“The CHAIRMAN of THE HOUSTON ASSOC. of REALTORS,” & much more!

Check out what’s going on with HAR, right here in our fourth largest city & so much more!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The views and opinions expressed by the participants on this
show are not necessarily those of Stuart Information Services Corporation,
Stewart Title, or Stewart Insurance. Before you make any investment,
you should seek the advice of your investment advisor or attorney.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Whether you're a real estate broker, realtor homeowner, buyer or seller,
everything matters when it comes to real estate. This is
Real Estate Matters with Steare Title, Steward Titles. Bill Knapik
and guests open the door to what really matters in owning, buying,
and selling real estate. And now Real Estate Matters with
Steward Title, brought to you by Stuart Insurance, here to inform,

(00:38):
entertain and inspire.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Bill Knabek, Welcome to the show. It is Real Estate
Matters with Stuart Title. I'm your host, Bill Napik. That's correct,
and it is show number five hundred and fifty. That's right,
five hundred and fifty weekends. We are here bringing tremendous
information with awesome guests all the time, and today is
no different. As we begin the show, We're going to
start off with the Chairman of har that's the Houston

(01:03):
Association of realtors. His name is Shaye Carter. Shay, welcome
to the show.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Well here you are, Shae. First of all, let's tell
people those let's say, especially outside of Houston, har Let's
tell people about HR and what you do.

Speaker 5 (01:20):
Absolutely, thank you, har Houston Association of realt is also
known as Homesandrentals dot com. We are the largest portal
in the Houston area for homes and rentals and we
are actually the number one portal for people looking for
homes in the Houston area. It's the only market in
the entire US where the national number one is actually

(01:45):
number two. Because we're number one here, I'd.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Like to brag about that. Indeed, and we do get recognition.
HR gets recognition all over the United States, no doubt
about it. Because you're doing things in a tremendous way,
and especially now that you are the chair, it's gonna
be extra awesome. So let's tell people as far as
what inspired you to be a part of HR to
begin with.

Speaker 5 (02:08):
So that's an interesting question. I'm actually second generation realter.
My mom was a broker for forty plus years in
the Houston area here. She was involved in HR. In fact,
before HR consolidated into the association that it is now,
and we had several associations around the Houston area at

(02:28):
one point, I think back in the late eighties, early nineties,
even maybe my mom was the chair of the Bay
Area Association of Reilters. So I was raised in the association,
sort of raised in the industry. Swore it was the
last thing I would ever do, and that did not
work out so well for me, as you can tell.

Speaker 4 (02:47):
I'm right here.

Speaker 5 (02:49):
But it's an incredible industry. It's an incredible association. And
I think one of the things that we were talking
about before the show started was, you know, the fact
that I've been involved in the industry and volunteering in
the industry all along about the same time. I think
I entered the industry volunteering because of my mom's influence,

(03:12):
and it's just been a really good industry to give
back to.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
And it is interesting because we see it many times,
and that is when someone's relative parent has been in
real estate. There is something about real estate that gets
in our blood and it's a kind of a common story.
It's fascinating how that works out.

Speaker 5 (03:34):
Yeah, you know, I think the common thing I keep hearing.
And you know, once upon a time I was also
an instructor at HAR and so when I would teach
in classes, I would always ask agents, you know, especially
newly licensed agents, what brought you into this industry? And
ten out of ten the answer is always I just
love helping people.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
It is a common answer, there's no question about it.
And once again, HAR, you are the chairman. That's a
big job. Addition, you're with a company LPT Realty as well.
But as far as let's give people an impression of
the size and the responsibilities, because there's how many realtors
attached to HAR here in Houston, Texas, our fourth largest city,

(04:17):
fifty one fifty one thousand. We are the.

Speaker 5 (04:20):
Second largest real estate association in the US.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
That's amazing local real estate association. So and as the chair,
the chairman, what are your responsibilities right here for this year?

Speaker 5 (04:36):
Everything?

Speaker 3 (04:38):
And then how do you get everything done well?

Speaker 5 (04:42):
So, you know, responsibilities of the chair are basically to
make sure that the organization is moving the right direction,
make sure the budget is working correctly, make sure everybody's
getting along. I think right now, one of the big
things that we've really got on our plate is you know,
navigating the this new landscape that we've got post the settlement,

(05:05):
post all the regulatory changes here in Texas. Staying on
top of that is a lot already, but it is
such a passion of mine because I want to make
sure this is something we get right. We've got to
get this right.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
There are so many new things this year that are
part of the dynamic, so that that is fascinating. But
as far as when we think about, are there specific
goals that you have that when you all get together
and have meetings and you say, okay, our goals for
maybe this quarter or this year, what give us a
glimpse into some of the goals that you all talk
about and are are going to be planning.

Speaker 5 (05:42):
Sure, you know, we're rolling out and working on some
new tools all the time, tools to make our agents
better equipped, to help inform them, to help make their
job easier. I think some of our goals this year,
besides rolling out some of those tools, obviously, they're you know,
the regulatory stuff to continue to stay on top of.

(06:04):
We have got to make sure that our data has integrity.
You know, people a lot of times don't understand how
the syndication of data works. From our site, and we've
we've got to make sure that what we're sharing, especially
now that AI is out there harvesting things, and and
you know, we have to make sure that our syndicators

(06:28):
aren't allowing AI to harvest the information that we're sending
out because we've got to protect our data. So there's
a lot on the table besides just the regulatory and everything.
It's it's a whole it's a whole mess. Not not
a bad mess, it's it's a whole mess of things.

Speaker 3 (06:43):
Data is so important and one of the things, as
you mentioned data, I think about how powerful the website
is and also the app h a r dot com.
So if you're listening right here in Houston, you may
already know about it. If you're a real estate professional,
if you're in another state, go to the app. Har
It's a tremendous wealth of information in terms of the listings,

(07:04):
the rentals that are there, and of course the beauty
of the app is as you're driving around Houston, could
you could take the app and just press it and
see the listings that are right nearby where you are
in your car or walking around. That's pretty cool. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (07:18):
Yeah, another tool that we just launched that I thought
was really fantastic. You know, one of the biggest issues
that we're facing right now is an affordability crisis, and
we have worked for years to build assistance tools for
those affordability struggles. Specifically, if consumers want to go to

(07:39):
hr dot com slash down payment, we've got an entire
site built to navigate and to help navigate those those.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Those affordability issues.

