00:00:00
00:00:01
3. Becoming a Top DFW Realtor with Bethany Hart
18 Plays2 months ago
Note: This conversation was recorded in May 2024, and since then, the VA has released updated loan benefits for Veterans so that they can remain competitive. Read more HERE.
Description:
In this episode, Parker welcomes Bethany Hart, a top real estate agent in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. Bethany shares her inspiring journey from growing up in South Texas to becoming a successful Realtor, emphasizing the early influences of her hardworking family and faith. Settling down in Dallas sparked her interest in real estate after having traveled the country for so many years for her husband’s job as a professional baseball player. Starting in a commission-based job at Neiman Marcus, Bethany learned the importance of hard work and relationship-building, which later proved invaluable in her real estate career. She discusses the significance of choosing the right brokerage, continuous education, and mentorship, offering valuable insights for new and aspiring realtors. Bethany also addresses recent changes in the industry, such as the National Association of Realtors (NAR) lawsuit and its impact on commission structures and buyer/broker agreements. Tune in to learn how Bethany combines passion, skill, and money to succeed in real estate and gain advice for navigating the industry with confidence.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
- Bethany's early life and influences growing up in South Texas
- Transitioning to real estate and the empowerment of commission-based work
- The challenges and rewards of finding housing during her husband's baseball career
- The significance of choosing the right brokerage and mentorship
- The role of continuous education in a realtor's success
- Building relationships and providing exceptional client service
- Navigating recent changes in the real estate industry, including the NAR lawsuit
- Bethany's advice for new and aspiring realtors
- Stories that have stuck with Bethany in her career
Themes / Time Stamps:
- Bethany's background and early influences (00:38)
- Transitioning to real estate and early career challenges (02:25)
- The importance of mentorship and choosing the right brokerage (08:01)
- Building relationships and client service (15:18)
- Navigating industry changes and the NAR lawsuit (22:46)
- Stories that have stuck with Bethany in her career (29:33)
Bethany’s Number: 972-746-8031
Bethany’s Website: bethanyhart.homes
Bethany’s Email: bethanyhart@ebby.com
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
Hey, hey, my name is Parker Middeltenberg, your host of Passion Skill Money, where we explore the infinite possibilities of how you can blend passion with profit. Each episode features an inspiring story highlighting unique journeys of crafting lifestyles and careers that are not only fulfilling, but also financially rewarding. All right, let's dive in. Hey, welcome back to the podcast, everyone. Today I'm joined with Bethany Hart, one of the top real estate agents in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Welcome to the show. Thank you. Yeah, no problem. I had the pleasure of working with you back in 2021 for our very first home purchase in Dallas. And so when I was thinking of people that I wanted to have on the podcast, you were one of the first people that I thought of. So excited to have you here on the one of the first episodes. I love that. Thanks for thinking of me. I'm excited to do this.
00:00:48
Speaker
Yeah, and totally. so um I guess I wanted to open up a little bit for those that don't know you yet. You can share a little bit about your background. Have you always been in Dallas? or you know what's What's your background? My story? Sure. so I guess if we go way back to the beginning of time, um I come from South Texas, down by ah the border of Mexico. And i that I say that and it is important because that time of my life, even though it was just my childhood, it really, really shaped like who I am as a person today. So it's kind of important to talk about that. I just come from a family of five and you know both of my parents worked and we we certainly did not come from a lot of money or anything like that. you know we We worked hard to get where we are and um definitely experienced some difficult times. and
00:01:36
Speaker
And those times, I think, really shaped me as an adult and like what like I just knew that I was going to need to work hard in life and that if you want something, you've got to go and get it and you've got to make things happen. And that combined, of course, with just, you know, my faith and relying on that all the time, yeah um, just really kind of shaped who I am today. But yeah, we moved up to the Dallas Fort Worth area when I was in middle school, actually. okay And we've been here ever since. And we have a lot of our family here, like a lot of our extended family, which is nice.
00:02:11
Speaker
So, yeah, I mean, I think I've i traveled a little bit when I met my husband and we had to travel around for his job some. And that took us to a ah bunch of different places all over the country, which actually sort of like spiked my interest in real estate, yeah um which I guess we can probably get into that later. But um but yeah, that's kind of how it all started for me. Okay, cool. So you weren't always in real estate then? No, no, I absolutely was not. I started actually my first like, I guess in my career in the very beginning, I kind of started at, I worked for Neiman Marcus. um I worked in the store actually. And that is a 100% commission based job. So back to where I am now in real estate, 100% commission based job, right? um But you know what, that really taught me how to, to work hard. I mean, if you want to pay your rent, you got to sell something.
