July 14, 2025 • 28 mins
What happens when an appraiser of 22 years crosses over to become a real estate agent? Brandon Hargreaves shares this fascinating transition in our latest conversation, revealing how his extensive valuation background gives him a unique edge in Orange County's competitive real estate market.
Brandon pulls back the curtain on the often misunderstood relationship between appraisers and agents. "Behind every door there's a story," he explains, detailing how his experience evaluating thousands of properties allows him to create compelling narratives around the homes he now sells. His practical advice on how agents should communicate with appraisers—respecting their profession while providing comprehensive information—offers invaluable guidance for any real estate professional.
The conversation takes a compelling turn as Brandon shares how a simple appraisal request from Travis Mullen led to a transformative career move, joining The Gated Group alongside Travis and Gina Kirschenheiter. This partnership combines Brandon's valuation expertise with Gina's social media savvy, resulting in authentic, engaging content that showcases both properties and personalities.
As markets shift from seller to buyer, Brandon offers strategic insights for pricing properties accurately, sharing candid stories about recent transactions that illustrate the challenges of today's evolving landscape. His approach emphasizes transparency with clients while maintaining a strong narrative about a property's true value.
For those considering their own career pivots, Brandon's parting wisdom resonates deeply: "Trust yourself...get out of your own way, but partner up with yourself." It's a philosophy that has guided his successful transition and continues to shape his approach to building relationships in real estate.
Follow Brandon on Instagram @brand_h to see the creative content he's developing with The Gated Group and watch for their intriguing upcoming project, "Real Estate Unanonymous."
Follow us:
www.instagram.com/allthingstwiss
www.instagram.com/askthegeneral
https://www.youtube.com/@nowpodcastforreal
Looking to expand your business? Sign up to receive more information on our FREE virtual mastermind.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/PZ3iEQs1dEDzkyQU8
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, I really like your hair.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You like my wait?
Did you hear that babe?
Speaker 1 (00:04):
She doesn't like it.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
She's, we're moving, so she's disclaiming her hair.
But she said I gotta say I likeyour hair.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Oh, I did it in 10 minutes last night, so thank you
you like that it looks good.
It's like a baby.
Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Born ready, all right .
Welcome to episode 63 of theNow Making Moves in Real Estate
podcast.
This is the general, along withmy co-host, the fabulous C
Twist, and today we're excitedto introduce someone who's not
just making moves but makingsmart, strategic ones.
Brandon Hargreaves is a dynamicreal estate realtor, real
estate professional, based inOrange County, california, and
one of the newest additions toour growing network.
After years of experience inthe industry, brandon has built
(00:57):
a reputation for hisprofessionalism, strong work
ethic and the kind ofclient-focused service that sets
top agents apart.
Strong work ethic and the kindof client-focused service that
sets top agents apart.
So he recently joined forceswith the Gated Group led by
Travis Mullen and GinaKirshenheiner, aligning himself
with one of the fastest-growingand most brand-forward teams in
the game.
So in this episode, we'retalking about what it takes to
(01:19):
break through in competitivemarkets, how to stay grounded
while building big, and whyaligning with the right people
is everything.
So let's get to it.
Welcome, brandon.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Thank you for having me.
Thank you, ladies and Courtney,nice to officially meet you.
I've seen a lot of posts andI've seen who you are, but now I
know who you are, I feel likeit's a difference.
So it's great Now we can Thanksfor having me on.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Isn't, isn't that wild?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
to like have people in your organization and you
haven't even met them yet, likeyeah, there's a lot of them,
actually there's there's.
Well, because once you startsupporting, I feel like your
network and you know, in a levelof like brotherhood, sisterhood
, you start connecting to themand paying attention differently
.
I feel and that's what's kindof nice about exp and being in
that space is there's centralcalifornia that I now feel that
same kind of like motivation fortheir success differently.
(02:08):
You know what I mean, so it'sexciting.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, very collaborative.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Well, listen, Brandon , you, if you wouldn't mind,
just telling our listeners alittle bit about your backstory,
because we know that youstarted as an appraisal
appraiser, excuse me quite sometime ago.
So just give our listeners alittle.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's.
That's how I got into realestate.
You know, 20, around 22 yearsago I've been appraising real
estate and valuing real estatein California and Orangeboro and
Arizona for a little bit.
And then, as time went on andthe industry changed you know
the crash, the market crash, allthe things of what's happened
in that industry I kind of juststuck along with it and I wasn't
(02:50):
really building a brand formyself as an appraiser other
than getting leads or gettingdeals from lenders during refi
booms, during private estateproperty things like that.
And then, as you enter into somany of these homes as an
appraiser because you go into,you know, thousands of buying
and selling and helping peoplewith their homes, get it on the
(03:26):
market for the true value thatit is, it's been a huge benefit
and I didn't realize it untilrecently because now all those
pieces kind of fit together.
It took a long time, didn't takefive years.
I didn't realize it's like, oh,this is where I belong, this is
what I should be doing, andit's like you burn a boat bridge
, whatever it is you're burning.
It's like I don't want to burnit but I want to definitely step
(03:48):
over it and move on from it.
So the valuing side of it isjust what I know, it's
inherently in me, along withdesign, really, because you're
going in so many homes, you know, listing your property, I feel
like when you're a listing agentyou're like gold, because you
(04:08):
have an opportunity to createsomething very unique for what
you're trying to sell, right,and so you're not just selling
the property, you're creating astory and through that, I think,
value side of going back intoall these homes helps me have
creative ideas for those stories.
You know, and it's interestinghow each home has a different
story.
Like behind every door there'sa story, right?
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Totally.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
I might use that one Marketing.
See, michelle knows where myhead's going.
You know Gotta create it.
Yeah, that's kind of.
That's what it you know it hasdone for me is the value you
know and you need to know thevalue of the house.
You need to know how to and wecan debunk a few things, if you
guys would like, on agentappraiser connections and what's
(04:53):
available to each other andwhat you're allowed to do, who
you're sharing that real estatetransaction with.
As an appraiser, I used to justmindsetfully think, oh, I'm just
going to go in, do my job, moveon, write the file, submit it
out.
But as you get more involved inreal estate and you understand
what the escrow is, what thetitle is, what the whole piece
(05:14):
of the pie is in listing andselling a property, it's huge
and it does change you as avalue professional on how you
view the whole picture.
Does it change your value of aproperty?
Maybe not, but it changes theway you come up with that value.
And if you can do that with allthe information that goes into
the conversation with the agents, right, it's like what do I
give to my appraiser?
(05:34):
What do I not?
Right?
Well, give them all theinformation.
Let them be the judge of theirprofession and whether you're
right or wrong as an agent orwhat.
Vice versa, it's now releasedto them and now you have
information that you can talkabout with them if they don't
choose to use that in theappraisal.
So you'd have a, you have adialogue with them.
Do you know?
What I mean and that's what youwant to create is a dialogue
(05:55):
without really having to talk.
