We were lucky to catch up with Rick Albert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

It is extremely common for people to view Realtors/Real Estate Agents as just salespeople trying to make what is perceived to be a big commission. The reality is, if done right, a Real Estate Agent could be so much more.

I come in with a wealth building perspective. I don’t just want my clients to buy a dream home, I want them to also make a great investment in their future. If they are selling, we go in to maximize the potential price by being particular on how to show the property.

After I’m gone, I want to be remembered as making an impact on someone’s life that is multigenerational. As someone who helped others to achieve things that they may not have thought they could achieve. I’ve had clients where they never thought they could buy, and we made it work. I’ve helped clients through tough times and had to sell, and we knocked it out of the park. Real Estate isn’t just about transactions, this is about changing lives.

Rick, 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 got into real estate after learning about how many avenues one can take to become successful. I started off straight out of college at the courthouse steps buying foreclosures for an investor, and have grown through house hacking to create my own rental portfolio between four different states. I also had the opportunity to dive into project management, real estate development, and more as a crash course in such a short amount of time. To date, I’ve been involved in literally hundreds of transactions, whether it was through development or helping clients.

What makes my background unique is I can take what I’ve learned on the investing side and apply it towards my real estate broker associate business, helping clients build wealth and provide unique insight that most cannot even compare. This includes helping clients buy, sell, and invest throughout Southern California. It allows me to be more of a consultant, rather than the stereotypical salesperson that people outside our industry have been questioning, especially recently with the recent National Association of Realtors settlements, etc.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Popular real estate coach, Tom Ferry, said it best (and I’m paraphrasing), “Clients have to Know, Like, and Trust you in order to do business.” This couldn’t be more true today than ever before.

I put out content and continuously learn about real estate to become the expert. I’m active in the Biggerpockets (real estate investing focused organization) community to the point where I’m a case study in one of their published books, The House Hacking Strategy. Because of my expertise, clients are valuing this and coming to me, rather than me constantly reaching out.

It also helps with my personal sphere of influence. My SOI don’t just work with me because we are friends, they work with me because I’ve proven to be good at what I do and they know that I will not only have their best interest in mind, but I also respect their privacy in the process.

Have you ever had to pivot?

This is a career where pivoting feels like something you do every day. There are market changes, legal changes, and even life changes amongst buyers and sellers that determine their ultimate decision to make a move.

My most recent pivot is with the starting of a family. As you grow a family, you have to start working smarter, not harder. Before my daughter was born, I knew I was going to have a challenge when it came to showing properties. That’s when I had to realize it was either delegate or miss out on family time. I spoke with my wife, and we agreed that I would shorten my open house times and after I host the first weekend, I would likely hire out others to host for me. In addition, I would hire someone to set up and take down open house signs. The signs alone would add up to 2 hours per day gone during the weekends just to set them up and take down. Creating a work life balance in this business is extremely difficult. Setting expectations for clients to go to open houses on their own (and teaching them what to look out for and send photos of items of concern) and to put stops to when I was available to do showings or make other arrangements so my Sellers still get full exposure for their homes. I have to remind myself that family comes first.

So far I’m having one of the best years yet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rickalbertonline.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickbalbert/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RickBAlbert
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickbalbert/
• Twitter: https://x.com/rickbalbert
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RickBAlbert