Connection, Faith, and Starting Over | Katt Potts

Katt Potts (@kp.associates78) is the broker in charge of NextHome the Agency Group (@nexthome_theagencygroup) in Summerville, SC — a growing brokerage of 60+ agents now expanding into downtown Charleston. She's a Goose Creek native, a Trident Tech dental program graduate and former program director, who then jumped into real estate with $600, no experience, and an unshakeable belief that God put her here for a reason. In her first year, she sold 24 homes. By year six, she was running NextHome.

In this conversation, Kat reveals:

• Why there's no secret sauce in real estate — and what the "it factor" actually looks like in person
• The biggest mistake top producers never make: why staying connected with past clients is the single highest-ROI activity in the business
• Why she tells agents to stop paying for leads — and what to do insteaHow she pairs new agents with mentors based on personality, not just production number
• The quarterly goal-setting process she uses with every agent at her brokerage
• Why praying with buyers on the property isn't unusual for her — it's just who she is
• The mindset shift that helped her stop taking it personally when a friend listed with someone else

This one is raw, real, and deeply human. Less tactics episode more of a reminder of why we got into this industry in the first place.

Follow Jake: @jakecummings_homeloans

About Charleston's Leading Producers: Weekly conversations with the highest-producing real estate agents in Charleston. No fluff. No theory. Just proven strategies from agents doing the work and getting the results.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

And that it factor is you're authentic, you're genuine, you're real, the real deal. And a lot of agents, you know, um, everybody thinks that real estate is easy. This is the hardest job ever.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Hey leaders, I'm Jake, a loan officer obsessed with business growth and finding out what's actually working in our market. If that sounds useful, hit follow. Now, this week's leader. Today I'm sitting down with Kat Potts. Kat grew up in Goose Creek and is a graduate of Trident Tech's Dental Program. She was program director there at Trident as well before jumping into real estate when she sold 24 homes in her first year. She recently took over as broker in charge of Next Home the Agency Group. And I am proud to also call her a friend of mine. Kat, welcome to Charleston's leading producers.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

I am so happy to be here, Jay. Happy to have you much. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

So you are now broker in charge at Nexthome. Yes. And you guys recently opened up another office downtown.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

We did.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:14

Big things are happening, guys, with the next homies. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah. So what's going on with all the expansion? Tell us about, you know, what was kind of the catalyst for opening up something downtown and just what's going on with Next Home.

SPEAKER_03 1:28

Absolutely. You know, um, I'm very privileged and honored to be a leader at Next Home, the agency group here in Somerville. You know, I don't take that job lightly. It's not just a title. You know, I work very hard with that with the agents, and leadership is definitely in my blood. Charleston office, we definitely needed to get on the map with that. We are missing out on the Charleston market with referrals and things like that from other next home brokerages. So we decided to expand. So Christina Sineth is our broker in charge in our Charleston downtown office.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

That's awesome. Um, I love that you mentioned leadership because, you know, that is kind of what we do in real estate, right? I think on both sides, the loan officer side and the realtor side, you're leading people through a transaction, right? So what are the parallels? Like, what have you found as broker in charge as far as leading agents? What are the similarities that, you know, you pull from in the previous part of your career when you were, you know, just I say just, but just a producing realtor. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 2:37

