Episode 221: Natalie Pohorecki

On this episode of The Brad and Taylor Show, we sat down with Natalie Pohorecki from Serenity Realty!

To watch the full episode, check it out on YouTube below. In the meantime, here’s a transcript of the conversation…

Here’s what you missed from Natalie Pohorecki…

00:00:00:28 –> 00:00:04:09

Taylor: Welcome to The Brad and Taylor Show. Today, we have Natalie Pohorecki.

00:00:05:11 –> 00:00:15:15

Brad: You’re listening to The Brad and Taylor Show, a podcast that inspires entrepreneurs to pursue their passions. We’re sitting down with some of the best to learn how they got started and some lessons they learned along the way.

00:00:16:02 –> 00:00:16:23

Taylor: Hey Natalie.

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Natalie: Hello. How are you? 

00:00:20:11 –> 00:00:24:23

Brad: We’re doing good. We’re doing good. Well, let’s get this show started. Tell us a little bit about you, what do you do?

00:00:26:05 –> 00:00:40:11

Natalie: I am a real estate agent in Toledo, Ohio, and surrounding markets. Soon to be in Michigan as well. I have just been working on those classes and getting ready to set for my test.

00:00:41:02 –> 00:00:45:22

Brad: Awesome. I like it. I like it. So how did you get into real estate? What’d you do before this and how did you get into real estate?

00:00:46:29 –> 00:01:56:21

Natalie: Okay. Here is a long story for you. I have done a lot of other things. I actually took my college classes to become a real estate agent and I was first licensed in 2007. Then I decided you know, it was not a great time in 2007 to be a real estate agent. So I did get out when my husband and I, and my kids all moved to Ann Arbor for a while. And then when I moved back in 2016, I did get back into the business. So it was a little like starting over, but it’s been amazing. But in between, I am a makeup artist as well and I do makeup for weddings. I’ve also worked for big companies like Chanel and Bobbie Brown and traveled all over, doing makeup for them. I also had a TV show where I did some new segments about makeup in the Toledo area. And so kind of everything, when I say I’ve kind of done everything, I’ve kind of done everything.

00:01:58:25 –> 00:02:10:09

Taylor: Yeah. Going back to real estate, when you first started in 2007, when you had your license, how many transactions did you have at that time before you decided to just give it a break and then you got back into it?

00:02:10:19 –> 00:03:00:04

Natalie: Oh, geez. I don’t even know if I could remember. I mean, maybe 20, 25. There weren’t very many. And then I was a buyer’s agent for a while. It was a rock market. I think I only did foreclosures, short sales, every transaction I did at that time took six months to get to a closing table. It was a lot and I was only 24 years old. I had a very young family. So it was not the experience I had hoped for. Like I went in and I was like, I can do this. And having a young family and my husband is in car sales. It’s both being in commission. I had to find something else that was a little bit more sustainable at that time.

00:03:01:05 –> 00:03:09:26

Taylor: So skipping forward 2016, when you got back into real estate, how did that first transaction go for you from having that break from it for a little while?

00:03:10:07 –> 00:04:32:24

Natalie: It’s amazing. Yeah, it’s fantastic. And it’s a completely different market, but it is not even the same and I was not the same either, you know? It was definitely different. The market’s so different. It’s a much faster pace. There are not so many hiccups, but I will tell you what I learned in 2007. And that time I was in for about three years. So I think I finally got out in about 2010. I learned so much, you know, with every single transaction, it was a learning experience, how to deal with banks, things that I use now that, you know, maybe a lot of these newer agents don’t know how to do, or have never even had to know. It was definitely a different experience, and it has come in handy. And that knowledge has helped me maybe make different things for my clients and different, and especially in this market that we’re in now and making offers look a little bit better in helping win bids for my clients and offers.

00:04:33:26 –> 00:04:36:14

Taylor: Nice. Are you on a team right now, or do you have a team?

00:04:37:16 –> 00:04:52:00

Natalie: No, I’m on my own now. I actually just moved over to a new company. I do have a lot of amazing people that were all cheerleaders for each other though, which has been great.

00:04:52:23 –> 00:05:01:17

Taylor: Nice. What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve received when in real estate, maybe in 2007, when you first started, or when you got back in 2016?

