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On today’s episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, Travis was joined by local real estate agent Michelle Rawls! Together, they discuss Real Broker, real estate in Montgomery, Alabama, and how you can prepare to buy a home or sell your existing home! If you would like to contact Michelle, please click one of the links below!
Visit Michelle Rawls on Instagram! Click Here!
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Podcast Transcript:
Travis McGowin
Hey, thanks for joining us today on the Peskies Pest Control Podcast. As you know, if you’ve listened to our podcast any amount of time, we do an occasional Local Business Spotlight where we talk to either a local business owner, a local business representative from our area, just to kind of hear what they’ve got going on and hear about their business and what it is they do and how they can help our clients too. Today, I am lucky enough to have with me Miss Michelle Rawls, who is a REALTOR with real broker. Michelle, how are you today?
Michelle Rawls
I’m fantastic. Travis, it’s so good to be here.
Travis McGowin
Yeah. Thank you for joining us today. You know springtime is on its way in, possibly Alabama is so unpredictable with its weather, it has so many ups and downs. But from what I understand in our previous conversations that you and I have had, that’s kind of when the real estate market starts cooking. Am I right?
Michelle Rawls
You are absolutely correct. We are starting to see an influx of movement on the in the market, on the MLS. So we’re about to head into our spring season where we’re going to start seeing some more inventory. So I’m really excited. At the moment, I’m just planting seeds and nurturing those seeds, because I know that by springtime, we’re going to start seeing a lot more movement.
Travis McGowin
Awesome. Well, so kind of paint the picture for us, what got you into real estate, and how did you eventually find your way over to Real broker?
Michelle Rawls
Sure, so I lived abroad. I graduated from AUM with business degree, and I went overseas and worked for a couple of years, and COVID brought me back to the States. Well, I have a background in sales, and I love sales, so it just kind of seems like a really great fit, and it’s really taken me to a lot of cool places, so I’m really, you know, I’ve really enjoyed it, and the fact that I get to help clients and first time homebuyers is just super rewarding as well,
Travis McGowin
Awesome. So give us a little about yourself here. You know, beyond enjoying sales and enjoying real estate, what are some things that you like to do, your passions, your hobbies, things that you do outside of work,
Michelle Rawls
I love to travel. So I’m super passionate about traveling. I i feel very proud to say that I was able to step foot on all seven continents, and I’ve been to like a bunch of different countries all over the world, and even domestically, here in the US, it’s beautiful. So I love road trips and catching flights and, you know, experiencing different festivals and hiking. I love the outdoors. So I’m, you know, very active outside. So when I’m not selling real estate, I’m, you can find me, you know, in the woods or traveling or just spending time with friends and family.
Travis McGowin
Awesome. Alright, so you like to, you like to make your rounds all over the world. That’s pretty cool.
Michelle Rawls
Yeah.
Travis McGowin
So tell us what makes real broker stand out from other real estate companies in, you know, the Montgomery area where you’re at, and what are some of the advantages that real broker brings with you to the clients that you guys serve.
Michelle Rawls
Sure, so real broker is one of the fastest growing companies in North America, and because of that, the access of training is top notch, and I think that as an agent, it’s super important to continue learn and sharpen your your skills. And that’s kind of what you know sets you apart from the competition, is just being able to negotiate and how to handle, you know, tough clients and tough markets. So I love the fact that my brokerage provides the training. They also have incentives with, you know, commission splits revenue. It’s publicly traded. So if you want to utilize that, it’s a great way to make additional money. There’s opportunities for leadership, if you want to start a team or if you want to sponsor another agent. So I love how there’s just different facets of it that can provide more income than, you know, some other agencies could could do,
Travis McGowin
Right, It sounds like there’s a lot of opportunity, a lot of growth, and a lot of great resources there for you, as well as your other you know, other agents that you work with.
Michelle Rawls
Absolutely and you know the CEO and the leadership board with real is just incredible and inspiring. And I think that good leaders, you know, produce other good leaders. So I just feel really supported where I’m at, and just the wealth of knowledge that I’ve learned and received has just been incredible. It’s, I feel like it’s really elevated my career. So I’m, you know, very happy that I’ve made, you know, the choice to be working with real broker.
Travis McGowin
Awesome. So in my current life, I have only ever went out and purchased a home one time, which is, which is currently the home that we live in. It was for sale by owner. It was kind of a very unique experience, especially being the very first home that my wife and I purchased. And like I said, we’re still in that house today. But thinking about that, thinking about the individuals that you represent as sellers or buyers, what are some common mistakes that you see maybe first time home buyers make, and maybe, what are some tips that they could do to avoid those mistakes?
