We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mandi Click. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mandi below.

Mandi , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?

My first bad experience in Real Estate is something I reflect back on every time I hit a road bump in a sale. It reminds me that you can do everything right, but at the end of the day that paycheck is never guaranteed. I got a phone call from a gentleman that was relocating to our area and needed to find a house. I happily showed him about a dozen houses (at one hour per showing). Finally we had picked one and got a contract together. The inspection/appraisal portion of a sale is always the hardest part to get through. It is stressful and requires some sharp negotiations. Well we got the inspection report back for this particular property and there were quite a few items that were flagged. Some were concerning while most were general upkeep items that come with owning a home, cutting back bushes and cleaning out gutters ect. There were a total of 24 items flagged. When I called the buyer to ask what items he would want taken care of he very seriously told me “all of them” to which I was floored. At this point I had never had anyone ask for 10 items off a list let alone the entirety of the report. After some pretty lengthy phone calls and a few days of back and forth the sellers agreed to complete all but 2 of the items we asked for. I was on cloud nine and just feeling like the worlds best realtor for my client. We get through that process, appraisal comes back ok. The buyer was even going to have some equity going into the purchase. Keep in mind that this was probably 8 months into my new career and was my largest sale to date. It was also the only deal I had going at the time. I was making plans for my commission as our closing date got closer. I was so excited to see a GOOD paycheck come from all the work I had put into this new business. The day before closing I was driving back to the office from a showing and my buyer calls. I pulled over in a grocery store parking lot to take the call and answer with “tomorrow is the big day, are you excited?!” To which my buyer responded, actually I decided I don’t want that house anymore I need you to pull me out of it. I did my very best trying to remind him why he loved them home, how much work we put in, the money he was going to have in equity walking into the mortgage. To no avail. I had to pull this guy out of the contract and walk away with not a penny earned after weeks of work. I realized that I was not getting paid AT ALL. All the plans I had made for that commission check fell away in front of me. All the marketing and promotion material was going to buy to really push my name out into the community was gone. It really crushed my spirit and I wanted to quit. I didn’t though; I pushed forward and sold the buyer a different home a few months later. That particular client taught me that no matter what, you can’t count the money you have coming in until you are at the closing table. A lot of the time I don’t even look at what my split is going to be anymore. It broke my heart but taught me a valuable lesson and made me a better agent.

Mandi , 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?

I am currently 32 years old with three sons, so I am a working mom. At the time I decided to dive head first into real estate I was only a mom to two. I was about a year postpartum with my middle son and was NOT doing well. I felt like my entire identity had been lost. Previously I had worked as a bartender and a server which I was good at, but it wasn’t the career I had always envisioned and the hours weren’t conducive to having a family. I cried everyday and was just at absolute rock bottom mentally. I started looking for a career, something that didn’t have me sitting at a desk all day and that had flexible hours. I have always loved shows like “love it or list it” and “house hunters” but didn’t think real estate was something that I was destined for. I was scared. My husband, who is my biggest cheerleader, told my to just take the classes. If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out, but I should at least try. So I did. I was a stay to home mom and in the afternoons during nap time and for hours after I put the kids to bed I would take these real estate courses. I was exhausted, and I wanted to give up but my desire to have something more for myself and my family was bigger than any intrusive thought I had. It took me the full 6 months and 2 attempted at the real estate license test but I made it. I did it scared and it paid off.

As far as my brand is concerned I like to think of it as “edgy working mom, sells the American dream”. My goal is that when you call me I want you to feel like you are calling your best friend, your neighbor, or your high school friend that you have know forever. While our relationship IS professional and I am helping you with the biggest purchase of your life, I make it personal as well. I treat every client with the same care and respect that I would give to my sister, my mother, my grandpa or my best friend. I don’t look like a realtor if you see me walking down the street on a Saturday with my family. I have tattoos, my personal style is a little alternative but that doesn’t make me bad at my job. If anything I think it makes me better at it. I am down to earth, and laid back. You can tell me what you are worried about without fear that I am going to pressure you into a sale just for some cash flow. I just want what’s best for my people. I will jump up and down with you at the closing table and I will cry with you as you sell the home you raised your children in.
Just as an example, I had a client who moved to the area last year. They didn’t know a soul in town and when they walked into their backyard they realized it was FULL of dog waste. There had been snow on the ground at our final walk through so we didn’t see it. They were so distraught about it and it’s not like they had a friend down the road that could come help clean up the mess. So I rolled up my sleeves, grabbed my middle kid and we showed up with 5 gallon buckets, pooper scoopers and contractor bags and filled fifteen 5 gallon buckets from the backyard. The buyers and I still text from time to time as they complete home renovation projects and I always love hearing from them. It is building relationships like this that I take pride in. I want to take something that is often looked at as scary and stressful and make it as laid back, and fun as I can.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Whenever I got my license it was the end of February 2020. A week and a half into my brand new career Covid-19 shut the world down. It was an uncertain time and I stayed up servers nights thinking “did I just make a giant mistake”? Interest rates dropped and the market was over saturated with buyers and we were navigating virtual showings, and new riders to protect our agency. Everything was brand new even to the senior agents who had been behind a real estate sign for years. It was super hard to get out there and Network. All business after hours, sponsored events just stopped. My whole plan got derailed. I, however, persevered and made it through 2020 and actually started to pick up business. That June I found out I was pregnant with our third son, a bit of a surprise. As I built this new clientele I was trying to put together what being an agent with an infant was going to look like. I had three deals coming to close around the time I was in labor with him. I was answering phone calls for inspectors while I was in the delivery room. After that I would strap him to my chest in a carrier to do showings. I always found a way to get it done.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me is just getting out into the community. Wear my branded march, pass out business cards, talk about myself, what I do, and my life. I have sold houses to the girls at the coffee shop I go to every morning, my sons daycare teacher, and the gal in my fitness class at the gym. It’s all about just using your voice and letting yourself be vulnerable. People will remember you for who you are and how you treat them. It is those little kind interactions you have with strangers that stick out the most at the end of your day. I just put a business card in your hand afterwards!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Mandi_click.realtor
• Facebook: Facebook.com/MClickRR

Image Credits
Main headshot credit: Stephanie Himmel.