Sarah and Tabitha: The Sarah Schwartz Group

Commercial  0:00  

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it@progressive.com progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, potential savings will vary, not available in all states. Hello.

Tabitha Vasquez  0:20  

This is Sarah Schwartz and Tabitha Vasquez of the Sarah Schwartz group. If you're looking to improve your real estate business, you need to be listening to the real estate excellence podcast with my good friend Tracy Hayes.

Podcast Intro  0:31  

Welcome to Real Estate excellence making lasting connections to the best of the best in today's industry, elite. We'll help you expand your circle of influence by introducing you to the leaders in the real estate industry, whether it's top agents who execute at a high level every day, or the many support services working behind the scenes, we'll share their stories, ideologies and the inner workings of how they run a truly successful business, and show you how to add their tools to your belt. Now please welcome the host with the most Tracy Hayes,

Tracy Hayes  1:04  

Hey, welcome back to real estate excellence podcast. Your host, Tracy Hayes, one of the hottest real estate groups in Northeast Florida is in the studio today, over 4 million in sales in October, falling an already great September. I'm your girl. Her philosophy of no one likes to wait, and she'll answer you promptly. Nearly 105 star reviews on Google. I noticed that as well, she was Rookie of the Year at one of the largest brokerages here in Northeast Florida. In 2019 she has quickly become one of the top agents in the region with the help of her advisor, let's welcome the great Sarah Schwartz, group to the show. Sarah Schwartz and Tabitha Vasquez, hello, welcome. Well, ladies, I'm glad we finally got you on after rescheduling a couple times and getting everything straightened out there and so forth. And I'm looking forward to it. And Sarah, I really want you, if you could to, you know, as we're chatting today. Really dig in. As I said, pre show, we really want to those agents that are looking get a new idea, because your success, it's only been a very short period of time, so you're doing something right, and hopefully, with the help of Tabitha over here, has accelerated you. But that's always that's one of the challenging questions of a lot of agents as well, yeah, is when do you actually make that first hire, if you want to or partner up with somebody, when is in a lot of people as a member of the newcomer group, when I asked them, what was one of their biggest mistakes or regrets that was not hiring that first, you know, transaction quarter year to start to take the load of some of the other stuff off of it so they can continue doing that front end work. So I'm going to start off. We'll start off with Sarah. And Sarah, if you just, you know, tell us a little about, you know, where you from, Where'd you grow up? Where if you went to school? Because, like we said, that wasn't on your well. And then what we know, what brought you here to Northeast Florida.

Sarah Schwartz  2:56  

So I'm originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and I moved here when I was nine. So I grew up in Ponte, vedra, and then the day after I graduated high school, I moved to Orlando for a year with some girlfriends, moved back to Jacksonville, and then I lived here outside of Savannah, Georgia, San Diego, Hawaii, then back to San Diego, and then I moved back to Jacksonville about seven years ago.

Tracy Hayes  3:20  

So were those moves, San Diego and so forth, just for you, just checking out the world, or

Sarah Schwartz  3:27  

in my previous life, I was Navy wife for over 10 years. So we explored the area. Made a lot of really good connections. I enjoyed the different, you know, cultures everywhere we lived. And yeah, it was just really good experience. And came back to my family about seven years ago.

Tracy Hayes  3:43  

Now, if I saw in there correctly, you have a marketing degree. Do you go back to that marketing degree? Was there something there we were kind of joking about college pre show? Is there anything that marketing degree that you kind of used to?

Sarah Schwartz  3:56  

I think you know, marketing and sales definitely go hand in hand. So everything that I learned has definitely helped with everything, and then think also, just working in all the different cities has helped a lot also.

Tracy Hayes  4:08  

So I was an education major, so I don't like standing in front of people, and I love instruction. It says I often wonder what the marketing people were actually learning, because that is changing constantly, always now. Now social media in the play, is where I think a lot of people, or a lot of companies are actually directing a lot of their focuses into the social media in all the platforms.

Sarah Schwartz  4:32  

I would agree thing it's changing constantly. I mean, when I went to school in the early 2000s probably don't use half the things you learned

Tracy Hayes  4:39  

then obviously talking anything about print, that's like, yeah,

Tabitha Vasquez  4:43  

gold dated. All

Tracy Hayes  4:44  

right, let's go over to Mr. Tabitha, who has the best degree for being in real estate criminal justice. Tell us a little bit. Tell us about where did you grow up, and why did you choose criminal justice? What were your what were your thoughts? What were your envisioning? So.

Tabitha Vasquez  5:00  

So I grew up in Northeast Florida. I did not have such an elaborate growing up in Sarah that I've been here, and I stayed here, but a long time ago, once upon a time, my previous life, I wanted to be a lawyer. So I actually spent 18 years of my adult career in the legal field. I did apply to and I got into law school, and I was pregnant in the time, and I was having complications, so my doctor was like, Oh, you cannot go take the stress off. Yeah. So I stopped, and then I just never went back into it. I'm glad, because that would have been a lot of student loan debt, and I decided that was not for me.

Tracy Hayes  5:39  

So if I recall looking at your LinkedIn, you went to St Augustine high, I did. Okay. What was it like growing up in St Augustine for you,

Tabitha Vasquez  5:48  

it's so different. Yes, that's why I asked the question, my son is going to wind up going to St Augustine high as well? His father went to St Augustine high, and the town is just there's a small section of the locals, and we remember how it was, and it's just, it isn't, it is not the same way. So I'd be more interested in how my son's experience is going to wind up.

Tracy Hayes  6:10  

What are you noticing again, from the roughly 15 years ago, 20 years okay, I'm not dating you, but you know, a lot of people I live, I live on off Route to to 10, which people tell me, you know, I didn't move here until 2009 you know, it wasn't that long ago when 210 was a dirt road, yeah, and I think was Cole slate. We were talking about Roberts road and all, you know, being dirt and so forth. And his bus going to Brits road on a dirt road,

Sarah Schwartz  6:40  

Bartram. Yes, he went to Bartram. I went to me

Tracy Hayes  6:43  

and you What are you seeing right now? Being in the real estate world of who is buying in, especially in the downtown area, you know, who is, who's coming, you know, into because we know the people along 210 they're buying in because of the schools they may work in Jacksonville and so forth. That's the desirability for that cookie cutter subdivision, if you want to call it like I live it. But who is actually moving into the old town or buying in the old town? Because isn't there a lot of investment you're seeing going on down there that was there 20 years ago?

Tabitha Vasquez  7:15  

It's mostly investors. Yeah, that's a hot topic for St Augustine,

Tracy Hayes  7:19  

yes, from the Airbnb standpoint, and who can do what. And then on the beaches are you are we seeing a little bit of a turnover, or have, for the last three or four or five years, even some of the lot of the beach houses, a lot of the older crowd, you know, saying, You know what this house is, we don't need it anymore. We don't need this big house. We're going to move young ghosts, either downsize to a condo or or just change geographics all together, absolutely. Yeah. So all right, now I dug deep into your social media. Oh, wow. Okay, sorry. Was that a little bit of fitness modeling? Or what were you? What was? What was that all you were involved in?

Tabitha Vasquez  8:00  

I was in bodybuilding, Natural Bodybuilding. I started with a coach.

Tracy Hayes  8:04  

She had some guns. There was a picture in there, and she was showing off her biceps.

Tabitha Vasquez  8:13  

I started with a coach. She's actually still one of my best friends. I just saw her in Vegas last week, and she taught me so much, and it was a really great experience to really to learn that was something that I could do for myself and hold myself accountable. There's visual results that you get. It was a whole cool thing.

Tracy Hayes  8:35  

What led, what led you? I mean, just you just started, like, just working on the gym, and it just came something you were getting. I think we all get a high off of that. If something made you feel good and you like to start digging into it. One thing led to another.

Tabitha Vasquez  8:47  

One thing led to another. But my personality type is I'll start with something and I will immediately say, how far can I take this? What's the next step?

Tracy Hayes  8:57  

Right, right? So her vision was, become a lawyer. What was your vision? Sarah, initially doing a marketing degree. What did you see yourself doing?

Sarah Schwartz  9:05  

You know, I don't know. I wanted to

Tracy Hayes  9:10  

do a lot of college grads. So don't feel your physical I

Sarah Schwartz  9:13  

had so many different work experiences, and I think that helped me, because, you know, I worked at the state attorney's office for a while, I worked at a physical therapy company. I worked at a hospital. I did so many different jobs, and I just loved pieces of every single one. So here we are.

