Never Take Warmth for Granted with Christine Currey & Erin Koertgen

[00:00:00] There’s a strong chance you’re not that far off from winning in business and at the game of life. It just takes one idea, but you gotta have unwavering belief and burning desire. If you can couple that with a lockdown strategy that’s fueled by heart, hustle, and muscle, you got a shot at winning. There’s one thing that all champions have in common.

[00:00:22] They get shit done. So welcome to the Get Shit Done Experience.

[00:00:29] we are back at it again and welcome to the Get Shit Done Experience. This is also known as the GSDX podcast. You can follow us on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn. We are all over the place and growing. And I’m very thankful for that. I gotta tell you. It makes me very, fulfilled to know that people actually enjoy listening to what we have to say.

[00:00:49] Can you believe that? Why in the world would that even happen? But, you continue to subscribe and rate and review, and I can’t thank you enough, and, we’ve got fantastic guests and we continue to bring on people that are very interesting. We have such a philosophy on bringing in people that are part of the community.

[00:01:07] That’s absolutely what branding is all about. It’s about community. And we certainly want to talk about how brands are making a difference. So we have brought on two fantastic human beings today, to talk about the amazing work that they’re doing, not only in entrepreneurship and real estate, but also we talked for a bit about content creation.

[00:01:28] So you’re at the right place for this. We’re creating content as we speak. Yeah, absolutely. but also we want to talk about this amazing charity. That they’re playing a part in and they’re, they’re driving towards giving back to the community, which. How could your heart not be warmed right now, hearing that, especially this time of year.

[00:01:46] So again, thank you so much for tuning in. I want to welcome Christine Curry and Aaron Corrigan. for joining us today. This is absolutely fantastic. Okay. So let’s start off with this. I always like to know from folks that are entrepreneurs, there’s no safety net. And by the way, you’re a real estate, so let’s go straight commission.

[00:02:07] How about it? you, eat what you kill. Okay. So you’re hunters. So what in the world, Christine made you decide that you were going to, cause you’re already a mom. You’re already a wife. You’re already a business professional. Now you say, Hey, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to go straight commission.

[00:02:23] I’m going to start up, in the real estate industry. What in the, what bug got into you to cause you to do that? I’ve been selling homes now for over 20 years for a small builder right outside of college. and I just I love helping people and there’s nothing like selling a home to someone. Yeah, it’s the biggest investment that somebody will ever make.

[00:02:45] It is. And you need to find someone that’s trustworthy that Can help you through that investment. Yeah. So Aaron, how about you? What, got you in? What got you the bug to, say, you know what, I’m gonna, I’m gonna go after this. So funny enough, our stories are very similar. We started working together right after college, downtown Chicago.

[00:03:06] and basically, After talking with Christine, our background is in design. We both got into the, new home, construction, new home company jobs right out of college. And it’s just, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to see people, like you said, it’s their biggest investment in their life. And every story is different, which I think is, what really drives Christine and I.

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[00:04:21] Peace of mind. Powerful innovation. TTSG. com So this is a sales game, but it’s really an advisement game, right? Because you’re walking into somebody’s home who has all of the best expectations that their house is worth X and that it’s absolutely going to sell. No problem. And because you’re the experts and you do it for a living day in, day out, you walk into the house, you go, Man, we really want to sell this house, but my gosh, there are some issues here.

[00:04:46] So Christine, how do you deliver that message to somebody who’s handing over the keys to you and is saying, Hey, look, please sell this investment. So we make more money and we can move into a bigger home and support our family in a better way. And you’re looking at it going, the carpet is 38 years old and there’s still.

[00:05:05] Stains and what is that paint color? How do you transfer that in the politics way? and get the message across. I feel like HGTV has helped us also hurt us because we do talk about your home should, What are today’s colors? What are people looking for? People used to go into homes and say, okay, I’ll paint the walls.

[00:05:29] I’ll put new carpet in. I’ll tear down that wall. I feel like now people really want a home that is like move in ready. Yeah. recently we did have one of our listings and, they had, They loved their home and their home was very well taken care of. Like it was professionally designed, by a tier designer, and had red walls, and had some yellow walls too.

[00:05:52] And once we were able to change it over and update it a little bit, with kind of like the creamy gray tones that are very popular right now, we had multiple offers within hours. So you speed up the sales cycle. Which is good because when you list a house, the longer it’s on the market, right? The worse it is, the worse it is for, so you speed up the sales cycle on top of that.

[00:06:16] They invested in getting the house painted and all those different things. What’s the ROI on that investment? They spent 2, 000. What did they get back? Paint is the. Easiest cheapest thing that you can do to update your own and you’re gonna get 100 percent of your ROI back on it. Nice. Yeah, probably plus some.

[00:06:33] Yeah, absolutely. And I do feel that people really trust our opinion. both of us went to school for interior design. I went to Illinois State. Aaron went to Purdue. So I do feel that people do trust us. And I think that’s like another value add to Hiring us as your agents is we can give you that advice.

[00:06:51] Yeah, that crosses that beautiful line of, I’m just here to sell something and make a commission and puts you in that situation where you’re really advising them to, to the best end result. And that’s got to be a great feeling for you, Miss Boilermaker, right? No. we definitely, always say that.

[00:07:17] Our job is really to walk them through the process and give them that advice so that they can make the best decision for their family. so while yes, it is on the sales side, it’s more that kind of walking them through that journey together. We’re all on the same side, right? Our goal is to get their home sold at the best price with the best terms.

[00:07:35] Do you ever get any pushback? let’s get into some dirt. I want to hear some good stories. You get some pushback. I knew you were going to go this route. They’re like, what? What do you mean? The shag carpet is amazing. What are you talking about? I love it. Do you get some pushback and you have to like, it’s definitely an art, right?

[00:07:50] It’s going back and forth and compromising on both sides. but I think ultimately that is why people call us and that’s why they trust us is because we do have that background, but also we do have that history of success of other transactions that you know, we’ve walked them through and made those changes and it’s worked for other people.

