We were lucky to catch up with Richard Woods recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Richard, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump into the story of starting your own firm – what should we know?

It has not been a smooth ride. My first few years in the business were relatively easy compared to others in the business. The market was relatively hot at the time, but within just a few years, I experienced the first of three downturns in the market. I had to learn to adapt and pivot in my business and approach due to the mortgage meltdown and onslaught of short sales and foreclosures. I quickly learned and mastered the short sale process to build my business over the years from 2008 to 2011. Also, even though my family has a sales background, I never considered myself a skilled salesperson. I had to learn how to be consistent with my marketing message and continuously stay in touch with past clients while prospecting for new ones.

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 am not only a real estate broker but a licensed attorney skilled in the art of negotiation, which is crucial in today’s ever-changing and challenging market. With an unrelenting resolution to be the best, I strive for excellence as a real estate and legal professional. You can be assured to find an attitude of excellence, a commitment to personal service, a foundation of knowledge, a solid reputation, and proven performance.

Few brokers have had the kind of success that I have in the last 20 years; the combined total for the Woods Real Estate Services’ team exceeds $446,500,000 in real estate sold and over 770 total properties sold. Furthermore, this extraordinary team of 14 outstanding individuals has over 100+ years of combined real estate sales experience in the San Diego community.

My family has been in sales and customer service for over 30 years. Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, my parents instilled a strong sense of being a part of a community, not just living in and taking from it, but giving back to it and providing extraordinary service. My family operated Kempsville Family Roller Skating Center in Virginia Beach for over 30 years as a proud member of the community.

Following graduation from law school, I worked for the prestigious law firm of Jackson & Campbell in Washington, DC, working primarily in insurance litigation. That experience gave me an extensive knowledge of contract law which has translated well to real estate transactions. After several years as a top litigating attorney in DC, I moved to San Diego. I worked with Lynberg & Watkins in their Orange County office doing an array of defense work for Southern California municipalities, including contract law cases and real estate transactions.

I sort of accidently fell into real estate. My spouse and I started purchasing investment properties over 20 years ago. He was is banking at the time and considered getting his real estate license. Not one to enjoy studying, he read that because I had my law license that I did not have to take any of the required courses but rather could take the licensing exam with no pre-requisite courses. The intent was for me to get my license to represent us in our real estate transactions. From there, I started dabbling in real estate, representing some friends from there realized how much I enjoyed, and the rest is history.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

It’s all about video and social media. I use client relationship management system that sends video messages to my sphere of influence and new leads once a month. It also has contect for social media that is critical in today’s fast paced market. I host a bi-monthly tv show on lifestyle and real estate. I use video in almost all of my communications with my sphere of influence and leads.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Within just a few years of practicing real estate, I experienced the first of three downturns in the market. I had to learn to adapt and pivot in my business and approach due to the mortgage meltdown and onslaught of short sales and foreclosures. I quickly learned and mastered the short sale process to build my business over the years from 2008 to 2011. Also, even though my family has a sales background, I never considered myself a skilled salesperson. I had to learn how to be consistent with my marketing message and continuously stay in touch with past clients while prospecting for new ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.woodsrealestateservices.com
• Instagram: @richtwoods
• Facebook: @wres92103
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-woods-607a903?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B6lp6WeFeTmCSxLC7xc3Q1Q%3D%3D
• Twitter: @richtwoods