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Training Agents to Serve Investors THINK REALTY REAL ESTATE SERVICES IS A BROKERAGE WITH INVESTORS’ SUCCESS AND INTERESTS IN MIND.
cut in half, down to around 3 percent, 3.5 percent appreciation, nationwide, and that’s primarily on the back of interest rates, which ties into affordability. As interest rates go up, home pric- es become much less affordable, and investors back out, too, as interest rates go up. It’s a much harder environment to operate in for many of the investors, especially the home flippers, so that’s what we’re seeing. However, I wouldn’t say this is like anything close to a bub- ble-bursting scenario in 2017, because with this housing recovery being built on the backs of low interest rates, there’s not as much of a risk. Interest rates go up, and it doesn’t mean all of a sudden there’s a bunch of people who own homes who can’t make their payments, like we saw in the last housing boom.
policy effort to increase home ownership, and we’ve moved away from that. I think that’s a good thing, inmany ways, but we’ll start to see the pendulum swing back toward promoting home ownership a little bit more, which will happen, not in 2017, but probably in the next 3 to 5 years. I know that’s a long time frame. It will result in more risk in the housing market, and you’ll start to see foreclosure rates creep back up. The further you get out, the harder it is to predict, but I would say around 2019, ‘20, ‘21, you could see that result in a bit of an uptick in distress in the marketplace, as we kind of reap the harvest of those policies. •
TRM We have a new administration, and we have one-party government. How do you think this will affect the housing market in the years to come? DB I think you will see the pendulum swinging. Already, even without this new administration, at least anecdotally, you start to see people talking more about loosening credit, about giving more access to home ownership, and then, with this new administration, you hear a lot of talk of deregulation when it comes to lending. I think all of those will have an impact on slowly moving the pendulum back toward looser lending and programs designed to try to promote home ownership again. What we saw with the last housing boom, philosophically, was somewhat created by a
by James Hart
ameka Bryant, a national expert on real estate, is building what could be a game-changing resource for real estate investors. Her new business, Think Realty Real Estate Services, is a national brokerage designed with investors in mind. “Although we do traditional real estate sales also, our agents are provided with training and exposure that allows them to better serve the investor client,” said Bryant, a Kansas City-based entrepreneur who has launched a series of successful real estate businesses. Bryant entered the real estate field in 2004, after she and her husband both lost their jobs on the same day – their son’s birthday. Starting from her kitchen T
zine (whose parent company is affiliat- ed with her new business) about how agents can empower investors – and why most brokerages aren’t providing that kind of service. Why is it important for real estate investors to have a trusted Realtor or real estate agent – somebody they work with on a regular basis? TAMEKA BRYANT The importance of having a go-to real estate agent boils down to providing better customer service, focused attention to investor needs and adding a team player to the investor’s key network. Our real estate agents provide value to the investor with expertise in areas such as contract negotiations, property and rehab management and locating off-mar- ket properties. TRM Are you a residential real estate investor yourself? If so, how has being an investor helped you be a better Realtor? TB Yes, I’m still a real estate investor, both commercial and residential. Currently, I own properties in five states. I’ve been an investor longer than I’ve been a Realtor. During my invest- ment career, I’ve had lots of ups and downs and have learned quite a deal. This learning is passed on to all my THINK REALTY MAGAZINE
clients, so they don’t have to make the same mistakes I made.
TRM Are there any misconceptions that real estate investors tend to have about Realtors and agents? TB The biggest misconception investors tend to make about real estate agents is that they think agents are all created equal. Investors may not know that investor-focused agents have additional resources to help them build and maintain their portfolios. Those resources include hard money and private lenders, group purchasing power, insurance discounts and so much more. The investors I work with are some- times surprised that my team can handle everything from A to Z, and save them lots of time and money instead of them trying to do it themselves. I love to tell the story of when I worked for a national investment group. They hired me to manage portfolios for 100 of their investors nationwide. My team and I had to find 10 properties to flip and/or buy and hold. My teammanaged everything, in- cluding acquisition, property management, Section 8 inspections, loan acquisition, clos- ing, inspections and sales. That experience showed me that there was so much more that an agent could do to help investors.
Robert Springer is a regular freelance contributor to Think Realty Magazine. Contact himat rtspringer@gmail.com.
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Money in Real Estate: Finding a NicheThat Pays.” Think Realty Real Estate Services is just a natural evolution of her career. In addition to agents trained to serve investors, Think Realty Real Estate Services offers greater access to off-market properties and a cloud-based platform that allows for faster, smoother transactions. Bryant talked to Think Realty Maga-
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James Hart is senior contributor to Think Realty Magazine. Contact himat editorial@ithinkbigger.com.
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