Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Uri Lapcevic. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Uri thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?
My first client was looking for her first home. She was a coworker of mine at a previous job and we were acquaintances for many years. A single mother of two who had recently hit the reset button on life and started her own business while working with me. I showed her houses wearing covid facemasks for nearly a month during the fall of 2020, a total seller’s market.
We needed to view each home the day it listed and hope for enough time to write an offer above list price and throw in all the bells and whistles for any offer we made. The market was that hot and I was still being trained at the time.
After several offers were not accepted (this was normal for most buyers at that time) she began to doubt that this was her chance to be a home owner… and then I showed her the one…
Upon entering her kids were in awe! She lit up and I swear she KNEW this was the home within 5 seconds…. but she doubted it. “There’s no way I can get this one… It’s at the top of my budget…”
It took a few days to convince her to bring her parents to see it. I believed that we had to try for it.
It was still on the market and received only one low offer…
After a full week she agreed to write up the offer and we made the offer at list price BUT very competitive to ensure the win. SHE GOT IT UNDER CONTRACT! This was mid-November.
The transaction was mostly smooth, a few repair requests were made, nothing major. Thanksgiving put a pause on progress as most offices are closed for an extended weekend… our closing goal was the week BEFORE Christmas and that was approaching fast!
With some pushing and support from my team lead, she was able to close just days before Christmas. It was tight but we made it!
I’ll never forget the text message I got from her on Christmas Eve. It was a picture of her two kids under their Christmas tree with only the tree lights illuminating the photo. They were so happy! It was their Christmas Miracle… and I helped make that happen…. I knew this was my path.
Uri, 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?
Who Am I:
I’m a story-teller! I love creating and retelling stories at their full potential. I often exaggerate details for impact and inject colorful “language” to get my points across. I’m a good time!
I’m a fun-loving dad of 3 whose story begins in small town Northern New Mexico. I never felt like I quite fit in there so I like to fast forward to undergrad where I developed a core sense of self at the University of NM. I flipped from total introvert to extroverted fun seeker. I studied Media Arts and was set on becoming a filmmaker. In grad school I started integrating my interest in film and digital video with my academics as I pursued my MA in Communication. I wrote, filmed, edited, and directed a short documentary film in place of a thesis essay. During grad school I taught public speaking and visual communication to undergrads and served tables at Pappdeaux Seafood Kitchen. After graduating saved up a little nest egg and cashed in my motorcycle to backpack through 15 different countries in Europe. I tested my skills as a communicator and was able to strike up broken English conversations everywhere I traveled.
When I returned stateside I pursued multiple gigs in the film industry though they were not fruitful. I returned to my serving job and started a family. My next chapter had begun.
A Part of Me Some People Don’t Know:
I am an avid martial artist. I rekindled my passion for martial arts in college (I did it from ages 4-11 earning my black belt by 6th grade) and began training often and competing in local tournaments. The real life applications of martial arts extend well past the typical self defense scenario. I found a degree of self discipline that most will not understand, an ability to visualize and achieve. I had a coach willing to push me past my own goals and so I began to compete at a high level. My kids now participate with me and it is total a family affair. Their mother, Julia, also trains and co-owns Kim’s Martial Arts with her father, Master YB Kim.
How It All Began In Real Estate:
I was a bartender and head waiter at a very popular seafood restaurant in town. I recall regularly serving a FULL 30 person bar-top and knowing all the guests’ names. I would thrive in the chaos of a busy shift… because you had to.
January of 2020, I met my mentor, Steven Radolinski, at that bar. He visited with one of his friends, David, who was a regular that I often greeted with his drink of choice in hand… I joked with them both for a bit and admitted that I knew David’s order by memory and that I’ve never convinced him to try anything new… So I spoke directly to Steven and explained our feature of the day. It was a wild caught Grouper flown in from the coast of Florida, seasoned with 9 cajun spices and seared on a high heat flat top grill, served with our famous dirty rice. Without blinking, he agreed that he needed to try it. I remember the moment well!
Steven and David were, and still are, both in the Top 5% of Realtors in Albuquerque. Both run successful teams and own several properties as part of their portfolio… Thank God the grouper did not disappoint because they had a great time celebrating a closed deal between the two of them. Toward the end of their stay I asked them if I could sell a fish like that, could I sell a home? They both gave me their card without hesitation and said to call them.
