Realtors In RVs - Alysia Stern & Brianne Bender

Realtors in RVs with Alysia Stern is where real estate meets real life. Filmed on the road in beautiful RV settings, this unique show highlights the people behind the business cards. From top producers to industry professionals, guests share their journeys, their challenges, their successes, and what life looks like when the workday is over.

Hosted by Alysia Stern, the show is fun, authentic, and inspiring. Whether guests are sitting by a campfire, walking through an RV park, talking by the water, or sharing stories over coffee, viewers get an inside look at the personalities, passions, and adventures that make each guest unique. Every episode also supports the mission of Cans and Crayons, helping children in need through food and art supply donations.

This episode features Brianne Bender, a dedicated real estate professional serving both South Carolina and Florida. Brianne brings her knowledge, experience, and love for helping clients achieve their real estate goals while sharing a glimpse into the person behind the profession. Join us as we laugh, learn, and discover what happens when the business suit comes off and real life begins.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:28

In today's episode of Realtors in RVs, we have the awesome Brianne Bender. She wears more hats than I wear wigs. When you meet her, you're gonna want to open a bottle of bubbly with her. Come on in. Alright, guys, we're here. Another episode of Realtors in RVs. Today's guest is the awesome Brianne Bender. Brianne Bender is a broker in charge with Innovate Real Estate, their Florida division. She's also a Realtor here in South Carolina. Welcome to the show, Bray. Thank you so much, Alicia. I'm so excited to be here. Yeah, I'm I was so excited to have you when you accepted the invitation to come on. We have so much to talk about. Now, one of the things that I, one of the reasons why I started Realtors in RVs is A, I wanted to highlight other Realtors, and I also wanted to give back to the younger, the newer, the up-and-coming, free-spirited agents that are starting. Because when you graduate school and you have all that knowledge in your head, is it is completely different from the day you actually put your foot on the ground and you start working. Everything you learn goes in one ear and out the other. You may remember jargon words or stuff like that, but the actual experience and becoming a top producer or someone at your level, you've been doing this for over a decade, it takes experience. It takes grit, grind, and a lot of hard work. And I d I sometimes I feel the newer agents that are getting licensed post-COVID think it's so easy and it's not. So I wanted to start this platform to give back and to offer support to all the newer agents that are starting. And you are one of the most supportive people that I know. You are a phone call away for pretty much everybody in multiple states in South Carolina and in Florida. What is that like?