Speaker 5 (07:50):
And just to kind of give you an idea, I
think right now about ninety one percent of all of
our listings are available to have down payment assistance or
some other sort of affordability assistance. Ninety one percent.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, I think there's people out there, buyers and sellers
alike that aren't aware of all of all the tools
that are available. Certainly the real estate professional is a
massive tool as they buy and sell, but HR you
have these tools.

Speaker 4 (08:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (08:19):
I mean you ask about our goals, and I think
you know, more than anything, we have to make sure
that we're helping our agents, helping our members, right, equipping
our members, giving our members everything that they need to succeed.
But also we've got to be a good community partner
as well, and we've got to be out there helping
our communities understand the struggles, helping them navigate those struggles.

(08:44):
People feel so alone and they just need to know
they're not.

Speaker 3 (08:47):
What are some of the things in terms of challenges
that you hear even prior to your role as the
har chair because you're out there in the community with
LPT Realty and you've been a real estate professional. But
what are some of the things that to talk to
you about that are their main concerns. Yeah, as far
as buyers right now, the affordability that that's a concern,

(09:07):
I think, But what are the other things that they
that you hear a lot?

Speaker 5 (09:11):
You know, I think agents just want to make sure
that they are being supported. I think that's the biggest
issue right now that I hear over and over and over.
Agents just really want to feel supported and they want
to make sure that they're not, you know, struggling in
a way that's not seen and not helped by either

(09:31):
their broker, their association, their peers. I read a book
just this last month, Belonging, and I thought that it
was a quote in it that was incredible in the
very beginning, and it was that belonging isn't a symbol
of success. Belonging is a prerequisite for success, and I

(09:52):
think giving a place for our agents to really belong
and have those connections really helped set them up for
success so much better.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
And Shay as realtor, let's tell people a little bit
about what you're doing with LPT Realty.

Speaker 5 (10:08):
You know, I came to this company about six or
seven months ago as the designated broker for Texas, and
I'm still the broker for Texas, but I'm also now
their regional director for about six or seven states. And
one of the things I really love about what we're
able to do in this environment, it's a cloud brokerage.

(10:28):
I talked to agents all over the state and we've
got about sixteen hundred agents here in Texas. One of
the things that I really really love is the ability,
like I've been talking about, to really help those agents
feel connected, to help them feel equipped, to help them
feel engaged in our industry. There's like a chain of events.

(10:48):
Right when I was an agent, my consumers, my clients
were the people that I really cared about that I
wanted to make sure they were they had my undivided attention.
They were they were the people I was there to
support those buyers and sellers, and when I got my
broker's license, those agents became my clients. At that point,

(11:09):
I wanted to make sure that my agents were the
ones that were the most taken care of, not just
my buyers are sellers, but those agents. And being in
this new environment with LPT and being able to really
support those agents and help them throughout the state, it's
a really huge honor. And to help them navigate this

(11:31):
intersection of our industry right now is really important.

Speaker 3 (11:37):
LPT. What does that stand for? Listing pro tools? Listing
pro tools now? Also, you're to say the least very busy.
Just the real estate professional element is one thing. Chair
HR right, fifty one thousand members right right. So we
talk about balance. We think all of us have some
kind of a balance challenge and so forth. Do you

(12:00):
stay organized? Give us for all of us out there,
whatever our profession is, give us an idea or two.
Oh my god, staying organized.

Speaker 5 (12:07):
So a couple of things about staying organized. The biggest
step for me was consolidating my calendars. I don't know
about y'all, but i've you know, it's so easy to
have three or four different calendars everywhere, and consolidating everything
down to one calendar was my first step. I was
a little bit late to that game. I'm a late
bloomer sometimes, but consolidating all that on one calendar was

(12:29):
the big step Number two. You know, honestly, building in
empty spaces is one of the biggest keys in my opinion,
building in empty spaces because life happens, and especially in
real estate, things are going to change constantly, and if
you have to move something to, you know, focus on

(12:50):
an important issue that just popped up, you better have
some free space to move it to or you're going
to be cramped. And I think you have to build
in those free spaces. That's been imperative for me.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
Sounds awesome, Shay. Before we close this segment, what else
do you want people to know?

Speaker 5 (13:06):
Hr dot com is just the resource for our consumers,
for our agents, for anybody in the area. Please let
me know if there's anything I can do. If you're
an agent and you've got questions about har please reach
out to me. I'm happy to be your point of contact.
And if you're a consumer and you've got questions, please
reach out as well.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
Reach out to Shake Coller. How can they do that?

Speaker 5 (13:29):
Shae Shaye dot Cotter at hr dot com eight three
two five ninety seven five three eight four, eight three
two five ninety seven five three eight.

Speaker 3 (13:39):
Four Shae, thanks for being with.

Speaker 5 (13:41):
Us, Bet, thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (13:43):
As we continue, let's talk to Lisa Curis. She is
the broker owner of The Real Estate Connection. With her
is Ronnie Orman. He is a realtor with the Real
Estate Connection. Hey, guys, welcome to the show.

Speaker 6 (13:59):
Thank you so much much for having us. Bill, it's
great to see you again.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
It's awesome, Ronnie. It's good to see you for the
first time right here on real estate matters.

Speaker 7 (14:07):
I am honored to be here, Bill, especially on this
number five hundred and fiftieth show.

Speaker 3 (14:12):
Here that is fantastic, is amazing, and the time flies
and so much great information awesome guests like yourself abound
each week. But Lisa, let's tell people first of all
about your company, The Real Estate Connection.

