Ever wondered how parenting skills can translate into a successful real estate career? Tune in to our conversation with Kelli Wolk from Location Real Estate and uncover her inspiring journey from a stay-at-home mom to a leading figure in South Florida's real estate market. Kelli opens up about her 13-year career transformation, from starting on a team to leading over 20 agents, and eventually choosing to work independently to focus on building close client relationships. She shares the unique strategies she uses to leverage her deep knowledge of Broward County to Port St. Lucie, providing clients with specialized services and the best referrals when needed.
Get ready to challenge your perceptions about real estate as we debunk myths and highlight the dedication required to succeed in this field. Kelli also sheds light on how negotiation, boundary setting, and managing expectations—skills she mastered as a mom—played a pivotal role in her career. We discuss the current state of the market, anticipating a shift towards a buyer's market, and emphasize the crucial need to prioritize clients' interests. Join us for this insightful episode packed with practical advice and heartwarming stories that will resonate with aspiring realtors and seasoned professionals alike.
Ever wondered how parenting skills can translate into a successful real estate career? Tune in to our conversation with Kelli Wolk from Location Real Estate and uncover her inspiring journey from a stay-at-home mom to a leading figure in South Florida's real estate market. Kelli opens up about her 13-year career transformation, from starting on a team to leading over 20 agents, and eventually choosing to work independently to focus on building close client relationships. She shares the unique strategies she uses to leverage her deep knowledge of Broward County to Port St. Lucie, providing clients with specialized services and the best referrals when needed.
Get ready to challenge your perceptions about real estate as we debunk myths and highlight the dedication required to succeed in this field. Kelli also sheds light on how negotiation, boundary setting, and managing expectations—skills she mastered as a mom—played a pivotal role in her career. We discuss the current state of the market, anticipating a shift towards a buyer's market, and emphasize the crucial need to prioritize clients' interests. Join us for this insightful episode packed with practical advice and heartwarming stories that will resonate with aspiring realtors and seasoned professionals alike.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jeremy Wolfe.
Speaker 2:
Hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, jeremy Wolfe, and today I am joined by Kelly Wolk. So we got Wolk and Wolfe today and Kelly joins us from Location Real Estate. Kelly, thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 3:
Thanks so much. I appreciate the invitation.
Speaker 2:
Of course, it's our pleasure and thanks as always to our listeners for tuning in to learn more about our great community and the businesses that serve us. So, kelly, everybody out there knows what a realtor does, but tell us a little bit about what you do through Location Real Estate.
Speaker 3:
Well, my goal is always to serve my clients, so, whether that's buying, selling, even renting, maybe working out a plan for them to meet their goals, I think that that's pretty much the basis of anybody who's in the active role of buying or selling, or assisting in the buying and selling of real estate.
Speaker 2:
Now are you handling primarily residential in South Florida. Do you do any commercial? What kind of areas do you focus on?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I primarily focus on residential. Commercial real estate is an entirely different animal and I know enough to know that I could get in a lot of trouble so I stay away from commercial. Very happy to give that out to somebody who's in need of commercial, maybe connect them with a good agent that's well-versed in commercial, because that's a very diverse type situation. I deal on the more emotional side of residential real estate.
Speaker 2:
Now, do you have a team through Location Real Estate? I know there's a lot of realtors out there that have teams. Some work on their own. How do you go about it?
Speaker 3:
So I started my career 13 years ago by joining a team and I do think that if you're just getting started in real estate, being a part of a team is very I do think that, you know, if you're just getting started in real estate, being a part of a team is very beneficial. At the time it was somewhat of a smaller team, maybe eight or nine people, small based on where it eventually went, because eventually we went to like 24 people. But so I did start with a team that really was able to mentor me with some aspects that I needed. You know you get your license but you don't know the practical application of having that license. You know it involves so much more. So being on a team, I think, is probably very helpful at least to have a mentor when you're first getting started Eventually grew into a leadership position within that team and towards the end of my tenure there I was actively running that team of about 20-something agents. A lot of them were seasoned they didn't need my help, but certainly the younger ones were and I mentored them a lot, helped them with contracts, negotiation, timeline, understanding all that kind of stuff. But then I eventually decided that I felt like my time there was over and I just wanted a little more independence from some of those things and getting back in front of clients to help clients. So I did end up leaving.
