I've resurfaced...

“I’m out of it for a little while and everyone’s got delusions of grandeur.” - Han Solo, Return of the Jedi.

Last time this newsletter came to your inbox, I was a solo agent. I was trying to establish a brand, visiting new home developments, establishing a consistent pattern of posting, while forcing myself to seek out new business under any rock I could overturn. Forces were aligning against me in the form of lawsuits and settlements. I wasn’t being sued directly, and I am protected as a stipulation of the settlements, but I was not about to be eliminated from real estate as I could see many others not adapting to the coming changes. The rumor mill was going at a fever pitch, and it prompted me to reach out to an opportunity I had seen on social media: an ad for a buyer’s agent position on one of the most successful teams in the entire country. The Brenkus team.

The Brenkus team is a team that has been around for over 35 years. One of the top 50 teams in the country, it is the only team in Southern Nevada recommended by Real Estate heavy hitter Barbara Corcoran. If I were to learn to navigate the storm that was brewing, I knew that I’d have a fighting chance at navigating the biggest change in real estate since 1992 as a member of the Brenkus team.

Upon inquiring, I managed to get an interview the next day. I passed, and since I knew most everyone on the team already, I was welcomed warmly and was given what was called a grit test - I had to call and have 100 real estate conversations for 5 days straight. I passed the grit test in the allotted time, and I also had to fulfill other requirements over the course of 2 months to get to become a full fledged member of the team.

I would come home exhausted (it’s a minimum 70 mile commute round trip per day), with lots more activity than what I was used to. Cold calling, setting up and executing on open houses, client appointments, and shadowing more experienced agents. I was grateful for it all, and I still am.

What caused me to resurrect this newsletter is that it is a feasible way to continue to grow my brand from within the team. I have no plans to leave the team, and there are resources available to us that I didn’t have before. The constant training, the level of vibration associated with being on the team - as if Gregg Popovich was running the show - it’s addicting. I do not yearn for the way it was prior to joining the team.

And now, with August 17 (the date in which everything will kick in from the settlements) inching closer and closer, it’s about to get real. I am have gotten accustomed to doing buyer broker agreements (loyalty agreements) without being attached to the outcome. In olden times, I was always intimidated by the buyer broker agreement, thinking it would be insulting to the buyer, but my standards have solidified. I do not care if a buyer does not have an issue with it, and now they will be required by law in order to show property. Other agents that I’ve known over the years that didn’t care about sharpening their skills - they are probably thinking that the sky is falling, which is good news for those that are in learning-centric organizations.

I am grateful everyday to be in association with the Brenkus team. Sometimes, I feel guilty that I don’t do enough for the team, but I guess that’s how I am wired. But I can’t rest on what the team provides. I have to contribute to the overall vibration of the team. Since joining the team, I have sold the highest priced property I’ve sold to date, my anxiety has noticeably become less and less of an issue, and I am building some solid habits backed by personal accountability at a high degree.

Together, everyone achieves more.

Ignacio