Realtors in RVs - Alysia Stern with Scott Semones

Scott Semones of Lennar in Myrtle Beach recently appeared on Realtors in RVs, the engaging podcast and video series hosted by Alysia Stern. The show takes a fresh approach to real estate by bringing industry professionals together in a relaxed RV setting, where conversations go beyond buying and selling homes. Instead of focusing only on the market, the program highlights the personal stories, career journeys, and experiences that have shaped successful real estate professionals, giving viewers an authentic look at the people behind the business.

During his appearance, Scott shared insights from his real estate career and his role with Lennar, one of the nation's leading homebuilders, while discussing the importance of customer service, building relationships, and helping families find the right home. The episode reflects the show's mission of inspiring both consumers and real estate professionals through meaningful conversations, practical industry knowledge, and personal success stories. By combining professional expertise with genuine storytelling, Realtors in RVs continues to showcase the people making a positive impact in the Myrtle Beach real estate community.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:44

So welcome, Scott Simonis. Now, funny thing, that's how you say it, right?

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Right, you said it right.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

I said it right. Probably good job. We're on the show. Good work. I have been calling him Scott Simolini, Simoloni's. I call you everything.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Everything, yeah, but I've been called a lot worse. You have been.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

You were telling us some of the names that you've been calling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, oh, so what I call you like Pinoli Simonoli. I think that's what I call it. Right, I like it. It's cool. You like that one? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

I might change it.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

We'll keep it the same for now. Yeah. But I met Scott a handful of years ago. He's one of the corporate realtors that I work with. I'm residential, general brokerage, and he sells corporate. And that's how we met. We've done a couple deals together. Dude, do you like general or you like residential?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

I actually never did general. So I started in new construction sales uh about 11 years ago. Well, about 12 years ago now, almost 12 years ago. Down here? Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Not in Michigan. No, you're originally from Michigan.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Right, yeah, yeah. Down here I started, oh, it was more like 11 years ago. Um, so I only've done new construction sales. So uh haven't done the general real estate yet. Maybe one day, but right now I do love selling new construction for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Yeah, I know. I and I love it too. But tell how do you go from being DJ Dizzy going from school to do film production and stuff like that to real estate. How does that change that things?

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Originally from Michigan, um, got uh out of high school, went to college, uh, decided to do plumbing for a week and a half. Oh wow. And I was like, plumbing's not for me.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Jack of all trades.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Yeah, yeah. Then I went to be a police officer. I was like, yeah, I'm not that's not for me either. And then um kind of got lost and just started doing just regular uh retail work. So I then I ended up working at a bank, and then uh the bank, uh, my old regional manager that lived up there moved down here and he was sending me pictures at the beach on in December when it's 75 degrees here. Oh yeah, and I got really jealous, and me and my buddy said, Uh, we're gonna move down there and you're gonna get us a job. And uh we actually, it's a funny story, we surprised him. So it was um it was like a Wednesday, he sent us a video. That Saturday, we you know, I was 22 at the time, 23. I was irresponsible and just had nothing going on. Exactly. Knocked on his door and uh he answered, and uh he was shocked to see us. We're like, hey, we're here.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

48 hours later, after seeing a picture of a beach.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Yeah, well, he was doing this for months. He was doing this for months, but then we told him. But we warned him, we said, We're coming down and you're gonna give us a job. He was a regional bank manager.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

But now 48 hours later. Yeah, he had no idea.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

So we knocked on the door and he opened and we're like, We're here. Surprise. And uh that that was Saturday, that like Tuesday, we got a job.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

It was awesome. Now, did you have to go back to Michigan, pack up your stuff?

