Speaker 1: 0:30

Gloria Sheridan with Keys to the County Realty Group powered by Keller Williams Realty, and I help buyers, renters, investors and sellers.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Love it. Do you guys have like a specialty? Maybe is it just commercial, is it more residential? Is it a mix of both? Talk to me a little bit about that Residential.

Speaker 1: 0:51

Okay and I started with rentals. So that kind of rentals and investment kind of became where I started.

Speaker 2: 0:59

Okay, very nice. Speaking of where you started, can you give me a rundown about how you got into your industry and a little bit of a background?

Speaker 1: 1:08

That's a pretty long story.

Speaker 2: 1:10

We got time time.

Speaker 1: 1:20

So I'm old enough that I was actually changing the MLS pages in a three ring binder that were being printed off of a dot matrix printer. That was one of my summer jobs. I had a family member that was a high end agent in Wisconsin and every summer I would be there and that was one of my summer jobs, and she had always told me that I couldn't sell real estate until I had gray hair. Wow, I know. So married the military and we moved around a lot and so we were buying properties kind of, as we were going to different assignments, yeah, and kept some of them, rented them out, so kind of became an investor in the meantime and then eventually, when we got back to the States after a tour in Germany, I went into property management as a broker's assistant for a local company here and worked there for a couple of years, yeah, had a variety of jobs there and then got licensed, okay, and here I am. It's been about 12, 13 years, wow.

Speaker 2: 2:22

I have to ask like, since moving around a lot, do you feel like that's given you some more perspective and insight on, maybe on the client's side of things and like their questions and the little quips they may have about that?

Speaker 1: 2:35

Yes, Talk to me about that. I had some agents along the way that transaction in California when we were buying a house there. I was young, didn't really know the process and had a question during closing and my agent literally told me if you want the house, you'll sign, and no explanation for the question that I had at that point. And a few other agents along the way. Some were fantastic and some were a little bit less than fantastic and I decided that I felt like I could take better care of people than some of the people that I had been with and so I jumped in. Look at that.

Speaker 2: 3:20

Ta-da and it's giving you yeah, voila, ta-da, no. So I would say that definitely gave you perspective of like okay, that's definitely how I'm not going to be doing. So everything you did I'm not going to be doing. I want to leave my clients in the dark. Basically not going to be doing. I want to leave my clients in the dark, basically, yeah, no. And sometimes it can feel intimidating, like when you're buying I wouldn't know. So I'm not speaking from firsthand, but like I can only imagine that buying a house for the first time is kind of like a scary thing. Like where do I start? What do I need to know? What kind of questions do I ask? Am I stupid if I ask this question? Am I supposed to know? Am I stupid? Or something Like can I ask you and you're not going to be like, okay, you're buying a house and you don't even know this Are you even ready to buy a house?

Speaker 2: 3:59

Like those things would go through my mind. So talk to me a little bit about how you help maybe a first time home buyer, maybe a first time seller, and how you help guide them, and what kind of service they're going to get from you.

Speaker 1: 4:12

I ask a lot of questions. I actually want to get to know you. It helps me help you through the process, and a lot of times I will give an explanation of something as we're going through the process and I will straight up tell people. You're going to ask me this again later, so I'll give you some information now and then as we go. There'll be questions again in the future, so it's okay to ask me this again and I'll ask you know, does that make sense? Are you following what I'm saying? What questions do you have? Just to make sure that we're all on the same page. As far as I'm concerned, it's my job to set expectations and I'm here to guide your journey. So that's kind of what I try to do.

Speaker 2: 4:55

Yeah, no, I love it. No, I love your personality. I feel like you've got some good jokes where you would tell something that's like okay, you broke the ice. Quite well, there, I already like this girl Like maybe making faces, or something I love it. No, I would never do that, oh no, she's totally lying guys, by the way, in case you're not in on the joke, she guys.

Speaker 2: 5:14

By the way, in case you're not in on the joke, she's amazing. Right when she walked in, she just I was like, yeah, there might've been a few faces. A few, yeah, all right. So how do you approach marketing and promoting properties to potential buyers, and what strategies have you found to be the most effective for you?