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Um, it can be hectic sometimes. And uh actually, this year is my 20th year in real estate. Oh, so you're even more seasoned than I thought. What, 20 years? So what made you start doing real estate? Actually, uh my husband and I moved here from Indiana, and we were both in uh well, I was in customer service, he was in engineer engineering, and there just wasn't industry down here. So we bur we both worked for a manufacturing plant up there. And um, so when we started moving or thinking about moving in this direction, we started looking at what was available. And I was already in customer service, so uh I applied for a position as an office manager for a small real estate company, and that's how I got my start. And I, you know, within a few months I was answering questions for the owner, and then she's like, you need to get licensed, and so that's just how it all started.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Wow, and it's changed 20 years. The industry has changed. I had Mark Loomis on, and he was talking about the book, you know, how they sat him down and had to make phone calls out of a book. How has the real estate industry changed in your eyes in the past 20 years?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Uh it's definitely had its ups and downs. So when I first came in was 2006, and so the market was, you know, really good, things were crazy. You know, we were selling things in two days, and then the market crashed. So we went through that, and then it started to come back, and so we've been up and down um since I've been in the industry, which is really, you know, not surprising. The industry goes up and down, that's just what it does. Um, but I think now we've we've gone through so many different trials and tribulations as an industry, going through the NAR lawsuit and through some practice changes that everyone's getting used to. And so I think it's become more challenging for new agents, and especially if they don't have the right leadership in place that can help them through it. So that's one of the things I'm passionate about. It doesn't matter what company that you're with, um, just making sure you have the right education is the most important part.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yeah, and I agree with you. Speaking of leadership, you started the uh the Realtors Young Professional Network, or let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Yep. So when the Young Professionals Network um came out from NAR, you know, they were encouraging different local associations and state associations to start their own chapters. And uh that's one of the things I was uh very proud to and blessed to be involved in is starting our first ever chapter in South Carolina for the Young Professionals Network. Um I don't remember exactly what year it was. I think it was 2010 when we started.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Yeah, it was about that 15, 16 years ago, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Yeah, yep. And I've been so blessed to just kind of watch it flourish. You know, I was the chair for maybe four years before we actually kind of found a groove, and now it's just kind of taken on a life of its own. We've got um the lar well, the second largest YPN 10 in 10 pledge um leaders of in the entire country. And so I'm just incredibly proud of that. The leaders that have come behind me have done an amazing job getting our agents involved and getting getting people to give back to the community.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Yeah, and it's it's it's crazy. I see it all over social media, how many up-and-coming young agents are really thriving. I know when I I'm a 70s baby, and when I was growing up, it was okay, you either you go to school and you get your college degree and you get a job and you work for somebody else, or you don't go to school, you get a job and you work for somebody else. And we were pretty much a civil service family, mostly first responders in military, and that's all that we knew. So for me to get my real estate license going almost nine years ago, um, I feel like I'm one of the um first entrepreneurs in my family. Like I didn't join the military, I didn't become a first responder. I'm kind of like that pink elephant in the room, but I love it. I I I I really love it, and I wish I would have when I watch those young professional network videos or get invited to some events that they're having, I say, wow, I wonder where I would be today if I would have followed my heart 20-something years ago. You know, now you teach a lot of classes, and you just recently taught one on AI and education. Education to me is so important. You can't just go to school, get your license, and keep it moving, which I know a lot of realtors when it comes to doing CE, we're all like, oh, 20 hours of CE. But we need that. It's it's part of growing, it's part of learning. This is a two-part question. Part one, you were head of the uh South Carolina, the CCAR, I believe, when the whole NA lawsuit came out, and we had to take the classes to learn about the new buyer agency. That was a huge thing nationwide. But the other thing is you recently just taught a class and packed house. Um, let's talk about you giving back, because I'm a huge person to give back. I feel like we have that in common. Giving back in a classroom setting. Um, what are you giving back? Like AI classes, law, yeah. Yeah, personality, like not personality, but uh, how do you work with with people like let's so I I've been an instructor for the state of South Carolina since 2014.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

And um, I really got that license to help do CE and professional education for the brokerage in the beginning. And I I just I really love teaching others. And part of being a broker and broker in charge is to help teach the agents how to do the business. Uh, like you said, when you go through class, they don't really teach you how to do this business, it's all about how to pass the test and how to get your license. And so I've just been involved in that educational side of things for so long. Um, I decided I needed to really work on giving back. So I my license is with Pennifort Real Estate Academy, and that's who I'm teaching for. Now we just developed the AI um advantage for real estate professionals. I'm so curious about that. Yeah, it's a great class. It's really just uh almost base level information about what agents need to know to make sure that they're staying on top of what AI, what's happening with AI right now. So we go over, you know, mastering biorepresentation with AI, your listing consultation, uh marketing, and what you need to do to make sure you get found by AI, and then AI business planning. So making sure you're always able to make those quick pivots with your business plan instead of just writing it down once and never looking at it, looking at it again. But we're really focusing on adding some professional development. That's kind of what I'm working with them on, adding the professional development side of things and um different classes that agents can come take to learn different pieces of that too. And that's what Pinnacle's really about, Pinnacle Real Estate Academy. They really focus on how can they be different than other schools? All of their educators have uh gone above and beyond getting different certifications to make sure that they are staying on top of what education looks like for adults. And uh they actually just ventured into the schools too. So they've just recently signed some contracts with schools to start allowing or providing real estate instruction in high school. Oh that's really exciting.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

