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
Austin Wickwire of Northern Virginia Real Estate - From Golf Enthusiast to Real Estate Pioneer: Surviving Industry Myths, Building Trust, and Balancing Passion with Career Ambitions
Uncover the secrets to thriving in the unpredictable world of real estate with Austin Wickwire of Wickwire Real Estate at RE/MAX Gateway, a seasoned veteran who’s navigated the ups and downs of this dynamic industry in Northern Virginia. Listen as Austin shares his intriguing journey from growing up in Centerville and carving out a career in the golf business to making a bold leap into real estate. He opens up about the initial challenges and misconceptions he faced, including the myth of glamorous flexibility, and how being financially prepared is crucial to surviving a commission-based career.
Austin reveals the key ingredients to his long-term success: hard work, proactive engagement, and the art of building a robust network. We explore the realities of what it truly takes to excel in real estate, from working weekends to leveraging personal connections, especially within the 30 to 40 age demographic. Austin’s insights into the entrepreneurial drive behind real estate offer a candid look into the exhilarating yet uncertain transition from a stable job to creating your own path.
Throughout our conversation, Austin emphasizes the importance of genuine relationships over technical credentials, highlighting how communication and trust are the backbone of a successful real estate career. He also shares how his passion for golf and outdoor activities intertwine with his professional life, offering a unique perspective on balancing personal interests with career goals. Austin’s story is a testament to how stepping out of one’s comfort zone can lead to both personal and professional growth, making this episode a must-listen for anyone considering a similar leap into the world of real estate.
Well, my full name is Carl Austin Wickwire. I don't go by Carl, I never have. I've always gone by Austin and I've been from Centerville, chantilly area. I went to Westfield High School, I went to Radford for college, so not too far. Came back to Northern Virginia and I've been working in some sort of aspect of real estate basically since I got out of college, so 10 years or so, and I used to be more property management type stuff, not so much sales, just kind of sales on the side, um, but just over time I kind of transitioned to more full sales and and not so much property management. So I've been doing it for a little over 10 years total. Um, but yeah, that's, that's about it really.
Speaker 2:Okay, yep, I love it. And do you do like any specialty? Um, okay, I love it. And do you do like any specialty?
Speaker 1:I guess real estate like commercial residential do it all, yeah, so it's for me it's all residential, but I pretty much cover the board as far as buying, selling, investing, rentals. So it's pretty much everything. But it's all residential and I don't really have a. I try to stay flexible so I can work with as many people as possible.
Speaker 1:I do think that some people have a very honed in business model where they have like specialties which is good, because it is good to be a specialist in something, but I've kind of found that if I stay loose and flexible and able to work with a wide variety everybody from investors that buy several houses a year to a first time home buyer that's never bought a house yeah, so I don't really have like a specific specialty or even really like a specific special area that I focus on. I pretty much cover all of Fairfax, loudoun and Prince William County pretty much.
Speaker 1:So my limit South is probably Woodbridge. I don't go into DC or Maryland, I just stick to Virginia. So I'll go in as far as Alexandria, arlington area and then maybe as far out as Winchester, maybe might be my limit. So anything I can get to within about an hour, gotcha.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, cool. Well, I'm glad that I asked, because I always like to know. Some people like there's no clarification, so we've clarified that yeah. So now we know yeah, love it, yeah all right, and can I have a background story on how you got started like and what made you change? Um, I guess property sales to oh yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:So I, like I said, I grew up in Centerville and in high school I always and and some in college over the summers, I always worked in the golf business. So I worked at the local country club and my now broker boss, um, was a member at the and still is a member at the club. So I've known him since I was like I started working when I was like 14, um up there and he always was just like in my ear about like, oh, let me know when you want to get your license, Let me know. So from a high school I knew that I had at least an interest in real estate and then I studied economics in college. So you know, it's obviously the study of markets, so it directly applies to real estate and it kind of fit in with that. So, um, the way I got into that was one summer I actually interned for Scott, my now broker Um.
Speaker 1:I took a break from the, from the golf business for that summer and interned with him just to like be in a real estate office and just see, get a feel, yeah, yeah, just see if I even liked it. Um, and I did so. Um, he convinced me the following year to go ahead and get my license right before I graduated from college. Um, so I did. I, you know, did my studied and took my exam and everything and got my license basically right when I graduated, um, graduated from school. But it's tough to start in this business.
