Ever wondered about the nitty gritty of the real estate industry? Join us on the Good Neighbor podcast as we navigate the depths of property sales with the savvy James Feaheny from National Realty Centers. Hear about his unexpected career shift from automotive marketing to real estate, and how he has carved a niche for himself in helping seniors sell their homes or downsize. James shares how he strives to maximize net proceeds for his clients, making the process rewarding both for himself and those he assists.
As we steer the conversation down the path less trodden, James debunks some common myths about the real estate industry. It's not all smooth sailing and easy money. Behind the scenes is a world of complex strategies and a wealth of knowledge necessary to fetch the best value for a property. From safeguarding clients' interests to leveraging offers for the highest value, James unravels the layered responsibilities of a real estate agent. Strap in for a ride through the captivating world of property sales where James imparts his expertise and industry secrets. No matter if you're just curious about the business or looking to buy or sell property, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss!
Ever wondered about the nitty gritty of the real estate industry? Join us on the Good Neighbor podcast as we navigate the depths of property sales with the savvy James Feaheny from National Realty Centers. Hear about his unexpected career shift from automotive marketing to real estate, and how he has carved a niche for himself in helping seniors sell their homes or downsize. James shares how he strives to maximize net proceeds for his clients, making the process rewarding both for himself and those he assists.
As we steer the conversation down the path less trodden, James debunks some common myths about the real estate industry. It's not all smooth sailing and easy money. Behind the scenes is a world of complex strategies and a wealth of knowledge necessary to fetch the best value for a property. From safeguarding clients' interests to leveraging offers for the highest value, James unravels the layered responsibilities of a real estate agent. Strap in for a ride through the captivating world of property sales where James imparts his expertise and industry secrets. No matter if you're just curious about the business or looking to buy or sell property, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss!
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lisa Swiftney.
Speaker 2:
Hi everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor podcast. This is episode number 94. Today I have with us Good Neighbor James Feeney, with National Realty Centers. Hi James, how are you doing today?
Speaker 3:
Pretty good for Monday. Good morning Lisa, good morning audience.
Speaker 2:
Let's set up by talking about your business. So what do you do?
Speaker 3:
So what I do is I sell real estate. I've been doing this for about 10 years as a second career and I love helping seniors, especially when they're selling their last house or downsizing. It's a niche real estate that I fell into about five years ago. It's really, really rewarding when you can protect people's assets and get maximum net proceeds when they do have to sell their homes.
Speaker 2:
So that is awesome, and you've been doing it for quite a number of years.
Speaker 3:
Yes, and it's a. As I said earlier, it's a second career. I don't plan on having a third career. I'm going to stick with this game.
Speaker 2:
There you go, so tell our listeners about your journey. How did you get started in this business?
Speaker 3:
So that's a great question. During the great recession, 2009 through 10 and 11, I lost my job in automotive marketing, where I was in that space for over 15 years doing automotive marketing, event marketing for big automotive projects Most of my clients were Ford or GM and lost my job in 2010. As you know, the big three were struggling big time. Then Michigan was hit hard and for a while I tried to get back into that field but nobody was hiring and it was a tough time. So in late 2011, a friend of mine said hey, would you consider working? We're looking for people to work at a title company and title companies where you close your real estate transactions. I said Sure, I'll try anything.
Speaker 3:
At that point I was pretty desperate for a job. So I worked at a title company for two and a half years and towards the end of my time with the title company, I said to myself you know, I kind of like this real estate. I'm going to get my real estate license and give that a go. So by mid 2014, I was full time real estate and I gave up my title job. And here we are, almost 10 years later.
Speaker 2:
Wow, it's actually kind of like a third career yeah.
Speaker 3:
If you consider the title in the middle, that's true.
Speaker 2:
That's true.
Speaker 3:
But that was a great bridge towards real estate, a great intro into the profession.
Speaker 2:
Let me put it that way so can you tell our audience about any myths or misconceptions that you hear about in your industry?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, One of the biggest ones I hear is that you know what we do is kind of easy. We just help people find houses. We help people sell houses and in certain parts of the last 10 years it's been pretty easy to sell houses with the demand out there for houses. But there's a lot involved that the lay person who's not in the real estate business does not see. That we do Things that would be the things that I'm talking about are you know, protect the interest of our clients. You know, make sure that we get the maximum value when we're selling a property.
Speaker 3:
It's easy to just take the first offer when you're listing a property. The next level is to get the first offer, then get a few other offers and then leverage towards the highest value of the property. I can tell you there's a lot of strategy involved there. It's not something that you know when you're a realtor. You know in your first couple of years. But if you stick with the business and you really learn from others and learn from each transaction that you do, you became really. I feel I've become very good at strategizing how to get the maximum net proceeds. For every time I get a listing I feel privileged to help each of my clients.
Speaker 3:
So, going back to the myth question, I think that a lot of people in the street just think it's an easy job and it's easy money. I know, lisa, you've probably dealt with real estate transactions in your life and you probably had different experiences throughout your life in real estate. Some realtors are good, some are flashy, some are not so good. It's a pretty easy way to get your license. It's not difficult to become a real estate agent, but the good ones survive. There's a statistic out there that says only 80 or 85% of realtors make it beyond year three of having their real estate license and I have a lot of thoughts on why that is the case. But realtors that last 10 years and beyond, they know what they're doing and they're very good advocates for their clients. They don't just do it for the money.
