the things that you felt that helped you within the brokerage or the broker themselves or the agents? What were some of the key things you think that really helped?

[00:09:36] Paula Pou: Well, they always had like an in house mortgage. You know, person.

technical word? One

of

[00:09:42] Tracy Hayes: Mr. Watson's kids, right?

[00:09:45] Paula Pou: So there was always somebody there, you know, that if somebody walked in, you know, we had the full set up to help the customer. but yeah, there was a lot of support. They had a, admin, they had a manager. there was there, you weren't alone. [00:10:00] So I felt that that was for me starting out. That was the best. they were really good on training so that we took advantage of that also. And

[00:10:09] Tracy Hayes: well, you bring up a good point that the mortgage person in there, right? Because i, again, through my 19 years of being in the business, there's a common question like, Hey, work up a payment, work, you know, how's this going to work? And then, you know, difficulty is getting now, especially now insurance is becoming a factor, especially with marginal income people to get approved. It could, Kick them out of being able to afford a home, just got the insurance and so forth and being able to work that payment. But having that person to really be there in the office and say, Hey, you know, they don't think their credit's that great or whatever and then kind of either spin them off or get the answers right away, right there and be educated.

[00:10:44] Paula Pou: Yeah, no, that was a big advantage. So having someone there that and

I, and still till today, I have a lot of the ones that worked. At Watson are no longer there. Mm-Hmm. but I still do some deals with them. and Right. So we have relationships for, a long time.

[00:10:58] Tracy Hayes: Alright, So [00:11:00] 2003, I call it the lid. Mm-Hmm. , you're getting busy. Mm-Hmm. what are some of the things you're starting to kind of struggle with? Because You're busy. What are some of the things that are like, Hey, I need help

[00:11:10] Paula Pou: So, you know, showings on the weekends that can get, you know, overwhelming inspections, just the paperwork, you know, back then you were doing a lot of paperwork and not so much computer.

[00:11:22] Tracy Hayes: So there's no doc. You saw

[00:11:24] Paula Pou: meeting people every time. So yeah, it was getting a little overwhelmed. And so I figured, you know, he should step in and we've always done things together. We've always been a team. And so I felt that that we could work together and do this better.

[00:11:41] Tracy Hayes: well let's talk about the dynamic. what is? Well, and it's probably evolved over the last 20 years I imagine too as well, as as technology and everything else. So initially, what were you having to do, but now, antonio, talk a little how you guys have evolved your working relationship.

[00:11:58] Antonio Pou: I mean, we we have [00:12:00] different personalities. Big difference. So, so um, I think it worked well because, we don't mind spending all day together of that. I think if we were together Pretty much the same. I wouldn't work with her all day long, but I think that that has been a help, And we divided our work.

I don't mind driving all around town

[00:12:26] Paula Pou: I don't like driving. She don't like driving.

[00:12:28] Antonio Pou: she's really good, You know, taking the lead, doing the contract work, doing all that. I don't mind doing the inspections and showing homes. So, I think that has been a big help. That I am. I like to do what you don't like to do and, vice versa. So, yeah.

[00:12:46] Paula Pou: And also sometimes there's some clients or customers that I'm not the best person. So He takes over, you know, so that also happens sometimes.

[00:12:58] Tracy Hayes: Describe that customer.

[00:12:59] Antonio Pou: some [00:13:00] customers, they, you know, we have seen it. They rather work with a male person. they do. and vice versa. Some customers don't. They rather have a female. and at the beginning, when we start getting to know them, If we see that they feel more comfortable with Paola or myself, that's how we do it. I take the lead or she takes the lead.

[00:13:22] Tracy Hayes: Do you go out like on a listing appointment or a buyer's consultation together most of the time?

[00:13:28] Antonio Pou: We do. We usually do. Sometimes if they speak Spanish and they feel that's all they speak, you know, sometimes I take the lead with them.

[00:13:37] Paula Pou: Also, if they're from puerto Rico, you know, then there's an immediate connection. So there's many factors. We kind of go together and we kind of hear them out and then we'll decide who's going to be the main contact. But I do most of the negotiating with other agents. Right. And then Antonio does a lot of the computer, docuSign, That back end that I don't really like [00:14:00] either.

[00:14:00] Tracy Hayes: So are you also, I mean, do you, used a transaction coordinator? Are you guys doing that yourself when you're marketing?

[00:14:06] Paula Pou: We're doing it ourselves.

[00:14:08] Antonio Pou: Paula won't allow anybody to. she's a control freak. I'm a little micromanager. that's great that he has the patience to work with that. I put this in here a little later since we're talking about it. Antonio, what are Paula's strengths in the business, you think? she's a good negotiator. she's patient. and you have to be patient in this business. and she follow through. If she promise you, she's going to call you tomorrow. Thank you. She will, so those are things that have her help her, on this business big time.

[00:14:49] Tracy Hayes: You know, I'm, taking this course and I believe in those things too. You sell, tell someone you're going to call them at 10 o'clock, you call them at 10 o'clock, right? and it goes into the integrity, just the [00:15:00] loyalty of it. And yo, I mean, would you agree that's probably one that your customers. Feed that from you feel that from you.

[00:15:07] Paula Pou: Definitely. Yeah, we were very loyal We follow through and I also and that's a little negative. I expect the same So sometimes if it doesn't happen then and now we're always on time, you know If we have an appointment we try to be on time if we don't get lost so yeah that's very important and we're we try to be people that they you know Give them the feeling that they can trust us and we're not gonna you know, do anything. that's going to be negative for them because we want those customers to come back. and that's usually what Has happened for years. We have repeat clientele and they refer us, their friends and family because we've what we promise we came through.

[00:15:48] Tracy Hayes: Well, you know, obviously we've all heard the phrase numerous times, no, like, and trust, right? You're not going to get their business until they know, like, and trust you. So, You know, if you're a new agents are listening right would you [00:16:00] express if you, you know, up

in front of a group of Florida homes with new agents and actually give you some advice on how can we gain that? No, like, and trust? What are some things that you maybe even just do naturally, but it's, building that no, like, and trust?

