SPEAKER_00: 0:30

My name is Sheretta Tatum. I am a realtor. I'm licensed in both Virginia and Maryland, and I service buyers and sellers alike.

SPEAKER_01: 0:40

Awesome. So take me back to how you got started in all of this. Tell me how you got to where you are today.

SPEAKER_00: 0:46

Oh, it was quite a very long journey. I started actually while I was still in college. So that's back in 1998. And it started pretty much as, you know, I was a starving college student and a member of the community. He had his own real estate business. He says, Well, I think you would be great for a position that I have. And I said, What's the position? He says, a title abstract. And I had no clue what that was. Had no clue that it was related to real estate. So I asked, Well, what does that entail? He says, Title searches. You're going to help me search for Ds, any mortgages, and any liens on properties. And this was in New Jersey. It wasn't even in my home state. Again, I was in college. So it was, okay, I can do that. Not a problem. I need the money, of course. Starving college student, why not? And once I finished college, I went home and my mom says, okay, now it's time for you to get a full-time job. Okay, great. She says, I already have one lined up for you. Oh, okay, now my mom is picking my job. Oh, this sounds wonderful. Not really. But it was um her best friend, her husband, owned his own abstracting company. I had not a clue. No idea. I said, he does what? He owns real estate research services. I said, okay, and what is that? I met him and he says, you'll be doing title abstract. And I said, I know how to do that already. And it was funny, but the systems were different between New Jersey and Maryland. So it was just me becoming acclimated between the two differences. After that, I became a loan officer, and that was before the time it was required to be licensed. After that, I was actually the market crashed. So it was for me, it meant I don't think this is the right, you know, journey for the right path for you. Sure. So I went into retail and I became an oper operations assistant manager at Sears. It was a little disappointing. It was a little eye-opening at the same time because it was I have customers coming into the store upset and yelling at me over the price of a shirt. And it triggered to me, would you rather have someone argue and complain about the price of a shirt, or would you like to go back into the real estate realm and actually help families build their wealth through home ownership? So it was, I think I'll go back.

SPEAKER_01: 3:34

A pretty clear decision, right?

SPEAKER_00: 3:36

Very clear. I rather have someone yell at me because of they're making the biggest decision of their life, which is, you know, their asset, their home, their family's future. And after that, I became um, I wanted to title. So I was in title for about 15, 17 years. And at the at the time, it was um, I was suffering what they call burnout. It was so stressful and it was so hard. And I applaud anyone that can stay in the title field for over 15, 20 years and not feel burned out. And actually, it was a realtor who was very, he was just so head over heels about the process and how I handled myself in a transaction. And it was um short sale transactions, and those can be extremely difficult and it's very, it's very detailed. And I knew how to flawlessly process from bank ownership to the new owner. And he was, you know, very surprised by how I handled and processed his client's transaction. He says, I think you can do better than this. And it was, well, what's better than this? He says, Come work at my company. And I said, Well, what's your company? He says, I work for the Jane Fairweather team. I says, Well, what's the Jane, who's Jane Fairweather? And I had to stop myself and I remembered because the owner of the title company at the time was trying to get business from Jane Fairweather. So it was, Well, I've heard of her. He says, Oh, you're in for a surprise. So I went in for an interview. 15 minutes within the interview, I guess I was answering everyone's questions before they could complete the question. They said, Jane Fairweather walks into the office in the middle of the interview, and she sits down and she's listening to the questions in the exchange. She says, What are you guys waiting for? She obviously knows how to do the job. Get her upstairs and get her to work now. And I have been a member of her team for about 12 years now. And she's one of she is like the top producer in Bethesda, Maryland. So it's it was a natural change for me after all these years being in title and loan and being now switching to the sales side.

SPEAKER_01: 6:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 6:08

So it was it was quite a journey. It's been quite a journey.

SPEAKER_01: 6:11

And the rest was history, as I and the rest is history. Very cool. I can't wait to dig into this more. So I know you've built your career on clarity, compliance, and compassion. What does doing right by every client mean to you?

SPEAKER_00: 6:27

It means the world to me. Uh, there's so much strife in the world right now. And the last thing people want to do is to worry about where they're going home after work. They want to go to a place that's relaxing, where there's love and where they can just rest their heads at night. There's so many people that are unhoused. I've been unhoused myself. I've had to face, my family had to face eviction because we did not own our home. And that's a position I would never want someone to end up in.