Tracy Hayes  9:32  

So what lead? What ends up leading you through your different career? When do you start getting a taste of real estate and start thinking about

Sarah Schwartz  9:39  

becoming an agent? Well, so my grandfather was a commercial Realtor in Baltimore, very I think it was pretty successful. Then I moved here. My dad was always in sales. And when I bought my first house in California, I of course, was like, every buyer, and I was like, Oh, this seems so fun. I. Wanted to be a realtor, so I started to take my course in California, and then moved to Jacksonville, so I didn't finish it there, then I started it here. But I was like, I think I need to get my life together first before I jump into something. So, yeah, worked here for a few years, started to do the course again. Something happened in my life. Didn't do it, and then I was referring some of my friends to one of my really good friends, that's a realtor. And I was just like, Oh, here you go. Call them. Here, call them. And she was like, why don't you just get your license? She might regret saying that now, but so I was like, You're right. I will do it. And Do you

Tracy Hayes  10:38  

Do you ever look back, look back on your life and like, okay, here, here's some, somehow, some way, you start to get a taste of you start to get taste of it. And how, and really, I mean, how is real estate in just the last three years, in the success that you've had has changed your lifestyle, or how you financially are different today than you were, say, four years.

Sarah Schwartz  11:02  

I definitely think I'm a lot more successful than I thought that I would be. One thing that was always really important for me. You know, I was a military spouse. I moved across the country, and it was so hard to get a call back, to find a place to live. I mean, answer your phone so

Tracy Hayes  11:20  

I just that's where you're understand,

Sarah Schwartz  11:24  

yes, like, I'm moving from Jacksonville to San Diego, I went house hunting for a week, and I think two people answered my call. So I mean, with that, it's very important to me put myself in other people's shoes, and I think that has helped with my success. That has helped with everything. And I mean, obviously when you work really hard, hopefully the financial outcome is the same. So, okay, how do we? How does Tabitha enter the real estate realm? It was kind

Tabitha Vasquez  11:58  

of always a little hobby of mine. I was always interested, constantly looking@realtor.com Zillow, and then I wanted to get out of the legal field, because my soul was dying, and just needed something different where I could just enjoy life, have a little flexibility with my schedule, with myself. So what kind of

Tracy Hayes  12:18  

legal work were you actually doing at that time that you felt just, I mean, obviously wasn't inspiring you anymore.

Tabitha Vasquez  12:24  

Actually, I was working at a real estate law office, and I was doing title work. I was a closer, and I guess that really inspired me. That's when I signed up.

Tracy Hayes  12:33  

I'm starting to see the agents come in and meeting them and understanding their personalities.

Tabitha Vasquez  12:39  

No covid was going on, so I was not meeting the agent. What I was doing was looking into these properties. There was like I said I was doing title so you get the title searches back. And for some reason, I just fastened me.

Tracy Hayes  12:55  

So how do you meet with Sarah? When does this happen? At the gym? At the gym, heard

Sarah Schwartz  13:00  

of my previous life, I also worked out five times a week.

Tracy Hayes  13:06  

So you're with the title, so you didn't know each other prior at all, not even through the title company. No.

Tabitha Vasquez  13:12  

And we met years even before that, Okay, a couple, a couple years ago. Yeah, yeah.

Tracy Hayes  13:16  

So you guys are just having an ongoing conversation and meeting at the gym. I mean, were you back it out or, you

Sarah Schwartz  13:21  

go to the gym constantly and like, around the same time, you see the same people, yeah? Because we're all in the zone of like, oh, gotta go to the gym this time every day. So then frame, yeah. So I think just one time there was a girl, she remember if it was your sports bra or your pan. Okay, it was your pay. So the girl was like, what's that brand? And the brand was buff bunny. Funny. I was like, in the same area, but you know, Tabitha was so nice. She was like, Oh, thank you. It's buff bunny. And the girl was like, what? Like, 10 she kept it was like, over and over, like, what's the brand? Funny, what's brand? Then tab is like,

Tracy Hayes  14:11  

never mind. She could not get buff bunny in. She'd never seen it before, right? Yeah, I mean, and then, didn't

Tabitha Vasquez  14:19  

you say there were the few people that kept thinking that

Sarah Schwartz  14:22  

we were Yes. So many people think we're related. Blonde hair, yeah, my hair was blonde, yeah. Blonde hair. Light eyes were obviously twins,

Tracy Hayes  14:30  

all right, so the your but buff bunny starts a conversation, yeah? Okay, just

Sarah Schwartz  14:35  

like, I

Tabitha Vasquez  14:38  

think she damned me after that.

Tracy Hayes  14:40  

So, you're saying this goes on for a couple years. So where you guys are just meeting in the gym, and me coming from, so when does one say, hey, why don't you come join

Sarah Schwartz  14:51  

so when Tabitha got her license, she posted it on Instagram, and I messaged her, and I was just like, hey, I know you just got your license. Since, if you have any questions, or if there's anything I can do for you, like, I'm more than happy to help, because I did not get that when I started, I asked one of my friends. I was like, Oh, your friend is in real estate. You know, do you think she'd meet me for coffee to maybe give me some tips, or what she did to help get started? And her friend shut me down.

Tracy Hayes  15:20  

Oh, do I know this from this friend, be still in the business?

Sarah Schwartz  15:23  

Oh, she's, yeah. I mean, she's still in the business. She's very nice. I think she just more so felt like I should find my own mentor at my own brokerage, and kind of go from there. So I wanted Tabitha to just know, like, I know that you're new in the industry, and I'm not the most experience, but I'd be more than happy to help and answer any questions and just, you know, pay it forward. Well.

Tracy Hayes  15:46  

I mean, one of the one of the common themes that I've gotten with all the top agents, pushing 100 of them on and on the show, is collaboration. Yes, you know, unfortunately, to see a lot in the loan officer world, a lot of lines being drawn. That's like, you know, I recently did the event at Landmark, and I totally said there would be no lenders sponsoring I'm going as real estate excellence. Because when you put a lender out there, they draw lines. And I think in your case, they were actually drawing brokerage lines between, oh, I'm sure you're just not going to grow that way. And the commonality of hearing you say this just naturally, that was your, that was your whole attitude towards it was collaborate. Hey, we're, you know, hey, we're women, and we're in real estate, you know, can I pick your brain a little bit the top people are willing to pour into you? Yeah.

Sarah Schwartz  16:36  

I mean, I don't even think it has anything to do with, you know, just being a woman, I think just as a human being like I'm I want you to succeed. I want everyone to be doing their absolute best. You know, there are so many people moving here and that live here, what are the odds that we're both going to get a call from the same person who's like, I want to see this house today at four, but I'm going to see it with her at 430 and I'll see which one I like more like that's it doesn't happen. So why not help people?

Tracy Hayes  17:05  

Right there, there's plenty of business, even, even with the low inventory right now, there might be some little bit competition in trying to get a listing agreement, but ultimately, people are going to do business with with who they like, right? And they may not like a red, but they like a blonde or vice versa, right? Whatever their reason is, it's because they like and I have my auntie in the loan officer world has saved it, right? You're going to do business with who you like to do business with, and who adds value to you, whatever value is to you exactly. And when you start drawing the lines, you're only cutting yourself off at the knees, as far as growth is concerned and learning from others. Um, so let's you were. Tell us, give us a little more color on the when you got started, what the first broker jury were you with? What led you there? What did was it just a friend? Was there someone you knew? Or did you actually go and really dig deep? But how did you

Sarah Schwartz  18:00  

I did not dig. So I was still working a full time job. And honestly, I was working my full time job until last, so not this past May, but the one before 2021 21 I was like, Wait a second. Yeah. 2021 I worked for one 800 Flowers for five years, and I left, I put in my notice after Mother's Day, obviously the biggest floral holidays of the year. So I put in my notice afterward. But um, so my friend that I was telling you about she worked at, you want me to say the record she worked at exit and, well, it's not exit anymore. Exactly. Nobody knows what it is because it exited. Just kidding, the name you're great. So she, I thought, did a lot of interviewing and everything ahead of time, and I trust her 100% so she was, she loved it there. So I went, I didn't interview. I just went there and was basically like, hi, where do I sign up? So I did that. I was there for about a year, which you became Rookie of the Year. Yes, I was Rookie of the Year, and probably one of the hardest years of my personal life. You know, I started real estate in April. My dad passed away in November, and I was planning a wedding, and I got married that March. So, yeah, it's in a

Tracy Hayes  19:29  

year and all and all. What do you and then covid? Obviously, something clicked there initially. Anyway. I mean, you me, and being your top agent as a rookie, yeah, is tough to do. So tell us some of the things that worked there. Obviously, you fell into it, but that people ought to be looking for when they are looking for that initial brokerage. What were the things that you just saw them to find the gold nuggets? But how can they be a little more aware to go on the right path that you just so fortunately.