00:03:03
Speaker
yeah So yeah, it really just um kind of, I guess, started that whole process of getting to know people and, you know, how to work with people and how to meet them at their level and all that good stuff. Yeah, that's awesome. So then tell me about that shift from working because you have to and you're trying to make money to finding something in real estate because, you know, from my experience with you, you're really good at it and you seem to really love it in something. How did you get exposed to real estate and thought this is potentially a career for me? Sure. So when I met my husband and then we, you know, got engaged, got married, all the things that we started traveling all over the country for his job, he played major league baseball. And when he was doing that, we would have to find, you know, short-term housing in spring training in Arizona. And then maybe, maybe a rental place up in Chicago where he was going to play for the season. But then.
00:03:52
Speaker
you know, maybe he was going to get sent down or traded to a different area, you know, in another state. And so it was like, all these different moves required me to find somewhere to go for us because, you know, he was having to do his thing, play his job and he was going to travel with the team and he was taken care of, but it was on me to find where are we going to go? How are we going to, you know, do this whole thing? yeah And so I was constantly dealing with maybe a realtor But not a lot of realtors in some of those places like to do rentals. Rentals just aren't as big of a deal in some places. And then also Craigslist. I mean, these were the days of no VRBO, no Airbnb. So we were finding random things on the internet. And it was just so shady, honestly. But it was that that was another part of it that kind of spurred my interest in real estate. like There has to be
00:04:43
Speaker
a better way to serve the client, right? Like it can't just be them having to do all of this on their own. Like we need somebody to guide us through this process. And um most of the Realtors, unfortunately, that I worked with over the years weren't great. Had one really amazing one in Chicago, but aside from that, it was just like, and you know? And so that kind of was like, if I do this, I am going to be good at this. Because the whole move process is stressful. like i mean People have so much that they are dealing with on top of maybe figuring out a job and maybe they've got kids that they need to go to school or you know pets that they've got to work around, all the things. And it's like, as the realtor, I need you to make this as easy and seamless and stress-free as possible and you know solve the problem. right And so I guess for me, that is just something that I love to do. I love to fix it. I love to help. Yeah, right. I love that.
00:05:39
Speaker
I feel like, you know, with our experience with you, you were so good at that. And even, you know, when we are you know also being like the reality check, because, you know, as like someone that it was our first time home buying and walking into a hospital and like, Oh, this is great. And you're like, well, this and that. And I remember sometimes we'd we'd go into a house and you're like, whomp, whomp, you know, it's not, maybe there's some things that we should, you know, check here that look great on pictures. But now that we're here, it's, We should discuss some things and so that was such a huge value add of having you as our first realtor too because it was like and Someone that's going into the first time, you know, you don't really know what's good and what's not why don really yeah we chat with you So that was really good. I love that. Yeah, so tell me about like the education piece So you were interested in real estate and then you took the classes did Was that like a really short stint where you just blew through it or was it kind of like along the extended period? How was that?
00:06:32
Speaker
Yeah. So for me, it was a short scent that I blew through it. You know, like we didn't have our daughter yet at that time and I was pregnant and my husband had just come off of like a career ending injury and surgery and rehabbing it and all that time. I think, I think he was actually in the process of rehabbing it at that time still. and trying to work on a comeback potentially. And um so I was like, you know, we got to do something. Right. And like now that I knew we were going to be back in Texas and we were going to be stationary for a while, maybe forever, turned out forever, I knew that I needed something to do. And this was going to be my time now. Right. Because when I was traveling around with him, it's kind of impossible to have a job. Right. We're going to be in a couple of places a couple months a year. You have no idea, right? So this was my turn, I guess you could say. And so I decided this is what I'm going to do. This is what like you know the light bulb had been turning on and off for a few years. And so I'm like, okay, this is my time. yeah So I signed up for classes. I did them super fast. I think I got them done in like two months.
