We were lucky to catch up with Brendan Blocker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brendan, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Our education system does not properly prepare students for life after school. Some of the most important skills that people need to live a better quality life are not taught in schools. After graduating high school, and even college educations, people often do not have a good understanding of credit, financial literacy, wealth creation, or even how to pay bills. All of which are key aspects to living a more comfortable and higher quality life. Those who do have a good knowledge and understanding of these topics often learn these skills from family members, mentors, or by trying and failing many times. In other words, the information needed to at least get a basic grasp of these topics is typically not widely available. One of the main reasons I love my career in real estate is that I get to help educate people on some of these topics. For example, I have seen people of all ages with misconceptions about the process and benefits of purchasing a home. Typically when people are presented with the information, they are able to determine the best decision for themselves and it doesn’t have to take much thought. But when poorly educated and uninformed those financial decisions become a lot tougher to understand and may seem out of reach. Up until I began my career in real estate I didn’t understand a lot of how money works and it wasn’t until recently that I have come to learn more about financial literacy. It has made a huge difference for me and my outlook on my career, my life, and building wealth. If I could change one thing about the educational system it would be to include education on finances, credit, etc. This would greatly improve the lives of so many people and ultimately uplift our society.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Brendan Blocker. I was born and raised in Spokane, Wa where I currently work as a Realtor/Real Estate Agent. I’ve been licensed for just about a year at the time of writing this, and the experience and knowledge I have gained so far has been life changing. I never would have imagined myself in this position as a real estate agent. I always knew I wanted to be successful in business, but I never knew where that opportunity would come from or where I could start. That opportunity came when my mom moved out of state and had to sell her home. She worked with some great agents, one a longtime friend of hers who was new in the industry, and after talking with them trying to understand the process I was asked if I wanted to join the team. Initially I wasn’t sure, but after a couple of months I was excited to begin my courses and get licensed! My goal as a real estate professional is really to educate and bring amazing service to my community. There is a large percentage of the population that could benefit tremendously by getting the knowledge and understanding of home ownership, but resources for things like that can be hard to find and/or trust without the proper knowledge. Another way I try to separate myself is staying on top of the latest technologies and strategies to give my clients the most leverage, the best information, and ultimately the best experience possible! Everything I do I give it my all. I understand that in life you get out what you put in and that has been instilled in me since I was very young. I am blessed to be doing what I do and have the opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives every day, while also becoming the best version of myself!

Any advice for managing a team?

When running a team the most important thing a leader or manager can do is have a great, strong mindset. Everything starts with mindset and if the manager has a bad mindset then it will spread to the whole team!bRunning a team in business is not much different than sports. A coaches job is to make sure their players are properly trained, know how to work together, and how to utilize the different strengths of each player. Managing a team in business is no different, weekly trainings/skill building and connecting with your team regularly is important to keep everyone on the same page and the business functioning properly. Setting clear goals for the team, and for each individual will also help with keeping the everyone on the same page, and can improve performance. When people are collectively working towards the same goal or goals they feel much better and are more motivated to work to reach or exceed that goal.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I had recently started working with new some new clients. A mother and daughter purchasing a home together, both first time home buyers. The house they were renting at the time was sold and the new owner was evicting them from the home, so we had to move fast. We began the searching process and they liked the first home we looked at and wanted to submit an offer. We negotiated with the seller’s agent and could not come to an agreement. With my clients pretty bummed we continued searching, and made a second offer on a home, which ended up being secured by another buyer willing to pay more than my clients could afford. The search continued, as my clients were getting more stressed about their housing situation. We were able to get an offer accepted on the first house that they wanted in the beginning, however, upon inspection we learned that the home had major structural problems, so we exited the contract. Back to square one with time running out. Th landlord was gracious enough to give them another month to complete the transaction, but we needed to get a home quick, as transactions typically take 30 days to close. we looked at several houses and I wrote about 7 offers in total, most of them being beat out by competing buyers willing to pay more. My clients were becoming more fearful and were considering calling off the search and finding somewhere to rent, but decided against that. Ultimately we found a home that they loved, even more than the first home they liked, and we got under contract and made it to close. But not without more hiccups! During the transaction we had a problem with a lender, and repairs that had to be made to complete the sale, which required quick action and resilience from all parties, and ultimately every party left the transaction very satisfied! Moral of the story, never give up and look for every possible solution to any problems that come up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brendan.spokanearearealestate.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blocker.realestate/?next=%2F
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blockerrealestate