Burn the Boat

Burning the boat was exactly what Laurie Read did just a mere 5 years ago, when she started her real estate career.

In just 5 years Laurie's real estate career has skyrocketed! She has become one of the most successful realtors in Utah. How did she do it? In the podcast she shares how she has rapidly grown her SOI, began hiring assistants, and has propelled herself in the new build market. Has there been a point in your career where you have had to "burn the boat"? If not, maybe now is the time! 

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Transcript

Ron Pippin: 0:00

Welcome to another episode of agent versus lender. And today we have with us. Laurie Read. She is with Keller Williams. She's been an agent for about five years. But don't let that fool you. She just her first year, she did 28 transactions, right?

Laurie Read: 0:19

Yes, it's about 28 transaction.

Ron Pippin: 0:21

Yep. And this year 2023 wrapped up with 68. Yep. So and So don't let her fool you, you know, five years in the industry and already producing like a top a top agent is, is pretty amazing. So we're going to tell you how she did that. We're going to talk a little bit about builders and, and her experience with with building and with builders. And but but also don't let that fool you her numbers, because her builders is only a small part of her business. So. So this is going to be a really good one. So, so. So welcome, Laurie.

Laurie Read: 1:00

Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be a part of this. So thank you. Awesome.

Ron Pippin: 1:05

So tell us stories. Laurie has a little bit of a story about getting into the real estate business. So tell us a little bit about your story and how you got in. And yeah,

Laurie Read: 1:16

So for me, real estate was never even on the radar. To me, you know, I kind of thought they had this stigma of you know, for lack of better analogy that used car salesman. I was working for an accounting firm, that it was just hitting a point that my kids would laugh, you know, every January is tax season started rolling in, I'd say Hey, I'll see you guys in April. Because I would I would leave to work before they got up for school, and I'd get home after they'd gone to bed. And, and my husband does a lot in this industry. And he really kept encouraging me to look into real estate. And finally, I just hit a point that I was like, there's got to be something more to life than this. And so I was like, Okay, I'll just, I'll just go to school. And I'll just do it, do it part time, we'll just kind of see how this goes. And, and he probably knew at the time, I have an all or nothing personality, like it's just not how I roll. And so, three days into school, I came home and said I gotta quit my job. This is this is I either got to go all in or not do it at all. Because in order for me to do this well, and to the level that I think it should be. It's got to be my main focus.

Ron Pippin: 2:22

So you burn the boat, you know the story about burning the boat? Right? Have you heard that? No. Well, now that I asked that question, a lot of people may or may not. So there's a story about and now I can't remember who it was. Yeah, but they pulled up to an island. And the they were they were I don't know, if they're pirates are worth who they were. We're going to take this island over. And there's a lot of people in the crew that weren't sure if they wanted to really do this. And the captain said no, we are staying and he ordered the boat to be burned. And so they have no choice but to stay and do what they were there for. So you burn the boat.

Laurie Read: 3:09

I yeah, I did I burn the boat. And and my husband just said, Okay, we'll figure it out. You know, and, and when I kind of hit expressed what I was doing to my close circle, I didn't have a massive support. They all are like really Laurie, do you know what you're getting into, you know, market like that has highs and lows, you know, and so it almost became I was gonna prove that I could do it. And I did my first year had some really great numbers. I was Rookie of the Year. I just set out for a goal and said, You know, I think the biggest thing and being successful in this business is I think sometimes people treat it as a part time thing and, and just something they can do on the side. But for me, this was a career I wanted to do. You know, we're handling people some of their biggest financial decisions they'll ever make. And so for me, you know, I was showing up at the office every day at nine, it wasn't just a nine to five job for me, but I was still showing up. And I was doing what I needed to do in order to be successful at this. And I just slowly started building relationships. And thankfully, I actually turned into before starting working with the builder, a referral based business within a year to where everything I was getting was referral based. And the builder I'm working with now actually came to me through a referral and it's just been amazing.