00:07:38
Speaker
And I took my test, passed on the first time, thank God, because they were hard. um and and yeah And then from there, I just was like, okay, well, now I got to find a brokerage. So I started that whole process of interviewing some brokerages and Just checking them out and comparing them, you know, they all promise you the world but ultimately I decided on one because um I had a friend a sorority sister who was at one of them already and she had kind of told me a little bit about her experience there and some of the people there and
00:08:12
Speaker
there were some pretty good top producers in that office. And so I knew myself um and just just real estate in general, you learn mostly from experience. Like, yes, you take all these classes and all of these tests and you do continuing education and all of that, but really experience is the number one teacher, right? So I knew I was going to need to surround myself with some people that were going to be able to hold my hand, answer my questions, and that I could just emulate and learn from, right? And so I ended up going to Century 21 and that's where I started out way back when. Yeah, right. That's awesome. So then I'm thinking about when you were saying they promised you the world, I'm thinking about with a new Realtor that they they just passed their test, they're interviewing brokerages, because even if you're 100% commission based, then it's no big deal to add one more Realtor to the team, I suppose. sure So I'm thinking what then
00:09:05
Speaker
Could the realtor think about the new realtor thinking about their value proposition because if it's easy to be added to a team ah in theory what do you think they should be considering of like okay here what value do i have to offer as a new person to the team. Sure. So I think honestly, the main thing that a new realtor should think about when they're choosing a brokerage or deciding if you want to be on a team or not, is is really thinking about the education part of it. Like for example, where I am now, which is every holiday, they have this
00:09:39
Speaker
This whole coursework that you take as a new agent when you join their brokerage and it used to be called every school I think they call it something else now but you basically go to these additional classes and you learn and the good thing about that too is that they also compare you up with a mentor that's in the office that has already been doing this for years that you can learn from that you can. Have at your back and call on your speed dial whatever right and so I think I think really that is the main thing that a new realtor needs to be focused on is being able to align yourself with a really good mentor and and all of those good educational classes that are you're gonna get where you literally practice going through a contract together and you practice going on a listing appointment and you practice
00:10:21
Speaker
going on showings and all those types of things because those are not things you do in school to get your license. So those those are the things that I would say any new realtor needs to focus on most. Yeah, okay. And so that not only showing the something about the brokerage itself, it's not like only a legal requirement, like, okay, I can't just be realtor and sell houses by myself. But it's also that educational and social aspect that you can't really learn. Right. worse So totally, totally. You've got to learn that through experience and through mentors. It is a must. Yeah, that's great. So tell me then about, um you know, i I know you and I know so other several of the realtors of my family. And so I'm aware of like how that realtor-broker's relationship is. But for the audience that doesn't know, could you explain how that works of, you know, interacting with a broker and a brokerage and the commission splits and things like that? Sure. Yeah. So a little bit about that. so
00:11:13
Speaker
That is one thing that is so funny, like, and gosh, this is like, I could just go down a rabbit hole with this, but I will try not to. So commission splits and broker agreements and all of that, you know, you, you watch TV and it shows these shows, right? Selling Sunset or Million Dollar Listing or all the different ones that are out there, right? And like, they'll show on their, you know, in this 30 minute episode or 60 minute episode that this agent sold this house and then at the bottom of the screen it'll flash up like they just made this much in commission and blah blah blah and all you saw were a couple of phone calls and you know, bada bing bada boom it's done and now they're rich and they just made six figures off that one deal, right? Which is so incredibly far from the truth and so incredibly far from what it really actually is. Like the reality TV shows you watch are so not reality and that is not how it works, right? I don't make
00:12:03
Speaker
that whole 3% number on a trans transaction because I've got to not only have my broker commission split, right? They're going to hold my license. They're going to represent me in that capacity. you know You've got to have a broker that holds your license, right? And then they're going to help me with my errors and omissions insurance and different things like that, that they are protecting me on that side. And then of course, just their name, right? like Which is part of who you, when you choose a brokerage, who you sign up for and like their namesake out in the and the industry that you're working in and in the area that you're working in. all something that you have to consider. So anyway, I've got to pay them something of my my commission, right? So part of my check goes to them, I've got to pay the IRS. So whole part of my check goes to them. And then I also have to reimburse myself for all the gas and the time and the energy and the photography and the marketing and all the different things, the transaction coordinators, like all the people who help the whole thing come together, right?
00:12:58
Speaker
Gotta pay that, right? So it's like when you get down to it, that 3%, it dwindles pretty quickly, right? ah So I hate that people think that, you know, we're making that whole 3% or that, you know, we're just crushing it and making six figures on every deal because we're definitely not. yeah right area So then I guess when thinking about for the the newer realtors that are listening to this and they're like, this sounds exciting though. like I love the idea and the prospect of being a realtor, but I can't possibly think about getting a first client. like What does that even look like? you know Because I'm associated with the brokerage, are they going to feed me leads or like what does that look like? So we'll have to hear about and your first few clients that you had. What were those stories?
