April 29, 2024 • 40 mins
Welcome to episode #11 of RealtyCast Global – a global connection to all things real estate, hosted by Hugh Gilliam, president of Global Property Pros.
Embark on an extraordinary ride with Killian Reif, whose vibrant spirit and unyielding resolve have propelled him from quaint German beginnings to the pinnacle of Atlanta's bustling real estate scene. The tapestry of his story is woven with tales of youthful dreams kindled by the allure of real estate, and an unwavering commitment that led him to cross oceans and chase success. As we delve into Killian's journey, we uncover the intricate strategies that became his arsenal in an unfamiliar market—cold calling turned warm, and personalized marketing to connect deeply with clients. His narrative is a blueprint for translating ambition into achievement.
No challenge is too great for those who dare to conquer it, and Killian's ascent in the real estate realm is testament to that. Feel the weight of his initial setbacks, language barriers that seemed insurmountable and the ghost of rejection that haunts every cold call. Yet, in the forge of these trials, Killian emerged with a relentless pursuit for connection and a knack for crafting pivotal listings. Take a page from Killian's book and learn how to turn obstacles into opportunities that pave the way to success.
Our conversation transcends mere transactional tales, offering a panoramic view of the strategies shaping Atlanta's luxury real estate market. Delve into the craftsmanship behind a standout sale in Suwanee, where marketing finesse turned a simple "coming soon" into an over-asking price triumph. And when the contracts are signed, and the open houses have concluded, discover the Zen found in the roar of a Harley—a well-deserved respite from the exhilarating ride that is real estate.
Visit blog.realtyhive.com for more details on this episode.
About the guest - Kilian Rief:
Kilian Rief is a driven and ambitious real estate professional who embarked on a journey to pursue his dream of becoming a real estate broker in the United States. After graduating from the University of Regensburg in Bavaria Germany with a degree in real estate management, Kilian set his sights on America and landed in Atlanta to kickstart his career. With unwavering determination and a strong work
Embark on an extraordinary ride with Killian Reif, whose vibrant spirit and unyielding resolve have propelled him from quaint German beginnings to the pinnacle of Atlanta's bustling real estate scene. The tapestry of his story is woven with tales of youthful dreams kindled by the allure of real estate, and an unwavering commitment that led him to cross oceans and chase success. As we delve into Killian's journey, we uncover the intricate strategies that became his arsenal in an unfamiliar market—cold calling turned warm, and personalized marketing to connect deeply with clients. His narrative is a blueprint for translating ambition into achievement.
No challenge is too great for those who dare to conquer it, and Killian's ascent in the real estate realm is testament to that. Feel the weight of his initial setbacks, language barriers that seemed insurmountable and the ghost of rejection that haunts every cold call. Yet, in the forge of these trials, Killian emerged with a relentless pursuit for connection and a knack for crafting pivotal listings. Take a page from Killian's book and learn how to turn obstacles into opportunities that pave the way to success.
Our conversation transcends mere transactional tales, offering a panoramic view of the strategies shaping Atlanta's luxury real estate market. Delve into the craftsmanship behind a standout sale in Suwanee, where marketing finesse turned a simple "coming soon" into an over-asking price triumph. And when the contracts are signed, and the open houses have concluded, discover the Zen found in the roar of a Harley—a well-deserved respite from the exhilarating ride that is real estate.
Visit blog.realtyhive.com for more details on this episode.
About the guest - Kilian Rief:
Kilian Rief is a driven and ambitious real estate professional who embarked on a journey to pursue his dream of becoming a real estate broker in the United States. After graduating from the University of Regensburg in Bavaria Germany with a degree in real estate management, Kilian set his sights on America and landed in Atlanta to kickstart his career. With unwavering determination and a strong work
About the host - Hugh Gilliam:
Hugh Gilliam co-owned a national transportation company, created a land development business, and worked as a general contractor in residential and commercial construction for over two decades. Hugh also co-founded an international distribution company and successfully negotiated and contracted with 135 sales representatives in the United States, Canada, France, Brazil, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Today, Mr. Gilliam is affiliated with RealtyHive, LLC where he serves as Director of International Real Estate and President of Global Property Pros. His duties include involvement in commercial and residential transactions, plus promoting marketing systems and lead generation platforms.
For real estate professionals looking to take their business to the next level, check out Global Property Pros!
He is also co-founder of the luxury digital magazine, DOORWAYS INTERNATIONAL, powered by RealtyHive, which serves as a platform for Brokers and Buyers throughout 70 countries.
Hugh's Designations Include:
- Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist
- Certified Distressed Property Export
- Certified International Property Specialist
- Certified International Investment & Immigration Specialist
- Transnati
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Hugh Gilliam (00:01):
Welcome to RealtyCast Global, where we
bring insights and advice fromtop professionals in the global
market.
Join us for a journey ofculture and real estate from
countries across the globe.
My guest today is Killian Reif,and, from what I know about
Killian, I've known him for awhile.
He's a driven, ambitious realestate professional who embarked
(00:25):
on his journey from Germany toAtlanta several years ago.
He always had this idea aboutbecoming a real estate broker in
the United States, and boy didhe ever make it happen.
Welcome, how are you?
Kilian Rief (00:42):
this morning.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, I'm doing well.
Thank you very much for havingme.
Hugh Gilliam (00:47):
Oh, listen, it's a pleasure.
I want you to tell the audiencea little bit about your journey
, and you began in Germany.
Actually, you were born andraised there.
Bring us forward to Atlanta.
Tell us about how you got fromthere to Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Atlanta.
Tell us about how you got fromthere to Atlanta.
Absolutely so it started out, Iguess, with.
Well, it's always been my dreamto be a real estate broker in
the United States.
I was about 10 years old and wewere moving.
At the time, my family, myfather, my mother, my brother
and I and we were looking for ahouse in the mountains about two
hours south of Munich,beautiful little mountain town
(01:30):
as well, was born and raised andwe're waiting for that real
estate agent to show us thehouse.
She drives up.
She was wearing a nice suit,you know, just driving a nice
car, and I asked my dad hey,what is, what's a real estate
agent do?
And so my dad explained to meand sure enough, that's when, I
guess, the fire was put insideof me to be a real estate broker
in America.
Fast forward 10, 15 years,graduated university in Germany,
(01:54):
in Regensburg, for real estatemanagement and, sure enough,
2015.
It was gosh, it's almost been10 years.
They came here to Atlanta,moved to Atlanta and started a
business, got into it and, ofcourse, that's how we first
connected at the East Coveoffice of Atlanta communities
and you were so.
You were extremely nice, sowelcoming, and I joined the
(02:17):
Gilliam team and loved it.
Kilian Rief (02:20):
It was great you showed me the ropes, the early
stages, the beginning stages.
Hugh Gilliam (02:25):
Well, and I'll tell you what.
You picked it up very fast too,but it's not about me, it's
about you and what you broughtto the table.
I'll tell the audience herethat I would see this young man
come into the office everysingle day at a specific time,
had a suit on and actually had abriefcase in his hand.
(02:47):
He would close the door andthere were.
You know, you could see therewere glass doors, you could see
through the door.
I could see him in therecalling, calling and calling.
He was calling people from alist.
He kept looking down a list.
He was calling people everysingle day and one day I just
dropped in.
I said what are you doing?
And he said I'm calling expiredlistings.
(03:08):
And so we talked a little bitmore and he'd already had he
already had postcards and thingsput together about him and what
he could do for the client orthe seller, and he was selling,
sending those out to specificareas, and I was really
impressed with him.
So we had a conversation and Itell you what we got together
(03:29):
and things just began to bloomout for both of us.
Actually, I learned from himand he learned from me in doing
that.
Tell us about, tell you came toatlanta, you got involved with
at Atlanta communities and howmany years ago was that, I can't
remember exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
That was exactly eight years ago.
Hugh Gilliam (03:49):
Has it been that long Eight?
Speaker 3 (03:50):
years ago it was wild right.
Eight years ago I walked intothe East Cup office and said hey
, here's my license.
And who was it?
Nicole Morris, I believe.
She welcomed me.
She said all right, thank you.
You're now an agent withAtlanta Communities and I
remember it so vividly Right.
I was walking in and I'm likegreat.
Kilian Rief (04:12):
Got the piece of paper in my hand and I'm like
what do I do now?
Hugh Gilliam (04:17):
The very first day you were a quick learner, you
really were.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Back to Germany.
Tell us you graduated from whatcollege University in
Regensburg.
Hugh Gilliam (04:29):
That's a nice little college town in Northern
Bavaria.