Oh, for sure. You know, um, I led in the dental office when I worked in the dental dental field. I led in the classroom with dental assisting students and dental hygiene students and leading my team when I was, I started out as a realtor, independent, um, you know, realtor. And then after my third year, wanted to develop a team. Started my team, launched my team. I had six team members, loved my team. I knew I've always wanted to become a broker, um, whether if I was going to be a um broker in charge in my sixth year of my career, had no idea. If somebody was to ask me that, it kind of blows me away. I honestly feel, Jake, it's all in God's timing. And I've worked very hard. I've, you know, leading comes natural. It's a gift. It's a God's gift for me. Uh I love, you know, when I led my team, when now I'm leading my brokerage, the agents, you know, there is no secret sauce in real estate. You either have that it factor or you don't. You know, and that it factor is you're authentic, you're genuine, you're real, the real deal. And a lot of agents, you know, um, everybody thinks that real estate is easy. This is the hardest job ever. You know, being consistent and leading our clients to home ownership and to selling their homes. You know, so it's definitely one of those things that I share all my, you know, saw, you know, um successes with all of the agents. I don't hide anything. I actually want my agents to be become better than what I am. And that's what it's about in leadership. You know, you're just paying it forward in this industry.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Yeah. And I've gotten to know you over the past year. And I could say one of the things about you is you do have a genuine interest in other people. And I think that's one of the most important things. If you're leading a loan branch, if you're leading, you know, a team of agents, no matter what it is. And I think a lot of people go into that position not with that in mind. You know, they think, well, what's in this for me? Which is going to be, you know, taking a little cut of every transaction, you know? Absolutely. And that's so frustrating. And I'm sure those people, I mean, maybe some have built, you know, big businesses that way, but you see a lot of turnover, you know, you see people come and go. But when somebody approaches it from that genuine mindset, you can just tell when you're talking to somebody, you can tell that it's different. You know, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

And I feel like that is one of my God's gift. A lot of people ask me, cat, how do you do it? You know, it's not how I do it. This is just who I am. This is who I wake up to be. You see me at Walmart at the mall, I'm cat. You see me in the brokerage running my cat's corner classes, I'm cat. You see me outside, you know, walking down the street or driving down the street, I'm who I am. And that's what that's what, you know, I attract. And what you give out is what you're gonna get back in. And so you want to attract good energy. I have energy, you know, I love people. I have a lot of energy, folks. But that's what this industry is missing. That's what we need. We need leaders that really care and really want to see people succeed. We are all in this together, now more than ever, with the the way the market's running and with the NAR and with the lawsuit and everything else. We have to be transparent. We have to be raw and real with our folks. And, you know, yeah, some things might, you know, uh happen, but you know what? We all live and learn, right? And that's what it's about. But, you know, leading the brokerage and leading these agents, they can tell that I am the real deal and I love what I do. And I genuinely love every single person that I come across. I don't have a stranger. I don't meet a stranger.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

And it's a big team. How many agents are you up to?

SPEAKER_03 6:35

Yeah, we have a big team. Um, we're probably up to 60, you know. So we're growing. Somerville's growing. Next home, the agency group, very proud to be a next homey. You know, what this brokerage offers is, you know, we are human over houses, meaning we're not transactional. We develop that relationship with those folks. Buying a home is a feeling. Okay. It's a feeling. It's not about the numbers, it's not about the commission. It's that feeling when when you have a buyer and you walk into that home, they feel that this is their home, right? Just like a brokerage. When I when new agents come in, it's that feeling, you know. Um, I don't cold call people, you know. Um, it's a feeling that wow, I feel seen, I feel heard, and I'm loved for who I am and what I bring to the table. And that's what it's about, you know, because we don't know it all. I don't know it all. I'm learning every single day, yeah, you know, with this broken charge position. It's different than leading a team or being an independent realtor, right? Um, and that's what it's about. If you're open to the change and open to the growth, you're gonna evolve for sure.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

That's awesome. Um, you mentioned where we're at in the market right now and just kind of maybe the temperature of the market. And I think, you know, I haven't been in this business super long. I've been in a couple of years. Okay. But there's a lot of distrust from people, you know. Like uh when I talk to, you know, just like friends who are not in the industry, you know, they're in other types of sales or they're engineers or whatever, they're like, dude, what is it with realtors? Like, like one will reach out to me, and I just I don't trust them, you know? So, and you mentioned that, but we need to be and from our side too, from the loan side, same thing. People just automatically, especially if there isn't a warm referral there, there's a wall that's built up. Absolutely. And there's a lack of trust, absolutely, you know, and maybe it's genuine, maybe it's well earned, maybe we have earned this, I don't know, this feeling from people in our industry. But it's really great to hear you talk about, you know, the feelings that people have when they're working with us and, you know, the ultimate goal of guiding them through the process in a legitimate way.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Absolutely. You know, it's so important to navigate. I tell all my agents, you know, we have to educate, we have to facilitate and we nurture, right? Especially guiding them through this market. It wrote, you know, real estate is a roller coaster ride. Our job as Real Tours is to get them to the closing table. You know, get them through the, you know, earnest money, the escrow, get them through due diligence, get them to the closing table, right? The um inspection reports and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

That people don't understand.