Speaker 1: 5:30

For me, face-to-face has always been my best thing. I'm actually working on improving my social media Part of the reason why I'm here today Thank you for coming in. So working on that and just trying to grow my business A lot of mine it's just kind of been a natural progression, and so I get a lot of referral business from clients that I've had in the past, and so I get a lot of referral business from clients that I've had in the past.

Speaker 2: 6:08

So in what I'm trying to do for my clients right now is build better networks and better foundations so that I can help, you know, grow that as we're going. Yeah, no, absolutely, absolutely. Do you hold like any events, like a yearly event for clients to come together maybe like fill them in on something new, or if they have any friends, maybe that who are looking, anything like that?

Speaker 1: 6:22

So I don't do large events. I keep things smaller and do small group things here and there throughout the year. And then I do silly things, like for ice cream day, I'll send ice cream coupons and things like that to people, and it's always fun when I get those letters back. I'll get Instagram pictures or whatever have an ice cream, you know. So I'll get little text messages that people are enjoying the ice cream or this or that, or you know Dunkin' Donuts cards or things like that. So I'll touch my people in smaller ways than doing big events Like a mass thing. Yeah, yeah. So for me that works better is having a coffee here and there and a lunch here and there. Yeah, no.

Speaker 1: 7:05

And then just keeping up on the phone and letters.

Speaker 2: 7:08

I love that, Especially the ice cream thing. Everybody loves ice cream. I love me some ice cream.

Speaker 1: 7:13

So yeah, I just had ice cream with clients this week Look at that it was tradition. When they got their first rental with me, we had ice cream to celebrate. And they bought their first house with me and we had ice cream to celebrate. And it was a week before their son's first birthday. Look at all this that you know about them and Auntie Glow got to give Auntie Glow.

Speaker 2: 7:41

What? Okay, this is a real estate agent who became like a family member. Y'all Like what? Yeah, this is amazing. I'd like to know what. Like. Stop, you're making me laugh. That's not a bad thing, though, but me trying to be like so anyways, but it's okay to laugh, his face is over there. I see, see, I told you, I do them too. I told you.

Speaker 1: 8:01

I told you this isn't fair. You're making them on your side.

Speaker 2: 8:04

Yeah, I know you can't see it right, just kidding, but anyways, like, how important is it to you to retain and nurture those relationships with your clients? Because to me it sounds like it's something that's so intimate and personal and I really, really like that. I'd like to hear your take on it.

Speaker 1: 8:21

It is In a weird way I do become part of the family. I've got clients that kind of treat me like mom, that they'll call when you know things are up or down.

Speaker 1: 8:34

And just kind of be like you know, can I vent for a minute or this or that? You know, it's not just the real estate stuff, yeah, and it's about relationships, but relationships that I actually care about, yes, and it's not just I'm not here just to make the sale and I, like I said, part of why I got into the business was because of how I was treated. Yeah, and I didn't want that to happen to other people.

Speaker 2: 9:00

Yeah, so that is really cool. I want to know did you have like a coach or a mentor that helped you with real estate and getting yourself like prepared for all of?

Speaker 1: 9:12

this. Yes, I had a mentor, like when I first got in, to kind of help me with the paperwork side of things and kind of learn the process. And then in turn, when you help train other people, it kind of helps embed things. And it also when you're working with newer agents. It also helps reiterate and bring you back down to what's important. And even today I had lunch with my old broker and one of her new agents was asking me some questions because he's seen me in their office before and he asked me some questions. So's seen me in their office before and he asked me some questions. So I kind of had a little session and afterwards I asked Mike, did you approve of everything that?

Speaker 1: 9:52

I told your agent and she was like yes, Okay.

Speaker 2: 9:55

Okay, cool, all I needed to know. No one loves that. It's good that you had like that mentor and coach that helped you and you're like passing the torch. Have you ever thought about maybe having like some classes or anything like that, just to help the newcomers and teach them some things like hey, you're new, you need to understand this. It is not just, oh, your own free schedule, like it can be, but you have to understand that you have to kind of work your way that you got to put in work, so I've had.