Speaker 2:It's not all like Talk to me about that experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So people really think. I think from an outsider's perspective people can think that realtors don't really do that much and we're kind of overpaid and it's just kind of a foo-foo job and they see like a lot of flashy realtors and stuff.
Speaker 1:It's really, it's a grind. It really is a grind and it's hard to do and that's why the failure rate is so high. Most people don't last two years and out of the people that last two years, most of them don't last five years. So it's, it's very, it's tough. It's it's really tough to get started, um, but yeah, so anyway. So I, I was, so, I was young, I had just got out of school, I had no money. Um, and it's not a salary job.
Speaker 1:This, this is a full commission job. You get paid when you sell a house and when you start you might not sell a house for a while, like it. Yeah, it it takes people. You know it can take people some.
Speaker 1:Some people get started a little bit more quickly, but you gotta have pro to do it the right way.
Speaker 1:I think you have to have, I would say, 18 to 24 months of money saved, because you don't know your money's going to be really weird coming in. Yeah, the money flow is going to be really weird those first, uh, you know, a year and a half or so. So I got my license but I wasn't really at a point where I wanted to like dive into a full commission job and I knew another guy from the country club that I worked at that was the president of a property management company. So he said look, you have you got your license, which is a good thing. Why don't you come work in property management so you're at least still like in the real estate field, you're still managing buildings and properties. You'll learn a lot about how buildings work, how, because you'll be managing them, and then it's a salary job, benefits, so you can do this, learn, save up some money and then, when you're ready to dive in to sales full time, you'll have a little bit better base.
Speaker 2:Well, that was nice, yeah, so yeah, so it worked out.
Speaker 1:it worked out perfectly. So that's what I did. I, I did sales just like on the side, here and there, um, but my full-time salary job was in property management and I did. I learned a ton about buildings, how they're built, how they work, just everything, um. And then I got to a point where it was like I had some money saved, I had gotten married, I had bought a house of my own. So I was at a point where, like he said, I had a, I had a little bit better base to be like, all right, let's dive into, like, the full commission job and let's just take a chance. Basically, um, yeah, and I did, and it's worked out, yeah.
Speaker 2:It was scary but it's worked out. Oh, my goodness, what would you say from this story? Is maybe the secret sauce to being an agent that doesn't maybe, like disappear in two years or in five years, like, how did you make it? You've been doing it for 10 years, so what would you say, made you beat those statistics?
Speaker 1:yeah, it's funny you say that because I was actually just talking to somebody about this last night and I, first off, I don't want to downplay the things that are out of your control. It does take a little bit of luck for everything. I think anybody that is successful in anything you do kind of have to be right place, right time. A little bit of luck you can position yourself to get lucky, which I think think is you know, there's something there. But really for me, I just think that, like I mentioned before, I started working when I was like 14. I couldn't even drive when I got my first job. My dad had to take me to the country club, pick me up after my shift and I also, like I played sports all through high school growing up and had a job. So it's like I stayed busy and I had a. I've had a really good work ethic. I will say I'll pat myself on the back for that Good, you should yeah.
Speaker 1:I have a really good work ethic. I'm not I'm not afraid to work, I enjoy working. Good, you should. Yeah, I have a really good work ethic. I'm not afraid to work, I enjoy working, I like to earn, I like to feel like I'm accomplishing something and, just to be totally frank, I feel like that is why a lot of agents don't succeed is because, like I mentioned earlier, I think from the outside looking in, people don't realize how hard this is. Sometimes I think people think that you just get your license and then you just like sit there and wait.
Speaker 2:And sell a house For your phone to ring.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And we always say and we tell new agents this now also that it's like the number one way to guarantee that you fail is to just sit there and wait for your phone to ring, cause that's not how it works. It's like this is a hustle grind business.
Speaker 1:You gotta like, you gotta be proactive, you gotta go out there and get it Put in the work, yeah, and I think, just like I said, that might sound harsh, but I think a lot of people just don't. I think a lot of people just get in and they think it's going to be a lot easier than it actually is and it's and it's not easy. So I think that's why I have been um successful so far and and it's up and down, you know I try not all things in life.