SPEAKER_03 9:23

They do not.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

You know, there's no there's no way to learn these things unless you're going through the process. It's not like there's a high school course that teaches you.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

And you know, it's so funny you mentioned that because you know, the brand new agents that I brought on, you know, they have that it factor, right? And they're showing up every day. And that's the biggest thing in this industry. You have to show up. You know, you you cannot, I cannot make you do it. You know, and in this industry, we're independent contractors, just like you, right? You have to show up every day. You have to make your five calls, you have to make your five points, you know, talk to folks, you know, don't be a secret agent. You have to be out there. And there's enough business out there for all of us, right? The people that want to work with me will work with me. The people that are work with Jake will work with Jake. You know, um, I used to get in my feelings early on, you know, and got my, you know, really got hurt by one of my neighbors, you know, seeing a different sign in their yard to sell. And it was a tough pill to swallow, Jake. It was a tough pill, but guess what? It was meant to be. Yeah, right. I don't know if she her best friend was a realtor, you know, and I've had friends that use other agents, and it's okay, you know. I'm at the point in my life where God will put people in my life that are for me. And that's what it's all about in this industry, you know, um, because we are all in this together for sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

It's so hard to not have that hurt.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

It stabs like a knife, don't it?

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah, it's so hard, you know. But uh we'll we'll come back to that. Um, because I love that you mentioned like this it factor. So you talk to maybe it's like a newer agent, or maybe it's even an established ancient, you know, it doesn't really matter necessarily, but you feel like they have that. Like they have like either whether it's they communicate well, you can tell like they want to hustle, something like that. Yes, but they come onto your team now. How do we harness that into exactly what we're talking about? Like production. How do we take that like really good mindset or maybe a couple of these like raw skills? Yeah. And what do they need to do to turn that into paychecks?

SPEAKER_03 11:37

Yeah. Um, you know, training, you know, next home, the agency group has a mentorship program. So we, I will, I will, you know, based on their personality, pick them with somebody. And they're going to walk them through those transactions. They're gonna walk them through and train them, you know, which is great. Not a lot of brokerages have mentorships. And that agent will take that agent under the wing and walk them through every single step of the way. I'm here, I actually sit, um, and this is something that I established, you know, as broker in charge. I sit with my agents quarterly and I'm going my first time, I'm gonna sit with them and we're gonna do a goal setting. They have three page pages that they will write down what their goals are. Now they have no idea how many homes they want to sell, right? But we have to, I'm the type of person where if I don't write it down, if I don't speak it, it's not gonna happen. So I'm very big on words of affirmation. I'm going to put sticky notes on everything. You know, my first year I sold 24 homes. I don't know how I did that. I'm a local. People just wanted to support me. You know, they knew my story, they knew I was a single mom when I first got into real estate. They wanted to help. And those are the people that you want in your sphere to help you. You know, um, so I stay in contact with all the agents at in our office. You know, I'm getting to learn and know how they work and know their personalities and jive with them. You know, I want to connect. I can connect with anybody, right? But they have to be open to that connection.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

Yeah. I love that you mentioned that you pair people that you know from their personality with a mentor because there are so many ways that you can be successful. Absolutely. You know, and so if you're even if you're coming in and you're working really hard, if you're not paired with the right mentor who has you doing the right activities that align with like your natural skill set, it's gonna be a disaster, it's not gonna work. Absolutely. It's gonna be cool.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

Yeah, you have to definitely pair their personalities and you know, it's a small little introduction, making sure that they're a good fit. Now I might not be right at all the times, right? Sure. But it's a learning curve.

