Speaker 1: 0:31

My name is Pam Schaefer and I'm a real estate agent. I work primarily in DC and Maryland and I'm with Compass.

Speaker 2: 0:44

Okay, beautiful. And now talk to me about the type of services that you're providing for your clients, for first-time homebuyers. Is it commercial, residential? All that good stuff? Okay.

Speaker 1: 0:55

I do mostly residential. I do a little bit of commercial, but the thing that interests me the most is helping people find or sell their nests. On the way over here I saw a billboard that said the best place to be is home and I thought, wow, that's really appropriate.

Speaker 2: 1:14

Yes.

Speaker 1: 1:14

And that's how I feel about it. I know how important my home is to me and my well-being, and I love helping people find their space where they feel comfortable and relaxed and can be with themselves and or with their families.

Speaker 2: 1:29

Yes, love that. Think that's a great answer because without people and them trying to find new homes or anything, we wouldn't have like a purpose and being able to make that process for them, easy for them, because I know it's very stressful, it's maybe it's their first time buying a home or selling a home and you're there to help ease that and build that trust and community absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:52

I am. I come from a health care background, so before I became a real estate agent, I was a counselor and educator health educator, yeah and I did a lot of mental health and in a lot of ways this segued very naturally into real estate because it is such a stressful time for people and I was able to use a lot of the skills that I learned in counseling and education with my clients who were going through rocky times but hopefully always coming out of it feeling great and liking the outcome Right?

Speaker 2: 2:32

Yes, and I was going to ask you how did you dip your feet into the real estate industry because you did start off in healthcare and how did that transition go, or what made you change your direction?

Speaker 1: 2:45

That's an interesting question. I had been in public health for about 25 years and I went to Ireland for six months months. Yeah, my husband at the time was doing a sabbatical and I decided to go with him and of course, our two children went also. And when I came back I thought to myself, if I'm ever going to make a radical career move, now is probably the time to do it. Now in my life is probably the best time to do it.

Speaker 1: 3:22

And I had a neighbor and I had always had an interest in real estate. I brokered unofficially a few deals just by knowing a seller and a buyer, not operating as an agent, but just bringing them together and letting them take care of all the details, a couple of times successfully. And I liked it and I like architecture and decor. And I had a neighbor who lived across the street from me at the time and she was a very well-known agent, so I asked to meet her for lunch, had a neighbor who lived across the street from me at the time and she was a very well-known agent, so I asked to meet her for lunch and within an hour we were in her office and I was signing papers and joining her team Nice Wow yeah.

Speaker 2: 4:06

That was cool that you knew her and you found that like way in and have her kind of like help you get into that industry.

Speaker 1: 4:12

Yeah, very nice. She was very valuable at the beginning.

Speaker 2: 4:16

Yeah, yeah, amazing. And then I'd like to ask you how do you approach marketing and promoting properties to potential buyers, and what strategies have you found to be most effective for you?

Speaker 1: 4:28

Well, I cover a range of properties, from investment properties that are, you know, need a lot of work, and up through $3 million homes and everything in between. So my marketing varies depending on the market that I'm targeting, but in general, I do a lot of social media. I do a lot of reaching out to my sphere of influence, staying connected to them, and I probably get 60% of my clients from previous clients that I've had through referrals.

Speaker 2: 5:14

Through the referrals. Yeah, word of mouth.

Speaker 1: 5:16

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:16

That's usually the best, because they know firsthand and they're like giving you that right. Yeah, and then what are some of the most important factors that buyers and sellers should consider when choosing a real estate agent to work with, in your opinion?

Speaker 1: 5:32

I think you need to trust the person. Yeah, it's a very intimate relationship that you have with clients in a very short period of time, so on paper everything can look right, but if there's not the right chemistry there, then it's probably not a good fit.

Speaker 1: 5:53

Yeah, then it's probably not a good fit, and so I think how much you trust each other is and it goes both ways is key. I think you want somebody knowledgeable, who knows your market, that you're either selling in or buying in, that will be honest with you, because there are some major decisions that need to be made and some realities that come up that are not always expected, and I think you need to have somebody that can understand what you're trying to do and what your goals are. That can understand what you're trying to do and what your goals are, because while it's purchasing or selling a house, it involves so many other things around that decision, so you have to be working with somebody who understands the big picture of what you're trying to do, for sure.

