Episode 134 leads The Real Estate Sessions back to the Pacific Northwest once again. Phil Greely of Realogics Sothebys International Realty shares his story. As a Seattle native, Phil discovered real estate at the age of 23 and embraced the entrepreneurial nature of the business. Today, Phil focuses on hyperlocal content and creating a consistent experience. Phil is also a podcaster. You can find Phil and his partner Tyler interviewing local artists, politicians and civic-minded folk on the Rise Seattle podcast.

02:00 - Phil talks about the Rise Seattle podcast

04:20 - Growing up in Seattle

07:10 - Migrational growth in Seattle

10:50 - Early career choices

13:25 - Phil's take on the UW Huskies

15:10 - Starting the real estate career with Windermere

19:05 - Entrepreneurism calls

20:30 - Local content marketing becomes the focus

24:05 - The decision to join Realogics Sotheby's International Realty

27:25 - Bill gushes about Phil's site, PhilGreely.com

33:25 - Phil discusses content creation and how he handles it

38:50 - Phil's top 3 non-touristy things to do in Seattle

41:10 - What one piece of advice would you give a new agent?

 

email Phil

Phil sells a home to StormTroopers video

paddleboard on Lake Union

Discovery Park

Westward for oysters and champagne

 

Episode 134 leads The Real Estate Sessions back to the Pacific Northwest once again. Phil Greely of Realogics Sothebys International Realty shares his story. As a Seattle native, Phil discovered real estate at the age of 23 and embraced the entrepreneurial nature of the business. Today, Phil focuses on hyperlocal content and creating a consistent experience. Phil is also a podcaster. You can find Phil and his partner Tyler interviewing local artists, politicians and civic-minded folk on the Rise Seattle podcast.

02:00 - Phil talks about the Rise Seattle podcast

04:20 - Growing up in Seattle

07:10 - Migrational growth in Seattle

10:50 - Early career choices

13:25 - Phil's take on the UW Huskies

15:10 - Starting the real estate career with Windermere

19:05 - Entrepreneurism calls

20:30 - Local content marketing becomes the focus

24:05 - The decision to join Realogics Sotheby's International Realty

27:25 - Bill gushes about Phil's site, PhilGreely.com

33:25 - Phil discusses content creation and how he handles it

38:50 - Phil's top 3 non-touristy things to do in Seattle

41:10 - What one piece of advice would you give a new agent?

 

email Phil

Phil sells a home to StormTroopers video

paddleboard on Lake Union

Discovery Park

Westward for oysters and champagne

 

Episode 133 - Ken Brownlee, founder of The Ken Brownlee Real Estate Team in Brandon, Florida, was one of the first agents I had the opportunity to meet after relocating to the Tampa/St Pete area. Ken has built a team dedicated to helping buyers and sellers achieve their dreams. He showed me this trait directly when I mentioned I had yet to see an alligator after a month or so in the state. Ken immediately led me to a pond behind his office and the hunt was on. While we did not find one that day, I'll never forget Ken's offer to help. Enjoy Ken's story and if you're in Brandon, maybe he'll find a gator for you!

 

02:20 - Ken describes the different areas of the Tampa/St Pete market

06:10 - Ken talks local sports, including the 0-14 Buccaneers

07:15 - An early love of building things foretells Ken's future

09:50 - Insurance and financial planning career  

11:10 - Parallels between running an insurance agency and real estate 

14:05 - The real estate career begins

17:05 - Starting a second career and the first year in real estate

20:45 - Asking questions of successful agents to put a plan of action in place

22:30 - The importance of an agent's database

23:10 - A look at the Ken Brownlee team

25:45 - Building and operating a team

29:10 - What's on the horizon for the team?

34:15 - What one piece of advice would you give a new agent?

[email protected]

 

 

 

Episode 133 - Ken Brownlee, founder of The Ken Brownlee Real Estate Team in Brandon, Florida, was one of the first agents I had the opportunity to meet after relocating to the Tampa/St Pete area. Ken has built a team dedicated to helping buyers and sellers achieve their dreams. He showed me this trait directly when I mentioned I had yet to see an alligator after a month or so in the state. Ken immediately led me to a pond behind his office and the hunt was on. While we did not find one that day, I'll never forget Ken's offer to help. Enjoy Ken's story and if you're in Brandon, maybe he'll find a gator for you!

 

02:20 - Ken describes the different areas of the Tampa/St Pete market

06:10 - Ken talks local sports, including the 0-14 Buccaneers

07:15 - An early love of building things foretells Ken's future

09:50 - Insurance and financial planning career  

11:10 - Parallels between running an insurance agency and real estate 

14:05 - The real estate career begins

17:05 - Starting a second career and the first year in real estate

20:45 - Asking questions of successful agents to put a plan of action in place

22:30 - The importance of an agent's database

23:10 - A look at the Ken Brownlee team

25:45 - Building and operating a team

29:10 - What's on the horizon for the team?

34:15 - What one piece of advice would you give a new agent?

[email protected]

 

 

 

After watching Ethan on video for years, I finally reached out and interviewed him for The Real Estate Sessions. As a long time BombBomb account holder, it was fun to get the origin story of the company, as well as a look at its growth over the years. Check out Ethan's journey to Colorado Springs and his passion for building relationships.

