Work Hard, Play Hard, and Give Back - A Real Estate Podcast

S2E1 - Sheila McKenna Olsen: From Union Painter to Real Estate Leader, Embracing Change and Community

• Coldwell Banker American Homes • Season 2 • Episode 1

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🎙 Season 2 is Here!

We’re kicking off Season 2 of Work Hard, Play Hard, and Give Back - A Real Estate Podcast with none other than Sheila McKenna Olsen! With over 30 years in real estate, Sheila has seen it all—from shifting markets to major industry changes.

In this episode, we cover:
🏡 The biggest changes in real estate over the last 30 years
⚖️ How the NAR lawsuit & MLS changes impact real estate agents
💡 The importance of negotiation & agent training in today’s market
📱 Why social media & digital tools are crucial for success
❤️ The power of giving back & community involvement

Sheila is known for her unwavering support of agents, industry expertise, and commitment to mentorship. Whether you're a new agent or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with valuable insights that will help you navigate today’s real estate landscape.

Tune in and stay ahead of the game!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Work Hard, play Hard and Give Back a real estate podcast. I'm Mike Blitzner, broker owner of Coldwell Banker American Homes. Welcome to Season 2, episode 1. And today we have the pleasure of Sheila McKenna Olson joining us. She's the branch leader of our East Meadow office, our oldest and long-standing office. A very important group of people there, because you also got the corporate offices back there. Sheila, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2:

Hi Mike, Thank you for having me. Yeah, awesome.

Speaker 1:

So, sheila, let's jump right into this right Go ahead. Let me see what we can get out of you here, because I think our audience is going to be excited to hear from you. So you've been with cobalt banker american homes for over 30 years. Can you share with our audience what brought you to the company and, and and really what has kept you here all these years?

Speaker 2:

oh, that's a long question. All right, I actually. What brought me to the company is my husband yeah I mean, let's know, you guys were trying to recruit my husband. Yeah and he finally saw the opportunity and went over and agreed and he said can you help, can you have Sheila come? I mean, it really was kind of right.

Speaker 1:

You're still here, right, and what? What's that doing for audience? He's still with us. Oh yeah, oh no, he's still with us. We often, oh no, he's still with us. I don't want anyone to think we're off to them.

Speaker 2:

No, no, he's still with us, but he works at the assessment office in Nassau County. But yeah, you were interviewing my husband and I kind of came along as like a sidekick. So that's really how it all kind of started.

Speaker 1:

Real estate wasn't your first calling, you know it was welcome to adulthood. Here's your real estate license. So what's Sheila McKenna? Because this is before you were Olson what's Sheila McKenna's path into real estate?

Speaker 2:

All right, you really want to go there.

Speaker 1:

I do.

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, I was actually a house painter and then I became a union painter in the local 1486. Great job, great, great income, really a good position, oh we were recruiting for the painters union and what had happened was I was kind of tired of being dirty you know being in dirty clothes and working hard and I saw an ad.

Speaker 2:

So I called on an ad and I got pulled into a century 21 and it just kind of built from there. You know, unfortunately, that century 21 I won't mention who it was when kind of upside down because he played the races. And then I went to another century 21 and he had issues of his own.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and so playing the ponies is a bad. It's not a good idea. Does it mix well? It's not a good idea for me.

Speaker 2:

For them it might have been beneficial, but for the staff and people it wasn't. It wasn't the strongest platform and my husband actually you guys had been recruiting after him and he went for an interview and just kind of tagged me along.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And the truth is, from the day I walked in, I started earning income. Yeah, I started learning. It was what I was looking for. The other two brokers, they just they didn't offer it, and I'm not just saying that to blow smoke. They really you guys kind of had it together and we had had it together. And it just from the moment I walked in there, the first day, I wrote an offer and I begged you to come with me to present it Back in the days when we actually went in person to present an offer and the selling agent actually presented their own offer in front of the listing agent at the homeowner's house to the homeowner directly.

Speaker 2:

I don't know how we ever got away from that. I miss those days.

Speaker 1:

I think it's the negotiations a little bit of a lost art in our business. 100% Fundamentals need to come back. We should get back to them Because you know what happens. We've had all these changes in our industry this year especially right has this not been the most upside down year, with all the change and impact on our industry, and yet somehow we need to get back to fundamentals.

