The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
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The Alimond Show
Alexa Brown of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty - From Real Estate Dreamer to Successful Agent: Mastering Face-to-Face Marketing, Balancing Career and Self-Care, and Envisioning Future Brokerage Success
Alexa Brown, a dedicated real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty in Hamilton, shares her remarkable journey from dreaming about the industry to thriving in it since 2018. With a unique face-to-face marketing approach and the ability to connect with clients in both English and Spanish, Alexa opens up about the importance of community and support from her broker. Her ambition doesn't stop there; she envisions starting her own brokerage, showcasing how passion and determination can fuel career growth. Alexa's infectious laughter and positive energy make this episode an inspiring listen for anyone interested in real estate or dreaming of their own successful career path.
Balancing personal well-being with the demands of a bustling real estate career is no easy feat, yet Alexa offers insightful tips on how to manage stress and stay organized. She shares personal routines that help keep her grounded, like reading morning Bible verses for inspiration and taking time for self-care activities such as walks and music. Alexa also provides practical advice on staging homes and using open houses as effective marketing tools. Her story is a testament to how nurturing both professional ambitions and personal health can lead to a fulfilling life, encouraging listeners to find their own balance between work and personal growth.
My name is Alexa Brown. I am a realtor and I work for Virtual Halfway PenFed Realty here in Hamilton.
Speaker 2:Okay, beautiful, and tell me what kind of services that you're doing and that you're helping with your clients, and is it residential, commercial?
Speaker 1:Talk to me about all that I do most residential, helping my buyers and my sellers and my rental clients. I do, yes, residential, and I love it.
Speaker 2:Beautiful. I love that. And how did you get started in the real estate agency like world? Did you always know that you wanted to do this, or how did that start?
Speaker 1:I think, I think I always know that I want to be doing real estate. That was, I think, my dream job and then I'm happy that came true. So I started back in 2018. And June 2018, I started doing real estate and I love it so far, and this is my year number six Congratulations.
Speaker 2:So I enjoy my job.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:That's amazing, and did you have like a coach or a mentor with you that helped you? Or did you figure it out all on your own and use resources online and workshops? Talk to me about that.
Speaker 1:Well, I figured out kind of my own, but I'm so grateful they have my broker. She is so good, she's amazing, so I'm so happy and I'm blessed to have her on my side too, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:Tell me a little bit about your experiences with your clients, so what kind of service they get when they come to Alexa Brown, like what is the type of service Explain?
Speaker 1:Well, when my clients come to me, they're looking for most I do as buyers. So they come to me so I can help them to buy the house they need, they want. They always dream about it, so I, I, I dare for them to try to find that house, for the house they want to buy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, love it. And now I know that you speak Spanish. Tell me how that gives you an advantage to helping more people, because you can speak English and Spanish. So tell me how the diversity has offered you to, and open the doors to, help even more people than normal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, well, I'm glad that I'm bilingual. I speak Spanish and English so that helped me a lot in my business so I can cover both sides. So I feel so blessed to be bilingual to helping people.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. And then what have been some of the struggles that you have gone through while being in the real estate industry, because everybody has their ups and downs. I'd like to know, maybe, what was a struggle for you and how you overcame it and how you're able to grow from it.
Speaker 1:Well, I will say not a struggle, but you know, sometimes I find different, you know clients. They have different aspects of what they're looking at. So that was kind of a little bit of a struggle at first to me, but then after that it was completely fine. Yay, good Love that.
Speaker 2:And talk to me about marketing. How are you getting your name out there, making sure that you stay top of mind and that other people who maybe don't know about you and your services can find out about you? Are you online? Is it word of mouth? Talk to me how you're marketing yourself out there.
Speaker 1:Well, my network is, my marketing is like a face-to-face. It's kind of, you know, I will say, a little bit different than my other colleagues. I go out to the place, out of the store, out of the mall, everywhere I can find people. I just approaching them and say my name, introduce myself and give them my business card. That's the way I'm marketing myself, just going out, face to face. Yeah, I think that's great.
Speaker 2:So that way you can be like oh wow, she has a great laugh, or like she was really nice.
Speaker 1:I think I will give her a call. I was looking for a house, absolutely. Right yeah.