[00:08:08] Never had anyone say, Oh my gosh, I loved my home. Better there. They’re like, we should have done this five years. Oh, my God. Do you get that? We’re still where they’re like, we’re not going to move anymore. We just needed your interior design. We really didn’t want to sell. We actually wanted you to come out and give us advice.

[00:08:25] And we actually do that for clients that we just like when we leave the closing table, we can’t tell me if our clients call us and like, all right, tell us what do we need to do? Yeah. So you mean the buyer? Yeah. Yeah, so the buyer, so after like we close on a home, like if we’re working with the buyer, we will still help them pick out paint colors.

[00:08:44] No kidding. Yeah, we always say it’s not done at the closing table. Like we stay in contact with all of our past clients. we really want them to reach out to us as a resource, not just in selling their home or buying a home, but. Just in, in general for referrals on contractors or anything like that.

[00:09:00] And we really do get a lot of people calling us back. Realtors have to be the ultimate networkers because it’s not a transactional sale, right? If there’s such a long sales cycle, like somebody is going to move into a house, they’re probably going to be, what’s, the time that somebody, the average time that somebody stays in a home.

[00:09:15] So it’s interesting. So we purchased our home over in Providence. Gosh, was it 2001? No, 2005. 2005. And we said it was gonna be a five year home. Yeah, we were there for 17 years. Yeah, So yeah, I feel like our age group people are staying in their homes for, the 15 year plus, first time home buyers.

[00:09:37] I would say it’s five to seven years. Okay. Yeah. And that, is that a generational thing, just the younger generation? Is fickle or is that because their income takes a bigger leap? Yes. At that younger stage. Yes. I think it’s your income. They, you have babies, you need a bigger home. A lot of people start out in a townhome and then they want to go into that single family.

[00:09:57] And then there’s us. We’re like, okay, when are our kids graduating high school? yeah, it’s let’s get the big house. And then, wait a minute, let’s get the smaller one and have another one in Wisconsin. And yes, I really want that awesome truck, So it’s do I need all this space? There’s so much talk right now about the market.

[00:10:16] Obviously we just had an election like it or not like it, it was going to go two different directions depending upon who was elected. So now we’ve got to deal with whoever’s elected and we’ve got to change that. What is, your prediction is going to happen with the market? What should people who are like on the cusp of consideration to sell, what should they be thinking about?

[00:10:38] that might influence them to make a better decision. To sell or to purchase either way, either one, so I think on the buy side, right now is actually a great time to purchase because inventory is coming up a little bit interest rates are still doing well, they may come down a little bit after the first year, but honestly, Right now, the buyer market is not completely, like flush with buyers.

[00:11:03] And so they’re actually in a better position, negotiating wise. Now, if they wait until spring market, the market will flood with buyers and then we’ll start probably going back to multiple offers again. this is November. Is this a tough, this is a tough time for you, right? it’s, we use November, December as like us building.

[00:11:21] We talk to a lot of our clients to say What is their honey to do list? Yeah. Eric, can we find you for that one? but we work with them now of what they’re going to do in the spring, right? But the buyers that are out looking right now, they’re serious buyers. They want to buy. No one really wants to move during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[00:11:42] They’re like, I’ll, do that in the spring, but if you do, so if you do want to sell your home right now, the people that are coming through your door. They’re serious. They were serious. All right. So you’re crazy if you don’t call these ladies. If you want to sell your house for what are you waiting for?

[00:11:56] there’s, we’re going to put numbers in the show notes and so on, especially if you’re look, there’s no secret here. So the podcast is global. All right. So the podcast is throughout the United States, but mainly it’s people around the Chicagoland area that are listening to us. Okay. I’m pretty much giving you a layup right here of the immediate phone call that you need to make.

[00:12:17] I don’t plan on selling my house anytime soon, but when I do, you know who I’m calling. Okay, so let’s just mic drop on that one. I have to ask you the narrative that I’m hearing It on the media’s giving us is that everyone wants to rent and is an apartment. So I ask you this, Aaron, is the American dream to buy a house still is the what is the American dream anymore?

[00:12:39] To own a home? it, is it still that? Yes. Okay. To invest your money, grow that, have a place that you can really call your own, have for yourself, for your family. it’s definitely still the American dream. Let’s say you, you agree. A hundred percent. Yeah. And I think that you can use buying a home for different things.

[00:13:00] It’s obviously for shelter, but you can use it for investment. You can purchase a home. we purchased a townhome right when our first son was born and we’re like, we’re going to use this townhome, we’re going to have someone else pay the rent, pay the mortgage. And then when he goes off to college, we have some college money sitting there.

[00:13:18] there’s so many different ways. Of why to purchase a home to invest in real estate do enough people think of it as an investment Versus just shelter. That’s a great question, actually. I think that, to a point, obviously there’s people out there that is their business, they are investors and they are going in and doing exactly what Christine is talking about and, renting it out and have somebody else pay the mortgage.

[00:13:43] But I think that’s part of Christina and I’s job too, is this is your investment. This is what you can get to, to make the most money on your investment when you sell it. And that’s why we’re getting calls even from people that may be, two to three years out. This is a long term.

[00:13:58] Relationship, we get calls saying, Hey, we might be downsizing in the next two years. What do we need to do starting now? If we’re, saving our money and using our money intelligently on the investment of our home, what do we need to do? So I think that’s something that Christine and I provide as well.

[00:14:13] That’s above and beyond what you would typically call an agent for is we can get out there two years prior and say, this is what you probably want to be maintaining. You should do this with your floors, paint this color and, set yourself up for success. I never even thought of that.

[00:14:27] Like why would you not call a realtor who sells houses for a living and essentially just have them out for a consultation and be like, Hey, look, we’ve got a five year plan, right? Or a three year plan. What should we do leading up? And then based on that advisement, if I’m building into that and I start to see that there’s it feels better.

[00:14:47] The house looks better. I’m getting compliments on that. Then immediately I’m going, these are the going to be the people to sell the house for me. in the meantime, you get to enjoy your updated kitchen, your updated primary bathroom. Like you actually get to live in and enjoy it before you’re basically fixing it up to sell.