Does that make sense?
You just want to give them theinformation, and how you give
that to them is just you give itto them like you would give
anybody information.
You're selling a home, we'relisting a property.
We need to provide them withhow we came up with that listing
value.
You know what I mean.
And that's the thing is.
When we talk about comps, forinstance, when you're an agent
(06:17):
going to an appraiser sayinghere's my packet of comps, that
does sit weird, typically withan appraiser sometimes, because
you're basically saying here'smy job.
That does sit weird typicallywith an appraiser sometimes,
because you're basically sayinghere's my job, here's your job.
You're not doing it.
You know in their mind becausethey're very unique individuals
as a whole collective industry.
Right, let's be honest with it.
They are.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
That's what I was thinking.
It's so funny because you're sopersonable and clearly like a
people person and I feel likemost appraisers get into it
because they don't want to talkto people into it because they
don't want to talk to people.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, true, but yet they have to go and talk.
But yet they have to go andtalk to strangers every day,
which is kind of weird, right.
They have to go into spaces,and a lot of women do it as well
.
You know, that's probably, Iwould say, no-transcript going
(07:11):
into any of them, you know, sothat's a whole nother topic.
We should do a safety, safetycall on entering properties,
right?
Something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, now that save that for another day.
I want to get on, okay.
So when you're saying we, youdon't like it when realtors give
the comps and how we came upwith the properties.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So would you it's not that I don't like how they give
them.
I like that they give meinformation.
It's how we present it to themas agents, about respecting
their profession.
Right In a way, right it's like.
I'm going to.
Here's the list of sales.
Here's my sales that I came upwith to come up with my list
price.
Right, these are sales and youcan determine if they're comps,
because comparable or true compsto a house where sales are just
(07:49):
the things that maybe are notnecessarily the case for their
professional view on it, right,like, oh, you want three miles
out because you want this 795listing.
Well, is that really a comp oris that because you're saying it
because they both had crownholding or something ridiculous?
Like, let's be real, you knowwhat I mean.
Like, and that's that happens,right, so just disclose it and
just, but how you do it is justsales that come up with my list
(08:09):
price and this is kind of wherewe're falling and these are the
features that we've done to thehouse to get us there, and you
itemize it out.
Like, that little bit of workis a is a rebuttal on this
property and it doesn't makevalue or whatever, and now your
client's upset, so they have togo through the rebuttal process.
You can now have conversationsabout what you and see if they
(08:31):
omitted things that maybe weretrue comparables or true
information to that subjectproperty, right, so you want to
be able to have the conversationwith them, but you need a
starting point.
Give them information thatbecomes your starting point.
So I you know.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Okay, and do you, would you recommend that the
agent give it to them in person,like be there for the appraisal
?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Ideally, go there, show them that you're invested,
show them that you're investedin going.
And you know, yeah, the keysare in the lockbox.
Yeah, you could do that.
I'd love it.
You know I don't mind it.
Let's be honest, be there.
Be there Because you're nowshowing that you're interested
(09:11):
in, you're paying attention.
I guess Not that they don'tthink you are, but it just is
what it is.
And if they can't, yes, emailthem and just kind of
confirmation and just you didyour due diligence.
That's what it comes down toright Now.
Let them do their due diligencewith information they have.
They're going to get it fromMLS, they're going to get it
from Zillow.
Wherever they're going to getit, it's them to decipher,
(09:31):
really for their profession,what that is going to encompass.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Well, and you bring up rebuttals.
So I am in a rural market whichis hard to come up with pricing
sometime because we have nocutter homes.
They're all different,different acreage.
We've had some over the yearsabout 20 years of doing it with
rebuttals and I've yet to seethem ever go through.
Is it more common in otherareas where a rebuttal actually
(09:56):
works?
I mean?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
it's also has how incompetent the appraiser is or
was and wasn't.
Do you know what I mean?
So in rural areas you'redealing with a handful that are
getting all the market.
So you get to know theseappraisers well and you get to
understand their.
You know what I mean.
And does it work?
Rebuttals, okay, my 22 years ofappraising, I think I've gotten
like three or four.
(10:17):
I'm gonna be honest, I don'tget.
I didn't get many of themBecause I, but I did change
value on one of them Because Ididn't see a comp.
That was a comp.
Okay, I just and it happens.
Does it mean that I failed myjob?
No, does it mean, like, this isthe whole process of just making
sure that all the informationis there for everybody equally
right, and your mind sometimesgets stuck on a thing, and
that's because we're, you know,as we're valuing properties
(10:38):
because of what we see, you knowyour senses get involved when
you're going into a property.
You get it as agents, right, wedo.
You smell the way the housesmells.
You can textually feel theflooring and just like the
things of the home, right, well,I'll commit, go into one home
feeling one way and I'll go putmy report together as an
appraiser and I'll look at itand it looks like a great home,
but in my the smell of it didn'tsit right, like there's a whole
(11:01):
vibe to that Right.
So that's interesting, you know, but the reality is it's you
want, you use some cleaningproducts or whatever it is, and
you're back to what the propertyis really worth.
You know, and that's why you doprovide photos and that's why
there is a lot of information.
Don't try to hide things fromthe appraiser too.
They're going to see like, oh,like, if there's a oh, let's not
talk about this room, becausethe walls, the ceilings just
(11:22):
explain it and get it all outthere.
You know, we have to get it allout there and I will touch on
what I think the benefit becauseI can go on this forever, but I
mean, how interesting is it,let's be honest, but a benefit
of having an appraiser in yournetwork of agencies and you can
have the relationship withsomeone and not be about giving
(11:43):
them a value on a house.
So now you're gettinginformation and you're getting
context to what you can take toyour properties, right.
So that's why it's important tohave a close, I feel a close
relationship with one, likethey're all yes, some aren't
personal, but there's a lot thatout there that do wanna build
relationships with agentsbecause it does lead to someone
they're dealing with a trust andtheir family has 20 properties
(12:05):
they need to get appraised.
Well, they reach out and thatkind of brings me to the gated
group, and how I connected withthem right Is through appraising
.
Travis reached out because hewanted to know the value of a
house before he put on themarket, which is a smart move,
right, we don't see enough ofthat, but as a selling service
to our clients, that is, I think, a good option.
(12:27):
As far as an expense that maybethe community, however we
divide it occurs that costbecause you're getting upfront
information before you need itat the end of it, when you
already went through the monthsor two months of doing this
project.
Perfect example my last clienthad a home on the market for
1.45, right.
Well, after all is said anddone and inspections and
(12:48):
everything we want for the month.
It had a unpermitted bedroomand bathroom, which was a
conversion, which would be okay.
You can still again.
We can still get value to thosewe can lend.
Lenders will lend on that.
The issue was that there was aseptic tank that was built
underneath the unpermittedaddition.
So now it's not held, now it'shealth and safety.
So now no longer can even alender ignore that situation.
(13:09):
So that 1.45 appraised at 1.24because it wasn't a 1,500 square
foot house, it was an 1,100square foot house.