SPEAKER_01: 7:01

Absolutely. It hits home when you have those personal struggles growing up and then you see it happening to others. It really makes you just want to step up and make that make that change for them.

SPEAKER_00: 7:13

Exactly. And it's um that's where my passion comes from. It's, you know, home is where the heart is. And if you can own your own home, you can own your future, you can build on top of that. You can invest in your future and your children's future moving forward. And that's the best kind of accomplishment and pride that everyone should have in homeownership. Well said.

SPEAKER_01: 7:36

What core values guide your work with both clients and fellow agents every day?

SPEAKER_00: 7:42

Ethics, camaraderie. As realtors, sometimes we do not play nice in the sandbox, but for me, that is that is a key. Because you're not always going to be on both sides of a transaction. You're going to have sellers and buyers. You may have dual agency, you may not. But it is integral in playing a part of home ownership. To know what, you know, um there is a that's leverage and negotiating. But the leverage should also be fair to both sides. You don't want to gouge the seller on their home and their price. And the buyer shouldn't want to feel that way when they're owning their home and in the future, they may sell. Do you want that to happen to you? No. So it's nice to be able to give and take at the same time.

SPEAKER_01: 8:36

Kind of have that balance.

SPEAKER_00: 8:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 8:39

And you've worn nearly every hat in real estate from title abstractor to settlement agent to realtor. How has that full circle experience shaped your approach today?

SPEAKER_00: 8:51

It's sometimes it does give me pause. You know, it's it's a different aspect that many realtors or anyone in the industry doesn't have. You know, many people, once they enter, they become a loan officer. They may be a loan of loan officer for 20 plus years. They may be entitled for 20 plus years, but they never exchange or switch positions. I've had the benefit to be able to do that and wear different hats. And that's where my education comes from when I'm speaking to clients. It's um homeownership, it's a very long journey and it's a tough process to go through. And I see it as an advantage for myself being able to explain the different steps, not just from contract to settlement, but before they even get to the contract, before they even get to the settlement table. And that's what that's the value that I bring to my clients.

SPEAKER_01: 9:52

Absolutely. It's so fascinating how many moving parts go behind it and that you've been there for it all. Oh, there's so much that happens behind closed doors.

SPEAKER_00: 10:01

It's you know one, you know, someone once told me, Sherad, you're teaching people how to do your job. You shouldn't do that. And it's, well, I'm not teaching them how to do my job. Sometimes information is key, and you don't know what kind of information a person is looking for if you don't ask those open-ended questions. If you don't know how to guide your client from step one to step two all the way to the 30th step, you know, it's sometimes it feels like to clients, if you put the shoe on the other foot, it feels like the realtor is pawning you off to different people. You need to speak to the attorney, you need to speak to the loan officer, you need to speak to the appraiser, you need to speak to someone, you need to speak to the broker. Being licensed in multiple different areas, I can answer a lot of those questions for my clients. And that's something that they feel confident about when they have a transaction with me.

SPEAKER_01: 11:04

Absolutely. It creates a sense of reliability and trust and just that you're gonna carry it from beginning to end. And what more can you ask for?

SPEAKER_00: 11:12

And it's not just, and I should not have used the word transaction because the process is a transaction, but it is a journey and it is an emotional journey. And as a realtor, you know, we wear many different hats. I'm a therapist, I'm a babysitter. You know, I give guidance to wherever they need, and that's what I like. People will come to me and ask me questions, even if they don't use me as a realtor, they use me as an advisor, and at least they trust me enough to be able to give them the answers that they're seeking.

SPEAKER_01: 11:47

Absolutely. That's wonderful. So I have to ask, what inspired your nickname Agent K? And how does it reflect your personality and style of service? Oh goodness.

SPEAKER_00: 11:59

Agent K is actually it's um, it's from a movie Men in Black. I am a sci-fi fanatic. I am the I'm a nerd when it comes to anything, Star Trek, Star Wars, science fiction. I am all for it. So when the movie came out, it was Agent K. And then I put on my glasses, and it's a Sreddh, that's a great nickname for you. And many people believe that it's from my maiden name is King. So everyone just assumed that, oh, that K stands for King. No, it's simply from the movie Men in Black, Agent K. You know, and then so um one of my good friends said, Oh, Sharona, I honestly thought, you know, because she knows me so well, and she says, I thought it meant Agent Kickass. I'm like, oh my god. And I was like, I think I'm gonna use that for now and on agent kick ass. So I'll just say kick because shouldn't say kick ass all the time.

