Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandon Archie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brandon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Over the course of your career, have you seen or experienced your industry completely flip-flop or change course on something?

During the pandemic in 2020, interest rates were at historic lows and everyone was in the market to buy or sell. At the same time people are getting laid off from their jobs and instead of finding new jobs, many decided to get their real estate license because of the low barrier of entry. The market was so hot that a brand new agent could literally just throw a house on the MLS (multiple listing service) and it would sell in less than 24 hours for over the list price. The appeal of making an $10,000 commission check for doing practically nothing was so appealing to so many people that 2021 saw a record number of real estate license applications!

Fast forward to mid 2022. Interest rates have more than doubled and the average home price is about $100k higher than it was prior to the pandemic, leaving many people not being able to afford to buy a home. People aren’t listing their homes anymore because they will end up paying a lot more than what their current mortgage is for the new house, and buyers aren’t buying because they can’t afford it. As the year ends and we go into 2023, we’ll see more than half of those agents that got their real estate licenses in the past 2 years leave the business and go back to regular jobs.

My point in sharing those facts is pointing out that a lot of the agents that got their license during the pandemic have only experienced a hot market where they didn’t have to do much to sell a home or find clients. Clients were blowing up our phones without us having to do much, but now that has changed. Only the agents that have built a solid foundation and skill set will survive the current market that we’re in and come out victorious on the other side.

My focus is and always has been educating people and building lasting relationships where I am positioned as the trusted professional that has their best interest in mind. I send out a monthly newsletter called “How’s The Market” where I discuss what has changed in the market and where it is headed. my goal with this is to keep people informed month by month so that they can make informed decisions in terms of buying and selling. I also have a couple different Youtube channels, “All Things Real Estate” and “Moving to Minnesota”. One of them is focused on answering common questions I get and talking about various real estate topics and the other is focused on providing info to people who may be thinking about moving to Minnesota. The market has definitely slowed down and things are going to get tough with more agents competing for less business, but the agents that have built a solid core will thrive.

Brandon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Brandon Archie and I’ve been a Real Estate Agent in Minnesota now for a little over 3 years. I work in residential real estate and mainly work with buyers, sellers and investors. My main goal is helping millennials like myself build wealth through real estate by providing education, expertise and advocacy. I’m active on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube and I post regular content on a variety of different real estate related topics in an attempt to educate anyone who is looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate.

What sets me apart from others is that I put out info without expecting anything in return. I’m not the agent that’s calling a hundred people a day trying to convince you to sell your house. I feel like most agents get a bad rep because their are ones out there that only care about the check. For the person that wants to buy a home but doesn’t know where to start or is too intimidated to talk to someone, I’m the person for them. I post tons of videos which makes it easy for people to get the info they need, and gives them the power to reach to me when THEY’RE ready. Not me blowing up their phone asking when they’re going to buy. I pride myself on building real relationships with people and not being salesy.

The biggest thing I’m proud of is when I’ll have a client text me months after they closed on their home and send me pics of what they did, or ask for my opinion on what color they should paint their door. That shows me that I not only did a great a job but I also made a new friend. My favorite part about my job besides helping others is building those new relationships and knowing I played a part in a major event in people’s lives.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think my natural personality did that. I’m very easy going and always smiling, which makes people feel at ease (So I’ve been told). I also love to entertain and make people laugh. I like to add a sense of humor to my real estate videos to make them both informative and engaging, which leads to more people watching them. I also listen to my clients. When they tell me exactly what they want then I don’t send them anything outside of that. When people feel like you’re actively listening to them, they want to keep working with you. If you told me you wanted a single family house and I tried to sell you a condo, I don’t think you’d want to work with me very long.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I sound like a broken record but it would be building relationships. When you do great work for people then they will refer you to others, and so on and so on. about 80% of my business so far in 2022 has been referral from either past clients or people that I know. You can throw as much money into marketing as you want to but if you’re not out building real relationships with past clients and the people you already know then your business won’t grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: ArchieHomes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonarchie.realestate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandon.m.archie/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC91QwMWasq8Poqfa7Xgjv-Q
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAgVeH9pRaTiGR3cU-_erwA