The Real Deal Podcast
Unlock the door to success in the dynamic world of real estate with your hosts, William Gomez & Alfredo Madrid. Join us as we dive into the inspiring journeys of loan officers and real estate agents, sharing their triumphs, challenges, and invaluable insights. Your key to navigating the ever-evolving landscape of real estate starts here.
The Real Deal Podcast
#11 Resilience in Challenging Times with Vanessa Moctezuma
Imagine converting a flood of leads into successful deals, building a dream team, and growing your business from networking and referrals. Vanessa Moctezuma brings her 14 years of experience to the table with some great advice on when to take that leap of faith like and hiring the right people. We're also talking about overcoming adversity when things get tough, and Vanessa's inspiration for never giving up.
Wrapping things up, we emphasize the importance of strong realtor-lender relationships built on trust and teamwork, capturing how these partnerships ultimately benefit everyone involved. This informative episode will bring you lots of actionable insights and inspiration.
calling saying, hey, there's this guy that keeps coming by my office. His name is william young guy. He goes, she goes, you need to get him he's like a mini you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she did say that.
Speaker 3:I remember you telling me that and I remember going to lunch with delcey which whoever's listening, delcey's a title rep at our towel company, and then you told her the same thing too, and I was just like no, I'm better than Vanessa Moctezuma. Welcome to the real deal. Podcast thank you, thank you so I know that I was kind of like a little spaced out going through my phone, but do you?
Speaker 1:guys remember this picture? I do that was Oklahoma City NAREP.
Speaker 2:I remember that what year is that?
Speaker 3:so that's what. That's why I wanted to go back, because I didn't want to just say I wanted to look at the year, because that's the first time I ever met you 2018. August 8th of 2018. Wow.
Speaker 2:I remember, I, I, I still have that dress and it still fits Perfect, that's six.
Speaker 3:That's six years. So this I'm super excited because we we launched this podcast in November and then we've been having, you know, the. The whole point of this podcast is to have top producing realtors, top producing loan officers. But at first we started it with like, hey, let's, let's do it with people that we don't necessarily, you know, work quite a bit with. And then just this week, we, you know, he invited an agent that he works with, which is you. And then yesterday there was an agent that I work with, and but with you. You know, yesterday that was your second time meeting May and with you, though, had a deal with her.
Speaker 2:She's awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she's great. I mean, you got a lesson to that one. She's amazing. But there's so much to unpack here. Because it was because of you that I met Alfredo. Yes, and then it's funny, because I was trying to take your, I was trying to take you away from Alfredo Good luck. And then I don't know, I'm just Alfredo, what do you, what do you remember?
Speaker 1:of that Nareb day that I met you. Well, first of all, me and Vanessa, we've worked enough with each other that we kind of trust each other's judgment, trust each other's opinion, you know. And so she's very genuine when she, when she gives me advice. She's very genuine when she gives me feedback. Um, I think that's why we love her so much is because she's cool, calm and collected. But she does let us know when, like hey man, um, it seems like your team right now is not as responsive as usual. Thank you, we go and fix that. That helps her out, right. But all to say that, I remember the day. Well, don't remember the exact day, but I remember her giving me a call and saying hey, there's this guy that keeps coming by my office his name is william, young guy.
Speaker 1:He goes, she goes. You need to get him he's like a mini you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she did say that.
Speaker 3:I remember you telling me that and I remember going to lunch with delcey which whoever's listening, delcey's uh, a title rep at our towel company, and then you told her the same thing too, and I was just like no, I'm better than and.
Speaker 2:I was like uh, you could get there, yes, but you are him.
Speaker 1:But I remember her saying that and you know like we are in any business. You're like oh man, I wonder if this guy's good. I even called Vanessa one time and I'm like we good, you know, because you kept showing up.
Speaker 3:Well, because I think Vanessa and I closed like two or three deals, I think yeah, but there was pictures for all three of those. And then I remember those were the ones. You were like, oh my gosh, because that. So yesterday we spent a big portion of our time talking about social media. And then so my social media at the very beginning when I got in this business, it was just like let's take a picture of this closing. And then you know, even though my first year I did like a little bit over 50 deals 2018, you did how many deals, oh man 250, maybe 2000.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably high 200s, high 200s. But I guarantee you, I had way more.
Speaker 3:Closing pictures. You did, yes, you did so you were looking and you were like oh my gosh, maybe he does have Vanessa.