Sarah Schwartz  20:00  

He got off. So my first listing was a first horse sale by owner in my neighborhood. So they had a sign. I went, knocked on the door, and I, you know, they said no, and then, you know, they're obviously not looking for a realtor. They know what they're doing. They don't need me, of course. And I was like,

Tracy Hayes  20:19  

what do we need Realtors for? If you need me

Sarah Schwartz  20:23  

on two streets that way, yellow house. So two days later, they reached out to me. And then, you know, I did use some my So, Emily is who brought me. So she, you know, she was very great. Would she still is really great, but she would answer all of my questions. It was a very difficult transaction. Yeah, she always really pushed me to just, you know, try to find business.

Tracy Hayes  20:48  

Well, one thing I always look for, and because I think the challenging in finding the brokers, and you've changed brokers a couple of times, I think I always go back to Sarah Rocco talking about adding value at some point, you're not getting any more value out of the broker or the organization, and all you then start looking for value somewhere else, in one way, shape or form or another. What were some of the things that exit was, you know, obviously providing you, or was it just your natural ability? What? What do you think? What do you think made you Rookie of the Year, helped you become Rookie of the Year.

Sarah Schwartz  21:22  

I mean, I don't want to say that it wasn't because of the brokerage I was at, but I did not take advantage of any of the courses that they did. I mean, they did offer a lot of education. I think, you know, exit and color were always really good for people to start at for the education, but I didn't go to it. You know, I had so much going on, so I really leaned on my sphere. So, you know, I was very active on Facebook. I was in a lot of military spouse groups. My first closing was a girl from a military spouse group who, you know, I was very casual with her. Of course, she posted something, and I was like, oh, but when I messaged her, she was just like, you know, are you gonna make me sign something saying that I'm only working with you? And I was like, No. Girl, like, if you don't want to work with me, don't work with me. I'm not gonna force you this. We're not getting married. So she was just like, You know what? Thank you. And she was like, I'm gonna work with you. Because I guess other people messaged her, and they were like, I just need you to sign this down saying that you're only working with me. And I was like,

Tracy Hayes  22:23  

That is that isn't some brokers. You really want that document, yeah, put that out front.

Sarah Schwartz  22:28  

I think you need to make a relationship first 100% tell me you love me.

Tracy Hayes  22:32  

You can't force the relationship over. Tabitha, I'm gonna jump over to you just to kind of plug, balance it out. And so, you know, sorry, talk to me. Yeah. Also, so you you get your license. Were you already headed towards a brokerage before Sarah reaches?

Tabitha Vasquez  22:50  

No, I did do some research. I was looking specifically for a brokerage that would offer a structured learning process, because having come from the legal world, all of my jobs in government or at law firms, they had a set training like you would go through something before you were kicked out there. For the most part, some places didn't operate like that. So that's what I looked for, and I picked my first brokerage thinking that was what I was going to get out of there. And that is not what happened simultaneously. Sarah had messaged me and said, Hey, I'm here if you ever need anything. And I needed her.

Tracy Hayes  23:31  

So what, when did, what evaluation did you do at that? I mean, did you actually talk to several brokerage where you kind of sit down and said, Okay, well, that sounds after they went through their spiel, their little if you want to call it an interview. Or did you actually talk to several? I talked to several. What did you What were some of the things, if you were someone wanted to become a real estate agent today, obviously, or even someone who's doesn't see the value, maybe they did make the mistake of going with a broker that just didn't click with them. What do you think are some of the things you know, for you, if you were sitting in front of a new broker today, what are some of the things that you would be asking them?

Tabitha Vasquez  24:06  

I think I would immediately ask them how they would handle certain situations that I have personally been in, because what I have noticed is that the personality of the broker, they're not all made the same. They're all going to handle transactions differently, and I really wanted somebody who was going to have kind of my same outlook on how to treat other human beings, which is why Sarah and I, because just be nice real estate. You don't have to be a shark out there. You need to be smart, you need to be proactive, and you need to pay attention to what you're doing, but that you don't need to be a terrible human to be successful.

Tracy Hayes  24:45  

It's very interesting how you describe that, because if you've been in management anyway, and they have actually put you through a training course of how to interview people, that is one of the things they want to do that you don't want to Yes. Or no answer you want to give the what if this happens? What would you do? Scenario, and the fact that you already had a some experience, already of some transactions, and how they react is that's a very valuable information there, because I would you agree that a lot of agents, they're either being recommended by their friends, because their friends work there. Or, you know, they sit down with the first brokerage. And of course, they all will tell you they have great education. Is superior technology. What are other some of the

Sarah Schwartz  25:34  

everyone's so nice. Everyone collaborates, yeah.

Tracy Hayes  25:38  

And within you step in the door. It's like any employer, even though you're not an employee, right? You know, they in the interview. I think it was. I got Billy Wagner's book here in front of me. Billy says, clearly, when you're in an interview process, face to face interview, it's two people not necessarily being, you know? He says, lying to each other. I won't say your lot, you kind of exaggerate on some things.

Sarah Schwartz  26:02  

Definitely have it. I feel like they definitely put their best self forward.

Tracy Hayes  26:06  

Yeah, and then selling it. And then we, you mentioned it a few minutes ago. Some brokers are great at taking the greenest of agents, right, and working them up. And then there's others that like to take the experience agents and focus on there's some I think are caught in the middle. Would you agree? Not really. They may be better one, but they still get take the green agent. So the green agent suffers a little bit because they're really good at the medium agent to the higher up, yet they're still taking green agents in and just don't have the structure, and some just aren't sure which side of the fence they're on. Yeah, because I think it takes a different it takes a lot of energy, which, I mean, especially a broker to mentor an agent up who is not a Sarah. I think Sarah, you just listening to you here today. You had a lot of just, you just hit the ground running. Yeah, you hit the ground running. And you unders. You used a key term sphere. Tell us. Tell us some things I had George potgo from Keller Williams, Christina Welch's team. His biggest regret when he got started was not working his fear early enough. He was already a couple years into it before he realized he had to go work the sphere, where you went right to the sphere. Tell us some of the things you did to get your fear activated.

Sarah Schwartz  27:23  

So this might sound kind of weird, but, you know, I reached out to lots of my friends on Facebook, and was kind of just like, hey, I just have, like, a really weird question, you know, I know that you own your house, how did you find your realtor? That was, like, the most important thing for me to know. How are people finding their realtor? So, you know, a few people are like, Oh, it was a recommendation from a friend. Oh, I found them on realtor.com Oh, I you know this person, my neighbor. And then you know one girl who, I mean, you have to think about it, when you're friends with someone on Facebook, who knows how long you've actually known them. I mean, I was a lifeguard at Adventure landing 20 plus years ago. And I have friends that I was a lifeguard with. So I reached, well, multiple summers, but yeah, so I reached out to one, and she was like, oh, here, if you saw that, you got your license. I think we're going to be buying and selling or selling and buying. And I was just like, really, me. So, I mean, I think just, you know, just staying top of mind, I can say I met, I did a really good transaction, which was actually a lead from Boomtown, and I spoke with the listing agent, and I asked her, you know, I'm pretty new, what do you recommend? And she was like, top of mind, just stay top of mind. So that's what I've done. I reach out to people, and I genuinely enjoy people's company. So I like going and taking a friend out for coffee or out to lunch or dinner and just finding, catching up, finding out what's going on in their lives. I like doing stuff in the community, so for me, it was really natural to reach out to people and just ask that random question, and then just, oh, well, you know, if you ever know anyone that needs to buy or sell, I'd love for you to consider me.

Tracy Hayes  29:10  

Well, you sound like when you ask the question, How did you how did you find your realtor? Everyone's like, well, they're well, you're not trying to sell them anything, right? I just want to know you're asking, Hey, I'm a new realtor. I'm trying to figure, how did you find your realtor? Because I want to, you know, put myself out there as they did, how you discovered them. And it's just a subtle question, but now you've actually planted in their mind a realtor, and you start a conversation. But, I mean, isn't that you know sort of How to Win Friends and Influence People? Concept, you get people talking in or you ask for someone for their advice, right? And how flattering that is when someone says, Hey, you know, how did, how did, how did you do it? Everyone, that's a prideful moment that wants to spill the beans, even it was just about how I had you found your realtor, right? All right, so Tabitha, let's talk. Let's bounce over here so you're, you're finally meet with Sarah. But what are some of your initial challenges that you you were having as a very you know, got your license, you, you, you're signing up with a broker, and you walk into that office the first day. What are some of the challenges that you saw in your first 346, months? How long was it till you got your first sale? Immediately?