It wasn't a three bedroom, itwas a two.
It wasn't a two bath, it was aone bath.
So all those things thattechnically my brother wanted
this property for so many othervaluable reasons for it, but
this thing to the wire.
We ended up negotiating to 1.3,right.
(13:30):
And then, in lieu of all repairswhich means a septic tank,
which means the permits foreverything we were going to take
it so with $150,000, she wascoming off.
We were still going to come up60 above the appraiser praise
value, right, and then it camedown to in lieu of all repairs.
But we wanted the termites for4,000.
And the agent didn't I believedidn't tell it to the client
(13:53):
that that's what we were stillrequesting, because he said no,
we said in lieu of all repairs,my brother, or my client brother
.
He walked out, he backed outBecause he's like I've been a
contractor there's going to betoo many red.
This was more.
It was an emotional decision,to be honest with you, if you
think of it that way, aftergoing through all of that.
But at the end of the day he'ssleeping at night and now the
property is relisted at 1.45after having all that
information.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Wow, I didn't.
I didn't know that he walkedaway from that.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Oh, he walked away.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Wow, he really wanted that too.
It was like perfect.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
He wanted it, it was a perfect business, home and a
perfect thing.
But there was something, youknow, that was just kept pulling
him towards the end and thestraw for $4,000 really.
And my relationship is that youknow his, his agent and his
brother and like, look, we could, I can eat this, the agent can
eat this, we can come up in themiddle and still get you where
you need to be.
But, to be honest with you,when it comes to now we're going
(14:42):
into relationship building,right, I feel that that agent,
the relationship wasn't, wasn'tsolid, obviously, to where even
the conversations about saving adeal on their end, because now
they know all the facts, theyknow the unpermits, they know
everything.
We did all the reports out, myclient, so that was one of the
things you talk about in realestate, that it's like that's a
(15:04):
heavy one for everybody, because, travis, we all invested in
this, we all put a lot of workin your TC, everybody right and
then it's just postponed is howI'm looking at it until another
property that he finds comesalong Because he was doing a
1031 exchange.
He needed to get rid of it, heneeds it, he needs to find
another one.
But your mind shifts as aclient right Weekly and that's
(15:36):
what I learned in real estate,even with my brother.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
You know it's like one week they are gung ho about
something and then one switchcan change, and that's why it's
so important to kind of keepthem as much communication as
the whole time Right.
Can we actually expand on thata little bit?
Because we're seeing a lot andall the agents in our
organization that we're talkingto of this change in the market
where a lot of people arefalling through or things are
extending and essentially it'swe're shifting from a seller's
market to a buyer's market as wespeak.
So in this point in years, whenan agent is pricing a listing
(16:07):
like I'm going to go on alisting appointment, say, and we
know the market is shifting, Imean, what would you say to
expect?
Because the comps are?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
we're still looking at comps from a few months ago,
but then- you explain exactlywhat you just said and you just
be as trans.
That's really what it is.
It's like we're our marketingnow our campaign for this to
help them is being as realisticwith them as possible, as much
as we all know we're all equalin that space of like.
(16:36):
Okay, well, now we're listeningat this Like, for instance, the
property that my brother soldin Eastvale and Michelle knows a
little bit about this one.
It started at $789,000.
And then the neighbor modelmatch track community went for
$760,000 and then took a$748,000.
So now, even though it wasn'tas good a condition, didn't have
all the amenities as mybrother's property had.
That property, that singleproperty in this community of
model match tracky homes,devalued literally the home
(16:58):
market in that community becausenow everybody was paying off
that.
So we had to play off of it andwe were the nicest one.
We had to go down to 775, whichbrought everyone at 760s and we
were like coming in still Again.
These are original homeownersfrom 2012 who have equity in
their home Right.
So in their mind, 40, sometimesgrand doesn't really play a
game into there, but what thatgame did for the market in that
(17:18):
particular area was likedominoes and what we got out now
, I think at seven 75, where nowit would probably be a seven.
It would just it would be seven, 60 in two weeks later.
So yeah, how do you price that?
Accordingly, you have to watchyour competition.
In a rural area it's going tobe completely different because
people are buying that propertyfor a whole different thing than
they are going to these.
A lot of the buyers where I wasselling was investors or
(17:41):
first-time buyers coming out ofOrange County who can't afford
to get their first property andwant to have a nice home that in
Aliso Viejo would be appraisedat 1.2 to 1.3, where it's
selling for $800,000.
Same track, you know garage inside patio living.
You know zero lot line.
(18:02):
So it's hard.
I just feel like you have toshow them the most current sales
and you walk them through itthe best you can right, and it's
like, hey, the way we walkthrough it is, if we really want
to understand where to be, wehave to be a realist.
But then sometimes your clientsare.
Sometimes they do understand itbecause they'll come in at a
price that you're like I will gofor it, and it's not like
you're going crazy, you're justgoing to attempt that 10, 20
(18:23):
grand jump and it still isgetting it.
So it's a weird.
It's still weird enough to be.
Why is why are they gettingthis home at this price versus
this one?
That's the same in allrelations.
So I hope that didn't confuseyou more, but because it really
didn't answer your question.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Well, I think it's just back to again having good,
strong communication with yourclients and you know saying hey,
why don't we get ahead of this?
Because here's what the marketis telling us.
It's changed.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And let's see what happens, if maybe you will get
that push, because now we'rehere at a realistic market price
currently.
You know what I mean and we canhave that conversation.
But in the package is likeagain back to Travis real quick,
is he needed the appraisal done?
He reached out to his brotherwho's a lender, and said, hey,
do you know of any appraisers?
(19:11):
And his brother met me at anengaged.
He worked for Keller, he was ina Keller Williams office and so
he was a lender in that spaceat least, whatever their
business was.
So we went in there to speak asan appraiser to agents.
So I went in there to just talkabout what we're kind of
talking about now.
Right, and I've done that quiteoften in different agencies,
which I started feeling theconnection as more understanding
(19:34):
of what a realtor is right.
Do you know what I mean?
In your mind, as an appraiser,you think of them just like the
realtors think of appraisers.
Does that make sense?
It's like they know.
But you know what I mean.
That's kind of the taglinebehind each side of who you're
viewing the appraiser versus theagent.
Right, and everybody is equallyknowledgeable if they choose to
be right, and that's the thing.
(19:55):
You give them the informationyou get, get it to them to where
they now have to tell the storyof what the house is worth.
And that's what it is.
You're telling a story to thelender.
I'm telling you this house is2000 square feet.
It's beautiful inside becauselook at these photos the
condition of the house is thisbecause of what I'm showing you,
and I'm going to find the bestones versus that that are going
to be maybe not the typical onesyou'd see, maybe your next door
(20:17):
neighbor, because it's an extraneighbor, but it's not at all
conformed the way.
So you just have to explain itand you get it.