Speaker 1:I mean I literally called her and I said, hey, just want to make sure we're good, but the thing is also whenever a lender does send me a referral, I feel obligated to reciprocate it.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm loyal over here. But it's like oh my God, it's one, but I have to give it back. So yeah, which it goes to show you, and the ones I did send you were very hard to close them. Yes, they were so it's not like if I knew it was going to be hard, I was like I'm going to try, I'm going to pretend that we're doing this back and forth, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, and I remember hitting it off pretty early, because I remember having a couple that I called him and I'm like can you do this one?
Speaker 2:This one's really hard, you know. And he I mean he gave me a lead or two, so I was like, dang it, I have to give it back. It's like that's how I feel. It's like if someone gives me a lead, I have to return it.
Speaker 1:And it goes to show you, I think, one of the topics that I would love for us to discuss today, because I think every podcast needs to be of value in a different way to an extent.
Speaker 1:We can overlap, like I think social media is something that Vanessa can totally talk about about, but one thing we haven't talked about is a lender realtor relationship A hundred percent she to me. She is a perfect example of the kind of realtor that I want to have Right, and so I think that we need to discuss what is important to a realtor and what has been a benefit to her to have a lender that is 100% loyal and reciprocated as well, too, like that. So it just goes to show you that, even in a relationship as tight as me and vanessa have had, you can get a foot in the door if you send a referral to a realtor yeah, I remember that he took me out for coffee and this is when, at the very beginning, or or during or during when I met you.
Speaker 2:No, way before. Yeah, at the very beginning.
Speaker 3:Okay, it was meant to be yeah, so he takes you out to coffee. Tell me that story.
Speaker 2:Tell me that story he well, this is the story that I hear that he showed up in my office to with trevor because trevor had an appointment with my broker back then and I and my broker, I guess forgot and wasn't available no show no show and it was during noon and I had a full-time job back then and I just came in real fast during my lunch hour because this is when I can handle it during the lunch hour ran in there and ran back out and I saw them, but I don't know who. They were just in and out and that was it. And he saw me, got my business card and called me and we just set it up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we were. What year was this man?
Speaker 2:that was, you were back in town 2013 or 14. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay 2013 or 14. And so what I do want to point out, too, is that one of the things that you and Vanessa had, um, was that I think this is before you and I started working together, but, um, you which any lender realtor lesson out there you, you like, gave her something for you guys is 100th closing. Do you remember that I did?
Speaker 2:And I was talking about this yesterday. I told my sister and I was like you know what? I think I'm at 205.
Speaker 1:I have the numbers. I have the numbers. I don't think so, yet we're close.
Speaker 2:But I told him that I wanted to be the first. I think we're at 180. We're close.
Speaker 3:Which that's rare.
Speaker 1:That's super, don't see that? So you, you pick up her card and then you guys go to coffee, so so yeah, so we're there and this another lesson for anybody is that it's just about optimizing every situation you're in. Right, like trevor had gone to this and he was really bummed, like he was really bummed that that becky it was. It was becky she didn't, she wasn't there. She I'm sure she had something going, but that happens a lot to us as lenders, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so, um, I'm like, well, no big deal, this has happened to me before, but I literally had seen her walk by. I go up to the counter and I'm just like I pulled two or three cards Right and literally on my way back, just to optimize time. On my way back to the office, I call her and I just say, hey, look, listen, I was just at your office. I saw your card. I believe I can help your business. Would you be willing to meet with me? And the timing was great because at the time she was frustrated with her lender a little bit. Her leads weren't getting called up.
Speaker 2:We didn't have. What do you? How was I going to say we didn't have much the feedback on our lender? It's like I would email leads and week or two or three, the follow up, no follow up or communication, and so I follow-up the follow-up no follow-up or communication.
Speaker 1:And so I I remember that meeting because we met at a starbucks at 71st and yale back when they were at, uh, no, 61st, yeah, right across the street where they're, yes, right over there, kind of where, like payway and all that stuff is there. Used to be a starbucks there, yes and uh. And she was telling me, and I identified her problem, she's like, well, my leads don't get followed up with and I'm like, send them all to me today.
Speaker 2:And what did I do that evening?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I said send them all and I will call them. I stayed till like 10 o'clock that night. How many did you send them? More than 50. It was a lot. You're kidding me.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not.
Speaker 1:No, and so I stayed till like 10 that night, calling them all and updating her on them and updating me on every single one of when did you start Portico?
Speaker 3:And for people listening, portico is a CRM system that I mean. Any CRM system will change your business, but this one is pretty special to us.
