The Working REALTOR®: Transitioning Careers into Real Estate

Shaun Majumder: You didn't realize how much blood, sweat, and tears you had to put into it.

Ryan Elliott: I had no idea.

Katharina Lenz: I've been always interested in homes, how homes are built.

Ryan: Put your hard hat on, Ronnie.

Shaun: Hard hat, Ronnie. I told you.

Shaun: Everyone's path to becoming a REALTOR® is unique. It's different. There is no one way to becoming a REALTOR®, but for those who choose to become a REALTOR®, they bring with them so many different skill sets, so many different experiences. To make that transition from the old life to the new life is amazing to see. Today, we're so excited to talk to two REALTORS® who left their old life behind and are now thriving in what they do as productive REALTORS®. They're here to tell us their story. I'm so excited to have on the show Ryan Elliott and Katharina Lenz. Welcome to REAL TIME.

You found your calling, guys. You are now REALTORS® and have been for a little bit, but you've not always been REALTORS®, and here we are. This is so exciting to talk about. You guys have not been REALTORS® your whole lives, then you jumped into this career a little bit later. As a lot of us do, we find new paths and new journeys. I'm really curious about why you guys chose becoming a REALTOR® as your next path in life. Also, tell me a bit about who you are, where you come from, and what it was that drew you to wanting to become a REALTOR®.

Let's start with Katharina. Sorry if I put on the accent because-

Katharina: Oh, that's perfect.

Shaun: -I just love the name. Katharina.

Katharina: That's perfect.

Shaun: I love it.

Katharina: My name is Katharina. Originally from Colombia, but been in Canada for 10 years. Moved to New Brunswick four years ago and decided to pursue the real estate career. I've always worked in homes. Also, I was a cabinetmaker and I was an interior designer before. It's a three-year apprenticeship in Germany, which I did before coming to Canada.

Shaun: Where did you come to in Canada?

Katharina: I started out in Calgary, but then moved to Victoria, BC. That's where I studied interior design and worked for a little while there. Until COVID hit, and then the house prices, of course, so I decided to move over to the Atlantic, just across Canada, drive for two weeks.

Shaun: Wait, you said you drive for two weeks?

Katharina: Yes. I have a bulldog.

Shaun: How long ago was this?

Katharina: Four years ago. It was during the pandemic. It was a fun drive.

Shaun: Yes, I bet. I've been there. I did that myself. Then you came to New Brunswick, of all places. Amazing province. Tell me about that transition.

Katharina: When I arrived here, I decided to pursue the real estate career. Obviously, it was pandemic, so it was a very hard transition, but I felt like I wanted to help families settle. For me, coming here alone, trying to get into the system, find any connections, it was really hard, so I wanted to be that person for the families here. They could have that one point where they could find support and help to settle down.

Shaun: That's interesting. You had your own experience to draw from. Was it an easy transition for you to get settled in New Brunswick?

Katharina: It was mostly, I think, hard because of the pandemic, so it was hard to actually go out and socialize. Once everything started opening up, it was a little bit more easier to actually connect with people. You could see the urge of people wanting to connect in person, wanting to meet up, wanting to talk, and finally come back to a normal life.

Shaun: What was it about real estate specifically that drew you to wanting to become a REALTOR®?

Katharina: I wanted to go into real estate when I was in BC. Since I decided to move, it didn't make sense to pursue it there because in every province, it's different. I've been always interested in homes, how homes are built, how families actually make a house a home. That's what drew me to start real estate.

Shaun: Did you find a lot of like-minded people when you got to New Brunswick?

Katharina: Actually, a few. Yes. My REALTOR®, which I used when I bought my property here, I started out with her. I joined her team. That helped me a little bit to start with the connections and actually start getting settled here.

Shaun: That's such a great Canadian story, too. It sounds like a Tim Hortons commercial, I’m not gonna lie to you. Girl leaves Colombia, goes to Germany, little woodworker, gets her skillset, goes to Victoria, starts becoming an interior designer, pandemic hits. Give me a double-double, and then she ends up in New Brunswick and becomes a REALTOR®. That's amazing. It sounds exactly like a perfect commercial. Now, Ryan Elliott, on the other hand, he was already out here. Ryan, I'm going to use the accent of your people to say your name. Ryan. Ryan. He's from Newfoundland.

