[00:00:10] Speaker A: The Michael Hatfield Re Max team presents real estate and more.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Bay Area real estate is different than in all of America. And why? What's up with homebuyers? What's on sellers minds? How is the market and much, much more.
[00:00:27] Speaker A: Now here's your host, Michael Hatfield. Welcome back to the real estate and more show. I'm so appreciative that you are here and thank you for listening. We have a fun time planned. Speaking with the owner of the Re Max Accord ten offices, Mister Jerry Stadler. Incidentally, Re Max Accord has just been recognized as the best of the Bay brokerage. Today we're going to talk about best agents. Yes. Realtor prefers to advertise themselves as being the best agent. Well, let's listen to learn what really determines a real estate agent. Welcome to the show. Jerry Stadler.
[00:01:07] Speaker C: Hello, Michael. Thanks for asking me back.
[00:01:09] Speaker A: It's always good.
[00:01:10] Speaker C: I enjoy this a lot. And hopefully there's some information that you will consider worthy.
[00:01:17] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Before the show off the air, we were talking about one of the advice points that you give to your agents. What is that? You know, take a look at the mirror.
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Yeah.
I'm a believer that the phone is our friend. It's one of the things that we use the most. And I encourage agents. But my advice to agents who are getting started with that, or even already involved, go down to the local hardware store and buy a mirror. And I'm telling you, this is. I did this. Buy a mirror. Not a huge one, but big enough so you can put it on, on your desk. And when you're talking on the phone, dialing up customers or clients or friends, I want you to look in that mirror and make sure you're smiling. Because the other people that are listening can see and hear that smile.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: That would be a trait of a best, best agent, would it not, for communication purposes.
[00:02:17] Speaker C: It doesn't get better than that.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: How many muscles in your face do you use when you smile?
[00:02:23] Speaker C: Well, I am told it's probably about 15. I don't know.
[00:02:28] Speaker A: No, I think it's less. I think it's only like eight or nine. And then if you frown, it uses something like 56.
I don't want to ever see you frowning, my friend. Just keep that smile and going. But you are.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: I'll control that.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Now, please, would you tell us a bit about this best of the Bay award that the Re Max Accord offices has just received? Again?
[00:02:51] Speaker C: Again is correct. That's two years in a row now.
That's an honor, really, because what it says to me as the owner of a company that the agents that are out there in the field working with clients who do the voting are doing really well. They are communicating, they're getting the job done. The people are satisfied. And that's, you know, it doesn't matter how much money you make or whatever, it's how many clients you have satisfied. That's my whole motto on this business. Yeah, I need a list of a database of clients who are happy with the work that I did for them. They appreciate it. I appreciate them. I stay in touch. A lot of my clients in the years past have become friends for life, and that's really important to us here at Re Max Accord. So when we get an honor, like two years in a row, then that says what we're doing is working. And I'm really pleased with that. Absolutely pleased.
[00:03:55] Speaker A: Isn't that wonderful? You know, one of the things that I keep thinking is, in order to get to a best agent, you're building these relationships. So one of the traits of a best agent has to be relationships and how to build them right from ground zero.
[00:04:11] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: Would you not say absolutely?
[00:04:14] Speaker C: We're in a people business, and it's a difficult business because people are the most complicated things in the world, bar, even computers people, because you never know what they're going to do or say or what they're thinking. You have to develop your interview process so that you can get that information out. You can. So that's the best way to get with a person who you're working for, is to understand totally what their goals are. And then you meet their goals. My goals don't matter. I'm not buying or selling a house. I need to understand my client. And that's, I think an incredible part of being a successful agent is understanding people, asking the right questions. You have two ears and one, one mouth. Shut up and listen.
[00:05:03] Speaker A: Well, back in the day, we had more of an advantage because the people that were interested in a specific area would come into the office, they would sit down, have a cup of coffee, maybe two or three, thumb through the listings in the local area. We didn't have the Internet. And so you had the opportunity to meet with the client and start that relationship right then and there. Nowadays it's just different. And it's different because now you're spending that time, if you're really doing your job, you're pulling the client in, and you're going through the 16 page real estate contract agreement, going over all of that, as well as the disclosures, acknowledgements and advisories. And that's just another good trait. But it's just changed from day one when you had more time to hold hands and they looked at you like, you know, you knew what you were doing versus, you know, nowadays, where you're. You're going fast and furious because they're going to find it on the Internet, and they're going to come to you and say, I want to see this one, this one, this one, and this one. And then you take it to them, and then your job is actually starting, really a little before that, but at that time. Don't you agree?