Speaker 1:Exactly, exactly. You have good good months, bad months and stuff, but overall it's, it's. It's been really good, um, and being from the area too and growing up around northern virginia and just being a social person involved in a lot of different things community, yeah I've just that has helped a lot because I already had getting into this a great network of like're. In that like, let's say, 30 to 40 age, there's a lot of people that you know that might be buying their first house and there's a lot of people that you know that might be, um, maybe they already got their first house and now they like have kids and their family's growing and they need a bigger house. So that 30 to 40 range, there's a lot of movement in there. There's people, like I said, buying their first house or selling their first house to buy a bigger house. So that has helped a lot, that I'm kind of in a good age, that a lot of my friends are are doing things with real estate.
Speaker 2:So no, and I'm glad that you touched on that, I know you're like not to sound like harsh or anything but, I, think that that's something that some people need to hear and need to know about. And there's misconceptions with real estate agents. They're like you know what? I'm just going to do, that that seems easy, Like I'm going to have money, you just got to sell a home and and they're like wait, I have to put in work.
Speaker 2:I thought this was easy, and so it's good to let people who are maybe thinking about it and don't think that there's much work to it there is Just like with everything in life you get what you put in. So you have to put in the work if you want to see that stuff come back.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, and just with the social media age and stuff, and it's like anything else. You only see the flashy, successful agents and that is only maybe the top. You know, let's say, 10% of agents. You don't see the other 90% that struggle or aren't doing as much business or are only selling. You know one or two houses a year. You only see the. So I think that's why everybody thinks it's like and you know? Another thing too is everybody thinks it's like a flex, flexible, um, that we have freedom of schedule and time, and it's like you kind of do but you kind of don't. It's like I, for example, I played golf with my dad yesterday, right, so I can play golf in the if I don't have anything going on. I can play golf on an afternoon during the week.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Saturday and Sunday, though this weekend, yeah, I'll be working the entire weekend.
Speaker 2:It's like a trade-off?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's definitely a trade-off, and it's also like I don't have to wake up and be in an office every day. It's not a 9 to 5. I don't have to wake up every day, so some mornings, if I want to, I sleep in. Or if I want to go to the gym in the morning, I can go to the gym, but at the same time you might be showing a house at seven or eight o'clock or you might have people calling you.
Speaker 1:I've written offers before for people literally at midnight on, like Saturdays, so it is. I think that's another reason that, um, it might not be everything that people think it is. They get into it and they think like, oh, I'm going to have all this freedom and it's like you do, but but you don't, yeah?
Speaker 2:And also I feel like you kind of work to that level too, like you put in all the work and eventually you can also have more flexibility For sure. You have to. In the beginning it's not going to be like that, or maybe it won't be like that later. I feel like it's different for every real estate agent. Right, it is.
Speaker 1:It is yeah, and you know, just on a more like, not so much businessy, but just on like a personal level too, it's like you have to have like supportive people and your family has to kind of understand like what you're doing. Like my wife has been great because she just it's like you just said especially when you're new she just understood that like I was going to have to be grinding like out there. So it's not that I don't, I still work a ton now, but that first, like 18 months, is like you are out there, out there, out there, and you're not making a lot of money and you're working all the time, but you have to do it, Yep. So it's important that. I think, if you're going to do it, I think it's important that your family is like super supportive and understands, and my wife has like never made me like feel bad for working. So it's yeah, it's been good.
Speaker 2:That is a good point.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:I'd like to ask you how do you stay motivated and inspired in your work as a real estate agent and what keeps you passionate about the industry?
Speaker 1:agent and what keeps you passionate about the industry how I stay motivated, honestly, is I think this is an interesting concept in being in a job that's full commission is that that, almost in itself, is your motivation? Is being on commission, because that is part of the bittersweet. That's part of the bittersweetness about being on commission is that your ceiling is unlimited but your floor is zero. Yeah, so it's like you there. You know there's, and that's why I say that, like, even when I like quit my salary property management job to hop into doing this full time. Um, that was my main motivation. Was that I just went from a full benefits retirement account salary job paycheck every two weeks to to nothing, unless I'm going to go out and get it.
Speaker 1:So, I honestly think that is the number one motivation. There is no it. You can either look at it as pressure and be scared and nervous about it, or you can look at it as an opportunity. Like my potential is is endless. I could make as much as I want. It's all up to me. Yes, so that's what. That's really. What keeps, keeps me going is, um, honestly, just the fear that you're going to be broke. So yeah that's the main thing.
Speaker 2:honestly, no, that's so good. Sometimes you got to light the fire under yourself and like get to grinding.
