Crazy Sh*t In Real Estate with Leigh Brown - Episode #52 with Tracey Hicks

In this episode, Leigh interviews Tracey Hicks, a realtor and co-owner of All Things Real Estate Store. Realtors are indeed entrepreneurs, but Tracey's story and career shows you that there are a lot more opportunities out there than just listing and selling homes in real estate. Tune in to see how Tracey turned drab real estate signage into a business opportunity.  Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:21 – Introduction for today's episode 00:44 – Leigh introduces Tracey Hicks 01:03 – Tracey is located in Portland, Oregon and she's co-owner of All Things Real Estate Store 01:19 – Tracey's store sells marketing products, signs, and etc 01:48 – Tracey founded this store because she was tired of the ugly and boring real-estate supplies available 03:01 – Tracey has been in real estate for 12 years before she founded her business and she still owns 50% of a brokerage, to this point 03:12 - She's still licensed, but is non-practicing since last year 03:24 – Realtors are now her clients 05:56 – Tracey transitioned from a realtor to a business owner 06:39 – Tracey always says realtors are different breeds 07:34 – Yard signs are the 2nd most important thing that gets noticed by consumers 08:49 – Tracey's customers are a mix of both baby boomers and millennials 09:12 – The older clientele are as excited as the younger realtors 10:32 – Tracey's stories are now about realtors 11:11 – Tracey's latest crazy story was from a woman on the East Coast 11:14 – The woman ordered a flyer box and was upset that the posts didn't come with it 11:56 – Tracey deals with realtors all across the US 13:49 – Realtor is a trade name that can't be used for free 14:13 – The use of Realtor would cost Tracey $15K upfront and 15% of everything she sells 15:27 – Tracey is also trademarking something now 16:16 – Tracey wants people to be inspired – not to copy ideas 16:50 – They got in trouble for a domain they bought on GoDaddy which was "realtorcarkits" 17:37 – Another story comes from the doggy t-shirts they were selling 17:48 – A woman bought a size small t-shirt for her labrador 18:07 – The woman called and was upset because she got the wrong size 18:35 – Tracey's stories are not as fun as they used to be, but she's totally okay with that 18:56 – Start branding yourself 19:16 – When a client chooses you to work for them, they're working with YOU, not just because of the company or what you sell 20:57 – Being a brand makes you stand out 22:45 – Regular consumers also buy from Tracey's store 23:12 – Connect with Trace on All Things Real Estate Store or on Facebook and Instagram 24:20 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in real estate  3 Key Points Being a realtor can open up a whole new world of opportunity for you. Finding the need and niching down can be the gateway to a new market. Work on your brand and remember that people are choosing YOU, not just your company or product. Credits Audio Production by Chris Mottram Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives Cover Design by Two Minds Design Original Music by Rimsky Music