Speaker 3:
I was asked by a few different people if I would start a team. But in order for me to start a team, I would need to take you know, whether it's a small portion or whatever of the earnings that they had in order to pay for the cost of running a team. And I thought I just I don't want to take anybody's money and I was more than happy to continue to help and mentor them. But it didn't need to be in a commitment level. You know I could just work independently. We now have like a, I would say, a network of agents. There's quite a few of us, I'd say at least 10 to 13 different agents that you know. We just support one another. You know you might somebody might throw a question out there like I'm facing this, you know what do I do, and I feel like that served everybody well and it's also freed up time for me to just have some some free time that if you're running a team you don't really have much free time at all.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that makes sense. So it's almost like you have a, you have a team, but it's not a team team, right, it's a loose collaborative effort. You could bounce ideas off each other and do you have, do you have, like, a specific area that you tend to focus on in terms of location?
Speaker 3:
Well. So I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, so born and bred General Hospital. My family's been here since 1942. So I have a really deep understanding of the South Florida market. Not so much Miami, to be honest with you, because that's a heavily multi-language type area and I'm not multi-language so I just don't think I would serve somebody well there. So I kind of restrict my business to Broward County. But I go all the way up to Port St Lucie and that's because I have family that lives in Boca, I have family that lives in West Palm Beach and Jupiter and Lake Park. I've got family that's in Port St Lucie. So I've learned some intricate knowledges you know, of those areas as well. So I've done a lot of transactions in Port St Lucie and then just recently even Stewart Jensen Beach. You know just some of those areas. And obviously Palm Beach County is just our, it's our sister county, so that's easy enough.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, not to say that you can't help somebody that needs help, but it makes sense to focus your efforts on where you have the most experience. And then, like you said, there's other people, not necessarily on your quote unquote team, but within your organization that might have more expertise in those areas, like in Miami, where if you have somebody that's inquiring you can kind of refer a business down there and vice versa, so you give the best service possible to the potential client.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and you know we have. We have a lot of people that are coming into South Florida from other areas. So not just somebody who wants to sell a house and plantation and move up to Jupiter, that's easy, but you have people coming. I've sold properties to people in Minnesota, new Jersey, ohio, new York, a lot of them and so getting the groundwork for them because they don't know all the areas. So usually my interview process with them looks more like you tell me the lifestyle that you want and your budget, budget and we'll find the right place for you, so whatever that looks like. So usually when I'm working with a client from out of state, I'm doing that interview and then I'll take them to some communities Might be one house to look at in each of those communities and help them narrow down their focus, because a lot of choices creates a lot of confusion.
Speaker 2:
Indeed.
Speaker 3:
You know. So if you can kind of help them and guide them towards focusing maybe on one or two areas and then going to the next level of investigation, you'll find you have a lot more success. You know for them, because that's what success is about it's them achieving their goals.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, absolutely so. Let's go back 13. You mentioned 13 years ago you got in to the real estate business. Obviously, everyone has their own personal journeys and they're all unique. What led you up to that point? Talk a little bit about your journey prior to that and how you ultimately ended up in real estate.
Speaker 3:
So I always seem to have an interest in real estate in my in my life. Prior to that, to begin with, my, my family was in the jewelry business, so I worked for them for a number of years, eventually worked for a diamond importer and I sold engagement rings. So I used to kind of laugh and say to them two most important purchases you'll make will be your engagement ring and the second one will be your house like as far as financial importance. So you know, using those same skills towards you know helping somebody find the right size, shape, ring, whatever that looked like. You know you're reading their cues about what they want and you can just see them when they see the right stone or the right ring. You know that you can see it in their face, you know. So then you just help them through that process.
Speaker 3:
I always had an interest in real estate, but I had six children, so the idea had. I was very fortunate to be able to stay home and and be a stay-at-home mom for my kids, which I think was born out of necessity. Number one and desire number two right and desire number two right. So learning to negotiate, set boundaries, set right expectations and manage a timeline of kids that are playing basketball, baseball, soccer, I mean, you name it it was. You know it was a lot.
Speaker 3:
So when my kids were finally grown and gone and I found myself looking like you know, I'd like to have something more somebody else actually recommended and brought to the forefront, you know you should do some real estate because I had done transactions, you know, throughout that time, bought vacation homes, negotiated deals for those properties, sold, I think, a couple houses we bought, our first house moved into our long-term home, so I enjoyed the process. So as I was trying to navigate do I go back to the jewelry industry again? I said you know you should really do real estate. You know everything that you have would transition well into that type of business. So that's when I thought you know what that's. I kind of like that idea, so went and got my real estate license and started my journey. Then I think it was 13 years ago, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Very cool, so everyone out there has. One of the reasons why we do this show is to have people in various industries share with the community, educate, inform. Everyone out there has strong feelings about real estate and obviously we've been on a wild ride post COVID. Can you maybe share or clear up some of the most common myths or misconceptions that you typically see when dealing with clients about what you do?