[00:06:14] Speaker C: Absolutely. Right on the mark.
[00:06:16] Speaker A: I knew you'd remember the golden days, Jerry.
[00:06:18] Speaker C: Oh, thanks a lot. Yeah, I've been doing this, I think we're working on about 45 years now.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: 40, really?
[00:06:25] Speaker C: Forties. Yeah. I didn't even know Stephanie and myself, partners, my wife, and she was my mentor, actually.
So, yeah, communication with people is everything. And the information is out there now. Yes. They took that privilege away from us. The Internet did, and that's okay. We just had to learn a different way to do it. And so those meetings where we could share our knowledge in an office environment kind of went away. And now we talk on the phone, we do emails and WhatsApp and you name it, but there's nothing better than a face to face meeting to really understand each other and get the point across. Your telephone is your next best bet. The emails in that, they're great. They're great and getting information out there, but you don't really pick up the real, true feeling of a client if you can't really see them. The flavor and the information is great. No question about it. Sometimes I think it's coming at us. Hmm.
In bandwidth that are hard to stay with. Bill Gates said it years ago, and he says, what's the future look like? And he said, information at speed of light. That's what you're looking at. And was he ever correct? Yes.
Everybody knows everything. And that's what, you know, worldwide now.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:51] Speaker C: You know, I mean, everybody knows what everybody's doing.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: Well, they think. They think they know.
[00:07:56] Speaker C: Well, they think they know.
[00:07:57] Speaker A: You know, just as a comment, I see, as a real estate agent, constantly, I see a lot of information out there that's inaccurate, that is outdated, unedited. It has been slanted in a certain way. So that's when we use that time when we first meet the client. Bring them in. Let's talk about how this process works, how the contract works. And it's a little bit different from the days ago that were one page, letter size, legal size contract called a deposit receipt. It's a lot different now, 16 pages. And all of the disclosures and advisories, I like to sit them down and say, this is real.
You're not going to like what I tell you, but listen to what I tell you, because we have that heartfelt desire to help you. Do you not agree?
[00:08:49] Speaker C: I absolutely agree. I'm a very visual person, and I assume that everybody around me is the same. I know sometimes you'll talk. I look at professions like, is an engineer going to be treated differently than a person who works in a restaurant? Yes. Because the mind concept of these individuals think differently. So. But, yeah, having that conversation with a client where they can ask you questions, you can actually turn a paper around and point to a paragraph. So let's read that together. You know, fully understanding it makes the relationship so much better. It really does.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: Well, you know how I always tend to refer to flying because flying taught me so much as a youngster. It put a lot of my energies into thought, thought processes, because to fly an airplane, you have to, first of all, control your own thought process to learn what you need to learn, then apply it in the most crazy office environment, the cockpit of a light airplane, and later on, in a big airplane, in a fast airplane. It takes a lot to do that. And I remember a fellow told me one time, you know, I can tell if a guy can fly an airplane when I walk out to the airplane with him.
Pretty interesting. And I know that when you do interviews with potential agents, that when you talk with them, you're seeing this person talk to me. Can she relate that she's a great person to me and make me want to do a deal with her? Do you not do that?
[00:10:31] Speaker C: Yes.
One thing I'll be very clear about, I've been doing this for a long time. I've probably met with thousands of agents over my career.
The truth of the matter is underscored. You never know. You never know. I've seen agents that I thought would not do well rock the ship, just absolutely knock it out of the park.
Other agents I thought, oh, my. Oh, my gosh, this is going to be a great agent. And they didn't turn out that way. It's not a personal fault of theirs or a negative. It's just this was the wrong career for them. They have a huge attribute. They just need to use it where it's more appropriate.
[00:11:22] Speaker A: We're going to take a short break. We'll be right back.
[00:11:28] Speaker D: Welcome to the real estate minute with re Max expert Michael Hatfield. Michael, what traits should we look for in selecting an agent?
[00:11:35] Speaker E: Look for a deal maker with a positive attitude who will work tirelessly for you. An agent who is adept in multiple offer situations, drafting contracts, marketing and advertising. A client's home is familiar with multiple cultures, experienced in mortgage financing, inspections and escrow is a huge asset to his client.
[00:11:56] Speaker D: What can you do as a plus for clients?
[00:11:58] Speaker E: Your agent is your eyes and your ears, one who works behind the scenes on your behalf. A great attitude, working well with others and keeping clients priorities. Number one is a given for us.