Speaker 1:I would probably say I started Portico like 2010, 2009. So, you've been three years into it. Yeah, three years, and I'm Portico and I'm putting her leads. So now she's seeing me stay late. Call them. Yeah, and then update her Not only the first time, more importantly, the second time, and we generate, like that week, we generate like two or three pre-approvals. She's able to go out and get some contracts put in place and, uh, I mean, the rest was history yeah, and I was like I'm that's amazing, I'm here to stay.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. He won me over.
Speaker 3:You know that night before I even knew what portico was, because the first time I met with alo, I remember he asked me he goes, how many leads are you getting a week? And I was just thinking. I wasn't even thinking how many leads am I getting a week? I'm thinking what's a good number?
Speaker 3:to say he thinks I know, like, what's not like too high, but what's not too low. And then I do remember of the few deals you know, we closed a couple of deals together but you, there was more leads than deals there. And then you would be like, hey, what's up with this lead, what's up with this lead? And you were the only agent that was asking for those follow-ups. And now I know why. It's because you were like, okay, we'll might, you know, have these things that I like, but the follow-up, I mean that that is what's going to help your conversion rate as an agent.
Speaker 1:That's the most important thing. I literally still have every lead that she has ever sent me. I know you do Think about that. Right, I'd probably go in there.
Speaker 2:I have the number, if you think about it we're almost close to 200 closings. Imagine how many leads.
Speaker 1:Well, you looked at it, I looked at it, I showed them last night what?
Speaker 3:what do you remember how many leads overall you had?
Speaker 1:it was like 470 leads and 180 closings it's and then.
Speaker 3:But do you remember how many overall leads you had um in the system?
Speaker 1:so archive leads. I had like 11,900 archived and then currently active leads.
Speaker 3:I have 775 that we're working on and then closing. Since you had that, it was like over 3,000 over 3,000 total clos closings in the CRM.
Speaker 3:So one of the reasons why you and I connected was because anytime I would come to your office, you were always there. This is one of the things that Alfredo um always says when people are like, hey, I want to do this. And one of the things why Alfredo um, you know, started giving me more time is because anytime I asked him for advice, I would actually put it, put it to action. And then one of the things that to me seems very basic I mean, I did this going all the way back when I worked at the bank is like I would go in the office. You know, I people, people have this stigma of like I don't want to have an eight to five or nine to five, like I don't want to be in the office, and they think I'm going to go be a lender, I'm going to go be a realtor, I'm going to be a business owner and I'm just going to have all this free time and I'm going to make all this money.
Speaker 2:If they only knew it's the opposite it's way more hours.
Speaker 3:Right, and one of the things that you shared was that, hey, one of my biggest risks that I took in life was leaving my W2 job for this, and it sounds like when you guys met, you were still full-time but you were still in the office. So talk to me about the importance of being at the office, especially in a time after COVID where so many people are like wait, I have to come into the office, like no thanks, like I want to work from home. How important is that to your business?
Speaker 2:It's, it's the most important thing. I feel like being in the office. I feel we're in a professional setting. My mind is work, just work, work, work. I'm focused versus I'm at home. I might get distracted, you know, whatever comes up, the TV commercial or the mailman passing by, anything any distractions versus at the office, it's I'm there to work.
Speaker 3:Well, you got nothing to do but work, yeah, and that's one thing that I feel like people kind of trick themselves on hey, I can get work done at home, because I know some people can, like our processes, work from home and but but they're not necessarily having to go and eat what they kill, right Right. So they have like, hey, you're, you're working eight to five from home, but if you don't get these files submitted, we're going to know you're not working right to where it's a lot easier to hide your. How many calls did you make? How many thank you cards did you send? How many people did you see? So I just think that I wanted to talk about that, because I think on the lending side, we've seen it on our end, and on the real estate side, I mean, you go into I, I, I've been doing a Keller Williams power hour once a month for starting this year.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I go into the office and there's like, there's like no one in the office.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's crazy.
Speaker 1:I used to do milk routes. One of my biggest thing used to milk. I used to go into her office every Tuesday, every Tuesday drop something off donuts, muffins, ice cream bars, water, whatever it was every single one and I'd. I'd literally go office to office and have to like I'd run out of stuff. And now you go and it's Vanessa there and um.
Speaker 2:And I was talking to my assistant about this yesterday. I was like, for some reason, if I decide to work from home, I get the minimum done, but if I go into the office it's like I get it done. Oh wait, something came up. I have to get this done and get this done, and I cannot leave until everything's done. And for some reason, if I was at home, all these other stuff that came up wouldn't have came up. So I feel more accomplished as well. Like it's weird, but yeah. So, much sucks me in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so much about success to me is showing up, and showing up means a lot of things, right. But even like you bring your end game every day, you dress up for work every day, right, pretty much sometimes, well, let's just put it, but yes, actually going back to when I first met you.