Ron Pippin: 4:28

Yeah, that's that's, that's just actually really incredible to turn out those kinds of numbers in your first year. I know agents that have been in business for years and years and their goals are less than what you did your first year. So congratulations. That's just that's just really amazing. Love to hear stories like that. So you you kind of touched on how you did that. Because a lot of people want to know how do you how do you do 28 transactions in your first year. It sounds like a lot of it was rare for referral base. But how did you get out there?

Laurie Read: 5:05

Well, for me, I just like I said, I just started, I rented a little space. So I started out with Better Homes and Garden and I rented an office space. And I just, if I was going to do this, I was going to go all in and I just started showing up to the office every day, I started just I think personal touches are huge. And for me, I really wanted to build connections and relationships with people. And so it was, you know, I sent out basically what looked like somewhat of a end of year Christmas card, you know, I put my family picture on it. And I just sent it to everybody I knew and could think of, Hey, this is I've made a career change, this is what I'm doing. And I just started having conversations with people I knew about what I was doing and why I was doing it and why I made this change and why it was such a serious thing for me that I wasn't doing it just something on the site that I really wanted to be there for those people and I just conversations, honestly, and just really reaching out to the people I knew already. And just following up.

Ron Pippin: 6:06

So your SOI is really what how you did that. And Yep, that's, that's really important. Because I think a lot of people don't remember that. Your SOI can really help you. And don't be shy about letting people know what you do for a living. Right. And, and I'm assuming you've probably stayed in front of them via not just conversations, but probably some other marketing as well, whether it's Facebook and social media.

Laurie Read: 6:32

But I'm like I said, I'm big on the personal relationships, I never wanted to be the type of person that when my name showed up on the phone, you know that, you know, family member or friend is like, she's calling to tell me about real estate again, like I I genuinely have a huge caring for everyone around me and my hearts huge for all of them that I just wanted them to know that, hey, I'm there, whether it's real estate related or not, let me be a resource for you. If you you know, have a plumbing issue or whatever it is, let me help, you know, let me network out and see what else is out there that it doesn't have to just be real estate. Related that let me be just kind of your resource and, do the research for you and find out what you know, which directions to go if you have issues and things like that. And so it's just for me, like I said it was just super focusing in on my relationships that I had,

Ron Pippin: 7:25

You know why you can't fake that? No, you know, there's a lot of people that really that that fake that in our industry, whether it's our industry or somebody else's industry. A lot of people say they have relationships with people that but it's mostly they fake it. And your numbers tell me you don't fake it. So because you can't you can't be you know, people see through it. Oh, people totally see for sure. Yeah, sure. So you mentioned, you mentioned builders that you work with the builder and that How long have you worked with this builder now?

Laurie Read: 7:57

Um going on just a little over a year.

Ron Pippin: 8:00

Oh, cool. with him? Oh, cool. So your first four years you were doing this by yourself? Yes. And so so tell us in your builder found you. You didn't go You didn't go seek him out?

Laurie Read: 8:13

Yeah, he we had mutual friends. Oh, but and I had actually helped him. He was another builder that just he'd built my home just does a few homes here and there. And his friend Scotland Xie, who's the builder I work for now was saying that he needed to find an agent and our friend just was like, Hey, I have one that's a killer agent for you. She'll do what she's got to do to, to make sure that you're successful as well. And so, I mean, obviously, it was still an interview process and drawings for him to meet me. But yeah, it's been great. It's been really exciting. A lot of learning for me as well. But yeah, it's been really good. But yeah, he came to me through a mutual friends. Oh, awesome.

Ron Pippin: 8:56

So let's talk about builder because there seems to be a lot of that going on right now.

Laurie Read: 9:00

Yeah, it's insane.

Ron Pippin: 9:02

So tell us, you know, tell us a little bit about the builder market. And why there's so much building going on.