[00:16:13] Paula Pou: Yeah. Just, you know, get to know the customer, let them know, give them your strengths, tell them what you, you know, what you're going to do for them.

And if they've been doing a job, another job that they can give a reference or you know we try to do that you know, if you need a reference someone to speak about us, we try to do some of those videos because That gives people confidence in you and they feel that they can trust you and get to know you a little better

[00:16:41] Tracy Hayes: all right, so what's antonio strengths?

[00:16:44] Paula Pou: So he's very organized. very good on the computer. He likes to drive. in situations I get a little hot and spicy he he seems to be a little bit more in control.

[00:16:57] Tracy Hayes: You [00:17:00] know if I get a short temper is that what you're trying to say

[00:17:03] Paula Pou: Sometimes, and if I get an agent that you know is not responsive, or, I don't know just it it's You know, so those things can well, that's an interesting trigger.

[00:17:15] Tracy Hayes: It's an interesting thing that You're having again over 200 of the top agents in the area. Even the few that i've done outside the area collaboration and Focused on what the goal is you have someone who wants to sell a home Yes, someone wants to buy a home and let's get them together and get to the goal line and but yet there's still some agents that want to but you It's like, Hey, I'm, we're just like mediators here and making this happen. what do you, why do you think that there's agents out there and it's like that? And how do you handle them?

[00:17:45] Paula Pou: So yesterday, you know, we were negotiating on one of our listings and. It was a couple little things that, you know, we weren't agreeing on. So I felt I needed to call him because he was emailing me and I was emailing him. And I was like, let's [00:18:00] just get on the phone. And, you know, I said, we've been doing this a long time and we're not trying to, you know, do pull anything weird on you. We're just, this is a situation with our seller. And I told him, you know, she's older, she's got her mom, she needs these three days after closing to be able to move. And, you know, she's going to Tennessee. So I tried to, you know, Just let them know what the story is and why we're being firm on something and you know, try to say, Hey, we're on the same team. We're not gonna do anything gonna affect almost talk

[00:18:32] Tracy Hayes: them off the ledge, basically. Yeah. Some of them get a little ego Yeah involved in the negotiation.

[00:18:37] Antonio Pou: Correct. one thing that I and I think I can say I hate about that, Ego thing is you can tell that they are making decisions for their consumer. we are just a mediator. Like you said you we just there to facilitate the transaction, And you ask them anything or you relate to them what our consumer [00:19:00] wants to relay and they immediately are making decisions for them you know, I'm just asking you, please. You know, pass this along to your consumer.

[00:19:09] Tracy Hayes: And it's not always correct. Exactly. Because if you go to go to the consumer and say, Hey, here's the situation and paint the picture for them, They alright, yeah, no problem. Yeah. We've done there. Sometimes

[00:19:19] Paula Pou: if they hear the story, why we're responding or countering a certain way, then people, can relate to situations and understand a little more instead of the agent, just kind of making the decision for them.

[00:19:30] Tracy Hayes: You've seen a lot of agents over your over time and in going back to the reaching the lid part of it Not everyone has a husband that can step in type of type of thing But you've been you've seen a lot of other agents come and go some break through that lid Some are still hitting the lid and have been for a decade. I would imagine some but What if you were advising or giving some advice that the listeners on there, because I think there's a lot of, this is a common topic [00:20:00] is what to do first. whether it's a transaction coordinator or assistant or there's marketing assistance, there's virtual assistants out there based on your experience, what you've seen other agents do and so forth. When someone starts reaching that point, they've got to start handing that off so they can continue to do what they do. Great.  So  out. Yeah.

[00:20:31] Paula Pou: it's always a good idea to, to provide them with your fair share of the credit. and if the cost is too great, then yes, they, they're going to have to be paid a fair share. Right.  You may need a partner. I don't know. You know, it just depends, I think it depends on your personality and your strengths and then that would Kind of, you know, kind of say you need this or that or a mentor. Some people like to have a mentor. I mean, [00:21:00] we do a lot of mentorship for free, just to other Florida homes and other agents that are new And we don't mind sitting down with them or, you know, answering questions because you know, we were there, I was there and I remember others helping me. So we don't mind giving back.

[00:21:16] Tracy Hayes: What do you think is your number one thing that. Is the thing that it's getting you, you know, continue to get you business over the years? What's that one activity that you can't give up because if someone else did it you certainly it certainly would slow You like new customers coming or even past customers calling you.

[00:21:35] Paula Pou: Yeah, doing So just you know now being active on social media just Keeping in touch with these past, and we do every year we mail out a calendar. We do. I brought you something, a little Jaguar. we keep a list of all these hundreds of past customers.

[00:21:53] Tracy Hayes: Are you using a CRM or are you manually? Ask him cause that's it.

[00:21:58] Antonio Pou: [00:22:00] Yeah, we have in a spreadsheet and once a year we go back to all the customer. We have helped. you know, on the listing side or buyers. and I just make sure we have a list of everyone. and every year we, communicate with them. Even 20 years later. and it surprised you. Some people like Paula was mentioning, 25 years ago she sold a house to this lady and she's still calling us. So it work.

[00:22:32] Paula Pou: And another thing I do is every time we have a closing, I'll save that as a, in my calendar. and then every year I, you know, I reach out and say, Hey, you know, it's your first, second, third, fifth year anniversary. How things, you know, how are things going?

[00:22:46] Tracy Hayes: And sometimes do you have like a set plan of how often a year or is the CRM sending them kind of some emails and that kind of thing and then you guys are calling them on anniversaries and stuff?

[00:22:58] Antonio Pou: the thing is Paula. [00:23:00] Like after every closing, paula said on her calendar, 30 days later, she will reach out to them and say, hey, don't forget your homestead exemption. things like that. And then a year later, She sent a note and text and email, you know, congratulating them. It's your first year anniversary.