And you, what was?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
your degree.
I majored in.
I majored in real estatemanagement, real estate
management and then that was2015,.
The summer of 2015, I graduatedand I had planned to move to
Atlanta then in October of 2015.
And I had a lot of time toprepare myself for what's about
(04:53):
to, I guess, happen for myjourney.
So what I did is basically Iread gosh.
I believe I read 30, 35, 40books about how to be successful
as a real estate agent inAmerica.
Of course, real estate being apeople business, you want to
have connections with people.
But so imagine, you move to anew continent, you don't know
(05:15):
anybody, you don't have anyfriends, you don't have any
family here, and so then I goton the phone.
Got on the phone, cold calling,started cold calling Fizbo's
for sale by owners and expiredlistings.
I still do it today.
Hugh Gilliam (05:31):
I know you do.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
And that's really how I started drumming up a lot of
business back then.
Hugh Gilliam (05:39):
What about the trip to?
I mean, what led you to Atlantaspecifically?
Why did that stand out aboveother states?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
and cities.
Yeah, so a friend of mine frombanking, actually in germany.
He had moved.
He and I were working togetherfor a uh, for a bank.
We were doing like a trainingprogram for a bank in germany
for two years before I went tocollege and then he had moved,
moved to Atlanta in 2012,.
I believe I visited him in 2013and was just blown away by it.
(06:10):
Just that there was the firsttime for me to be in America, to
visit the States, and he was inAtlanta.
He was in Marietta at the timeand I kept on visiting.
And then 2015, I uh, I uh,packed up my things after
graduating college university ingermany, packed up my things
(06:31):
and came to to atlanta.
Hugh Gilliam (06:32):
Yeah, so that's how I ended up here.
Okay, so, and and that's,that's good, and you had a
friend here that sort of helpedpave the way for you to uh, to
see the city and the surroundingtowns in metro Atlanta.
What about as you, at 10 yearsold, you saw that lady, you saw
(06:55):
the real estate agency or thelady and you felt like that you
needed to be in that business.
I think that's amazing that yousaw her at 10 years old and had
that spark about what youwanted to do.
Did you in Germany?
Did you?
Were you involved in any way inreal estate?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
As a matter of fact, I was so, as I said, I was 10
years old and I wanted to be areal estate agent right, and I
always wanted to be in America,but it has always been a dream
of mine too.
But then, when I was workingfor the bank in germany, I got
involved in the, the real estatedepartment in germany for that
bank and I love that just thefact of you know, really
(07:36):
connecting with people, notbeing glued to a desk but
actually making it your job tonetwork, meet new people, go
outside, see differentproperties, see different homes,
see different houses.
Job to network, meet new people, go outside, see different
properties, see different homes,see different houses, connect
with new people, meet new peopleand, of course, kind of like
help them find a new place tocall home.
I really I love that.
Hugh Gilliam (07:58):
The initial changes coming from Germany to
Atlanta, and especially a new.
You had your broker's license,or I mean your real estate
license, at that time when youcame here you began the classes.
So what would you say were theinitial challenges at the very
beginning, when you steppedthrough that door in East Cobb
with Atlanta communities?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Absolutely Well, I would say, the challenges.
There were many, many, manychallenges, many adversaries
faced, success far and fewbetween every now and then.
But I would say, really thebiggest challenge while I was
able to communicate, you know,of course you learn English in
(08:40):
school, but the real estate,like specific real estate lingo,
I guess, was rather new to me.
Reading a real estate contract10 years ago, I was like, oh wow
, everything was new to me,right, and that was a challenge
for sure.
But I would say the biggestchallenge that I, that, I guess
(09:01):
well, was such a big challenge,big aspect of my, of my entire
story, was just the fact that Iknew I needed to make
connections in order to besuccessful in real estate and
that was the biggest challenge.
Basically, cold calling, right,I mean, of course you cold call
today.
Back then it was, I mean,pretty much the same, you know,
just going from no to no to noto no until you come to that,
(09:25):
yes, and I think, like it's thebiggest part, or the biggest,
the biggest reason why peopleare successful in cold calling,
I believe, is is their mindsetright, the way they approach the
situation, meaning you cannothave, I guess, thin skin, right
and uh, you must not letrejection, you know, get to.
(09:49):
You know it's very easy to youknow, when you have a bad day,
you know you're on the phone forfive hours a day and everybody
says, no, no, get a real job,read the Bible, leave me alone.
I was cussed out everything.
I heard it all, and then it'svery important to not let that
get to you in the head, to where?
Then the next day you're like,ah, I had such a bad day
(10:10):
yesterday.
People were cussing me out, I'mgoing to take a break.
So you just must really, youknow, internalize the nose and
uh, I mean now, today, I getexcited when I know when I'm
talking to a uh, to a cult lead,I get excited to just really
get into it, dive deeper and uh,and really try to well, try to
get the meeting, try toestablish rapport with the
(10:31):
potential lead or with thepotential client, and trying to
really get there.
So I would say that wasdefinitely the biggest challenge
.
Hugh Gilliam (10:38):
So it sounds like you made a game of it, like if I
get at least 50 no's, I'll geta yes and you're after that yes
every time you get a no.
So you're closer and closerevery time you get a no.
So you're closer and closerevery time.
Absolutely, but, but it does.
It is you got to be able tohandle rejection.
I mean, I, I, I hate coldcalling, I hate to do that, but,
(10:58):
but I think part of it might bebecause I don't want to be
rejected.
But so I'm sure the questionyou got from a lot of different
people how are you differentthan all the other agents?
What kind of response did youget to that?
I know, now, let me just saythis.
Now your response can be let meshow you my portfolio of sales.
But then how did you hit thathead on and say I'm different
(11:25):
because yeah, exactly, very goodquestion.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
So I would say, really what set me aside or what
helped me become so successfulin the early stages was a
tenacious follow-up andfollow-through.
I had absolutely no businesswhen I started out, and so I was
extremely hungry for businessMeaning when I was talking to a
potential lead and they saidwell, you know what we're going
(11:48):
to try it out for.
So I was extremely hungry forbusiness meaning when I was
talking to a potential lead andthey said, well, you know what
we're going to try it out for.
We're going to try it out forfour weeks.
Call me in four weeks.
I would consistently check infollow up.
I had, like the old school youremember my old school crm,
right with the sheets of paperwritten down putting it on a
piece of paper and um and then,really, because I was so hungry
(12:09):
for the business, I followed upand followed through and I
remember after four months, fivemonths, in 2016, after I got my
real estate license, I signedtoday, uh, back then, the uh the
biggest listing of mine was 1.7million dollar new construction
home in brookhaven.
And when I sat down with the guyafter the fact, after we sold
(12:30):
it, I mean he really he said hewas impressed.
When I told him that, look, Imean that was maybe like my
fourth or fifth transaction ofmy entire career and he said,
wow, I had absolutely no ideabecause of the way I presented
myself Very confident, clearly,in sales, of course, you have to
be confident.
You have to be confident inyourself.
That's where it starts, right?
(12:52):
I mean, every salesperson,every successful salesperson,
will tell you that, that itstarts with the way you think
about yourself.
The way you think aboutyourself, the way you perceive
yourself, is basically the wayyou present yourself to other
people, and then other peoplewill see you that way.
The way you think aboutyourself is the way other people
will perceive you in somecertain ways, and I think that
was really it that set me apart,just the hunger for business,
(13:16):
and then the tenacious follow-upand follow-through Nowadays, I
guess after I upgraded my CRMafter a few years.
Kilian Rief (13:26):
I mean it makes things a lot easier.
Hugh Gilliam (13:29):
Sure it does.
It's better than the legal padand the marketing.
Kilian Rief (13:34):
That's right, that's right.
Hugh Gilliam (13:35):
You remember that Makes you a little bit more
automated today.
That's right, that's right Iwas going to ask you the next
question.
I'm glad you brought that up.
What about technology?
How do you utilize technologytoday in your everyday business?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Absolutely so.
In the very beginning, when I,when I first came here, I, my
dad, my dad gave me a loan of$10,000 to to come to Atlanta
and start the business, and forme there was no, there was no
plan B right.
I think that was also a bigreason for my, for my success is
that there was no, there was no, plan B, there was I think that
was also a big reason for mysuccess is that there was no
plan B, there was no fallingback, there was no moving back
(14:11):
to Germany, as David Goggins, Ibelieve, talks about burning the
boats.
Burn the boats, right.
