Speaker 1: 0:30

I'm Leslie Salmon and I work as an associate broker, basically a real estate agent, for Jacobson Company, powered by LPT. And what was the last part, sorry? What type of services do you offer your clients? Just helping them buy and sell homes?

Speaker 2: 0:45

Okay, and is it more residential, commercial, both Residential yeah. Okay, very nice. We would like to start off with a background about yourself. If you could tell us how you got started and what drove you to come into the real estate industry.

Speaker 1: 0:59

Okay. So I always tell people that it was well. I got my start in real estate and this is going to reveal maybe get into revealing a little bit of my age. But I was 16 and I got my first job at McDonald's and my mom's best friend owned a Remax in outside of Chicago and she said how much are you making at McDonald's?

Speaker 1: 1:24

I said five dollars an hour and she said 525 to come work for me. She just loved my mom so much she wanted to give me a job. So I had my first job I work working for her me a job. So I had my first job I work working for her. And then I ended up being at the front desk also, because then they needed somebody to fill in. So I got a really like a taste for like how each agent had their own specialty and one did horse farms and one had a team and did more like a more volume, and you know they each kind of had their own flavor of what they did yeah and so, um then I was, whenever I was done with that, I went away to school um down in west palm beach, florida and I didn't like the chicago weather um makes sense

Speaker 1: 2:11

yeah so. So I went to school in west palm beach, I majored in english and I had literally no idea what I was going to do with my life. And then I moved up. I got married, moved up to Virginia and my someone it was my she's now my ex mother-in-law, but she was in my life and she was selling real estate for 20 years too, coincidentally and was just randomly said you should sell real estate. And I was like I was kind of directionless and that gave. I was like OK, so I got my real estate license and I had never I didn't even know where I was let alone I had no support system.

Speaker 1: 2:52

I didn't know have any clients. I didn't know anyone I didn't know have any clients. I didn't know anyone, I didn't know. Like any business, I had no business, like in terms of business background.

Speaker 2: 3:02

That is incredible and kind of crazy. Yeah, do you feel like they kind of guided you though, as like a coach, mentor, having the people that you did that were already in the real estate industry?

Speaker 1: 3:13

Yeah, I do. I mean, my, my ex mother in law was very instrumental in being teaching me so many things and I just kind of just followed her lead and everything. And then, when the time came, we had parted ways in terms of, like I, she ended up opening up her own brokerage and I opened up my own brokerage Wow.

Speaker 2: 3:42

Talk to me about that transition, opening your own brokerage, like, do you feel like you were like ready, like this was something that, like you know what? This is what I'm working towards. I want to open my own brokerage, have my own team have my own team.

Speaker 1: 3:57

So, being a hundred percent honest, I can tell you that I feel like up until more recently in my life, everything was sheer ignorance, was bliss. I just didn't, I just didn't, I didn't know anything different. So, like um, she was opening up her own company and then whenever I decided I didn't think like we were, it was probably going to be the best fit for us to be together, it never even crossed my mind to go hang my license with another company. I was just like now I have to open up my own company.

Speaker 1: 4:24

So I enrolled to get my broker's license and I started working on that. So I mean I had done all that stuff before I even turned 30. I was really in the business for like four years whenever I did this Awesome I mean go where your life leads you right.

Speaker 2: 4:39

Sometimes you don't have a plan and life just takes you and you just find out like wait, this is. I like this, Like this is what I want to do, or this is my next step.

Speaker 1: 4:47

Yeah, it's not all set in stone.

Speaker 2: 4:49

You don't know until you go. You just got to dive in, right.

Speaker 1: 4:52

A hundred percent and I always tell people I'm like I kind of feel like I went to the school of hard knocks Like I, just really did everything the honestly, the absolute, hardest way that I could have you know, when I look back I'm like you know.

Speaker 1: 5:06

I know it never crossed my mind to like join a team or have all these people surrounding me that I could have asked questions to or you know, like all these things, I just was like, oh, let me follow in the footsteps of somebody that's she'd been in the business for so long, like she didn't need those things.

Speaker 2: 5:22

You know it's okay. I mean, you learn from that and it took you in the path that you are today and sometimes you know you wouldn't have it any other way, because it's who you are now and it got you to where you want to be. A hundred percent, yeah, yeah, love it. Um. I would like to ask you about um. How are you approaching marketing and promoting properties to potential buyers, and what strategies have you found to be most effective for?