SPEAKER_04 13:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

And, you know, I cannot be there every single time, you know, to mentor. Like when I mentored my team, I started my brand new team with two new brand new agents, right? When I first started three years ago or four years ago. So, you know, it was tough for me. And but you have to, not everybody is teachable and or trainable, right? Or you definitely have to be open. Absolutely. You have to be open for it for sure, and especially in this industry.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Let's go back a little bit. You mentioned being a single mother, diving into this industry. So you were a program director over a trident.

SPEAKER_04 14:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Um, most people would have considered that probably the wrong time to go in all in on real estate, right? What made you do it anyway?

SPEAKER_03 14:43

Yeah. Um, kind of back up a little bit. I lost my husband to suicide in 2018, the day before Thanksgiving. It shattered me and my kids' life, right? Um, the silver lining in it all, I've been able to find out who I am, who God needs me to be, you know, as a mother, as a professional. Um, and I met Ruben. Um, he's my husband now.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Shout out Ruben.

SPEAKER_03 15:07

Shout out Ruben Potts. Um, met Ruben and we were dating probably about seven, eight months. And I told him, I was like, you know, um, I was, I told him, I was like, listen, I really think I want to do some, I really want to do real estate. I've always wanted to do it. I was always scared because it was commission based. And he was like, you should do it.

SPEAKER_04 15:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:28

He went upstairs and brought down 600 bucks and and kind of flopped it in my lap and was like, I want you to take the classes. Awesome. You're gonna do great, Kat.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

That's so cool.

SPEAKER_03 15:38

And he believed in me. It's good to have a supporter, yeah. You know, that you know, and I told him I was like, All right, now if I don't have any sales, you're paying my bills.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

It's funny. Because I I don't remember the conversation, like the one specific moment that I had with Britt. Yeah, my wife, Brittany. Shout out Brittany. But man, like looking back on it now, she must have thought I was nuts because I had a you know, stable paycheck teaching high school. Everything was very routine. Yeah, and then I probably came in someday and was like, hey, I'm gonna go take this alone office. It's just like, what are you talking about? You know, so man, that's amazing that Ruben just automatically supported you. And he probably believed in you. He probably said, you know what, like you could be good at this.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

Yeah. And you know, I I struggle with the real estate classes because all I knew was dentistry, you know, for 19 years. Um, but you know, I was like, God, you know, if this is what you want me to do and change people's lives and become homeowners, let me do it.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Man, that shows that make it easy for me. You don't need to ace the classes to be good at this.

SPEAKER_03 16:42

You don't, because I'm not gonna tell y'all how many times it took me to pass that test now. Yeah, but I need to record that.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

That's a whole that's a whole nother um set.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

I think what's more important is that you're successful after you get your license. Absolutely. More than that.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

I sent my resignation letter. Actually, Ruben pressed the sent button button and I just started real estate. And I had my first three months, I had two transactions with my tennis family. Nice, you know, my sphere. Yeah. And they say to pipe in to that, tap into your sphere, you know, the people that know you, that trust you already.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

What's the best way to do that?

SPEAKER_03 17:22

You know, I'm I'm a little old school. Um, I write little handwritten little cards. Um, I send videos on my phone, letting it checking in, letting everybody know, you know, hey, this is cat, you know, um I love referrals. Listen, I tell my son all the time, a closed mouth does not get fed. So if you don't ask, you're never gonna know.

unknown 17:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:43

Right. And so, you know, when it's time for folks, you know, to sell and buy, they're gonna remember me. And that's what it's about. You know, um, that that's what I do.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

It's amazing that, you know, all of the AI in the world and a lot of those like really old school methods, like you're mentioning, just like taking a video on your phone and sending it to somebody, like there's nothing, there's nothing sexy. There's nothing like, you know, writing a handwritten thank you note. Yeah. A lot of those little activities, if done consistently and routinely, can really go a long way.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

You have to be consistent. And you know, don't sleep on renters. You know, my first couple years, I helped a lot of renters. And I would answer the phone and they would be like, Oh my gosh, you're the first person that ever called me back or that answered my phone. Nobody wants to help me. And I developed relationships with them. They're my family now. And, you know, it's great that I have been able to help a person, a family that's never been able to, never thought that they could ever buy a home. And we made it happen.

unknown 18:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:50

You know, you just have to have the right people in your circle.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Backing up just a step, you mentioned um that not everyone is going to align with you, and that you've become comfortable when clients or referral partners choose somebody else other than you. How did how did you cross that line? That's something that's come up on a lot of my conversations. Yeah. Um, and it seems that recent, actually just this morning, I was talking to another loan officer in our branch here, and we were talking about how bad it hurts when you see somebody closing, you know, that's either a friend of yours or whatever, that's not you. So, how how do we get over that hump?

