Speaker 1: 0:30

My name is Jennifer Cook and I'm a licensed real estate agent in the state of Virginia, so I help people buy, sell, invest and rent, and then I also have a staging and design business that services Virginia, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and so we help real estate agents and sellers get their house ready for the market so that way they're able to really maximize their equity and sell quickly and for the most money as possible.

Speaker 2: 0:56

I love it. And now tell us a little bit about your backstory, on how you got into the industry.

Speaker 1: 1:02

Yeah, I mean to like cut a really long story short. It kind of fell like real estate kind of found me. In a sense, it started when I graduated high school. I actually went to like marketing and graphic design was like my like passion in life, yeah, and so I did that for a few years. And then I was blessed with my son and so I was really focused on raising him instead of like putting him in daycare, and so I went back into the restaurant industry to have that flexibility and be there for him. And then, in 2009, the market back then, that's when the whole market crashed and there was a lot of foreclosures and I was actually able to purchase my first house and so I was 24. Nice, bartending, buying a house and so, at that, going through that experience of looking, I think I probably looked at like a hundred homes. I mean, the agent that I had at that time was absolutely amazing. I learned a lot. She encouraged me. She's like you should get your license.

Speaker 1: 2:05

I'm like no, I'm good at bartending, like I'm good at what I do, so I'm just going to stick with this. But I like learning, getting pre-approved, learning how to buy a house, going on all the tours, learning about the lending, like it was just so much fun, um, and I think that that's kind of when the seed was planted, but I didn't really realize it at that time. Um, and then she said something to me, um, that really stuck with me. She told me that I had a really great timing because the market in 2009, like that house is, I bought it's like $87,000. Yeah, wow. So she said to me. She said, whatever you do, don't ever sell this house. This is your retirement, this is your like, oh my gosh, a life emergency has happened. You know, like, keep this. Whatever you do, don't ever sell this house. And I said, okay, and I, it just kind of sat with me. And then, nine years later, I had became friends with another real estate agent and I called her up one day and I said, hey, can you help me turn this into a rental and then buy another house, cause I wanted to get my son into a different school district? And she said, well, let me connect you with some lenders. And so went through that whole process of, like, telling me what I needed to do Give me my check boxes. Um and so, actually nine years to the exact day, I walked into my second townhouse. Um, still as a single mom, I did both as a single mom. Um, I was in dentistry at that time, so I did. Wow, like you know, over that nine years I did go from restaurants to dentistry and I had a great career in dentistry.

Speaker 1: 3:35

But during that process of finding my second townhouse, that nine years, I did go from restaurants to dentistry and I had a great career in dentistry. But during that process of finding my second townhouse that I bought, that real estate agent looked at me and said you know, you should really think about getting your license. And so I sat back and I thought, man, maybe there's two different people. Now, 10 years apart, I said, maybe I should look into this. And then, shortly after purchasing that house, I thought we found out I was pregnant with my daughter. And so, when I was on maternity leave from the dental office, I got my real estate license and I had decided that I was just going to do it part time. And you know, you can be a dual career agent and I think I have a lot of support on Facebook and I knew a lot of people from bartending and just from life, and so I said, well, let me help them.

Speaker 1: 4:21

Because of my own story, of being someone who was young, a single woman, single mother, able to accomplish something, I wanted to be able to help other people that I knew. I think in Northern Virginia there's a people that I knew. I think in Northern Virginia there's a myth that young people can't own houses and can't own homes, and I'm very much against that, you know, and I think that I think, yeah, you know, and I think that I'm very my first time home buyers are very, very dear to my heart and most of my buyers are first time home buyers because I know that if I can do it, anybody can do. It is my mentality and so I was just going to help, right? I was never actually going to be a real estate agent full time.