Speaker 6 (14:25):
Yes, real Estate Connection International was founded by myself in
nineteen ninety as a residential commercial property management and well
we're today we're going to talk about commercial and I
love being here and sharing with the community what we do.
We hold a five star rating with the company all

(14:46):
the way for thirty five years, so we're very proud
of that. We've been written up in MSNBC, Fox News,
Reuters as well as a Houston business journal. And so Ronnie.
I brought Ronnie with me today. He's ourmmercial division project
analyst and also lead agent and he's worked side by
side with me Bill since twenty twenty one. And you know,

(15:10):
when people think about what's commercial real estate, then you
realize it's sales and leasing. Could be retail, which you
know is a shopping center, multifamily which is apartments, as
well as industrial and land and the commercial end. And
we were on your show back in March of twenty eight,
twenty twenty one, talking about international as I'm the former

(15:33):
world president of the International Real Estate Federation FIOPSI, and
we talked about residential. So today we wanted to just
talk about the commercial and I'm going to let Ronnie
go into that a little more. But what's exciting. We've
sold a castle, We've sold a hospital, We've sold all
types of medical buildings and land for commercial application.

Speaker 3 (15:57):
And that was just on Monday. So incredible properties. It
sounds like, Lisa.

Speaker 4 (16:04):
It's exciting.

Speaker 6 (16:05):
I laugh because a friend of mine calls in the
morning and says, do you sell a house yet today?
So Ronnie, tell us a little bit about what's different
from residential and commercial for the audience A lot of
times is key and in on residential.

Speaker 7 (16:19):
Well, let me tell you commercial real estate is extremely
different from residential one. The commercial real estate transactions, they
have increased complexities out there. They have extensive due diligence
that must be done by the actual agents and brokers
out there. There are tremendous legal considerations for these properties
as well. Not to mention the length of the cell

(16:41):
is several months to years for commercial properties, whereas where
the residential can be one to two months. And also
the building class if you're selling buildings, the class of
the building AB or C has a tremendous impact there
as well. And understanding the different types of leases if
you're going to do leasing, there are just a multitude
of leases out there. But the more you understand Triplenet,

(17:03):
the better you'll be in the least world out there.
It's really amazing, And Ronnie give us an idea for
those as there are so many different things going on
in Houston, so many economic drivers. How what does the
state of the commercial market right now in Houston. You know,
Houston is very fortunate. We're one of the top cities

(17:25):
in the United States right now that's showing positive growth
out there. And a lot of different sectors in commercial
real estate Dallas, Austin being those in Phoenix, Arizona as well.
The Houston having the giant aerospace and energy sectors out
here are tremendous growth factors for us. And not to
mention the Port of Houston the absolute busiest port in

(17:45):
the world out there in the United States for sure
number one in Donnage, So that helps bring a tremendous
amount of business into As a matter of fact, I
read just this morning the Houston Economic Partnership predicts over
seventy one thousand new hire will take place in the
year twenty twenty five. And what people are going to
need for the Houston in the Houston area that is

(18:06):
exactly right. Wow, that is tremendous. And the big growth
sectors are going to be healthcare or one the technology
and the aerospace. I know down south in the League
City area, Webster area, Clear Lake area, space oriented businesses
are growing by leaps and bounds out there, So it's

(18:26):
a tremendous time to be in commercial real estate in
the Houston area.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
Here we're talking with Lisa Kurris and Ronnie Orman with
the Real Estate Connection International. Are some of the other
things we should know? Lisa, Well, I think one.

Speaker 6 (18:40):
Of the things that we really we love the fact
that our agents are we call them Kingdom Agents. We
real estate is what we do, but Christians is who
we are, and we honor God and everything we do.
We start all our meetings we lead off in prayer,
and that's something I think is really a little unusual
to be so vocal about. And we have twelve agents

(19:03):
in the company and we're growing still. But I think
in commercial real estate, when we list a property, I
wanted to talk about the things that we do kind
of step by step. And one of the things we
do is we always ask them to get an appraisal.
We ask for an appraisal on the property because it
helps us. It's not like a residential appraisal and the

(19:26):
whole neighborhood as houses are similar next to each other.
When you have commercial property, it's so different, and so
we ask them to acquire an appraisal to help us
with the pricing of it. And then the next step
we do is we visit the Economic Development Corporation in
that city. Because the zoning is different, we want to

(19:47):
know what it's permitted uses. Like Ronnie says, there's so
many different things that we have to that impact the land,
the flood zones, the regulations, whether there's utilities on the property.
There's just so many things. And another key factor of
visiting with the economic development people is that we want
to know is there any grant money or maybe some

(20:10):
incentive money that we can provide to investors and buyers
because the cities, what are they doing to bring their
tax dollars to the city. That's what the cities really
want to know. And we want to work hand in
hand with economic development people because in this case they
are you know, we want to market toward what the

(20:34):
cities are looking for because that helps us a lot.

Speaker 3 (20:37):
We'll give us an idea also. And you also do
residential real estate as well. But when we think of
real estate in general, the relationship between residential because there's
a powerful relationship those dynamics are go hand in hand
and commercial real estate, so both of them react to
the other. In certain ways, say that in a better way,

(20:58):
if you would, Ronnie.

Speaker 7 (21:00):
One thing that we look at, and this is why
we go to the EDCs for these particular cities, is
they can tell us the medium household income in a
particular area. And this is important to businesses that want
to move into that area. They want to know that
the people can afford their businesses out there. So that's
very important to see that the number of people that

(21:20):
are there, the types of schools, is how the schools
are rated, the amount of shopping. As a matter of fact,
One thing that we also look at is the insurance.
The cost of the insurance for a lot of the
commercial properties will depend upon the fire departments and first
responders out there. What they have in place and how
quick they are to respond will actually reduce a business
owner's insurance in those particular areas.

Speaker 6 (21:42):
I think. Another point to add is that it's very
important for the residential realtors to understand what's coming to
the area in the very near neighborhoods, what restaurants are
coming in, what types of amenities and features that the
cities have to offer, so that they can let their
clients know that they're selling homes to this is what's

(22:05):
happening in this area.

Speaker 3 (22:07):
So important when we talk to real estate professionals about
a given area as we're looking at homes, land or
whatever else. And I know myself when I've looked at properties,
and I do on a regular basis for a variety
of reasons, and that is when they say, oh, because
we could already see what's there as if we're looking
at a property or home or something. But it's always
great to hear the insight to know about the real

(22:29):
estate professional and also to know what's coming down the
road because there's so many new especially in Houston, because
would I would think more than maybe many other places,
there's more stuff coming here. Are going to be happy
happening than leaving here, Yes, like maybe other places.