Speaker 3:
Yes, I'd say the first one that it's easy money. I mean, I don't know if anybody. A lot of times people are motivated by the idea that, wow, you can make, it's easy money. I mean, I don't know if anybody. A lot of times people are motivated by the idea that, wow, you can make a lot of money. Look at those commission checks. But there's a lot that goes into earning money.
Speaker 3:
So, it's not like easy. You're going to step into this business and all of a sudden make money. In fact, the team that I had joined into this business and all of a sudden make money In fact the team that I had joined the owner of that team had been an acquaintance prior and became a very good friend and she used to have to encourage me like Kelly. It's going to take three years, like you know. When you're sitting there going, nothing's happening and you know I'm chomping at the bit to help somebody you know and she'd say it's going to take three years and I think it was almost three years to the dot before I started getting like a referral. You know, or somebody said you did such a great job, my other friend is looking, and so it took three years before my business began to grow.
Speaker 3:
So it was three years of hard work, some disappointment, wondering if I made the right decision, am I doing the right thing? But eventually it did come around. So it took some time. There's an investment of time and once you get your license, you know your education doesn't stop there. I just said to an agent last night I wonder when this learning process is going to end.
Speaker 2:
It's a lifelong it's a lifelong deal.
Speaker 3:
I'm telling you, every single transaction has different nuances, things to have to overcome, things you have to learn to negotiate through. It's the ongoing process of understanding the contracts which change from time to time, honing in on your negotiation skills, helping to keep both sides together, understanding psychology of sales, the psychology of people, I mean.
Speaker 2:
It's a never-ending learning process yeah, and indeed that's a psychology, human psychology that's a rabbit hole. You can go down, uh, for the next 20 years and not come out the other side and continuously improve along the way, right?
Speaker 3:
yes, absolutely it's.
Speaker 2:
It's funny. You said uh, you say it's easy money, right? People think it's easy money, right, people think it's easy money. It's. One thing I've learned is that there is no, there's no, easy money. Everything requires hard work and effort, and it should be that way, right, because it's more rewarding on the other side.
Speaker 3:
I agree and you know. So that's your motive. If you're thinking, oh, I can make money, I'm going to go do this, instead of looking at whether or not it's a good fit for you, because it's a very selfless industry, you know there's no way that you can serve the interests of your, of your client or your customer, however you want to look at it. If you're serving your own interests first, you know you, they have to be a priority, as you're, as you're walking through this journey with them, it's always keeping your eye on their goals, not your goals.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, absolutely so. Every time I have a realtor on the show, I always ask them to pull out their crystal ball. Let us know what's coming. Where are we at? Because I think for me I was operating the market more closely after COVID, when prices went crazy. That's all you heard. Everything seems to have calmed down to some degree. I don't well, at least me myself. I don't hear too much anymore, I'm kind of unplugged. Where are we at now? Where do you see the market going? Maybe in the next six, 12 months?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, Well, it's definitely. You know. Every market indicator is moving towards a buyer's market.
Speaker 3:
You know supply and demand. It's true in all sales. I don't care if you're selling gumballs or if you're selling houses, right, or cars, it just doesn't matter the more options people have. So how many people are looking and how many people are selling, and we're certainly seeing an increased number of listings coming on the market. So now what typically happens is sellers tend to think about the market value based on how things were when the market's up and buyers are looking at the here and now. You know that's the reality of things. So you have to kind of educate sellers of like you know you can't think about how it was. You got to think about how it is now. And the truth is, you know, trying to reach the pinnacle of a mountain, it's a long journey up and it's a quick journey down right. It takes a long time to get to the top. So you know, during the COVID people are like well, maybe it'll be worth more money six months from now. I said you know, anywhere towards the top is a bit, is that's that's?
Speaker 2:
a good place to be, yeah.
Speaker 3:
Right. You don't want to be on the other side of that, because once it starts going down, it goes down quick and that's a descent that you know nobody wants to be a part of. We saw that clearly in 2008,. You know where we lost stuff. So having a genuine need for buying or selling is really the best motivator. You know, during covid we had people that were saying I can get x amount of dollars for my house, then I'm going to sell it. If not, I'll stay. So the motivation was money. Um, that's never a good motivator. It really created a lot of chaos and potentially some difficulties down the road, even from now. So what we're seeing now is a more genuine market. Sellers are selling for right reasons. So, whether it's to reassess where they are or a job opportunity somewhere else, a job loss somewhere, there's just more genuineness in the market, which produces cooperation from both sides.
