We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rylie Schroeder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rylie below.
Rylie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
The unfortunate reality is that real estate agents are often compared to used car salesmen. The even more unfortunate reality is that it’s not entirely false. I’ve run into my fair share of agents whose priority is to simply sell. Who could care less about the ethics behind what we do. Who are unable to look past the check at the end of the day. And to be frank, it sickens me.
The barrier to entry into real estate is far too low for how serious, and large, of financial transactions we are handling. This is, for most people, the biggest purchase they will ever make or the biggest sum of money they will ever transact in their life. Having the ability to get your license and transact without experience is terrifying, in my opinion. The industry standard, frankly, is on the ground.
My team and I are determined to elevate the real estate industry. We train our agents and require a certain amount of transactions shadowed before you are handling them on your own. We are constantly offering training and mentoring, something all of my agents are eager to join because all of my agents truly care about the community they serve. We are better compared to your specialized doctor or attorney. All of our agents are full time and transacting multiple closing per month, providing our clients real time market trends and updates. We place an emphasis on constantly learning and growing, to ensure those we serve are served by the best in the industry. Ultimately providing a luxury experience, regardless of the price point.
Rylie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Rylie Schroeder, Real Estate Agent and team lead of 13 absolutely bada** agents who operate in Houston, Austin or San Antonio. I actually had my sights set on real estate as my career since high school! I knew, and my family recognized, from an early age I needed autonomy and answering to a boss was never going to allow me to reach my full potential. I went to college at Texas State with a marketing/sales concentration and chose to get a sales job after graduation to enhance my people skills. The truth is, I’m quite an introvert. I thrive on data and emotions tend to drain me. I knew I needed experience in the workplace in order to approach my real estate business as a true entrepreneur and refine my weaknesses.
Once obtaining my license, I, once again, had my sights set on joining one specific real estate team. I knew I wanted to hit the ground running. I had heard how difficult the industry was to break into and I wanted to learn from the best. I wanted to be the number one agent on the number one team. I knew that would come with smaller commission checks, but it was worth it 10 fold to me. I was a little over a quarter of my commission checks while most agents make close to 80-90%. After multiple interviews, I landed a spot on the team I had my eyes on for years and found a mentor who was willing to teach me everything she knew. Within 6 months, I was the number 2 agent on a nearly 100 agent team and my mentor was #1. I wanted to be different from the average agent. Looking around the room, at the #1 team in Houston, I had outworked and outgrew agents who had been in the industry for over 10 years. It was no coincidence. I was willing to work and learn. I was willing to sacrifice and boy did I. As I am writing this, 5 years later, I still 100% believe it was worth it. I closed over 125 homes in under 2 years, giving me the experience of many agents who have been in the business for over 8 years! I did what I came to do and it was now time to help others elevate their business, as well.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Upon leaving the #1 real estate team in Houston and exploring my next venture, I ended up partnered up with two other agents from that same team. We decided to create a team based on shared values and goals and to say we were excited for our future together was an understatement.
Mind you, I am coming from churning and burning closings. In May of 2021, I sold 16 homes in that month alone. 75 closings that year. 65 the year before. We were now partnering at the end of 2021 and I was so burnt out, though excited for a change in pace and the opportunities to help other agents grow their business as well, creating an additional stream of income for myself and my partners. I was confident my business partners and I were on the same page and felt my passion reignite when I started marketing and building our brand. I was excited to not have to produce like a wild animal and settle into a regular life where I was able to prioritize my family, my health and my wellbeing. Something that had gone to the wayside while I outproduced my peers for 2 years straight.
In a matter of months, it was clear we weren’t as on the same page as we all thought. I remember the first disagreement, mainly directly at my lack of production, was 4 months into the partnership. Again, I was burnt out and mainly excited to build our new brand that I was so proud of. I am, frankly, still extremely proud of that brand, the website, the social presence I built. I was also going through my most devastating (personal) life experience to date and truly needed time. My understanding of the partnership was that we were exactly that, partners. We could conduct our business not only how we saw fit, but however our life allowed in each season. Wasn’t that the benefit of owning a business or being the boss? Unfortunately the disagreements continued and I felt less as a partner and more back into the toxic environment of our previous team where my value as a person and agent was directly tied to the number of closings I had. I saw no willingness to empathize with me, understand who I was as a person or support me or my vision for the team, either. What a crappy feeling that I wish on no one.
Insert the pivot. I made it a year. It was the hardest year of my entire life. It changed who I was to my core. I knew I wanted to lead a team. I knew I had what it took to build an incredible brand and offer something unique to agents. I knew I could do it alone, even though just a year prior I had doubted that, which put me in the crappy partnership situation in the first place. I needed that experience to gain that confidence. To believe, myself, that my value as a real estate agent is not tied to the number of closings I have. I don’t regret it, as tough as it was. It put me exactly where I needed to be. It reconnected me with my first two hires at Schroeder & Co. A team of now 13 in less than a year. A beautiful brand with 100% 5 star google reviews. A team that agents are proud to be a part of and clients are excited to work with. And we are just getting started!
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
As it pertains to real estate teams, the thing is they are simple to start. As with becoming an agent, there are next to zero requirements. I know someone who started a real estate team the moment he got his license… why? Anyways. This doesn’t mean just anyone can do it and be successful! The advice I have for managing a real estate team is to recognize your priority is no longer producing. Your priority is the agents who have chosen to trust you and help build your brand. Your priority is helping them learn, grow and be successful. If you don’t trust your agents enough to not micromanage them or hand off clients to them, you shouldn’t have hired them. And again, that’s on you. Not the agent. If that’s the case, it’s time to refine your hiring strategy. Building a real estate team is like building any other business. You should have something of value to offer your agents (and clients) and you should continue to grow as a leader for the sake of your team. It’s not a job to be taken lightly. Having a solid plan for finances, marketing, SEO and branding is not something taught to us as real estate agents. Take the time to learn to build before building. It’s whats most fair to not only you, but the agents you hire.
I believe maintaining high morale starts with the hiring process and being selective around that. If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no. Not just anyone SHOULD be a fit. Protect your culture. Hire to ethics and morals. Ensure they are coachable and willing to immerse themselves as a team member. When everyone wants to and is excited to be there, everyone involved is more successful!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.schroederandcorealestate.com
- Instagram: @rybabess
- Youtube: youtube.com/rylieschroeder
Image Credits
Dillon Moss