00:13:45
Speaker
Yeah, sure. So my, well first, yes, it is intimidating. It is hard and it is still something, you know, I'm 12 or 13 years into this and I still, those are still things that I think about, worry about, have to work on daily, right? um It's not anything that you can ever just let up on. It is a constant, it is an everyday thing to work on increasing your customer base or client base, all of that, right? And real estate is, very, very, very much a relationship business. So I would say to anybody who's getting started in real estate and wondering how can I start to get clients, for one, you know I started by answering the phones because I was new coming back to Texas at this time. I was you know traveling the world with my husband and so I was coming back here and I needed to kind of like reinvest myself. I needed to create some more relationships, all of that, right? So I sat at my office and I answered phones.
00:14:41
Speaker
and I did that for six months before I got anything. and i mean at Six months in, my gosh, you're starting to lose hope, you're starting to wonder, what am I doing? you know All of that. right It's hard. But i I was answering phones and I got my first deal that way. It was a little $124,000 house in Anna, Texas. It was 40 minutes away from where I was living. But by God, I was making that drive. I was going to sell that house. It was my first deal. I was so excited. And I'm pretty sure my first paycheck was like somewhere in the ballpark of like $1,800. Okay. It was, I mean, it was nothing, but I was so excited about that check. And it just gave me this amazing, like immediate hunger for more.
00:15:26
Speaker
But yeah, so answering phones is one one way to do it. And we still have people in our office today downstairs that there's somebody downstairs right now answering phones at our office. Right. And sometimes you get that just like random call of somebody who's looking for somebody. Right. Another way some people do it is hosting open houses. that's not my favorite thing to do, but some people have had amazing success with it. So good for them. That's something to try. But truly what has been my bread and butter is my relationships, like a hundred percent, like take the time to reach out to everybody. You know, I mean, go and have coffee with them, go to breakfast with them, go to lunch or dinner, go just go hang out with them, right? Like create the relationship and
00:16:08
Speaker
It's so easy and it's so funny health how often real estate comes up in conversation in some way, shape or form. So many people are interested in real estate um and just you know what's going on in the economy and the market and interest rates and all those things. And so you end up talking about it very naturally and casually most of the time. And then, you know, you can figure out your ways how to lead into that conversation of like, hey, look, if you know anybody who's moving, give them my number. Let yeah me their number. I'll call them. Right. I always love to be the one to call them if they're willing to give their information because I can start that conversation. You know, and sometimes people are a little more shy to do that, ah to call some stranger and be like, hey, I heard you could help me. You know, so I always love to be the first person to make that call if I can. But yeah, really just relationships.
00:16:56
Speaker
Okay, that's great. And so speaking of that, then I saw one of your posts that you'd said that in 2022, you halfway were in your year and you saw, oh my gosh, I have hit my 2021 number six months into 2022. And so i want I'd love to hear your the story of that lead up and like what that took in that aha moment. Yeah, that was 2021, 2022 were amazing years in real estate, um especially in Dallas Fort Worth. I think probably most of the country saw that but just because our interest rates were and incredibly low. I mean, just insanely low, right? Like historic, never been that low, right? So I think part of it is interest rates. And I think part of it is relationships. Again, you know, like interest rates really were a big driver because that was the time where
00:17:49
Speaker
almost anybody could finally afford their piece of the American dream right in some way shape or form whatever that budget looked like they could find something out there that they could finally you know they could increase their their way of living right they can finally own something and invest in something and get those tax benefits and you know there were people who also maybe were had outgrown their home and their family was growing and they could finally afford to get something bigger because your buying power had increased so much because the rates were so low, right? So I think
00:18:24
Speaker
anybody and everybody who could was trying to buy a house or at least it felt that way because the frenzy from my side was insane. yeah um So that was a big driver of it for sure. But again, the relationships play a big part of it because had I not had all of those relationships with those people and those referrals that then they refer you to, you know I wouldn't have had the same success. So i I strongly say how relationships are so important. Yeah, that's great. So it seems like You know, when I think about this show, and i it's called Passion Skill Money, and I see the passion, and I see the money aspect, and I'm thinking about the skill. I know you, so I know your skills, but I'd love for you to kind of show how you intersect those three, the squadrons. So, I'd love to hear your thought on that.