Tabitha Vasquez  30:23  

It was busy right away. Okay, you're lucky. I don't, I guess. And I went out, I did the same thing. My first listing was a for sale by owner as well. Oh, the same thing is, I was like, All right, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna make this happen. Also, single mom, I got I do something. And I have a habit of running downtown in St Augustine every morning, and just I like it. I saw a sign on the road, and I was like, hey, so I called this

Tracy Hayes  30:52  

gentleman, run up there and you're, you're,

Tabitha Vasquez  30:56  

yeah, I Well, I took a photo of the sign. I went home, and I called the gentleman. He lived in Jacksonville, and just been a rental property for him for since it was built. And he said he had talked to several, had tons of agents calling him, and he chose me because I lived there, and I also called consistently for about three weeks before he finally gave up and was like, All right, I'll let you

Tracy Hayes  31:18  

listen that. You know, that's a great point. How important is it that you think is I mean, would you, would you agree that 99% of the agents probably only called him once, probably, and the fact that you kept calling him, you know, in here on the after about three weeks, he was ready, obviously from your persistence, but also he's like, Yeah, I need someone to move this problem. I'm not doing it. And I think

Tabitha Vasquez  31:44  

there's another thing too, Sarah has kind of touched on a little bit. It's more so a relationship. When you're calling people, they don't like to be sold to, or like, feel like they're being pushed by somebody. So when I was calling him, I just would say, Hey, how's it going? If you need me, I'm here. Don't forget about me. So that's what Sarah was saying, top of mind. But you're not necessarily like, always. I'm a real estate agent. You're just like, How can I help? Right?

Tracy Hayes  32:09  

How can I help? What we're now part there that just come naturally to you. I mean, because I know the brokers are training on how to reach out for for sale by owners. Was that something? Some tips that you that you got, or was that just natural for you to to approach him?

Tabitha Vasquez  32:25  

In so 18 years as a paralegal and a clerk, you deal with the public a lot, and you're always dealing with them on a very bad day and in bad situations.

Tracy Hayes  32:36  

So it wasn't conversation. It

Tabitha Vasquez  32:38  

was a habit of mine to just be gentle with someone. How can I help you? I know what this is, and I know how things are going to pan out in different scenarios. So what do you need? And how can we get there the best way possible to mitigate the stuff you don't want to deal with, and how can I take a load off of you? That's what I got used to as being a paralegal, both honestly to the lawyers I worked with and the judges I worked with, and then also to the clients I was working with. How can I help? How can I take a look off?

Tracy Hayes  33:10  

If you look back, it was, it was spring of 20, right? When you more or less got it, yeah, looking back here in two years, obviously Sarah's success, you guys are probably experimenting and things, but obviously you've had success. If you look back and you were talking to someone new, or again, one of those agents who might be stale, whether what are some of the things that you would tell them to do or not do? What are some of the things that you learned early? Yeah, that doesn't work, or maybe just doesn't work for you. What'd you learn about yourself?

Tabitha Vasquez  33:44  

I am still in the process of learning this. Well, we never but honestly, you're capable of so much more than you think you are. And Sarah is you need a good mentor, someone who's made very positive because it's not my natural inclination to just wake and be like, the world is amazing today. That's not me. But I'm not saying like, she does that to like, it's like a toxic positivity or anything like, she just honestly

Tracy Hayes  34:11  

annoying. No,

Tabitha Vasquez  34:13  

she's just in abundance mindset. So if you are like, and I overthink so I'm like, oh my god, what about this? What about this? What about this? She's like and what if it works? So it's really important to have somebody like that, you know, around you, and to just constantly receive the message and remind yourself you can do this, and you're going to do a lot better than you think you can, and just let it

Tracy Hayes  34:36  

be now, obviously, I'm sure Sarah pulled it out of you. But when you were saying that and knowing what little I do know about you at this moment here, half an hour into our show, the whole your background in the body building is basically the body building and pushing yourself to doing things you didn't think you could do. And obviously, having a coach, someone that was encouraging you to say, yes, you can do that is kind of like Sarah now and then, obviously one of the common, unfortunately, common themes. But we have a lot, I've had a lot of very successful single moms on the show, and sometimes, like you said, you had to get out there and you had to do, yeah, I think it was christella, that's who it says. Failure was not an option to her. She she did whatever she could. She had family members helping her out, even lent to her car, which she couldn't afford, a car, and another sister or something, cousin gave her a cell phone and got her business going, and has been success. Do you feel like some of that background when so when she's coaching you, you're just a sponge in receiving that positive and taking that step out there.

Tabitha Vasquez  35:48  

I'd like to say I'm always a sponge, but I definitely push back. And she's just always there. She's very consistent. And I'll I think I'm probably going to always have that mindset when, because of the legal field, I'm going to always well, what's on this side, what's on this side, what's on this side, what's on this side. And so I will go through all these scenarios and think, thankfully she has the patience to give me answers for all of it, or just tell me when I'm overthinking, and I need to stop

Tracy Hayes  36:15  

with with your clients, though, because engineers have the same kind of mindset. Least I know what I'm doing with them. Talking about loans. They want to they want spreadsheets of all different types of loans, even though they really want this one right here. But when you're working with some of your your clients, your your detail or looking, you know, at from the side to make sure there's no obstacles in the way, have you found working? You know, when you're working through some of these with these buyers and sellers, actually, that's an asset for you. That's you.

Tabitha Vasquez  36:46  

It has been. And it helps because I can, I can explain what they're signing. I can explain the step, the step, the step, these are the things are going to happen if you're new or you haven't really done it a lot. Then it gives them peace of mind and comfort. And also, I have found that Me, My Type A personality, goes along very well with investors. So when they want numbers, I can provide them numbers, because the organ organization is a huge thing for me.

Tracy Hayes  37:17  

So well with your also, you worked with the title company on the legal side, and not everything downtown St Augustine is

Tabitha Vasquez  37:26  

perfect. Oh no.

Tracy Hayes  37:29  

Surprises every day. Your surprises every day. Yeah, I had a great story trying to remember who it was that I had on the show. Was there, but there was, I think was Stephen Jones at the cross. We really, he was talking about having a there was deed restricted these houses out on the beach to have access to this, have access to the beach. They weren't actually on the beach. They were on the other side. And everyone was like, oh, yeah, no, you if you buy here, you can access that. Where he said, No, no, no, I need that in writing. And a lot of people would have just bought that house. And then when someone actually said, no, no, no, you need to pay. And actually there was $50,000 some people were paying to get this access, and because it wasn't legally ever drawn up, you know, in it you and your background, in your a personality, meticulousness, we'll use that word of looking into that is very important, especially buying on the beach, and especially in downtown, you know, the Old City. It's not these cookie cutter subdivisions where that, yeah, that survey is good for 100 years, unless one puts a fence up or something. All right, what do you guys do? Real quick, since Tao, I got the camera on you, what do you do? Are you our podcast sister? Do you read books? Do you like to go to go to events? Where do you? Where do you get your industry knowledge, or even just inspirational knowledge, like you said that positive

Tabitha Vasquez  38:47  

day, Sarah, I read a lot. I also am very faith based Christian. So I when I can get my schedule right, I really like to start my day either listening to sermons or reading a journal that I have, like a daily inspiration type thing, and just kind of get my head right and what,

Tracy Hayes  39:14  

tell me how you feel when you you know, obviously you go back to that. Because I think it's sometimes, then, to use the analogy, it's like a it's like a drug are you getting? Just when you read that, you just feel inspired. Is a lot why you keep going back,

Tabitha Vasquez  39:28  

yes, yes. I don't even know, inspired just fortified again, just like, okay, I can go back out there in the world and keep doing this. And then, aside from that, for real estate, reading a lot. I do look at social media a lot as well, just to see, I mean, it's really good to always know how, not just like what other real estate agents are doing, that's great, but to see what people are seeing. What is the public saying when they're turning on the on Instagram? What kind of information like? Look at CNN. Look at all your news. What's the public. Being fed. So I look at that quite a lot in classes.

Tracy Hayes  40:03  

You like going to the local boards that would just online classes? All right? Sarah, over you, what are you? What are you get a podcast? Are you reading scripture? What? What gets you going? And obviously, stay in front of your your buyers and sellers?

Sarah Schwartz  40:20  

Um, so I've read a bunch of Colleen Hoover books lately. Yeah. I mean, I like to start my day by my husband will wake up. He'll put cushions outside for me on one of our chairs, and I like to sit there, drink coffee, feel the breeze when there is one, and I'll read a book and just kind of get in like a little zone for myself.

