We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffany Topie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tiffany, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a client that you appreciate them?
We have created an annual event called “Pies and Pints”. We invite all of our past clients to stop by a local restaurant to pick up a homemade pie from us and a pint of beer on us. This allows us the opportunity to see each of them and have a conversation to thank them for how much their love and support for our business has helped our family and made our dreams for our business come true.
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
Real estate is an art that transcends the mere act of buying and selling. For top producing Arizona-based Realtor Tiffany Topie, it’s an all-
encompassing experience, where everyone involved should feel at home before they sign a
contract or receive their keys. With Topie’s groundbreaking business, Tiffany Topie Homes,
her expertise comes from years of experience in mental health and counseling, deconstructing the
traditional approach to real estate. To date, she has sold over 260 homes over the last four+ years
and constantly recruits new real estate agents while she has continued her work in production. In
2021, she made a staggering $38.5 million in sales, holding the President’s Circle Award, and
the Multi-Million Dollar Producer Award. She is one of the top-selling agents in both Verrado
and the West Valley of Phoenix and is in the top 1% of all agents in the state of Arizona. In a
world where reality shows posture real estate agents as glam and inaccessible, Tiffany is the
difference, connecting with clients in a real and tangible way. She and her husband Matt both run
the show, as a fully-functioning family business, relatable to anyone and everyone. No lights and
cameras needed. Not only has Tiffany found success for herself in the real estate world, she also
has developed a curriculum that offers mentoring to help other real estate professionals reach the
goals she has been able to accomplish in just 5 years in the industry. However Tiffany’s story
doesn’t begin in Arizona, but rather in Michigan where she developed many of her skills
including her hard work ethic that still benefits her to this day in the world of real estate.
In 2014, after 38 years in Michigan, Tiffany and her family relocated to Arizona to provide a
better life for her family, specifically for her son Geno who was born with Left Hemiplegia
Cerebral Palsy. In 2018 with the cost of living drastically cutting her counselor pay, Tiffany
found it the perfect time to move into real estate part-time. The transition was smooth, fueled by
her working locally in school programs and holding local charity events. She became a fixture in
her community of Verrado, located in Buckeye, Arizona which helped grow her real estate
business in rapid time. In just her first year in business working part time, Tiffany sold 24
homes, and more than doubled that in her second year selling 51 homes. Continuing to grow her
business Tiffany brought on her husband Matt part time through the pandemic, and together they
sold 65 homes in 2020 and 81 homes in 2021. Though they have had great success in the last 5
years, unlike many other corporate real estate teams/companies Tiffany Topie Homes continues
to be a mom and pop team run solely by the eXp ICON Award Husband & Wife Award winning
team of Tiffany and Matt Topie.
When asked about how she is bringing a new perspective to the world of real estate Tiffany
said, “As real estate agents we don't have a lack of people wanting to buy or rent homes, we
have a lack of connection to those people. By investing in your community you can establish a
strong network of relationships that are right outside your door. Once you have that established
network, it’s important to know that people don't want to be pitched, they want an experience.
Sell an experience and then they will buy.” Tiffany has been able to do just that by thinking
outside of the box of a traditional real estate agent by hosting her one of a kind community
focused real estate events, that allows her to establish a personal relationship with her potential
clients going far beyond traditional avenues like advertising and cold calling to establish new
relationships.
Growing up in Michigan Tiffany was raised in a turbulent household, caring for a chronically ill
father at a young age, Tiffany entered the workforce early. She doubled her duties working as a
cashier in her father’s automotive business, later pursuing a Communications Degree at Oakland
University at night while continuing to work during the day. Her first full-time job was in the
automotive industry, acting as a headhunter for big companies like GM and Chrysler. Her
proximity to the Motor City allowed her to navigate that industry with ease, moving up the ranks
quickly from customer service to sales. She spent six years in the company, utilizing their tuition
reimbursement program to eventually fund her graduate degree in counseling. By 22, she lost her
father to Alzheimer’s Disease which heightened her passion for understanding how the human
mind works. It was then that she moved forward with her application to Oakland University for a
Masters in Guidance and Counseling. This led to a 17 year career as school counselor, a skill that
she still utilizes to this day in the real estate world.
For Tiffany, the real estate world became a matter of understanding the dynamics of the people
interested in buying and selling their homes, putting on her counselor’s cap to identify the
decision makers. She is also a Certified Home Stager, allowing for an elevated visual experience
for everyone who enters her homes. That includes either using the pieces of furniture in the
homes, or buying her own “props” for staging. Tiffany is a marketing wizard, with Tiffany Blue
being her company’s signature color with every client leaving with a gift from Tiffany’s
following the deal closing. “Most of my clients become my friends,” she adds. Stay tuned to
Tiffany Topie’s social below for more updates on the launch of her educational platform as well
as daily advice, tips and tricks that can not only help you become a better real estate agent, but a
more informed buyer/renter as well.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The key component that built our business and continues to be the pillar today is serving others. We have continuously provided value to others and gave back in many ways to our community, which earned us the honor of being the preferred real estate agent in our community. We give back by volunteering, creating events in the community for people to enjoy, hosting food drives and different activities to support our local fire, police and first responders, as well as, our local teachers. We are grounded in being servant leaders to our community, which has made us “known” as the go-to agents in our area.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
We continually stay top of mind with our clients and past clients on a very regular basis. We host an annual client appreciation celebration at our home with a catered meal, live music, bartender, and good times. Everyone looks forward to the event each year. Throughout the year, we send cards on special days, give pies on holidays, host community karaoke and kids parties and do pop-by’s quarterly for clients. We call and text with them on a regular basis as well. It is important to remember those first clients that helped you get your start, no matter how long ago it was!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tiffanytopiehomes.com
- Instagram: @tiffanytopiehomes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffanytopierealtor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-topie-52ab3b2b/
- Twitter: @topietiffany
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQr-6o9evOiduImn0wNg8sQ