SPEAKER_03 19:31

You know, it is a tough, tough hump to get over. I'm not gonna lie to you. And, you know, I just know that it wasn't meant to be. That's how I have to kind of think about it because I'm not gonna get myself bent out of shape. Because when you start thinking negative and you start questioning yourself, that client's gonna question you. That lender's gonna question you. And that's not a good look, right? So I've tried to stay positive and I think outside the box and say, how could I have because I'm the biggest person where we all re we are our biggest critics, right? I will question what did I say? How did I lose that person? And I would role play and think about, you know, what could I have said differently? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 20:21

And that can be constructive. There's a constructive way to do that, and there's a not constructive way. Yeah. I don't know, there's a spirally negative way to do that.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

And I don't, and I do not let the negative take over. I took it as a positive, you know, and say, thank you next. And it's okay because, like you said, not everybody's for me. And not everybody's for Jake.

SPEAKER_06 20:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:48

But the people that will show up for you, they will be there and they will be loyal. Those are the folks that you want. And I've had to come to the realization about that. Yeah. And it but it was hard.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

What do so you've got a big roster of agents, you know, that are working in your brokerage here. The top producers, what do you see them doing differently than some of the people who might be stuck kind of in the middle production level or even lower than that? What are those top producers doing that sticks out to you?

SPEAKER_03 21:24

Um, they are connecting with their past clients. You know, a lot of times we're missing the bus. Folks are going out there looking at new construction without you. Folks are looking at Zillow. Folks are on Redfin, Trilio. Okay. We don't know what they're doing. The biggest thing that I said that I see our top producing agents doing is staying connected with their folks. No matter how long they've closed that house, it could be 15 years. They are still sending them newsletters, they're still sending them a little happy birthday card, they're still calling Calling them saying happy birthday, happy home anniversary. Connection, connection, connection. You know what I mean? AI is not taking our jobs. I love AI. They're great for MLS descriptions. They're great for running, you know, market analysis if you want to look at, you know, do that. Um, but they're not gonna take the human out of our business. The personability, you know, the personable connection with that. So I would say the biggest thing is staying connected with your folks. Because we don't know what our folks are doing.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

No.

SPEAKER_03 22:35

And, you know, not everybody's gonna be loyal, you know, and we we just don't know what they're doing. And so staying connected with your people and letting them know, hey, I'm here for you, you know, and even if they send a referral, send them a little, you know, thank you letter. Thank you so much for thinking of me. Because after, you know, once you get over the hump with real estate, it's so hard to get started in real estate. I got lucky. Not everybody gets lucky, right? Um, and I tell my agents, you have to stay positive. You cannot get in that valley because when you get in that valley, it's very hard to dig yourself out. You know what I mean? And with the market the way it's going, I don't listen to the news.

unknown 23:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

I I just don't.

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of negativity. I tell clients that too.

SPEAKER_03 23:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Start off your TV for the next 30 days while we're on while we're on the contract area. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

I didn't even know we were in war until my daughter told me. I was like, wow. Anyway, sorry, y'all.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

No, that's okay. You've mentioned your faith a couple times already. Um, and it seems to be a rock for you. And exactly what you just mentioned too, staying positive because there are going to be, you know, valleys and dips, no matter if I've talked to people in this industry a long time and they're still like, yeah, I still battle this, you know? Yeah. Um, so that's obviously very important to you, but how do you tie that to your business and staying positive?

