Good Neighbor Podcast: Milton & More
Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of Milton, Crabapple, and Hickory Flat
Good Neighbor Podcast: Milton & More
EP #139: KW Realty Consultants with Sissy Williams, Realtor
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Embark on a journey through the dynamic world of Metro Atlanta real estate with Sissy Williams, a realty powerhouse from KW Realty Consultants, as she recounts her own transformation from a journalist to a sought-after real estate professional. Her diverse background, spanning from floral design to church leadership, has armed her with unique skills that seamlessly translate into her current passion. Tune in and discover how Sissy's eclectic experiences enhance her ability to guide clients through the exhilarating process of finding their dream homes.
In this heart-to-heart, Sissy Williams debunks the myths circulating the real estate market, especially the dangers of selling your home solo. With a market that's as competitive as a game of Monopoly, she emphasizes the invaluable role of a realtor in securing the best deal. Through strategic pricing and deep market knowledge, she explains why professional guidance is not just beneficial, but crucial. Join us for an episode brimming with expert insights and delightful tales that will inspire and inform everyone from the first-time homebuyer to the seasoned investor looking for their next big opportunity.
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Stacey Polar.
Speaker 2Hey everybody, I am excited I get to chat today with one of our fabulous local realtors. It's Sissy Williams and she's a realtor with KW Realty Consultants. Welcome, Stacey. Hey, thanks for having me. Yeah, I'm excited to chat, so why don't you start off by telling us a little bit about your real?
Speaker 3estate business. Yes, I am an individual full-time top producing realtor. I do specialize in Milton, alpharetta and the surrounding areas. I am a Georgia native. I grew up a little south of Atlanta so I have an extensive knowledge of the entire Metro Atlanta area and I mention that because I like people to know that if they have a real estate need somewhere other than our area or North Fulton and the surrounding areas, I can connect them with a colleague that can assist them.
Speaker 2Awesome, Awesome. Why don't you talk a little bit about your journey and kind of how you got into real estate and how long you've been doing it? Okay?
Speaker 3great. I have quite an eclectic professional background. I graduated from UGA in the early 90s and my first job out of college was writing for a newspaper and from there I became a recruiter for a recruiting agency, and then I was a Southeast Sales rep for an educational and gaming software company. And then I owned my own floral design business. For 10 years. I did weddings, special events and lastly, before real estate, I was a children's director at a church. So I have a very vast and eclectic background. As my children got older, I wanted to do something a little more challenging and I had always had an interest in real estate and I'd love to help people and I thought, well, this might be a great combo. And, of course, I looked into it. I got into it. It's been an amazing career for me. I've been doing it. I'm going into my oh gosh, I think 11th year. I've been doing it since 2013.
Speaker 2Wow, it sounds like, although you had an eclectic background, a lot of that probably lent itself to real estate, like being the children's program director and kind of being an education. I think a lot of what realtors do is educate their children.
Speaker 3Absolutely Educating. And I have a joke I say you know, I've dealt with people's children and I've dealt with brides getting married when I was doing the flowers. So I've dealt with people's most precious asset, which is their children, which translate into one of your biggest assets when you're making a purchase as a home. And then, of course, a bride can be stressed out and freaked out, and that can be true of a seller and buyer at times. So, yeah, they both prepared me well.
Speaker 2Yeah, do you ever miss the floral design? Are you able to kind of still do it as?
Speaker 3a hobby. I do it as a hobby. I don't miss it. As a profession. I do it for fun, and when I host events, that's just something I always incorporate.
Speaker 2Awesome. Yeah, I know the real estate market is always changing and I guess maybe you can talk about some of the myths or misconceptions that people might have about the market right now.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's a good question. Honestly, I could probably fill your entire podcast talking about myths and misconceptions. But one misconception I think and especially when it's a strong seller's market, like we've been in for quite a while now the misconception is a seller thinks they can do it on their own, do it for sell by honor, and they don't need a realtor because they're trying to net more money. And I've seen time and again in my career that more often than not, the opposite is true. Most sellers simply are just unaware of the complexities and the tasks the complexity of the whole transaction and then the tasks that a realtor does, not only during the transaction but prior to and post, and that can really cost a seller not only time and stress but ultimately money, which is what they're trying to save. And as a realtor, I study the market every day and that gives me the knowledge and the expertise to appropriately and strategically price homes, which ultimately allows my clients to net more money. And if you're Someone on their own is not, they may have some of that knowledge, but I would say the average person does not. And most sellers I say don't realize, you know everything else that goes into it.
Speaker 3I, as a realtor, I am connecting my clients with vendors to help them give their home ready, you know, to go to market. And then, as a realtor, I'm paying for part of my service for my clients, as I pay for the course of professional photography, videography, depending on the client, you know, staging our professional organization Services and then, of course, the the mark, the professional marketing collateral and all that good stuff. And then I'm also networking on behalf of my sellers With them. My own database of buyers and other realtors that I know, you know, have buyers in the area. And Then I would say, the other area where I see sellers. They really mess themselves up is when it comes to the legal complexities of a transaction. They simply, you don't know what you don't know. And because I do this every day, I do know some of those legal pitfalls that folks could fall into and I am able to protect my clients from that which and help them navigate and handle some of those aspects on their behalf which not only alleviate stress for them but, you know, can save them money and significant money.
Speaker 3And you know, I think sellers also the average person, you know some people are just born great negotiators, but I would say the average person. That's not a skill set they necessarily possess. And a realtor most realtors are trained or take continuing ed, you know, in that regard, and so you know they can really hurt themselves negatively from their lack of ability being able to negotiate. And I have a real life example of this.