Speaker 1: 5:05

And then COVID came and shut our dental practice down for those few months and I just started because we were essential, I could drive, and so I would go, like I'm going to Target. I'd post on Facebook hey, in my neighborhood, I'm going to run into Target, does anybody need anything? And you know, after a while, a few months I think it was like July of 2020, I had like six families under contract and I sat back and I was like man, I'm really happy. Like I think that was the first time in my life that I actually felt like I fit what I was doing when it comes to work, like I've done a lot of different careers, I've tried a lot of different things, but I think in like July of 2020, I sat back and I was like, wow, this is what I've meant, like I'm meant to do, um, and then from there, I made my checklist of what I need to accomplish in order to become full-time.

Speaker 1: 5:55

And so February of 2021 is when I said goodbye to dentistry and I loved what I did in dentistry. I loved my patients. But in February of 21, I gave my notice and just kind of dove headfirst into real estate. Were you nervous? Oh, I was petrified I didn't really you know because they say, like, as a dual career agent, you should like build your pipeline, build your reserves, and then you leave your career and you transition into real estate. I just kind of jumped off the cliff.

Speaker 2: 6:24

It's just kind of like what I do in my life, you're just like let's go.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Yeah, I'm like, you know, sink or swim type of philosophy. I think is how I do quite a few things in my life, and I mean I'm not like failure, I think, is part of life. Yep, I say like to my team a lot. I'm like let's fail forward, like let's learn from this, and so I do like to take risks and I think that that has helped get me to where I am in my life is being comfortable with failing and learning from that and and knowing that if I don't take the risk, nothing's going to change. Yes, um, so I I did jump off the cliff, but I had a great support system.

Speaker 1: 6:59

Good, um, that that definitely didn't let me like completely fall, um, and so it was probably like May of 21 where I was like, okay, this is, yeah, this is I found it. I finally found it. You know, I'm like in my mid thirties. At this point I'm like I finally found what I was meant to do.

Speaker 2: 7:15

I'm sure that feeling felt like oh yeah, I'm where I'm supposed to be and it's such a good mindset for you to have, where it's just like don't be afraid of failing. It's part of life. When you normalize it, you'll. You're going to take more risks, You're going to open more doors for yourself. Oftentimes we don't ourselves want to improve for the better, for a better job opportunity. So we definitely got to normalize that and I'm I'm working on that myself some days, Cause I'm like I don't want to do that, Like I'm already good at this, Like what? And then I get over that hurdle. I'm like why did I not do this?

Speaker 1: 7:48

sooner. That's right. Keller Williams, finding Keller Williams as a brokerage. They're very big on culture, they're very big on learning and they're huge on self-improvement. And I've always played sports growing up. I've always worked in businesses where it was like you had to be a team. I love that. I can't do anything by myself, and finding Keller Williams really really helped me start that path of like self-improvement and self-awareness and becoming like that's 1% better every day. Right, like I just want to be 1% better. I don't got to be 50, 100% better, just 1% better than I was yesterday. Each time, yeah, and I think that that's really, you know, taking that mindset and putting that culture into not just my business but who I am as a person, with my kids. It's definitely life-changing and has kind of helped me get to where I am today.

Speaker 2: 8:40

Beautiful, well said. I love that. Thank you, yeah. And then you began your real estate journey in 2009 by purchasing your first home and expanded to owning multiple income properties by 2020. How did these personal investment experiences shape your approach as a real estate professional?

Speaker 1: 8:56

Oh man, um it it's. It feels good to be able to sit down, um, because, again, first time home buyers like I, I will help anybody with their real estate needs, but first time home buyers like that's, that's my thing, um, and so I think being able to sit down and share, hey, I did this at 24. And I so now I have three, so I rent those two townhouses and then I have my single family that I live in now, and so I share with them. You know my own personal experience. But then I also get them to understand that real estate is a vehicle to create generational wealth, and I'm I'm proof of that. And so I can understand the numbers. And it's a lot more than just saying, hey, buy a house, it's better than renting. I say, hey, buy a house, it's better for renting, and here's why. And here are the numbers, and I can decipher, like appreciation rates and interest rates and all of these things that aren't openly talked about. And I can sit down and I don't think that if I didn't figure that out firsthand, me going through it, I don't know if I would be able to explain that, yeah, right, and I do meet with, you know, some clients and they're like oh, nobody's ever told me this, I didn't know. I was working with this other real estate agent and I don't think you know.