Speaker 2: 6:56

And then, 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: 7:02

I stay inspired by the clients that I have and the outcomes that I experience and the the joy that they have either in buying or selling. Sometimes it's a little bittersweet I do. Recently I've done a number of estate sales, meaning sales of homes where people have died, and I'm, and so my clients are the typically the, the offspring of the people who lived in the house. So there's sadness there too, but there's also well there's a lot of emotion attached with those experiences. From decluttering to detaching emotionally from probably a place where they grew up themselves is rewarding to me because at least so far knock on wood or whatever this is everybody's been happy with the end result.

Speaker 1: 8:10

Yeah the process. So I'm inspired by my clients. I'm also inspired by my colleagues. I work with some great people and learn something new every single day, yeah, and have a lot of resources available to me because of where I work and who I work with.

Speaker 2: 8:31

Beautiful, and who do you work with and who are your colleagues? I work with Compass.

Speaker 1: 8:35

Okay, my office is in Chevy Chase, maryland, okay, and I have a range of really I have a network of I think it's something like 30,000 agents, but that's across the whole country.

Speaker 2: 8:52

I was like whoa, that's a lot in one space.

Speaker 1: 8:53

Like yeah, I forget how many people are in the DMV area. Okay, that's all right, but nationwide and we stay in touch with each other. We have kind of intranet communications with people. We do a lot of referrals. I've done several referrals to the west coast and taken referrals from people moving here from the west coast, so I have people that I know, agents that I've worked with yeah, cross-country that's pretty cool, though, because you can maybe you're not familiar with that area and they can give you like hey, just a heads up, it's like that, or they're looking for this.

Speaker 2: 9:34

Like that's so cool that you can just pick like any state and there's theirs, since there's like 3,000 people. That's a lot, so that's incredible. And then, where do you hope to be in the next five years, with yourself and with your business?

Speaker 1: 9:49

That's another interesting question. I'm not on a team, I'm a solo practitioner. Okay, um, I've done both I've been on a team and I've not been on a team. Um, I see myself in five years probably being with a team Um, not my own, but at that point in my life I think I'm going to probably want to start phasing out, but I don't think I'm ever going to stop doing real estate. So it would be beneficial to me if I could find a team that would benefit from my skills and my knowledge and my connections and network and expertise and that could support me in, you know, what I'm trying to do, which is phase out, but not completely.

Speaker 2: 10:46

Yes, yeah, kind of just like step away a little bit, but still like be able to be there and dip your hands a little bit in there when the time comes Right. Yeah, I love that. And then, how do you help your clients understand and manage their real estate investment goals, whether they're buying a primary residence or looking for rental properties?

Speaker 1: 11:07

I listen. I listen to them very closely and try not to overstep, try not to judge and also be willing to be flexible, because people's needs and desires and what they are able to do often changes a lot during the course of this journey.

Speaker 2: 11:33

Yes.

Speaker 1: 11:34

So I, yes, changing horses in midstream. Yeah, you know, I mean, sometimes I spend three to six months with people looking at a certain kind of property and then they suddenly decide, no, that's not really where I want to be, I want to be someplace else. Yeah, so you got to be good with that.

Speaker 2: 12:08

Yeah, being able to like, shift it and be like, okay, well then, let's scratch that and bring it over here. Yeah, okay, that's nice, that's a good quality to have there. And then, how do you stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in real estate, in the real estate market, and what resources do you rely on? I know you talked to me about having a network, kind of like an intranet of like other real estate agents, so maybe that's one way, yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:31

And again. So maybe that's one way. Yeah, and again a lot through my colleagues and a lot through the Compass headquarters, who has a huge marketing team for all the agents in all the different states and cities, and they're constantly pumping out updated market information nationally and locally. Okay, so I don't really have to look for it. That's good it just kind of it comes to me automatically.

Speaker 2: 13:03

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:03

Which is the great thing about working at Compass.

Speaker 2: 13:06

Yeah, no, that's great.

Speaker 1: 13:07

But besides that, you know I do scroll. I mean, I look at, I read business magazines and I, you know, I read a lot of real estate magazines and journals and look at all the emails that look like they might be interesting and might help me stay updated.

Speaker 2: 13:25

Yeah, no, that's good. I know online there can also be a lot of misinformation or panic and it kind of just like that's not true. Let me look. No, that's not. Why are they saying that that's misinformation or panic and it kind of just like that's not true. Let me look. No, that's not. Why are they saying that? That's not quite what it is?