00:19:11
Speaker
Sure. So combining them. I mean, I think the money just kind of comes, right? Like when you have a passion for something and you put your heart and your soul into it, and and then you combine that with the fact that you do have the skill, right? You you educated yourself, you do the research, you you continue to educate yourself every day, right? um And stay in tune with the industry. I think when you combine those two together, And then of course again the relationships that you've already had and built and you work with all of that eventually the money just comes right because those relationships bring you the business and you've already got the passion that's there and you've already got the skill that's there so you put all that together and it just kind of.
00:19:53
Speaker
You know, yeah right yeah just very I love it. I feel like you are definitely, you know, such a great person to work with. And I see the skill even when we were were walking through it just, and I said it earlier today, but like having that I, you know, cause you're going through so many houses ah throughout your career and you're able to point out things to us that we would never even think of or even let's say the house is amazing, but thinking about um advising us on on several other pieces of the transaction and working and and negotiating and offers. And there' there's so many pieces. And so when people are saying like, Oh, I'm going to just like to do for sale by owner or, you know, not have any representation. I'm like, you have no idea what you're doing. Oh my gosh, I know. And that is like so, so much of that brings me back to the hole when you were asking me about like what a new realtor could do best for themselves. And like,
00:20:42
Speaker
you know i I really do think that if you are a new realtor and you want to be good at what you do right and you really do want to educate yourself and get you know gain those skills and all of that and really be great at being able to advise your clients so that then you get referrals from those clients and so on and so forth. You've got to educate yourself and going on showings with a mentor, right? And just, you know, kind of getting out there and letting that mentor show you and teach you and like, Oh, well, this is what I look for. You look at this or you point out this or whatever, right? Like, sure, this is a beautiful house, but did you happen to see that crack in the brick outside? Or did you happen to see that the ground is sloping a little bit over here or whatever, right? Like you've got to learn how to look past that beauty and see what else is important because some of those underlying things that maybe you're not seeing right off the bat are things that
00:21:29
Speaker
that you can point out to your client and and they're going to be like, oh my gosh, I didn't even think about that. I was just looking at how beautiful this kitchen countertop was or whatever, right? And so it's like, that is where they're going to gain the trust with you because they know that they're in good hands, that they're safe with you because you you know what you're doing, right? You know to to point out those other things that we need to look at and look into and and hire a professional to look into it further and so on and so forth, right? So yeah, just brought back that importance there. Yeah, for sure. I mean, and speaking about, you know, keeping up with things, I'm thinking about now, you know, we've talked about new Realtors, but I'm thinking now about experienced Realtors. And I remember in the news a little bit ago, a couple months ago, there was some
00:22:11
Speaker
frenzy about the new rules with the National Association of Realtors. And in my family, I've been I've seen them be like, I'm not worried. And then other people, you know, on the news seem like more ah freaked. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on how do you feel and and what are these rules and what is the big hubbub all about? Yeah. So a little about that. So, okay. So the NAR lawsuit that everybody is talking about, number one, the media is need to roll my eyes, insert eye roll, right? Like the media constantly, I feel like is painting things to be worse than they are. um I'm constantly seeing like headlines that are fear mongering and just really honestly, not even completely true. Yeah.
00:22:58
Speaker
So I kind of hate how the media has painted the picture, which, you know, I guess that's just on par for the media, right? but But yeah, no, I am not super worried about it either. I mean, at the end of the day, the main things about it are, so for one, the MLS is going to change a little bit because we're not going to be able to communicate commissions in the MLS anymore. Okay, so what? So I've got to make a phone call and ask this listing agent, hey, you know, are you guys your seller paying a commission? I've got to make a few more phone calls, right? A little more legwork, whatever, no big deal. Another thing that's changing is the buyer's representation agreement. That's one thing that, you know, being in Texas, you know, Texas is one of 17 states that has been utilizing a buyer's representation agreement for
00:23:43
Speaker
ah very long time. So for us, not much really changes there. For some states, yeah, that's gonna be difficult, right? That will be a hurdle that they'll have to get over. But it's you know going to be mandatory now. If you want to tour a home, you've got to have a buyer's representation agreement signed. Now, a part of that I think is great because that's going to eliminate some looky-loos. That's going to eliminate some weirdos and wackos. I think that it's going to help you know create a little bit more safety around that. you know As far as the commissions in the buyer's representation agreement, it states in there basically that the buyer is going to be responsible to pay those commissions.
