Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another SNG Meetup, your host, Alvarane Nunez. What's going on? So, I know we're touching on different areas when it comes to luck, real lifestyle, and in this case, we're going to be doing a heavier emphasis throughout the week in real estate. That's why today we're going to have with us, Chris Tillionarz, she's a real estate agent in Austin, Texas, with the leaders' real estate, and she's also a fourth real estate council.
Now, she has won the Platinum Award for being top 50 agents for the last eight years, and also, Alstin Business Journal's for being in the top 25 agents in residential real estate. She's also donating 24% of the GCI that she's generating through herself into nonprofits, and I believe that it's all about looking at the bigger vision. So, very excited about having her here today. Hey, what's happening?
How? Good, and you? Instagram Live, so you're teaching me something. No, come on, we can learn from you a lot.
So, how are things in Austin? They're awesome. I mean, we've never seen anything like it. I've been in real estate for 14 years.
My mom's been in it 18 years. I talked to people who have been in it 30 years. Nobody has seen what we're going through right now. I'm sure y'all are probably seeing similar because I talked to other realtors across the US, and I hear the same thing, but we have such a shortage of inventory, and it's just creating a lot of multiple offers, which we've had multiple offers for so many years now, but it's just a whole other level appraisal waiver is the norm.
Property's going over 300,000 over asking, and I'm not talking about multi-billion dollar properties. I had a listing that was at 799, and it sold for $1.135, and it set a record for the neighborhood. It's just absolutely bananas here, and I feel like Austin, we just have so many companies moving here. We have a lot of people from California moving here.
It's all over the US, but obviously because of the tax advantages, I know y'all are also in no income tax state as we are, so we're very popular in that regard. But it's just crazy. How is it there? You said it right there.
We're experiencing the same situation here in South Florida, where the inventory is getting lower and lower, but the demand is going up and up. You're seeing a lot of properties that are getting multiple offers, are bidding works, and I think that this is due to the situation of low supply high demand. Yes, exactly. That's exactly what it is.
I think that it will continue because here we have a lot of growth. I know you're in a large city, so you're probably experiencing the same thing, but just so many companies moving here and all the employees. I just don't even think that we've begun to see what we're going to experience here. What are you doing in order to stand out from any other company or brokerage that could be helping the client?
Why are you? Sure. I would say I started very young, and I'm 35 now, and I've been doing it for 14 years. When I started out initially, my mom was a realtor, and so it was one of those things that we thought we would try the team thing, but every time I went on a listing appointment with her, they always looked to her as the authority, and I'm just a very driven person and didn't like that, so I knew I needed to be on my own.
The first thing I did here in Texas was get my broker's license, because not a lot of agents have that here. We have you're either a salesperson or your broker, if you're a broker, then the salespeople can work under you. I knew as soon as I could get my broker's license, I would get that. I felt like that kind of differentiated me as a younger agent to show that I had the knowledge and experience to back me up, because people love working with winners.
They want to work with successful people. So then that kind of takes me to social media. Back in the day when I got started, they always said, oh, you should send out a postcard whenever you sell something, so people know that you're a mover and a shaker. Well, it's so much easier to show people that you're a mover and a shaker on social media.
So it doesn't cost anything and you can do it on so many different platforms. I'm the never to connect with realtors, more so than trying to connect with a buyer or seller on Instagram. I really tried to connect with other realtors, and I've gotten a lot of realtor calls from Instagram. Right now I have a 3.5 waterfront listing that I'm co-listing with a agent out of Houston, and they're co-listing a property together.
We did this all virtually, and so that waterfront listing came from that. And then I got another listing from other realtors who also found me on Instagram. So I would say, you know, we all know- The power of social media. Yeah, the power of social media has been huge.
But I think what people focus on is, you know, trying to reach that buyer or that seller, and I've actually found it a lot easier just trying to connect with other realtors. I agree. It's a good powerful tool, and I believe that you said it right there. You know, everybody wants to work with winners.
And I think that you, yourself, in a way that people can trust you, that you build credibility. You can actually just start building those referrals through other agents that you can reach out to social media. And things will come that way. So how important is for you personal branding?
Oh, I think it's huge. I've talked about this with other realtors and all-in-different masterminds, but you know how there's that app now I'm drawing a blanket to what it's called, but it's that email application, bomb bomb. I think it's called where you send a video. But I was saying that for me, presentation is everything, and a lot of times I get, except I'm not prepared today.
I don't have a ring light in all the perfect settings for this kind of thing. But in that regard, I get so many emails of people that will send me emails through bomb bomb, and they look so unprofessional. So I think that in everything that I do, it's all about if I'm going to post something, I want it to be appealing. When people scroll through social media, they want to see the glam, they don't want to see you the everyday life.
I feel like that's what I want to see. I want to see something that is exciting. I don't want to see you just boring everyday life. So I try to make sure that the brand is professional.
So let me ask you this, Chris, because you're also Forbes Real Estate Council. So tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, definitely. So last year was my first year to get over a million GCI, and so I applied for the Forbes Real Estate Council.
