Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another SLG Meetup. What an exciting day to bring you another successful guest in the luxury space. In this case, we're gonna have Nick Niescu, he's a luxury real estate agent in Vancouver. In fact, he's one of the top agents in the area with over a billion dollars salt in real estate sales.
Which is a lot, so he's gonna tell us all about the different techniques of what he has developed over the years to get to that point. He is working with Angel Husband and Associates and he's also the host of the podcast RealTalks. So let's get him in. Alright, my man, what's happening?
Big, great. A little bit of a deal this morning or what? Part of me? A little bit of difficulties with the estate?
It's great, I'm a bit slow. I guess I'm getting older. Ah, come on. Listen, you're in Vancouver.
How are things over there at the moment? Snowy. Very snowy. Yeah, I just came back in Cancun and what was 32 degrees and now it was I came back in minus 12 and now it's about zero.
Yeah, it's snowy, it's normal, I guess. Yeah, I guess it's normal there. For asking you, my app is beautiful. It's always beautiful.
I don't even see any brain there at all. Oh, no, it's very nice. But let me ask you, so when you face this moment of the year where it's snow is cold, windy, and you use particular, your showing houses, how do you keep that mindset of like, all right, no matter what's going on outside with this weather, I still need to get up, go show houses. Like how do you build that mentality?
Yeah, it's a really good question. So yeah, like the businesses showing houses, but you can't get into the houses, buyers cancel, showing requests and just normal. So it can get, especially in January, we just want to kick off the year with a bang when we have safe snowstorm. It gives you an opportunity to sort of look at goal setting again and look at your planning and your business plan and focus on the internals.
And oftentimes you don't have that time when the market's really busy. So when you get this, you know, slow down based on Mother Nature, it's actually nice to sort of able to look at your business and make sure that your goals are set and your focus is aligned with your goals. I love that because a lot of people, this is the two type of people, right? The one like yourself that sells over a billion dollars is the other ones that are not there because their mindset is completely opposite.
You decide to take advantage of something like that versus all people that complain and they just don't do nothing with it. They chill with their heat. Yeah, I would say that it's not like anybody was born with a super tough power. That's what you learn and as long as trial and error and life experience.
So, you know, the people who have it sold a billion in their career, you know, I'm 13 years of my career now and tell you that I wasn't on pace in my first two years. I was very much not even thinking about that number. I was thinking of 10 million. If I just building the creating your own discipline and part of this downtime for me is resetting my discipline and focusing on those.
So that will take me through for the rest of the year. You mentioned something very interesting and I was just recently reading a quote by James Clear from the atomic habits book. I don't know if you've read it but it's not habits. It's a compound interest in self development.
And I think that in order for you as you mentioned to keep on developing all these different skills that you've acquired over the years, it's more about the habits that you've built. So, what are some of the habits that have helped you build that compound interest towards your success? Yeah, you know what? There's one answer that is the, I guess, the goal is not yet.
It changes. So, you know, at the very beginning of my career, the habit was work every single day, show up, double open houses on the weekends and doorkin. That built my first two or three years of my career, my book. Now, 13 years later, the habits changed a little bit.
I show up at the office every morning. But now it's health, mindset, mental health, investing in my own personal happiness outside of course business which makes me happy as well. Playing tennis hockey, going yoga gym, just getting, being more well-rounded. But it takes time to get there.
So, you know, a lot of young agents follow you. They, aspiring people follow you because you're very inspiring. But these things don't happen overnight. And the one thing you cannot teach is hard work.
Every person that I've talked to has been successful has never been an overnight success. And it's always been because of hard work. So, can you stop that? Have a hard work?
I like that a lot. Yeah, it wasn't a worry about that. It took me 20 years for my overnight success. So, a lot of people see that person alive.
It's like, oh my God, this guy on the side is boo. Blue up. But it's about everything that you've done over all those years consistently that took you there. And you're fair, right?
I say that, you know, sometimes the key formula is work hard. So tell me, because you mentioned shooting, right, about mindfulness. This is something that in order for you to be successful long term, you cannot just put all your X in one basket. And by that I mean just doing real estate, real estate, real estate.
You gotta also diversify your time and energy and focus on your physical and health, your spirituality, your activities and so on, your relationships. And you've mastered that. So, otherwise, yes, even though you love your job, if you don't take care of the other areas, you're gonna be able to decide too unbalanced to keep working long term. So that's one thing that I wanted to just reemphasize for people to keep that in mind, the will of life, which I remember that's something that you mentioned previously when we talked in the past.
But also I wanted to touch based on a really important point. 13 years in the day industry, right? You've been working with a lot of clients, hundreds, thousands, I don't know, but a lot of clients throughout all these years. How do you maintain the relationships alive with all these people?
How do you do these follow up and gain? How do you nurture these relationships? Because you said something very, very valid that you don't see those relationships turning to deals right away. Sometimes it might take years.
So how do you keep all those balls or relationships up in the air? Yeah, I'd like to say that is some of my AI technology that I have in the background, but at least not, it's my book. And I have my reminders that I go through, I have a whiteboard with all my leads that will probably have an opportunity to convert this year. Then I have another list of my clientele that I'll just go touch base every month and just check in and see how they're doing.
I don't hound them. It's very, I guess, I'm pretty honest in a more authentic way. Rather than, hey, you're looking at the buyers all this year, it's just more about checking it. How do you happen to help you?