Speaker 2:

You know, I know I don't want to get too old and corny here, but even pre-qualifying the buyer and helping them understand what they're doing, what their monthly expense is going to be, guiding them along, that my agents don't necessarily. They don't have to do it now because I guess we have the mortgage brokers but we've lost some of that communication with the consumers and being face-to-face presenting offers. Oh my, I wasn't responsible for the offer, you were. You present it, you put it out there on your own terms and, to be honest with you, I think that's beneficial to both the buyer and the seller. Cut out the middleman.

Speaker 1:

Well. Or the buyer and the seller, yeah, cut out the middleman, well. Or the misinformation, too Right, you know the? He said, she said Right. It goes right. Direct communication eliminates ambiguity as they say right, correct.

Speaker 2:

I agree with that. Oh the good old days.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, sheeler is, for our audience, our longest standing employee over 30 years. God bless her for hanging in there and dealing with Tom and I, but you've seen a lot of change and a lot of different impacts to the industry. Yes, so in your scope of the industry, of your longevity, what would you say has been the biggest change since you started?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there's a lot of changes since.

Speaker 1:

I started.

Speaker 2:

The biggest. You know what? I think the biggest change is the agent giving up their rights or they're presenting their own offers, communicating with attorneys on both sides. You know, I feel as if the agents you know you have the right to present an offer, even though they get a letter, but do they really have the letter? We just follow the sheep and say, oh okay, here, I'll fax it over. I get faxes, you still get faxes. What's a fax machine? You're right, I still get emails and there's no communication. They just send it out. And I think we've lost that, that professionalism. Not that agents aren't professional, yeah, but it's changed. And they've lost control, and not that I'm a control freak, but they've lost control of some of the details that are really important and pertinent to the transaction and I don't think they need to.

Speaker 1:

It's something we need to get back to a great yeah I agree. So obviously we've gone through this year more change than ever before, right? So, whether it's state legislation, with property condition disclosures, or what about the NAR changes, how do you think that's impacted the industry?

Speaker 2:

I think it's left the industry in complete confusion. I think that I, honestly, I might get in trouble for saying this. I think MLS is not doing us any great service. I don't think that Well, I feel it's probably the board.

Speaker 1:

Long Island Board of Realtors owns the MLS. Just for our audience, so they don't understand structure. The Long Island Board of Realtors is a trade association which wholly owns the MLS one key MLS, so to speak, and that's our networking amongst brokers so that we can share, potentially, listings and buyers and bring people together to the right property, as opposed to just one of my properties, right. Okay just to be fair enough, I want to make sure for those who aren't in real estate who might be listening. Correct.

Speaker 2:

And it really is a positive because it's exposure for our homeowners. You know the listings are out there and everybody has access and it's exposure which is what you want.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

But I think when the rule changes came in I don't know that they're really handling it clearly or you know they put on the listings that you can do a seller's concession. You know, technically is it really a seller's concession? I have a written agreement. That's part of my duty with my consumer, I think we got to go back a few steps.

Speaker 1:

So, let's go. So the changes are brought by NAR, which is the National Association of Realtors, which NISAR, the New York State Association of Realtors, which NYSAR the New York State Association of Realtors is kind of under their umbrella. And then Long Island Board of Realtors is under NYSAR's umbrella, so our board also has their political action committees and interacts with the Department of State who controls licensing. So again, I just want to give our audience a little structure so that we don't lose them talking our own industry talk there. So I think the other thing here is I want to frame this a little bit for clarity but the NAR changes didn't come down because of innovation in our business. It came down because of legal prowess. I think it's a money grab.

Speaker 2:

Honestly, I have another word for it, but I'm just saying yeah, agreed, yeah.

Speaker 1:

I don't know that this is. It's been done in the name of consumer protectionism and yet the only one who's gotten rich or made money are the attorneys. So, and one of the very obnoxious quotes I've heard and correct me if you think I'm wrong on this is the lead attorney who accused the entire real estate industry of being greedy put in for their hours once the settlement started coming in and was charging $1,500 an hour. But I don't know how many people charge $1,500 an hour. So there's a lot of hypocrisy that went into this. And yet these changes were forced upon our industry and yet I don't see that there's a cohesiveness yet in the industry. Is that better said?

Speaker 2:

That is better said, I feel, as if I believe our agents have been trained very, very well when it comes to the change and how to actually help it, to help them, help their consumers.

Speaker 2:

So there's a lot of other agencies out there that maybe they don't train their agents as well and I'm not coming down on them, but I know our agents have a definite path, they understand the changes and that we need written agreements and you know it. At the end of the day, it actually is a little bit better for everybody because there's two separate sides of the transaction yeah, if, if the industry buys in completely does the industry have a choice?