Speaker 2:And I did see, see, I did take a look on on your facebook and I think, like one of your videos were so cute and cool, where you were like it was bloopers, it was so funny, you had the best laugh in them. I was just like, oh my gosh, this girl is so happy like she has such a contagious laugh. So I thought that was really cute and clever to thank you, your personality, on there so people can be like whoa she seems like she's going to be easy to talk to, not like intimidating or scary.
Speaker 2:I can ask her questions, right.
Speaker 1:Yes, right. Yes, my videos. I mean it's a little bit funny, but I just be myself, that's the personality I am. So I just love to laugh and you know that's my thing, laughing, and you know, get life easy.
Speaker 2:Yes, I always hear, laughing is the medicine to the soul, so that's a good one. Yes, absolutely yeah. And now, how do you like to stay up to date on the current trends or things that are going on in the real estate agency, like, do you like to read books, watch videos online? How do you like to just stay up to date with?
Speaker 1:Well, I guess I love to read book and watching videos online. You know everything, social media to try to catch up with everything you know and and again, be out myself and talking to people, real people and the street, and it's coming with the story you know and telling me a lot of stuff. So that's the way I keep up with everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah no, I love it. That sounds about like what I do to just online and books and all that good stuff. Yes, where do you see yourself in the next five years as a person and with your business?
Speaker 1:Well, I see myself like I have my own company and being in my own broker. Yeah, I have, you know, my own thing. That's what I see myself to do. It Maybe, maybe two or three more years wow, that's exciting.
Speaker 2:Yes, I am so excited. What kind of people would you like to be around you and working with you? Like who? What kind of real estate agents or team members would you be looking?
Speaker 1:describe them, yeah well, the I will. I will love to work with people like they have my kind of same personality, love to laugh and, you know, take life easy and help people the best they could.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes and what are some tips maybe if you could share um with our listeners for home for first-time home buyers who are maybe struggling or don't know like how to even begin the process. What kind of advice would you like to give to those first-time home buyers?
Speaker 1:Well, for the first time homebuyer, I will recommend them to first find a real estate agent. Second, find a loan officer, a bank, so they can get qualified and start getting ready all the documents and everything. But first they have to call someone they can trust, yes, so yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2:You're so right about that, because I feel like, with a real estate agent, you really have to have a good relationship with them, because if you don't have a good match, I feel like it's not going to work Exactly, absolutely. So, you definitely got to like interview a little bit with them, have some, maybe like coffee, sit down and talk and see if the everything is aligned. Yes, right, yes, absolutely yes. And then how do you keep up with your clients and build your relationships with them?
Speaker 1:Well, that's a good question. I just like to call them once in a while. You know, make sure they're okay. How is everything goes with them with their family? Is there any way I can help them? So you know. And then they always tell me you know, make sure they're okay, how is everything goes with them with their family? Is there any way I can help them? So you know, and then they always told me, you know, I need help with this. Oh, I'm okay. Thank you for reaching out to me. So that's the kind of person I am.
Speaker 2:Yeah, love it. And now, in your opinion, what kind of characteristics should buyers and sellers look for when choosing their own real estate agent?
Speaker 1:I think they're looking for a person, the kind of person they can trust. Yeah, you know that's the buyers and sellers they're looking up for, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh yeah. Trust is everything. Sometimes it's a little bit hard because people are like closed off and they don't really want to open up. So you kind of have to fight a little bit and be like come on, it's okay, I'm here to help you? Yes, absolutely, so I feel like that helps when you're friendly, like you can talk to people a lot easier.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. When my buyers and my sellers come to me, you know we get together in my office and they kind of say, oh, I feel like I really we have connection, that we can work together because my personality yeah no, I feel like that's a very important part right there, um, do you guys have any like company events that you hold to get, like, I guess, previous clients together or maybe new clients like an event or anything like that?
Speaker 1:I mean I've been buying a lot of you know my company's, you know activities, but I've been so busy in the role helping people so I really I'm not going to that kind of. But I've been so busy in the role helping people so I really I'm not going to that kind of activity because I've been so busy always busy the whole year. Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, since you are very busy, I'd like to ask you what are some things you like to do to de-stress, because mental health is important to you, to take care of yourself, right? Because if you are not at your best and at a hundred, sometimes that can start affecting you and it can maybe burn you out. So what do you like to do to de-stress?
