SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 11-6-23 by Top Agent Magazine

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE:

WHAT THE FIRST THING YOU DO AFTER WORK SAYS ABOUT YOU

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients that Will Last a Lifetime

EVERY PLAYER IS VALUABLE: HOW TO BOOST YOUR TEAM’S MORALE

3 Mind–Bending Philosophies to

EXPAND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE

FEATURED AGENTS

JAE WU & SEAN MCMILLAN

COVER STORY

KEITH POWERS

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

JAE WU & SEAN MCMILLAN

Thriving in the heart of West Los Angeles, there’s a

says. “And Sean is the people person with a histori-

ness on hard work, expert knowledge, and an intimate understanding of the Westside where they live, work, and raise their families. Sean, a third-generation Los Angeleno, knows “all the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city inside and out,” he says. “My grandfather was in the first graduating classes at UCLA back in the early 1920’s.” Jae jokes, “I’m a newbie having only been here 30 years in comparison!”

worked in nearly every facet of the residential real estate business, including helping to develop and grow several top-tier real estate agencies. From title insurance to mortgage banking to representing buyers and sellers, Sean brings a wealth of practical experience and wisdom to every transaction.

KEITH POWERS JAE WU an-level knowledge of the neighborhood and an econreal estate powerhouse that has been making waves for & omist-level understanding of the real estate market.” almost three decades. Jae Wu and Sean McMillan, the SEAN MCMILLAN Having been born and raised in the industry, Sean has dynamic duo behind Heyler Realty, built their busi-

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Heyler serves clients in Westside neighborhoods like Westwood, Cheviot Hills, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City and Santa Monica. They also have agents with expertise in the San Fernando Valley, Mid-city and Downtown Los Angeles, and the South Bay. The boutique real estate company includes 10 agents who hold certifications enabling them to help clients with everything from buying their first home to navigating probate. Jae and Sean produce an impressive $70 to $80 million a year in sales volume. At least 80 percent of their business comes from referrals, a testament to their commitment to their clients. “We’re proud that we’ve been able to build lasting relationships with our clients who then feel confident in referring their friends and family to us,” Sean said. “Especially since buying or

in 1995 she 4) BE THEIR REALTOR Jae’s journey into real estate began 16) 3 when MIND–BENDING joined a top Beverly Hills mortgage company. With in mathematFOR LIFE: HOW TO BUILDherAanalytical mind and a background PHILOSOPHIES TO EXPAND YOUR ics and finance, she quickly realized that her transition into real estate was a natural fitPROFESSIONAL for her skill set. “I felt RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PERSPECTIVE more like a consultant and a professional rather than she recalls. Working tirelessly to assist CLIENTS THAT WILL LASTa salesperson,” A real estate agents in closing transactions, Jae knew she wanted to help her clients even22) more andWHAT she became THE FIRST THING LIFETIME a REALTOR®. She consistently built her skill set inAFTER WORK SAYS cluding becoming a certified YOU negotiation DO specialist. “You don’t want to bet against Jae in a negotiation,” ABOUT Sean says, smiling proudly. “I’m the negotiator,”YOU Jae 13) EVERY PLAYER IS VALUABLE: HOW TO BOOST YOUR TEAM’S MORALE

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Be Their REALTOR for Life: ®

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients That Will Last a Lifetime In the world of real estate, an agent’s relationship with their clients can make or break their career. This industry revolves around working well with people, and being able to develop a strong relationship with your clients is the foundation that you business is based upon. Just like with a house, if that foundation is weak, the rest of the structure is also going to be unsteady and fragile. The mark of a good REALTOR® is their ability to build up a good referral network and following of loyal clients. This isn’t something that just happens by accident. Building healthy, strong relationships with your clients takes work and knowing how to gain another person’s trust, respect, and friendship. Here are some ways to make sure you are building the right kind of relationship with your clients. 4