Speaker 1:

we'll see, since the Department of State has still not weighed in officially. So this is being driven from the inverse side. You would think things would come down from licensing first, but it's coming from the other direction. It's coming in from consumer. Well, legal pressure. That's probably the better answer, right, right?

Speaker 2:

But it is. However we've gotten here we're here. And we have to actually function within all our new guidelines. So I really believe that, american Homes, we took the bull by the horn and we have really helped our agents to up their game. And you know, our agents now are actually earning, I believe, better fees for their services, for their value, for what they bring to the table, and it really the definite line is there, but the problem, or the frustration, is that not everyone is on the same page.

Speaker 1:

I think the goal is supposed to be transparency and more transparency, is supposed to be transparency and more transparency. But again, I think the challenge and correct me if I'm wrong is that not everybody, every brokerage slash, even the board, is exactly on the same page with how that transparency is supposed to be delivered.

Speaker 2:

Correct, and that's why when I first started this with the seller's concession it's not a seller's concession. It's not A seller's concession, is something that's added onto the transaction, that the buyer uses towards closing costs.

Speaker 1:

Traditionally.

Speaker 2:

Traditionally right. Well, most realtors that 30 years ago presented face-to-face this is what they believe.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, I think so.

Speaker 2:

What I believe the other outside agents are just not grasping is that it's inclusive. If I have a written agreement with a purchaser, that agreement gives me permission to include my fee. Just the way it was before August 17th Every offer that was written had a commission in it. The difference is now it's clearer the consumer, it's actually protection, or, you know, the consumer can negotiate their own fee with the agents and the agents can actually put forth that they're not restricted to what another agency is offering. Right, because maybe it's not a fee that is worth that agent's value, right, a fee that is worth that agent's value, right. So now this agent, because of this new rule or new guidelines, can actually negotiate a fair value commission with their consumer. I think our agents are in tune with that. Well, you keep hitting that one word value.

Speaker 1:

Oh, so you have to show your value, and I think that's what we try to really drive into our agents is to understand their value, be better trained, have more information, be a better service to your client, both buyer or seller, which means you bring value. If you're a licensed agent and essentially you're a glorified Uber driver, then you're probably not trained enough or bringing enough value to transaction. And I I'm okay if those people either get challenged and forced to raise their game or they choose not to stay in the business because we as an industry need to constantly raise our bar. Is that fair?

Speaker 2:

enough. I absolutely agree with that. But the frustration, though, for the agents is they're they're educating other agents out there in the industry because they're just saying you're paying my fee, right right. The seller's paying my fee. No, you're on your own two feet. You need to negotiate with your own consumer about how your fee is going to be straightened out, and it is a lot of turmoil because people just want to leave it the way it was. But that's not the way it's going to be.

Speaker 1:

Agents don't like change? No, they do not. But here we are.

Speaker 2:

I am on the phone many times because I tell my agents when they get very frustrated and they're not communicating well with the other agent, I'll talk to them, put them on the phone with me and I do get on the phone and I do break it down and explain the thought process and what I believe the new way, the new reality is going to be. I cannot tell you how many times agents from other companies have said whoa. No one's ever explained it like that.

Speaker 2:

That's different. That insight is a little unique compared to what I've been hearing.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Part of it is because they want to do it the same way. Right, but they come up against our agents and we're not doing the same way. We're more of a visionary. We know where it's going to go and we're going to be there with our teams before anyone else.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

I agree.

Speaker 1:

I totally agree with that. Yeah, you know what's interesting for our audience here. You know you keep saying my agents, which is which is no, but that's okay, it's a good thing.

Speaker 1:

So when you came into the business obviously painter agent, you know different dynamic and stuff at what point Did you make the leap of faith to come into a leadership role? So because, again, office manager, how many licenses you have? 70?, 71, yeah, 71, I knew 70 plus license agents. And these agents choose to build their business on our foundation and that's a lot of trust they put in you especially. I know they speak beautifully of you because they know you got their back and what have you. But what's the major biggest difference, you see, from when you went from agent to a leadership role?

Speaker 2:

I cry more, I get frustrated because you know but I mean all kidding aside it's not that I ever go through my career like this, but it's not about me.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

It's about them. It's about what they're doing, it's about how they're going to succeed. It's about helping them become the best that they can be, or the best version that they want to be. I tell them all the time you bring the commitment, you bring the effort. I am with you. We've got this. But they have to do that, and that is a big difference between doing it on my own and now not really about me anymore. It's about them, and you know it's hard when you first do it, because you know it's like wait a minute, that should be my deal.