So you only have one way andthat's the way that you set out,
and back then I used that moneyto buy my first car here, and
then there was not much left tosurvive, and then, of course,
(14:32):
that made it a little bit harderto implement technology because
the resources were extremelylimited when I first started out
.
So that's why I had the oldschool, old school CRM,
basically just put togethermyself.
School CRM basically just puttogether myself.
But then, of course, as successgrows and resources start
coming in and you reinvest intothe business, that has also
(14:54):
helped me to propel my businessfurther.
Implementing technologies suchas CRM, such as websites, very
professional websites,partnering with other companies
to do my marketing for me online, working with other companies
like referral companies, onlinepresence putting all of that
(15:14):
together and utilizing moderntechnology has definitely helped
and continues to help me today.
Every Wednesday afternoon I tryto block it a I try to block
out the entire afternoon to lookat my business from an outside
perspective, meaning, like we asreal estate agents, you know we
(15:36):
wear many hats, right.
We're the CFO, we're the CEO,we're the COM, we're every
single hat basically Right.
And so I think it's importantto step back and look at the
business, look at new technologythat may help you propel your
business further and, forexample, like right now, we're
in a very changing market, asyou know, and so it's important
(15:59):
to adapt and to adjust andimplement new technology in
order to serve your clients tothe best.
Hugh Gilliam (16:05):
What about the Atlanta market today?
I mean, I just looked atnumbers this morning actually
because we're looking at luxurymarket and I see that you know,
a year ago you could put alisting on the market.
It was gone in like two daysactually as far as under
contract and we love those days.
(16:26):
But as it gets harder I've seenthe luxury market from the one
to two million and even up tofive million longer on the
market and I realized theydidn't go so quickly necessarily
as the other average listingprices out there.
But I noticed in the fivemillion range it's like up into
(16:48):
my gosh, 100 months of inventory, something like that, which is
obscene.
But so when you back down intothat $1 million to $2 million, I
think it's five months ofinventory today in Atlanta,
based on what the FMLS shows.
So how do you compete in amarket like that with sellers?
(17:12):
I mean, they know it's a toughmarket to begin with, but how do
you show them I'm the best, youneed to give me the opportunity
.
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Right, right, so, of course, every seller mostly
interviews different agents,right, of course they.
I mean there's, as you know,there's in Atlanta, we have
40,000 real estate agents.
So, of course, competition isextremely fierce.
And, let's say, you're going toa listing appointment.
You want to set yourself apartfrom the competition.
You want to show the sellerthat you A have the experience,
(17:45):
the track record, that you canactually sell a property like
that.
You have the network, you havethe experience, the expertise to
sell it and you actually takethe marketing of the property
seriously.
You have, uh, of course, onlinepresence, right, I mean, the
internet is just where it's at,um, clearly, you want to.
You have like a network ofbrokers, um, that you want to
(18:08):
utilize as well and you want totap in.
But I would say, 85% of the timea property is being sold
through internet marketing andin internet marketing nowadays,
every buyer is on their phonespretty much all the time, right,
everybody's on their phones allthe time, and so I think it's
very important to capitalize onthat, such as social media,
right, I mean the rise ofInstagram, facebook, whatever it
(18:30):
was eight years ago when itreally propelled forward, and
there's such a huge market Likewe are able to sell properties
off of Facebook right very fastto where we have a marketing
campaign where we're targetingbuyers or a group of buyers, to
(18:51):
where they will be scrollingthrough their newsfeed and then
see an ad pop up of a propertythat they're interested in, like
a listing that we just put onthe market, and then we target
them through geo-marketing,geo-targeting, get that on their
, they get that on theirnewsfeed, like right there in
their home.
Of course, an online presencelike that is taking it a step
(19:12):
further to the previous yearsthe previous years, of course,
as you know, like when themarket was, when the market was
on fire, we had a inventory, asyou just mentioned, like one or
two million dollars.
Five months back then it wasmaybe two months, two and a half
, three months, which wassignificantly lower.
To where you list a property,you don't necessarily have to do
a whole lot of marketing,because the moment it hits the
(19:35):
MLS, the moment it's being fedout to all the websites online
Zillow, trulia, realtorcom youwill get hits, you will get
calls.
Nowadays it's a little bittougher.
You will get hits, you will getcalls.
Nowadays it's a little bittougher.
And I think also what anotherchallenge that we are facing as
(19:55):
real estate agents right now isto educate the sellers on
current market conditions,meaning many sellers.
What I see personally in thebusiness is that many sellers
are still in that mindset ofpost-pandemic.
Post-pandemic mindset, meaningwe can ask any astronomical
amount for the property.
Someone's going to pay for itnot anymore.
And so right and not anymore.
(20:18):
So we have to work with thesellers, we have to educate them
on current market conditions,um, the way the market works now
, and then, of course, put anextra step, an extra effort into
the marketing plan in order to,I guess, really set yourself
apart from the competition.
Hugh Gilliam (20:39):
I think one thing you've done, and we're going to
show it in just a few minutes umyour marketing of the house and
and um was it brookhaven the?
Speaker 3 (20:49):
the clip you've got the yeah, the uh the video.
The video that I showed you wasthe one that was a property we
sold in swanee okay, okay, andhow much was the price of my
home?
Um, well, that was, uh, thatwas last year and that was that
fantastic.
We listed the property at$1,500,000, and we had gosh.
(21:10):
We had five offers on theproperty and over the weekend we
had 30 showings and we closedat $1,500,000, $50,000 above
asking price.
That's fantastic.
Hugh Gilliam (21:21):
But the reason I brought that up, what I want to
do, we're going to cut in just aminute and let you go straight
to that video which shows thequality of marketing that you do
, and I think it's also whatyou've done.
You can answer this, but Ithink what you've done you put
(21:45):
your personality in with themarketing of the home.
It's not just beautiful photosof the home, but you're in the
home and you have a greatphotographer and videographer,
by the way, and I know himbecause I use he and his, his
group, with my listings, but Ithink that blending of the two
helps you out so much.
You know for your targeting, themarkets you're going after and
(22:09):
showing you.
You're the face of it, but yethere's the house also.
I think that blend togetherreally goes a long way, and so
we're going to show that rightnow.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Perfect, let's do it.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
Hey guys, I'm Kilian Reif.
Welcome to 5805 Ballantine Wayin Suwannee, thank you.
So Now, if you love the houseas much as I do, be sure to give
(23:49):
me a call and schedule yourprivate tour today.
Hugh Gilliam (23:53):
Okay, so we're back now.
What a fantastic video of youand the home.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Thank you.
Hugh Gilliam (23:58):
Thank you very much, you said it took only how
many days to get 50 offers.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
So we came on the market.
We scheduled coming on themarket.
Well, we did a coming sooncampaign on Monday.
And then we were starting or westarted scheduling showings
Friday, saturday and Sunday.
We had gosh, I think.
We had 35 showings lined up forthree days.
The sellers they were amazing,amazing people that actually
(24:25):
actually took a um, that tookout a hotel the family over the
weekend.
Because I told them look, we'regonna, we're creating such a
huge bus for the property um,you don't necessarily want to be
in the house when it's arevolving door of showing so
what we did?
we had the property open.
We had the property open Friday, saturday and Sunday 35
(24:47):
showings.
We had five offers come in andwe were asking a million five
and then we eventually closed ata million $550,000.
No contingencies, I mean juststraight up.
Hugh Gilliam (24:59):
It was fantastic.
Now my, my, my comments aboutyou selling yourself and the
property together, merging themtogether into a video how's that
been for you?
I mean because I know you get alot of social media play, but
do you feel like that's helpedyou take a step closer to like?
Okay, I'm set apart because ofthis.
(25:21):
This is what I do.
I mean they see you and theysee what you represent.
Is that part of your businessplan of marketing?
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I would say definitely yes, as a real estate
agent, of course, you are theface of your company.
You're representing first ofall, I guess you're representing
yourself, you're representingyourself, and then you're
representing the property andthen, as you said, you put it
very nicely like those twothings blend together very well
to where it's me presenting theproperty while representing the
(25:58):
listing and representing myself.
Then, for future references,when I go on the next listing
appointment, meeting withanother seller, and I showed
them that kind of marketing,that kind of presence.
And then we gosh, I believe wehad like 45,000 clicks on that
(26:21):
video on different outlets wherewe had it up and that really
shows, of course, that shows aseller first of all.
They, they kind of like get toknow me in a video presence when
, before, before I go out to theto the appointment, I send them
an email so they can click,click on all those um
presentations, on all thosevideos.
So they kind of like alreadyget a feeling, wow, this guy
really knows what he's, whathe's doing.