00:24:19
Speaker
um So that is that is where there is a big change, I guess. I mean, that the commissions have always been negotiable. but that's where you're going to have to have that conversation of like, Hey, look, if the seller's not willing to pay it, you've got to be, you're, you're responsible, right? yeah So, I mean, that's one of the big changes. But again, the commissions have always been negotiable on both sides. right And then another thing that changes about that is I would say the biggest thing that changes about it and really kind of hurts my heart is the VA a because the veterans, you know, the way their loan program works, they,
00:24:55
Speaker
cannot pay the commissions. They can't. It's just the way their program works. It was meant to be a benefit designed for them. you know They have gone and fought for our country, for our right to the American dream, owning a home, all those things, right? right um and Then here, this lawsuit is is basically taking that away from them. and so My heart hurts for them. I think it's awful. I hope that something will change and something will be fixed in some way, shape, or form for them because they're not going to be able to sign something that says they are going to pay the commissions because they can't, not if they want to use their VA loan benefits.
00:25:30
Speaker
right yeah So um I hope something changes there. i mean I'm putting it out there. I'm willing to help a veteran in any way, shape, or form that I can help you buy a house. like I don't want that to be something that stops a veteran from being able to use their benefits. Yeah, for sure. I didn't even know that about that last piece. That's ah really impactful for sure. Yeah. I think it was last year. I think I read in 2023 somewhere, that there was about 400,000 VA a loans in that entire year. That is 400,000 buyers that are losing that benefit now. Do you know what I mean? It's just sad. I hope that something changes for them.
00:26:08
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. And so now I'm thinking about being a realtor and being a mother. And you I think you said you were with your first pregnancy right when you had just started. So could you talk a little bit about balancing that? and and now Because you guys control how much you want you want to work, but to know how hard that is to like take a pause. Yeah. So um it's probably maybe a little easier for me than some I only have one daughter so you know I like some of my friends who have two and three kids I don't honestly I don't know how they keep their sanity or their hair but it's it's a lot of work my my daughter does have um she's heavily involved in competitive dance and so that takes up a lot of her time and some weekends here and there too where I've got to take her to like if she has a dance competition it's taken me out for that whole weekend so yeah so I have got to try to like figure out somebody who can help me those weekends or whatever but you know it those are a few times a year so it's not anything I stress out about but i I can try sometimes to work around that with
00:27:14
Speaker
you know, clients and just say like, Hey, can we go see something on Thursday instead of Saturday? Or, you know, can I show that to you on Monday instead of Sunday or whatever, right? um But usually, it's, it's pretty easy to work around. It's not ever really been something I've really worried about, honestly. So yeah, like you said, yes, you can kind of pick and choose how much you want to work and how much you know you have like that work-life balance and all that good stuff. But real estate is, at least for me and the way I choose to run my business, I pride myself on like being available for my clients. Most of the time, I would say,
00:27:53
Speaker
all day. I mean, I'm clients, I text at like 11 o'clock at night, you know, because I'm still awake. So it's like, hey, sure, no problem. You want to text if you're awake, then let's do it, right? Like I'm a nighttime thinker sometimes too. And I think of something late at night. And it's like, I don't want to forget about it. And so if you're that same way, they'll free to text me, it's not going to bother me, right? But there are others who don't function that way. And I respect that. But yeah, oh, I mean, I would just say that you know I am not somebody who likes to say no to business. i i love and I think that goes back to my passion. I love what I do. um It doesn't feel like a job. like I just love it so much and I want to continuously increase that.
00:28:37
Speaker
so I'm not somebody who says no a lot. I try to like make most things work for everybody. Yeah, so I mean, it's pretty easy for me, I guess. That's great. I mean, I love that that's the dream. And I feel like for most people who are probably listening to this podcast, they may not love what they do, or maybe they're really good at it. And they make great money, but the passion is not there. or They have really good passion. ah They're really good at it, but the money's not there. So like how do we make that triangle work? um So I think this is really cool for people to hear. And I guess in that same vein, we'd love to kind of open up the floor for any kind of funny stories or maybe like any mistakes along the way that you've learned. Maybe a funny client story. yeah
00:29:18
Speaker
Yeah, we have we all have those, right? My gosh, they definitely humble us and and shape us to be better human beings, but um better professionals, all those things. So they're they're good and they're bad, right? I would say, let's see, I've got a few one one that is that has stuck with me forever. um it It happened pretty early on in my career. And it was a woman who was going through a divorce. So at the time I was working on a team, which ultimately decided that team environment, it just wasn't for me, right? I learned a lot from it. I did that for I think two years, almost maybe, but I ultimately decided that that just wasn't where I wanted. I wanted to be an individual and do my thing and not do the team thing.