00:05:02:28 –> 00:05:56:23

Natalie: Somebody who’s still a dear friend today, told me back then, you know, when you have a young family like that, it was going to be an uphill battle. And, and it was because again, that market was so different. It was such you know, in trying to, I had to still have another job at that point to be able to be in real estate and to have both of those jobs and have a young family and growing the business was a little bit harder than I think I anticipated because I’m such a gun-ho person. I was like, I can do this. Don’t worry. I don’t need that advice. But that best piece of advice was as your family grows, as you grow, she told me, she’s like, you’re going to be amazing. And to this day, she’s still a great friend, great mentor, great cheerleader.

00:05:57:04 –> 00:07:18:06

And I told her, I just saw her a couple of weeks ago. I said, you know, that was one of the best pieces of advice you gave me was you’ll be great. Just give it time. And it really is one of those businesses that takes time and takes time to nurture relationships. And, you know, now I have clients that bought from me even back then that now are in different points in their life and different types of properties that we’re buying and selling. And even when I came back into the business four years ago we are selling their houses now because the market’s so fantastic and different. And, you know, all of those relationships that we’re nurturing and it’s, that was one of the best pieces of advice that I’ve ever given, been given is just keep nurturing those relationships. Even when I got out of the business for a little bit, you know, everybody knew where I was staying in touch, knew why I got out of the business. And then when I got back in, they knew I was getting back at. So that way they knew, okay, let’s reach back out, okay. This is what we’re doing and keeping in constant contact. And that was how I’ve been able to jump right back in.

00:07:18:12 –> 00:07:23:26

Taylor: Nice. What kind of goals do you have in place for 2022? Do you have anything you want to accomplish this next year?

00:07:24:27 –> 00:09:01:11

Natalie: You know, big goals. Like I mentioned I changed companies and it kind of puts the new fire under you to change up what I was doing. I was happy with what I was doing, but I definitely want to make some changes in my social media and in my outreach. Making sure that I’m constantly asking for those reviews, because that’s what I’m really bad at saying, oh, please, please, please. Can you give me that review? But I know that I have wonderful, wonderful clients that don’t mind, so that way I can keep building those relationships. And that’s, you know, the biggest thing is continuing to build those relationships. So that way I can have the 50 to 7,500 houses next year that I wanted to have on, you know, sold next year. And, those would be my goals to continue to build. And, you know, I don’t want to say team, but the relationships I have with other agents because I have some really great people that I talk to daily that we constantly cheer each other on and help each other. And, you know, that was, I think something that maybe I lacked before was not having the confidence in asking for help or starting a conversation in how would you handle this or what would you do? Yeah. And feeling kind of alone.

00:09:01:22 –> 00:09:12:29

Taylor: Yeah. I know when you first get started in real estate, you are alone for the most part, unless you’re on a team. Yeah. So that is very nerve-wracking, reaching out to just another agent who maybe is more experienced.

00:09:13:00 –> 00:09:48:11

Natalie: Yeah. In 2007, 2000, you know, back then, teams weren’t really a big thing. You know, you were a buyer’s agent or you worked on your own. There wasn’t really that big team vibe there, you know. I feel like until I got back in where all of a sudden everybody was on a team and now it’s like, that was your first question. Are you on a team? Do you know? And it really does feel like everybody’s on a team.

00:09:49:15 –> 00:09:49:24

Taylor: Yeah.

00:09:51:07 –> 00:09:52:08

Natalie: It’s a huge difference.

00:09:52:11 –> 00:09:58:00

Taylor: Yeah. For sure. What is the worst property that you’ve been to, or we’re showing what one sticks out the most?

00:09:59:29 –> 00:10:58:11

Natalie: Well, I need to stop watching true crime. I’m like, okay. That going in that basement or, you know, I know a friend agent is going on to a certain property and I’ll go, FaceTime me. I want to make sure you’re okay. But a few weeks ago I had taken a client to a property and I’m like, you sure you want to go look at this one? And they’re wanting to flip something. And she’s like, yeah, I want to see it. I see potential. I’m like, okay, we walked in and I had seen the pictures, but I didn’t believe it. We walk in and there’s a tree inside the house, like an actual tree and we’re standing in the house. And I said, yeah, that that’s inside the house. That might be the worst. And later we found out that they had to actually demolish the property if they wanted to buy it.

00:10:58:27 –> 00:11:02:12

Taylor: Gotcha. But they didn’t end up buying that one?

00:11:03:00 –> 00:11:06:03

Natalie: Then we ended up not winning that bid. And I think we were happy.

00:11:07:15 –> 00:11:19:03

Brad: That’s crazy. So, I know you started over a second time. What is one thing you did differently than when you started way back, in the beginning, to get, start getting leads or something?