You can be pretty confident inyour explanation, cause I've
seen some very terribleappraisals still go through,
cause I used to QC a lot of workfor appraisal companies and and
it's not even that they gothrough it's you'll get an
appraisal to review as like oh,this is, and you're looking at
it and you're like this is justlike, how does this get get?
(20:41):
I'm telling the story.
You're not even telling a storyand that's the part.
You just tell the story andthat's what you're doing to the
agent and that's what you'redoing to the homeowner.
Everything when we're trying toget these listings right.
It's like I want to tell youthe story.
The truth, I'm an appraiser,but you just think that you just
saw a guy get $200,000 low andthen they know where they're
(21:04):
going to get to and I literallydid a whole market analysis
obviously market area of who waskilling it.
But the truth is that's howthey market themselves and it
works.
But you're not really gettingmore, you're just listing lower.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Totally yeah.
Nothing wrong with that if youcan guess.
Yeah, that's a tactic.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
But then it's a prideful thing for them a little
bit, right.
It's like my house isn't worththat.
So how do I go and list it likethat, and that's, you know what
I mean.
So it's a dance, right.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
We're dancing a little bit, so speaking of
stories, because we're gettingready to wrap.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Preventing.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
Yeah well, we've talked a lot about the appraisal
process and that's valuableinformation, for sure, for our
listeners.
But I want to talk about yourstory that you touched on with
working with Travis.
So he hires you to go out anddo an appraisal and then all of
a sudden, fast forward.
How many weeks later you're nowpart of their group, With the
(22:02):
gated group.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I was, yeah, I was, you know, I, I never I didn't
know travis was or anything.
He's like, hey, we just on thephone instantly clicked a little
bit and I'm obviously like totalk so and he was, you know,
like I was like, hey, look, Ihave this listing in brea.
Here's my situation that I'mgoing on because we were in
escrow on that one and the dayof signing the lender changed
that, the seller or the buyerchanged lenders on the day of
(22:22):
signing, which created a wholesnowball for an upleg property
and it just was this thing.
So I was, you know, we juststarted talking about that.
And he's like, hey, well, ifyou ever, you know I had moved
closer.
My brokerage was in another, inlike another city.
I had moved at that time to adifferent city, closer to Travis
Ladera Ranch.
He's in like Rancho Michoacan,they're out in that area.
(22:51):
So we're all in South OrangeCounty, ideally, right.
And I was like I need to bewhere I'm at, I need to build my
, and now, ironically, this isjust a kind of ironic but
weirdly thing.
So anyway, I didn't know Gina.
I know Gina was, but I didn'tknow any relationship on the
show or any of that stuff Rightand then.
So he's like I'm like you know,whatever.
So then my family's like, oh,you know who they are, that that
you know.
My family's good friend knowstravis's mom and they played
bunco together in yorba land,like the same city I grew up in.
(23:13):
Because travis grew up in thesame city I grew up in.
He went to like a differentschool and he's way younger, but
we, you know, so we just kindof hit it off and then from that
point on he's like g Gina'slike, hey, you know, after I
decide I'm going to relocate andI had two deals that I was
bringing to the table, to behonest with you, I had this
listing and this property wepurchased.
So I'm like I need to house itsomewhere and I want to get
guidance and I want to be a partof a team and so fast forward.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
I want a cap on my deal like this you were telling
me about the cap.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
We did, we did, we got this space to where now I'm
here and fast forward.
It was fun because Gina's funsocial media content wise and
she has fun with it and I havefun with it, so that that was a
fun dynamic right there and notnot knowing her you know what I
mean.
I'm like okay, this is the.
This is even going to work,because now I can have Travis
answer questions that I needguidance in or and I can now
(24:02):
have fun with Gina's idea oflike what she likes to be out in
her world.
You know what I mean and that'sthat's a cool part of it and
that's what I've kind of beenbuilding as well is presence of
myself, obviously in my socialmedia and who I am as a, as a
realtor, as a value professional, as a father, as a fitness,
like all the things right.
That's what we're doing andI've kind of honed it in and
(24:23):
understand it and I keepunderstanding it more and I feel
like there's so much value todo that really with who you are
and the 20 years of valuing doesgive me that backing
differently than I come in witha different set of skillset and
I'm like I understand there's avalue to that.
You know what I mean.
So providing that to Travis ledme to his team.
I'm now within their group.
(24:44):
We've closed two deals togethersince then, I've you know, and
we're just halfway through theyear, so it's kind of exciting.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Well, I have been loving your guys's social
content.
It is so funny and so cute.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Yeah, yeah, and that's when I try I reach out to
Michelle.
I'm like I have way more likemy brain.
That's where I have fun withreal estate for me, cause, like
I said earlier, when you have alisting, you are the you.
It's like that's a, that's afree set you can have.
You have a set to make whateveryou want, like you can make
your story about it and you cando it.
(25:21):
I think authentically doesn'tsell the house.
Let's be honest.
It's just a part of us being inreal estate, selling ourselves
as who we are in real estate,right.
So let's keep doing that morecreatively and more you know,
innovatively and more fun andless you know what I mean and
that's what I like about theGaty Group side of that.
Oh, trust me, there's a lotmore to come with that.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Well, before we sign off, for the people that are
listening.
You went from a career as anappraiser to completely flipping
the script and diving in tobeing in real estate.
You're going for it.
Full time.
Gated group all the time yeah.
Yeah, like that's risky, likefor our listeners.
Like, oh my gosh, how you knowwhat, what.
(25:59):
What would you say to thosepeople that are listening Like?
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Oh, I mean, I think you stay to true to what you are
and I think I real estate iswhat I am like and that sounds
like whatever, but it's like,yes, I'm, I'm jumping, but
appraise, valuing propertiesDidn't.
Really.
It wasn't serving me.
The same way for what I need inthis next phase of my life,
right, 47 years old, like I justwant.
(26:23):
I want to take what I learnedand now be confident, because as
you get older, you get moreconfident in who you are and you
understand yourself better,right, so I understand the gifts
and the blessings that I'vebeen given is who I am.
As my profession, I now knowhow to like, utilize those and
capitalize on them.
So I'm that's what I would saylike trust yourself, and but
it's not, it's not easy.
(26:43):
Yeah, right, it's like, uh, toyou know, and you're like you're
and trust god to me, to behonest with you, like, for me,
it's like I gotta believe thatyour path is what I'm supposed
to be doing, and the less Ithink about me in my own space
of blocking myself, it kind ofgets easier get out of your own
way get out of your own way,yeah, but also stay next to you.
(27:04):
You know, I mean like partner,like partner up with yourself,
you know, like it's true, though, right, like you want you, you
like who you are, so you wantyou next to you.
You just want to also put youon the side and keep up.
Now, you know, love that that'sgreat, so we got.
But I yeah, if you guys areever down this way, you know,
let's definitely link up.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah, well, for sure, brandon.
Thank you so much.
We really appreciate you comingon today.
Where can people find you onInstagram so they can see these
cool reels that you guys aredoing?