[00:15:02] Plus you’re in more houses than. Like you’re in more houses in a week than I’ve been in my life. Yes. So like, why would I not talk to you about, but what should my kitchen look like? Which our husbands probably want to kill us for this. Cause I’m always like, Ryan, I just saw this. We’re painting the color.

[00:15:19] He does look, I’m going to tell you, he does look tired. He looks very tired. No, he looks extremely healthy. Six, four. Yeah, I believe me. I know he’s 6’4 I’d have to stand next to the guy in the side. I know how tall he is. All right, you’re, part of the community and, I know that you’re making a living and I know that you’re doing this because you’re professionals, but I also know that you, have big hearts and what does it feel like when you drive past all the houses that you’ve sold and you see the family in the front yard and they’re playing or you see them get, on the, in the backyard, you drive by, they’re having a party at the house that’s got to make you feel something pretty special.

[00:16:02] Yeah. and it’s we keep on talking that it’s a sales job, but from the very beginning, I feel like agents come in and they’re just like, again, sometimes when they see HGTV and million dollar listings and stuff like that, for us, it’s never been about the money. It’s never been about the paycheck.

[00:16:19] We truly like love, love our job. we love making a difference. And when you put the focus on putting people into their dream home. Or a home that, their parents can, downsize into, it feels really, good. Yeah. To help them. it’s an emotional, there’s a lot of different types of sales jobs.

[00:16:37] I think why we’ve really gravitated towards this is it’s more of an emotional sale, right? some of these things, if they’re downsizing, Their entire house over the last 20 years has all the memories of their, their kids and their family and their holidays getting together. So it can be a very emotional, it is a motion process.

[00:16:56] I will tell you that, that when 2008, 2009 hit ran into some financial issues, the house we were in was way too big, but I didn’t get to decide that I was, had to sell the house. The world forced me. And I had to throw in the towel like I couldn’t do it anymore, right? we were in that area last weekend.

[00:17:19] And I drove by the house and those feelings, it’s been 10 years, but those feelings still came back like you failed, no, but I looked at the house. I’m like, I thought that was much bigger than it feels. It felt bigger. I don’t know. But, it is, super emotional because it’s not just the house.

[00:17:38] It’s all the memories that happen in it. It’s your economic circumstances or your economic achievements and At that moment in time that you remember it’s watching your kid take their first step. It’s grandma fell and broke her hip. Oh, that was devastating. Yeah. But all those memories are within that house.

[00:17:54] So I love that you’re leading with purpose over profit, which is probably helping you to profit more. Yeah, we love our job and not, I know, not that many people wake up in the morning and is excited to get on their computers. but for us, it’s we love the hunt. we are, we’ve been working with a few clients for several years.

[00:18:15] We have two or three clients right now that, They’re, they know which neighborhood they want to be in. They know exactly what type of style home that they want. And every day, like we get up and we’re looking for those homes for those waiting for that home to pop up. So you’re building these great relationships and obviously that’s going to feed you a portion of your lead generation.

[00:18:36] They’re going to tell somebody about it, right? They’re going to talk about, or they’re moving. They’re going to come back to you. the other interesting thing that I have witnessed and watched because I am follow, I am a follower of yours. I have, watched your content and you have got the kick.

[00:18:51] You have jumped onto the, to, the game and you’re playing the game very well. And, you’re creating content that is fun. It’s funny. It’s inspiring. It’s educational. You’re doing all the right things in that regard. I think you’re doing that for the reasons that we do it, which is it creates awareness and attention, which ultimately leads to demand, which turns into leads and then converted sales.

[00:19:16] So what has been the, feedback that you’ve gotten on your content, because you’re doing some funny stuff. Are you talking about from our children or from community? I know what the community, no, believe me. I believe me, I get made fun of in my household on a regular basis. So I, understand that.

[00:19:31] But let’s talk about the. The people that actually are in the know and that are watching it because you’re making people laugh with the tick tocks, but then you’re also doing some really, interesting and fun, but educational tours of, homes. what’s that been like? You really are getting out of your comfort zone.

[00:19:50] We definitely are getting out of our comfort zone, and I’m known as the angry TikToker in our group. Yeah, that’s awesome. Our marketing manager, Sarah Goff, and I. I’ve always wanted a nickname. She’s an angry TikToker, because we’ll be like, Christine, we have to, create content today. We’re going to do a couple TikToks.

[00:20:05] She’s today. I’m never prepared. Although sometimes that’s better. Sometimes it’s good to just do off the cuff or you overthink it. Yeah. Which is the other reason why we love Sarah is because she basically is always don’t overthink it. We’re posting it. Yes. It’s done. Get it out there.

[00:20:22] The cool thing is it’s not live too. So you can do, you could do it 50 times. And we have. Yeah, we have, and we definitely have the outtakes. Oh my gosh. We should actually put together a whole reel of outtakes. Yes. Yes. That is, that actually plays very well. So are you getting leads from the work that you’re doing?

[00:20:43] I do. Yeah. I would say 75, 80 percent of our leads is referrals. Yeah, that’s awesome. Someone that’s done business with us. It’s friends. It’s family. And that’s like the biggest compliment that we can ever get. and then we do get people that call us from our content on social media. and we think it’s, some of that you can’t measure, right?

[00:21:04] It’s a branding, branding. So we do get a lot though. we’ll be out in the community or, Or wherever we’re at our kids games and people will come up to us and be like, Hey, I saw your Tik Tok like last Thursday. And I’m always like, how, what, do you think? Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing?

[00:21:20] But again, it’s all about branding and them seeing, us out there and not necessarily always in a real estate. Mindset, right? More of just they recognize us. They know who we are. That’s it. even if it’s just for one of our tic tacs that people like that, people buy from people, right? And the rule of sales is right.

[00:21:37] People buy from people they know, and trust, right? So I know when I’m looking at somebody, I’m thinking to myself like, okay, great. They’re really smart and they’re educated. But what I want to work with them like what I feel comfortable working with them. And I think the fact that you make yourself uncomfortable To put yourself out there in an interesting way is endearing and causes somebody like me to go.