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1. Use Your Friendliness and Optimism to Win Them Over: No one wants a pushy, overly confident salesperson for a REALTOR®. Clients are much more inclined to put their trust in the hands of someone who is friendly when it comes to one of the biggest financial transactions of their lives. A pleasant, outgoing disposition will win you more clients as well as friends. You want to establish rapport in the first few minutes of first meeting prospective clients. Rather than starting with business right off the bat, begin your meeting with some small talk such as similar interests, hobbies, and family life. This will immediately help to put your clients at ease, and show that you are not simply trying to “sell” them something. People also respond well to optimism. During what can be a very stressful time, clients need someone to help them stay positive when a situation looks difficult and challenging. Optimism also tends to radiate charisma, and people want to be around and do business with charismatic people. You want to learn how to understand, motivate, and inspire people.

2. Be an Inquisitive Learner and an Empathetic Listener:

On the other side of this coin is knowing how to listen empathetically. Empathy involves actually putting yourself or your mind in their shoes so you can genuinely understand their concerns, needs, and opinions. That understanding and empathy is then reflected in your conversation with that client. Your clients want to know that you care about their situation, and that they’re not just another sale for you to make. People are much more willing to put their trust in you when they can sense that you are actually making an effort to feel what they feel in order to understand their situation. Showing your interest through questions, and then thoughtfully listening goes a long way towards gaining trust. Showing empathy and acknowledging the feelings and emotions involved in your clients situation helps build a relationship founded on genuine care and trust.

3. Watch for Nonverbal Clues:

Don’t be afraid to show your curiosity and ask your clients a lot of questions. Some of these questions may even be difficult and uncomfortable. You want to discover and learn as much as you can about your client. Don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into the role of the know-it-all. Every different client has unique needs, so you want to learn as much as you can about their specific situation before trying to propose a solution. You want to uncover their primary motive for buying or selling, and flush Top Agent Magazine

out any potential concerns they might have. After you’ve gained as much information as possible, you can then gauge their interest in your possible solutions by asking “what if” questions. Being inquisitive also demonstrates to your clients that you are genuinely interested and invested in their situation.

Most communication happens nonverbally, so knowing how to interpret your client’s body language can be incredibly helpful. Here are a few things to pay special attention to: Eye contact: Be careful with the level of eye contact you use with clients when first meeting. Too much and too little eye contact can send the wrong impression. You want to try and maintain eye contact around 70 percent of the time. That is the amount that most people are comfortable with. Pay attention to your client’s level of eye

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contact to determine how comfortable they are. When someone avoids eye contact that could mean they are not engaged in the conversation. A good way to quickly build a feeling of rapport when first meeting clients is to make eye contact when you first meet them and then start nodding yes to what they’re saying. If the client reciprocates the eye contact and nodding, you’ve established a connection.

4. Prove your honesty and credibility:

Choose the right handshake for each client: One handshake does not fit all people, and that first handshake can be crucial to making a good first impression. The way to do a good handshake for each client is to try and mirror the other person’s handshake in strength, keep your shoulders aligned as you are preferably standing when you shake hands. While you shake your client’s hand make sure you make eye contact and give them a sincere smile.

Showing a little weakness can actually be to your advantage in this situation, and will actually make others more inclined view you as honest. You don’t want to come across as too good to be true. When revealing this weakness, however, the key to coming out on top is turning what sounds like a weakness into a strength. For example, your service may be more expensive, but that’s because you offer more personalized and extra services than your competitors.

Honesty and integrity are the two traits that 98 percent of buyers and sellers report are qualities they consider “very important”. The thing is you can say you have these traits all you want on your website, bio, etc., but trust has to be earned, and the only way to do this is to prove your credibility.

Here are a few tips for how to sound more credible:

When you talk to your clients avoid using filler words such as “um” and “uh”, which can decrease your credibility. You also want to watch the tone of your voice. People tend to translate a deeper tone as sounding more credible.