Speaker 1: 10:24

some of my brokers have actually had agents call me when there's something going on, especially with rentals, because I worked the landlord side of the transaction for so long and the tenant side and running applications and things. So an agent that hasn't done a lot of rentals a lot of times my brokers will just say, hey, give Gloria a call. I've had a couple of small classes kind of walk people through it. Whenever I've had a new agent that's joined me in business I'll sit down and kind of talk to them more about that process as well. Yeah, just because that's an easy place to kind of start your business and grow it from there?

Speaker 2: 10:59

No, absolutely. Thank you for sharing that. Let's see. Thank you for sharing that. Let's see how do you stay organized and manage your time effectively as a real estate agent, especially when dealing with multiple clients and transactions, and multiple can mean like five or two, or I don't know how real estate agents work or how many they do, and everybody's different. So, yeah, it can ebb and flow.

Speaker 1: 11:20

Yes, it can be hard to keep to manage your time properly, and during the day a lot of times it's client calls and driving and showing and things like that, and then sometimes I need my evenings to catch back up. Got some friends that have joined me in business that, as they're kind of getting you know, learning their way through the process, that we can then work together for both of us to have more success and things like that.

Speaker 2: 11:55

So love that, and how many people or partners employees do you have on your team, like how many of you guys are there?

Speaker 1: 12:03

I am technically a solo agent, oh wow. And over the years I've had about four agents that have joined me in business. Some are still in business, some aren't. It can be a business that can be hard to get going and some people you know that first couple, two, three years can be hard as you're growing your business and kind of growing that base, and so there are three right now that are still working in business and that we can share referrals and things like that.

Speaker 2: 12:33

Okay, and I'd also like to know if real estate this is just like in general do real estate agents have like parties where they get together and fill each other in on something Like oh guys, there's going to be, there's this new thing. I'd like to talk to you guys about this. I want to help you learn about this or explain something like get togethers between real estate agents in the neighborhood or community. Do you guys have anything like that, or would it just be networking groups?

Speaker 1: 12:59

There's a lot of different ways to go about it, so, yes, the short answer yes, I want more.

Speaker 1: 13:06

Yes, so there are things within the body of our own brokerages, my own personal network I have multiple brokers in different companies, not just my own, that I will call and kind of say, hey, walk me through this or this is new.

Speaker 1: 13:24

That's one of the things about real estate is everything is unique and different. Not only is the property unique and different, every group of sellers and buyers that you bring together, financial issues, property issues and things like that. So you're always going to have a unique situation. Yes, some are going to go through really smooth and there's not going to be anything to really talk about or ask a question on, but in real estate you always have to be willing to go find the answer, and so sometimes that means going outside of your personal knowledge and going back to your broker or other agents and saying, hey, have you seen this situation or what have you done in something similar? And sometimes that agent's like I haven't had anything but go talk to this other person, and so you kind of sometimes you know, kind of Ask around Like, hey, have you?

Speaker 2: 14:15

had this really unique weird not exactly, but it was similar, so here let me share. Okay, that's cool. I like that you guys can have a community within each other and help with that, because I feel like so many laws and little things are always changing that it should be very important for you guys to stick together and help find solutions to things that maybe you're not adjusted to quite yet. So I think it's. I would think that it's important for people to be not like no, I don't want to share this with you, and I'm sure maybe there are people like that, I don't know but I think it's better for the real estate industry when you guys work together as opposed to looking at it as a competition or something you know.

Speaker 1: 14:56

Absolutely. That's one of the things that I love about Keller Williams in particular is that's part of their motto is you know, we all go farther together and so in that if agents and from different brokerages all get along and are willing to have, you know, conversations, it can help our clients besides ourselves. You know, it kind of helps everything go more smoothly when everybody is just willing to stop and have a conversation and not let animosity or a problem build up, but have a conversation about it and get it fixed right away.

Speaker 2: 15:32

Love it. Good job, Keller Williams.

Speaker 1: 15:34

You guys are killing it in the community of real estate peeps Love it, all right.

Speaker 2: 15:40

And then let's see how do you stay motivated and inspired in your work as a real estate agent and what keeps you passionate about this industry the people Having ice cream Simple as that y'all Ice cream, Having ice cream with clients.