[00:23:20] Tracy Hayes: So you're not flooding them like three times a month or something like that.

[00:23:24] Paula Pou: No, and we have them as a, yeah, we have them on our, you know, we always exchange social media. So they're seeing, and sometimes they'll comment and say, hey, where's that house? You know, so we're keeping in touch kind of that way now. But I do every anniversary, you know, reach out every year we do like a calendar in our neighborhood. We also farm a lot. We do that a little bit more and we do emails we do videos so

[00:23:49] Tracy Hayes: well, that's a great subject to talk about there your neighborhood you how long you guys been there little bit over a year. So, you moved in and you immediately wanted everybody to know [00:24:00] that you're there. Yep. Tell us some of the things, your plan, your strategy. you, what are you doing to farm that neighbor? Cause I think too many agents are missing out on just really focusing on two or three, you know, tending in how many homes are in any particular subdivision, two or three subdivisions. Ideally close to home so you don't have to drive that far. right, but how did you get that started? What are the things that you're doing regular basis for that farming?

[00:24:25] Paula Pou: So we sent out when we moved in we sent out a postcard and say, you know, we're your neighbors We sent a picture of our house and of us just letting him know we're real estate agents for 25 24 years back then a year ago And then we sent a letter You you know, kind of like a couple months later.

[00:24:43] Antonio Pou: And we don't do it like a generic letter. We do it like a personalized letter. And we, we gave them our address. And it's, you know, the first time we did it, a week later. This neighbor knocked at our door, they are from [00:25:00] Colombia.

Paula, her family is from there, so it worked out great. and they just leave four or five doors

from our house, now, now we stay in touch with them, you know, We invite them to come to our house. They we are your neighbors. You can swing by. when we walk, we like to walk in our neighborhood a couple of times a week.

we take our business car with us. If we meet somebody. Hey, here

we are. If we can get to know you better or help you in the future, we are here. So, and now they see us, they wave at us, they know who we are because because of that they also do a lot of activities.

[00:25:37] Paula Pou: Every month there's a social something. So last month we participated in one and we

had, we did a big email blasts. Hey, come see us, visit us. And it was a nice turnout and people set up like a little booth or something there

[00:25:52] Tracy Hayes: Yeah, yeah.

[00:25:53] Paula Pou: and then they recognize us and we, we've been able to, you know, kind of start building these relationships with the letter [00:26:00] the

[00:26:00] Tracy Hayes: letter that you've kind of personalized, kind of told them a little bit of your background, where you guys are trying to resonate With I would imagine is what they always

[00:26:09] Paula Pou: mention we speak Spanish because there's always someone that speaks Spanish We told them how long we've been doing that, you know real estate that we've recently moved to the community we reminded them if you haven't done your homestead do it because a lot of people don't Remember that, you know, that's a lot of information at closing and they forget and then in our neighborhood It's usually not a first time buyer. So we mentioned hey, did you do your portability because that's an extra, you know that they could port over so we have gotten, you know good Response and we've had a few listing appointments So, and we actually have a, a neighbor, another neighbor that, he had a rental property. We helped him with that even though that's not our specialty, but we did it because he's a neighbor and he now has, now he told us he has a house he's flipping and he's. Probably gonna use us. So working. There's no doubt.

[00:26:59] Tracy Hayes: I mean [00:27:00] my wife and I, we have rentals. those turn in the deals. Yes And people are talking and because there are people who are moving here who do want to rent for the first year and figure the Place out before

they decide.

[00:27:09] Paula Pou: Yeah.

[00:27:10] Tracy Hayes: Yeah. versus all these people that ran in here during kovat and bought virus remorse.

[00:27:17] Antonio Pou: Yeah. We have done open houses. Mm-Hmm. in our, neighborhood. We did a big,

[00:27:22] Paula Pou: social media blast on that, and that was pretty positive.

[00:27:26] Tracy Hayes: Are you doing anything from the social media, like I mean, did you create like I know some agents created site basically for the neighborhood Have you have you gone that far with it?

[00:27:36] Paula Pou: We haven't we haven't done that, but that would be right

[00:27:39] Tracy Hayes: So someone's Googling that neighborhood or whatever that might come up, and then of course boom you guys are right there. So, yeah w e haven't done that yet, but that will work on that. think one of the things I've been pushing, especially with this whole, I'm told don't call it NARC, it's, call it National Association of Realtors. They don't like nARC laughter But, um, The collateral damage has been, [00:28:00] the devaluing of the real estate agent. I mean, there's just, you know, obviously social media and now people start poking, people start, I don't know. So, you know, some people create, just create negative stuff just because they want to get clicks and views and so forth. But that the real estate agent, Just like housing.

if anybody's listened to my past episodes, my little speech right here. Housing is a huge part of our GDP and our economy. And in the middle of that is the real estate agent. That real estate agent is the influencer, they are the pillar. they're oftentimes these people moving in from New York. you're the first person they know. And, You know, maybe they might have a friend somewhere, but you're actually the person they're going to spend the most amount of time and probably give them the most amount of advice of where, you know, based on what they're looking for where they should live.

I think that's how more important and getting out and getting on the social media. I think it was, and Stroud said, we've got to set the tone, as agents and real estate, industry in general, set the tone and start, expressing what we are doing. cause I think, we've [00:29:00] maybe, just kind of gone through the motions the last. because it was really easy in 20 and 21. I mean, like you stuck us, you know, before you even stick the sign in your, there's already offers coming in.

[00:29:10] Paula Pou: Yeah. Yeah. But you know, we've been in for a while and we went through the short tail era.

[00:29:15] Tracy Hayes: Yes. I want to actually talk about that. Yeah. Tell us about what happens in, in what, so you've probably started, started, seeing like 2007 and eight, you guys got changed gears.