Speaker 1: 5:43

you, honestly, I feel like I've done everything under the sun, um, just I've. I'm one of those people that like just tried so many things, um, and always felt like I felt like I was never doing enough. Let me try. You know all these different things and you know, honestly, at the end of the day, like finally settling into, hey, these are the places that I feel comfortable. This is where I excel. And you know, I do use social media.

Speaker 1: 6:14

I did create like a community Facebook page that has like 15,000 followers. It's called Going Gainesville, so, but you know, on it, in the grand scheme of things, it's my relationships. You know, really, when I really took the time and thought, like what is it that I feel called and drawn to do? And I every time, like if I had extra money, I'd be like, oh, now I can farm a new neighborhood, or let me add this other thing. And I thought, wait a minute, why would I do that when I could like spoil the clients that I already have that already like love me and know I love them, and you know that like to show them that I care about them.

Speaker 1: 6:56

And I started realizing, like you know, business by referral. I mean I can. I can have people know my name because they just see me online or whatever, but they don't know me like a true referral based recommendation. You know, if I walk in and somebody knows me from the online, it's not, it's never a done deal. But I might be competing against like three or four other agents and I feel like I don't excel at that. I know that sounds like I'm being, I'm just being lazy, but no, stop it, it's you.

Speaker 2: 7:36

You're unique.

Speaker 1: 7:37

You're a unique story Right, but I don't feel like you know. I don't want to walk in and prove myself. I've been doing this for over 20 years. I want to walk in and know that the person already respects me. They already know about me. Then I don't have to waste my time going on a ton of different appointments and hoping I get these things. Everybody that I work with I walk in and they sign my paperwork. They don't fight with me about my price. They know what they're coming in for Exactly. They're calling me with intention because they want to use me.

Speaker 2: 8:09

They know Leslie, they know her work and they want to work with her Exactly Point blank, right?

Speaker 2: 8:14

No, I love that I her work and they want to work with her Exactly. Yeah, no, I love that. I think that's kind of a unique feature about you actually. So I love that there's all kinds of real estate brokers, agents, everything, and I like that there's that variety for people, for people who are like, ok, I already know Leslie, I just want to go in, do my thing, I know what she's going to do and provide for me, that's it, like I don't need to ask questions, I know her.

Speaker 1: 8:33

Right.

Speaker 2: 8:33

I like that.

Speaker 1: 8:34

There's those options for people you know a hundred percent and then, like you know, then I can kind of look at them from a holistic standpoint and be like you know, sometimes people just want to look at you know how much commission are you charging or not? I want to be able to look at a picture holistically and come up with a real custom plan for you know, maybe this person needs it would help them over the hump if I like gave them some extra, paid someone to come in and help them organize, because they're like going through something really tough in their life.

Speaker 1: 9:08

Or maybe this person is a single mom and, like safety really is important to her, because she feels like I mean, I know of people that have had like an abuse in their past and, like you know that I'm able to be like okay, well, this person, I'm going to make sure that they're getting new locks for a present and, like you know, like get it really getting to know the person Personalize. Yeah, that's what I really like to do.

Speaker 2: 9:33

I love that. No, I think that's great Thank you I think you have found like your thing and your personal touch and I think that's special.

Speaker 1: 9:39

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:40

If you're listening and you get these little details that they're like oh, she heard my story, she listened to me.

Speaker 1: 9:44

That was so sweet of her to think of me in that way, so I think what you're doing is great, thank you, yeah, um, what do you see as the biggest challenges facing the real estate industry in the next few years, or maybe even now, and how do you think that they can be addressed? I do think it's hard for especially an agent starting out where you don't have that reputation already and you don't have that real, really, you're not as relational with people or you're buying leads. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've done everything, like I said, everything under the sun. I bought many Internet leads and those are a lot of the people that I still work with today now coming back to me, people that I still work with today now coming back to me.

Speaker 1: 10:38

But you know it's hard now because I feel like there is a certain level of trust, like, say, for instance, I'm signing someone to a buyer agreement and we don't know if I'm going to get paid on the other side. And you know, and I just tell people I say, hey, this is what we're doing. More than we're going to negotiate, more than likely we'll be able to get the other side to pay me and if not, we'll figure it out. Yeah, but they have to trust me to know that they're signing an agreement that says that if I'm saying, I'm overriding this thing in writing by saying we'll figure it out.