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Oh, just brand underscore H, so like brand
underscore H, that's yeah,that's pretty much it.
And then TikTok's, tiktok.
I mean you know what I mean forfor me, and and then, but
there's, there is a lot more tocome and we're going to talk
about that.
Real estate, unanonymous, justthink about that for a second.
Unanonymous, everyone's likeunanonymous.
(27:58):
What does that mean?
You know what I mean?
Like, let's keep theseconversations going.
So I'm excited about what's tocome and I like your offices oh,
that's another conversation youwon't see.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
That's why, yeah, you and that's why I said that.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That's why I said that thanks.
Well, good luck with your six.
You're moving right, so goodluck with your move and you guys
.
I know you're not as close toeach other, but it sounds like
you're always there, so it'sgood good All right.
Thank you, ladies.
Courtney, that was fun, nice tomeet you.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
We'll talk soon.
Thank you, bye you.
Hey, I really like your hair.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You like my wait?
Did you hear that babe?
Speaker 1 (00:04):
She doesn't like it.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
She's, we're moving, so she's disclaiming her hair.
But she said I gotta say I likeyour hair.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Oh, I did it in 10 minutes last night, so thank you
you like that it looks good.
It's like a baby.
Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Born ready, all right .
Welcome to episode 63 of theNow Making Moves in Real Estate
podcast.
This is the general, along withmy co-host, the fabulous C
Twist, and today we're excitedto introduce someone who's not
just making moves but makingsmart, strategic ones.
Brandon Hargreaves is a dynamicreal estate realtor, real
estate professional, based inOrange County, california, and
one of the newest additions toour growing network.
After years of experience inthe industry, brandon has built
(00:57):
a reputation for hisprofessionalism, strong work
ethic and the kind ofclient-focused service that sets
top agents apart.
Strong work ethic and the kindof client-focused service that
sets top agents apart.
So he recently joined forceswith the Gated Group led by
Travis Mullen and GinaKirshenheiner, aligning himself
with one of the fastest-growingand most brand-forward teams in
the game.
So in this episode, we'retalking about what it takes to
(01:19):
break through in competitivemarkets, how to stay grounded
while building big, and whyaligning with the right people
is everything.
So let's get to it.
Welcome, brandon.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Thank you for having me.
Thank you, ladies and Courtney,nice to officially meet you.
I've seen a lot of posts andI've seen who you are, but now I
know who you are, I feel likeit's a difference.
So it's great Now we can Thanksfor having me on.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Isn't, isn't that wild?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
to like have people in your organization and you
haven't even met them yet, likeyeah, there's a lot of them,
actually there's there's.
Well, because once you startsupporting, I feel like your
network and you know, in a levelof like brotherhood, sisterhood
, you start connecting to themand paying attention differently
.
I feel and that's what's kindof nice about exp and being in
that space is there's centralcalifornia that I now feel that
same kind of like motivation fortheir success differently.
(02:08):
You know what I mean, so it'sexciting.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, very collaborative.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Well, listen, Brandon , you, if you wouldn't mind,
just telling our listeners alittle bit about your backstory,
because we know that youstarted as an appraisal
appraiser, excuse me quite sometime ago.
So just give our listeners alittle.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's.
That's how I got into realestate.
You know, 20, around 22 yearsago I've been appraising real
estate and valuing real estatein California and Orangeboro and
Arizona for a little bit.
And then, as time went on andthe industry changed you know
the crash, the market crash, allthe things of what's happened
in that industry I kind of juststuck along with it and I wasn't
(02:50):
really building a brand formyself as an appraiser other
than getting leads or gettingdeals from lenders during refi
booms, during private estateproperty things like that.
And then, as you enter into somany of these homes as an
appraiser because you go into,you know, thousands of buying
and selling and helping peoplewith their homes, get it on the
(03:26):
market for the true value thatit is, it's been a huge benefit
and I didn't realize it untilrecently because now all those
pieces kind of fit together.
It took a long time, didn't takefive years.
I didn't realize it's like, oh,this is where I belong, this is
what I should be doing, andit's like you burn a boat bridge
, whatever it is you're burning.
It's like I don't want to burnit but I want to definitely step
(03:48):
over it and move on from it.
So the valuing side of it isjust what I know, it's
inherently in me, along withdesign, really, because you're
going in so many homes, you know, listing your property, I feel
like when you're a listing agentyou're like gold, because you
(04:08):
have an opportunity to createsomething very unique for what
you're trying to sell, right,and so you're not just selling
the property, you're creating astory and through that, I think,
value side of going back intoall these homes helps me have
creative ideas for those stories.
You know, and it's interestinghow each home has a different
story.
Like behind every door there'sa story, right?
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Totally.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
I might use that one Marketing.
See, michelle knows where myhead's going.
You know Gotta create it.
Yeah, that's kind of.
That's what it you know it hasdone for me is the value you
know and you need to know thevalue of the house.
You need to know how to and wecan debunk a few things, if you
guys would like, on agentappraiser connections and what's
(04:53):
available to each other andwhat you're allowed to do, who
you're sharing that real estatetransaction with.
As an appraiser, I used to justmindsetfully think, oh, I'm just
going to go in, do my job, moveon, write the file, submit it
out.
But as you get more involved inreal estate and you understand
what the escrow is, what thetitle is, what the whole piece
(05:14):
of the pie is in listing andselling a property, it's huge
and it does change you as avalue professional on how you
view the whole picture.
Does it change your value of aproperty?
Maybe not, but it changes theway you come up with that value.
And if you can do that with allthe information that goes into
the conversation with the agents, right, it's like what do I
give to my appraiser?
(05:34):
What do I not?
Right?
Well, give them all theinformation.
Let them be the judge of theirprofession and whether you're
right or wrong as an agent orwhat.
Vice versa, it's now releasedto them and now you have
information that you can talkabout with them if they don't
choose to use that in theappraisal.
So you'd have a, you have adialogue with them.
Do you know?
What I mean and that's what youwant to create is a dialogue
(05:55):
without really having to talk.
Does that make sense?
You just want to give them theinformation, and how you give
that to them is just you give itto them like you would give
anybody information.
You're selling a home, we'relisting a property.
We need to provide them withhow we came up with that listing
value.
You know what I mean.
And that's the thing is.
When we talk about comps, forinstance, when you're an agent
(06:17):
going to an appraiser sayinghere's my packet of comps, that
does sit weird, typically withan appraiser sometimes, because
you're basically saying here'smy job.
That does sit weird typicallywith an appraiser sometimes,
because you're basically sayinghere's my job, here's your job.
You're not doing it.
You know in their mind becausethey're very unique individuals
as a whole collective industry.
Right, let's be honest with it.
They are.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
That's what I was thinking.
It's so funny because you're sopersonable and clearly like a
people person and I feel likemost appraisers get into it
because they don't want to talkto people into it because they
don't want to talk to people.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, true, but yet they have to go and talk.