[00:29:24] Paula Pou: Yeah. 2007.

[00:29:25] Tracy Hayes: Yeah. We went through, to the ups and downs.

[00:29:28] Paula Pou: So we started. Doing short sales and we took training and we you know, went to these attorneys that were doing them and that's basically we were selling and they were taking six one deal even took up to a year. I remember

[00:29:42] Tracy Hayes: Yeah, I can't forget that one. Yeah. As you started to see the I don't know if you want to call it the light at the end of the tunnel because it wasn't really a light at the tunnel, but you started to see this happen, you started the value in the homes, you start, did you guys get out in front of it, or is there something like, for a while there, you're like, oh, what should [00:30:00] we do, and then kind of figure it, out, or are you like, oh, hey, we gotta, if we're gonna continue doing this at the level that you're we need to get out in front.

[00:30:08] Antonio Pou: Correct. like Paula said, we immediately we said, you know, we have to take some training. We have to learn. So that's why we're not too scared to worry about these new changes starting in august because we've been through I I'm sure 2007, 2008 was even worse that

That this situation we're having now with the buyers agreement. So we took the training and then a couple years later. We have to learn how to do foreclosures and, you know, another shift, it wasn't so much, so, the same thing. we got some training, learn how to do foreclosures, be patient, with those foreclosures and explain to the consumer, you know, it's not, you know, a regular resale. It's a little different, but we're going to help you through. and, you

know,

we made it through.

[00:30:57] Tracy Hayes: Well, looking back at that time, if, you know, [00:31:00] you were to write a, a seminar on how to do, it, what were some of the things, because you, I, everyone was, know, everything. It was new to everyone, right? There was nobody that had mastered it. And I think, you know, one of the things that's going on right now that I've had talks with people is like the VA assumable, the assumable loans. Cause they're, you know, whatever, they're at two, three, sub 4 percent loans and the, Servicing side of those mortgages are not equipped although they're getting there to start to hopefully move some of those in that can be assumed They just never had the staff because they never really had that problem where the same thing happened back Then it took a while before the bank started to figure out how to move some of these foreclosures and short sales.

[00:31:42] Paula Pou: Mm Correct. Yeah, and it just took you had to learn the process and then know that who you had to call And, you know, there was one person at the bank that had, you know, I don't know, 300 files. So you weren't always going to be their number one. And also now I'm thinking about it, that back then [00:32:00] there was like a flat fee, you know, they would offer like 1, And here we are all worried about, you know, what we're going to pay. And we were getting paid 1, 500 on these deals. Right.

And that's what it was. That's what they offered. That took months.

Yeah.

[00:32:14] Antonio Pou: Six months, eight months to close. Yeah. And then you made 1, 500, 2, 000

[00:32:20] Paula Pou: So, but we took advantage too. We, bought a couple of properties that now have. you Obviously, all these years later are appreciated.

[00:32:27] Tracy Hayes: Appreciated.

[00:32:28] Paula Pou: So, we, kind of also get that.

[00:32:31] Tracy Hayes: Yeah, if you really look back, if you, know, yeah, if you did buy an overpriced home in 2006, and you've held on to it, maybe you had it as a rental right now, you're ahead of the game.

[00:32:39] Paula Pou: Yeah. Well, we bought a couple in 2010 and 11. So, real low. My wife, when we moved here, my wife was born in Jacksonville, or not born, but she was raised here in Jacksonville. We bought, we came back here in 2009, actually it was right at the end of 2008, and we bought a foreclosure. Yeah. at that time. And [00:33:00] luckily, the agent that we, not the agent we were working with, but the listing agent, had direct contact with the bank, and then we were able to actually, it was one of those. We made an offer and we had an answer in 48, less than 48 hours. I think it was 24 hours. They came back and said they accepted off offer to it. That happened to us too. One of the properties that we have, we still own it, it's a rental that agent, we had worked with him multiple times on foreclosures and when it was our turn, he really kind of helped us out to get it through and accept it.

[00:33:29] Tracy Hayes: So, how important do you think, I think too many agents really just look at the single family home, buy and sell. They don't start getting out into the investment world or, or how to manage an investment property. And I say this because of my experience in 19 years. I've had many of agents call me go, you know, they're like, Oh my God, I guess I got someone, an investor. Someone wants to buy an investment property. What do I do? How do I, you know, how do I, you know, with your experience now of, with over 15 years of having your own properties renters and how to [00:34:00] handle when talking to other agents, if you're going to stay in the business, you kind of want to expand and get that experience of doing some of that stuff. Whether it's single family home, if you could find a duplexes. I mean, those are gold, right? Yeah. Yeah. But having that experience, how that helps you as an agent in your overall presentation.

[00:34:18] Paula Pou: Well, yeah, we have that experience. We try to, Also kind of guide them because the investments we have, we've tried to not get in debt or be tight on, you know,

[00:34:30] Tracy Hayes: monthly budget.

[00:34:30] Paula Pou: Yeah. So we we learned that and we, you know, we kind of, what we have is because we own it. So we try to guide people, you know, some of them are a little bit ambitious and want to, you know, Have three properties and oh, you know, so i'm like you got to think if there's a month, you're not,

[00:34:46] Tracy Hayes: they're watching hgg.

[00:34:47] Paula Pou: Yeah. So we try to give personal advice on that but you know, some people don't you know, they want to do it their way, but yeah, we recently have had a few, customers that have their, we sold them their primary and [00:35:00] now they want to buy an investment and we've helped them and, you know, rentals are good right now. You know, I don't think a bad investment, but. you have to be smart about it.

[00:35:08] Tracy Hayes: Well, I think there's still, people are in shock where the interest rates are at. Mm-Hmm. And they see that payment and insurance is at Right. there there still hasn't. Or they need someplace to live until their house is built. Mm-Hmm. , you know, because obviously we know that inventory and the deals the builders are giving, you know Right. Are often hard to beat, especially for a first time home buyer with low cash flow. Right. Or,  you know, Low cash there. What would you, if there was one thing, and this may have probably changed over 25 years, but is, is the, I call it the cornerstone of your business.