Ryan: Exactly that. I've had family members, they just call me Ryan. I'm originally from the Northern Peninsula of the province, actually, in Bear Cove, if you know where that is.

Shaun: I do.

Ryan: Then moved to Mount Pearl. I always say that's where I made my mistakes. Grew up in Mount Pearl, and now I live in St. John's. Prior to that, I worked occupational health and safety.

Shaun: What does one do in occupational health and safety? I hear those terms all the time, but I never quite understood what an occupational health and safety worker does. Tell us about that.

Ryan: With that role, you are responsible for, I guess, managing a work site for safety, health parameters, environment as well. Just the overall management for the workers to make sure that they get home safe at the end of the day. I did that for 10 years.

Shaun: Would you be kind of like, "Steve, glasses. Steve, I told you about the glasses."

Ryan: It was exactly like that. Exactly like that.

Shaun: Oh, Steve, too.

Ryan: Put your hard hat on, Ronnie.

Shaun: Hard hat, Ronnie. I told you. Oh, very good. You were in a bit of an authoritative kind of place, but what were the skills that you had to do during that time? Were you in an office? Were you on the site a lot, dealing with people? How was that?

Ryan: From, I guess, to the end of that career, I started out in a work site. First was offshore. From there, I went to Western Canada, worked in the oil sands, and that was all site work. A little bit of office administration as well. Then from there, I came back to the province, worked with our utility company here. Again, that was, I guess, an equal share between site and office. You play that management role, so you're always dealing with people, you're always communicating, and also, how to have those hard conversations is really important.

Shaun: Like, "Steve, put on your helmet." You did 10 years of that. Katharina, you did multiple things, and then the pandemic hit. It sounds like the pandemic was somewhat of a motivator for change. I mean, it was for millions of people across the planet. Did that have something to do with this new realization that maybe becoming a REALTOR® is something that you would like to pursue? What were the things that triggered? What was the draw to becoming a REALTOR®, Ryan?

Ryan: For me, for the position that I was in at the time, it was 8:00 to 4:00. My daughter was two years old, and she was going to bed at 6:00. I was like, I got nothing else to do. I'm a little bored with my time. I went and picked up, at the time, two flips. One was a new build, one was an older home. When they were just about complete, I called my agent at the time and said, "Hey, I got these two projects. They're almost complete and ready for sale." He came back and said, "Well, I'm in Florida. I'm no longer an agent there." I could do this myself. I went and got my license, and right out of the gate in 2020, I did have two new listings. That helped.

Shaun: Did you have any inkling before of wanting to become a REALTOR®?

Ryan: It was always something on my mind. Again, where I worked away was something that I really couldn't do and fulfill. I think a lot of that comes back to ignorance at the time, because you look at it and you think, "Okay. Well, you're just showing houses, your phone's going to ring," but that's not the case at all. Now that I'm in this and I'm looking at all the hats that I have to wear, it's like, "Oh, wow. You can't have this job."

Shaun: No. I want to come back to expectations in a little bit, but I'm really fascinated, honestly, about what it was that drew you to it, and then why four years later or five years later, you guys are now thriving, you're still doing it. Katharina, you had mentioned something that was really interesting. I assume that in Victoria, you were obviously very social, and you were drawing people together, and you were throwing big parties. I assume you were very social back in Victoria, so that when you came to New Brunswick, you just wanted to continue that. Is that safe to say?

Katharina: No, I wasn't at all. I was an introvert.

Shaun: Really?

Katharina: Yes. I didn't have a lot of friends. I just went to work and then went back home, and that was it for me.

Shaun: That's in Victoria?

Katharina: Yes.

Shaun: That doesn't sound like somebody who would be like, "I need to get out and be a REALTOR® and sell, sell, sell and buy, buy, buy."

Katharina: No, nothing at all. That was one of the hardest parts, I guess, to get out of my shell and try to explore that part. That helped me a lot here with that feeling of actually wanting to help families and that urge of how I felt during the pandemic, being here alone, not having my family. Wanting to help those families build something for them, that helped me to actually get out and start pursuing that.

Shaun: Katharina, I find that so interesting, this idea of bringing families together, making sure that they feel-- are you referring to new Canadians? Are you talking about people who already live there? Both? Where specifically did you feel you brought value in your community? What town is it you're in, by the way?