Speaker 2:
That is very true. So what are you doing for fun when you're not working on your business?
Speaker 3:
So I enjoy golfing when the weather is nice enough in Michigan to do that. I enjoy playing tennis year round. It really keeps my mind off of the business side of things. Tennis is where I really am able to just get away from real estate world and really kind of focus on just winning in tennis, and it's really my drug. I always say that when I'm on the tennis court I block out everything else and I'm able to focus on it. Now, on the golf course, I'm not able to tune out everything because my phone is in my golf cart or in my pocket and so you don't get the full break from real estate world when you're on the golf course versus when I'm on the tennis court and I turn my phone off and leave it in the locker room.
Speaker 2:
Right. What about pickleball? Are you a pickleball fan?
Speaker 3:
You know not yet, lisa. I've had a lot of people ask me that question, but I love tennis so much and fortunately I'm healthy enough to still be able to play tennis. I think at some point I will try pickleball and I'll probably love it, but I have not even tried the game yet.
Speaker 2:
Okay, well, neither have I, but I know it's the new rage with everybody.
Speaker 3:
It is. It's going across the country. There's a lot of parks and recs that are converting tennis courts into pickleball courts, and the amazing thing is, pickleball is not just for our elderly population, oh no, there's a lot of teenagers and young adults that play pickleball now. I could see it even being like a varsity sport in high school in the near future.
Speaker 2:
Oh, that's true. So, um, let's see here Can you describe one hardship or life challenge that you rose above and can now say because of that challenge, that you're better for it and or stronger?
Speaker 3:
So I'm going to harken back to your early or in my real estate career, and this is back in 2015. Um, I had a little bit of success just contacting folks in my sphere of influence we call it the low hanging fruit and some of those people were very, um, kind and they hired me to be their realtor, even though I was not a very experienced realtor at the time. So after that first year or so, you know, I ran into a law of a few months where I didn't have any clients and it was a struggle. Um, you know, my wife had been laid off of her job in 2015. So we weren't bringing much money, you know, into the household and my income was zero for three months.
Speaker 3:
So, you know, I came to a crossroads. Should I continue this business of real estate or, you know, should I try another profession? And I'm so thankful that I stuck with it because I just had to be patient and do what I love doing, which is networking. You know that, lisa, I network with a lot of different people, a lot of different types of industries. On network, yes, you do.
Speaker 3:
And eventually, by early 16, my business started to pick up again and now I'm really really happy that I did that. So yeah, it's a great question, lisa. I think a lot of people do come across that crossroads in their career and some people say, you know, I'm just going to leave it aside and try something different, right? But I'm very thankful that I stuck with it and I'm very happy to be a real estate agent. I'm an associate broker. Actually, I got my broker license about four years ago.
Speaker 2:
And you also have a brand that you're branding yourself as too.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I just thought of doing something different. I woke up on January 1st of 2023, and I looked at this pair of red tennis shoes in my closet and I said, oh, I think I'm going to wear those tennis shoes every day. And we're almost to the end of 2023, and I have, in fact, worn my red shoes every single day, and now I'm branding myself as what you just referred to the red shoes realtor, and it's working, because there's a few people that have run across me or know of me, and they know me more for my red shoes that I wear, more than even my name. So I think that's the next level of branding, when you can get to that level.
Speaker 2:
That's right. Red shoes realtor.
Speaker 3:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
So what's one thing that you wish our listeners knew about your business?
Speaker 3:
So one thing I wish my listeners or the audience here would know is that real estate is not an easy game. It's something that is a true relationship between real estate agent and client and there needs to be a lot of transparency throughout the entire process of either buying a home or selling a home. The more honest my clients are with me and the more honest I am with them, the better results we have. I have run, across over my 10 years in real estate, some clients that are more closed and not really open. It's more difficult to kind of figure out what they want if they're not telling me out front from day one what their wishes and goals are. So that would be the number one thing just honest transparency. It's a huge transaction when you're selling or buying a house and I take that responsibility very personal.
Speaker 2:
You come alongside them and be their guide.
Speaker 3:
Yes, be their advocate, yes, so now.
Speaker 2:
Our listeners are intrigued, and they want to learn more about you. So how do they contact you? They want to buy a house, sell a house. What's the best way to get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:
So probably the best way is my sell number and I do have contacts throughout the United States, referral partners in other states. So even if you don't have a need to buy or sell in Michigan, where I'm licensed, I can advise you or give you an advice on somebody that's vetted by me that can help you in most of the 50 states in the country. My sell number is 586-201-5193. And my email address is redshoes-realtor1-at-gmailcom and the number one is just the number one.
Speaker 2:
That is amazing. Well, James, thank you so much for being a guest on our Good Neighbor podcast today.
Speaker 3:
You're welcome, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Rochester. Get your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show. All right vote for presidential candidate.
