The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
Our guests share their experiences, insights, and valuable advice that can empower you to turn your own dreams into reality. We discuss topics like marketing strategies, customer relationships, community engagement, and much more, offering practical takeaways you can apply to your own business or career.
Join us every week as we celebrate the unsung heroes of our local business community and explore the vibrant tapestry of entrepreneurship in our area. Tune in to The Alimond Show and get ready to be inspired, informed, and motivated to support and nurture the businesses that make our community thrive.
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The Alimond Show
Angela Goldstein of Northgate Realty - From Title Side Beginnings to Boutique Real Estate Visionary: Prioritizing Consumer Focus, Authentic Social Media Marketing, and Choosing Empathy Over Being Right
Angela Goldstein, the dynamic co-founder of Northgate Realty, joins us to share her incredible journey from the title side of real estate in 2003 to founding her own boutique firm in the midst of a pandemic. Discover Angela's passion for a consumer-focused approach and her commitment to fostering a small team that champions integrity and client care over sheer volume. Angela opens up about overcoming her self-consciousness in social media marketing, emphasizing authenticity as a key to success. You'll also hear an inspiring personal story about how she met her husband, which adds a delightful, personal touch to her professional narrative.
Explore the resilient spirit that a career in real estate demands and how Angela sees pressure as a catalyst for growth. Learn the secrets to closing deals, from the importance of professionalism and negotiation skills to the joy of handing over keys to new homeowners. Angela emphasizes the crucial role of trust and chemistry in client-agent relationships and offers advice on carefully choosing your real estate partner. The episode wraps up with a thought-provoking discussion on kindness versus being right, inspired by Dr. Wayne Dyer, urging us all to choose empathy and understanding in our daily interactions. This conversation is a reminder that compassion can lead to more meaningful, harmonious relationships both professionally and personally.
My name is Angela Goldstein and my company is Northgate Realty. We are a real estate company boutique, small, based out of Bethesda, but we do services in the DMV so we help people buy and sell houses in the.
Speaker 2:DMV. I love that. And now your team comprises of you and your husband. Is there anybody else part of the team besides the marketing team? Yeah, I know about that, ma'am Marketing team.
Speaker 1:So we are a small brokerage. So we have it's seven of us in our brokerage. We're slowly taking on agents. We're very, very slowly and our goal is to be, and always stay, small.
Speaker 2:Yeah, quality over quantity. That's right, and give me a little bit of a background about yourself and the real estate brokerage that you have and how it came to be.
Speaker 1:Okay so, background on myself I started in real estate in 2003 in the title side and then transitioned and got my real estate license in 2012. Okay so I've been selling houses since then and about. So like right during COVID, we were working for another national firm and I told my husband we were working together and I just told him, like let's just go and do our own thing. You know, we none of the companies we were working with were aligning with like our views and we really wanted a place to feel like home. So we created our own company. So I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so our mission statement is from our home to yours, so we don't really have a specific location or specific price point, but we want everybody to find a home and find this level of joy that we were able to find in our home and give that to people through real estate. So that's kind of like our mission. Yeah, so, yeah.
Speaker 2:I love that. I think that's great. Can you tell me a little bit about what were some of the things that you felt like they don't align with our views? Or real estate, a brokerage is missing. Maybe this and we can provide that, we can do that. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Speaker 1:We are a lot of the emphasis on the national brokerages, it's on the company itself, whereas, like, we wanted to put the emphasis back on the consumer, back on the person. So our company is just different because we're just so personalized, so every person has a marketing plan, like everything is very personalized. So, yeah, so we truly care and oftentimes, like, we end up becoming friends, or friends become clients, and then there's, like you know, yeah, absolutely, and a lot of overlap, of course.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know that. You said, as far as for your team and your brokerage, that it's quality over quantity. Talk to me about that and what you're looking for when people are coming on board to join your team, and what you're looking for. What is the ideal candidate look like?