You want to develop a relationship to last a lifetime when interacting with your clients. There are many things you can do to accomplish this, and using these tips can take you from getting just a few referrals and repeat customers to gaining a loyal client following. Taking the little extra time to make sure you are projecting the right attitude and making sure that you are doing things to gain your client’s trust can make a world of difference for your business. 6

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U N VE I L I NG KEITH P OWE RS : SO UTH E RN CALIF OR NIA ’ S P RE MIER R EALTOR ® F O R SH OR T-TER M R ENTA L S

eith Powers, once a financial advisor, has found his niche in helping people turn their investments into lucrative short-term rental (STR) properties in the vibrant southern California market. 8

With a passion for guiding clients toward financial prosperity, Keith, along with his wife, specializes in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, targeting cities that welcome short-term Top Agent Magazine

rental properties with open arms. “No matter how much they talk about wanting to save for their future, people rarely want to meet with their financial advisor,” Keith chuckles. “But people love meeting with their real estate agent because they’re allowed to spend money and still invest in their future—without having to put it all away in savings!”

Simplifying the STR Market Keith provides a clear pathway for prospective buyers, simplifying the often-complex world of STR investments. He identifies two main avenues to acquire an STR property: purchasing an existing licensed STR or obtaining an STR conversion—a single-family home in a STR-friendly area that requires minimal renovations. The latter option entails

In Keith Powers, southern California has found a dedicated Realtor® who combines financial expertise with a passion for real estate.

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furnishing the property, securing a license, and opening for business, though finding suitable conversion properties can be a daunting task. To aid potential buyers, Keith has developed an exclusive system. Daily, he scours the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for promising STR candidates within their designated geographic area. Once identified, a proforma profit and loss (P&L) analysis is conducted. Properties projected to generate a 10% cap rate or higher earn a spot on a password-protected web page on Keith’s website. Clients who sign an exclusive representation agreement

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gain access to this invaluable resource, providing them with a comprehensive list of STR properties available for sale in southern California, complete with the necessary financial analyses.

see that they each have a different projected cap rate of 8, 9, and 10 percent, it makes it pretty easy to decide to buy the one with the 10% cap rate, because it offers the greatest ROI.”

Deciphering the Numbers According to Keith, revenue, occupancy, and average daily rate numbers are the linchpin in making informed decisions within the STR market. “If you’re not doing that analysis, you might have three properties in an area that look about the same,” Keith explains. “They might all be three bedrooms, two-bath homes, and you’re scratching your head wondering which one you should buy. That’s where the P&L analysis comes in. If you can

Bridging the Gap for Sellers When it comes to selling an STR property, Keith employs a data-driven approach. He prices properties based on their cap rate and prevailing market conditions, creating a detailed P&L statement with the information investors crave. To maximize exposure, Keith sends out email blasts to his extensive database of STR owners, complemented by outreach to over 140,000 SoCal Realtors®. The goal is to ensure sellers receive the best

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possible return on their investments. Keith’s passion for negotiation shines through as he strives to secure the best deals for his clients. The indisputable value he brings to the table is reflected in the numbers. He shares a remarkable success story, “In Anaheim, CA, I’ve sold almost every STR that’s been sold in the last 10 years. It’s not unusual for those properties to sell from $300,000 to $350,000 over the appraised value due

to the proximity to Disneyland and the value of the STR permit.” In Keith Powers, southern California has found a dedicated Realtor® who combines financial expertise with a passion for real estate. As the go-to expert for STR investments in the region, he continues to empower clients to invest wisely, bridging the gap between their financial goals and the ever-expanding world of short-term rentals.

To get in touch with Keith Powers please call 714-402-1357, email at BrokerPowers@gmail.com, or visit: BrokerPowers.com www.

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Every Player is Valuable: How to Boost Your Team’s Morale In the fast-paced world of real estate, it can be easy to overlook the contributions of those lower-level employees who are instrumental in our success, yet are overlooked when it comes to recognizing the important roles they play in keeping our business operating smoothly. Even a task that seems simple, such as answering phones, can be overwhelming at Top Agent Magazine

times. Letting these employees know that they are appreciated is something that often goes overlooked at busier companies, and can often result in impaired morale overall, as employee dissatisfaction tends to be contagious. Here are some things that you can do to increase morale and productivity in your workplace: 13

While it’s important to point out when an employee is doing something wrong, it is equally – if not more – important to acknowledge when that employee is doing something right.