[00:22:01] guess what? I’m uncomfortable with the selling of a house process. It’s uncomfortable because I don’t know it, but they’re getting uncomfortable doing this, which means that I’ll probably have comfort with them, in, talking about the thing that I don’t understand. Yep. So it’s a good play.

[00:22:16] And, we want to talk about the fact that The work that you’re doing now is translating to a big impact in the community. We see your signage all over, but one of the things we really want to get into is a charitable event that you’re doing. So you’re working with Elgin Community Crisis Center. we know that leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas, first off, seasonal depression is jumping in huge this time of year.

[00:22:41] So that’s number one. Number two. You’ve got people that are in a very difficult position financially. And then all of a sudden the holidays hit. And we know that is a strain financially for a lot of families. And then we know that people just have terrible economic circumstances in general. So why are you why is being a part of A charitable contribution like this number one.

[00:23:04] Why is it important to you? I think this year too, especially it’s gotten harder and harder, right? As far as like groceries going up and all of the kind of basic things that we need are have gone up in price. it’s just, there is, there are people out there that definitely don’t have some of those basic needs and it’s just, especially around the holidays, you want those people to be able to experience and, have those things as well.

[00:23:29] So it’s just a way that we can, really give back to the community that has given us so much. So on the get shit done experience, what we are doing is we’re building a catalog of commonality. every guest that I’m having on is an entrepreneur, an owner, an executive, somebody who’s in leadership, somebody who’s achieving, right?

[00:23:49] And that’s why you’re here. What I keep hearing from successful people is that giving is the most important thing that you could possibly do. Absolutely. did you learn that along the way? Has that always been instilled in you? Was there a light bulb that went off as you became more and more successful and you recognize the more I give, the more I get, like, how did that happen?

[00:24:15] Where you went, this is interesting. If I continue to put myself out there and give more to others, it’s It comes back to me. When did that click for you? Christine? I feel like growing up. My parents have always, we would always help, people that were less fortunate than us. but I would just say, like in the business world, we’ve worked for, we’ve worked for so many companies the same.

[00:24:39] We should list how many companies work together. But I would say it was about 10, 15 years ago, when I first got into selling, homes, that, it, it seems like the more that you give, the more that you give back, and it’s really important for my children to know that we’re constantly telling them that they live a fantastic life.

[00:25:04] They pretty much have everything that they need. So we are always trying to give back. to the community. I also do think it is important for all of us to support our community, like District, 301 that we’re both in. It is such a small, tight community and I just think it’s really important to constantly give back.

[00:25:23] What does everyone need? What, can we help with? And I think too, that for both of us, Even in the professional field, people have given us grace in the past, they’ve, really given us mentorship and everything like that really gone above and beyond that. They didn’t need to do that. They were never paid for.

[00:25:43] and I think that type of back and forth has really instilled that in us, do the right thing. You know what I mean? that’s really something that we should all be doing. And it is true. It’s like the more you give, the more you get back, maybe not in things, but just it fills your person.

[00:26:00] You know what I mean? I think that, throughout our lives, for both of us, I know it’s true. We’ve been given a lot of grace and are very thankful for that. Okay. So use that word twice. And I, got goosebumps both times. The word grace to me is, one of the, it’s one of the greatest things that you could do for another human being.

[00:26:20] It’s also something great that you could do for yourself. 100%. to give yourself grace. That’d be so hard on yourself. Oh my, yeah. Just to give yourself a little grace. By the way, you know what’s amazing? If you forgive yourself, it’s a lot easier to forgive other people. That’s pretty cool too. And I think being an entrepreneur, you really do have to, because we could be working 24 seven.

[00:26:43] There’s always something that we can do. And sometimes Christina and I will call you and we’re like, we just want a couple hours. that’s all. And you really do need to take it. like you said, to fill your own cup. you do. man. Look, you gotta fill up your own cup. It’s like on an airplane, when they’re doing the, buckle the seatbelt, whatever, and they’re like, in the event of altitude or whatever, I should do my pilot voice, we’re at 30, 000 feet.

[00:27:08] No, but in the event. It’s pretty good. Yeah, it’s pretty good. By the way, I will be coming around with peanuts and, 30 coke. See, I wouldn’t be stressed out if I was, if he was the pilot. I feel like that’s a pretty Very calming. Calm voice. Yeah. All right, family, we’re gonna sit down and eat dinner. I need everyone at the dinner table.

[00:27:26] but, God, what the hell was I saying? What I was saying is that, there is a really interesting thing about being on that airplane when the pilot says, when the oxygen mass drops, you need to put it on yourself first before you put it on others because you can’t help others until you help yourself.

[00:27:44] So the first thing is you have to have that grace, but then you go over to the Elgin Community Crisis Center and you’re helping people. So what does this drive about? What are we, doing and how do people get involved to help out? So Elgin Community Crisis Center is located in downtown Elgin.

[00:27:59] our family, has been doing fundraising for Cedibale Baseball. Yeah. And Go Rockets. Go Rockets. Go Rockets. And we used to do a, pie fundraiser. And instead of doing, selling pies and would benefit the team a few years ago, we said, if you don’t want pies for Thanksgiving, why don’t we just donate them and buy pies for the shelter?

[00:28:23] So we would take these pies over to the shelter right before Thanksgiving, and they were just. So thankful that we were donating this food to them because to have an apple pie or pumpkin pie like that is such a treat for them. Yeah. So this past year Aaron and I were talking and we’re like, what else can we do?

[00:28:40] So we called the center and we said, what do you need right now? And they’re like, we really need heavy duty gloves because a lot really yes Because a lot of the clients are living on the streets Yeah, they don’t want to come into the shelter. Their shelter is open 24 7. and they service, for kids and adults and teenagers and anyone that doesn’t have a home.

[00:29:05] So for us, again, we live very blessed lives and for us to be able to give back to this charity and this community, but they, are in real need of heavy duty gloves, scarves, hats, Gently use coats, warm, socks, anything, but they do say a lot of the people that come into the center do not stay overnight and they do go back and live on the streets.

