Last week we met Ryan Peterson and Brian Reed of the Ryan & Brian Real Estate Team in Part 1 of “Local Business Gets Real (Estate).” They have been working hard since 2006 to build their business and team. But what they feel is more important than that is building the relationships with their clients and community.

They feel that education is one of the most important parts of their business. Education of their staff and education of their clients are equally important in their business success. 

Q: What would you say is the one thing that makes you different from everyone else?

Brian: Our marketing and focus on technology is definitely what sparked us in going in the right direction. What we’ve seen though, is that people are getting so focused on technology that they’re forgetting about the personal connection. 

We developed our “Raving Fans,” which are our huge supporters that we have worked on creating personal relationships with. We like to focus on getting to know our clients and showing our appreciation of them. Every year we do a Summer appreciation event as well as a Christmas one. This is a way for us to give back to our clients. We also like to do fundraisers and things of that nature to give back to the community. We want to build that personal connection and keep it going. It’s not all about sitting at computers. You have to meet people in real life and make that connection. 

Ryan: Our advising is huge! If you read a lot of our reviews, it talks about how our team actually cares about our clients. We keep our clients completely in the loop with everything that’s going on. That’s a huge part of this whole transaction…building trust. We want to make sure they know that they have someone looking after their best interests. 

Q: You mentioned that your goal for your agents is to sell 24 homes a year. How are you helping them reach that goal?

Brian: It’s a lot of training. If we’re being honest, it’s not hard to get a real estate license. The question is, can you actually make money once you have a license? In real estate there’s a 90/10 rule. 10% of the agents make 90% of the money. A lot of brokers will take anybody, but we want producers here. 

I’m not even in sales anymore. My focus is solely on building our company and keeping it successful. If my agents aren’t producing, then the company is not producing. Their success is very important to me. 

Because of that, we put our agents through an intensive training process when they start with us, and we provide continuing education on a regular basis. If leads come into our office, I send them to our agents, because I trust they are qualified to be able to take care of them. We make sure to provide them with the opportunities and resources to be able to do their job to the best of their ability. 

Q: Why is education your primary focus?

Brian: It’s all about education. It’s about doing what’s right for our agents and helping them get to where they want to be. 

Ryan: We’ve also developed our “Raving Fans,” because we have those open and honest conversations with our clients. We tell them the truth and keep them involved in the process. It builds trust. 

Brian: It’s not about just taking any business that comes along. It’s about doing what’s right for people. 40% of our business right now, and it has been since 2010, is either referral or repeat business. 

Q: What advice do you have for a buyer when they are starting to look for a home?

Brian: There is a ton of misinformation out there. A ton of information on websites like Zillow is incorrect. You really need a professional on your side. 

Ryan: We like to start with a buyer consultation. We meet with you, explain the process before you get started, and give you accurate information. By doing that, we make sure you aren’t going in blindly, and you know what to expect. Then we will be with you every step of the way. 

Q: What should buyers do before they start looking at homes?

Brian: It is important to be pre-approved before you start looking, so you know what you can truly afford to buy. We have developed relationships with several mortgage brokers throughout the area, so that we can get our clients started on a pre-approval. Having this pre-approval not only helps you to know what you can afford, but it also gives you some buying power with sellers, because they know you’re serious.

Q: What do you want potential home buyers to know about y’all?

Ryan: We’re here to help!

Brian: We take this business seriously. We realize the dream of home ownership. For most people owning a home is going to be the biggest investment of their life. We want to make that dream a reality and make it a great experience.