[00:12:09] Speaker D: Call 925-32-2775 now to schedule an appointment or complimentary home analysis for excellence in real estate. Call the Michael hatfield re max team at 925-32-2775 or go to michael hatfieldhomes.com dot.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: Now let's get back to real estate and more with your host, Michael Hatfield.
[00:12:38] Speaker C: Real estate isn't for everybody. There's certain things you have to look for and be if you want to be a successful realtor. I mean, I'll look at you Michael, I just gave you a little plug myself.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: You don't have to do that.
[00:12:52] Speaker C: Your bandwidth is unbelievable and your knowledge and speaking ability and client care is phenomenal and you're well respected because of that.
[00:13:00] Speaker A: Well, thank you for that. You know, you pick up things along the way and this is why you make your friends the way that you do. If you look for characteristics that are positive and that really, really help, then I think a person will be successful. People told me that I couldn't do some of the things that I did when I was a kid. I didn't have the money to pay for flight training. I wanted to be an airline pilot. And everyone said, oh, there's a fuel shortage, you're going to have to go in the military, you're going to have to do this, you're going to have to do that. But at the end of the day, you don't have what it takes. People will tell you that. And we had an agent that came to this office, whereas at a prior office they said that you'll never be a real estate agent. He came here, he blew the doors off of it. You know who exactly I'm talking about?
[00:13:59] Speaker C: I know it because I met with him and I would felt, I actually felt really bad because I really liked him. And when he told me what his previous broker told him, which was immediately because he was talking to me now, getting ready to change companies, and I looked at him and I said, you know what? You and I are going to prove her so wrong. It's unbelievable. I'm going to work with you the best way I can.
What little help you need.
And you're right. He rocked the boat and we did together. And mainly him. The agent showed that other broker what they really missed out on.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: Oh, that's why you do such a great job with it. Yeah, you really do, Jerry. It really is.
[00:14:45] Speaker C: That was fun. That was fun.
[00:14:47] Speaker A: Now folks, I'm just going to make an input here in the Bay Area. I'm going to say that there is a top agent network. It's called Tan. All of the top two to 3% of the top agents, excuse me, are invited in to be part of this. And then they are allowed to collaborate a bit before the home gets in. They get the first information on a property. And it helps if you have a property and you want to sell. It really works well to be part of this Tanya network and to get it out there. And so, you know, it works. And it's part of what we do at Re Max, which is even better, being part of Re Max. You're part of the largest overall brokerage in the world. There's something like 7800 offices and 150,000 agents worldwide. Other countries, we have a network, we have an intranet, we have an Internet, we have features, we have training. If you want to be part of the best of the Bay brokerage, you know, you need to talk to Mister Jerry Stadler. He's here at Re Max Accord, makes his home office out of the ten here in Danville. Come look him up or just call us. We'll hook you up to do that. But we're going to continue on talking about best agents and their traits. What other traits, Mister Staller, do you see with best agents?
[00:16:20] Speaker C: Okay, that's a great question. And there's no really formula to follow that's carved in granite. But I will tell you what's normal, what I look for.
I have three pillars that I've, that I kind of evaluate an agent. I don't want to use the word judge because I'm, that's not what I do. I evaluate entry level, what we may do. But here are the three pillars. Number one, got to have passion. You have to have passion. You really need to want this.
And I'm going to. And a lot of these have subtitles that fall underneath this category, such as that you have to like the business, you have to like people, you have to like homes. These are all a given. But it's not an easy business. It really, people think that we just sign a contract and do other, you know, and sell the house and rake in the money.
Agents who are successful, they do do well. They feed their family well. They, they offer their, their children the kind of benefits that we all want to give. The second pillar is they have, in my eyes, have to have great work ethics. They have to be willing to roll up the sleeves and go to work. You will not be successful if you don't do the work.
And there's a lot of subtitles under that one, too. What is work? And then my last pillar is education.
You have to be educated. You have to, to learn.
There's so many different things in this business that you need to master.
They don't have to be that complicated. The thing that complicated, mainly in my eyes, there's always a new kid on the block, if I can use that phrase. Somebody's always coming up with a better mousetrap. But the idea, really, or the way I think about it, it's still a mousetrap. It is. It may be. Well, for you.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: You're talking brokerages, right? You're talking about ab brokerage or the big r or that kind of a thing. I got you.