[00:29:34] Yeah, I can’t even imagine. just the idea that warmth is something that you have to fight for. Yeah, is unbelievable. I have to then, so do I go to the Elgin Community Crisis Center and I have to drop off a bag of stuff? Is that what I do? No. Okay. So we’re going to make it easy for everyone. We, I, what are the dates?

[00:29:56] We got to look at the dates. But the dates is going to be the week prior to Thanksgiving. Okay. Erin and I drop off these little simmer pots and it’s a little treat that a lot of our clients and referrals and our friends and family get. Yeah. But. So they don’t want your pies, but they want your simmer pots.

[00:30:11] It won’t pass out. Got it. Simmer pots are better than the pies. I get it. Yes. And your home is going to smell beautiful. Yes. For the holidays. Yes. but we will come to your home and if you just want to leave it out on your front porch, we will grab it from you and then we’ll leave a little treat and then we will take everything in and make one.

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[00:31:14] Get back your time and your money with GSD. Drive business forward. Leave the technology to GSD. GSDnow. com. What exactly does lightly used mean one season of wearing? we certainly don’t want people going into their closet and emptying out the stuff from 10, 15 years ago that has holes in it.

[00:31:35] These people we want to have. We want to help people, but we also want them to have dignity, right? So so you’re either you either want to buy something new. And be charitable in that way or something that maybe you wore once you went, that’s not very slimming. I probably shouldn’t do vertical stripes, right?

[00:31:54] but something that is lightly used, maybe worn a few times or your Children grew out of. We know that kids grow like exactly so a couple seasons or whatever. No holes probably. But other than that, just like a few seasons old. when does it go from? So we’re taking donations now, and then we’re going to be, picking and delivering the summer pots that we do for our friends and family, that week prior to Thanksgiving.

[00:32:24] So it’s, the 18th, I believe, through the 20, 21st and some people just don’t have the time or they don’t have anything to donate. Yeah. We’ve had several people, donate money and then we’re going to go shopping. Yeah. Yeah. See, that’s great. Look, there’s a way you can get involved. maybe you don’t have a closet.

[00:32:44] there are some people who’ve, have that don’t ever get rid of anything. Jenny, I’m talking to you, my wife. and then there’s other families that maybe do get rid of things. Yeah. We should probably be more like them, honey. but You can always contribute. It doesn’t have to be something that was lightly worn.

[00:33:04] You don’t have to go out and do the shopping You can contribute financially. You can people contribute with their time as well. Yes, you contribute with your time if you call into the center, they do such a great job. and when I called in i’m like, what do you need? What do you need help with right now?

[00:33:19] And that was the first thing that she said that they needed right away Okay, I mean think about it all of us. I mean You We’re just starting to use our winter jackets and I cleaned out my whole closets and I have about five jackets that I say I’m going to wear, but then I don’t end up wearing. So I just need to get rid of it.

[00:33:36] but so many gloves and hats I was able to pull out, I don’t need Maddie’s gloves from when she was three years old, but she was a long, way. Yeah. Christine, I had a gentleman, on the show by the name of Sean Jeffers. He was a CFO of little city. Okay. And, Your episode will air before his, so I might be promoting his episode as well while I’m talking about this, but he talked about the importance of anybody can offer their time, talent and treasure, so there’s so many ways to get involved, whether it’s your time.

[00:34:11] Or you have some talent that you can contribute, easy for me to say, contribute to the Elgin Community Crisis Center, or to your efforts, right? and then you could contribute treasure, which would be, if you can offer up a check of some sort, that would be fantastic, and that would benefit people, you gotta feel great about yourselves. You’re beam. You’re you’re lighten up the studio. You’re beaming. It’s got a, it’s a good, it’s a good thing. It’s heartwarming. It’s the right season for this. It’s a good time. And, this is what it’s all about when you’re, successful.

[00:34:48] I really think that it’s, all about that. That’s how you sustain success. Yeah, totally agree. Get that universal energy. Okay, so let’s talk about another thing here that I’ve been watching. You have a, you have now brought your husband’s into the fold. I’ve noticed into a little bit of a home flipping game here.

[00:35:06] Okay, so I’m personally really interested about this because I think I’ve talked about it for 15 years and haven’t taken step one, right? Okay, so What’s the secret to success in that regard? And why should people be, doing this as a, partnership project, right? It’s probably terrible for marriage and great for marriage and that probably fluctuates.

[00:35:30] And then once the check comes in, it’s probably really good for the marriage. Yeah, There’s definitely all different types of emotion. Yeah, I would imagine. Yes. Like the games on no, but you’re putting a drywall up any extra moment needs to be spent over at the flip. So tell me about that experience.

[00:35:48] It’s fun. Yeah, should be challenging. Yes, with us. It’s, very interesting because again, both of us went to school for interior design. Brian went to school for architectural, architecture. he’s also a construction design manager for his current company. So we have a lot of backgrounds.

[00:36:09] Scott is such a workhorse and he pretty much tell him what to do. so working together as a team, we have a lot of fun doing it. and everyone has their own opinion of, but I think the guys do a pretty good job of just I think they, yeah, and I think they would agree that it was a great experience.

[00:36:27] I think there were definitely, with any project, With that magnitude, I think that there were some low points where we were like, Oh my gosh, what did we do? What did we get ourselves into? But seeing the finished product, it’s just such a sense of accomplishment and, watching it all to come together is just a very cool experience.

[00:36:46] So after you do it, is it like sending a child off to college? You’re like, they’re not going to come back. Like, you put all this work in and they’re like, they don’t need me anymore. And then you got to sell the thing. So how have those arguments gone? let’s hang on, do it. No, that flip that you probably saw that was done in six weeks.

[00:37:08] That’s amazing. Yeah. So we pretty much had everything ready to go. We knew what our design ideas were going to be, what walls we were taking down. The contractors that we did use, we already had lined up. So it was pretty quick. I would say one of the greatest joys of that flip is, that was a family home that they’ve owned for over 40 years, and the family came back in and saw what it was.

[00:37:32] Yeah. So before we put it on the market, and we told them, we’re like, stay off social media. We don’t want to see, we want you to be surprised, want you to be surprised. And they walked in, and they were just like, wow. Yeah. Were they amazed but damn it? it was a downsizing situation. So they, it was a, again, it was a family home.