What would you do? What is the power team? I mean, what is it that you guys are doing? Do you really feel, and it could be just naturally to you or something that you focus on you're making sure you deliver to every client. that really is the cornerstone. That's really just kept you being successful. Having people call 25 years later, work with you.

[00:35:57] Paula Pou: So we make sure that we, [00:36:00] after closing, we stay in touch with like we told you. And if they have a question, we're always available. I don't know, we just try to give our best, you know, in everything we do. And we're genuine, we try to, you know, pass that on, and, I think they, feel comfortable, And we always want to be their realtor for life. So we let them know that.

[00:36:19] Tracy Hayes: Does that come naturally to you? I don't think it comes naturally everyone, personally.

[00:36:23] Paula Pou: I don't know, I think in

[00:36:24] Tracy Hayes: the relationship. because you're building a relationship with them, whether it's 30 days or six months or whatever is,

[00:36:31] Antonio Pou: I think the way we grew up, our parents, both of them and in both cases, that's what they teach us. You know, people first, We want to help them. this sounds like a cliche, but it's not. that's all we are, You know. if we can help you Sometimes, like wants to buy an investment property. but we see it's not a smart decision We'd rather not sell it to them We'd rather not [00:37:00] make that money, but down the road they will comeback to us. because we are telling them the truth. We are actually helping them avoid a disaster, losing money or so

[00:37:11] Tracy Hayes: it goes back to what I was saying earlier They feel they can feel the honesty the integrity that you're delivering to them and their bills that no like and trust.

[00:37:19] Antonio Pou: right? and to be honest, I don't know, probably 50 percent of the consumer we have, they are actually our friends. before we start working with them. So you know, we treat them like family there. We, you know, we go out, we eat with them. We, sometimes we, you know, go, go vacation with them. So we treat them as as friends, not just as a customer, as a consumer.

[00:37:47] Tracy Hayes: Right. The whole HGTV, I'll bring that up again, but I think they see this glamorous life of these agents, but it takes a lot more, it to really build a solid, [00:38:00] long lasting 25 year business and still, you know, growing every year, as the markets allow to. Each and every customer that's in front of you. Often bring up on the show. I think too many agents get in the business and are looking short term  They don't actually visualize themselves 25 years and maybe you didn't at first I'm not so that question at what point you're like, hold on saying I really like doing this I could do this until I don't want to do it anymore, right? Yeah, and did it change your personality Your business plan when you started thinking more long term

[00:38:36] Paula Pou: I think so because if you think long term then you think you know This person eventually has to move or this person will have children and need a larger home So yeah I mean we do try to build those relationships those transactions to be like a friendship and a long relationship.

It's not just next you know, that's not I don't like to be treated that way. So You I feel [00:39:00] that.

[00:39:00] Tracy Hayes: Well, and I think a lot of sales people are like, well, when's the next time, you know, they're gonna buy a house? Well, it's gonna be years from now, you know, they'll call me or whatever. And they just, yeah, they're looking for that next, what's my next paycheck in the next 30 days, 60 days, that type of vision.

[00:39:14] Antonio Pou: Well, it's hard to believe, but we are selling houses now to grandchildren. Yeah. So, to people that we helped 20 years ago, and now they're grandchildren. And now we look at each other, we're getting older.

What's going on? But um, but you know, we, we, we are happy to, to see that we've been able to, you know, to stay in this business and this business give us the freedom to do other things. You know, we don't work eight to five in an office. don't see myself going back to the post office where I used to work or, or working, you know, eight to five. so that we love the flexibility that this  work bring us.

[00:39:56] Tracy Hayes: Well, you brought up, interest in it. It's allowed, it's changed your lifestyle. It's allowed [00:40:00] you to do some things. I know you guys are deeply involved in the church. what are some of the other things that you guys are doing that it's allowed you to have that free time to be able to go in, whether it's the volunteer or go on a mission or

[00:40:12] Paula Pou: we also like to travel.

[00:40:13] Tracy Hayes: Yeah. If I see, was it Italy recently? Was that, did I see that on last year? And we're

[00:40:19] Paula Pou: going September 20th to Spain, so we love to travel. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's something that this business, you know, this work has allowed us to do.

[00:40:29] Tracy Hayes: Mm

[00:40:30] Antonio Pou: hmm. Like, back in 2018, when Iruma hurricane hit Florida, we were able to volunteer ourselves for nine months. to do disaster relief work, in central Florida. We stay in an RV, for five days a week, came back home on Saturday, work on real estate Sunday, Monday. and you probably have a listing appointment or showing houses, go back to disaster relief on [00:41:00] Tuesday through Saturday. but we love it. And this job allow us to, to do all that. and it's something that we enjoy.

[00:41:08] Tracy Hayes: Yeah.

[00:41:08] Antonio Pou: we have seen the blessings.

[00:41:10] Tracy Hayes: You live your life. Real estate, I think people don't understand it because obviously the standard person is a, you know, working nine to five or they work for a job so that when they walk in the office, they put on that hat or, you know, whatever, type of thing, that they don't understand. Real estate agents are, as really anyone in the real estate industry, where it's all relationships and people are doing business with people they know, like, and trust. Right. And tell, explain a little bit on all these things that you guys are involved in the, church and stuff. how it's just, It's come full circle to now, because these people now know, like, and trust you. you weren't in there to sell your real estate business. You were in there to do what your heart wanted to do. And the business allowed you to do it. But all of a sudden it's actually probably giving you back some gifts. right?

[00:41:52] Paula Pou: Definitely. We recently, sold something to a friend that belongs to our church and from Claremont, they bought a property [00:42:00] in St. Augustine that they're going to do Airbnb. So we, you know, it just sometimes does evolve and, Hey, what can we do over there? What can we buy over there? So, you know, has well, the common

[00:42:10] Tracy Hayes: conversation imagine when you're at somebody's faces is what are you doing? You're not faster.