Speaker 3:Do you remember I used to wear a suit every single day but I mean you come ready, Like the what.
Speaker 1:What I liken it to is this to me, success and opportunities are like radio waves right Right now, there's radio waves flying all around us right now, Right, and you have to tune in your radio. They're here there right now. Like if I pulled out an AM FM radio right now, I would turn it up, I would those, I would catch those waves, and I feel that opportunities are the same way. But the way you tune in is by showing up right, by being ready, by being prepared, by planning. Those are the things that prepare you, that tune you in to receive those opportunities. And I can't tell you how many opportunities I have received just by being in the right place at the right time. And I just got to keep putting myself in the right place and the right time will start to show up right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think that it's good for people to listen to this, that they they hear from both aspects, so I'll for you. You've been doing this for 20 years. How long have you been licensed for?
Speaker 2:14. Going on 15, 14.
Speaker 3:I've been doing this for six years, which a lot of I still consider myself a new LO, like a, a LO that I mean when I started in the business I was 23. And people think I think a lot of people, maybe my age or younger for sure think of like going to the office is like what used to be a thing, but those people aren't putting in the results that they want and it's, I mean, that kind of correlates to something in my opinion.
Speaker 1:Well, it worked during COVID, right, like that strategy worked during COVID, when you don't have to technically show up every day and you're like completely busy, right, and some people are still having success. But right now you're having to do those extra things like be at your desk, like be at work, like be available for your clients and ready. So I think that's changing again back to how it was.
Speaker 3:So, office or no office? What was it that finally pushed you through to leave that W2 job?
Speaker 2:Just that I kept finding myself at work thinking I could be doing this.
Speaker 3:And remind me what you were doing, what you were doing before.
Speaker 2:I worked for the health department.
Speaker 3:right, that's what it was.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you were just at work all the time just at work and handling some of these calls and just thinking that you know I could be doing something better or, you know, just thinking I could be doing this. I could be meeting with another lender, another closing company, prospecting, or meeting with clients during the day, versus pretending that I was booked during the day and making appointments only in the evening, type of thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I mean I could just be working more or fitting in more clients.
Speaker 1:Was it scary.
Speaker 2:It was financially scary, yes, but I just one month I had seven closings, and that seven closings it was my whole year salary and I was like, if I don't do it now, I'm not going to ever do it. So it's like I had to.
Speaker 3:So that's that should be a pretty big sign, because that's a big thing that we hear from people that come on and saying cause I mean, just about everybody has that same story, like I had a W2 job, salary job and then had to jump to a commission, you know, full commission. And then I think if, if you're in that current you know journey, if you're making close or the same as your, your your current job, that that, what more sign do you need?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, for sure, for sure. I mean, there's always going to be a leap. I mean, like the problem with taking chances is that sometimes you're like, well, not now, because things are going good and I want to mess that up. And then sometimes you're like, well, not now, because things are difficult right now and I probably shouldn't do it. So there's never really a good time and it's kind of like the whole when's the best day is today.
Speaker 1:You just have to make decisions. So one of the things that I think that has helped with your success is and I think people want to hear about is having a team right. Big shout out to Omega. We love Omega. She's amazing.
Speaker 2:I couldn't have the fun I have without her.
Speaker 1:Right, Talk a little bit about how your business changed when you added a teammate. What she does for you Um, a little bit of that.
Speaker 2:Well, she, she helps me out a lot because I feel like for me to do a good job I have to be mentally good myself. So I've taken my mornings, early mornings, for my me time. But at the same time I have my assistant calling up my leads, confirming my appointments, calling past clients, just doing all the little dirty work for me so that I can just be mentally good for my clients for the rest of the day. But I mean, you know, I have two listing appointments after this. So she had all my paperwork ready key box. I just go in pick it up and go handle business while she does all the dirty work. I call it and throughout the that's wait wait, wait.
Speaker 1:But what's dirty work?
Speaker 2:Oh, not dirty work no no, no, no, no. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not questioning why you boxes ready for having my you know listing appointment paperwork printed out for me, ready to go pretty in folders.
Speaker 1:And you know just well, in the amount of you probably know she does this, but you forget and take it for granted, I think, sometimes the amount of follow-up she does on your clients.
Speaker 2:Yes, make sure that they're answering Alfredo.