Speaker 4 (22:48):
Without a doubt, Yes exactly.

Speaker 7 (22:50):
And that's another reason why we talk to these municipalities
because they know these big projects that are coming into
their cities right now. So it's very very key that
we get on get out front of these organizations there
to get these investors in there. Which matter of fact,
one of the UH one of the ways that we
market properties is through hr HR and the Commercial Gateway.

(23:14):
They have a commercial side to ahar out there, so
we utilize them as one of our marketing sites there,
Correxy as an other commercial exchange and loop net Costar
or others. These have just tremendous worldwide reach out there
for buyers and investors for commercial properties, no doubt about it.

Speaker 6 (23:32):
And another place that we market is Bakren, which is
the Bay Area Commercial real Estate Network where we bring
our properties there. We transact properties together. We've sold a
lot of properties with other professional commercial brokers and then
you know they have educational classes as well as you
know they get together for happy hours or you know,

(23:53):
just various ways that have speakers that are fantastic to
educate us just what you're talking about, what's into the area.
We have the various economic development directors come to tell
us what they're doing in their city, which is I
think is really a plus.

Speaker 7 (24:08):
Well. One thing about Real Estate Connection International is the
way that we do business. We're not transactional out there
at all. Were we build on relationships, so we are
detailed oriented. We don't just put a sign out on
a property and forget it. How many times have you
gone by a commercial property seeing that sign and starting
to fade and everything. We actually have regular scheduled meetings

(24:30):
with our sellers and our investors. We talk about and
we keep detailed accounts of everything. Everybody that opens up
a flyer, that downloads the website or anything along those lines,
we track that.

Speaker 3 (24:41):
Ronnie, how can people reach you? Ronnie Orman?

Speaker 7 (24:44):
My number is two eight one nine two four zero
one seven one two eight one nine two four zero
one seven one.

Speaker 3 (24:53):
And Lisa, what else should we know?

Speaker 4 (24:55):
Well?

Speaker 6 (24:55):
I think what also? One thing I'd like to touch
on is us investing in the community, our generosity given
back to our clients as well as the parts around
the world. I am the vice chair of Relief Network
Ministries where we've just now are close to sixteen hundred
water wells that we've drilled in Africa and India to

(25:15):
bring clean water as well as the living water. And
also our all of our agents adopt residents of an
assisted living who have no one to visit them. At
Christmas time we adopt them. And our client events, Mother's Day,
Father's Day, ice cream events, our gratitude gathering, just a
multitude of ways we give back.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
And Lisa, how can people reach you?

Speaker 6 (25:39):
Seven one three, five, eight, eight six eight seven one, three, five, nine, eight, eight, eight,
six eight, Thank you.

Speaker 3 (25:47):
Thank you guys so much. Let's talk to Ashley Boudreau.
She is with Caldwell Bankers. Ashley, welcome to the show.

Speaker 7 (25:56):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 4 (25:57):
Well here you are.

Speaker 3 (25:58):
First of all, Ashley, let's tell people about your Caldwell
Banker's location.

Speaker 8 (26:03):
So I am actually in our Cypress location is where
I office out of, but I do business all over
the city.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
So well, when we think about Cypress, and let's as
far as we're talking geography for a second, let's take
your last whether it's buyers or sellers, your last ten
or so fifteen transactions geographically, where have you been most
of those in this last fifteam, I.

Speaker 8 (26:27):
Would say split between. I do a lot in the
Conro Magnolia Corridor and I do a lot in the
Cypress Corridor. I come from a new construction background, so
my clientele is a little bit kind of painted everywhere.
But those are probably my two most common on my
most recent transactions.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
We think about it, and also those listening outside of Houston,
those are very fast growing. And when we think about
things coming to different areas, I mean Conro or Magnolia, Cypress,
it's kind of exploding. You give us an idea. What's
happening there in real estate?

Speaker 8 (26:59):
Absolutely everywhere, I feel like it's busting at the seams, right,
So you know all of the little towns in between
or where is where the developments and things like that
are coming up. One of a cool one up in
Magnolia that I've got my eye on that I'm super excited,
supposed to be opened up in spring is called two
Step Farm. It's a new little development out there. It's

(27:19):
going to be pretty cool. They've got like goats, and
they've got a dance hall and some really cool different
things that you don't see in your everyday community.

Speaker 3 (27:28):
And yeah, when you said two Stepped, I was going
to ask about dancing, but you brought that forth with.
It's so cool though, some movement going on.

Speaker 8 (27:38):
They've got an on site dance hall, which is I mean,
I'm super stoked to see whenever they let us in
there to get the kind of scoop in the and
you think.

Speaker 3 (27:47):
That would be enough. But goats also.

Speaker 8 (27:50):
I mean, I'm an animal lover, so you know you
had me at goats. I can go play with some goats,
pets and goats all that. Yeah, yeah, it's awesome. So
is this going to be a development with new homes?
And yeah, it's a brand new home development in Montgomery.
Actually it's in that Magnolia Montgomery Corridor and it's a
pretty good one. So I've got my eye on that
one first.

Speaker 3 (28:09):
And at what stage of development are they in right now?
Are their homes ready to go now?

Speaker 8 (28:14):
They are still pave in streets and things like that.
They are supposed to have their grand opening or a
realtor sneak peak coming in the spring, so kind of
still to be determined.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
So lots, as we said, a lot of things going on,
no doubt about it. But when we think about the
Magnolia area, right, what are some of the things that
draw people to Magnolia And again, if you're not familiar,
what would he said? It's northwest Magnolia.

Speaker 8 (28:41):
Yeah, I mean it's right, it's just north of the Woodlands.
I think one of the biggest attractants are attractive things
of Magnolia Montgomery Corridor is the fact that you are
so close to the city amenities. You're very close to
all of the conveniences, but it's still a little bit
more of that country, laid back living. You still can
have that country bill a little bit more land. You've

(29:02):
got some acreage communities out there if that's your thing.
You can also be straight in a master planned community.
There's lots of different avenues out there, and there's still
still room for growths.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
So it sounds like if someone wants a little elbow room,
would they be able to be able to find that
with you there, Ashley, Absolutely, for sure you can help
them find a place. And right now, again, last fifteen
or so transactions, have you been helping more buyers or
sellers or is it fifty to fifty.