I mean, clearly it's um, it'sworking out very well for him.
(26:44):
And then this is kind of likehow you build it up to the
appointment and then you sit atthe appointment.
You show them that, and so they, first of course.
First of all, they see how youpresent a property, but also how
you present yourself, becauseof course they want someone
who's very comfortablepresenting themselves, selling
(27:04):
themselves, in order to selltheir property.
Hugh Gilliam (27:08):
So that brings us to this point.
In 2019, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, you've been the
number one single agent inAtlanta community's in-town
division.
(27:28):
That's right All those yearsand I'm so proud of you for that
.
I mean that's fantastic.
Kilian Rief (27:34):
Thank you very much .
I really appreciate it.
Hugh Gilliam (27:36):
I saw you open the door at the very beginning of
your career and to see you comethat far, people say, well,
that's an overnight sensation.
Not really.
It took a lot of sweat andequity to get from point A to
point B.
Kilian Rief (27:48):
Absolutely, and you saw me being dialed in right,
dialed in punching the numberscalling.
Hugh Gilliam (27:54):
Dialing for dollars.
Kilian Rief (27:55):
I saw that I sure did.
Dialing for dollars, that's howyou called it.
Hugh Gilliam (28:00):
So here's the thing I want you to tell the
audience today about.
So we've been through some ofthese things.
We've talked about success, butreally the icing on the cake
the American dream sellingAtlanta.
Now, how did you get that gig?
(28:24):
I mean, I've seen it ontelevision and we're going to
show shortly a video clip ofthat so they can see you
presenting Buckhead, which is inAtlanta, and I think you did a
spectacular job.
So how did you get from numberone seller in town to the
American Dream selling Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Absolutely so.
The dream, uh, is a as anationwide television show
showcasing communities, cities.
They have a, um, they have manydifferent cities all over the
united states and they are basedin.
They're based in california, um, where's it called?
Spot california.
And as they were planning tolaunch selling atlanta, the
(29:03):
producer reached out to.
They had a connection inatlanta, a mortgage broker.
I forget who it was, but thatmortgage broker is affiliated
somehow with a broker in one ofthe offices of atlanta
communities.
They reached out to thatmortgage broker and said hey, um
, we're about to launch sellingatlanta.
Who do you know?
We need a few agents.
So it's basically put togetherof five agents all over metro
(29:27):
atlanta and then everybody isbasically presenting a piece of
neighborhood like a neighborhoodand then, ideally, showcasing a
listing.
And then that one broker, themortgage broker reached out to
one of the managing brokers ofAtlantic Communities and,
because of my online presencethe way I present my listings
(29:49):
through these videos Iestablished a name for myself
within my company of AtlanticCommunities.
And then that broker said ohwell, well, I know exactly who
you guys should interview.
They put me in touch with theproducers out in california and
then they flew in town, um, wehad a meeting, uh, we had a
(30:10):
meeting a year ago in at thesame regions, I believe, in
downtown, and they wereinterviewing a few agents and uh
, exactly, then they, uh, theysaid they need five and I was
one of them.
And uh, yeah, it was.
It was fantastic.
We had gosh.
We had, it was streaming or isstreaming on, I believe, amazon
prime.
It was airing on cbs, um, and,uh, cnbc, I believe, and, and
(30:36):
CNBC, I believe, and now it's anHDTV.
And we had gosh.
We had the very first one.
We had 31 million impressionsover the course of a month and
that is, of course, that's wild.
Hugh Gilliam (30:50):
That's phenomenal, that's great.
Well, you know, we're going toshow that now, so that the
viewers can sort of see whatBuckhead looks like and see you
in action as one of the stars ofthe American dream.
So we're going to do that rightnow.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Perfect, let's check it out.
Let's do it.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Here we are, immersed in the dynamic pulse and
vibrant energy of Atlanta, righthere in the epicenter, at the
iconic shops of Buckhead, righthere in Buckhead Village, I am
your host Kill.
Stunning mansions, high-endcondos with panoramic city views
(31:48):
.
The quality of life here istruly exceptional, with high-end
shopping and world-class dining.
Buckhead is home to some ofAtlanta's finest restaurants,
where you can savor exquisitecuisine and elegant settings.
When it comes to shopping, theshops of Buckhead offer a
premier selection of designerboutiques, making it a true
(32:08):
shopper's paradise.
I'm here with my longtimefriend and client, josie.
Josie, why don't you tell me?
Why are you and your husbandplanning to move to the Buckhead
area?
Speaker 4 (32:23):
Yeah, so for us, buckhead is really a one-stop
shop for everything that we do,from our lifestyle to the dog
park around the corner.
Obviously, it has greatrestaurants, fabulous shopping.
It's very family-friendly.
It's pet-friendly.
Having my own event planningand PR business based here in
Atlanta, it's a really fantasticspace to bring out of town
(32:44):
clients for business lunches orexecutive dinners or just if you
want to have a meeting over acup of coffee.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
I couldn't agree more with you.
As a matter of fact, there's ahouse I'm thinking of right now.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:55):
I'd love to show you.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Let's go see it.
What do you say?
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Absolutely yeah, come on.
Speaker 4 (33:09):
Oh wow, this looks great.
I love this foyer.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
Check out the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Look at all this great natural light.
This is really nice For me.
Personally, I love a diningroom like a dedicated dining
room.
This is great for me.
I love this.
Speaker 5 (33:28):
I really love the mid-century modern, like the
flow, the architecture, thefloor plan.
See this part right here, theway the kitchen opens up right
here.
This is, I would say, my secondmost favorite part of the house
Cozy living room right here.
Right, we got the gas fireplaceright here.
Pay close attention to theskylights you see them how again
(33:49):
it floods the living room andreally to complete the whole
house with natural light.
Check out the fourth bedroom inhere.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Oh my God, look at this sweet room.
Right oh look at the disco ball.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Exactly so nice to decorate it right.
And now check out the primarysuite right here.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
Wow, this is fabulous .
Speaker 5 (34:16):
This is one of my favorite parts here that
combination between indoorliving and outdoor oasis.
We're sitting on almost one anda half acres completely private
.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
I mean, you don't even feel like you're in the
middle of the city.
This feels like you're in themiddle of the mountains or
something, and this is prettyincredible.
You can sit in the pool andlook right out into the trees.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Josie, this home offers you a unique lifestyle
and a tremendous value,comparing it to other mega
mansions here in the area.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Oh, absolutely.
This house is reallyspectacular.
I feel like you get the best ofboth worlds here, right.
You've got this tranquilprivate space and you're minutes
from thriving Buckhead.
This could be really perfectfor us.
Speaker 5 (34:58):
Buckhead's right around the corner.
What do you say?
We go get a drink.
Hugh Gilliam (35:00):
Let's go.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Thanks for tuning in.
I'm your host, Killian Reif.
See you next time on theAmerican Dream TV.
Hugh Gilliam (35:21):
What a fantastic video I mean again, you did a
great job.
You look like a movie star outthere presenting.
I love it.
I love that video.
So, to wrap this up, you truly,at 10 years old, you didn't
know this.
You truly, at 10 years old, youdidn't know this, but you were
charting that pathway to becomea real estate agent or
(35:43):
professional in the UnitedStates and that was part of your
American dream.
What a way to capture yourAmerican dream on the American
dream selling Atlanta.
I think that's great.
I think that's a greatAbsolutely.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
I'm beyond, beyond blessed and, of course,
extremely grateful to have hadthat.
Hugh Gilliam (36:06):
Yeah, you got a lot.
You got a lot done, but you gota lot more to do.
Let let me ask you this If youwere going to be giving advice
and just you know you don't haveto go back through the whole
(36:31):
nine yards of what we talkedabout.
But giving advice to a newagent just coming into the
business or to someone that'spretty seasoned, that really
wants more, what would be acouple of things that you would
throw out to those peopleseeking help on which way to
turn what would your advice be?
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Well, the first one really stick to it.
Don't give up.
Whenever you face rejection,you will face rejection.
You will have your best friendor maybe even a family member
not work with you.
That will just happen.
You will go for a listing andyou will think, wow, that seller
and I, we just had the bestconversation.
You build rapport and you feelso pumped and just to get the
(37:06):
call a week later saying, look,we decided to go with somebody
else.
Stick to it, don't let thatdiscourage you, don't let that
take you off your path.
Rejection is just a part of it.
It is sales, it's uh, it's asales job and rejection is just
part of it.
You should see every single oneof those setbacks not as a
(37:28):
setback but as a stepping stone,as a stepping stone closer to
your success story.