Speaker 1: 15:57

No, it really is. It all boils back down to the relationships. You know, when I have clients that are telling me about birthdays and things like that, or I get invited to baby showers, auntie Glow.

Speaker 2: 16:11

Auntie Glow, first ice cream.

Speaker 1: 16:12

And when my clients call me Auntie Glow, I don't say, oh, here's some ice cream from Auntie Glow. It's like, oh, auntie Glow's giving ice cream, yep, that Auntie Glow. Yep, that auntie glow, yep. So, but to stay motivated, it's seeing the looks on people's faces when you give them their keys and when they're like wait a minute, my dream just came true. You know things like that just've got the keys or they've sold the keys, you know, and that they're like they're onto their next adventure, whether it's local or farther away. You know, and I've, maybe I've connected them with another agent that I've interviewed for them in another state. You know that I can make those connections as well and and just kind of grow both my business and making sure that they're cared for on the other end if they're out of state.

Speaker 2: 17:09

Oh my gosh, that's so awesome. I feel like you would be a fun real estate agent.

Speaker 1: 17:12

Like hello, you give ice cream and you're known as Auntie Glow, yeah y'all need to get on that You're not going to tell everybody I give ice cream, right, oops?

Speaker 2: 17:21

Oops, did we cut Cut? I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1: 17:26

No, there's a lot of ice cream, yeah, so y'all better hit her up, you want?

Speaker 2: 17:29

ice cream. Auntie Glow over here. Please hit her up. Oh God, we mean it Right. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the real estate industry, either now or in the next few years, and how do you think they can be addressed?

Speaker 1: 17:47

There's been a lot of legal changes that have gone on, and I think a lot of agents are making a bigger deal out of it than it really is. When you boil it all down, it really isn't anything different than what we should have been doing the whole time, and so I think some people might just be making it a little bit more difficult than it needs to be, and some people will probably tell me that I'm naive for having that view, but again it boils back down to having conversations. Yes, and as long as you're keeping people informed and kind of walking through the process, like I said, it's my job to set expectations, which also means guiding, educating, yes, and doing those things. So as long as I'm doing my job, then everything should follow through after that.

Speaker 2: 18:30

Anyway, Okay, love it. What do you like to do outside of your job, like, what is it that you're doing that fills you and re-energizes you and helps you be like my day off? I love this.

Speaker 1: 18:45

Walk the dog, okay, and I hike. Love it, love waterfalls, state parks, local parks.

Speaker 2: 18:51

Have you jumped out of, like not out of a waterfall, but like that would be weird?

Speaker 1: 18:56

A human just coming out of a waterfall?

Speaker 2: 18:57

No, but like jump, like you know, in the movies in the movies they're at the, and that's what I meant to say.

Speaker 1: 19:04

Jumping from waterfalls.

Speaker 2: 19:05

I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1: 19:07

No, but years ago my children did. Oh my gosh. I stood on the edge for a minute and I looked down and I'm like I could see my mom sitting on a rock over there. My kids had jumped off this rock and I'm looking down, going to break anything now, wise girl.

Speaker 2: 19:25

Wise girl? I would not either. I'm not that type of person I wish I could be, but I'm like I would be that one person where, like their neck, their neck snaps off or something. Yeah, no.

Speaker 1: 19:33

I used to do things like that and I used to be much more daring. No, okay, now I'm here to take care of others.

Speaker 2: 19:41

The real Auntie Glow is showing. Auntie Glow shows up, great, no. But that's amazing. So you like hiking waterfalls, what else?

Speaker 1: 19:50

Parks, just anything outside, okay, whether it's just having my hands in the dirt and pulling weeds, that's kind of I don't know kind of my happy place. I don't know kind of my happy place. And after my divorce, one of my backdoor neighbors joked with me I had made an entire stone walkway by hand and a rock wall and a planter bed and done all of this stuff and I would be out there all summer. That was anything, any downtime that I had. If I had a a few hours, I was out there just listening to music, plant you know, spacing out and figuring out how I wanted the rocks to go, and doing all that kind of stuff. And she's like that was your mental health, wasn't it?

