It’s not a Brokerage, It’s a VIBE!

When I first started my career in real estate, like the studious, inquisitive individual I am, I interviewed several brokerages to get an idea of where I wanted to work and what the best fit for me would be. I met with several Broker of Record’s and toured various offices. Oddly enough, without even realizing it, I never once set foot in a large franchise. (nothing against them, I guess they were just never meant to be for me!). I made a decision of where I wanted to go and was just finishing up my license, when I noticed a brand new brokerage putting a sign up just around the corner from my house. I was intrigued! I walked in and introduced myself and instantly loved the idea of being their first agent - my wheels were spinning! Long story short, I joined said small, no-name brokerage as their very first agent and spent my first (almost) 6 years of my career with them. And it certainly had its benefits. With no admin staff, I had to do everything on my own and learnt a lot. But something was missing. There was a gap.

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. From selling crafts in my parents driveway at a very young age, to promoting local bands and putting on concerts as a teenager, I’ve always been driven by new ideas and not working for someone else. I’m an ideas person and always want more.

Ok, back to the gap. Chatham-Kent, which is where I live and work, has always been a bit behind the 8 ball. Old school, if you will. Every other community around us was using professional photographers in real estate. Meanwhile, here in CK, it was still point and shoot cameras complete with date stamps, just incase you wanted to know just how old a listing was. It was a bit of an old boys club too. So needless to say, when I decided to start my own brokerage, at the young age of 32 and no less as a WOMAN starting a brokerage, it wasn’t exactly well received. Sure, everyone was nice, congratulating me. Don’t get me wrong - I got along really well with the local REALTORS®. But did they think I would succeed? HECK NO!

My concept was simple from the start. Nest. Love Where you Live. Collaborative not Competitive. A modern approach to real estate. We were the first local brokerage to introduce professional photography on all of our listings. And then video of course. We were the first to introduce staging. The list goes on from here. But most importantly, the focus was on the brand and our collaborative approach.

Let’s talk about the collaborative approach. My former Broker of Record said something to me that stuck with me after all of these years. “Other REALTORS® are not your friends. They may pretend to be, but they aren’t. Don’t waste your time with them. It’s not real.” It was basically along those lines. And it really bothered me. It was SO negative. But I wasn’t buying it. Are they ALL my friends?  No, absolutely not. I’m not naïve. But I knew for damn sure that some of them were genuine. I did NOT want my brokerage to have that air about it. I wanted it to be positive. I wanted everyone to feel wanted and valued, I wanted it to feel like an extension of your own family. And I wanted to promote the value of building relationships not only with one another, but with other REALTORS®. Because, after all, this is a relationship based business, right?

So that’s what I built. Without even meaning to. (ok well, sort of) I started Nest in December of 2015, with just myself and my part-time office admin Becca. (where would I be without you girl, big love!). Then, in February of 2016 we had 2 brand new agents start with us. It was exciting times!! Shortly after, we had a few agents join us from other brokerages and we had a volunteer join us (who now just happens to be one of the most successful agents in CK I might add). We slowly added more innovation to our brokerage, such as in-house design and marketing, as well as in-house photography. All things that set us apart from other local brokerages.

Speaking of setting yourself apart, if you are considering starting a brokerage one day, if I could give you one piece of advice, it would be this. Look for the gap in your marketplace and fill it. And don’t tell me there isn’t a gap, because trust me, there is one. No matter what marketplace you are in, big city or small town, there is ALWAYS a gap to be filled. And that is where you will find success. It's part of how we did that. That and of course, our team.

From there on in, a culture was born. Nest wasn’t a brokerage. We were a vibe. People joined us because they wanted to be part of something. And that’s why we all get along as well as we do. Sure, we are different. Everyone always says “Oh, you’re the young brokerage.” And I always giggle at that. Young at heart maybe. We have a wide age range, with our youngest REALTOR® being 25 and our oldest one being 60. But guys, age is just a number. It’s our mindset that sets us apart. So the question is, what sets YOU apart? That is the question you have to ask yourself.

At the end of the day, we want you to #lovewhereyoulive, #lovewhereyouwork and most importantly, #lovewhatyoudo because life is short my friends. You have one life to live, so live it well and live it with people who make your life worth living. ♥