Speaker 1: 11:07

Yeah, they have to trust me that I'll figure it out, Because somebody else might say you signed that you owe me that percentage now out of your pocket because I did the work.

Speaker 2: 11:20

That can be scary, you know. So having you to guide them and be clear with them and setting expectations is so important, right?

Speaker 1: 11:26

Right and not. Money is not everything you know like there's. Sometimes I do a deal for a little bit less because I but I'm getting to learn a lot, so I'm willing to that's. That's more valuable than money.

Speaker 2: 11:57

I like the way you look at that. It's like is the glass half empty or half full? Like you're like, you know what it's, it's half full. I'm going to come out of it learning something, and next time someone wants to hire me, like I can press my myself up a little bit more because, guess what, I did it, I know how to do it and can get the job done.

Speaker 1: 12:12

A hundred percent. I think it's a lot of you know, creativity nowadays is going to be is trust and creativity are the name of the game.

Speaker 2: 12:21

I like that. I don't think I've heard that word before from a real estate agent. I like it. Creativity I hear trust a lot, but creativity was not one. So, yeah, watch out agents. Yeah. And then, what are some of the most important factors that you think buyers and sellers should consider when choosing a real estate agent to work with?

Speaker 1: 12:41

You know you, really, I think it's really important to know what your values are and be crystal clear on what your values are, um, and finding someone that aligns with your values. And you know what, If it's not me, that's okay. I mean, I've really. I used to be the type of person to say, to be like you know why wouldn't that person have used me again? You know, they used me the last time and then I think, you never know, Maybe their new, their next door neighbors, a real estate agent, they see him every day. That doesn't mean that they I did gave them bad service so they didn't love like like me, or they won't refer me to their friend or whatever.

Speaker 1: 13:22

So I think that like um, yeah, just kind of looking at it from that perspective has really helped me. And again, just them seeing if it's a good fit and taking a minute here to think through it.

Speaker 1: 13:43

But, yeah, really just, I mean, at the end of the day, if they're a good fit and thinking through what their real goals are. You know, because a lot of people are like, oh, it's all about the money, yes, but it really isn't about the money, because if you can get a certain amount of money by not putting as much into your house, you know that's about your net, it's not about what your expenses are.

Speaker 1: 14:10

And sometimes you have to think of what you're you think of as an expense, I think of as an investment you know, and that's a real mindset thing, um, so I think that those are the best ways to go about choosing the agent that you want to work with.

Speaker 2: 14:25

I love that. I think you're right about that Many aspects. Thank you, yeah, you're welcome. And then, how do you stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in the real estate market, and what resources do you like to rely on?

Speaker 1: 14:39

Well, I'm very thankful now that I'm not my own broker anymore, because, after being in the industry for with my own company for like close to 20 years, I went and I am part of a team now where we do work on our own, but we call ourselves a team, um, but it's nice because now I can have somebody else that is responsible to teach me everything.

Speaker 1: 15:06

I don't have to stay up to date on it, but I mean I, you know, I'll be honest with you One of the I don't have to stay up to date on it, but I mean I, you know, I'll be honest with you One of the another main principle. But I have not only do I just have, do I have my broker, who I respect a lot, but I also have I put an attorney that I love on retainer and I feel like that's an investment of my. I don't have a problem spending money to run something by that attorney for my client. Yeah, or even if it's not a client, maybe it's just well, maybe it's a past client. We're not doing a deal together right now, but they need some help with something. Yeah, like to me. I invest in people, yeah, so that's kind of like where I feel like I can stay on top of things by doing things like that.

Speaker 2: 16:15

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:15

You know having the title company that I like think is amazing and I can ask them questions. Loan officers, all that yeah.

Speaker 2: 16:24

No, it's helpful when it comes like firsthand from somebody's mouth and they're like teaching you sometimes, because I feel like sometimes maybe information can get misconstrued or you'll have like a lot of questions and you're like, okay, let me write these down for later, but you have someone right there and then who can tell you and help, guide you and explain it, maybe in a way that would make more sense.

Speaker 1: 16:41

Yeah, or a hundred percent, or sometimes, like you're not going to necessarily believe your real estate agent on a legal thing, yeah. So if I'm able to say hey, I ran this by an attorney, I spent my own money on it so that you would have the answer.

Speaker 2: 16:54

Yeah, love it. And now, when you're not helping your clients and learning all this stuff from other agents and brokers, all that good stuff what do you like to do to unwind and just take care of yourself, because mental health is important? I always like to talk about that and how taking care of yourself is where it all starts, because if you start falling apart or feel burnt out, you're not going to be at your best to help other people, right?