Speaker 1:

I know those guys, no, no, you can't be competitive with your agents.

Speaker 2:

You need to be supportive one of the biggest things I learned from one of our prior managers that I worked with under you used to tell everybody oh, I taught her everything she knows she did right. She taught me to never put myself first right. Never, because I could see time and time again she wasn't on that same path that I would ever present myself as a manager to be right and to me, the the really the biggest thing is now.

Speaker 2:

I worry about their deals, I worry about their health, I worry about you know, did their kids make it to school?

Speaker 1:

I know that's silly yeah but it's a part of it, like they're my family yeah they're my family yeah, it's a very challenging role but, by by the way, being in the leadership role, so it's like everyone's pressure, so everyone's problems sit on your shoulders, so you need to have broad shoulders you, you do, yeah, you do, and it's you know.

Speaker 2:

I tell them all the time stop it, it's not your monkey, you know. Let's examine this. Let's look at what you're going through. You're taking on a responsibility that's not yours to take on Right In a management role. I have to take on a little bit more. I can't have that self-talk and say it's not your monkey, because it kind of is my monkey and I got to get the peanuts and take care of it.

Speaker 1:

No, that's great. So you're known for being a fierce advocate for your agents. What's the craziest stories that you have encountered while supporting one of your agents?

Speaker 2:

Am I really known as a fierce?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think that's a compliment, by the way, you know what? Because it's like if someone messes with your agents, it's like messing with your family and you're like you know, big sister, you're going to give them noogies. I do.

Speaker 2:

I know Sometimes I have to reel myself in. You know it's funny. I had an agent come down and say, sheila, I have a Section 8 rental and the agent told me they will not take Section 8. I said give me your number and I got on the phone in the office and I didn't realize. Well, I get on the phone in the office and I call this agent and I have a conversation and I don't go to be fierce, I go to really educate. So I say you know, this is what you said. Well, my seller won't take my rent, my landlord won't take it, they don't want any part of it. And I said do you not even know about fair housing laws, like what you're saying to me and to another agent?

Speaker 1:

you're wrong.

Speaker 2:

You know, I said you know what I think. Maybe what I'm going to do is have a conversation with your broker, Rona yeah she said I am the broker Rona. Wow, I was like what? Now I got a little aggressive. I'm like are you kidding me?

Speaker 1:

because a broker should know better. You have the right and to manage other agents and you need to know the rules. You need to know the law. This is not just a rule, it's the law it's the law and I said that to her.

Speaker 2:

I said what is wrong with you? I said, look, I'm going to speak to you now as, like a owner to owner I'm not an owner, but a manager to an owner I'm like you need to stop now. What you're doing is against fair housing and you're blatantly putting it out there, blatantly right. Are you out of your mind? And I said do you realize? Right off the bat, just for suspicion, you're in fair housing, you are guilty and you've got to prove yourself innocent. I don't care what anyone says. That's how it comes down. I said just start again. It's a ten thousand dollar fine. What is this? The risk you're willing to take because you don't understand fair housing laws? I'm like are you out of your mind? And we went back and forth and whatever, and we hung up. My agents filmed it.

Speaker 1:

They didn't tell you up front. No.

Speaker 2:

Wow, no, they did not tell me and I wasn't paying attention. I was busy having this conversation, but that was to be a broker owner and to not comprehend fair housing yeah that you know. There's no excuse for that so that's my worst story all right.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's an interesting one I wasn't expecting you to go there. I'm sorry, I shouldn't know. I could come up with another one no look, it is what it is, I think our audience wants to hear the the real day-to-day grit of real estate. That's part of what we deal with, so let's skip a little bit. Technology it's constantly changing. Certainly in real estate it has You're known for embracing it. What's a recent tool or trend that you think has been a game changer for you and your agents? Game?

Speaker 2:

changer for you and your agents. You know, I guess the sky slope would become once we get our handles on it.

Speaker 1:

Right, right. So for our audience, who doesn't?

Speaker 2:

who don't know A digital platform?

Speaker 1:

It's a digital document platform, e-signature, so you can do paperless transactions, and it replaces the places, the old file cabins, because everything's correct clouds, and it is not just the one particular type of digital platform.