00:30:09
Speaker
But I was on a team at the time, and this one client who was actually my boss's client, but my boss needed some help at the time, but also a mother of three children. And so she needed some help at the time and was like, hey, can you go out to this listing and meet the photographer there and get it ready to be photographed for the listing? Sure, no problem. So I go out there and I actually have a younger agent in tow with me. She was on the team, she was training, learning, very, very new, had just gotten her license. Had never done anything like this yet. So her and I are driving out there to this house and ah had called the agent, or the seller, excuse me, before we went out there to make sure she was ready. And we had given her some tips, yeah you know, beforehand, a few days before. I'm just like, make sure these things are done, right? Makes it easier for the photographer or whatever.
00:30:58
Speaker
And she's like, Sure, thanks. No problem, right? Now, keep in mind, we're selling her house because she's going through a divorce. Okay. So you got to think of the fact that she's stressed out from that, and probably upset by it and just, you know, life's hard, right? So we' we're going out to this house, get there, and I pull up, And there are like Christmas inflatable, you know how people have those giant things that they inflate in their front yard sometimes as decoration for the holidays. Yeah. She had some of those that were deflated in her front yard and they were just out there deflated and in the grass. And so it was like, okay, maybe she forgot about those, we're gonna have to pick those up, right? And then we walked inside and the house was
00:31:43
Speaker
ah i right I mean, there were toys everywhere. There were boxes everywhere. Basically none of the advice that we had given her had she done, even though she said, yeah, I'm ready for photos. You know, she basically was just like, whatever, I don't care, right? So I immediately internally am starting to panic. And I can see the girl that's with me, the younger agent, she is also looking at me like, what now? What do we do, right? And so I asked the seller, I said, Hey, you know, we're gonna get ready for photos. There's some things we still need to do here. I'm trying to remain calm, right? Because I don't want to freak anybody out. But I know the photographer is probably like 30 minutes away. And it was a pretty big house, like five bedrooms, something like that, right?
00:32:29
Speaker
And I'm like, is there anything you know that are that is off limits? Are we free to go ahead and start picking up the toys and moving these boxes somewhere if we put some things into the garage where it's not going to be seen? And so on and so forth. And she's like, go right ahead. Do whatever you want. Right. Basically sending the message that she is not going to lift a finger to sell this house. She doesn't care. Right. And so I start running around the house. I literally like pulled my pants up, took my heels off, pulled my pants up around my knees and we were running. Okay. yeah
00:33:00
Speaker
and I get to the primary bedroom downstairs and I walk into the bathroom and in the bathroom on the mirrors with blue like dry erase marker she has written some foul things on the window on the mirrors, like all over the entire mirrors. I mean, they it was bad. And it was hateful messages. It was her anger, right? This was her therapy, getting out her feelings, her frustrations with her soon to be ex husband, right? And I said saw them
00:33:34
Speaker
I read them and I was like, Oh my gosh. And so I walked into the kitchen very calmly to her and I was like, Hey, do you have any paper towel and windex so I could clean down the mirrors in the bathroom? And she was like, Oh yeah, no, you're not doing that. And I was like, Okay, she's like, Yeah, those words are gonna stay right there. And I was like, Okay, no problem. And so I walk into the other room where she can't see me or hear me. And I tell the other agent with me, I'm like, Look, we're gonna leave that exactly like it is. That's something that she is working through right now. And we're not going to touch it. And so she was like,
00:34:08
Speaker
Okay, so the photographer gets there, I walk the photographer around and I show her into the bathroom and I say, you're gonna have to figure out some kind of way to Photoshop this, because it's not coming down. So I don't care what you do, but figure it out. And if it really means that we can't photograph, you know, we can't photograph the bathroom, then that's what it means, right? So we left it alone. And I could tell that little bitty thing was something that she, the seller, was so grateful for. yeah We left it exactly like it was. and i I remember to this day that closing when we sold that house, this woman was very emotional at the closing table. and you know As you're going through the survey and she sees the survey of the property and it says, well, this is where we were going to have our little chicken poop and this is where we were going to have our playground and all of these things and all of these dreams of hers that were just
00:35:03
Speaker