Tracy Hayes  40:41  

And she put aside, like a half an hour, an hour or more. It depends

Sarah Schwartz  40:46  

on when I wake up. Our son beat him at nine. I usually wake up, I don't know, around seven. And just take some time, just for me. And, you know, get in the zone. I love anything. John Gordon for inspiration. And, yeah, I mean, same as tabs. I check social media, look, just see what people are saying. Um, I like to talk to other realtors in different markets, kind of see what's going on. And do you

Tracy Hayes  41:12  

guys like going to the socials? Um, they're put on, whether by a lender or title company, whatever? Do you guys like that kind of atmosphere to kind of meet up with some of the other agents. Is that something you guys do,

Tabitha Vasquez  41:23  

it's really helpful just stay top of mind for the professionals that we work with as well, and then just get a taste of how everybody's kind of working in this field, in this area. So it is very helpful

Tracy Hayes  41:36  

to kind of get an opportunity to meet the persons that are a lot of times on the other side of those contracts.

Sarah Schwartz  41:40  

Yeah, you don't always meet, right? So I met at the last real producers event. I met an agent. We had a horrible transaction together. Her sellers were absolute nightmares. I mean, she'll tell you they I've just they were very difficult, and I met her for the first time, and then I saw her again a few weeks ago at magianos for the top 5% or top five elite. So it was funny, because I had never met her, and now I see her. Okay, how

Tracy Hayes  42:13  

mean, because this is get a common one of those common themes, you know, showing up, you showed up with the real producers. You know, meet some of these people, especially last year when you were having multiple offers, right that when someone got that offer from you? Oh, this is Sarah's office. This Tabitha. I know who they are. I've met them. I've talked to them. They drink a lot of wine whenever. But how important? Because I really think, you know, social media has allowed us to create relationships electronically, right? There's some people we talk to all the time on social media. We've never actually met right face, face. I have, I have that every week coming on the show, talk to them on social media, and the first time I ever actually meet and actually have a conversation is with them on the show here. So, but now, when that person calls you, or you need to call that person because you're the listing agent you want to make an offer, or maybe you know the market's tough, and you need to start calling out to some agents say, Hey, I got this great property. You got anybody who might be interested in it, I need to move it. And those conversations are easier because you have actually met and chatted whoever. How brief It was, yeah, definitely. All right, you've changed brokerages here recently to Berkshire Hathaway, obviously they, they've coached you over tell us you, because it's not uncommon. There's very few agents think who I can think of, just two off the top of my head, who actually been with their brokerages for over a decade. Well, actually, the three they've actually been with this brokerage, some of them have broken off and made their own teams and done their own things within them. But anyway, what was the you personally, obviously felt that you would run the road to the end of the road at where you were at, you know, initially at accent, then your second brokerage, and now you're at Berkshire Hathaway. What is it when you're you were sitting amongst the girls chatting or guys and chatting, you know, and exchanging the industry jargon. What is it you felt that Berkshire Hathaway is now going to help you and Tabitha move to the next level? You know?

Sarah Schwartz  44:13  

I think that for me, personally, what I feel like I need is a good personal connection, and then also business coaching. So I just, you know, it's like, sometimes you don't know what's missing, but you just feel like something's missing. So Tabitha and I went and sat with Berkshire Hathaway. They had an absolutely amazing presentation. I think that the broker that we met with is phenomenal, and I'm really looking forward to everything that he can help us with, and just the company as a whole. I mean, their marketing platforms are great, the just all of the technology, and then I think the personal coaching from a broker who has been in the industry for a really long time, I think, is going to. Help us get to that next level where we want to be.

Tracy Hayes  45:03  

All right, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna ask Sarah this question, Tabitha, and then I'm gonna go over you, pretend you don't hear her answer. You were in that presentation, share it with something inspired you. Something said, Yeah, I need to, I need to get with Tabitha. And probably need to make this move. So I actually brought Tabitha. She was in the room. Serious motivation. What was it about them that you're like, oh yeah, that's the piece I may be missing.

Sarah Schwartz  45:32  

I think just everything on their platforms that they were showing us, and everything that Josh, the broker, you know, he's like, I will help you with this. And he has been like, I've been on his email list for a while where he would like, he sends out a Monday motivation every single Monday. So even before I worked there, I would get and that's what I like. That's what I need. I need like, positivity. I need motivation. You know, in their meetings, they talk about things that are going on in the market. So it's not like, oh, here we are. Here are the top people. Here are just some stats. Here are all of our preferred people that are going to tell you about what they do. But it's like, this is what's going on. What happens?

Tracy Hayes  46:16  

Structured sales meetings. Yes.

Sarah Schwartz  46:19  

Brilliant. I know, yeah, and, I mean, I'm not saying anything bad. So, you know, I was with a brokerage for two years. I absolutely adore the broker. It just there was something that was not there for me to help me get to that next level. Okay, and that is where we're at now. All right,

Tracy Hayes  46:36  

Tabitha, you were there in the presentation. Was there something a little bit, don't, don't ditto her, because you're a different person. What was it about the presentation that you caught on and you're like, hey, you know, maybe because you're not conversing at the moment, you're listening or right, you're going to guys meet, yeah. What was it that caught you and motivated you to support her decision over here?

Tabitha Vasquez  46:58  

Initially, I love the technology that they're offering. There's a certain platform that I like, and they were going to offer it, and so I was very excited about that. But honestly, the broker came in, the President came in, the founder came in, they had marketing people come in, and they sat and took time with us and explained things and answered questions, and they just, they gave you a I'm here for you vibe, and everything's gonna be all right. So it was just a, you can feel it, that it was gonna be good. And they asked us what we felt like was missing. And they, you know, what could they do to help us with our business, so I think that was really big. All right,

Tracy Hayes  47:43  

so I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna make us try to put this statement together, and feeling you will agree, but if you disagree, that makes the show that much more interesting. People get stale, and whether it's corporate America, whether it's a broker, they at some point, they stop moving forward, and it's at that point when they're people who are following them realize they're not actually staying in front anymore. You may be passing them, not in the same time and experience, because they've always got that on you, typically, but their value in the business. What's going on? What's the latest thing? I mean, obviously, we've had a lot of things last 24 months. You know, the market going from 100 miles an hour to almost put on the brakes hard right at the moment. And how are you dealing with it? Are they staying on top of the top of the and staying out front and adding, continuing to add value? I've noticed it in our presentations, and I'm going to probably cut this clip out and put it out there, because I really feel this. I've noticed a lot of our vendors and so forth that are adding that, trying to add value to the agents, you know, teaching you whatever. Have gone to these panels. Stop going to the panels, guys, they're not prepared. They're not prepared to add any value to you. They are just there for you, for you guys to come in. They're not adding any value. The reason why they've gone to the panel is they don't have to compare. There's no knowledge prepared to give you that's going to move you now, you may get lucky, and if you're an experienced agent or something, it may tell you something new. In reality, it's just a quick way to put people together in a room and say, Hey, I put an event together, but not one of those panel members are truly prepared. And I know you've probably been on some panels recently.

Sarah Schwartz  49:26  

No, I've never been on one. Melissa wants to know what I have on, like, three panels. I know I saw I went to lunch with her a few weeks ago, and I was like, I'm gonna see like, four times in seven days. This is a record.

Tracy Hayes  49:38  

I'm if you guys may disagree with me on the panel thing, but I you know when, when sitting down with a very important marketing person here preparing the event that I did last month, she said, Don't do a panel. It's being overdone because people are just they're just that way. They don't have to prepare. They don't have to prepare PowerPoint, prepare even thoughts. They just go up and sit up in front of a room and just blah, blah, blah. On, and I don't to me it's for you guys to take your time out of the day. That's my soapbox for the morning. All right, I know you guys. You guys are shocked and laying back on that.

Sarah Schwartz  50:10  

I think if it's a panel where there is a specific topic, yes, then that's completely different, yes. So I like to go to panels where there is a topic that I'm interested in because I want to learn and I want to grow, and I think that it's so important for everyone to

Tracy Hayes  50:27  

learn. So what's going on in the local market?

Sarah Schwartz  50:30  

I don't really think that's that's how specific I would want something a little bit more specific,

Tracy Hayes  50:35  

yes, yes, yes. Thank you. Okay, so you do agree. You're like, basically what you just said. If everyone up there is talking about that particular subject, and I know I'm going in, and that's why I'm going there, right? But when you just put a panel together, just says, Hey, we're going to talk about the local market conditions and and stuff. And you know, there's one coming up, we're going to talk about loan officers are getting going to talk about, you know, how to get around the interest rates. Trust me, our companies are feeding us stuff constantly, trying to tell us all the things, and everyone has an opinion, and they have other things too. Bye, I'm gonna skip because we're from a time standpoint. Tabitha, I'm gonna go with you on this one, as you mentioned it earlier. One of the top common themes that I've gotten off every podcast is education. How important is education and your success, especially with your a personality feeling you when you are in front of a customer, you want to be at your best. How important is education, whether it's taking the online courses or showing boards or even going to a great vendor, putting on a great specific subject matter,

Tabitha Vasquez  51:39  

I'm going to liken it to my previous life in law. Nobody wants to hire a lawyer that is not continuously learning because the statutes are changing. Federal laws that everything. It's a it's a real estate is a moving beast constantly. Yep, you don't want to gotten you don't want to hire the guy that doesn't really know what he's doing, who hasn't been up on his continuing education credits, or just kind of went to the school. So I feel like if I'm going to deliver my best performance, I need to know what I'm talking about. Not only does knowing what I'm talking about help my client, it gives me more confidence to navigate with the other side of the transaction with them. And just to get everything to the closing table, education is paramount.