Speaker 2:

Yeah just digital platforms in and of itself, yeah, has absolutely changed the industry. Yeah, and you know agents went kicking and screaming.

Speaker 1:

Yes, they did.

Speaker 2:

They, it was a nightmare and I tell the story. I have an agent who always says to me you can't teach an old dog new tricks. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. We go through COVID. Well, that old dog was barking at me and needed help. And she embraced it and it really changed the way she does business.

Speaker 2:

So, I think the digital platform, regardless of which one it is, has made it convenient, has given the agents protection. You can't tell me you didn't open something. You can't say you didn't receive something, because I see it right on my dashboard.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, everything's recorded.

Speaker 2:

Everything is there. So I think that's given the agents more authority or more leverage in this world, when used correctly yes, oh. Correctly, yes, oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

And the interesting thing, just so again for our audience to stay caught up with us to say, because we've been doing this for so long, so I think we're bouncing into our own tune. We moved from pen and paper essentially to a digital platform back in 2017. Yeah, and when Sheila says they went kicking and screaming, she's correct. But when COVID hit, oh yeah. Now the need, the inability to maybe meet face to face, and having the ability to send things digitally without having the paper, without having e-signatures.

Speaker 2:

All their whining and carrying on the minute COVID hit. You would think it was the greatest thing in the world that we gave them.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I remember an agent saying something to one of our managers like once they now were forced with COVID to learn it, they go wow, this is awesome, when did we get this? And it was like yeah, about four years ago.

Speaker 2:

But they don't like change. You know, whenever we do change and I do this all the time at my meetings I have one particular agent. When I first started managing, we first implemented email we no longer had the all books and the email my agent stood in that office I was new to managing stomping her feet. I want my book back. This is ridiculous.

Speaker 1:

On and on and on the physical notes, the notebook in the office where we record office happenings.

Speaker 2:

Email goes down and she's the first one to call me.

Speaker 1:

What's wrong with my email? Why isn't this working? I don't understand. Don't worry, I put a notebook in the office.

Speaker 2:

But it's with change and agents have a hard time with change, but once they realize the benefit and how it helps them, it's terrific yeah.

Speaker 1:

I would say, when we went through COVID agent, adoption more than doubled.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

And that was again so industry-wise. It's unfortunate, sometimes an unfortunate situation forces us to change our behavior in order to see the benefit.

Speaker 2:

But I think, but how great for our agents that they were with a company that was ahead of it.

Speaker 1:

That had it already.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Like. Think about that and that's something that you always say. I always tell this story when I'm recruiting or speaking to an agent. Yeah, your big analogy many times did I say that word right Is that a hockey player doesn't skate to where the puck is. They skate to where the puck goes. I tell anyone that'll listen to me when I'm interviewing or they're considering our company. That's what we do and having that digital platform in place, we didn't know COVID was coming.

Speaker 2:

That old dog with new tricks. My son to this day will say how's the old dog with new tricks?

Speaker 1:

He doesn't even know her name.

Speaker 2:

But they were fortunate enough to work along with the company that has a vision. I think that if there's one thing about I could brag for a minute. Sure, I really believe, especially you, not that Tom doesn't, but you have a vision of where your business is going to be. You're never happy with being at this level. It makes us crazy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

But there's always a thought of what's next. We were the first ones to come out on Newsday Right.

Speaker 1:

When you want to talk about kicking and screaming, yeah, the old classified ads talk about kicking and screaming. Yeah, paper, yeah, the old classified ads. Agents kicking and screaming, oh my God, yeah.

Speaker 2:

But we came out of it and you didn't take the money and put it in your pocket and go play golf. Right, you invested it in the new platform. Right, you invested it in where you felt and where we were headed, and you were 100% correct.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, 100%. I hope Gallagher's going to see this episode.

Speaker 2:

He even went kicking and screaming yeah, so let's pivot a little bit as an office manager.

Speaker 1:

one of the biggest tasks is taking on new agents and teaching them the industry, teaching them how to have a business worth owning. So what are three things a brand new agent should do to get their career off to a good start?

Speaker 2:

A business plan.

Speaker 1:

Good, I like that one. I think that's great.

Speaker 2:

Plan of action and you know a sphere. They need to work on getting a sphere and developing that and social media. Social media is a really important. You know what better way to let everyone you know and love what you're doing.