[00:42:16] Paula Pou: So, yeah.

[00:42:17] Antonio Pou: Yeah, like in, when we were working in Central Florida, like you said we have conversation what you do for a living, real estate, a couple years later, they're calling you, Hey, can you help me in Orlando or Tampa or Kissimmee? sometimes we were able to help them or refer that to another agent. Right. So, you know, in a way  you

[00:42:37] Tracy Hayes: know, it helped. 25 years now in the business, what is your makeup? Now of customers that you're getting from past customers or past customers versus someone totally new that just you know, I don't know what marketing you're putting out there to prospect completely new people that are unattached to anything you've done in the past. Do you do you have [00:43:00] that broken down approximately what percentage you're getting from one the other?

[00:43:04] Paula Pou: I would say a lot, most of our business is past clients or referrals of like, you know, someone that we've sold to recently or, you know, someone that we helped and their coworker. that's the main source of our business. We do get some leads sometimes from other, social

[00:43:20] Antonio Pou: media, social

[00:43:21] Paula Pou: media or, you know, but most of our business is just referral based.

[00:43:26] Antonio Pou: We used to advertise in the papers. The newspaper. Radio stations. We did a lot

[00:43:34] Paula Pou: of like first time buyer seminars. We did a few of those where we had, you know, 50, 100 people

[00:43:39] Tracy Hayes: oh wow yeah Was the, Spanish community. Correct. yeah. Come for that. And our

[00:43:44] Paula Pou: loan, the loan officer we used back then, he didn't speak Spanish, but, you know, and the home inspector we had, he didn't speak Spanish, but it was just us kind of, and we, took out, you know, they took applications that day.

[00:43:56] Paula Pou: we've tried it

all. We've done. What do

[00:43:58] Tracy Hayes: you do

particularly for [00:44:00] marketing and that particular community because you probably do have Although you've been in the business long enough You probably have referrals coming from that as well because you already have a Spanish speaker and they're immediately going to refer you because of That relationship.

[00:44:13] Paula Pou: Yeah

[00:44:13] Tracy Hayes: that language.

[00:44:14] Paula Pou: So in social media I try to do the videos in English and Antonio does a lot in Spanish and that that way we just kind of get out there to both We don't only want to you know, sell to Spanish speaking clients, which we don't, but it's been good to us for many years. So we, we're not going to give our backs to them.

[00:44:30] Tracy Hayes: Do you guys, are you guys doing anything, are you part of the, what is this Hispanic Chamber of Commerce? Do you guys get involved in that? I go to some

[00:44:38] Paula Pou: of their meetings. there's a lot of things going on.

[00:44:41] Tracy Hayes: So it's hard to, Well, it's probably  gotten busier over 25 years. Yeah.

[00:44:43] Paula Pou: I try to attend something, every month. you know, and I do training. at least every month I take a class just to, you know, keep sharp and up to date with this, you know, change. I did a lot of training, virtual in person. So that's very important to me,  [00:45:00] right?  You know, I don't want to go like we recently got an offer on a listing and we Got two offers and I could tell who had been to the training and who had not So, i'm like,  okay, this person has not had much. training. Yeah, i've heard that. Yeah, you can tell right  off

[00:45:14] Tracy Hayes: Especially was the beginning of july when they changed the contract So forth and who was using the old one and right?

[00:45:19] Paula Pou: Yeah, but even now, you know now you have to add a writers and buyer broker, compensation.

[00:45:25] Tracy Hayes: Florida homes has their own, buyer broker agreement. We've learned that.

[00:45:29] Paula Pou: Yes. I mean, you can tell. So to me, that's very important to be trained, to be knowledgeable because that's the only way you can really help your, customer.

[00:45:40] Tracy Hayes: You get a lot of referrals and I, in knowing what you know now, you may not have always, always done it, but someone is out there right now.

It was maybe two or three years in the business. They've sold a handful of homes already. The person who made the what are some of the special things do you do? These are [00:46:00] watching, obviously a lot of the training videos, right? They want to go back to your last 10, 20 deals and where did they come from? And go focus on that. What do you do for that person that refers? Use somebody make them feel special, and hopefully they give you another one eventually.

[00:46:14] Paula Pou: So I always ask when they call, hey, how did you get our number? Right. You know,  and I immediately when we hang up I thank them Thank you for thinking of us and, you know send Them a little card In the mail Just something that says to show the appreciation if they have children I'm always like, oh send me pictures of your kids cuz you know or the dog or I just try to keep engaged you know and and just thank them, you know personally or with a message or with a Handwritten card just

[00:46:44] Tracy Hayes: something simple the I think people underestimate the handwritten cards. Oh

[00:46:49] Paula Pou: yeah, to me. I  think  people  actually, when they get something actually in the mail that's worth actually like opening, that actually means a lot today. in the past. 'cause everything else is junk, right? Yeah. I've had [00:47:00] customers say, Hey, I've never had a written letter sent to me in the mail. You know, so

[00:47:04] Tracy Hayes: they almost want to, they want to save it. I know I've, the handwritten cards, I save that card. Mm-Hmm. , you know, versus obvious how the junk we get to actually get a card that someone took a few minutes to

[00:47:13] Antonio Pou: we have seen it, some of them. take a picture, put it on social media. Hey, I got this note from my reactor from 15 years ago. they sent me a note. So, you know, they love it.

[00:47:26] Paula Pou: Yeah. We try to be personal, you know, with them and, touch that way.