Speaker 1:It's rare. It's rare that you find a realtor, or even a realtor's teammate, that does that kind of follow-up, like we're constantly getting emails from uh Omega saying like, hey, what's going on on this one, even though we've updated her, she's double timing or a follow-up, which is huge.
Speaker 2:Well, follow-up was huge with me and he got me trained on that. So now I got her trained on that. So we have our CRM and we have it all scheduled to it, once or twice a week per client, depending on you know where they're at, if they're ready to go or past, or even whenever Alfredo says they're not going to be ready for six months. We're still following up with them every two Whenever Alfredo says they're not going to be ready for six months.
Speaker 3:We're still following up with them every two, three weeks.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's so good. And so one of the things that I'm curious about talking about team so I know you've been doing this 14 years and throughout the 14 years that you had, when you and I met your, you had Omega, but then it was you and your sister, yes, and I know previous to that you had some agents come in and out, and then I can think of an agent that I work with that kind of did the same thing. Um, whenever I started working with her as by herself, then she grew a team of like five people and then she had to let go of like four people that weren't producing. Now it's her and somebody else and it's working out. Now it's just you and Omega and it's working out. But for somebody that that that's thinking like, maybe I need to get a team Like, I need to grow a team Like. Talk to talk to me about the pros and cons of like, trying to create a team of like, not just your transaction coordinator or somebody that's going to help you follow up, but of other realtors.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, the pros. I feel like if they um, if their CRM is good, you know, or their prospects are good, then they have a lot to bring to the to the team good, you know, or their prospects are good, then they have a lot to bring to the to the team, right. And then another pro is learning from me, or me teaching them the way I do things. But, as you all know, in real estate or lending, you can do things in many, many ways and it's just there's no one right way to do it. But I just teach them what worked for me, you know. And then the cons is that a lot of them forget and don't appreciate it and they make a closing or two and they're like I'm good, so that's that's they want to leave the team.
Speaker 1:Yes, and we see that all around. I mean that that's, that's just the nature of the beast when you're, when you're a commission person and you have that desire, I mean it's always like I could do this, I could do this, and I think some people do it too early.
Speaker 3:What was it that made you say, like you know what I'm done with trying to get some, because I mean you're right now not actively seeking new agents. So like what was it for you?
Speaker 2:that if my sister decides to come back, which she's on the side, she still has her license, but when she does, probably be family only.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I just feel most comfortable and we have such loyalty in our family that we're good.
Speaker 3:And a thing that a lot of people don't realize whether you're trying to form a team on the real estate side or the lending side, like on our end, you know, whenever maybe you get a tempting call of like, hey, um, we'd love to have you fill this role of being a branch manager, right, and you're like oh, wow, I'd love to be a branch manager, but then you don't realize that it's not like you're getting extra time. So it's where are you putting your time in? If you're trying to put your time in on getting your agents to follow up with those leads, to do all this stuff for you, that's taken away from your personal production, whether you're a lender or a realtor. And people forget that and they're like oh my gosh, I've been. I thought I would be making so much more money having these agents underneath me or or trying to hire a Lowe's, but now I'm making less money.
Speaker 2:Cause you have to share it from the pot.
Speaker 1:That's why I love it. And I'm any chance that I get to try to help be a business partner to a realtor, right Like truly say, hey, this is the mistakes I've made, learn. That's why I love so much more for someone to have an Omega than to have a buyer's agent.
Speaker 2:Exactly Right.
Speaker 1:Because an Omega, she needs secure, like what brings her value. Security you give her security. She gives you the work that you need and the help that you need right.
Speaker 2:Flexibility. Flexibility Handle more clients because, she's handling the paperwork.
Speaker 1:Not only that, a little even more. You know, I've known you for a long time and so I know kind of what you go through and those kind of things and meaning like you had a difficult year last year with some family stuff.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Right With your son got hurt and that kind of stuff? Yes, definitely, and you had to spend a lot of time with him and give him time and effort. Yet your business continued to move forward because you had the right person in the right position.
Speaker 2:Yeah, taking care of business, taking care of my calls, taking care of my clients. For me I would literally leave the hospital just to go make and handle the client, go showing and then I'm right back. Wow, so there is no way I would have shut down business. There's no way I could be making calls or setting up appointments or calling past clients or potential clients. I didn't have the head for it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you've been doing this for 14 years. And then how long into?
Speaker 2:this 14 years that you left that your W2 job. I think I was doing a real estate for two years, so I did both for two years.