Speaker 2:

You know, and I even tell them, we'll help you, we'll give you properties that I list. You know you promote with it because you're not saying you listed it, but you're saying, look, this is for sale. And you start building your image yes, listed it, but you're saying, look, this is for sale and you start building your image yes, building your image. It's just that, that's a hundred percent. Build the image, work on your sphere right. And what was the first one?

Speaker 2:

um you're not even listening to me what about education oh well, education goes without saying, as mel kasoi would say yes your mind has to be like a parachute it should always be open there you go and I like that yeah I really like that.

Speaker 2:

Even in my where I am in my world, I do, I watch youtube videos, I do any training that comes around that you can go to because you could learn just one thing. Yes, that will cause you to make earn more income. There's nothing wrong with that education. I know our training and things that we have. I I am a big my meetings. I always do my best to bring one thing that they can learn right, one tool that they could use in their daily business to better understand or to take advantage of.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely right, and sometimes agents get stuck in their own lane. It feels like it's like oh, I have my own thing, I'm doing it my way and I don't. You know, we wrestle with this lead follower, get the hell out of the way. So you want to get out of the way if they're successful. But it's like you can always improve. You know I can always be more effective, more efficient, more productive.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

You know, and being more productive doesn't mean I have to work more hours. You've got to work smarter. Yeah, exactly so challenging those agents is important? I feel it is, but if they bring that important.

Speaker 2:

I feel it is. But if they bring that heart, if they bring that soul and they want to do it, we're going to do it.

Speaker 1:

Yes, exactly, okay. So I just want to call out to our audience, real quickly, a quick reminder If you're enjoying today's episode, remember to like and subscribe. We'd love to have you as a future subscriber of the podcast. Also, please make sure you stay around for the drop the mic question at the end. It's always a lot of fun I'm scared you should be, you should be, but it's always fun to see where it goes.

Speaker 1:

All right so, all right so sheila um, let's pivot a little bit, okay, so when you're not leaving the east meadow office, what are some ways you like to relax or recharge?

Speaker 2:

oh, I like to like to read. I love to read. Believe it or not, I go to church. Okay, I you know. Most people are like you go to church, I do, I like to walk, hearing some of those swear words in between.

Speaker 1:

I know Now. I know why you go to church and I'm being good now?

Speaker 2:

No, I do. I like to go to church, I do like to read, I like to work out, I like to hang out with my son. We do hiking. I do a lot of hiking and rock scrambling. I like a challenge out there. I guess there's something wrong with me, but I do like you know, I like to Like hiking people, oh, hiking, but we hike hard and we do scrambles, it's fun. It's a challenge that I like.

Speaker 1:

So here's something else. If you could spend a day anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Speaker 2:

Anywhere in the world. You know it's funny.

Speaker 1:

Don't say East Meadow, no.

Speaker 2:

I won't be saying East Meadow. You know what? It's funny. I think my bucket list. I'm going to Italy.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

You haven't been there yet, right? I'm going to Italy.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you haven't been there yet, right? No, all right, it's a great tour and we're going to the Vatican. Yes.

Speaker 2:

And it's funny, when they said, you know we're going to go to Italy, I was like, okay, my sister goes, we're going to go to the Vatican, she goes.

Speaker 1:

I know you want to do that, yeah, and I do. So you know what?

Speaker 2:

I'm going to be experiencing it in April. By the way, I'm taking time off, oh geez, I'll let HR know.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, that's awesome. Now you did touch on something else, by the way. You touched on your son, eddie, right, and now Eddie is a pretty phenomenal drummer.

Speaker 2:

He is. Yeah, you know he is. So what's it?

Speaker 1:

like being a drummer's mom.

Speaker 2:

Loud.

Speaker 1:

Loud, very loud. So who's the hell's idea? Is it to buy a kid drums anyway?

Speaker 2:

Well, his father is a drummer. So Eddie grew up with a drum set in the house, there's no doubt. And there was Eddie, his cousins, they could play at any time. And Eddie, when he was in elementary school, they said all right, you have to pick an instrument. So the common thing was all right, I'll do the drum. He really wasn't like. He's like I'll do it. The first parade he walked in he had to carry that big drum and hit it in in like fifth grade or whatever it is. He comes over the finish line. We go to pick him up at the end of the parade line and I'm like eddie that was great.

Speaker 2:

He was sweating, he took the thing off, he goes. I am never doing this again, never, I'm done. And we were like really, and now he's got like six drum sets, he records, he does videos.

Speaker 1:

He's in a band, right yeah he plays live music.