Speaker 8 (29:28):
I've had more buyers than I have had sellers in
my last ten or fifteen or so transactions, but obviously
I will help whoever.

Speaker 3 (29:36):
And when you're helping buyers here in the last couple
months or so, how often are you running into the
cash buyer?

Speaker 8 (29:42):
You know, honestly and truthfully, surprisingly, it's way more often
than what you would expect. I mean, i'd probably say
about fifty to fifty in my personal experience from financing
to cash buyers. It really just depends on a lot
of relocation buyers that are coming in from different states
and stuff like that, or oftentimes cash but it just
depends on the circumstance.

Speaker 3 (30:02):
You know, I can and are you helping a lot
of people in relocation that are coming in.

Speaker 8 (30:08):
I try to stay pretty active on my social media
and stuff, so I do get clients that are relocation
from different states and things like that, and referrals and
things from friends and such. But yeah, you know, I
try to.

Speaker 3 (30:22):
Other than California because I have a feeling you might
have said California like everybody else in the last five
hundred fit well, I actually likes one hundred and fifty shows.
But anyway, other than California, where you find the people
that reach out to you and they say, hey, Ashley,
I've seen you on social media and can you help
me with some properties or what.

Speaker 8 (30:40):
Yeah, I mean I've had some I've had a couple
of clients from the Washington Washington state kind of area,
and then I've had some East close clients come from,
like the New York area and things like that as well.
So Florida on the on the southeast, you know side.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
Well, it's good to hear that. Other than I mean,
it's great to have California's Yeah, there's a lot of
californ for sure. Probably more here with fires that they
may want to leave that environment. But it's nice to
hear Washington State because I was just in Washington State
almost a year ago or a little less than a
year ago, and it's a very interesting and beautiful place
of the places I was at. So actually people are

(31:16):
reaching out and they say, hey, I want to come
down there to Houston. Yeah.

Speaker 8 (31:19):
Absolutely, I mean a lot of it's work, you know,
work's moving me here or what have you. All all
different circumstances, but for.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
Sure, because these two states, Texas and Washington State are
two that do not have the state income tax out
of I think about seven or so, so that's a
nice little thing as well. So in the meantime, also
the East Coast, huh yeah, yeah, absolutely. What state in
the East Coast have you help?

Speaker 8 (31:41):
I've had New York, I've had a couple from New York.
I had a South Carolina relocation.

Speaker 3 (31:46):
Super awesome. So now you could be doing a lot
of things, Ashley Boudreau, You're doing tremendous work here in
real estate. I've heard about you for a long time now,
But what is it about real estate that attracted you
to begin with?

Speaker 8 (32:00):
So I came from the restaurant industry was where I
kind of grew up into and things like that. So
people has always been my thing, and I would say
helping people is probably a very common answer that you get,
and that is mine. I've always said if I could
make a living off of just helping people and doing that,
then I would be a happy gal. So real estate
is one avenue that allows me to kind of give

(32:22):
back help and all of those good things.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
And as you look ahead here, we're already well into
twenty twenty five. It's pretty exciting so far, and a
lot of things going on. It's going by right. So
as you look ahead and you plan and what am
I going to do next? How am I going to
do things maybe a little differently. What are some of
the things you're thinking about and what are you expecting
for this twenty twenty five.

Speaker 8 (32:44):
I'm excited for twenty twenty five. You know, there's lots
of different things going on out there from a new
construction perspective, development perspectives, things like that. I have clients
and the residential and the commercial world. So I'm just
excited to see, you know, all of the different avenues
that this year kind of brings for me personally, I've
got some.

Speaker 3 (33:06):
Exciting so a lot of stuff going on. Huh yeah,
for sure. So let's take the seller, for example, if
you were in any of the markets that you're in
and even Cyprus, if someone says, hey, Ashley, I want
to list my home, what, how do you prepare in
this current market with all the dynamics that are happening,
interest rates and different things. How are you preparing the
seller right now at a listing appointment when they say, oh,

(33:29):
how long is it going to take Ashley to sell
the house? What should I expect? I haven't sold my
other I've been in this home ten years. I don't
know what the ya? How do you coach that person?
Because there's a lot of psychology and one good hard
facts that we have to.

Speaker 8 (33:41):
Press say, there's a lot of psychology in the selling
into things, right, so you really kind of have to
get to the meat of where their motivations are coming from, right,
like why are we selling? So I think that's the
first kind of layer of the onion to pill back,
if you will, is you know, why are we selling?
And then whenever it gets sound to like how you know,
do you have a price? In mind, you know what
I mean, Before I even start talking about anything on

(34:03):
a price point perspective or going in like that, want
to I want to know what my seller's motivations are,
you know, what are their expectations for their home. Like
you said, some people have been in their home for
five years and they're just ready to get out because
business is moving them on to the next place. But
then there's people that have been in their home for
thirty five years and there's so much emotional attachment and
things like that, and it's difficult for some people to

(34:25):
want to let go of a home. So there's a
lot of different layers of the onion you kind of
have to pilll back whenever it comes to a listing.
And it's very client specific because every person's different. So
it's kind of like you know, back in the restaurant
industry days, right, it's a management of personalities. You know,
you're not doing the same thing for Joe as you're
necessarily doing for Jim because they are two totally different

(34:46):
people and have different motivations and things that they may need.
So it's really a matter of getting to know your seller.
But as far as like pricing and things, like that.
It's really going to go down to what's selling around you.

Speaker 4 (34:58):
Right.

Speaker 8 (34:58):
I'm an expectation setter. I don't want to come in
and fluff you and give you, oh, hey, I can
sell it for the highest price. I want to set
a realistic expectation with you and give you the proof
and the pudding, right and say hey, this is what
we've this is what's selling around you, and kind of
take it from there.