This is how, um, I think thisis.
This is probably the biggestthing to not let a setback like
that discourage you too much, towhere you maybe even build
resentment towards the businessand you're like, uh, you know,
just stick to it, stick to it,get over it, get through it and
(37:51):
ideally you want to grow throughit right.
And uh, of course, consistency.
Consistency like consistentlycold calling, consistently
staying in touch with yoursphere, that they know he's
legit, like he knows like every120 days I'm getting a call from
him.
He's checking in how he canhelp me, if there's anything he
can do, educate us on the realestate market and I think,
(38:15):
really never giving upconsistency, sticking to it,
following through and followingup is very, very important.
Hugh Gilliam (38:24):
Yeah, and you know that is something we know and
we understand it.
You just got to practice.
You got to put that in practiceand execute that plan every
single day.
Listen, it's been a great timewith you today.
I appreciate you being with us.
We didn't talk about golfing,we didn't talk about the Harley,
but I'm going to give you oneminute to talk about the Harley
(38:45):
and how you sort of unwind withthat Harley Davidson.
Kilian Rief (38:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Absolutely.
I mean, of course, in sales,when you're wired in, you're in
your headset, you're wired in,you're talking on on the phone.
It's also important to havetime for yourself, where you are
, you know, detached from thewhole real estate game.
And a great way for me todetach myself, to focus on the
(39:12):
road, is with my motorcycle.
I got a beautiful HarleyDavidson, matter of fact.
Just last night I was out withthe guys.
You sit on the bike and youjust have the wind, you have the
engine and you have the road infront of you.
And this is some sort of, youknow, quiet meditation, although
it's everything but quiet.
Hugh Gilliam (39:31):
But it's therapeutic is what you're
saying.
Therapeutic and also you knowwhat it prevents?
It prevents burnout, absolutely.
I mean any type of outsideactivity, rather than just be
focused all the time and thereis a time that you walk out of
the office and close the doors.
I know we have to be 24-7 onduty, but I think it's very
important for the mental healthas well as physical to be able
(39:55):
to pull away and unwind just alittle bit.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
I think so too, at least every other day.
That's right.
That's right, absolutely.
Hugh Gilliam (40:06):
Thanks for joining in on today's episode of
RealtyCast Global.
Make sure to subscribe to thepodcast to be notified when new
episodes air.
Welcome to RealtyCast Global, where we
bring insights and advice fromtop professionals in the global
market.
Join us for a journey ofculture and real estate from
countries across the globe.
My guest today is Killian Reif,and, from what I know about
Killian, I've known him for awhile.
He's a driven, ambitious realestate professional who embarked
(00:25):
on his journey from Germany toAtlanta several years ago.
He always had this idea aboutbecoming a real estate broker in
the United States, and boy didhe ever make it happen.
Welcome, how are you?
Kilian Rief (00:42):
this morning.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, I'm doing well.
Thank you very much for havingme.
Hugh Gilliam (00:47):
Oh, listen, it's a pleasure.
I want you to tell the audiencea little bit about your journey
, and you began in Germany.
Actually, you were born andraised there.
Bring us forward to Atlanta.
Tell us about how you got fromthere to Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Atlanta.
Tell us about how you got fromthere to Atlanta.
Absolutely so it started out, Iguess, with.
Well, it's always been my dreamto be a real estate broker in
the United States.
I was about 10 years old and wewere moving.
At the time, my family, myfather, my mother, my brother
and I and we were looking for ahouse in the mountains about two
hours south of Munich,beautiful little mountain town
(01:30):
as well, was born and raised andwe're waiting for that real
estate agent to show us thehouse.
She drives up.
She was wearing a nice suit,you know, just driving a nice
car, and I asked my dad hey,what is, what's a real estate
agent do?
And so my dad explained to meand sure enough, that's when, I
guess, the fire was put insideof me to be a real estate broker
in America.
Fast forward 10, 15 years,graduated university in Germany,
(01:54):
in Regensburg, for real estatemanagement and, sure enough,
2015.
It was gosh, it's almost been10 years.
They came here to Atlanta,moved to Atlanta and started a
business, got into it and, ofcourse, that's how we first
connected at the East Coveoffice of Atlanta communities
and you were so.
You were extremely nice, sowelcoming, and I joined the
(02:17):
Gilliam team and loved it.
Kilian Rief (02:20):
It was great you showed me the ropes, the early
stages, the beginning stages.
Hugh Gilliam (02:25):
Well, and I'll tell you what.
You picked it up very fast too,but it's not about me, it's
about you and what you broughtto the table.
I'll tell the audience herethat I would see this young man
come into the office everysingle day at a specific time,
had a suit on and actually had abriefcase in his hand.
(02:47):
He would close the door andthere were.
You know, you could see therewere glass doors, you could see
through the door.
I could see him in therecalling, calling and calling.
He was calling people from alist.
He kept looking down a list.
He was calling people everysingle day and one day I just
dropped in.
I said what are you doing?
And he said I'm calling expiredlistings.
(03:08):
And so we talked a little bitmore and he'd already had he
already had postcards and thingsput together about him and what
he could do for the client orthe seller, and he was selling,
sending those out to specificareas, and I was really
impressed with him.
So we had a conversation and Itell you what we got together
(03:29):
and things just began to bloomout for both of us.
Actually, I learned from himand he learned from me in doing
that.
Tell us about, tell you came toatlanta, you got involved with
at Atlanta communities and howmany years ago was that, I can't
remember exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
That was exactly eight years ago.
Hugh Gilliam (03:49):
Has it been that long Eight?
Speaker 3 (03:50):
years ago it was wild right.
Eight years ago I walked intothe East Cup office and said hey
, here's my license.
And who was it?
Nicole Morris, I believe.
She welcomed me.
She said all right, thank you.
You're now an agent withAtlanta Communities and I
remember it so vividly Right.
I was walking in and I'm likegreat.
Kilian Rief (04:12):
Got the piece of paper in my hand and I'm like
what do I do now?
Hugh Gilliam (04:17):
The very first day you were a quick learner, you
really were.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Back to Germany.
Tell us you graduated from whatcollege University in
Regensburg.
Hugh Gilliam (04:29):
That's a nice little college town in Northern
Bavaria.
And you, what was?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
your degree.
I majored in.
I majored in real estatemanagement, real estate
management and then that was2015,.
The summer of 2015, I graduatedand I had planned to move to
Atlanta then in October of 2015.
And I had a lot of time toprepare myself for what's about
(04:53):
to, I guess, happen for myjourney.
So what I did is basically Iread gosh.
I believe I read 30, 35, 40books about how to be successful
as a real estate agent inAmerica.
Of course, real estate being apeople business, you want to
have connections with people.
But so imagine, you move to anew continent, you don't know
(05:15):
anybody, you don't have anyfriends, you don't have any
family here, and so then I goton the phone.
Got on the phone, cold calling,started cold calling Fizbo's
for sale by owners and expiredlistings.
I still do it today.
Hugh Gilliam (05:31):
I know you do.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
And that's really how I started drumming up a lot of
business back then.
Hugh Gilliam (05:39):
What about the trip to?
I mean, what led you to Atlantaspecifically?
Why did that stand out aboveother states?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
and cities.
Yeah, so a friend of mine frombanking, actually in germany.
He had moved.
He and I were working togetherfor a uh, for a bank.
We were doing like a trainingprogram for a bank in germany
for two years before I went tocollege and then he had moved,
moved to Atlanta in 2012,.
I believe I visited him in 2013and was just blown away by it.
(06:10):
Just that there was the firsttime for me to be in America, to
visit the States, and he was inAtlanta.
He was in Marietta at the timeand I kept on visiting.
And then 2015, I uh, I uh,packed up my things after
graduating college university ingermany, packed up my things
(06:31):
and came to to atlanta.
Hugh Gilliam (06:32):
Yeah, so that's how I ended up here.
Okay, so, and and that's,that's good, and you had a
friend here that sort of helpedpave the way for you to uh, to
see the city and the surroundingtowns in metro Atlanta.
What about as you, at 10 yearsold, you saw that lady, you saw
(06:55):
the real estate agency or thelady and you felt like that you
needed to be in that business.
I think that's amazing that yousaw her at 10 years old and had
that spark about what youwanted to do.
Did you in Germany?
Did you?
Were you involved in any way inreal estate?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
As a matter of fact, I was so, as I said, I was 10
years old and I wanted to be areal estate agent right, and I
always wanted to be in America,but it has always been a dream
of mine too.