Speaker 3:Two years. And then you're like cat seven closings. You're're like making in one month what you were making over there in one year and you're like I'm gonna go solo. So then, after those two years, or where in the 14 years did you get omega? Um, I think omega's been with me now for five years so it was like five years before yes, yeah, she was no, it had to been way before covid, because I I mean, when I met her, I met Omega and that was 2018. Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, she came, she came 2017, I believe so it's been seven years.
Speaker 3:Seven years, oh wow, yeah.
Speaker 2:Time flies when you're having fun. Seven years.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Omega, for your seven years, so seven years into your 14 year career. So what was it that you were like? First of all, it sounds like were you the one that suggested that you need to get somebody.
Speaker 2:I mean, I would always suggest I need help.
Speaker 1:You know, I always sat down and try to be like hey, this is how an amazing realtor team is set up. Your first person is an admin person. So all those structures that I was learning I was passing on to her and just letting her know how much more it helped me to have that role instead of like a buyer's agent.
Speaker 2:And I was doing it all back then because I came from a desk job, so I was very structured when it came to paperwork and my paperwork still on point.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I was like I can handle this, I have the background, I can do it all. And honestly, I didn't want an Omega. Omega came to me because, um, someone else wanted an assistant who didn't need it, and they're like, let's share an assistant. And I was like, okay, and then I got stuck with her, but it's, it was a blessing because I love her. Now I can't let let her go.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Cause I think that that's one another, uh, another way where people get stuck and they know that they need help, but then it's like, ah, I don't want to have that responsibility that. But then they're like I don't want to have that responsibility because, like, if I don't close one deal next month, that's on me. But like how am I going to pay this person Right? So I, and then sometimes people want to get it too early. I mean you see that all the time in the links.
Speaker 1:I mean that's a huge warning to those that are looking to hire. It's so important to have a blueprint and have structure and have a plan in place for you higher, Because what I see happen all the time that's happened to me in the past as well, too is that you hire somebody and you spent half your day trying to figure out what they're supposed to be doing. Right, Like you have to identify and define what those things are before you even start interviewing, because you need to be able to talk to that person. Can you do these things? Can you be here on time every day? Can you do this type of paperwork? Do you have any experience for these types of things that I want off my plate? Too many people just I think they do it for ego. Honestly. I mean, there's a big pull to like, say, you have a team and so it's important that you have some sort of blueprint and identify what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 2:I believe we, we work together, we grew together, we kind of every day it's like, okay, can you help me with this? It was just little by little by little, because at the same time I'm like, can I? It was a trust issue, controlling issue. I was like, okay, let me just start her off with starting my database, my CRM, building it up Okay, now you built it. Okay, now I guess you can call them and you know it's just baby steps. And now it's like I'm lost.
Speaker 1:Now I can't survive without her Now she lets you touch your database.
Speaker 2:Yes, now she's like I guess you can go in there. I'll show her the password.
Speaker 3:So in this business, it's a hard business, and it's a hard business to be a top producing loan officer, top producing real estate agent. You've been a top producer for consistently for many years now here for consistently for many years now and it, but in this business still you're only really as good as you were last month or last year or however. That is to where you never. I mean you could say like, hey, last year I did $400,000, a million dollars or whatever. But that's that's also the beauty. Like last year, let's say, I did 30,000, 50,000. It's a new year, you can restart all over.
Speaker 3:But you also never know what you know life's going to throw at you. And Alfredo touched on it, um, that you know what happened to your son. I don't know how you know open, you're willing to share on that. But now that I have a son, um I I mean I can't imagine like going through that. And so I know that you, you're given Omega a lot of credit. But what, what like type of mindset did you have to get into to truly like go through that and then make sure that your business just didn't just, you know, die really in those, whatever that timeframe was?
Speaker 2:You're, you're just in survival mode and being a single mom, I'm in survival mode all the time. So one of your questions that you sent me over yesterday you said, well, who's your mentor, or what you know. I was like, honestly, it's my son. He's my mentor, you know he drives me. It's, it's everything's for him. Every time I talk about him it's emotional, sorry.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, Thank you.
Speaker 2:He's my, he's my gasoline on a daily basis.
Speaker 3:And I've met your son and I mean he's a driven guy, you know young, uh, you know fit dude that just had had, you know, has so much going for him. So so like how long did that last last year as far? I mean, he was in the hospital for a long time.
Speaker 2:Two weeks, two, three weeks.
Speaker 1:Forget how much he was in the hospital. The post hospital recovery was huge.
Speaker 3:And then then, so what was it, though? Especially you telling me even more like, yeah, like will you have a son? Now, you know how, how, you know how that love is completely different, but like how? You telling me, like, now that he's your mentor, he's what drives you, like, what type of mindset did you have to?