Tracy Hayes  52:26  

So you've got to go above and be you know you required so many hours, which is year, every two years. We were, you guys, and we're, we're required, not required as much as you are. And we can take ours online very quickly. As far as loan officers, the lot is just the same material, but you got to go above and beyond just that, that CE credits. Yes, you do. You've got to put in the extra, you know, going in, obviously interacting with other agents, to hear the other stories, because every transaction is different, and how to how to handle it, and so forth. So interacting with them, or going to the events that we talked about, you know, that vendors put on and so forth to bring you guys in and go above and beyond, to stay sharp all the time. It's that's, that's why you're getting higher.

Tabitha Vasquez  53:11  

Well, we talked about this earlier too. There's people are going to be drawn to you just because of color of your hair, but because like your personality, like they're drawn to you for a reason, and you're gonna add

Tracy Hayes  53:22  

personalities in your hair, though, just, I mean, okay,

Tabitha Vasquez  53:27  

a person out there interacting with others, and I'm offering a professional, you know, thing, you know, out there, like a service, professional service, there are going to be different people attracted to me and what I'm Doing than you know for Sarah. So we've already seen there's like I and probably mostly because of my personality and my location in St Augustine, I do get a lot of investors. So just because I have a license doesn't mean I know everything. There is to know about short term rentals. There's a lot of research that needs to go on, not only with education in classes, which there are and you can take, and I have, but there's programs, there's city people you can call, there's county people you can call, and you need all of them to know your name. And you need to just learn. So whether you're taking like you're paying for classes, or you're out there asking questions, for people that are out there working it, you need to do all of it, and you'll notice, as an agent, what your crowd begins to be.

Tracy Hayes  54:26  

I think just, you know, hearing you on here and you bring up a very good point, I don't think we've ever maybe with the newcomer group, obviously, out on the St Augustine Beach, because they have restrictions on how many permits they're allowing people to do the short term Airbnb type rentals and downtown like you gestured earlier that it's they're in constant discussion every town meeting. So if you want to buy in downtown St Augustine, you need to find an agent who's you know downtown, or someone who's going in knows those city people you grew up there you probably know. Just the families of a lot of the people who are working in the in the county building who to call, plus, obviously your background in doing the title work, that was stuff that you

Tabitha Vasquez  55:08  

did, or even just working at the courthouse. Yeah,

Tracy Hayes  55:12  

you know how it functions. So staying on top of it, but you have not just rested on your laurels in the standpoint of just saying, Well, I know those people and boba, you've actually stayed engaged. So you are abreast. So when that investor does call you, if you don't know the answer, you know right away. Who does know the answer yes. And for this summer, Sarah, I'm jumping over to you and jump cameras here education. Tell me about how as a successful agent, where you're at now, you've been very busy. It's probably slowed down a little bit, although you guys had a great October. Great October. But how important is it for agents to schedule into their structure each week or month? However, it is time for education.

Sarah Schwartz  55:51  

I mean, I think it's so important. I mean, the market is constantly changing, and you continue to do continuing education and even courses that you don't need. Obviously, we need to have a certain amount of credits, but why not go above? I think so many of the topics are so interesting, is only going to help you.

Tracy Hayes  56:08  

Would you agree a lot of the topics, actually, what you get out of it, oftentimes depends on the instructor. Yes, yes, absolutely, because some of them are better at other things, and they're doing that course, but they're not totally, you know, the best at all things of that course, and we brought up several times on the show, you know, the contract right? Getting the taking the contract course in depth from people, you're gonna get different things right. You know what's important? Tips and Tricks, yes, and from their background, experience, all right? Since we're still on you, Sarah, consistency, what would you say that you've been doing consistently that has moved the needle for your

Sarah Schwartz  56:41  

business, staying top of mind, and I like to give back to my people. So, you know, last year, my husband, who is one of my biggest supporters, and he just does so much for me and for my business, he went around, you know, I ordered miniature champagne bottles and hot chocolate bombs. And then he drove around to every single person that's ever bought a house for me, and he left them outside of everyone's homes with a card for me. And then, you know, before that, we did chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's Day. And you know, I really just leave those on the steps. We texted them as soon as, like, a cute little Valentine's Day poem, and it was like, check outside, no. So I try to do stuff to let people know I appreciate the business. I appreciate all of the referrals. I appreciate people trusting me. I mean, there's no way that you can explain inward how much someone referring someone to you, how much someone making one of the biggest purchases of their life with you truly means. So this Saturday, we're having a customer appreciation event for our people. Awesome.

Tracy Hayes  57:54  

Yes. What would you you know you say you do a lot of Top of Mind stuff on Facebook. Are you just give us, like, a snapshot of, like, one of the things that you do.

Sarah Schwartz  58:04  

So for me, personally, I don't think that it's necessary to post real estate stuff constantly. Like, you know, who I am, you know, I'm a realtor. I don't need to throw it in your face all the time. So I joke with Zach, my husband will post a picture of our son, or of me and him, and, you know, I try to stay consistent with my posting, and I just I joke with him, and I'm like, I'm just giving the people what they want. They want to see miles. Or, like, you know, my mom rang her cancer Bell last week, and so many people liked that. They bonded the video. So I think just, you know, connect with people on a different level when they get to know the real you. And it's not salesy, it's not relationship, yeah, it's just, this is me. So take it or leave it well, yeah, that's

Tracy Hayes  58:52  

one of the other common themes. I don't have it written down here, but being you, yeah, you know, being you had this. I don't know who I was watching something. I don't know if it was a real or someone. If it was, I don't think it was Ryan sir Hayes, somebody, it'll come to my mind. But Tabitha, consistency. What are you doing consistently to move that that you felt is, is moving your business forward,

Tabitha Vasquez  59:15  

showing up every day, even when I don't want to, when I'm scared, when I'm intimidated, when I'm having a bad day, I have to show up. And that's being a mom too. You just have to show up. There's no other choice.

Tracy Hayes  59:28  

Well, it doesn't go back to like the top of mind thing is you, you are reminding, not reminding yourself who you are. Like, hey, I'm going to produce in society and support my family. You're showing up every day that you are a real estate agent. And everyone knows you're a real estate agent. You have to post and like, put it out there. Here's my number, here's my number call, but you are posting regularly people. There's Sarah the real estate agent. There's Sarah with her kid. There's Sarah going doing this, doing that, you know? And. They again, they know you're a real estate agent, yeah, you know that that's already, already there occasionally, you probably pop in, you know, some, oh, definitely, yeah. But you are, I think, what do they say? That's like five to one. You should do five personal things to one. You know, business type thing. I could see that to again, we are creating relationships with social media, whether you agree with it or not. No doubt about it. How important case this, Sarah, you started early, except you didn't feel you. You had an immediate mentor or the although

Sarah Schwartz  1:00:31  

Emily was, yeah, Emily was definitely my mentor.

Tracy Hayes  1:00:35  

How important? Because there was, there's a lot of great agents that are since gone, that are still with the new EX, whatever, too, yeah. But, and then others who have come and gone through it. I mean, lot of top agents have come, have gone through there, one or still there with that group. Overall. How important was it to hang or, you know, even when they were putting on a training or whatever, to be part of that,

Sarah Schwartz  1:00:58  

I never went to them. No, I think that I probably put that onto the show would have been a little I probably should have, and honestly, my reason for leaving exit was I just felt like I was a number. So it was such a big brokerage.

Tracy Hayes  1:01:13  

And really the question is, surrounding yourself by Perfect, yes. Okay, so

Sarah Schwartz  1:01:19  

surrounding yourself, surrounding yourself, I think it's really important to surround yourself with people that you want to be like. You know. You don't want to hang out with a lot of you know, agents that are constantly negative or putting people down or being mean about other agents like you want to be with people who are going to lift you up. You want to be with other top agents who are, you know, working. They don't expect everything to come to them, and they're really just hitting the pavement, sharing ideas, pouring in. Yes, I think that's

Tracy Hayes  1:01:55  

so important. Miss Tabitha mentioned earlier an abundance right attitude that you that you have now, Tamata, just meeting you here, and we've been talking for an hour, you have a different personality than Sarah, yes, so you are more strategic. I think, if you agree my my perception is that you're a little more strategic of who you hang out with because of your coming up in the law field and so forth. Who you feel, how what you say, is very important. You're in this I may be totally wrong, but you're probably not the type that gets drunk and just starts blah blah, blah, blah, blah with, you know, the loose lip sync ships type person. You're very strategic. Am I right? Why?

