Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erica Sizemore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Erica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a customer success story with us?

A few years ago, I received a call from a homeowner interested in selling their property to move up into a bigger home for him and his wife as they considered starting a family. After having a consultation with him and establishing his longer-term goals and motivation, I realized that while he wanted to move, he was also open to considering how his real estate could work for him as an investment.

Having a background in financial planning and wealth management, I immediately picked up on this and offered to work through some future value analysis for the real estate portion of his portfolio and subsequent net worth. We discussed his numbers and collectively determined that he would call me back in about 6 months when he had saved up a bit more for a down payment on a new home, such that he could keep the existing property and turn it into a rental. This was in late 2019, right before many felt the equity boost of 2020 and 2021 on their home values. He bought his family home late that year.

In the 3 years since they have enjoyed and brought 2 little ones home to the house they purchased working with me all the while renting the other. And in that time, they have increased their net worth by at least $250,000-300,000, a portion of which can directly be attributed to keeping the other property.

When meeting with them recently, he and his wife shared what a relief it is to have the asset and equity of the rental property available to them. The peace of mind that our decision together made in their lives is invaluable and a key reason that when working with our clients, we are not just focused on whether they are buying or selling a house, but more importantly knowing their ‘why’ and being sure to look for these opportunities.

Erica, 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?

As a kid, I wanted to be an architect… I loved designing houses and the organizational process associated with it – planning, building, and the excitement of completion. But before I found myself in real estate, I worked with one of the top wealth advisory teams locally, and for over 10 years I helped guide clients through their wealth and financial planning. This experience afforded me the knowledge and expertise to address many issues facing successful individuals and made me keenly aware of how real estate can become an integral part of one’s portfolio and personal goals. With this in mind, I decided to explore merging my love of real estate with my financial knowledge to help people in a new way. As a real estate broker, my goal is to provide my clients with an excellent experience and the best possible outcome. To me, this means approaching client service as more of a trusted advisor.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

As Derek Murphy states, “My own goal is to find readers of my genre and turn them into raving fans by over-delivering on their expectations and giving them a satisfying reading experience,” and that is exactly how our business grows. We do not over-promise and under-deliver. We focus on the experience each and every client has, and we are committed to supporting and advising our clients for their benefit, not ours. Those that work with us recognize the honesty we lead with and the expertise we share. The outcomes result in continued real estate partnerships and referrals to friends and colleagues. I love meeting new people through these introductions and they result in the most enjoyable relationships which just happen to begin by referral.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner and I met at our office over coffee one morning. We were both asked to provide input into the direction of the real estate market at the time and had similar philosophies on where we thought things were headed and the region as a whole. After getting to know one another, we realized how much synergy we had and shared interests in our respective professional directions. While much was similar, we also were very different in our approaches. Our individualized approaches paired with our complementary strengths have allowed us to provide a uniquely dynamic experience to our clients in working together. We have the same zeal for our client relationships and drive for excellence in everything we do. It’s a partnership we are proud to share.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.selraleigh.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericareraleigh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EricaJevonsSizemore/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-jevons-sizemore/