Speaker 2:you said survival mode, it's just survival mode, when you don't have a choice, but just not to lose focus. You have to be worried, but you also have a good family base that's there when you have to step away. So you just have to switch your hats. You don't have a choice but to concentrate and focus because life's going to continue and you're just going through this hurdle. But I'm just blessed with a good family.
Speaker 3:That's there yeah, that supported you. Yeah, that's so good support system. Alfred, I know that you went actually to go see her. I did um and uh, how's he doing now?
Speaker 2:he's doing good.
Speaker 3:He's gained some weight yeah, how much weight did he lose?
Speaker 2:did he lose?
Speaker 1:yeah, or or or you mean he's probably not able to be as active, right yeah?
Speaker 2:He's. I think he's a little scared, you know, but he needs to get back in there, you know but, he's doing great. I mean he did his physical therapy and everything, so we're we're back on track. He just needs to get a little focused. But I think it just shook him up a little.
Speaker 1:You know, I really loved, when I went and visited, that his spirits were way up and he literally couldn't move and he was still happy, he was thankful, um, smiling, um all those things. So I, I really, I really thought that that really displays strength and it displays character to just fight through it and not let something like that cripple you and get you down. So you know, of course there's going to be recovery, of course you can't be your old self again. I mean, that is a life changing event. You know, there's events in our all of our lives that we say this was my life pre-event and this was my life post event. You know, I think this this potentially is is one of those for him, right Like how it was before and how it was after.
Speaker 2:Like the first thing the hospital, the doctor, said coming out of surgery was like there's a chance he's gonna be paralyzed. And like those were the first words. It's not like we're out, we're good, it's just like, well, we're gonna see how he reacts from the surgery, but there's a chance he's gonna be paralyzed.
Speaker 3:And my son's 26, so imagine somebody telling me that and wow about my 26 year old son, it was, it was hard, and man, life is all about perspective as well too, because right around the time that this happened, it's whenever I actually rupture my Achilles and that actually just like turn my life upside down.
Speaker 3:You know, and I remember you, I never could ever relate to somebody that had gone or had gone through or or was going through depression.
Speaker 3:I'm like, how can people be depressed, like you know, and I, I def not I not that I went through a period of depression, but I definitely can see how people like, especially during COVID, when you know there was all the uptick on mental health and everything, and then, um and I remember you telling me that that you know, when you went to see him, he brought up that you know that I got injured as well, but my injury compared to that is like nothing and it's like your, your biggest problem is somebody else's.
Speaker 3:You know something that they wish that you know that's what they were going through because of what they're going through so much harder. But you're right, alfredo, all three of us right here and everybody listening, um, no matter where you're at right now in life, anything, any hard thing that you've gone through, you know it's what's shaped you to be where you're at right now. So I can't, I can't wait, you know, to see where he's going to be like in the next few years. It's going to make them stronger and how that's going to define them honestly.
Speaker 1:So let's circle back, because I think this is important to hear and it's one of my favorite subjects, right. Why is it important to have that lender relationship between a realtor and a lender? Right Like, why is that important? You do an amazing job from our perspective and that's why my team would absolutely go to any limit to like help you and your clients and all that stuff, because we know how valuable your relationship is for us. What is important about having that lender realtor relationship that we see so many agents or people even in other industries, not like kind of trivialized right Like, how often do we see a realtor that just doesn't really care what lender gets used right? Or a builder that's like as long as it closes, right Like to you. What's important about having the right lender and the right business partners?
Speaker 2:Well, as a realtor, we have to wear lots of hats. You know you're dealing with the buyer. You have to sit there and deal with the inspections and the contract, the negotiating that I. I'm the type of realtor that if I'm going to work with the lenders because I trust them 100%, so I don't want to have that worry. I want to know that if I send a contract over, it's going to close and if it's not going to close, that's the first call I'm going to get.
Speaker 2:Hey, vanessa, this is only 20 days. I was like I know, but if you can do it, great. If not, I know you know just communication and honesty and professionalism. I know I don't have to worry about the lending part. I know I don't have to worry about the closing part because I know the people that I work with know how to handle business. So even when my client calls me and says, hey, what's going on with the loan, I'm like you know, that is a lending question and I don't want to give you the wrong information and I direct them back to Alfredo and I'll follow up. I'm like, hey, he's calling, he's concerned about this, please reach out. But I don't. I like everybody to play their role. I'm the realtor, he's the lender, the closer, and everybody does their job.