Speaker 1: 17:22

I would say, you know, one place where I love to spend a lot of my time is my church. So my faith plays a big part in who I am as a person, um, and serving that sort of thing. But also like, um, I do try to go and get like massages, um, whenever I have closings and things like that and um, yeah, that like I work out. I go to orange theory, um, I try to go at 5am, but I don't always get there, oh my goodness. 5 am.

Speaker 2: 17:54

You're better than me. I have trouble waking up at 7 am, right yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:00

But yeah, so I definitely I do. I mean, I feel like that's very important for me. I do wake up and pray and I do my devotions, yeah, and then I do do and I go to my orange theory and that's how I start my day and I try to make sure that I put myself in a good mindset for the whole day. Spend some time with my son and have breakfast with him.

Speaker 2: 18:23

Yeah, no, that's great. I love that you have like your outlets where you can teach stress.

Speaker 1: 18:27

That's good.

Speaker 2: 18:31

I always like to check up on entrepreneurs and see like, hmm, are they taking care of themselves? Are they 24-7? Go, go, go go, Because watch out with that sometimes I've done again.

Speaker 1: 18:40

I've done it all. I've gotten burnout. I've. You know, I had all my priorities out of whack where I never. I didn't have goals. When I worked for myself, it was just like it was never enough. And however much money I made, it was never enough. Or however many clients, it was never enough. And then I didn't really like. Finally I'm like what do I want to do with all this?

Speaker 2: 19:01

You know this time is passing.

Speaker 1: 19:02

What do I do? Yeah, and finally, I was like wait a minute, let me my son's, like my youngest son's 12. I'm like, let's, we need to talk. I'm like we only have six more summers together. Like, where do we want to go? I was like mom, I want to go to Japan. I'm like, let's go to Japan.

Speaker 1: 19:18

So like next summer we're going to. We're working on booking a trip for two weeks because he's watched a lot of TikToks on Japan and he wants to go. So I'm like, well, you know what Some of these things you think are so out of the realm of possibility and you're like, wait a minute, I can do that.

Speaker 2: 19:35

Why can't we do that? Yeah, no, how exciting, oh my gosh. You'll have to like reach back out to us and tell us how it goes. That's one of my like dream places one day to go. Oh, you can do it.

Speaker 1: 19:45

Yeah, I know right.

Speaker 2: 19:51

We'll get you there. Yeah, thank you, but I know that's so exciting. I'm sure your son's going to love that.

Speaker 1: 19:54

I'm like where do you want to go?

Speaker 2: 19:55

Japan. All right, let's go Like that's so supportive of you and just I love it. I hope you guys have the best time and eat the best sushi, if you're into that.

Speaker 1: 20:01

Thank you yes.

Speaker 2: 20:02

Absolutely. Where do you see yourself in the next five years, Like as a person or with your business goals and ambitions?

Speaker 1: 20:09

all that I, or with your business goals and ambitions, all that I don't know. That's really hard to say. But I want to just continue on a path of like intentionality and you know I try to do like with everything I do. I try to not just have it be about like one thing. Like, for instance, I get massages, but I specifically get a massage from somebody that's a single mom. Oh yeah, because I's a single mom, oh yeah, cause I'm a single mom. Yeah, now I'll like cry, but like I've got tissues. I know Barbara Walters here. No, I'm just kidding. Thank you.

Speaker 1: 20:43

No, but like I try to like do things like that. So, like I don't know, maybe at some point I'll be able to like do something where I can help more people.

Speaker 2: 20:54

Yeah, bless your heart. No, I think you can and I think you just helping people in the in the housing market, real estate industry, your kindness and just being there to help people and knowing that it's not about the money, it's about the impact that you make for people and helping the community out, and maybe you're helping a single mother going through something and they need to find the right home or place, and the fact that you're there for them, that's a huge step. Maybe they thought they weren't ever going to get to that point.

Speaker 1: 21:20

That, and I've also had people who are like, like I have somebody that she was like thinking she might have to downsize, but she really didn't want to and I was like, well, wait, why don't you just take the money from here that's in this account that you don't? You feel like you're at like a 401k, like invest it in the business that you're doing, You'll make more money, You'll be able to keep your house, and then you can pay that back. But they weren't even thinking about the fact of like you know that they could take the money out. I'm like it's really, it's really the not that much to pay the interest on the loan, to pay it back, and you know if you need that money now. So I like to try to figure out ways to like help somebody solve their problem in a holistic sense, so that they can tell it like they can refer me business or something else.