00:11:21:14 –> 00:12:17:12

Natalie: Wow. Well, I didn’t get leads the first time. So that was the number one. The second time, I ended up going with who is now my broker, and the reason why I’m with a new company, I kind of ended up following him. And that has proven to be a huge asset and having, and like I said, asking questions and not feeling like you’re alone and not, you know, and like everything’s a secret. I think that is the biggest thing as a new agent is you feel like everything’s a secret. It’s like you can’t ask other people questions. I was just on the phone last night about a listing. I just had to go under contract and she wanted to know she’s listing another one in the same area. And she’s like, well, what did you do? How did you figure it out?

00:12:17:23 –> 00:13:24:10

And I have no problem sharing that. If there’s nothing to me, that’s a secret. I want everybody to be successful. I want, you know, maybe the people who didn’t get their offer accepted on the house I had in that area. And maybe they’ll be able to get an offer accepted on that home. And I think if we all work, I don’t want to say the team that’s terrible, you know, it was, we keep using that. But if we all keep working together like that, I think that market is going to prove to be a little bit more tolerable. Because I know that everybody’s getting frustrated, not only us but our clients as well. And so you know, asking the questions and, you know, asking maybe a more successful agent, you know, do you have any leads that maybe you’re not able to follow up on that you’d be willing to let me take that referral and I’ll pay you a referral fee and just asking the question, cause you never know, they may rather give it to you, then let it go and let it go cold.

00:13:24:26 –> 00:13:41:27

And I think that those were the things as a 24-year-old agent walking in that I didn’t know to ask and coming in this time, I knew I needed to change the way I was doing things, and definitely was a game-changer for me.

00:13:42:20 –> 00:13:45:11

Taylor: Awesome. Well, what is the best business book that you’ve read?

00:13:46:12 –> 00:14:38:09

Natalie: So this is the one I was dreading because I think this year I had to worry about CE and then I told you I just finished doing my Michigan classes and I feel like that’s all I’ve done. And then I’ve been reading hunger games with my daughter, but I did go back to a Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. And I had read it before and went back to it. And it’s more of a self-help book than a business book. And you know, I went back and watched some of your other podcasts and everybody’s saying Rich Dad Poor Dad. And I’m like, oh, I don’t read those. And then when I read, I read for fun. But I went back to that one because she has suffered from Bell’s Palsy.

00:14:38:24 –> 00:16:01:21

And if you don’t know what that is, it’s when one half your face is paralyzed. And in August, I actually had the same thing happen. Today is the first day I’ve been able to smile fully. And I was almost dreading doing the podcast because I’m like, oh my God, like, I’m not gonna be able to talk. I was able to smile. And it’s actually been really hard with real estate, too, talking with clients, having face to face, because masks have kind of gone away too. So I went back to listening to her. I have been listening to the audible because it’s been very helpful to say, okay, get back to the habit, you know, with your business too. And that was actually what made me make the change in companies because I needed to push outside my comfort zone. And I knew if I let this illness make me stagnant, I would let my business through, too, because you know, if you don’t constantly work in real estate, then it’s just, you have to constantly be doing something or else, you lose your business. So that was one thing that I was like, okay, I’m going to talk about myself, this book is the one book and that was it.

00:16:02:03 –> 00:16:05:10

Brad: That’s perfect. Well, awesome. Hey, before we go, how can people get a hold of you?

00:16:06:19 –> 00:16:31:10

Natalie: So I am trying to be active on social media, so you can find me on Facebook, Instagram a little bit on TikTok, all @soldbynatalie. My phone number’s (419) 973-5023 or [email protected] or Serenity Realty. I’m there a couple of times a week. You could walk in and find me in the mommy office.

00:16:31:20 –> 00:16:33:28

Brad: Hey, awesome. Hey, thanks for coming on and sharing your story with us today.

00:16:34:16 –> 00:16:35:02

Natalie: Thank you.

00:16:38:21 –> 00:16:56:22

Hello. Hello. Are you there? Are there, are there, Hey guys, we just wanted to thank you for listening on either a podcast or on the YouTube video here. If you guys wanted to subscribe, that would be awesome. That would mean a lot to us. If you guys could give us a five-star review as well, that would be amazing. And we’ll see you on the next one.

Check out Natalie:

https://www.sylvaniaohiorealestate.com/

Facebook: @Soldbynataliep

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