While it’s important to point out when an employee is doing something wrong, and sometimes to reprimand, it is equally – if not more – important to acknowledge when that employee is doing something right. Even a simple compliment can go a long, long way towards building that employee’s morale, and therefore their willingness to go the extra mile for your team. An example: “Sally, I just heard you on the phone with that client. You sounded very professional and I really appreciate your representing our business that way.”

Determine what all of your employee’s goals are, and what their expectations for growth might be. There may be lower level employees who are perfectly content doing what they’re doing, and who have absolutely no expectations for growth in your business. Others, however, may have an interest in moving up the ladder. Make it your business to determine this early on, and try to take a personal interest in your employee’s growth with your company. Knowing there is room to grow is an important factor in employee satisfaction, and knowing who wants to grow and who

doesn’t is something you should be aware of. Groom from within, and your employees will be grateful and work harder.

If your workplace is highly stratified, with multiple levels of employees (agents, senior agents, loan processers, assistants, etc.,) make an effort to ensure that everyone feels valued as part of the team regardless of what they earn. Various team building exercises that encourage trust and a sense of familiarity can go a long way towards fostering an environment that is less unnecessarily competitive and more productive and cooperative. A quick web search for “Trust Building Exercises” will help you locate many good ways to achieve a newfound level of camaraderie amongst your team. Many of them are quite a bit of fun, too. Hopefully these tips will assist you in creating a better-functioning, higher-achieving team of motivated, caring employees. Remember, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link, so be sure to keep everyone feeling appreciated, supported and valued, and your company will only benefit. Top Agent Magazine

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3 Mind-Bending Philosophies to Expand Your Professional Perspective

Beyond the day-to-day duties that make your business tick, so much of success is derived from the principles you put in place to guide your business. The foundational tenets you subscribe to can make or break your business for the long-term; they not only influence how you complete routine 16

tasks, but also impact your growth, your ability to manage a team, and what the future might hold. With all that in mind, here are three philosophies to remember as you strategize your professional life—whether you’re mapping your monthly goals or creating an overarching plan for growth.

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Treat Your Business Like a Business

One of the perks of working in real estate is that you’re often able to create and manage your own schedule and volume, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the technical details of being your own boss. No real estate professional worth his or her salt would forgo empowering tools like a business and marketing plan, or spreadsheets to track cash flow and expenses, or regular profit-and-loss statements, or fiscal year budgets and projections. Taking these measures may appear daunting at first— and completing them will certainly require discipline and a learning curve—but harnessing valuable data and information can intelligently inform your professional decisions, strategies, and long-term growth.

Achieve a Holistic Understanding

When schedules are busy, it sometimes feels like enough to reach the end of the week’s to-do list. But, if you’re planning on a lasting career built on year-to-year growth, it’s not enough to account for the short-term. By creating daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and five-year goals, you’re outlining and quantifying your progress. While your quarterly and yearly goals may be clear in your mind, what about five years from now? Perhaps you’d like to add to your designations, or incorporate a new team member, or add an additional branch. No matter how you envision your profesTop Agent Magazine

sional future, the first order of business is to create a timeline. Once you have a clear deadline in mind, it’s far easier to build out the steps and calendar necessary to achieve your goals.