SPEAKER_00 3:25

No, we we packed all our stuff, me and a buddy that were also in banking at the time. Um, and we just moved down here and carefree. Yep, so I worked at so I did banking and it was retail banking. It was in the grocery stores when people are shopping for eggs and sandwiches and stuff. Uh, I'm bugging them about opening up a checkmaking case.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Um, so I really, you know, after that I really loved sales, so then I did retail sales, sold furniture, sold uh stuff at Verizon, and was helping a lady sell uh buy her or she was buying a tablet. And uh she said, Wow, you're really good with people in sales. Have you ever thought about doing new construction sales? And I was like, What is that? I had no idea. And uh gave her my resume, harassed the hiring manager for a few months, and then got in and never looked back.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Oh wow, changed my life.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

I love it.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

I love it. Okay, so now where how did you meet your wife along the way? Because you are very happily married, you have some children.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

So uh at the bank that I worked at, um, I met her at a party at the time she was married, so I obviously ignored her. Yeah. Um, and then uh years later I was um walking through uh the grow the bank was in the grocery store, so it was inside Kroger. So I spotted her with another girl that I knew, and uh I Facebook messenger slid in the DMs.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

That's how that that that's how everybody does nowadays. You slide into the DMs.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Yep, slid right in there, and uh, you know, she she had a three-year-old at the time, and I mentioned her kid was cute. I had a little girl at the time, so um, the rest is history. I love it. We just celebrated 10 years uh this past March.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

And didn't one of your daughters get their driver's license recently?

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Well, she got it at 15 and a half. The day she turned 15, she got her permit, and 15 and a half she got her license.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Get out of here. Now, how is that driving with having a teenage driver in the house?

SPEAKER_00 5:04

It's scary.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

It is scary, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Yeah, yeah. She's she's responsible though. So so far, so good.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

So where do you work now?

SPEAKER_00 5:13

I'm with Lenar. Um Lenar is the second largest builder in the country. Um, we're here locally. I sit over at Beachview, which is in Grand Dunes. Um best neighborhood. I'm biased, but I think it's the best new construction neighborhood in the whole area. I mean, you're walking distance to the beach, to the ocean club. Um, so yeah, I'm really biased, but I love my neighborhood. So um, but I can also, you know, as you know, we sold some together. I can sell everywhere. So we have you know neighborhoods in Lores, Brunswick County, um, town homes at Forestbrook and Myrtle Beach. So we have a variety of homes here.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Yeah, now it what is it about the Lenar product that you're drawn to?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

I do love um the construction aspect. Uh our quality control team is part of our warranty department. So when someone purchases a home, um the walkthrough that we do is called a celebration walk. So a lot of other new construction companies, you're taping up the house the whole time. With us, that's already been done prior to the celebration walk. We want the buyers to celebrate their purchase. So we want them to learn about their warranties, learn about how the home works. Yes, if they see cosmetic stuff, they can definitely tape things, but we want them focused on the actual excitement of buying a new construction home. So the quality control team does that walk um before a week before the buyer does, and then the construction manager on site has to have all those items fixed prior to walking the buyer, or they lose out on a good chunk of their pay. So a hundred percent of the time they're gonna get it done because their pay depends on it.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Right, exactly. Now, when I get calls for people that are moving to the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you know, Conway, the Grand Strand area, they want specific things. They want a wooded yard, gestos, a party shower, they want a community pool, they want all of this stuff. And I go on the hunt to find them. I type in certain things on the MLS, and the majority of the time Lenar offers what my people are asking for. And that's how we ended up doing a couple days together. And you guys also, the biggest bracket that you fit in outside of the one that you're sitting at, but the price bracket of Lenar is so perfect for my clientele retirees. Yeah, let's talk about the retirees because that's my audience, buying the Lenar product. What are they getting on a pension in Social Security?