But then, when I was workingfor the bank in germany, I got
involved in the, the real estatedepartment in germany for that
bank and I love that just thefact of you know, really
(07:36):
connecting with people, notbeing glued to a desk but
actually making it your job tonetwork, meet new people, go
outside, see differentproperties, see different homes,
see different houses.
Job to network, meet new people, go outside, see different
properties, see different homes,see different houses, connect
with new people, meet new peopleand, of course, kind of like
help them find a new place tocall home.
I really I love that.
Hugh Gilliam (07:58):
The initial changes coming from Germany to
Atlanta, and especially a new.
You had your broker's license,or I mean your real estate
license, at that time when youcame here you began the classes.
So what would you say were theinitial challenges at the very
beginning, when you steppedthrough that door in East Cobb
with Atlanta communities?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Absolutely Well, I would say, the challenges.
There were many, many, manychallenges, many adversaries
faced, success far and fewbetween every now and then.
But I would say, really thebiggest challenge while I was
able to communicate, you know,of course you learn English in
(08:40):
school, but the real estate,like specific real estate lingo,
I guess, was rather new to me.
Reading a real estate contract10 years ago, I was like, oh wow
, everything was new to me,right, and that was a challenge
for sure.
But I would say the biggestchallenge that I, that, I guess
(09:01):
well, was such a big challenge,big aspect of my, of my entire
story, was just the fact that Iknew I needed to make
connections in order to besuccessful in real estate and
that was the biggest challenge.
Basically, cold calling, right,I mean, of course you cold call
today.
Back then it was, I mean,pretty much the same, you know,
just going from no to no to noto no until you come to that,
(09:25):
yes, and I think, like it's thebiggest part, or the biggest,
the biggest reason why peopleare successful in cold calling,
I believe, is is their mindsetright, the way they approach the
situation, meaning you cannothave, I guess, thin skin, right
and uh, you must not letrejection, you know, get to.
(09:49):
You know it's very easy to youknow, when you have a bad day,
you know you're on the phone forfive hours a day and everybody
says, no, no, get a real job,read the Bible, leave me alone.
I was cussed out everything.
I heard it all, and then it'svery important to not let that
get to you in the head, to where?
Then the next day you're like,ah, I had such a bad day
(10:10):
yesterday.
People were cussing me out, I'mgoing to take a break.
So you just must really, youknow, internalize the nose and
uh, I mean now, today, I getexcited when I know when I'm
talking to a uh, to a cult lead,I get excited to just really
get into it, dive deeper and uh,and really try to well, try to
get the meeting, try toestablish rapport with the
(10:31):
potential lead or with thepotential client, and trying to
really get there.
So I would say that wasdefinitely the biggest challenge
.
Hugh Gilliam (10:38):
So it sounds like you made a game of it, like if I
get at least 50 no's, I'll geta yes and you're after that yes
every time you get a no.
So you're closer and closerevery time you get a no.
So you're closer and closerevery time.
Absolutely, but, but it does.
It is you got to be able tohandle rejection.
I mean, I, I, I hate coldcalling, I hate to do that, but,
(10:58):
but I think part of it might bebecause I don't want to be
rejected.
But so I'm sure the questionyou got from a lot of different
people how are you differentthan all the other agents?
What kind of response did youget to that?
I know, now, let me just saythis.
Now your response can be let meshow you my portfolio of sales.
But then how did you hit thathead on and say I'm different
(11:25):
because yeah, exactly, very goodquestion.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
So I would say, really what set me aside or what
helped me become so successfulin the early stages was a
tenacious follow-up andfollow-through.
I had absolutely no businesswhen I started out, and so I was
extremely hungry for businessMeaning when I was talking to a
potential lead and they saidwell, you know what we're going
(11:48):
to try it out for.
So I was extremely hungry forbusiness meaning when I was
talking to a potential lead andthey said, well, you know what
we're going to try it out for.
We're going to try it out forfour weeks.
Call me in four weeks.
I would consistently check infollow up.
I had, like the old school youremember my old school crm,
right with the sheets of paperwritten down putting it on a
piece of paper and um and then,really, because I was so hungry
(12:09):
for the business, I followed upand followed through and I
remember after four months, fivemonths, in 2016, after I got my
real estate license, I signedtoday, uh, back then, the uh the
biggest listing of mine was 1.7million dollar new construction
home in brookhaven.
And when I sat down with the guyafter the fact, after we sold
(12:30):
it, I mean he really he said hewas impressed.
When I told him that, look, Imean that was maybe like my
fourth or fifth transaction ofmy entire career and he said,
wow, I had absolutely no ideabecause of the way I presented
myself Very confident, clearly,in sales, of course, you have to
be confident.
You have to be confident inyourself.
That's where it starts, right?
(12:52):
I mean, every salesperson,every successful salesperson,
will tell you that, that itstarts with the way you think
about yourself.
The way you think aboutyourself, the way you perceive
yourself, is basically the wayyou present yourself to other
people, and then other peoplewill see you that way.
The way you think aboutyourself is the way other people
will perceive you in somecertain ways, and I think that
was really it that set me apart,just the hunger for business,
(13:16):
and then the tenacious follow-upand follow-through Nowadays, I
guess after I upgraded my CRMafter a few years.
Kilian Rief (13:26):
I mean it makes things a lot easier.
Hugh Gilliam (13:29):
Sure it does.
It's better than the legal padand the marketing.
Kilian Rief (13:34):
That's right, that's right.
Hugh Gilliam (13:35):
You remember that Makes you a little bit more
automated today.
That's right, that's right Iwas going to ask you the next
question.
I'm glad you brought that up.
What about technology?
How do you utilize technologytoday in your everyday business?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Absolutely so.
In the very beginning, when I,when I first came here, I, my
dad, my dad gave me a loan of$10,000 to to come to Atlanta
and start the business, and forme there was no, there was no
plan B right.
I think that was also a bigreason for my, for my success is
that there was no, there was no, plan B, there was I think that
was also a big reason for mysuccess is that there was no
plan B, there was no fallingback, there was no moving back
(14:11):
to Germany, as David Goggins, Ibelieve, talks about burning the
boats.
Burn the boats, right.
So you only have one way andthat's the way that you set out,
and back then I used that moneyto buy my first car here, and
then there was not much left tosurvive, and then, of course,
(14:32):
that made it a little bit harderto implement technology because
the resources were extremelylimited when I first started out
.
So that's why I had the oldschool, old school CRM,
basically just put togethermyself.
School CRM basically just puttogether myself.
But then, of course, as successgrows and resources start
coming in and you reinvest intothe business, that has also
(14:54):
helped me to propel my businessfurther.
Implementing technologies suchas CRM, such as websites, very
professional websites,partnering with other companies
to do my marketing for me online, working with other companies
like referral companies, onlinepresence putting all of that
(15:14):
together and utilizing moderntechnology has definitely helped
and continues to help me today.
Every Wednesday afternoon I tryto block it a I try to block
out the entire afternoon to lookat my business from an outside
perspective, meaning, like we asreal estate agents, you know we
(15:36):
wear many hats, right.
We're the CFO, we're the CEO,we're the COM, we're every
single hat basically Right.
And so I think it's importantto step back and look at the
business, look at new technologythat may help you propel your
business further and, forexample, like right now, we're
in a very changing market, asyou know, and so it's important
(15:59):
to adapt and to adjust andimplement new technology in
order to serve your clients tothe best.
Hugh Gilliam (16:05):
What about the Atlanta market today?
I mean, I just looked atnumbers this morning actually
because we're looking at luxurymarket and I see that you know,
a year ago you could put alisting on the market.
It was gone in like two daysactually as far as under
contract and we love those days.
(16:26):
But as it gets harder I've seenthe luxury market from the one
to two million and even up tofive million longer on the
market and I realized theydidn't go so quickly necessarily
as the other average listingprices out there.
But I noticed in the fivemillion range it's like up into
(16:48):
my gosh, 100 months of inventory, something like that, which is
obscene.
But so when you back down intothat $1 million to $2 million, I
think it's five months ofinventory today in Atlanta,
based on what the FMLS shows.
So how do you compete in amarket like that with sellers?
(17:12):
I mean, they know it's a toughmarket to begin with, but how do
you show them I'm the best, youneed to give me the opportunity
.
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Right, right, so, of course, every seller mostly
interviews different agents,right, of course they.
I mean there's, as you know,there's in Atlanta, we have
40,000 real estate agents.
So, of course, competition isextremely fierce.
And, let's say, you're going toa listing appointment.