[email protected]

@ethanbeute on Twitter

 

02:20 - Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan

04:45 - University of Michigan and beyond

06:45 - Heading into the world of Television and marketing

10:50 - Relocating to Colorado Springs

11:50 - Meeting Darin, Conor and joining BombBomb

13:55 - The importance of culture at BombBomb

16:30 - The recent evolution of the BombBomb platform

19:25 - Where did the name come from?

21:05 - Was real estate always on the radar for the company?

25:50 - How has your involvement with the Inman community helped?

27:00 - Ethan's work with local charities

31:00 - What one piece of advice would you give a new agent just starting in the business?

 

Episode 131 - The Real Estate Sessions welcomes Chelsea Peitz, author of Talking in Pictures and co-founder of The Agent Marketer, to the growing list of real estate professionals doing amazing things in the industry. Check out Chelsea's backstory, including early schooling pointing her down the path to becoming a nun!

02:15 - Are you one of the rare native Arizonans?

04:20 - With a degree in clinical psychology,  was real estate on your radar?

07:20 - What did you do right out of school?

08:40 - The Brian and Chelsea story.

12:15 - Joining the FNF family

14:10 - Transitioning to social/digital marketing

16:00 - Being open and authentic can be difficult.

18:20 - The origin of the SnapPack

20:15 - Talking in Pictures is published

23:01 - The evolution of Snapchat

26:45 - The Inman community

29:15 - Working with Jason Frazier and The Agent Marketer

35:40 - What one piece of advice would you give a new agent starting in the business?

 

 

 

Episode 130 features another guest from real estate tech hotbed North Carolina. While not a native, Zach Schabot, Senior Manager, Broker Relations with Zillow Group, has over 20 years in the Raleigh area. "A Tarheel by marriage", Zach shares his story which winds through many different areas of the business. 

02:15 - From upstate New York to Raleigh, North Carolina

06:20 - Duke or UNC?

08:10 - With a degree in communications, was a real estate career in the cards?

10:10 - A brief stint in the real estate publishing industry

11:30 - General brokerage is the next step

12:40 - Starting up a new brokerage in a down market

16:35 - The creation of Go Connect

19:50 - The journey continues to the Zillow Group

25:30 - What has Zach most excited at Zillow Group?

30:40 - Why relationships matter

32:15 - Volunteerism and why it is so important

34:05 - Final question - One piece of advice for a new agent

Episode 129 - I am thrilled to have another leader in real estate join me as he shares his entrepreneurial journey in the world of relationships, resulting in the company Contactually. Zvi Band is the CEO of a company that defines the R in CRM. Enjoy Zvi as he shares growing up in San Diego and ending up inside the Capital Beltway with Contactually.

02:10 - Life in San Diego

04:45 - Moving to D.C. and choosing Universtiy of Maryland

07:20 - How early did Zvi get into computers?

08:50 - The entrepreneur in Zvi

12:00 - How do the roles of coder and founder co-exist?

13:40 - Zvi and Evernote

17:05 - Contactually and real estate

19:00 - Spreading out to other verticals with Contactually

21:05 - The disconnect between the need for relationships and doing relationship building things

23:55 - The focus on relationships

25:40 - Zvi's take on the doomsday predictions for the industry from the Inman stage

30:10 - The current state of leadership in the industry

33:50 - Final question - What piece of advice would you give a new agent just getting started in the business?

 

In Episode 128, Brian Hopper out of Seattle and the Hopper Group at Realogics|Sothebys International Realty joins the cast of The Real Estate Sessions. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Brian discusses his early passions - skiing and firefighting. How did real estate enter the picture as he ended up creating a successful team at one of the top Sothebys franchises? You have to listen to Episode 128 to find out!

 

02:20 - Where did Brian grow up?

05:15 - Brian loves the Seahawks and shows it!

08:05 - Brian's passion for skiing

12:40 - Entering the real estate game

15:25 - The recession in the Pacific Northwest

16:20 - Joining Sothebys International Realty

19:30 - Embracing technology while maintaining relationships

21:20 - The Inman experience for Brian

23:20 - What excites Brian looking into the future of real estate?

25:30 - Building a team and pitfalls to avoid

26:45 - One piece of advice for a new agent

@hoppergroup on Twitter

@hoppergroup on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 127 - Kim Colaprete, Managing Member of Team Diva Partners, LLC in Seattle, Washington brings her unique journey to The Real Estate Sessions Podcast. Kim, along with her partner, Chavi Hohm, has built a community of loyal supporters. Find out how they did it as well as why it is so important in this episode.

02:50 - Where did Kim grow up?

05:15 - How did Kim and Chavi meet? Was it before or after they entered real estate?

05:50 - What was the catalyst for your move into real estate?   08:25 - Let’s talk about the genesis of Team Diva. Wasn’t  the team started during the dark days?   12:20 - How long has the team had the current iteration of the website up and going? How much input did they have into the look and feel?   14:35 - How many are currently on the team and how did you go about growing it? How do you determine who is a good fit?   16:50 - The Team Diva brand is more than just a name.  How is the team involved with the local Seattle community?   23:40 - What are some of the mistakes you see agents making and to stay positive, can you give us an agent or two doing great things?   29:50 - How have the Inman Connect events, either as attendees or presenters had an impact on your business?   32:10 - Blogging about your communities is a big part of your marketing strategy. Can you talk about the importance of sharing your local expertise?   36:00 - If you could give one piece of advice to a new agent just getting started in the business, what would it be?