The Alimond Show

Lexie Doud - Real Estate Agent

• Alimond Studio

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Embark on a unique exploration with our guest, a former aviation lobbyist who's now navigating the skies of real estate in Loudoun with finesse and dedication. Their captivating transformation into a trusted real estate agent offers a wealth of knowledge for anyone looking to purchase their first home, as they demystify the process and illuminate the path to homeownership. Discover the potent combination of market savvy and innovative marketing strategies that sets them apart, and how they use their distinctive background to elevate the home-buying experience for novices and seasoned buyers alike. 

The personal touch doesn't end with closing deals; it's about creating bonds that last a lifetime. Our episode delves into the heartfelt commitment to family, cherishing life's moments, and extending a genuine hand of friendship to clients well beyond the sale. Learn how cultivating these deep-rooted relationships through ongoing engagement and support becomes the foundation of a successful and fulfilling career in real estate. Tune in for an episode that not only provides insider tips and emerging trends but also celebrates the human connections at the heart of every transaction.

Speaker 1:

I'm a Realtor and I love everything real estate and design related and I used to be a lobbyist, so this was a really big change of course for me. So once I moved out to Loudon about 10 and a half years ago, I decided to stay home and about a year into that I got a little board. So I got my real estate license and we had a really interesting experience when we built our house and I thought to myself I could do this better and I got my license and then, you know, went into production. I did referrals for a little bit before that and I just really enjoy helping people, especially first time home buyers. It's really a joy to be able to be by their side every step of the way.

Speaker 2:

That is amazing. Tell me a little bit about the lobbyist thing. How did that come about? Was that always your passion?

Speaker 1:

No. So I graduated from school and I wanted to go to California and my dad said, nope, you're going to get a job and so that okay. So I actually worked in the Senate on the Commerce Committee for five years before that, first for Senator Hollings from South Carolina and then Senator Inouye from Hawaii, and then I had the opportunity to go over to FAA and I did congressional affairs there and then I was a lobbyist for the American Association of Airport Executives and I had a weekly TV show called Aviation News Today. And after that I went back to FAA and did several other things in the budget office and air safety traffic inspector, all kinds of things.

Speaker 2:

Wow, Sounds like you had a busy youthful upbringing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it was quite a 180 when I came out to Loudoun and decided to do real estate.

Speaker 2:

I love that. Can you tell me a little bit about how you stay up to date with the trends and developments in the real estate market?

Speaker 1:

So it's evolving right and we can't stay in the past. We have to always be ready to pivot and change, and so much has changed, especially in the last two or three years. I'm on a great team and we really help each other to stay on top of what's happening, stay on trend and make sure that we are fully aware of what's happening and changing so that we can best educate our clients.

Speaker 2:

I saw online that you guys, your mission statement is a little bit in relation with Ashraford. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Speaker 1:

Oh, yes, okay. So the principle behind that is Ashraford guides and protects those that they care most for, and so we guide and protect our clients and do everything in our power to make sure that this stressful, yet exciting process is as least stressful as possible and really guide them through the process, especially those first time home buyers that are very anxious, very unsure, and even those seasoned ones, because they don't do it every day and so it's a big change and they really rely on people to kind of guide them and take the emotion out of it.

Speaker 2:

That's right. I love that. That's such a good little analogy for it. That's cute, thanks. So for first time home buyers, what are some common mistakes that you notice that they make and how do you help them with that?

Speaker 1:

All emotion. So they get very wrapped up, they get very nervous, they really second guess themselves, get cold feet, and so I take, like I said, the emotion out of that and really kind of show them the facts, show them the comps, show them that what they're doing is building wealth and it's much better than renting because you're going to pay somebody's mortgage one way or another it might just be your own Right and so really helping them understand that, yes, this is a big financial commitment but it's going to pay off because the best investment is real estate.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's good, you're good, thanks. And then, as far as marketing, how do you market those properties when you're showing the listing?

Speaker 1:

When I'm showing them or when we have the listing, well, yes, Okay.

Speaker 1:

So we have a great team, we have graphic designers, we have a marketing team and they're phenomenal and we basically just broadcast the listing to as many venues and as many publications as possible, really stressing the online presence. And so we like to kind of have people excited about the property. We put them in coming soon, you know about a week in advance before they go active, and really do beautiful photography and staging and highlight all of the good features on the listing and really help it kind of shine and get it top of mind and in front of all the buyers and get them really excited to come and see the property once it's active.

Speaker 2:

I love that. Are you like a TikToker or are you on Instagram like dancing in the houses or anything? No, I do not.

Speaker 1:

But maybe I should. You would be beautiful to that. Just say it, thank you, thank you, so definitely on Instagram, but, tiktak, you know, I don't know, maybe I need to get my 13-year-old to help me with that I think she would, or they he.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he would be able to help you with that.

Speaker 1:

They're really good at that. Yeah, probably, if I didn't embarrass them too much.

Speaker 2:

Oh no, you look like a cool mom. I'd be like I tell him that. I tell him that.