Speaker 1:So for us, an ideal agent is somebody that chooses integrity over anything else and is so caring for the client, and somebody that, above any paycheck, is just going to go the extra mile for them. We have great systems that we put in place to make sure that all of our processes are done correctly and everybody's satisfied. So we are looking for talent. Basically, we're looking for people that truly care, yeah, and yeah, that's kind of like where we focus on, rather than having somebody that maybe is a top producer right now, but they don't have the heart. So we need somebody with the right heart. The heart, yeah, I love that. So culture above you know, culture and vibe in our office they have to fit. That, you know, I like that. Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2:My next question is about marketing. I saw that you're really good about posting online, which is impressive. I love that. Can you give? And then you guys also have like an introductory video on your website which I watched and it was so beautiful. I was just like, oh my gosh, Like Mr Goldstein's story is incredible, yes, so I would like to know what advice would you like to give to other business owners or entrepreneurs who are trying to start their own business?
Speaker 1:For us, it was about defining our value and our mission and then from there everything had to fit into that. So how can we then offer a better consumer experience? How can we? So for us, it's been about really kind of taking control over our processes and how we're treating our clients. So I think that would be my advice. You know you have to to really truly care for people. And then it all starts there. Define your values and then things kind of like fall into place where they need to go Absolutely.
Speaker 2:And then for marketing, what tips can you give, because I know for some people it's hard to be or to get in front of the camera and film and talk to me about why you think that it's important for real estate agents to um be in that social media game.
Speaker 1:Um, hey, listen, I'm not. I'm not from the U? S, I was born in Columbia, I have an accent, I'm very self-conscious, I can't even tell, and I always thought, oh my God, I'm not going to get in front of the camera, I'm not going to do a video, and I don't know. I I met Lee, my husband, who's you know. We started our company together five years ago, almost six years ago, and he has taught me a lot of things and I think it's just more like be yourself and like just don't apologize for being yourself, and people will fall into your life that need to be there, and the ones that are the naysayers, they just kind of fall out of your life and you no longer care about. You know other people's opinions, so you can let that go, and so that's how I now do my videos.
Speaker 2:You know who cares.
Speaker 1:I might not be perfect, but it's fine. I'm doing something. Yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you surely are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd like to know how did you guys meet, you and Lee? So we met at work. We met at a company happy hour. We were it was like a quarterly thing that our we worked for the same company. He was one of the partners. I had a real estate team there with somebody else and we just met at this party and we talked and we talked and we became friends and we worked on different transactions together. Fast forward two years later yeah, we actually I got divorced and then from there we just started dating. But we had been friends for such a long time that it was like it's really a relationship based on friendship. So we were I don't know. I love him.
Speaker 2:Well, that's so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. I wanted to know because the story was incredible.
Speaker 1:It's like.
Speaker 2:I need to know more about this we got married last year, in no 2023.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I'm like it's okay. When did we get married? March 4th 2023. And so we've been married for a little bit over a year and we love it. I mean I'm.
Speaker 2:I still feel like it's like a honeymoon, you know. So congratulations to that, that's awesome, and now I would like to ask you what have been some of the challenges that maybe you and your husband have faced when it comes to the real estate industry, or maybe with home sellers or, like the inventory, the market. What have been some challenges for you and how have you been able to overcome them?
Speaker 1:Um, challenges is making inventory for people that are looking for something very specific. So we have ways to getting off market properties for people. We reach out to communities, we try to find something that isn't there, and then for some of the properties that are on the opposite end of the spectrum, where it's like a seller that maybe has a house that isn't selling or things like that, then we try to come in and make the houses more, you know, to appeal to more people. So we will freshen them up or we will update the marketing or see if we can get it out to more people. We send out, you know, throughout different marketing strategies and so we help people that way. It's not just the house right, there's a lot of components to that.
Speaker 2:That's right, absolutely, absolutely. And then, um, what's the most unexpected thing that you've learned about yourself since starting in real estate?
Speaker 1:The most unexpected thing? Hmm, I do really well under pressure, like I. I think that's the most unexpected thing. Sometimes you're like I don't think I can take anymore, and then it's like somehow you just persevere, like being able to bounce back. You know there's a problem, put out the fire. You know, package it all nicely for your client, let your client receive it in a way that. So, all of that, I think that's the most unexpected thing Like being able to take on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that you can also realize that too. You're like, oh my gosh, this is me.
Speaker 1:When it's all over, I'm like, wow, that was tough, but I did it, but I did it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sometimes you need that pressure though. I feel, like that pressure sometimes is like. I hate it, but it helps me get things done.