You want to set yourself apartfrom the competition.
You want to show the sellerthat you A have the experience,
(17:45):
the track record, that you canactually sell a property like
that.
You have the network, you havethe experience, the expertise to
sell it and you actually takethe marketing of the property
seriously.
You have, uh, of course, onlinepresence, right, I mean, the
internet is just where it's at,um, clearly, you want to.
You have like a network ofbrokers, um, that you want to
(18:08):
utilize as well and you want totap in.
But I would say, 85% of the timea property is being sold
through internet marketing andin internet marketing nowadays,
every buyer is on their phonespretty much all the time, right,
everybody's on their phones allthe time, and so I think it's
very important to capitalize onthat, such as social media,
right, I mean the rise ofInstagram, facebook, whatever it
(18:30):
was eight years ago when itreally propelled forward, and
there's such a huge market Likewe are able to sell properties
off of Facebook right very fastto where we have a marketing
campaign where we're targetingbuyers or a group of buyers, to
(18:51):
where they will be scrollingthrough their newsfeed and then
see an ad pop up of a propertythat they're interested in, like
a listing that we just put onthe market, and then we target
them through geo-marketing,geo-targeting, get that on their
, they get that on theirnewsfeed, like right there in
their home.
Of course, an online presencelike that is taking it a step
(19:12):
further to the previous yearsthe previous years, of course,
as you know, like when themarket was, when the market was
on fire, we had a inventory, asyou just mentioned, like one or
two million dollars.
Five months back then it wasmaybe two months, two and a half
, three months, which wassignificantly lower.
To where you list a property,you don't necessarily have to do
a whole lot of marketing,because the moment it hits the
(19:35):
MLS, the moment it's being fedout to all the websites online
Zillow, trulia, realtorcom youwill get hits, you will get
calls.
Nowadays it's a little bittougher.
You will get hits, you will getcalls.
Nowadays it's a little bittougher.
And I think also what anotherchallenge that we are facing as
(19:55):
real estate agents right now isto educate the sellers on
current market conditions,meaning many sellers.
What I see personally in thebusiness is that many sellers
are still in that mindset ofpost-pandemic.
Post-pandemic mindset, meaningwe can ask any astronomical
amount for the property.
Someone's going to pay for itnot anymore.
And so right and not anymore.
(20:18):
So we have to work with thesellers, we have to educate them
on current market conditions,um, the way the market works now
, and then, of course, put anextra step, an extra effort into
the marketing plan in order to,I guess, really set yourself
apart from the competition.
Hugh Gilliam (20:39):
I think one thing you've done, and we're going to
show it in just a few minutes umyour marketing of the house and
and um was it brookhaven the?
Speaker 3 (20:49):
the clip you've got the yeah, the uh the video.
The video that I showed you wasthe one that was a property we
sold in swanee okay, okay, andhow much was the price of my
home?
Um, well, that was, uh, thatwas last year and that was that
fantastic.
We listed the property at$1,500,000, and we had gosh.
(21:10):
We had five offers on theproperty and over the weekend we
had 30 showings and we closedat $1,500,000, $50,000 above
asking price.
That's fantastic.
Hugh Gilliam (21:21):
But the reason I brought that up, what I want to
do, we're going to cut in just aminute and let you go straight
to that video which shows thequality of marketing that you do
, and I think it's also whatyou've done.
You can answer this, but Ithink what you've done you put
(21:45):
your personality in with themarketing of the home.
It's not just beautiful photosof the home, but you're in the
home and you have a greatphotographer and videographer,
by the way, and I know himbecause I use he and his, his
group, with my listings, but Ithink that blending of the two
helps you out so much.
You know for your targeting, themarkets you're going after and
(22:09):
showing you.
You're the face of it, but yethere's the house also.
I think that blend togetherreally goes a long way, and so
we're going to show that rightnow.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Perfect, let's do it.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
Hey guys, I'm Kilian Reif.
Welcome to 5805 Ballantine Wayin Suwannee, thank you.
So Now, if you love the houseas much as I do, be sure to give
(23:49):
me a call and schedule yourprivate tour today.
Hugh Gilliam (23:53):
Okay, so we're back now.
What a fantastic video of youand the home.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Thank you.
Hugh Gilliam (23:58):
Thank you very much, you said it took only how
many days to get 50 offers.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
So we came on the market.
We scheduled coming on themarket.
Well, we did a coming sooncampaign on Monday.
And then we were starting or westarted scheduling showings
Friday, saturday and Sunday.
We had gosh, I think.
We had 35 showings lined up forthree days.
The sellers they were amazing,amazing people that actually
(24:25):
actually took a um, that tookout a hotel the family over the
weekend.
Because I told them look, we'regonna, we're creating such a
huge bus for the property um,you don't necessarily want to be
in the house when it's arevolving door of showing so
what we did?
we had the property open.
We had the property open Friday, saturday and Sunday 35
(24:47):
showings.
We had five offers come in andwe were asking a million five
and then we eventually closed ata million $550,000.
No contingencies, I mean juststraight up.
Hugh Gilliam (24:59):
It was fantastic.
Now my, my, my comments aboutyou selling yourself and the
property together, merging themtogether into a video how's that
been for you?
I mean because I know you get alot of social media play, but
do you feel like that's helpedyou take a step closer to like?
Okay, I'm set apart because ofthis.
(25:21):
This is what I do.
I mean they see you and theysee what you represent.
Is that part of your businessplan of marketing?
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I would say definitely yes, as a real estate
agent, of course, you are theface of your company.
You're representing first ofall, I guess you're representing
yourself, you're representingyourself, and then you're
representing the property andthen, as you said, you put it
very nicely like those twothings blend together very well
to where it's me presenting theproperty while representing the
(25:58):
listing and representing myself.
Then, for future references,when I go on the next listing
appointment, meeting withanother seller, and I showed
them that kind of marketing,that kind of presence.
And then we gosh, I believe wehad like 45,000 clicks on that
(26:21):
video on different outlets wherewe had it up and that really
shows, of course, that shows aseller first of all.
They, they kind of like get toknow me in a video presence when
, before, before I go out to theto the appointment, I send them
an email so they can click,click on all those um
presentations, on all thosevideos.
So they kind of like alreadyget a feeling, wow, this guy
really knows what he's, whathe's doing.
I mean, clearly it's um, it'sworking out very well for him.
(26:44):
And then this is kind of likehow you build it up to the
appointment and then you sit atthe appointment.
You show them that, and so they, first of course.
First of all, they see how youpresent a property, but also how
you present yourself, becauseof course they want someone
who's very comfortablepresenting themselves, selling
(27:04):
themselves, in order to selltheir property.
Hugh Gilliam (27:08):
So that brings us to this point.
In 2019, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, you've been the
number one single agent inAtlanta community's in-town
division.
(27:28):
That's right All those yearsand I'm so proud of you for that
.
I mean that's fantastic.
Kilian Rief (27:34):
Thank you very much .
I really appreciate it.
Hugh Gilliam (27:36):
I saw you open the door at the very beginning of
your career and to see you comethat far, people say, well,
that's an overnight sensation.
Not really.
It took a lot of sweat andequity to get from point A to
point B.
Kilian Rief (27:48):
Absolutely, and you saw me being dialed in right,
dialed in punching the numberscalling.
Hugh Gilliam (27:54):
Dialing for dollars.
Kilian Rief (27:55):
I saw that I sure did.
Dialing for dollars, that's howyou called it.
Hugh Gilliam (28:00):
So here's the thing I want you to tell the
audience today about.
So we've been through some ofthese things.
We've talked about success, butreally the icing on the cake
the American dream sellingAtlanta.
Now, how did you get that gig?
(28:24):
I mean, I've seen it ontelevision and we're going to
show shortly a video clip ofthat so they can see you
presenting Buckhead, which is inAtlanta, and I think you did a
spectacular job.
So how did you get from numberone seller in town to the
American Dream selling Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Absolutely so.
The dream, uh, is a as anationwide television show
showcasing communities, cities.
They have a, um, they have manydifferent cities all over the
united states and they are basedin.
They're based in california, um, where's it called?
Spot california.
And as they were planning tolaunch selling atlanta, the
(29:03):
producer reached out to.
They had a connection inatlanta, a mortgage broker.
I forget who it was, but thatmortgage broker is affiliated
somehow with a broker in one ofthe offices of atlanta
communities.
They reached out to thatmortgage broker and said hey, um
, we're about to launch sellingatlanta.
Who do you know?
We need a few agents.