Laurie Read: 9:10

I think right now what we're seeing a lot of, like, you probably know, and a lot of people know, just our lack of inventory of existing homes. I mean, we have way more buyers right now. And so I think just trying to keep up with the demand of what we've got going is, you know, super profitable, profitable right now for builders. And so, you know, we're just seeing a huge influx in that and I think with our housing shortage as well and existing homes, you know, we're hearing a lot of multiple offers and things like that going. I said, you're starting to see that

Ron Pippin: 9:43

Even on the build site,

Laurie Read: 9:45

Even on building site and it's getting to a point that I know not us but I know of other builders that have kind of put a freeze on taking on new contracts right now. They're trying to get a handle on what what they have going out or just I think interest rates are playing a huge role into that right now where they're so low, you know, buying powers a lot higher for, for people that people are selling at top dollar. So they're being able to have, you know, that larger deposit that a lot of the times you need with building, you've got to come in with cash. And so it's giving a little more opportunity that way, I think to our, to our buyers.

Ron Pippin: 10:23

And so tell us about you, you'd mentioned to me that, that something about the land, and in Utah, we're right between a lake and a mountain. And so sometimes as a little more, a little more scarce, you can't just go build up the side of the mountain or out in the lake.

Laurie Read: 10:40

Right. And I think that's why you're seeing building prices going up and everything too, because yeah, we are, we're stuck between a lake and a mountain, we only have so much developable land that's available. That you're starting to see a lot more high density than I think we've ever seen, at least up north here. I know we see a lot of it down in Salt Lake and things like that. But you're starting to see a lot more high density building going on. Just because I think our population is getting higher. We're having a lot of people moving in, and we don't have a lot of land left. And so we're we're starting to squeeze.

Ron Pippin: 11:16

Yeah, well, there, actually there is a lot of land. But that there, you just got to go way, way north or you got to go way south, I mean, wait last, from Brigham City to south of Provo, even all the way down to Payson. There's just the it's just almost one city now. And you know, 10, 15, 20 years ago, there was huge spaces and huge tracts of land that were available, and you just don't see that anymore. So there's land available,

Laurie Read: 11:48

If they're gonna travel, it's there. And I know, like we've ran into, you know, with looking at different areas to is, you know, I think right now, with costs rising and things like that, you know, it's more cost effective for builders, as well, and developers to start doing more of that high density and start getting into some of these areas, and they don't want it. We've ran into that a little bit. And so it's just I think, the pricing and everything is playing a huge role and how we're gonna see this develop over the next couple of years. Yeah, I don't think buildings coming down anytime soon.

Ron Pippin: 12:20

No, I don't, I don't think so either. Just because you're right, just as people move into the area, the housing market is just so there's just so scarce, there's just more demand than there is inventory. So, you know, and this is one way to solve it is, is to build. So you You said that you could get you could get more for your money by building does that which does that lead, you

Laurie Read: 12:47

I know, I was just meaning more, I think buyers are seeing right now, because interest rates are so low, they're able to kind of keep their house payments more of where they want, versus, you know, when interest rates are higher, and so it is enticing them more to building because they can get brand new, and still keep a reasonable payment.

Ron Pippin: 13:08

There's something about having a brand new house, just you know, you get in colors, you get to pick out all the carpet. And sometimes, if sometimes, depending on the builder, you can even move walls and have some say about how the house looks. So there is something to be said about that.

Laurie Read: 13:25

Oh, for sure. And I think you're starting to see a lot of that happening right now is I know I have a lot of agents that come to us all the time that you know, based on their client's needs and stuff with our inventory so low that their buildings really the only way for them to go to get everything that they're wanting, you know, we have, you know, some bigger families here in the area, you know, we have a lot of options that have more room. So it just kind of makes sense.

Ron Pippin: 13:51

So you're you're an agent, while you're not you're not a captured agent for that builder, because you still have a lot of buyers that you work with. But as you work with this builder, and you're on the selling side, I'm sure you see some real estate agents that maybe aren't as familiar with the building process. And so what advice can you maybe give to the agents that are on the sell on the buyer side that maybe can help them as they go through this process?

