We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Hobart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Beth, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?
When I am looking to hire talent, I check to see if they have ever been a server in a restaurant. If they have been, I know that typically that person will be a hard working self starter, someone who can usually navigate different personality types and situations, and will go above and beyond to make someone’s experience a great one. Well, that is the hope, anyway, because my own server experience is what shaped how I have grown my business over the past 18 years.
I worked at a restaurant on I-Drive, putting myself through UCF, and getting my degree in AD/PR. I would carry business cards with my basic information on them, since I was trying to get an internship, or even better… a JOB! I would work hard to go above and beyond with each table that finally, right before I graduated, 2 people on the same night mentioned the same ad agency. I felt like it was The Universe trying to tell me something! Both of these people said to call the ad agency and use their name when I called, and gave me their contact info. The next day I called the ad agency, name dropped, got an interview and GOT THE INTERNSHIP. Soon that internship grew into a full time job as the receptionist. But within a few months, I found myself wanting more. I loved watching the designers create incredible work, and thought that was the direction I wanted to go in. So I would go into work early at 7:30 am most mornings, sit with the Creative Director, and for months he took the time to teach me all of the design software. The next thing I knew, I was designing publications and was support on all kinds of creative projects… all because of that one night in the restaurant that would change my life forever!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I moved to Florida from NJ in 1996. My parents had relocated to Palm Coast, following my sister and her husband down when they moved there for a new job. Soon after, I decided to move down to Florida as well, after growing tired of NJ winters and since that was all that I had ever known. Although close to the beach, Palm Coast wasn’t inspiring. I moved to Daytona shortly after and within a year I knew it wasn’t a great fit. Orlando was my next stop, and my thought was that if it didn’t work out there, I would head back home. I started at Valencia, then moved on to UCF, graduated in 2000 and never looked back!
I was an art director at an ad agency for several years, and then in 2004, moved to England with my fiancé, Jim. We were doing design work for a real estate company that was selling homes to British people in Cyprus, Spain, Bulgaria and other places that were hot spots at the time. We would create all the marketing pieces, and then attend the sales conventions. I remember thinking how terrible the salespeople were, and that if I was in that position, how I would do it so much better. You could tell that they only wanted the sale, and didn’t really care at all about the people involved. It was more transactional than personal, and it really bothered me to watch this happen.
We moved back to Orlando in 2005, and the owner of the real estate company (which was based in Orlando) mentioned how I would be great in sales, and asked me if I would consider getting my real estate license and working for his brokerage. At the time, I didn’t want to focus on design work anymore and wanted a change, and thought he might be right. So, I jumped in and got licensed, and then right as I was starting to gain my footing and have some successes, the housing market crashed, and everything changed quickly.
For the next several years I was learning how to navigate foreclosures, and helping people avoid foreclosures through short sales. That’s all there was at the time. I remember showing homes with no air conditioning and electric in the Florida heat, sweating profusly and trying to maintain my composure while being extremely uncomfortable. Some of the foreclosures would be missing kitchen cabinets, entire bathrooms, or would have tons of damage. You had to be hyper-vigilent to make sure your buyers were purchasing a property that wasn’t a money pit, and on the seller side, I had to make sure to secure a buyer in record time to avoid the home going into foreclosure. It was really dificult, but I was able to help a lot of people, and I learned so much during that time. Jim kept telling me to stick with it and not to give up. He could see that I was great at what I was doing, even before I could. I am so glad that I listened to him. Being able to help my clients, fight for them and know that I was making a difference, gave me the strength that I needed to keep on going.
It’s been 18 years now, and I truly love what I do. I get to work with people at the most important times in their lives… marriage, divorce, pregnancy, births, deaths, upsizing, downsizing and everything in between. I am in the trenches with my clients and I have the opportunity to make a difference and have real impact in their lives. I get to be along on the journey with them, and be part of their story, and I don’t take that for granted. My empathy and tenacity is what keeps me going, and helps me form strong friendships that last beyond the transaction. I’ve built a reputation on being trustworthy, knowledgeable and someone you want in your corner, and who gets the job done. And I have built a solid brand that I am known for, with my custom closing bags made in Haiti (providing jobs each time I place an order), my red coffee mugs and my love of coffee.
I have a small but mighty team, closing $30+ million in sales last year alone. Laine and Josh help me take care of all the details from start to finish, and many have joked that we are practically spooning with our clients by the time we close! We help wrap people in a cocoon of support so they know every step of the way that we have their back, and will hold their hand throughout the transaction. The difference is going above and beyond and making sure that our clients are always taken care of.
Thanks to my incredible team, I’ve been the #1 agent for closed sales volume at Mainframe Real Estate for the past 5 years, and have been voted Best Realtor in Orlando by Orlando Weekly’s Best of Orlando 4 times.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My hard work and dedication has always set me apart, and has helped build my reputation over the past 18 years. Other agents know that I am great to work with, and my clients know that no matter what, I have their back and will help them achieve their goals.
I had a situation where I represented the buyer, and was helping them purchase a new home. Early on in the transaction, they agreed to a 2 day leaseback to the seller after closing. Unfortunately the seller became increasingly difficult as the transaction progressed. My buyers were getting worried that she may not leave by 11:59 pm on the move out day for the leaseback, per the agreement. So, there I was, at 11:45 pm on a balmy Orlando night, sitting with my buyers parked outside the house, making sure the seller was out in time. It took until 1 am, but the seller finally vacated, and I helped my buyer unload a car full of clothing into the house, secure it, and then headed home to bed after 2 am. They turned to me at the end of the night and said “We don’t know of any other realtor who would show up in the middle of the night to help us like this!” (The listing agent ignored my texts that night, and never bothered to show up.) It’s moments like these that make a difference because you form strong bonds with people. They know they are more than a commission check, and that you genuinely care. And of course, in the end, it makes for a good story that we can laugh about now!
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
If you work hard, and put your heart into everything you do, it shows. My business is 100% referral based and word of mouth. That takes a long time to build, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Most of my contacts are warm leads who feel connected to me, and vice versa, since we know the same people. It makes my work feel less like work, and more like I am helping a friend, and that’s where my heart is. Knowing I am making a difference and able to help, is all that matters.
I always stay in touch, having countless coffees, lunches and dinners with my clients. I send handwritten notes for home anniversaries, and gift cards to coffee shops if we can’t meet up, so they can have one on me (since coffee is my love language) until I can meet with them in the future.
Each year I have a Client and Vendor Appreciation Party to say thank you to ALL of my clients, people who refer business to me, and to thank all the vendors for having my back and taking care of my clients. I also loop in some of my favorite local businesses to pop up during the event so I can support local businesses as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bethhobart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethhobart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethhobartrealtor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethsellsflorida
- Other: Personal FB page: https://www.facebook.com/bethhobart/ About my client bags from Haiti, which I am really proud of: https://youtu.be/ztIhoSchGsI
Image Credits
Norma Lopez Molina