SPEAKER_01: 13:04

Sure. No, I think that is such a a funny story, and it really just it represents your just fun, outgoing personality.

SPEAKER_00: 13:12

Fun, outgoing, and very persistent. It's in sometimes it's I don't take no for an answer. You shouldn't take no for an answer all the time. You know, it's good to deep dive sometimes, and I guess that's where the kick butt part comes in.

SPEAKER_01: 13:28

Absolutely. Perseverance is such a key aspect, I feel like, in an industry like this.

SPEAKER_00: 13:34

Yes. Is what they say, knowledge is power, and you can use that power to your advantage, and you should.

SPEAKER_01: 13:43

The Jane weather, the Jane Fairweather team is known for professionalism and collaboration. How do you help uphold and strengthen that team culture?

SPEAKER_00: 13:53

I when I started with the team, I was just a transaction coordinator at the time. So I was the middleman. All the information flooded to me, and it was my position to give that information back out to other people. When I would work with the title companies, I made sure that they had everything they needed in order to process on their end. The contract, the compensation, the concessions, if there's a seller subsidy, if there's credits from the home inspection. I like to be fair and I like to be transparent. And that's one of the things that I loved about the team and they loved about me was my collaboration. I have title companies that give me a call. When we get a contract and we see Sredta's name on that email, we know for a fact that this transaction will be the smoothest and cleanest and clearest processes anytime. Even if they're having trouble communicating with the other agent or with the other client, Sheretta, can you do us a favor and give us a call? Can you give them a call? Can you fix this for us? Not a problem, of course. So collaboration is key because who wants their transaction up stalling because someone is not communicating properly? Guess what? I'm going to pick up the phone and I'm going to call and I'm going to make sure that this transaction keeps moving forward.

SPEAKER_01: 15:29

Agent K is on it. Where's my glasses? Yep, yep. Very cool. So how do you keep everyone, clients, agents, vendors, aligned and informed through each stage of, I know we said transaction, but of the process.

SPEAKER_00: 15:47

I am a contract compliance queen. I can take the contract and I can beat you over the head with it. I can tell you what to do and what not to do. And that's key for me. It's um, you know, the contract is a legally binding document, and it's between the buyer and the seller, those two parties. If someone has a misunderstanding or someone's being misrepresented, I can point out that clause in the contract that brings everything back on track and brings everything back in line. It's um I'm deadline oriented, timeline oriented. If, hey, it's two days until the financing consensus contingency is up. I'm calling the lender. Where's the approval? Where's the commitment? I'm calling the other agent. Have you spoken with your lender? Give me a call. Let's see where this transaction is going. If there's a delay, then my seller needs to know about it.

SPEAKER_01: 16:47

Absolutely. Just keeping them informed and being punctual.

SPEAKER_00: 16:51

Absolutely. It's key. It's timelines, you know, there's it's meaning behind that. If the settlement date is October 29th, I'm going to make sure I can do everything in my power to make sure both the buyer and the seller are ready by October 29th. Absolutely. Who wants to get to the settlement? And the settlement attorney tells them, we cannot close today. And it's why can we not close? Why weren't we informed of this ahead of time? I don't want anyone to be in that predicament. There's moving trucks, there's furniture to be delivered, and it's all time sensitive. So that's very key and very pertinent.

SPEAKER_01: 17:34

Absolutely. Having that good communication is just everything.

SPEAKER_00: 17:37

It is. And it's, you know, why be secretive about it? If it's something that can be resolved, you will not know unless you actually communicate that to the other party.

SPEAKER_01: 17:47

For sure. So you've handled everything from reverse mortgages to short sales. How do you guide your clients through challenging or complex deals with confidence?

SPEAKER_00: 18:00

There's this, there's a story, and it's about a waterfall. You're out, sunny day, everything looks great. You're sailing along in your raft, your canoe, your kayak. Eventually, you're going to hit that waterfall. But everything is smooth and everything is going great. It is important for me to hold any and everyone's hand, even hold my own hand. It's coming. Let's make sure we're prepared for it. Everyone has a life vest on, everyone has their, you know, their preservers on. Are you ready? Even if you're not ready, that waterfall is going to come. And I like to be prepared. Oh, excuse me, hypnosis, right? I like to be prepared. So once you hit that waterfall and you go over, I'm still holding your hand because the journey to home ownership, it is difficult. It is very difficult. If we could pause for a second, my hypnosis. That's fine. You're completely fine.

