BECAUSE THESE THINGS WILL CHANGE
It’s a Revolution, The Time Will Come
Welcome back! It’s that time of year when everything thing feels like it’s changing, from setting back the clocks to leaves falling from the trees to being on the precipice of a major change in the industry. (We’re doing a deep dive on this next week.)
Today we are going to talk about three very important things—first, we’ll discuss what it takes to make a change. Then, we’re going to meet the amazing Aaron Grushow. Last, we’re gonna break down my prediction for what’s gonna happen next with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, because I am invested, especially as I was the very first to hashtag them #Tayvis.
So, in the words of the queen herself, LFG!
REPEATING HISTORY AND YOU’RE GETTING SICK OF IT?
And It’s a Sad Picture, The Final Blow Hits You
“Is it time for a change?”
I asked myself this question a lot over the past three years, but particularly in the last year and a half.
Change can be hard and change can be scary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not necessary. Today with my social media following and so many new opportunities to speak to different agents all across the world, my business model had changed. I knew I needed to make a brokerage change to reflect my new reality.
I wanted to build out my Diamond Squad across the country because I wanted to help Susie in Sarasota and Nancy in Nebraska and Missy in Michigan. I knew I could be of service to a lot of other agents if I was with a national company that I believed in. And so that started me on this search of business models of real estate brokerages.
If you’re an agent making a change, what do you choose? There are so many options. There’s revenue share, brokerage models, profit share brokerage models, flat fee brokerage models, traditional brokerage models where there's a split for the agents, virtual brokerage offices, brick and mortar brokerages, franchises. And so here I'm looking at all of these different business models and my head is spinning.
She’s not wrong.
You Can Walk Away, Say We Don’t Need This
I once had my own brokerage and I knew didn't want to own a local brokerage again. I wanted to be part of a national brand. I was approached by these very sexy entities, the ones you see on all the TV shows. They wanted to work with me and I’m like, “I'm just giving you X percent off of the top to use the name and I hold all of the exposure to risk? No.”
I was at Inman and my friend Gary Gold, said, “Why don't you talk to Coldwell Banker?” I'm like, “Oh, my God. Talk about the good old boys. That's the oldest brokerage in town, a hundred years old, literally a hundred years old.” And he's like, “I think you'd be surprised.” So I sat down with the CEO and I sat down with the woman who runs Georgia, and I was blown away by the technology, the global connections. I was blown away that they owned the largest relocation network in the country. I was blown away at the referral network, at the quality of agents in leadership.
There's two options here when it comes to a brokerage. It's either DIY or DFY—done for you. My three favorite words in the English language are “done for you.” I realized Coldwell Banker was absolutely a hundred percent just a great fit. And they have a beautiful office, and in the community where I work, they have this huge international presence. Once I had answered all of my questions and done all my numbers and everything, it literally felt like a glove.
Me, right now.
It’s Hard to Fight When The Fight Ain’t Fair
I know how hard it can be to leave a brokerage. It so often feels like gaslighting because brokers want to keep you at their brokerage, making money off of you. So they never encourage an agent to look outside or make a change of brokerages. Then, what kills people is their refusal to change or to accept change if you feel forced into staying.
People call real estate agents who go from brokerage to brokerage “jumpers,” as though they’re doing something terrible. They’re not.
I happened to be really lucky to have worked with such a wonderful brokerage this last time. I was at a small boutique brokerage focused on selling multimillion dollar homes inside the perimeter of Atlanta. The thing is, I live in the suburbs; I sell $500,000 houses in the suburbs of Atlanta. That place didn't fit anymore. I had the ability to recognize that I needed to make a change. I have made brokerage changes before and they were ugly. But the brokerage I was with, the way they handled the change, they were so supportive. They were like, “We totally get it. Your business model is no longer the same. You're looking for a national presence and we wish you the best of luck and the door's always open.” This was such an example of a class act. The CEO and the owner of that brokerage treated me with such kindness and respect. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before.
I’m so blessed that they were gracious. Not everyone will be when you’re ready to make a change. But when you stop doing what you were doing, you’ll stop getting what you were getting. And that can be the best thing ever.
Can you feel it now?
GLENNDA’S GURUS
Meet Aaron
I am about to introduce a real estate and social media LEGEND! I am so thrilled to have had the chance to speak with Aaron Grushow, with AKG/Christie’s International Real Estate. Aaron has been recognized as having LA’s most prestigious team, with $14 billion (with a B, y’all) in luxury home sales!
Before absolutely dominating the real estate market, he was a social media strategist and digital branding consultant for some of the world’s leading names. So let’s hear what he has to say!
(Are you ready for it?)
ASK GLENNDA
End Game
Did all the Swifties see this over the weekend? (Why am I asking? Of course we all did.)
Well, sit down and buckle up, because I have figured it out. So, Taylor’s schedule allows for her to be here at the Super Bowl. His schedule allows for him to go to the Grammys with her. She will between Tokyo and Australia for Valentine's Day. And you're like, “Glennda, she's not going to get engaged on Valentine's Day.” But consider this: two plus one plus four plus two plus four (the date) equals thirteen. And on top of that, when he asks her to marry him on Valentine's Day in Australia, it'll be the 13th, which is her lucky day and her lucky number in the US.
Now, personally, myself, I was thinking that they would do a big splashy wedding because their love affair has been very public so far. I was fine with them getting married at Arrowhead Stadium where it all started. But what I'm thinking is that they're probably going to do an intimate event on her father's Christmas tree farm in December in 2024. And I'm thinking that his buy week is going to be the week of December the 13th, which is her birthday. I'm thinking that they're going to make it that week, that then they're going to take private planes and they're going to fly everybody to Arrowhead Stadium, and they're going to have the reception there. I have thought through this. So I'm happy as a pig in a puddle, and I'm going to go, if they do the reception to Arrowhead Stadium, I'm there.
Remember, my name is Glennda Baker and I am not wrong about these things.
GLENNDA’S RECOMMENDATION
The Last Great American Dynasty
Wanna take a peek at Taylor’s real estate holdings? I bet you do!
GLENNDAISM
Which Path Will You Choose?
The thing about real estate is the best real estate agent is highly undervalued, and the worst real estate agent is highly overpaid..”