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Right. I mean, you're getting uh quality, you're getting uh right now we actually changed up uh some of our features. So now we're gonna have basically a move-in package, and buyers are gonna be able to get a washer, dryer, fridge lines. Yep. And this is this is uh not for like a temporary time. This is going to be for the future. So I don't know how long that future will last, but it's gonna be it's not like a temporary time. So um it's not at every neighborhood, it's at majority of them. Specifically specifically what you're talking about, your you know, your uh uh value home, your you know, the price that's at a really good price, those are gonna be uh get the move in package. So they're gonna have blinds, ring doorbell camera, shower door, um all the things. So that's that's that's coming soon. Um it's on certain homes already, uh-huh, but it has to close. It's uh it's based on when they started. So um it's not like moving ready ones right now, but it is like in the next few months, ones that close, we'll all have them. I and it's not every neighborhood, but it's majority of them.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Because I just brought a buyer to you like two months ago, and I'm like, Scott, what happened to the fridge, washer, dryer, blinds? Like, we don't do that anymore.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Well, since you said that, I told them you asked me that, and then they they made a switch. Dude. Yeah, you got power. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got power.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

No way. I mean, that is something because we have people that are relocating, and a lot of them have to sell to buy to come here. Right. So they're on, they're selling, they're closing on their house, and they're on their way here, but there's no fridge. Right. You know what I mean? So you you're bringing it back.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

We're bringing it back. Uh-huh. Yeah, I'm so excited for that. Yeah, I'm excited. And at the price points that we offer, it's a it's a steal for a lot of your buyers. Yeah, no. First-time retirees or investors.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Yeah. Now, I want you to look straight in the camera. I want you to give your email, your cell phone number, your website about how people, if they are first-time home buyers, investors, relocators, retirees, how can they get in contact with you to find out more about the Lenard project?

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Yep. Uh, my cell phone number is 843-655-8271. And my email is Scott.simonas at lenard.com. And Simonis is spelled S-E-M-O-N-E-S.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Not Simolinus.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Not Simolinus or Simone's, or I've heard others.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

All right, outside of real estate, who is Scott? What do you like to do when you're doing something?

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Um, I love being a dad. I'm uh I'm uh I'm big on family. Um I have a teenage girl, as you talked about, 16, and I have my stepson, he's 18. Um, we just took them on a cruise. Um Royal Caribbean, it was amazing.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Yeah, how was your vacation?

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Yeah, it was awesome. It was seven days.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

He was supposed to film here two weeks ago, but he was cruising like in the Caribbean to make it here.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

But I I love being a dad. I love joking around. I love I love working to be honest. I love you know social media and you know being funny on there and trying to get interest. I mean, on my side as a new construction agent, um, we have to sell to agents to bring your clients to us. So I you're you know, you're you're my client. All the other 5,000 realtors in Myrtle Beach, they're I actually my clients. So I gotta I want to entertain them, make sure they see that I'm you know human, I'm funny, I can take care of their buyer, but at the same time not be boring. And um, so I love you know just posting silly things on Facebook and you know, Instagram, trying to get more agents to call me to you know sell new construction homes.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Yep. Some of your Facebook posts, yeah. I I see them, I wake up in the morning and I am rolling on the floor. Where do you get your content from?

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Uh sometimes it just pops in my head or I see like a viral thing, like the Country Music Fest and the guy that chugged the tequila. And I, you know, with AI now you can do everything. So I put a picture of me with Randy. It looked like I was standing there with him. Um so I just uh I like using AI for comedy purposes and things like that. It's also, I mean, it's great for other things, but um, I don't know, I just I've always been kind of goofy and funny and just try to, you know, I love making people laugh, so I just think of random things. Sometimes I copy things I see on Instagram. Yeah, like, oh let me copy that or tweak it a little bit and make it you know more how I would do it. So but a lot of times it just comes right from the dome.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Yeah, I love it. I love you. You make me smile. I look at I follow you on Facebook and Instagram and I laugh. You really you have a great personality. Thank you. I appreciate that. Health. Let's talk a little bit about health. You recently went on a health kick and dropped a lot of weight.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Yeah, about four years.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Tell everybody how you did it because you look amazing.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yeah, so uh little cheating, um, but uh really working out. Uh I didn't do the shot or anything, but a lot of working out um diet. Um, it's been about a four-year journey, about 125 pounds down, so no more sleep apnea, none of that crap. So um I've been working out at a gym called the Yard. Shout out to the Yard in Myrtle Beach. Um, great gym. Um, but yeah, it's just been uh watching what I'm eating and dieting.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Well you look you look fancy. Thank you. I appreciate it. I mean, because I probably met you, I I'd been here four years. Yeah. Probably met you about four years ago. What a transformation.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Yeah, yeah. Still working on it, still a few pounds to go, but uh the cruise didn't help. The wind jammer, you know, you can get a little uh you can stuff your face there, but uh yeah, it's uh it's going good.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