Katharina: I'm in Moncton. Moncton, New Brunswick.

Shaun: Moncton. Love Moncton.

Katharina: Here, basically, my main clientele is Latin people because I can connect with them mostly because of the language, obviously. I come from Colombia. I know how the process is. There's no REALTORS® there. You could just basically knock on the door and be like, "I want to buy the house." "Okay. Here it is," kind of thing. For them to learn the process here--

Shaun: Wait. I want to hear that story again. Buying a house there, what's the transaction like?

Katharina: You don't have any REALTORS®.

Shaun: What happens?

Katharina: If you hear from a neighbor that someone is selling, you basically go and knock on the door, go and look at the house. If you like it, you make the bank transaction, get the papers, and that's it.

Shaun: Then you just do it that way, right?

Katharina: Yes.

Shaun: That's incredible. Wow. So highly regulated.

Katharina: Yes. Totally.

Shaun: Do you find you're almost that matriarchal, like, "I'll take care of you."

Katharina: Yes. It feels like I'm the connector basically for everyone. Almost every Latino here, they know me. They know that I do community events, just to get the families together to help settle them and everything. I'm that connector when people arrive. Obviously, they start trusting me, and they go through the purchase or sale of their home.

Shaun: Do you feel like, because of now becoming a REALTOR®, you have opened up more? Tell me about that.

Katharina: Oh, my goodness. Yes. I'm a social butterfly now. I'm barely home.

Shaun: Are you happy?

Katharina: Yes, I am. Yes.

Shaun: I love it. I love it. Now, Ryan, what would you say was the aha moment that finally said, "I've got to take the leap." Was it just that exchange that you had where you were like, "Hey, you know what? I could probably do this myself. I come from a world where I had to manage a lot. My brain works that way." What were the aha moments that said, "Oh, yes, let's do this."

Ryan: For me, a lot of it comes down to the connection that I have with people and the dynamics that we have in our day. No day is ever the same, no client is the same. I really enjoy that piece.

Shaun: It's certainly not boring.

Ryan: No, not at all. I'm high energy, so I'm like, "Go, go, go." I thrive on that piece. I got two kids now, so you don't have a flexible schedule. You're able to work with your schedule. My wife helps a lot and she's able to back me so that if I have a viewing in the weekend, then I might have a Tuesday afternoon that I'll take with the kids.

Shaun: What would you say, Katharina, your career as a REALTOR® offers you that your previous careers do not?

Katharina: Like Ryan said, the flexibility to actually have your own schedule and pursue other things at the same time. That's the biggest problem.

Shaun: Are you still involved in using your other skill sets in terms of whether it be cabinet making or interior design?

Katharina: Cabinet making, I do mostly as a hobby now, but I still work on some design jobs back from Victoria. I do all the drawings and everything from here. I'm starting to get settled with that here as well. A lot of my clients are coming back to me now, knowing that I have that background to help them with their homes.

Shaun: How sweet. That's a beautiful pipeline you've got right there where you're like, "Hey, let me sell you this home." Then they buy it. Then you're like, "Hey, this room could use some work."

Katharina: Yes, one-stop shop.

Shaun: That's amazing. Oh, my gosh. I love it. Ryan, what about that? In terms of the skills that you had that you were using back then, what do you say is the highest volume of things that you find yourself utilizing those skills, going from that old job into this new career?

Ryan: One big piece that I take from that would be the communication, the organization. One thing that was really important in the safety field was standard operating procedures. We would use that for-- if a worker had to work on a piece of equipment, then we would have an outlined itemized checklist on how to do that safely. Now, with real estate, and I've really enjoyed building a team the last year, we're able to take any document now and create a standard operating procedure for any new agents or administrative staff to onboard a new client, whether it's a buyer, or a seller, or how we want to market our properties.

It really helps with the streamlining and organization. Not just listing a property, but more so launching it, and really giving that client experience.

Shaun: Wow. You hit the ground running, really. That was just an automatic plug and play, almost for the organizational piece, the operations. That's stuff that my brain just does not do, so kudos to you for having that skillset. Did you have to learn that? From the previous to now, which one is more exciting for you?