So it's basically put togetherof five agents all over metro
(29:27):
atlanta and then everybody isbasically presenting a piece of
neighborhood like a neighborhoodand then, ideally, showcasing a
listing.
And then that one broker, themortgage broker reached out to
one of the managing brokers ofAtlantic Communities and,
because of my online presencethe way I present my listings
(29:49):
through these videos Iestablished a name for myself
within my company of AtlanticCommunities.
And then that broker said ohwell, well, I know exactly who
you guys should interview.
They put me in touch with theproducers out in california and
then they flew in town, um, wehad a meeting, uh, we had a
(30:10):
meeting a year ago in at thesame regions, I believe, in
downtown, and they wereinterviewing a few agents and uh
, exactly, then they, uh, theysaid they need five and I was
one of them.
And uh, yeah, it was.
It was fantastic.
We had gosh.
We had, it was streaming or isstreaming on, I believe, amazon
prime.
It was airing on cbs, um, and,uh, cnbc, I believe, and, and
(30:36):
CNBC, I believe, and now it's anHDTV.
And we had gosh.
We had the very first one.
We had 31 million impressionsover the course of a month and
that is, of course, that's wild.
Hugh Gilliam (30:50):
That's phenomenal, that's great.
Well, you know, we're going toshow that now, so that the
viewers can sort of see whatBuckhead looks like and see you
in action as one of the stars ofthe American dream.
So we're going to do that rightnow.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Perfect, let's check it out.
Let's do it.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Here we are, immersed in the dynamic pulse and
vibrant energy of Atlanta, righthere in the epicenter, at the
iconic shops of Buckhead, righthere in Buckhead Village, I am
your host Kill.
Stunning mansions, high-endcondos with panoramic city views
(31:48):
.
The quality of life here istruly exceptional, with high-end
shopping and world-class dining.
Buckhead is home to some ofAtlanta's finest restaurants,
where you can savor exquisitecuisine and elegant settings.
When it comes to shopping, theshops of Buckhead offer a
premier selection of designerboutiques, making it a true
(32:08):
shopper's paradise.
I'm here with my longtimefriend and client, josie.
Josie, why don't you tell me?
Why are you and your husbandplanning to move to the Buckhead
area?
Speaker 4 (32:23):
Yeah, so for us, buckhead is really a one-stop
shop for everything that we do,from our lifestyle to the dog
park around the corner.
Obviously, it has greatrestaurants, fabulous shopping.
It's very family-friendly.
It's pet-friendly.
Having my own event planningand PR business based here in
Atlanta, it's a really fantasticspace to bring out of town
(32:44):
clients for business lunches orexecutive dinners or just if you
want to have a meeting over acup of coffee.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
I couldn't agree more with you.
As a matter of fact, there's ahouse I'm thinking of right now.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:55):
I'd love to show you.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Let's go see it.
What do you say?
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Absolutely yeah, come on.
Speaker 4 (33:09):
Oh wow, this looks great.
I love this foyer.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
Check out the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Look at all this great natural light.
This is really nice For me.
Personally, I love a diningroom like a dedicated dining
room.
This is great for me.
I love this.
Speaker 5 (33:28):
I really love the mid-century modern, like the
flow, the architecture, thefloor plan.
See this part right here, theway the kitchen opens up right
here.
This is, I would say, my secondmost favorite part of the house
Cozy living room right here.
Right, we got the gas fireplaceright here.
Pay close attention to theskylights you see them how again
(33:49):
it floods the living room andreally to complete the whole
house with natural light.
Check out the fourth bedroom inhere.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Oh my God, look at this sweet room.
Right oh look at the disco ball.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Exactly so nice to decorate it right.
And now check out the primarysuite right here.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
Wow, this is fabulous .
Speaker 5 (34:16):
This is one of my favorite parts here that
combination between indoorliving and outdoor oasis.
We're sitting on almost one anda half acres completely private
.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
I mean, you don't even feel like you're in the
middle of the city.
This feels like you're in themiddle of the mountains or
something, and this is prettyincredible.
You can sit in the pool andlook right out into the trees.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Josie, this home offers you a unique lifestyle
and a tremendous value,comparing it to other mega
mansions here in the area.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Oh, absolutely.
This house is reallyspectacular.
I feel like you get the best ofboth worlds here, right.
You've got this tranquilprivate space and you're minutes
from thriving Buckhead.
This could be really perfectfor us.
Speaker 5 (34:58):
Buckhead's right around the corner.
What do you say?
We go get a drink.
Hugh Gilliam (35:00):
Let's go.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Thanks for tuning in.
I'm your host, Killian Reif.
See you next time on theAmerican Dream TV.
Hugh Gilliam (35:21):
What a fantastic video I mean again, you did a
great job.
You look like a movie star outthere presenting.
I love it.
I love that video.
So, to wrap this up, you truly,at 10 years old, you didn't
know this.
You truly, at 10 years old, youdidn't know this, but you were
charting that pathway to becomea real estate agent or
(35:43):
professional in the UnitedStates and that was part of your
American dream.
What a way to capture yourAmerican dream on the American
dream selling Atlanta.
I think that's great.
I think that's a greatAbsolutely.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
I'm beyond, beyond blessed and, of course,
extremely grateful to have hadthat.
Hugh Gilliam (36:06):
Yeah, you got a lot.
You got a lot done, but you gota lot more to do.
Let let me ask you this If youwere going to be giving advice
and just you know you don't haveto go back through the whole
(36:31):
nine yards of what we talkedabout.
But giving advice to a newagent just coming into the
business or to someone that'spretty seasoned, that really
wants more, what would be acouple of things that you would
throw out to those peopleseeking help on which way to
turn what would your advice be?
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Well, the first one really stick to it.
Don't give up.
Whenever you face rejection,you will face rejection.
You will have your best friendor maybe even a family member
not work with you.
That will just happen.
You will go for a listing andyou will think, wow, that seller
and I, we just had the bestconversation.
You build rapport and you feelso pumped and just to get the
(37:06):
call a week later saying, look,we decided to go with somebody
else.
Stick to it, don't let thatdiscourage you, don't let that
take you off your path.
Rejection is just a part of it.
It is sales, it's uh, it's asales job and rejection is just
part of it.
You should see every single oneof those setbacks not as a
(37:28):
setback but as a stepping stone,as a stepping stone closer to
your success story.
This is how, um, I think thisis.
This is probably the biggestthing to not let a setback like
that discourage you too much, towhere you maybe even build
resentment towards the businessand you're like, uh, you know,
just stick to it, stick to it,get over it, get through it and
(37:51):
ideally you want to grow throughit right.
And uh, of course, consistency.
Consistency like consistentlycold calling, consistently
staying in touch with yoursphere, that they know he's
legit, like he knows like every120 days I'm getting a call from
him.
He's checking in how he canhelp me, if there's anything he
can do, educate us on the realestate market and I think,
(38:15):
really never giving upconsistency, sticking to it,
following through and followingup is very, very important.
Hugh Gilliam (38:24):
Yeah, and you know that is something we know and
we understand it.
You just got to practice.
You got to put that in practiceand execute that plan every
single day.
Listen, it's been a great timewith you today.
I appreciate you being with us.
We didn't talk about golfing,we didn't talk about the Harley,
but I'm going to give you oneminute to talk about the Harley
(38:45):
and how you sort of unwind withthat Harley Davidson.
Kilian Rief (38:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Absolutely.
I mean, of course, in sales,when you're wired in, you're in
your headset, you're wired in,you're talking on on the phone.
It's also important to havetime for yourself, where you are
, you know, detached from thewhole real estate game.
And a great way for me todetach myself, to focus on the
(39:12):
road, is with my motorcycle.
I got a beautiful HarleyDavidson, matter of fact.
Just last night I was out withthe guys.
You sit on the bike and youjust have the wind, you have the
engine and you have the road infront of you.
And this is some sort of, youknow, quiet meditation, although
it's everything but quiet.
Hugh Gilliam (39:31):
But it's therapeutic is what you're
saying.
Therapeutic and also you knowwhat it prevents?
It prevents burnout, absolutely.
I mean any type of outsideactivity, rather than just be
focused all the time and thereis a time that you walk out of
the office and close the doors.
I know we have to be 24-7 onduty, but I think it's very
important for the mental healthas well as physical to be able
(39:55):
to pull away and unwind just alittle bit.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
I think so too, at least every other day.
That's right.
That's right, absolutely.
Hugh Gilliam (40:06):
Thanks for joining in on today's episode of
RealtyCast Global.
Make sure to subscribe to thepodcast to be notified when new
episodes air.
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