Speaker 1:I feel like I used to be a lot less resilient, and real estate has made me really, really resilient.
Speaker 2:That'll do it right. Yeah, and then, in your opinion, what's your secret weapon for closing deals? Is it charm market?
Speaker 1:knowledge or maybe something else, the secret sauce to closing deals? I do. I want to say, yes, it could be honey. You get a lot with honey. Yeah, you know, put the honey on the bee, the bees are coming, yeah. So I think that that is one way that I've gotten a lot of things on for my clients is through being professional and being nice, and that goes a long way. It does, it really does go a long way, and I also think that I'm a really good negotiator, so I get my way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get my way, I love your laugh. What it's so cute. Thank you, I'm a fan. And then, let's see, I got to pull out all these questions. I try to switch them up because we have so many realtors. So I'm like, hmm.
Speaker 1:Let's see what's the most unique feature of a home you've sold in your market that you can recall. The most unique feature? Well, definitely, like weed growers, like that you know they have like the yeah, that thing, that was the most unique that is very unique, I'm sure I had.
Speaker 1:There was one house with like the lamps and or like an indoor no, like if somebody wanted to grow their own plants, the setup was there. What? Okay, yeah, that's that's interesting, that's that was unique, that was unique. That's so Indoor no, like if somebody wanted to grow their own plants, the setup was there.
Speaker 2:What? Okay? Yeah, that's interesting. That was unique. That was unique. That's so thoughtful of them to stop there. They wanted to pursue and continue that Love, that Right. They wanted to garden and they could. Then they could. Thanks for sharing that as well.
Speaker 1:And then let's see what are some of the most important factors that buyers and I think they need to interview the agent and they need to have chemistry with the agent. You can't buy a house and feel comfortable if you don't trust your agent. Yep Right, there's going to be so many gut decisions that you have to make on the spot and you have to have a really good trust with your agent in order for you to feel good about everything. And it does, it works. When the chemistry is there, when the trust is there, you can tell your client okay, here's the issue, here's how we're going to fix it, here's your options, and then they listen to you and then everything becomes smooth. Or you can anticipate something before it even happens, and so, but the trust has to be there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and both ways, because sometimes you know a client sometimes can be like oh, I love my agent, but I don't know. I'm kind of scared to ask them this question because they seem super smart. They're saying all these words I don't know and I don't want to look dumb.
Speaker 1:Right, and and as an agent, I have to have that chemistry back with the client, right, because I need to know, you know, somebody will tell me I want three bedrooms, two you know, that's very easy, like a computer can look for that. But my job is to why are you moving? What kind of neighborhood do I see you living in? So it goes beyond a question that a computer could ask, yes, beyond a search that somebody, because you know, nowadays anybody can go online and do a search.
Speaker 2:Just do it yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's more like is this the right house for you? Do we think it's the right investment for you? Yeah, what are the comps in the community it becomes? You become an advisor to that client in that moment and if you don't have the trust, an advisor to that client in that moment and if you don't have the trust. So my advice to buyers or sellers interview your agent and get comfortable with them before anything else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, wise words, thank you. And then, how do you stay motivated and inspired in your work as a real estate agent and what keeps you passionate about the industry?
Speaker 1:What keeps me motivated is seeing people get their keys Like there's nothing like that. There's no paycheck, there's nothing that you know could be a family, anybody, first time buyer, it doesn't matter who it is. When that person gets the keys to their house and you just know their joy, that's it Making their American dream happen. That's it Knowing that they're going to go on and build some equity in this place that they can maybe later on sell and move on. But real estate is one way to build wealth, one of the safest ways to build wealth. Right Generations have done this over and over. To me it's like such an important part of the american dream and to be a part of that that's my why. That's what keeps me going. Like when the cases sometimes get hard or whatever, it doesn't matter. Like getting to that finish line, getting the buyers those keys. That's it. That's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that and then um, where do you see yourself in the next five years as a person and with your business?
Speaker 1:As a person continuing to grow professionally. I have a lot to grow. So continuing that, yeah, continuing to become more educated in the latest strengths in real estate, all the trends, all of that there's a lot to learn in there. And in my company I see us with some more agents not too many, but a nice number more agents not too many, but a nice number, but a nice number, um, and I see us just continuing to grow our production in the DMV and making an impact in the community.