Speaker 2: 20:33

yep, maybe we need to get divorced a little bit more so we can find that inner passion. Yeah, the yard looks great. Oh my goodness, you'll have to send me a picture of it. Be like, be like. Anything is possible. Y'all look that inner passion, just kidding.

Speaker 1: 20:43

Yeah, the yard looks great. Oh my goodness, you'll have to send me a picture of it and be like anything is possible.

Speaker 2: 20:48

Y'all Like when you get divorced things are possible, but anyway.

Speaker 1: 20:52

I'm going to have a stone guy. Come by and go. You did a nice job.

Speaker 2: 20:55

Love it. He's like you're looking for a part-time job. I'll be like no, but thank you, got yeah. And where do you see yourself as a person and with your business in the next five to seven years? Oh, seven years.

Speaker 1: 21:07

I'm retired. Oh, congratulations.

Speaker 2: 21:11

Partay maybe.

Speaker 1: 21:16

The goal is I'm just working to grow it at the moment and, like I said, I've got some people that are joining me in business right now and I want to have enough so that I can pass things off and share things and that I can start stepping back as they're stepping forward, and that will kind of be a blessing for all of us, for me to be able to step back and still get a little bit from the business and they can grow and have the happy lifestyles that they want.

Speaker 2: 21:47

Love it and when you're looking for people to eventually take over, maybe, or while you step aside, what kind of people are you looking for? Or do you already have some too, and like, are you shaping them, and what kind of people do you want to carry on? I guess your legacy from this.

Speaker 1: 22:06

Good energy, yeah, okay, is probably the most important thing, but obviously for anything to grow, you also need people who are different than you. Yes, and you know, whether it's technology or background or whatever, and just bringing people together to be able to move something and grow something together, and that it's a benefit and a blessing for everybody.

Speaker 2: 22:29

Yeah, no, I love that. What do you plan on doing after you retire? I'm curious, I want to know. Travel.

Speaker 1: 22:34

Travel Is there. Have my hands in the dirt. Travel.

Speaker 2: 22:36

Have my hands in the dirt A lot of dirty dirty hands there, man, yeah, anywhere, in particular that you're looking forward to traveling. I can see you in Iceland, I don't know why.

Speaker 1: 22:47

Well, I've trekked in Nepal for five weeks. Okay, when I did that about seven years ago.

Speaker 2: 22:52

Okay, it's time.

Speaker 1: 22:54

Yeah, Need to go back. My mom has been twice. My mom went the first time when she was 62. And then we went back for her 70th birthday. Two days after her 70th birthday we trekked again for four days and we flew into Lukla. And then, well, we landed in Kathmandu, spent a few days in Kathmandu, flew into Lukla, Lukla, we then trekked for four days and up to Nam she Bazaar and then up to the nunnery and stayed there for five weeks and trekked back. And so my mom's done that twice. I've done it once, my goodness.

Speaker 2: 23:31

So we want to go back and do that again.

Speaker 1: 23:32

Why Nepal?

Speaker 1: 23:35

My mother started sponsoring a nun she sponsored I don't remember exactly how she got into it, but she was sponsoring some people and for them to be able to go to school, and internationally, and one of her students either aged out of the program or wasn't going to go back to school.

Speaker 1: 23:57

And when the foundation called her and was asking her, did she want to keep sponsoring anybody and all of that, my mom said yes, and she asked who the hardest group to find sponsors for were, and they were like the adult nuns, the Buddhist nuns, wow. And so my mom was like, okay, so she, namandiki B, is my god sister and that's who my mom sponsored and she's been her sponsor probably for about 12 years now. And so the first time my mom went to Nepal and she was trekking, she, when she was talking to the gompa and the Rinpoche out there, when she was talking to the gompa and the rinpoche out there, she realized and she didn't tell anybody that she thought that Nama and Dickie B, her sponsee, was at that gompa, that she was going to be at at that nunnery, and she didn't say anything until she got there. And then she showed the rinpoche, the paperwork for the sponsee that she had and they're like she's here and my mom's like, and just smiled like I know.

Speaker 2: 25:11

I knew I had a feeling. I already knew. I just wanted to confirm that I was already right.