SPEAKER_03 24:06

It's so great. Um, when I'm with my buyers and they found their home, I pray with them on the property.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Love that. And so you ask them or you just like start praying.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

Um, I said, let's say a little prayer, guys. Okay, that's just a catism, right? That's just what I do. Yeah, that's that's just my faith. It's my God has definitely carried me through some of the darkest moments of my lifetime that I did not think that I was gonna make it through, right? And um I'm blessed to be here and very grateful for what God has instilled in my heart to do, you know, to change people's lives. And I can't change everybody, right? You can't, um, but they have to be open to it. And faith is big with me for sure. He's carried me through, but I do pray with my folks.

SPEAKER_00 24:58

That's cool.

SPEAKER_03 24:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Like that. I'm gonna like try to sneak up on you one of those times of law. So it feels like a it would be a very inspiring moment. Um moving to a little bit more like nitty-gritty practical. So you're you mentioned that you sit down and you set goals with a lot of your new agents, and you've set a lot of goals yourself and you've achieved them. What does goal setting goal setting actually look like for you? So, what do you take into account? Where do you start and how do you set goals? And then how do you hold yourself accountable to them as well?

SPEAKER_03 25:33

I'm I'm very I'm a dreamer, I'm a risk taker as well, but I'm definitely a goal setter. Um, like I mentioned before, I knew I wanted my team. I knew I wanted a team. My third year in real estate, I got my team, right? And then after five years of real estate, I got my broker's license. My sixth year, I'm now broker in charge.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

You got a big old team now.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Now we have a big team. Um, you know, I feel like with me thinking, praying about it, writing things down, I set short-term goals, I do quarterly goals, and then I do long-term goals.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

How often are you doing that?

SPEAKER_03 26:13

I I every December I'm setting up my year. I try to set my quarterly goals. You know, um, when Lonnie Plaster, he's the owner of Next Home, the agency group. Shout out to Lonnie.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

Shout out to Lonnie.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

Yes. Um, and Christina signeth as well. She's the one that actually, you know, sought me out to be her replacement for the broker in charge position in Somerville. Um, they saw that they I had that it factor, you know, that I had it within me. Um, but I like to think about the bigger picture. You know, I'm definitely a, you know, one day at a time type girl, but I also like to focus on my my end goal. I keep my eye on my prize. And so I knew I've always wanted to lead in real estate. And leading the brokerage is is definitely an amazing thing, but it's a tough job. You know, now I have other agents that are wanting, leaning into me, tapping into me, so I can help them learn, grow, and evolve in real estate. And it's just the vulnerability. It's me letting, letting all of everything aside and being with them, helping them reach their goals. Because it's not just about my goals now, it's the brokerage goals. I have goals with Lonnie, you know, um with the owner. And I the biggest thing is I don't like to disappoint, you know. Um, when I was growing up, I didn't want to disappoint my dad. It just hurt me so much if I disappointed him. And so um I just try to take one day at a time, and because all of us are different. We're all built differently. How I would handle a situation would be different, how Jake would handle a situation, you know, and learning these agents on the other side and getting to know who they are and what they need from their leader, that's what helps me.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

You have a really good balance. I like the way you put that. The keeping in mind the long-term goals, the year goals, and then uh moving all the way back to like day-to-day. And I heard this the other day like trying to move really fast on the day-to-day things, but still keep in mind the slow build towards the long-term goals. And long-term can be five, 10, 20 years. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 28:40

And I tell my folks, no today doesn't mean no three months, six months, or a year down the road. Yeah, it will happen, but we have to stay consistent. Three months is not persistent, absolutely for sure.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

It feels like it's so far away, three months, you know, but it was New Year's, it feels like last week.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

Absolutely. Time is flying. Yeah, time is definitely flying.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

What is one thing that you see agents spending time on that they're just spinning their wheels, or it's killing their business?