Speaker 1: 10:17

One thing I love about real estate is you have to find your people, and there are real estate agents out there that are so talented and their clients love them and they're great. And sometimes the client doesn't necessarily match that real estate agent right. Like, you have to find that person that you connect with in real estate. And so I hear that, oh, I've met with this real estate agent, but they've never told me this before, probably because they didn't realize that working with first-time homebuyers is different than working with somebody who's bought before. Right. And so I'm on. My mission for 2025 is to find the people in real estate who need to be educated, who want to learn about appreciation rates, who wants to look at real estate as a vehicle to create generational wealth. Because that's what I'm doing. I'm not looking to just help people buy houses, I'm looking to help people create generational wealth.

Speaker 2: 11:10

Yes, passing on that torch of knowledge to them. That's so beautiful, the fact that you care, and that's also a way to connect, not just to help, but to connect with them like one-on-one as a person and build that trust. They're like, hey look, she did it at our age. Or like she's my age right now and she's doing it she gets it.

Speaker 1: 11:27

Well, the national average. When I was at my class we do an annual continuing education course with Keller Williams, they said the national average to purchase a first-time home for a first-time home buyer is 38 years old and I think that's too late. I feel like you know, you go to college or you go to high school, you graduate, you go to college, you graduate, you get your career, you buy, you get married, you buy a house. And there's so many people that they, they do all of that and I've met with them because they're like Jen, I've done everything I was supposed to.

Speaker 1: 11:59

Why can't I afford a house? Why is it so expensive? And I always say, like well, let's meet, let's talk. I'm not going to shove buying a house down your throat Like, let's just talk about what your goals are, let's talk about it. Because I think there's also a lot of pressure for first-time homebuyers to buy the forever home, Yep, Yep. And I say to them I say no appreciation rate of in Prince William County right now is like anywhere from 7% to 8% year over year. Buy a house, just get into a house, and then wait three to five years, turn around, sell that house, buy your next forever home right, or keep that house as a rental and then buy your next house and now you've got positive cashflow right. So there's so many different ways to do real estate, and that's what I'm really passionate about is like trying to educate as many people as I can to figure out what's the right path for you, Because everybody's path is different. Yeah, Everybody's path is different.

Speaker 2: 12:54

I feel like you're a client real estate advocate.

Speaker 1: 12:56

Yes, that's what you are, I love that. Yes, that's what you are, I love that.

Speaker 2: 12:59

That's going to be a hashtag. Yeah, period, you can keep it, you're welcome, thank you.

Speaker 1: 13:03

No, I'm just kidding. No, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 2: 13:05

That's literally what it sounds like. I'm not hearing oh, she's a real estate agent. I'm hearing a client real estate. That's what you are. Yeah, Thank you for that.

Speaker 1: 13:12

Yeah, you're welcome.

Speaker 2: 13:14

And then the past five years have seen significant shifts in the housing market, with home prices increasing over 45% since 2020. How have these changes?

Speaker 1: 13:28

impacted your strategies in helping clients buy or sell properties? That's such a great question. I think that you know, because real estate has its ups and downs. It's, on average, every 17 years we see a down market. Right, it's like we go to war, we recover, we have the Great Depression, we recover. Like there's, there's, it's always going to be ups and downs, and when I explain this to clients sometimes the down market doesn't necessarily mean houses are cheap or there's a lot of houses. The down market that we're seeing right now is just the affordability of houses because of that increase.

Speaker 1: 14:01

However, for me, I think it creates more opportunity, especially for first-time home buyers, because there's a lot of grants out there that help first-time home buyers get into houses, and there's less competition, because if interest rates drop, people who are waiting for interest rates to drop are now going to come into the market. And so I try to have my clients understand the full picture of it is try not to get caught up in the headlines of saying, oh, the houses have gone up 45%, yes, and they're going to level off, they're going to come down, they're going to Right and they're going to. They're going to level off, they're going to come down. They're going to go up. They're always going to be moving around, but at the end of the day, if the appreciation in that community of where you're at is going up, that's the number that you need to pay attention to.