Speaker 1: 25:16

And so they went and got her, and so my mom got to meet who she was sponsoring.

Speaker 2: 25:20

Wow, and had been for years. That needs to be a movie. That's incredible, yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:24

Wow. So then when I went back, we went back and we taught the nuns English again for five more weeks and I got to meet my god sister and got to trek in the Himalayas with them. Oh my gosh, and all that. So we're looking forward to going and doing that again. Oh, and and all that. So we're looking forward to going and doing that again. Oh, and I just I love to travel, so it kind of doesn't really matter where it is. I kind of have a bucket list that kind of touches every continent. Wow, I lived in Germany for three years and we visited 17 countries in three years. Wow.

Speaker 2: 25:59

Well, you were out there, Are you like? Were you ever like? I'm a real estate agent, by the way have you guys, if anybody's shown interest.

Speaker 1: 26:06

Have you ever thought about selling a home or mentioning that? I don't know if that's a stupid question.

Speaker 2: 26:11

Man don't laugh at me, no, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1: 26:14

When I went to Nepal for five weeks, I had an amazing team of people behind me that I had all of my clients set up with, with agents that were here that could take care of them. The interesting piece about it was that I had cell service the entire time that I was in Nepal, and it wasn't that I was doing business necessarily. There were a couple of business phone calls during that five weeks. I literally was on the top of a mountain on my cell phone, yeah, but it was more just little small check-ins, and the group of ladies that I had that were taking care of my clients were amazing, and so we just had a little spa day when I came back. Love it the rest is history, y'all yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:56

I'm just kidding. It's all good stuff. Love it. Is there anything that maybe I have not touched on, about yourself that you would like our listeners to know, or about your business? You have the floor. I have the floor.

Speaker 1: 27:17

You have the floor for you, but it can be generational wealth and that you know you can start small and kind of grow, grow, you know your whether you want a bigger house or a smaller house or another house or an investment property and things like that. Right now I own, well, two and a half properties and so it's just a matter of you know, small steps. That's part of my retirement plan and so that's. I work with a lot of first-time homebuyers, since I do a lot of rentals and investment properties, and so I like working with those people to kind of help them, having those conversations when they're looking at their first home to kind of talk about you know, what do you want this home to do for you? Yes, we can have this become your first investment property later, or this can be something that can help leapfrog you into the next house. You know, with equity and things like that, absolutely. So it's just again, it's communication and seeing what can best serve the clients.

Speaker 2: 28:23

I think that is so amazing because, again, I am not a first-time homebuyer, homebuyer at all. So those things I don't think about Like you don't think like when you're buying a home you're like, yeah, I got my first home. You're not thinking, oh, this is my generational wealth. But when you put it like that and you communicate and you say those things, I'm like, oh, you're right. And you say those things I'm like, oh, you're right, and it gives you something to think about and be like, wow, this is more than just a home Like this could help my future and my family as well. So it's not just like, oh, I have a house, okay, that's it and then think about it later down the line.

Speaker 2: 29:02

Like this is generational wealth. You know, because I'm sure there it's just so cool that I didn't even know that and when you guys just like say that and just people hearing it in the podcast who didn't know, you're spreading that information and now they know to ask that question. I just think it's. It's amazing the way that you're doing things with saying it's all about communication, like making that a key point, and just your personality is great, you can like, you're easy to talk to. It's just like man.

Speaker 1: 29:29

Minus the faces.

Speaker 2: 29:31

Okay, I have mine here too, but people cannot see them. I'm sorry the camera's on you. You're the star today, but thank you for being my little guinea pig with that. No, I'm just kidding, but no, yeah, I just wanted to give you a little shout out, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome, it's been a pleasure. And now my final question yes, ma'am, drum roll. Exactly If you could leave our listeners with a message or a mantra that you like to live your life by or use as inspiration. What is that message or mantra?

Speaker 2: 30:07

Good question yeah, I'm putting you on the spot, so take your time, but don't look me in the eye. I know right, we need a fan in here. One step at a time. One step at a time, okay, well, thank you so much for being here. I truly appreciate it and it's been great, are you okay?

Speaker 1: 30:23

Wait what.