We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angel Wright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Angel , thanks for joining us today. Have you ever experienced an industry-wide U-Turn? Tell us about it?

Getting into Real Estate was not something I initially planned on  doing. I had worked for a large chain grocery store since high  school and had moved up the ladder within that company. It was  great money but I knew I wanted a change. Being 25 with more  than 10 years with a company is unheard of, I was afraid to start  over but I knew it was time. All I needed was a push. February  2020 comes around and gives me the gigantic push I needed. I  found out I was expecting my first child! My husband and I were  so excited, but with the pandemic upon us, we knew putting our  daughter in daycare was not an option. Thankfully I started taking  my Real Estate courses in December 2019 and knew that I  needed to get them completed before my daughter was born. I  completed my courses and received my license in September  2020 and gave birth in October 2020. 

When you get your license it’s good practice to have a brokerage  lined up. I found a brokerage and was there for 4 months without  a single transaction. I knew I would not be able to build my  business with a brokerage where I was not being developed. This  was my biggest fear about starting a new career. Not being  trained or having a mentor I could rely on. In February of 2021, I  was contacted by a broker stating she noticed I was a new agent  that had not completed any sales. What did I have to lose? I met  with her at her office and after conversing for about an hour I  decided to transfer my license. 

You did not have to be a real estate professional to know that the  2020-Spring 2022 housing market was HOT! Interest rates to 

purchase a home looked like car rates. (We closed on our home  at 2.65% in October 2020!) Homes were being sold before agents  were able to put a “for sale sign” in the yard. The average homes  were on the market for 10 days and homes were being sold for  nearly $50,000 over the asking price. So it’s safe to say during  this time you did not have to be a great Listing Agent nor did you  have to know how to write a competitive offer. If your clients had  the cash and could guarantee an appraisal shortfall you were  likely to have an accepted offer. As the summer and fall of 2022  approached the housing market started to change. The Federal  Reserve began raising interest rates and in the fall rates were  over 7% for some loan types! You were not seeing homes fly off  the market, nor did you see homes being sold for significantly  more than the listing price. Sellers were starting to offer closing  costs and rate buy-downs to get their homes sold. This both  worried me and excited me. I knew this meant it was time for me  to start training on topics like writing contracts with contingencies,  and how to market a listing in a market with higher rates. While  it’s still considered a seller’s market, (since there is still less than  6 months of inventory available), it does take more work when it  comes to listing properties, and is still hard to find my client’s  homes in areas where inventory is scarce. 

Only being an agent for two years I have seen a real estate  market that we may not see again anytime soon. It was a bit of a  shock to see how stable the market is becoming and I am grateful  that I have a team to help me navigate through any challenges I  may face. In any career, it’s important that you continue to  develop yourself so that you remain abreast of any changes and  you stay at the top of your performance. I am excited to see  where my career goes this year and can’t wait to expand my  career and help more families find the perfect home.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Being a Real Estate Agent is more than just selling homes. You  are an accountant, a counselor, a landscaper, an interior  decorator, and most of all a problem solver. I always knew I  wanted to be in a career where I could help people but never  looked at real estate as an industry I would get into. After leaving  my prior career after almost 11 years, I was afraid to enter into a  new career. Especially since I was starting a career in a new  state. My husband and I relocated to Virginia from Georgia for our  previous jobs. Real estate is one of those industries where it is a  huge benefit to know people and your community. To have  connections with businesses and most importantly, know the area  your clients live in or are looking to purchase in. I was lacking all  of those and knew that if I was going to be successful I needed to  network and develop relationships. 

Thankfully I left my previous job in good standing and was able to  keep a lot of those connections. I also volunteered for my local  United Way and built amazing relationships with people from  within the nonprofit community. Along with my Brokerage  providing me with referrals, I was able to close transactions and  build relationships with my clients. After reviewing my sales from  my first full year as an agent, I noticed that ALL of my transactions  were from referrals from my previous job. This showed me that if I  nurtured those relationships I would be the agent they referred  their friends and families to. 

Customer service is a field I would like to say I am an expert in. I  was a Customer Service Manager and trained many associates in  providing premier customer service. If you cannot provide your 

clients with great service then you have already lost them.  Patience, being a good listener, and providing sound advice is  what sets me apart. I make sure my clients feel heard while also  being realistic with them regarding their needs. I have had many  clients tell me that it did not feel like they were dealing with a new  agent. Since I am a newer agent, I make sure to excel in serving  my clients, and by doing that, the rest will fall into place. I always  tell them that if they have a question I cannot answer, I can get  the answer from my amazing and well qualified circle of influence. 

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I love to read and write. I have a blog titled “The Wright Life Style  Blog” and it’s helped me be a better mom, agent, and writer. I  attribute my success with my writing skills to the amount of  reading I do. The book that has taken my management skills to  the next level is Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif  Babin. This book highlights the importance of taking responsibility  as a leader. Owning up to your mistakes and being responsible  for the success and failure of your team. The authors of this book  are both Navy Seals and their perspective on being a leader and  managing a team is eye-opening. Ever since I read this book I  have been a better leader. I know that if something fails instead of  blaming a member of the team, as the leader I have to look at  myself and see what I could have done better. This is important  with real estate. When you have a transaction you are dealing  with many individuals, attorneys, lenders, the buying and selling  side, and my Transaction Coordinators. If I don’t communicate  effectively or provide documents promptly, the transaction may be  delayed and could potentially fall apart. As the leader of the  transaction, I must provide each party with all information 

promptly, and if something is overlooked or incorrect I address  and change course if necessary. 

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Communication is important in every relationship. Purchasing or  selling a home is not something most people do frequently, so it’s  imperative to keep your name and face in front of your clients as  often as possible. Since all of my clients have purchased or sold  their homes within the last 2 years they are most likely not ready  

to conduct another transaction. This means I need to find other  ways to keep in touch with past and potential clients. The most  important way to track your communication with your clients in  getting a great CRM. My brokerage provides us with a CRM so  

that we can send email blasts, flyers, or mailers to clients. Every  month I send updated market stats to all of my clients and  potential clients so that they are aware of the latest market trends.  I also send an informative article, the most recent being a step-by step guide on selling your home. Lastly, I like to include a fun  article, like this month’s email regarding the new exhibits at our  local museum. Doing so allows me to send my circle of influence  3 different emails a month, and if they are ready to buy or sell or  know anyone who is ready, they will see I am constantly keeping  in contact with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelwright.joynerfineproperties.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angel.wrightrealtor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelwrightrealtor
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/angel-marie-wright-922505128
• Other: https://www.thewrightlifestyleblog.com

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