Speaker 1:Every time we are trying to partner with more nonprofits and try every every event that we're doing for our clients is doing something for the community. So my goal is to be more impactful as a company and as an individual within the community. That's beautiful. I like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then as far as boundaries go, because I'm sure you and your husband, like, are probably workaholics or sometimes maybe it can be hard for certain people to like find time to be like, yes, I love doing my job, I love my job, but sometimes you got to step back and be like okay, I need to focus and be more present here. What do you like to do to set boundaries and what do you like to do to relax?
Speaker 1:So workouts are sacred in my life for me and my husband. We do power lifting two, three times a week and then I teach Zumba like twice a week. So I get cardio, I get weights. That keeps me sane. That's like pretty much the biggest self-care that I do. Yeah, um, I also like to paint, so I do like abstract stuff. I'm not a trained painter or anything, but I just do it for fun, so I'll. That's kind of like my self-care, you know. Yeah, but I do every week set time for those things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that, yeah I think that's great, and then it brings me back to like oh, so I can I bring this in so you can get back to like the grind right, right, everybody can be the comp, because throughout a transaction, I always try to be the calming yes force, like the soothing, the calming, the. You know? Yeah, absolutely. So it keeps.
Speaker 2:I need, I need to refresh. Yes, ma'am, is there anything, maybe that I have not touched on, that you would like to share, maybe about yourself, your family, your industry, anything at all?
Speaker 1:Anything that you haven't touched on. Let's see, we're very big in charity. So right now we are doing, we're doing a toy drive right now. I don't you know. I would love it if you know people could contribute to our toy drive. Go on our website, go on our Instagram. Information is on there, but we're always doing some sort of charity thing. So that would be my big ask. Yeah, if people could follow us and get involved in their community. Yeah, I don't know what else.
Speaker 2:No, I'm just trying to make sure we get everything, but I love that. Why is it so important for you to give back to the community?
Speaker 1:Because I feel like we've been going through. You know, we had COVID, we had and a lot of things kind of woke up inside of me during that time, like we are so lucky with so many things that we have and so many of us aren't, and it's like local, you know, it's very so. I think that it's important for us to make money and to be successful and all the things it's part of life.
Speaker 2:We do need that, but it is very also important to me to leave this place in a better like to live the world in a better place and not to sound cliche when it really is than when I found it, yeah, yeah to try to do something for others to be impactful, to you know that is yeah, in any way that you can like, if you have the means to, or if it's just in a small way, or maybe I'll be volunteering or something being kind to another person, something it could.
Speaker 1:It could be something small.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it. I love that. And then you have, I think, four dogs. Talk to me about that. Why are you getting four dogs, are you okay?
Speaker 1:No, just kidding. Yeah. So we asked ourselves the same question what is wrong with us? So I don't recommend. I don't recommend anybody having four dogs. Please don't go have four dogs. We have a blended family and we, you know, everybody comes with, so no family member like gets left behind. I love that. So we have four dogs, we have two older ones, two younger ones. So, yeah, and they're your bargaining team.
Speaker 2:I love that I'm your bargaining team. I thought that was so great.
Speaker 1:Yeah they're great. They keep our house full of dog hair, which I have to clean a lot.
Speaker 2:Me with my cats.
Speaker 1:But they are so sweet they're all. We love them.
Speaker 2:We're big dog people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just unconditional love. All the time Having a bad day. I lay on the floor, they lay on the floor with you. And they just all kind of gravitate towards you, lick your face, whatever, and like in five minutes you're like okay, everything's good, everything's good, you're their world, literally. Yeah, it's amazing, it's just nothing like it, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, love it. All right. So my final question I ask everybody this, but do you have a quote or a saying or a verse made from a song or the Bible, or anything that's inspired you and would you like to share that?
Speaker 1:with our listeners. Dr Wayne Dyer, if given the choice of being right or being kind, choose kind.
Speaker 2:Dang Dang, that's a good one. I never heard that one, holy moly. I think we're so worried about being right all the time I think you're right. I definitely need to take note about that and put them in the back of my head here. Yeah Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
Speaker 1:This was fun and a pleasure. This is amazing. Thank you for having me. You're welcome.