Ryan: I really like this piece. It's something that I didn't really know or strive to do when I got into business, but I like building a team and having good people around you, and creating a good environment. When I got into business, no, I didn't know what I was doing. It was COVID, and nobody could talk to anybody at that time. We didn't know how to handle it.

Shaun: You both started. Did you guys realize, you guys started when everything in the world-- It was the apocalypse. You started during the apocalypse. You said, "Oh, I need a change." That must have made you extra resilient to be able to jump into something like that at that time. Do you feel it helped or slowed you down a little bit?

Katharina: I think for myself, it slowed me down a little bit, because I just moved here. I didn't know anyone. To start out to get all the connections and networking and everything was really hard because of COVID. I think it slowed me down a little bit.

Shaun: How about you, Ryan? In terms of the COVID piece, did that slow you down, did that accelerate, did that give you opportunity?

Ryan: I think it helped me greatly, because at the time, I was still 50-50 with my old job, and now becoming a REALTOR®, and working from home, and having a little bit of flexibility allowed me to plug the hours for calling friends and saying, "Hey, I'm a real estate agent now." Calling my aunt and uncle and saying, "I don't know if any of your friends are looking to sell, but I'm a real estate agent now." I think without that work-from-home time, or without that flexibility, I don't really feel I would have been able to hit the ground running.

Shaun: That makes sense. Same thing with being a parent.

Ryan: Very much.

Shaun: In a big way, right? Being forced to be home and being forced to be there, which is a great thing, but I'm sure that some people who have jobs and lives that take them away from the home, that's always something that you may look back on and go, "Oh, I wish I had that time back." Thanks to COVID, as a dad myself, I feel like that was really beneficial. Looking back now, what was your expectation going in, and how have they either come up short or they've exceeded your expectations? How does it look now versus what you thought it was going to be? What were some surprises?

Katharina: Surprises? Oh, my goodness. Probably, the biggest is social media, because being an introvert, I wasn't on any social media. I wasn't on it. I didn't want to know anything about it, but now, I actually had to put out myself in front of the camera and do all of this. That was the biggest for me.

Shaun: Was it a challenge?

Katharina: Oh, my goodness, yes. My mentor at that time, it took her over a year telling me every day, "Kat. You'll have to get in front of the camera. You'll have to get in front of the camera."

Shaun: I think Ryan and I both would look at you and say, "Oh, there's no indication that it was challenging for you. You're amazing on camera, and it's great." I love that red.

Katharina: Thank you.

Shaun: Powerful. Very powerful. Going back to that a little bit, you obviously personally didn't have a lot of social media, so when you were told that it's probably in your best interest to generate business by increasing your social media presence, was it more about personal social media or was it just strictly about the business then, and that was what propelled you to having more presence online?

Katharina: It was mostly business, but I wanted to be myself. I wanted to be natural. I didn't want to be a fake person. People assume when they see a REALTOR®, "Oh, you're like selling sunset. Just opening doors and that's it. Looking pretty and having a nice car, and that's it." I wanted to be myself, so I actually show a lot of personal stuff on my social media, and that's what people like about me.

Shaun: That's great. That's great. Were you advised to do that, or was that just your own personal choice? You felt it was important, a part of your value system?

Katharina: I think it would be best to show how you actually are, because if you show yourself different on social media and then the person you're actually working with after in person, they realize you're not that person that you are on social media, then it goes sideways.

Shaun: Yes. That's right, because there's a lot of people watching this now, perhaps who are thinking, "Maybe I want to jump into real estate. Maybe I want to become a REALTOR®." That's a good tip. That's a hot tip from Katharina right there. Be yourself.

Katharina: Yes.

Shaun: Right?

Katharina: Always.

Shaun: Ryan, I guess for you, what was the biggest surprise in terms of your expectation before, what it was going to be like, and then what the reality of it all actually was?

Ryan: Yes, absolutely. From the outside, I looked at it and said, "Okay, well, all these agents around town, their phone is just going to ring and they're just sitting around waiting, doing what they want, and business is going to come." Couldn't be more wrong. As soon as I got into this and I started recognizing the time and the hats that you have to wear and the social media piece, and now you got to go to YouTube and make an 18-minute-long video about how to move to Paradise.

That's the sort of stuff that you don't think about when you're looking at just selling houses, but it all plays a part in being that local authority that comes back to the personal brand, that people watch and say, "Well, I want to work with Shaun. I want to work with Katharina. I want to work with Ryan." That's something that I was ignorant to.