In a great network, they have different opportunities for you to answer questions, and then you can be featured on Forbes. So I've been featured on Forbes like three times already, which is just a great, obviously everybody knows what Forbes is, and I think that it just like kind of solidifies you among your clients, and it just is like, wow, that person's associated with Forbes. It's just another great marketing tool. So those are great points.
Now, obviously there is more platforms coming up such as Clubhouse, you have TikTok, you have Instagram evolving. What is your favorite platform right now? Instagram, for sure. One thing I would say about social media is you don't want to be someone that is so involved in every single app that you're not selling real estate.
You know, your friends are just like, you're cred so thin on posting on different social media sites and you're not actually making money. Hey, I'm on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Those are four that I always post my listings to. So open houses, whatever, like I always make an effort to post on those four.
I'm not doing TikTok, but I know a lot of people have gained a huge following doing TikTok. You're busy selling houses. I mean, you're good. Yes.
Now that's great. Chris, so in regards to a more personal level, like what are some of the things that you have around the day to really keep consistency? Well, I don't know about you, but my routine was shaken this year with everything. A little bit, right?
Previously, I got in into a routine where I was trying to go to bed early and wake up early. And when I say early, I was trying to get up at like four or five. And that was awesome because I felt like I got my brain is like the best and the clearest and the fastest in the morning. And when I try to get work done at the evening, I'm just like tired and done.
I liked that routine. I felt like I was more effective, but I felt like I had to transition this year because clients lives were just like in disarray. Nobody was on schedule. I'm back to doing offers at midnight.
So this year has been completely different from the previous years. I'm just one of those that like I'm devoted to my clients and I'm going to get it done. So if that means me not getting sleep, like if I take off the client, I'm going to get it done. So just dedication to my clients, but really I do enjoy that going to bed early, waking up early if I can.
So, Christy, I usually ask this question. And obviously for you, it's probably something different from somebody that is not in real estate or in a different destination. But what is really luxury to you? Okay.
So in Austin, luxury used to be like over a million. But now it's just crazy town here. I mean, we are seeing property. I'm a part of the Austin luxury network and I see so many emails all the time that are like looking for $12 million properties.
And we're not Miami. We're not New York. We're not LA. You know, we are Austin.
It seems like we're certainly becoming that way. But a luxury property, I would say, used to be anything over a million. And that's what the different, there are a few different luxury awards here in Austin and that it's how many properties you sell over a million. But really a million like gives you a tear down.
A million does not, depending on the area obviously, but a million doesn't get you much these days. I would say, you know, a luxury property is probably three million plus. Any takeaways or any recommendations for those that are currently real estate? Well, as far as taking your career to the next level, there is so much information out there.
I mean, like I never joined Tom Barry, but you can just get so much even free information from him on YouTube. And I think that so many people, they're like, what do I do? How do I make it in real estate? It's like dive in and find out.
There is so much information available, even if you just Google or go on YouTube, different videos to watch how to do open houses. And my suggestion would be to have an old fashioned hard work ethic. You need to be all in it and you need to be willing to work hard and you need to hustle. Just a really quick story.
There's a realtor who asked me to hold open house at one of my listings. I was at 2.5 million are listing and that realtor held it open every Saturday and Sunday until that property sold. And his first deal was over two million first deal in real estate. He got a buyer from that open house and he was dedicated and he worked hard.
And I think that if I have any advice, it's that, you know, real estate is hard. It's not easy. It's not one of these. Like, it can't be a second job.
It cannot be something where I sleep in and I work five hours a day. Like this, you have to be dedicated. You have to hustle and you have to work hard. You have to be a real estate for the last, you know, 14 years that I've been in real estate.
Real estate has been my life and my passion. And in order to be successful at something, anybody, whether it be sports or whatever, you have to sacrifice and give up things to be successful. So I would say that if someone's going to get into real estate and they want to be successful, they have to realize that real estate has to be like their life. I love that.
I love that. I love that. That's so true. Because right now real estate looks so glamorous and people just get in and out and they think that they can just do it.
But you need to put the time, stay consistent. And the overnight success takes 20 years sometimes. So yeah, very true. So no, I do appreciate you sharing your story and great points.
I really love seeing your progress. And as you said, social media is a great tool to really showcase and inspire and add value. So I think you're definitely doing that. And I don't know if there's anything else that you would like to share before we wrap this up.
No, I just wish everybody the best. I hope that you, you know, chill it there in Miami and do a wonderful job. I'm always here if anybody has any questions or, you know, once any advice, I'm happy to share my wisdom and for my few years I've been in real estate and just be a source of help to other realtors. It's really easy.
My Instagram is at Christy Leonard and I just love to be there to help other realtors. Thank you so much, Christy. And yes, everybody, please make sure you check Christy's Instagram page. Follow her.
Reach out to her. She's fantastic. So if you have any questions about real estate or you need any kind of help, she's there for you. Thank you, everybody, for tuning in.
I'm Christy. I'll see you soon. Sounds good. Bye.
And thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it. And remember, embrace it beautiful, success in life. My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.