You see, if I would have had that 30, 40 years ago, maybe I would have come down. But I guess God has a plan, you know, for everything. So another question, the part two to that was in 2024, you were the president of the CCAR association. When the NAR lawsuit, you know, came to be around August of 2024, I think it was, and all of a sudden the buyer agency changed. Now it was so confusing. We were hearing chitter chatter from here, chitter chatter from there, but it was like, okay, what is actually going on? Callbriebrender, callbrie bender. Like, how did you pick it up? How did how is it explained to you? And how did you navigate through that crazy time with your phone must have been ringing nonstop between South Carolina, Florida, and probably a thousand other places as well?

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Well, I mean, the good news about how we've always taught buyer agency and seller agency is you represent a client in the transaction, whether it's the buyer or the seller. The documents in South Carolina didn't really have to change much because the buyer agency already explicitly states that you're representing the buyer, and this is how much the buyer is, you know, saying that they're going to pay you to work with them. So the transition for South Carolina and the actual paperwork and what needed to be done wasn't a lot. It was really practice, standard of practice for agents. And a lot of agents, um, because of how compensation was handled or has been handled for nearly a hundred years with regards to how it's paid, just had a little bit of a hard time figuring out how to explain it the right way to can to consumers. And that's really where the lawsuit came from, right? Agents not being able to explain agency correctly to the sellers and buyers or not being taught correctly. And I think it was an amazing opportunity for us as agents to embrace the fact that we do provide a lot of value. I mean, I can't tell you, I mean, you know how many years sometimes you work with people before they actually go forward with the transaction. So you've you start working with a buyer, they're not necessarily ready to go right now. You've got two, three. I just closed on a property with clients that I've been working with for five years. Oh, wow. I mean, how many people are going to work for five years and not get paid anything to help somebody do something? And that's what I think consumers don't understand is a lot of times we're working hours and hours and years trying to help people find property, and the service that we provide is valuable. So it really became about having the right conversations. And fortunately enough, like I said, in South Carolina, we kind of already had the outline for what needed to happen. It was just educating agents on the right wording to use. Right. Because the reason the compensation had been set up the way that it had is because traditionally buyers are not allowed to finance compensation. And the only way that they could get representation was for it to be built into the contract. And that's what was not clearly uh discussed it with regards to the lawsuit and the reason why it had been set up that way. So I think that it actually, in hindsight, is a good thing. I think the changes that have come, which it wasn't practice change in South Carolina, it was big practice change in Florida because they didn't even have required a buyer agency beforehand. So all of those agents, even though they work with me and were taught to put buyer agency in place because that's how we've always done it, most of the agents down there were never taught that. So for the c the different states that didn't have those laws already in place, it was a big change for those agents on how to have those conversations. Now, thankfully, we're, you know, almost two years in to some of the practice changes. And I feel like it's getting a little bit easier. I don't know if that's what you're saying, but it's getting a little bit easier for agents to have the right conversations and help consumers understand how compensation is handled. And we're still able to sell real estate. You know, we're still able to move forward. We haven't uh, I would think I I well, in my experience, agents have always been the first ones to give up funds from their compensation to help a buyer or to help a seller. We do it all the time. Yeah, we do it all the time, whether it's just to make the deal happen, to make sure our clients get taken care of because there are fiduciaries. Yeah. And it's not us to get in the way of helping a transaction move forward. And that's not what the press gets, right? They get all the people that are upset with their agents because their agent didn't do a good job. They don't get the millions of agents that will, at the drop of a dime, say, Absolutely, let's make this happen for you, because it is the American dream of homeownership to own something, to have a, you know, legacy to give someone else, hopefully, for the future. And I think it's given us an opportunity to be better.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

