Become the Agent People Remember

I bought my first house when I was 19 years old.

I certainly didn’t know everything I know today. I didn’t have decades of transactions behind me. I hadn’t owned brokerages. I hadn’t invested in properties in New York, Connecticut and North Carolina. I hadn’t sat on every side of the table I have now—as a buyer, seller, landlord, investor, business owner and broker.

But I understood something pretty early:

Real estate is about a lot more than houses.

It’s about people.

And after all these years, I probably believe that more strongly today than I did when I bought that first house.

I’ve watched markets go up. I’ve watched them slow down. I’ve bought in different states and learned that what works in New York doesn’t automatically work in North Carolina—or Connecticut. I’ve renovated properties. I’ve rented them. I’ve dealt with financing, contractors, tenants, carrying costs, insurance, taxes and plenty of things that looked very different on paper than they did once I was actually responsible for them.

Experience teaches you numbers.

But it also teaches you judgment.

And one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that the person people remember usually gets the phone call.

People Don’t Walk Around Announcing That They’re Leads

This is something I want every agent I work with to understand.

People rarely walk up to you and say:

“Karin, I’m officially a seller lead.”

Real life doesn’t work that way.

They say:

“My taxes are getting ridiculous.”

“My mother really can’t take care of that house anymore.”

“The kids are gone and we’re sitting in all this space.”

“My landlord raised my rent again.”

“We’ve been talking about North Carolina.”

“I’d sell, but this house needs so much work.”

“Do you think this property would make a good investment?”

Those are conversations.

And if you’ve been in this business long enough, you learn to hear what’s underneath them.

I call them signals.

The inexperienced agent sometimes hears a signal and immediately starts selling.

The experienced professional gets curious.

What’s changing?

What’s really bothering them?

What are they trying to accomplish?

What would make their situation easier?

That’s where the real conversation begins.

Investing Taught Me to Ask Better Questions

Investing in different markets has probably influenced the way I look at real estate as much as anything else.

When you’re spending your own money, you learn very quickly not to fall in love with the headline.

A property can have a great purchase price and still be a terrible investment.

What’s the rent?

What’s the financing?

What needs to be renovated?

What are the taxes?

What’s the insurance?

Who’s going to manage it?

What happens if it’s vacant?

What’s the exit?

What am I missing?

I’ve had to ask those questions about properties in New York, Connecticut and North Carolina.

And I’ve learned that the smartest question is often the second question.

The first answer gives you information.

The next question starts giving you understanding.

I think the same thing is true when we’re working with people.

Don’t Rush to Sell Someone Something

If a homeowner tells me:

“I’d sell, but the house needs $50,000 worth of work.”

My first thought isn’t:

Great. I found a listing.

I want to know why they believe they need $50,000 worth of work.

Who told them that?

What actually needs to be done?

What doesn’t?

Would doing the work improve the eventual return enough to justify it?

Can it be financed?

Would selling as-is actually make more sense?

This is part of why we’re developing programs like Fix It To List It. There are homeowners sitting in houses they would consider selling, but they see the condition of the property as an obstacle. If financing, renovation and real estate professionals can work together, sometimes we can solve that obstacle.

But the solution isn’t automatically renovation.

The solution is whatever makes the most sense for that homeowner.

That’s an important distinction.

If you’ve earned someone’s trust, your responsibility isn’t to steer them toward the transaction that benefits you most.

It’s to help them understand their options.

Your Database Isn’t a List of Names

Another thing I’ve learned from owning businesses and brokerages is that we tend to overcomplicate things that are fundamentally simple.

Agents talk about CRMs, databases, lead sources, funnels and conversion rates.

Those things matter.

But behind every record in that database is a person.

Maybe John isn’t a “buyer lead.”

Maybe John is renting, his lease expires in March, his rent went up again, and he mentioned six months ago that he’d really like a yard for his dog.

That’s a very different thing.

If I call John and say:

“Just checking in to see if you’re ready to buy,”

I’ve made the conversation about me.

If I remember what John told me and contact him when there’s actually something useful to discuss, I’ve demonstrated that I listened.

People remember that.

Show Up When You Don’t Have To

I tell our agents this constantly.

Go to the open house even if it isn’t your listing.

Go to the networking event.

Take the meeting.

Walk through the property.

Talk to the lender.

Meet the contractor.

Ask the investor why they passed on the deal.

Talk to the agent who has been doing this longer than you.

And don’t walk into every room wondering:

“How do I get business out of this?”

Walk in wondering:

“Who can I meet? What can I learn? Where can I be useful?”

Some of the best relationships and opportunities I’ve had in business did not begin with an obvious transaction attached to them.

They developed because somebody showed up.

Being Remembered Is Different From Being Seen

We’re living in an industry obsessed with visibility.

Post more.

Make more videos.

Send more emails.

Get more followers.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that. Marketing matters. I own businesses that invest heavily in it.

But being seen and being remembered are not the same thing.

You can post every day and still give people no particular reason to call you.

I’d rather have 100 people who genuinely understand what I’m good at, trust my judgment and know I’ll answer the phone than thousands of people who vaguely recognize my face from social media.

Your reputation is built in the small moments.

Did you call back?

Did you remember?

Did you tell the truth when the answer wasn’t what they wanted to hear?

Did you make the introduction even though there was nothing in it for you?

Did you show up?

Did you follow through?

Were you useful?

Those things compound.

Just like a good investment.

The Business I Want Our Agents to Build

As the owner of two brokerages, I don’t want to build agents who simply know how to complete transactions.

I want to build professionals with businesses that can survive different markets.

I want our agents to understand real estate.

Understand investment.

Understand people.

Know their communities.

Know their numbers.

Build relationships.

Develop judgment.

And become a resource long before someone signs an agreement.

So I’ve been asking our agents a very simple question:

What do you want people to remember you for?

Not:

“What does your Instagram bio say?”

Not:

“What’s your sales pitch?”

When your name comes up in a room you’re not in, what do you hope someone says about you?

That’s your real brand.

I bought my first house at 19.

I’ve spent a lot of years since then buying, selling, investing, building businesses and learning from both good decisions and expensive ones.

And if I could give a newer real estate professional one piece of advice from all of it, it would be this:

Stop worrying so much about whether everybody knows you’re in real estate.

Listen better.

Ask the second question.

Know your numbers.

Remember what people tell you.

Bring something useful to the relationship.

Follow through.

And keep showing up.

Become the agent people remember.

Because when the conversation eventually becomes real estate, you shouldn’t have to remind them who to call.