Sarah Schwartz  1:02:38  

I don't think either of us do that.

Tracy Hayes  1:02:42  

But I think she's where you're you seem to be. And again, this might just my perception of talking to you. Sarah is more Yeah, the glass is half full. Type person abundance. You're like me. Let's go do it. You're a little more reserved. Yeah, when it comes to the little more reserve, when it comes in your, your strategize, who, who? How important is Vegas? Obviously, you've been lucky. Obviously, meet up with Sarah and be with her in her success that she's had moving forward, and your success is following Greg with her. But as far as you know, being around other successful people, whether it's in the real estate business or in the law area, to how important is it to be around those, those top

Tabitha Vasquez  1:03:23  

people, that's whether you're going to make it or not. Because another mom thing, okay, I'm going to tell my son the people that you're going to surround yourself with, that's who you're going to be. Those are going to be your thoughts. That's what you're putting into your head. So what you're putting into your head, putting around yourself. That's the person you're choosing to be. So if you don't like that, or you need to make changes, you want to do better, you want to excel, you need to choose differently. So I'm choosing Sarah that I don't actually have very positive vibes. I choose her on purpose.

Tracy Hayes  1:03:54  

All right, all right. Last couple questions, we'll go through them real quick here. And tablet systems, we got camera on you. What do you love most about real estate? Two thing, okay,

Tabitha Vasquez  1:04:04  

when you get to the closing table and you see that smile on their faces and they're happy, that's everything, whether they're buying an investment, they're buying their first home, second home, whatever they're truly happy with what has even if there was drama, but they're smiling at that closing table, it's just like it's a satisfaction, and I feel like I've accomplished something. And then the other thing, honestly it is allowing a lifestyle with my child that I have wanted for a long time. So thank God.

Tracy Hayes  1:04:35  

It's a lot of weather even on the loan officer side, but on real estate, some of these transactions are not easy. Whatever blows something blows up somewhere along the line, whether it has to do with the loan or has to do with the house or the seller, whatever. And obviously, we get paid to make those things come together and close. And so in in I think, would you agree a lot of clients, when they get to that closing table and actually sign off a. Lot of that stuff just goes, they're just now on another level. And you can stake a lot of us are bash, oh man, has bad transaction. I don't want to call them, because, in reality, when they sit back and realize what you did, you know, the team you put around, you know, get to get a loan, tight loan closed, or the house had some issues, and need to get the appraisal passed, or, you know, inspection, you know, satisfactory, whatever it is. So a lot of us great sometimes to reach out to us thinking that they are bitter with us, when really, most the time they're happy.

Tabitha Vasquez  1:05:31  

Yeah, they, most of them, just, it doesn't matter what happens, even if a transaction gets canceled, like, because you gave them some information that just made that not make sense for them

Tracy Hayes  1:05:39  

anymore. If you saved them money pit,

Tabitha Vasquez  1:05:41  

they trust you now. They just trust you, because you went through something with them, and they feel as though, even if it's not great news, you're going to tell them the truth.

Tracy Hayes  1:05:49  

So what your good friend would do exactly, all right? Sarah, what is it you love about real estate most?

Sarah Schwartz  1:05:56  

I'm just gonna tell a quick story. Okay? I worked with some buyers, and, you know, they got pre approved a few years ago. Their credit wasn't where it needed to be, and we've been in constant communication for about two and a half years. They closed last week. I've never seen smiles so big. So I think when you you just have so much gratitude and satisfaction to see people moving into a not just a house, but their home. So I think that's one of the best parts for me.

Tracy Hayes  1:06:27  

Would you agree? I mean, a lot of people, oh, buying home. Yeah, no big deal. We're a lot of people that are still renting, and they're 40s, 5060, years old before they they buy their first home, right? And sometimes we we can kind of not realize what we're actually doing for them. And and even, you know, they give us great activities. I just closed one a few weeks ago, 23 acres in Palatka. It was a manufactured home, but he's on top of the world. Like, how many clients we get? They want, like, Oh, can we get a couple acres. He found 23 in an area he's willing to move to, you know, commute or whatever he's doing for work. And he's like, Hey, man, we get things together. We're cookout. We're gonna have you over. Honestly, I was introduced to him by one agent. Originally, it again, fixed his credit, got his things up so he could get the optimal financing. Then they finally found this other home with another agent, and I've never met him face to face, so if he invites me out to this cookout, I'm going to go out for the first time she shake his you know, but he, I mean, how many times afterwards, they're like and they took a picture that's, isn't that the most when they take a picture up front of their new house, right? And send it to you, yeah, that that's the most touching thing, all right, last formal question, what was Sarah, first, okay, biggest. It doesn't have to be catastrophic, but what would what would you say one of your big mistakes is that you would recommend to another agent don't do or didn't work for,

Sarah Schwartz  1:07:53  

I would say, interviewing multiple brokerages. So before you sign with someone, figure out what it is that you truly want. Make a list of questions of everything that you feel like you need from a brokerage and truly interview the broker. One thing I learned recently, if your broker doesn't have time to meet you, or if your broker wouldn't know you on the side of the road like that's a big thing. So I think just, you know, interview, talk about, how many times do you meet with your broker? How many times does the brokerage get together to do meetings? Who do you call if you have a question? Just all those questions, I think they're very important to truly jumpstart your career and to make sure that you're the most comfortable in your environment.

Tracy Hayes  1:08:38  

Would you would you agree if someone was new coming in to reach out to someone like yourself, someone who's and actually have a cup of coffee and Tracy. Because I think one of the big things that people you made a point there, what do you need? Tabitha needs something different than you, right? All every agent needs something

Sarah Schwartz  1:08:57  

different, and every brokerage is different,

Tracy Hayes  1:08:59  

and every brokerage is different, and to find out, truly is, what does it need that you do? Because if you come out of corporate America, or, you know, we have a lot of obviously former, like teachers coming to be real estate agents, they're they never realized what they needed, right? Deeply enough, this is your business. You are 1099, it's all you you, you got to get out of bed to make it happen, right? And what do you need to do? Do you need to do? Do you need a broker to call you and wake you up and get out of bed? Maybe that, maybe you need that, I don't, you know, in theory, but, yeah, what you might be the money motivation, you know, I know there's a brokerage every morning they go on, it's on Facebook, but he's doing it out to their entire group where they're they are actually doing like he does, like a two or three minute little, you know, morning huddle is what they call, yeah, you know, maybe that turns you on. You You need to find out what those little things

Sarah Schwartz  1:09:45  

are exactly. And then I also think every broker is different. Every brokerage is different. You need to find what works best for you, and if it doesn't work for you, don't feel bad about going somewhere else. I know it's like, people don't like to talk about it. People. Judge you if you go from one place to another, but you have to do what's best for you. You know, also, I do think it's a good idea to reach out to other agents at different brokerages. What do you like about working here? What do you not like? And you know, think of who you're aligning yourself with.

Tracy Hayes  1:10:15  

I'm just listening to her, and I lost my actual sorry. That's okay, because listening to you is more important. Tabitha, looking back, how what is something you would have done differently? I won't say it doesn't have to be a mistake. There's something like I would I could have done that differently in just the two years you in the business.

Tabitha Vasquez  1:10:35  

So Ditto. What Sarah said, that's not a lot, honestly, to put myself out there more, faster, stop overthinking, get out there and do it, and you're going to fail and it's just going to happen and not be afraid of it. I wish that I hadn't been so afraid of failing so much. It still is there.

Tracy Hayes  1:10:57  

Sometimes. Was it afraid of failing, or just you kind of being a little bashful, what? What's the afraid of failure? Well, I guess just someone saying no to you, kind of what you're getting down to you, afraid of no people are gonna say no.

Tabitha Vasquez  1:11:11  

They don't like to say that. Just afraid that I was gonna screw something up. Just afraid I was gonna make people unhappy. Just afraid not everybody's gonna like you and, you know, the

Tracy Hayes  1:11:22  

object, how often you mentioned it earlier? I think Tabitha mentioned it that yo, obviously you, you guys are two different personalities. Have you actually flipped a customer? Like, started with Sarah and realized, hey, think just start clicking Tabitha, once you step in and have this conversation with them and and take over, because they, you know, maybe it's that engineer that wants to be a little more analytical.