[00:37:52] They were cashing out and ready to go to a smaller house. Yeah. So that was very cool. And then the new family, they walked in and we were having an open house and you could tell that moment they were like, this is our home. Yeah. It’s fantastic. So can I get into philosophy a little bit with you as it relates to business?

[00:38:09] Like I talked to, entrepreneurs, executives, all the guests really I talk about, and I work with companies on this as well about the importance of core values within an organization, principles, purpose, and how you have to have that as the foundation and everything builds off of that.

[00:38:27] There are a lot of companies, however, that are very successful that had to build. Sales and revenue and profit, and then once they were established, they saw the ability to create the luxury of having core values and principles. So they do it later. whether you do it at the beginning or somewhere along the way, it’s essential, right?

[00:38:49] To have that. Personal core values, team core values. What, kind of things are you telling each other and are you consistent in your messaging to your customers with? So I think that’s really the reason why, Christine and I had this, thought in the stream probably for. I would say 20 years before we actually jumped in with both feet, but I think that the reason why we came together is because our core values are so similar, and we really, did that so that we could focus on our families, we could focus on the time that we spent together with our families, and that’s why we work as a 50 50 partnership, so that type of priority really was on both of our, Like forefront of mind when we were building our company, and then that I think that really translates to our clients too, because they can really see where that resonates with, I think that’s why we really work so well together is because a lot of that is, is very similar. It’s typically when you hire a realtor, it’s, you’re hiring one person and. If you’re if you have other teams that they work with, too, is it’s that 1 person is working with that 1 client and that’s it with Aaron.

[00:40:05] I from day 1. We’re like, this is a true partnership between both of us. we share all of our clients, so it doesn’t matter if Aaron brings the client in or if it’s. from up from me, we work with them, whatever’s best for the customer. So they’re getting a two headed monster, so they’re not hiring an individual.

[00:40:24] They’re hiring a team, a chance to name. And, the other thing too, is especially for buyers with showings, it’s, if I’m not available, then typically Christina’s. So they’re really getting that. and we always have them meet both of us. Upfront, just so that they know that they’re going to be where they may be working with both of us and we both know about their situation and they can contact either one of us at any time about it.

[00:40:47] So I think that gives them a peace of mind. Again, it’s a stressful transaction, right? There’s highs and there’s lows, so it’s always good for them to know that they can get ahold of somebody. Yeah, I love that. Where do you think the, the world is going as it relates to real estate in the next three to five years?

[00:41:03] Are we going to see a boom? Are we going to see, a major spike. Is it going to stabilize? What, are you seeing? What are you hearing? What’s some insight that people should be considering? I know that people are worried about, what happens, 15, 20 years ago, with the market, the, big difference, this, what we’ve been experiencing is there’s just not enough homes out there.

[00:41:29] There’s not enough inventory. So I do feel that the spring market is going to be busy. right now things are a little bit slow, but it’s always slow this time of the year. Again, no one wants to move around the holiday timeframe, but I do think the next few years are going to be stable, if not a little bit better, but I don’t think you can ask anyone that has purchased a home in the last 10 years plus.

[00:41:54] Do you wish you would have waited and not purchased a right, especially people five years ago, three years ago, 2021. so I do think, I know people are worried about interest rates. A lot of people are still thinking I’m going to wait for the 3 percent interest rate. I don’t think that 3 percent interest rate is going to come back anytime soon.

[00:42:12] so I do feel, purchase the home that you want. Life’s too short. So be in a place that you want to be. So what are common themes that some, when somebody meets with you for the first time, what are some of the common themes that you might talk to them about? Like for instance, when, when you buy a house, it seems like everyone gravitates to the kitchen.

[00:42:31] You could have the nicest dining room in the world, you could have a finished basement, you could have all these different things. Everyone wants to stand in the kitchen, right? You have a party at the house. Everyone stays in the kitchen. Around the kitchen. Yes. Yes. Around the island. So so based on some of those things that you see not only in your life, but also as professionals.

[00:42:47] What are some of the common themes when you’re sitting down with somebody who’s maybe a first or second time buyers? Not sure they’re trying to pick between three houses and one’s got this. And what, are some of the common themes that you are your go tos, like the way to think about it, that you’ll, people will get the best result.

[00:43:04] I truly feel that the homes that are taken care of and that are very loved, you can tell that. So it’s a home that is very clean. People come back and they’re just like, we like that home, but it looks like it’s been worn a lot. but if. I personally think a clean home goes a very, far away.

[00:43:25] Yeah, especially, and the maintenance too, right? if it’s been properly maintained, like if it needed a new roof, if it needed new, HVAC, if it needed those type of things, like the good bones of the home, I think that goes a long way in what, buyers are looking for right now and what sellers can really think about as they’re living in the home to really, think about those things to not just update some of the more aesthetics, but that’s the actual, yeah, the actual bones of the home.

[00:43:55] So are people becoming more practical? Cause I’m an impulse person. So it’s like, how does it look right. That’s me like bones. Yeah. that’s what initially brings them in. But then as they get into it and an inspection and that kind of thing, really, that’s, what’s gonna make or break.

[00:44:13] Has that always been the case? Or am I just strange and just so impulsive? I think that, again, with the, with HGTV being so popular, it’s really driven that aesthetic. They’ve seen all the messes. But I do feel that, having, the maintenance and doing the maintenance on your home is important, especially when you get into the nitty gritty of the inspection and that it really helps with negotiations during that time.

[00:44:37] So if you had people that, aesthetically the house Looked amazing, but you knew the bones weren’t very good, and you persuaded them away from that into one that had better bones, but needed aesthetic improvements. I feel that people look at roofs, windows, a furnace, that is very overwhelming and very expensive to fix.

[00:44:57] But if you’re like, You can paint the kitchen cabinets. You can put a new countertop in new carpet in a home is five six thousand dollars. That doesn’t seem so overwhelming, right? But a new roof. People are like, I don’t want to touch a home that needs a new roof, especially some of the first time homebuyers that are coming in that may already be, have saved.