Speaker 3 (35:14):
There's so many things that make the real estate profession
and the transaction so interesting because you're saying about different people.
You have families, you have upsizing downsize, and you have kids,
you don't have kids. You've got to move, absolutely, you
got to reach what.

Speaker 8 (35:29):
I don't want to be near kids.

Speaker 4 (35:31):
I want to be around kids.

Speaker 3 (35:32):
You know, it's so to say it's never boring. Right,
We've established it is never boring. It's probably one of
the things you and the other fifty thousand realtors enjoy
for sure. Keep you on your toes, no doubt about it.
And then there's the coats, right, So you love animals.
So when you're not in the real estate world, if

(35:54):
you take off your real estate, how they darling hat people?
If they tune into the YouTube video at Stewart dot
Com Forward Slash Radio. They could see your hat and
it says, howdy darling. When you're not in the real
estate world, Ashley, what are the things that you do
to unwine or to relax?

Speaker 8 (36:10):
So I have a nine year old daughter, so she
is my world and what I spend most of my
time with softballs is takes up most of our weekends.
But I'm a crafter. I'm a busy body. Do I
do better when I'm moving and shaking and going. So
if I'm not doing something in the real estate world,
I'm usually making hats. Like you see on my head.
This is my mood, ma morn Yeah, this is my

(36:31):
mood this morning. So we put it together with the
outfit and today here we are.

Speaker 3 (36:35):
So do you make hats for men as well?

Speaker 4 (36:38):
I do?

Speaker 8 (36:38):
I make hats for men for women. If you have
a thought bubble, you can I can put it on
a shirt, hat, you name.

Speaker 4 (36:44):
It, I like I can create it for you. I
love a good hat.

Speaker 3 (36:47):
No doubt about it.

Speaker 8 (36:48):
I'm your hat gal.

Speaker 3 (36:49):
Well, it's nice to make that connection so early on
in twenty twenty five, because I need a hat.

Speaker 8 (36:55):
If you're a buyer or a seller anywhere in Houston area,
from Magnolia to Cyprus. To buy you Vista call Better
call Boudreau. I would love to help you.

Speaker 3 (37:06):
There you go, better call Boudreau. Call Ashley Boudreau. How
and what's the phone on? Brashley?

Speaker 8 (37:12):
I am four six nine eight seven nine one nine
zero seven four six nine eight seven nine one nine
zero seven.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
And thanks for being with us, Ashley.

Speaker 8 (37:22):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (37:24):
Real estate matters with Stuart Title would not be possible
without our partner, Stuart Insurance. With a focus in real
estate and a special focus on real estate brokers, Stewart
Insurance creates insurance plans to address the risks facing our
industry today. They invest a significant amount of time helping
real estate broker owners offset and manage their risks. Here

(37:44):
he is with Stewart Insurance. John Bramlett, Hidy Bill. Here
we are, John.

Speaker 4 (37:48):
Always a pleasure.

Speaker 3 (37:49):
So many things have happened since we were together last
I mean, snow days and everything. It's been fascinating.

Speaker 4 (37:56):
It's glad to be back in studio though.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
We're back in the studio with Dyna. You know what
they say, John, When it was snow and I was thinking,
there's no business like snow business. Did you ever hear
that saying?

Speaker 4 (38:04):
I've never heard of that, but I'm sure that now
that you've shared it, it'll become quite popular.

Speaker 3 (38:08):
People want to know about insurance. It's a fact of
life and as fascinating one at that. What have you
brought forth today?

Speaker 4 (38:14):
I'd like to play off a little bit of what
Shay had shared earlier, and this idea that agents want
to be supported, no doubt, and that it's a critical
element of any brokerage that they make sure that they're
doing what they can to help their agents become successful.

Speaker 3 (38:30):
Well, let's go.

Speaker 4 (38:31):
And we've seen more and more of that of that
trend in the industry, and I think one of the
ways that we can help those brokers be successful to
make sure that their agents feel supported is by offering
up our continuing education classes to those agents and to
those brokers coming out to those brokerages offices, coming out
to those offices and visiting with the agents and sharing

(38:54):
sharing those classes we have and not only allowing them
to get to maintain their continuity education requirements, but also
provide them some tools that allow them to be more
successful and more supportive of their clients.

Speaker 3 (39:08):
That's right. Regular listeners will know that Stuart Insurance and
especially the work you're doing, John, Stuart Insurance is just
another one of very valuable resource into real estate profession.
As you're helping people right here brokers and Stuart Title
all our offices, you're helping them in a tremendous way
with this information and support.

Speaker 4 (39:28):
So yeah, we would we'd be happy in an honor
to be able to come out to a broker's office
and provide them the continued education that we offer. We've
got three classes that you know, we've the feedback that
we've received has always been positive and that it's they
are tools that allow realtors to do a better job
in supporting, you know, ultimately their clients. The first one

(39:52):
is real Estate Liability, Reduce your Risks and Protect your
License and that's a three hour course and that's just
a reminder to our realters or the risks that they
face every day. So we take a look at eight
specific risks that realters face every day. We look at
seven different ways that they can minimize those risks, and
we do so through a couple of different case studies.

(40:15):
We spend some time looking at what risk is and
what exposure is, provide the tools to minimize those risks,
and then we talk a little bit about how we
can offset that exposure through some business insurance products. So
that's real estate liability and that's a three hour class.
The Two Sides of Water is a two hour class,
and we spend the first half of that class talking

(40:36):
about flood and there is a specific definition of a
flood and that water damage needs to meet that definition
order for it to be considered a flood. So we
speak about what a flood is, and then we look
at the two different ways that folks can obtain flood insurance,
whether it be through the National Flood Insurance Program or
through private entities, and we look at the pros and

(40:58):
the cons of each. That's the first half of the class.
The second half we look at four different types of
water damage that a home insurance policy might be able
to cover. So we look at what those four are,
what are the considerations, and then also take a look
at some other elements within a home insurance policy that
a home buyer or a homeowner ought to consider or

(41:20):
at least evaluate when they're evaluating that policy. So it
provides some additional knowledge for our realtors to be able
to share with their clients. And then the last class
is Property Assurance Essentials for Real Estate Professionals. And it's
critical that a realtor understands how their client's going to
utilize a property because that's going to drive the potential

(41:43):
type of coverage that they would have. So we look
at six different types of real estate property usage, everything
from somebody's primary residence all the way to a vacant
land and based upon how that property is going to
be used, we look at different types of coverage that's
are available out there. Again, additional counsel that a realtor
could provide to their clients.

