Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Isaac Molina. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Isaac, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
My prior career has taught me quite a few things. However, there is one lesson I learned in said career I take with me in Real Estate. It may come as a surprise to some that I was not always a Realtor! I know, crazy right?? I was a Service Technician for a big company which distributed nurse call and intercom equipment.
Lesson: “The customer is not always right.” Don’t tell this to my previous employer! Now, hear me out for a sec before casting some stones! My job was to respond to the issues the customer have, whether they “knew” what they needed or not. When I say “the customer is not always right,” what I’m really saying is I’ve learned to listen to the customer about their issues, diagnose, and solve the problem that may be causing the issue they didn’t realize they had.
I’ve learned that Real Estate isn’t too different. I listen to the clients I have but provide a solution they didn’t know they needed! One client may say, “Isaac, I want a HUMOUNGUS YARD!” I’m sure you can picture what that looks like. But if I asked you and your colleague to describe to me what that looks like, I’m sure I will get different results. One may say, “I need an acre of land at the bare minimum” and you may say “oh, I just want room for a garden, is all.”
I’ve learned what people say may not be the whole picture, rather, their silence can be cues to something bigger.
Isaac, 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?
Real Estate is more of a people business than a housing business. Sure, the government and any other entity will see me, the Realtor, as a housing business but, the relationship I have with people will be the upmost important aspect of my business. My transition to Real Estate was a bit more seamless than I thought, considering the type of career I had prior to.
My previous career as a service technician was also a people business. I didn’t know that at first, but my days always started with my relationship to my employer’s clients and ended there as well. Yes, I fixed their equipment but, that didn’t keep the customers happy with the company, my service to them did that!
I was with the company for about 13 years and I felt I have “mastered” the role I played! I showed up, fix the equipment, made a few jokes with the customers with the friendly reassuring smile, and drove off to my next stop! On year 13 of my career, my wife gave birth to my son and for the first time I felt the complicated emotions within me! I’m happy, scared, proud… I went back and forth between, “I’m going to be the best father in the world…” and “I hope I’m going to be good enough…”
My wife and I decided that she would stay home and take care of our newborn for a while, thus, we’d be a single income household. We’ve made some sacrifices to do this, like eating out and date nights out, but one thing I felt I couldn’t waver on was making sure our home was safe from financial turmoil. I needed to find a way to diversify my income! If something were to happen to my career as a service technician, how will my family survive?! This is when I began my studies to become a business owner. “What business do you want to get into?” My wife asked. “That’s an amazing question,” I responded. “I think I can start by reading some business books…” My wife then asked, “When are you going to find the time to read? We take turns being up with Juju throughout the night so the other can sleep, as it is…” (Juju is our nickname for our son) This gave me an idea. I said to her, “when it’s my turn to be up with Juju, I will begin my study as I hold him.” She nods in affirmation.
That night, I picked up a book called ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad.’ I heard it’s a great business book and so my studies will begin here! I think it only took me a week to read the book and become ‘The next great real estate guru!’ I called up a good friend of mine and we partnered up to open up a Real Estate investment company together. Our motto was to fix up distressed properties and sell them for a profit to then by rental properties for the long term. We’ve met a lot of wonderful people by networking and this is actually how I met my mentor/broker Jackie of Lombardo Heights Real Estate. I never thought myself becoming a Realtor till I met Jackie. She represented me and my partner in our Real Estate transactions and I was curious, “what is it like to represent people in this capacity?”
“I think I want to get licensed as a Real Estate Agent.” I said to my, now curious, wife. She asks, “When are you going to find the time to study for a license? We take turns being up with Ellie throughout the night so the other can sleep, as it is.” I smirked at her, “I have an idea…”
Real Estate Express is an amazing online real estate school. It’s at your own pace and best believe I took advantage of the ‘at your own pace’. I was OBSESSED with getting licensed as a Real Estate Agent! When my wife and kids were asleep, I was studying to be THE BEST Sales Associate Florida will EVER have! As I was nearing the end of my studies, I called up Jackie and informed her, “I’m about to take my exam in a couple weeks to get licensed.” And Jackie responds, “That’s great! Make sure you study as much as you can, it’s a thirty percent pass rate.”
“Thirty percent pass rate…” This is at the forefront of my mind everyday. I went to service calls for my employer and handling jobs where a hospital’s nurse call is failing throughout the facility. The customer is panicking as I drive up and I assure them that I will get the job done quickly and efficiently, but, “…it’s a thirty percent pass rate.” My job is completed; I am quick and efficient. I have mastered my career as a service tech, but, “…it’s a thirty percent pass rate.”
I took vacation days for the Thursday of my exam and the Friday afterwards. I figured I’d take my wife and two kids to Disney to give something for me to look forward to in the event I fail this exam. It is a thirty percent pass rate Afterall! I treated my studies as if my only option was to pass with 100% and nothing less. If I didn’t ace my quizzes, I would start the lesson over!