Speaker 2:

He's working with somebody now that is doing their own original music and he's doing the bands, the drums behind it.

Speaker 1:

So what's it like as mom to go see him perform?

Speaker 2:

Ed is good because Ed goes and I'll say was that good? Because I don't know. And he goes, that was great. Something happens, I go, was that Eddie? Yeah, he made a mistake. It's very nerve-wracking for me because I'm blown away that he actually can get up in front of an audience and do something like this. So as he's doing it more and more, I'm getting a little bit less panicked about it.

Speaker 1:

Ah, there you go. Speaking of family right. Family traditions are good. So do you have any family traditions that you look forward to throughout the year?

Speaker 2:

yeah, there's a lot, but I think my favorite family tradition is christmas yeah they all come over. There's probably, and on a good christmas there's 35 of us yeah and I make them play games structured chaos.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we play games. I make them, they all. We have to go around the table and I'm like, yes, we do, and I make them go around and say, what was your favorite gift that you ever got? You know like I try to. I don't know, I get a kick out of that and what I love now my great nieces and nephews. I was.

Speaker 2:

They slept over a couple of weeks ago, right after christmas yeah and we were upstairs in my room all laying on the bed talking and they go okay, let's play a game. I go all right, what caleb he goes, let's play what was your favorite. So the games that I teach them, they are now playing back with me. I love it and that's a tradition. And left right center is a tradition, oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's because you're playing for money.

Speaker 2:

Yes, right, that's right. That's a classic. I like that one.

Speaker 1:

So all right, Sheila. I want to pivot a little bit to giving back. So obviously I think there's a tremendous giving culture within American homes and you're definitely a big part of that, you know what have you felt made a real difference with one of your agents or the community?

Speaker 2:

There are many moments yeah. And I have a lot of individual agents doing really good things.

Speaker 1:

Yes yes.

Speaker 2:

But what blows my mind and I could almost get emotional over it, but it really tickles me my agents every year say what family are we adopting? And they don't know that we did it. The family, it's completely anonymous. Sometimes we get it from the school, sometimes we get it from the foundation and Carol Pope always runs it and even if I don't bring it up, my agents are on me Did you get a family? Yet we're going to do adopt a family, right, what are we going to do? And there is one family that we got from the foundation and the foundation supported a little bit. It's a grandma with four children and mom and dad are not in the picture and it's really you know what.

Speaker 2:

This grandmother stood up and said I'm raising my four grandchildren and if she could do that we can support her so the foundation did it once and we've done it two times, I believe for christmas, yeah, where even brian carp has contributed that to me.

Speaker 1:

We made a difference in that person's life, yeah so when you say adopt the family, just so everyone's on the same page, it's for the holiday.

Speaker 2:

We do the holiday shopping gifts and stuff so that they have a meaningful christmas yeah, every child should wake up on christmas morning and be excited, yes, even if it's only for that day. You know they're surrounded by a lot of maybe not so nice things right so my agents go at.

Speaker 2:

We had. We had a customer come in one time with maybe like a three-year-old kid and the child. When my agent went outside, the child was in a car seat, facing backwards with their knees up against the back of the seat. The child should have been turned the other way. The car seat wasn't designed to do that and the parents didn't have money for a car seat. We got a car seat in an instant. They came in and said Ma Sheila, this is what's going on.

Speaker 1:

You're like the house, mom.

Speaker 2:

I feel badly, we have to do something, and we went okay, and a car seat was bought for this family and no fanfare. We called the family and said come back to the office handed them the car seat and went inside.

Speaker 1:

What I like about it? It's not about the bows, it's about the results, which is great.

Speaker 2:

But it makes them feel good. See, that's the thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know, we had an agent that had cancer and radiation and chemo and we set up a drive schedule and we would pick the agent up and my agents did this. It wasn't my idea. We pick her up, drop her off, pick her up, bring her back and it was my turn to drive. She's like this is ridiculous, tell them to stop doing it. I said I will never tell them to stop doing it. She goes I'm embarrassed, don't do this. I said look, it's not about you. It's not about you. I know you got an issue here. It's not about you. It's about how they feel, knowing what they're doing to help you. Don't take that away from them.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's like okay, fine.

Speaker 1:

And it was helpful for oh, sure yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but you know you don't want to be looked on as Pity door pity. They weren't pitying her, but right right. Yeah, but that's see, that, to me, is just so strong. It's the foundation, it's the people that we have, it's what they do and I love it. I love being a part of it. I think it's really a good part of this. So how do?

