We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ali Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ali below.
Hi Ali, thanks for joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
One of the best investments I’ve ever made was into my personal development and growth. It was something that I was intentional about because I strive to be a better father and role model for my children. I want to be someone that they can look up to and be proud of. Getting into real estate not only challenged me to get out of my comfort zone, learn new things, and meet new people, but it also provided opportunity for me to get into my first leadership position as the Bay County Realtor Associations Public Relations Committee Vice Chair, and that pushed me to get active in my community. Getting active in the community is another one of the best time investments that I’ve made. It’s something that I’m passionate about and I can often include my family as well which is the best part for me. Being able to give back to the community that supports me and to do it with the ones I love, while showing them what is possible and building a legacy is one of the best investments I can think of. By doing so, I’ve motivated my children to become young entrepreneurs and excited them to get more involved in the community and the activities that I’m a part of. I’ve learned that there are many benefits to helping others when you do it for the right reasons, and you’re not looking for anything in return.
Ali, 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 started as a real estate agent in 2017. I wanted to become a real estate investor, but I had more time than money to invest. I figured that getting licensed would be one of the best ways for me to gain knowledge of the industry, create the income needed to invest, meet a mentor, and make connections with other people in the business. I’ve been successful in purchasing 2 income properties and looking to purchase more in the future. I enjoy helping my clients navigate through the processes and sometimes challenges of selling or buying real estate. Whether it’s providing market knowledge, referring clients to other licensed professionals, negotiating sales prices, repairs on the home, handling multiple offers, addressing title issues when they come up, and the list goes on. It’s the challenges you face that make you a better and sharper Realtor. What sets me apart from other agents is my willingness to go above and beyond to provide exceptional service to achieve outstanding results. I am most proud of being able to help home buyers and sellers globally through my referral network. I’m passionate about helping others in whatever their real estate goals may be. Experience Authenticity Loyalty Integrity with Ali.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
The best advice I can give on building a social media audience is being consistent and staying visible. It’s important to be your authentic, genuine self. Let your passion shine by connecting with the things that you love to do, and just have fun. Your vibe attracts your tribe! Keep a positive attitude as much as possible, but also be transparent when things aren’t always great also. People respect and relate to realness and you never know how you could be helping someone by being vulnerable and transparent with what you’re going through. We’re all human and sometimes connect more through our pain and adversity more than our successes and triumphs. When I started to take notice of my social media growing, it was during a time I was having the most fun. In 2018 I was a part of the Real Men Wear Pink campaign with the American Cancer Society. Connecting to a well known entity, and cause that we all know someone affected by, and creating a fundraiser event to raise awareness for breast cancer gave me a platform that raised my personal brand awareness as well unintentionally. While I was focused on raising money and soliciting local businesses for silent auction items , the community started to take notice of this “man in pink” getting a ton of support. As I posted the items online and gave the businesses recognition for their generosity, more support and items started to flow in. Moral of the story, I was doing something I was passionate about, having fun doing it, and not looking for anything to gain. In the end, I gained notoriety, respect, and trust which helps to fuel my business to this day.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Resilience sometimes is just not taking no for an answer, or giving up in the face of adversity. I’ll give you an example through a transaction I’ve worked on diligently until it closed. This one particular transaction was a short sale, and with those the process can be long and daunting. Time was of the essence, the foreclosing bank moved slowly, and they really hindered the process. We lost two buyers due to the length of the process. Finally, we got a buyer that was patient but the time to complete the transaction before the deadline was nearing. Both the buyers and sellers lived in different states, so the closing documents had to be mailed and returned in time to meet that Friday deadline. There was a mishap with the mail. When I spoke with one of the representatives, she assured me that the time had passed, and there were no possibilities for us to extend or close. My sellers would lose their home, and have a stain on their credit. I didn’t accept that. I made calls until I got to the right person that said what I needed to hear. We closed that transaction the following Tuesday.
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Image Credits
Golden Gallery Photography and Framing Beauty in Me Harbour Light Photography