Shaun: Right. You didn't realize how much blood, sweat, and tears you had to put into it.

Ryan: Had no idea. No idea.

Shaun: Wow. Just for people watching, Ryan wasn't being silly or cheeky when he said move to Paradise. Expect there's an actual town. I don't think people realize there's a place called Paradise in Newfoundland. You weren't just being like, "Newfoundland is the best place to live. It's basically paradise." No, there's a town called Paradise, and it's terrible, by the way. It's not. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. It's a great little place. It's beautiful. That's amazing. Your expectation, you had to catch up. You had to be like, "Oh, snap. This is a lot more."

Specifically, you said the social media piece was something, the time you had to spend with regards to what else on the ground, boots on the ground. What were the other skills that you didn't realize you had to activate?

Ryan: Transaction management is one that plays a part within the whole organizational skills. Communication is a big piece, but it's that lead generation. You're constantly thinking of social posts. You're constantly thinking of daily mailers. You're constantly thinking of ways to give back to the community. When I got into this, actually, I got a real estate coach. One thing that helped me greatly was I was able to remove that trial-and-error piece. Luckily, I did get paired with a fantastic coach from the Tom Ferry coaching system, and his name was Doug Hannan.

He had family here, so he knew the market here. He knew where Newfoundland was, for one, which Shaun, you can relate. If you tell people you're from Newfoundland, they're like, "Where's that, though?"

Shaun: "Oh, I've been to Halifax. I know Newfoundland. I've been to Halifax." Oh.

Ryan: I've been to Halifax. I found that that helped me greatly with kind of hit the ground running and just knowing what to do and how to play and put all these puzzle pieces together.

Shaun: Did Doug-- was the name Doug?

Ryan: Doug, yes.

Shaun: Was he a REALTOR® in Newfoundland as well?

Ryan: He had family in Newfoundland. He was in Toronto, actually. He's from Toronto, but he was a REALTOR® there. He ran a brokerage. He is a 30-year season vet. His administrator was from Bell Island, and he used to travel here regularly, so that helped a lot when he was coaching and guiding me.

Shaun: That's interesting because having somebody to coach you who knows Newfoundland real estate, that's a blessing, knows the geography, knows the place. Katharina, in terms of having an expectation of what Moncton was like, specifically talk about that market because going from Victoria, the West to the East is so drastically different. How long did it take you to get a real sense of what Moncton specifically was like? You service Moncton proper?

Katharina: Yes, right in the Moncton area.

Shaun: What was that like, because Ryan knew what his hometown was like, but you had to come into a brand-new market.

Katharina: Yes. It was really hard, and it's still hard to connect here with the locals. I hear that from all of the families that I serve as well, that it's really hard to connect with all the families because it's such a small town still. They're really tied together. They know everyone. I live a little bit outside of Moncton, half an hour out in Salisbury. I started door-knocking there. I just wanted to give it a try, and everyone would say, "Well, yes, my kid went with this REALTOR® to school, so we know her," and that was like every second door. They knew this REALTOR®, so I'm like, "Yes, I don't have any chance." It was really hard.

Shaun: If you're in Moncton, she's the go-to. If you're in Paradise--

Katharina: It's Ryan.

Shaun: Ryan doesn't live there, but St. John's, go to Ryan. I love this because so many people have been through so many transitions. People aren't necessarily wake up and they say, "This is exactly what I'm going to do and this is the career that I'm going to have." That challenge of transitioning from an old career, and probably, you did very well, right, Ryan? You're working out West, you're a Newfoundlander working in Fort Mac. I mean, come on, buddy, that is good money out there, and it's just handed to you. You're working obviously, but then you come home, now you've got to do it yourself. Has it unlocked the entrepreneurial spirit in you?

Ryan: Very much. I went to school for four years, and then I went West. I went through that phase of being away from my family to make the big dollar. Then, when I got into this, and you said it, it unlocks that entrepreneurial spirit. It creates that business fire where you look at the opportunities and you say, "Okay. Well, these connections that I'm having daily, what else can I do with this?" Whether that's looking into maybe investing into a development as a subdivision or just going down the road of building houses. Definitely, every day, it's always something new, where you're like, "Okay. Well, through real estate, what else can I build on?" There are so many opportunities there.