The morning of my exam came. My wife and kids are still asleep as I sip on my morning coffee. Not that I need the coffee to wake me up, my anxiety did that just fine! The coffee was my comfort in my own weird way. I suppose coffee drinkers can relate. I drove to Pearson Vue, the facility where I take my exams, and was the first person there. I’m glad it’s not a handwriting exam, cause my hands were SHAKING! The facilitators explained that I will need to empty all ALL my belongings into a locker and I will have three hours to take my exam; when I’m finished I’m allowed to raise my hand and I will be escorted out to receive my test results (which is just a simple pass or fail).
I empty out my pockets into a locker and I am escorted to my seat in front of a computer. I answer the first question; easy enough. I answer question second question; okay, not bad. This happens throughout the entirety of the exam! I am finished with my exam within an hour, and now my anxiety has me thinking, “You can’t be the first one to finish! Check your work!” Reviewing all my answers isn’t a bad idea, so I did so three times.
Reluctantly, I raise my hand. I’m escorted to my locker, gather my belongings and paced myself to the front desk. The secretary hands me a document faced down. She must have seen my shaking hands as I reached for the document. I turned it over and read the gorgeous word ‘PASS’! I locked eyes with the secretary as she smiled and mouthed “congratulations”.
“I passed!” I screamed to my wife on the phone! “REALLY?!” She screamed back, “That’s awesome!” I am ecstatic! “It’s a thirty percent pass rate.” Still at the forefront of my mind but now behind me. Disney is that much more special as I take my family to the most magical place on Earth with the most magical news I can possibly get!
After the Disney trip, I met with Jackie again and officially joined the wonderful brokerage Lombardo Heights Real Estate! The agents here are amazing people to glean from. The seasoned agents congratulate me and offer advice, as if I’m the little brother they don’t want to see fail. The newer agents, see me as a peer, not as competition. To date, I have never felt as if I’m competing with another agent in Lombardo Heights. One consistent reminder I’d get from the seasoned agents is, “the first year is always the hardest. If you don’t make a sale in the first year, don’t give up. Keep going.”
I remember my first year. It. Was. Brutal. It took me a good nine months to get my first official clients! They were referred to me by a friend. They were moving here from out of state and it would be their first time using an agent for purchasing their home. No pressure! Remember, I will be THE BEST AGENT KNOWN TO FLORIDA! I showed them homes, wrote up an offer, and represented them well in their first home-buy!
As closing day approached, I had my cousin make a personalized sign for my clients as a closing gift. After closing at the title company, I asked them to meet me at their new home so I can take pictures of the beautiful family! When I met them at their home, I pulled out the personalized sign from my car and THAT is where the waterworks happened! The wife in the family burst out in tears of joy! This closing gift served as a symbol of attaining ownership in Florida. It was a symbol of what they accomplished as a family. The tears of joy from my clients served as a symbol for me of what I accomplished for them. The tears of joy was a symbol for me that this is what I am supposed to be doing!
In my previous career as a service technician, I knew and felt my role was important. I solved million dollar issues for hospitals and schools. However, I’ve never felt, in said career, what I felt when I handed my closing gift to my first clients. Every client is important to me. Every sale is more than a transaction to me because it’s more than a transaction to my clients. In every potential sale, I am going after the finish line, not because I’m getting paid there, but because I am chasing that same feeling that I myself had when I handed that closing gift to my first clients.
I’m not your average Realtor, I’m Your Friendly Neighborhood Bald Guy!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I’ve said it before, but the Real Estate business is more of a people business than a housing business. Most of my clients have been my sphere of influence and referrals. Yes, I market myself via social media and post cards, however, my business continues to grow through my network of relationships I’ve established before becoming a Realtor. People trust me when they know their friend/family is a Realtor and people trust me even more when they see I have put in the work for others. They see others buying and selling their homes through me and they want a piece of the action!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I’ve learned to take ownership of my personality! In my marketing, I am known as Your Friendly Neighborhood Bald Guy! I was about 21 when I realized my hair was thinning out on the top of my head whether I liked it or not, and I definitely didn’t like the fact. But, when I turned 30, I just went for it and told my barber to shave it all down! Shortly after, I became a licensed agent. My son was getting into Spider-Man and I remember the slogan “I’m your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” and it sort of just CLICKED!
Spider-Man didn’t truly become Spider-Man till he embraced everything that made him… HIM. I’m a bald guy and I love it! So guess what, my audience will love me for it too! I’m gonna be the Bald Guy of Tampa Bay and this Bald Guy sells homes!
The more I post about what I do, I made sure I tell everyone who I am! “I present to you this beautiful 3 bedroom 2 bath bungalow… I present to you this Waterview home… and to make sure everyone knows, “Your Friendly Neighborhood Bald Guy!”
Embrace who you are. Your audience will love you for it! If who you are repels people away, they won’t be your audience and you won’t have to worry about them. Consequently, who you are will attract people and THAT’S your audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://isaactampabay.carrd.co/
- Instagram: @isaactampabay
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsaacRealtor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-molina-iii-734881b9/
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Travis Hawkes – Real Estate profile pic