Yeah, I you know, when it first came out, I was a little nervous of how I was going to explain it. And I feel like you helped me along the way with that. You helped a lot of agents along the way. I know what it's like for me. I'm not a broker in charge in South Carolina, but the newer agents do tend to call me and say, Alicia, what do you think I should do? What do you think I should do? Between my clients, between the newer agents, and I'm not a bic. How the heck do you take all the phone call? What time did your phone start ringing in the morning? And what time do you are you finally like, I am done. I'm pouring a glass of wine, the night is over. Sorry guys, I'll see you tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

We did have to start instituting a little bit of uh um what's it called, guidelines on when calls were coming in and when we could stop because during the lawsuit, during everything, as things are going on, you know, it's concerning for agents, especially when they don't have the answer and they they need to get the answer. So uh, you know, we try and I it's nine to like seven, eight o'clock sometimes if somebody really needs something, but you know, there is no real emergency in real estate. Yes. Unless the house is on fire and then you call the fire department or you know, something of that nature. But um, we've done a good job, and I think the other brokers in charge that have jumped on top of this of trying to provide recorded training that agents can always have access to and um have a consistent message.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Very nice. Well, every show I like to highlight the agents that are coming on or the industry professionals. So this is your chance. You're gonna look right in this camera, you're gonna drop below your website, your emails, your contact information, and here we go.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

My name is Breebender. I am a broker in charge in South Carolina and Florida. You're welcome to reach out to me anytime. I'm always help, happy to help a fellow agent. You can reach me at Brebender at gmail.com or 843-231-0402.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Now you own homes and boats, boats and homes. I I can Boats and Homes. Boats and Homes.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Yep, boats and homes.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

So are you also selling boats or are you is it just the title or so boats and homes team um is kind of a play on something that came out of a movie that's just really funny. And my husband sells boats and I sell homes. So now we're the boats and homes team. So it's really helped because um, you know, him having that knowledge of water weight properties really helps uh myself and the agents in Florida that are really trying to specialize in waterfront properties, have a little bit extra knowledge about what types of watercraft can go in the water that they're in, what the depths are, um, you know, where the bridges are, because we are we're sailboat people. So we live in a sailboat here in South Carolina and we're in a condo in Florida. So you know, speaking of RVs or you know, smaller places, right? Um, so that's kind of where it all came from. And so he handles the boat side of things, and I handle the real estate side.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

I love it. Now, is that only South Carolina or that's South Carolina and Flood? South Carolina and Florida.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

I absolutely and North Carolina actually, too, because our business partner um is in does North Carolina as well.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Nice. Now, in 20, was it 24, 25, a hurricane totally demolished your condo, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:19

What's going on with that? Yeah, so we were on vacation and um unfortunately we had the hurricane come through. Uh while we were on vacation, we got to watch it come slowly. Were you in Florida on vacation? We were in Scotland, actually. Oh my god, I have to be so far away. Yeah. So we just we kind of watched it roll in and then just kind of hope and pray because it had never we'd never had flooding and ever had a hurricane in that area ever. The building that we're in was built in 73, I think, and they've never had any any kind of um scenario happen like that. So the entire island, which is um Anna Maria Island, was underwater, which means we had a first floor condo, so our entire condo, you know, even though we only got two inches of water in the condo because it sat for so long, it soaked up and you know, we had to replace and redo pretty much everything. Is it are you almost done? Oh, everything's done yet. Oh, it is done. We got back in um actually March, almost a year or so March of last year. Okay. Um the the condo was fully renovated and we were able to get back in.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

All right. Well, I'm having a lot of trouble going from South Carolina to Florida because I'm also licensed in Florida. I work under Brie and on the Florida team. I love the Florida team, by the way. They're great. I love the Florida team. But I have a hard time going back and forth, and it's almost like I feel like you're just like, yeah, hitting down Florida. Uh back to South Carolina. Like it's so damn easy for you. Like a 10-hour trip. How the heck do you do it? I can't even leave here. I'm like, I'm like, I'm going to Florida, you know, for Memorial Day, but not for the holiday to get the house ready. You know, I haven't been there since last year, and you're just like, yeah, I'm in back to Florida.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