All right. So back in the day, Scott was a DJ. They called him DJ Dizzy.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

Now, can you do the boom, chica, chicka, boom?

SPEAKER_00 12:48

You know, like those things, those that sounded like a that sounded like a dog. I don't even know what that was. Yeah, I don't know why I just did that. Cut that out.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

No, we're gonna keep that in.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Now chica chica chica chica choo. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

You like run DMC? That's the ice.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Yeah, I used to do a lot of weddings, and then I did this one bar. Um I actually used uh virtual DJ, so it was like a laptop setup. It was kind of how I rigged it and I had a spinner. But I still had a spinner. I had one spinner. I had one. Um, so you know, you can like that.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Um, but yeah, I'm uh I haven't done that in so many years. Oh yeah. Yeah, and that's when music was good. That's you know, I play a lot of 90s and early 2000s.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

You gotta love that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

The new stuff. I can't get it.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

I think I'm getting old because the new stuff is just I know, it's not getting I'm not it's not grabbing me either. I like the old I like 80s, 90s, and the early 2000s too. Same. What about you, camera girl? What do you like?

unknown 13:43

Same.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Same. Okay, all right. So it's getting a little hot. Let's go get a glass of water in the RV and then we'll end the show.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 13:53

All right, you want a water?

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Uh I got one.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

Okay. Yeah, well, I'm gonna grab a water. Okay. Now, Scott, before we end the show, I want you to tell everybody. Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

Cheers.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

I want you to tell everybody look right in the camera.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Again, phone number, website, email. How can they get in touch with you? Can they get on an email list?

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Absolutely. Okay. Yep. So my email is Scott.simonas at Lenard.com. And my last name is S-E-M-O-N-E-S. And my cell phone, you can call or text me anytime, is 843-655-8271.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Or you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook, Scott Simonas. Just look me up and uh follow me and see my all my crazy videos.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Alright, two more questions. Have a seat. So let me ask you this.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Is it here?

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Right here.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Alright.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Okay. Let me ask you this.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

Part of the show I like to give back to the newer agents that are starting out support, you know, from your personal experience from all the failures and successes that you have seen. I want you to look right in the camera, say directly to the new agents. Three words of wisdom and advice to get them through the tough moments.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Definitely persistence. Stay persistent. Stay on the path. It's it's a roller coaster. But you know, there's rewards up at the top, and then when you go in the valleys, there's only one way to go and it'll be up. So just keep being persistent. That's uh that's that's a big one. Okay. Yeah. Um also um I read a book called Attitude is Everything, so uh definitely just keep a positive attitude no matter what is going on, because uh there's no closing that goes smooth most of the time. There's something going on. So just always try to keep a positive attitude.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Perfect. Now, incentives, you're gonna have the we're we're not gonna talk about incentives because they change all the time quite a bit. Yeah. So I don't want us to get in trouble. I did that once before, I threw an incentive out, and then it ended up. So I I don't do incentives anymore. But um, if people subscribe or if they give you, they call you, they give you their email, and they get an email from you, you'll keep them up to date on all the new communities, new incentives, houses that have to be sold.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

And our uh our market team does an excellent job with uh promoting every single you know sale event that we got going on. So right now it's 4th of July sale. So um I have flyers that will show all the moving ready homes and I can email those out on a regular basis.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Okay, great.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Well, thank you so much for coming on the show.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

You're welcome, Realtors and RVs, sponsored by Serafina Creative and filmed by Studio 93 Podcast.