Speaker 3About eight years ago I was working with some buyers and they wanted to make an offer on For sell by owner property and they did and we went under contract and the seller was just lovely, lovely gentlemen, but he Really cost himself a lot of money when it came to negotiating and he did not have a clue on how to handle the paperwork and the, you know, the transactional, administrative components of the transaction.
Speaker 3It benefited my clients greatly that he did not negotiate, but it really hurt him.
Speaker 3And once that transaction was over, he actually reached out to me and you know he said I Something along the lines of I really noticed and appreciated how you protected and looked out for your clients. He said he regretted that he did not, you know, hire an agent to do the same for him. And he said you know, I've got another property that was getting ready to list for sell by owner and I actually want you to represent me on that, because I feel like I'm going to be better protected and I'm going to make more money, even paying your commission, and I think that's just a real Testament to one. You get what you pay for and you know there's value in hiring a professional in a very targeted field and he's since become a very long time client, repeat client, and his refer family members to me that have done multiple transactions with. So you know I would say that's a big misconception that doing it on your own is easier and you're going to make more money and the chances are you. You probably not.
Speaker 2Yeah, I know, and I think that also just speaks to you as a person, and the fact that, even though he was on the other side of the transaction, you know he saw that you were a good person and wanted to work with you, because often when people are on the opposing side there's some animosity. But I think, knowing you and knowing your reputation in the community, I think you're someone who's very fair and level and people on both sides of the transaction are going to see that when they're working with you.
Speaker 3Yeah, I always want it to be a win-win, for sure.
Speaker 2I know you've been doing this for 11 years. I'm sure there's been some challenges along the way. Can you talk us through maybe some of the obstacles that you faced and how you've overcome them?
Speaker 3Oh, obstacles within the career.
Speaker 2Yeah, within real estate in general, even.
Speaker 3Yeah, you know, I think there are daily obstacles in this career. I think you know one of the things I was not prepared for when I first got started is you know I just because I am a good and honest person, I just assume everyone's going to trust me. And what I did not really prepare myself for is you're not only negotiating with the other side, but in the beginning, when you have a client, even if it's somebody you know through your sphere, there is a component of negotiating with them. At least, I think they feel like they're negotiating and it's not negotiating as much as it is a sense of them getting to a point where they trust you and know that you're on their side. And so, for somebody who you know, I always come into a situation assuming the best in people and assuming you know they're only one and good.
Speaker 3And what I've learned is not everyone is that way. So I have to always make sure that I communicate my clients to my clients that their goals and their interests are top of mind for me. That is my number one priority. It's not about me, it's not about the commission. At the end of the day, it is about what are your goals, what is best for your situation, and so building that trust comes naturally to me, and I know that's been a challenge to learn. That's not true for everyone. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2Can you think about when you sit down with a client for the first time, like what are some of the questions and things that you talk to them about?
Speaker 3You know, I think one of the first things you have to know you know whether it's a buyer or a seller is you know what has prompted you to either want to purchase or want to sell. And then, once you know what that reasoning is, what is the timeline, what happens next? Well, what happens if it doesn't work out? What if we can't find what you're looking for in the time? You know what is the consequence of that, and same with selling. You know what happens if we don't sell for the price you want. How is that going to impact you? Because I really need to understand their motivation in order to be able to assist them appropriately. So that's really the first place I start.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's really good. I know you like to do some floral design, but what are some of your other hobbies or things you like to do when you're not working?
Speaker 3Well, if in the fall I love to be at a Georgia game. We are seasoned ticket holders and if it's a home game and I'm not working, we try to be at the game. So that's fun for me and my husband. And then you know. Otherwise, I love working in the yard. I know that sounds crazy, but it is therapy to me. I love being outside, anything outdoors, I love the sun and, of course, I love being with family and friends.
Speaker 2Awesome. Is there anything you haven't had a chance to tell us about your business or your approach that you want to share with the audience?
Speaker 3You know. The only thing I would say is I want people to know that they're not just a transaction to me. When I'm working with a client in a real estate transaction, it's not just a transaction to me. I understand they have personal things going on. You know, outside of what I'm doing with them real estate wise, and I'll always say that real estate, a real estate transaction, in the best of circumstance can be a stressful situation.
Speaker 3When you've got a first time home buyer who's super excited, that's so fun, and then, or you've got someone who's maybe buying their dream home or their step up home, you know those are really exciting times, but there is there is still a level of stress in the background. Anytime you're dealing with time sensitive things, which real estate can often be. And then if you throw in something like a divorce or an elderly client who is having to move to assisted living and leave the home they raised their kids in, or leave the city where they've lived and done their life, you know, to move closer to family in an area they don't know, those are stressful, sad and often very complicated scenarios. So I want my clients and your listeners to know that when you do a transaction with me. I know there are other things happening in your life and I'm gonna do everything on my end to keep the real estate piece of things as smooth and as uncomplicated as I can so that you can navigate what's happening. You know personally.
Speaker 2That's awesome. That's very important. Can you share where folks can find you your phone number?
Speaker 3some media that kind of stuff, absolutely. I'm on Facebook and Instagram, sissy Williams Realty. I've attempted TikTok, but don't look me up because I don't do a very good job, but I do get sucked in with the other videos. You can also email me at sissysoldit at gmailcom and Sissy is with an S it's S-I-S-S-Y soldit at gmailcom. Or you can call me at 404-822-8274.
Speaker 2All right, well, thanks so much for joining us today, Sissy. Thank you, I appreciate it yeah.
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Milton and more. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpmiltoncom. That's gnpmiltoncom, or call 470-664-4930. 664-4930.