We were lucky to catch up with Brandi Whittaker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brandi, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

When it was time for me to get my license, I was so motivated… I paid my $40, and was studying up until I had to surrender my materials. As they’re calling my name to receive the testing supplies, get my picture taken, and take off any distracting jewelry I was thinking “I got this, I can do this!” Just speaking nothing but positivity in to the atmosphere. Now when it got time to take the test my anxiety kicked in, it was so quiet I could hear my thoughts thoughts, but I was so determined to pass I just tried to push past everything and keep the faith that I was going to pass. So now the time came to press submit, and I swore up and down that I would pass…. Well I did , but just not the national portion . So my dreams were a little crushed, but I didn’t give up . I went home studied some more than paid another $40 to take it again, and I still didn’t pass that time or the time after that. However I refused to give up because it was something I really wanted. After failing the national portion 3 times, I finally passed on my 4th try now granting me the title of REALTOR. The tears that filled my eyes, and that on top of the world feeling is something I will never forget. One thing I took away from that was the more I failed, the harder I worked to succeed.

Brandi, 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?

I grew up as a kid showing my parents newspaper clippings of houses and reading everything to them and trying to convince them we should buy it so we can move in there. From that it turned into a secret passion of mine that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. So here comes COVID-19 mid 2020. I am watching Selling Sunset in my room with children in the next room, and it hits me. That secret passion I had is now brought to the forefront of my brain, and now won’t leave. I decided right then and there I’m going to apply to a real estate brokerage to start as an assistant or something along those lines and apply for my license, and see where it gets me because as a mom I want to make sure I do everything I can to provide for my kids.

I found a brokerage, Keller Williams Realty Centre, that I’m still with to this day, and originally applied for a job that would pay pretty good, and at that interview I was told that I would not like the position I would be in based off what I want for myself in the next couple years which led for the MCA Jennifer Tinker to introduce me to Anthony Lacey ; who I’m the Executive Assistant and Transaction Coordinator for currently. Which then turned me to really focus on my business as well, and I’m grateful for that redirection !

When it comes to working with clients whether they want to buy a house, sell their current house , rent a property, or even invest I want to make sure that they know that they are well taken care of because I want them to know I’m in their corner, but at the same time making sure that we are being realistic when it comes to what price to offer on a house they’re really interested in a property, or even doing a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) so we can get their home listed at the right price ! We also even recommend lenders, contractors, home inspectors, home warranty companies, you name it !

Coming into real estate with an extensive background in customer service is something I would consider an advantage because it’s more than just doing the bare minimum and then expecting a commission check. I make sure to give my clients the best customer service experience because making a life changing decision isn’t always easy. So it helps when you are working with someone who is giving their all and communicating with you about what happened, what is happening now, and what needs to happen. Along with just understanding the motivations behind why your clients are doing what they are doing. I also love mention to my client that with my background of coordinating transactions and knowing how things go I’m able to prepare clients ahead of time so we can eliminate any issues that may try to come up ahead of time.

I am proud to be a part of the Anthony Lacey Home Team, and make a difference in individuals and families lives. That has been my favorite part of this journey. Seeing the tears, smiles, and genuine happiness of clients that you have helps make a life changing decision is just something I will never get tired of.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2016 , I gave birth to beautiful twins, Zion and Zoelle, at 20 years old. A decision that I’m very proud of because they are one of the main reasons for my drive to continue working so hard, and defying the odds set against me. When having kids you have to start factoring in so many things that start to effect your typically everyday schedule. So as you can imagine work is one aspect that for the most part always gets affected.

Before COVID came I was working all the time to make sure I could provide for my 2 kids, and pay the bills, but I didn’t realize how much time that meant I wasn’t with my kids. Not being home some nights or some mornings, and working almost every weekend was not something I wanted to continue doing because I’m missing most of my kids lives. Which was really hard because my son was diagnosed with Autism, and my daughter was diagnosed with a Sensory Processing Disorder, and Developmental Delay which made me feel guilty for not being home . I wouldn’t have been able to make it as far as I have without the help from my immediate family, especially my parents and sisters; I am forever grateful for them.
Once COVID hit, everything closed down, and I was home with my kids every single day for 6 months; I knew that I really needed to make a change with my career because I was not going to go back to only seeing my kids for a couple hours while they were up a day. That’s when I really started to try to figure out where I need to be which was around the time I discovered Selling Sunset that triggered my memory of the secret passion I had for real estate. And the rest is history …

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This past July I had sold a home to one of my clients, and it was a very interesting journey ! My client was extremely qualified, knew what she wanted and was able to get started looking right away. Once we found one that peaked their interest, we put an offer in, and it immediately got accepted. An unforeseen circumstance led for us to need to get out the deal… Thank God we were in a contingency period so my buyer was able to get her money back. That didn’t stop us we got right back to the MLS and started looking for more homes. We found another one , put an offer in, and it got accepted too Then a week before settlement the sellers had an unforeseen circumstance leading us to have the contract terminated. We were still able to get the buyers deposit back, and managed to get our money back from the appraisal ! It doesn’t stop there… We saw one more house, and of course we put an offer on it ! This time we beat out 3 other offers, and we went in at list price and got seller help ! Now this one made it to the finish line ! In the real estate industry, resilience needs to be your middle name. You want to make your clients feel that you can handle anything that comes your way so they can feel protected, and comfortable that they’re in great hands .

Contact Info:

• Website: brandi-whittaker.kw.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themdhomeseller/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Themdhomeseller
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brandiwhittakerkwrc

Image Credits
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