Laurie Read: 14:23

My biggest thing is don't be afraid to ask questions. So you know, you have to start somewhere we all did our first transaction kind of feeling like we're you know, navigating our way through the dark and, and for us and this isn't for all builders across the board. But for Scott and I I encourage the buyer's agents to be involved. If they're going to be there. I want them to be a part of the process. I want them to ask questions if they don't understand the contract. You know, I had to learn it too. That we all have a starting point and to not just treat your buyers like it's an I see this a lot and it's unfortunate that I think some agents Think new construction is an easy paycheck, they get them under contract with the builder, and then they're out. And you never hear from the buyer's agent again, you know, until closing day or whatever. And, and I've had some that the buyer's agents have never even seen the house that their clients are building, and to each their own to how they run their business. But for me, I think it's super important to be there through the whole process with them and making sure that your client really feels like you have their back. And sometimes just having their second opinion, when you're in design and things like that. I think it's great to have them be a part of it. The biggest thing is just asking the questions, I will walk anybody through the process that they if they want, but a lot of the time, they just get them under contract, and I never hear from them again.

Ron Pippin: 15:46

Well, but you know, the downfall in that is that if they walk away, they get them under contract to help with whatever negotiations they need and get to get them under contract. And then they're there. They're pretty much absent for the rest of the time. There's going to be somebody that's going to be there. And that's going to be you. Yep. And, and so the buyers, and so the buyers are going to listen, and remember you because you've been there through the whole, the entire transaction. Yep. So I mean, good for you.

Laurie Read: 16:18

Yeah, it's great for me, but at the same time, like I, I have worked with those builders in the past that once you're under contract, they basically tell you as a buyer's agent, like move along, we don't want you a part of this, which that's how they do it...

Ron Pippin: 16:30

as a buyer's agent, you should fight that should Yeah, you should, you should just say this is my client, I want to make sure that that client is taken care of, and that a good lead agent. Even if you're a little more, you know, a little more passive. And still, you're it's still your client. And you're right, because I have worked with some builders, that they are that way, and they just they kind of want you out of the way. Yeah. But a good agent is going to be there out of your lane, your buyers are going to so appreciate having somebody that they feel like is in their corner.

Laurie Read: 17:02

Yep, absolutely. Nope. I agree with that. 100%. Like I say, I've dealt with those builders, but I'm not going to push back and say no, you know, I brought these guys to you or you know, they were interested, I'm not going anywhere. This is what my clients have hired me to do. And I'm going to see it to the end. You know, and that is I think how I've been able to build my business, the way I have is because I'm there every single step of the way. I don't miss a closing I don't, I will schedule my vacations, all of that around what I have going on with my clients, because I just feel like it is so important that we're there the entire ship, because like I said before, this is most people's biggest financial decision that they'll ever make. And it can either ruin them, or set them up, you know, for financial success, that they can turn things into investments. And I think just having those conversations with them and letting them know what it can look like for them is huge.

Ron Pippin: 17:56

So yeah, totally agree. So, you. So you've done. I don't know if we said this. Did you say this at the beginning how many transactions you did this year? Thanks. Okay. Yeah. So you were like, killing it. You are like, your your top? Yeah, I don't know where you would stand in Utah. But I imagine you're probably in the top few percentage. And you don't have much of a team? No, in fact, tell me, tell me about your team. And when you actually started hiring them, this just blows me away.

Laurie Read: 18:37

So about what are we in January, so probably four or five months ago is the first time I hired a transaction coordinator to just help with the paperwork, badges.

Ron Pippin: 18:49

I got it, I gotta tell you that just that just completely blows me away.

Laurie Read: 18:55

So that one, and that honestly took some time for me to adjust to because I have such the strong of I've got to be involved in every aspect. But I was starting to see some of it was taking away from the expectation of level of service that I have for myself, for my clients and like my clients are always going to be the number one. So I hired a transaction coordinator to just help with the paperwork. And then our first part of October, I hired a licensed assistant, and still kind of working she's she's amazing, but still me trying to relinquish things to let her take over. But she has been phenomenal. So yeah, it's really been the last four or five months that I've actually had help.