Speaker 2: 13:35

A lot Right? Do you ever have clients that come in and they're just like you know what? I saw this on Instagram or Facebook and is that possible for me to do? Like, is my house going to be like that? Or situations like that where you kind of have to like scale it a little bit and kind of bring them back to reality or educate them?

Speaker 1: 13:53

A lot. In fact, I really see my primary role is being an educator, most recently, I mean. A good example of this is the recent changes in the real estate commission process. People were very confused by that, as I was initially. So having to explain that to people at the outset, whether they're a buyer or a seller, is really important, because it's an important thing to understand. But it's also important not to overstate it and not to confuse people even more because you're over explaining. Yes, a pretty complex process, but it doesn't really have to be.

Speaker 2: 14:41

Okay, no.

Speaker 1: 14:42

So yeah, so that's, and I enjoy doing that. I like being like I said. I came from a counseling and education background, so Cool, I kind of slipped into that very easily.

Speaker 2: 14:55

Yeah, I'd like to ask what do you like to do on your free time? I know like you come from a background of like, where mental health is important, finding that balance in your life, with your career, with your family, with your life in general. How do you find time to just categorize everything and give okay, I'm going to give some time here, or this full day is dedicated to this. Talk to me about that.

Speaker 1: 15:16

Well, I'm an insomniac.

Speaker 2: 15:19

Okay, that helps, but it also hurts. Yeah, I'm sure.

Speaker 1: 15:24

Yeah, I'm a workaholic and I have to watch myself. Most recently I've been better. I mean, I do yoga, I exercise religiously. I have a very demanding but adorable Labrador retriever.

Speaker 2: 15:43

Cute. How old? Five, five Okay, but he acts like he's two.

Speaker 1: 15:49

And I travel, to the extent that I can Nice, much of the time with my two daughters who live in different states. But we get together and we travel and go to interesting places and I like to entertain. What do you mean?

Speaker 2: 16:10

Like I guess have people in the house and like make hors d'oeuvres or something like that.

Speaker 1: 16:13

Yeah, I love where I live and I think I have a really special house. I mean, it's not huge, but it's just me, so I don't need huge. Well, me and my dog, and I like to share that with other people and I like to. I think I'm good at bringing people together. Okay, I think that's a forte that I have. That's a good skill and I enjoy doing that in my space. Yeah, and I don't have as much time for that as I'd like to, but I have enough time to do it periodically. And let's see, what else do I do? I like to, I like to hike.

Speaker 2: 16:54

I was going to say maybe be in nature. That's always a good thing, yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:57

I do like to hike, um, and I used to ride horses. I'd like to pick that back up again.

Speaker 2: 17:05

Oh my goodness, yeah, that would be so cool yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:08

Um, and I kind of will try almost anything, I won't skydive.

Speaker 2: 17:14

No, me, neither. I'm with you there.

Speaker 1: 17:16

And I won't bungee jump.

Speaker 2: 17:17

Same. No, no, no, none of that for me. I'm too scared.

Speaker 1: 17:20

But other than that, I'm pretty adventurous. Okay, so I'm not a sailing person, but I've been sailing and I enjoy sailing every once in a while. Wow, and biking. I do like biking you really are active.

Speaker 2: 17:34

You weren't kidding. Yeah, you like to be up and about and moving around. That's a good thing. I feel like as I've grown, I find myself slowing down. But I can't let myself win and be like stay still, you've got to keep moving.

Speaker 1: 17:45

Yeah, it's important.

Speaker 2: 17:47

Yeah, see, you owe me a soda, just kidding, but yeah, and then what have been some of the challenges? Just being your own agent and not having a team figuring out on your own, like maybe just what have been some challenges as a small business owner for yourself?

Speaker 1: 18:07

Sometimes it's a little bit, I wouldn't say lonely, but it's Quiet, there's. I mean, there's always something new coming up and it's nice to have people to bounce that off of. So I don't always have that readily available, but I usually can.

Speaker 1: 18:30

I have great managers who will answer texts almost any time Nice, and I have colleagues that help out too, and it's actually a Facebook page or Facebook platform that we use Like Workplace, yeah, that we use to communicate nationally Like workplace, yeah, that we use to communicate nationally, and I can throw something on there and have like this whole audience of 30,000 people that could potentially respond to me, and do? I mean obviously not all of them, yeah, and sometimes it's not many, yeah, but it is good, it's nice to have that support. Oh for sure. People are. If they have an answer or they feel like they can contribute, they generally will respond.