Speaker 1:

you encourage your agents to get involved in giving or in the communities.

Speaker 2:

To tell you the truth, I don't really have to encourage.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

They find a circumstance and they come back to me and go this is what's going on. What do we do? I don't you know. If there's like the community pride day and all that kind of stuff, yes, I'll bring that to the table, right, right, but circumstances, things that go on, they they rally, they do themselves. They come to me. I'm actually, wow, I should have thought of that. But no, they are self-sufficient on that end. They come up with stuff.

Speaker 1:

I kind of feel like it's such a big part of the culture there that when somebody a new agent meaning joins that office they plug right into that vibe. It's impossible to miss.

Speaker 2:

It is, it is and they'll. You know they'll end up with a mentor or someone there that they do connect with.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know they don't well, my agents. You know my office. They're not my agents, I don't own them, but they're not afraid of other agents coming in and stealing their thunder or you know they're very open to the more, the merrier they. You know I'm not your best recruiter. However, my agents come to me and say this is a person you should be calling this. That to me that's, that's powerful, and they're not afraid of other agents coming in and stealing their business or doing better than them. It's just a really good, wholesome group that we work with at East Meadow. Yeah now.

Speaker 1:

Now, obviously, we have the Heart of American Homes Foundation, which is our in-house arm for charity. What's a charitable cause or initiative that's especially close to your heart, and why?

Speaker 2:

St Jude's.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know what? I'll give you all the money in my wallet. Don't make me listen to the stories about what these kids go through. I could get emotional sitting here thinking about it. We've been to conventions, I've left. I've actually gotten up and walked out of the auditorium because I can't listen to it. It is so heartbreaking some of the things that go on and St Jude's is there for them.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, St Jude's would be my St Jude's is one of my favorite too and one of the things I always pride about. On a charity, I think or I look for it, maybe I should say is a high dollar amount or percentage should be going to help people Absolutely. I know there's overhead sometimes, but St Jude's has a great track history of having a very high percentage of every dollar actually going to help people.

Speaker 2:

How could you have a charity and that not be?

Speaker 1:

Well.

Speaker 2:

I know I can't. I won't give to those unnamed charities. I won't. I always look before I give. Yeah, so do I, and St Jude's is one of those that I love.

Speaker 1:

It's a great call on that. And the other thing I love about Heart of American Homes is that it's 100% goes back, because it's a complete volunteer. You know staff, so to speak, board of directors. There's no employees. It's housed rent-free within our offices, Even an accountant just you know donates Any time they've got to reconcile the books, so we're able to get 100% of the money out to the community.

Speaker 2:

You know it's funny. I was going to say I give the most money to Heart of American. Homes, but they didn't want to like do that if I had to do an outside charity. But I totally agree with you and St Jude's is on that level, yes, and it just kind of takes a little more specific for the children that are having health issues.

Speaker 1:

Oh my God, how that could be. I can't. All right, so I want to you know, really just remind our audience real quickly again if you like what you're hearing here. But we'd love if you subscribed and liked. And it is now time for our Drop the mic question. What's a secret ambition or guilty pleasure that no one knows about? For me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I want to be a pole dancer. No, I want to dance. Wow, a secret ambition. You know what I would like to be? This is going to sound so boring. I would like to be like a is going to sound so boring. I would like to be like a Martha Stewart not Martha Stewart.

Speaker 1:

Is that Martha Stewart in jail or is that Martha Stewart? Better living Martha.

Speaker 2:

Stewart with Snoop Dogg.

Speaker 1:

No.

Speaker 2:

Like, I like homemaking, I like decorating.

Speaker 1:

And I like I.

Speaker 2:

just I like the warmth and like if I, if someone said, okay, this is it, maybe in retirement to take furniture and flip it, to really be creative and make an old piece of furniture a new life. I know it's boring, but I think that would juice me. I like that. There you go. That wasn't so bad.

Speaker 1:

No, I would not have guessed that. That's awesome. Yeah, so all right, great. Well, sheila, I want to thank you for joining our show today. If anyone in the audience wants to reach out to you about whether it's about real estate, a career in real estate, uh, charity, just uh. How do they reach Sheila McKenna Olson?

Speaker 2:

Well, you can call me in the East Meadow location or certainly on my cell, 516-322-1946.

Speaker 1:

Great Sheila love having you on the show. You did a fantastic job. Thanks for having me All right and look forward to seeing you guys in two weeks for our next episode.