Speaker 1: 14:47

Because I bought a house. Let's just say, for sake of numbers, if I buy a house at 300,000 and the appreciation rate makes me $15,000 in a year, it's worth 315. I own that for three years Now I'm at 345,000, but I'm still paying the same amount of money mortgage pretty much every month. Right, and so that's what I try to get people to understand is like try not to read the headlines and get that focused on the statistics. Look at all of the numbers, because it's not just one.

Speaker 2: 15:18

That's so true, yeah, oftentimes you get fixated on what the market rate is currently and that's all you think about. But no, there's so many factors that play into that and see again, you're like this pool of knowledge that you can just dip into and you're going to find out a lot of things that maybe you didn't even know, or someone didn't even tell you, or maybe they didn't even know, so they couldn't tell you.

Speaker 2: 15:35

So this is incredible and amazing, I'm so glad you're giving so many nuggets of wisdom here. Thank you, thank you. Let's see. Innovations like Granny Pods are emerging as solutions to housing shortages, offering modular, off-site built accommodations. Do you see potential for such trends in your local market and how might they influence future housing options?

Speaker 1: 16:01

So it's funny that you say this. When I was younger, my mom, my mom, is like my everything in life, she would do something really good for me. I'd be like mom, I'm going to build you a shack in the backyard and my mom, she'd do something nice. I'd be like mom, I'm going to give you carpet. You have carpet now.

Speaker 1: 16:17

You've earned a carpet or you've earned curtains or just something, because I've always wanted my mom to be very close to me, yeah, and so I don't know if, realistically, that's something that can happen in this area, because I have, like Mark Twain he was like buy land, they're not making it anymore. I think that's one of the best quotes ever, ever, because it is true and you know it's like this area, northern Virginia there's very limited land, so maybe a granny pod in somebody's backyard if the land is big enough.

Speaker 2: 16:48

Right, If the land is big enough.

Speaker 1: 16:50

Now I can see that happening more in like the Stafford County area. I do have a lot of clients that are buying bigger homes to move their parents or mother-in-law or someone into that basement and then converting to like an apartment situation, like we're starting to see a lot of that as time, which I think it's smart. You know, like I always say, like if I could go back. I had this conversation the other day with a friend. I said, man, if I could go back to like my mid twenties, I would get like two really solid friends and I would just start buying houses and living in that house, renting out the rooms, buy another one and just like, create this wealth. Um, cause, I think it's, you know, our society does kind of like you're supposed to leave home, you're supposed to separate from your family and be on your own.

Speaker 2: 17:33

It's kind of a negative if you stay back and you stay home. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:36

And I don't think I mean my mom is living with me right now because she had a fire last June. She's thankfully okay. Her dog's- okay.

Speaker 1: 17:45

But going through that process of trying to rebuild and permits and all of that. So she's been living with me for a few months and I kind of looked at her the other day I was like you know, you don't have to go back, we can always rent out that house and you can stay here. You know, and it's you know, I, I think that something like that, if you have the land, if the numbers make sense, why not? Absolutely. You know why not? I don't, I don't think anything's anything's wrong with it, but I don't necessarily see it happening in Northern Virginia. But I could definitely see it like Stafford County's Culpeper a little bit.

Speaker 2: 18:14

Where there's more land, it makes better sense. Yeah, it does, you're right. Thanks for sharing on that. I'd like to ask you about marketing. What are you doing to get the word out there about yourself? Are you on social media, networking, events, word of mouth, a mix of everything?

Speaker 1: 18:28

I think it's kind of a mix. When I was working on my business plan for this year, I told one of my coaches that I have to get back to the basics and I have to get back on social media. Social media Facebook has been I mean, it catapulted my business back in 2020. And then, as I've grown and have been focusing on the other companies that I have now, I kind of got away from it, because you only have so much bandwidth in a day. Yep, that's so true.