But yet they have to go andtalk to strangers every day,
which is kind of weird, right.
They have to go into spaces,and a lot of women do it as well
.
You know, that's probably, Iwould say, no-transcript going
(07:11):
into any of them, you know, sothat's a whole nother topic.
We should do a safety, safetycall on entering properties,
right?
Something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, now that save that for another day.
I want to get on, okay.
So when you're saying we, youdon't like it when realtors give
the comps and how we came upwith the properties.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So would you it's not that I don't like how they give
them.
I like that they give meinformation.
It's how we present it to themas agents, about respecting
their profession.
Right In a way, right it's like.
I'm going to.
Here's the list of sales.
Here's my sales that I came upwith to come up with my list
price.
Right, these are sales and youcan determine if they're comps,
because comparable or true compsto a house where sales are just
(07:49):
the things that maybe are notnecessarily the case for their
professional view on it, right,like, oh, you want three miles
out because you want this 795listing.
Well, is that really a comp oris that because you're saying it
because they both had crownholding or something ridiculous?
Like, let's be real, you knowwhat I mean.
Like, and that's that happens,right, so just disclose it and
just, but how you do it is justsales that come up with my list
(08:09):
price and this is kind of wherewe're falling and these are the
features that we've done to thehouse to get us there, and you
itemize it out.
Like, that little bit of workis a is a rebuttal on this
property and it doesn't makevalue or whatever, and now your
client's upset, so they have togo through the rebuttal process.
You can now have conversationsabout what you and see if they
(08:31):
omitted things that maybe weretrue comparables or true
information to that subjectproperty, right, so you want to
be able to have the conversationwith them, but you need a
starting point.
Give them information thatbecomes your starting point.
So I you know.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Okay, and do you, would you recommend that the
agent give it to them in person,like be there for the appraisal
?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Ideally, go there, show them that you're invested,
show them that you're investedin going.
And you know, yeah, the keysare in the lockbox.
Yeah, you could do that.
I'd love it.
You know I don't mind it.
Let's be honest, be there.
Be there Because you're nowshowing that you're interested
(09:11):
in, you're paying attention.
I guess Not that they don'tthink you are, but it just is
what it is.
And if they can't, yes, emailthem and just kind of
confirmation and just you didyour due diligence.
That's what it comes down toright Now.
Let them do their due diligencewith information they have.
They're going to get it fromMLS, they're going to get it
from Zillow.
Wherever they're going to getit, it's them to decipher,
(09:31):
really for their profession,what that is going to encompass.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Well, and you bring up rebuttals.
So I am in a rural market whichis hard to come up with pricing
sometime because we have nocutter homes.
They're all different,different acreage.
We've had some over the yearsabout 20 years of doing it with
rebuttals and I've yet to seethem ever go through.
Is it more common in otherareas where a rebuttal actually
(09:56):
works?
I mean?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
it's also has how incompetent the appraiser is or
was and wasn't.
Do you know what I mean?
So in rural areas you'redealing with a handful that are
getting all the market.
So you get to know theseappraisers well and you get to
understand their.
You know what I mean.
And does it work?
Rebuttals, okay, my 22 years ofappraising, I think I've gotten
like three or four.
(10:17):
I'm gonna be honest, I don'tget.
I didn't get many of themBecause I, but I did change
value on one of them Because Ididn't see a comp.
That was a comp.
Okay, I just and it happens.
Does it mean that I failed myjob?
No, does it mean, like, this isthe whole process of just making
sure that all the informationis there for everybody equally
right, and your mind sometimesgets stuck on a thing, and
that's because we're, you know,as we're valuing properties
(10:38):
because of what we see, you knowyour senses get involved when
you're going into a property.
You get it as agents, right, wedo.
You smell the way the housesmells.
You can textually feel theflooring and just like the
things of the home, right, well,I'll commit, go into one home
feeling one way and I'll go putmy report together as an
appraiser and I'll look at itand it looks like a great home,
but in my the smell of it didn'tsit right, like there's a whole
(11:01):
vibe to that Right.
So that's interesting, you know, but the reality is it's you
want, you use some cleaningproducts or whatever it is, and
you're back to what the propertyis really worth.
You know, and that's why you doprovide photos and that's why
there is a lot of information.
Don't try to hide things fromthe appraiser too.
They're going to see like, oh,like, if there's a oh, let's not
talk about this room, becausethe walls, the ceilings just
(11:22):
explain it and get it all outthere.
You know, we have to get it allout there and I will touch on
what I think the benefit becauseI can go on this forever, but I
mean, how interesting is it,let's be honest, but a benefit
of having an appraiser in yournetwork of agencies and you can
have the relationship withsomeone and not be about giving
(11:43):
them a value on a house.
So now you're gettinginformation and you're getting
context to what you can take toyour properties, right.
So that's why it's important tohave a close, I feel a close
relationship with one, likethey're all yes, some aren't
personal, but there's a lot thatout there that do wanna build
relationships with agentsbecause it does lead to someone
they're dealing with a trust andtheir family has 20 properties
(12:05):
they need to get appraised.
Well, they reach out and thatkind of brings me to the gated
group, and how I connected withthem right Is through appraising
.
Travis reached out because hewanted to know the value of a
house before he put on themarket, which is a smart move,
right, we don't see enough ofthat, but as a selling service
to our clients, that is, I think, a good option.
(12:27):
As far as an expense that maybethe community, however we
divide it occurs that costbecause you're getting upfront
information before you need itat the end of it, when you
already went through the monthsor two months of doing this
project.
Perfect example my last clienthad a home on the market for
1.45, right.
Well, after all is said anddone and inspections and
(12:48):
everything we want for the month.
It had a unpermitted bedroomand bathroom, which was a
conversion, which would be okay.
You can still again.
We can still get value to thosewe can lend.
Lenders will lend on that.
The issue was that there was aseptic tank that was built
underneath the unpermittedaddition.
So now it's not held, now it'shealth and safety.
So now no longer can even alender ignore that situation.
(13:09):
So that 1.45 appraised at 1.24because it wasn't a 1,500 square
foot house, it was an 1,100square foot house.
It wasn't a three bedroom, itwas a two.
It wasn't a two bath, it was aone bath.
So all those things thattechnically my brother wanted
this property for so many othervaluable reasons for it, but
this thing to the wire.
We ended up negotiating to 1.3,right.
(13:30):
And then, in lieu of all repairswhich means a septic tank,
which means the permits foreverything we were going to take
it so with $150,000, she wascoming off.
We were still going to come up60 above the appraiser praise
value, right, and then it camedown to in lieu of all repairs.
But we wanted the termites for4,000.
And the agent didn't I believedidn't tell it to the client
(13:53):
that that's what we were stillrequesting, because he said no,
we said in lieu of all repairs,my brother, or my client brother
.
He walked out, he backed outBecause he's like I've been a
contractor there's going to betoo many red.
This was more.
It was an emotional decision,to be honest with you, if you
think of it that way, aftergoing through all of that.