Speaker 1:That's the only way yeah absolutely and, like I said, that pit in your stomach or that fear in the back of your mind of running out of money or not making any money or going out of business, that'll keep you going. That'll keep you going. So it's it's hard to get used to, cause, like I said, but every agent I know they they know this feeling. It's like we wake up. We wake up every day, essentially unemployed, because we wake cause you got to go out and get work. Yes, so every you might have things going on and clients that you're working with, but we're always prospecting for new business and new opportunities. So it's like every day you wake up, every day you wake up is like back at square one. What are we doing today?
Speaker 2:So, but I kind of like the way you, you, you think like that and say that because it like yes, because it motivates you, right, Like thinking of it like that, it's kind of like an excitement for the day.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Right. Yeah, absolutely. That's why I think that you have to look at it that way. Yes, you can't be like, you can't be nervous, you can't be scared, and it's like there, you have to. There's some sort of saying, and I don't know exactly what it is. You have to. There's some sort of saying, and I don't know exactly what it is, but it's. It's something about um, you know the things that you are looking for, or like where you want to be, is hidden behind the things that you're avoiding doing or that you don't want to do. You have to get uncomfortable.
Speaker 2:Like you have, you have to get.
Speaker 1:I've learned that myself, yeah.
Speaker 2:You, you I'm. I've learned that myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you, you, I'm naturally. It's very weird, I'm not a salesy person and I'm naturally introverted, like I can be social and I can have fun, but just naturally, like actually inside, I don't mind, just like sitting at my house doing nothing and being by myself or just me and my wife. I'm not even. I don't even consider myself like a super.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, not at all, not at all Well, thank you for doing this, yeah no, it's, but I've, like I said, this is a perfect example.
Speaker 1:Like you have to force yourself to get out and doing things like this and also just like um, participating in like panels, uh, and stuff. Like I've been on panels before and you get more comfortable with it and you get better at it as you do it. But you have to go do it and it's going to be uncomfortable at first. So there's a lot. There's a lot like that, but I think you just kind of have to push yourself power through. Yeah, yeah, no.
Speaker 2:I love that Thank you for sharing that. I'd like to know what are some of the most important factors that buyers and sellers should consider, in your opinion, when choosing a real estate agent to work with.
Speaker 1:I would say, um, I would say the first thing is I think the first thing is probably communication and availability, and that's like that, you know, kind of goes back with what I was saying about like your time's kind of flexible, but it's also kind of not. I really pride myself on being available all the time. I tell people I don't and and some people abuse it but I don't have work hours. It's like if I'm awake and I'm, you know, coherent, I will answer the phone, I will respond to your texts, and I think that it's also a very personable relationship type business. So I would tell people that and I and I feel this way as well that when people hire me, I think they're hiring the person.
Speaker 1:They're not really necessarily so concerned with how many houses do you sell a year, how long have you been in the business?
Speaker 1:Like people don't. If people are comfortable with you because that's something that you think is going to come up, like when you're a new agent you're like, oh my gosh, I hope nobody asks me how many houses I've sold this year, how long I've been in the business, and I learned that there is ways that that question will never come up if people are just comfortable with you. So I think that's the biggest thing for buyer, buyers and sellers, or anybody is pick somebody that you trust and that you're comfortable with, that is going to work hard for you and is going to answer the phone. It's shocking I work with agents all the time on other sides of transactions. It is shocking how many agents are like hard to get a hold of, not great communicators. It's like you cannot be in this business if you are a bad communicator. So, buyers and sellers, that's what I would say Pick somebody that you genuinely like and trust as a person and someone that's going to answer the phone Simple as that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it. Those are the biggest things. And you know what, having these conversations with you, you're kind of giving me like coach vibes too. Have you ever considered that Like?
Speaker 1:I haven't Um, just because, frankly, I feel like I still have a lot to learn Um, I feel like I'm always learning and that's that's an interesting um. It's an interesting part of this business is, it seems like no matter how long you've been in it, there's something new, like every day, every transaction. You never really know what's going to pop up. So it's not that I would never do it, Maybe later. Yeah, and we have, like our company has a mentor program.
Speaker 1:So that's that's something that's kind of cool and I did it when I was new, like I, I had a mentor that helped me immensely in the first like 18 months, so we do have stuff like that. But as far as like actually like coaching agents, like outside of my business, maybe, maybe down the road.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, but I feel like, or if you could just get like a whole bunch of them in a room and speak, that would be good, cause you, you make a lot of good points that I feel like a lot of people don't like to touch on or don't really talk about it Cause they're so caught up in their own world and you've been doing this since you were young and you know what it's like, Like I mean, you're still young, you look really young anyway, but obviously, like I know, that can be sometimes like a downfall for some people like when they look so young, but anyway, you seem to know yeah, I've been.