Speaker 3 (42:04):
And you've taught these classes so many times. I can
imagine you do them in your sleep.

Speaker 4 (42:08):
Well I'm not that good yet, but it is. Each
class is different, each class is. The thing I like
about them is they're very interactive that people generally have
an interest in them. So whether it be in a
broker's office or in a Stewart Title office or you know,
we have our friends from har here today and we

(42:30):
teach the classes online and zoom with HR so it's
like being in a classroom. We're just online and we
you know, we have the ability to offer the classes.
If that's more convenient for our real taate, our realtor listeners,
we can do it through h R at hr dot com.

Speaker 3 (42:45):
For its last education, Well, I guess the answers to
the question I'm going to ask is going to be.
It depends on the crowd and so forth, but you'll
get an idea. What I'm saying is, out of the
three classes, and I know I've been been at a
couple of the class, it's a two sides of water,
but it's interactive. The realtors are asking questions. But either

(43:08):
which class provokes the most questions? Again, it depends, I know,
But which one provokes the most questions and the most
interesting questions?

Speaker 4 (43:18):
Well, I think there's probably I think all three have
those qualities. So the real Estate Liability class, the eight
risks that we go through are not surprising to folks.
But what is a bit surprising is if somebody has
gotten lax and maybe some of their disciplines or lax

(43:38):
and how they communicate our lax and how they document
It's a nice kind of a kick to remind you, hey,
this is a consideration I have, and a lot of
times the questions are, well, you know, around the fact
that I've done everything that I need so I don't
need to worry, And the many times the response is,
you could be exactly right, you've done everything you can

(44:00):
and the claim or the lawsuit could be frivolous, but
that doesn't mean somebody still can't file it. And if
they file it, then defense costs are going to be needed.
You're going to have to have an attorney to defend you.
So understanding that it doesn't really matter. You know, yes,
it's important that you've done what you can do, but
you can never completely eliminate a risk. But what we're
trying to do then is minimize them, because people will

(44:22):
make a claim based upon how they feel, and that's important.
That's one of the things that's kind of the aha
in that class. The two sides of water. I think
the big one is truly understanding what a definition of
the flood is. And then many times people aren't aware
that there's an alternative to the National Flood Insurance Program,
so being able to share the differences between those two

(44:42):
and I guess the other questions we get are in
and around the fact that not every home insurance policy
offers water damage and they don't offer them at the
same level. So being able to understand that, and then
property insurance essentials things like well, if if a home
is vacant for a period of time, at some point,

(45:03):
that homeowner's insurance policy stops and then they're going to
need to have vacant coverage, or the fact that even
though I bought the home and I own the home,
if it's not my primary residence, home insurance doesn't come
into play, and that's where dwelling power coverage would come
into play. So the understanding that there are nuances where
one policy will stop and another policy will start. Those

(45:24):
are a lot of the questions that come out in
the Property Insurance Essentials class.

Speaker 3 (45:27):
I would also think in all the classes, if I'm
sitting there as a real estate professional, I'm reminded of
how important my position is to where what I say
can can hurt myself and my business, but also that
people are relying what I say, because I've even not
that long ago I heard a realtor say, oh, you're

(45:49):
not in a flood zoom, so well, you would never
want to say that, because especially here in Houston.

Speaker 4 (45:56):
No, you're right, I mean I think there's a couple
of things that have happened. When you're right, I mean technically,
then if you can get flood coverage from the National
Flood Insurance Program, they've designated some sort of they have
a flood zone designated for your area. So it's not
that you're not in a flood zone or you've never flooded,
it's simply that you're in an area that might be
more likely or less likely to flood. So that is

(46:17):
important about how we talk about the other thing that
is important. Then again, I'll lean on what Shay had
mentioned earlier, was this idea of with the changes that
we've seen in the marketplace and some of the outcomes
from the suit, there's going to be a greater expectation
from the client's perspective of the value they receive from

(46:38):
a real estate professional. And those that have consistently shown
and demonstrated their value historically, they're not going to have
a problem. But if you haven't, being able to obtain
some continued education that also provides you some nuggets that
can help separate you in the marketplace is going to
be critical going forward.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
Always awesome stuff. John. I know after each segment of
your put your phone probably rings off the hook. Let's
tell people how they can reach you in Stuart Insurance.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
They can reach us at eight six six seven ninety
eight two eight two seven. That's eight six six seven
ninety eight two eight two seven. They can learn more
about us at Stuart Insurance dot com. And they can
email us at Stuart Insurance at Stuart dot com.

Speaker 3 (47:21):
And if someone's in Washington State, John, what number should
they call?

Speaker 4 (47:25):
Eight six six seven nine eight two eight two seven.

Speaker 3 (47:27):
Thank you so much. John Bramle is Stewart Insurance. I
say it many times. Our Stuart Title Business Development people
are all over Houston, Texas to help you and also
the United States. Right now we have Jenna McGuire, Janna,
welcome to the show.

Speaker 9 (47:42):
Thank you Bill.

Speaker 3 (47:43):
How are you doing good? Jannel. Let's tell people your
office at Stuart Title.

Speaker 9 (47:48):
So I'm Stuart Title in Clairelake. We are off a
Space Center Boulevard and Bay Area Boulevard, right next to
the NASA Center. If you've heard of Space.

Speaker 3 (47:58):
Center, I think we have in fact another key economic
driver NASA in the space business right here in Houston, Texas. Right,
that's right in a Stuart Title office. Yes, so here
we are at your office. Channel. Let's tell people I
know they want to bring their transaction right over there
to the Space Center boulevard. How can they reach you?

Speaker 9 (48:19):
They can reach me at eight three two two four
four three nine eight three two two four four three four.

Speaker 3 (48:27):
Janel Maguire and now going north west Ish right? Hope
is it northwest ish Ish? Hope? Moy is here? Hope
your offices are so?

