On today’s episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, Travis was joined by local real estate agent Michelle Rawls! Together, they discuss Real Broker, real estate in Montgomery, Alabama, and how you can prepare to buy a home or sell your existing home! If you would like to contact Michelle, please click one of the links below!

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Podcast Transcript:

Travis McGowin

Hey, thanks for joining us today on the Peskies Pest Control Podcast. As you know, if you’ve listened to our podcast any amount of time, we do an occasional Local Business Spotlight where we talk to either a local business owner, a local business representative from our area, just to kind of hear what they’ve got going on and hear about their business and what it is they do and how they can help our clients too. Today, I am lucky enough to have with me Miss Michelle Rawls, who is a REALTOR with real broker. Michelle, how are you today?

Michelle Rawls

I’m fantastic. Travis, it’s so good to be here.

Travis McGowin

Yeah. Thank you for joining us today. You know springtime is on its way in, possibly Alabama is so unpredictable with its weather, it has so many ups and downs. But from what I understand in our previous conversations that you and I have had, that’s kind of when the real estate market starts cooking. Am I right?

Michelle Rawls

You are absolutely correct. We are starting to see an influx of movement on the in the market, on the MLS. So we’re about to head into our spring season where we’re going to start seeing some more inventory. So I’m really excited. At the moment, I’m just planting seeds and nurturing those seeds, because I know that by springtime, we’re going to start seeing a lot more movement.

Travis McGowin

Awesome. Well, so kind of paint the picture for us, what got you into real estate, and how did you eventually find your way over to Real broker?

Michelle Rawls

Sure, so I lived abroad. I graduated from AUM with business degree, and I went overseas and worked for a couple of years, and COVID brought me back to the States. Well, I have a background in sales, and I love sales, so it just kind of seems like a really great fit, and it’s really taken me to a lot of cool places, so I’m really, you know, I’ve really enjoyed it, and the fact that I get to help clients and first time homebuyers is just super rewarding as well,

Travis McGowin

Awesome. So give us a little about yourself here. You know, beyond enjoying sales and enjoying real estate, what are some things that you like to do, your passions, your hobbies, things that you do outside of work,

Michelle Rawls

I love to travel. So I’m super passionate about traveling. I i feel very proud to say that I was able to step foot on all seven continents, and I’ve been to like a bunch of different countries all over the world, and even domestically, here in the US, it’s beautiful. So I love road trips and catching flights and, you know, experiencing different festivals and hiking. I love the outdoors. So I’m, you know, very active outside. So when I’m not selling real estate, I’m, you can find me, you know, in the woods or traveling or just spending time with friends and family.

Travis McGowin

Awesome. Alright, so you like to, you like to make your rounds all over the world. That’s pretty cool.

Michelle Rawls

Yeah.

Travis McGowin

So tell us what makes real broker stand out from other real estate companies in, you know, the Montgomery area where you’re at, and what are some of the advantages that real broker brings with you to the clients that you guys serve.

Michelle Rawls

Sure, so real broker is one of the fastest growing companies in North America, and because of that, the access of training is top notch, and I think that as an agent, it’s super important to continue learn and sharpen your your skills. And that’s kind of what you know sets you apart from the competition, is just being able to negotiate and how to handle, you know, tough clients and tough markets. So I love the fact that my brokerage provides the training. They also have incentives with, you know, commission splits revenue. It’s publicly traded. So if you want to utilize that, it’s a great way to make additional money. There’s opportunities for leadership, if you want to start a team or if you want to sponsor another agent. So I love how there’s just different facets of it that can provide more income than, you know, some other agencies could could do,

Travis McGowin

Right, It sounds like there’s a lot of opportunity, a lot of growth, and a lot of great resources there for you, as well as your other you know, other agents that you work with.

Michelle Rawls

Absolutely and you know the CEO and the leadership board with real is just incredible and inspiring. And I think that good leaders, you know, produce other good leaders. So I just feel really supported where I’m at, and just the wealth of knowledge that I’ve learned and received has just been incredible. It’s, I feel like it’s really elevated my career. So I’m, you know, very happy that I’ve made, you know, the choice to be working with real broker.

Travis McGowin

Awesome. So in my current life, I have only ever went out and purchased a home one time, which is, which is currently the home that we live in. It was for sale by owner. It was kind of a very unique experience, especially being the very first home that my wife and I purchased. And like I said, we’re still in that house today. But thinking about that, thinking about the individuals that you represent as sellers or buyers, what are some common mistakes that you see maybe first time home buyers make, and maybe, what are some tips that they could do to avoid those mistakes?

Michelle Rawls

I guess to get started, Alabama is a buyer beware state. I always tell my clients, get a home inspection. You want to make sure that you really understand you know, what you’re getting into in terms of how the house functions, and maybe could prevent, you know, issues and having repairs done on the front end. So I always tell my clients, get a home inspection. That’s number one. And then another big thing to look out for as a you know, if you’re looking to purchase your first property is have a good lender. I tell my clients that real estate is a team sport. So, you know, really working with a lender to kind of help with the financing, and then, you know, I help negotiate the terms of the agreement, but just having a strong team of, you know, an agent as well as a lender to support you, I think, just like relieves a lot of stress that purchasing a home can can provide. So I really advocate for, you know, just building a good team.

Travis McGowin

Awesome. Yeah, we always tell our clients, you know, definitely get reputable, thorough inspections done. Of course, like you mentioned, Home Inspections, of course, our company, WIRs is our company does many, many wood infestation reports, because I always talk to my clients about it this way, your home is most likely your most expensive investment across the board, more than vehicles. You know, they’re they’re usually your most expensive investment. So I always say don’t cheap out on your home, because you will regret it later on down the road.

Michelle Rawls

Absolutely do your due diligence, and that is including inspections, whether it’s your WIR or home inspection or septic inspection, you’re absolutely right.

Travis McGowin

Right, so thinking about it from the opposite side, not from the buyer’s side, but from the seller’s side. What are some tips that you might would have for someone who’s getting ready to, like we said, spring’s coming, the market’s going to heat up, uh, someone’s interested in selling their home. What are some some tips, maybe, that you can recommend to get their house ready to list and and maybe get them the best price for their home

Michelle Rawls

Absolutely. So, you know, with working with me, for example, I use professional photography when listing properties, I feel most of the time, people are bringing the deals to me, the houses that they like, and that’s just, you know, pictures really create an idea of what, you know, they’re they’re getting. So having professional photography, I think, is super important, just especially because it’s on Zillow and realtor.com and then, as well as, just like, make sure you’re maintaining everything. You service your HVAC, if you need to, you know, do any service items on the front end, make sure that you declutter. So have a yard sale. Get rid of a bunch of stuff that you know you’re not going to need. You know, make sure all the light bulbs are the same. Like, just little, little tweaks can make some big changes as well as, like, you know, it also is good selling point. You know, the fact that you’ve done this or maintained this system is really good to have done prior to listing your home,

Travis McGowin

Right, and, you know, it’s like that old saying, a picture is worth 1000 words. But not only that, a first impression is everything. I think that’s vastl