Speaker 1:It's funny my family has like always joked about this that I'm kind of an old soul, like I have always like. Even when I was younger I always wanted to like hang out with the adults and like, and I've always, I've always kind of been like that, and even my friends kind of like yeah, you know, joke know joke with me about that. I like older music. So, yeah, you are an old soul. Yeah, yeah, and, like I said, I'm kind of more introverted.
Speaker 1:So it's, yeah, it's funny, but, yeah, maybe maybe in the future. I mean, I definitely, I definitely think that I would be good at that, just because some it can come off maybe the wrong way in certain situations. But, um, I'm very like, blunt and straightforward and I consider it like real, like I don't want to, um, I don't want to sugarcoat things for and this is for clients too I'm very straightforward with people Like I don't want you to hire me just because I told you what you wanted to hear. That's not how I. I'd rather you trust that I'm going to tell you the truth. Yes, so I try to be like that with I love that With everybody.
Speaker 2:Good, I like, I like that style. I'm like that too. Is there anything that I have not touched on that maybe you would like to share with our listeners, whether it's about yourself or your business?
Speaker 1:like to share with our listeners, whether it's about yourself or your business.
Speaker 2:No, not really. I think you covered it pretty well and I'm kind of long-winded Okay sorry.
Speaker 1:No, it's funny, I have to.
Speaker 2:I know that I talk a lot. That's what this show is about. We want to get to know you, so thank you for yeah I try to make it.
Speaker 1:You just ask something small and I'll just run with it.
Speaker 2:I love it, thank you.
Speaker 1:No, you ask good questions and, like I said, yeah, it's funny. Even when I like meet with people, I have to tell myself, like okay, shut up.
Speaker 2:I'm like that too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're saying yeah, so no, I don't. I think we. Uh, yeah, I like the questions you asked. I think we covered everything.
Speaker 2:Sweet, Love it. And I'm going to ask you just two more questions. I swear, Um, what do you like to do when you're not? Um, helping people with investment properties and selling houses? Uh, helping people buy houses, all that good stuff.
Speaker 1:Uh, I play a lot of golf. Um, I love love playing golf. Like I said, I grow, grew up since I was 14, 15 working in the golf business and my dad is a big golfer, my brother's a golfer. I have a lot of friends that golf it's big in real estate. Um, a lot. You know they make the joke that like a lot of deals get done on a golf course. It's true, Um, yeah, you can confirm that?
Speaker 2:Yeah?
Speaker 1:yeah, it is true. So I play, I play a lot of golf. Um, I'm very active. I always have been. So I go to, I go to the gym, or you know, four or five days a week, um, in the fall, this time of year, um, we, I like to camp too. So we usually try to camp, um, a couple times a year. And then in the summer, you know, beach golf, stuff like that yeah, I like to be, I like to be up and active and outside. So, yeah, I try to try to get to the beach in the summertime, you know, at least a couple times, try to go camping a couple times. In the fall, when it is this weather is like perfect for camping. And then when I'm around, though, just like on a day-to-day basis, it's kind of just, yeah, gym, you know, watch sports, I listen to music, listen to podcasts, play golf. It's pretty much it. I like to keep it low key.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's cool yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm not a big like traveler. I'm a nervous flyer. I don't like to travel that much.
Speaker 2:I don't blame you. Yeah, no, it's all good, but thank you. And my last question is if you could share with us maybe a quote or something that someone told you, maybe lyrics to a song that has inspired you in any way. If you could share that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess I would probably go back and, like I said, I wish I could remember, like, what the exact quote is, but it's something along the lines of the one I said a few minutes ago that it's like it's something about in generally speaking, it's just something about the place that you want to get to, or you know, wherever your end goal is, that is hidden behind things that you're avoiding doing. Um or another thing that is kind of along the same lines. As people say that, um, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, yeah, that's another, you know, just, they all kind of fit in, but, um, yeah, that that's what that's. What I would say is that you don't want to, and it doesn't matter what you're doing, this is any business. You don't want to live just like stuck in a box and you don't know what you're missing until you get out there and actually try things.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and uh yeah, so I would say that that's probably the biggest one for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate your time and all your insight and your hot takes. I like them. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Thank you, it's been very fun.