SPEAKER_01: 19:07

You got it? Oh no, you are just fine. I love that story.

SPEAKER_00: 19:18

And the first time I heard it, it was it was actually amazing, and it made so much sense because you know it's going to happen. You can see it coming. It's best to be prepared. And once you go over that waterfall, Agent K is still holding your hand going down. And guess what? Once you get to the bottom, guess what happens? Everything else is smooth sailing once again. But you have to go through the difficulties. It's about how you manage it and if you're prepared. If you're unprepared, oh, it can be brutal. And I don't want to see anyone go through that kind of brutality alone. It's always good to have someone there that will be able to guide you and walk you through the entire process and not pawn you off to someone else. I'm going to be right there no matter what.

SPEAKER_01: 20:10

We're going in, we're going in together.

SPEAKER_00: 20:12

That's right.

SPEAKER_01: 20:13

I love it. So you're passionate about financial literacy. How do you use real estate as a tool to help families build long-term wealth?

SPEAKER_00: 20:24

It's important to know where you stand. Not each family is the same. You may have two kids, you may have three kids. You may come from a wealthy family, you may come from a low-income family. So it depends on the individual situation that assesses the transaction. It's do you how much of a down payment do you need? And not just down payment. What about your utility payments? What about child care needs? What if your job changes? What if you need to move? What if you need to get a bigger home or a smaller home? All of those should factor into the process. And many people do not think that far ahead. Once you buy a home, how many repairs are you expected to make? That's unseen. You don't know. That's why it's also important to have a home inspection done. The home inspection can tell you the life expectancy of your major systems. If there is a foundation issue, if there's a roofing issue, if, you know, something that's going to come down the line that you need to be prepared for. You should have a savings set aside for any unforeseen circumstances, whether it's for your home or with your family. And that's something that people should think about. You have a savings for your kids' college in their future. So you should have a separate savings account for your home and your home's future.

SPEAKER_01: 21:54

It's a very personalized experience because it seems to be a little different for everyone.

SPEAKER_00: 21:59

Yes. And that's exactly how real estate works. What works for one person or one family may not work for the next. So it's important to ask those questions where do you see yourself in the next few years? Because many families are not staying in their homes 20, 30 years. They're moving between seven and 10 years. They want may want to move to a different location where there's it's more convenient for them. You may have young children. Do they have tutoring after school, their after school activities? Are they in karate like I put my kid into? So it's also a work-life balance.

SPEAKER_01: 22:39

And when people work with you or the Jane Fairweather team, what's the one thing you hope they remember about the experience?

SPEAKER_00: 22:47

That it was a pleasant experience. And that we were able to help them, even if they don't purchase a home at that time, they can take the knowledge that we have instilled in them in order to purchase or to sell their home in the future. And that's what really matters.

SPEAKER_01: 23:05

That's a great business model. Just being able to, even if they can't make it at that time with you guys, to take on that knowledge and be able to use it in the future and hopefully come on back and say, Agent K, I'm doing it.

SPEAKER_00: 23:16

Exactly. And we have people that have done that. It's I couldn't sell my home with that person. It was an awful experience. And we don't like to hear that. Come back to us. Let's discuss why it was awful. Let's discuss why it was not a transaction or why you weren't un why you were unable to sell or purchase that home. Let's get you into the right frame and the right guidance so we can move forward and we can move forward together.

SPEAKER_01: 23:45

Sure. Perfect. And then so as we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add that I haven't touched on today?

SPEAKER_00: 23:52

Oh my goodness, there's so many things that I could say. It's um, you know, it's important to stay healthy. You want to stay healthy, not just for your family, but for yourself. And that's key to also home ownership. You want to keep your home safe. You want to make sure that your family has a place that they can call home. And having a home matters and means so much to people. It may have a different meaning for people. But at the beginning and the end of the day, you're home. And home is what matters the most.

SPEAKER_01: 24:33

It's such an inspiring process. And to be able to be a part of that, I feel would just be so rewarding.

SPEAKER_00: 24:39

I love it. I absolutely love it. And again, um, being unhoused, being facing eviction sometimes. It's something that I'm very passionate about. And if you can build wealth on top of your asset of owning a home, that is what I want to do for you. And that is what I want to see for you and your f your family's future.

SPEAKER_01: 24:59

Amazing. Well, I want to thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. It was a pleasure to just hear your story and your journey. And I wish you the best of luck.

SPEAKER_00: 25:10

Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate this opportunity.

SPEAKER_01: 25:14

Thank you.