[00:18:32] Speaker C: It is. But, and so if you build this, if you have these qualities, and it can build on different things with the help of your broker and educational opportunities, you will do well. But, and I'll give you an example.
My beloved wife, Stephanie.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: He's really in love with her, guys.
[00:18:55] Speaker C: He's a great lady, smart, but she's very, a lot of people don't know this. She's very shy. She absolutely, if, if you put 500 people out in front of her and told her to get up and make a speech, she'd rather smack you with her glass. She's, that's not who she is, is. She's very, very passive. And so, but she was driven, understand? She was driven to success. She never wanted to be second place. She wants to win.
And so she developed ways to do this business her way, which is totally okay, because they're all individuals. And she catapulted herself into probably the top agent in this area for many, many years, particularly in Alamo, which is one of our markets. So it's hard to say what the qualifying is, but always look at the three pillars. If you're willing to do those, you've got a great chance of doing really well.
I've always said this, we only have time. Everybody has the same amount of time.
And you hope that you use your time well, because if you don't, it's gone forever. You can't get it back. So I always tell agents, look, if you're going to be successful, it's a game. You have to play the game with all the intellect and all the training and all the passion that you can develop. But I'm asking you one thing. When you play, play to win, there's no second place in this business. You either win or you don't. And the real top agents out there, they figured it out. They know how to win. That's because they've done these three pillars. They have catapulted themselves into respect and admiration of about their business, not who they are. Their clients are the most important people to them. That's why they do well, because the clients really respect and trust them, you.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: Know, almost to a T. Nancy and I, we have them as clients. And I said, I'm sorry, by the time we get done with this, we're going to be friends. And you can expect that. And they kind of, you know, a little bit restrained in their response to it, especially the younger generation. And then we do, then we become friends after it. And they call for this. What do you think about that? Where do I find a painter? Where do I do this? You become part and ingrained in the life of your new friends, which are your clients. I think going back to the business side of things with a real estate agent, as I think about it, once they have practice it for a while, it's a practice because when you get a license, that license is very minimal. It does not prepare you for what you have to do out on the street, so to speak. So once you've been an experienced agent for some time, then there's another whole level on top of that. That one is where you become a marketing company.
You become a marketing company to help the people and to provide more for them in a way that someone else isn't doing it.
[00:22:22] Speaker C: That's correct. There's opportunities left and right out there for agents who think they're doing a good job or don't care whether they're doing a good job or not. So there's opportunities out there. I tell agents, once you're licensed, and they say, where do I get my clients?
And I said, from this day forward, everybody walking in front of you, behind you, on the phone, in their car, they're all potential clients, every one of them. Don't let anything don't. It's walking down a path, turning over rocks, looking to see what's underneath them. Don't miss any rocks. Don't you gotta ask?
I've always said this stage, and I'm full of a lot of these philosophical, and I love them, but I said to people, if you now just escape me. Oh, my God. No, no.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: It's your philosophical way of thinking about things. So I'm going to interrupt just for a second. As a real estate agent, you have to be very adept at communication, knowing value of the home, which takes some education on your part. How to price the home in a constantly fluctuating market. That could be an up market, a down market, could be a seller's market, could be a buyers market. And how to prepare the home for the market, how to stage it, the inspections, what do they mean? What are section one items? What are natural hazard disclosure reports? What about fire areas that may come up, insurance in California. Marketing and advertising plan. How to get their property out in front of the greatest number of prospective buyers. Wow. How to show the home, how to negotiate with the other side on a sale, how to close that sale. I have a really good friend that is a real good closer. He's been in commercial real estate for a long time, and he's always critiquing me if he hears what I'm doing with a client, how to close the deal, dealing with offers, shepherding through the escrow to the other side, and all of the other things that go with it. What about legal stuff? Do you remember that guy, Marvin Starr?
[00:24:29] Speaker C: Jerry, Marvin and I were friends.
[00:24:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:31] Speaker C: Total respect for Marvin.
[00:24:33] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. What a great guy.
[00:24:34] Speaker C: Was a great guy. Absolutely.
[00:24:36] Speaker A: You know, my mother was a real estate agent out in west county. I grew up in San Pablo, of all places. And she would go to the board of realtors marketing meetings or meetings that they'd have, and Marvin Starr would be talking now just to let our viewers know and our listeners know. Marvin Starr actually founded Miller Starr in regalia. And you find his name everywhere in the real estate code. And when I say real estate code, I'm talking about real estate law. And incidentally, we. That law was actually written over the last several decades. Marvin Starr had a lot of participation in doing that. But, you know, you got to know the laws. And not only do you have to deal with real estate law, but you also have to deal with the civil code, which is part of it. So, kind of an interesting thing. I just wondered if you remembered him.
