#shorts Sarah Schwartz and Tabitha Vasquez, two veteran real estate agents, joined Tracy Hayes to discuss how to succeed in the real estate business and the importance of marketing, connections, and community building. While Sarah has more experience working in the field, she and Tabitha are both highly respected realtors working under the guise of the Sarah Schwartz Group company.
Sarah and Tabitha encourage their listeners to see real estate not just as a profitable business but as a way to add value to people’s lives by providing them with the tools and guidance to find the property they want. As such, real estate offers an avenue for building and connecting communities. Therefore, they both stress the importance of creating social networks, finding and providing mentorship, and strengthening connections when working on real estate.
[00:00 - 07:17] Real Estate Excellence Podcast: Sarah Schwartz and Tabitha Vasquez
The Real Estate Excellence Podcast host, Tracy Hayes, introduces Sarah Schwartz and Tabitha Vasquez.
Sarah Schwartz is from Baltimore, MD, and has lived in Northeast Florida since she was nine years old, and as she grew up, she got a marketing degree and got into real estate.
Tabitha Vasquez is from northeast Florida and studied criminal justice, although she quit criminal law to pursue a career in real estate.
Sarah talks about the current real estate market and how it's different than when she was growing up, as well as how her knowledge in marketing helped her in this field.
Tabitha discusses her experience studying criminal justice, why she quit law to pursue her real estate career, and how her knowledge of criminal justice helped her in this endeavor.
[07:17 - 14:59] How Sarah and Tabitha Began Their Journey in Real Estate
Tabitha started working out at the gym and doing bodybuilding before she became interested in real estate.
She took a course to become a real estate agent and moved to Jacksonville to finish it
She started referring friends to her coach, a realtor, and then started working for her as a closer.
When she got her license, she posted about it on Instagram and contacted Tabitha, who was already successful in real estate
Tabitha helped Sarah learn the ropes and introduced her to other agents
[14:59 - 22:33] Finding Mentorship to Succeed in the Real Estate Business
Tabitha recommends finding a mentor to help guide her in her career, and she credits her top agent, Sarah Roco, for helping her find the right path.
Tabitha emphasizes the importance of building relationships with brokers and clients and notes that it is important to be clear about expectations from the beginning.
She credits her success to being active on social media, staying connected to military spouse communities, and being willing to try new things.
[22:33 - 29:49] How to Find a Real Estate Broker
Looking for a brokerage that would offer a structured learning process, Sarah found that the learning process was not linear, and she was the one who had to put in the effort to learn.
She expected the learning process to be structured and straightforward, but that was not the case.
It is important to think outside the box and be persistent in your client interactions.
I talked to several brokers before choosing one and asked them questions about how they would handle different situations.
When interviewing a broker, it is important to ask about their sphere of influence and how they have helped other agents succeed.
[29:50 - 37:18] How Brokers and Agents add Value to the Clients’ Lives
The first step to contacting a broker is to walk into their office on the first day and see how busy it is.
Call clients and brokers directly to learn how you can help them.
Figure out the client’s needs and let them know the ways in which you can make their lives easier.
Find a good mentor who is positive and encouraging.
When working with buyers or sellers, having a "see it through" mentality can be an asset.
[37:19 - 44:46] The Importance of Being Meticulous When Buying and Selling Property
Tracey mentions the story of Steven Jones, as he was talking about clients looking to buy a house on the beach and how many people bought houses without knowing that they would need to pay $50,000 for proof of access.
The host talks about why it’s important to be meticulous when buying property and that looking into your background and personality is very important.
Sarah recommends reading books and listening to sermons for inspiration and mentions her Christian faith.
Tabitha recommends reading a lot and checking social media to have up-to-date knowledge of the conditions of the market, as well as recent laws, news, and other information.
[44:46 - 51:52] The Necessity of Education in Real Estate Success
[51:52 - 59:07] Why agents Need to Be Consistent to Succeed