[00:45:17] Basically their down payment. And then they’re looking at, painting cabinets is, one thing. Installing a new roof as a completely different. Those are fun things though. It’s like putting new carpet in is fun. And you can do that while you live in the home. We are in that age bracket. Yeah.

[00:45:30] It’s oh my God, that feels so cushiony on my feet. Yeah. That’s fun. Yeah. A new furnace is not fun. Like I don’t want to, I don’t want to spend my, I’ve worked my ass off. Like I want to lay down on carpet, scratch my back on it like a dog. And I don’t want to put a furnace in who wants to do that.

[00:45:46] So I completely get that. It makes a lot of sense. It’s so not how I think though. Like I’m the person who buys a car and I’m like, that looks awesome. Yeah. Like the payment’s going to be 9, 000 a month. I’m like, it looks great. Like totally fine. Like new construction has been booming lately. Like I’m sure you keep seeing all of these new pop it up.

[00:46:09] They’re popping up everywhere. It’s because it’s so great. Especially they’re offering great incentives, like great interest rates right now, but it’s, You go in and it’s like you have a new roof. You have a brand new, you have a brand new. You’re selling new, homes, right? As well. Yes. So we have a partnership, with Lenar, one of the realtor liaison for them.

[00:46:30] That’s awesome. Yeah. How do you get in on that? Cause that’s like a, that’s like a honeypot. That’s like the 15th hole at Bowes Creek. If you’re ever running out of golf balls, you go to the, you go to the woods, just left of the sand traps on hole 15, you’ll find. 15 title is pro V’s and that’s like the honey pot.

[00:46:47] That’s the honey pot of real estate is to get in with one of those home, those, major manufacturers of homes and they’re cause they’re putting them up like 500 at a time. They are all at a relationship business. And I think this really is what comes in. we, both worked for Ryland homes.

[00:47:05] 20 years ago. Sorry, it makes me feel really old. That’s amazing. Both of you are 25, right? Exactly. So you got started so young. Congratulations. Yeah, you were prodigies five years old and started selling. We’re here with prodigies today, folks. The Doogie Housers of sales. So we, continue those relationships and, it’s, it really is a small industry when you think of it, but a lot of these people we’ve worked with for years and it was just that natural progression.

[00:47:36] So that’s amazing. So when you talk about that, you had said that there’s a shortage of inventory, right? Does that benefit you in some ways, but then hurt you and others? Cause I would imagine if it makes the sale price higher, right? That whole supply and demand, if there’s less, supply, the demand’s higher price goes up.

[00:47:58] Exactly. But if there’s a, so there, I guess there’s a win in either economy. and we keep our, some of our clients like, we’re going to sell this spring and then we’re going to purchase and we’re like, it doesn’t matter when you sell it. Sell and buy, you’re going to buy high, you’re going to sell high, or you’re going to sell low and buy low, like it all evens out, unless you’re in a position where you could, if you’re a first time home buyer and you don’t necessarily have anything to sell, I guess you could try to time the market, but it’s so hard, it’s like what Christine was saying, it’s get in that home now, get in the home that you love now, and then you’re You’ll figure it out as you so here’s what I’m hearing.

[00:48:35] Everyone in the world fricking over thinks it if you want the house, go get the house. It doesn’t matter what the market is. I feel like people get very overwhelmed. I, they talk about it for a very long time. Aaron and I are here to sit down and break down those steps for you. And even if, again, if you’re thinking about moving in a year or two years.

[00:48:54] Still call us and we will sit down with you just because you call us doesn’t mean that we need to list your home tomorrow, right? And it’s good to come up with a game plan. I mean whether it’s too much you’re two months out or two years out Everybody always likes a game plan. It makes it more manageable because it is a very Overwhelming process sometimes and that’s really what Christina nice job is to break it down Make it easy and walk with them through that journey and they’re gonna get much more value out of your service, if they communicate with you far before the actual process and decision of let’s sell, if they talk to you leading up to that, then they’re going to get a ton of, advisement and perspective so that when they say let’s sell, It’s going to move faster and it’s going to be more customized to what they want.

[00:49:43] So don’t wait till you’re ready to make a transaction to talk to them. Talk to them far before that and steal their knowledge for God’s sakes. I talked to, in my previous, career, I talked to people all the time about that. They would be throwing an event. And they’d be like, Hey, we need this.

[00:49:59] And it’s two weeks before the event and it’s okay. the option one that you had, there’s not enough inventory in that. Okay. So what’s option two? the, price point on that is going to be far above what you want. So now I’m down to like option five, right? Because they waited too long.

[00:50:17] So they’re not even getting what they want and they’re still spending their budget. So if they would have talked to me like a month and a half earlier than the event that I could have locked down inventory, they would have saved more money, would have saved money and they would have got option a right.

[00:50:32] Was I, using numbers or letters? Doesn’t matter. They would’ve got option a. Exactly. Again, we’ve been working with some clients for over two years because we went in there, we told them what we think that they need to do to their home to get top dollar. But then also we know exactly what they’re looking for, what neighborhood they want to be in.

[00:50:49] okay. So I want to dig into the noggins here a little bit, and then we’re going to wrap this bad boy up. What is the best advice, Aaron, that you’ve ever received and from whom? Gosh, I’ve gotten so many parents. It could be maybe the time that you hung out with Michael Jordan. I don’t know. I wish I would.

[00:51:10] no, I probably, it’s probably from my dad and it was, he told me not to take myself too seriously. And I feel like that’s important because I think, And any profession that you’re in, it’s yes, you have to work hard. You, really have to be driven, but on the same hand, have some fun, right? Have a laugh every, I, do think that’s probably, and that’s really how I’ve lived my life.

[00:51:36] don’t take yourself too seriously. laugh at, you can laugh at yourself. we obviously do that a number of times with our, Tick tocks, but, yeah, it’s just, it’s a good way to take the pressure off sometimes. And I think that, energy is everything, right? So that helps you to transfer the right energy.