Shaun: It's not just about buying and selling. It sounds like, especially Katharina, what you've done, you've tapped into community, which I think is really powerful, too. Tell me about your involvement in the community now. Outside of MLS listings and buying and selling, how have you now immersed yourself in the community? You're adding not only just your expertise now as a REALTOR®, but you're also helping grow and cultivate connections in a community. Tell me a bit about that. What are your skill sets outside of real estate-

Katharina: Oh, goodness.

Shaun: -that you now bring.

Katharina: I volunteer for some of the newcomer associations here. I host community events for my Latin people. I have a Colombian dance group, which we participate in events.

Shaun: What's that music specific-

Katharina: Cumbia.

Shaun: -to Colombia? Cumbia. Oh, my gosh. Ryan, do you know Cumbia?

Ryan: No.

Shaun: It's like a Newfoundland jig with a lot more hips. Look up Cumbia. It's the best. Wait, you said host community events. What would that be? What does that look like?

Katharina: I do everything, to be honest. I do Latin parties. I throw community events for families, where the kids can go and do something. I collaborate with a lot of associations as well that do Zumba classes, kids painting stuff, a lot of different things for the community, so that they can actually settle and find their connections.

Shaun: Oh, yes. Now, again, I do want to touch on that one more time. If you have any specific stories of-- Tell me a bit about a family that you helped, who came from wherever in Latin America. Is there a Canadian story there where they've come from away, they're there now in New Brunswick, they don't know exactly what the next steps are. Is there anybody specifically that you recall really watching how much of an influence you had? Not to take about you, but you're not just helping people locally buy houses. You also have that layer of helping people transition from wherever they come from into Canada, and then find a place to live in Moncton.

Katharina: Let's see. There was one family, a couple, two kids, helped them buy the house. They just starting settle--

Shaun: Where were they from?

Katharina: Colombia.

Shaun: They came specifically from Colombia?

Katharina: Yes. I helped them settle and everything. Her and her daughter were really into dance. They're now in my Colombian dance group. Her daughter become basically almost like my little sister. That's really close to me. I saw how they evolved from being here alone to what they've grown to. They started their own business now and everything.

Shaun: Oh, tell me more about that. What was the business?

Katharina: They're doing decoration for events.

Shaun: Oh, cool. Party design.

Katharina: Yes. The balloon stuff, the arches, the weddings, all of that. I can refer them to a lot of events that I host as well. We help each other.

Shaun: That's great. You helped them find a home?

Katharina: Yes.

Shaun: They found a house and they moved in. How long ago was this?

Katharina: That was almost a year ago.

Shaun: Awesome. How are they doing?

Katharina: They're awesome. They love it.

Shaun: They're happy. They love it.

Katharina: Yes. Her mom is visiting here now. They're happy, enjoying it.

Shaun: That's awesome. What about you, Ryan? Specifically, what was your first actual sell or buy? What was your first kind of you're like, "I did it. I can actually do this."

Ryan: I think I had one there a couple of years ago where it was a first-time buyer. She was older. It was a little bit later in life for her. The market here has been very busy. It's been very active, so it's very tough to get somebody under contract, and it takes a lot of offers, really. When we--

Shaun: Now, when you say it was busy, it's active, explain what that looks like in St. John's. Are you talking St. John's specifically?

Ryan: Yes. St. John's proper right now for this exact story, for all of the area, really. Right now, we have lower inventory than we've ever had, and we likely have more demand than we've ever had. When you're writing on a offer on a house, it's going to take either a very strong offer to persuade the seller, or it's going to take a few offers before you find the right one where you're comfortable enough to offer what it's going to take to get that property. This one, this particular client, we probably wrote about 10 offers, and we had to get really creative when we finally got her under contract.

When it happened, it was still such a feel-good moment because I lost my-- I'm not going to say much of this, but I lost my mother a couple of years ago. Then, just the connection I had with this woman, you could tell that she was such a good mom. That was awesome.

Shaun: That's amazing. Oh, my gosh. That's such an interesting thing. We usually think of people who are, "I'm going to buy a house." A young couple, a young professional, first house, but this is somebody who is a mom. Had how many kids?