Speaker 10 (48:39):
My offices are Conroe and Magnoia in Montgomery County.

Speaker 3 (48:44):
We heard a little bit about Magnolia right here on
the show today.

Speaker 4 (48:47):
Yeah, it's awesome all the time, all the time.

Speaker 3 (48:51):
Did Ashley make a hat for you?

Speaker 4 (48:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (48:52):
I have lots of hats actually, yah, I do.

Speaker 3 (48:55):
Very nice, really great hat. Well, we'll look forward to
that at some point. But in the meantime, Hope, if
someone wants to bring a real estate transaction to your office,
what should they do?

Speaker 6 (49:05):
So?

Speaker 10 (49:06):
My offices are My Magnoia office is in off of
fourteen eighty eight in twenty nine seventy eight, and my
Conra office is off of three thirty six and one
oh five. I have some fantastic esc officers that would
love to work with you. So if there's anything that
we can do to help be a resource or add
value to what you do and your business every day,
give us a call again. My name is Hope and

(49:29):
my numbers three four six two two four one nine
zero eight three four six two two four one nine
zero eight.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
I hope we see you again, Hope.

Speaker 8 (49:39):
I hope I see you next week.

Speaker 3 (49:40):
All right, thanks for being with us. He is back.
Shae Catter Shay, welcome back. He is the chairman of
HAR the Houston Association of Realty of Realtors and LPT Realty. Hey, Shay,
welcome back. Thank you so much, super fun to have
you here today as we close the show. What are
some of the other things you want people to know
about h or anything else you're doing.

Speaker 5 (50:02):
Just this is a time in our industry where, uh,
you know, we've got a lot of options now and
we've got such an incredible opportunity to be transparent, to
bring value, to really be the advocates for our community.

Speaker 3 (50:17):
And that's what we're here for. That's awesome. And you're
in and when you're not in the real you've got
two very important things real estate, HAR all those things.
But in your whe when you wind down, what do
you do to relax if that happens?

Speaker 4 (50:31):
Drink coffee?

Speaker 3 (50:32):
Does that help you relax? Get you ready for the
next thing?

Speaker 4 (50:36):
Sure? Absolutely?

Speaker 3 (50:37):
You like coffee though, I love coffee.

Speaker 5 (50:38):
Favorite brand Edison Coffee Roasters, Inis Lewisville, Texas best roasters.

Speaker 3 (50:44):
Ever you like a dark roast? I actually prefer medium medium.
I'm gonna have to Edison brand. That's every one on me.
And if someone wants to reach you, Shae Cotter.

Speaker 5 (50:52):
Eight three two five nine seven five three eight four
eight three two five nine seven five three eight four.

Speaker 3 (50:58):
Thanks for being with a shay. They thank you, and
now they are back. Lisa Curris and Ronnie Orman with
the Real Estate Connection International. Hey guys, welcome back.

Speaker 4 (51:09):
Thank you well.

Speaker 3 (51:10):
Win winding things down here. First of all, Lisa, what
else should people know?

Speaker 10 (51:14):
Well?

Speaker 6 (51:14):
I think maybe our website. How about that?

Speaker 3 (51:16):
That's a good idea.

Speaker 6 (51:17):
Www. Dot real Estate Connection i NTL dot com. Www.
Dot real Estate Connection i NTL dot com standing for
International International.

Speaker 3 (51:33):
And also let's tell them your phone number, Lisa.

Speaker 6 (51:36):
Seven one three five nine eight eight eight six eight,
And I.

Speaker 3 (51:40):
Want to embellish. Also, you're as you help people. You're
very knowledgeable about commercial and residential, so you really have
an interesting insight into the whole marketplace.

Speaker 6 (51:50):
Well, I do love doing residential as well. I can't
lie about that. I love serving residential clients and also
international clients.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
That's awesome, And Ronnie absolutely listen.

Speaker 7 (52:01):
Real estate Connection. We deal with integrity. We are first
and foremost. We're extremely honest with people we meet with
our customers. We're very upfront with them about everything. We
take our fiduciary duties very seriously out there, and don't
forget to give us a call. Two eight one nine
two four zero one seven to one again. That's two
eight one nine two four zero one seven one.

Speaker 3 (52:24):
Nice to see you, Nice to see you again, Lisa.

Speaker 6 (52:28):
Thank you for having us.

Speaker 7 (52:29):
Bill, Thank you, Bill.

Speaker 3 (52:30):
And she is back. Ashley Boudreau, better call Boudreau. That
sounds awesome. Well, before we it looks like it's you
and I turning the lights off here on the show.
What else do you want put people to know, Ashley.

Speaker 8 (52:42):
Well, my website is Ashleyboudreau dot com, so that can
go on there. If you want a free home evaluation,
you want to see some of our listings. I am
on the Rockwall team and commercial group, so all of
those are listed there as well, and we'd love.

Speaker 3 (52:57):
To help you so and I have a feeling the
next time we see you might even have a different
hat on.

Speaker 8 (53:02):
I will definitely have a different hat on.

Speaker 3 (53:04):
And again, this one just for our listeners. It says,
howdy Darling, Yeah, Darling.

Speaker 8 (53:09):
Four six nine eight seven nine one nine zero seven.
That's four six nine eight seven nine one nine zero seven.

Speaker 3 (53:17):
Favorite title company, Stuart Title. Thanks for being with us, Ashley,
and thank you all for listening to real estate Matters
with Stewart Title. I am your host, Bill Nappa, together
with John Bramlett and all of us. That's right, all
sixty five hundred associates, it's Stewart Title. We appreciate you listening,
and all of us it's Stuart Insurance. That's right.

Speaker 4 (53:37):
Feel free to.

Speaker 3 (53:38):
Go to Stewart dot com Forward Slash Radio where you
can see and hear the show and go to the
show archive. So that's right, five hundred and fifty shows
you can go to. Let's say you want to go
to five hundred and forty nine, just go to Stuart
dot com, Forward Slash Radio Let's say you want to
go to five hundred and twelve show number. That is
Stewart dot com Forward Slash Radio. Thanks for listening. We

(53:59):
will see you next week and until then,