[00:47:30] Tracy Hayes: I want to, spill some good knowledge out to the listeners. You said you're doing, you know, you mentor people. agents all the time. What are some of the hot topics that maybe, you know, in this past year, that you've found that more agents are needing help with or thirsting for mentorship

[00:47:47] Paula Pou: So I can think of a couple that we've, we met about a year and a half ago. They were with a different brokerage. They had been in with, he had been with his license for six months. He hadn't sold anything. [00:48:00] And somehow they heard about us and they wanted to meet us and I'm always open. so we met up and, you know, I told them come over and we'll help you. You know, we're not going to charge you anything, but we know we'll share with you,

Their friends are not my same friends, their sphere is not my sphere.

[00:48:15] Tracy Hayes: Exactly.

I'm not...

[00:48:16] Paula Pou: ...going to sell a house to everybody in Jacksonville, you know. So, they did and he's doing great. And we're friends now, we share, we meet up every week. You know, they share what's going on. We give them advice.

[00:48:32] Tracy Hayes: What are some of the things they needed help with that you think you kind of brought out in them?

[00:48:36] Antonio Pou: Like, Paula chats with all these new agents, and basically, like every other day, Paula shares something that she has learned. Something new. Now we did new changes with contracts and all that. She always tries to keep them up to date, you know. "Have you heard? The news is, we're going to make this change with contracts. We have to [00:49:00] use new passwords." So, that has been a big help for all these new agents because they are keeping up-to-date. If she knows about a training, she encourages them to attend our brokerage. Florida Homes is doing more Spanish training. And that has been a big help. We go there and translate for them because some of them don't speak English that well. So, whenever we can, we go there and translate for them, just to help them out.

[00:49:30] Tracy Hayes: Do you think your help, because of your experience, puts a little more rubber to the road? In other words, taking that, and they know where to actually put it into their business?

[00:49:39] Paula Pou: Yeah, definitely. The experience, just sharing with them. We did a big open house and we invited them all to come. You know, we walked them through what we did, and we had a great turnout. Just teaching them and sharing—it fulfills me.

[00:49:53] Tracy Hayes: I'm gonna go deeper though on this person that you worked with. Because he hadn't sold anything in six months in the business. So he had to...

[00:50:00] Tracy Hayes: What was it that started to get him going? What did you say to him? Advise him? Encourage him to do to start generating business?

[00:50:10] Paula Pou: It wasn’t just... you know, talk to the people you know. Be a little bit more aggressive, and he's evolved.

[00:50:17] Tracy Hayes: I mean, he's doing really good—aggressive from the standpoint of just letting everybody know...

[00:50:22] Paula Pou: ...he's a real estate agent. Or, you know, when you meet somebody, I told him, “You need to team up with a good loan officer, someone who's going to help you get these people qualified. Get a good title company.” We had a meeting with a title agent that speaks Spanish because his main clientele is Spanish-speaking. I surrounded him with a group of people that supported him and that were helping him, and he's done great.

[00:50:47] Tracy Hayes: I like that. The loan officer and the title company is good too because I know a lot of these new agents, they’re not necessarily getting customers putting 50 percent down or 20 percent down. They are getting more of the first-time [00:51:00] homebuyers who have challenges with credit, income, down payments, whatever. You need to have that person you can rely on because, as you and I know, they don't know. Some of them with less business experience have dove into it because they partnered up with a loan officer and had “shop talk.” Over time, they start to evolve. "Hey, I know what you can do, this person can get you down payment assistance," or whatever. But the new agents are just out there wondering, "What do I do with this customer?"

One of the things I encourage—if someone is a little hesitant or they’re not being upfront, like, "Am I looking to buy in the next 30, 60, 90 days, or are we looking to buy next year?"—is to put them on with a loan officer. As soon as we start asking about financials, they’re going to say, "Yeah, I'm ready to buy in the next 60–90 days. I need to get this done," or "Hey, we’re not looking for a year."

How many times have we gotten people who are so anxious to buy a home, and then we find out they started a new business six months ago? There’s no track record there, right? So, that was very wise advice for any new or newer agents: partner up, and you know, I know all agents are bombarded by loan officers all the time. I personally don't do that. I try to get you guys to come on and have a great conversation. Actually reach out to a good loan officer, go have lunch, go have coffee, and talk shop.

[00:52:38] Tracy Hayes: How are we going to approach that next client that has some hesitancy? Because I know a lot of agents don't like to ask too many personal financial questions. Like, "Even where is your down payment coming from?"

[00:52:39] Paula Pou: Right.

[00:52:41] Tracy Hayes: They don’t even like to ask that.

[00:52:54] Paula Pou: Personally, we have a group of loan officers. We are not married to one because I feel that everyone has their specialty—either VA loans, first-time buyers, or investors. We try to do a little interview with the client and see who’s the best match for them that's going to make it happen. You need to find the right match.

[00:53:12] Tracy Hayes: Well, you know, I'll just brag about myself for a moment. I'm actually going to brag about my teammates here at TowneBank. I saved a condo deal that two lenders turned down. TowneBank, I know, has lent in there. I'm like, "I own units in there." Eventually, it got back to my wife, then to me, and we closed it in a week. Some lenders will do that, and some won’t, especially right now with condos in Florida. So, we need a little more touch here.

[00:53:36] Paula Pou: We need your help because we have two condos listed, and I’m trying to find a lender that...

[00:53:42] Tracy Hayes: ...will. When it comes to condos, this is important for those listening. Now, those documents are more out there, right? You don’t have to pay $300 to get them. You can get the manager to give you the financial statements, etc. I can give you that list we need. It’s only four or five things and a questionnaire, which the on-site manager can probably fill out 99% of.