3 Specificity is Empowering While you may have a general sense of where you’d like to see your business go in the next few months or years, it’s hard to work toward or attain a goal that’s abstract. To make the most of your time and efforts, you must identify and understand precisely what you’re aiming toward. For instance, instead of planning to add volume to your enterprise, outline a specific, attainable number to work toward. Or, if you’d like to add an administrative staff in the years to come, consider the details of this decision—the money it would take, the type of people you’d want to hire, how many hours per week they’d work, what tasks they would complete, etc. Adding hard details to your goals not only makes them more realistic, but progress is more easily made when you have specific items you can cross off your to-do list along the way. While there are no 100% fool-proof or guaranteed routes to success, shifting your mindset from the present and the abstract, to the specific and the long-term can have a major impact on your chances of success. Instead of dreaming of being more productive or successful, do yourself a favor and craft a gameplan you can bank on.

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JAE WU & SEAN MCMILLAN

Thriving in the heart of West Los Angeles, there’s a real estate powerhouse that has been making waves for almost three decades. Jae Wu and Sean McMillan, the dynamic duo behind Heyler Realty, built their business on hard work, expert knowledge, and an intimate understanding of the Westside where they live, work, and raise their families. Sean, a third-generation Los Angeleno, knows “all the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city inside and out,” he says. “My grandfather was in the first graduating classes at UCLA back in the early 1920’s.” Jae jokes, “I’m a newbie having only been here 30 years in comparison!” Jae’s journey into real estate began in 1995 when she joined a top Beverly Hills mortgage company. With her analytical mind and a background in mathematics and finance, she quickly realized that her transition into real estate was a natural fit for her skill set. “I felt more like a consultant and a professional rather than a salesperson,” she recalls. Working tirelessly to assist real estate agents in closing transactions, Jae knew she wanted to help her clients even more and she became a REALTOR®. She consistently built her skill set including becoming a certified negotiation specialist. “You don’t want to bet against Jae in a negotiation,” Sean says, smiling proudly. “I’m the negotiator,” Jae 18

says. “And Sean is the people person with a historian-level knowledge of the neighborhood and an economist-level understanding of the real estate market.” Having been born and raised in the industry, Sean has worked in nearly every facet of the residential real estate business, including helping to develop and grow several top-tier real estate agencies. From title insurance to mortgage banking to representing buyers and sellers, Sean brings a wealth of practical experience and wisdom to every transaction. Heyler serves clients in Westside neighborhoods like Westwood, Cheviot Hills, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City and Santa Monica. They also have agents with expertise in the San Fernando Valley, Mid-city and Downtown Los Angeles, and the South Bay. The boutique real estate company includes 10 agents who hold certifications enabling them to help clients with everything from buying their first home to navigating probate. Jae and Sean produce an impressive $70 to $80 million a year in sales volume. At least 80 percent of their business comes from referrals, a testament to their commitment to their clients. “We’re proud that we’ve been able to build lasting relationships with our clients who then feel confident in referring their friends and family to us,” Sean said. “Especially since buying or Top Agent Magazine

selling a home is one of the most important financial decisions a person can make in their lifetime,” Jae added. Jae and Sean have worked closely together for 18 years. They bought Heyler Realty because of its history in the neighborhood - it was one of the first businesses on Pico Boulevard when it opened in 1927 - and have made it a hub for the neighborhood to gather. They host an annual block party, a blood drive, and several lunch-and-learns throughout the year at Heyler. Jae and Sean both serve on the Westside Neighborhood Council, which reports to Los Angeles City Council, along with having volunteered at their kids’ schools and sports teams. “We believe in giving back,” Jae said. “And making our little “Mayberry” the best it can be.” Heyler recently won the LA Works Small Business Big Impact Award for their work in the community. Sean founded and still chairs several non-profit organizations for environmental and social causes designed to last long after his involvement including West LA Homeless and the Westwood Greenway. Jae is president of the Women’s Council of Realtors L.A/Beverly Hills and recently chaired the hugely successful American Cancer Society’s California Spirit event for the second year. Jae recently won a grant from the Book Bound Initiative to help her bring her memoir to life, which she hopes will empower others to keep going during hard times. Outside their work in real estate and the community, Jae and Sean share a love for their families, sports and recreation. From beach volleyball, to running, hiking, golf and even pickleball, they enjoy staying active. Jae and her husband of 20 years share a passion for food and wine and have 2 teenage boys, while Sean is lucky that his wife of 25 years is a chef and baker extraordinaire with a very successful catering business. They have 4 children. In the Showtime marketplace of Los Angeles real estate, Jae Wu and Sean McMillan are committed to giving their all to their clients and neighborhoods they serve. “We love what we do and where we do it and it shows!” says Sean. Plus, “We love to win and get the very best results for our clients,” Jae said.