Speaker 1:

But he has been embarrassed of me for years now what I'm like. It could be so much worse.

Speaker 2:

No, I'd be like this is my mom, she's a model. She's a model. You kind of look like an Instagram influencer, a little bit like in a cool way, like beautiful, I feel like brands would be reaching out to you like can you wear our stuff?

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna love that. So get out there. Put yourself out there so that they can know that you're there. I love that. That's cool. I wish We'll see. Yeah, and then have you had any experiences from requests from any buyers or sellers with properties that are kind of like whoa, that was a weird house or a property that I chose?

Speaker 1:

Yes, there have been so many where I wish I would have taken videos. In fact, I went with a buyer a couple of weeks ago and we didn't make it past the first floor and it smelled of drugs and it was like a hoarder lived there and the floors were creaking so much we were afraid, literally, that we were gonna fall through the floor. Oh my God, it was crazy. I would have never put a house on the market like that. So it just goes to show you that anybody with an iPhone thinks that they can put a house on the market. But last I checked, just out of curiosity, that one was still sitting. Oh my God, it will be for quite some time.

Speaker 2:

Really, what do you do with situations? Do those ever even sell in? If so, what is the range of when it sells and what so?

Speaker 1:

I think it would have to be a really unique property that someone would wanna come in and rehab, not necessarily an interior townhouse I mean, that's not. And the location was not great. It was across from a car wash. It was like that one's gonna sit, it's gonna linger because it's not really hot, and that was something else and my client and I still joke about it because we should have done scary videos in there, but we were so afraid we didn't even go upstairs or downstairs, Like literally I thought that we were gonna fall through the floor.

Speaker 1:

There were literal holes in the floor, with the plywood showing through the subfloor.

Speaker 2:

That's been a danger is. I'm glad you didn't just put it in the floor.

Speaker 1:

Gosh, yeah, we've seen some things, and some things that are really neat are like when they're in a time warp. It's been the original owner from the 1950s and they've not changed a thing and you can tell.

Speaker 2:

It's kinda sad sometimes, too, because they still have their calendar and their medication and their schedule and it's like oh yeah, that is kinda sad, but I feel like it's kinda cool that you get to experience all these different holes. Like you said, it's like a time capsule. Feel like you should do some photography in there, yes, yes, Throwback. Look at this size, it would be cool.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that is true, that's an inspiration for some posts, for sure, but you see things that give you inspiration and things that you're just kinda like, wow, people look like this. So little bit of both.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and how many people do you have on your team?

Speaker 1:

There's 23 agents on our team. Okay, that's a good number, it's big and it's really nice. We're actually the number one team in Virginia, and yeah, exactly, and we really feed off of each other's energy and we all work really well together, and a bonus for our clients is that we have access to a lot of off-market properties, you hear that y'all.

Speaker 2:

What are some characteristics that you think a good real estate agent should have?

Speaker 1:

So I think you need to be a good communicator, a good negotiator and, most importantly, a good listener, because a lot of times people don't exactly know how to verbalize exactly what they're looking for. But over time and with asking the right questions, you can get that information out of them. Otherwise you're kind of chasing your tail. So you need to kind of guide them and not steer them, but guide them and kind of get them to focus and really think about what's important for them. And so I always ask them for a little bit of homework, which is you know what are your list of must-haves and nice to-haves as well as target areas, and really the first step is always getting them pre-approved, because we never want to show them something that's above their budget, because then it's just defeating and kind of disappointing from there on out.

Speaker 2:

Definitely see that happening.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and setting expectations. So, and it also depends on the season and what market we're in, because if you're competing, your effort is going to be much different than if you're the only one.

Speaker 2:

That's right. That's good advice Tips there. How are you guys using technology when it comes to helping your clients or just working with other real estate agents? Are you guys into AI yet, or anything?

Speaker 1:

A little bit. We do use it sometimes to help us with writing listing descriptions. But you know technology just in the sense of having them on a customized home search and them getting access to properties that are currently on the market, those that are coming soon and also that off-market inventory that I talked about, and just you know, kind of helping them pick out which properties are best for them and staying on top of it and being able to schedule tours so that we're the first one in and not the last one in.

Speaker 2:

Okay, what do you like to do on your free time? Is there anything in particular that you're like? Okay, I love doing this.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, I do have three boys, and so my free time is their time, and that is pretty much spent on the baseball field right now.

Speaker 2:

Okay, baseball yeah.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. It's time consuming.

Speaker 2:

Are you there like yeah, kind of, Are you like?

Speaker 1:

a little bit of both. Okay, yeah, if I'm too energetic, I get the evil eye From the kids. Yeah, yeah, not the parents. Not the parents. Yeah, no, not the parents. We're really lucky there on great teams with great families, and so it's been fun Awesome.

Speaker 2:

Awesome. And if you could give anybody any advice on real estate when it comes to buying or selling their first property, what advice would you like to give them? One for new home buyers and one for somebody selling for the first time?

Speaker 1:

It could be one tip yeah, make sure you have a great agent by your side.

