Creating Success Early in Your Real Estate Career | Rookie of the Year | The REAL Podcast

• 2019 SDAR Rookie of the Year
• Sold over 20 properties in her first two years (7/6)
• Was a real estate lobbyist in San Diego for over 5 years
• Is an active development advocate

Intro

Tell us a little about yourself

• Decided to try real estate sales just under 2 years ago
• Thought it would be a less stressful job – kinda funny looking back
• Before, I’d always worked in government affairs or lobbying. Never sales
• Moved to San Diego about 8 years ago from Washington DC
• Worked in DC for 4 years for a Senator 
• I left that world because my now husband got stationed in San Diego. 
• I thought – I’ll try it out. Best decision I’ve ever made! 
• We currently live in Mt Helix in a cool mid-century modern home. 
• I’m originally from the Midwest. I actually grew up on a farm, so I definitely never thought I’d be living in San Diego selling amazing homes. 

What got you into real estate?

• I wanted to work for myself 
• I’ve always worked in a conservative work structure, and I just thought real estate would be a fun, almost freeing adventure. 
• It’s more fun than I ever thought. 

Success

Let’s talk about your success. You won SDAR’s Rookie of the Year last year. Can you tell us what specific things you did to set yourself up for early success? 

• Planned: Wrote a very detailed business plan and set attainable goals. I looked at them every single day. I actually wrote down that I wanted to win Rookie of the Year when I started! 
• Studied: I knew I didn’t know anything about real estate. For the first 4-5 months, I basically went to school. Thankfully, I had an amazing mentor, Sarah Scott, who was with me almost daily. We role played so many situations, wrote contracts together, visited every single downtown building multiple times until I felt very comfortable. 
• Ask for the Order: You have to ask your former colleagues, friends, family, basically everyone if they will work with you. I was direct and some people straight up said no. But if you aren’t 100% comfortable asking people you already know, how can strangers trust you?
• Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up: I’ve learned someone might not respond to your first, second or third email or text – but they will respond to your fourth or fifth. I keep a detailed track of everyone I felt a connection with. 
• I’m still a newbie, but if anyone is just getting into the business, and would like to grab a coffee, I’m more than happy to do that.

What surprised you the most about real estate?

• How competitive it is. I’m a competitive person, so I like that.
• It’s not just about being responsive and having good marketing. 
• Many times, you actually have to strategically think through how to position your clients and their offer to win a house – and my background in strategic communications certainly helps. 
• My last 4 of 5 deals during COVID have been multiple offer situations – it’s just exciting to win the home and help your clients during that stressful time. 
• Having a great lender absolutely helps. I am working with Melissa right now trying to win a multiple offer situation, and she worked late last night on difference financing options so our offer would be more competitive. 
• My last closing a couple weeks ago was with Melissa, and she helped me stand out from 7 other offers. 

What advice do you have for a new realtor or someone coming into the industry?

• Go all in. Save up and try to do it full-time off the bat.
• Join a team. You don’t know what you don’t know. It’s best to start with a team to learn about the process and best practices. 
• Ask all kinds of agents for career advice. The top producers want to be helpful and share awesome tips. 
• Plan. Set specific goals for yourself and know what you will focus on each day. 
• Be yourself. Know your personality. I know I’m not funny – and I don’t force it! 

Video

Let’s talk about video. How are you using it right now? 

• Video has certainly been the #1 way to tell a story on social media.
• Working with elected officials, I was never really comfortable or even allowed to share so much on social media
• Now, it’s kind of part of the job.
• So far, I have been doing property tours and educational Zoom interviews. My next one is actually today, and Melissa graciously has helped me with it.
• It will be on Top 3 Ways that Financing Has Changed Due to COVID

What’s your experience using video?

• It’s been very positive. I don’t mind being in front of a camera. Lots of old media training kicks in. 
• I use video in all of my listings. 
• Standard photography just doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. 
• Professional videography is the most effective way to market a property 

Where do you see a need for video within your industry?

• EVERYWHERE!
• Personal Branding, marketing a property, showing knowledge of the industry – it’s the most effective way to communicate. 
• I notice when I post a video, that has the most engagement. 

Personal Development

What are your top-three books and why? 

• For fun – I like Harry Potter type of books. Magic, vampires, witches. Those types of series. 
• For work – Sell it Like Serhant – He taught me to try to have a lot of balls in the air. That way if a few balls fall out, it’s no biggie – don’t hyperfocus on just a few clients. 
• Ninja Selling – Laid out a plan on how to be a referral agent, which is my business preference. I don’t like cold leads. 
• Daily – Micheal Smeroncish on POTUS – big believer in following the daily news. If you are out with a client and they start talking about current events, you better know what’s going on.  

What helps you get inspired everyday?

• I use Rachel Hollis’ START Journal. So everyday I write down 5 things I’ve grateful for and ten dreams I made happen. So that helps me focus and get excited about the day

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

• I’d love to lead my own team, whether that’s with Scott-Finn or start my own
• I hope to be a top-producer – top 25 agents in the County
• I’d love to be well on my way to being financially independent – that’s a big goal of mine. 

Contact

• Follow me on Instagram or Facebook at AmySpearSDRealtor
• Text me at 619-808-4088
• Email me at AmySpear@ScottFinnHomes.com