Ron Pippin: 19:44

Yeah, like when you first told me that. You saw my reaction. And I was just like, are you serious right now? How did you manage to do the number of transactions that you do without help? And you do you but you said you had a real good support structure.

Laurie Read: 20:01

Yeah my husband is amazing. He's really good at helping support whatever I need to do, and, you know, working our schedules together and helping take care of the kids when needed. So that's been huge for me. I'm a little bit and this, my assistant can tell you this. Now, I'm a little bit OCD control freak that I like to just have things a certain way. And so from the very beginning, when I was brand new, and didn't have anything going on, I was sitting in the office and figuring out how I was going to keep track of our files and deadlines and things like that. And so I just kind of started my own little system and just carried it and it's just worked. And I've just made sure I time block where I need and, you know, there for a little while, and this is why I hired the transaction coordinator there for a little while, you know, putting the paperwork into the systems that we need to have it in at Keller Williams and stuff was happening after my kids went to bed. And so I was staying up and doing that. And I started realizing, you know, something that I could have somebody be doing. So I'm getting the rest of that I need and showing up for my clients the best way I can, but it was worth it was time to, to hand that off. But it really just came down to system.

Ron Pippin: 21:12

Yeah. So. So there are multiple things. So I don't know if anybody's listening to this? Well, there will be. But if you're listening to this, rewind, what she just talked about in the last probably three or four minutes, because you talked about you have a support support structure. You have you time block for your for things that you're going to do, because without time blocking, you know, I don't know about you, but it's just like a squirrel squirrel. Yeah, you know, and we just we, we are reactive to things that are going on. You have systems in place. And another was another one in there, but I can't remember what it was. Anyway, so there there are multiple things. Yeah. Which is what is making you successful? Yeah, there's, there's a myriad of things that Yeah,

Laurie Read: 22:05

and like those, that definitely plays a huge role in in how I'm doing things and just just making sure I'm doing the same thing regardless. Yeah, you know,

Ron Pippin: 22:16

yeah. So don't. For those that are listening. Don't try to reinvent the wheel, right? Look at people that are successful in this business, and just do what they're doing. And so Laurie is one that you should be looking at, to copy what she's doing. And, you know, time blocking and systems and, and support structures and, and an assistant. And I congratulate you on the assistant because I had to I that was something that I struggled with immensely. Fortunately, I have some really good coaches that coach me through and the more I get into it, the more my team builds, the more things that I relinquish to the to the team, because I find out that there are certain things that I'm just like really good at. And there are other things that like I'm okay, yeah, or I don't really enjoy doing right. And I hire people to do those themes that are really good at it. And they love doing that because of our personalities are so different. And they have a different personality than than I do. I don't want to hire a lot of people like me. Because I do those kind of things that I'm really good at and really enjoy. So the more that I relinquish the more business that we actually do, because the process is far smoother than when I tried to do it all myself does it? And you're probably finding that out yourself as well. Yeah.

Laurie Read: 23:48

So a couple things that you mentioned that were huge for me too, is in the beginning to is finding people that I wanted to run my business like and sitting down with them and asking what it was they were doing, how they were doing it, how it you know, and for me, I really resonated more with some of the mom agents because I'm like, how, how are you doing this? And so I think just job shadowing for lack of better word and just following them and seeing what they were doing was huge. Our leaders at Keller Williams there for a while kept telling me I needed an assistant, I needed their transaction coordinator. And you know, I pushed back for probably two years of No, I can do it, I can do it. I can do it. And then once I hired that assistant, I remember one day, standing in my kitchen and she I'd asked her to do something and she texts me 30 minutes later and she's like it's done. And I looked at my husband and I said she just alleviated three hours of work for me. Right there. I was just like I have three hours that I wouldn't have had before to spend with my little boy and my husband and and so right then I knew like that was the best decision I ever made and it just made me that much more available. To my clients, and be able to show up so much better for them in the way that they deserve me to showing up. So it's been huge.