Speaker 1:and take me time for yourself yeah, I would love to go for a walk for a run. That's what I do when people, you know, very stressed so I just going for a walk. All Go around, you know, good 30 minute, one hour walk and that helped me a lot yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Do you like to listen to?
Speaker 2:any music or maybe go to like wineries or anything.
Speaker 1:I love music, so I love to hear music too. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes, do you like any dancing music or anything like that? Yeah, you know, mix, kind of mix. Good, good, good, always good. It's good exercise too. Yeah, good exercise, yeah, absolutely yeah, and with your current team right now?
Speaker 1:how many people are there? Actually I'm not in a team, I guess I'm I work alone, myself alone, okay okay.
Speaker 2:So yeah, when I asked you, like what is your goals in the next five years, I guess that's what you meant when you were like I would like to have a team of my own right. Yes, yes for the future so you're doing all your scheduling and everything, oh my gosh. Tell me what are the secrets for people who are maybe struggling or like they're like. This is so much Like. What do you do to keep yourself going with and keep yourself like on track of everything? Because it's like so much sometimes, probably?
Speaker 1:Yes, I have to be organized, you know, and every morning wake up early in the morning and kind of write it down what I had to do, and be organized so that way I catch up with everything every single day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I feel like sometimes, even when I write stuff down, I write it down so crazy that it's not. My thoughts aren't organized, my notes aren't organized. I need to. Sometimes I'm just like where do I start? I don't want to look at this list. So, yeah, a list helps, but sometimes mine is crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mine is crazy too, I completely got you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, okay good. Is there anything, maybe that I have not touched on, that you would like to share, like maybe something about yourself or your business, or anything that you want our listeners to know about you?
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I think we already talked about everything you know like, again, I'm bilingual agent. So people who's there looking for buying or selling or renting even a renting, they can, you know, give me a call. Always reach out to me, I'd be more than happy to help them with all their needs.
Speaker 2:Yes, no, absolutely, and she's very friendly. I can say firsthand experience. She's very nice and her laugh is contagious'all. So when she laughed, remember, I said this all right, and then, um, let's see, I think there was like another question that I have for you what are your thoughts on having open houses? Are you somebody who likes to have open houses or not?
Speaker 1:really, well, um, I doing open houses in my own listings, you know, for my sellers, and I love to do open house, you know, because that's the way to have the, you know, people from outside to come and look the property for marketing. Yeah, yes, yes, I love that cool, I love it.
Speaker 2:I know some agents are like yes, I love it, and some are like nah. So I always like to know like, hmm, what do they do? Do they like to have it or not? Right, and then another, another informational tip I would like to ask is do you have any tips for people when it comes to staging a home? What do you think is best in order to showcase that Well?
Speaker 1:it depends on the house. It depends on the house. It depends you know where is the house located. It all depends. I will recommend staging the property. I mean, it depends on the site of the house too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so do you think maybe they should have more or less furniture and pictures? Or I know you said it depends it depends.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's, the house is, you know, it's a very big house. Well, we need, you know, a lot of furniture to, you know, so the house can look good, yeah, but the house is not too big, it's, and then it's kind of less or nothing, so we can show the space. Yeah, no, you're right about that.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, all right, and so my last question is going to be do you have maybe an inspirational quote, lyric, maybe a Bible verse that has inspired you in your life, or maybe something someone has said to you in the past that you're like that's a good one, you're right, and if you could share that.
Speaker 1:Yes, I mean, every morning, you know, I just wake up and I just open my Bible and read my Bible and I feel like that's the way, you know, god talked to me in that day. Yeah, so I don't have any specific one, but I just love, you know, my Bible and whatever is there, I love it.
Speaker 2:Whatever page you open, to in that morning that's your inspirational quote for the day, oh yes, Okay, well, I love it. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing all your insights and telling us a little bit about your business. Hopefully, people who are looking for a real estate agent and somebody que habla espanol. Yeah, absolutely, aquí estamos con Alexa. Don't be shy to reach out to her. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me. I feel so grateful for you guys to have me and buy me in this wonderful you know podcast and I feel blessed to be here.
Speaker 2:Thank you.