For more information about Jae Wu call 310-721-0000, email Team@HeylerRealty.com or visit heylerrealty.com www.

For more information about Sean McMillan call 310-990-6267, email Team@heylerrealty.com or visit heylerrealty.com www.

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What the First Thing You Do After Work Says About You We all have our routines. From that morning cup of coffee to a jog at the gym, it’s common to establish touchstones for our daily lives. But have you ever considered what these habits tell us about ourselves? Our actions reveal much about our motivations and emotional life, so taking a second look at your first move at the end of the day can be telling. With that in mind, see how you fare when it comes to post-workday habits... 22

Break a Sweat After a long day of work, is your first instinct to strap on your sneakers and take off on a run? Do you stop off at the local yoga studio for an extended stretch? Maybe you head to the weight room to pump some iron. Whatever your exercise pick, if you’re inclined to sweat it out at the end of a long day, you’re likely a routine-oriented profes-

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sional who internalizes work-related stress. Of course, you’ve chosen a healthy release for all that pent-up tension, and you’ve discovered the power of endorphins. Once work hours are over, not everyone finds the motivation to stay active. This means you’re driven by routine, conscious of your emotional and physical health, and prefer to leave your cares at the gym, rather than bring them into your home oasis. However, it’s important to give your body a rest now and again, as recuperation time is not only beneficial for physical health, but can help prevent burnout for the long haul. Flexibility is a skill, and one just as important to cultivate as rigid commitment. If you find yourself out of sorts if you miss just one day of working out, you might want to pay some attention to your routines and motivations, and rebalance your commitments and fitness routine accordingly.

Round-the-Clock Hustle If you’re the type to bring work home with you, you aren’t alone. While your motivation to work nonstop is admirable, it’s also important to make the mental transition from workplace to home, establishing the time to hustle and the time to relax. Just like those that hit the gym without fail after a long day, sometimes you’ll need to practice saying no. If your work life is indistinguishable from your personal life, it’ll be hard to catch a break and recharge. This means burnout, frayed nerves, and missed details will soon be on the horizon. Of course, round-the-clock hustle is a strength, too. You’re passionate about your work, care deeply about doing things right, and failure is not an option. Just make sure that you establish some foundational boundaries so that you maintain an Top Agent Magazine

appropriate, healthy balance between your time at work and your time at home with the loved ones and hobbies you cherish. If making way for downtime isn’t easy, try penciling it in the way you would a work engagement. Dinner with a friend, a date night with a significant other, or a solo movie fest can be readily added to your calendar, and thus built in to your regimented schedule.

Turn to Food If your first instinct after work is to eat, it can say a few different things about your routine. Perhaps you’ve been so on-the-go all the day that you haven’t had time for lunch. In this case, you might need to regiment your schedule with more purpose aimed towards downtime and self-care; food is fuel, after all. If you head home and gorge after an average day, you may be turning to food as a way to relieve stress. In this case, you may need to reassess some of your post-work habits and find a healthier balance and outlet for your tension. Taking a walk, grabbing fresh ingredients for dinner, hitting the gym, or decompressing by catching up with a friend or a good book—all are healthier, more balanced ways of executing the transition from the office to the home. Pay attention to your consumption post-work. Determine how hungry or satiated you really are before making a grab for the nearest sustenance. People decompress in all different ways after getting home from the office, but always remember that routines are telling. Don’t take your daily actions and impulses for granted. Examine the root behind your well-worn practices, and you may detect nuances at play beneath the surface that can you help you recalibrate for the better.

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