How's life? Tell me about Christmas. We're just talking about human being conversations. Understanding that maintaining that you're the expert in the industry.
So don't forget that. You better follow up in a general conversation with the ability to answer questions. Because you have to be the expert, especially now with all the information out there. It becomes a little more difficult to be the ultimate expert.
So just be the master of your craft, but also just be genuine. People will trust you. This is a game of trust. Really.
Trust is number one. Two is the transaction. It's just the result of that relationship. Right.
Who was a director? I understand that the difference, the contract and the contact, the only difference is the art and the sense of relationship. And you just need to make sure that you're building that relationship. In order to build it, people need to know you, like you, and then they will trust you.
Now, people in order to see results, as you mentioned, might take two or three years. Right. It requires that consistency. How did you manage to not burn out?
Or maybe you did, but how did you continue? Because that happens to a lot of people. They start very, very strong. They invest in their videos, the things that they don't see the results they want because everybody wants to take a vacation.
And then they shift into something else. How do you stay in the game? Yeah. I agree.
If you want instant gratification, real estate is probably not your, not your professional choice. Because it could be, it's definitely not instant. And sometimes it doesn't need to. It's like my mentor said that, you know, once he told a story where an agent complained to him about not being thanks for service.
And he goes, you know, sometimes you're not paid to be thanks. It's paid to get the job done. And that could just be, you know, I find that realtors hold this hat of the therapist that they don't want to hold. But when you build that trust with somebody, other things come out and you become the sounding board for issues.
And that's probably a compliment to the position that you put yourself in and trust. But to answer your question, if you want to expedite your success, especially a younger agent, or you're having a hard time getting to luxury space, work with somebody in that space that spent $100,000 on a brand, do a deal with them. And say, you know, I'm going to utilize your brand. I mean, we're not going to be open houses for you.
I'm going to leverage you. And we'll split everything 50-50. That person in a heartbeat would take that deal all day long. And that barrier of who are you, which is the biggest barrier for two years.
I've never heard of you. Why should I use you? Next thing, you know, you have instant credibility. My question to you, when it comes to building your sphere, right?
We have clients, partners, because you're in Vancouver, but you work with a lot of different agents from everywhere. So how do you keep on building this network? And how important has it been for you? The network's very important.
Actually, I will. Social media is a very good way to say a couple of mine to other agents. It's a very good way to, especially Instagram. I find it's almost, it's not really, it's kind of like a second NLS in a way.
I think it's a little more powerful on a website in terms of getting information out quick. So you know, when I have a new listing, I put it on social media, the intent is I'm trying to reach other agents with clients. I'm not necessarily trying to get new clients off it or get a direct buyer. I want my sphere, other agents that I respect, who I trust and who trust me, to, if this checks off the box, they can call me right away.
Or they can DM you. I need to get in and I'll get them into the house or property right away. So I thought social media is a great part of that professional sphere. LinkedIn is becoming pretty good too.
And then, events. I mean, I'm guilty, I'm very analytical. I'm not, I'm a natural introvert, not a born extrovert. So I have to really practice getting out there.
And I'm very intentional about it. But going to events, or, you know, I picked up hockey in a country club just so I can get around a new sphere of people that I never really played a hockey before. And I'm playing tennis too, in a very similar sphere. I'm just trying to get out there doing things I love to do, but also, you know, with the opportunity that maybe I can get somebody who can translate into a client at some point.
But first to become friends. Yeah, I like that a lot. You know, it's very interesting to start building relationships based on passions as well, you know, and open yourself to utilize free services, you know, like right now, social media, it's really, you can just get in and start reaching out to people that you might have a great connection with, whether it's because of the lifestyle or the type of products that you work with. So really, really powerful thoughts and I agree with you.
Now, let me ask you, because we always ask the same question and the answers always vary. But what is it really luxury to you? Yeah, luxury to me is a service and a lifestyle, but I can for me personally, it's just being happy. Like I don't, I mean, I am in a world where people love expensive watches, expensive cars.
Not really, it's not really what I love, but I can appreciate it. I love it in nice houses as well. And I can appreciate that people have passions around that. For me, luxury is having the ability to, you know, go on to vacation for two weeks and go scuba diving and doing fun things I love to do and having that freedom to do so and based on a hard work that I do.
You know, I have a, I have a boat and I go fishing in the summer and I bring friends out just for cruises and luxury for me. I'm very authentic, freedom of time and freedom of financial freedom as well. I enjoy a lot of this conversation. There were a lot of golden nuggets that I'm sure people are going to appreciate, whoever is listening or watching today's, please follow Nick, reach out to him if you need anything real estate related to Vancouver.
I definitely just see everything that he's after because he's a superstar. So I appreciate you, my friend. Any last thoughts that you would like to share with you? No, no, sir.
I love giving back. I love helping. So when anybody has any questions about real estate, I will tell you what you need to be here, not what you want to hear. Well, thank you, my friend.
I appreciate your time. I appreciate everything you share with us today. And I wish you a successful year. Stay warm in the cold Vancouver.
If you get too tired of it, come here to Miami, we're always welcoming. I want to. I'm going to. I'll make that happen the next next couple of years.
I'll make it happen. I want to go visit. I'll keep you accountable with that. Perfect.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you. I appreciate that. Thanks very much.
Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.
Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.