Like a piece of cake. How do you do it? Uh a lot of planning. Yeah. So trying to get things, I mean, we've been going back and forth since 2019. And um, I would like to say it got easier, but it doesn't. You know, when you're going back and forth, we were trying to build the Florida office um at the same time, still running some things here. And um, you know, I was president of the association at that time, so trying to finish out those requirements that I had of me there. And now we're actually able to spend a little bit more time in Florida. So it's been nice to actually put down a little bit of roots and just be there a little bit more often. As I say that I've been here for like a month this time. I know.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

I feel I I didn't even know. This is the longest I think you've been in South Carolina. For a little while. For like a straight line, right? Yep. All right, enough about that conversation. I'm gonna give you guys a little breakdown. You want to know a little bit more about Brianne Bender? Here it is. Meet Brianne Bender, the real estate queen who mixes boss moves with boat waves and somehow makes both look fabulous. She's gorgeous-driven, wildly successful, and the kind of woman who proves you really can have beauty brains and a yacht ready lifestyle all at once. As a powerhouse leader in real estate, Brie isn't just building an empire, she's helping others build theirs too. Because real success isn't just about winning, it's about making sure the people around you win bigger. Brie has become known not only for her incredible achievements across South Carolina and Florida, but for the way she pours into others, mentors rising agents, and helps people level up in the business and in their life. She's the definition of women supporting women, classy, confident, and committed to helping others succeed. And when she's not dominating real estate, you'll probably find her living that unforgettable boat life, sun-kissed, stylish, and steering through life like the captain she is. Whether she's closing deals, coaching others, teaching classes, cruising the coast, Brienne Bender is proof that success can be powerful, generous, and glamorous. She's not just riding weaves, she's making them. Brie, an 80s song. I mean, come on. You we are kind of dissimilar in age. I think I'm a couple years older, but we grew up in the 80s together. You know, there has to be some song that you absolutely love. There's gotta be something that resonates with you, lights ignites a memory or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

I don't know. You prepped me with this, and I had to go back and look. I'm like, is that in the 80s? Was that in the 80s? I don't know. I had to look up different songs. There's so many good songs out there. Um instantly came to mind is um not Mariah Carey, um, Winnie Houston. Which one? Um, I wanna dance with somebody. Ready? No. Oh the words.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Oh, I want to dance with somebody. Wanna feel the heat with somebody?

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Uh, you got another one? Um let's see. Gosh, now I've just gone completely blank.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

How about can't go wrong with Michael Jackson. Yeah, Michael Jackson's always a good one. Deb, where's on my camera girl? Deb, you gotta have a good Michael Jackson song. Beat it. All right, we could do the theme to the chorus to beat it, right? Yep. Three, two, one. Beat it! Beat it. Something. We thought we could do the chorus. All right, so we did our 80s song. So it's so funny because before like lyrics started, before the internet came out, I remember singing songs. I had my own chorus. I I didn't even know what the hell I was singing, but I thought I was singing the song. And it turns out once you read the lyrics, like, oh man, I was off a lot like that. I didn't know it. But I love 80s music. I guess if I hear it on the radio, I know on YouTube you'll get you'll get X'd and they won't play your video because you stole somebody else's song. So it's like I can't even play a beat for you that we can go to for this. But um, let's get back to some agents. Three words of advice, three experiences that you've had that you feel can help a newer agent that's just getting their license now. Gosh.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