But at the end of the day he'ssleeping at night and now the
property is relisted at 1.45after having all that
information.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Wow, I didn't.
I didn't know that he walkedaway from that.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Oh, he walked away.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Wow, he really wanted that too.
It was like perfect.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
He wanted it, it was a perfect business, home and a
perfect thing.
But there was something, youknow, that was just kept pulling
him towards the end and thestraw for $4,000 really.
And my relationship is that youknow his, his agent and his
brother and like, look, we could, I can eat this, the agent can
eat this, we can come up in themiddle and still get you where
you need to be.
But, to be honest with you,when it comes to now we're going
(14:42):
into relationship building,right, I feel that that agent,
the relationship wasn't, wasn'tsolid, obviously, to where even
the conversations about saving adeal on their end, because now
they know all the facts, theyknow the unpermits, they know
everything.
We did all the reports out, myclient, so that was one of the
things you talk about in realestate, that it's like that's a
(15:04):
heavy one for everybody, because, travis, we all invested in
this, we all put a lot of workin your TC, everybody right and
then it's just postponed is howI'm looking at it until another
property that he finds comesalong Because he was doing a
1031 exchange.
He needed to get rid of it, heneeds it, he needs to find
another one.
But your mind shifts as aclient right Weekly and that's
(15:36):
what I learned in real estate,even with my brother.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
You know it's like one week they are gung ho about
something and then one switchcan change, and that's why it's
so important to kind of keepthem as much communication as
the whole time Right.
Can we actually expand on thata little bit?
Because we're seeing a lot andall the agents in our
organization that we're talkingto of this change in the market
where a lot of people arefalling through or things are
extending and essentially it'swe're shifting from a seller's
market to a buyer's market as wespeak.
So in this point in years, whenan agent is pricing a listing
(16:07):
like I'm going to go on alisting appointment, say, and we
know the market is shifting, Imean, what would you say to
expect?
Because the comps are?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
we're still looking at comps from a few months ago,
but then- you explain exactlywhat you just said and you just
be as trans.
That's really what it is.
It's like we're our marketingnow our campaign for this to
help them is being as realisticwith them as possible, as much
as we all know we're all equalin that space of like.
(16:36):
Okay, well, now we're listeningat this Like, for instance, the
property that my brother soldin Eastvale and Michelle knows a
little bit about this one.
It started at $789,000.
And then the neighbor modelmatch track community went for
$760,000 and then took a$748,000.
So now, even though it wasn'tas good a condition, didn't have
all the amenities as mybrother's property had.
That property, that singleproperty in this community of
model match tracky homes,devalued literally the home
(16:58):
market in that community becausenow everybody was paying off
that.
So we had to play off of it andwe were the nicest one.
We had to go down to 775, whichbrought everyone at 760s and we
were like coming in still Again.
These are original homeownersfrom 2012 who have equity in
their home Right.
So in their mind, 40, sometimesgrand doesn't really play a
game into there, but what thatgame did for the market in that
(17:18):
particular area was likedominoes and what we got out now
, I think at seven 75, where nowit would probably be a seven.
It would just it would be seven, 60 in two weeks later.
So yeah, how do you price that?
Accordingly, you have to watchyour competition.
In a rural area it's going tobe completely different because
people are buying that propertyfor a whole different thing than
they are going to these.
A lot of the buyers where I wasselling was investors or
(17:41):
first-time buyers coming out ofOrange County who can't afford
to get their first property andwant to have a nice home that in
Aliso Viejo would be appraisedat 1.2 to 1.3, where it's
selling for $800,000.
Same track, you know garage inside patio living.
You know zero lot line.
(18:02):
So it's hard.
I just feel like you have toshow them the most current sales
and you walk them through itthe best you can right, and it's
like, hey, the way we walkthrough it is, if we really want
to understand where to be, wehave to be a realist.
But then sometimes your clientsare.
Sometimes they do understand itbecause they'll come in at a
price that you're like I will gofor it, and it's not like
you're going crazy, you're justgoing to attempt that 10, 20
(18:23):
grand jump and it still isgetting it.
So it's a weird.
It's still weird enough to be.
Why is why are they gettingthis home at this price versus
this one?
That's the same in allrelations.
So I hope that didn't confuseyou more, but because it really
didn't answer your question.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Well, I think it's just back to again having good,
strong communication with yourclients and you know saying hey,
why don't we get ahead of this?
Because here's what the marketis telling us.
It's changed.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And let's see what happens, if maybe you will get
that push, because now we'rehere at a realistic market price
currently.
You know what I mean and we canhave that conversation.
But in the package is likeagain back to Travis real quick,
is he needed the appraisal done?
He reached out to his brotherwho's a lender, and said, hey,
do you know of any appraisers?
(19:11):
And his brother met me at anengaged.
He worked for Keller, he was ina Keller Williams office and so
he was a lender in that spaceat least, whatever their
business was.
So we went in there to speak asan appraiser to agents.
So I went in there to just talkabout what we're kind of
talking about now.
Right, and I've done that quiteoften in different agencies,
which I started feeling theconnection as more understanding
(19:34):
of what a realtor is right.
Do you know what I mean?
In your mind, as an appraiser,you think of them just like the
realtors think of appraisers.
Does that make sense?
It's like they know.
But you know what I mean.
That's kind of the taglinebehind each side of who you're
viewing the appraiser versus theagent.
Right, and everybody is equallyknowledgeable if they choose to
be right, and that's the thing.
(19:55):
You give them the informationyou get, get it to them to where
they now have to tell the storyof what the house is worth.
And that's what it is.
You're telling a story to thelender.
I'm telling you this house is2000 square feet.
It's beautiful inside becauselook at these photos the
condition of the house is thisbecause of what I'm showing you,
and I'm going to find the bestones versus that that are going
to be maybe not the typical onesyou'd see, maybe your next door
(20:17):
neighbor, because it's an extraneighbor, but it's not at all
conformed the way.
So you just have to explain itand you get it.
You can be pretty confident inyour explanation, cause I've
seen some very terribleappraisals still go through,
cause I used to QC a lot of workfor appraisal companies and and
it's not even that they gothrough it's you'll get an
appraisal to review as like oh,this is, and you're looking at
it and you're like this is justlike, how does this get get?
(20:41):
I'm telling the story.
You're not even telling a storyand that's the part.
You just tell the story andthat's what you're doing to the
agent and that's what you'redoing to the homeowner.
Everything when we're trying toget these listings right.
It's like I want to tell youthe story.
The truth, I'm an appraiser,but you just think that you just
saw a guy get $200,000 low andthen they know where they're
(21:04):
going to get to and I literallydid a whole market analysis
obviously market area of who waskilling it.
But the truth is that's howthey market themselves and it
works.
But you're not really gettingmore, you're just listing lower.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Totally yeah.
Nothing wrong with that if youcan guess.
Yeah, that's a tactic.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
But then it's a prideful thing for them a little
bit, right.