Speaker 1: 18:55

And so I feel like I need to get back to the basics. I just met with a potential client. Well, they are a client. They live in Georgia, originally from here. She said, somehow two years ago I wound up on her Facebook and she's been following me for the last couple of years. So we had a buyer strategy meeting and so my focus for this year, when I was going over my business plan, was that I wanted to get back into social media and start not just saying, hey, look at this house, I helped my client buy, but talk about the process and that's why, kind of, when you guys reached out, I was like, hey, this is kind of going with what I want to do for 2025. I want to start a YouTube channel. I had a first time home buyer. I closed on Valentine's Day. They said to me during our second meeting, because I also go a lot slower if somebody's a first time home buyer, because I want them to understand.

Speaker 1: 19:46

So we had two meetings and she said she's like man, you need to have a camera right here recording everything that you're saying and you should put it on YouTube. You do, and so I think that that's going to be something that my one thing that I focus on this year is trying to get out there to kind of talk a little bit more about the process and educate people on how to do what I've done, Absolutely Because if I've done it, anybody could do it. I'm convinced.

Speaker 2: 20:10

I love that. I love that mindset. You're like, if I can do it girl you're good, yeah, anybody can I think what that client told you is like 100% facts. You definitely need to get up on a camera record yourself, because like I said, some of the things you're saying, I'm like I have not heard that or no one's positioned it in that way. Before you get it, like you, you went through it you bought a house at 24.

Speaker 1: 20:29

That's pretty impressive, I know it was a little bit different back then.

Speaker 2: 20:32

I guess if you will, but still buying a house at 24. To me that's impressive. Thank you, I appreciate that.

Speaker 1: 20:37

That's very kind.

Speaker 2: 20:38

And I wish you all the best of luck with that.

Speaker 1: 20:44

I know the thing is like I've. I utilize chat gpt so I went into it and he's done a whole, like I call him he, I don't know it's okay, um mine's a she, so we named mine chad, mine's chatty, I call it no it's c-h-a-t-t-y.

Speaker 1: 21:01

I love it. We named him chad, so that's funny, look at that. But yeah, so we have like a I have a whole like three month plan. Um, I'm actually meeting with my lender next week to to record some some content, um, and start posting it and just getting it out there, cause, yeah, like I'm, I'm excited for it, I'm excited for you too.

Speaker 2: 21:20

You'll have to invite us.

Speaker 1: 21:23

Subscribe hit the bell.

Speaker 2: 21:25

Yes, girl, practice that a little bit more in the mirror.

Speaker 1: 21:28

I'll have my daughter. She's got it down pat. My six-year-old will record it for me, hire her yeah, perfect.

Speaker 2: 21:33

And then, with virtual tools enhancing the home buying process, how have you integrated technology into your services to improve client experiences and efficiency? I know we just talked about chat GPT.

Speaker 1: 21:43

Yeah, love that. So, luckily well, not luckily, but I was I was lucky back I got licensed in 2019, did a couple deals in real estate 2019. So I experienced, before 2020 happened, like I kind of know what it used to be like, right, and one of the first designations I got after being licensed is a military relocation professional certificate type situation. My grandfather's retired Navy, my daughter's father is an army veteran. So military community I live in a military community in Montclair, virginia, very important.

Speaker 1: 22:20

So I kind of was launched in 2020 into that world of, like military needing to move but not able to come here because of the restrictions. So I really got very comfortable implementing technology to help me allow a buyer that's stationed in California or Texas or North Carolina or Florida be able to buy a house without really seeing it, to be able to buy a house without really seeing it. So I mean Zoom, facetime I can do pretty much every single document that needs to be signed can be done electronically. Now I mean I have literally helped people buy and sell houses and they've never, like, stepped foot in the same room as me. That's incredible. So, yeah, technology is awesome.