[00:54:05] Paula Pou: Mm
[00:54:05] Tracy Hayes: Hmm. My team, a good condo team, you know, I brag about the one here. We'll send up and get that approved. Or maybe it's like, oh no, we're gonna have some problems. We need some alternative lending to get in there, and you know that before you start bringing customers in, so you're not in process for 45 days and then realize you can't close it.
[00:54:25] Paula Pou: So, and what about spot FHA approvals?
[00:54:28] Tracy Hayes: FHA approvals too. You know, so I was actually talking to my condo team just a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, it's a similar questionnaire, but it's on the HUD document. Same financial statements and all those things they want. We'll send it up and get it one-off approved before you even have a buyer. So you don't have to get the buyer first. You might just be in an area where FHA is probably going to be possible, and go ahead and get that pre-approved.
[00:54:52] Paula Pou: That way you can say FHA...
[00:54:54] Tracy Hayes: FHA is a possible thing. This particular one went to the 11th hour and like, "Hey, we can't close this thing." Luckily, we were able to save it and closed it in a week. They just had to extend it for a week, and we were like, you know, keep the seller happy. That’s good news. So get those pre-approved, and no one's that busy right now. These teams want stuff to do. They earn their paycheck every week. We send that up, and they dig into it.
[00:55:21] Paula Pou: So yeah, that's another thing. You know, if it’s a condo that they're looking for, I try to find a good match for them that works condos.
[00:55:29] Antonio Pou: Sometimes we can tell right away that the buyer is not ready to buy. They might need some work with credit or something, but if you find a good lender who is patient and willing to help this customer get their credit up or whatever...
[00:55:45] Paula Pou: Give them advice or follow up.
[00:55:47] Antonio Pou: Exactly. And then maybe six months later or a year later, they’re ready to buy. So that relationship with the lenders is really important.
[00:55:54] Tracy Hayes: Yeah, and I’ve worked for numerous lenders over the years, so I’ve seen how we’ve approached that differently. I’m not a big fan of sending people off to these third-party credit repair places. I’ve dealt with that. It’s not the best. Again, I hate to sell myself again, but at Town Bank, we actually have a lady who spent time working for the credit bureaus before joining us. So she knows the ins and outs of the system. Now, having worked with other lenders, we also have software that, when we pull their credit, can tell us, "What if you do this? What if you do that?"—basically, ways to improve the score by so many points. That’s about as far as the software can go, but having someone in the back to go a little further is key.
[00:56:00] Some loan officers don’t want to spend extra time. They just rush through. But that really wows customers—"Hey, I got your score up, and now your PMI dropped $20 a month because we got a little bit higher credit score."
[00:57:15] Paula Pou: Did you want to add something?
[00:57:16] Tracy Hayes: I’ll finish with this, and if you guys have anything to add from a marketing standpoint, you talked about using social media. Explain your mindset when it comes to this. Everyone’s saying do video, video, video, social media posts. Everyone has a different approach. What is yours, and have you found something that resonates with you?
[00:57:52] Paula Pou: I like to tell a story. You know, "Just sold, just bought" doesn’t say much, but if you say, "This family worked hard for months," it gives a story.
[00:58:00] Tracy Hayes: Adds some color commentary.
[00:58:08] Paula Pou: Yeah, just something organic. We've been doing more videos about us and what we have to offer.
[00:58:16] Antonio Pou: We've learned that we have to keep it short—one minute or less. If it’s too long, people won’t watch it.
[00:58:27] Paula Pou: Yeah, and going to classes and learning to use captioning because if someone’s in an appointment, they can’t listen. Little tips like that.
[00:58:35] Tracy Hayes: Are you doing all your own shooting and editing?
[00:58:38] Paula Pou: No, Florida Homes has a program where we can make videos. We also have a friend who helps with videos and things like that. We don’t have just one specific person—we use different options and try to keep it organic.
[00:58:54] Tracy Hayes: I think the key is not just posting "I just closed." You’re giving a story behind it—this family, this situation—and people resonate with that.
[00:59:26] Paula Pou: Exactly. We just had two young girls, teachers moving from Miami. They were so appreciative, and I asked if they wanted to do a video. They did, and I posted it because others are also moving from out of town, and it’s not easy trusting someone from afar.
[00:59:59] Tracy Hayes: Have you found that people are building a relationship with you just by watching your videos?
[01:00:08] Paula Pou: Yes! We recently did a video, and it got 1,900 views.
[01:00:16] Tracy Hayes: What was the subject?
[01:00:17] Paula Pou: It was about an open house we did in our community.
[01:00:23] Tracy Hayes: That’s great on TikTok, especially if you’re not just constantly saying, "Look at me." People are building a relationship just by seeing you regularly.
[01:01:00] Paula Pou: That’s our plan. We love real estate and helping people—it’s something we truly enjoy doing.
[01:01:31] Tracy Hayes: You guys are off to a good 2024. What are three things agents should be doing in their business right now?
[01:02:01] Paula Pou: Training, being knowledgeable...
[01:02:06] Tracy Hayes: Being comfortable with the buyer-broker agreements?
[01:02:09] Paula Pou: Contracts, definitely. Knowing the contracts is essential—it can make the difference in getting an offer accepted.
[01:02:25] Antonio Pou: Yes, training is big. The example we gave you earlier about two offers—we could tell which agent was more knowledgeable and prepared.
[01:03:00] Paula Pou: Building relationships with lenders, title companies, and insurance agents is key. Having a team to call for help makes a huge difference.
[01:04:00] Tracy Hayes: I think a lot of new agents lack confidence, and having those connections helps with that.
[01:04:18] Paula Pou: Yes, and being a resource for your customers. They can call you, and you can provide solutions or suggestions.
[01:05:00] Tracy Hayes: That makes you the influencer, the pillar in the community. You need reliable people on your speed dial.
[01:05:27] Antonio Pou: Exactly. Yesterday, I got a call from a lady renting one of our properties. She needed an attorney, and because we know good people, we could recommend someone.
[01:05:12] Tracy Hayes: That’s what it’s all about—introducing people to others. You're influencing others by making those connections.
[01:07:00] Tracy Hayes: Appreciate you guys coming on. Anything else you’d like to add?
[01:07:10] Antonio Pou: Thank you for having us on!
[01:07:20] Paula Pou: Yes, thank you for your persistence, Tracy. We’re happy to help others and enjoy what we do.