Sarah Schwartz  1:11:45  

They definitely give Tabitha, anyone that says the word investment. Oh, actually, have you talked to tab with us? She is the investment queen,

Tracy Hayes  1:11:53  

right, right? Because I you would, personalities are on 100% and like you said, people are going to say no to you or and sometimes they're saying, you know, you call them and they say no, or, Hey, I'm not interested. It's not personal. No, you know, I think we all, we all have that call reluctancy. And it's having a mindset that they're, they're really not saying you. But what is what? Since you talked about, what are you doing today that is different than what you said? You were a little bashful or a little you're afraid you were going to fail. What are you? What are you doing today to break through that? Because I guarantee you there's another 1000 agents that are just

Tabitha Vasquez  1:12:27  

like, just doing post the thing, say the thing, call the person. Just do it. Just and I'm saying it knowing I'm still working with this. I just need to do it.

Tracy Hayes  1:12:39  

You might be 10 years in the business is still doing that. I mean, we all, we all have, we all are worried about what other people are thinking about us, and we just got to break through knowing the service that you can provide for you. Okay, all right, we're gonna finish up. Here's my two minute morning questions. Again. We'll go back and forth here. Sarah, what is your favorite thing to do in northeast? Oh, gosh, I don't know. You and your family. What do you guys like to do?

Sarah Schwartz  1:13:02  

Guys like to do? I like to go on walks, go to the beach. I love live music. Spend a lot of time with my family and friends.

Tracy Hayes  1:13:09  

Tabitha, what's your favorite thing to do in Northeast Florida?

Tabitha Vasquez  1:13:11  

Anything outside, anything outside. All things outside. Are you regularly?

Tracy Hayes  1:13:16  

You're still running regularly. You would this morning. Okay, you know, I think there's something about running, running downtown or running there's something different running out of just a plain Road, out of Mendel over but something about running downtown in the streets is that it kind of motivates you a little bit.

Tabitha Vasquez  1:13:32  

I love it in the mornings, because no, you have people that are up there taking some of the because I go down like the little old streets and stuff downtown. There's some private schools down there. So you've got parents bringing their kids to school. You've got the restaurants getting their deliveries for the day, right? You have like, this buzz, a low level energy going on. It just kind of like, you know, and then, yeah, I walk down some of the old stuff, and I look, and I walk on the Bayfront, and I think of the people that have walked there for 500 years. And it's kind of cool.

Tracy Hayes  1:13:59  

That is kind of amazing. I mean, you don't really know, with the with the Old City, you know, we go boating a lot, and we go out, you know, go out the inlet, or just, even just, you know, out off for this point. And I know that inlets moved over time in the hundreds of years. But you think about, you know, what was it like when those ships came right for the very first time? Yeah, we when the kids jump out of the boat. And I talked to him, imagine what it was like 200 years, 300 years ago, when they literally went up on the beach and or rode in a rowboat and jumped onto the beach, just like you just did, and that that stuff was going and if I'm not mistaken, my wife saw someone posted after the storm we had a few days ago, someone with their metal detector found some old coins. Oh, wow. So you know she, she was showing me that last night, which is really cool, because you never know that. That must have been really cool to come up from that and be looking at that going, is that? You'll be like, is that real Bart? Here's the last question of all questions. Okay. The most important one. Okay, so we want a really good statement. Who wants to go first? We're working. We're working under stepping out, right? Work out. Is it more important who you know or what you know and what what you know, what you know? It doesn't surprise me, for you,

Tabitha Vasquez  1:15:18  

actually, and doesn't surprise me at all. Why do you feel that what you know is it? Oh, my God, now I'm gonna stop.

Tracy Hayes  1:15:25  

I'm gonna help you. To me, I assume, my assumption is with your personality. When you feel your knowledge jump, you are confident.

Tabitha Vasquez  1:15:33  

Yeah, that's important, but I feel like it would lead to who you're gonna know too. The more you learn, the more you're learning about yourself, the more you're learning what you want, and the more you're going to figure out your direction you need to go. And when you figure out those things, you're going to naturally come across the people you need in your life.

Sarah Schwartz  1:15:48  

Oh, wow. That was very we

Tracy Hayes  1:15:50  

might have a feel right there. That was good. I like that answer. I liked it. Sarah, more important, who you know, what you know,

Sarah Schwartz  1:15:57  

what I definitely think it's who you know. I mean, I've lived in so many different places, and I wouldn't be the person that I am today without all the people that I've come across in my life. So everyone that I have met, everyone I've worked with, everyone I am not that's not in my life anymore. I think who you know is going to help you grow as a person and also help your business grow.

Tracy Hayes  1:16:22  

You know, this is probably, well, I wouldn't say I've never had like, 15 shows with two people on or more than one. I actually agree with both of you, and I'm a who, you know person so, but you are right. The more you show up, the more you are, you know, expanding your vision of what's going on, you start to find like minded people. And then, you know, you catch on that person that who might be like a Sarah, who's a little bit in the in the career curve, not much further, but she's, she's slightly ahead of you. But you find these people who are at different stages of their career. And although you're like minded, and you're all you're headed in the right direction. They might be a few steps ahead of you, and obviously can teach you something or or, you know, guide you in the right directions of things they've done wrong. Ladies, I appreciate anything you want to tell anyone. We got a ton of content here from this podcast that's going to spill out, but there's anything you guys want to add. Is there a story or something you guys want to tell about the Schwartz group? And you know, maybe just why someone should work?

Sarah Schwartz  1:17:28  

Well, you clearly get two personalities. We will cover the full gamut, two of us.

Tracy Hayes  1:17:36  

I think that's why you guys, there's no doubt. It's why the, I mean, she's obviously the detail person

Tabitha Vasquez  1:17:41  

right over singers.

Tracy Hayes  1:17:44  

She's gonna poke holes, and you're the visionary, yes, yeah. And integrator over here there is actually Sarah Rocco, gave me the book, and I'm trying to think of the name of it and come up with that actually talks how your great, successful companies, how important is when you have a visionary, you have to have a good integrator. And when you have the two of them together, it's a powerhouse in corporations deal with this situation all the time, because you very rarely. Do you ever get like two perfect matches, the perfect integrator with the perfect visionary?

Tabitha Vasquez  1:18:16  

Well, I have to say, her husband, honestly, is involved significantly, doing some stuff for us that would most people would not notice at all. So I feel like there's a trifecta. Okay.

Tracy Hayes  1:18:30  

Okay, is he doing transaction or just doing a lot of your marketing? What's he? Let's give him a

Tabitha Vasquez  1:18:35  

shout out. Hey, Zach.

Tracy Hayes  1:18:38  

You mentioned Zach all day long.

Sarah Schwartz  1:18:42  

So Zach does a lot for our website. He does a lot with his brother who built our custom website. So he does a lot of our SEO. He helps with keyword searches. He's constantly doing research on what the best keywords are for us. He does social media graphics. He did. I don't know if you saw any of my YouTube videos, but he I did.

Tracy Hayes  1:19:06  

Actually, I had it on there. How many views each channel?

Sarah Schwartz  1:19:08  

You need to do more. I know you sound like him

Tracy Hayes  1:19:12  

and deuce. And what I would do is like what I mean. And you, you guys will see it as my package here is growing as a company I'm working with is trying to use me as what I'm wearing is they're showing what they can do across all the channels, right? But you know this, you know we talked here, and the average person is not going to listen to this long of a podcast, but when I go in here, and the great statements that you guys made, and the exposure and some of the views that you're seeing in the YouTube shorts that I've just started putting out over the last two weeks are amazing, yeah, people, and it's at top of mind, then you might be saying something. You're only hearing the 1520 seconds of you actually saying it right, but someone's clicking on it, and it's reminding them serious real estate. Yeah, I agree with it. He's obviously doing the right thing, because you got a lot. Have used on the

Sarah Schwartz  1:20:01  

he did all of my editing. I had a buyer call me Thursday. We met Saturday morning, and then again yesterday. And he was like, Can you throw punches when we see each other? And I was like, why I'm gonna go see this one? Because I like, did this, right? So I did it, he's gonna buy us.

Tracy Hayes  1:20:21  

So cool, cool, ladies,

Sarah Schwartz  1:20:25  

I appreciate you coming on. Yeah, thanks for having us. Thank

Tracy Hayes  1:20:27  

you and great success for 23 years. Yes, we're almost Thanksgiving already.

Podcast Intro  1:20:32  

Yes, yes, this may be it for today's episode of Real Estate excellence, but we both know your pursuit of excellence doesn't stop here to connect with the best of the best and really take your skills to the next level. Join our community by visiting Tracy Hayes podcast.com where you'll meet more like minded individuals looking to expand their inner circle and their personal experience that's available at Tracy Hayes podcast.com you

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