Michelle Rawls
I guess to get started, Alabama is a buyer beware state. I always tell my clients, get a home inspection. You want to make sure that you really understand you know, what you’re getting into in terms of how the house functions, and maybe could prevent, you know, issues and having repairs done on the front end. So I always tell my clients, get a home inspection. That’s number one. And then another big thing to look out for as a you know, if you’re looking to purchase your first property is have a good lender. I tell my clients that real estate is a team sport. So, you know, really working with a lender to kind of help with the financing, and then, you know, I help negotiate the terms of the agreement, but just having a strong team of, you know, an agent as well as a lender to support you, I think, just like relieves a lot of stress that purchasing a home can can provide. So I really advocate for, you know, just building a good team.
Travis McGowin
Awesome. Yeah, we always tell our clients, you know, definitely get reputable, thorough inspections done. Of course, like you mentioned, Home Inspections, of course, our company, WIRs is our company does many, many wood infestation reports, because I always talk to my clients about it this way, your home is most likely your most expensive investment across the board, more than vehicles. You know, they’re they’re usually your most expensive investment. So I always say don’t cheap out on your home, because you will regret it later on down the road.
Michelle Rawls
Absolutely do your due diligence, and that is including inspections, whether it’s your WIR or home inspection or septic inspection, you’re absolutely right.
Travis McGowin
Right, so thinking about it from the opposite side, not from the buyer’s side, but from the seller’s side. What are some tips that you might would have for someone who’s getting ready to, like we said, spring’s coming, the market’s going to heat up, uh, someone’s interested in selling their home. What are some some tips, maybe, that you can recommend to get their house ready to list and and maybe get them the best price for their home
Michelle Rawls
Absolutely. So, you know, with working with me, for example, I use professional photography when listing properties, I feel most of the time, people are bringing the deals to me, the houses that they like, and that’s just, you know, pictures really create an idea of what, you know, they’re they’re getting. So having professional photography, I think, is super important, just especially because it’s on Zillow and realtor.com and then, as well as, just like, make sure you’re maintaining everything. You service your HVAC, if you need to, you know, do any service items on the front end, make sure that you declutter. So have a yard sale. Get rid of a bunch of stuff that you know you’re not going to need. You know, make sure all the light bulbs are the same. Like, just little, little tweaks can make some big changes as well as, like, you know, it also is good selling point. You know, the fact that you’ve done this or maintained this system is really good to have done prior to listing your home,
Travis McGowin
Right, and, you know, it’s like that old saying, a picture is worth 1000 words. But not only that, a first impression is everything. I think that’s vastly important. I like, like the reference about the professional photography. I really feel like that is a huge ordeal that you should that you should go ahead and spend the money on, because I even myself, have Zillow on my phone. I’m not looking for a home actively. But there are times when I’ll drive by somewhere and go, Oh, wow, that house is for sale. I wonder what it looks like inside. And I guess just really being nosy and just really putting your best foot forward to make that first impression, whether it’s whether it’s an open house, whether it’s an online listing, it really does make a difference. So what would you say? How important is it for a client to work with a local real estate agent, as opposed to trying to navigate it on their own?
Michelle Rawls
Absolutely. So we’re trained as agents, you know, to negotiate, to advocate, um, you know, purchasing a property is, you know, it’s your you, you mentioned it before. It’s your biggest asset. So you want to make sure that you have somebody in your corner that knows the market, that can help you navigate the paperwork because you are signing signing a legal contract, and there’s a lot of legal jargon in there, and if you don’t know what you’re signing, or you don’t even know, maybe, necessarily, the things that you should be asking for or looking for, and so I really think that it’s important that you have a representative that’s going to lead you and be there to answer any questions that you may have, that you might not think about. So that’s what I would recommend, is why you would, would should use a local agent that understands the market and you know the rules of, you know, the state of Alabama, or any states,
Travis McGowin
I think you also, too, with a local realtor, not even just the market and the rules, but you’re talking about specific areas. Just imagine yourself as buying a house and coming from out of town and not knowing anything about that local area, and just being able to have that realtor not only show you homes that fit your budget and that fit the criteria of, you know, space and whatnot, but also be able to recommend other service providers, you know, other local areas, maybe areas that you should stay away from, you know, Just all of that local knowledge, I think, is, is important too, when you’re looking for a home. Because, I mean, you don’t just buy the home, you buy the whole area that it’s in as well. So you know, you really want to put your best foot forward and get somebody that knows the area. Well, Michelle, if someone were to want to get in touch with you. Say they’re interested in buying or selling a home. How would they do that?
Michelle Rawls
Absolutely, if somebody wants to get in touch with me, they can reach me directly at 334-400-0627, I’m also on social media, Facebook and Instagram. Um, just search Michelle Rawls, and then you can always personally email me shell.realbroker@gmail.com.
Travis McGowin
Awesome. Well, Michelle, thank you for carving out some time today to be with us to talk about the real estate market and to talk about real broker. We greatly appreciate it. And of course, if you have any more questions for for Michelle, we highly encourage you to reach out to her with the contact information, and if you have any questions, she’ll be more than happy to answer them. But again, thank you, Michelle, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.
Michelle Rawls
You too. Thank you so much. It’s been really fun. You.