Ryan: She had two kids. She was almost 70 when she bought her first house.

Shaun: Amazing. What a feeling.

Ryan: Yes, it was absolutely incredible.

Shaun: Wow.

Ryan: Just to get that across the finish line.

Shaun: Obviously, young family comes from Colombia, they get integrated into Moncton, have a business. The other end of the spectrum with this lady, a mom, who you had a special connection with, and buys her first house later in life. Was it her dream to own a house?

Ryan: It was. She wanted to do this before it was too late-

Shaun: Wow.

Ryan: -so that she had something to leave her kids.

Shaun: Oh, that is gorgeous. It's very satisfying. It's very gratifying. What you guys do is more than just buy and sell, it sounds like. I think that's important for people who are watching, who are thinking about it, or if there's REALTORS® who are watching, that they can obviously attest to this very thing. Those are great stories, guys. I love that so much. Here we are. We're at the end of our chat, but before we go, I'd like each of you to tell me where you see yourself, what you'd like to see yourself doing in five years from now. What is your future as a person who helps people find homes and an agent in Newfoundland, where do you guys see yourselves? What would be the ultimate dream for you both? Katharina?

Katharina: For me, I'd love to grow my team to be able to serve my community a little bit better. Getting better in French as well. I started French classes now, so I'm trying to grow my community and not only serve Latin people.

Shaun: Le formidable.

Katharina: Oui, oui. That's all I have for now, but yes, that's mostly it. I want to grow my team, that I can serve my community better for sure.

Shaun: How's that going? How do you go about building that team? Is it because you need more people from Latin America to become REALTORS®, to become home finders?

Katharina: Yes. I have a few either past clients or friends that are interested in getting into real estate now, some are getting into it. I have a few agents that want to change brokerage right now, so I'm getting them into-- Which are not Canadian either. It's getting a multicultural team together to help all the newcomers settle.

Shaun: Oh, sweet. Love it. Love it. What about you, Ryan?

Ryan: Yes. Very much similar. Definitely continue to build out, grow a team so that we can help service more, but I also want to get more involved with the community, specifically within the sporting world. Sponsor more teams, sponsor more events.

Shaun: Oh, I see.

Ryan: Sponsor more gear. If it's needed for hockey or baseball, anything like that.

Shaun: You have a personal passion for local recreation and sport.

Ryan: Big time. I grew up playing hockey here in Mount Pearl. I got a 4-year-old son now that's starting to get into it. I'm just thriving on that, and I'd like to be able to do more.

Shaun: Oh, that's awesome. Support your community.

Ryan: Big time.

Shaun: Great. Guys, this has been amazing to hear your stories as REALTORS®. This is REAL TIME. We talk to REALTORS®. It's the podcast for REALTORS®, but I feel like hearing your story is so insightful because we think, "Oh, how do people become REALTORS®? What's that like? What's their before life? What's their new life?" Thank you so much for sharing your stories. It's been insightful for me as well. If you're ever in Halifax and you want to have a ball hockey game, Ryan, once you come and sponsor it. Then afterwards, we'll go and eat delicious Latin food at the Kinsmen Club after.

Shaun: I'm just spitballing here, guys. I'm just spitballing, bringing it all together.

Ryan: Yes, that's a good idea.

Katharina: Yes, I'm in.

Shaun: Who's in?

Katharina: I'm in.

Ryan: I'm in.

Katharina: You got me on food.

Shaun: Yes. Yum, yum, yum. Ryan, look up Cumbia. You're going to see-

Ryan: Cumbia.

Shaun: -buddy. The best music ever. Thank you, both. Thank you, both. Good luck with everything, and we'll see you again. I'm sure.

Katharina: Thank you so much.

Ryan: Thank you.

Shaun: Bye, guys. What a great chat. I love that. Thanks to Ryan and Katharina for telling us their stories. It was so amazing to see. Bringing their life skills, bringing everything that they love about their communities, and now forging a path of their own. It's changing not only their own lives, but the people around them. What a great chat. Guys, thank you so much for joining me today. If you like this episode, make sure you get out there, find your favorite podcast platform. Give us a like, give us a review, share with everybody you know. REAL TIME is brought to you by the Canadian Real Estate Association. Production courtesy of Alphabet Creative. Thanks so much, guys. We'll see you next time on REAL TIME.