Speaker 3:And you've been doing this for 14 years, to where if I was to sit here just to talk to you about like a couple of deals, and that's how I work. Yeah Well, the reason I'm bringing that up is because so many people, especially that have only been doing this for a year or two, they want to wear all those hats.
Speaker 3:You're, you're exhausted, it's exhausting, yeah, and then and then, and then it gets you in a worse position because, just because, like if I asked you like what's the minimum credit score that I need, and then you kind of sort of know the answer no-transcript.
Speaker 1:Well, let me know what the solution is and just get back to me and just, I'm reiterating what I said a while ago. That and this goes out to realtors or anybody that works with another part, even lenders is we're much more worried about letting you down than that agent that is about to like. Let us have it, cause we messed up right Like. My team is dreads having to make a phone call to Vanessa and say hey, vanessa, we're not going to be able to close this Friday. You know, like that is like we cringe at that way more than the, than the realtor. That's just going to be like why don't you do your job?
Speaker 2:You know that. Never told me that he called me to tell me something. And he's, and I'm like okay, sounds good, no problem. And he's like oh my God, thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Tell us about your calm demeanor when you're approaching problems and files and and your clients and just the whole business.
Speaker 2:Well, it comes from the trust and the business relationship that I have with you, alfredo. I know that if I hand over a file, it's going to get handled, it's going to get worked on, it's going to get done, and if something came up, I know it wasn't because of him or his team, or appraisal. Appraisal is a big thing. Hey, it didn't appraise. Okay, I mean it didn't appraise. I can sit here and argue back with the appraiser, but why he's? He's already made up his mind. The chances of him changing his mind are slim to none. So I'm like okay. Plus, I don't want to get on his bad side because he might be an appraiser on another deal in the future, so I'm just gonna let it be that's so good, and actually we had laura bryant on here as well with mcgraw at the same company and that's a good similarities that you guys have, you both being top producing agents that aren't really like most agents to take everything like.
Speaker 3:everything's so personal.
Speaker 1:It is what it is or they're like. I feel like a lot of people in this industry get their feel like. Their value is in pointing out what's wrong with the situation, right, and all that does is creates more stress for the buyer, which is our ultimate goal is to take the stress away, right. That's why we're here.
Speaker 2:We're a team, even the, even the client, the buyer, the seller, we're all a team and we all have to be on the same page.
Speaker 1:The protagonist is the is the buyer Right and honestly it creates more stress on that same agent that's causing which is crazy, yeah man.
Speaker 2:That's that's causing, which is crazy, yeah man that's.
Speaker 3:That's a good stress-free file, that's a good nugget for people to listen, um, to make sure lenders deliver bad news, you know, faster than than good news, and, and realtors, don't take everything to heart because, um, at the end of the day, it's not your responsibility to take those emotions, it's it's the clients right? So, um, I know that you didn't write who your biggest mentor was and we got it out of you, so I appreciate you letting us know. Uh, my last question that I have for you, um, is what is the biggest piece of advice that you've received that has helped you this last 14 years? Stay as consistent as you have and to to just keep going honestly.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I don't think I've received a piece of advice that changed my business. I think I figured it out or I learned it on the way. It's just having a good team, a good lender, a good closer, just people that you honestly do trust them 100% with your business, because they're the ones that are going to help you close the deal stress-free. To me, that's the most important thing.
Speaker 3:So even if you're an agent that says, oh, I don't ever want to have a team of realtors under me and all this stuff as a solo agent, it's important to have a team. You know, I don't think a lot of people realize that it takes 35 to sometimes 40 people to close one deal and the buyer only sees mainly the agent, some of the loan officer and the towel company at the very end.
Speaker 2:But if you don't have a good-, but we all work together A hundred percent.
Speaker 1:So Alfredo, you got anything else? Yeah, vanessa, I just want to make sure you know how much I appreciate you and my team appreciate you. We were joking a while ago when she came in about like that, uh, about how much we've worked together, and she's like, well, there's, we've got to feed five kids. You know I got five kids, but I just want you to know that you, you literally do give, help me, get the ability to give my family a better life.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:And I mean that from the bottom of my heart that the trust you've placed in us allows me to live the quality of life that I have. So thank you.
Speaker 2:No, thank you. You earned it in that one night.
Speaker 3:Way to make me look bad. Mae, if you're listening, I appreciate you.
Speaker 2:She's awesome.
Speaker 1:This is Vanessa Moctezuma, and she's the real deal.
Speaker 3:Thank you for coming on, Vanessa.