Speaker 2: 19:19

I love that. Yeah, is there anything.

Speaker 1: 19:30

Maybe I have not touched on whether it's about yourself or your business or life in general that maybe you would like people to know that I love what I do. I never get tired of it. I treat of course you know legally you have to, but I treat everyone the same way. I treat all properties the same way. Treat everyone the same way. I treat all properties the same way, whether it's a $200,000 to be renovated from the ground up or a $3 million house. So and I, you know, give me a call, contact me. Yeah, that's right, I'd love to help you.

Speaker 2: 20:10

Yeah, whether you're looking to buy, sell or need some advice, I'm sure that Pam can hand you to the right direction or person, or she can help you herself.

Speaker 1: 20:18

Or even if you have questions that aren't about buying or selling necessarily, but just about real estate in general, I'm open to that too.

Speaker 2: 20:25

Yeah, I love that. And then I wanted to ask you about your location. Do you like work from home, like kind of in office?

Speaker 1: 20:37

or do you have like a space that you drive to and go to? I was just curious. Both nice, yeah, I have a little space in an office and I do. But I do work a lot from home, okay, yeah, it started. It started pre-covid, but yeah, it started pre-covid. But then during covid I tended to work more from home because it just gives me more time. I don't have to commute, I don't have to spend the time that I was spending in the car, I can spend working and I also am pretty dominant in my area where I live. So if I'm showing a house or if I'm doing a listing and having to be there to get it staged or photographed or whatever, I'm close by, closer by than if I were to be at your office In the office.

Speaker 2: 21:23

Okay, that's good to know. And then I do know that you said that you like to kind of just host and do all that good stuff. Does that kind of play an important role for you in your staging, I guess, getting things ready, or maybe do you do open houses? Do you like doing that?

Speaker 1: 21:38

I do, I used to do my own staging, oh wow, which I loved, but then it got too labor intensive.

Speaker 2: 21:47

Yeah, I bet right.

Speaker 1: 21:48

And I had a pretty nice setup. I had a neighborhood man who was very strong and he would help me move my collection, which was limited compared to what stagers have, but he would help me and it worked for a while and then I decided, you know what, I can't do everything, and so I don't even remember how I met this person. I might have met her on Instagram, but I found a starting out staging person who was wonderful and when she started out she used to hitch a little wagon to her car and carry all this stuff. And now, several years later, she's got a big business, a warehouse, perfect and doing really well, and I stay with her and I totally trust her judgment. But I have editorial rights. If I want something changed or moved or this instead of that, she's right there. But basically we have the same aesthetic.

Speaker 2: 23:00

Aesthetic. Yeah, yeah, perfect. I would like to ask what type of advice, based on your experience with staging and all that, to people who are trying to stage their home? Or should they even make it look nice or leave it be? What do you recommend?

Speaker 1: 23:14

oh, yeah, you can't leave it be. Oh, because nobody wants to buy a house that looks like somebody lived in it, even though they're gonna live in it. Yeah, um, they want houses that look like something out of architectural diamond not that your house has to be one of those houses, but that's the look that people expect. So, yes, I think staging is very important. I think people kind of get it now. At the beginning, when it first became popular, or before it was popular, people were really reticent about laying out the extra money if they were the ones who had to pay for the staging. And it took a lot of coaxing and convincing that you know what you really are going to make this money back on your investment to get people to the point where they would agree to do it. And now I get very little resistance about staging.

Speaker 2: 24:13

Isn't that nice Now that the public is aware and sees the importance of it. It's like, see, I love that Getting on board with us here. Yeah, that's great, all right, and so for my final question. I like to ask everybody this question but do you have a saying or a quote that maybe has inspired you, or somebody maybe said something to you that has stuck on your mind and you would like to leave our audience with?

Speaker 1: 24:36

Well, I think the one that I started out with the billboard that I saw coming over here, the most important place there is his home.

Speaker 2: 24:52

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 24:53

And I really honestly in my heart believe that and I love being part of the experience of finding or letting go of that place.

Speaker 2: 25:06

Yeah, absolutely. With people and that's where you're going to be right Having family, having yourself there in your space and being able to come home after a long day and just be like this is my, this is my place, and it's it's such an important thing yeah, a human being's life. So thank you for being here, thank you for making time and thanks for sharing the wisdom and some tips for our listeners.

Speaker 1: 25:24

We really appreciate you for having me absolutely.