It's like my house isn't worththat.
So how do I go and list it likethat, and that's, you know what
I mean.
So it's a dance, right.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
We're dancing a little bit, so speaking of
stories, because we're gettingready to wrap.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Preventing.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
Yeah well, we've talked a lot about the appraisal
process and that's valuableinformation, for sure, for our
listeners.
But I want to talk about yourstory that you touched on with
working with Travis.
So he hires you to go out anddo an appraisal and then all of
a sudden, fast forward.
How many weeks later you're nowpart of their group, With the
(22:02):
gated group.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I was, yeah, I was, you know, I, I never I didn't
know travis was or anything.
He's like, hey, we just on thephone instantly clicked a little
bit and I'm obviously like totalk so and he was, you know,
like I was like, hey, look, Ihave this listing in brea.
Here's my situation that I'mgoing on because we were in
escrow on that one and the dayof signing the lender changed
that, the seller or the buyerchanged lenders on the day of
(22:22):
signing, which created a wholesnowball for an upleg property
and it just was this thing.
So I was, you know, we juststarted talking about that.
And he's like, hey, well, ifyou ever, you know I had moved
closer.
My brokerage was in another, inlike another city.
I had moved at that time to adifferent city, closer to Travis
Ladera Ranch.
He's in like Rancho Michoacan,they're out in that area.
(22:51):
So we're all in South OrangeCounty, ideally, right.
And I was like I need to bewhere I'm at, I need to build my
, and now, ironically, this isjust a kind of ironic but
weirdly thing.
So anyway, I didn't know Gina.
I know Gina was, but I didn'tknow any relationship on the
show or any of that stuff Rightand then.
So he's like I'm like you know,whatever.
So then my family's like, oh,you know who they are, that that
you know.
My family's good friend knowstravis's mom and they played
bunco together in yorba land,like the same city I grew up in.
(23:13):
Because travis grew up in thesame city I grew up in.
He went to like a differentschool and he's way younger, but
we, you know, so we just kindof hit it off and then from that
point on he's like g Gina'slike, hey, you know, after I
decide I'm going to relocate andI had two deals that I was
bringing to the table, to behonest with you, I had this
listing and this property wepurchased.
So I'm like I need to house itsomewhere and I want to get
guidance and I want to be a partof a team and so fast forward.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
I want a cap on my deal like this you were telling
me about the cap.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
We did, we did, we got this space to where now I'm
here and fast forward.
It was fun because Gina's funsocial media content wise and
she has fun with it and I havefun with it, so that that was a
fun dynamic right there and notnot knowing her you know what I
mean.
I'm like okay, this is the.
This is even going to work,because now I can have Travis
answer questions that I needguidance in or and I can now
(24:02):
have fun with Gina's idea oflike what she likes to be out in
her world.
You know what I mean and that'sthat's a cool part of it and
that's what I've kind of beenbuilding as well is presence of
myself, obviously in my socialmedia and who I am as a, as a
realtor, as a value professional, as a father, as a fitness,
like all the things right.
That's what we're doing andI've kind of honed it in and
(24:23):
understand it and I keepunderstanding it more and I feel
like there's so much value todo that really with who you are
and the 20 years of valuing doesgive me that backing
differently than I come in witha different set of skillset and
I'm like I understand there's avalue to that.
You know what I mean.
So providing that to Travis ledme to his team.
I'm now within their group.
(24:44):
We've closed two deals togethersince then, I've you know, and
we're just halfway through theyear, so it's kind of exciting.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Well, I have been loving your guys's social
content.
It is so funny and so cute.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Yeah, yeah, and that's when I try I reach out to
Michelle.
I'm like I have way more likemy brain.
That's where I have fun withreal estate for me, cause, like
I said earlier, when you have alisting, you are the you.
It's like that's a, that's afree set you can have.
You have a set to make whateveryou want, like you can make
your story about it and you cando it.
(25:21):
I think authentically doesn'tsell the house.
Let's be honest.
It's just a part of us being inreal estate, selling ourselves
as who we are in real estate,right.
So let's keep doing that morecreatively and more you know,
innovatively and more fun andless you know what I mean and
that's what I like about theGaty Group side of that.
Oh, trust me, there's a lotmore to come with that.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Well, before we sign off, for the people that are
listening.
You went from a career as anappraiser to completely flipping
the script and diving in tobeing in real estate.
You're going for it.
Full time.
Gated group all the time yeah.
Yeah, like that's risky, likefor our listeners.
Like, oh my gosh, how you knowwhat, what.
(25:59):
What would you say to thosepeople that are listening Like?
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Oh, I mean, I think you stay to true to what you are
and I think I real estate iswhat I am like and that sounds
like whatever, but it's like,yes, I'm, I'm jumping, but
appraise, valuing propertiesDidn't.
Really.
It wasn't serving me.
The same way for what I need inthis next phase of my life,
right, 47 years old, like I justwant.
(26:23):
I want to take what I learnedand now be confident, because as
you get older, you get moreconfident in who you are and you
understand yourself better,right, so I understand the gifts
and the blessings that I'vebeen given is who I am.
As my profession, I now knowhow to like, utilize those and
capitalize on them.
So I'm that's what I would saylike trust yourself, and but
it's not, it's not easy.
(26:43):
Yeah, right, it's like, uh, toyou know, and you're like you're
and trust god to me, to behonest with you, like, for me,
it's like I gotta believe thatyour path is what I'm supposed
to be doing, and the less Ithink about me in my own space
of blocking myself, it kind ofgets easier get out of your own
way get out of your own way,yeah, but also stay next to you.
(27:04):
You know, I mean like partner,like partner up with yourself,
you know, like it's true, though, right, like you want you, you
like who you are, so you wantyou next to you.
You just want to also put youon the side and keep up.
Now, you know, love that that'sgreat, so we got.
But I yeah, if you guys areever down this way, you know,
let's definitely link up.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah, well, for sure, brandon.
Thank you so much.
We really appreciate you comingon today.
Where can people find you onInstagram so they can see these
cool reels that you guys aredoing?
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Oh, just brand underscore H, so like brand
underscore H, that's yeah,that's pretty much it.
And then TikTok's, tiktok.
I mean you know what I mean forfor me, and and then, but
there's, there is a lot more tocome and we're going to talk
about that.
Real estate, unanonymous, justthink about that for a second.
Unanonymous, everyone's likeunanonymous.
(27:58):
What does that mean?
You know what I mean?
Like, let's keep theseconversations going.
So I'm excited about what's tocome and I like your offices oh,
that's another conversation youwon't see.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
That's why, yeah, you and that's why I said that.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That's why I said that thanks.
Well, good luck with your six.
You're moving right, so goodluck with your move and you guys
.
I know you're not as close toeach other, but it sounds like
you're always there, so it'sgood good All right.
Thank you, ladies.
Courtney, that was fun, nice tomeet you.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
We'll talk soon.
Thank you, bye you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com