Ron Pippin: 25:07

And that's when the light bulb starts to go on.

Laurie Read: 25:09

Yeah, I've already. I mean, it was my team leader at Yeah, make those kind of hires. And because they're, they're so focused on what they do. So I can, I can take it from beginning to end, I can, right know how to do a loan from the beginning to end. But it takes me a long time, because once you get into the processing part of it, and that detail work, I am just not a detailed kind of guy. You know, just just be honest, I'm just not a detail kind of guy. So just like you said, it would take you three hours where it takes them 30 minutes. And it's the same thing here. So I have to relinquish some of that stuff over to my processor, and to my assistants, and they take care of all that stuff. And that frees me up to talk to clients to talk to my referral partners and talk to other people to do the marketing part of it. It frees me up to do that kind of frees me up to do podcasts. Yeah. Without having my team. There is no way I could do what I do. Not a chance. Keller Williams that really suggested it. And I remember I called her that day too, and just said, Why didn't you tell me to do this two years ago? And she just laughed? Yeah, yeah, it was like, well, and I'm like, Okay, I get it. I get it. Yeah. So yeah, it's been huge.

Ron Pippin: 26:24

So one of the things also that Laurie does, is not only does she is she a rockstar, real estate agent, but she gives back to the community. And so tell us about the foundations that you have started.

Laurie Read: 26:40

So I have a couple, the first one I started donating to. And it's not a foundation, or anything that I set up, but it's just something super dear to my heart is I struggled a lot with infertility and knew the cost of it and everything like that. And it took me five years to get my my little guy. And he's just my miracle. And I just, I know what it was like, and I know the financial burden, it really put onto people. And I always told myself, if I ever got into a position that I could, I wanted to give back. So if every transaction i do i donate down to the reproductive Care Center, to just help with offsetting medication costs or anything, you know, that goes along with the infertility process to maybe help somebody else get get their little miracle baby. And then

Ron Pippin: 27:27

that is that I just tell you that that's amazing. And I'm sure there's a lot of people that that now that they know, are going to thank you for that. Whether they whether they're your client or not, I think people are going to appreciate the appreciate those kind of gestures to help other people.

Laurie Read: 27:49

Yeah, like I said, it was just something that I just wanted to do that I just I just started doing. And the other one that is super near and dear to my heart is I have a foundation for police officers. I have two brothers that are police officers. One passed away two years ago, not in the line of duty. But after he passed and reading all about the different things, how people viewed him as a police officer in his community and how he was just the first one to always go in and, you know, be the kind of the protector I just thought how can I really honor his legacy and honor what he's doing. In a world where right now I feel like police officers need more support than ever. They're kind of being attacked from every angle. So I set up a foundation called the Jason W, Reid Protect and Serve Foundation, it is named after my brother. And what our goal is to do is to go in and help with any additional equipment or training that our officers need. So they're getting home safe every night. You know, there are a lot of foundations and things for officers and their families if they were to die in the line of duty, which I think are absolutely amazing. But I want something that we're protecting our officers so they we don't need those ones of them dying in the line of duty. In 2020 is kind of our first full year of really having this foundation going. I honestly had a goal of$5,000 I thought if we can raise$5,000 like I'm going to be over the moon on December 31. I got one last donation that pushed us over $20,000 nice, and it's just been flooring me. So I do have a couple of officers on our board because I want to make sure whatever it is we're providing are things that we our officers really need. It's not just the next cool techie gadget like it is something that they really need. And as we have been getting the applications back it's been kind of crazy to me and heartbreaking. What our departments are asking for Just simple things like ballistic shields to protect them, if they're coming up on, you know, an angry shooter or anything, just something as simple as a shield to just protect them. That's really what most of our applications have been this year. And they're not very expensive. But there's just been so many cuts right now that our departments just don't have the budget for it. You know, so that's where I want us to step in.