[00:25:31] Speaker C: Absolutely. I had the greatest respect for him. We actually got a chance to spend some time with him when he went to Hawaii once, and he actually did a little legal seminar for us there. Interesting man. And of course, he passed away several years ago.
But he certainly didn't lighten up on the legacy. It's fantastic.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Would you say that it really doesn't matter what kind of a market a really best agent would be in? A seller's market or a buyer's market. He still has a job to do?
[00:26:04] Speaker C: Absolutely. That's what makes agents great. And that's what you can convince people that you talk to about the business. It does fluctuate. I've seen everything from soup to nuts in this real estate world.
We lovingly call it a buyer's market or a seller's market.
The definition or the fine tuning of that is. It's a pendulum. It swings back and forth. We'd all years ago, it actually used to stop in the middle. It was an even market. There was a certain amount of demand, there was a certain amount of inventory. The rates were reasonable, and there was enough for everybody. We had good agents working on it. I mean, we have one and a half million agents in the. In our national system right now.
I submit to you that's probably too many. I truly believe that not only because there just isn't enough business for that many agents, but the fact is that most of them shouldn't even be in the business, really. You know, this is a special, special career that an agent picks up. I mean, it has a lot. It's like an octopus. It has so many arms on it. And to be. You have to have the passion to be really good. And, but the, but there's no, there's no limit to what you can accomplish if you really. And your clients. The consumer recognizes that when you say, you know, you do all the things that reagents do, you only touch the iceberg. There's like 120 things that wagens do to make sure that we have a closed escrow or satisfied client.
And again, there's no second place. You either.
Everybody would do a good deal with the client and close it. But more important to me is that if I'm doing the deal, that I have just made a friend for life.
[00:28:07] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:28:08] Speaker C: And then they could, they could actually recommend other people to me. That's what the business is about.
[00:28:13] Speaker A: So, Mister Staedtler, so you walk to the office with somebody. Are you able, when you see him, kick the tires of the airplane to tell pretty much if this has got a really good possibility from what you're seeing as being one of the best.
[00:28:28] Speaker C: Agents I have that. But like I said, I'll go back to what I said. You never. You're never ever really sure. I tell you. Let me elaborate a little bit on my wife and I interviewed her. I would probably told her she's really smart, but she, but I don't think she's going to make it because she's not outgoing enough. I couldn't have been more wrong. I could not have been more wrong on that. So you look at the other qualities. She lives, my wife lives to get things off of her list.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: Oh, she's a hard working lady.
[00:29:03] Speaker C: She is. She throws 40 balls in the air and balance and keep them all in the air at the same time. So she has a lot of qualities that overcome her passive personality.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: So ladies and gentlemen, if you are interested as a real estate agent in working for the best of the Bay re Max accord for the second year in a row, by the way, call Mister Jerry Stadler. He's the guy to sit down and talk with and he won't be too hard on you, I'm most certain. So most agents would really like to do a great job and most agents have the ability to do that. But there's considerable amount of knowledge to have to know in order to properly represent a buyer or a seller in a transaction. So to be a best agent, you need to know a lot of it and constantly use that passion to strive to be better. So thank you Mister Stadler for being on the show. Again, you're becoming a frequent guest. I don't know if it's just that I like to look at you across the table and say, hey, this guy's a great guy or what, but thank you for being on the show.
[00:30:08] Speaker C: You're welcome. I brought pillows today. If you bring me back, I'll bring a cot.
[00:30:15] Speaker A: You've been listening to the real estate and more show and I'm your host, Michael Hatfield. Important topics like Bay Area real estate and interesting people like Mister Stadler.
Please remember to go to our new YouTube handle my real talk show. That's
[email protected]. and touch that subscribe button. You can also find past aired shows at our handle myrealtalkshow on YouTube.com dot. I hope you'll tune in next week. In the meantime, have a week.
[00:30:47] Speaker C: Have a wonderful week. Thank you.
[00:30:52] Speaker B: The views and opinions expressed are based on current economic and market conditions and are subject to change. Information on the show provided for illustrator purposes only and does not constitute professional or legal advice. Information from sources deemed reliable, but accuracy and completeness not guaranteed. Michael Hatfield and the Michael Hatfield remax team have no liability. For information discussed on the show, consult with qualified professionals prior to taking action.