Speaker 2: 23:04

Yes, it is. It's changed so much for so many industries and the fact that, like you can sell them, you don't even have to step into the home. It's like here you go, look at it. Here's the pictures, there's the backstory on it. You let me know and they're like I'm sold. Yeah, that is great. I'm glad that you're using that. I think COVID helped change real estate.

Speaker 1: 23:32

And I think that it changed it. There are some negative things, but I try to focus on the positives and I think that it does it did change it for the better.

Speaker 2: 23:38

It helped us grow as professionals Love it. And then I have just so many questions for you, I swear. Considering the increasing emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability, what home design trends do you anticipate will be more prominent in the next few years?

Speaker 1: 23:56

Oh, I don't know, that's such a good question. I have actually been seeing a lot more solar panel stuff go up as I drive around the neighborhood. We call it driving for dollars, but you drive around the neighborhoods and you kind of notice like in certain communities the solar panels are going up on the roofs a little bit more. I think that just doing the updates on the houses is really because, again, you know, in Northern Virginia we've run out of land, right. So a lot of people are buying the land of the older houses and then putting newer homes that have those efficiencies and things like that.

Speaker 1: 24:29

My house was built in 1978. I have the newer windows, the newer roof, and just taking just because the house is old doesn't mean it's bad, and just because it's old doesn't mean you can't love it, yeah, which is kind of why I have the staging and design company, because I have that mindset of like, just because it's old doesn't mean you can't make it pretty, yeah, yeah. And so we renovate houses. So I think that just being mindful, is that in-house? Is that in-house the renovation? So the way that we, the way that I've structured it is, let's say, hypothetically, you're selling a house, yeah, and you lived in this house for 20 years and you haven't updated it for 20 years and now you need to sell because you're transitioning, you're retiring in Florida. So I would come and we would walk around and I'd say, okay, all of this needs to be updated, we need to do all these updates.

Speaker 1: 25:20

I would then go get contractor bids. So I don't have a contractor's license, I don't have anybody on staff, but I have a great network of people that I've met over the last couple of years and my contractors know that I'm going to shop them because my client is is who I'm loyal to, like they're. My most important thing is my client. So I'll get a couple different contractor bids for that client and then I sit down and we kind of I give them two options do nothing, do a little bit, or do a lot, and we look at the numbers of it. If they did nothing, what they would list at, what they would sell at the end of the day, yeah, and then if they did a little bit, what we would list at, what they would sell at the end of the day, and so on and so forth, and then I just present that information to them. Um, and so we've helped manage projects, not manage. We've helped consult with projects from 5,000 up to about $100,000.

Speaker 1: 26:12

And I've I've really it's again, I guess like an advocate for sellers, because a lot of people in that situation they feel like they just need to get a cash offer. There's just so much work that can be, that needs to be done. They don't know where to start. It's going to cost too much money. But what they don't realize is if you have been living in that home for a really long time, you have a lot of equity and because of my company and the way that I've structured it, we can take care of paying for all of that work upfront, nice. And then we put the four sets on in the front yard and then we sell, you pay me back at closing and now you've made that $60,000 versus letting an investor make that $60,000.

Speaker 1: 26:53

And so I've been able to help a lot of people who are trying to transition to that next phase of their life be able to do that with more money in their pocket. And that's really for us. The staging company does stage the house, we bring the furniture in, we make it look pretty, but for me it's so much more because I'm really trying to get as much as many pennies for that house that I can for them. And as the years have passed, you know, real estate agents that I've met have now started asking me to help them with their listings, and so my, my impact, I guess, is even more past the clients that hire me as their agent. I'm able to help other agents and their clients have that amazing impact on them to really help them make as much money as they can when they sell, and it's just, it's very rewarding yeah for sure, like you're touching so many aspects for, like the client, other real estate, it's like a community that you've built and you help each other.

Speaker 1: 27:46

Yes, that is awesome. I love that. Yeah, we have to hashtag that too, hashtag working together.

Speaker 2: 27:51

I love it, I love it, and then is there anything that I have not touched on that perhaps you would like to share?