SPEAKER_03 29:13

Paying for leads. Uh, I wasted a lot of money. I bought a and two leads when I had my team, and we did not get but one lead out of that. So if I if I could do it all over again and all the agents out here listening, don't pay for leads. Tap in to your community. Tap in to your sphere, tap into your family and friends. Remember, folks are gonna work with you that they know you, trust you, and like you. That's all it takes. But you have to get to know them people and you have to get the you know, break down those barriers and those walls and be vulnerable.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

Man, it is hard on those paid for leads to break down those walls. You have like 30 seconds to do it. Yeah. I'm not a cold caller, man. Yeah, I'm not. And there are some people that have built a great business that way. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 30:08

And it's okay, and it works for certain folks. Yeah, you know, but if you have the money and you can invest in it, good for you. You know, but I would say you need to tap into your community. I was in dentistry. I go to my dental offices, I send them a little, you know, little bunk cakes. I go to my bank.

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Those are so good.

SPEAKER_03 30:26

Oh my gosh. But, you know, it's we're givers in our industry already, right? I'm a giver in my life personally. I'm a giver in my profession. And, you know, it will come back. It may take some time, but folks have to get to know who you are. When you drop in every quarter or, you know, like Easter or, you know, a little, you know, something fun, some cookies for St. Patty's Day. When they're ready to buy or sell, they're gonna be like, oh my gosh, I remember Kat. I remember her dropping in those cookies every three months. She's always stay consistent, she's always been here. How can I help you? That's the biggest thing that we're all missing out on. How can I support you? Um, we have an agent, Andrew. Shout out to Andrew.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Shout out, Andrew.

SPEAKER_03 31:15

He, you know, when a new agent comes in, he's he's all about how can I support you? That's what our agents and our culture at Next Home is about. We will share everything to make you successful, to help you become successful.

SPEAKER_04 31:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:30

You know, we don't hide things. And I think that's what I love and that's why I fit so well. And I'm I'm good with leading this team because they all have the same mentality. You know, I've been at brokerages where it's not like that, right? You have the mean girl syndrome, or you have, I'm not gonna share anything with you because I don't want you to be better than I am.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

100%.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

That is not who we are. That's not who I am. That's not who God created me to be.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

It's amazing to being in certain environments just really just can change things for people, you know, so quickly and so so rapidly. You know, a very you know, capable, very hardworking, very dedicated realtor, loan officer, whatever in the wrong environment isn't gonna work. No, it's not. The right person has to be in the right environment to become successful in this industry for sure. 100%.

SPEAKER_03 32:25

And it's all in time, and everybody has a season. Yeah. There's a season for everything. Um, when I interviewed with uh, it was long and far so before Next Home, the a year before I came on to Next Home, it wasn't my time, right? And Lonnie was saying, I wonder why how I missed you that day. I think it was meant to be. It was meant for me to come when I was ready, right? And that's what it's about for sure.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

We mentioned a lot of hard truths so far. But what is the the hardest truth about real estate that you've seen? What is like the most challenging thing that people have to walk through?

SPEAKER_03 33:07

I would say getting them in person, earning their trust, you know, especially for you know somebody that doesn't know who you are at first, like you mentioned. You know, you have to, you know, they have to, you cannot be a pressury person. You cannot force anything on anybody, forcing the buyer agency and things like that. Let all that come natural. You know, when it's organic, it will come, it will happen. So being forceful and wanting it now, now, now is not is not happening. Yeah, because in this industry, you don't that's that's not how it works. You know, I tell agents, when you when you get into real estate, look for about 90 days later to get a paycheck. That's if you're working it and you're doing everything that you need to be doing. Yeah, because you're not gonna get rich quick and you're not going to close all these deals and have these high productions like you know other agents are doing, you know, um one client at a time.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

It's so easy to fall into that trap. And I don't know, maybe social media has even accelerated that, you know, because we see the perfect, you know, image of people on social media. We see the perfect side of things on social media. So yeah, it is really easy to get into this industry from whatever angle and think this is gonna happen so quickly, you know.