[00:51:53] And people buy from how you make them feel over how smart you are, right? So great advice. How about you, Christy? I would say my mom is always telling me, take care of yourself. And slow down because I feel that I’m constantly running in five different directions, trying to do everything. and I feel that, Aaron, I jumped to this team three years ago, and I think that was one of the best things that we could have done because we knew that, Working for ourselves and being each other’s, check and balance.

[00:52:31] Are you, do you, I was just going to ask you that. Do you guys ying and yang? yes. Constantly. We’re constantly wearing the same outfits. People think we’re sisters, which I’m like, it’s because we’ve worked together for so long. Now we’re starting to look like each other. Finishing each other’s sentences.

[00:52:44] I’m like, you do realize that she has red hair, right? Yeah. Oh my God, I hadn’t noticed. Amazing. But again, like I said, we’ve worked together so long, we now start looking like each other. But yeah, we definitely have our strengths and weaknesses and we, play off of those so that we’re, basically, we’re both working off of our strengths.

[00:53:06] So it’s definitely a great partnership, great relationship. Have you slowed down? No, so it’s great advice. It’s great advice, but yeah, it’s every week you’re like, gosh, this week has to be like, This is a week I can relax a little bit, but we all have kids, and then we call you, and we’re like, let’s do a podcast next week, let’s put some more pressure on ourselves.

[00:53:27] When you get shit done, you don’t slow down. No. I love mom’s advice. It feels like you do more when you are trying to fit it in, right? I think, what your mom might be saying too, and I do agree with this because I’ve run into this. When you try and do so many things, you never become the master of any of them.

[00:53:45] So if anything, it’s maybe it’s not slow down, it’s prioritized, pick one and go after it and then let the other and then come back and get the other ones and then go after those. So maybe we’ll refine mom’s advice. It is great advice. Okay, so I’m going to go back to you now. What’s the greatest advice that you could give?

[00:54:04] I’m totally going to mess this up, which is a total. You can’t mess it up because it’s you giving the advice from you. I am constantly telling my children, especially the way things are out, like with social media is you do you and be proud of who you are. I was watching wild robot. Did anyone see wild robot?

[00:54:26] Oh, it is a tearjerker. I cried for real. Yes. And it’s a cartoon. Okay. Halfway through a cartoon. I haven’t seen it yet either. But she did call me and she’s I cried the whole thing and it was the thing that I took out away from it was don’t swim like everyone else swim like you and it’s I was thinking about that, like with my son being a senior and my other son being a seventh grader is I want them to be comfortable within their own skin and them You know, you do you be proud of who you are and just being a kind human being.

[00:54:59] Yeah. I, think that, the idea of you do you with a caveat to do whatever makes, as long as it’s not negatively impacting anyone else. because I think that’s because I know your kids and their sweethearts and they’re always thinking they’re always looking out for somebody who’s smaller than them or whatever.

[00:55:20] I recall my oldest son was coached by your husband and played with your son when we first moved to Elgin. That was the first baseball team and my oldest son could give a damn about sports, but he is a superhuman as it relates to positivity. And, Joey essentially said at the end of the season that, that Colin had the best attitude on the team.

[00:55:46] Now, Joey was a star player, and Colin was not. The fact that Joey took the time to say that, To Colin just shows me right there that he’s a principled child and he’s so well rounded and kind and he’s done the same thing and wills on the same football team with my youngest son, Liam and Liam is the smallest kid in the league, not just on the team and wills one of the biggest Brian loves, Liam. He’s he is a workhorse. Like that kid, you could put him in and he does his thing. He lights me up. If that kid grows. If you have any advice on feeding children, that would be outstanding. Cause I don’t know how to get the kid to grow. I have to talk to my son Thomas. He’s been trying to put weight on.

[00:56:29] He’s like eating protein. Like it’s going out of style. Yeah. Thomas, let me introduce you to Liam. Take him out. I don’t care if he eats too much. Dave’s hot chicken, whatever. Just get him eating, please. The kid will, we’ll get home and be like, did you, what’d you have to eat today? He’s Oh, a bag of chips.

[00:56:43] I’m like, dude, it’s six o’clock at night. And we’re like, worried about your weight. Like package of chicken. Yeah. Oh my gosh. All right. So what’s the best advice that you could give Aaron? I would say, and again, it’s something that I’ve been saying to my kids is that you can only control your attitude.

[00:56:58] You can’t control what other people think of you or what their attitude is. So if you get up and you are in a bad mood, that’s probably what’s going to come back to you. and I think that you and I probably work the same way that we get up every day is a new day. It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday.

[00:57:16] You control your attitude. You can’t control others, but that’s what you can control. all right. Let me give you my best advice. You ready? Here’s the best advice. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, you have to call, you have to call Christine and Aaron. it’s probably the best advice. I stay in the moment and at this moment right now, that is what is on my mind.

[00:57:36] So that is what, what is happening. And by the way, I know that you have a heart in your chest, right? If you’re listening, I know that you, I know that you want to do acts of kindness. And, I know that you would want people to do acts of kindness for you. So if you want to get shit done, which I think that you do, probably a really good idea would be to join their cause with the Elgin community crisis center.

[00:57:57] Donate, they’re going to come out and pick it up for you. they’ve made it as easy as possible. You could put a bag out, And they’re going to come and then they’re going to give you something that smells really good to put in your house because we know your house doesn’t smell really good.

[00:58:08] And then if you want to sell your house, it’ll smell good enough that they could sell it faster. it all comes together in the end. Okay. Or you could give them a check and they’ll go do the shopping for you and then donate it. Either way, you’re going to feel amazing. And then you’re going to sit at the Thanksgiving table and you can say, I’m very thankful that I listened to the get shit done experience.

[00:58:24] And I heard from Christine and Aaron, because now I feel so warm and wonderful and I love my family. And then that’s just going to translate to a better Christmas. And then God’s probably going to bless you with the universe is going to come in and double the size of your business. these are all things that are possible.

[00:58:40] Am I, right? Absolutely. I mean it’s really good advice. Yes. I do want to remind you ladies, you got shit done. We did get shit done. Thanks for coming on. Cheers. Thank you for having us.

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