Ron Pippin: 30:26

That is, that is actually heartbreaking to know that these people are willing to put their lives on the line. And they're doing it without, you know, the safety equipment that they need.

Laurie Read: 30:38

They're doing it with expired bulletproof vests. You know, I mean, some of the department's their equipment is so outdated, they're just trying to get updated equipment, you know, and they're there. Like I said, these applications that I that I'm getting, I'm just, I'm blown away too, because I just think, if everybody could just pitch in a couple bucks a year, like we could have our departments and our men and women so protected, because they're not asking that, like I said, I was worried they were going to ask for the, you know, the latest and greatest techie gadget, and they're not. They're just wanting to update their equipment. So their officers are safe.

Ron Pippin: 31:16

They just want to go home at night. Yep, there's gonna go home. Yep. Just like just like you and the rest of us.

Laurie Read: 31:22

Yeah, just want to go home. Yep. And so that's just been my goal is, you know, my brother was bigger than life. And, you know, the guys that he worked with, he was an officer for Centerville city. And they always said he was always he was going to be the first one to go in, he was going to make sure everybody was out. And so I'm like, Well, I can carry this on by making sure we're giving them the equipment to come back out.

Ron Pippin: 31:45

That's cool. So thank you so much for doing that. That is I just have no words. It's just that's just amazing.

Laurie Read: 31:52

Like I say, I wish I could say that $20,000 was all me. But that has been the other thing that has been so touching and just mind blowing. That we hit $20,000, our first year at the amount of community support I have received in this. Like I said, I was a little nervous because I was like, I know there's a lot of pushback with police officers right now. But I've just been blown away, blown away to the amount of donations we've received.

Ron Pippin: 32:17

That's awesome. So if somebody wants to donate to either one of your foundations, do they contact you,

Laurie Read: 32:26

they can talk contact me directly, we do have a Facebook page, it's called the Jason W. Reid Protect and Serve Foundation, we have a PayPal account set up, we are a 5013 C, so we're 100% charitable contribution. So it's a benefit, you know, to everyone, if they're donating, we have an account in that same name, same setup at America First. So they can go and donate there. Like I said, PayPal, they can contact me, we do have some t shirts and hats. That we...I don't want to say for a for a donation of $25, you can get a hat for a donation of $15, you can get a T shirt. And the nice thing that we've been able to do, and I want to continue it to be this way is everything that we've done with the T shirts and hats and things like that it has not taken a penny from the foundation. Having those made, everything of that was 100% donated to us. So we did a raffle back in October and raised about $6,000 with that and every single prize. I mean, I had a huge 60 inch screen TV that was donated, I had to gently so everything I'm doing I never want to take a penny from the foundation to pay for anything that we're doing. So I've worked really hard at trying to make sure everything's cool.

Ron Pippin: 33:45

100% so whether they want to donate to one of your foundations, or whether you want to contact you whether an agent wants to contact you and ask him questions, or you know, somebody that's that is looking for a rockstar real estate agent. What's the best way for people to contact you?

Laurie Read: 34:05

Just call me.

Ron Pippin: 34:06

What's that phone number?

Laurie Read: 34:08

801-668-6814 super easy number. They're all the same.

Ron Pippin: 34:13

Yeah, that is pretty easy. Well, Laurie, I appreciate you. Coming on our show today and sharing with us some a little bit about you and your your story how you got in and a little bit about some of the builders and and how the buyer's agent can can maybe make themselves a little bit more available during that that process. So I appreciate and and also sharing what there's about your foundations. That's that's really amazing. So thank you so much for your time and coming on today.

Laurie Read: 34:48

Well, thank you so much for having me. This is a lot of fun. Awesome, thank you.

Ron Pippin: 34:52

So if you want to reach me or my team, you can get ahold of us at 80162 87667 and that will wrap up another episode of agent versus lender.