Speaker 2:
And a more stable market ultimately.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, absolutely, yep.
Speaker 2:
So you mentioned you had six children.
Speaker 3:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
God bless your soul. I got two and I don't know how you did six. I can't even imagine. But, as with most people, family is usually a cornerstone. It's paramount for success in their lives. Tell us a little bit about your family, kelly.
Speaker 3:
So I had six kids, I had one daughter, I had five boys and, yeah, five boys, but you know, I'm grateful.
Speaker 3:
My daughter and I always had a great relationship. We never had any really angst or issues between us, and she kind of grew into adulthood. She became really one of my best friends. She was my go-to person for everything. And then I have five boys that are kind of all entrepreneurs in their own right. They've done pretty well. Some certainly have struggled in certain areas, but they've been doing pretty well.
Speaker 3:
Our family's kind of had a rough couple of years. I had my only daughter pass away in 2022, totally unexpectedly, so that was devastating for our family, and less than a year later my youngest son passed away. So it's been a lot to overcome. Faith, I think, is the foundation for getting through anything like that. That's the only thing. My hope, and my faith is what allows me, um, to continue and have hope for the future. So I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for my business because, you know, in in the interim of all of this, you know it's giving me a lot more compassion for situations. Some of my sellers or buyers are in. You know there's losses everywhere, you know, so, um, it's just it's god has used it in my life. He took a bad situation and he's brought some good out of it, you know. So, um, uh, for that part I'm I'm grateful, but I'm grateful, but so it's been a trying time, but hope exists, you know.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, indeed, thanks so much for sharing that. I'm so sorry to hear of that, of the losses that you've had, and it just kind of puts things into perspective. You know, when you're out there grinding away in your daily life and you start to get stressed out over really unimportant things, it's important to hear other people's stories because everybody has severe challenges and hardships along the way that they have to get through and ultimately, in the end, I think it really makes us stronger, even though it's a lot of pain going through things like that. But I think it's important for people to hear this kind of stuff. So thanks for sharing that. It is.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, having an attitude of gratitude, no matter what I mean being grateful and thankful is, I think, the foundation to really existing and getting through some of these hardships, regardless of how small or how great they are.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, absolutely Before we wrap up here, kelly, what would be? And I guess you kind of just shared a little bit, you dropped a little bit of wisdom with the audience here, but maybe one thing you'd like to leave our listeners with about your business.
Speaker 3:
Oh my goodness, about the business in general or my particular business.
Speaker 2:
Whatever comes to mind, your business. Either business, I was going to say, or some wisdom, some life advice or anything like that, but you kind of just dropped a little bit, a little bit of that with the attitude of gratitude, but whatever.
Speaker 3:
That's definitely definitely true. I think that really is the foundation for everything else. You know, if you, if you, have that attitude instead of a defeatist attitude like the poor me in life. It's not that I'm suggesting people have to pick themselves by their bootstraps, I'm actually not even saying that, because sometimes the struggle is real, you just need to acknowledge it, and sometimes it's a matter of just getting through it. And I do think that a lot of people are facing some challenges right now with inflation, the cost of insurance and school, and I mean you just name it. It's there's. It's always good to reevaluate whatever your life plan started out a few years ago and to reassess are we still on the right track? And be willing to make changes if it's necessary. And sometimes that that change, you know, is a little disappointing, but it doesn't mean it's not going to be a start to something better as it moves forward.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, absolutely, attitude of gratitude, 100%, and something that I don't do. Enough to sit down and just write down the things that I'm grateful for and just go through that and write down my wins for the day and really focus on the positive instead of the negative. So I'm going to take that away from this conversation. I appreciate you bringing that to the forefront of my mind, kelly.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:
So for anyone out there that's listening, that would like to reach out to you to get more information maybe they're looking to buy their dream home, maybe they're looking to buy an investment property, maybe they're looking to sell how can we reach you, kelly?
Speaker 3:
It's easy enough to give me a call or text. Um, my number is 954-873-3016. Uh, but I also have a website which is my name K-E-L-L-I-W-O-L-Kcom.
Speaker 2:
Perfect. We will throw a link in the description to all of your contact information. Kelly, it was a pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us today. Jeremy, thank you so pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Speaker 3:
Jeremy, thank you so much. It's been great. I appreciate the invitation.
Speaker 2:
Of course, and thanks as always to our listeners for tuning in, and we'll catch everyone next time on the next episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Everyone, take care and have a blessed day.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, cooper City. To nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show, go to G and P Cooper citycom, that's GNP Cooper citycom, or call nine, five, four, two, three, one, three, one, 7-0 you.