Speaker 2:

That's a good one. And where can people find you? Like what's your website, your Instagram?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's my email's, lexie at shepherdhomescom, and my Instagram is lexie underscore realtor Love that, so that's where you can check her out.

Speaker 2:

Yes, do you like to read any books or any resources that help you with the market?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we're always listening to podcasts or listening to books, you know, on audio audible, and just trying to stay on top of everything that's happening in the market.

Speaker 2:

And how do you keep up with that, besides with books and podcasts, like, do you talk to any other realtors?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. It's so important to have realtor friends, especially like if you have a friend who has a listing, sometimes you might get a little bit of a sneak peek and you might get some tips on when it's going to be coming soon or before it goes active even, and so it's really important to have a good working relationship with fellow agents, because you never know when you're passing across and also when the shoe might be on the other foot, and so always try and be super helpful and a good communicator with fellow agents. A lot of people still think that you need 20% down, which you don't, yeah, so a local lender is also key. I have a lot of partners that I work with and we try and make it as seamless as possible and we really work well together. So I know that my clients are in good hands and that we're going to get to the closing table.

Speaker 2:

Have you had any challenges when selling a home and how did you come on top of that?

Speaker 1:

Oh yes, I had one listing that was of friends and I felt such pressure to get them that under contract so quickly. And it's when the market just kind of ground to a halt and rates were climbing and it was just really difficult. And we overcame that by doing a little bit of renovations, making sure that it was picture perfect, and eventually we did finally get it solved. Good.

Speaker 2:

And are there any current trends going on in homes right now that you're noticing that a lot of people are leaning towards like, oh wow, I got to get this. This is definitely what I want in my house, yeah.

Speaker 1:

I think you know white cabinets, white kitchens, are still very popular, although you have some of those people that are just like ugh, white, I can't stand it anymore. So it's very funny. Or then you see those that have the accent with the lower cabinets being blue or something, and people are like that's so out. Maybe when I'm walking around it says gray is so out. But I think you know classic colors and combinations will always be in style and as long as you don't get too funky, then you'll be okay. But at the same time I always tell people when they buy their house, do it for you. And then you know, when it comes time to sell, we'll reconsider and maybe do a little bit of a different color palette or do a few tweaks.

Speaker 2:

That's good. And then I know you're a real estate agent, but when you're I don't know how this works with real estate agents, but when you guys sell your own home or something, do you guys use yourselves or do you use other people?

Speaker 1:

So that's a really good question. I would definitely. I haven't sold my own property yet, but if I did, I would definitely do a broker's open and get advice from other agents on pricing and stuff like that, because even though we always tell our clients, take the emotion out of it, it's your own home and so you know, do as I say, not as I do. Is that the right thing? So I would think that I would definitely invite other agents in and get their opinion.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and what do you look for when you're looking in a home Like I got to have this?

Speaker 1:

For my own. Yes, oh well, I really like open, modern, contemporary design which, you know, for a while was really hard to find in Loudoun and now it's becoming more popular. Yes, love a bright house, tall ceilings, good bones.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and then this is going to be one of my last questions when people are relocating or moving to another state or coming in from another state, what are some of the biggest struggles that you see them go through?

Speaker 1:

Neighborhoods. They don't know where they want to be. They don't know, if they have kids, what the best area for them is. I think a lot of people have sticker shock when they come, and so that's sticker shock. Yeah, sticker shock is maybe they're coming from somewhere in the Midwest. Prices are so much higher here. Our market hasn't really slowed. It's very competitive and they're not used to multiple offers and escalation clauses and things like that. So it takes a while for them to get comfortable and I think they always second guess their decision because they're not familiar with the area.

Speaker 2:

I can definitely see that and plus it's such a huge job, maybe for a job changer family, yes, yes, and everything's new and everything's different, and they don't want to make a mistake. And how do you help them in that Like? How do you kind of like hold their hand, like it's okay, this is a great place. They have to trust you. You know what you're saying.

Speaker 1:

They do, they do, and there's certain things that we're not able to talk about based on ethics, and so you have to have them do their homework as well. But I really try and suggest areas that I think that they would really like and we try and hone it in based on are they commuting to work? How far of a commute do they want? Are there kids in sports? Things like that. Do they want a community? Do they want more land? And try and find target areas based on things that suit their family the best.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and then if you could leave us with one message for our listeners and even for us to learn, what would that be? It can be in relation to the real estate market, the world family, anything in your heart.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness, that's a tough question. I think you've stumped me now. I think you know family first and you know your kids are only little one time and so really try and spend the most time with them in these formative years as possible. And then, in terms of my clients, just I am honored to guide them home and guide them through that process, and I don't want to be a turn and burn agent. I want to be somebody that they come to long after the real estate transaction is closed, somebody that they need recommendations or they need a favor or anything like that. And then you know, I always have client events that I invite them to and I really make a point to keep in touch with all of them.

Speaker 2:

Perfect. Thank you so much for being on the show. We really appreciate your time and your wisdom and all your knowledge.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, I'm really happy to be here and honored.

Speaker 2:

Thank you.