Speaker 1: 22:06

It doesn't matter, like they don't have to buy a house now and those buy a house for me later. Yeah, they'll come back some way.

Speaker 2: 22:12

Or for the long haul? Yeah, exactly. No, I think that's that's so beautiful. And just looking out for your clients, because what if they're going through stuff you know and they're not? They're not thinking at their best because they're stressed, right. So that's where you can find the expert.

Speaker 1: 22:26

Yeah, yeah, there. It really is hard to think when you're like under all that stuff and life seems so overwhelming and you're just like no, like you can do it. You just have to do like one, just pick one thing, just do one thing, and then, when you're done with that one thing, you'll be like wow, I've been stressing about this for like three months and it took five minutes. And then you're going to do the next thing.

Speaker 2: 22:48

There you go, you know, because I mean, we've all been there, yep. So, yeah, a little helping hand goes a long way, 100% yeah. And now I'm gonna shift the topic a little bit, since we are now on, like what? Is it the third of October and it's like spooky season. I know Do you have any fun festivities maybe that you like to do during these times, like Thanksgiving or Halloween. I know we're a little bit ahead of the game with thanksgiving or honestly um.

Speaker 1: 23:15

I am more of a thanksgiving person so I know, you know what it's funny with, like, just starting with this new company like we're, we're doing one of those like pie pickup things. Well, like you know, a lot of agents will do it's. They call it a reverse, some of them call it a reverse pop pie. Or you give away like a pumpkin pie to your clients. They come pick it up yeah. We're doing something like that, but I don't know all the logistics of it right now because it's my first year doing it.

Speaker 1: 23:42

No way. So a lot of this stuff is like learning for me and I'm like, wow, this is like I don't have to do everything now.

Speaker 2: 23:49

It's so nice. Yes, Okay, so yeah. And where can people find more information about this? On your website? For the potluck the reverse potluck.

Speaker 1: 23:58

That would probably be. I don't have it up there yet. Okay, it's coming, but it'll be there, it'll be there, I would say, to look on my Facebook page. Perfect, I'm a face, I know Again. I kept teasing them in the beginning that I was old. I'm like, I know I'm old, I do Facebook.

Speaker 2: 24:14

I'm a Facebook girl. You look great, you don't even look. No, stop it.

Speaker 1: 24:18

But yeah, so it'll probably be on my Facebook page. Very nice, and what's your Facebook page? It's Leslie Salmon, haymarket Realtor. Perfect.

Speaker 2: 24:26

Yeah, I love that. Is there anything that I have not touched on that? Maybe you would like our listeners to know about you or your business or anything. Um make sure we get everything.

Speaker 1: 24:36

I don't know, I think that's everything. I mean, I I'm, yeah, I think that's. I think that you did a great job. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 24:46

Yeah, you're welcome. Yeah, you did a great job too.

Speaker 1: 24:49

Pulling the information out of me, um, but I think we pretty much covered it and I'm just so grateful to be here. Thank you, we're grateful to have you, yeah absolutely All right.

Speaker 2: 25:00

So now we're going to go on to my final question.

Speaker 1: 25:02

Oh, okay, ready Drum roll, please.

Speaker 2: 25:06

I like to ask everybody this at the end but do you have like an inspirational quote, song, lyric, a mantra that maybe has inspired you throughout your life or that you've used as motivation, and would you mind sharing it with us?

Speaker 1: 25:19

Um, I would say my, my one, right now that I say a lot is um, god didn't make us to fit in, he made us to stand out.

Speaker 2: 25:30

Yeah, amen to that.

Speaker 1: 25:32

Yeah, because it's you know, it's very hard to. It was very hard for me to get to the point where I embraced my uniqueness.

Speaker 2: 25:43

And I'm finally there, so I just feel so grateful. You feel free, yes, good.

Speaker 1: 25:48

And.

Speaker 2: 25:48

I'm glad that you could come on this podcast and show that uniqueness and see everything that you've got to offer in your unique ways and the values that you have and what means a lot to you.

Speaker 1: 25:59

So thank you so much for coming in here and sharing that. I appreciate it. Yeah, it's been really nice and you guys did a great job, thank you. Thank you, you too.