Um I would say don't give up. Uh there, you know, the statistics say that over 80% of agents fall out of the business and within their first two years. And it's really because they see real estate on TV and it looks flashy and it looks exciting, and it's HGTB, and they look at three houses and they pick one. Whereas when you get into it, it's 60 houses later and three offers submitted and you didn't get it, and you can't get through due diligence because something comes up and it becomes really taxing. And so if I could say anything, it's just don't give up. And if you're not getting the guidance that you need, go find the guidance. Don't wait too long to make a move. A lot of agents will get in and they just wait too long and they they're not getting the education that they need, they're not getting the support that they need. And getting support is one of the biggest things in your first two years. Learning how to do this business, learning how to communicate with clients, and learning how to communicate with your peers. If you can't communicate with your fellow agents, you're not gonna move forward. And that's half the battle is just learning how to say the right things. Was there ever a time that you wanted to give up? Um, I don't not really. I mean, it's just kind of not in my nature. I'm just kind of one of those people that if I can't, if I don't know the answer, I will go find it. And um I think that's just kind of what has pushed me. I think the only thing that maybe is challenging for me is seeing people fail that I know have the capacity to do more. And I can't I can't want more for them than they want for themselves. That's the hardest part.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

I have that myself. There's a couple of new agents, and they're just I see the I see the tiger in them, I see the fighter in them, and they're just getting so frustrated so fast and just giving up before they even started. And I I'm finding myself getting saddened inside. You know, it's like you can that there's that saying you could bring the horse to water, but you can't make them drink, and it's never been so true to certain people that I've met along the way in the past, I guess, eight or nine years. I never saw it as much as I see it in real estate, like in other parts of life.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

I listened to a podcast um yesterday actually, and the speaker, it was I think it was Layla or Mosey, was talking about people just don't have patience anymore. There's no patience. And you have to have patience, especially in this industry, to make it. Yeah. Because you are not going to make it overnight. And if you don't have at least six months' worth of savings and you're jumping all in into real estate, it's gonna be really, really, really difficult and you're gonna really feel the pinch. Yeah. And I don't think most agents are prepared for that.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

No, they're not. And I and I I I blame it a lot. Not that I blame it, not that I had anything to do with it, but it's that post-COVID. Right after COVID, I mean, I bought my condo here by the beach, and when I look back on Zillow at the price, I think somebody bought it for $80, then sold it for $120, and then I bought it for $260 a year later. Like everything doubled. But during that post-COVID, that end of 2021 and 22 before I moved here, I became a top producer back in New York. And I, you know, the market just changed. And I think a lot of people saw that, saw that it was everything was happening so quick. I remember one open house, I had 30 families come in. I was getting 50, 60, 75, 100,000 cash over-ask offers. And it seeing that from the outside, like, oh, real estate is so easy. But that was just for a moment in time, that COVID post-COVID era. But after that, it went back to regular times.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Well, and no one even prepares you for that. Like a lot of agents or most of us are not prepared to have that many multiple offers, have to deal with that many different conversations. How to prep your sellers, how to prep your buyers for dealing with not only your emotional state, but your client's emotional state. I almost think like a psychology degree should be required to be an agent at this point. I think so.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Remember peanuts? Was it Lucy? Who would sit at the booth with the peanuts and have like the doctor five cents or something? I think realtors need that little photo booth thing hanging out. Well, before we end the show, I want to thank Brie Bender. I also want to thank our sponsor, Serafina Creative, for sponsoring the show. I also wanted to give a little plug about my charitable mission, Cans and Crayons. Cans and Crayons is an olive branch between local communities, small businesses, and children in need. We collect no money. It's art supplies and food. We do local pop-ups, and we're going to be coming to an area near you. So get ready for the Cans and Crayons local pop-up events nationwide. Free, thank you for coming on the show. I want you to look back in that camera. Once again, I want your website, your phone number, your email. How can people get in touch with you if they want to use you as their realtor or for any other reason?

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Well, thank you, Alicia, for having me on. I think your mission is amazing and helping, you know, young realtors or any realtor that just needs a boost or needs a couple kind words, or the next step is amazing. And so thank you for doing what you're doing. You're you're an awesome. Uh, but again, I'm Brebender. You can reach me at Brebender at gmail.com eight four three two three one zero four zero two, and we're boats dash and dash homes dot com.

SPEAKER_01 28:48

I love it. I just love the whole concept of that.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Thanks for coming on.