By mid March all restaurants were shut down due to COVID. Life as we all knew it was changed. After a full month of furlough, relying on abysmally low unemployment survival pay, I called Steven. As I was leaving a voicemail, he texted that he was in a meeting and would call back. Five minutes later I got another text: “I listened to the message and remember exactly who you are. Call you when my meeting is over.” He called me within the hour and set up a meeting the following day.
When we met he told me how real estate grounded him and changed his life for the better. He was honest and connected with me… told me his story. Told me how hard it was going to be, that most people fail at it, that most people won’t do the work… that for the first handful of years I will be working harder than I’ve ever worked before… so naturally I knew I wasn’t normal. I would succeed at this. By the end of the week I was enrolled in real estate school, taking assessment tests, and I trusted Steven to guide me… In real estate, timing can make all the difference in a deal being accepted and closed. I am so grateful I had impeccable timing that day! I up-sold the right piece of fish… to the right person… at the right time.
How it is Now:
I now recruit and train new talent for our team as Director of Sales. NM Home Deals continues to be one of the top large teams at our number 1 selling brokerage in Albuquerque, Keller Williams Realty on Academy. We continue to be in the Top 5% of all Realtors in the city. Steven and his partner/COO/better half Sahar Saidi are still my mentors and I consider them my family. Chris Venegas is our CEO and has a vision to lead our team into the top 1% in the city. We are a real estate force with a passion to represent our clients, our people.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
I was involved in a transaction in the East Mountains for a gorgeous 3 bedroom home. I was particularly invested because my client was a family friend who I’ve known since he was a teenager. He and his fiance were buying…
The home was sitting on the market for 30 days no offers had been accepted in that time. Market conditions suggested that the home was slightly overpriced as the average days on the market at the time was approx 7- 10 days… homes were still being sold within hours… I strategized with the couple that they could low ball and hope for acceptance OR they could offer a full list price offer and then ask for many of the repairs that would come up during inspections. They would have a better chance to negotiate big ticket concerns if the offer price was what the seller was hoping to make…
We offered list price and the process began. I knew the listing broker and built great rapport with her in the past. When inspections came back there were several items that needed repair, including a failed septic system. The replacement septic tank was required to be larger than the previous one due to a regulation change some years ago which in turn affected the required leach field size… there was limited space to increase the span of the leech field… long story…
We asked for the septic repairs (required by the mortgage company) and for $12,000 credit for several needed repairs around the home. Seller countered back to repair the septic issues and $1000 in credit…
My clients were upset! “The problems with the house don’t just go away.”
Seller was upset because the cost of the septic repairs were nearly $18,000.
After another uneventful round of negotiating back and forth with the seller, my clients were over it… With their blessing I sent the Listing Broker a buyer signed Notice of Termination AND a buyer signed Resolution Addendum with my client’s requests. The message was simple: knowing what you know about the property after inspections, good luck finding another full price offer. Please chose how you’d like to proceed.
A resolution was achieved and my clients LOVE their home! The other broker commented that it really made the seller sweat…
This was the first time in my career that I knew money was not my priority. The priority was for my clients, to ensure them a good deal and the best representation I could offer them! The money would follow so long as my people come first. I’ve operated this was from that day on.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
You know, I was raised by two fantastic human beings who really did create a good life for my brother and I. I look up to them because they moved away from the fast paced big cities of the east coast and started a life in small town northern New Mexico. My mom was a proud hippy and it was obvious that they both wanted to live a quieter life. They are both retired teachers now.
When I became an adult, I was afraid of debt… My parents saw debt as a bad thing… The idea of owning a home, racking up a credit card, and slowly paying off a car was crazy to me! Then I read up on Rich Dad Poor Dad and my perspectives changed. There are such things as “good debt” and “bad debt.” There are assets and there are liabilities. I can responsibly have those things and eventually turn them into assets that generate cash flow… Mind blowing!
I wish these concepts were taught in middle school and high school! (they definitely were not when I was a child) I can honestly say I didn’t understand how to use money until i became an entrepreneur. My goal is to educate others on how to build wealth through real estate the best way I know how: Buy more homes and generate more cash flow.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.nmhomedeals.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/uri.abqrealtor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uri.realtor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uri-lapcevic-737434193/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@realtalkwuri
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@urilapcevic
My Digital Business Card: https://blinq.me/EdM1OlnufrflQHuZpQz1