SPEAKER_03 34:42

And I think that's the biggest, you know, facade I see, you know, with folks. I I, you know, since I've been in real estate, a lot of my friends have called me and say, oh my gosh, I want to do this. And I'll flat out let them know I don't think this is the right fit for you. I'm not gonna lie to them, right? Because it's hard work. You have to, like I said, you have to have that personality, that character, that work ethic to be able to get the job done. Um and you have to be likable, you know. Um, like you mentioned, people posting just sold and clothes and things like that. Let's get back to the basics. Let's let's create a story. Let's create a story. How did these folks become a homeowner? You know, um we just need to get back to the authentic and the and put it, put that back out there of how we got started, our journey. Right. And that's what we're missing. And we need to bring that back. You know, let's talk about the family that has been renting for five years and now all of a sudden video them getting their keys to the to their house. They're gonna be emotional. Let's get the emotions back into it, right? Because this is all about feelings with real estate, and that's what we're missing. And I think we need to get back to that. Tell a story. We all have a story. Every client, every home, every closing, there's a story. Good, bad, or in or indifferent.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

To wrap us up here, I want you to think back to the cat that just finally passed all those tests with for an undisclosed um number of times that you took these tests, but you just got licensed um and you just left the classroom, a very stable position, you know, that you knew really well. Um, you didn't know that you were going to build this quick career, and you didn't know that you were going to just a few years later become the broker in charge that you are now. What's one thing you would tell that version of Kat?

SPEAKER_03 36:54

I jumped out on faith. You know, it's just like a little baby with no floaties on, and they jump in the deep water. You know, um, you have to take a risk. You have to take a risk, and I took a risk. But I also had the God Almighty behind me.

SPEAKER_01 37:14

And of course, Reuben.

SPEAKER_03 37:17

You know, um, I would definitely say that I I, you know, prayed about it and it was something that I wanted to do for myself and my family. You know, and I knew I was a good person. And people, I'm from this area. I went to Westview and Stratford from Goose Creek. So a lot of folks knew who I was. You know, I already had a reputation, a good reputation, by the way. But yeah, they they wanted to help me and they knew, you know, who I was, and they were so supportive. And I would say when you get into real estate or when you when you are an entrepreneur and your own independent contractor, have folks that want to support you. There's a lot of people out there when they see you succeed, they're nowhere to be found. And I've seen that. And it's okay, right? And, you know, but you want those folks to be by you, to be your security blanket, right? And, you know, I definitely jumped out on faith, and that's what got me through. I had no idea how to write a contract. I had no idea, um, you know, to know how to negotiate, you know, because the school doesn't teach you any of that. It's so far, you know, from that. And that's one thing that I feel is so important for new agents when they get into our industry, that they're well trained and that they're not left behind. Because a lot of times in this industry, you can get lonely. There's a lot of agents out there that are lonely. And it can happen. But my job as a leader is regardless if you're at next home or not, I have agents call me all the time and helping. I'm helping them negotiate deals. Okay. That's the kind of giver that I am. I want to help. I want them to close. You know what I mean? And it's just paying that forward. But just wanting, you know, making everybody feel seen, heard, and, you know, believe in themselves because that's the biggest thing. If you don't believe in yourself, how can somebody else believe in you? So that's what I would say.

SPEAKER_00 39:27

Well, I'm glad you did. I'm glad you made that leap. Our community is better with you and it, Kat. So you've got incredible advice. If anybody wants to reach out to you, just ask follow-up questions about something you said, connect with you further, ask about Next Home, whatever it is, how can they find you?

SPEAKER_03 39:43

Yeah. Um, my cell number, you know, 843-324-0563. Um, you know, they can definitely come to my office. It's in Hutcheson Square.

SPEAKER_00 39:54

Show up and knock on the door, baby.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Become a next homie. Don't be lonely. Be a next homie. Shout out to Ruben Potts. He made that up.

SPEAKER_00 40:06

Did he really? Oh trademarked. I know. I was gonna say, man, Ruben's gonna end up getting paid off of that one. He's gonna be getting a cut every time there's a new member out there in Somerville. Well, I appreciate you being on here.

SPEAKER_03 40:18

I appreciate you, Jake, so much. And I enjoy you as well. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Until next time. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_01 40:25

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Thanks for listening to Charleston's Leading Producers Podcast. Could you take a moment to hit subscribe on the platform that you're currently listening on? That allows this show to grow and bring you more of the top of the line producers and business leaders. And if you think these stories will help someone you know, please share this with them. New episodes every Wednesday. I'm Jake Cummings. See you next week.