Speaker 1: 27:57

Gosh, there's so much, I can literally talk all day about real estate.

Speaker 1: 28:01

Um, I think that my biggest thing, um, that I kind of always try to tell people, is slow down the process.

Speaker 1: 28:09

I think that whether you're buying or selling, there's this like urgency of like going to miss the market or I'm going to, the rates are going to change or, you know, something's going to happen with our political whatever.

Speaker 1: 28:25

And I think that the perfect time to transact, the perfect time to buy, the perfect time to sell, is when it works for you, and rushing it, whether you're buying or selling, or even renting, isn't in your best interest.

Speaker 1: 28:40

Slowing down the process and finding a team of professionals that are going to understand all phases of what your real estate goal is is really important, and I think that that's something that our industry doesn't talk about enough, because when I meet with a client for the first time, I let them know you're interviewing me for the job and I'm interviewing you too, because I want to make sure that I'm interviewing you too, because I want to make sure that I'm the right fit. Yes, because I don't want to wake up every day of my life and feel like, oh, I got to work with this client and I know that I'm not the right fit for them. I just don't want to live my life like that, and so I have no problem saying, hey, I don't think I'm qualified for what you need from me. Let me help you find somebody who is qualified for you.

Speaker 1: 29:28

And I think that a lot of times, you know, I hear, oh well, I'm going to work with my cousin uncle's daughter who just got their real estate license, and they don't slow down and actually interview the real estate agent or interview the lender, or interview the person that's going to help them accomplish their goal. So I think that that's kind of one thing that I wish us as an industry would talk about is slow down a little bit, yeah, and then research, you know, make sure that who you're working with is a good fit for you and because, again, not every single agent is good with first time home buyers, not every single agent is good with VA loans that can help the military community if they haven't taken those classes. So I think it's really important to find the people that align with who you are and they understand your goal Absolutely. I think it's something that we need to do as an industry.

Speaker 2: 30:17

Well said, I love that. And now my final question do you have a saying, quote or a mantra that has inspired you in any way, or has anybody told you something that resonated?

Speaker 1: 30:26

perhaps For me, like in business or life, it could be both. Okay, I think so, my, my like life motto that I tell myself all the time. I forget where I heard it a long time ago and it's kind of like, built over the years, it started with if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough. Ooh, that's a good one.

Speaker 2: 30:47

I've heard it. I've heard it.

Speaker 1: 30:48

I can't remember who said it Me neither but I have really kind of started because this is, I suffer from imposter syndrome Same girl. It's really bad. Some days I spent like all of 2023 like working on that. Good for you. I always pick one thing a year, and so that was like my 2023.

Speaker 1: 31:08

And that's kind of when this whole like I don't, I want big goals, I want big dreams. They should scare you, right, like that's because then when you accomplish that, you're like, oh, wow, this is awesome, now make it bigger. And then, over like the last couple of years, I started like looking at more into that aspect and that mindset and then I kind of like added a comma to that beginning part and so now it says if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough and I intend to die having memories and not dreams, wow. So that's kind of like what I say to myself all the time if I'm up against a challenge or just having a moment in life where I'm like what am I doing? I just kind of say that to myself over and over again because I do.

Speaker 1: 31:48

I, at the end of the day, when you're taking your last breath, I want to have memories. Yes, I want to remember all the amazing people that I helped, or all the amazing people that helped me on my path, trusted me. I mean that's having somebody trust me with a million dollar purchase or having somebody trust me with their grandmother, who's lived in this house for 40 years and now she has to sell like that's being trusted with. That moment in someone's life is just something that's so amazing and just like I feel so blessed that I can help people do that. Um, and so that's kind of the way that I'm living my life, so like that's my like. Business and personal is like that's kind of my thing. I love that that's a really good one.

Speaker 2: 32:29

Keep being scared, girl. Yeah right your dreams.

Speaker 1: 32:32

Right, yeah, yeah, I like it.

Speaker 2: 32:33

Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing so many great tips, so many great things that I'm sure people will hear first time buyers.