crashing down on her in that moment. And that was a lesson that I'm glad that I learned early on that you have to remember where selling a house is not always something that's exciting for people. And you've got to meet them where they're at, right? You've got to be patient and gentle and kind. And sometimes it means you have to do things different than what you would normally do, right? It means that maybe you don't photograph the bathroom on this house, right? And that's okay. And we're still gonna sell the house and it's still gonna be all right. yeah So that was one lesson I would say that was hard one to to witness, um but a really good one to learn from. And to this day, I still think about that woman. yeah um Yeah, so that was one, another one that maybe on a,
00:35:54
Speaker
more, I guess more that was like my fault. I had this one listing one time. I've lost so much sleep over this house. I had this one listing and this seller told me that kind of towards the last minute, like right before we listed, in she was like, I really want to keep this light fixture in my entryway. And I was like, oh, okay, sure. Yeah, no problem. Right. And I, I forgot to exclude it, forgot to put it in the MLS that this light fixture was excluded. and so The buyer came along, they bought the house, they sent the contract over to me and I didn't i completely skipped that she didn't put it in the exclusions and that I needed to call it out before we executed this contract. and Ultimately, we ended up having to sell the house with the light fixture in it and my seller who wanted to take it to her next house didn't get to do that. and i like Lesson learned. right like I was so mad at my house myself for that. I searched the internet for
00:36:52
Speaker
so many hours and lost so many sleep so much sleep trying to find that same light fixture so I could buy it for her and give it to her again because I was just so upset by it. But you know we too are human and and make those mistakes and I just had to own it and tell her I'm so sorry. It was my fault and if I can get you another light fixture, I'm happy to do that. right I compensated them so there was something there, but still that's not the same. you know so i That was something I i kind of beat myself up for for a while. right And then I would say lastly one on a lighter note would be I learned when it's windy outside and you're showing property do not wear a billowy dress or skirt because I had this one young guy yeah that was a colleague of my husband's he was buying his first house
00:37:44
Speaker
And I walked up to the front door to unlock it and the wind blew at the same time. And then there went my full back of my dress. Parker, it was so embarrassing. Like this week I turned around immediately. I was like, Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. And you could tell he quickly turned his head and was like, that's okay. That's okay. I mean, I know he saw everything and I felt so embarrassed. I was like, oh my gosh, never wearing a dress again. Right, right. Yeah, a few lessons there. Yeah, no, I mean, gosh, those were so many. I mean, the first one being like heartbreaking. And I thought such a good point that not everybody's excited to, you know, engage in real estate transactions because of the circumstance. But that was such a good thing of like, like you saying,
00:38:31
Speaker
Hey, like but well like what do we need to do for this? you know Because obviously she's the one who wrote this. I feel it was really well handled. And the second one, obviously unfortunate, but also a really good lesson. i mean ah like Totally. like just And I loved your point of view. If you turn the house upside down, and what doesn't fall out, we'll just assume is probably a fixture. Totally. And that last one is is really funny. but felt Good lesson. yeah for guys say know That's so great. Well, I know I've kept you here a little bit and I just want to respect your time. For anybody who is looking to buy a property or is looking to sell ah in the Dallas Forward area, how is the best way that they can engage with you and connect?
00:39:13
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I feel like my phone is an extremity of my body and it's connected to me at all times. So definitely a phone call or a text message is number one, the best way for sure, and the fastest way. But yeah, of course, there's always, you know, Instagram, you can DM me, you can email me. I mean, honestly, you could go to my website, BethanyHeart.homes. Yeah, you can email me at my Ebihawda email address. That's just BethanyHeart.ebi.com. and then call me. Really, really my phone is the absolute best way. Yeah. Awesome. And for those listening, it's hard. H-A-R-T. And we'll put all this in the show notes for everybody. Cool. Great. Well, Bethany, thank you so much for joining me today. It's been awesome. Yeah. And I'm sure we'll have to do part two to keep you interested. For sure. I love it. But this was so amazing. Thank you. Awesome. Thanks for having me. Yeah. Thank you.
00:40:04
Speaker
Hey there, thank you so much for joining me. I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. If you've made it this far, I ask that you please rate and review this podcast wherever you're listening, because that's how podcasts grow. DM me on Instagram at ParkerMed with two Ds, so Parker, M-I-D-D on Instagram to let me know and what you want to hear next. Take care.